Hestia had taken some convincing, but in the end had merely insisted that he be careful. He waved at the fire in the hearth, watched it turn green, and then asked it if it were good for him to come through.
"We're a tad busy with some cyclopes, but as long as you don't make trouble, it's fine," Celyn told him, and Harry grinned.
He stepped through. "Thanks, Miss Celyn," he told the Hunter. "I just need a few minutes of Artie's time, whenever she can spare some."
Celyn seemed to debate the issue for a few moments, then shrugged. "If the Lady doesn't want to see you, she'll kick you out herself," the Hunter answered. "You know where it is."
Harry grinned and thanked her, then went in search of Artie's tent. As he walked, he noticed the increased activity in the Hunter's camp; Hunters ran back and forth, carrying supplies, weapons, or other equipment. The large wolves that usually guarded the outer edges of the camp now seemed to patrol inside of it as well.
In fact, one of them had sat itself down in front of Harry and refused to let him further. "I'm here to see Artie," he told the animal.
The wolf still did not move, and seemed content to watch him for any threatening moves.
Knowing that making a threatening move towards a huge wolf was a one-way ticket to the infirmary – or the afterlife – Harry simply sat down as well.
The wolf cocked its head. The young boy, continuing to maintain eye contact, slowly extended one hand. "I come in peace," he told the wolf, ignoring the snickering that came from one Hunter that passed by. The wolf didn't even spare the girl a glance, preferring to maintain staring at Harry.
The wolf sniffed the extended hand.
"I mean no harm, I'm just here to see Artie for a few minutes," he repeated.
The wolf seemed to sneeze after scenting Harry's hand, but an invisible relaxation appeared to seep through the animal's body, as if a tension was being released.
It stood up, and when Harry just sat there, staring at it, the massive wolf ambled over and nudged him with its nose, as if asking what was keeping him.
Grinning, Harry stood up. "You're escorting me?" he asked the wolf, who trudged away and looked over its shoulder, once more asking what was keeping him.
He ambled after the massive creature, who indeed guided him to Artie's tent, then plonked itself down next to the tent's entrance, and stared at Harry once more.
Harry couldn't resist, and petted the wolf on the head and behind its ears. For a moment, the massive wolf looked like an oversized dog, its tongue coming out of its mouth with happy panting and its tail wagged. Then, it seemed to realize that it wasn't supposed to like him petting and scratching it where it felt so very good.
The wolf stared at him, seemingly embarrassed with its slip. Harry just laughed. "It'll be our secret," he told the massive beast.
Straightening up, the boy scratched the tent's flap, requesting entrance.
No sounds come from inside, but that didn't mean anything. Artie could have silenced her entrance for some reason.
So, Harry waited. While he did so, he sat down next to the wolf. His hand crept up and scratched it behind its ears.
Five minutes later, the tent's flap was pulled back, and Artie had to stifle a laugh at the sight of one of her guardian wolves, flat on its back, its massive paws in the air, panting happily, as Harry rubbed its belly.
"Who's a good wolf?" Harry cooed. "You are! Yes, you are!" he added, while vigorously rubbing the wolf's belly.
"Harry," Artie said, trying and failing to sound stern.
"Hey Artie!" Harry greeted back, standing up and giving his second-favorite goddess a hug. The wolf, seeing its goddess, hurriedly rolled over and pretended it had been sitting guard in front of her tent.
"Subverting my guardians?" she asked as she pulled back the flap and motioning for him to step inside.
The young demigod chuckled. "I was coming to see you, but the wolf wouldn't let me passed until I proved myself, I think. Of course, then I had to pet it. Then scratch it behind the ears. And then I had to wait a bit, so… yeah…"
The Goddess of the Hunt shook her head. "Very few males survive contact with my guardian wolves," she said. "Either she was just playing, or she must have really taken a shine to you."
Harry grinned. "She's pretty awesome, so the feeling's mutual," he said.
The Goddess of the Hunt let out a smell laugh, and sat down in her usual chair. "I didn't know that you had a training scheduled," she said.
Harry took a seat in a visitor's chair, before shaking his head. "I actually came to ask a small favor," he said softly.
"A favor?" Artie asked, sharp eyes gazing at him. "What kind of favor?"
Harry offered a hopeful smile. "I was hoping you'd let me borrow a backpack."
"A pack," Artie confirmed, sharp gaze not letting up. "Can I ask what for?"
"Miss Athena has said that I have too many appointments with too many different people, and that I'm not getting enough rest and all that. She suggested that I take a vacation, so I was kinda sorta maybe potentially hoping that you'd let me borrow a backpack so I can go camping. Since it's not a test, I can take food and take the time to enjoy walking in the woods and stuff," the young demigod explained, practically rushing everything out in a single breath.
"Camping," Artie replied. She sat back and leaned into her chair. "That's indeed a small favor," she added. "However, Harry, you are nine. When you go out on these survival challenges, you have Zoë with you to protect you, keep you safe, or take care of you in case something happens. You're a bit young to go camping by yourself."
Harry's hopeful smile turned a tad brittle. "Hestia said similar things, but I was able to convince her. She just told me to be careful and to take care."
"Hmm," Artie hemmed. "Still, I think you are rather young to go out by yourself."
Harry's smile turned into a grin. "Maybe I could also borrow a wolf or two," he offered.
The Goddess of the Hunt shot him an amused smile. "Unfortunately, we are hunting a dangerous pack of cyclopes so I need them all here to protect the camp. I'd also state that they only listen to myself or to my Hunters, but you seem to have found a way around that."
