At the sight of Artemis, Goddess of the hunt, I paled while dropping my jaw in awe. She was a very honourable goddess, and I could respect that. There was a twinge of fear in the back of my skull, though, as she was one of the most prominent beings of femminism. And as for me? Well, I'm not the dreaded manly figure that she and her huntresses swore off, I was just here. Just being me, and not being fit for either side of the conflict.
Not knowing how she felt about me, or the fact that I existed as a spawn of Nyx and her twin brother, I respectfully bowed. Wincing, I remembered the slight discomfort where the end of the prosthetic attached to my thigh held my weight off the ground. "Greetings, Artemis." In my time before knowing I was a god, I would have addressed her as Lady Artemis, but now I had a level of status that they didn't: the killer of Kronos' soul.
The scary-ass goddess held her expression in, staring at my bowed form before turning to her brother. "They are something, Brother. I will give you that," she uttered. Slowly, as to not surprise anyone, I rose from my kneeling position. It was a struggle, as I had to use my core muscles to rise enough for my prosthetic leg to swing forward. Without hesitation, the goddess was by my side and offering a hand to stand up. Normally, I rejected any and all help from other gods, but something told me that turning Artemis down wouldn't end well. That's exactly what I did.
With a nod of acknowledgement, I braced myself for the ache and stood up by myself. Apollo came to his sister's side, seemingly nervous at her reaction to being rejected. To my surprise, as I stood tall in front of her, she smiled. I remained stoic while Apollo grinned widely.
"Sister, why not stay for the night? We can have a family bonding moment with Isorreth!" His enthusiasm made me cringe visibly, and his sister did the same. He chuckled at our parallel expressions, and pated Artemis on the back. "You remember last time, and that was fun!"
"Gain some dignity, Brother. The last time I agreed to this, it caused an eclipse, and blinded hundreds of mortals." I blinked in shock. Okay then, that's new. I don't want to know what caused them to either get close enough to cause an eclipse, or what got them pissed enough to fight with each other.
"Oh come on, Arty!" suddenly there was an arrowhead pulled back fully pointing at the Sun god's forehead, with a very awkward teenager standing in between them.
"I said: don't call me that."
With some nervous laughter, I tried to get between the arrow and the Sun god. I could already feel the moon trying to overpower the surfaces of darkness in the night sky, and the glow of Apollo's palace was becoming more and more blindingly unbearable. "Hahaha, okay, let's not do this. Artemis, I had some questions for you?" I tried to bullshit my way through talking Artemis out of starting a battle with her brother.
The goddess looked at me, moving the bow intentionally for the light to glint off of the arrowhead mere millimeters away from my face. I remained, using some dark force to pull Apollo further behind me by the sling of his toga. This idiot is my father? After squaring my shoulders, I took the ballsy move to slowly raise my one hand and direct the bow down at the ground. The goddess had no intention of actually hurting anyone, at least I hoped, and she allowed me to get her to lower her weapon while giving me a calculating gaze. It really was like she was hunting me, while standing right in front of me.
After a few moments of me standing there, and her with the bow aimed to the ground, she relaxed. A smile broke out on her face, and I almost flinched as she relaxed and returned the arrow back into the quiver. Now, I was just confused. Apollo wore a proud grin from ear to ear, while his sister shot me a small smile with friendly but striking eyes. Oh. This was a test.
"Arty, you're so intense! I'm sure Isorreth's already proven themself many times over. They're a good kid; I mean it!" The siblings let the tension fall, and they shook hands firmly while patting each other's shoulders. It reminded me a lot of Nico and myself, except that he patted my shoulder while I pulled him close.
"Of course, Apollo, I was simply looking to strengthen your judgement." Artemis now looked to me, offering a hand again. I hesitated, looking at it before Apollo pulled the two of us way too close together. With myself facing Artemis, and both of us clutched close to Apollo's chest, I was extremely uncomfortable. My ADHD kicked in, feeling, seeing and hearing everything in the room.
"So it is true? I thought that Demeter was just coo-coo when she said that." His informal word choice made me roll his eyes, but I didn't know what he was talking about.
"Yes, brother." Artemis turned to me, us both shrugging out of Apollo's clutches. "News has reached the Olympians of Hades' new alias for you." My face fell blank, and I couldn't decide how to feel. Hades called me Little Moon, and I was currently standing before the Moon goddess, and Hades called me Little Moon for gods sake.
"At least it is a hero of honour that holds such a title to the Lord of the Underworld," Artemis grinned. I was still confused. What?! Upon blinking in confusion between the 2 Olympians, Apollo chuckled again.
