Note- I don't own anything
Artemis's point of view – summertime
The time has come to bring my daughter on her first hunting trip, an important right of passage. I've felt strangely excited for this trip or at least part of it.
I sighed, thinking about what would happen after.
It will be challenging to explain Atalanta's godly heritage to her and what kind of life she will be forced to live. But Atalanta is strong, and I know she'll be able to endure it. She's my daughter, after all.
And as my daughter, she'll always have my support, along with my plan to help her.
I finally reached Poly's house; the trip took longer than expected since I didn't use my teleportation.
The food I snuck from Mount Olympus was still fine in its carryout boxes. Even if the foam boxes are bad for the environment, they indeed are good for storing food. I can use my divine powers to make the boxes disappear, preventing them from negatively affecting the environment.
Poly's vehicle was parked in its usual spot. I took note of the other two cars parked in the driveway. Maybe they were Poly's friends? Or Atalanta could have some friends over right now.
But it doesn't matter if Atalanta has friends over; I know she would rather go hunting with me than stay with her friends. But I don't want these strangers to try and take any of the food I brought for Atalanta, so I placed it on top of Poly's car before I entered the house.
I reached the back door of the house and made my way into the kitchen, where I saw two men sitting on stools in front of the kitchen counters, with Poly seated on the other side. One of the men was blonde, while the other had brown hair.
"Yo, what's …" Poly started. The other two guys were just staring at me, left speechless at the sight of me.
Before Poly could finish, or I could glare at him, I heard Atalanta call out to me.
"Mom," Atalanta meekly called out, her voice even deader than usual. I turned to my right to see Atalanta standing in the hallway.
Despite my best efforts, I couldn't help but smile at Atalanta's appearance.
She was wearing a white dress, or more accurately, a white costume, with some green streaks on it. The outfit fit her perfectly.
Her face was flushed red in embarrassment. I could tell she was stuck between being embarrassed that I saw her in the dress and being excited to see me.
"Hello, Atalanta," I said while walking over to her. "That dress looks good on you."
Atalanta's face turned even redder before she suddenly took a breath to calm down. She was doing everything in her power to hide her embarrassment... and not flee as fast as she could.
"I think it would look better on you," Atalanta barely managed to shoot back.
"No, I don't think so," It was way too impractical in a fight, and I would rather wear a peplos over a dress. However, I have to wonder why Atalanta is wearing such a thing. This is something I would expect a child of Aphrodite to wear, not a daughter of mine. It's too tacky and impractical.
The only things that made it any good were its colors and the one wearing it.
"Hey, Ata, why did you run out?" a high pitch voice called out from the other side of the hallway wall; it sounded like it was coming from Atalanta's room.
I could sense that she was maiden and that there was one more maiden in Atalanta's room.
The owner of the voice moved down the hallways, running at full speed. Atalanta moved out of the way of the girl, who proceeded to run directly into Poly's closed bedroom door.
"What was that?" Poly said from the kitchen.
"Katie, are you all right?" One of the men called out to the girl, Katie.
"Yeah, Dad," Katie responded to her father.
"You should try to be more careful; you could have gotten yourself hurt," I told the young girl as I looked her over; my divine powers allowed me to examine her and determine she wasn't injured instantly.
The little girl looked up at me, her eyes widening when they reached my face—a common reaction when virgins and maidens look upon me. My presence is too much for them.
"Wow, it's a big Ata," Katie said, stars in her eyes.
The girl's reaction caused my brain to shut down, if only for a moment.
This is the first time I'm interacting with any of Atalanta's friends, and I'm not prepared.
I- I don't want to punish her for disrespecting me, and Atalanta would probably be sad if I killed her friend for such a minor transgression. At the same time, I can't tell them I'm a goddess, and it's not like they're purposely disrespecting me. They're just going to treat me like Atalanta's mother.
I gracefully took a deep breath. I'm not going to be like father and smite these girls for viewing me as the mother of their friend. That would be an excellent way to get Atalanta to hate me.
"That's probably Atalanta's mom."
"That's right, Aris, this is my Mom," Atalanta confirmed the other girl's theory, who was leaving my daughter's room. I sent Atalanta a thankful gaze for telling me Aris's name.
I went and patted Atalanta on the head, "That is correct, I'm Atalanta's mother. I've come to collect her for the summer trip the two of us have been planning."
Atalanta's eyes widened slightly before they returned to normal. A gentle smile appeared on my face. Even if Atalanta was trying to hide it, she was obviously excited about the trip.
Even if Atalanta's appearance was the same as usual, her presence was far more serious. It almost feels like she's confused and wants to ask me something.
Could she have seen something related to her godly heritage? Her divinity has grown strong enough to attract some monsters. Could she have been attacked?
If she was attacked, then she wasn't hurt. At least not in any way that I can detect.
"Huh, does that mean Ata's leaving?" Katie asked with a pouty face.
"Sorry, but this is the first time I get to go on a trip with Mom."
"How long will this trip last?" Poly asked as he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. The other two men were still sitting on their stools, saying something to each other.
I let out a sigh at having to explain something to Poly again, "As I told you before, the trip will last a week."
"Thanks for filling me in. I just needed to know how long to wait before sending out a search party to find you guys."
"Even if I did get lost, I wouldn't want your help." I told him before moving towards Atalanta, "We need to pack your bag."
"Ok, and I'll need to get changed too," Atalanta said as she looked down at her dress. Her face turned red again as she looked back up at Poly and me.
"Agreed, that dress is inadequate for hunting," I grabbed Atalanta's shoulders and pushed her towards her room. "Katie, Aris, you two can help us pack Atalanta's bag."
After that, I ignored anything Poly, or the other two men said and instead made my way towards Atalanta's room. Atalanta was walking next to me, with her arms crossed over her chest. The other two girls were in front of us.
The girl in the blue dress turned around and looked up at me; while still walking backward, it seemed like she wanted to ask me something, but she quickly looked away. She almost looked nervous. Katie grabbed Atalanta's arm, trying to pull her close. She failed to, though, Atalanta refusing to be pulled at all. Katie might as well have been trying to pull a mountain with how different their strengths are. Though that's expected, given that Atalanta's a half-blood.
"Ata, I'm trying to ask you something," Katie said with a pout.
"Katie, you should make sure you don't run into my door first."
"What?" The girl said before turning and hitting her face on Atalanta's closed door.
"Wha, again?" the girl said with small tears in her eyes.
"Sorry, this is my fault for closing the door," Aris said while looking away from Katie.
"Zoë, does this happen often?" I asked my daughter.
"Zoë?" Aris asked, looking away from Katie for a moment.
"Zoë is my middle name. And yeah, Katie probably hurts herself with her stupidity at least once a day."
"Meanie."
Atalanta just rolled her eyes as she pushed past Katie and entered her room first. The rest of us followed after her. Katie ran after and got close to Atalanta and whispered in a futile effort to stop others from hearing her, "Ata, I was trying to ask you a question."
"What," Atalanta said normally as she grabbed a bag to pack her clothing in.
"What's your mom's name?" the girl asked innocently. It's surprising, though, that she decided to ask Atalanta that, given her personality, I would have expected her just to ask me directly.
Atalanta had a confused expression on her face for a moment, but she hid the expression quickly, "Why don't you ask her?"
"Because her eyes are really angry," Katie whispered, still not knowing I was listening in.
What was that supposed to mean? I've never heard anyone say that, much less someone who should fall under my influence.