Harry chuckled and looked at the tent's entrance. "Maybe she's only nice because I was let into camp," he offered as a consolation.
"Maybe," Artie answered.
"If I can't borrow a wolf or two, maybe you'll let me borrow Miss Zoë?" Harry asked, hopefully. Spending a weekend with Zoë in the woods seemed like fun, especially if he didn't have to hunt or fish or build a shelter.
The Goddess of Maidens looked like she couldn't decide between being amused and being offended. "Borrow my Lieutenant as if she were property? Really Harry?" she asked, voice as halfway between offended and amused as she looked.
Harry pouted. "You know what I meant, Artie, I didn't mean it that way."
Artie maintained a stern glare for several seconds before relaxing. "Indeed I do, and that is the only reason you are now not a jackalope," the goddess stated. "Again, as with the wolves, we're hunting dangerous cyclopes so Zoë is needed."
Harry pouted deeper.
Artie drummed her fingers. "Aunt Hestia agreed to this?" she then asked.
The young boy nodded. "I just have to keep out of trouble, she said," he answered.
"I want you to make me a promise," Artie said. "Should you have a problem. Any problem. I want you to pray to me. I do not want a repeat of Aunt Hestia angry with myself or my Lieutenant, so the moment something happens, I want you to pray to me. Do you promise?"
Harry nodded. He could do that. Part of him felt warmed by Artie obviously caring about him, even if she framed it as staying on Hestia's good side. He could understand staying on Hestia's good side; he wanted to stay there himself. "I promise to pray to you if I'm in trouble, Artie."
The Goddess eyed him for a few moment, as if judging his honesty. "Very well, I will let you borrow a reserve pack. I trust you will see to its return, properly packed and cared for?" she said, standing up.
The young demigod nodded eagerly. "Of course, Artie!"
"Good," she answered with a sharp nod, and stood up. "Let's go to the supply tent, you can grab a pack there. I always have extra." She stopped and looked at him. "A valuable lesson for when you find yourself leading others. Always bring extra of everything – items will always be lost, or damaged. Having extra will ensure nobody goes without. While I, as a goddess, can conjure things easily, there are times I am unavailable and my Hunters must be able to operate independently."
Harry nodded, that sounded like valuable advice. "How much extra?" he asked, as they left her tent.
"It depends from item to item," Artie explained. "Important individual items, like a compass, or a knife, it's good to have one in use and one in reserve. Larger items, less so. In the case of entire packs, I try to keep twenty-five to fifty percent extra, rather than one-on-one. You will need to balance reserves, however. Too many reserves will drain labor to maintain or move those reserves. It's a careful balancing act."
Harry nodded. He could understand that.
Artie pulled back the flap of the supply tent. "Here you go," the goddess said. "Take your pick." One of the Hunters glanced their way, and looked away after recognizing her patron deity. Harry understood why she'd accompanied him; without her presence, he probably would have been stopped by a Hunter.
Knowing that the packs were all identical, Harry grinned at Artie, and picked up the one nearest the entrance. "Thanks, Artie," he said, giving her a hug.
She hugged him back. "I should try and ensure good relations with one of the few decent males out there," she answered.
Harry grinned wider, and for a moment thought about teasing her about her liking him. Then he remembered that the other Hunters were nearby and that his joke would probably not go over as well as it would in private.
"I'll do my best to stay that way," he promised. "Hestia would be very disappointed in me if I didn't," he added as a second thought.
The Goddess of Maidens gave a small nod. "For as long as you model yourself after Aunt Hestia, we won't have problems," she replied, then narrowed her eyes in warning for should he change.
"Hestia's still the best goddess ever, so I definitely want to be like her," Harry answered, as if it were a vow. "And you're my second-favorite goddess, and I definitely want to remain your friend."
Artie gave him a sardonic grin, then seemed to recognize that time was fleeting. "I have to plan the attack on that clan of Cyclopes. Stupid man-eaters," she muttered under her breath. "I do think you have a vacation to start."
Harry grinned at her. "Sure," he said, recognizing that she was busy, and extremely grateful that she took the time to help him with his silly request. He gave her another, shorter, hug. "Thanks again, Artie. Good luck."
She nodded at him, and turned sharply. He followed her as she escorted him to the fire, ensuring once more than no Hunter stopped or questioned him. He walked through without issue, once more absurdly grateful to her for helping him.
0000
It was late October, and both the weather and the leaves had started to change. Harry loved this season, the forests displaying their most awesome colors for his enjoyment.
He'd gone to a secluded forest, and pitched his borrowed tent a five-minute walk uphill from a large lake. He'd brought enough food for the weekend, he didn't need to hunt or gather or trap for anything, and was determined to just enjoy the atmosphere of being on his own, by himself, in the tranquility of nature.
With the weather turning the cool of fall, Harry threw on a thicker jacket and reclined on the shores of the lake near his campsite. The Hunter's pack held fishing line, hooks, and some lures. With a thin branch, he improvised himself a fishing rod, and after casting out the line, he just leaned back and read a bit in one of the books he had brought. The Mystery at Lilac Inn was the fourth book in the Nancy Drew set that Athena had gotten him for his birthday, and so far, he was enjoying them.
It was peaceful, just as he had imagined it would be.
So peaceful, in fact, that he didn't realize he hadn't managed to read passed the page he was on, and was halfway dozing instead.
"So, this is where thou art," a voice sounded, startling him back to reality.
