Choices

We had hunted ourselves a few rabbits and some pheasants – small game - and made ourselves a delicious and hearty breakfast of roast meat. Afterwards, somewhere in the middle of the afternoon, I told Orion that I wished to go somewhere slightly far away from him to clean myself up. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he seemed nervous about letting me out of his sight, but he respected my decision after I had assured him that I would be fine and he promised to stay where he was before I went off, armed with my bow and arrows.

I eventually found a small hot spring about a hundred meters or so away from Orion's clearing. Though I was pretty sure that he would not break his promise to me and stay at his clearing, I had put up a protection field around the area just in case. It wasn't because I didn't trust him. It was just out of habit and caution. And since Orion and I weren't the only ones on Crete who would inhabit the forest, all the more reason to do so.

I usually did not use my powers to change clothes because I found the task to be too small and insignificant for the use of it. But since I was without any extra clothing, I had no other choice. I set aside my bow and quiver along with my hunting boots and then, with a snap of my fingers, my clothes – both my tunic and my underclothes – disappeared from my body into thin air, leaving me completely in the nude. I was not uncomfortable. I had roamed around in the wilderness naked many times before.

I checked my field to make sure that it was still strong and impenetrable. It was, and I finally went into the warm, bubbling waters of the spring. I let out a sigh of satisfaction when the warmth shot through my toes and traveled to the rest of my body.

The water only reached up to my waist so I either had to stand or sit down to wash. I opted for sitting.

As I rested my back and head against a smooth rock situated right in the middle of the spring, I gazed up above me and delved into my thoughts. Mainly it centered on both my brother and my hunter.

I seriously wondered how I was going to get everything to turn out well in the end. What I wanted was to have both Apollo and Orion in my life. I know, it sounded really selfish of me, but I really did wanted the both of them to be with me.

I wanted Apollo to continue being in my life. He was my twin brother and I loved and cared him with all of my heart. But at the same time, I wanted Orion to become a part of my life as well because he was the first man I fell in love with. And he proved himself worthy of my love because he loved me back and he even respected me.

What I really wanted was for Apollo to stop being angry and wrathful and maybe just learn to accept Orion. Or at least tolerate him. If he couldn't that, then the most logical thing for me to do was to be with neither of them. I won't stay with one if I couldn't have the other.

Urgh, this was so difficult! To be honest, Orion was not the problem here. It was Apollo. If only I could just convince him to just let go of the hate and try to accept him. I really did wanted to talk to him about it, but he was sure to just push me away and distance himself from me. If he didn't do that, then I might have a shot to at least try.

Please, Apollo…. I pleaded in my mind, as though hoping he could hear it. But I doubt that he would.

I let out a heavy, disheartened sigh and proceeded to wash myself thoroughly. When I felt that I was completely clean, I stepped out of the hot spring and conjured up a towel for me to dry myself off. I made the towel disappear after that and made some underclothes appear on my body before I conjured up clothing. I settled for a simple knee-length reddish-brown halter dress with gold embroidery with a leather belt and a pair of leather wrist guards. I thought about my hair for a while before I decided for just a simple wooden circlet.

I looked at my reflection in the water and made sure that I looked alright. Now that Orion and I were now…. lovers (I feel slightly strange referring to ourselves as that), I felt a strong urge to make myself look pretty for him. Though being beautiful never was such a daunting task for me or any of the other deities, I still felt the need to do so.

When I was satisfied with my appearance, I put my hunting boots back on, slung the strap of my quiver on my shoulder and gripped my bow before leaving the area and making my way back to the clearing.

When I got back, it was just in time to see Orion tying the sash of his new fresh and clean chiton, which was indigo in color. It was absolutely lucky that he was already wearing his clothes by the time I reached. Though I was very much in love with him, I don't think I was at that stage where I would do something even more intimate than hugging and kissing with him.

"I took the opportunity to wash up somewhere else while you were gone," he said to me without looking up from his sash. Then, when the sash was tied into a knot, he looked up and continued on. "I made sure to get back before you did, so that you wouldn't need to worry."

I put down my bow and quiver on the ground and approached him. He rested both his hands on my waist tenderly while I grasped his shoulders as I looked into his green eyes with a smile. "That is really thoughtful of you, Orion," I told him.

I craned my neck and gave him a kiss on his cheek. His lips pulled into a smile and he let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"Now that I know you return my feelings of love for you, that really feels a hundred times better," he mused blissfully. "You know, when you kissed me on the cheek yesterday, I swear I felt my heart stop from happiness."

Speaking of which, that reminded me of something.

"Yesterday, did you mean to kiss me when we were on the rock?" I asked him curiously.

When I asked that question, I saw a faint blush blooming on his cheeks. Orion's smile turned into one of shyness and he sheepishly nodded his head. "I thought it would be the perfect moment to profess my feelings to you. I wish to be completely honest with you. I actually planned the picnic because I wanted to make you happy and maybe in hopes that it could give me courage to tell you how I feel for you. But then -"

He bit his bottom lip, his eyes suddenly looking hesitant to continue. But he need not be afraid of what he was to say because I already know.