"Mom is a very calm and kind person; you just misunderstand her cold expression," Atalanta told her friend before moving away from Katie. I felt my heartbeat happily at Atalanta calling me kind and defending me.
Defending our honor and pride is something that Atalanta will have to do in the future. As beings beyond humans, we can't let people below us insult us.
I guess Atalanta was right about her friend misunderstanding me, especially since I don't feel any anger towards anyone in this house except for Poly.
"Atalanta, go change into something else; I'll pack your bag," Atalanta gave me a nod at my interjection.
"Ok, thanks Mom," Atalanta thanked me before she moved towards her closet and grabbed a green shirt and a pair of matching green shorts. She moved as quickly as she could to get to the bathroom to change, not even sparing a moment to say anything to her friends. She was only stopping for a second to hand me her duffle bag.
Katie, meanwhile, was shocked that Atalanta would just abandon her like that. She looked to Aris for support.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I missed your name earlier," Aris apologized to me, fulfilling Katie's request.
"It's all right, my name is Artemis, but you can call me Art," I truthfully told the girls since my true name won't mean anything to them. Especially since these girls probably don't even know that Artemis is the name of a Greek god, and even if they did, it's not like they would realize that I am said goddess.
And I'm going to tell Atalanta my true identity over the trip, so it doesn't matter if she hears my full name.
"Ms. Art, can I ask you a question," the little girl decided to ask me.
"Aris, that was a question, wasn't it?" Katie added in.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Aris said quietly, "I was just wondering how old you are?"
"Yeah, you look more like Ata's older sister, not her mom," Katie stated, seemingly forgetting her misgivings about me.
I am little above 4600 years old, but they won't believe that.
"I'm 28."
"Really? My mom's 28 too, and she looks way older than you."
"Atalanta's lucky if she stays beautiful like you."
Both girls gave their responses to my false age as I packed Atalanta's bag, grabbing five sets of clothing and stuffing them in the duffle bag Atalanta gave me.
"I'd rather you not compare me to an unageing monster like my mom," Atalanta said when she entered the room, now wearing the green shirt and shorts I gave her. She had the dress she was wearing in her hand.
"Wow, you changed fast!"
I ignored Katie's statement and responded to my daughter, "Atalanta, you shouldn't call your mother a monster, or I might cancel the trip."
Atalanta just stared into my eyes before a slight frown formed on her face, "You wouldn't do that."
"Don't test me," I told her, "now put your shoes on, or you'll have to go hunting with barefooted."
Atalanta didn't respond as she set her dress down over her desk chair before grabbing a pair of socks and a pair of white shoes. She went to her bed and sat down next to Aris to put on her socks and shoes.
Aris looked over at Atalanta before her sight turned to Atalanta's nightstand, then around the room, "Hey, Atalanta, where's your alarm clock?"
I looked around the room and saw that Aris was right, "Atalanta, has your father not gotten you an alarm clock?" I angrily asked her, annoyed that he wouldn't get her something so basic.
"He did, but I didn't want it. I think alarm clocks are degenerate; in fact, I haven't used one since I was a kid," Atalanta said smugly. But does she really think she's grown up? She still has a decade or two before I'll consider her an adult.
"I agree, Ata, alarm clocks are the worst. They wake us up in the morning before we want to wake up, and then we have to get up and go to school. They're the worst!"
"I expect such a childish opinion from Katie, but not you to Atalanta," Aris said with a slightly disappointed look on her face.
"You two are the childish ones," Atalanta sighed. "Seriously, still playing make-believe when you two could be doing something far more useful."
"I'm not childish!"
"Children, sorry to interrupt, but Atalanta and I need to get going," I told them as Atalanta finished tying her shoes.
"Sorry for getting distracted, Mom. I'm ready to go."
I pulled the duffel bag by its strap and placed it over one of my shoulders, letting it dangle from my back like a messengers' bag.
I made my way to the front of the house. Atalanta was following behind me with her hands in her pockets. The other two girls were talking with each other.
"Poly, we're leaving."
"Ok, stay safe, you two. And make sure to stay near your mother, Atalanta."
"We don't need you to tell us to stay safe. Why don't you try and keep yourself safe first."
"See, I knew you care about me," the idiot said with a stupid grin.
"Of course not; I couldn't care less about you," I responded, not letting him get any wrong ideas.
"wow, your parents really don't like each other, do they?"
"Thanks for another valuable contribution. Your intellect knows no equal."
I turned to see Atalanta letting out an exhausted sigh.
"Let's go, say bye to your friends."
While Atalanta was saying goodbye, I focused my energy on the outside and used my hunting transmutation ability to turn some dead trees into a white car. The action requires more focus than it usually would due to how far a vehicle is from hunting objects, but cars are still related to hunting since they can be used to help keep up with animals while hunting.
Normally I would just transform my moon chariot and ride that, but that might have been too conspicuous, even if I plan to reveal Atalanta's exist soon.
I don't want the other gods to interrupt this trip. I've been waiting for this for a long time, and the other gods will ruin it. My head hurts just imagining what Apollo would think.
"Let's go, Zoë," I told Atalanta once she was done with her goodbyes.
Atalanta didn't say anything, as she just followed behind me.
As we left the house, I grabbed the food I left on top of Poly's car.
"What's that?"
"It's some food from work; I thought you might like to try some," I told her as I handed her the food, "you can eat on the way to the hunting grounds."
Atalanta looked annoyed at the food, almost like the food offended her, before she turned to look at the white car I created. She surveyed it, probably because it was the first time she saw a vehicle that belonged to me.
I created a key for the car in my pants pocket and moved to pull it out, moving towards the driver's side. I opened the door and moved to sit in the front seat. I heard the back-passenger side door open and turned to see Atalanta getting in the back seat. She was trying to carefully climb into the backseat, her height making it hard to get into the tall car.
"Why are you getting in the back?"
"Because I have to? The law says I'm too small to sit in the front."
"No, come sit in the front," Atalanta just let out a huff, annoyed that she had to move again. She climbed over the console between the front seats before reaching into the back to grab her food.
"buckle up."
"It's not like it will help me survive if we get in a crash, the airbags will probably crush me and break my neck."
"I would rather you have a broken neck than get thrown through the windshield," I responded to her as she buckled up. Though it is true, buckling up won't do anything since I'm here and can protect her even if she gets thrown through the windshield. And it's not like I can even get in an accident in the first place.
Atalanta buckled up while I started the car and drove away from the house. We drove for an hour before Atalanta's stomach started to growl.
"You should eat some of the food I brought if you're getting hungry. We still have an hour or two to go until we get to the hunting grounds."
"Ok," Atalanta said while reaching to grab the food she had placed on the dashboard, "by the way, did you pack enough food for the whole trip?"
I let out a snort at Atalanta's ignorant question. Poly's stupidity must be rubbing off on her for her to say something so foolish.
"Mom?"
"As if I would pack anything when going on a hunting trip; we are going to eat what we kill and nothing else. So, enjoy your last well-cooked meal for a while."
"Sure, let's see how good your food from work is," Atalanta said as if eating this food was a challenge to her honor.
She opened the takeout box, and a divine aroma spread throughout the car. Atalanta's face blushed at the smell; she moved to take a bite of the lunch, her face moving between several emotions. At first, there was a look of pure joy on her face, followed by shame and finally defeat.