"Wha-" he managed, nearly dropping his book but managing to catch it, and looking up at his unexpected visitor. "Miss Zoë?" he asked, frowning and looking at the tree line. "Where did you come from?" he wondered, still half-asleep.
The Hunter raised one eyebrow, and her lips quirked into a half-grin. "When a Titan and a Goddess desire offspring," she said, laughing at the candy-apple red glow that suddenly burned on Harry's cheeks.
"That wasn't funny," the young demigod pouted at her.
"'T was very funny. Thou needst to have thy funny bone examined," The Hunter replied.
Deciding that they needed a change of subject right now, Harry asked, "I meant, how did you get here?"
"I walked," Zoë explained with a smile.
"Right, super-secret Hunter skills," Harry added. "Which you won't teach me."
Zoë sat down next to him, and stared out over the lake. "Thou could accept My Lady's offer. Then thou could join the Hunters and learn those… super-secret Hunter skills," she answered.
Harry looked at her. "Only if she can change me back," he replied.
Zoë nodded. "I see. Thou would accept My Lady's offer, learn the ways of the Hunter, then abandon her. I thought better of thee."
The young boy looked aghast, not having considered that angle in the slightest and now suddenly extremely scared that he was going to lose two people he considered friends. "That wasn't what I was saying at all! That wasn't what I intended! Not at all!" He felt panic creep up on him. "Miss Zoë, it's not like that at all! I swear!"
Zoë looked surprised at what her joke had triggered, and held up a hand. "I know. I was teasing thee. I apologize, 't was not my intent to upset thee."
Harry let out a breath, feeling his heart calm down. "That wasn't funny. I'd never do something like that."
Zoë nodded again. "I know," she replied. "Again, 't was not my intention to upset thee so."
The young boy nodded softly, and looked out over the lake. "Artie said you were busy," he said, trying to say what he had wanted to say from the get-go.
"True. We are hunting a dangerous pack of man-eating Cyclopes. 'T will be a hard fight, likely. I decided to take a 15 minute break to check up on a certain student who I found out was out on his own."
Harry felt… he didn't know what he felt. Whatever it was, it felt good to know that Zoë cared enough to take out fifteen minutes before what was sure to be a tough fight to come and see him. "Thanks, Miss Zoë," he told her.
"I checked out thy camp," she said instead of acknowledging his thanks. "'T is well situated. I must ask what thou intend to do should thou not catch fish, however," she added, staring at the lake and his improvised fishing rod.
"I brought plenty of food for the weekend," Harry explained with a grin. "I just need to heat it up. I was fishing more for the sport and the relaxation than for food. If I catch something, I'll more than likely let it go anyway."
Zoë nodded. "That explains why thou art reading a book and with thy line cast into an empty lake."
Harry blinked. "Sorry?"
The Hunter looked amused. "That lake is empty of fish," she said, pointing to the waters.
For a moment, Harry wanted to ask, "are you sure", but then remembered who he was talking with. If anyone could tell, it would be a Hunter, and Zoë wouldn't play a trick on him by lying about something like that.
"Oh," the boy finally said, staring at the lake and his fishing rod. He shrugged. "Well, then I'll have plenty of time to read," he added with a sort of fatalistic acceptance.
Zoë laughed under her breath. "True," she said, standing up. "I must return. My Lady told me of thy promise. Please remember to keep to it. 'T would be a hassle to find another decent male and train him up."
Harry grinned up at her, knowing that she was simply trying to save face. "Thanks, Miss Zoë. I'll remember."
"Good," Zoë said. "Time for me to rejoin my sisters." For a moment, she looked down at him; as if preparing to say something else, but then he saw her straighten up. "Thou found a good spot for relaxation," she spoke.
Whatever Harry had thought that she wanted to say, he was sure that a compliment on his vacation spot wasn't it. The Hunter gave him one final nod, then turned and walked to the tree line. Within moments, she was gone.
Grinning, Harry leaned back. It felt good to know Zoë cared, even if she disguised it with excuses. He knew he liked her for a reason.
Apollo's sun had started to creep towards the top of the trees, and Harry knew he would not have long before darkness fell. It always fell quickly and absolutely in a forest, and he didn't want to be caught away from his camp when it did.
Packing up his useless fishing rod and ensuring his fishing line wouldn't get tangled, he made the relaxing trek through the woods back to his camp, where he packed his fishing things away and started setting himself up for the evening.
Three long and sturdy branches made a good tripod, from which he dangled a cooking pot. Once more he was glad that a Hunter's pack had all the basic necessities, and that it had enough space for him to cram in plenty of Tupperware containers with food.
Ensuring that the tripod construction was stable and strong, even with the cooking pot tied to it, he set out to gather enough firewood for the evening.
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon and the woods came alive with the life of the night, Harry had a nice fire going and opened one of his Tupperware containers. After dumping its contents into the cooking pot, he set the container to one side, ready for it to be washed in the lake the next day.
He gently stirred the one-pan meal to ensure it didn't burn, and looked up at the skies. A hundred thousand million stars twinkled merrily at him, and Harry grinned up at the skies. He wished he knew the constellations.
He served himself food, and ate while staring up. He knew that people once navigated using the stars, and wondered how they did so. He missed having Zoë around to ask, she more than likely knew how to do it. Heck, she was probably around when people still used stars for navigation.
His food eaten, he put his dishes with the Tupperware container; he'd wash them all tomorrow. Artie would be extremely cross with him if he left any trash behind so he had made sure that everything he brought was re-usable. As Goddess of the Hunt, she didn't mind people building a shelter or hunting or fishing for food, but she had a clear and firm opinion on littering.
