So you guys truly made me cry. Props to you readers for making the last chapter for the most reviewed chapter of the whole story. In two days. And the story passed three thousand followers. And the story passed 600,000 views. I was so blown away from the the feedback people gave me, from both reviews and PM's and the words of support that I blinked and wrote a chapter. This is for you guys. Enjoy :)
Previous Chapter
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They arrived at the foot of the temple as night had fallen into the depths of darkness. The trek through the city after crossing the river had gone smoothly. In the night air, the gentle sounds of the Euphrates acting as a comforting anchor in the quiet darkness. The river gave Babylon and the surrounding valley its lifeblood to survive amidst the hostile environment. And at the edge of the city, the great domed temple awaits them.
From a distance, the domed building had been imposing. Up close, it rivaled the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus in size. The expedition had stopped at the outskirts of the city, with the mausoleum dominating the cityscape. But that had been when Artemis had still had her powers and traveled with the Expedition from her chariot. Though the great Anatolian mausoleum was far taller, the Temple of Sin occupied the entire corner of Babylon itself, giving it a sense of dominance over the sheer breath of space it had been allotted. The great stone walls had been absorbed into the temple exterior, with the gatehouses and battlements serving as walkways and stairways into various parts of the temple itself.
As it stood, the temple occupied four city blocks, with the domed roof of the temple serving as the center structure, with other quarters and offshoots jutting out parallel to the city walls themselves. The palace of Nebuchadnezzar shared much of the architectural designs that were present here, with lush vegetation occupying much of the roofs and walls, where stone reliefs told an unfamiliar story before her eyes. The Temple of Sin, like the Parthenon in Athens, was the pinnacle place of worship. And therefore represented the greatest homage to the gods. But through dim torchlight, Artemis could only wonder at the battles and stories that had been carved into the stone.
Artemis leaned back, drawing her donkey to a stop. Tantalia tilted her head, giving her a baleful eye as she was pulled away from Perseus's own mount, which had been steadily ignoring the donkey's attention.
"Don't give me that look, you are the one that terrorized Leonphalos. It's not my fault he's ignoring you," Artemis said smugly, as she looked at the bigger horse's rider.
Perseus grinned back at her, "I think it's more likely that he is thinking of sleeping in the stables instead of our midnight adventure here."
"Just like his rider then?"
His answering scowl almost made her laugh until she heard the footsteps of the Pellians coming from the road behind them.
She saw Atreon and Daxos leading the men out of the shadows. They all moved silently in the dark, staying out of the nearby torchlight.
"Any sign of guards or priests?" Daxos asked, looking up at Perseus and herself.
"None so far," Perseus responded, "We'll go in on foot from here. Watch our mounts for us. And make sure you cover all the entrances you can find, walls included."
"Sounds good to me, you two decide on a signal if you need help?"
Artemis looked over to Perseus in the dark, before she looked back at Daxos' shadowed form, "If we aren't out by dawn, come on in."
She quickly dismounted from Tantalia and nudged her in the direction of a Pellian who might have been Atreon if his grunt was anything to go by. Perseus did the same with Leonphalos. The animals were visible only for a minute as the Pellians slowly led them in the darkened alleys of the city and they were alone once more.
"Together then?"
"Lead the way," Artemis rolled her eyes, as she and Perseus walked up towards a central convergence of both the stone reliefs as well as a small ring of exterior pillars that were set in front of the walls of the temple itself. Torches hung on the pillars, bathing them in orange light as they emerged from the safety of the darkened streets.
At the crux of the pillars and stone reliefs was a double doorway, with two torches on either side of the wooden entrance. Artemis watched Perseus pause for a moment, as there was no visible blemish or way to open the door.
"I think they are expecting us," Artemis said, stepping up to Perseus's side. She rested a hand on the left door and looked at him. He did the same on the right door.
Together, they pushed, and the doors creaked open.
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The temple interior was quiet. In the night air outside, there had been ambient noises throughout the city: the lapping waters of the Euphrates, the crackling of torches, the odd city animal dashing through the alleyways.
But inside, it was a void.
The doors creaked closed behind them, leaving Perseus and herself encased in complete darkness. The only sense she had to guide herself was their combined breathing and her own heartbeat.
Her eyes strained outwards, trying to identify anything in the fuzzy black void in front of her, leaving all sense of depth behind. Even her own limbs didn't register in front of her eyes.
"Well," Perseus's voice sounded like a shout in the absolute stillness surrounding them, "I don't suppose you have a way to make some light?"
"Right," Artemis scowled in his general direction, "Let me snap my fingers and summon some moonlight."
"You used to do that?" Perseus laughed, "How do your powers even work?
"Really? Of all the times to ask, now? Not over the two years we've spent talking about our lives?"
"Sorry that i'm a pragmatist and that I believe in you," Perseus huffed, "I'll check the walls."
Artemis heard a shuffling noise that sounded like sandals scraping against the stone ground they stood on before she heard something—Perseus's hand most likely—brushed against stone.
