A Warrior's Past Revealed-On the Hunt

The Second chapter for To Understand The Future,You Must Understand The Past.

Archie 

*Date of journal is unreadable* 

Well I couldn't believe my luck. Out of all the quest I had to be given, I had to be given a quest by Artemis. And guess was that quest was?

To hunt with the Hunters for 2 weeks!

I get that they swore off all boys, but come on. Not all boys are the same right? What's up with them hating boys. Well I was treated like an animal. Actually no, even the wolves they brought with them were treated better than me.

All I had was a sleeping bag, that's it. I had to hunt my own food and keep myself warm at night, while all the hunters had comfy tent and it was around a fire.

That's not the worse part. Training on Olympus, I was actually quite fit. So I could keep up with the pace set out by the hunters, that however led them to think I was a show off. So I tried toning it down a bit, and guess what? They insulted me because I couldn't keep up with them. Jeez.

Wow I really sound like a whiny brat right now. Well, a week with the hunters while being a boy causes you to do something you don't usually do. Just one more week...

22 November *year has been erased*

Artemis called me to her tent today. I have no idea why especially since she hasn't talked to me in a week since giving me this quest.

*Coffee stain hinders words* -the hunters still hated my guts. Walking to Artemis's tent, I could feel several looks of hatred on me. In her tent, Artemis sat stroking her sacred deer on the head. Her lieutanant, Zoe Nightshade stood beside her. Immediately as I entered Zoe scowled at me. I ignored her, quickly realising starting a fight with her in front of Artemis wouldn't go well with the Goddess of the Hunt.

"Ah Archie come in. Zoe could you leave us for a moment? I have to talk to Archie alone." Artemis said.

Zoe looked displeased, but bowed to her Goddess and left the tent scowling at me one last time.

I sat in front of Artemis. "You called me?"

"Yes, as you know there is only 5 days left before this quest of yours ends. I have decided to add another part for this quest since your are progressing well seeing as you are not dead yet."

"I try my best." I shrugged. "What is the another part?"

"I want you to gain the respect of my hunters." Artemis said. I swear to the gods that my jaw dropped on the floor.

"Excuse me? Did I hear you right? Gain respect of the hunters?"

"Yes. You did hear that right. And you must do it by the end of this week." Artemis finished.

"Are you craz-" I stopped myself from finishing that word, insulting the Goddess somehow won't help my situation. Turning into a jackalope? Yes. Gaining respect of the hunters? No.

"Also we are going to hunt the Clazmonian Sow this week. And I tell you now that the monster must be killed with this blade." Artemis held out a long dagger, celestial bronze like most weapons but I noticed something different.

"But it's a hunters knife." I said.

"Exactly, it must be killed with this knife."

"But a hunter should be the only person to be able to hold the knife. It would be a insult for anyone esle to hold it. "

Artemis smiled, which really made her look childish, especially since she was in the form of a young girl. "I know."

I put the knife in my pocket because I didn't want any of the hunters to see it, I wasn't in the mood for any nasty comments.

Zoe was still outside, unfortunately. "You better not have done anything to the Goddess."

At that point I was too frustrated to care about respect. "Look just because you were deceived and tricked by some hero of the past doesn't mean you have to unleash your fury on everyone esle. I have done nothing to provoke you until now yet you treat me like trash. I have done nothing but show you respect, don't you think I deserve the same from you?"

A moment of pain flashed past her face, then being all 'womenly-pride' she walked off.

"Seriously? Did you just talk back the lieutanant of the Hunters? Man are you gonna have a hard time." Said a voice from behind me.

I turned around and instantly I smiled. It was Dellilah.

Dellilah was a hunter as well, except she was more.....open. She was pretty much the only friend I had here and the only one that would talk to me. I'd choose seeing her than Zoe any day.

"She was getting on my nerves. What am I supposed to do?" I began walking in the direction of my sleeping bag, knowing Dellilah would keep up.

"I don't know? Keep quiet? You only have five days left, can't you hold out for a bit more?" She said, keeping pace and walking beside me.

"I can." I sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. Could you tell little princess over there I'm sorry?"

Dellilah raised a blonde eyebrow. "Why can't you?"

"Because she hates my guts and would probably shoot me between the eyes before I could apologise?"

"Good point. Fine I guess I'll do it." Dellilah answered.

We walked in silence till we reached my sleeping bag. It was quite some distance away from the hunter's camp, mainly because the hunter's wouldn't like a guy to sleep near them.