"What's wrong? Is the food not good?" I ask her with a smile.
Atalanta gave me an annoyed look, "Who could have cooked something so delicious? I don't think I've ever tasted something good. How long will I have to train to beat this dish?"
She started with a question before going off the rails. I can't tell her that Hestia made it, at least until I have the talk with her.
"Don't worry; I'm sure that if you try enough, you'll be able to get close to cooking dishes as good as this one." I lied to her, I honestly don't think she'll become as good of a cook as Hestia, but she can get skilled if she works hard enough.
"You don't believe that," she replied seriously, calling me out on my lie. Her face was stone cold.
"You're my child, and I believe there's nothing you can't do if you're willing to put in the effort. Even if I don't understand why you care so much about cooking."
"I care about it because I'm happy when people eat my food, and I'm especially happy if they enjoy it. People will enjoy my food more, the better a cook I am, and thus I'll be happier," Atalanta made an annoyed expression, "food like this means I still have a way to go before I master cooking and can make people truly happy."
I guess that makes sense, especially since Atalanta had always seemed happiest when I was happy. When she isn't making others happy, Atalanta always feels sad.
"Why were you wearing that dress earlier?" I asked her, wondering if she wore it to make her friends happy.
"My friends wanted to play pretend or something. I refused, but I relented after they wouldn't stop bugging me about it. I only agreed to dress up, not play with them." Atalanta muttered an excuse with a blush, her eyes diverting down in embarrassment, "Dad seemed particularly happy when I asked him about getting the dress."
"Why was that dunce so happy?"
"I don't know why, but he seemed to take pleasure in messing with me."
"How was he messing with you?"
"He kept saying stupid things like, 'You look beautiful,' or, 'You make your mother look ugly by comparison,' at least Silena wasn't around to see me in a dress."
So, I'm ugly now... I'll let him off the hook this time, only because he said it to help boost our daughter's confidence. If he insults me again, then I will make sure he's punished.
Atalanta went out of her way to make her friends happy; she'll make a great protector of maidens in the future.
"Atalanta, what do you plan on doing in the future? After you've grown up."
Atalanta's face grew confused as she thought about the future, "I don't know."
"That's ok; you still have time to decide," I told her, trying to reassure her.
We drove in silence the rest of the way; Atalanta still seemed to be thinking about the future. Or maybe something else was bothering her, and she was occasionally looking around as if she was expecting someone to appear out of nowhere.
I drove and parked at the edge of the hunting grounds; I made sure the car was parked out of sight of the highway.
Atalanta and I got out of the car. Atalanta was carrying the duffle bag with her clothing in it while I moved to the back to grab the tent that I made for Atalanta and me.
"Mom, do you have hunting permits?"
"Of course," I lied to her. After all, the goddess of the hunt doesn't need a hunting permit to hunt. I would like to see anyone try and force me to follow moral hunting laws.
"How are we going to hunt? I don't see any guns or bows. Did you forget to pack them?"
I forgot to make them; I'm too used to being able to make them in an instant without hiding my powers. How am I going to make bows without Atalanta realizing it?
"Come on, lil'sis, you shouldn't be so forgetful, or you might set a bad impression for lil'anta."
I felt chills spread across my arms like I was a thief caught red-handed. How could Apollo be here? Could any other god be here?
No, calm down; I haven't done anything wrong.
Atalanta, meanwhile, had moved between brother and me; her face was strangely cold. She didn't look like she was angered; no Atalanta was far beyond that. Her expression reminded me of my own after spending too much time with Apollo.
"What are you doing here?" Atalanta coldly asked Apollo.
Wait, how does Atalanta know Apollo?! Has she met Apollo in the past?
Rage boiled within me. Those questions can be answered later; first things first...
"I'm not your little sister!"
Apollo had his stupid grin on his face, while Atalanta took pleasure in what I said.
"I knew you were a liar; there was no way you were Mom's big brother. Now, who are you?"
Just what the hell has brother told her? I felt a headache form.
"Don't insult your best uncle by calling me a liar."
"What are you doing here, brother," Atalanta turned her head to look at me with an expression that was begging me to explain.
"Atalanta, stand down," I told her while placing my hand on her shoulder, "this is my younger brother."
Apollo's grin became an insufferable smirk, "See, my little niece, you owe me an apology."
"I only apologize to people who deserve it. Mom, can you please tell me what's going on," Atalanta asked me, clearly wanting more explanation than Apollo being my brother.
"Apollo, what have you told Atalanta."
"Apollo…" Atalanta started before Apollo interjected.
"Nothing, Artemis, I decided to leave the talk to you," I took note of the strange use of my real name instead of sis.
"Artemis… Mom, are you," here it comes. It seems Atalanta has started to put the truth together, "a robot?"
I just stared blankly at Atalanta; Brother seemed to be holding back his laughter, "No, I'm not a robot; I'm a goddess."
"goddess…" Atalanta stared at me, trying to digest what I said.
"Yes, I'm the Greek god Artemis, goddess of the hunt, archery, forest, the moon, radiance, maidenhood, and childbirth," I told her while releasing my divine aura into the area. The woods around us grew visibly healthier through my presence alone.
My child's eyes glazed over; her brain was probably shutting down.
Before I could finish, Apollo interrupted me, moving to hug Atalanta and then picked her up. "And I'm your Uncle Apollo, the Greek god of the sun, light, healing, archery too, oh and everything else good but most importantly music and poetry. I've been preparing another haiku for this day."
Atalanta was in shock, stopping her from even trying to break out of Apollo's grip. "So... you're a goddess, as in a divine being..."
"That's correct, my sole child. And you're part god, a demigod or half-blood. Among all half-bloods, you are the only one who's inherited my divinity and authorities. Now tell me how you meet Apollo."
"Hey, I was just about to perform a great haiku I prepared for y'all."
"I killed some creature that looked like a boar, then this idiot came out of nowhere and stole the kill. Then I encountered these creatures several times, and each time this idiot came out of nowhere to mess with me and spout his terrible haikus. Before running away again without answering any of my questions."
"Those creatures you encountered are called monsters; they hunt half-blood like you. They track half-bloods through their sense of smell. The stronger the demigod, the more monster will try and kill them," I answered her, but I could tell that she had other questions she wanted to ask when not in Brother's presence.
"Stop ignoring me!" Apollo yelled, dropping Atalanta to the ground.
"Stop your pouting; you're the only one to blame for being ignored."
"Why's that?"
"Because you decided to come out of nowhere and reveal yourself! You stupid attention whore! You've already derailed this trip. I won't let you mess up a conversation as important as this one!"
I yelled at Apollo, giving him one more chance to take this seriously before I get angry and tell father, who's been stealing his microwave dinners.
"Fine. Lil'sis, I won't grace you with one of my haikus right now, but I want to know how Lil'anta was born."
"Stop calling me that. My name is Atalanta; use it," Atalanta declared to Brother.
"Nah, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't give my first cute niece an equally cute nickname."
Atalanta's brow twitched before she turned and looked at me. "Mom... if you're really the goddess Artemis, aren't you supposed to not have kids?"
"It's true that I'm what is known as a virgin goddess and have sworn off sex. That doesn't mean I can't have kids; Athena has kids, for example."
"How can you have kids without sex? And why'd you have one with Dad?"
"It's a long story... but we have time," I responded hesitantly before walking over to a tree to sit down against, motioning for the others to follow.
