Class had ended and Cass was experiencing something new - The feeling of getting to correct the tests of her students in near-complete silence. No noise at all, be it from neighbors or anything. The "on the Moon" part was just a minor detail for her right now.
"I trust you are enjoying yourself?" - Said a voice.
Cass looked back, startled.
"Oh, hey, Selene. How goes?"
"I'm okay. You seem to be more cautious in dealing with the space you got..." - Said Selene - "Not that Lucas herself was unwise or anything, but you seem reluctant..."
Cass giggled softly. "Well, wanted to learn more, you know. Nadine told me I could heal people... Is it true?"
Selene nodded. "Two per day, yes. Lucas did it in a manner that those healed weren't able to tell she had done it." - Selene then explained how.
Cass nodded, concentrated, two dark tubes appeared, and, within a few seconds, two random people had been summoned to the Moon sick and expelled from it healed.
Cass felt a... detatched pleasure in that.
"Huh..." - Said Cass - "So there is such a thing as the banality of good..."
Selene smirked. "It's what prevents ER doctors from being smug all the time, I figure. Anyways. You're a teacher... Can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, what is it?" - Said Cass.
"Well..." - Said Selene - "As you know, I have a daughter. She, too, is a goddess, though she is someone else's daughter on her human side..."
"Artemis." - Said Cass. - "I've read some about you on Wikipedia..."
Selene nodded. "Artemis was a normal human child, about eight years old. She made friends with two girls her age, one of which, Lilly, Venus grew to favor. But that girl used to be male, one that was older as well, and is struggling with her change. And upon hearing that Artemis was a goddess, well... She lashed out at Artemis, thinking that Artemis could change her back. This generated a rift between them, and, well... Gods have certain rules about direct interference, but you and Lucas don't..."
"So you want us to smoothen things over?" - Said Cass - "No problem at all. I'll go over to Lucas's place when you and she are done talking, we'll be waiting."
Selene nodded.
"Why so serious?"
Lucas looked up, startled.
"Oh! Er, hi, Neruite. I was just, er, thinking about my new position. Re-learning the subtlety this body's power made me forget... And how are you?"
"I am fine. Listen, I have a favor to ask..."
"Anything." - Said Lucas.
Neruite realized Lucas meant it when she said "anything".
Maybe I'll get Artemis to teach Lucas some things as well... - She thought.
"Yes, well" - She said - "You see, my daughter, Artemis..." - She then proceeded to tell Lucas the story.
Lucas nodded. "Okay. Sure. Send her over. I'll even help lighten her mood with some classics."
Neruite blinked, shrugged, and went to get Artemis.
"Hello, daughter..." - Said Selene.
"'lo mother." - Said Artemis, stopping her swing. In spite of thousands of years of age, Artemis was now a child, with both the experiences of an aeons-old entity and that of an eight-year-old. One more thing to discuss at the Assembly. - Thought Selene.
"I need your help with a worshipper of mine. She's a bit, er... TOO thankful for a help I gave her." - Selene said at last - "She and I go back a ways, and now that we really met again after I saved her, she, who was very much a free spirit, is now feeling... indebted to me and willing to do anything... And I don't want it for her. I figured if a third party goddess could talk to her..."
"You wish to make sure she will understand that you see her as a friend, not as a lowly worshipper. And that she ceases to feel so beholden to you." - Said Artemis, the goddess part showing much more in her speech now - "I was told of the worshipper. I would think Hermes would be a better choice, no?"
Selene shook her head.
"I have my reasons to believe you are more adequate."
Artemis nodded. "Show me the way."
"Hey." - Said Lucas, politely, bathed in Cass's anime aura - "Nice to meet you. I'm a worshipper of your mother, she told me to talk to you..."
"The word you're looking for is 'servant', and you are not that." - Said Artemis with the bluntness of a goddess of the hunt - "You are thankful for her help. She is thankful for yours. Strange though it may seem, you can do quite a lot of things she herself cannot..."
Cass glanced at Artemis, then at Lucas. Makes sense... - She thought - I did have a feeling Lucas was WAY too easy to "convert"... Well, anime epiphany therapy helps. This exchange should be enough to solve it while Lucas is close to me... - She decided to watch the exchange quietly, while covering Lucas in her aura.
"Er... Okay... I'll assume I'm talking to the goddess side now..." - Said Lucas, a bit taken aback - "Uhm... Look, I became a worshipper out of my free will..."
"Oh? And have you sacrificed any animals at her altar?" - Said Artemis. - "Have you prayed for her favor or simply asked? Likewise, has she ordered you to do things or asked you? Do you not wish for equality between man and god? Why, then, do you willingly put yourself in an inferior position, even against her own wishes?"
