Endymion
A complete twist about the story Endymion. Some say that he is a hunter, others a shepherd. I prefer him as a hunter. Also, they say that Selene put a spell upon him. Selene, Diana, and Cynthia are all faces of Artemis, for me.
Time is really mysterious; she never thought that she had fought for ten years with these mortals. This war rooted from three goddesses who wanted to be called the "fairest" and the abduction of the most beautiful mortal woman to ever walk upon this rotten world. Mortals, they are such despicable beings who wanted more than what they can offer to one another. Greed is their forte, the main reason they wanted more. Also, it's the reason why the conqueror of Greece agreed to join this battle.
Mortals have killed each other for the sake of their own country and family. It is all so funny, risking their lives for nothing. She had joined this war to please herself and kill some time since she had nothing to do. She had tamed every single beast that lurked her sacred grounds. Besides, her beloved brother begged her to help him protect his city. She just agreed, but she doesn't like protecting mortals. She protects the grounds on which the mortals will eventually destroy in time. She protects the forest and its inhabitants.
The war was about to end. The soldiers have infiltrated the city and burned down everything to oblivion. This is too for boring for her. She will just head back to Olympus and rest while watching her devoted hunters doing their job: Pleasing the Goddess of Hunt.
As she went down the stairs, she heard a voice pleading for help. She looked back and saw a woman embracing her child. She examined her. Half of her body was buried in the ground and she couldn't move. The woman looked at her with teary eyes begging the goddess to help her. Why should she? She is a mortal and her time is done, her life is about to be over. She turned back and continued to walk through the fire. These flames that engulf her could never do any harm since this is one of the elements she controls. Suddenly, she heard a cry; maybe it's from the baby she's embracing. She sighed and went back.
"What can I do mortal?" She asked the woman.
"Save him, save my child," she replied and tears run down from her eyes.
Artemis took the baby from his mother's arms. The woman stretched her arms and touched the child's cheek and said, "Farewell, Endymion. You are safe now." The woman's eyes closed and her colored skin started to become pale. Heat escaped her body and everything went cold. Artemis went out of the temple and walked through the entire sea of flames while holding the boy named Endymion.
When she was about to go back to Olympus, she remembered something. She couldn't bring a mortal to the Haven of the Gods. Where should she hide this mortal? Damn, she really hates mortals. They always bring trouble.
She had no choice but to bring him to one of her forests. She will take care of him until he knows how to take care of himself.
She untied the straps which held the back of her clothing and spread her ebony wings. She flew a bit slower than she used to because it might wake him up. As she looked into his face, she couldn't see anything. She shares the same ability as Apollo in reading someone's future just by looking into their face. "This boy can't have any future?" There's something wrong. This was just a mistake; she'll try again some time.
She landed in the forest nearest to Olympus, so she can go back immediately in case something urgent comes up. She had chosen the safest place for him to stay. She made a barrier and planted some traps to protect him from beasts while she was gone.
"Now, Endymion, how will I take care of you?" she asked the baby.
She heard nothing.
"Of course, you wouldn't answer since you're just child and has no ability to talk," she looked at the boy with her hazel eyes, "and if someone will hear me, he'll say that the Goddess of Hunt is insane."
She sighed, "I really don't know how I will take care of you. Oh Athena, give me wisdom on this situation."
"How should I know? I have never been a mother and have you forgotten that we're both virgin goddesses?" said the Goddess of Wisdom in an instant.
Artemis gave a little squeak and said, "Athena? Don't you dare do that again, please?"
"The Goddess of Hunt surprised by my appearance? I thought you're the one who mastered it in order to catch your prey," replied Athena.
The hunter stayed silent. Athena took the baby from her arms and looked at him.
"I think this baby will become a great hunter if you would be the one who will take care of him," said the goddess.
Artemis replied, "I will train him as a hunter under my standards, but I have never learned how to take care of anybody."
"Well, you can just ask the fairest goddess of Olympus." said a voice.
The two turned back and saw the Goddess of Love and Beauty, Aphrodite. She smiled at them and said, "I have a son, remember? I know how to take care of little and lovely babies."
Artemis and Athena looked at each other and sighed. Artemis just said, "I have no choice but to listen to your words."
Aphrodite smiled again and took the baby from Athena's arms and started to lecture the Goddess of Hunt on how she could nurture the beautiful Endymion.
Days, months and time passed by when Artemis realized it had been six years. Endymion grew up as a playful child and Artemis was sometimes annoyed by his attitude and even punished him by adding more training time.
"What have I done now, Arty?" cried the boy.
"You don't take your training seriously, Endymion. Do you think hunting is just a game? If your prey is a wild beast and you're toying with it, you might end up being its dinner!" shouted the goddess.
