Andrew removed his hat and dipped into a low bow. "Princess Elanor."

"Sir."

"Okay," King Orsand started, sitting down. "Let's talk. Quickly. Ellie, I'm so sorry we're doing this today of all days."

"It's quite alright. This is something we need to talk about."

"Is it true?" Andrew asked.

"Is what true?" I questioned.

"I'm sorry again, Ellie. I told him."

"About..."

King Orsand nodded his head.

"It was necessary. Please, believe me when I say you can trust me. Just as much as I trust you."

"You trust me? Why?"

"I just do."

"Okay. So what's going on?"

"There have been more attacks," Andrew said.

"More? Where?"

"Just north of here."

"Do we know who it was?" I asked.

Andrew and the king looked at each other nervously.

"What?" I asked again.

"The body recovered was not wolf."

"I'm confused."

"It wasn't one of us," King Orsand clarified.

"Not one of us? Like a rogue?"

They both shook their heads.

"No," Andrew said. "Not a wolf at all. Something...else."

"Like what? What else is there in our realm?'

They looked at one another for a second time.

"Oh for the love of Goddess. Out with it!"

"The body we found was human."

"Human? A human? Here?"

"Yes," King Orsand said, exasperated.

He stood and paced the office.

"A human. In my kingdom. We haven't had one of those filthy, disgusting..."

"Orsand, calm yourself, my friend."

"I'm sorry. It's just a human hasn't set foot in our realm since King Aelfred and Queen Diana's time."

"The beginning?"

"Yes."

"The big question is, how did a human get into our realm?"

"We have no idea. A human has never been able to get through the protective layer."

"Okay."

I pursed my lips and stared out the window behind King Orsand. The sky was clear and filled with stars. The moon hung high in the sky in all of its full moon glory.

A human made into our realm. A human has not stepped foot here in millennia. How? How is this possible?

"If they can't come here on their own, then someone had to have let them in."

"But we're protected by our Goddess."

"Yes, but someone had to let them in. That is the only logical explanation."

I closed my eyes, focusing deep within myself. I could feel the mark grow warm on my head. I opened my eyes as light emanated from me. It encompassed the entire room and Artemis stepped forward.

"What is this magic?" Andrew cried out in surprise.

"Daughter." She smiled.

"Mother."

"You are not pleased. Something is wrong?"

I nodded. "How would a human be able to cross the barrier from their land to ours?"

"A human? It's impossible. They cannot."

"I beg pardon, your great Goddess, but we found one."

Artemis spun on her heels to look at Andrew. She narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a long moment. Almost like she was trying to remember him.

"You found a human? Here?"

"Yes, Goddess."

She strode to the window that I was just staring at and stared off into the distance.

"There is no earthly power that can allow a human here."

"Then how..." I cut King Orsand off before he could finish.

"No earthly. So there is a God-like power that can?"

She shook her head slowly. "I want to deny that she would disobey orders directly from Zeus himself, but she's never been one to listen."

"Hera?"

She nodded again. "I am sorry, my daughter. It is going to be up to you to defeat her."

"I have to defeat Hera?"

"Yes."

"How? How does someone fight a Goddess?"

"There are two relics. Relics lost to time that you will need to locate."

"What are they?"

"The sword that King Aelfred wielded during that first battle. The Sword of Apollo. And the bow Queen Diana carried. My bow."

"Oh, we already have those?"

"What?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah. We found those in the vault like yesterday."

"Then the easy part is over. You will have to learn how to shoot my bow and you will need the most trusted wolf to wield the sword."

"I shall carry the sword," Andrew exclaimed.

Artemis looked at him then back at me, smiling. "No. You cannot. For he who carries the sword will need to be one with she who carries the bow. They must fight as one. One soul. One heart. One wolf."

I sighed heavily and looked at King Orsand. "Edmond."

Artemis nodded. "Yes. That is why Aelfred and my darling Diana were successful. They did not fight as two. They fought as one. Their souls joined and they defeated the darkness that threatened them all."

"Edmond? He can't. He's not a warrior," King Orsand said. "He's a boy."

"He must. He must learn. I believe there is a warrior pack just to the north of you that can teach them. Their wolf instincts should help to quicken the learning."

"Even with wolf instincts, my warriors have been training their entire lives. We can handle Hera."

"You, a mere mortal wolf, can handle the queen of Mount Olympus, Hera?"

"Well, I mean, um, yes."

"You, over my daughter? You over a living Goddess?"

Goddess? Me? Am I? I never thought about that.

"I mean, if you put it that way, maybe not."

"My daughter may appear to be a mere mortal, but she is endowed with my powers. She just has to learn to tap into them."

"Yes, Goddess."

"My daughter."

She stepped forward, and for the first time since I learned of my crazy parentage, she kissed my forehead.

It felt odd. Unexplainable really.

And vanished.

"You argued with Artemis," King Orsand said, staring at Andrew,

"I did."

"Why would you argue with Artemis?"

"I have a death wish?"

King Orsand shook his head. "We need to return to the ceremony."

"What do we do?" I asked.

"You and Edmond go north. Train and then we fight."

"Okay."

We returned to the ceremony in darker moods. While the drink flowed and people danced, my mind was a million miles away. I knew Edmond could tell, but he didn't say anything. He stayed near me all night, kissing my forehead and holding my hand.

How do I tell him about all of this? We just had our marking ceremony and I haven't told him any of this stuff with the warrior pack? What about going north to prepare to battle fucking Hera.

"It's okay," he whispered leading me to the dance floor.

"What?"

"Everything troubling you. It's okay."

"We have to leave."

"Leave? What? When?"

"Tomorrow."

"To go where."

"North. To the secret warrior pack to prepare to battle Hera."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Yeah. It's a lot to unpack."

"A lot? I don't even know what any of that means."

I sighed heavily. "I know. We'll talk more when we're alone."

"Okay. I'm trusting you."

"Not me. Your father. And Andrew."

"Who the hell is Andrew?"

I sighed heavily again. "Leader of that secret ancient warrior pack."

"They're ancient now?"

"Uh huh."

"Hera?"

"Uh huh."

"Wow."

"Uh huh."