Artemis didn't dignify that answer with a response as she turned to the doors behind them, feeling for a handle or the seam where the doors had closed. But after a minute, she only felt the painted wood.
"Find anything Perseus?" Artemis asked into the darkness, only hearing Perseus shuffle up and down stone walls that ran deeper into the temple.
"Nothing," Perseus groaned, "You?"
"Can't even feel—" Artemis swore violently as her thumb caught on something and a sharp pain stabbed at the crux of her finger, "Gods damn splinter, I hate being mortal."
Perseus snorted, "Well let's get going, before you injure yourself further."
"I hope that it's big enough to stab you with," Artemis snapped lightly, finding the offending object and pulling it out of her hand. It was a tiny sliver of wood, unfortunately.
She turned from the door, walking confidently through the darkness based on where she had heard Perseus's voice come from as well as his explorations over the last few minutes.
They were in a hallway, that was sure, wide enough that as Artemis spread out both of her arms, she couldn't touch the wall on either side.
She did, however, hit Perseus's face.
"Ack!"
"Ah," Artemis grinned, "There you are."
"Funny," Perseus laughed, before he paused, "You ready?"
Artemis brushed her hand down to his shoulder before rest brought it down to her sheathed hunting knife.
"Stand on guard," Artemis said, feeling Perseus's presence to her right, "I don't know how this is going to go."
"Ishtar said we are expected, even thanked us," Perseus remarked, the reasoning in his tone tempered with the scrap of metal as he gripped his sword, drawing it out of its sheath ever so slightly.
"Right," Artemis murmured, "I'm just on edge. Hardly know anything about these gods."
"What have you heard?"
"Just legends," Artemis shook her head, "Ironically mostly of Ishtar. She is dangerous and if Sin is her father…"
"Right, you called her a love and war goddess. Those domains seem like they—" Perseus trailed off as the two of them slowly walked forwards through the darkness.
"If you are imagining an amalgamation of Ares and Aphrodite, that isn't far from the truth," Artemis replied, "Love and War may seem opposites, but they are essentially extreme passions. Which is why Athena, despite being a Goddess of War, is tempered with Wisdom, creating Strategy and Cunning.
"So Ishtar then, is a volatile being then?"
"If Ares and Aphrodite are volatile," Artemis scowled, "Which they indeed are, then Ishtar is a being of desire, seeking both death and life, never quite striking a balance between the two."
"Mood swings," Perseus said sagely, "I can deal with that."
"Perseus," Artemis growled, "Focus."
"What's there to focus on? We are walking through a tunnel," Perseus exclaimed, "Which, by the way, makes no sense. The Temple was pretty big on the outside, but we've been walking long enough to have covered the whole length of the building at this point."
"Artemis frowned, "Hmm. You have a point."
"Is this a test? Or a power thing? Is this something that you could do? Could you make an endless tunnel?"
"I—" Artemis froze, "You know I can. It's nothing like this, but in times of necessity, I could warp distances. If my Hunt needed to be somewhere, I could form portals, bridges through different forests. If you were in Pella, you could be in Pylos in a number of hours, from running through endless trees."
"Well that sounds convenient," Perseus said with a touch of wonder in his voice, "Could I try sometime?"
"It taxes you heavily," Artemis rolled her eyes, "Even my hunters get tired from such a journey, I might have to carry you halfway through the trip."
"I've spent two years marching this far for nothing then," Perseus groaned.
"Yes, I'm truly sorry to inconvenience you," Artemis retorted while blinking in the darkness.
Was it similar to her ability?
She tried to stare out into the darkness, finding nothing. There was no point of reference, nothing that marked a path.
Feeling rather silly, she closed her eyes, trying to focus, casting her senses outwards. But all she heard was Perseus's breath at her side and her heartbeat, pulsing up through her chest and behind her eyes.
"Artemis?"
She sighed, "I don't know—wait."
She was about to open her eyes when she felt a heartbeat in her chest that ran up her neck and into her head. As it reached her eyes, she saw it. A shockwave of that pulsed outwards from her, cutting through the void like a wave, replacing the ground below her with the vision of a desert.
Rolling dunes of dark gray lay on distant horizons. The very ground at her feet was still, as if it was a moonless night in motionless sand. There was her heartbeat again, sending another wave out, illuminating her surroundings once more. It was dark, the grays fading against the black, but she stood in a desert. She looked to her left, knowing that a wall was there, but in this vision, there was only an endless expanse of sand and the distant gray mounds.
"Perseus," Artemis turned to her right, opening her eyes as she did so, "Close your eyes. Listen to your heartbeat."
Silence greeted her ears.
Her heart spiked in her chest, her blood running cold.
"Perseus?" Artemis snapped her eyes open, the visions of the gray desert dissolving replaced by the empty void. She had heard his inhales and exhales before, a comfortable companion to her own heartbeat and breathing.
Now there was nothing
"Perseus?" Artemis clenched her fists, "This isn't funny, where are you?" She cautiously stepped where he had been, feeling for him, but only meeting a cool stone wall after a few steps. It was solid, as dust fell from the cracks in the stone, settling on the floor at her feet.
