Amongst the Hunted Moons

Notes:

Welcome back to another chapter of Under the Hunters Moon.

This is just to finish up what happened in the last chapter, the next Chapter, however, that's either gonna be finding out what I hid under the school or finding out what Hestia is gonna do about all this.

Hospital Wing, Hogwarts.

The trip to the hospital wing went by quickly with Ron and Hermione supporting Harry, Atalanta walking behind them, ignoring the whispered conversation of apologies and reasons, to give the kids some semblance of privacy. Harry had apologized for how he acted and how he ran from both of them, and they had apologized for pushing things they shouldn't have, with Hermione swearing to never do it again unless she was asked to. By the time the trio and Atalanta had reached the Hospital Wing all was forgiven and understood between Harry and his friends, but Atalanta still noticed some stiffness between Hermione and Ron, Atalanta bites her lip considering getting involved but unsure if she could even help.

Madam Pomfrey was not happy with either Atalanta or Harry when they admitted to fighting, she had gone red-faced and glared at Atalanta before telling her she was reporting it to Dumbledore, to which Atalanta shrugged before telling the Matron to tell Snape as well with a smirk on her face thinking of beating the grease out of the man soon for what he had done to her. When Harry's ribs were fixed and both his and Atalanta's bruises were all treated the trio and Atalanta retreated to Atalanta's room, sitting on the couch and chair in the small sitting room Atalanta had called out for the house elf in charge of the room and asked Miley to bring them some drinks and snacks before they all sat down. Ron and Hermione sat on either side of Harry before Atalanta talked.

"Harry," Atalanta begins, "I know it might be hard to talk about, but I need to know what happened between you and Aphrodite in the owlery. What did she say? Did she do anything to you or give you anything?" Atalanta asks her adoptive little brother with concern coloring her voice.

Harry sighs knowing it was coming, normally he hated talking about anything like what had happened in the owlery, but decided that if anyone deserved to know it would be the three people who have helped him the most.

"We didn't really talk much," Harry says beginning his tale, "She told me Artemis showed up to talk with her, something about matters of the heart." Harry shrugs but Atalanta nods her head.

"That fits, I'm guessing Aphrodite gave you the jacket back?" Atalanta asks.

Harry nods, "Yeah." He tells the lioness.

"Where is the jacket now?" Atalanta asks, noticing that Harry wasn't wearing like he always did.

"In my trunk, I didn't…I didn't want to look at it after what happened in the forest." He says, grimacing a bit.

"Good, don't put it on until we know for sure she didn't do anything to it," Atalanta says.

"Are you sure she would have done anything to it?" Hermione asks

"Without a doubt," the lioness says without hesitation, "She's cruel and calculating, she wouldn't hesitate to curse something she knew you were attached to Harry. She's your mo-...Artemis' oldest enemy, there's no way she's just going to leave you alone." Atalanta says, stopping just before saying Artemis was Harry's mother due to the look on the boy's face.

Harry looks at his hands, eyes narrowed as a look overtakes his face, both Ron and Hermione see it before looking at each other before quickly looking, remembering why they were not talking. But both knew the look on Harry's face, it was the look of him figuring something out and processing it.

"We talked about some things, personal stuff, she…she took on the form of my mother," Harry admits before Hermione gasps and Ron's face twists into a scowl, "But I think she did curse me. She was talking towards the end, her voice sounded all weird and I felt this, this power? I don't know how to explain it."

Atalanta leans forward in her seat, "What did she say, Harry? Her exact words, this is important." Atalanta asks, her face set in grim seriousness.

"Umm, …That the walls that I built around me will fall into a waiting ocean beyond them, and that I will fall deeply and completely in love." Harry admits with a blush towards the end, "I don't remember the exact wording." He says.

"Fuck." Atalanta curses.

"What? That doesn't sound too bad," Hermione asks.

"Hermione, this is from a god who hates Harry and took on the form of his mum to throw him off, it could only be bad," Ron says

"She cut Harry off from joining the hunt," Atalanta says.

"Oh…" Hermione says, "but still, Harry is gonna be loved, Joining the hunt or not, it doesn't sound too bad for him, right Harry?" She says looking at the boy in question.

Harry's face was grim, and a frown cut across his face, "She said I'd walk to my death of my own free will for them." Harry says in a whisper.

