[A/N Hey again everyone! So this is for the Pertemis server challenge: Artemis finds love. This is my contribution and I highly suggest looking around to find the others and leaving comments on your favorites!

Thanks! I hope you enjoy!]

Everyone expected her to fight by her father's side. Or rather, by the side of his children. Like the other immortals she was confined by the Ancient Laws and could not become directly involved, but it was easy to stretch the laws to encompass her domain. Her hunt's query could just happen to be at a battle that's tide needed to turn. The young demigods calling out for help as they were felled could be offered a second chance in her hunt. That is, at least, the female ones. She could even just sic her hunters on the enemy and watch aside her immortal compatriots.

But she did not.

She could not count the number of excuses she gave in avoiding the war, but she continued to mind her own business and camp her hunters in Switzerland. They even participated in and assisted in coordinating the "armed neutrality" system the country had adopted. Yes, she missed the wild forests, but creating successful camouflages among the rolling hills and rocky mountains was rewarding in its own way.

The question was always there: What happened to decide your neutrality? Over and over again she would be asked, but none of them realized that her decision was made years before the war. Not her family, not her Swiss comrades, and certainly not her hunters knew that she had picked her own side long before Hitler even rose to power. No one would have thought it was one of his uncles that convinced her.

.

1911

War was coming. Everyone knew it. The thick tension was so obvious that the coming war was commonplace conversation. Howard walked through town and tried to picture it on fire.

The children squealing with laughter would be screaming in terror. The women shouting orders would be trying to guide survivors to shelter. The men would be gone. Howard had his own conscription papers in his hand.

He was 19, the minimum age of conscription. His mother didn't know yet, but he could hardly imagine her being surprised. Coming to his home he looked at the door. He knew what was on the other side: resignation. He would deal with that later.

Instead, he placed his letter in his back pocket and made his way out of town. The path was clear, the sun was bright, and the air was crisp. When would he have the chance to take a leisurely walk again?

.

Quiet. Why was it so hard to find quiet?

Zeus stormed through Olympus at all hours of the day, Apollo pestered her at any of her personal 'homes,' Poseidon had every shore frothing and rolling, even her own huntresses were on edge and gossipy about the boiling tension among the gods and, subsequently, mortals all around the world. More specifically around Europe, but that was where much of Olympus was tied.

Yes, the Flame of the West had moved and burned brightest in America, but over the past hundred years their essence slowly shifted. The monsters had yet to overrun Europe, though they were much more rampant than they'd been even a decade ago. Medusa's den had yet to move, and the Underworld's main entrance was annoyingly unpredictable as it shifted back and forth across the ocean. The demigod camps, however, had left the continent before their civil war.

At the moment, all that mattered was Artemis wanted to be alone in the quiet and people were everywhere waiting to bother her.

That is why she found herself on a ridge in Switzerland sharpening her blades. But even here she wasn't free.

"Excuse me, miss?" Concern laced the voice behind her and she didn't even manage to suppress the groan that escaped her.

"What is it?" she asked as she positioned herself to glare at her intruder. She didn't bother hiding the dagger in her hands.

"Evening's coming. It'll get real cold real fast. You should head home."

She glared at the demigod. He had that aura: powerful. It wasn't clear who he belonged to or if he even knew of his heritage.

"Your concern is noted, but I can take care of myself."

"Be that as it may, these are...troubling times."

"You can go now."

"Not until I see you home." He scowled and seemed to dig his heels in a bit, ready for a confrontation.

"If these times are so troubling, why would I show you where I live?"

"To town, then," he answered immediately with pursed lips.

She imagined turning him into a skvader [yes, I know that's Sweden not Switzerland] but couldn't find any satisfaction in her musings, so decided to play along instead. She sat full facing him with her legs crossed looking down from her perch up the steep slope.

"Well, why are you out here, then?"

"Clear my head. Come to terms with a few things."

"Oh?" She tilted her head, wondering at his hardships.

"Figuring through every line of conversation I could have with Mother tonight."

"Good news or bad?"

He shrugged, obviously uncomfortable talking about this with a young girl.

"I'm trying to think of it as just news. Could go either way, really."

This time she really looked at him, accessing any information her godly essence could define. … He knew he was a demigod, but not who his father was. … He was more powerful than the average demigod. … He was nineteen. That was it!

"You've been conscripted?!"

He hung his head and wrung his hands.

Alright, man or not, he needed some kind of help and guidance. She couldn't count on his father to do so, whoever that may be, so she mentally buckled herself down and threw up some walls to make it through the encounter without any unnecessary outbursts. She'd been in a 12 year old body, but inched her morphing to 16 as she rose. She didn't want it to be too obvious, but there was no way he'd allow a small child to help him. Any older than 16 would have been too noticeable of a change.

"I am-" she stalled, realizing he'd recognize her for a goddess if she offered her true name. "I'm Diana." She hid a cringe as she used her Roman name. It made her skin crawl as she forced herself to remain as her Greek persona.