Atalanta was still side-eyeing Brother as we walked to sit down. Just what did he do to her to make her that angry?
"Brother, I need to know how you learned about Atalanta?"
"Sis, I know you. It was obvious that something was wrong with you. Not only that, but you always looked annoyed during our family met and greeted on the winter solstice. Even more recently, you didn't invite Thalia, or that other girl, into your hunters, who I haven't gotten to see in a while. It was easy to see something was wrong. So, I just followed you and then found this girl who was clearly your child."
"Who is Thalia, Apollo?"
Apollo's grin faded, "Call me uncle."
Atalanta's face scrunched up, "Fine, Uncle, who is Thalia?"
Brother had a huge grin at being called uncle, "She's Dad's newest kid. She's currently on the run with some other half-bloods. Hades is trying to kill her because Dad broke the treaty he made with Hades and Poseidon."
"Treaty?" Atalanta asked, annoyed that Apollo was clearly holding back information to mess with her.
"There was a treaty among the big three, Poseidon, Hades, and father, to not have kids. Father broke the treaty by having Thalia. Hades is angered by that, given that Zeus tried to kill Hades' two kids that were born before the treaty. So, he's trying to kill Thalia in retribution." I responded before Apollo could get a word in.
"Tried? Dad smited them, right?"
"No, Hades' two kids are alive and are in the Lotus hotel."
"What!" Apollo shouted at that revelation, "why haven't you told anyone about this yet?"
"I'll tell you later," I told Brother since it would be easier to explain why I kept their existence a secret after he learns about the circumstances around Atalanta's birth.
"What a troublesome family I have," Atalanta said with a huff, "Mom, can we just run away from the rest of our family. We can bring Uncle along if you want, as a pet, of course."
"Pet!" Apollo made a face like he was actually hurt by the comment, "if anyone made a good pet, it would be you. You would be a good grumpy cat, cute, tiny, nice hair and never smiles."
"I only smile when I'm truly happy; you haven't done anything to make me happy."
"Is my divine presence not good enough for you?"
"Ahm, let's get back on topic."
"Fine, Mom."
"You're no fun little sister."
"Now's not the time for fun," I told my brother, "Atalanta, can you sit next to me while I'm talking about the circumstances around your birth?" I asked her as I sat against a tree.
"Sure, but I'm leaving if you start going into detail about having sex with Dad," she told me as she sat down next to me.
"This is going to be fun! Listening to a story from sis, with my beautiful niece. I should have brought popcorn."
"Mom, is Uncle trying to hit on me?"
"If he is, he's going to get castrated."
"You really think I would try to date my own niece?"
"Yes, I do. Aren't Zeus and Hera siblings? So clearly, blood ties don't get in the way of intercourse for you guys."
"I've never had sex with someone I'm related to!" Brother desperately tried to defend himself.
"Didn't you try to sleep with Hestia, your aunt?"
"Tried, but I was rejected."
"Clearly, after all, she's still alive," Atalanta told Apollo.
"Atalanta, that was rude. The constant death of your uncle's lovers, while true, is a sore subject for him."
"Yeah, you're really cruel, aren't you? Most other gods would kill you for saying something like that," Apollo said before turning to look at me, "And what do you mean by 'while true?'"
Atalanta had an annoyed expression on her face, made that I had sided with Brother, "We're getting off-topic again. Can we please restart from the top?"
"Ok, fine," I said while I gathered my strength to remember the past, "I think it best to start only several decades ago, and I'll leave the rest to Poly, assuming that fool doesn't mess it up."
I started my story before Brother and Atalanta started fighting again.
Many Years earlier-
I was looking out north, ignoring my hunters around me.
"My lady, is something wrong?" Zoë asked me with concern in her eyes.
"No, there was nothing wrong. It's just that I thought I sensed something familiar in a place that it shouldn't be."
Zoe had a concerned look on her face, "If you don't mind me asking, my lady, what is it that thy sense?"
"I sense the Curse of Delos in the United States, not only that, but I sense specifically the aspects of it related to my birth," though that's not all; something else about this feeling is familiar. It reminds me of someone, but I can't figure out who this magic source reminds me of.
Zoë understood that something was bothering me, "Would you like me to watch the hunters while you investigate the disturbance?"
"Yes, that would be fine. I would like to personally look into this," I took her up on her suggestion, my trust in my lieutenant unshakable. She should be able to handle any issues that crop up while I'm gone, especially if it's only for a short while.
I got up and walked to the center of my camp and looked out to the 20 hunters that personally accompany me, "I have something I need to investigate; Zoë is in charge."
My hunters shared their voices of acknowledgment, none daring or desiring to speak out against me.
I nodded at Zoë Nightshade as I made my way out of the camp and towards the Curse of Delos.
I teleported towards the origin of this magic signature and found myself in Kansas; the sun was setting.
A small hospital was in view; from what I could tell, it looked like it was running below capacity. I walked into it and made my way towards the magic source. I used the mist to make myself invisible to those around me, allowing me complete access to the hospital.
I reached the source and found that it was located in the hospital's maternity ward. I found the room where all the newborn babies are held.
I could tell that the feeling of the curse was coming from one of these babies, but I couldn't tell which one of the children was giving off the aura. Nor could I figure out how this was possible?
I reached out and grabbed the list of the babies' names. There were ten newborns in this room. Their names were 'Lola Whitaker', 'Kristina Rowe,' 'Simone Strickland,' 'Poly Moonlit,' 'Dagon Ian,' 'Zackary Butler,' 'Adrianna Grant,' 'Macey Hopkins,' 'Doris Roderick,' 'Ty Semper.'
One of these babies is, for some reason giving off the aura of the daisies that bloomed when Brother and I were born. Thinking about Apollo, though, who knows what that idiot would do when he learns someone else was born linked to the daisy.
I need to protect these children; luckily, they aren't demigods, so I should be able to protect them with a barrier until I can figure out which child is giving off the aura.
I placed a barrier around all the newborns and started to walk out of the hospital without anyone realizing what I had done. It's annoying that I have another job I have to do, but at least this one will be actively helping children.
Moving out of the hospital, I made my way directly back towards the camp.
Overall, the trip probably only took an hour, and during that time, the hunters continued as usual. The camp's silver tents were still up without a scratch on them, and my hunters were cooking the spoilers of that day's hunt. And we haven't received any messages from the other camps about any dangerous creatures in the area.
But I should still check with Zoë to make sure I wasn't missing anything, "Did anything happen while I was gone."
"No, Ma'am, we have procured food for the night, and all the other camps have sent their all-clear messages," Zoë said with obvious relief, "Lady Artemis, did you discover anything?"
"Yes, I found that the signature was coming from the maternity ward in a hospital in Kansas. It was coming from someone."
"Was it from a Mother or a newborn?"
"It was from a newborn, but I couldn't tell which child was the source of the disturbance; the stench of the Curse of Delos had already spread throughout the room. And I didn't want to wake up any of the babies, so I just placed a barrier to hide the smell for the time being."
"What do you plan to do which you figure out which child it is?"
"I think it would be best to just observe for now, at least until we have more information on the child."
"Yes, my lady, let's hope that it's a girl who would be willing to join the hunters," Zoë said solemnly, though knowing her, she was probably excited at the prospect of a new hunter.
For some reason, I feel like that won't be the case. Something about this has me on edge.
I let out a huff at that, "Yes, Zoë, new hunters would be nice. Now let's go help the others cook."