"Join us for dinner, and we'll fill you in on all the Godly Gossip," he giggled like an Aphrodite demigod. Artemis rolled her eyes, but followed suit as her brother led us all to a circular table in a patio area. With a smile, he looked to me. "Mind giving me a bit of your energy?" I almost immediately backed away and shook my head, but refrained against it.
"Uh... why?"
"Cuz it'll look cooler than just flashing some dinner in." With an exasperated look, I flicked a droplet of dark force at him, which he, with some effort, froze to encase in light. I watched, slightly concerned at the over dramatic show with Artemis. He danced the light around the darkness, giggling before sending a beam of Sunlight straight into the darkness. The light exploded, and upon covering my eyes from the brightness, I looked back to see Artemis in a similar decision and Apollo sitting happily at the table with ambrosia and nectar.
"Dinner is served!" he high-fived himself. I rolled my eyes and sat at the seat with a black and white napkin draped over it. The napkin was white on top, where a sun was shown, and black on the bottom, where the sun became a moon. Very subtle, Apollo. Artemis' chair had a silver one with a moon insignia on it, while Apollo's was bright yellow with happy faces as polka dots.
As Apollo motioned for us to eat the ambrosia cubes and drink some nectar, I couldn't help but feel out of place. This amount of godly food could kill a demigod, but I wasn't a demigod. I still felt like one, but I'm not. I am still mortal, though. I looked to Apollo, who was busy chugging down his entire glass of nectar.
"Idiot, brother." As Artemis reached across the table, she glanced sideways at her brother. I realized that she was moving parts of the ambrosia to the edge of my plate, away from me, and she poured some of my nectar into her own glass. "They are still mortal, brother. This much Godly food would give them the worst cramps." That answered my questioned.
"Arty, shhhh!" He rushed to stop her from pouring 2 thirds of my nectar the Olympian's glasses, but was unsuccessful. With a sigh, he looked to me sadly, then to his sister again. "I know that, but they won't eat everything they're given unless it's enough to keep a ghost unhungry." With that, I froze, and so did Artemis. Great, now Apollo was trying to fix my eating habits too. I glared at him through the ends of my hair, all while Artemis looked over my torso.
"My apologies, Brother," the goddess said, "Isorreth." She turned to me, and made me pull my eyes up to meet her's. "You will eat all of this." I widened my eyes, first at how firmly she stated it, then at the amount of food that was still left on my plate and in my glass. This was double the amount of normal food I would usually eat as a meal, let alone the amount of godly food I would have.
The god of truth smiled at me and used his domain's powers to move the ambrosia cubes on my plate into the shape of a smiley face. "Don't worry, Seth, your mortal body may not be able to keep up with a god's tolerance, but you are a minor god. You can handle more than your demigod friends." I almost cringed at how he referred to my demigod friends. Those people had been more family to me than anyone else in my life, and I didn't like that they were referred to in such an insignificant manner.
Knowing that I couldn't disobey Artemis and Apollo, I avoided their gazes and ate slowly and quietly. Apollo had somehow already finished all of his ambrosia, and was now pouring the nectar that Artemis took from me into his cup.
"So, you and that Hades kid?" I perked up at Apollo's innocent question. A smile grew from my lips while I chewed the ambrosia square. Nodding, I remembered our days and fun hanging out in the Underworld together.
"Yeah, he's great. I hate that everyone ostracized him, though." Apollo looked on, sympathetically as I concealed the burning rage. Okay, maybe I was a little overprotective of Nico. "Before the Titan war, everyone avoided him like the plague at camp. Just because he was a son of Hades. Gods, Hades is shunned from Olympus, but why do all the other half-bloods have to take it out on Nico? Hades has rarely ever done anything wrong in context, and even when he does, he makes amends." I didn't conceal my ranting, as I thought that both of Zeus' children should hear this. They looked slightly guilty, but mainly sympathetic.
"He's just different, like his father. They have certain traits, not necessarily bad ones, but ones that make them different from most others." Apollo's careful reassurances were pitifully obvious and forced. Taking a moment to stop myself from lashing out, I took a breath and quietly replied while avoiding all eyes.
"Those traits exist in your heads, and they simply deal with it alone, because they have no one else." Apollo looked like he had been stabbed in the gut, which was my intention. Artemis looked unsure, not knowing if she wanted to get in the middle of a father and child moment of disagreement. After a few awkward moments of silenced, I chose to set my stance verbally.
