Atalanta

by Jennifer Saint

The two were never far from each other, and the only time I heard Heracles’s booming voice soften to tenderness was when they were deep in conversation, as though they were the only two people in the world.

Looking for the Heracles to my Hylas

“Fell in love? With his father’s killer?”

Wait. No. Forget I said that.

“Does anyone remember her?”

Meg </3

Meleager looked at me, surprised. “I don’t know.”

And why not…?

I remembered the pitcher, lying by the still water. No signs of a struggle. It must have been silent and quick. “He can never return,” Phineus said, his voice gentle. “But his lover, the one that couldn’t leave him, he has more labors to complete. This quest was never for him.”

Oh, Herc... I am so sorry

Medea?”

oop

Only Medea and Jason disembarked at Circe’s island.

I remember this from Circe by Madeline Miller

“Sirens,” he told us. “That’s what they are. They were nymphs of Persephone once, but when she was stolen away by Hades, her mother, the goddess Demeter, gave them wings so that they could help her search for her daughter.

Love that for them

The mention of Persephone’s name made me think of Artemis. I wondered if she knew her friend was grieved all the way across the seas.

They were roommates *suggestive smirk* in Lore Olympus

she tried to shrink herself down to a life at his side. I wasn’t going to do that.

I am so unbelievably proud of her????

Meleager was dead.

Well I wasn't necessarily expecting that outcome... but here we are

I rested a hand on my stomach as I looked.

Yeah... she's pregnant

the unrelenting rumble of nausea had relented in time, only to give way to something much worse.

so much worse

when I ordered you to stay away from men?” “You sent me on a ship with fifty men.” The heat was rising in my chest,

GET *CLAP* HER *CLAP* ASS *CLAP*

I was better than them.

And you better never forget it

Aura paced around in a circle, then flopped down onto the grass, head on her paws, her dark liquid eyes watching me

I love this dog with all my heart

It could be enough to help me win back her favor.

The gods-- even our most feminist ones-- are bunch of assholes... she'll never take you back

Tell him I am Atalanta, the huntress of Arcadia and heroine of the Argo.”

FUCK YEAH YOU ARE, BESTIE!!!!!!!

If I was ever to marry, I would lose myself.

Perhaps to become something new? The caterpillar sheds its cocoon and becomes a butterfly. Perhaps if she found the right partner, she would be able to fly.

I didn’t behave any worse than any of the men. Better, in fact, because I didn’t leave Parthenopaios.

That's just a fact.

It was the kind of thing Meleager might have said, only he would have been laughing. There was something sweeter about Hippomenes, an honesty that was as gentle as it was disarming.

I think Meleager was there when she needed him and now that Hippomenes has blossomed himself, he can be what she needs. (Of course, I think she would flourish on her own if that was her choice in the end.)

I looked at Hippomenes, who smiled back. I could feel his faith in me, warm and steadfast.

This! She can fly with a little help from a support system. F Iasus, F Artemis, F everyone who hurt her.

moving with the instincts I’d been honing since I was a child.

ok Merida

there was no man who could match me, either,

TELL *CLAP* THEM *CLAP*

He looked tired, more profoundly worn down by the day’s events than I’d realized, but still he searched for the right thing to say, for some kindness. “I thought you’d decided what to do. Has anything really changed?”

ok now i'm falling for him... a supportive man with muscles he's not flaunting at you?? shut up and give me an engagement ring

Was he so sure of our friendship that he would gamble his life on it?

I'm starting not to think so... He may just be that good

I pulled myself back.

YAAAAAASSSSSS ALL THIS MEANS IS THAT A) YOU WOULD HAVE WON (DUH) AND B) NO ON ELSE HAS TO DIE!!!!!

I put my hand on his arm. “What preparations do we need?” I said, and his mouth dropped open, his bewilderment almost comical. A laugh rose up in my chest, a sudden swoop of merriment.

I'm so emotional? This is adorable and I love it?