"And there's the other boot! Fuck!" Atalanta says as she stands up rubbing her face with her hands as she walks back and forth, pacing.

Hermione freezes, her mouth hanging open and her brain stops. Harry couldn't die, he was her friend, she had just got him back, she wouldn't let it happen!

"Bullock's!" Ron curses, "Can't Artemis help him? Can't he join the hunt and get protection or something?" He asks.

Atalanta just shakes her head, "It doesn't work like that Ron, The Goddess of love is possibly the strongest of the Goddess besides The king himself. Every one can love and be loved, as the Goddess of love, she gets power from all of that. Even if Harry wants to join the hunt," the growl from Harry shared his thoughts on that, "There is still love in the hunt between us all, we're not heartless girls who just roam and kill things." Atalanta begins to explain, "So even if Harry joins, he won't get immunity from a curse that was laid on him before he joined."

Ron sighs and puts his head into his hand, trying to think of a way out for his friend, stupid gods, stupid curses.

"I thought the hunt swore off all love when they joined?" Hermione asks.

"Not all love Hermione, just romantic love and sexual wants." Atalanta tills the bookworm as all three teens blush, "The hunt Is full of love, no matter how much our lady would deny it, we all love and care for each other deeply. We're more than hunters, we're a sisterhood." Atalanta says, in reverence of the absolute truth of it.

The group of teens is quiet for a moment before Atalanta speaks again.

"Harry," Atalanta says, "I want you to come back to training."

Harry doesn't look at her as he says, "I don't have anything to train or hunt with anymore."

"That's fine kiddo, I'll ask Dumbledore if he can't help with that, he's helped out before, he could probably whip us up a bow and spear pretty quick," Atalanta says as Harry nods at her words.

"Okay," Harry says as he looks down, "Atalanta, I'm sorr-'' he begins to say only for Atalanta to cut him.

" Harry, don't," Atalanta says as she stops in front of Harry and he looks up at her, "You don't owe me an apology for anything, I lied, you reacted as well as you were gonna considering everything." The lioness admits in a soft tone, Harry just nods and smiles up at her, and she smiles back.

"Good, plenty more you can learn and a few more hunts to do here," Atalanta says.

Hermione frowns at this, not liking this one bit.

"Well, looks like we'll have to stock up on bruise paste, huh Harry?" Ron jokes with a smirk.

"Ronald, really! This is not something to joke about. He could get hurt." Hermione says.

Ron scoffs at this before looking over to Hermione, "No more than Quidditch, besides he's gonna need it, and didn't you learn last time not to stick your nose into something that isn't your business?" He tells her with a glare.

"Guys, can you-" Harry begins to say but is cut off by Hermione.

Hermione's face goes red with anger and embarrassment, "He shouldn't be getting hurt period Ronald, We. Are. Children. We should be studying, not training on how to kill things and hunting down a dangerous criminal." She defends herself.

"Guys, please..." Harry begs them as he puts his hand over his ears when they start to raise their voices.

"When have we had a normal year, Hermione? Harry is gonna need this, if Black shows up again, what is he gonna do? Sick your bloodthirsty fluff ball at him!?" Ron says back, his voice raising as he goes on.

"See, I knew this was about-" but that was as far as Hermione gets before Atalanta puts an end to it.

"ENOUGH!" Atalanta yells, quieting both of them, "What in Hades is wrong with you two, a few days ago you were a team?"

"Hermione's cat ate Ron's rat," Harry says with a sigh.

"Crookshanks didn't eat Scabbers!" Hermione says, refusing to believe it.

"That menace has had it out for Scabbers since day one!" Ron yells back.

"So you found the carcass?" Atalanta asks.

"What? No. The cat probably ate it all." Ron says and Atalanta makes a face.

"How big was the Rat and how big is the cat?" Atalanta asks.

Both Hermione and Ron look at each other then back to Atalanta and do rough estimates of both animals.

"And how do you know your rat is dead?" Atalanta continues with her questions.

"There was blood and hairs on my sheet," Ron says, when Atalanta asks if it was a lot of blood, Ron shrugs and says "No, not really."

"What about you? Have you bonded with the cat? Did he bring you his hunt?" Atalanta asks as she turns to Hermione.