Zoë's face broke out in panic, "My lady, please leave the food to us while you bathe."
"Ok," I said, tentatively agreeing with Zoë, only due to how rare it is for her to panic.
Zoë let out a sigh of relief as I turned away to take a bath.
Years later
It didn't take long for me to figure out which child was giving off the aura. It was the boy named Poly Moonlit.
Zoë was annoyed that a boy would be somehow linked to the Curse of Delos, the flowers that sprouted from Delos in celebration of my brother and I's birth.
"My lady, may I ask where you're going?"
"I'm going to rest on Delos," I lied to her as I walked out of camp, "I'll be back in an hour or two."
I made my way to the Moonlit family's home that I have been observing for years at this point.
The woods around the home were deep and healthy, thanks to the work of 'Poly.' There were no cars in the driveway, but I saw a familiar man sitting outside.
The man was sitting on the ground, in a grassy area with a clear view of the moon. He was wearing a blue long-sleeve shirt and pants. He looked to be in his late teens or early twenties. His dull green eyes weren't focused on me but were instead forest and the moon in front of him.
He gave off the airs of someone who doesn't belong in this time.
"It's been a long time."
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" The man said calmly, his eyes moving in the opposite direction of mine.
"I don't like liars, nor do I have time to play games with you; I promised Zoë I would be back in an hour. "
"So, she's still your lieutenant even after all these years," the man said as more of a statement than a question.
"Tell me, Hippolytus, how are you here?" I asked him, giving himself the chance to explain his existence before I proposed my theory.
"Please don't call me Hippolytus, I'm no longer Hippolytus of Athens, but Poly Moonlit," he said with a strange smile.
"Fine, Poly, what's with that smile," I asked with a raised eyebrow, "have you gone insane?"
"No," he said while shaking his head, "It's just that I enjoy this new life so much, I have parents that aren't trying to kill me, caring siblings, and the benefits of the modern-day are great. Microwave food is great for people like us who can't cook."
"Us?"
"Of course, us, your cooking is as bad as mine. Just ask Zoë or Phoebe. I once heard them conspiring to keep us from cooking."
I know I'm not a good cook, but I can't be that bad of a cook, can I?
"As for how I'm here, I'm not sure. I think it has something to do with the Physician's cure. It somehow let me retain my memories of my past life," my hunter said before going into deep thought, "I think that it could be due to the Curse of Delos used in it, that yellow flower conceptually represents the floating island being routed in place for the rest of time. It might have done the same things for my memories, rooting them into my soul, allowing my memories to exist in my soul, even after being dunked in the River Lethe."
So, it seems that we can at least agree on the basis of Poly's reincarnation being from the Curse of Delos; I gave Asclepius to make the Physician's cure. It's the best theory for now, given the fact I don't know what Poly felt during the process of reincarnation. If I did, I might be able to verify the theory.
But, in the end, it doesn't matter, I'm not here about that.
"Tell me, what are your plans for the future," I asked him with a serious expression.
"I'm going to college to get a degree, and I'm going to try and get a job protecting nature."
"So, you have no plans to return to the hunters?"
"No, I'm sorry, but I simply can't do that in this lifetime," he said with a sad expression. I didn't try to force the reasons out of him, as I didn't have the right to demand them. All that matters is that he desires to leave the hunters.
"Hippolytus of Athens now known as Poly Moonlit, in honor of the years of service to me, I release you of your duty to me," I declare to my former hunter, freeing him of any responsibility he may feel towards the hunters or me.
"Thank you, but I'm surprised you released me so easily. Have you gotten softer since my second death?"
"I just don't want to have a man in the hunt," I told him, as I haven't had a man in my hunt since his death.
Following his death, I decided not to let men into the hunt but instead have dedicated men serve as priests, "besides, you'll still be honoring me by protecting nature."
"So, your sexism has only gotten worse with time, has it?"
"Tread carefully, Poly Moonlit," I said darkly at his insult to me, "for I have my reasons not to let men into the hunters."
"Is it Orion?"
"Of course, I let him into my hunters; then he fell in love with me. All men who join the hunters will eventually fall."
"I didn't."
"That's only because Aphrodite killed you before you could. And you went to be a priest afterward, away from the temptations of the hunters or myself."
"You make it sound like you were more of a temptation than your hunters. If anything, you were the least tempting woman in the entire hunt."
"Are you saying that my hunters are more beautiful than I, a goddess? Tell me, do you want to be turned into a jackalope," I said while letting out some of my divine aurae, causing the air around me to turn silver.
"Nope, you just miss understanding what I'm saying," he said before letting out a laugh, "you're the least tempting because you're the most beautiful, and not just physically but in your way of life as well."
I just rolled my eyes at him as I made my way to leave, suppressing my divine aura.
"Is that really all you came to do?" Poly called out to me before I left.
I looked back, "Yes, all I sought to do with the visit was confirm my suspicions and offer you the chance to serve under me once more. I've done that, so I'm leaving."
Besides, the presence of the Curse of Delos has faded.
"Ok, tell the other I said hi," he said as he started to wave goodbye to me.
"No, I've not told them about you; in fact, I haven't told anyone about you."
"huh, why not?"
I stopped at that point and turned and looked at him, "you do realize how much trouble you will be in if the other gods learn about you?"
"What do you mean?" The oblivious man asked with a confused expression on his face.
"Hades, Poseidon, and Aphrodite might want you dead."
"What! why?" He said with a panicked look.
"Hades would want to kill you since your memories of your past life go against the rules of rebirth and thus violate the laws of his domain. Poseidon might try to kill you to finish the job he failed last time."
"He didn't fail! And why would Aphrodite try and kill me? Sure, I may still plan to be a virgin, but that's none of her business."
"None of her business," I scoff at that, "It's said one grows wiser with time; clearly, you're the exception. Everything is Aphrodite's business when she wants it to be, you of all people should know that. Besides, she might try and kill you in some miss placed revenge scheme for Adonis."
"Adonis?" He asked, confused at the name.
I raised an eyebrow at what he said, "have you not learned about events that happened after your second death? Adonis was someone Aphrodite loved but was killed by a boar. Aphrodite thinks I sent the boar in revenge for your death."
"I'd forgotten how insane the Greek gods were," he said with one hand covering his face before looking me in the eyes, "anyway, do you have any advice on what to do?"
"As if this your problem, not mine," I said as I walked away, keeping a stone-cold face to hide my amusement.
Poly, meanwhile, just collapsed onto the ground and was just staring into the sky in shock. His expression was putting me in a good mood.
I made my way back to camp, content to forget about Poly forever.
As I walked through the clearing, my camp coming into view, I stopped in shock.
Phoebe was lying on the ground. The ground around her was painted red, "Phoebe!" I called out to her as I ran towards her.
There was no response; I pulled her up to see her chest was slashed through. Her heart was stopped; she must have been dead for at least 30 minutes.
What could have caused this? I gently sat down her body, "Don't worry, I'll come back for you."
I stood up and made my way towards the camp as fast as I could. I passed the bodies of several hunters on my way.
My body was starting to shake in shock, and I nearly collapsed when I reached the camp.
"Zo- Zoë," I called out to her. Her body was mangled, her left arm was detached from her body, and arrows pierced her heart.
My most loyal follower was dead, but that shouldn't be possible. She was very powerful and had all the other hunters helping her. It would take a being on the level of a god to do this.
