Chapter 9: The Fury

The mortal men, seeing the fairest of maidens ride over the mountains at night, wielding her silver bow, followed by the nymphae and their torches, called her the Goddess of the Moon.

When morning broke, the skyline was littered with heavy clouds. Artemis began her routine as usual. The wild offered her many beautiful streams. Her handmaidens would tend to their mistress, preparing her garments and guarding her bow as the goddess was taking her bath.

It was Callisto's turn with Artemis. It was her first time for she had never done it before. She was born a princess. Other people would attend to her, but when her mistress doffed off her tunic, the nymph's heart was whacked by Artemis's beauty. Her milk-white skin was gleaming like the moonlight. The winds tousled her silken hair, which looked like spun gold.

Artemis stepped into the stream and submerged herself to the waist. Callisto could see her goddess body shimmering brightly under the water. Artemis turned her nude form around to face her. The maiden quickly dropped her gaze to the ground.

"Come to join me, Callisto," she said with a giggle. "The water is too nice not to share."

Callisto struggled for breath, filled with wonder and confusion. Artemis reached a slender hand towards her, across the expanse of the laughing water. The nymph took her hand and dipped her leg into the stream. Artemis almost carried her to its depths, the strength of her grip, the length of her beautiful body against hers.

Callisto felt the first stirring of longing but dismissed it before she knew what it was. The water was gentle on her skin. Artemis traced her slender fingers over the maiden's refined shoulders.

"Such beauty you have," said the goddess. "I can see why mortal men would act like fools because of this."

Callisto's cheeks went hot with shyness. She wanted to tell her lady that she was the most beautiful being she had ever laid eyes upon. But Artemis turned away and swam on her back leisurely.

Then all of a sudden, the goddess's face shifted to a nearby grove. Her arched brows furrowed as her eyes went ablaze with rage.

"You filthy pig!"

It was said that a young man named Actaeon had glimpsed her bathing in a stream. The goddess was so beautiful he could not bear to go away but hid there in the bush, spying.

Artemis sensed him there and immediately changed him into a stag. His skin grew sleek fur, his hands and legs shrank into hooves. A pair of antlers burst from his skull, and the man's screams turned into squealing deer-like sounds.

Artemis whistled for her hounds. They rushed at once to tear Actaeon to pieces. Callisto gasped while she stood, witnessing the punishment in terror.

Artemis then turned and left the stream without looking back again.

It was because of that men began to learn of her temper and dared not to cross the goddess in speech or manners.

But after her moment of wrath passed, Artemis felt pity for the poor fellow and declared the stags as her sacred animals.

~*~

On the sixth night of the sixth month of the year following the formation of Artemis' retinue, the Huntress came to look up to the stars and read the events of the ongoing war between the Achaeans and Trojans. Her brother Apollo was one of the chief defenders of Troy, but Artemis often kept herself from stepping in directly on the battlefield.

But that night, Artemis felt a strange chill in the air. It was a heavy knot forming in her gut. She knew something had gone awry.

Suddenly, a voice drew her attention. Artemis spun around and found the young nymph, Callisto, standing by the doorway of her tent.

"Yes?" Artemis asked.

"My lady, forgive me for the intrusion," Callisto greeted. "You told us to report anything that concerns your domain, therefore, I am here. King Agamemnon of the Achaeans has slain a stag in one of your sacred groves. We saw the king try to hide the foul deed. He skinned the deer and dressed a goat to fool your eyes."

Flames of wrath burned in Artemis' chest. The goddess acted out in anger whenever her wishes were disobeyed, and even more so when anyone transgressed against the animals that were sacred to her.

For a long moment, she stood, seething and grinding her teeth as she tried to control her rage. It terrified the nymph.

"They are sailing to Troy, are they not?" Artemis then asked. "They will journey off the seas to greet the city with war. They will go to battle the forces that my brother defends. Well, they will not get there in one piece."

Callisto could only stare at Artemis in pure awe and amazement. Here was a strong woman, a goddess of conviction and of pure power. She wasn't some maiden that would simply sit by the lakeside and sing of love and men.

