''Tis not that bad a day,''' Artemis said as they sat in by the cave. Cool blasts of wind whistled by them, as the moist air kept them cool. It was the Winter Solstice, the day where the Sun's life was the shortest—and Artemis had looked forward to this very day since she became blind by the Sun's harsh glare.

It felt like forever; even if the event itself happened a mere month ago. Time did pass slower when one was waiting expectantly for something; and in her case, it was the reopening of Hephaestus' forge, where she would be able to take a new pair of eyes and regain her sight—like how Orion did, when and Hephaestus forged him a pair of metallic contraptions that returned him his vision.

''It is,'' Orion murmured, as they sat in the cave, contemplating in their thoughts. ''It's quite nice, actually. Almost nearing the Spring Solstice…''

Suddenly, he abruptly stood, spilling all that was on his lap. ''I have to check up on something,'' Orion said quickly, as he began to fervently pack his bag. Artemis cocked her head at the sounds in Orion's rush; as a few of his wares fell to the cavern grounds with a clatter.

''I'll go with you,'' Artemis said, as she stood from the ground and stretched her back. It would be time to go for some exercise, anyway.

Orion felt to stare at her, as a stretch of silence passed. Artemis shrugged, and gave a small yawn. ''What? Is it something I cannot know?''

Another period of silence overcame them.

''No, you can come,'' Orion said, interrupting the silence. ''Sorry. I was just lost in my thoughts.''

''It's all fine,'' she said, and took a few tentative steps towards Orion. The Hunter caught her hand; a soft warmth in the cool of the cave.

''Follow me, Artemis,'' she heard Orion murmur. They moved from the cave, through the Crete forests, and finally into the city. Artemis' eyes stinged from the Sun's unforgiving glare, as she ran after Orion's voice. It was a hot day, even for Winter's standards.

''Where are you going?'' she asked. Usually, she would trust Orion to guide her to the correct destination, but this time, it felt different; Orion's guiding hand felt clammy in hers, as she heard his racing, nervous heart. Artemis' heart pounded from the sweat and the pain alike.

''The Labyrinth,'' he panted, so quickly that she almost didn't catch it.

''The Labyrinth?'' she asked again, almost in disbelief. What was Orion doing here? For starters, she knew that the Labyrinth was ''off limits'' by the decree of Minos, the King of Crete. Artemis wouldn't've cared less, if not for Minos' horrible reputation, which had even travelled to Olympus. Either way, Orion didn't have a reason to come near Minos' Labyrinth, not unless he was looking to be thrown into the infamous Maze itself, which she doubted.

''Yep,'' Orion responded. ''I'm here to… ah, pick up a package. It's rather important, and Daedalus notified me it'd be ready today.''

Artemis wondered if Orion was joking. For some reason, it didn't feel like one.

''Why, trespassers!'' a gravelly voice crowed, as she heard a pantheon of guards march towards them. Orion froze; Artemis could feel his arms tense. She stiffened, as the King of Crete's soldiers inspected her carefully. She could tell from Orion's racy heart.

''How interesting! We haven't gotten an admirer in decades,'' Minos grinned sadistically, as he clapped a stunned Orion in the back. ''And a child, even!'' he glowered as he glared at Artemis in her fourteen-year old form.

The guards shifted, in unease or sadism she couldn't tell. Artemis was rigid, as she held to Orion's stiff hand.

''If you want to admire the Labyrinth so badly,'' Minos snarled, as he glared at the duo. ''THROW THEM INTO THE LABYRINTH!'' he growled at his guards. ''FOR TRESPASSING BESIDE MY BEAUTIFUL MAZE!''

''But sir—'' one of them said uneasily, as he glanced at Artemis' pissed, unfocused gaze. ''—one of them's blind. I thought we had protocol against that…?''

Artemis whipped her head to the guard in disbelief, as if to say: really? But of course, he ignored her. Of course.

Minos snarled at the guard. ''Even better. The Minotaur gets some easy prey. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a bloody kingdom to run. Unless you want to join them, that is.''

''Seriously?'' Artemis blistered with anger, still irritated. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Minos dared to throw the Moon goddess into the filthy Labyrinth of his? Upset silver energy began flickering from her, but neither Minos nor the guard noticed.

Orion gave her a squeeze in concern, and inadvertently, she felt her angry aura vanish.

''N—no, sir,'' the soldier stuttered out, as he took a curt bow. ''N—never, sir,'' he said as he gave Minos a salute, and marched his way back to his squadron.

''Then it's settled,'' Minos growled. Facing his guards, he screamed: ''THROW THEM IN THERE!''

A/N: Hi again! This is, per the description, a missing segment from Blind Stars, which is the Labyrinth the duo mentioned conquering a while back in Blind Stars (specifically Ch. 9). Since this is an AU, let's just assume Orion beat Achilles to the punch on the Labyrinth parts. :D

For those who are clicking into this fic for the first time, I highly suggest you read Blind Stars first, since this is set in that AU and during that storyline. Taking this as a standalone would work too, but it's always nice to have some backstory beforehand to make sense of this fic. :D

There will be regular (daily) updates for this fic, and it will span around 5-6 chapters. Leave a review below if you'd like! Thanks for reading, and l hope to see you soon! o/