"Howard," the boy answered with a dip of his head.

"So, what will you be doing in the military, Howard?"

"Dunno yet. Guess I'll be finding out soon."

"Maybe I'll help you," she tried for a smile, but nearly cringed again. Men were so hopeless.

Howard was undaunted and had the audacity to tug on one of her curls as he answered with a smile, "It'd be a shame to cut this so short, but if you know how to use those daggers you might be of more use than me."

Her first instinct was to smack his hand away with godly strength, the second was to tell him off, and the third was to fashion him into a flying rabbit. But she exercised restraint and took a breath instead. And then what he said finally hit her.

He wasn't patronizing her or painting her into the sidelines of the confrontation. Instead he gave her two compliments and diminished his own ego. She felt her cheeks heat and quickly tried to stamp down the warmth, lest he see her golden flush.

.

He felt like he was in some fairy-land story. Maybe the fae folk crossed the English Channel to capture him. The evening sky bled every color from yellow to indigo, while the moon loomed in the sky so large it looked like he could touch it if he could only find a decent tree to climb.

Beside him Diana was ethereal in the fading light. It was as if she could illuminate the space around them with no need for a torch or candle. They'd talked pleasantly for a few miles, but had fallen into a comfortable silence over the past several minutes. He scrutinized the girl now, considering her age and the likelihood he'd ever see her again. Sure, he lived in a small town, but he'd never seen her before and he could be leaving soon. Everything was so uncertain.

Sighing, he decided to just enjoy the walk with the stranger's company.

"Is everything alright, Howard?" she asked, startling him.

"Yes. Just considering the evening. Is there someone back home who is missing you?"

She shot him another of those hard glances. Not quite a glare, but scrutinizing and unfriendly.

"My brother," she finally said in a guarded tone. "Though even that is questionable."

"If you want, I'm sure Mother won't mind setting another place for dinner."

Her glare broke into the smallest grin. "I think… I think I'd like that." Finally, she gave him a true smile and it was dazzling.

.

1916

It had been a long time since Artemis had missed a man, but she found herself frequently thinking back to Howard. He was kind and humble and showed both her and his mother such reverent respect. So rare! Sure she'd met some men that were at least half decent, but it was much easier to just whisk them into the wild like the abominable animals they were. In her immortal life it didn't feel like it'd been long since she'd met him, but he could be dead by now. The war was ruthless and didn't care who it took.

She sighed as she found another mark of her query. She felt like a dog doing her father's bidding. There were spies and runners everywhere and this one happened to be a monster, so Zeus thought he should send her after it. She paused at the border into Switzerland. True, such borders meant little to her personally, but the courier was obviously seeking sanctuary and any missteps on her part could have disastrous results in the mortal world. Switzerland had amazingly retained its neutrality and she did not want to endanger so many lives for her own mission.

There was a camp ahead, so she stuck to the shadows. She had to rely on some of her godly essence to become practically invisible, a part of the Wild, because she had no cover in these hills. She may not have even recognized the camp as a base had it not been for the tracks she followed and the voices that broke nature's midnight song. What looked like a spattering of boulders was actually several anti-aircraft weapons and a barracks.

She took only a moment to appreciate the ingenuity and seamlessness of the design before she found her prey.

She was itching to unsheath her daggers, her query was close, but unslung her bow instead. She couldn't be seen and with a well placed arrow the courier would simply burst into dust instead with no evidence left behind.

He stopped and she sighted his heart. He bowed to someone blocked from her view and she narrowed her eyes. A few more paces and she'd be close enough to eavesdrop.

Letting out a steady breath she released the draw on her bow and eased forward.

"-have news from your brothers," the cyclops was saying.

"They are not my brothers," answered a man behind the wall. She could just barely see his knuckles as he gestured with his hand.

"Mi'lord. I'm just the messenger. They wanted me to point out all the lives you could save by joining them."

"By killing for them. It's not very sound logic when peace is an option."

"Your father's realm can't-"

"Don't." It felt as if the temperature dropped as his voice dripped venom. "Don't bring my father into this. It's not his fault my brothers are such ill fated fools. Nothing they have done has benefitted him. Nothing. He was barely tolerated before and now he will never be trusted again because of them! Tell them I refuse. I refused before, and if they ask I'll refuse again. Actually-" The earth trembled slightly beneath her feet as the shink of sword and scabbard cut through the air. The strike was quick and her prey disintegrated in front of her. "Damn. I shouldn't have done that." A boot toed the golden dust. The man sighed and returned his sword to its sheath, finally stepping into her line of sight.

She gasped.

She couldn't help it, the sound just tumbled from her mouth and announced her presence to a very angry demigod. A very angry demigod who she knew to be powerful. One who was familiar.

She hadn't even drawn her bow and she found herself staring down the length of a sword into dark eyes. He narrowed his eyes at her and tilted his head.

"Do I...know you?" he asked.

"Howard…" She still didn't feel like this was real. She'd missed him, and now he was here. And he very well may be her enemy.

