“I can’t
believe you’ve allowed a woman to join our hunt! People are already talking
behind your back.” Plexippus said.
“She’s very
skilled.” Meleager answered calmly. “You’ve seen her in action.”
“That does
not change the fact that she is a woman!” His uncle responded. “She has no
place here!”
“I can’t
ask her to leave! She was one of the first people to answer my call for help!”
“Who would
want a woman on their team?” His uncle pressed. “And if they did, it certainly
wouldn’t be because of her skills!”
Meleager
felt his blood beginning to boil. He was head of this mission, he would not stand being told what to do.
The boar
that Artemis had sent against Calydon was wreaking havoc on his father’s
kingdom, so he’d do anything in his power to stop it.
All good
hunters were more than welcome; what if one of them happened to be a woman?
“I’ve made
up my mind, uncle; she is staying and she’ll be on my team!”
“I won’t then.” Plexippus replied and turned to
leave.
Meleager stood
and watched his uncle leaving his tent.
Frustrated,
he took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down.
How could people be so blind?
Even if they doubted Atalanta’s skills, haven’t
they seen her in action over these past few days? She was much more skilled
than many of the people present.
He had come
to really appreciate her skills over these past few days; he’d also become
really protective of her; not that she needed any sort of protection of course.
She was more than capable to defend herself and she’d proven so.
On her
first day on the camp, Hylaeus and Rhaecus, two of the centaurs who
had joined him on this hunt, attempted to rape her, thinking she’d be an easy prey, but she took them down on her own.
He gritted
his teeth; why did he care anyway?
He sighed
again; he knew what the matter was. He was attracted to her but she showed
absolutely no interest in him.
Of course she
wouldn’t; she was one of Artemis’s followers, and they had no interest in men.
He needed
to vent; as he’d done ever since he was a child, he reached for his spear and
headed outside.
***
It was
already dark, when Meleager found his way back to the camp.
He had to
pass by Atalanta’s tent in order to get to his; but why was he nervous?
As he moved
closer, he spotted her right outside her tent; she was sitting near the fire, polishing
her arrows.
The light
was playing various numbers on her face and hair, making her look even more
attractive in his eyes.
He shook
his head; he should compose himself.
Back home, he had a wife waiting for him.
He dropped
his spear and, cautiously, took a seat next to her. He picked up one of her
arrows and inspected it.
“This one
is not properly balanced.” He said. “It will never reach its’ target.”
Annoyed,
she snatched it out of his hands. “I don’t recall asking for your opinion.”
“I was only
trying to help.” Meleager said defensively.
She let out
a sigh; Meleager was the only one who was treating her decently and she was
taking her frustration out on him. “I am sorry I snapped; it’s just-”
“Just
what?”
“Joining
you on this hunt was not a good idea.” She admitted. “I am not welcome here.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Meleager responded, rather unconvincingly; she gave him a look.
“You are
the only one speaking to me.” She pointed out. “Of course, what do I know about
hunting? It’s not like I’ve spent my entire life hunting in the mountains, or
anything of the sort.”
“You know a
lot more than many of the people present.” Meleager whispered in a conspiratory
voice.
Atalanta smiled.
“What did you want?”
“Tomorrow,
on the hunt, you’ll be on my team.”
“Because no
one else wants a woman on their team.” She said bitterly.
“No,
because you are one of the best hunters I’ve ever met!” Meleager responded and
stood.
“Don’t stay up late then; well be leaving before dawn.”
She nodded
and watched him until he disappeared inside his tent.
She liked Meleager;
he was kind and he was the only one treating her as an equal. Of course the
fact that he was quite skilled in hunting didn’t go unnoticed by her either;
she’d never seen anyone handling the spear in the same way as him before.
And
alright, if she were honest with herself, she found him attractive too, a fact
that she was trying really hard to ignore.
She let out
a sigh.
She picked
up the arrow she had snatched from his arms. He was right; it was not properly
balanced.
***
She’s never
seen such an aggressive boar before; no wonder Meleager had asked for help.