I looked at the corpses of hunters; it was impossible that they were all dead. I quickly looked between them all, trying to see if any of them were alive.
"Stay with me," I told one of my hunters, who was hidden in the arms of another hunter. Naomi had an arrow through her shoulder, but she was still breathing, if only barely. There was a chance to save her, even if I'm not as good of a healer as Apollo.
The silver glow of my divinity and authorities spread off my hunters' body, providing first aid and saving her life.
I changed my form to that of one in their late teens or early twenties to make carrying her easier.
I picked her up and looked around the camp, trying to find any signs of life from the rest of my hunters, but they were all dead.
I placed the sleeping Naomi in a hiding spot and returned to Zoë and knelt by her side.
"I'm sorry," I told the corpse of my closest companion. My heart was truly breaking, "Don't worry, I won't let your death be in vain. I'll find who did this and kill them."
Tears started to stream across my face; the pain of losing so many of my hunters was too much to bear.
It wasn't fair.
"Take your place among the stars," I told her as I used my power to turn Zoë into a constellation, allowing her to take her place next to the stars she loved so much.
But it didn't work.
Whenever I turn someone into a constellation, I reach through their souls to their bodies, making them one nonphysical mass before transforming them into a constellation. Zoë's soul was missing, though, but she shouldn't have been dead long enough for her soul to complete transmigrate to Hades.
"No, it couldn't be," I said shakily before quickly moving to check the bodies of my other hunters.
It was the same for all the other hunters who were killed through slashing. Their souls were just gone, while the souls of hunters that were killed through arrows still lingered.
That must have meant that the slashing weapon must have expelled their souls. No, even that wouldn't be enough. Only one metal could be responsible for this.
Stygian Iron, the darkest metal that is capable of absorbing and destroying souls. A metal that can only usually be used by those linked to the underworld, like Hades or his children.
This means that not only can I not give Zoë the reward she deserves, but her, along with many of my other hunters, souls have been destroyed. They won't even get to go to Hades. It's a fate worse than death.
My body shook once again at this realization before I took a breath and wiped away the tears on my face.
There's no point in crying when I have someone I need to kill.
Using my authority over the wilderness, I created trees around my dead hunters. Letting them serve as the foundation of new life it's the only thing I can do to honor those who gave their lives in my name.
I made my way to the other hunter camps, just to find that the tragedy had been repeated at each one. Only five of my eighty hunters remanded.
This… This could only happen as a result of my failure as the goddess of maidens and virgins. I don't deserve that title if I couldn't even protect those close to me, but I can't give up when I still have hunters that I need to protect.
"Naomi, do you know who attacked you?" I asked the only hunter who had woken up after I managed to calm her down.
"No, I'm sorry, I don't know. I was knocked out by the arrow that hit me before I could react," she said solemnly.
"It's alright, now get some rest," I told her while getting up to leave the cave I hid the remaining hunters in.
I used my authority to cover the cave's entrance with a huge boulder. That way, no one could get in, and it stopped the hunters from trying to follow me when they got up.
What I need to do is figure out how the killer found out the locations of all my hunter's camps and how he managed to kill them without me realizing it.
Also, I need to figure out the murderer's motive. Was it an attack at Olympus or at me? Was the goal to kill my hunters or to try and kill me.
And where is the attacker now?
I made my way back to the main camp to look for clues to any of these questions, but there was nothing there. Whoever managed to attack the camp was highly skilled at covering their tracks. Not only that, every single animal in the area was killed, except for one.
"Tell me, and, did you see anything," I asked, crouching down close to the ground to talk to the ant I had trapped in a cage of arrows.
The ant motioned a yes with its face; it was too scared to talk.
"Do you know what direction the attack went in?"
It motioned a yes again before pointing in a direction away from any of my camps, but there is one thing place that I know is close by.
I quickly jumped up and made my way in that direction. How could I miss that? Of course, a hunter at the level of the attacker would notice my divine aura.
I made my way to the home I visited less than two hours ago. Two cars were parked in the driveway, and the lights of the home were off.
There were two people, one male, and one female. They were dead; they almost looked like they had been mauled by a bear.
"Hippolytus!" I shouted at the man who was lying incredibly injured on the grass, near where we had our conversation just a short time earlier.
He was bleeding out on the ground, he had one cut going across his body, but he was still breathing. There was still time.
I kneeled beside him, placing my hands on his chest, and scented my energy throughout his body, doing a quick survey of his body and soul. I should be able to heal his wounds, but there is damage to his soul itself.
His should look like it had been hit with a metaphorical chainsaw. I wouldn't be able to heal it normally. The domain of the soul is beyond my expertise besides examining the souls of those compatible with me and turning others into constellations.
But still, I tried, reaching further into his soul, I detected something familiar. The last traces of the Curse of Delos was lying in the middle of his soul, keeping him alive. If I can connect to the flower, then I might be able to use it, along with the other lingering ingredients of the cure in his soul, to heal him.
I reached further into his soul, our souls connecting the further in I got.
I saw his memories, both his current life and his last life. Being betrayed by his parents in his last life, his siblings rejecting him for choosing to be a virgin but finding happiness in joining my hunters. Enjoy those memories till death, just to be reborn with parents and siblings who loved him, no matter who he was.
All that time, he never once felt lust or even contemplated breaking his vow.
For a brief moment, our souls and minds were linked, allowing me to give as much magical energy as I wanted to him. The Curse of Delos lit like a flame, healing his body and soul. The extra magical energy coating the area around us, sprouting yellow daisies from his blood.
I pulled back from his body and soul as his eyes opened.
"Huh, what are you doing here," he said while coming too, "wait, Mom, Dad."
He said while jumping up before stopping in shock at the sight of the two mangled bodies, which I guess were the bodies of his parents.
He moved towards their bodies, tears in his eyes, "No."
"Tell me what happened."
"Orion. He came out of nowhere; he used some black sword to kill my parents, then he attacked me. I tried to fight back as well as I could, but he managed to beat me," he said while grinding his teeth, "he said he was going after you next."
I felt immeasurable anger at Orion's name. He killed all my hunters just because I didn't love him back. He was once friends with some of them.
I turned to quickly make my way back to my hunters to prepare to fight Orion.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Isn't it obvious, idiot, I'm going to kill Orion."
"Without any help? Why don't you contact the other gods?"
"I don't need any help, especially from other gods. This is between Orio and me."
"You're seriously going to let your desire for revenge kill you?" Poly said with an exasperated expression, "At least let me help; I knew a lot of the hunters. They were my friends too. Besides, he killed my parents".
At looked at the man and saw the conviction in his eyes, "Fine, but I'm not going to protect you; if you die, then you have no one to blame but yourself."
"I know you're stressed, but you don't have to be so mean."
"Shut up, you imbecile," I said while grabbing him and forcing him to move alongside me, "you're a grown-up. You shouldn't start crying so easily."
I quickly dragged him along to the cave where I've hidden my hunters.
We made it back to the cave quickly.
"Here we are; this is where I hide the hunters that are left."
"I see; well, I guess we leave them in there while we come up with a plan to kill Orion. I'll leave the planning to you."
"Good, anything you think of will probably fail," I told him, strangely annoyed at the fool.
"Hey, my plans sometimes work."
"Only against someone who is brain dead," as I said that, I quickly moved to block an area shot directly at Poly's heart. I stopped it, "Did you think you could sneak up to me in the middle of the forest?"
