Updated: 28/8/2021

Happy 29th Birthday to Me and Happy 55th Birthday to my Dad!

This is the biggest mass update I have done

Chapter 4: Reflection

"Not even close", Hestia replies.

"Just how many songs did Artemis preform?" Athena asks.

"A great many. As you will see. But as you have already seen this became a way for her to share her emotions and her vulnerability", Hestia replies.

"What do you mean vulnerability?" Apollo asks confused.

"She has never been vulnerable!" Hermes exclaims.

"Milady is anything by vulnerable", Thalia agrees.

"She seems to be the most confided person I have seen", Meg agrees.

"Have hearing these three songs shown you nothing?" Hestia asks them.

"They have showed us her grieving", Poseidon starts.

"But can't you see she is vulnerable?" Hestia asks them, looking a bit disappointed with them.

"Artemis is many things, but I won't call my daughter vulnerable or even weak", Zeus states.

"I agree my sister is always strong and indestructible", Apollo states.

Many agree.

"Then you really don't know her. You need to keep watching", Hestia states and snaps her fingers and the screen starts again.

Artemis was leaning on a tree in the clearing where she had marked her brothers grave. She had red rimmed eyes and looked miserable. She was looking at the sky.

The group was confused by what they were seeing till the saw the knife in Artemis's hand.

"Brother how can I go on when nobody sees me?" Artemis asks the sun.

She played with the knife on her wrist.

"I can't show weakness. Our family is not about that. But why brother can't they see me for what I truly am?" Artemis asks the sky.

The Gods look confused but worried as they see the knife pressing on her wrist.

"Maybe it would be easier just to end it all. All the pain, all the lying, all the guilt, all the play-acting and especially all the masks that nobody seems to notice", Artemis states tears falling.

"No Arty don't so it", Apollo says, he wanted to jump through the screen and snatch the knife from her and then bring her into his arms.

Artemis sobs, "What am I? What am I but a horrible Sister, Friend, Mistress, Daughter, Niece, Cousin and Twin? HE didn't deserve to die. But I did. It should have been ME that died not HIM", Artemis says tears falling rapidly.

"NO! It will never be you! I would ALWAYS be willing to die for you Arty. You would NEVER deserve to die!" Apollo argues looking at Artemis's image in pain.

Oh how he now wanted to run and go and find his sister and just hold her tight till all her sadness, self-hate and nasty thoughts disappeared.

"She would never deserve to die", Athena and Hermes state.

"Even I admit she doesn't deserve this", Hera states.

"Now you are gone, and my life doesn't seem right. It would be so easy to end it…"

The knife presses harder to Artemis's skin.

"NO! Don't do it Little Sis", Apollo begs.

Everyone couldn't believe what they were seeing. Was Artemis's really that bad?

"But I can't. It would be the easy way out. And the cowards. But I deserve to suffer", Artemis says trembling as she pulls the knife back.

The was only a slight spot of blood.

"You are anything BUT a coward Little Sis and nobody deserves to suffer especially you", Apollo states.

"Then why haven't you told Artemis your alive?" Hestia asks him.

Apollo did wonder why he hadn't told her yet.

Everyone reminds silent.

The imagine flickers back to the 'Siren's Song'.

Artemis looks at the crowd on stage. She looked nervous but seemed to coming to a decision.

"This is not the song I originally was going to sing. But I need to get this out. I am Diana Apolla and this is 'Reflection' and it seems to be about who I am and what people see about me", Artemis states and takes up the mike.

Music begins to play. But Artemis wasn't playing this time. But they had seen that she had given a CD track to the stage manager.

Look at me
You may think you see
Who I really am
But you'll never know me
Every day
It's as if I play a part
Now I see
If I wear a mask
I can fool the world
But I cannot fool my heart

Apollo wonder if Artemis really wear a mask? What did the first verse really mean?

Apollo looked at Artemis's face she looked between upset and heartbreak.

Thalia didn't know what to think as she didn't believe her Mistress actually had a mask around her Hunters. But then again, she hadn't been with the Hunters long. Maybe Zoe had seen these so-called masks.

Athena was trying to see if she could identify in her memories of Artemis having masks. But she just couldn't picture it.

Zeus and the others all felt that way too.

Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?

Apollo considered this chorus, and did it mean Artemis didn't see herself clearly? Did it mean Artemis had a identity crisis? Why hadn't he noticed this before?

Why had ANYONE not seen this?

I am now
In a world where I
Have to hide my heart
And what I believe in
But somehow
I will show the world
What's inside my heart
And be loved for who I am

"Artemis I already love you for who you are", Apollo murmurs.

"Do you really think that?" Hestia asks him.

"Of course!" Apollo argues.

"If you did then why hadn't you done something to help her lift her masks and see herself clearly? Why does Artemis see someone else in her reflection?" Hestia asks them.

"She doesn't know who she is. She is having an identity crisis isn't she Hestia?" Athena asks.

"Listen and answer you own questions", Hestia replies.

Artemis's voice raises at the chorus. She was holding the mike now in two hands and singing in such a way it showed the Gods just how Artemis saw herself. Or didn't see herself.