Cleanup done, he grabbed a small container and lifted its lid. Grinning, he dug into the chocolate pudding he'd made himself. It tasted even better out here than when he'd made it. Maybe it was the environment, he usually found things tasted differently when out in the woods.
0000
The next morning, Harry stowed away the cleaned Tupperware containers, and stood the freshly cleaned cooking pot in its spot. He'd had a good breakfast before trudging down to the lake for his cleaning tasks, and now found himself with a few hours to kill before lunch.
A nice, long, walk was just what he needed, the demigod decided.
He took two steps towards the nearest tree line, then reconsidered. He turned and walked to the pack instead, and lifted out a container of spaghetti bolognese. He could eat that cold, if he got hungry, and stuffed the container in a pocket of his thick coat. After grabbing knife and fork, and stuffing them into an inner pocket, he set out.
He didn't know when he would be back, only that he would be gone for a while.
His feet walked on their own, pulling him through the woods. Meanwhile, as Zoë and Artie had taught him, he kept an eye out for landmarks and orientation points so he could find his way back.
He could do the trick with the stones, moving a stone from one pocket to another every x steps and use that to pace distance, but this was a vacation and not a combat patrol. He just wanted a nice long walk in the woods.
As he walked, he felt his instincts nudge him.
Instead of following the nudge, he stopped. Frowning softly, Harry pondered on what to do. His instincts wanted him to go somewhere, that could be either good or bad. He remembered what happened with the Athena Parthenos; that had been both good and bad.
He closed his eyes and focused.
His instincts gave him another nudge. Same direction.
The young demigod sighed. He couldn't even properly go on vacation, it seemed.
Oh well.
He took the nudge and followed its direction. His instincts vanished, the little nudge disappearing without a trace. As Harry kept walking, he almost forgot about the whole episode. He encountered nothing but wide nature, babbling brooks, wind rustling through autumn leaves.
It was perfect and it was relaxing. After several hours worth of walking, he sat down underneath a tree, on the shore of a small river, and ate his spaghetti lunch. It was peaceful, and Harry completely forgot about the nudge his instincts had given him.
Cleaning his utensils and the container in the cold river, Harry pondered whether to return or to keep going.
Judging from the sun shining through the trees, it was around noon so he had plenty of daylight left. He decided on pushing just a little further before starting his trek back to camp.
As he straightened up, something rustled off to his side.
He came face to face with a deer, the animal looking as surprised to see him as he was to see it. For ten long seconds, deer and demigod looked each other in the eye before the animal seemed to blink and rush away.
Harry grinned; that was the closest he'd ever come to an actual wild deer, rather than one of Artie's pets. This was turning out to be an awesome trip, he'd have to do something really nice for Athena when he got back. This was a great suggestion. He was thinking – butterscotch cake. Something told him that Athena would really like that.
Deciding on following the steps of the deer, Harry used the training he'd received to follow the animal's tracks. Maybe he'd get to see it again!
As he did, he heard noises in the distance. Surprised at hearing noise this deep in the forest, Harry picked up his pace, yet made sure not to miss any clues as to where the deer had gone. He didn't want to lose its trail.
Suddenly, the forest gave way to grassland, as if some giant hand had drawn a line to delineate it.
Harry froze solid, and stared.
The deer he had been following was on the ground, already partially eaten.
Eaten by a giant lion. A giant lion that was probably as big as an SUV, if not larger. It was probably the size of a large pick-up truck.
Said lion was staring at him, obviously as surprised to see him as he was to see it. Harry's frozen mind unfroze, remembering Marduk reinstating the protection against monsters finding him. It was probably why that deer had been as surprised to see him, too.
It was a gorgeous lion, though. Its coat was shining gold in the sun's rays, and its claws were radiant silver.
Then the lion unfroze, roared loudly, and charged.
Harry eep-ed loudly, threw himself to one side, and rolled thrice before getting his feet back under him, powering up on his legs, and making a sprint for it.
The lion had swiped through where he had been standing, and a tree fell to the ground, its trunk perfectly cut by the lion's preternaturally sharp claws.
"Holy crap," Harry cursed at the sight. The lion sprung at him again, and instincts forced him to drop to the ground, barely managing to dodge underneath the lion's charging swipe.
With the huge monster landing on his other side, Harry's fingers traced the ring holding Hestia's lasso and the one holding Athena's shield.
Now holding a shield to protect himself with and a lasso to defend himself with, Harry once more got to hit feet.
The lion roared, again, and swiped at the demigod. Harry ducked behind his shield, catching the lion's claws on the Celestial Bronze.
He heard its nails screech as they clawed the shield, and he hoped Athena wouldn't be upset at him getting scratches on it.
Thankfully, Athena had insisted on him getting a solid grounding in Greek Monsters of all kinds, and the Nemean Lion had featured prominently in the list.
Its skin was impregnable, its teeth and claws were preternaturally sharp and were the only things that could penetrate its skin, and only its eyes or the inside of its mouth were vulnerable to weapons.
Oh, and Hercules had once defeated it by choking it.
Harry grinned as a plan formed. The Nemean Lion took another swipe at his shield, once more generating screeching noises that made Harry shudder. He didn't know how much longer his shield would hold out.
He looked at the lasso. "Your turn," he whispered to it, and threw its loop, blindly, while crouching behind his shield.
The golden weapon glowed brightly and flew true. Harry felt it settle, and yanked hard.
The lion made a strange sort of gurgling noise, and Harry was suddenly yanked off his feet. With the shield still attached to his arm, he suddenly found himself being pulled around by a trashing Nemean Lion, desperately trying to get the loop of Hestia's Lasso from around its neck.