"…I won't play these games," Artemis turned, glancing up, down, left right. "Bring him back, now, Ishtar!"
But she was left alone in the darkness.
"I will kill you if you touch him," Artemis vowed, as she drew both of her hunting knives. She tried to calm herself, as her heartbeat heavily now, easily twice as fast as before. Her eyes closed and she chased the rhythm in her chest
The desert shifted into being once more, but this time, there was light. The distant sand dunes were shadowed in grays that barely stood out against the emptiness of the dark. But now, looking down, she saw herself. Pale gray light illuminated her form shining from the knives she held in her hands. They illuminated her armor, skin, and the sand at her feet in varying shades of gray light. She tried to stare, finding her vision blurred, as if the fuzziness of the dark was emulated in the gray light that her daggers emitted.
Around here, there was just sand, the light stretching only a few body lengths in any direction.
She looked around, trying to find a point of reference. There were dunes, some close, some far, but nothing that contrasted the darkness like her knives. She looked up into the skies, seeing only the inky darkness…
Except…
A star shined just above the horizon behind her; its light barely glowing against the immensity of void. But it shone with silver, twinkling resolutely. Its light shone just above a shadowed sand dune on the far edge of her fuzzy vision.
It was something.
She stepped forwards, preparing to meet stone beneath her feet, only to feel her shoe slide against sand, the ground giving and sliding before her. Grains shifted against her sole and the sound brushed against her eyes, as cool sand tickled her feet.
But the air was still. And her heartbeat was loud.
"You better be alright, Perseus," Artemis muttered, before she continued forwards, following the distant star.
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She walked through the darkness for a long period of time. Or she thought she did. She tried recalling the time that had passed, only to puzzle herself after a few moments of trying to recollect how long she had walked
So she tried counting her heartbeats, reaching over tree hundred before she lost count, falling into a trance while listening to her own pulse in her mind. She had startled coming back to her 'conscious' self, standing in the desert, walking in the other direction of the star she had been following.
Artemis understood the message.
Instead, she resolved to study her surroundings, seeking new points of reference, the angle of the star to the horizon, new sand dunes, anything to bring her mind new sights.
That sand dune she had seen on the horizon? She passed it, climbing over the six-foot-tall mound of sand. And so she judged the others that she passed on her left and right, trying to estimate their heights as well.
None seemed taller than the one she had already crossed, so she pressed on, seeking something out in these desert wastes.
Dunes passed. Like gentle waves caught in time on the ocean, unaffected by winds and tides.
Until Artemis saw a shape emerge on the horizon. It was big, much bigger than the slight shapes of dunes caught against the background of the void.
It was angular, sharply rising from the desert floor before rounding in a crescent shape at its zenith. As she got closer, more details emerged. There were columns, gray in color that supported a domed roof. A circular base of some materials raised up slightly from the sand.
And right over the center of the building's zenith, was the star. Artemis realized only now that the star was not set amongst the horizon, but rather floated in the air just above the building.
She approached; each step careful as she took in the structure in more detail. She wasn't far away now. It wasn't a large structure, with each pillar standing only twice her own height, six pillars visible from her viewpoint, before the walls and dome curved behind in a circular fashion.
There was no door, but the structure was empty, its layout open as the gaps between the pillars marked its interior. It looked like marble, but entirely smooth, maybe white if she got close enough with her knives to illuminate it
Artemis felt the ground suddenly beneath her feet solidify as her sandal hit not only sand, but stone. She was close enough now to throw her dagger into the structure—Temple—if she was so inclined.
Looking up, the star hung above, maybe about a spear's length above the dome of the Temple. It was a simple light, four rays of silver lancing out before the darkness swallowed the pure light, leaving no shadows below.
The light was familiar though, and Artemis stared into its depths, trying to feel something. She felt the light wash over her, her heartbeat synchronizing with the star, each pulse seeming to brighten the light that strained against the void.
Then, she heard it.
Drip.
Drip
Drip.
A new sensation. The stone at her feet grew cool. Her right foot shifted, letting the cool air lap at her ankles. A sound shifted, sending ripples through the sand.
She lazily looked down, her feet cool and the dripping noise slowly building in her ears.
The drips turned into a bubbling noise, which turned into a rush, the noise emanating from the temple in front of her. The sand at her feet swirled, lapping at her feet in waves, pushed away from the temple. Ripples tickled her skin, following the rhythm of her heartbeat.
A cool wind caressed her neck, as if something had brushed against her spine.
She gasped, her eyes shooting open.
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Her vision snapped into focus, immediately taking in her surroundings.
She stood in a circular chamber, with water lapping at her ankles. A bubbling fountain quietly sounded in front of her. The building she had seen in the desert was there, the marble pillars and domed roof shining in blues and golds, rushing water bubbling up from a fountain in the middle, its waters rushing down over the few steps where it pooled at her feet, just deep enough to cover her ankles.
And illuminating the room with a pale silver light, was the moon, perfectly centered above the chamber, amidst the open night sky.
"—Perseus?" Artemis asked, her voice swallowed by the breadth of the chamber. The entire floor was the pool, where no doors or openings were visible, just smooth walls and the night sky above.
