The goddess of the hunt was having a hard time holding up the sky. Its original bearer, Atlas, was capable of doing so barely just because he was the titan of strength and endurance. But Artemis was neither of those, nor her domains had any resemblance to those.
Artemis had lost count on how many days she had spent holding up the weight of the world. Many philosophers have said that the weight of the world is indescribable...and Artemis could abide by that statement. No matter how hard she tried to focus on her task, on other stuff, the weight of the world brought her up from her thoughts.
It was one of the worst punishments. Even Prometheus could think and meditate while he grew his organs back before the eagle came and ate again. But she was stuck there, holding up the sky. Physically heavy, emotionally unbearable, and mentally exhausting.
She knew that the choice had been hers. She could've just let the maiden hold up the sky while she stayed in a prison. But she couldn't do that to a fair maiden. A maiden who seemed smart and a great asset to Olympus. Artemis knew that demigods were an essential part of Olympus and, unlike most gods, she helped them whenever she could. It was mostly done by offering a place in her hunt to young demigoddess, but the point still stranded.
Two thoughts wandered her mind. The first one was very obvious: how freaking heavy the freaking sky is.
However, when she was not thinking about the sky, Artemis' mind wandered to her son. Hector Carib Troy, the boy who ran away, was most probably in Camp Half-Blood at that moment, with no idea what his mother was going through. He was probably training in the camp, not caring about her capture.
It hurt her. She knew that there was no other way to ensure Hector's survival than to abandon him, but it still hurt her in many ways.
She had failed as a mother. She had failed to witness his first steps, his first words, his first tooth falling, and she failed to breastfeed him. The sacred bond between mother and offspring that is enhanced by the process of breastfeeding, gone by a decision.
He was the only thing keeping her from giving up. The weight of the sky was a lot, but nothing was more unbearable than the constant reminder of her horrible decision. The fact that she had married the god of time, yet not even him could turn back time and fix their mistake. Holding up the sky was a metaphor for her holding up on the hope that one day she might be able to reunite with her son and form a family. But just sky, the hope was very hard to hold on to, and it was slowly slipping away with time.
"Well moon goddess, guess you're going to be stuck here for a long time. But don't worry, when this war is finished, the rest of the Olympians will come and take turns to help you hold the sky" Atlas, who came walking to stand in front of Artemis, said
Artemis golden face fumed, "the quest will come and your plan will fail. Soon enough you'll be back holding up the sky," she sneered
Atlas laughed, "do you really believe the quest will be able to save you? Just five minutes ago one member of the quest died in New Mexico, in Hephaestus junkyard."
"W-what?"
"What was her name? I think it was...Phoebe? I'm not sure" Atlas pondered
Artemis faltered st the news, letting her grip on the sky fall a little bit. This only made her struggle much harder, as the position which was most comfortable changed completely.
"So only two are left?" Artemis grumbled
"I'm not going to tell you information Artemis, nor am I going to explain my plan to you. It's so stupid that the people in movies and books always tell their plans to the enemy. No matter if I'm certain that you won't escape, I'm not stupid enough to tell you my whole plan" Atlas ranted, practicing movements with a sword
"But how is me knowing the number of questers going to affect your plan?" Artemis asked
"It won't affect it, but I'd rather not tell you because of reasons"
"Which are?"
Atlas turned to face the goddess of the hunt face to face. "Listen, you are in no position to ask anything. So unless you want to end up like a rag doll, I suggest you take your punishment silently"
Artemis' eyes widened in surprise. Then, due to her anger and embarrassment, the moon goddess spit on Atlas's face.
"You bitch. I would just...you know what? I have an idea, but you'll know about it tomorrow" Atlas said grinning
Artemis looked at the titan, her eyes showing fear, "Does it concern me?"
