Updated: 20/1/2022

Chapter 5: Bringing You Back

Apollo was nervous this was going to be the last fight with Nero. He was here at Camp Half-Blood with the demigods all lined up ready to fight Nero's army.

These last few weeks attacks had happened against demigods. But Nero's secret accomplice. Whoever it was they could never identify the person because whoever it was wore a hood. But the person was good to nearly kill the people they attacked.

Apollo hoped he didn't have to take on whoever it was. Meg had promised to take whoever it was. As the person had hurt several of Dryads. So Meg wanted pay back. Apollo was only too happy to let her.

Apollo with Meg, Percy, Annabeth, Will, Nico and Thalia near him watch an army of monsters approach with Nero at its head.

"Apollo! Or do you prefer Lester?" Nero taunts.

Apollo just stares at Nero not wanting to get into a game of words with him.
"Do you like my army Apollo? It will wipe the Demigods out who won't go under my Rule", Nero tells them.

"We will never follow you", Meg spat at him.
"My dear step-daughter how you have fallen. There is still a chance for you to come back to the right side. To the winning side", Nero offers her.

"In your dreams", Meg growls at Nero.

"A pity. What do you think Apollo will you join me?" Nero asks Apollo.

"No I would never", Apollo replies.

"You haven't even seen my glorious right-hand woman", Nero says smirking.

"Woman?" Apollo asks confused.

"Yes. A lovely girl. Why don't you come out here my dear?" Nero calls.

A woman in a hooded cloak appears at Nero's side. They still couldn't see her face.
"You need a woman to do your dirty work?" Apollo taunts.

"Not just any woman. My slave why don't you take off your cloak?" Nero asks.

"Yes Master", a familiar woman's voice says.

Apollo's heart beats faster at that voice. It can't be. She wouldn't. She couldn't be.

The woman takes the cloak off and every demigod gasps and Apollo felt faint. There with her auburn hair in a messy plait was his sister Artemis. Her yellow-silver eyes looking at them coldly and they looked clouded.

"Artemis", Apollo breaths nearly dropping his bow.

"Yes your beloved Sister", Nero says smirking.

"What have you done? She would never join you", Apollo says demanding an explanation.

"She wouldn't join us willingly", Nero tells them.

Apollo looks at his sister what did Nero mean 'Willingly'. Was it possible she was being controlled?
"What do you mean?" Thalia asks tense and angry.

"I have been slowly gaining control over the dear Moon Goddess here for months. It did take us a while to get her full control. But we did the longer she was away from you Apollo", Nero tells them smirking.

"What do you mean?" Apollo asks weakly.

"Because she has been separated from you, her twin brother, her other half, so long she became weak and we were able to get FULL control over her a few weeks ago. She is now under our spell. She may know what she is doing. But her body is ours to control, order and use", Nero informs them.

Apollo felt his heart break. Artemis was in this situation because of him. Apollo wondered if the true Artemis was still there. Could he bring her back?

"Why do this?" Apollo asks.

"Because if you kill her it will destroy you. If she kills you it will destroy her. It is a win-win situation", Nero replies smirking.

Apollo's mouth goes dry he couldn't kill his sister, he wouldn't. Never.

"I won't kill her and she won't kill me", Apollo says firmly.

"She WILL kill you when ordered the only way to stop her is for you to kill her", Nero says smirking evilly.

"I won't kill her. She won't kill me. She will break this enchantment", Apollo growls.

"Is that your choice? To fight?" Nero asks smirking.

"Apollo I will take her", Meg whispers to him.

"NO! I must. Keep Nero distracted I will get Artemis back", Apollo replies, "Everyone stay away from Artemis she is mine. I'll get her back"

Thalia and the Hunt look like they wanted to argue but Apollo gives them a look.

"What is your choice?" Nero asks again.

"We will fight. And I WILL get Artemis back", Apollo says with confidence, "I want to fight her one on one. In front of both armies. If Artemis kills me, it will be easy for you to take over"

"What are you doing?" Meg hisses.
"What needs to be done", Apollo replies his eyes only on Artemis, on his beloved sister.

"Very well. It will do good for everyone to see you die. Artemis your orders are to kill Apollo in a painful way", Nero orders.

"Yes Master", Artemis replies in a monotone voice drawing hunting knives.

Apollo winces at how dead sounding his sisters voice was.

"Attack!" Nero booms.

