A/N: My work on The Stag lately has left me with the desire to rewrite this. There are no plot changes, yet I feel like the character development has much improved. There were also a few typos and things that didn't get fixed during the edit that have now been fixed. And since chapter eight was pronounced to be lacking "oomph," it has received the most changes. I hope it doesn't disappoint anyone who has already read it and that those of you who read The Stag but not this one will enjoy further insight into Ariadne and Artemis' characters.

Artemis

She is close. I can't see her yet, but I know she's there. A faint wind picks up and it brings the scent of her towards me. I take advantage of the branches rustling in the wind to cover another step forward. I can catch a hint of her brown coat now, just between the trees. I reach for my bow.

Suddenly there is a voice from my left. "Oh, look! She's so beautiful."

The deer bolts immediately. I don't even bother giving chase. The forest is too dense here; the deer is already gone. I am beginning to remember why I never take Echo on the hunt.

I take a deep, calming breath and look at the nymph. She can tell from my look that I am growing extremely frustrated. She stares at the ground, silent, but her mouth still opens and closes slightly, as if even in silence her lips can't stop moving. Her fingers of her right hand toy nervously with the dagger at her waist. She knows she is in disgrace, so I say nothing.

I look to Britomartis, the other of my dreiads that I have brought on this hunt. She nods silently, signaling that she is ready to move on. She slides back into the trees, almost invisible, to wait for my order.

The wind is coming straight from the east, so I head in that direction. If Echo can't stay quiet at we might as well use the wind to our advantage. I can't even remember the last time I went on a hunt that was so entirely unsuccessful. I hope that the embarrassed look that she has just given me means that she will be able to keep her mouth shut at least long enough for us to catch something.

I take about four steps before she ruins my hope. "Do you usually go this long without catching anything? You must be very patient. I could never do this so often. Watch animals run away. Although, usually you can't even see them; just hear them. It might be more interesting if you could see them more often. I do like animals, don't-"

"Echo," My tone is enough to cut her off. "You are dismissed."

"Yes, Artemis." The young nymph bows her head, spilling beautiful blond curls over her shoulders, and walks away. Even in her disgrace she cannot help doing small dances and humming to herself as she heads back to join her sisters. She pauses to chat with a small bird, which hops away with her. Echo's voice and the bird's twittering slowly fade away.

I somehow cannot be angry at her as I watch her leave, but a strange sense of foreboding fills me. It is mild, so I attempt to brush it away with no more than a slight mental note to keep an eye on her. But it won't go away. I recognize it, even though I don't want to. Echo's future is shadowed in a way that almost scares me. My dreiads are my responsibility, and I take it very seriously.

"Artemis?" Britomartis' voice is soft, but brings me back from my concerned thoughts.

"Watch out for Echo. I am worried about her," I say.

"Is everything all right?"

I am not sure how to answer that question, so I just nod. "I'm going to Olympus."

"We haven't caught anything. Surely…" She frowns in concern. It is extremely unusual for me to give up a hunt like this. But that feeling won't stop nagging at me.

"Next week."

She nods, her face carefully blank. I know she is curious, but too respectful to say anything. She pauses another second, knowing that she has been dismissed, but waiting to see if I will say anything else, before she turns around and walks in the same direction Echo took moments before.

I, on the other hand, turn in the opposite direction, and head towards Olympus.

I find Apollo lounging on the steps of the Great Temple. It is a common spot to find him. The view is beautiful when the clouds aren't too thick. You can see the entire world. And nearly everyone walks by here at some point in the day. The gods that he likes will sit with him and chat for a bit while those whom he does not are subject to his ridiculous jokes.

He smiles broadly at me as I walk up the steps to sit beside him. "You look preoccupied, sister," he says, without even greeting me. We've never bothered with such things.

"I need to know what you see."

He chuckles slightly. "You'll have to ask the oracle at Delphi. You'll have to sacrifice a few dozen sheep first, though. That includes the family discount."

"So your priests can eat them and tell me a worthless riddle? I think not."

"It is so amusing, though, don't you think?"

