As we made our way back to the base camp, I could feel the tension in the air slowly dissipating. The hunters were all chatting excitedly about the successful rescue mission, and the sense of relief was palpable.
After arriving at the camp with Artemis, Apollo excused himself with a heavy heart. He moved slowly and his body language was that of a man who was completely drained of energy. His eyes looked blank and devoid of any emotion, and he seemed almost powerless as he moved, as if he were an alive corpse.
He turned to Artemis and said, "Good night, my dear sister. I'm afraid I must rest now. The journey has been long and draining." His eyes were blank
Artemis nodded in understanding, "Of course, brother. Rest well. We will talk more in the morning."
He made his way towards a small, isolated tent that had been set up for him by the hunters as soon as they arrived.
Apollo gave a sad smile and disappeared into the tent. The hunters watched as he walked away, their expressions filled with concern and sadness. They knew that their beloved god had been through a lot and needed time to recover.
As we approached the centrum of the camp, I noticed that all of the hunters had gathered together in a semi-circle, their faces solemn and reverent. Artemis, our goddess, stood at the center, her regal bearing commanding respect.
As we drew closer, Artemis turned to us, her expression softening ever so slightly. "My loyal hunters," she said, her voice ringing out clear as a bell. "I am grateful for your unwavering loyalty and bravery in rescuing me from the clutches of those vile usurpers."
The hunters all fell to their knees, bowing their heads in reverence. "My lady, we were honored to do so," one of them said, her voice trembling slightly.
Artemis smiled, a rare show of emotion. "Rise, my faithful hunters," she said. "I am grateful for your unwavering devotion to me and to our cause."
As the hunters rose to their feet, Artemis turned to me. "And you, my dear friend," she said, her voice lowering to a more intimate tone. "I owe you a debt of gratitude for your bravery in leading the rescue mission."
I felt a flush of pleasure at her words, but quickly regained my composure. "It was my honor, my lady," I said, bowing my head.
Artemis nodded, then turned to the group as a whole. "Now, my friends," she said, "let us retire to our conference tent to discuss our next moves. There is much to be done if we are to restore our power and bring justice to those who would seek to harm us."
With that, the hunters and I followed Artemis to the conference tent, our minds buzzing with plans and ideas for the future.
Artemis sat at the head of the round table, her eyes scanning over the map in front of her. Hyas sat to her left, while the Commander, Hunter 1, and Hunter 2 sat on her right.
"Our first priority is taking care of the Admirals," Artemis began, her voice steady. "But we need to be cautious. Helios has absorbed my power and Apollo's. He is stronger than ever before."
The Commander nodded respectfully, his expression serious. "Hyas has already taken care of the Admirals, my lady."
„That's right. Just because of his accomplishment we could rescue you," Hunter 1 said. „But we need to be careful for other dangers."
Artemis turned to Hyas and gave him a small nod of approval. "Good work. But Hunter 1 has a valid point. We don't know if there are more powerful troops we aren't aware of."
Hunter 1 spoke up, his voice filled with concern. "We need to be prepared for any situation. What if we have to fight on two front lines?"
Hunter 2 agreed, nodding his head. "We can't let our guard down. We need to stay alert and be ready for anything."
Hyas opened his mouth to speak, but Artemis was faster and spoke first.
"I have a plan," she said firmly, laying out a strategy to take on any potential threats.
They discussed the plan in detail, each offering their own insights and suggestions. It was a long meeting, but in the end, they emerged with a solid plan that left them all feeling confident and ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.
As soon as the conference ended, everyone headed to the tents.
I made my way to my tent, but I was stopped by a noise. The hunters did not react to it. I turned around and came to the conclusion that the noise came from Apollos tent.
I rushed to Apollos tent and wanted to knock, but the tent opened itself alone.
„I knew you would come. Son of Atlas," Apollo whispered looking deeply in my eyes. I felt a burning pain and my memory replayed in front of me.
„I need advice," I said desperately.
"Know what you need, I do. Good advice, you seek, so that yourself you do not kill. Yes, yes. Hmmm." Apollo said and looked at the top of the tent.
„So you already know about my deal with Tharnatos?" I asked surprised.
"Of course, everything you did until now, I do know. Remember the cyclops, do you not? Back then, in that form, I helped you and advice gave. Hmmm." He said while touching my forehead.
It felt like I was dying. I had forgotten about the bar zum Mynos and the Acropolis. Now it all made sense. I knew back then someone was helping me and it was Apollo.
„Thank you for showing me the way. I hope you can do it again," I said in a too relaxed but painful tone. His touch made me go through so much memory pain.
"Advice, I shall give you once again. Control your emotions, you must, and strong in justice, believe. Only then, block that evil thing inside you, you will be able to. Lesson learned, I hope you have. Never make a deal with the dead, and laws of nature, do not break.Hmm. Yes. That it is." He said and gestured me to leave.
I thanked him and made my way to my tent. The next morning was a big day and I had to rest. I was sleepy and my dizziness got even stronger.