The boy continued to cry and ran away from Artemis. She sat on a branch of a tree and looked at the boy running away, "He'll come back here when he realizes his fault."
Several hours had passed and yet he still didn't return. This brought some pain in her heart. She jumped off the branch and ran as fast as she could while sensing his presence. She found nothing.
"This forest is not big enough for him to be lost," she thought.
She even talked to the other animals that she encountered and they told her the way. Five miles away from a cliff, she smelled the scent of blood. This scent was familiar to her, Endymion's, and she couldn't be mistaken. She ran fast and jumped off the cliff without a moment hesitation. If she would be injured, it will heal. As she reached the ground she heard his voice from somewhere in the dark abyss. Even the moon's light cannot penetrate in this place, so she casted a spell to produce little fire balls and saw Endymion crying, holding his bloody left leg.
"It hurts, Arty," cried Endymion.
Seeing Endymion like this pierced her heart even more. She went near him and kissed his forehead. She touched his left leg and healed it slowly. Endymion felt warm and his tears subsided when his wounds healed. After that, Artemis wrapped her hands around him and said, "If you are going to running away from me, make sure that I will never find you."
He lowered his head, "Arty, I'm sorry. I -"
"Let's go back. Just tell me what happened later. Can you climb up?" demanded the goddess.
He stood up and replied, "Yes, I think I can."
"Then, you go first." He looked at her confusingly and she added, "I can fly, remember? I'll just fly up there until I know that you'll not fall again, boy."
He smiled and climbed up. When he reached the top, Artemis was already there. They walked back to their place and she asked him what happened. He told her that he was chased by some group of wild animals and one caught him by the leg. He struggled, and when he escaped he fell off the cliff.
"Imbecile," whispered Artemis.
"I heard that! Don't worry, in time I will become a great hunter and you will regret ever saying that!" shouted the boy.
Artemis just smiled and looked at the full moon outside the window. She knew he'll be great, just like her. She went near his bed; he looked at her with his green eyes, "Goodnight, Arty," he said and closed his eyes.
She replied, "Goodnight," and kissed his cheek.
She felt something, a familiar aura coming from outside the house. She went outside and saw Hermes, the messenger of Zeus, ruler of Olympus.
"What message shall I receive from my father?" asked the goddess.
"You have several missions from Olympus, the Ocean and the Underworld. It could take years for you to complete each," explained the messenger.
"Years? It doesn't matter, we're immortals remember?" bragged Artemis.
Hermes replied, "I know, but how about your beloved mortal? You won't be able to take care of him if you'd be gone for years."
He was right. She cannot be with Endymion.
She composed herself and said, "When will my mission start?"
"It will start on the night of your fullest power," replied the god.
"Full Moon," she said.
"Farewell, Artemis," he left swiftly.
Artemis went inside and looked at Endymion for the last time. She knew he would absolutely hate her, but it was her job as a goddess. She closed the door silently and left.
Twelve years had passed and Artemis finished all of her missions. She lied on her bed in Olympus to rest.
"Welcome back, Artemis. You've done thousands of missions, you must be very exhausted," teased Athena.
She stretched her arms and turned her back away from Athena. "It was nothing. All of my missions were easy."
"As expected from you," praised Athena. "Well, have you visited Endymion?"
"Not yet," She had almost forgotten about him, "I'll take some sleep for a while and head to that forest after."
"All right then," replied the Goddess of Wisdom and left her.
She closed her eyes and felt peace inside her.
Ten hours had passed when someone woke her up, "Wake up!"
She fell from her bed and casted ice blades on her target. "Hey!" said Aphrodite, "I just miss my virgin sister, that's all."
"Shut up," she replied plainly.
"Have you visited him, yet?" asked Aphrodite.
"Him? Endymion? What's with him that you and Athena want me to see him?!" answered Artemis annoyingly.
"Well, he just looks so good that we think that you might just start lusting for him," said Aphrodite.
"That is not necessary, seriously," replied Artemis.
The Goddess of Love smiled, "Are you sure? Well, if you want I'll just go there and use my power upon him, but I cannot enter the forest without your permission because there's a barrier surrounding him."
"I made that when he's just a kid to protect him from beasts," answered Artemis.
"But I'm not a beast! Besides, Athena can go there and even train him with basic hunting," said Aphrodite.
Artemis shifted her position to turn away from the frowning goddess and plainly said, "I told Athena to train him before I left. She knows some of my abilities and as for you, well, maybe you have beast-like intentions, that's why."
Aphrodite's smile vanished as she turned away from the goddess. Artemis laughed because she likes it whenever she gets on Aphrodite's nerves.