With his eyes wide open in panic, Harry tried to brace himself. Unfortunately for him, a nine-year-old demigod wasn't very heavy compared to a pick-up truck-sized Nemean Lion, even if said Nemean Lion was being choked by the Lasso of Hestia.
Finally, the huge lion sunk to its belly, before falling on its side. It struggled for breath, making strange whiny noises.
Harry approached carefully, remembering the lesson of the Hydra, and made sure to maintain the pressure on the Lasso, hanging just about his full body weight on it. Staying far out of range of its teeth or claws, Harry studied the magnificent cat.
The lion choked for another breath. Its eyes met Harry's.
Was it his imagination, or was there a pleading expression in those eyes?
Immediately, Harry felt sorry for the beast. But still, the lesson of the Hydra stuck. "You're just going to attack me again if I release you," he told the lion.
Was it his imagination, or did the lion shake its head? It choked for another breath, struggling and failing to get any air. The Lasso did what it could to enhance Harry's strength, but there was only so much it could do.
Harry felt really bad for the slow strangulation that he was subjecting the lion to, but this really was the limit of his combined ability with the Lasso.
"Do you surrender?" he asked.
It wasn't his imagination. The Nemean Lion had nodded at him.
"I'll be very upset if you attack me anyway," he told the monster, but then remembered that Hestia's Lasso compelled the truth. If the Lion nodded its surrender while tied by it, then that was what it was going to do.
He released the pressure on the Lasso, felt it release the lion's throat.
The huge cat gulped a deep breath.
Then it gulped another.
And then… it stood up.
Hestia's lasso was still dangling around its neck, Harry thought. All he had to do was yank on it again. The lion eyed him. He eyed the lion.
Two adversaries, staring at each other, neither willing to make the first move.
The huge lion seemed to come to a decision, and sunk down to the ground. Then it rolled on to its side, and bared its neck.
Harry didn't know a lot about large cats, but he knew a sign of surrender when he saw one. The lasso was still around its neck; the lion was compelled to the truth.
He approached, softly, hesitantly, then touched it. The lion did not move, and Harry felt its body heat, the rapid beating of its mighty heart, and the movement of its breathing.
And strangely enough, that metallic golden fur was incredibly soft. He rubbed it, as one would pet a cat.
The huge lion generated a strange noise, a sort of low and soft, gurgling, rolling growl.
Then he realized that the large cat was purring.
Grinning, Harry looked up at the lion's face. Its eyes were half-closed, and it had relaxed its sign of surrender.
Standing up, Harry walked to the lion's face, it being large enough that actual walking was required.
"Now what do we do?" Harry asked. "You're magnificent, but you're also a monster. And you eat people and demigods." He looked at the deer carcass. "Eating animals is fine, but I don't like the idea of you eating humans because I let you go."
The lion stared at him for a moment, then rolled back to its feet. Harry took a few steps back, his hand automatically clenching the end of Hestia's Lasso. If that lion made any false moves, he was going to yank for all that he was worth.
The lion eyed him for a moment, as if making a decision.
Then it coughed strangely.
And shrunk.
And shrunk further.
Harry blinked when he was suddenly holding Hestia's lasso like a leash for an animal that, for all intents and purposes, looked like a golden-furred house cat.
The Nemean House Cat purred disarmingly, cocking its head in an effort to appear harmless.
"Doesn't that beat all?" Harry wondered to himself, as he approached the cat. Petting it produced a regular purr, making him grin. "I'll need to ask helios if it's alright if I keep a pet cat," he told the cat.
The cat purred harder.
"I just hope nobody gets upset," Harry muttered, half to himself. "Hestia asked me to stay out of trouble, and I'm not sure fi this counts..." then he trailed off, remembering the promise he made to Artie.
He closed his eyes, and prayed to her. Hi Artie, it's Harry. I ran into the Nemean Lion, but don't worry, I handled him. I just wanted to let you know because of my promise and all.
He hoped it would reassure her. The last thing he wanted was to upset or scare her.
"Come on, let's get back to my camp," he told the cat. It studied him for a moment, then got up and came to sit by his feet, looking up at him as if saying 'now what?'.
The young demigod grinned down at the feline. "This way," Harry said, taking a quick look to orient himself and find the place where he had exited the forest.
Just as they were about to disappear among the trees, the Nemean Cat seemed to halt. Harry stopped as well, and looked at it.
"What's wrong?"
The cat gave out a small growl and stared in the direction of the deer. Immediately, Harry put two and two together. "You're still hungry," he said. "Let's get you fed."
He walked towards the carcass, Hestia's Lasso serving as a pretty good leash around the monster's neck. Harry may have trusted the cat, that didn't mean he was going to be stupid about it.
As they approached, the Nemean House Cat turned into the Nemean Lion, giving Harry a start, right before the monster threw itself upon its kill and cleaned off the carcass at a pace that gave Harry a stomach ache just from watching it.
Within minutes, the Lion sat back, lickings its chops clean, before shrinking back into a cat.
"Ready?" Harry asked.
The cat, still licking it chops clean of blood, gave him the kind of imperious look that cats the world over seemed to be granted at birth. The kind of look that said, "We, Nemean Lion, declare you are now Our Human".
Harry chuckled. "Let's go, then," he said, once more setting out for the edge of the forest. The cat got up obediently and started to follow.
Suddenly, it flattened its ears, and let out a 'mreow' that sounded as a warning.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, seeing his cat agitated and… afraid? Was the Nemean lion afraid of something?