There was a noise on the far side of the circular fountain, as if someone was walking through the water, their steps causing gentle ripples and waves.
Artemis tensed, holding her knives in a ready position, as she was still holding them from her travels in the desert.
A figure came into view. It was a man with dark brown skin, dressed in a long white robe that left his arms bare, a sash of silver-braided rope keeping it tied together. He was tall, had golden rings and silver bands decorating his arms. He had a well-kept beard that fell down his entire jawline in intricate braids, tied with silver jewelry, all easily reaching down to his collarbone. His face caught the moonlight, illuminating his dark skin and prominent cheekbones, head bald of hair, except for the tattoo of a crescent which was pointed up on his forehead.
"I am afraid that I am not your companion," the figure spoke, his voice deep and powerful, "I am glad that you have come so soon. I wasn't sure you would."
Artemis stepped forwards, disregarding everything the man had said, "Where is he?"
"I assure you he is unharmed," The figure's face twitched beneath his beard, "My daughter had told me that you two walked the same path, but I admit I was unconvinced. Regardless, it is a pleasure to meet you, Phoebe Artemis. From one Guardian of the Moon to another."
Artemis stepped back, lowering her knives slightly, "So you are Sin, God of the Moon?"
"I must say, I am disappointed that my reputation doesn't precede me," Sin laughed lightly, "But yes. I am Sin, God of the Moon, Shepherds, and Stars."
"I am Phoebe Artemis, Goddess of the Moon, Hunt, Chastity, and Childbirth," Artemis allowed herself to nod to the figure—Sin—before her, "Now I'd like to have my companion returned to me."
"In time," Sin promised, "He walks his own path for now, somewhat similar to the task I had laid out for you."
Artemis narrowed her vision, "I don't like being toyed with, a goddess or not."
She looked around the chamber, trying to piece together if it was real. Clearly Sin had some masteries over illusions, but in her current predicament, it was difficult to tell whether she was still back in the lightless tunnel or not. It was very possible that she had never left.
"Normally, I wouldn't have been so discourteous, I assure you," Sin walked closer to her, allowing Artemis to see the finery of his robe, which was covered in swirling designs of gold and silver bulls.
"I sent my daughter in good faith. For we—" Sin waved his arm above the sky, "Truly owe you a debt. The Persian yoke was a period of long suffering for my kin. My daughter especially, for she was trapped in the underworld when the Persians came to conquer."
"But why test me?" Artemis stood, looking straight into Sin's eyes, their color a golden brown.
"For I have the same questions you do, young one," Sin spoke, clasping his arms behind his back, "Your divinity is gone, that is undeniable. But you are still a goddess. I feel it, even now, a void in your soul."
"The Olympian Council took it," Artemis raised her chin, "until the Expedition is at an end."
"You Greeks have your differences in governing the heavens," Sin began pacing, his gaze fixed on the night sky, his steps barely causing ripples in the waters at their feet, "You are young, volatile, eager to expand. Quick to condemn."
"I would say we are structured," Artemis retorted, "Enough know their limits."
While she wouldn't normally defend Olympus, especially when a majority had voted her out, that was the Olympians. Olympus was bigger than the council, more gods and goddesses existed in the smaller aspects of the worldly functions.
"Structured?" Sin stopped, glancing at her, "I struggle to imagine banishing a god to walk in lands beyond their station, a facet of a well-ordered Pantheon."
"I struggle to imagine being conquered by the Persians, yet here you are," Artemis replied.
"Hmm," Sin continued, "Arrogant as well, but that was to be expected."
Artemis remembered traveling to the temple and the conversation with the Pellians. She had her suspicions behind the Expeditions' origins, and needed answers. Especially if Perseus and her were right in their assumption on the cause of it all. But she found herself pausing. Something told her to wait. Maybe it was instinct, maybe it was some minuscule thread of divinity, but she listened to it all the same.
"How did Anahita die?" Artemis asked instead.
"Ah, the usurper herself?" Sin raised an eyebrow, "The Greek Expedition exposed a great weakness that had been building for many long years. The Persian deities were weak, steadily starved of worship as more and more of the Mediterranean fell under Greek sway. The Persian heartland could not contain control. The ancient gods, of water and skies, took their revenge on the Persians."
"Ishtar had mentioned…" Artemis paused, thinking over the names, "Anu? Ea? Babylonian gods?"
"Not exactly," Sin admitted, "Anu and Ea are much older, much more—savage. They exist along with another, Enlil. Their place in this world is the natural order of things. Anu brings the skies. Ea the floods and currents of the rivers. Enlil, the winds and clouds. The Babylonians gods view them as primordial forces, unable to be reasoned with, they were once worshiped in Sumeria. Their temperaments are legendary, changing with their very domains on a whim."
"The Persian Pantheon had long tried to conquer them, by capturing them and starving them of worship, but their roots in these lands run deeper than the deserts, deeper than the rivers themselves. And so when the Persians were weakened, we simply needed Anu, Ea, and Enlil free. Oh their devastation was something, they sought singular revenge upon the Persians and ravaged the Pantheon. So great was the battle, that a sandstorm erupted in the Persian heartlands for weeks."
