Chapter 4: Emotions control domains?

The next few days were torturous, to say the least. Artemis couldn't find any enjoyment in hunting. Everywhere on the island, she had memories with Hestia. Wherever she went, memories in that place played in her head, drawing tears to her eyes. She received no letter from Hestia. She'd waited for hours on the sea shore hoping her friend would come back to her. The smile on her face dropped. She snapped regularly at both members of her family, regretting her actions late in the night. At night, her pillow was often soaked in tears. Unknown to her, Leto used to change the pillow covers late at night, so that her daughter could sleep peacefully. The titaness became depressed seeing her daughter in this state.

That weekend, Poseidon arrived at the shores of Delos to go about on their weekly fishing tours. He was surprised to see Artemis sitting on the shore alone, tears pooling the corner of her eyes. With one look, he knew something was really wrong. His niece wasn't her usual self. The smile on Artemis' face was gone. The sparkle in her eyes dulled. The enthusiasm she had when she waited for Poseidon to show up was replaced with a zoned-out stream of thought. He didn't press the matter. He knew whatever happened was already hard enough for her.

"Niece, the weather is beautiful today. Let's catch some fish, shall we?" Poseidon said, filling his voice with enthusiasm intentionally. Artemis raised her head and Poseidon's smile dropped. Her eyes were puffy and surrounded by dark rings. Her cheeks were red and had dried tear stains. Poseidon didn't acknowledge it at all and maintained the smile on his face. His niece gave a small nod and followed him to the boat they usually used.

"Where is Hestia, Artemis? Isn't she accompanying us for the trip today?"

Artemis didn't trust her voice to speak. She just shook her head and Poseidon understood all that had happened. Hestia had left Delos with her parents, leaving Artemis in her current state. He was determined to bring Artemis out of the well she'd dug herself into.

As they boarded the boat, Poseidon willed the boat to go into the sea. He summoned a storm so powerful that any normal boat would have been torn to shreds. Their boat shook violently and Artemis had to hold the sides of the boat to not fall into the raging sea.

Poseidon summoned a sword out of thin air and threw it to Artemis who caught it and understood its purpose. Poseidon then summoned his own trident that morphed into a sword at his will. Both of them took their stance and circled each other, looking for weaknesses in the other's defence.

Artemis rushed in first and tried to hack away at Poseidon's torso. The sea god understood her motives and that her grief drove her to act so. He evaded the attack and slammed the flat of the blade on Artemis' back. The goddess flew forward and fell to the floor of the boat.

"Focus, Artemis!" The Sea god called out. It only fuelled Artemis' anger as she got back on her feet. In her rage, she whirled the sword with no technique whatsoever, only making it easier for the sea god. The god took all her strikes on the edge of his blade, holding his defence stance, tiring the godling before him. Artemis' strikes slowly became slower and Poseidon took this as the perfect moment to attack. He didn't want to fatally injure her today. Artemis' blade came in for a slash as Poseidon parried it and WHACK! His blade struck Artemis on her cheek leaving a red print. Artemis came back again with a strike as Poseidon repeated his previous manoeuvre to whack her on her back. This continued on for a while and Artemis was tired of getting smacked with the flat of Poseidon's blade. Try as she might, with the storm aiding Poseidon rocking the boat violently, she couldn't land one strike on the elder god.

Taking pity on her, the lord of the seas whacked her one last time and swiped his sword near her leg. The godling tripped and fell into the sea. She closed her eyes and felt her breath steadying. Slowly, as she opened her eyes, she was shocked. Different fishes were swimming in terror in different directions. They were thrown all over the sea bed by the waves. The bodies of the fishes were slammed against the seafloor. The ones that were lucky swam away just before the impact. Overall, it was chaos underwater. Artemis swam back to the surface and climbed the boat.

She looked at Poseidon with disgust, who only replied with a knowing smile. As she was about to speak, Poseidon held his hand up, silencing her.

"I know what you think of me, niece. That is what happens when a god loses control over his emotions or his domains. His realm is thrown into absolute anarchy until he regains his powers. Any strong feelings, Love, Happiness, Anger, disgust, surprise and even sadness." He said, looking pointedly at the young goddess. He then willed the storm to recede. Artemis understood what he meant. She's been wallowing in her own sadness over Hestia leaving. But that wasn't the end of the world. Both of them were immortals. If the fates so wished, they would meet again. Artemis had to stay strong for her own sake as well as her domain's. But one doubt still riddled her mind.

"Uncle, I haven't received my domains yet. So how will my emotions affect them?"

Poseidon gave a hearty laugh. "How do you think domains are given, Artemis? Do you think the fates drop them out of the sky? No. Your domains are based on what you are good at. What you enjoy doing. Something that is baked into your being. The strength of your essence directly translates to the strength of the domains you'll receive. True, since your domains have not yet been given, the effect on it due to your emotions will be relatively less. But damage is undesired after all. Even with that out of the way, it isn't wise to brood so much over anything. You do realize how many times you got whacked because you weren't concentrating right?"

Artemis smiled sheepishly. She was touched at how much Poseidon cared for her. Her body moved on its own and hugged the elder god. "Thank you, Uncle. I will make sure to keep my emotions in check. Sometimes, I wish I were your daughter instead of Zeus'." The sea god gave a deep chuckle and hugged her back. "Though I am glad you think so, I don't wish that you were my own, Artemis." Artemis' smile dropped when she thought the sea god didn't feel the same way as she did for him. Looking at the changing emotion on the young goddess' face, Poseidon continued. "You won't get a chance to sit in the Olympian council if you were my child." He said sadly. "Being Zeus' kid, you get more of a chance to sit along with the other Olympian gods as their equal. I wish what's best for you, niece. And now, it is for your good that you become an Olympian. As for keeping your emotions in check, I know you will, Artemis. Just make sure not to get hit by my sword again." He said, smirking.