I press my lips together. "I suppose you could call it that." I don't say what I'm actually thinking. It will raise an old argument that I am not quite in the mood for having. I hate the way his priests treat the young girls they use as oracles. He always shrugs, saying that men will be men and that the girls live much better than the average Grecian woman. I often wish I could do something about it, but there are rules. Strict ones. Divine wars have been fought over mortals. I haven't come here to argue, anyway. I need his help.

"My dreiad, Echo. I have a bad feeling about her."

He closes his eyes and his head leans slightly to one side.

"Do you see anything?" I ask.

He is silent for a while, ignoring my question. When he finally opens his eyes, he looks a little surprised. "Not much. It's rather hazy, but Father is involved somehow. She looks like his type. You know how he likes the innocent blondes."

I frown. The fact that it's hazy is good; it means that it is neither imminent nor final. But the fact that Father is involved is not quite as comforting. "I suppose I should go talk to Father, then."

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea." He turns his head towards the east, where storm clouds are rolling in. "Hera just went in to see him a few minutes before you got here. It looks like it's not going well."

I smile mischievously at him. "Let's find out, shall we?" His smile matches my own, and I am filled with the delightful feeling of being young again. A fight between Father and Hera could be excellent entertainment provided you didn't get caught in the middle of it. We both jump up and run the last few steps of the temple and past the tall, white columns. We slow once we reach the entrance and start moving silently as possible. Already I can hear Hera speaking in a quiet, almost hiss-like tone. The way she always sounds when trying to stay calm through anger. This should be good.

"…Hermes that she saw you with two naiads." We are finally close enough that I can understand her. I look back at Apollo and have to stifle the urge to laugh.

"Wife, I told you, I was seeing to business." Father's voice sounds exasperated. I don't know why he bothers denying it. His affairs are more infamous than Hera's rage over them. He never seemed to learn the delicacy and tact required to keep such things quiet.

"Business? What could that possible mean, business?" she demands.

"Must I inform my wife of every little thing that I do?"

There is a prolonged moment of silence. I can picture the rage building on her face; she is probably positively purple by now. How I wish I could see it.

Much to my surprise, the explosion never comes. There is the sound of quick footsteps across the long, marble hall. I grab Apollo's arm and shove him towards the door, back outside. We drop back down on the steps, exactly as we had been before entering the temple. And not a moment too soon. As soon as we are situated Hera leaves the temple, looking delightfully purple, as I had expected.

I smile brilliantly at her while she glares at us as if it was somehow our fault. We manage to hold it together until she's gone before we finally dissolve into laughter.

"Oh," I finally say with a slight sigh, "That was horrible."

"They're both insane."

"They truly are."

We sit in companionable silence for a while and I occasionally glance back at the storm clouds, hoping they'll dissipate, signifying that Father has finally calmed. "I don't think those clouds are leaving any time soon," I say.

His eyes follow my gaze. "Probably not."

"Maybe I should just go see him anyway."

He looks skeptical, but just shrugs. "If you think it's for the best."

"I'd like to get it taken care of. I'm hoping that I'll be able to stop worrying about Echo once I've spoken with Father." I stand up slowly, not really wanting to do this, but knowing I need to.

"Maybe he'll be glad to see you."

"I hope so." I walk back into the temple and towards the main hall.

Father sits in his throne at the far end of the room, still looking angry. His hands are clenched at the end of his arm rests and an occasional spark of electricity jumps between his fingertips. He sits up unusually straight in the seat, his head bent as if he were glaring at the floor. I'm having second thoughts.

I carefully begin walking backwards towards to leave, but not soon enough. He looks up before I can get anywhere.

"Come, my child. What can I do for you?" His voice is short, but the way that he addressed me, Child, is a good sign. Maybe this will go well after all.

I smile and go to his side. "Father, I have a request for you."

"Oh, that's what everyone wants from me these days." He sighs heavily. It makes me regret having started out that way. Too late now, though.

"It's about one of my dreiads, Echo. I am concerned for her."

"Is something wrong with her?"