"Of course, I've bonded with Crookshanks, and no other than a bit of blood, I haven't seen a body at all, and I'm pretty sure if he brought the body of a dead rat into my dorm room Ron would have heard about from Parvati or Lavender," Hermione says in her defense.

Atalanta looks back at Ron, "She has a point, Ron. When a cat makes a kill it will normally bring it back to whoever it bonded with to share with, besides your rat might be a bit too big for a cat that size to eat it all." She explains with a calm face.

"How would you know?!" Ron says angrily

Atalanta just points at her head with a look that explains just how dumb she found that question.

"Oh, right," Ron says, deflating "sorry, forgot." He says embarrassed at his slip.

"What probably happened is that the cat got the drop on the rat and spooked it, give him a few days Ron, he'll probably show back up," Atalanta says, and Ron nods before mumbling an apology to Hermione who just shakes her head and calls him an idiot before hugging him.

"Okay, good. Now you guys sit here and enjoy the snacks, I'll be right back." Atalanta says as she walks over to the door that leads to her room.

Harry turns in his seat watching her "Where are you going?" He asks, thinking they had more to talk about.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back, just gonna go pray, and then I have a bat to go kick the shit out of." She says with an air of casualty as if she hadn't just threatened someone before walking out the door.

"She wasn't talking about Snape, was she?" Ron asks to Harry and Hermione's surprised faces.

Artemis, New York, West 4th St, Graham Windham Orphanage.

"I see…" Leto says as she sets down her teacup, she is quiet for a moment as she looks at her daughter, Artemis squirms in her seat, she isn't looking at her mother but she could practically feel her disappointed gaze on her. Goddess of the Hunt or not, she was brought to heel at her mother's disappointment in her.

"Artemis, look at me," Leto says, her voice soft but thick with disappointment in her daughter. Artemis looks up and into the gaze of her mother and almost flinches, she is angry with her for good reason, Artemis feels a pit open up in her stomach as she looks into those eyes that are normally filled with a soft kindness, "Can you tell me what you did wrong young lady?"

Artemis had heard that line many times before, normally directed at her younger brother when he had done something foolish. Leto used it to teach him something he should have learned while doing the act, but it had never been aimed at her before.

"I abandoned him," Artemis says in a voice laced with pain.

"You did," Leto says, "but under the circumstances, it is understandable to say that it was an accident, that you did not mean to. It doesn't change the fact that you did, but it is understandable." The Goddess of motherhood says in a stern voice, "but I wasn't talking about that Artemis. What did you do?"

Artemis is quiet for a moment as she looks away from her mother, "I called him a curiosity, that he was nothing more than that." Artemis admits.

"Yes, you did," Leto tells her daughter, her voice thick with disappointment, "He is not just a curiosity. He is your son. The blessing of motherhood is learning to love someone more than we love ourselves. Lily Potter understood this, she died for it, can you say that you should do less than her? Because I know I raised you better than that."

Artemis does flinch at that, while she couldn't die for Harry, she could have done better for him, but now she has all but ruined that.

"How do I fix this?" Artemis asks, her voice small, unsure how to do it, she had never had to before. She lacks experience, this wasn't a hunt and Harry was no Maiden.

"I don't know Honey, the damage has been done and you can't take back what you've said," Leto tells her daughter in a sad voice, "Harry has nothing to prove to you, Artemis, nothing he needs nor will ask you for. You will have to reach out to him, to make amends for your cruel and thoughtless words." She tells her daughter.

"I don't know how to, all I can do is make sure he'll never go through that again," Artemis admits in a heartbreaking tone.

"That's a start sweety," Leto reaches across the table, taking her daughter's hand into her own, "I know it will be new, but follow your heart, it will show you what you need to do," Leto tells Artemis who didn't know what her heart wanted to do yet, "Will you claim him?" Leto asks.

Artemis shakes her head, "No, I can't. I do not know how father or Apollo will react, I will not risk Harry's safety with them." The Moon Goddess says.

Leto gives her a knowing look "Did Orion leave that deep of a scar on you, dear?" Leto asks and Artemis looks away giving the Goddess of motherhood her answer.

Artemis opens her mouth to say something, but freezes and stiffens, "That CUNT!" she screams.

"Language Artemis!" Leto reprimands her daughter, "There are children here!"

But Artemis ignores her, standing quickly, seething with anger, "She cursed him! She cursed him and cut him off from my hunt!" Artemis screams, and Leto watches as her daughter's mortal form begins to split at the seams, the silver moonlight of her godly form spilling into the room from her anger.

