Artemis is always my favorite goddess and this story type has always fasninated me. this story was inspired by Crimson the queen of the council story A Gaurdian's troubles. don't worry it isn't the same story at all, I got a new spin on things and no gold blade cause that thing is scary. please reviews cause i want to see where this story goes as well
The Pains of Desires
Artemis POV
Demigods always wonder why the gods are always so distant from their children. I'm surprised the Athena kids haven't figured it out, though my hunters have. We have the rules and we feel emotions 10x stronger then any other being. This is why I care about my hunters so much, that they are basically my sisters, some of my actual siblings get mad that I care about my hunters more then them. Well its more one sibling that whines and I bet you know whom.
With these strong emotions come desires that can cloud our minds of all judgment, so we do rather idiotic things. I have a list that I keep to remind me of all the things I have done that were unintelligent, it keeps my mind clear. Recently it hasn't been working to well.
One of these powerful desires is one that I swear Hera gave me out of spite, the desire for a family. I have seen many families over the years; yet still don't know what it's truly like.
This all leads to me watching one of those family films while I am stuck on Olympus, the films being the entire father of the bride films. My hunters groaned about watching it tell they started to see that it was funny because most the men are complete idiots in the film. They thought I was watching it because of comedy, more just being able to see what I can't have.
Thalia leaned over the couch as one funny scene was playing, she yelled "morons all of 'em"
"Well I don't blame them, the writers I think just hated the actors and wanted them to suffer" Phoebe quirked from the kitchen as she made the fifth bowl of popcorn that night.
Kate looked at me, and pondered "Milady I haven't seen you laugh once this entire movie" all eyes were boring into me. I cupped the almost empty popcorn bowl, should I tell them. No, if I did that they would do the natural thing and tease me about it or worse be shocked. They were all harden hunters so pissed off goddess didn't scare anything out of them.
Sipping on water, I tried to pass off boredom "I just know all the jokes" I heard the ice dispenser, that's when I knew I was caught.
The curious glances turned into glares as they caught my lie as easily as a man turned into a jackalope "LIAR." A drop of cold water hit the tip of my nose, slowly looking up there was a glass of ice water. Phoebe was holding it, and a smile was stretching across her face.
She cooed, "remember last summer when we had the hunter that couldn't stop lying, you said the next lair would get a cup of ice water" the ice water was waved letting more drops fall onto my face "guess who was the next liar"
Taking a calming breath, I challenged, " You wouldn't dare, I'm your leader"
Thalia laughed "you are also a liar, oh gods I need a camera" with that her phone came out and was focused right on me. More drops hit my nose as I looked for an escape. Yet as I looked, my own hunters moved to block the exits, leaving the movie forgotten.
Kate took my glass out of my hand as my silence persisted, she reasoned "you won't need this in a minute, but you might if you just trust us." I may be an all-powerful goddess but the hunters know that they are my soft spot. The glass finally began to tip but stopped as a hunter yelled from the kitchen "that water isn't enough"
She came out with a jug of ice with a splash of water and joined phoebe, she was a daughter of Athena and cooed, "we are just following your rules, next liar gets ice water, doesn't matter who"
I yelled, "Fine, I will tell you" the ice water disappeared as all the hunters huddled closer. I looked down at my hands, which couldn't stop turning the bowl. Giving a deep, extremely long, and deep sigh, I told them "its just a day that I wish I could have children of my own" the bowl then became very interesting to my eyes. I noticed the silver flacks I always had in all my glassware, in the seconds of focus, I counted 1096 flakes of silver.
Out of my peripheral vision I saw the hunters shifting uncomfortable, not expecting such a problem I imagine. In the last 100 years the dull throb of a desire became a flame, one of the reason the hunters had such numbers. It was partly because there were more girls willing, but also partly because I was trying to extinguish my dreams.
Phoebe yelled, "Oh look, the movie, a man just fell over" it was a desperate attempt to change subjects; it half worked as the hunters laughed. Though I heard one whisper "that explains her off behavior recently." In the last week it has intensified, and it now is affecting me. Why fates, why?
In a secret chamber on Olympus
No POV
The fates all crouched around a basin, the images changed ever second like they were flipping through a TV. Every third image showed gate with no handles that looked older then the fates themselves, it was made of wood that then was surrounded by metal. Several planks of wood were snapped, the metal bent in wards. The gate would have been leaning if darkness wasn't keeping it in place. this darkness surrounded the gate making it look like it simple wasn't attached to anything. It was shaped as if the entrance of an amazing castle. That wasn't all the gate had, burned remains of humans kept the gate closed, they looked like the remains of people of Pompeii, always keeping the gate shut.
The gate suddenly groaned, black claws peeking through the broken planks. The fates hissed as they leaned away as if dodging the claws. They snarled, "Its getting worse, and we still don't have the child"
Clotho, the one spins the thread, sighed "almost all combination done, look, even children of Zeus only have .001% of being the one" she waved at the basin, showing a long series of possible babes, out of 10000 one was marked.