The goddess sent for her nymphs.

"What do you wish us to do, my lady?" they asked.

Artemis looked at them with determined eyes and said, "Call the Oceanids. I want my whole choir to sing a mighty song that shall bring chaos to the winds. We will make it difficult for the Achaeans to cross the waters and reach the shore of Troy. If Agamemnon is to fight for the sake of Helen, then he must sacrifice his eldest daughter to me. He stole a life, and in return, I will take one of his."

Callisto and the others had done her bidding well. All of the young girls were assembled, bathed and robed. The handmaidens of battle and her hounds were also ready in case Artemis would need them.

"Good work, Callisto," Artemis praised her companion fondly. "You have served me true."

Callisto bowed.

Artemis turned to the others.

"My girls! Today I shall demand the life of Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon. Shall he not give what I demand, he and his army will drown in the seas! Sing and bring forth my anger to the winds! Let it be heard that I, Artemis, daughter of Zeus, do not take kindly to the meaningless slaughter of my claim."

"Yes, Lady Artemis!" the Oceanids cried out in unison and they began their chant.

Soon enough the heavens and the seas were waged with the voices of the young nymphs under Artemis' care. Their tune carrying her lamentations and wrath like a desert heat. Through their voices and the melody of woe forged from Artemis' heart, the seas began to roar. Their waves echoed the rhythm of the rage, crashing in every direction causing chaos on the Achaean fleet.

The winds began to blow in the opposite direction, leading Agamemnon's ships away from Troy.

Aboard those ships, both King Agamemnon of Argos and King Menelaus of Sparta struggled to keep their men from giving in to the elements.

"Agamemnon!" Menelaus called to his companion. "The winds are calling to you! Your heresy to Artemis has brought her wrath down upon us! Not only must we battle her brother upon reaching Troy but we must face the goddess's fury here in the seas!"

King Agamemnon was not one to easily falter. The King of kings spoke with valor to his comrade.

"To the depths of the underworld with Artemis!" he cried. "We are men, true men, and we can battle the woes of a woman, whether she be goddess or mortal! To all my soldiers manning the oars and keeping the sails upright: steady! We shall reach Troy regardless of the Huntress' fury!"

Many of the soldiers cried in despair. Many of them called for Agamemnon to send his bird out and tell his wife it was time to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, to Lady Artemis.

Agamemnon's heart was made of stone. He would not give in to Artemis' demands.

"Nay! She can crash a thousand ships and take my life but not my daughter's!"

"But you must not be stubborn or your men shall die before they can fight the Trojans," Menelaus told his ally. "If we do not make it at seas, Paris shall be free from his punishment. He must pay for what he has done unto my house, stealing away my beloved Helen. You made a pact, Agamemnon! Will you forego your sworn oath?"

Those words took Agamemnon by surprise. He did swear a solemn oath by the gods and proclaimed under the name of Zeus. He did rally all of Greece to aid Menelaus in his war against the Trojans. If he did not prove his loyalty then his words were winds and good as nothing. None would ever bow their heads to him again.

"With a heavy heart, I say this," Agamemnon then declared against the woes and cries of the furious winds. The crashing of the sea waves continued. He made his voice loud so it would overpower the storm and be heard by all aboard his ships. "Send out the birds. Let them carry the message to my wife, Clytemnestra, that our daughter Iphigenia shall be brought to the altar and be sacrificed to appease Artemis."

Having said those words, Agamemnon went down to the inner bowels of his ship and wept.

At the king's palace, the message brought the household a terrible news. Clytemnestra was helpless. She followed her husband's command and brought her daughter to her doom.

"My daughter, it is time," Queen Clytemnestra whispered to Iphigenia as they went up to the hills of Aulis. There was one hill higher than the rest and sitting atop it was a single marble table where Iphigenia could be laid down and slain.

"Mother, do not cry," Iphigenia said as she was willing to have her hands bound behind her back. "I understand my fate. Our father swore an oath and my life is but a small bargain to keep his plan intact."