Atlas winked, "you won't have to do anything"
The moon goddess's face paled as much as it could considering the great pain she was in. It did not matter that she was no longer a virgin, simply the idea of the titan of strength abusing her was enough to make her lose reason. She did not want to experience that, yet Artemis knew that there was nothing she could do to free herself from her predicament. It was, in the end, her worst nightmare: having to depend on other people for her safety.
Unknown to her or the titan Atlas (or almost any other being for that matter), another group was on its journey to save the goddess of the hunt and the imprisoned daughter of Athena. A boy and a man, brought together by the need and duty to save their loved ones, were the unknown force that the Olympians had on their side.
Said group, unfortunately, ran a little behind the official quest. How far behind? Well, while the other questers were in New Mexico, the god of tides and the ex-camper were in a car passing through Colorado. Although the god of tides had put a motor to make the car faster, he had failed to put into account the amount of time and the dangers that the Rockies mountains contained.
"What do you mean we don't have toilet paper?" Perseus, the god of tides asked/yelled
Hector put his hands up, "Sorry, I forgot"
"Oh, but you didn't forget to buy bobby-pins, did you?! I gave you a credit card to buy everything, gave you instructions on what to buy. And what was one of the items I specifically told you to buy?"
Hector muttered something
"I'm sorry, I can't hear you when you mutter like a little bitch. Answer me, what was one of the few things I specifically told you to buy?"
"Toilet paper"
"TOILET PAPER. Are you stupid or are you making yourself seem like one? Because if that's what you aim for then it's working wonders! I can't be more disappointed" Perseus yelled, clearly mad about the situation
"Oh great, I disappointed an irrelevant god! Might as well die" Hector said sarcastically
"Be careful with how you address a god"
"No! I have always addressed those who deserve respect with such. But you have only insulted me, made me feel horrible, and not helped at all. You said I disappointed you? Well, guess what? I don't care! I've already disappointed anyone I care about, so why should I care about your opinion" Hector yelled, his aura radiating anger and sorrow
Perseus slowed the car down, his mind processing what the young teen had just expressed.
"What do you mean you've disappointed anyone you care about?"
"Exactly what I said. I disappointed Chiron when I ran away from my problems, I disappointed Hera by not being as perfect as she wants me to be, I disappointed my adoptive parents by not being strong enough, and I've disappointed my biological parents simply by existing."
Perseus looked at Hector through the retro visor. "What about Artemis?"
The ex-camper scoffed, "Is that really a question? I may care about Artemis, but I know she will never care as much for me as I do for her. After all, I am a boy"
"Maybe she had a change of heart" Perseus tried to cheer up his son
"As if gods can change just like that. Let's be clear on one thing Perseus; gods never change their nature. They might try to make amends for their actions, but their nature is mostly controlled by their domains, meaning that there is no way of changing it. Artemis is the chaste goddess, so naturally, she will despise anything or anyone that reminds her of the possibility or sexual intercourse. You are the god of childhood, which may explain your lack of capability of understanding a simple situation" Hector laid down on a sofa inside the van, eating a Slim Jim.
"I get what you mean, and I understand why you think that. But always remember, domains are flexible. One day the fates may decree that you shall no longer be in charge of something, so they take it away from you. We may be joint with our domains, but sometimes our personalities change the domain, and not vice versa." Perseus explained.
The young teen sat looking at the roof of the car, the words that Perseus had just said slowly making their way into his consciousness. As much as he hated to admit, the point that the god of tides had just made was very strong. For example, Hera was the goddess of marriage and family, However, it was no secret to anyone that she had become kind of mean towards anyone (with the exception of dear Hector), and this made modern marriages and families very dysfunctional. The marriages aren't dysfunctional by nature, but because Hera is how she is, they result in such a way.
"How long until we get there?" Hector asked
"37 hours, 26 minutes with 5 seconds, give or take" Perseus responded nonchalantly
"Something that specific can't be a give or take"
"It can be. Anyways hand me one of those long bois, I need my protein"
Hector went to hand a Slim Jim to the god, "why do gods need protein?"