Lachesis, who draws the thread, bemoaned "and it gets worse, Poseidon flat has no chance of producing the one, Hades has .0001%, and we have so little time, we made all the gods have many children, even Athena with brain children, she had the highest percent being .1%"
Atropos, who cuts the thread, warned "even paring the gods up didn't help and now we have only one more generation tell its here" she started randomly throwing combos down, the percent of potential being showing with the number of babes that have be produced. They sat silently as she continued tell one flashed with just 5 babes. Sitting up faster then even Hermes could, Clotho and Lachesis yelled, "What combo is that?"
Atropos began "I started to pair Percy with goddess, with Annabeth out of the picture it made sense, the greatest hero in centuries with a goddess, that combo was an impossible one though"
Clotho shook her thread "we will make it possible?"
Atropos then waved at the basin and it showed Percy and Artemis "summon Styx, we have to remove Artemis vow then, threaten Styx with ever horror and she will cave like a house under fire"
She then stood "Actually I shall make the threat, you both deliver a prophecy to Apollo to deliver at winter solstices that shows what needs to be done, this world might juts not end but it will hanging thread" hauntingly Atropos cut a thread and dying scream was heard throughout the camber.
The room shook, it was round in shape, with the columns all going to the center, this center opened like hands as the fates disappeared to do their work. The basin shook and the percentage changed to an absolute as a dark figure rose when the fates disappeared.
It eyes had constellations swirling around in them. It spoke with a such knowledge that it had to know all "this world, it is my greatest and will not die as long as the child lives but so many possibilities for it die, in the womb, at birth, in a year, all will need strength for this child to live, my greatest failure is coming, make sure they win, the fates play there role but you must play yours to the T"
A figure formed behind him and bowed, it chuckled "The God killer makes sure a god lives, how ironic!" with that she disappeared into the shadows. Leaving the first figure to stare at the basin with a sorrowful expression.
The winter solstices, the next day
Artemis POV
I checked my pockets once more as I walked into the throne room, ear plugs, check, interesting thoughts, check, controlled facial expression, check, no care for what my father thinks, no need for checking. Yet I stopped all my checking as I saw my brother looking like he has gone mad. He screeched "not another prophecy"
Walking up with a raised brow "another one, so soon, can't anyone have a break, wait we can't have a prophecy Delphi still missing, right?"
Apollo collapsed now really showing off how crazed he was, maybe Zeus punishment was too much for his one celled brain to handle "it was hand delivered by the fates, gods they are creepy, its in this letter, they told me to open it when everyone arriver so you all had"
I tried to ease my brother "it could just be a prank, because their funny like that, Hehe" I really should stop lying, it has gotten me nowhere. I sat down on my silver throne, getting ready to hear the prophecy. With a quick glance, I could tell there would be no joking today, as everyone was tense, tensing even more as Apollo cleared his throat.
The Greatest hero shall rise
The moons vow shall fall
The gates of end will open
Only child between them both
Born within the cycle
Will close the doors again
Or the world shall end
All eyes turned to me, just like in my temple with the hunters but this time it was worse. The silence in the room got thicker as the minutes passed before a squeal ripped through it like minotaur "Oh my, Percy and Artemis must have a kid, this is like the best news ever, like ever" gods Dammnit Aphrodite.
Athena accused Aphrodite "are brain dead, did you not hear the part about the world dying, nope went right over your stupid head, because you killed all your brain cells with perfume!"
Aphrodite out of her throne, strutted to Athena, cupping the enraged goddess cheek, Aphrodite cooed, "You need some inner fucking peace" this caused a fist to fly which Aphrodite dodged and ran for it, as Athena steamed. A loud yell rang from Hera "order, now we have a dilemma, Artemis lets talk, in private, meeting dismissed"
Zeus tried to say something but a quick piercing glare from Hera stopped him. I followed her as my brain went haywire.
Part of me cheered so loud it almost drowned out everything else, almost; another part realized the implication to having to have a child. Then Percy, the 25 year old that was driving everyone up the wall, and making Goddess loss all sense of dignity. He had lost Annabeth at 19, leading to him disappearing into the ocean for two years, when he came out, Goddess began to flock.
I was the only one not interested into seeing why Goddess thought he was to die for, literally as fights broke out between who would try their moves on him first. He then had to come visit Thalia, that's when I realized why they flocked; he got himself a lot of height and a ragged look. I have my weakness, Orion managing to show most of those off. Even Thalia joked, "Gonna get yourself some wives" they were pretty much sister and brother so he just laughed it off.
A finger snapped right in my face, shaking as I looked around, I saw Hera's concerned face "how are you going to fulfill the prophecy, even Aphrodite can't get Percy attention, and you have only 3 months to be safe, to get pregnant"
I asked "why only 3, within the cycle means a year, most can have kids in 3 months so I really have 9 months" that's when her face showed me that nothing can be that simple "Artemis, everyone's first takes longer, your body isn't destined to even pump out kids very fast, I say 3 months to convince him, to be safe, and if something out to kill the world, this kid needs to live"
I shook with the knowledge then demanded "why are you being so nice, you know what, I think you are still just trying to make my life difficult"
Hera crossed her arms and glared at me with such contained hatred I remember why no matter what I always gave her respect, but now, I kinda didn't and it was biting me. She growled as she pinched the bridge of her nose "Artemis, I'm just trying to make sure, we all don't die, because if the world goes, we all go, and it looks like your child is the only way the world doesn't go"
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