Apollo noticed the way Artemis held herself was like a defeated woman. Of course she would be as he had seen she had contemplated cutting herself and ending it all.

With that thought he thought was she still suicidal?

Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection
Someone I don't know?
Must I pretend that I am
Someone else for all time?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?

Athena realised her question was answered Artemis WAS having an identity crisis. But just what was Artemis seeing differently in her reflection to what people thought she was?

'Oh little one how I have failed you', Apollo thinks.

His heart breaking with each song. And they had bought so much insight to his sister. He started to realise just how much damage he had done.

So was Zeus just how much had he contributed to her identity crisis?

There's a heart that must be
Free to fly
That burns with a need to know
The reason why

Why must we all conceal
What we think, how we feel?
Must there be a secret me
I'm forced to hide?

The group wondered why Artemis seemed to have hidden her grief and the way she saw herself.

She shouldn't have been doing this on her own.

"Does Artemis really have a different side of her?" Demeter asks.

"Of course she does if she can perform, sing and play piano and guitar without us knowing", Athena states.

"What else is different from the Artemis we have know for thousands of years and this one?" Aphrodite asks.

"A lot by the looks of it", Hades states.

"She must be in a bad place to see herself like that", Persephone states.

"But how did we miss this?" Apollo wonders.

I won't pretend that I'm
Someone else for all time
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?

Everyone has clapping loudly at the end of her song. The audience seemed to love her. Artemis bows and moves over to the bar.

"Is what you sung true? Does nobody in your family see you for why you are?" Trevor asks Artemis.

"Yes it is true. They don't see me for me. And I don't see…", Artemis hesitates fiddling with her pendent.

"You don't see the person you want to be", Trevor finishes.

"Yes. I show everyone what they WANT to see. I show them what they come to expect from me. I can never be who I wish to be", Artemis replies.

"So you wear your masks and nobody has noticed?" Trevor asks her.

"No nobody has noticed", Artemis replies.

"Not even you twin?" Trevor asks her.

"No even him", Artemis replies with a tear falling.

Apollo's world seemed to spin. Was he really no good at seeing through her masks? Was he as bad of a brother that he was thinking right now?

"Diana take my advice don't give up on your family yet", Trevor advises.

"It seems Trevor that my family have already given up on me", Artemis replies taking a drink.

The groups eyes widen. Is what Artemis had said the truth? Had they really given up on her or make her believe that?

"Artemis sounds so alone like she is…", Thalia starts.
"Like she is the only person in the world", Meg finishes.

"Exactly what I think she feels", Hestia says nodding at them.

"What makes you say that? Besides them not seeing you?" Trevor asks.

"They think I am heartless, cold and a bitch and a person who can't love, to put it mildly", Artemis replies.

"Even your twin you lost?" Trevor asks her.

Artemis looks up at him, "Even him", she replies gripping her pendent tightly.

Silence was in the Hall of the Gods as the screen went black.

Apollo felt the wind had been knocked out of him. Did Artemis really believe that? It wasn't true! Not one word of it!

"Its not true! I have NEVER felt Artemis was heartless or a bitch! And she is not anywhere near cold! And of course I believe she can love!" Apollo denies.

"How can SHE know that? When all you ALL do was treat her differently than how she should be. Your actions speak for themselves, and Artemis thinks her actions prove she is heartless, cold, bitch that is incapable of love and so many other things", Hestia reveals to them.
"Then why does she not lower her mask?" Meg asks.
"Because one can only handle so much pain before it becomes too much. And anyway wouldn't you want the people who are your friends and family to see through your masks on their own and come to you and help lift those masks that are made to protect you", Hestia asks them.

Everyone had to admit Hestia had a point.

Zeus felt like a horrible Father how could he not notice Artemis thought everyone thought of her that way?

Aphrodite felt guilty as she knew she might had contributed to Artemis's thinking she was unlovable.

Hera felt like the heartless one. Because looking at the Artemis is the memories it was clear that Artemis was ANYTHING but heartless, a bitch and unlovable. Maybe SHE needed to take a good look in the mirror.

Athena, Hermes, Hephaestus, Persephone all felt they were horrible siblings. Even Ares and Dionysus felt bad. They realised they had contributed to Artemis's depression. Maybe they were the ones that were heartless and bitches. Maybe THEY weren't capable of love.

Apollo now believed more then anything that it was HE who was the bad sibling and not Artemis. HE and not her was the one who was heartless and a bitch.

But how could he fix this?

He looked at one of the surfaces in the room and looked at his reflection and he didn't like what he saw.

Maybe it was time to show Artemis just how lovable she was and make sure she knew she was anything but heartless and a bitch, And whatever else Artemis felt about herself.

Maybe THEY all needed to support her.

And to do it they were going to have to watch ALL the memories Hestia was going to show them.

For those memories might show they more insight on the mind workings of the Moon Goddess.

And then they would help her. No matter what it took.

Everyone was in agreement they would watch these memories for Artemis then help her in whatever way they could.

Because the Moon Goddess was broken and now they had to make her see her reflection in a different life.

But was that really possible?

Author's Note: What dot you think? Please Review:)