Chapter Text
The pelt of Kallisto the Bear was heavy in Daphnae’s hands. It had been the last pelt given to her by the Eagle Bearer. The fur was magnificent, there was no denying it. But the mere sight of the pelt churned a knot deep in Daphnae’s stomach. She hated it. She hated all of them. The sour taste in her mouth did not subside when she placed the pelt at the feet of Artemis inside the temple. The Eagle Bearer was nothing, a nobody. She’d made her choice. Despite this, Daphnae found herself returning to each of the pelts in turn whenever she allowed her thoughts to wander too far. Such a daunting task could not have been undertaken by some no-named misthios from Kephallonia, of that, Daphnae was certain. Despite what she had said on the mountain in Chios, she knew that.
She refused to say her name, or acknowledge her in any way. She was the Eagle Bearer, the Beast Slayer, just another misthios, anything to detach her true name from her body. If Daphnae allowed anything else, the pain became too much to bear. Days like these were especially hard, when Daphnae could feel a pair of eyes upon her no matter where she went in Phokis. There was no escaping it or the feelings it brought along.
Stepping out of the temple to get some fresh air and clear her head, she heard the tell-tale sign that accompanied the gaze that followed her: the cry of an eagle. Ikaros passed overhead as Daphnae turned her eyes upwards, and there was no mistaking him. He seemed to follow her everywhere she went. Though he was not with her every day, it always appeared that he would arrive shortly after her whenever she travelled. She’d returned from a hunt two days prior, and had been wondering how long it would take Ikaros to find her. His presence was unwelcome, though she forbade her sisters from harming him. Ikaros was her way of making sure Daphnae was safe. Daphnae felt torn in two, she hated seeing him because of all the buried memories he brought to the surface, but if she went too long without a visit from him she worried endlessly.
However it seemed today, he was alone. Daphnae had heard no word from her sisters of the Eagle Bearer being in Phokis. Daphnae knew, however, that this meant little. If the misthios wanted to be seen, she would be.
That was how she had escaped them in Chios, after all. Daphnae had felt so betrayed at her blatant refusal to honor the wishes of Artemis that she and all her sisters had spent three days scouring every inch of the island looking for the Eagle Bearer. If Daphnae had gotten her wish, she’d have fought her still, after she ran. But it was if she had vanished into thin air. There were no tracks, no markings, barely even a scent left for their wolves to trail. The Eagle Bearer had disappeared into the night, seemingly believing Daphnae’s threat to kill her on sight if they ever met again.
So far, that had been enough. Daphnae had heard whispers of her on the wind, some of the sisters seeing her in distant lands and sending word to update on her most recent location. There had been no direct word from the misthios herself other than the malakas eagle that was perched on a branch a short distance away staring at Daphnae.
“You’re such an insufferable beast.” Daphnae muttered under her breath, turning her back to Ikaros and searching for something to do, any distraction would be welcome.
As she turned, Ikaros chirped loudly at her. She refused to cast him a second glance, and when she stepped away, he began beating his wings frantically, dropping onto the ground next to her as if he were hurt.
Daphnae sighed, kneeling down next to him. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked, reaching out to check his wings. “Has something happened?”
There was a jolt of fear that shot through her chest. If one of my sisters has hurt him… She wouldn’t finish the thought. They’d been ordered to leave him be, they would not disobey her. Stretching out his wings gently, Daphnae couldn’t even see a scratch on the eagle. He held still as she examined him, but as soon as he was released he began flapping about erratically as if he’d been struck. Daphnae frowned. There had to be something she was missing. Lifting his wings once more, she examined the rest of his body. There were no marks on his sides, nothing visible on his body as to indicate what had happened. Not a single feather was out of place.
“Ikaros…” Daphnae furrowed her brow as she tried to think of what it could be. “Of all the places you could fall ill, must you have picked here?”
Ikaros tilted his head and allowed the examination to continue, and Daphnae tried to be as thorough as possible. Once she was convinced there was nothing wrong with him she stood, hands on her hips as she looked down at him. If an eagle could look innocent, it was not Ikaros, and upon her standing he merely chirped and returned to his prior roost.
“What has gotten into you?” Daphnae asked, exasperated.