"I lived so much time alone that I tend to live as a mortal" Perseus took the Slim Jim and opened it with his mouth, spitting out the plastic part that stuck on his teeth.
The ex-camper looked at the god in curiosity, "Who are you? I know your name is Perseus and that you have a bunch of domains. But, that doesn't really tell me much about you. Why were you living as a mortal? Why did you mention before that you were exiled or forbidden, or something along those lines?"
Perseus sat driving, looking at the road with a great pensative face. His hands moved slightly, with his fingers tapping the wheel individually.
"I don't know if I should tell you or if I should wait after the quest is done," Perseus said, looking at Hector through the retro visor
"Why not now?"
"Because it's a lot of information and we have to be clear-minded." Perseus settled with his answer. It was, of course, a lie. The real reason why Perseus didn't want to tell the teenager about his past was very simple: he didn't know when to stop talking. He knew that once he started with his story, it was just a matter of time before he blubbered out his relationship with Artemis or the fact that he was in fact the most hated father in the history of America.
"It's impossible to be clear-minded when you're about to head to your possible death," Hector said
"God's can't die" Perseus raised an eyebrow
"I know, but I'm not a god, genius"
"...right, you're not a god. Of course" Hector looked at Perseus with narrowed eyes, as his behavior did not make him feel safe.
"There is something you aren't telling me, isn't there?" the teenager asked, taking out a deck of cards
Perseus' eyes widened, "What? Of course not! What gave you that idea?"
"Cut the crap. I may be young and never receiving proper education, but I'm not a moron. There is something that you're hiding from me, and I plan on knowing what it is. Whether it be today, tomorrow, or the next day, I will find out what you know, and why you're pawned on keeping it a secret"
"Pawned...who taught you that vast vocabulary?" Perseus tried to change the subject
"Stop trying to divert me! As long as you keep that stupid secrecy, I have no choice but not to trust you, and if I don't trust my quest mate, then this is going to fail. And so help me Hades, if this fails because of you, I will literally burn you alive until you fade" Hector said in the most serious tone he could conjure. It was very similar to the voice Artemis made when she was mad, a voice nobody should ever hope to hear.
"Why do you care so much about this quest? I get that you care about Artemis, but why do you care so much for her? You've only met her twice!" Perseus said, with a very low level of jealousy that hinted every word
"I feel like I've met her so many times before. I know she's a virgin goddess, but I also feel like she's my soulmate in a way. Like, you know the myth that every human was originally a creature with four legs and four arms? Then blah blah and they were cursed to be in a forever search for their other half? Well, I feel that way with Artemis. It's like I was once a part of her, one with her. I'm hoping that, if I save her, she might actually let me explain" Hector said, stopping his shuffling of deck cards
As he heard the explanation, Perseus' head was filled with the comment Aphrodite had told him 'Don't be surprised if he ends up with the Oedipus complex'. By how Hector was describing his feeling towards Artemis, it seemed like the perfect candidate for that complex.
"Damm you Sigmund Freud" Perseus muttered, quietly enough for Hector not to notice, "don't you have a special someone who is not a goddess? Perhaps someone your own age or a demigod?"
Hector sighed, putting his deck of cards down, "her name is Annabeth, and she'll never feel the same way I do"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because she likes that goddam son of Poseidon, Alex Pond. It's so obvious that they like each other, everybody knows it. I'm just the ex-friend who will stay in love with her for the rest of his life. Nobody will ever love me, and the one I love will be lost to someone who doesn't deserve her" Hector said, his voice becoming quieter with each word
"It doesn't have to be that way. Trust me, coming from a guy who landed the most incredible woman on Earth, everything is possible if you just be yourself." Perseus looked behind for a brief moment, noticing the teen looking outside the window just as if he were in a music video.
"Then I guess that's the difference between gods and heroes. Gods will live forever with their loved one, while heroes will meet a tragic end with nobody to remember them unless they're a child of the Big Three or if they had done incredible feats of courage. And even so, they will never achieve true happiness"