"He saved my life, and he's saved countless others. Neither of you can ignore that." My pride and certainty were overpowering, causing the light to glow brighter beneath my human skin. Artemis had that calculating look again, much like the looks Thalia gave me before she left with the hunt, but remained silent.
I could tell that Apollo was thinking of my side, considering how Nico really did save my life. Had it not been for him raising Luke's soul, I would not have been healed, and would have joined the son of Hermes, daughter of Aphrodite, and son of Nemesis in their way to Elysium. On top of it all, Nico was one of my biggest reasons for fighting with the gods, instead of against them. On top of everything else, he's helped me more in my struggles, both physical and emotional, than Apollo ever would. That was the truth. Plain and honest.
Artemis cleared her throat, trying to break up the tension between my wanna-be father and I. "I do wonder, Isorreth, what have you done to come so close with Hades? His son, I can see, but I don't recall ever hearing Hades so comfortable in the company of a minor god." I wore a proud smile, finally meeting Artemis' eyes.
"I'm not too sure either, Artemis. I did compliment the Underworld, but other than that, I've had little interaction with him." Gods, just thinking of how powerful I felt while in the Underworld's darkness made me jump with glee. Perhaps Hades could sense this, and enjoyed my adoration for his realm.
"Well, you're one lucky god! The only gods with permission to travel between all 4 realms at will are the messengers, and they actually use that for their jobs!" I was still not used to being called a god, and was even less familiar with being compared to Hermes and Iris. Apollo chuckled at that, and nudged the glass of nectar closer to me. With a sigh, I gave in and drank it sip by sip.
"So what made you change your look? I like the hair, by the way." I almost choked on the nectar, but swallowed it down after. Artemis looked confused, and Apollo was probably just as confused, but snickered at my panic.
"Um..."
"C'mon, Seth! I'm your dad! I get that you're a teenager, you're going through changes-"
"Shut up, Apollo. It wasn't my choice!" Both twins raised an eyebrow as I choked down the nectar. Sighing, I lowered my voice, nervous that she may hear me. "Aphrodite did it." Currently, I was wearing black basketball shorts with the CHB logo on the side in orange and one of Percy's grey tank tops. I had taken it right before leaving, since it was hanging on his door and was the only thing that wasn't blue in sight. The dog tags were tucked under the neck of the shirt, and I suddenly became very aware of the Non-binary bracelet tied around my prosthetic under the table. The dyed highlights in my hair didn't look bad per say, but they drew attention, even when my scar light wasn't visible.
Artemis seemed to be a little sympathetic, but Apollo only chuckled. "She is like that, now, isn't she?" I nodded, fearfully checking the entrances and exits to see if the love goddess was watching. The 2 Olympians were finished their meals, leaving me still with a good amount of ambrosia and nectar left untouched. They remained sitting, waiting for me to finish. Knowing that there wouldn't be any other escape, I tried as best I could to eat what was left, but I simply didn't have enough appetite. Shamefully, I put down the fork. I already felt so full, I was hoping that they wouldn't make me eat more.
Apollo looked to me with a bit of sadness, yet wore a prideful smile. "Good job, Kiddo. I'll leave that there in case you get hungry." He motioned to my remaining food and nectar while whisking away his sister's plate along with his own in a Sun beam. I felt shameful, as I had not done as Artemis had demanded, but the huntress held no disgust or disappointment in her steely gaze, only concern.
"So anyway, all the Olympians have been talking about you and Hades." I shot Apollo a look, shocked, yet not surprised at the same time. "What? I'm not kidding! They all think that he's trying to adopt you because of what you said about you and Nico, but I don't think so- right? He's not actually trying to-"
"Calm yourself, brother. Let them decide for themself," Artemis interrupted. With a nervous glance, I saw the worry beading on Apollo's temple.
With a sigh, I thought about it. Hades was nice and all, but not really a fatherly figure. I mean, he's literally my brother/best friend's dad, so he felt exactly like that. I would consider him a friend, though. He did seem to enjoy some of my company, like when I got Cerberus to play fetch with Hades' servants. (Literally. Cerberus looked like his joints were sore, so Nico and I threw a servant 100m away and Cerberus played fetch with the skeleton. The only problem was that 2 of the heads got left out, so we threw 2 more servants. Hades was wondering why he kept seeing the same few servants, instead of the many that he usually had at his disposal, and when he looked out his window to see what we were doing, he laughed and launched a massive bone into the distance for the loving 3 headed dog to run after. That bone was as long as a train, but that's besides the point.)