I opened it up and spread it out so both of us could sit. Dellilah took out the bag she was carrying and took out it's contents. "Here's your dinner, I managed to save you some before it was finished."

"Good, I'm starving." I took a deep whiff of the stew, mushroom and some kind of animal. It looked weird but hey, food is food.

I was about to eat when I realised something. "Haven't you eaten yet?" I asked Dellilah.

"Yeah I did." She pushed a blonde straight over her ear, something she usually did when she was lying.

"You haven't eaten have you?" Then I realised something esle. "This is your share isn't it?"

Dellilah looked up, her grey eyes staring into mine. "Yeah it is. Just take it okay, I'm not hungry." On que, her stomach rumbled.

"You obviously are." I pushed the stew towards her. "Just take it. I'm used to not having anything to eat."

She shook her head. "I'm serious take it. I don't want it, I don't even like mushroom."

"Okay how about we compromise? I take half and you take half. Deal done?"

Dellilah looked at me for a moment. "Done deal."

Since we didn't have two bowls, I let her eat her half of it then I ate mine. "You know we are indirectly kissing by doing this right?" I said as I put the spoon in my mouth.

She laughed. "Maybe, but don't you be getting any ideas. I've sworn off boys, you're not getting any of this." She gestured to herself.

"Wasn't planning on it Princess." I said.

After I was done, Dellilah packed up the food while I laid on my the sleeping bag, looking at the stars. I had always like the night sky, I don't know why but I just seem to be more awake and clear during the night. Which was really weird.

When Dellilah was done, she laid done beside me. Not close enough to be intimate, but not far enough to say she was uncomfortable with me either.

"So what did Artemis want?" She asked, finally breaking the silence.

I reached into my pocket and took out the sheathed knife. "She wants me to kill the Clazmonian Sow we're going to hunt with this."

Dellilah raised an eyebrow. "But that's a hunter's knife."

"I know." I sighed. "Also she wants me to gain the respect of the hunters."

Dellilah whistled. "Well good luck with that, after what you said to Zoe. Well your going to have a hard time."

"Yup." I said, and that ended that conversation. We laid down in silence again, the lights near the camp had been put out so we were blanketed in darkness. We had set up a small oil lamp so we could still see, I turned to look at Dellilah. I didn't realise it before, but Dellilah was really pretty. She had the traditional blonde hair and grey eyes of a Child of Athena, but her hair was golden blonde as if it was made from real gold. Her eyes were also smoky grey rather than the stormy grey that most children of Athena had.

Noticing me staring at her, she turned to me. "What?"

"Nothing." I looked back at the sky, thanking the darkness for hiding the blush that was on my face.

My chain of thought however was broken by a screech. It was a screech of pain, like a bird would made if it were attacked by a cat.

I immediately got to my feet and ran in the direction of the screech, years of training taking over. Dellilah was just behind me.

I found the source of the screech, it was some kind of bird and it was being attacked by a hellhound. "Hope!" I shouted and the ring on my index finger expanded into my personal sword.

I drove the blade into the neck of the hellhound and with one move decapitated it. It melted into shadow. Dellilah was kneeling in front of the bird, looking very confused as well as amazed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, Dellilah just pointed at the bird. Then I realised what was wrong.

The birds's feathers were on fire! No..they weren't on fire. They were made of fire. The bird wasn't just a bird...it was a phoenix.

Personally, I had no idea if there were phoenixes in greek mythology. I'm sure there weren't, yet here it was. Right in front of me.

''Thank you. ''The voice of the Phoenix spoke in my mind. Great. It talks too.

"Your welcome. Uhh.. are you okay?" I asked.

''I am not well unfortunately. That monster caused a lot of damage to me. I am afraid I am at death's door. ''

"Do not fear. Death is fair to all." I said.

''You do not understand. I am the last of my kind. The end of me is the end to all of my kind. ''The phoenix shifted it's eyes to me. ''I am sorry. I wish I had more time to reward you hero. ''

"I need no reward."

''But you deserve one. ''The voice kept silent for a while. ''Perhaps there is a way for me to reward you. Take up my spirit. Be the herald of the phoenix, you will have all of my powers, and my spirit will live on in you. It is a win-win situation. ''

"I don't know. Fire and water don't exactly mix well." I looked at Dellilah, she was better at decisions than I was. Rather than a complicated answer, she just nodded once.