Currently
she and Meleager were hiding behind a thick cluster of blushes, trying to avoid
drawing the boar’s attention.
“That boar is a menace!” Atalanta whispered.
“He’s killed two already.” Meleager responded
darkly; this hunt was a complete disaster. The boar was frantic and his men were fleeing in all directions.
Atalanta
remained silent; determined, she pulled out an arrow from her quiver and stood.
Τhe rustle of the branches caught the boar’s attention. Upon spotting her, he
started towards their direction.
“Have you
lost your mind?”
Atalanta
ignored him and focused on the boar; she aimed and her arrow found its’ mark.
“You’ve got
him!” Meleager said incredulously; she
was even better than he’d originally thought!
He jumped
to his feet and watched as she shot a second arrow, and then a third.
The beast
fell to the ground, writhing with agony.
“What are
you waiting for then? Are you going to finish him or not?” She said
impatiently.
He nodded;
tightening his grip around his spear, he moved towards the beast.
***
Amongst
laughter, praises and cheering, they had decapitated and skinned the animal;
after presenting Meleager with the boar’s head and skin, his rightful trophies,
a large feast had been set out at the camp.
It had been
going on for hours now; most people had already retreated to their tents, but Meleager
and Atalanta were still awake; seated by the camp fire, they were admiring
Meleager’s prizes.
“I am very
glad you were on my team.”
Atalanta
smiled. “You were the one who finished it.”
“I wouldn’t
have been able to do it without you.” He said, and paused. “I’ve been thinking;
I want you to have these.”
Surprised,
she looked up to meet his eyes. “I-”
“You
deserve them just as much.” He cut her off.
She smiled,
obviously pleased and flattered. “Thank you.”
***
He had been
exhausted but his uncles had thought it would be a good idea to wake him at the
crack of dawn and complain about him offering his prizes to Atalanta.
He was
well aware that news travelled really fast, but couldn’t they wait a bit
longer?
“You gave her your prizes?”
“I did; she was the first to draw blood.”
“Don’t play
dump; the prizes go to the one who finishes the prey; or, if he doesn’t want
them, to his next of kin!”
“Oh really
then? I didn’t see any of you around! You were busy running to save
yourselves.”
“You
disgust me!” Toxeus said. “Giving up your prizes to a woman! Is she that good?”
“That’s enough!
I haven’t touched her!” Meleager roared.
“You’d love
to though!”
“You have
both stepped out of line! Leave; now!”
***
An hour had
passed and he was still unable to calm down.
He was
seething; how dare they?
The
commotion coming from the camp brought his out of his reverie.
He ran
outside and listened carefully; it was coming from the direction of Atalanta’s
tent.
He didn’t
like this at all; he grabbed his bow and quiver and ran to her tent.
The scene
before him made him see red.
Apparently,
his uncles were not only interested in his prizes but in Atalanta herself as
well.
They were
manhandling her right in plain view of everyone, and yet no one was stopping
her.
Meleager
took an arrow out of the quiver and drew his bow.
“Leave her be.” He said severely. “Right this
instant!”
Plexippus
released Atalanta, who fell to her knees on the ground.
“Would you
look at that? He’s come to play hero!” He teased.
“I thought
I’ve made myself clear; leave her alone!”
“Pointing
an arrow towards your own flesh and blood; what would your mother say?”
“You are no
relatives of mine!”
“Lower your
bow, Meleager.”
“Not until
you leave.” He said calmly, but his eyes were flashing dangerously.
Toxeus
reached for the boar’s head and skin, but Meleager’s voice stopped him.
“Don’t you
dare! Those are Atalanta’s! You have one hour to leave the camp.”
The two men
reluctantly retreated to the respective tents.
Once he
made sure they were alone, Meleager lowered his bow and helped Atalanta to her
feet.
“Are you
all right?”
She nodded.
“Good.”
She looked
up and met his eyes. “I want to be alone.”
It was his
turn to nod. “If you need anything-”
“I know
where to find you.”
***
He didn’t
have a clue how long he’d been sitting here.
All he remembered
was leaving Atalanta’s tent and wandering towards the nearest creek.