Apollo and I clearly had some unrequited feelings for each other, and I knew that he was well aware of that. I didn't hate him. He did what he had to do for the sake of the world, even if he was lying about the whole it'll all balance in the end thing. Still, it's hard to forgive something as impactful as a childhood of abuse, trauma, depression, and anxiety simply because you know the reasoning. I wasn't ready to try and have any type of parent and child relationship, yet he didn't seem to understand that. So, I came up with as satisfying of a response as I could to ease his worries.
"Hades and I are acquaintances, maybe friends, I'd say. He's a good guy once you get to know him a bit, and I have no idea where the μικρό φεγγάριthing came from. Maybe my relationship with Nico, maybe not." I abruptly stood, trying to escape this conversation, but Apollo made the doorway shine with Sunlight that hurt my eyes to look at. Artemis didn't seem to be affected, so I knew that he was using my Nyx side against me. Usually, in my light form, I could handle normal daylight and sunsets, but this was just a tad too bright for me.
" Well, that's good. How has camp been, by the way? I've been hearing that a certain son of mine has been making everyone happy. Especially Aphrodite and Hephaestus..." If I was eating or drinking something, I would have definitely choked. Will, you fucking ray of sunshine. Artemis looked questioningly to her brother, then to me. Gods, how would the world's biggest femminist react to her brother's gay as fuck son celebrating queer pride at camp? Nervously, I reached to fiddle with the dog tags around my neck. Apollo just seemed to realize them, and looked expectantly for a response.
"Uh..."
Apollo must have gotten a glimpse of what was under the metal tags because he just smiled widely. I nervously saw Artemis blink for a moment, still refusing to show any emotion or opinion. With another look to her brother, Artemis' gaze softened and she looked to me kindly.
"No need to worry, Isorreth. The other gods aren't known to be the straightest deities around. I know I may be vocal in my opinion on men, but I'm well aware that not all men are the same. Just like how not all people feel the same, even if I don't understand it." Her voice was genuine and she actually looked the slightest embarrassed herself. I understood that she may not understand being non-binary and all, or how some people COUGH WILL FUCKING SOLACE COUGH didn't like the 'opposite' gender, but the gesture of her not shunning me was very reassuring.
"You know, if I was a your age right now, I'd definitely be checking out some of those boys AND girls at camp." My face must have showed how uncomfortable I was, and Artemis laughed. I wasn't completely at terms with my sexuality, nor did I want this to be my coming out party. The only person who I had told about it so far was... wow. No one. I've told no one.
"Anyway, the point is, you're valid, and everything, and blah blah blah-" I was preparing to role my eyes at Apollo, but the punchline of his rambling hit like a bus. "So who do you like? I'm sure there has to be someone at that camp who strikes your fancy." I grew exponentially uncomfortable, and this time Artemis punched him in the shoulder. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
"Brother, they don't have to be attracted to someone just because they're surrounded by others. Even still, they don't have to tell you who it is if they are interested in anyone." Artemis' words were very comforting, but my annoying ass father wasn't listening to any of it.
"I don't care if they're a girl, guy, demigod, god, nymph-"
"Apollo! You are making them uncomfortable!"
"Seriously! What about that Athena kid? He seems like he's good with words."
"I don't want to destroy your palace after Annabeth so kindly rebuilt it for you, Brother."
"Or what about some of those Hephaestus girls? They seem good with their hands, if you know what I-"
"APOLLO! They are children! You will not be even thinking about doing anything-"
"Eh, some of those Hermes kids aren't my type, but I do see potential for-"
I sat there, dumbfounded and extremely uncomfortable. Apollo continued to describe the other campers in ways that I hated passionately, and he kept ignoring Artemis' attempts to get him to shut up. Great! Absolute hell. I just got back to the Underworld which is sooo much better than Olympus, and this right here was hell. I'm experiencing hell.
With a sudden rise from the table, I turned to my dark form and turned around. Quickly rushing the words out, I clarified before leaving. "Will was helping me celebrate non-binary pride, and got the Hephaestus cabin to make me dog tags with the flag on it. The Aphrodite cabin got in on it when the Apollo cabin was celebrating their sexuality and pride, and so everyone made friendship bracelets of the pride flags at the crafts table."
Before I could give Apollo a chance to respond, I quickly turned to my dark form and rushed out of the palace. There weren't any shadows thanks to the light being radiated from everything in the palace, conveniently, so I had to escape to the outside, meaning straight into the heart of Olympus.
I could hear Artemis holding her brother back, and was thankful that the Goddess had some mercy for me. Once out of the bright building, I looked around to find the next worst thing to encounter that night.
"I see that you're bonding with your father, Seth," Zeus said as he crossed his arms.