She thought of the childish Endymion and imagined how he would look like because if Aphrodite desires him then he must be very beautiful. She decided to change her clothes and go down to the city near the forest. It's been a while since she last disguised herself as a mortal. While walking around the plaza, she heard something about a hunter protecting the forest nearby. She thought it would be him since he vowed to make her regret what she said about him. She laughed by herself thinking of how childish he had been when he said that. Her eyes became fixed onto the forest and she had finally decided to go see him.
The forest was still alive and beautiful. She felt the presence of the animals she took care of before and they guided her to Endymion's place. When she stepped into the area, the animals ran away as fast as they could. She wondered why, then a net has dropped from above and she immediately jumped from her place and landed on a tree branch. Then another trap was on, hundreds of blades attacked her so she changed places with a log she saw on the ground. It was not over. The ground she was standing on suddenly collapsed. She flew away and stopped all the traps.
"What on earth was he thinking? He will eventually kill somebody with these traps!" she said when she smelled the scent of blood behind her.
She saw a body pierced with blades all over. She landed near the body and noticed that the blood was still fresh; maybe it has been there for a couple of hours. He's a mortal, it was his time. She casted a spell to bury the body a mile away from this place.
"Amazing! There's only one person I know who could survive these traps I made," said a voice.
She turned away and found herself face to face with a very beautiful man. She blushed, so she looked down.
"Only the Goddess of Hunt, I think," said the man and smiled.
Artemis raised her head when she noticed the same emerald eyes. "Endymion?" she said.
The man smiled, went near her and wrapped his toned and muscular arms around her. Artemis felt her knees shake. Her whole body trembled and she felt very weak when Endymion whispered into her ears, "I missed you, Arty. You left without a word and it brought so much pain inside me."
"You're not even mad?" she thought.
She felt his warm lips touched her ear. He let go of her and bowed down. He even knelt down and kissed her hand. She couldn't produce any word when this beautiful man kneeled before her. When their eyes met, she turned away because for the first she felt different. For the first time, she felt weak in front of a mortal man. "No," she shook her head; she must not show any type of weakness in front of him. He had physically matured after twelve years, yes indeed. He may, however, still be like a cry baby.
When she gazed up to his emerald eyes, it was still fixed upon her. His eyes didn't have any sign of crying. She saw that his eyes were full of desire gazing upon her. She couldn't speak. He was still holding her hand; his grip was too strong for a mortal. She examined his form. He has a very nice built, suitable enough for a hunter or even a warrior that even Athena would command. Well, Athena trained him, no wonder. His skin was smooth and supple but there was one little scar on his arms which looked a wolf's bite. He may have been bitten while hunting.
"Artemis," he said, breaking the silence which enveloped the forest.
"Good Evening. I just happened to pass by," she replied.
"I see," said Endymion. His smile vanished. "I thought you wanted to see me."
Artemis could tell that he felt hurt by her words, "I do want to see you because I heard rumors back at the plaza about you. They say you're great, though you're quite brutal, but I'm quite sure that you're just doing your job, right?"
He faced Artemis again and said, "Yes. A-Artemis, w-would you l-like to stay for the night? I grew some herbs for tea and I would like you to taste them and -"
"I would be glad to," she replied and smile. Endymion guided her inside his house. It wasn't the same house she built. There were lots of hunting tools and weapons. There were even animal skulls hanging on the wall.
The night passed by quickly and Artemis decided to leave him. But she promised she would come back the next day. Endymion reached out for her before she went outside the door and kissed her cheek. She couldn't react and just left.
The same thing happened for days; she would visit him, accompany him in hunting and even disguise herself whenever they go to the city at dawn. The townspeople even thought that she was Endymion's wife when she tried to shop for him one night.
"This is embarrassing," she thought and decided to head back to his place. She entered the house, but he was not there. "Where could he be?"
She went outside and wandered for a while until she stopped at the nearby waterfalls. She almost took her clothes off when she saw Endymion taking a bath in the river. Her heart pounded when he saw her looking at him. She immediately turned away and said, "Forgive me, I didn't mean to see you here. I thought you're-"
"You've seen me like this when I was little, right?" teased Endymion.
She replied, "I-It's different this time. I'll jut go back and-"
"Would you just join me?" he said when he pressed his body against hers and embraced her.
She felt the icy water dripping from his hair, but the warmth of his body dominated her feelings of lust for him. Her body wants it, no she needs it. She felt his lips touched her ears, no, it was his tongue. He licked the back of her ears down to her neck. His hands were exploring her body and something stealthily crept upon her.