"Well now, I expect at least that much out of you, my love," the giant said with a crooked smile. The giant was tall; his hair was spiked up. He was wearing a black leather outfit with a bow and quiver. His eyes were the same bronze mechanical eyes that he got from Hephaestus, which made it feel like he saw far more than just my physical form. But was most important was the sword darker than the blackest night.
I was right; only one metal can be that dark. He is somehow using Stygian Iron, but I barely care about that right now.
"Orion," I growled out at his form, "Do you think you can get away with what you've done."
"I already have, and it's not like you can stop me because I know everything about you is just an act," the bastard said with a horrid smile, "You like to pretend your strong and independent, but in the face of a man with true power, you lash out. Because you are scared by how my dominance attracts you. Though I'll give you one more chance, Artemis, surrender yourself body and soul to me, and I'll disobey mother and spare your life."
I started shaking, not in fear but anger. The fool thinks me weak that I'm in any way attracted to him; to me, he's nothing more than a murderer who killed those who were like my own children.
"Go to hell," Poly growled out from next to me, "you're not strong, nor are you dominating. You're a failure who couldn't even do the one thing that was asked of you. You should be cast into the deepest pits of Tartarus where no one will have to deal with your horrid presence."
Orion's smile got even colder, "Do you think you can unnerve me with your petty insults? You should know that they don't work, no matter how…."
"I had no intention to unnerve you," Poly said, interrupting Orion, "I was just stating the, sorry if you couldn't handle the truth."
"Someone as pathetic as you Hippolytus, dare to insult and interrupt me, even if we were hunters at the same time; the difference between us is night and day."
"Your right about that, just not in the way you think," Poly said with a fake smile on his face.
"Tell me something, Orion, what did you mean when you said, 'I'll disobey mother and spare your life?"
The horrid smile Orion had before he started talking to Poly returned, "My mother gave me this sword, and the location of your hunters, with the order to kill you. I decided to kill your annoying hunters too. After all, it will be easier to kill you when you don't have any backup from those weak girls. And considering how much I owe to mother, it was the least I could do."
"What do you mean owe?" Poly asked cautiously.
"She taught me to accept what and who I am; she taught me to give in to my nature. And I owe her my life for that."
"I don't know why Gaea wants me dead specifically, to the point she would alter you to allow you to use that sword. But I don't care; you will die by my hand, even if you are my bane," I said before quickly moving into close combat while materializing my silver bow and quiver and throwing them to Poly.
Orion might be as good of an archer as me and physically stronger than me, but I've been training myself in close combat for years.
"You know what, Artemis, I think I'll kill you only after having made you mine," the disgusting giant said while laughing. He pulled out the stygian iron sword and moved to block my white twin blades.
I moved to the side as Poly fired an arrow at Orion. At least the fool hasn't forgotten how to shoot a bow. But I can't let Orion get close to him, or Poly is dead, as he's now only a human instead of a legacy.
I kept up the close-range battle with Orion, not letting him get a chance to pull out his bow. My speed is superior, and I can dodge his close-range attacks.
Orion wasn't making it easy, though; he kept getting faster and faster. To Poly, we probably look like blurs. The ground was being broken with each clash of our weapons, and shockwaves started to form from our movements.
Orion tried to weakly stab me, but I deflected it with the flat of my blade before moving around the blade and getting in close, far too close for Orion to effectively use his sword. I stabbed him with the blade I had in my left hand, drawing some blood, but his leather armor protected him from the worst of it, leaving him with only a surface-level chest wound.
Orion pulled back as quickly as he could, trying to kick me in the process, but I managed to block it with my swords, the force sending me flying back.
Orion tried to go for his bow, but he was forced to deflect shots fired by Poly. I quickly helped by using my power of the wilderness to attack Orion with trees and vegetation, turning the very environment against him, "It seems nature is on my side, giant," I told him without even giving him the respect of using his name.
I quickly made my move to try and get closer to him, but he still managed to block me despite being attacked by the forest. We started moving again, exchanging blows even faster than before.
It was getting harder to control the forest. Was Gaea herself fighting against me, despite being asleep? What did I do to anger her?
At this point, Poly was pointless, unable to keep us with us and aim my bow.
"Even if you can fight against me, you can't kill me without a demigod."
I didn't respond; I'll rip this monster apart until he's spread so far apart that he can't reform even if it's impossible.
Out of nowhere, my ability to control the forest disappeared, leaving me open.
"Your mine now," the murderer said while pulling down his blades. My hands were too low for me to block his attack.
Out of nowhere, an arrow hit Orion in one of his eyes, causing Orion to instinctively bring his hands to cover his face, "How dare you to hurt me, mortal."
"Well, you shouldn't have forgotten about me," Poly said with a grin, probably happy about getting to avenge his parents.
I'm not going to waste this opportunity. I quickly moved to cut the tendons in his dominant hand so that he couldn't wield that accursed weapon.
He dropped the weapon, but he didn't stop, as he used his legs to kick me back, "Damn you! You may win this time, but I'll win next time."
Poly quickly fired more arrows at Orion, but Orion managed to dodge them.
"Do you think you can get away?"
"Of course, nature is on my side," I quickly moved to attack but was stopped, nature itself seemingly surrounding him, and he then disappeared.
I saw Poly's hands start to grip the bow I gave him tightly. He then turned away from me before, dropping the bow and quiver I gave him.
I turned away, deciding there was no reason for me to talk with him about Orion getting away. I'm going to kill Orion myself.
"It's time for me to bring you back to your home," I told him after a couple of minutes.
Poly turned around, a smile on his face despite the tears on his face, "Thanks, I was worried you might make me walk home."
"As if you would be able to," I said while walking towards the oblivious man.
"Hey, I'm great at surviving in the wild," He said as I cut him across the chest, "what?" he managed, shocked.
"Your parents were killed, their bodies were torn apart, you're going to have to look the part as well. Don't worry; I'll make sure you don't die."
"You're enjoying this," he managed to croak out.
The small smile on my face answered his question for him.
A short time passed, and eventually, all five of my hunters healed, but the pain of the death of the other hunters was still fresh.
"Are you alright, Ma'am," Naomi worryingly asked me while I was leaning against a tree.
The nauseous feeling centered in my stomach made it hard for me to stand up. My body felt weaker as if some of my divine power was being diverted elsewhere.
"Yes, I'm fine, but I need to go get some medicine from my brother," I lied as I made my way out of camp.
"Alright, please stay safe," she said, clearly not wanting me to go.
"Don't worry; I won't be gone long," besides, it should take Orion a long time to heal from the wounds we dealt him. And he won't risk attacking again until he finds a replacement for his destroyed eye.
I quickly moved far out of the camp's sight and then threw up.
Sweat ran down my body as I hurled. My entire body felt horrible. Worse than I've ever felt before.
What was making me feel sick? Did Orion somehow poison me?
No, I don't think it's poison. No simple poison could make me feel this ill. It would take an extremely rare and deadly poison to affect an Olympian, and it would do far more than make me vomit.
But if it wasn't poisoning... then what was making me sick?
I need to check my condition. Something must be going wrong inside me.
Chills ran down my back as I placed my back against a nearby tree. The symptoms I was exhibiting almost remind me of...
My mind completely focused on a conversation I had with my half-sister countless centuries ago.
The particulars of the exchange are hard for me to remember, as I hadn't truly been paying attention to Athena. But, who could blame me? Athena was explaining a process she created to let us virgin goddesses have children without having sex. That never mattered to me since that method still required me to go through the same pain Mom did.