Ikaros spread his wings for only a moment, ruffling his feathers before he flew off above her head, and Daphnae watched until the eagle was well out of sight. Shaking her head, Daphnae crossed her arms and moved back into the temple. The pelts weren’t going to put themselves away, after all. When she looked at the feet of Artemis, the first thing that greeted her was the pelt of a great white bear. This did not belong to Kallisto, and Daphnae crossed the room to take the fur into her hands. It had not been there when she left, and it had been a long time since she had seen a pelt like this. She knew from its placement upon the altar what it was: a gift. Though not for Artemis, the Eagle Bearer was not known for her offerings, but it was for Daphnae herself. This was not the first of these gifts she had received, and Daphnae doubted it would be the last.
Ikaros had tricked her. The Eagle Bearer was in Phokis, and she had delivered the pelt while Ikaros distracted Daphnae outside. She was bold, Daphnae would give her credit. There was no use looking for her, even if Daphnae could find her she was unsure if she would be able to fulfill her promise. The Eagle Bearer had never been so close since that night on Chios, the rest of her gifts had been left for Daphnae to find on her own. There had been several, left in tents, hunting villages, sometimes along the trail Daphnae was travelling for her own hunts. They were all received the same way. Daphnae held them for a time, then gave them up at the altar of Artemis as an offering. She had promised herself that she would keep nothing the Eagle Bearer gave her. She belonged to Artemis, that had been her vow, so anything given to her was not Daphnae’s to keep.
She’d be lying if this time wasn’t different. Surely the Eagle Bearer knew what she’d been doing with them. Why else would she have laid it out upon the altar herself? The pelt was soft in her hands, and Daphnae found herself absentmindedly stroking her fingers through the dense fur. It was not easy, harboring love for someone who had hurt you so deeply.
It had been so long since Daphnae had seen her, since she had felt her touch or heard her voice. But moments like this reminded Daphnae that she was still there, and that she still cared despite everything that happened. That hurt more than anything else, Daphnae decided. Missing the Eagle Bearer was a dull ache that wouldn’t go away, but Daphnae could keep herself busy to ease the pain. She tried, at the very least, to keep herself so busy that her mind was unable to stray. She was often unsuccessful, particularly at nighttime when there was nothing for her to do except lie there and dwell on her thoughts.
The pelt was still clasped tightly in her hands, Daphnae was gripping it as if it would disappear were she to let go. Knowing she had been so close, so silent, it dug a trench into Daphnae’s heart that threatened to split her in two once more. She could have seen her, wanted to see her, despite knowing the vow she had made to end her life if that occurred. It would be worth it, Daphnae thought, to see her one last time. Still, she didn’t know if she’d have the strength to land a killing blow on her beloved without taking her own life in the process.
Sighing, she folded the pelt over her arm. Perhaps I’ll keep this one for a little while. That’s not how things were supposed to happen. The Eagle Bearer was meant to take her life, Daphnae was certain. She’d passed the tests, Artemis had chosen her. Daphnae would have gladly given her life at the end of the Eagle Bearer’s blade, and had been insulted when it she had refused the fight all together. But now, in the quiet of the temple, Daphnae felt that she finally she understood. To kill the Eagle Bearer, she would have to destroy a part of herself. Though she had pledged her life to Artemis long ago, she wasn’t sure if her devotion to the goddess of the hunt would be enough to pacify the wounds of her heart. If it came to that, Daphnae doubted it would be long before she led herself out into the woods, to have her life taken by exposure to the wilds she fought so hard to tame.
Shaking the thoughts from her head, Daphnae carried the pelt to her bedroll. She’d keep it just for a night, it was too late in the day to make a proper offering to Artemis anyway. She hoped that when the darkness of the night came, her heart would let her rest if only for a few hours.
“How did it go?” Barnabas’s voice reached Kassandra from the helm as she stepped aboard the Adrestia.
“As it always goes, Barnabas.”
He laughed heartily, clapping Kassandra on the shoulder when she came next to him. “At least she didn’t kill you!”
Kassandra shrugged him off, turning her eyes to the water. The wounds were still fresh, though she knew Barnabas was only teasing.
“She has to see me to kill me, Barnabas.”
“Ha!” He gestured at Kassandra with a sly grin. “As large as you are, it’d be hard to miss you! Artemis herself would have to be blind.”
Herodotus, who had been watching the pair in silence, decided to speak. “Kassandra moves like a ghost, Barnabas. You’ve seen it yourself.”