Her mother wept harder despite this. It was with a heavy heart that she led her daughter up to the sacrificial altar. In just a few more moments, she would witness the end of her child's life.

Little did they knew that the Huntress was watching.

"My lady, Agamemnon has fulfilled your requirements," Amaryllis said to the goddess.

Artemis seated on her silver-beaten chariot with her hounds by her side. Callisto was standing alongside her, keeping in hand a jug of water in case Artemis wished to collect the sacrificial blood. The nymph's hands were shaking.

They watched the priests lowered the princess to the altar. They brought out a sharp knife.

"My lady," Callisto whispered.

"Yes?" Artemis asked, her face was smooth and hard like marble.

"It is not the girl's fault that her father has wronged you," she pleaded.

Artemis was silent but then her gaze softened a little. Her nymph was right. After a moment later, she nodded as she kept staring unblinkingly at the ceremony. "Thank you for reminding me, Callisto. It is my duty to protect young maidens. I have seen the strength of will and courage that Iphigenia holds in her heart. She marches to the sacrificial table with no qualms or hint of fear."

"Do you still need her blood to spill?" Loxo asked with hopeful eyes. "If she dies then it will show the world your wrath is fierce and that you are not one to tussle with."

Artemis turned to her and cupped the maiden's face and smiled warmly.

"No, I don't. Her courage alone has proven her worth to me. Now prepare the band, I shall rescue Iphigenia myself. While she can no longer live with her mother she will at least be alive and will serve in my name."

Callisto breathed in relief.

"Does it satisfy you?" Artemis noticed and did not hold back an amused smile.

Callisto bowed her head low as she answered, "You're kind, my lady."

Artemis laughed and she gave Callisto a soft kiss on the forehead. The goddess's affection surprised the nymph.

"Fear is a powerful weapon, yes, but in the world of mortal men, it is not the greatest. There are two powers even more powerful than anything. It can be the cause of birth or the harbingers of doom."

"What is it, my lady?" her handmaidens asked.

"Love," Artemis answered. "Now I must hurry and save Iphigenia before they draw her blood."

Iphigenia remained still as she was lied flat on the altar with her hands and feet bound tight. All around her they had assembled wood and twigs for a pyre. Her mother, just a few feet away as they were preparing the silver blade that would be used to take her life.

"Mother," Iphigenia called out. "Mother, do it quickly! My life must end now before my father drowns in the seas!"

Queen Clytemnestra shuddered with the thought of them murdering her child. She cried as they drew the dagger out.

"I am sorry, my love, forgive us," she wept.

One of the high priests made his way to the altar table and raised his hands up high, gripping the dagger above his head, and uttered a soft prayer. He prepared to strike down and stab the princess's heart. Her mother shut her eyes and screamed in anger, frustration, and sadness as the priest brought the knife down.

Suddenly an arrow, with a tail of ethereal light, sped through the air and struck the blade away before it could harm the maiden.

Everyone, including Iphigenia, looked back down to the base of the hill. There they saw Artemis herself, the divine daughter of Leto and Zeus. She was standing with her bow in hand. Her eyes pierced through their hearts.

"Lady Artemis!" Clytemnestra exclaimed as she dropped to her knees.

Before anyone could say another word, Iphigenia's form was whisked away from the altar. The princess was taken to Artemis's temple the same night.

"Iphigenia," Artemis said to the princess of Argos. "I have spared your life. I will let my choir halt their song and allow your father's fleet to set sail. Now he and Menelaus can take their army to Troy."

"I bow to you in gratitude, my lady," the maiden said.

"As for you, I shall send you off to Tauris where you can become a priestess in my temple. While you may never live the life of a princess again, your life now is for the gods. What say you?"

Iphigenia bowed again and replied, "To serve you is the highest honor I could ever wish for."

"Come then," Artemis commanded. "There is so much more to do. War is on the horizon. Gods are fighting each other over the mortals, but there is so much left of the world to explore."