The clearing exploded with motion and sound as a monstrous chimera roared, its lion head snapping, goat head shrieking, and serpent tail slithering menacingly. Three Huntresses danced around it like silver shadows: Phoebe, her bow singing as she loosed arrows in rapid succession that struck with unerring precision; Lyla, Daughter of Poseidon, using jets of water summoned from nearby air moisture to trap the beast's hind legs; and Sita, Daughter of Hermes, dashing in to land precise strikes with her twin daggers.
Behind them, standing calmly upon a boulder, was Cyrus. At five years old, the boy looked like a wild forest spirit dressed in his favorite black T-shirt with yellow prints says "Summer is the best" and a Silver vest coat over it with Black shorts and Silver Boots —his sunset-red hair tousled by the wind, sky-blue eyes glowing faintly gold as he played a soft, haunting tune on a celestial bronze flute. The melody shimmered through the clearing, wrapping around the chimera's heads like invisible vines.
The monster staggered, dazed by the music. "NOW!" Phoebe shouted.
With synchronized elegance, the Huntresses struck. The chimera let out a final roar before collapsing in a heap of golden dust.
"That's how we do it," Lyla smirked, slinging her water whip aside.
"Remind me again why we let the tiny bard come?" Sita said, arching a brow at the child.
"Because without him, thou wouldst be chimera food," Phoebe quipped, lowering her bow and ruffling Cyrus's head as he hopped down.
"No, I won't" Sita huffed and followed them back
"Can we keep the fang?" Cyrus asked, grinning.
"Thou already hast a collection most grotesque," Phoebe teased.
"Only the prettiest parts!" he beamed. "This one looks like a tooth from a cranky goat-dragon!"
Back at camp, the Hunters lounged around the fire, recounting the battle. Cyrus pranced around with the chimera fang, the wolves padding at his heels, tails wagging. Even the most aloof among them had softened toward him over time.
"He sings quite well for his age" Tamiko murmured as Cyrus hummed and stirred a bubbling stew pot.
"Aye, I believe he needs more practice in Drawing," Rebecka said, holding up a sketch of hers he'd left behind. "Couldn't capture me perfectly."
"He knows how to be useful now" Najwa said. "could understand at the minimum when Phoebe teaches him stances."
Janet pointed at Rebecka and said "He did throw stuffs well, as he hit you in the face with a toy, last week when you annoyed him "
"No, he didn't" Rebecka snorted.
"I want him distracted, so I got hit ok, I let him"
Cyrus skipped over; apron stained with stew. "Dinner's ready! Basilisk and mushroom with thyme!"
"It took us many hardships, to make him understand and do chores without creating mess " Ling added seeing him.
"If only he could be smart like his mother, but I couldn't ask for impossible knowing who his father was" Sita said, while moving towards the campfire.
"Thank the Gods, at least He listens well, I feared he would be growing up like his father and I need to beat some sense to him everyday " muttered Maya as she took her bowl. "I couldn't stand another mini Apollo with his big ego and stupidity"
"It seems he resembles his mother in talent" Lyla added. "for a boy his age, he managed to at least shoots arrows in correct direction by following instructions "
"The only thing he is good at other than crying is running" Janet chimed in. "He escapes from my hit when I throw fork at him for stealing my tart."
"We've done a great job in raising him to be a decent person for a male, Don't you think?" Layla said with a proud grin.
A loud noise of Agreement and shouts raised from the rest of the hunters eating their dinner.
As dinner faded into storytelling and laughter, Cyrus sat cross-legged, sketching the day's battle in charcoal with eerie precision. When he showed it to Rebecka, she blinked and said "That's… that's from my angle."
"I remembered," he said proudly.
Later, as the night wind settled and the wolves curled near him, Cyrus laid his head on the wolves body and yawned. "Tell me a story?"
"No monsters tonight," she said, brushing back his hair.
"One with Mama?" he asked sleepily.
Silence lingered. Then Sita, voice gentle, said, "your mother was a fierce warrior, a daughter of Ares with fire in her soul. But she laughed like the summer wind. And hades knows why, somehow —"
"She fell for the sun," Tamiko finished with a smile. "Even the most brilliant women has a moment of misstep."
"or she might have hit her head hard" Ling teased.
"Dad started pestering her after she beat him in an arm-wrestling match," Cyrus said matter-of-factly. "He told me."
"Aye, I believe it," Phoebe chuckled.
Zoe approached quietly, a rare smile touching her lips as she watched him asleep and whispered. "He hath become troublesome little thing"
"Aye, Our most annoying, endearing little brother," Lyla said with a smile.
"Cling to you like burrs in winter," Rebecka added.
"chirps like the birds every time," murmured Janet.
"And also," Phoebe sighed dramatically, "he still burns stew if you distract him."
"Only once!" Cyrus protested from beneath his blanket as he forgets that he was acting as he was sleeping before.
"you are not a good actor, boy" Janet teases him
"Don't be arrogant, just because we praise you, cause you need to go a long way to become decent, little one" Lyla followed Janet to tease him and pinched his nose.
"You said, I'm good before" Cyrus protested and tried to run before they could catch him to make him sleep.
"That is to fool you, boy. look... didn't it work like a charm now" Phoebe counters with a smirk and catches him.
"You really need to go to sleep now, Cub…it's getting late" Rebecka chiders him and carries him to his tent.
Rebeckka gently tucked his blanket tighter around him and whispered, "Sleep tight, Little devil"
With a giggle, Cyrus whispered back with a yawn, "Good night, Rebeckka"
Phoebe silently murmured in a Quiet tone, "I'm still not sure, why he was sent here, but if it's allowed by Fates, then they have plans for him and as far as I know anyone who catches their eyes always ends in suffering and hardships in their life"
Zoe seeing Rebeckka coming back from his tent whispered to her hunters, "It doesn't matter why...He belongeth to us now. And when the day cometh that we must part, it shall be with heavy hearts."
From the shadows, Artemis stood watching, her silver eyes soft and said "Then that means he is exactly where he is meant to be."