Athena's method replaces normal physical relationships with a union of the mind.
My legs slowly gave out from under me as I came to a horrible conclusion. I didn't even notice how cold the ground was.
Pailing slightly, I stretched my legs out straight and placed my hands over my womb. A pale silvery glow appeared around my hands as I channeled my divine powers into them. The energy went from my hands into my body, granting me a picture of my insides.
A deep pit formed in my stomach as my power reached my womb...
The bottom of the pit fell as I found a child resting safely in my womb, my child.
When I saved Poly, I connected our souls and minds. I accidentally did what Athena said to do to get pregnant.
"I- I'm pregnant," I quietly muttered to myself. Nothing felt real as I sat there. My mind kept wandering back to the image of the new life residing inside me.
Anger. Fear. Terror. Disgust. Uncertainty.
Dark feelings were building inside of me. Nothing felt real.
What do I do?
Should I tell the other gods that I'm pregnant? Or about Orion? Maybe I should wake up my mother? She always seemed to know what to do.
I shook my head; this is already too complicated. I can't deal with the other gods turning this whole catastrophe into an even worse disaster, and they might get in the way of my revenge.
Suddenly, I started to feel nauseous again, but it quickly passed.
What do I do with this child?
I am a virgin goddess, the protector of maidens. I can't give birth to a child.
The reason I asked my father to bless me to never lose my maiden was so that I wouldn't have to give birth. From the day I was born, I've seen the pain caused by childbirth. What could be worth that?
My shoulders slumped as I thought about my unborn child.
But this child is my responsibility.
I don't want it. I've never desired it. I'm not ready for it. Yet, I still have to try, right?
My mind kept wandering back to the small flow of divine power from myself to the child. Every moment, the child was absorbing my power, being nurtured by it.
As an Olympian, my daughter was sure to be incredibly powerful. It may cost me some divine power now, but I'm sure she would be worth it.
A long dorment instinct seemed to assault my heart for the first time ever. It mixed with the sadness and anger constantly laying siege to my heart since that day.
"What would they have me do?" I asked to no one in particular. For all my love of nature, it doesn't make a good talking companion, but it was the only one my words could reach. Questions can't reach those who's souls have been destroyed.
I shivered as a cold wind rang through the forest and I came to a decision.
My daughter will be molded into someone powerful, someone like me. She will be a hero in my name and will achieve great things. I will do whatever it takes to see her succeed, unlike the others.
My arrogant fellows believe that they deserved credit for heroes' efforts when all they did was help bring them into this world. I've always believed that abandoning our kids was wrong, that the other Olympians should treat their children better...
Unfortunately, I can't raise her by myself, not with the threat of Orion attacking again if he manages to heal quickly.
Mom is asleep, I wouldn't put any girl into Father's care, nor would I want to place her in my brother's care.
It seems that there is only one choice. I have to leave my daughter with Poly.
My face scrunched up at that thought as I was forced to accept that Poly was the father of my daughter.
I felt guilt weigh on me, not for making Poly raise our child, but for not being able to raise her myself. I don't deserve the title of protector of maidens and virgins. I failed my hunters, and now I was pawning my daughter off on a fool. I can even imagine some of the other gods, those who hate me, trying to strip me of my authorities because of this, but at least hope I can choose my successor.
I stood up, knowing what I had to do. I quickly made my way to Poly's home, only to find him moping in front of the yellow daisies that were formed when I was healing him.
"Please tell me that Orion's not back all ready," he asked with a tired expression. Before his expression broke into a false smile, "Don't worry, I'll help you."
"I'm pregnant."
"What?"
"When I was healing you, I joined our souls, and it caused me to become pregnant. You're going to have to take care of our child. Don't worry about those around you. I'll brainwash them, so they don't question it."
"Come again?"
"I'll be back when it's time to give birth."
I left while Poly's face was frozen in shock.
Present-day.
"And a couple of months later, I gave birth to Atalanta. While keeping it hidden from everyone, along with keeping the death of a majority of my hunters."
Apollo's face was cold for once, while Atalanta just looked at me sadly.
Now it's time to hear their reactions.
Atalanta opened her mouth to respond…
RWN:
Hello again, thank you for reading this chapter :). I have a lot to do this month due to it being the start of the college semester, so the next chapter should come out next month.
Also, I just wanted to point this out now and kind of explain Artemis and Poly's relationship.
Artemis is mean to Poly, but not specifically because of him being a man only, but due to miss placed anger and due to their soul meld. She's basically directing all her anger from that day at Orion and Poly, linking them together, unreasonable thinking that Poly might end up like Orion not on any facts, but simply because she can't believe that any man would hold the conviction to uphold the vow of the hunt after
r Orion's betrayal. Artemis knows in her heart this is wrong, and a major plot point will be Artemis learning to treat Poly was respect.
Poly meanwhile lets Artemis be mean to him while only being sarcastic back every once in a while because he knows this, and he understands that Artemis is hurting from the loss of her hunters. But I don't want to go into too much detail about that since his perspective and backstory will be explored in two chapters. (which were originally part of this chapter, but I decided to cut them so that the story doesn't keep changing perspective in the middle of a chapter.) This also might be why it felt like this chapter was missing some things since I tried to make sure the flashback was based only on Artemis's perspective, leading to some intentional holes that only make sense with his perspective. (Also, Poly remembering his past life because of the COD could be another example that I will go into more detail about later.
Also, I can see some people complain about having Atalanta be in a dress, but it actually has some plot significance that will be further explored later, so hold your complaints till then, unless you don't want to. (And it was funny to be right since I got the idea from F/HA where Shirou is convinced by, to him, two random strangers to dress up. So I wondered if people he considered his family could get him into a dress, and the mental picture got me to come up with this character development plotline.)
Oh yeah, by the way, I'm a fan of self-fulfilling prophecies, which should give you a hint as to why Gaea would try and kill Artemis.
Writing Haikus was hard, and I literally skipped it when I wrote the original 40k words to put off till later. I tried to write a purposely bad one, but I just couldn't; it was way harder than I thought. So, after two days, I decided to skip it. Sorry, just assume Apollo is sprouting terrible Haikus the literally second his out-of-eye shot.
To answer a question I saw from a guest review- Atalanta will be able to trace divine constructs, but old ones (like Excalibur) don't have this retroactively applied to them, and Atalanta doesn't have them nearby to study and complete their blueprints. The biggest reason that Atalanta won't be using a lot of divine constructs in this series is that she'll want to keep her powers hidden as the gods will try to kill her if they find out she can create an army's worth of Zeus's lightning bolt. Oh, and Atalanta can't trace divine constructs whose divinity/concept goes directly against her own. So, a divine construct from Aphrodite that is based on sex would clash with Atalanta's divinity over virgins and maidens.
Next up, I'm sorry if the grammar is bad on this chapter, but I wanted to get it uploaded today before the collage work piles up. Don't worry, though; I plan to go back through all my chapter once the story reaches 100k words (60k in word doc) and fix any grammar mistakes and any unintentional OOC moments to make the story better. The overall story won't change at all, though; it'll mostly just be minor things.
Lastly, I want to say sorry to anyone who I stopped responding to, I got distracted with everything going on, and I plan to try to get back to y'all in the next day or two.
Thanks for reading again, and I hope everyone stays safe.