"Run!" Phaedra barked, using her teeth to tug upon Rastus's tunic and emphasize her words. He did not hesitate and took off in front of her at a sprint. Phaedra followed behind him, looking left and right to watch for any signs of danger. She berated herself for being so careless. She had allowed herself to become distracted, and in doing so she had endangered the life of her son.

Phaedra's heart pounded faster than it ever had before. An intense sense of panic began to overwhelm her as she wondered if she could make it back to the cave in time to hide Rastus. But, they could only move as fast as Rastus could run, and while he could run quite fast, Phaedra started to lose hope that they would outrun her hunters.

The last time she had been unprepared for the Hunt had been her first Hunt, but she had now spent fifteen years in the Forest of Aema, she should never have allowed herself to be so reckless. The forest reeked of human scent and Phaedra could practically sense them behind her, chasing after them with their spears and swords eager for blood.

Instinct began to take over as Phaedra finally lost hope that they would be able to elude the hunters. Making sure that Rastus continued running, she stopped and crouched behind a clump of underbrush, shielding herself from any approaching hunters. And she had hid herself just in time, for as soon as she hit the ground a group of three hunters came crashing in pursuit of her. Without waiting for them to see her, Phaedra launched herself out of her cover and tackled the hunter nearest her. She did not hurt him severely, but she could feel his skin rip in several places at the touch of her claws. As his head hit the ground, he was knocked unconscious and spared Phaedra the trouble of having to hurt him any worse than she already had. Turning to the next hunter, she quickly bit his leg while he was still in shock of her attack. His bone cracked as her powerful jaws clamped down with as much force as she could muster. The hunter let out a blood-curdling scream as she released his now injured leg. Phaedra hated hurting them, but she would rather injure the hunters before she let anything happen to Rastus. The last hunter had recovered his wits by the time Phaedra was able to turn her attention to him. He jabbed his spear at her, but she was able to dodge his clumsy thrust. Swiping her paw at the shaft of the spear, she sent the hunter's weapon sprawling in the dirt before clamping down on his arm with her jaws. The hunter also screamed, which caused Phaedra to release his limb. She did not want to alert the other hunters to her position. As she looked upon the havoc she had wreaked, Phaedra finally turned and sprinted in the opposite direction, racing her way towards Rastus.

When she finally caught up to him he was standing in the mouth of the cave, waiting for her. Rastus looked at her nervously before dashing out to meet her. He wrapped his arms around her, and when he did Phaedra could feel him shaking in fear. She wished she could comfort him but they did not have time to spare. She quickly pulled away from her son and looked into his stormy blue eyes. She had to tell him to run. She had to tell him to hide. It was her duty to protect him, to save his life.

"Love," she choked out, "you."

A single tear rolled down his cheek as Rastus tried to pull her forward. "Mom, we need to hide, we can hide in the cave."

But, it was too late for hiding. As if in slow motion, Phaedra watched as hunter after hunter dashed into the glade, their spears and weapons pointing in their direction. She guessed that there were about twenty hunters surrounding them. Too many to outsmart, too many to evade. Phaedra was helpless and scared; she did not want to die.

For a stretch of time it seemed as if no one moved; as if the forest itself had stopped breathing in order to watch what would happen next, to see if Phaedra would once more elude death, or if she would finally succumb to her fate.

Phaedra was frozen in place. She could feel Rastus directly next to her but she could not move to defend him. Her muscles betrayed her heart; instincts kept her rooted in place. And, as the first hunter drew back his arm, all Phaedra could do was watch. She knew her time had come, there was no escape. Why would she try to move and prolong her agony? She only wished that they would not harm Rastus once they killed her.

For the first time since her punishment, Phaedra looked to the skies and prayed. She prayed to Zeus to save her boy, he was but an innocent soul. Surely, she thought, he could spare him. She also gave her last thanks to Apollo. She thanked him for the years of happiness he had granted her, and she apologized that she had failed him.

Phaedra then bowed her head, closing her eyes. She could not look death in the eyes. She was a coward. But, she could hear the spear whistle through the air and her curiosity made her open her eyes to see the arrowhead speeding straight towards her. It was perfectly aimed and would kill her.

Suddenly a gust of wind sprang up so fierce that Phaedra struggled to stay on her feet. The spear was knocked off course in the powerful gale, and for a moment she was overwhelmed with joy. But, when Phaedra saw where the spear had lodged itself instead, her heart turned to glass and shattered.

Rastus looked down at his stomach in shock, slowly gripping the shaft of the spear to pull it out. But he never had the chance to dislodge the weapon, for he fell to the ground, his legs too weak to hold his weight anymore. As Phaedra looked upon her fallen son, her vision turned red. She turned to the hunters, her teeth bared, and attacked. She showed no mercy as she slaughtered them in an unforgiving rage. They were no match for her sharp claws and teeth as one by one they fell. Phaedra did not end her ruthless attack until all of the hunters in the glade laid bloody at her feet. They had killed her boy. They were monsters.

Once she was sure they were dead, she crawled back to where Rastus lay. His eyes were wide in fear and a trail of tears had streamed down his dirt strewn face. His breaths fluttered as he locked eyes with his mother, unable to speak. She could not save him, and it pained her worse than death itself. He needed her help, he wanted her to help him, but she could not do anything. His eyes begged her to save him and protect him like she had promised. But, finally his last breath left his chest and Rastus Apollosson died, the ghost of his despair still etched on his face.

Phaedra's life came crashing down. She could not feel anything but pain. She could not hear anything except her own grieving wails. She could not see anything except her son's pleading look. She had failed him.

As she sat in the glade, the hunters neared her again, but whenever one of them came too close she slew them with an emotion close to a savage glee. They deserved to die for killing her boy. They were murderers.

Suddenly the sky went dark. Clouds dark as night slithered in front of the sun, keeping its warm rays from reaching the ground. The hunters looked up in fear at the sky before fleeing for their lives. Even if it was barely midday, they fled back to Zaesria, knowing that something was amiss as the sun itself seemed to disappear. But, Phaedra knew what had happened.

They had invoked the rage of Apollohimself.