I turned back to the phoenix. "I accept your offer. I take up the mantle of the herald of the phoenix."

''Thank you. May my spirit aid you in the future. ''Then the phoenix melted into ashes. The ashes then flew into my mouth.

Now for those of you who do not know how ashes taste like. They taste horrible.

I coughed and gagged, I fell forward but my hands stopped me from falling flat on my face.

"You okay Arch?" Dellilah said, instantly coming to my side.

"Yeah." I said, but my throat felt very dry.

"Come on. Let's go." She helped me up and supported me as we walked back.

We stopped by the lake near the campsite so I could cool down my burning throat.

"So how do you feel?" Dellilah asked.

"Like I swallowed burning ash." I replied, drinking gulps of water from the lake.

"No I mean like do you feel stronger or something?"

"Not really. I do feel warm though, which is weird." I replied, taking in one last gulp of water.

"Hey Arch, I'm gonna test something out."

"Okay, what is it-" That's when I felt a sharp pain on my arm. "Ow! What was that about? You just slashed me!"

"Arch, look." Dellilah oblivious to my comment, pointed at the cut she made.

"What? What's wrong with it-" I looked at the cut, it was healing and I wasn't touch any water at all."

"Whoa." I said as the cut healed completely. "That's gonna come in handy someday."

"Yeah." Dellilah said, but she wasn't looking at the cut. Her grey eyes stared into mine. She seemed mesmerised. Then I realised something, I had seen Dellilah like this before. Usually it was when I caught her looking at me..

"Hello? Dellilah?" Then it was like she snapped out of a trance.

"Sorry." She apologised.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." She said, putting a blonde strand behind her ear.

I rolled my eyes and ignored her. I wasn't going to deal with girls with problems right now.

"Hey Dell?" I asked, not liking the awkward silence.

"Yeah?"

"How old are you now?"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm still fourteen I guess. But I've been a hunter for six years now, so technically I'm 20."

"Oh." I said.

"What?" She demanded.

"Nothing." I mimicked her earlier tone.

She rolled her eyes. "Now that you asked me a random question, can I ask you one?"

"Sure. Ask away."

"So when are you gonna get a girlfriend Archie?"

I was totally unprepared for her question. "What? Seriously? That was really random."

"I'm serious! Do you like...have one already?" She asked.

I let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, which girl would be stupid enough to like me?"

Dellilah laughed. It was a mixed between a sigh of relief and a laugh though.

"What?" I demanded.

Then she did something that surprised me, she put her arms around my neck. "Yeah, I wonder which girl would be stupid enough to like you." The next thing she did caught me completely off guard, she kissed me.

Now I was only fourteen and I was pretty much trapped on a floating mountain half of the time, so kissing a girl wasn't something I've done a lot. Heck, I've never even done it. So I found it unfair that my first kiss was with a girl that had completely sworn off boys.

I almost pushed her away, I knew this was wrong. But I don't know, I guess I just melted, my arms didn't work. They did however go to her back and neck. I pulled her closer to me deepening the kiss. I lost myself to her lips, I have to admit, it felt good. Really good. 

That's when she pulled away. She realised what she was doing and jerked back, quickly getting on to her feet.

"No...no...no.no.no.No!" She muttered, covering her ears with her hands.

"Dellilah? What's wrong?" I stood up and tried to grab her hand. She jerked away. "Get away from me Adam!" She shrieked.

I stepped back, I have never seen her act like this before.

Her eyes widened when she noticed that I wasn't the Jason-character she mentioned. "Archie..." She said my name in barely more than a whisper. "I'm sorry. This was a mistake. Oh Artemis, forgive me...."

"Dell?"

She looked at me, her eyes full of sadness and horror. "I'm sorry Arch. I'm so sorry." Then she ran away, not even turning back once.

"Dellilah!" I ran after her, but my foot caught on a root and I tripped. Dellilah was gone by the time I stood up. I cursed.

I shouted to the sky. "What the heck Aphrodite?!" No rumble of thunder answered my question.

I found it unfair. I never liked a girl in my life, never kissed a girl in my life. But now....

The irony is, that I had kissed a girl, liked a girl, who had completely sworn off boys.

"Why is my life so complicated?" I complained and fell onto my sleeping bag, and hopelessly tried to get some sleep.

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Light? Or Darkness?  A bit of both perhaps?  17:30, September 15, 2012 (UTC)