"And when the dust had settled, the Persian Pantheon was no more. Their palace shattered; their ranks decimated. Anu, Ea, and Enlil are gone, likely destroying themselves in the process, but that was to be expected. Their time had come."
"Their time?" Artemis echoed.
"You are young," Sin gestured in her direction, "Your pantheon was forged from conflict and upheaval. There were others before your reign, and there will be others after your reign is over. Anu slipped out of the skies when the first temples were built and also the great rivers in this valley. If Anu was still here, I doubt that they could answer when that was."
Artemis hadn't even considered the time before their pantheon on many occasions, though she knew that Athena had done as much research as could be done on the subject. She had never been too invested in the information, which she was sorely regretting now.
"I am not afraid of what comes when I fade, but I don't plan on it happening," Artemis finally sheathed her hunting knives, "I am a goddess."
She thought back to the conversations that she had shared with Perseus on the subject. His earnest questions about the nature of the world.
"I am a shepherd of the worship I receive. I answer their prayers. I learn. I teach." She thought of the Hunt. The bonds she forged, the places she traveled to, the great Temple where her worshippers gathered. She had a new task ahead of her, a new life to forge for herself, when the Expedition ended.
"Arrogance," Sin scoffed, "And naivety. You would tell me, a God of Shepherds, the nature of your existence? I must admit, you disappoint me. I had thought the Olympians might be different. Perhaps you are, but your strength will not last forever and when your worship fails, when your leylines to the mortal realm are cut, what will you do then?"
Artemis raised her arms, swallowing a sneer before she spoke, "Do you see me succumbing to my exile? You call me young, but all my life, I have lived as a mortal in many ways. I fight with my companions. I bleed with them. I suffer with them. I may travel as a mortal now, with all the dangers that entails, but when this is over, my struggles won't end."
"Ah, now there's the fire my daughter told me of," Sin laughed, his eyes glowing slightly, "It took a bit longer than I would've thought, based on what she told me of you. I see that anger though. I wonder if you have always carried it, or if this journey of yours has cultivated it so."
"You will have to suffer me even longer," Artemis stalked away from the Babylonian god for a quick few steps, studying the night sky, trying to judge how long it had been since Perseus and her had entered the temple.
"Alexander King has allowed Perseus and myself to stay in the city, along with a detachment of soldiers."
"Indeed?" Sin hummed from where he stood, "I admit that surprises me. Ishtar tells me that you don't get along. I believe you quarreled this morning at the palace did you not?"
"So you watched us the whole day then," Artemis prompted, keeping her voice level.
"When it suited us," Sin said dismissively, "My daughter is quite taken with your companion."
"And I have you on your word, that he is unharmed and left in peace," Artemis tensed slightly at the poorly veiled attempt to grind on her temper. Though a thinly veiled attempt it was, she was ashamed it worked so well."
"Oh I know my daughter," Sin sighed, "She likely is with him now, but she wouldn't dare influence your mortal companion. We have our own laws that separates us from the mortals."
That didn't give her much peace of mind at all.
"I quite don't know what to make of you," Sin continued, "You are honest, but guarded. I sense the secrets you hold in your mind. You are arrogant, but truly care about your mortal companion. You are not what I imagined when I heard an Olympian was traveling with the Macedonian advance."
"I've met a few gods in my travels," Artemis allowed, studying the god before her, "I know when I'm being lied to. And something tells me that you haven't told me anything that you hadn't already planned to tell me."
"Well," Sin stroked his beard, one corner of his mouth upturned, "This was our first meeting. I bid you a good night, Phoebe Artemis."
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A moment later, Artemis found herself standing in darkness, but this time it wasn't complete darkness.
She looked around her, as she found herself standing in a long hallway where a pale yellow light glowed from behind her, shining through a number of windows and doors. But next to her, was a closed double door, with two handles on the interior.
'Well that's just perfect.'
Artemis remembered Sin's words and quickly gripped the doors, pulling on them, unsure what she would find on the other side.
They opened without issue, revealing the exterior of the city streets. Bright city streets, glowing under a fresh morning light. The sight nearly made her wince, as she squinted under the unexpected bright atmosphere around her.
She stepped forwards, the warmth of the sun bathing her in the pale oranges and pinks of the breaking day.
She heard footsteps rush up to her.
"Cleoxene!"
It was Perseus.
She quickly blinked away the light, seeing his face peering down at her with worried eyes.
"Thank the Gods, where have you been?"
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Artemis had seen a fair few Solstice meetings go wrong on Olympus. Wars had been declared, bickering feuds had flashed over into bouts that halted proceedings. But it was safe to say that this moment would be recorded as Olympus's most chaotic solstice meeting of all time.
She didn't register the roar of noise as every Olympian jumped off their thrones, their shouts, exclamations and surprise combined into a cacophonous eruption of voices. Nor did she pay attention to the sudden deluge of the thunderstorm rumbling overhead, water raining through the portcullis over her and Perseus.