Artemis leaps forward. Apollo dodges the hunting knife thrown at him.

"Artemis! You must fight this, this isn't you", Apollo says dodging her clumsily.

"Yes it is you're the enemy", Artemis replies in the monotone voice.

"I'm not the enemy. Nero is!", Apollo says blocking her knife.

"Master is not the enemy", Artemis replies.

"Why are you fighting for him?" Apollo asks trying to think of a way to bring her back.

"Master said so", Artemis replies nicking his arm with her knives.

"Artemis he is evil and is using you. Fight sister! Your stronger than him. Your a warrior. You my bright, brilliant and clever sister", Apollo tells her wincing at the cuts she delivered to him hurt.

"You're the…enemy", Artemis says slowly.

Apollo's eyes widen at her hesitating.

"Artemis if your in there you can fight it. Together we can do anything", Apollo tells her gasping as her knife cuts him deeply but not fatally.

He dodges her, while trying to get through to her. He suddenly realises that she had opportunities to kill him, but she hadn't. Her knives had gone in nonlethal places. She WAS in there. She was a Goddess and he was mortal she could have killed him in seconds if she wasn't in there.

"Arty your my baby sis. I won't hurt you. And you would never hurt me", Apollo tells her.

"Your wrong I will…kill you", Artemis replies in a monotone voice knocking his weapon out of his hands and him to the ground.

"APOLLO!" Meg yells as she tries to come to his side.

Apollo shakes his head at her before turning his attention back on Artemis.
"I love you Arty and I won't fight you. I won't raise my weapon on you. How could I? Your my twin. My other half. The one person I can count on I could never hurt you. No matter what you do to me I won't hurt you. Ever. I love you more than words can say", Apollo tells her surrendering to his sister on the ground.

Artemis was above him with her knife. She seemed to be fighting herself. Her eyes where changing colour.

"Finish him Slave!" Nero booms at Artemis.

Apollo looked at his sister with love, acceptance, concern and with so much forgiveness. He hoped this wasn't it…

Artemis was fighting with herself. She saw herself fighting her brother. All these months she couldn't fight what Nero told her to do. She couldn't even stop him from treating her like crap. She was just a spectator in her mind.

Now she had been ordered to kill her brother. She watched herself fight him. He was talking to her as they fought telling her how much she meant to him. She didn't want to kill her brother. She manages to not make a fatal blow. But she didn't know if she could stop herself from actually killing him.

Then she knocked him down. When he said those words to her she wanted to cry. He loved her. He wasn't going to fight her. He wasn't going to raise a weapon against her. He was right. He was her twin. Her other half. The one person she could count on. She couldn't kill him. But she couldn't trust herself to not go after Apollo. She needed to stop herself.

Thinking of how much she loved Apollo and how much he loved her. She turns her hunting knife on herself and stabs herself in the chest with it.
She hears Apollo cry out her name before the world went black…

Apollo was shocked when Artemis stabbed herself in the chest.

"Arty!" Apollo cries as she falls over unconscious

Apollo checked her and found she had missed her heart but she was in danger of the wound maybe making her fade. As he didn't know what the mind control did to her.

"I'll be back Arty", Apollo promises whispering.

He turns to Nero his eyes glowing with power and anger.
"You will pay for this! You WILL pay for hurting her!" Apollo growls draws his weapons.

"ATTACK!" Nero yells.

Apollo fired arrows with alarming speed and accuracy. All the demigods were fighting. Apollo was moving towards Nero when his nemeses the Python comes out.

"Go to Nero. I'll take care of my nemeses. But don't kill him I want that honour", Apollo orders Meg.

Meg nods and rushes towards Nero. Apollo rushes at the Python using what happened to his sister to fuel his strength.

He slashes at the monster. He dodges and weaves around the Python. But when the Python goes after the weakened and unconscious Artemis, Apollo sees red and feels power flood through him. He launches speedy attacks on the Python slashing the monster making it bleed. He hoped to get this over with soon. Artemis needed healing. She needed him.

He suddenly gets his chance and stabs an arrow into its weak spot. The Python hisses angrily that he would come back and get his revenge before bursting into gold dust.

Apollo didn't see Nero near him before he hears a gasp behind him to see Nero with a hunting knife in his back. Apollo sees Artemis on her side gasping as her hand was extended. She had obviously thrown the knife.
"Slave wh…", Nero starts.