"I remembered about my brother," I finished his sentence in a sigh. "I'm sorry that I had to stop you from telling me the truth."

He shook his head and hauled my waist closer so that my body was pressed to his. "It's alright," he murmured.

He is so good to me… I thought to myself as I gazed up at his face. Truly, I have never met a better man than him before. I'm so blessed to have him with me.

I wound my arms around his neck and hugged him. "If only I could do something about him, Orion," I murmured against the soft skin of his neck. "If only there was a way I could get him to get over it. If I only I had a good enough reason to convince him."

Orion sighed heavily into my hair and hugged me tightly around my torso. "We'll find a way. If I must, I would go up to him myself and declare that I would never hurt you. If I have to, I would go to him personally and say that I love you so much that I cannot leave you even if I was forced to, whether by him or by any other force."

Suddenly, a fire of anger erupted within me. I let out a growl and pushed myself away from Orion, breaking out of his hug. He gasped and looked at me in confusion. I didn't push away from him because I was suddenly repulsed by or angry at him, but because I was angry at how difficult the situation really was.

"It won't be easy," I muttered in a low breath. "Apollo is more stubborn than you think. It would be very difficult to make him let go of a grudge."

At times, I really think to myself at how Apollo was similar to Hera in a way. Both could never lift a grudge they have against anyone else so easily. Apollo's case being Orion while Hera's case being Zeus' lovers and bastard children, me included.

I turned, facing away from Orion, and paced pointlessly as I let out my frustration.

I began with firm exertion. "I need to get it into Apollo's head that there is no way I am ever going to leave you. I need to put my foot down and tell him that he needs to let me be with whomever I choose to be and that I belong to no one by myself. I need to convince that you are harmless and there is nothing for him to fear of you. I need to assure him that I would be by his side, no matter what."

I stopped in my tracks, still facing away from him and with my hands balled into fists, as I proclaimed my final plan.

"But most importantly, I wish for you to be with me forever. Because I truly do love you and I'm very sure now that I don't think I can bear not having you by my side."

He finally spoke after keeping quiet to allow me to speak.

"Then marry me."

Like other times before, I felt as though time had come to a stand-still.

In an instant, I whipped around and stared at him in shock and confusion. I felt the pace of my heartbeat increase slightly as my eyebrows pulled into a confused and disbelieving frown. My lips were parted slightly with the intention to speak, but I found that no words could come to my tongue for a while.

"What?" I finally questioned under my breath, unsure of whether or not I had heard correctly.

Orion did not answer immediately. He kept his eyes on the ground as he pursed his lips in hesitation and nervousness and drummed his fingers against his thighs. Finally, he slowly lifted his eyes to look at me and slowly walked closer. When he stood right in front of me, he gently grasped my hands in his and held my gaze.

"If you marry me, I would have a better chance of convincing your brother that I wished for no bad air between the both him and I. And hopefully, he would accept the fact that I am already married to you. I can personally go up to him and forgive him for anything I had done to anger him. But most importantly, we would be together, bonded in mind, body and soul. We would declare ourselves as belonging to none other than each other."

Without letting go of my hands and without his teal green eyes breaking away from my midnight blue ones, Orion slowly went down on his knees and kissed the knuckles of both my hands. I felt my breathing hitch and my heartbeat increasing tenfold. I could feel its powerful beating.

"Artemis," he whispered my name so sweet and lovingly. "Will you marry me?"

I did not say anything immediately. I just stared at him, a mess of emotions developing in my immortal heart. Never before would I have thought I would experience such a thing. Why should I expect something like this to happen? I was a sworn virgin, and thus I did not expect for a proposal. Attempts of others to court – or violate – me, I had expected. But not an actual proper marriage proposal.

Orion seemed to have taken my silence as hesitation or disagreement. "I understand that you would not know what to decide due to your oath of virginity," he said in a serious but hopeful voice. "But if you marry me, I promise-"

He did not finish his sentence, because I had silenced him by kneeling down and kissing him on the lips.

I could feel the surprise he felt at our sudden contact, but he responded quickly by kissing me back gently at first and then passionately as more seconds passed. I entwined my fingers in his locks of bronze hair as he wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close to him.

When we both finally pulled back, we were gasping for breath and pressing our foreheads gently together. As we gazed deeply into each other's eyes, a smile played on both our lips and we laughed happily in unison.

"Yes," I sighed when the giggles in me faded. "Yes, I will marry you."

For a short second, my mind was full of hesitation and confusion. What in the name of Mount Olympus was I doing? I had promise to myself to remain a virgin for all eternity ever since I was three years old, which also became one of my six birthday wishes that I had requested from Zeus. But yet, was I truly willing to give it up for Orion? Because I had accepted his proposal of marriage, I knew that would immediately make my oath null and void once I had properly married him.

But then again, I began to recall that one little condition that Zeus had bestowed upon the wish. The wish to remain a forever maiden wasn't exactly entirely permanent. I could stay a virgin for however long I want. But if my heart desires for love of the more intimate kind from someone who truly deserved it, then I have the choice to annul that oath. I was immune to Aphrodite's powers of love (much to her disdain) so that I wouldn't be forced to love someone and would instead act upon my own heart.