What she did notice was the confusion on Perseus's face.
"Perseus—" Artemis mumbled through the haze of warmth that encircled her soul, his name rolling off her lips which she had thought was lost to her for over two thousand years.
"ORDER! I WILL HAVE ORDER!" Zeus roared as a crack of lightning flashed down into the throne room, striking the marble in between her and Zeus at the foot of his throne. The impact seared the blue light in her vision, as the resulting shockwave rattled in her skull. She squeezed her eyes shut, before she registered Perseus holding her up.
"No one will speak a word," Zeus snarled, "You will explain yourself! NOW!"
Artemis realized a moment later that Zeus meant her, as she raised her head from where it was pressed into Perseus' upper arm, her head spinning and her ears ringing from the thunder blast. She saw Annabeth, Grover, and Thalia looking at her as though she had grown eight heads. Even Bessie stared right at her.
"I—uh," Perseus cleared his throat, eyes unfocused, before he quickly helped Artemis fully upright.
Artemis turned slowly as the room stopped spinning, the ringing in her ears subsiding for the moment.
She looked up to the front of the throne room, where Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and Hades stood in mixtures of rage, disbelief, shock, and confusion, in that respective order.
There wasn't any time to formulate anything. 'What could she even say?' She pieced together the last minute.
'Percy was a god. That God was Perseus. He was confused. Was he Perseus? Was he Percy?'
So she did the only thing that she cared about.
"Perseus?" Artemis turned back to…the god at her side, "Is—is that really you?"
"I SAID—"
"BROTHER!" Poseidon roared in the background, "YOU WILL LET HIM SPEAK!"
She paid the shouts no mind, keeping her eyes locked on Perseus's green gaze.
"Of course it is," Perseus smiled, before his brow furrowed and the smile dropped into a frown, "But what happened? I don't remember—"
Perseus suddenly turned to Poseidon, "—Dad?"
"Son?" Poseidon reflexively smiled, his trident disappearing in his hand, dissolving into mist, "It's alright, what do you remember?"
"I—" Perseus groaned, gripping his head.
"Perseus," Artemis murmured, stepping up next to him. The situation suddenly dawned on her at that moment, "It's alright, it's alright. Let them flow, those memories are yours. Look for them." Perseus just winced in reply, his eyes darting behind his eyelids once more and she looked up, finding Athena and Poseidon's gazes.
"He remembers both lives!"
"Both lives?!" Apollo shouted.
"You will explain yourselves," Zeus whispered in a cold rage, his entire face bright red, heat lightning flashing all over his form.
Perseus suddenly exhaled, shaking his head, "I think I know what happened?"
Artemis froze, looking at Perseus with trepidation, latching on to the hope that he was Perseus, that this hadn't been a trick of the fates. She wouldn't survive any false hope, a vision of what she dreamed that would never come to pass.
"My name," Perseus said from her side, "Is Perseus, son of Pausanias."
Artemis heard Thalia swear behind her.
"What in the fu—"
"However, Perseus continued, "I am also Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."
And then Perseus turned to her with a smile on his face, "I knew it in my soul Artemis, I told you."
Artemis hugged him then, wrapping her arms around him. One arm coiled around his neck the other gripped the back of his armor, pulling him as close as possible. She felt the thrum of his heart, strong and steady.
She felt his arms around her in turn. Strong and comforting.
"What does he mean, son of Pausanias?" Demeter echoed.
"Wait a moment, Perseus, from the Expedition! Di Immortales, ARTEMIS YOU DIDN'T!?" Apollo swore loudly.
"We can explain!" Athena suddenly shouted, her voice sounding like she had come right next to Perseus and her, as Artemis couldn't see as her head was nestled into Perseus's shoulder.
"I am tired of asking, the next words will be an explanation, or I will disintegrate this godling without a second thought," Zeus snapped, his eyes flaring with energy.
"You will do no such thing!" The hearth flared into an inferno in the middle off the throne room where quiet flames had quietly crackled there a moment before. And stepping out of the fire was a young woman: Hestia.
She wore a simple brown robe, her brown hair cascading down behind her back. But the normal calm she exuded was replaced by a stern demeanor. Her almond-colored eyes danced with fire.
"You will sit and listen, brother," Hestia ordered, striding in front of Perseus and herself, standing next to Athena, "You can go sit, Athena."
"Of course," Athena nodded, her tense shoulders and posture relaxing as Hestia stepped forward. Already her presence in the throne room settled things, as each Olympian felt their emotions settle and calm.
But Zeus was in a fury.
"Sister, you wouldn't dare," Zeus seethed, "My daughter has to answer me, I refuse to be denied!"
"Don't challenge me, brother," Hestia's voice roiled as her hair was set ablaze, flames burning white hot at the roots of her hair, flaring into oranges and golds at tips. The room grew hot, as if the chamber was within the caldera of a volcano, and hot magma bubbled underneath the marble at their feet. At Zeus's side, the master bolt flickered in white and blue sparks of energy that turned verdant green.