Harry eyed the tree line warily.
The cat seemed to ready itself to either charge or flee. Harry raised his shield, and prepared himself.
Suddenly, from the woods, strode six girls dressed in silver.
Harry sighed with relief. "That's Artie and some of her Hunters," he told the Nemean Cat. "They're cool."
The Goddess of the Hunt, flanked by half a dozen Hunters, strode over towards him. "Harry," she stated.
"Hi Artie!" Harry greeted back, smiling widely. "I told you I had it," he added, pouting.
Artie, meanwhile, just kept staring at the cat, still tied by Hestia's Lasso. "The Nemean Lion is one of the most vicious monsters out there. It is nearly invulnerable, strong, fast, and extremely intelligent."
Harry nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but Artie beat him to it.
"And you seem to have tamed it," she added.
Harry grinned. The Hunters were clearly shocked. Zoë was shaking her head, Celyn was grinning widely, and Phoebe looked like she had eaten a lemon. She always had disliked him for some reason. The other three were Hunters he knew by sight but not by name, but they seemed to be staring from the cat to him and back to the cat continuously.
Artie let out a strangled laugh, and covered her face with her hand. "Only you, Harry, could walk into the woods on a camping trip, come across one of the most vicious monsters in the world – and tame it."
The Nemean Cat growled. It was plenty wild, thank you very much! Artie eyed it. It flattened its ears and grew to full Lion size.
Some of the Hunters squeaked, immediately followed by a blush when Artie gave them a less than impressed look.
"No!" Harry told the Nemean Lion. "Artie and her Hunters are not for eating!" he yelled at it.
It growled. Harry lifted an eyebrow and gave a soft yank on Hestia's Lasso. It growled deeper.
Harry's eyes narrowed. "I told you not to eat anyone," the young demigod lectured the lion the size of a truck. "Now shrink back."
The Lion eyed him, and seemed to ready itself to pounce. His instincts flared, and he realized that the Lion was trying to assert dominance; it had submitted to him earlier, but now was sensing weakness and trying to exploit it. He couldn't have that. For a moment, he wondered how another lion would react. Then he had it; his instincts telling him it was the right course of action.
Harry shifted the Lasso to his left hand and slapped the Lion's nose with a rolled-up newspaper.
The Nemean Lion yelped with shock, dropped down, and covered its sensitive nose with its front paws, staring balefully at Harry, shocked at being hit. "Bad cat!" Harry told it. "Very bad cat! No eating people!"
The Lion sighed and shrunk back into cat form, before rolling onto its back and attempting the 'I'm an innocent little kitty, don't hurt me' look. Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Fine, that's better," he said.
Then he frowned. Where did that newspaper came from? He looked at it, still clutched in his hand. Unrolling it, he burst out laughing.
"That was probably the scariest and most incredible thing I have ever seen a nine-year-old mortal do," Artie said, stepping up to his shoulder. "You are aware that it was more likely to eat you than to submit to you, right?"
Harry shrugged. "He was being a bad cat, and trying to assert dominance," he replied. "Another lion would have swiped at him with its claws, so I used an equivalent."
The Nemean Cat had huge kitten-eyes and pretended to be a harmless cat.
"It was most extraordinary thing I have ever seen," Artie said, shaking her head. She turned to Harry. "What had you laughing?"
Harry gave another chuckle and handed her the paper. The Conjured Times had a single headline: Harry Potter Conjures Newspaper! The article itself was filled with repeated lines of 'article text goes here, blah, blah, blah'.
She laughed. "I was wondering where that paper came from," the Goddess of the Hunt admitted.
"I must have conjured it subconsciously. I will have to tell Marduk, he'll get a kick out of it," the young demigod replied, letting the solid illusion of a newspaper dissipate.
He felt someone step up to his other side, and looked up at Zoë. The Hunter was staring at the Nemean Cat, still trying to appear perfectly harmless.
"Thou art the most unusual demigod," she told him. "This is something I could only imagine thou doing. Most would simply kill the beast for its spoil."
"I'll have to ask Mister Helios if I can keep a cat," Harry said, not knowing how to reply to that.
"Thou art planning on keeping it, then?" Zoë asked, surprised.
"I imagine, if I give him a home, food, drink, and a litter box, he's not going to be hunting people, you know?" Harry offered. "And besides, he'll make a great guard cat."
The Nemean House Cat puffed itself up. In return for an easy life, it could play guard lion if requested.
Artie snorted a laugh. "Harry, unless you're planning on scaring off armies, using him as a guard cat will be overkill."
Harry thought back on the two guards that had dragged him before Zeus, and wondered if anyone would try and do the same with the Nemean Lion around to protect him.
"Thou hast an evil smile," Zoë noted. "I believe I do not wish to be on the receiving end of it."
Artie chuckled. "Agreed." She shook her head. "I grabbed some Hunters and raced over in the hopes of rescuing you from the Lion. Instead, I find that you have tamed the beast."
Harry grinned, and knelt down, petting the Nemean Cat. "He's going to be a good kitty now, right?" he asked the cat in a coo. "Yes, you will! Yes, you will!" he cooed more while rubbing its tummy, causing the cat to start purring loudly.
"Most incredible," Zoë muttered.
"Indeed," Artie said. "Harry, we must depart. Those Cyclopes will not exterminate themselves. Please remember to pray to me should you have… trouble… with your new… pet?" her voice raised into a question at the end.
