Ch. 12
Thalia felt like her body had been split into a million different pieces. When she felt it all come back together, she opened her eyes and found herself in a secluded area of a forest. She looked around, confused on how she'd gotten there.
Then she heard it.
She turned and saw Artemis and Apollo standing face to face. Their faces were only inches apart as they hissed at each other in ancient Greek. They spoke too quickly for Thalia to comprehend anything they were saying and it ended when Artemis shoved Apollo backwards, hard.
The sun god stumbled back before catching himself.
Apollo's face, which had already healed considerably, was still a sight to see. He looked like he'd gone twelve rounds in a boxing ring, and not been on the winning side. His features were swollen, his nose crooked and teeth stained an unsettling golden color.
He looked like he was going to attack his sister but stopped when he noticed Thalia looking at them.
"Father is demanding us on Olympus. Bring the demigod." He spat.
He didn't wait for Artemis to reply, he body began to glow and Thalia averted her eyes to avoid being incinerated.
Once he was gone, Artemis' shoulders sagged and her previously stiff posture disappeared. She looked ready to collapse.
"My lady?" Thalia wasn't really sure what to say. She still hadn't fully comprehended everything that'd happened. Her two best friends were now dead. The goddess Athena had been slain, though she wasn't sure what that meant for an immortal. Her other two quest mates had betrayed both her and the gods and were in league with Perseus and the titans. And if that hadn't been enough, the maiden goddess in front of her, turned out to be the wife of the crazy guy who'd just sent two Olympians running, imprisoned another and killed a fourth.
Yeah, it was a lot to process.
Artemis turned her head but she didn't reply. She lowered herself to the ground and buried her face in her hands. She made no sound, but Thalia could see her body shaking with silent sobs.
Ignoring all that had happened and she'd learned, Thalia did the only thing that came naturally. She walked up to the goddess and sat down beside her. She placed her hand on Artemis' back and was shocked when the goddess turned and buried her head in her shoulder.
Thalia patted her back awkwardly, she could feel the shoulder of her shirt getting wet from the goddess' tears.
"It's okay, my lady. It's gonna be okay." She tried to reassure her, though she wasn't sure her words sounded very convincing. She really wasn't even sure what she was saying would be okay.
It took a minute before the goddess seemed to reel her emotions back in. She pulled back and Thalia was surprised again to find her in her eighteen year old form. She hadn't thought of it, but she'd been like that on Mount Othrys too. She wondered if had anything to do with Perseus but she decided that wasn't really important at the moment.
"I'm sorry," Artemis cleared her throat. "I shouldn't have done that with you right here."
Thalia frowned a little, "What? Be upset?"
"I'm an Olympian Goddess," Artemis tried to sound confident.
"It's okay," Thalia replied. "I imagine even gods and goddesses have emotions. You don't need to feel ashamed."
Artemis' faced flushed a little and she only nodded, probably to avoid breaking down again, Thalia thought.
There was a silence between the two where neither were quite sure what to say.
"Are we supposed to be on Olympus or something?" Thalia finally asked, remembering Apollo's final words.
"Yes," Artemis answered. "But I thought we should talk first."
"Talk?"
"Yes," the goddess nodded. "About what happened and what you learned. I'm sure you have many questions."
Thalia was surprised. She hadn't expected any kind of explanation.
"Yeah," she agreed. "That's a bit of an understatement."
Artemis held out her hands, indicating that she was ready to answer.
"He's your husband? I thought he was like your brother? I had these dreams..." She stopped herself, unsure why she mentioned the dreams she'd had. Artemis looked surprised at the mention of her dreams but then seemed to understand.
"Gods and goddesses," she started then paused, never having had to explain this to anyone before. "Well, it's different. Yes, he is my brother but gods don't have the same kind of connection with their siblings as mortals. If we followed the same taboos, no gods would ever marry, we are all connected through familial relations in one way or another."
"Okay," Thalia said accepting that, knowing that gods and goddesses often married their siblings, her father included. "But you're like goddess of maidens, aren't you?"
Artemis cheeks burned and turned a shade of gold, which Thalia thought was weird looking.
"I am," she said then stopped. "Or, I am now. It's complicated."
Thalia didn't respond, waiting to see if the goddess was going to elaborate. Artemis wasn't looking at her and Thalia was about to ask another question when the goddess spoke.
"I'm not really the goddess of maidens. I'm more like a patron for all young women, maidens included. It wasn't until after Perseus was thrown into Tartarus that Zeus gave me that title. The story of coming to Zeus and asking to forever be a maiden was a tale he created to cover up the existence of my banished husband."
"So," Thalia added, "You're not a maiden?"
Artemis turned and glared at her, her cheeks now appearing to glow from the blush that had crept onto her face.
"Sorry," Thalia quickly added. "That's not my business."
"No," Artemis grumbled and Thalia wasn't sure if that was in response to the question or to it not being her business.
"And you betrayed Perseus?" She asked then quickly continued when the goddess got a dangerous look in her eyes. "That's what Perseus said. I'm just not sure what he told me that was true and wasn't true."
"It's complicated." Artemis said coldly, obviously not pleased to be answering the question.
