Author's Note: Based on an actual myth ... but I took a lot of liberties with it ... do tell me if you like this first chapter, and if I should continue :)

Chapter One - Constellations

"I do solemnly swear to follow thee, Lady Artemis, in all thy endeavors. I do swear to be faithful to thee, and to abide by the laws of eternal maidenhood. I hereby do swear, under binding oath, to forgo the company and pleasures of men. May the wrath of the Moon be upon me if I should fail."

Artemis gazed down upon the young woman kneeling before her, head bent, dark tresses flowing down her back, and she felt a dull throb in her heart.

"I do ache for thee, Zoë Nightshade," she murmured softly.

The Huntress stood, her face a mask of clam and serenity. Only the slightest of flickers in her dark, almond-shaped eyes betrayed the emotions ravaging her heart. Artemis softened her expression, smiling with genuine happiness.

"It is with gladness that I welcome thee, Zoë," she said, embracing the Huntress. "I know that thou shall serve me well." For thou have suffered as I have suffered … for that, I do ache for thee, Zoë Nightshade.

Artemis stood at the crest of the hill overlooking the Huntress's tents. The full moon smiled down at her from its perch, bathing the forest in a pale, silvery glow. The blackness of the sky seemed to recede from around it; the tiny pinpricks that were stars seemed to have been eclipsed by it.

She raised her face to the sky, eyes scanning the heavens. They alighted on a group of stars, and she blinked furiously, trying to keep back the tears that welled up. She bit down on her lip, hard, and tasted ichor, and her eyes spilled over, tears mingling with the ichor oozing from her lip, the sweetness mixing with the salt.

A gust of wind ran its breezy fingers through her auburn hair, caressing her cheeks, drying her tears, swirling her skirts.

Above her, the three stars in the belt of Orion the Hunter shone, an immortal tribute, a constant heart-ache. Artemis slid to the ground, clasping her knees to her chest, eyes staring out into the distance. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry." The wind snatched the words from her lips, hurtling them carelessly away.

Three Years Previously – Winter

Fresh fallen snow blanketed the forest floor. Feathery flakes swirled downwards, drifting on the wind, settling in her hair, coating her lashes. She didn't move, not even when a burst of wind blew a flurry of snow into her face, ice-cold pinpricks stinging her skin. She was stillness itself.

A huge fir concealed her as she stood, bow at the ready, arrow already notched. Her eyes were fixed on a large, gray-black hulk that stood, motionless, in the middle of a clearing, less than a hundred feet ahead of her. Its large, curved horns rose threateningly upwards, the points ominously sharp. Taurus, the bull. Within arrow-reach for the first time in the two months she had been pursuing it.

Artemis lifted her bow, drawing the bowstring as far as it would go, angling the arrow carefully. The slightest of movements caught her eye. A figure appeared several feet to her left, stepping carefully to the edge of the clearing, notching an arrow. He plied the bow expertly – his appearance subtly suggested weeks spent out in the open – his stance matched her own.

She lowered her bow, a frown creasing her brow. Her presence was as yet unacknowledged. She idly wondered if she should loose her arrow, or allow this mortal to bring down the bull – a difficult task for even as proficient an archer as her. Taurus was armored – the only weakness in his defenses was at the back of his neck – an exposed patch of skin a few centimeters wide. One shot – for if not felled the first time, the bull would bolt, and it was fleet of foot, as the length of time it had evaded her had proven.

She had been tracking the animal for two months … Artemis shook her head, and started to raise her bow.

With a sudden, graceful movement, the stranger lifted his weapon and let loose his arrow. It sped towards the bull with unnatural speed, the point burying itself in Taurus's neck. The animal bellowed, a low, rumbling sound that made the tops of the trees quiver, sending piles of snow onto the ground. The bull sank onto its knees, eyes rolling, as its life bled away. The hunter advanced, slinging his bow onto his back, pulling a knife from his boot. He knelt by the bull's side, and with a quick, painless stroke, slit its neck. The bull shuddered and was still. The hunter pulled his arrow free of the bull, wiping it clean and returning it to his quiver.

It was a shot in a million, Artemis thought, admiration for the hunter blossoming in her heart, despite her efforts to quell it.

The hunter lifted the bull's head, gazing into the glassy, lifeless eyes, an amused smile twisting his face.

"You led a merry chase, old boy," Artemis heard him say, a fond note in his voice. "But no one escapes Orion the Hunter."

He seemed to realize then that he was being watched, for he stiffened, and setting the bull's head down, looked straight at Artemis. She felt a chill go down her spine as his gray eyes met hers. Orion the Hunter.

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