Lucas blushed. "Er... I... I see your point, I suppose... It's... I suppose it's a tendency of us mortals to see gods as high above us, all wise and omnipotent..."
"Well, stop it. You believe in a gentle goddess that does not demand groveling. Doing so demeans you and embarasses her. She wants a friend in you. And even if you do wish to worship her, it is not a decision to make in two days. Besides, who would you worship? Selene? Or Neruite? Or Luna?"
Lucas blushed. "Yeah... Uhm, I see your point... I'll try to act more, er, normal regarding her... It's just this very-western-civilization thing in which we see gods as all omnipotent and wise and above us. Which brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about. Though, to be fair, it would be more to Harriet..."
"What d'you mean?" - Said Artemis/Harriet, now quite closer to how a normal child would speak.
"Well..." - Said Cass, gently - "Your mother told us to talk to you about Lilly... She made you angry, didn't she?"
"She was all mean t'me about me not being able to change her back!" - Said Artemis.
Cass nodded. - "I know, dear. And we'll get her to apologize."
"She already did. But I'm still angry. Why would she think being a girl is bad anyways?"
Cass sweatdropped, but went on. "Well, people are coping with their changes in different ways, dear... And she may be having trouble to adapt..."
"Besides, I hear you and her other friend are more powerful in general than she is?" - Lucas piped in. - "Maybe she's feeling like she's weak?"
"But she's not! Squirrels can do a whole lot of things in the wild!" - Said Artemis. - "I should know!"
"Well, maybe she could use a goddess of the hunt to show her that? Maybe she's feeling left out and even a bit scared about her change? Plus her mistake was sorta... understandable, right? I mean, surely your Artemis side understands why she made the mistake..." - Said Lucas.
"she didn't have to be mean t'me, though..." - Said Artemis, albeit a bit more weakly now.
"Oh, I agree. And so does she, it's why she apologized. Surely you would prefer to be friends with her? Especially as you two have a common friend?" - Said Lucas.
"Jenny might not like it if you two didn't get along..." - Said Cass.
"Mmm... Fine..." - Said Artemis.
"Good." - Said Lucas, smiling - "And, as a reward for forgiving her, I bought you a gift. You can even enjoy it with Lilly."
Artemis's gaze became distant for a moment.
"She's helping someone. I'll wait until she's done to go meet her."
"Well, then" - Said Lucas, smiling - "If you wish, I'll set up the place for us to enjoy your gift here..."
Artemis nodded.
The winner is number eight, the Arkansas Chug-a-bug! Rufus Ruffcut in number ten was second, and the Creepy Coupe, number two, was a close third!
As Lucas and Artemis watched - and Cass finished up some tests in a special room made silent to prevent her from being bothered by the Wacky Races DVD Lucas had bought for Artemis - Neruite appeared in the room.
Oh. - She thought to herself, with some measure of relief - These classics...
"Hey, Neruite. How goes?" - Said Lucas, cheerfully, between two handfuls of popcorn - "I and Artemis talked. She'll patch things up with Lilly soon enough, but she's officially forgiven Lilly now anyways..."
"Good to know." - Said Neruite, smirking - "Which of you is enjoying this DVD the most, I wonder?"
Lucas shrugged. "I bought one for me and one for her, so you can draw your own conclusions." - She smirked - "Depending on how things go, she can even show Lilly the DVD. I bet her parents will like it, it's from around their time, I figure... However, if it's not much trouble, I'd hope you could explain to Harriet's parents what's going on? I mean, from what she's told me, they have very little idea, and her showing up at their house with a gift from someone they don't know..."
Neruite nodded. "I see your point. I do not know if I can explain this to them myself. I will look it up. However, I do know of a god that is, per the rules, able to interact with mortals even if I am not allowed to."
"If it's Hermes, send him my thanks. I mean, god of language and commerce, and I'm a freelance translator..." - Said Lucas.
"Just don't demean yourself towards him. I assure you he likes it even less than me." - Said Neruite, smiling.
"Oh, I and Artemis talked about that, too. And I assure you, my self-demeaning days are over!" - Lucas paused - "Mostly." - She paused again - "Well... Towards you guys anyways."
Neruite chuckled.
"I'll hold you to that, at least regarding myself. Now. There are some things we all must discuss regarding the Assembly..."
"The Assembly?" - Said Lucas.
"A meeting of the gods to take place tomorrow." - Said Neruite - "And you and Cass are invited. In fact, I am sure you will be able to give Hermes your thanks in person."
Lucas's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