"What about your hunters? The ones who just betrayed us." Thalia asked, her expression darkening at the thought of their betrayal. She expected to see the same look on Artemis but didn't. Instead, the goddess just seemed sad, though not even as much as she expected.
"Those two were my companions for over two thousand years." Artemis said forlornly. "I had hoped I had earned their loyalty but it seems I was wrong."
"Don't they swear an oath of service to you or something?" Thalia growled, her anger only growing at the thought of how she had grown to trust and care for both of them.
"Most do," she nodded. "But it wasn't I who rescued either of them. Perseus saved them and brought them to me. They never swore an oath to me."
"What do you mean? How could they be hunters and not sworn to serve you as your immortal maidens?"
Artemis frowned, "It was a different time and I was a different goddess. Yes, my hunters have always been my immortal maidens but when they joined me, I was not alone. They were sworn to serve both me and Perseus. It seems that they have chosen their side and I was not it."
"Perseus was apart of the hunt?"
Artemis expression became flustered, a look of annoyance creeping onto her face.
"The hunt wasn't like it is now. It's not that important. They've sided with Perseus, I'll deal with it and them in time. For now, all you need to know is they're his allies, not ours."
Thalia shrunk back a little as Artemis' mood soured. She wasn't sure what else to say because she didn't want to anger an emotional goddess. Doing that tended to get demigods incinerated, at least according to the legends.
"Okay." Thalia said, "Should we go to Olympus?"
The look of trepidation on Artemis' face made Thalia suddenly regret the suggestion.
"Yes," the goddess said quietly. "We'll have to deal with Zeus' anger and it's better to do it now before it grows." She rose to her feet and held out her hand.
Thalia looked at it for a minute as she began to dread seeing her father and the rest of the Olympians after everything that'd happened. Realizing she had no choice, she took it and she and Artemis both vanished in flash of silver.
Thalia had expected to appear in the middle of the throne room on Olympus. Instead, they solidified in a small courtyard. She felt her jaw drop when she looked around. If she'd thought the Garden of the Hesperides had been beautiful, this was on a whole new level.
Flowers of the brightest colors covered every bush and shrug. The grass beneath her feet was the most lush green she'd ever seen. It felt like a gentle cushion beneath her feet. There were statues of different gods and goddesses spread throughout the garden and she became so engrossed in the sights around her, she almost forgot about Artemis and why they were there.
"Come," Artemis said firmly.
Thalia looked up and almost gasped when she saw the enormous building in front of them. It was huge. Made of stone and marble, the building looked like it was a temple taken straight out of ancient Greece. Huge pillars stood at the top of a set of wide stairs, leading to two towering doors. Fires blazed in braziers on the sides of the steps, forming a wide aisle that led to the entrance.
Thalia felt a sharp pain in her heart when she thought about Annabeth and her love of architecture. She'd always wished to see the home of the gods, though that would never happen now.
Artemis made her way to the steps and Thalia followed. When they reached the top, the doors opened on their own accord, giving way to a massive hall inside. As they stepped in, Thalia could only gape at the sheer size of the room. It was the size of Madison Square Garden but filled with elaborate murals and paintings of gods and goddesses, battles and great victories.
She was so distracted by the art, she failed to notice the twelve thrones sitting in the center of the room in a large U shape. Artemis nudged her and walked inside, growing to a height of fifteen feet and making her way down the row of thrones for the goddesses.
That was when Thalia saw all the Olympians, seated in their thrones and eyes on her as she slowly made her way inside. She gawked at the gods, a few she knew, others she could guess.
Apollo sat directly across from Artemis, though he had his head down, not looking up at her or anyone else in the room. She saw Dionysus munching on a grape in his throne, barely looking at her to acknowledge her presence. Beside him was a hulking man with a weathered face that was covered in scars and blazing infernos where his eyes should have been.
Ares she assumed.
Next to him was a haggard looking man who was tinkering with something in his hands, though his eyes were trained on her. He had a large metal brace on his leg.
The lame god Hephaestus she realized.
Between him and Apollo was an empty throne and she quickly figured out that it must be Hermes', who obviously was not able to be in attendance.
After him was a handsome but stern looking man with a neatly trimmed black beard. His throne looked like one of those deep sea fishing chairs that people strapped themselves into when reeling in big fish. It was complete with a holster for a pole, though it was now occupied by a huge bronze trident.
Poseidon.
That only left one male god. She quickly walked towards that throne and knelt in front of it, at the feet of her father, Zeus. She'd never met her father before but found her expectations not quite met when she looked upon the god who created her.
"Rise, child." Zeus boomed from above her.
She slowly did, giving the other side of the room a quick glance.
She saw Artemis siting beside a gorgeous woman who was currently looking at her face in a mirror, dabbing a finger to her face in search of a flaw that obviously didn't exist.
The goddess of love, Aphrodite.
Next to her was what looked like a throne, or what used to be one. It was broken in several places, the arms of the marble seat broken off and laying on the ground beside it. She felt her stomach knot up as she realized this must have been Athena's throne. The destruction of her throne must have been a result of her falling at the hands of Perseus and Atlas.
