Altered Destinies

The Apollo Express

Ch. 4

Zoe Nightshade was called into her mistress' tent. She was shocked when Artemis returned with the son of Hades, she had been sure the Olympians, or at least Zeus would have killed him. In a rare occurrence, she was actually pleased the boy's life had been spared. He had, after all, jumped over the side of the cliff and saved her life. He also had not even looked in Zoe's direction afterword, let alone ask for a thank you. She was a little curious as to what the boy's story was. The first thing she noticed was the scar that ran the length of his face but that was quickly followed by his eyes. They were different than any eyes she had seen before, mostly black but a small ring of sea green surrounding the irises. While she would admit she found them appealing, what caught her attention was the pain that was carried in them, making them seem like they belonged to someone far older than the boy.

Zoe was brought out of her thoughts by her mistress beginning to speak.

"Zoe, I am sending you and the hunters to Camp Half Blood. Zeus has ordered me to hunt a monster that has not been seen for millennia." Artemis explained sympathetically.

"But milady, we can help you." Zoe tried to counter but Artemis shook her head.

"I am sorry but Zeus has ordered me to hunt it alone. I must start my search in places where I cannot bring you girls." She explained.

Zoe frowned but nodded, "I will inform the hunters." She said as she made to stand up but Artemis raised a hand to stop her.

"I have more to discuss with you before you go." She said.

Zoe nodded for her mistress to continue.

"The boy, Perseus, I would like you to make sure the hunters treat him with respect." Artemis explained carefully.

Zoe's eyes went wide at her mistress' command.

Artemis tried to stifle a chuckle at her lieutenant's look of shock, "Relax Zoe, I have not changed my views of boys, but I believe I owe this one a bit of debt. He has also seen and been through more horrifying things at the hands of a man than any huntress I have ever had and he went through all of that before he was ten. He may be the one man who would never hurt a woman if it was the last thing he did and for those reasons, he deserves to be treated with some respect from my hunters."

Zoe stared at her mistress in shock, "How do you know these things milady?"

"After the council meeting, I asked Perseus a few questions. When I asked how he received the scar on his face, he asked me to look through his memories rather than make him relive it by recounting the story. Like I said, he has been through more than any person I have ever known at such a young age. He received the scar trying to protect his mother from his stepfather. He was six." Artemis explained, her face changing into a scowl as she remembered some of Perseus' memories.

Zoe's eyes widened and she was about to ask more but Artemis held up a hand, "If you want to know more then you will have to ask Perseus yourself. He asked me to keep the information to myself and I will respect his wishes."

Zoe looked upset she couldn't learn more but knew better than to push her mistress when her mind was made up.

"Milady, if you don't mind me asking, how is it that Perseus was not killed by your father?" Zoe asked.

Artemis nodded, "It is quite an interesting story actually. Perseus is not a true son of Hades. He was born a son of Poseidon but after his mother was murdered, he was found by Hestia and Hades. Hades brought Perseus to the Underworld and he and Persephone adopted him as their own son. He has trained with the greatest heroes in the Underworld including Theseus, Perseus and Achilles." Artemis said before she smirked a bit.