"He's a good kitty now," Harry said, actually picking the cat up and cradling it. The Nemean Cat looked like it didn't know whether it liked being carried or not.
"So I see," Artie muttered, not convinced. "We must depart. Harry. Good luck."
"Thanks, Artie!" Harry said, laughing. The Nemean Cat seemed to have gathered its dignity and was now seated in Harry's arms like an emperor on an open sedan chair. It held the sort of arrogant look that cats were so good at, the kind of look that said, We, Nemean Lion, hereby do declare that this is a most acceptable mode of transport for Us.
The Goddess of the Hunt threw one last warning look at the imperious-looking feline, before nodding to her Hunters and disappearing with them in the tree line.
"Hestia is not going to like it either," he said while looking at his golden-furred passenger. The cat turned its head to look back at him. "She told me to be careful and stay out of trouble."
The feline had a look of cat-like amusement.
"Yeah, that didn't work out so well," Harry muttered. He looked up at the skies for a moment, then said, "Mom, this gift of yours can be quite a pain. Just so you know."
There was no response, of course. Nor did he expect one. Instead, he oriented himself and started walking, tracking the deer's tracks back to the brook, then turning on his path back to his camp.
The Nemean Cat was a large one; not so large as to make people doubt it was a cat, but larger than most house cats. After a while, it started to get really heavy for a nine-year-old, even a nine-year-old demigod with advanced training.
"Come on," Harry said, stooping down. "Walking time."
His new pet seemed to have been enjoying the ride, but starting walking nonetheless. The Lasso of Hestia was still draped around its neck, with Harry holding the end.
It tugged on the leash, shooting the boy a questioning look.
Harry looked down, not breaking his stride. "If I release you from the Lasso, you'll try and attack me again."
The Nemean House Cat looked like it wanted to shake its head no, but was forced to nod yes by the Lasso.
"Nifty Lasso, isn't it?"
The cat didn't need the Lasso's encouragement to nod yes. Although it did look grumpy while doing so.
"Don't worry," Harry said as they continued their trek through the forest. "You'll see I'm not a bad guy. You'll like me and will want to stay with me. No more attacks by demigods, no more trying to figure out where your next meal will come from, always a warm roof over your head, and you can sleep as much as you want."
The cat looked really interested now, all cats loved sleeping. Harry laughed softly and leaned down to give the cat a pet. "After all, there's a reason other cats stay with humans, right? If we weren't so good at taking care of you, you would have overthrown us by now."
The cat nodded seriously.
Harry laughed at the Lasso not stopping it from nodding. Then he blinked. Did that mean cats actually could overthrow humans?
He felt worried now.
Deciding that he didn't really want to know, he focused on retracing his steps back to his camp. Using every trick Zoë and Artie had taught him – other than that annoying 'count your paces' trick using stones – he had very little difficulty to get back to familiar ground.
A few hours later, he sunk to the ground next to his fire pit, and threw some wood in it before rekindling the fire. The warmth of the fire felt wonderful after a long day trekking through the woods, fighting lions.
The Nemean House Cat plonked itself down next to him, its back firmly pressed against Harry's leg. The boy grinned down at it, and starting stroking the incredibly soft fur.
It started purring.
"You know," Harry said, "you need a name."
The cat gave him a look, then looked away, as if saying 'whatever'. The young demigod chuckled. "Nemmy," he decided.
The look he got from the cat was disdainful, to say the least. "You're the Nemean Lion, thus, Nemmy," he boy repeated.
The cat looked away again, with the casual motion of disdain that cats so often used. Harry chuckled, the Nemean Lion – well, Nemean House Cat, now – seemed to be excellent at being a regular cat.
Noticing that the fire was burning nice and hot now, Harry stood up. Nemmy looked up at him, as if wondering why his human was no longer petting him. "I'm going to go ask Mister Helios if it's alright if I keep a cat," he told the animal while tying Hestia's Lasso to a nearby tree. In response, the Lasso tightened slightly around the cat's neck, ensuring it couldn't just slip from the noose.
The cat looked away again. Whatever.
Chuckling, the young demigod waved his hand at the fire, turning it green, then walked through it; emerging into Helios' Temple.
The presence of Helios surrounded him, a sensation of worry permeating it at his earlier than expected return. "Hi Mister Helios," Harry greeted his faded friend. "I just had a bit of a question for you."
The presence receded slightly, the worry disappearing, only to be replaced with a sensation of curiosity.
"I was wondering if it would be alright if I kept a cat," Harry asked.
Helios' presence receded some more, thinking it through, before giving off a sensation of responsibility. Harry grinned. "I'll take care of it, no worries," he promised. "I just wanted to ask if it's okay."
The presence 'hugged' him, and radiated approval, causing Harry to grin. "Thanks, Mister Helios!"
The presence gave him another 'hug', as if saying 'you're welcome', and Harry waved as he turned to go back to his camp.
Emerging from the flames, he untied Nemmy and re-took his seat. "Mister Helios said it was fine," he told his new pet. "So it looks like you have a home now."
The Nemean House Cat tickled Harry's nose with it's long tail, then snuggled in closer to the boy. Harry grinned and started petting him.
Considering that sunlight would start to fade in a few hours, and the long trek had made him hungry, Harry decided on an early dinner. He dug through what he had brought to find something that his new cat could eat as well, and in the end settled for a stew. He could eat the vegetables, the cat could have the meat.
Just as the food was starting to heat, the skies clouded over and wind picked up. The young demigod cast a worried glance at the heavens, hoping that it wouldn't rain.