Besides, if I wished to stay a virgin a little while longer if I was indeed married, I was sure Orion wouldn't mind and would instead wait until I was sure that I was ready to give my all to him.

And I did hope that by marrying Orion, it would be a good chance to show Apollo that he would never do anything to hurt me. But yet, I must also be mindful of still devoting some of my time to him as his sister and companion. I would swear upon Styx to do such a thing if I had to. I could only hope that Apollo had calm down and would be more willing to compromise than continue to give me the cold shoulder.

I was suddenly pulled out from my thoughts when Orion stood up, pulling me up with him. I only had mere seconds to regain myself before he lifted me into the air by the waist and spun me around gaily several times with a bright smile on his face.

I squealed in surprise but smiled at the sight of him so happy. The curve of his beautiful smile on his thin, masculine lips really did set off some sort of spark within me that made me burst with emotions. I laughed brightly with him, enjoying this moment of pure happiness.

When Orion set me down on my feet, his hands, which never left my waist, wound around me once again and hugged me to him, his face buried in my wavy bistre hair. I immediately responded by hugging him back affectionately, my own face buried in the crook of his neck. The both of us just stood there for a while, just enjoying the loving embrace.

All of a sudden, I felt Orion's hands moving up to grasp my arms and he pulled me away to hold me at arms' length. With a sparkle in his eyes, he said, "I think this calls for a little bit of celebrating. So, what's say you and I dance for a while? I have heard from many that you have a liking to dance in forests, Lady Artemis."

I swatted his hand slightly in disapproval of him referring me as 'Lady'. I was to be his wife (felt very strange thinking of myself as that) so of course I would disapprove him from addressing me so formally.

With a grin, I grasped both his hands in mine. Very soon, we were dancing throughout the forest together, the land basking in the glowing auras we radiated together.

Maybe it won't be so bad…. Maybe it won't…. Just do it…. For Artemis….

Apollo was by his lonesome in one of the farther regions of the palace gardens, pacing aimlessly as he became so wrapped up in his thoughts. He came to the gardens just for the solitude it provided to help him clear his complicated mind and think. He had been there for at least two hours now.

His mind was full of Artemis, his precious older twin sister. He tried to recollect every happy thought of her; her smile, her laugh, her kindness, her caring nature and her protective side. Those were the traits she had when she was always around him. But now, he was afraid that his improper behavior has caused him to lose favors of those special traits of hers.

He wanted to gain her forgiveness. That would be quite a difficult task since Artemis has quite a reputation for being an unforgiving goddess to those who have really crossed her, be it deity, being or mortal. Even if he was her brother, Apollo knew that he would have to earn her forgiveness somehow, and that would not be easy.

Apollo tried to think of every possible way to gain her forgiveness. He could send her extravagant gifts, but it would be foolish of him to win her back with presents. He could write a new hymn or a ballad or both and dedicate it especially to her, but that might not work so well. Or he could just act as if nothing had happened and carry on as per normal, but he knew that would only bring even worse results or none at all.

When he came to the final idea, he cringed for it was the one he was trying best to avoid.

Unfortunately, coming to terms with Orion was maybe the best and only way to win Artemis back.

Apollo wanted to hit himself for even thinking of accepting him. It was because of him he and his sister fought the worst fight that could ever come between them. It was because of him the strong bonds holding the both of them were beginning to show cracks. It was because of him there was a risk of them being separated from one another.

But he knew he had no choice. It was the only way to win back his sister. He only hoped that he would be able to find the willpower to tolerate Orion.

Apollo finally stopped his pacing and took a deep breath, trying to clear his head once again. To relax, he looked upwards at the sky and gazed at the flock of birds flying aimlessly in the dull orange sky.

It's going to be evening soon. he realized to himself. I better get my chariot ready.

So he walked out of the clearing quietly, but his mind was full of Artemis once again.

Author's Note:

I updated a day early because I would be leaving tomorrow for Malaysia to visit some relatives. Updates would resume to normal on Monday.

On another note, this has to be absolutely one of my most favorite chapters that I have ever wrote. When I did research on Orion, it usually described Artemis as being the one who had proposed marriage, with him being only half-agreeable. So I decided to change that for my own liking. Orion proposing to Artemis and her agreeing would have to absolutely be one of the most best things to happen in this story :)

By the way, do not be weirded out by the fact that Orion proposed to Artemis just a few hours after they shared their first kiss and admitted their feelings for each other. Love is always absolutely strange in Greek Mythology. Just look at Hades and Persephone.

Speaking of which! An announcement to all my Hades and Persephone fans! I had released a new fanfiction on them a few days ago. This fanfiction would be completely different from my usual Hades and Persephone fics. Check it out! And maybe leave a review? :)

One interesting thing I thought I could share with all of you; The hotel I would be staying in Malaysia is called The Orion.

The Fates must be playing with me...

Muse of Fanfiction