Okay, first up I'm sorry that this is so short, but I've been extremely busy those past few weeks, due to commitments that required me to travel around far more than I like. No seriously, I really start to hate airplanes... six flights in three weeks are too much...
But let's not bother with that. I am just glad that I can give you all some sort of update, even if it is just a teaser of things to come. The next real chapter will be out in one or two weeks, so this teaser is meant to show that I am indeed still alive, despite some worries of my most faithful readers. So far the first two chapters have only shown one side in the conflict against Kronos, so let's have a small look at the other side, shall we?
The sun had long set, as she arrived at her destination. She lead a small group of five, as they followed the trail up the mountain. Only torches shed some light, sparsely illuminating the path, as they moved forward. It was a clear night, the moon and the stars shining brightly.
The moon... it seemed so much more powerful these days. She could only wonder why. It couldn't be because of the goddess. Artemis was weakened, defeated. It was impossible that her power had increased in this magnitude. But why else would the moon shine so brightly? She could even feel it, its power. Artemis' blessing gave all of her Hunters a power boost in the moonlight...
She shook herself from her musings, as they had finally reached the top. But no one else was there. They had arrived first, ahead of schedule. But that was just her intention. While none of her allies had arrived yet, their prisoner was here all along. Trapped under the burden of the sky. The goddess Artemis, in all her broken glory. Bloodied, beaten, defeated.
She smirked as she approached the goddess, the other girls not far behind her. Oh how much it pleased her to see the bane of her existence humbled like this. Only the goddess demise would bring her more joy. But there was still time for that later. Even Artemis would find her just end in this war. And Deianira would do anything in her power to be present for that or better yet, to be the one to twist the knife in the wound that would kill her.
"Oh how the mighty have fallen." She said gleefully, "How does it feel, to be the slave for once and not the slaver?"
The goddess could only raise her head slowly, to look at who had spoken to her. She was weak and tired. Stains of golden ichor showed where she had been wounded, her hair sticking to her skin, clotted and without its usual luster. The cuts and bruises had long healed, as they always did for the goddess, but the pain was still lingering. A phantom of the abuse Artemis had to endure at the hands of Atlas and his minions.
"Deianira..." Artemis said hoarsely. "My dear fallen girl..." There was pity in her eyes, as she watched her former servant.
Utter hatred twisted Deianira's face, as she punched the goddess in the face. "Don't you dare calling me your girl. I was never yours. Unlike the others you never managed to brake me, even after decades of enslavement." She punched the goddess again, smirking now, as she could see the ichor run down from Artemis' split lip.
"You've always been only a slave of your own nightmares, Deianira... I never once restricted you in any way. Maybe I should have done it, maybe that would have prevented you from falling so far into the darkness of your own hatred." Artemis said through ragged breaths. "And now you even condemn others to follow you into the abyss."
"We," Deianira said, as she gestured towards herself and the other girls behind her, "we are free from you. Our chains are broken."
The goddess could only watch in silence, as the other girls agreed with Deianira. There were five of them. Five of her Hunters, who had abandoned her. She knew all of them. She'd known them for years, some of them even for more than a century. But with them being here with Deianira, what had happened to the rest? Had the Hunt fallen apart in her absence? Had Zoe not managed to rally the girls after her disappearance? Not knowing the answer was the worst torture for the goddess in this situation...
"Deianira, don't waste my time. You may torture the goddess once you are done with your task!" A booming voice commanded.
Artemis and her former Hunters looked towards the far end of the plateau. There stood a gigantic man. He looked like a living Greek statue, muscular and powerful. It was the Titan Atlas. The general of Kronos' new army.
Deianira quickly distanced herself from Artemis and approached the titan. She knew better than to argue with the likes of Atlas. She had no intention to die any time soon.
"General," Deianira said, as she knelt before him. Her fellow hunters did the same.
"As much as it pleases me to watch you torture Zeus' whore of a daughter, we have things to do." Atlas said darkly, "Olympus has issued a quest to save this bitch. Both the campers and children of the sun are on their way here."
"Children of the sun?" One of the girls asked, a look of confusion on her face.
"Zeus has managed to alienate his most powerful son, the sun god Apollo. He and his children are outcasts now. But they and a select few other demigods have formed a new group under the leadership of Apollo's champion, Percy Jackson." Deianira told here calmly. She, too, had only heard about this recently and had not yet had the time to tell her friends.
"The more they fight amongst each other, the easier it will be for us to destroy Olympus. Those bastards are doing our job for us." Atlas laughed darkly.
Deianira did not join in, she was far more contemplative about this. She still had hope that she would be able to convince Ariadne to join her side in this conflict. It would be the ultimate blow against Artemis. It would break her spirit far more than anything else. But Ariadne was a daughter of Apollo, so she was most likely with the rest of his children. Separating her from her friends would be far more difficult now, when they were actively waiting for an enemy attack.
"You, Deianira, will lead our troops to hunt those demigods down. End their quest. Kill them all and bring me their corpses." Atlas commanded.
"As you command, General."
She stood up to leave, followed by her group, when Atlas spoke again. "Your little friends stay with me. We will hunt... something else."
Deianira gritted her teeth, as she heard this. She could only hope that the titan's intentions were really just hunting for this mystical beast he was so obsessed with. But she knew that all gods and titans had one thing in common. They were depraved creatures, who know no boundaries and have not even a shred of honor or morals. She had not saved her friends from Artemis, only to see them suffer at the hands of this man... but what choice did they have?
She looked at the other girls. They said nothing, but they nodded. They knew the risks when they joined her. They would bear this burden, whatever it may be. All of them would do their duty, so one day they might be free to live their lives as they please. So she would go with Atlas troops to hunt down the demigods... her friends would follow Atlas, wherever he might lead them. But she would not forget this. He would pay, too.
A/N: Okay, so much for the teaser.
It had been asked in one of the few reviews for the last chapter and here is the answer. Deianira is still around and kicking, well mostly kicking Artemis. Who would have doubted that a fallen huntress would show up in a story about Artemis? Deianira will be a real antagonist this story and get much more screen time than in Trials, where she had only been introduced. Of course Luke and Ethan will have their moments, but their time comes later. For now Deianira will be the face of Atlas' menace.
Alright, with the teaser out of the way, the next chapter will come soon. Unless something big happens, the next real chapter will be out in one or two weeks from now. At least that's the plan.