"About that-" Artemis broke the hug and punched the god in his stomach. As the sea god doubled over, clutching his stomach, Artemis jumped to the end of the boat where their swords now lay.

"Let's do it right this time, Uncle." She picked their swords up and threw the god's trident-sword to him, which he caught immediately. Evil smirks adorning their faces, they resumed their sparring session, only more serious and evenly-matched this time. Artemis can now proudly say, the sea god couldn't land one hit on her.

That evening, Artemis returned to Delos, totally changed. She was happy again. She'd moved on from her misery. The forest swayed to her mood. All the animals frolicked about in ecstasy. Though Artemis didn't notice this, three older ladies did and they knew just what to do.

The young goddess made her way to their cottage. She left to her room and freshened up and ran back for dinner all with a smile on her face.

Leto was shocked but happy to see her daughter smiling. Artemis even apologized for snapping at them over the past few days. That night, Artemis slept peacefully, with no tears and full deep sleep.

As she went down for breakfast the next day, she saw Leto sitting silently at the table while Apollo was nowhere to be seen. Leto raised her head, looked at Artemis, and gave a small smile.

"Sit, Artemis. I want to talk to you." Artemis obeyed. "I had a message from the gods in my dream yesterday. The two of you are being summoned to Olympus today. You will be initiated formally into godhood and be given your domains. You will be escorted by one of the Olympians themselves. Just make sure you treat them all with respect as I don't want my daughter to be black-marked on her first day." Artemis nodded obediently. "I know what power does to an individual, Artemis. Promise me you won't go corrupt with whatever domains you receive and that you will not use the power of your domain for your benefit." Artemis again nodded her head.

"I promise, mom."

"Good. Now let's eat." Breakfast was a silent affair. Neither of them spoke a word. Apollo ran in a few moments later, dropping his hunt unceremoniously on the table where the duo was having their breakfast.

Leto gave him a sharp glare to which he sighed and pulled the deer off the table and headed to the kitchen to store it.

"Have an eye on that knucklehead over there, too. He'll listen to whatever you say." Artemis giggled but nodded nonetheless.

"I will, mother. When do we have to go to Olympus again?" The godling inquired.

"Lady Athena will be here in a few minutes. Go get changed before she gets here. I know that an Olympian will not appreciate tardiness."

Artemis headed upstairs as she finished her meal and rummaged through her closet for a cleaner pair of her hunting uniform. It wasn't flashy by any means but it fit her perfectly. She was comfortable only in those. The silver-eyed girl picked up a clean-looking uniform and left for the bathroom for a bath.

She rushed down, seemingly satisfied with her choice of apparel. She saw Apollo sitting at the dining table blabbering something about the difficulty in his hunts to their mother, Leto, who was listening intently.

A bright flash filled the room as Artemis sat beside Apollo facing the Titaness, causing her to shut her eyes immediately. As the light died down, she saw a regal face looking down on them, as if analyzing their weak points and where the hits would land more damage.

Her dark jet black hair flowed down where her greek helmet ended. Artemis found gray eyes poring into her, unable to decide which tactic to use for better effects. Her build was lithe, built well for movement during fights rather than just depending on brute strength. She seemed like a person who could wield all weapons with ease and unmatched grace. An armor rested on the Olympian's midsection, bearing her symbol- A large owl. The gaze of the owl itself made Artemis shiver involuntarily, though she did a good job hiding it from the ever-watchful goddess before her. The armor also had a cape attached to it which was swaying to the wind. Wait- there was no wind in their kitchen, but the cape never fell still. Her right arm held a spear that hummed with energy and her left had a guard on it. Artemis suspected that the guard wasn't there just for the aesthetics. Going by the tone the goddess set, there was some hidden function to the guard. The Olympian wore a standard greek chiton underneath all that armor and a pair of white greek sandals to complete the look. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, war, arts, craft, and weaving stood before her.

Artemis felt compelled to bow before the Olympian but refrained from doing so. She stood straight and tall looking right into the face of the goddess who frowned at her actions. Technically speaking, they were half-sisters. Athena was a child of Zeus and Metis while Artemis was Zeus' and Leto's. The only difference between the two was the fact that one of them was already a full-fledged, recognized god while the other was just an upstart. Though the scales were on Athena's side, it didn't mean Artemis had to like it.

Artemis sneaked a glance to her side to see Apollo in a deep bow.

"Rise, brother. Sister." The wisdom goddess acknowledged her relatives. Artemis gave a curt nod. "The king of the gods, Zeus, requests your presence at the Olympian council for your initiation into godhood. I will give you a couple of minutes to say your goodbyes after which I will teleport you to Olympus. I suggest you make it quick." The goddess of war said in her most commanding tone, though slightly unnecessary.

Artemis nodded again to the Olympian goddess and turned to her mother. Leto looked impossibly proud of her children and had a smile on her face. Her eyes were brimming with tears threatening to flow down any instant. She beckoned them forward and placed one hand on both their shoulders.

"Artemis, do not forget anything I told you. I will keep praying to all the higher powers asking them to take good care of you while I can't. I do hope you two get placed among the Olympians. Be respectful to Lady Hera and do not harbor any animosity towards her. I fear she will try to stop you from becoming Olympians. Nevertheless, do not face an Olympian's rage on your first day."

Both Artemis and Apollo nodded their heads. Leto brought them both into a hug and the three shared a long hug before they parted. The three pairs of eyes in the room were leaking tears as they parted. The young gods moved away from their mother and approached the waiting Olympian goddess.

"Hold on to my hands. I shall transport you two to the palace of the gods where you shall receive your domains."

The twins did as asked and in a bright flash, their surroundings disappeared and they were greeted with tall golden palaces.