A moment later, the heat subsided, and Hestia stood, calm against the storm, "We've weathered your temper long enough. I'm sure an explanation is coming."
And Zeus sat back, the bolt flickering back to its normal blues and whites, the sparks from the weapon small and subdued.
And the eldest Olympian turned and walked back to the hearth, finding a seat near the fire, which had died down to a small blaze that cracked quietly.
"I—" Athena spoke up, glancing about the council, "Artemis, do you want me to—"
Artemis sighed, shaking her head, "No…"
She gently eased out of Perseus's arms, looking up at him, "If it's ok with you?"
"Of course," Perseus murmured, "I admit, I think I need help understanding—how am I here? I remember you holding me… but—"
Artemis shook her head violently, purging the sight from her mind, "It doesn't matter right now. You are here. That's all that does."
She gently stepped away from Perseus and stood before the council. The assembled gods, goddesses, and demigods all waited for her to speak. She had told her story to the Hunt. How long would it take?
"Long ago, this council banished me to walk alongside the Macedonian Expedition," Artemis began, forcing her voice to remain calm, "You removed my divinity, my domains, my powers, leaving me mortal, to fend for myself. For the crime of stealing worship from Zeus."
Artemis glared up at her father, "And so, I was doomed to likely live in hardship, fighting alone against monsters and men alike. But instead, I met Perseus."
She glanced at Perseus, reflexively smiling.
"I punched him," She recalled, "But we struck an accord. I help the Expedition with monsters, and he would help integrate me into the Expedition under the guise of an Amazonian. We had an uneasy truce."
"Some of you knew this," Artemis glanced at Apollo and Aphrodite, before nodding to Athena and Poseidon."
Some of the attention of the room shifted at her pointed gazes.
"My presence in the Expedition was known only to a select few. Alexander King and his close companion Hephaestion, Perseus, and a few others. I was allowed to remain hidden as a Amazonian, provided I help train some Macedonians to fight, while hunting monsters that plagued the army."
"So I fought. I trained. I marched."
"And over time, I found friendship with Perseus. We shared a tent. I punched him when I first learned that."
"We fought together, at the siege of Tyre."
"I met distant gods in Egypt."
Artemis paused, the next memory replaying in her mind.
"I fell in love," Artemis looked at Perseus again, a tear streaming down her face. Perseus stared back, his eyes welling as well.
"Enough!" Zeus spat, "I—"
"But how," Hades stood up, looking over at Perseus, "You are an old soul, a reincarnation, you shouldn't have memory of your past life. Your soul would have bathed in the river Lethe. Those waters are potent, even for gods to a degree.
"Wait," Perseus's brow furrowed, "A God? I—Di immortales I'm a god!"
Artemis heard Thalia's palm smack her forehead.
"Oh gods, he's still an idiot," Annabeth laughed, a look of wonder on her face.
There were so many questions, so many things to ask him, but Perseus was right—he was a god, which meant he had domains.
"What are your domains," Artemis asked him, as she studied his form. She only realized now that Perseus was rather—well—built. He had been wiry in the Expedition, with lean muscles and solid stature. That much was the same now, but he looked healthy and filled in, as if he was free of the worries that had worn him down when she had known him.
It made her flush.
"I—" Perseus looked down at himself, "I feel something—"
"I can tell you," Hades continued, "I see the spirit that his soul absorbed, his domain crafted from the spirit's essence."
"Protection," Perseus said, "A domain of Protection?"
"Indeed," Hades replied, "The daimon Soter is within your soul. Remarkable."
'Protection.'
Artemis smiled as she looked at Perseus, uncaring who saw her stare. She held her lost hunters in her heart and the worry of the coming storm remained, but Perseus was here. Returned as a god, a god of Protection.
The thought made her soul sing, as though the universe had righted a wrong that had been festering for as long as she had known Perseus. He was alive. He was where he was meant to be.
"I'm—" Perseus frowned, looking over to his friends, "I'm a god. I'm also Perseus."
"Yeah," Grover murmured, "Still trying to process that.
"I'm right there with you Goat Boy," Thalia shook her head, "And to think I thought joining the hunters was going to be the strangest thing that I saw."
"Are you," Annabeth took a step forward, "Are you still Percy?"
"Yeah," Perseus laughed, "I think I am, it's a bit strange, separating the memories of Percy and Perseus, because, well—"
Perseus looked back at her.
"Oh gods I forgot you two met," Thalia yelled, "MY EYES!"
"We didn't know each other!" Perseus exclaimed, before he froze, looking over to her with a whip of his head, "You knew… all this time you knew"
Artemis folded her arms, suddenly aware of the amount of gods and goddesses that were still watching this interaction, "I knew."
"I'm so sorry," Perseus sighed, "I—"
"It's not your fault," Artemis shook her head, "How could it be?" She didn't want to relive that memory either.
A silence dropped over the throne room.
"Well this has been enlightening," Hermes remarked, "Suppose we should all head out?"
"I'd just like one clarification," Hera spoke up from Zeus's side, where the King of the Gods was still staring her down. "Artemis, are you still a virgin Goddess?"