He leaned forward
and rested his elbows on his knees.
He sighed. What had he done?
Pointing an arrow at his uncles?
Because of a woman whom he’d met only a couple
of weeks ago?
Had he lost his mind?
 |
| This is what Eirini saw when she read the story; I think my excitement is justified, no? |
“Meleager?”
He looked
up and saw Atalanta standing a few feet away.
“I thought
you wanted to be alone.” He said harshly.
“I did; but
then I realised I hadn’t thanked you properly.”
He gave her
a half smile.
“What’s
wrong?”
He rose to
his feet and moved closer to her.
“I pointed
an arrow at my uncles for you; I’ve never done anything like that for anyone
else; not my father, not my mother, not even my own wife!”
“Meleager-”
The way he
was looking at her was making her weak to the knees.
He took
another step towards her, invading her personal space. Her throat went dry; was he going to kiss her?
“Please,
just leave; I won’t be held responsible for my actions if you don’t.”
She took a
deep breath and nodded.
Meleager
just stood there and watched her retreating form.
He sighed;
she didn’t have any interest in him, it was plain as day. Otherwise she
wouldn’t have left.
***
What was happening to her?
She’d spent a sleepless night all because of
Meleager.
Last night she was certain he was going to kiss
her; why hadn’t he?
Her eyes
widened in surprise; where had that thought come from?
Just brilliant!
Perhaps a
walk would help her clear her head; she stood and went outside.
She was
surprised to see that Meleager was already packed and set to go.
Was he planning to leave without saying
goodbye?
“All packed
I see.” Atalanta said, as she moved closer. “I bet you can’t wait to go home.”
“I am not
going home.” Meleager replied, without looking at her. “I will be joining Jason
in his quest for the Golden Fleece.”
“What?
That’s dangerous! Meleager, you have a family!”
“I can’t go
back to them!” He said, looking directly at her.
Her heart
rate quickened.
“Why?” She
whispered.
“You know
why.” He responded. “And obviously, you don’t care.”
“What-”
“It was
nice meeting you Atalanta.” He said and, without waiting for a reply, he mounted his horse and rode away.
***
Iolcos’s
port was brimming with life and excitement.
Apparently
every citizen was here today. Who could blame them though? After all the
preparations, Argo was ready to sail.
Meleager
sighed; he should be getting on board.
He had been
stalling for the last hour or so; was he having second thoughts?
He lowered
his eyes to the ground; he was such a coward.
What would Atalanta say?
Atalanta…
He had agreed to join a death-quest, all
because she didn’t return his feelings; and yet here he was, thinking about
her!
He felt a
hand on his shoulder; he turned around and was surprised to see Atalanta
standing at arm’s length.
“What are
you doing here?” He asked incredulously.
“Did you
really think I was going to let you have all the fun by yourself? I joined the
quest too!”
“You
can’t!”
“Why? Is it
because I am a woman?” She asked, her temper beginning to rise. “Don’t give me
that again!”
“It’s
dangerous!”
“Why are
you going then?” She shot back.
Meleager
gave her a scrutinizing look.
“It’s not
the same.” He replied.
“You’re
right.” She said. “It’s not. I am not running away from anything.”
A flash of
anger crossed Meleager’s features. “I am not running away.”
“No?”
He took a
deep breath. “What do you want from me Atalanta?”
“I joined
this quest because of you.” She replied boldly. “What do you think I want?”
Meleager
reached out and pulled her into his arms; before he had time to second-guess
himself, he leaned down and captured her mouth in a kiss.
When they
pulled apart, they were both light-headed.
Meleager
was the first to recover. “Let’s go.” He said. “We’ll be late.”
Unable to
find her voice, Atalanta simply nodded. He smiled,
enjoying the effect he was having on her.
“Just one
more thing.” He said seriously. “Be careful, all right? We still have some
unfinished business to attend to.”
The
implications of his words made her blush to the roots of her hair, but she
wasn’t one to back down from a challenge.
“As long as
you don’t go and get yourself killed trying to play hero.”