Barnabas scoffed. “Even so! You believe a daughter of Artemis couldn’t hear her thunderous footsteps?”
Kassandra couldn’t help but smile.
“I did have some help, Barnabas. Ikaros was a welcome distraction.”
“Aha!” Barnabas turned to Herodotus. “You hear that, old man? She cheated!”
The older men began bickering back and forth playfully, the sound of their voices falling silent upon reaching Kassandra’s ears. She was grateful for the noise, though it did little to settle the pain in her heart. Ever since she’d left Daphnae in Chios, the huntress had been the only thing occupying Kassandra’s thoughts and desires. Only meeting with Myrrine seemed to lessen the pain of her heart, as only a mother can. Myrrine didn’t know about Daphnae, of course, but she understood that Kassandra was hurting. For Kassandra, that was enough. But Myrrine was not with her now. For now, she was alone. They were travelling to Elis, to take Testikles to the Olympics. It was a dull assignment, Kassandra knew that much. Testikles grated her nerves, and had it not been the wishes of the Spartan kings that she do this, Testikles would have died the first time she met him. Instead, the fool was on her ship.
Phokis was out of their way, but Kassandra had decided that if she was forced to put up with Testikles this long, she could at least pay Daphnae a visit. She was only required to deliver him, after all. She couldn’t convince herself that visiting was a good idea, even now. It got her off the ship, it got her away from Testikles, and she had even heard Daphnae’s voice.
Her voice. Kassandra closed her eyes and sighed, forcing out the noise of Barnabas and Herodotus behind her. It had been so long since she’d heard Daphnae’s voice, and hearing how worried she’d been in respect to Ikaros and his feigned injury. A pang of regret struck Kassandra’s stomach. She missed Daphnae so much, but could only leave her gifts. Kassandra knew that Daphnae offered them to Artemis, but that didn’t matter. What mattered is that Daphnae saw them, Daphnae touched them, Kassandra was convinced that her gifts made her love think of her, if only for a few fleeting moments. I just want her to know that I still care. Kassandra hoped it was enough.
“Testikles will be late if we don’t leave soon, Kassandra.” Barnabas interrupted her thoughts as if on cue, and she opened her eyes and looked down at her crew.
“We’ll get him there on time.” Kassandra replied. “They wouldn’t dare start without the Spartan champion.”
“If you take much longer, we’ll find out exactly what they’ll do.”
Kassandra waved her hand to dismiss him, before giving the order to set sail. She needed to get away from Phokis. At least, in Elis, the prospect of watching the Olympic games might be ample distraction to draw her thoughts away from Daphnae. The open sea would be another matter. Kassandra often found her mind wandering as they sailed, and knew the journey to Elis would be no different. They used to be happy memories, of sailing to Phokis with another beast slain at Daphnae’s request. Kassandra remembered sailing back to Phokis after she’d conquered Kallisto the Bear. It had been the last of Daphnae’s tests, and Kassandra had been swollen with pride at completing such a daunting trial.
Then, everything had changed. The note requesting her to go to Chios had felt so urgent, full of such raw emotions Kassandra had been taken aback. She’d sailed the Adrestia straight to Chios like a woman possessed, convinced there had to be something wrong. She was right, in a way, she thought grimly to herself.
I should have never went to that cursed island.
Even the thought couldn’t convince her. She couldn’t have left Daphnae like that, and couldn’t leave her still. Despite the threats on her life from Daphnae and her sisters, Kassandra couldn’t stay away no more than she could strike Daphnae down and kill her. Artemis be damned. She took comfort in knowing that Daphnae was safe. Even if Kassandra was not allowed to see her, or take her in her arms again, Kassandra could take part in ensuring Daphnae’s safety. It was the least she could do now. She’d not lose another person she loved, and no one was going to stand in her way. Neither the Cult nor the gods themselves could stop her.
“Kassandra?” Barnabas had a note of concern in his voice as he drew Kassandra from her thoughts once more. She sighed, pushing Daphnae to the depths of her mind to keep herself from getting angry. Anger wouldn’t help her now. She had to focus. “Are you all right?”
Her response was short. “Fine.”
“You just got this look in your eyes...like you were somewhere else. Come back down to Earth with us mortals, eh?”
Kassandra nodded. “I’m here, Barnabas. Now let’s get to Elis. I’m ready to see the Olympics.”