NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Phoebe
4 Years Later (MC is 17 now):
I know I know, I do really have no clue what these people were thinking.
But hey, let me take some creative liberties, will ya?
And with that, here's the story.
Moving to sit cross legged on the grass, I being to tell the story of my current life to an invisible audience.
...
"Fuck... I hate washing duty..."
-As the teller of this story, I due have the unfortunate duty to tell you that the above was a line I made up as the hunters never swore nor did they question their goddess.
As I walked to the river with two half a ton laundry baskets on either one of my shoulders, I stopped suddenly, surprised by the sight I was met.
My hesitance only lasted a single second though, as I immediately dropped the two laundry baskets and rushed to rescue the child who seemed to be drowning in the river.
I almost let the child slip after I had grabbed them.
Soon enough though, the child was on shore, and I had already started chest compressions.
Cack, cough!
I patiently wiped away the water that had been spit into my face before starting to analyze the child, no, little girl that had ended up in my arms.
Seeing the red bleeding from the cuts all over her body, I immediately ruled out the idea that this girl could have been that bastard Apollo in disguise.
Lifting her up and down a little, I then confirmed that the girl wasn't a demigod after estimating the density of the girl's muscles and bones.
'So the girl's merely a mortal...'
After having confirmed that fact, I moved on to studying the injuries that lined her body.
Upon realizing the fact that the majority of them were old, had been due to animals, and had been present on her body long before she ever entered the raging river, conclusions quickly formed inside my head.
Gritting my teeth, I could only say one word,
"Bastards."
Studying her dress, the mishmash of styles that they were, the mix of both male and female items, I figured that there was only one conclusion, a conclusion that was soon cemented as the girl opened her eyes.
"Grrrrrrrr"
The girl immediately jumped out of my embrace, got on all fours, and assumed a defensive stance, akin to that of a wolf's.
'So the girl was abandoned in the woods even earlier than I had thought.'
The girl seemingly couldn't speak a single word, leading me to believe that she had probably been abandoned in the woods before the age of 4.
And, judging from the girl's current build, it would seem that she was about 6 or 7 years old.
'Two years...'
Feeling a sudden pang of sadness for the girl, I brushed the feeling away and being my attempt to placate the girl.
'Hopefully, she's at least a clear-sighted mortal...'
If she was, then we'd be able to take her in.
~~~
Well, there was one problem.
A HUGE problem I might add.
"Calm down, calm down, we're here to help."
Trying to sound as not-harmful as possible, me and the other hunters slowly inched forward, as the girl kept growling at us on all fours whilst stepping back slowly.
Initially, I had been relieved after having seen the child follow me back into camp, wherein I had quickly gotten my Lady's permission to induct the little girl into the Hunt.
Yet, I should have known that things wouldn't go this smoothly as I watched some of my fellow hunters leaving the tent I had left the girl in with scratches on their arms.
'Ah!'
Suddenly coming to a realization, I motioned for the other hunters to leave the tent as I continued to slowly inch forwards towards the the girl.
'We must have been viewed as a pack of wolves coming to kill her, I'm so stupid...'
And, sure enough, the girl quickly became less aggressive until I was merely an inch away from her.
'Please let me help you change your clothes, please...'
Praying to Hera in my mind for at least a little bit of strength in dealing with this child, my hands were finally able to grasp the hems of the tattered dress that the child was wearing.
The next second, I found myself pushed out of the tent, the clothes in my hands ripped out of my grasp after having briefly glanced a finger across her skin.
It only took a minute for the girl to exit the tent, dressed in the clothes we had given her.
'Ah, so she doesn't like to be touched.'
Although I wouldn't know it now, I would somehow learn something new about her every day that I spent with her.
~~~
Three Months Later:
"Sigh..."
I exhaled in exasperation, thankfully though, for a good reason.
Shalom, as we had named her, had already finished learning the alphabet and had already started stringing together her first few complex sentences.
Sure, she was around the age of 6, so it would make sense that her mental faculties were better than that of a three year olds, but weren't mortals supposed to not be able to learn language if they didn't exercise that part of the brain by the age of four or something?
Well, I wasn't an expert in mortal biology, so I couldn't be sure.
And, I could probably just chalk it up to the blessings Lady Artemis had hurriedly bestowed on the child before she had to run to Olympus due to her father's summons.
'She really has barely been in camp for the past year...'
I felt a little sad that I hadn't been able to speak properly for almost a year now due to the amount of jobs that had been handed her way, but the feeling was quickly dissipated as I once again focused on the child in front of me.
Giggle
She was currently laughing about something that had caught her attention one way or another in her textbook.
And, seeing that look of happiness on her face, I too, couldn't help but allow a faint smile to grace my face.
'This child truly will be the death of me, won't she?'
Little did I know, my sisters were watching as I continued with my lessons, smiling happily as both our laughs rang out like wind chimes, tinkling softly through the forest's trees.
~~~
"Big Sis Phee! Thank you for your teachings today!"
I watched as the sun ray's turned red.
Unknowingly, I had somehow spent the entire day answering questions for Shalom about whatever seemed to cross her mind and that she was curious about.
Smiling at the little ball of sunshine, I gave her a nod before helping her pack up the books that had been sprawled all over the table in the middle of the forest.
"Let's head back to the camp now, shall we?"
A little warmth slipped into my hand as she grabbed a few of my fingers and started pulling me back towards camp.
"Quickly! We can't miss dinner!"
Seeing her enthusiasm for such a simple thing such as diner, I, for some reason, let out a little laugh, playing along with her determination.
"Yes, let us head there quickly."
It was only after I had finished my meal with Shalom sitting next to me, her infectious energy influencing me more than any of the other hunters, that I realized something.
'I really haven't laughed so happily in such a long time...'
~~~
The Present:
How'd you like that, guys?
My depiction of Phoebe's thoughts were spot on, no?
Well, it wasn't like y'all could say anything about my recollection.
Of course she'd fall for little ole me.
Or well, I should say, she quickly fell for the Boy.
No no, not in that sense, get your minds out of the gutter guys, as siblings, duh.
I mean, I know for a fact that some of y'all thought about smashing that ethereal beauty aka me on the cover.
Just remember to say no homo!
Anyways, that's the end of Phoebe's recollections, for now, tomorrow, I'll tell y'all all about Zoe.
"Cya tomorrow!"
My mind incomprehensibly imagined a huge crowd superimposed over the empty field in front of me.
Welp, being castrated would do that to any man.
---
A/N: No, he will not remain castrated for the entirety of this fic if y'all were wondering.
Also, this playful personality of his is temporary. Currently, he's just found out that he's castrated and he currently assimilating with the Boy's memories, so he's a little unstable right now.