He barely managed to dish out the food before the first water drops landed, and while Nemmy seemed to enjoy the food, Harry ended up having to retreat to the tent to stay dry.
The Nemean house Cat didn't seem bothered by the rain, its fur apparently equally proof against water as it was against weapons, but it did appear affected by cold and snuggled close to Harry after finishing its meal.
The young boy looked out the tent at the miserable weather; the winds had picked up considerably now, and temperatures had dropped even further. The rain came down in thick sheets and had drenched out the fire.
"I guess it'll be an early night," he told the cat, snuggling as close to it as it was snuggling to him. It was warm and soft, and Harry enjoyed the rest.
The next morning, he found himself waking up to the curious sensation of being engulfed in bright golden fur. Overnight, the Nemean House Cat had reverted to being the Nemean Lion, and Harry found himself snuggled deep into its long luxurious coat. Its heartbeat and respiration lulled him into a sense of comfort, and Harry closed his eyes and dozed for a while, listening to the trickling of the rain against the cover of the tent.
When he woke up for good, he realized that the Hunter's tent seemed to have some form of magic on it, as its interior had expanded enough for the truck-sized Nemean Lion to sprawl out comfortably.
When Harry raised his head, and found the Lion's head turning to face him. "That was a good night's sleep, despite the cold," Harry told it. Nemmy chuffed, and dropped its head, shrinking back into cat-form as it did. The tent shrunk with it, until it was back to its regular interior size.
Giving the cat a pet, he removed the Lasso from around its neck. "If you didn't eat me while I was asleep, I trust you," he told the cat as it gave him a look. It flattened its ears for a moment, then shuddered, as if realizing it was suddenly free, then rolled onto its other side and closed its eyes to continue dozing.
Harry petted it for a bit, then sighed and pulled back the flap of the tent. A wave of cold pushed its way in, making him shiver. He looked out; as the sound of raindrops had already told him, it was raining outside. Raining heavily. He sighed again.
"I guess today's a wash, then," he said, half to himself and half to Nemmy. "Literally. Mister Zeus can be really petty sometimes."
The Nemean House Cat slunk next to him and cuddled up, not liking the cold. "Let's go home," Harry decided. "I'll pack up."
0000
While Nemmy explored the Temple of Helios, Harry unpacked everything. Anything wet he set out to dry, everything else he cleaned and prepared to repack properly so he could return it to Artie.
As he worked, he felt the hearth flash. Grinning at his all-time favorite goddess, he went to give her a hug. "Hi Hestia!"
"Hello Harry," The Goddess of the Home greeted him, returning the embrace. "You are home early, so I thought I'd come and check. I felt you travel here yesterday as well, but you didn't stay long."
The young boy nodded. "Mister Zeus made it rain, and it got rather cold so I decided to come home early," he explained. "And I traveled home yesterday to ask Mister Helios if it would be okay if I had a cat."
"A cat?" Hestia asked, surprised.
The boy nodded eagerly, smiling widely. "He should be around here somewhere," he said. "Nemmy? Where are you?"
Hestia laughed softly at seeing Harry call a cat as if it were a dog. She completely expected the cat to ignore his calls.
To her surprise, a golden-furred feline trudged in from the stairs leading to the upper levels. The moment it got sight of her, it seemed to pull back.
Hestia, equally, stared at the cat. "Harry?" she questioned, softly.
"That's Nemmy, he's my new cat," Harry said, grinning widely, not catching the warning in Hestia's tone. "I ran across him in the woods."
"Are you aware of what this creature is?" the Goddess of the Hearth asked, softly.
Harry nodded. "He's the Nemean Lion, but not he's the Nemean House Cat."
"I believed I asked you to stay out of trouble," Hestia asked, softly. "And 'Nemmy', the Nemean Lion? Really, Harry?"
Harry nodded. "And I did try and stay out of trouble, Hestia!" he then protested. "I just ran across him, then used your Lasso. He submitted, and because your Lasso means he can't lie, I knew it was for real. I kept your Lasso around his neck, though, because I didn't trust him for a while. But last night, because it was raining so much, he slept in the tent with me and didn't do anything while I slept, so I trust him now."
Hestia narrowed her eyes at the cat, who seemed to shrink back, trying to put on the air of an innocent little kitty.
"Just what am I going to do with you?" Hestia wondered, affectionately, when she shifted her gaze to Harry. "Only you can go on a trip to the woods and come home with one of the fiercest monsters alive as a pet."
Harry smiled half-heartedly, hoping that she wasn't really mad at him. "He surrendered, and I didn't want to kill someone who surrendered," he said, softly, glancing at the floor. "And he's been nice so far. Oh, and Artie said she was concerned about me camping on my own, so she told me to pray to her if I ran into problems. So I prayed to her after running into Nemmy. She rushed over with some of her Hunters, and he tried to be a bad cat, but after I gave him a thump on his nose, he was a good kitty again."
Nemmy gave every appearance of trying to sink through the floor. "Besides," Harry said, smile widening again. "You need to pet him. He's so soft!" He dropped to his knees next to the cat, and rubbed his hands through its fur.
Hestia sighed and shook her head, trying to hide her amusement. "I still want you to be careful," the Goddess of the Home said, approaching the duo. "He is still a monster." She gave the cat a pet, a cat that shrunk back from her in obvious fear. Nemmy remembered what happened last time he got mouthy with a goddess, and didn't want to get thumped with a newspaper again.
"But he really is very soft," she admitted. The cat relaxed slightly. She looked at Harry. "Only you, Harry," she repeated. "Only you."
Harry grinned at her.