She faced him and his emerald eyes met her hazel ones. Their eyes were fixed on each other as if both knew what would happen if one would break eye contact. Endymion untied the ribbons of the goddess' dress and let it slide onto her smooth ivory skin. He kissed every part of her upper body while carrying the naked goddess into the water. It was like ice, but it was nothing compared to the heat of their passion. His hands continued to roam around her body. "You are so beautiful, Artemis. No matter how many women I have been with, I can't desire for no one but you," he whispered and he kissed her, running his tongue onto her lips. Artemis breathed deeply and allowed his tongue to go inside to meet hers. She ran her fingers onto his soft and dark hair. His lips delved deeper and one of his hands touched her cheek while the other cupped her untouched breast. His actions gave her pleasure even more and she wanted nothing else but him. She broke free from his arms and went to the rock near them. She sat there while looking at his lustful eyes. He followed and spread her legs. His hand touched her arms and he kissed her neck down to her breasts. He toyed her breast with his tongue for a while and Artemis wrapped her legs around him. He sucked delicately onto one of her nipples and it made her moan a little. He shifted his mouth onto the other and did the same. She grasped his hair very hard to control her voice. He stopped and looked at her. He saw her face blushing, her eyes begging him for more. He smiled and kissed her lips down to her abdomen.
When he was about to go lower, Artemis pushed him away and said, "Stop! I should not do this. It's against my vow."
Endymion looked up to her, "Forget about your vow. What good will it cause?"
She was tempted by his words, but she can't. Endymion continued to kiss her and she eventually gave in. His lips were so warm even the fires she controls cannot surpass it. Passion and lust rose up from her as he teased her inner thighs and licked her insides. His lips touched her insides making her moan for more and he stopped for a few seconds to tease her.
"Down or I'll stop," he demanded. She was quite angry, but decided against it since her desire for him was overwhelming her. So, she dipped herself again into the icy water and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her back was against the rock and he spread her legs and went inside her. She felt pain because it was her first time, but the excruciating pain was nothing compared to the soaring pleasure of feeling him inside her. Her walls were shaken by his unending thrusts. She will be mad in time if he would ever stop, she didn't want him to. For the first time, she felt such emotions of thundering waves inside her and she couldn't believe she had let a mortal dominate her like this. He carried her while he was still thrusting. Her arms went around him and she fixed her eyes again into his lips and kissed it with all the passion she could express. As he continued what he was doing Artemis saw someone watching them. She tried to familiarize herself with the figure, but it suddenly vanished. Then suddenly, she felt something from her insides. Her body wants freedom from him, but he won't allow her to and still he continued. She let out a scream and when she saw him smile, it made her weak. After a few minutes, her soul exploded into bliss. He released himself inside her and she rested and laid her head on his warm chest. He then carried his goddess back into his house. Both of them stayed in bed throughout the night, their forms cuddled against each other.
"I love you," she whispered to him.
He smiled and kissed her lips. "I've been waiting for those words."
Artemis went back to Olympus after a week. She was then confronted by her half-sister, Athena. She gave her a glass of wine as a sign of greeting and Artemis drank it.
"You broke your vow, Artemis," said Athena.
She replied, "I know, so what will be my punishment for my actions?"
"I already asked Zeus about it and he had agreed," explained Athena, "that your punishment will be time or shall I say eternity."
Artemis gave out a laugh, "Such an easy punishment! Time doesn't matter to us."
"To us, indeed, you are correct. But to him, I don't think so," Athena said with an evil smile.
Artemis' eyes widened. She couldn't be talking about Endymion "Stop kidding me!"
"I am not pulling your leg, Artemis. But don't you worry. I will not kill your beloved mortal," said Athena.
Artemis tried to attack her but she felt very drowsy. "The wine … no, Endy-"
She fell onto the floor and the servants carried her to her bed. Her whole conscious altered as if she was seeing a dream. She saw Athena disguise herself as Artemis and went down to the forest… to Endymion's house. She saw him sleeping peacefully. She uttered some words, which were familiar to Artemis, but she couldn't quite remember.
"Artemis, I know you can see what I'm doing, but you can't do anything because this is under Zeus' order. This is your punishment. He is alive, but he will sleep forever. His soul will wander the grounds of the earth," explained Athena, "You may touch him, his body is still warm. You may plant kisses on his body and do anything with him. But remember, throughout time, he is ageless, but he will never feel nor respond to your actions because his soul is not here. You will have to wait forever."
When Artemis woke, her breathing was deep and her forehead was sweating. She went down as quickly as possible and found him sleeping like a mortal. Yes, he still is alive. She touched him and kissed his warm lips, but she got no response. She looked at him and her eyes suddenly became watery. Tears slid down her cheeks. She kissed him again, nothing. She touched and caressed his body, yet still he felt nothing.
She did the same whenever she visited him, hoping that one day he would eventually wake up. He was still beautiful even after one hundred years. Indeed, time is important for mere mortals, but it is that one thing that most immortals often neglect.
"If only his soul was here."