Moonlight spilled through the trees like liquid silver, casting dappled light across the clearing. The Hunt moved silently, a blur of motion, grace, and lethal precision. Arrows sang through the night air, striking wooden targets with satisfying thuds. And right in the middle of it all stood Auron, panting, his bow drawn. His shot struck dead center." Nice!" Phoebe grinned, lowering her own bow. "Looks like you're finally keeping up with us." Zoe Nightshade arched a brow. "Barely."Auron laughed softly. "I'll take barely over 'in the way' any day." A ripple of chuckles spread through the Hunt. The icy reserve that had once surrounded Artemis's immortal warriors was long gone when it came to him. Auron had been raised among them, trained beside them, and somehow, despite being male, become their little brother. He was the one they teased, scolded, protected, and occasionally threw into the lake when he got too smug.
Artemis watched from a nearby rise, arms crossed, eyes bright with moonlight." Your aim is good. Your stance is flawed. You breathe too quickly. "I'm nervous," Auron admitted. Phoebe tossed him a canteen. "You're always nervous before she starts talking. "Artemis shot her a look. Phoebe coughed. "Respectfully, my Lady."Auron chuckled. "It's fine. She's not wrong. "Focus," Artemis said softly. She stepped behind him, adjusting his shoulders. "The forest listens to breath. Slow yours, and you'll hear its heart." He obeyed, inhaling deeply. The sounds of the night sharpened the rustle of leaves, the song of distant owls, the hum of the stars. He loosed the arrow. It struck the target perfectly. The Hunt erupted in cheers. Zoe nodded approvingly. "Better," Phoebe smirked. "Almost graceful. "Almost?" Auron grinned. "You wound me." Phoebe rolled her eyes. "You'll live."
Back at Camp
Later that night, the Hunt lounged around their silver campfire. The flames shimmered pale blue, reflecting on their armor. Auron sat cross-legged beside Phoebe, passing around roasted berries. "So… who's going to tell me the story about how Zoe accidentally shot Apollo in the backside again?"Zoe froze mid-sip. "I did no such thing."Phoebe snorted. "Oh, you did."Artemis didn't even look up from polishing her bow. "Twice."Zoe groaned. "You were supposed to forget that."Auron tried and failed to hold back his laughter. "Did he rhyme about it?" "Of course he did," Phoebe said. "Something about divine pain and celestial embarrassment."Auron collapsed into laughter. Even Zoe couldn't suppress a tiny smirk. It was like this every night: the goddess, her immortal Huntresses, and the boy who somehow turned their eternal sisterhood into a family. They teased him mercilessly, trained him ruthlessly, but also guarded him fiercely. Once, when a passing minor god had made a lewd comment about Artemis's "experiment of a son," he'd vanished for a week. Phoebe claimed ignorance. Zoe said nothing. Auron suspected otherwise.
On one moonlit night, Auron was sparring with Zoe in the clearing. She moved like water, graceful, swift, precise. He countered each strike with equal elegance, drawing on both his divine instincts and the Force. They moved in perfect rhythm until Zoe's blade stopped an inch from his throat. "Dead," she declared."Unfair," Auron said, grinning. "You've had centuries of practice.""Excuses," she replied, offering him a hand. He took it, and she smirked. "But not bad, little brother."He froze. "What did you?" Phoebe leaned against a tree, smirking. "She said it. Can't take it back now."Zoe rolled her eyes. "Do not get sentimental."Too late. The Hunt was already grinning, whispering to each other."Little brother of the Hunt!" one of them called out teasingly. Auron groaned. "Oh no."From that day forward, the title stuck, half joke, half endearment. Even Artemis used it once, though she'd never admit it.
That night, Auron stood alone by the silver lake. The moon reflected perfectly on its surface. Artemis approached quietly. "You've done well."He looked up at her. "Do you think I belong here?"She smiled faintly. "Zoe and Phoebe have stopped threatening to throw you into the river daily. That's progress."He laughed softly. "I'll take that as a yes."Her expression softened. "You are part of this family, Auron. Not by accident. By choice. Ours and yours."He bowed his head. "Thank you, Mother."She brushed his hair back, the gesture tender. "Now sleep, little moonlight. Tomorrow we hunt."
Olympus.
In the clouds above, Zeus leaned over a celestial scrying bowl, watching the boy laugh beside the Hunt."Fine," he muttered. "He's… tolerable."Apollo grinned beside him. "Admit it, old man. You love the kid. "Silence. "C'mon, you've got the grandpa glow. "APOLLO."