"Of course I am!" Artemis retorted, "I am bound by my oath."
Zeus grumbled in his throne.
"I'm not ashamed I fell in love," Artemis snapped, glaring at Zeus, "You can sulk for another millennia for all I care."
"This meeting is over," Zeus growled, glaring over at the hearth before he vanished in a thunderclap.
At his exit, a number of other gods flashed away as well. Aphrodite disappearing in a huff of disbelief. Ares and Hephaestus followed, both uncaring about the apparent drama. Hera and Demeter too.
Which left a number of Olympians and more questions that she had to answer.
Poseidon immediately walked over to Perseus drawing him into an embrace.
"This might get some getting used to. If you and Artemis get married you are my nephew you—"
"Dad what the—"
"Poseidon, really," Athena shook her head, looking at Perseus, "I didn't think I'd ever see you again, welcome back Perseus."
Artemis smiled, flushing slightly at Poseidon's joke, before she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Apollo.
She turned to face him.
He looked at a loss, his blue eyes studying her.
She wondered what had surprised him more. She had thought back to the Expedition when she had been jumping through recounting some of the major events that she had experienced while traveling in the East. Apollo had given her the armor. He had seen Perseus then. At Issus? He had defended her, but he had also been with Perseus after the battle. She hadn't seen him afterwards, but he was probably at Tyre… Egypt?
Apollo leaned forwards and hugged her tightly.
She was broken out of her frantic recollection and reflexively hugged him back.
"All this time?" Apollo muttered in fascination, "Artemis, you absolute dumbass."
"I—what!" Artemis wrinkled her nose, trying to work out of his embrace.
"You are!" Apollo shook his head in disbelief before he cleared his throat and recited a poem:
"my younger sister
I thought I knew her so well
betrayed me for love"
Artemis felt her ears burn, "Shut. Up."
"You really didn't think I'd care!" Apollo suddenly frowned, "How many times did I come to you with my love troubles, and you kept this bottled up!?"
Artemis sighed, "Apollo you love easily. I don't. I… there wasn't going to be another." Her vision strayed over to Perseus. Even now, they had a lot to talk about. He stood, talking with Athena, Poseidon, and Hades. It seemed surreal to her. A few hours ago she was under the sky. Now, she felt as though the war was over, that she was in Elysium, if goddesses were allowed.
'Is this what peace felt like?'
She tried to remember when she had last felt so relaxed. So unworried that her entire consciousness daydreamed away. Maybe it was her lack of powers that allowed this feeling. Maybe it was the sight of Perseus in the flesh.
"That's—" Apollo paused, following her line of sight, "Wow, you really love him."
"I do," Artemis started, still unsure how to process the feeling in her soul, "I'm afraid to look away. I'm afraid of waking up from a dream."
"I—uh," Thalia approached her, while Annabeth and Percy walked over towards Perseus.
"Thalia," Artemis greeted her half-sister, "I imagine it's been quite the day for you."
"For me?" Thalia barked out a laugh, "I thought so too, until this council happened. I swear I have whiplash from watching it unfold. It's uh—" Artemis watched as Thalia glanced back at Perseus.
"Weird," Artemis prompted.
"Yes," Thalia nodded, "That. You hosted us in your encampment. In Maine."
"I did."
"Did… did the hunters know?" Thalia pursed her lips.
"Most of them," Artemis replied, "The newer recruits don't, though that may have to change."
"That answers that," Thalia huffed, "I swear, it's like the hunters were obsessed with Percy—er—Perseus. I caught some of them following him for the day or so that they stayed in camp before the quest headed out. And, well—Zoë—"
"I know," Artemis paused, quietly remembering Percy's words to her, "he told me."
The two of them paused, as Artemis glanced up remembering that Apollo had been next to her when she saw that the other group had split into two, with Perseus talking with Annabeth, Grover, and Apollo. The other group included Hades, Poseidon, and Athena, the three gesticulating wildly in Perseus's direction.
"You should go talk with your friends," Artemis glanced at Thalia.
"You sure?" Thalia looked at her with a bit of skepticism.
"I'm fine, I can assure you," Artemis rolled her eyes, "You should get used to following my orders.
"Oh, yeah, just for that I'm leaving," Thalia snorted, before she ambled over to the other demigods.
And Artemis watched her go, before she walked quietly to the hearth and took a seat next to Hestia. The eldest Olympian regarded her with kind eyes.
"You look tired," Hestia smiled.
"I feel tired too," Artemis groaned, her legs shaking slightly, a deep soreness washing over everything.
"You know, I didn't quite understand what you were going through," Hestia spoke, "a few years ago when you lit up the hearth.
Artemis just hummed, the cool marble absorbing her body heat. It was comfortable.
"But now, knowing you held such a flame for so long?" Hestia glanced over at the remaining individuals in the room, "You can let go now. You can rest."
Artemis didn't hear her because she was already asleep.
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P.S.
Such a happy chapter. How unsightly. I'll do better next time.
Perseus's domain was a tricky one to decide on, but I thought this one fit him the best. Hope to see you all soon!