"Not exactly, but I have a bad feeling about her. She's a sweet thing, naïve as they come, and beautiful. And while she is a terrible huntress I am sworn to protect her, like all of my dreiads." Father looks at me thoughtfully. He has always trusted my intuition, which has proven itself reliable in the past. Much more reliable than Apollo's sketchy visions into the future, I think rather belatedly. I hope I don't end up offending Father based on something that Apollo might be wrong about.

"So what exactly is it that you want from me?"

I must choose my words delicately. This could get ugly if he takes it the wrong way. "I was hoping you would, perhaps, stay away from her."

His expression is impossible to read. Confusion? Anger? I can't tell. "You think that I would bring harm to one of your dreiads?"

"No, of course, not. Well, not directly. I was thinking more of you being a little… friendly to her." He still looks confused. "And someone else hurting her." Still no comprehension. "Hera." I say finally.

He sits back in his throne, understanding now. I hold my breath, hoping he won't be angry. He couldn't really blame me for such a thing, could he? How many women and nymphs has Hera harmed out of her jealous rages? The stories are endless. All of a sudden he starts laughing. A deep, loud laugh of true amusement. I sigh in relief.

"Yes, my dear, I will avoid drawing Hera's anger on your dear Echo."

"Thank you, Father. I am so glad you understand."

"Provided, of course, that you keep me company for a while."

I can handle that to be assured of Echo's safety. But as I sit on the dais beside Father's throne, listening to him talk, I still can't shake that feeling that something is not right.

Ariadne

"They say there is a man in Thebes so handsome, so perfect, that he breaks the heart of every woman who sees him. Even some men. But his heart is so cold he cannot love. Narcissus, they call him."

"Really?" I try to turn my head to look at my maid, Isa, but she forces my head straight and continues brushing my long, stick-straight, brown hair. I wasn't blessed with brilliant blonde hair like my sister. Or black, like my sister-in-law. It's not even a vibrant brown; just the boring, dull, color of rat fur. My mother has told me for as long as I can remember that I should pray for beautiful hair because men find it very important. All my praying has come to nothing, though. The hair that Isa now brushes is the same awful brown color that I remember having ten years ago, when I was seven.

"That's what the stories say, my lady. But I suppose you'll find out soon enough, since you'll be going there," she continues, "And if he does exist, you might even get to see him."

Just then, Mother walks through the room with an irritated tsk. "With what sort of nonsense are you filling the girl's head, woman?" she asks Isa. "Why in Gaia's name would she want to see a man who would break her heart? Besides, she is going to meet her future husband, not dally with lesser men. I'm sure this, what did you call him, Narcissus, couldn't even be mildly wealthy or we would have heard of him from someone other than this infamous 'they'. He clearly isn't even worth contemplating."

"Of course, my lady," Isa says somewhat timidly, and returns to my hair in silence.

Mother turns to the servant that entered the room behind her. "Set it on the floor, and be gone."

I keep my head dutifully still, not turning to look to see what she's talking about. There is a slight thud and out of the corner of my eye I can see a servant leave. "Ariadne," Mother says brusquely, "I hope the clothes in this trunk will fit you when we leave for Thebes." What she doesn't say speaks much more loudly than what she does. She isn't hoping that they fit; she is telling me that they must fit. And if they don't I will adjust the size of my waist accordingly. Not waiting for me to respond, Mother sweeps gracefully out of the room.

"Yes, Mother," I say softly, even as her heels click down the hallway. It doesn't matter, though. She wouldn't have heard it any better if she had been standing right beside me. I sometimes wonder if she has ever heard a single thing I've said. For the most part I've stopped trying.

I, Ariadne, daughter of the King, am going to meet Actaeon, Prince of Thebes, the man who will be my husband. I will be traveling half-way across Greece, days away from my family, to marry a man I have never met. I have no opinion on the matter at all. I am going to marry a stranger and yet I cannot think anything about it. I have been trained since I was born to not think of anything, just do as I am told. I cannot remember ever having an opinion on anything. Nothing really matters anyway. I'd have to marry him even if I decided I wanted to be opposed to it. There's no point in having an opinion in a life like that. I just hope this Actaeon doesn't hit as hard and as frequently as my sister's husband.