"Artemis you will control yourself or you will leave!" Leto yells, "I will not have you endanger the children here!"

Artemis' head snaps to her mother with a growl, but Leto meets it with no fear and fire in her eyes. The Goddess of the moon takes a deep breath, reigning in her legendary temper for her mother, and the splits and tears of her mortal shell begin to close, after a few more deep breaths her form was no longer in danger of destroying itself.

"Who cursed him?" Leto asks, already knowing it's about Harry from her daughter's anger.

"Aphrodite." She spits out the name like a curse upon the world, And Leto sighs. The Goddess of love had done the one thing that cut the boy off from his divine mother's hunt for good in an act of vengeance, she had cursed the boy to love.

Hogwarts dungeons, Severus Snape office.

Severus Snape wasn't a happy man on the best of days, but today he was in an even worse mood. He had spent the better part of the day watching over the hormone-fueled dunderheads of the school trip over themselves to share their affections with other dunderheads in the most nauseating displays possible, all thanks to Albus who had to leave the school for an "emergency", Severus had no idea what it was but he hopes that Dumbledore had a worse time than he had today. Because in the course of his day Severus had an encounter with a Goddess, and it had shaken him.

She battered aside his spells with a hand, then breached his mental shields as it they were wet paper and played with his mind, he can still vividly recall the short dream he had of Lilly as he first met her, telling him that she forgave him, thanking him for protecting the brat as much as he could, to…to let her go and live for himself.

He had heard all the things he wanted to hear from her and knew it was a lie. All told to him by a cruel Goddess, still the words had resonated deeply with him. He wanted to let her go, to stop the pain of it all, from the guilt of his role in her death, and the curse he had used on her during the raid on Diagon Alley so many years ago when he was younger, foolish, and far angrier then he was now. He had loved her, and he had killed her, he would repay that death by protecting the brat, even if it would cost him his life; and hoped when he sees Lily in death he will get to beg for her forgiveness before he pays For his sins.

But maybe, just maybe. He'll let her go before he does that, to let the dead rest, twelve years was long enough to mourn.

He sighs out as he hears someone knock on his office door, he really didn't feel like being bothered, he was enjoying the quiet of a crackling hearth and a glass of whiskey to drown his sorrows in.

"Go. Away." Snape calls out to the door before taking a sip of his drink, and almost spits it out as he hears the door to his office open, "Are you deaf you blithering idiot, I said go away!?" He says as he stands from his chair to face the intruder, and finds the hunter he had last seen in the owlery shutting the door behind herself.

They look at each other, both glaring for their own reasons, "What do you want, girl?" The Potions Master spits at her.

Atalanta glares at him, eyes burning with a mixture of anger and amusement, amusement at what, Snape couldn't tell.

"Two hours," The hunter says in a calm voice, "You left me on the floor for two hours," Atalanta says, not moving from the door.

"Two? The spell should have worn off after three, I must be getting rusty." Snape says in his normal draw, peppered with anger as he sets his whiskey down and puts his hands behind his back, his wand slipping into his hand.

Atalanta smiles at that, it was full of teeth and predatory power, "Do you remember what you said the first time we talked?" She asks.

Snape's knees bend, preparing for what he knows is coming, "No, do remind me if you will." He states.

"You said that next time I put my hands on a student that you would remove me from school grounds, and it would be an experience neither of us would enjoy," the lioness says as she removes her hand from her pocket and gasping the locking mechanisms for the door, a large deadbolt Snape had not used when he first arrived to his office, "and it just so happens that I just left Harry after beating some sense into his thick head." Atalanta states.

Snape raises his eyebrow, "Finally someone did it, glad it was the girl who came to train him." He says "so I see no reason to remove you from grounds for doing your job."

Atalanta scoffs, "See, small problem with that," she says, "I really want to test that theory on if neither of us is going to enjoy it." The lioness says as she slams the bolt to the door shut and begins to move.

As Snape raises his wand, and before Atalanta's fist slams into his nose with a crunch, all that passes through his head is "fast…"

Notes:

I would feel bad for Snape, but he really deserved that.

But Artemis is learning(and very angry), Atalanta points out some logic before punching Snape, not much with this chapter, just to move the story along.