But Apollo had shot an arrow right at Nero's chest. It hits him before he could finish.
"Nooo…", Nero rasps as he falls

"NEVER. MESS. WITH. US!" Apollo growls out and stabbing Nero with an arrow in the heart

Nero was dead before he could reply to Apollo's comment. Apollo looks around to see the monster army was about handled. Just one glance told him that.

So Apollo rushed to his sisters side who was still on her side breathing heavily.
"Arty you need to lay down", Apollo says softly.

"Ap…o…ll..o?" Artemis rasps in pain.
"Yes it is me. Lay down so I can look at you", Apollo says gently.

"H…el…p?" Artemis asks.

Apollo gently helps her to lay on her back. He saw she was still bleeding heavily. He also saw other wounds on her. She had obviously been abused by Nero.

"Will!" Apollo calls urgently.

"Yes Dad?" Will asks coming over quickly.

"Please get Ambrosia and Nectar. Quickly", Apollo orders.

"Yes Dad", Will says running off.

Apollo turns his attention back to his badly injured sister.
"Arty where does it hurt besides the chest?" Apollo asks gently.

"M…y…my he…ad", Artemis rasps.

Apollo nods.

"Ma…ke…it…st…op", Artemis begs him with tears falling.

It hurt to see Artemis crying. He needed to help her.

"Shh Sis. I will fix you up", Apollo says promising gently.

Will returns with ambrosia and nectar. Apollo snatches them up and pours some of the nectar on the chest wound and feed Artemis some nectar. He went to do more of the stab wound and found his hands glowing.

"Apollo", Artemis gasps in shock.

"You're a God again Dad", Will gasps in shock.

Apollo didn't want to think about when he got his powers back. He immediately sent power into Artemis fixing her wound.
"He…ad hur…ts badly", Artemis slurries.

"I will put you too sleep Artemis. When you wake up the pain will be gone", Apollo promises gently.

Artemis nods her eyes full of trust and pain. Apollo gently puts her to sleep as he sets about the task of getting his sister healthy again…

Days Later…Olympus...

Apollo looked at his sister it had been days since the fight and Artemis had been sleep since he put her to sleep. He wanted to make sure all her wounds healed, and she wouldn't be in too much pain. He had Hecate look at the mind control and told him the spell died with Nero. But Artemis had hurt her mind with breaking through it. That Artemis was likely to have headaches for some time because of it but that should pass in time.

Apollo had explained everything to his father. But told him he would not leave Artemis's side. Zeus had reluctantly agreed as Apollo pointed out it was his fault this happened. If he hadn't of separated them Artemis would have been strong enough to fight of the mind control.

Apollo hoped she would be ok. He healed all the injuries he could. She would be sore. But he hoped she wouldn't be in too much pain. And that she would be fully back to him.

Suddenly a moan of pain comes from the bed. Apollo quickly turns to see Artemis starting to stir.
"Hey Arty. You with me?" Apollo asks softly.

"Brother?" Artemis whispers opening her eyes only to wince and shut them again.

Apollo realises what happened and quickly dims the lights.

"Sorry Sis. I fixed it", Apollo says softly.

Artemis slowly opens her eyes and they focus on Apollo.

"Is this real?" she rasps.

"It is. How are you feeling?" Apollo asks gently.

"Sore. My head is pounding. He…he made me hurt people", Artemis tells him with tears in her eyes.

"It is over now", Apollo says comfortably wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I won't be forced to obey him? The mind control is gone?" Artemis asks worriedly.

"All gone. Hecate confirmed it. You did it Sis you came back", Apollo tells her smiling proudly.

"You bought me back", Artemis says softly.

Apollo looks at her questioning look.

"Your words. I couldn't hurt you. You managed to get through to me. I love you too much to hurt you", Artemis explains to him.

"I love you too Arty. I couldn't hurt you. I trust you even when you being mined controlled", Apollo reveals to her.

"Really?" Artemis asks tearfully.

Apollo pulls her into a hug.
"Always", Apollo replies kissing her forehead.

"Thanks for bringing me back my Big Brother", Artemis says softly snuggling into her brothers comforting embrace, his scent helping ease her headache.
"I will ALWAYS bring you back Little Sis. Always. And I'll always be there for you. No matter what"

He was so relieved he was able to Bring her back. He was now going to make sure this never happened again...

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