"So, you're not familiar for no reason." He bopped the flat of his sword on her shoulder before sheathing it, though he stayed in a fighting ready position. False casual. A trap.

She slung her bow on her back and stood, morphing into the form he'd last seen her in.

"Diana?" It was his turn to let out a breathy, irrelevant response. She wanted to say something witty, to scathe his already shaky confidence, but she couldn't even form a word. "You're not…" His shoulders fell, all semblance of readiness gone. "You're not mortal."

"No." She stood tall, proud of her heritage and position.

"Are you here to kill me?" He drew his sword by a few inches. Just at the ready.

"I was here to kill him," she nodded at the few remains of the gold dust that still littered the grass.

He relaxed then, even heaving a sigh.

"Don't suppose you want a drink then?"

She chuckled and aged herself to match him, about 23, and told him to lead the way.

.

"So, you're a son of Hades?" asked the vision beside him. Howard was half convinced she was some form of his imagination.

"I am. And…" How to put it delicately? "Well, I don't believe you're a demigod. And I sure hope you're not a monster. But you're definitely not a mortal… So, what are you?"

She chuckled at him and nursed her drink. He wasn't on duty and it was easy enough to get in and out of the still to offer her a drink in the shadow of a boulder at the camp's edge. She glowed in the moonlight, just as he remembered her.

"You're very astute for a man. I knew there was a reason I didn't set you into the Wild when we last met."

He didn't know how to answer, so he let out a breathy chuckle alongside her mirth. She let silence envelope them again and he wasn't inclined to break it.

"I'm glad you're still alive. And I'm sorry about the war. Especially our family's part in it," she whispered into the night. Her voice sounded eons older than she had any right to express.

"Our family?" He silently cursed his attraction to her, but she just giggled again.

"You haven't guessed it? We're cousins of a sort. Not by blood, really, but family is like that: weird."

"Uh-huh…" He wished he had more of an understanding of his father's family. No one really explained anything to him. It was more of just his mother explaining that he wasn't crazy and everyone else assuming he was evil.

"I don't usually go by Diana…" She was obviously setting him up to make his own discoveries, but Howard was still lost.

Heaving a sigh after a pregnant pause she rose so the moon silhouetted her and struck a pose with a bow that was not there a minute ago.

"You're the moon goddess! Uhhh-Artemis!"

She giggled again as she sat down.

"That's me."

"And, what are you doing here?"

"Running errands for my father." She seemed to deflate.

"I don't envy you." She glanced at him, a question in her eyes. "Father hasn't asked anything of me. I've only met him once and he complained about my brothers for the majority of our time together." Howard chuckled dryly as he remembered the rant about not needing an influx of dead in his kingdom. "But my brothers are dying to get me to join them."

"So I saw."

"I didn't take you for an eavesdropper."

"We all must be what we must in times of war," she answered sadly.

"Well, I must be a peacekeeper."

"Peace is not always an option. How many of your people must die before you go to war too?"

"It doesn't matter. More dead won't fix the problem."

"No vengeance for the son of Hades?" she elbowed his ribs.

"Not this one," he pushed her shoulder away in retaliation. When she bobbed back to right herself she didn't stop at upright, but bumped back into him, her face less than an inch away from his for a breathtaking moment. The glow about her seemed to fluctuate for a second.

"Howard?"

"Yes, Artemis?"

"Don't die." His surprise must have shown on his face because she took his hand and continued. "Not in this war. Not because of other people's hate and fear."

"I'll do my best, but I will defend those I can."

She sighed again, her bright eyes scanning the dark wilderness that surrounded them. He wasn't prepared when she quickly turned back to him and gave him a peck on the lips.

She chuckled at his gasp and then dissolved into moonbeams.

.

1917

Artemis knew when it happened. What was a kiss if not a gift, and the gift of a god would hold some sort of power. He had that small connection to her now, so that when his soul left the land of the living she would know.

She'd only met him twice, so why did it hurt enough to leave tear tracks down her face?

Why was the taste of moonshine sour in her mouth?

Why did her grip on her daggers fail in the middle of a battle?

Why did she have to love him?

She gasped in pain and collapsed to the ground, letting out a wave of primal power alongside her emotions.

Her hunters made quick work of the battle and Zoë was soon at her side to check her for injuries. There was no ichor on the ground around her. No wounds to bind. No understanding between them.

"I must go. I will be back."

With that, she left the Hunt for Switzerland.

.

Artemis smiled sadly at his memory as she led another round of prisoners to the POW camp. Would they never learn to stop using neutral airspace?

It was with Howard in mind she imprisoned them. There would be no vengeance, only protection of his home. A glimmer of peaceful hope in a war torn world, that hadn't even recovered from the last Great War. The huntresses seemed much more alive filling this role than they had being the dogs of Zeus before.

More than once she considered going to her uncle to ask for a visitation. That would raise too many questions though. So she forged on and kept him alive in her actions of war.