Beside her was a beautiful green eyed goddess who was currently enjoying a bowl of cereal. Given who she already knew was on the other side, she figured this had to be Demeter, the Goddess of Grain and Harvest.
In a shimmering dress next to Demeter was the goddess she least liked seeing. She'd never met Hera but considering the murderous look she was sending her way right then, she had been glad to have never crossed her path before.
"Apollo had given us his tale of the events of your quest," Zeus thundered from his throne, "but I would like to hear it from you. Tell us everything, from the start."
Thalia felt a little lightheaded. She wasn't sure if it was her nervousness or perhaps just being in the presence of so many immortal beings.
But she steeled her nerves and began to recount her tale, starting with the arrival of the oracle in the woods of camp until she watched Athena be killed at the hands of a titan.
The entire council listened intently as she spoke. Once she was finished, she wasn't sure what to say or do, so she dropped back down to a knee and waited for her father to speak.
As the silence lingered, Thalia couldn't help but sneak a peak up at Zeus.
She watched his knuckles turn white as they gripped the arms of his throne. She thought he was going to obliterate her. But he moved too fast for her mortal eyes to properly follow. He was standing and had already thrown by the time she realized what happened.
The sound of Zeus' bolt hitting Apollo reverberated throughout the room. It was like a sonic boom and Thalia was certain her ear drums had just burst. The sun god was blasted out of his seat and to the floor, his body convulsing as millions of volts of electricity coursed through it.
Zeus stepped forward and Thalia had to scramble away to avoid being trampled. The bolt reappeared in Zeus' hand, cocked and ready to be fired again.
"I FORBID YOU TO INTERFERE WITH THE QUEST!" The king of the gods boomed. He shot a look at Artemis who was unsuccessfully trying to crawl inside her throne.
"Brother!" Poseidon thundered.
Zeus turned, his expression still murderous.
"Hades has already turned against us. So has Hecate and who knows how many other minor gods. The forces of the enemy are growing stronger, this is not for time fighting amongst us. We must rally together if we're going to survive this war."
Zeus glared at his sibling then turned back to Apollo who was laying on the ground, smoking from the bolt.
"Get back in your throne, boy. I will deal with your insubordination later."
Thalia had no idea how, but Apollo managed to crawl back to his throne and sit, though he looked like he was about to pass out at any second.
Zeus stood in the middle of the throne room. He looked around at the Olympians in attendance and Thalia could have sworn the look he gave was accusatory, like he was trying to find a traitor in their midst.
"From this point on, I want zero contact with the mortal world. We will concentrate our efforts on securing the allegiance of every immortal we can. Is that understood?"
Despite how terrified she'd looked a moment ago, Artemis' expression became indignant.
"But father, my hunters..."
Zeus' electric blue eyes snapped to her, his rage was barely restrained as he looked at her.
"I should have killed them all when I had the chance! Those traitors are of no concern. Disobey me again child, and I will show you the true wrath that awaits any who oppose Olympus."
Artemis didn't respond but the look in her eyes showed nothing but pure hatred. Thalia wasn't sure what to think of it, part of her couldn't blame her while the other was worried that Zeus had just sent another ally to the titans.
Of course, that would mean Perseus would allow her to join them, and from what she'd seen, that was the last thing he would let happen.
Zeus sat back down in his throne, his brooding expression was a pretty clear indication of his mood.
"Go! You have my orders! If it's a war of immortals they want, then they shall face the full might of Olympus!"
One by one, the Olympian vanished from their thrones. Artemis stood up and looked at her father.
"And what of Thalia?"
Zeus apparently had forgotten she was even there. He scowled a bit and didn't even look down at her.
"Return her to camp." He barked, then narrowed his eyes at Artemis, "But you will not speak to your hunters. Is that understood? I have yet to decide what I'll do with them."
Artemis seemed to be doing everything in her power to hold in the response she really wanted to give. But her self control won out and she bowed her head to Zeus.
"As you wish, Lord Zeus."
Zeus vanished in a flash of light and Thalia and Artemis were left alone inside the massive hall of the gods.
Once he was gone, Artemis' face turned an ugly shade of red. Thalia half expected her to start smashing thrones but she instead just held out a hand.
Thalia nervously stepped towards the goddess.
"My lady?"
Artemis shrunk down to her mortal height and sighed, "Please keep an eye on my hunters, if you can."
"I'll try," Thalia answered.
"Thank you." Artemis forced a smile.
"My lady?" Thalia asked.
Artemis raised an eyebrow.
"What happened," she wasn't sure how to word the question. "To Athena? I mean, she's immortal but..."
Artemis frowned, "She will have to reform. Her physical form was destroyed. So she'll have to reform before she can reenter the world in a physical body."
"She's not dead?"
"No," Artemis shook her head. "It takes an immortal varying amounts of time to reform but it is not a quick process."
Thalia nodded and held out her hand as he goddess flashed them out of Olympus.
A.N: Short filler. More entertaining chapters to come. And for those who think you've figured out what's happening... I can honestly tell you that no one has guessed correctly. So stay tuned and let me know what you thought.
