This is a story that has been running through my head for the last month. It takes place after the Blood of Olympus but before the Trials of Apollo. It will be about five or six chapters. I hope you enjoy.
Time is a convoluted thing for immortals. Years disappear in the blink of an eye. Decades pass in the draw of a breath. With all the time in the world, it was hard to form a relationship with someone who had none. There was always an exception though. There was always someone who found a way to extend their life or even make the great reach towards immortality.
One way to reach immortality was to join the Hunters of Artemis. The Hunters dedicated their life to Artemis and towards the hunt, whether it meant tracking down rare creatures or protecting demigods from monsters that lurked in the shadows. The only way to lose immortality was to fall, whether that be in love or in battle was up to the Fates.
Some Hunters of Artemis lived for centuries, and centuries were when an immortal really began to notice those around them. They took note of who stood by their side through all of that time. Artemis remembered all of her Hunters, but the ones who had been there for those hundreds of years were the ones she had grown closest to.
After centuries came millennia, and if someone was by your side for millennia, it seemed like they would be at your side forever, as if they too were a god. Millennia together created memories that felt like they could never be taken away. There was only a few Huntresses who had been at Artemis' side for a millennia. That number was lowered when one fell in battle.
Artemis wished she could take a dip in the River Lethe and wash away the memory of the last millennia, but a baptism in those waters would not erase the gnawing in her heart. The waters would not take away the fact that she missed Zoë Nightshade with all of her heart and soul.
They said that mortals were born with a soulmate, but Artemis believed that there was a soulmate for immortals as well, and Zoë had been her soulmate. They were not lovers. No, they were much closer than that. Their relationship was so close that the death of Zoë destroyed something in Artemis' soul.
It felt like Zoë had been there since the beginning. Artemis could not remember a time when her lieutenant was not at her side. Now, she could barely recall what her lieutenant looked like. The millennia together formed a bond so deep that its removal was tearing Artemis apart.
A new lieutenant had taken Zoë's place, but Thalia Grace was not Zoë Nightshade. No one would ever be able to replace Zoë. Artemis had added new stars to the sky to commemorate her greatest lieutenant and ally. Artemis looked at the constellation at least every night, until her personality was split between the Greek and Roman camps. She had been so busy since then that there was no time to look.
Artemis glanced up at the sky. As the sun had yet to fall, there was no stars in the sky. She would have to wait for a few hours, but it would be worth the wait. For now, she would need to focus on her other Hunters of Artemis. Thalia had just left to patrol the area with some of their newest members. The rest would be making dinner.
All of a sudden, Artemis felt an odd pressure in her head. It wasn't painful, and she knew what it was. It was something she had experienced a few times before. Artemis closed her eyes and tried to relax. While it was true that immortals did not dream, there was times when their mind just drifted, and they were able to see things that they shouldn't.
It happened to Apollo the most, and he claimed it had something to do with his powers of divination. As his twin, Artemis had her fair share of experiences with it. Hers were more rare, but it had also saved her Hunters from a few ambushes.
Artemis opened her eyes and found herself in a place of darkness. The world around her was cold and suffocating. She closed her eyes and felt a pressure, like panic, in her chest. Artemis let out a deep breath and opened her eyes. She knew this place well, but she always made a point to avoid the area: the Underworld.
This was not within the walls of Hades' palace though. She was standing along the edge of a riverbank. To her right, she could hear the sounds of a struggle. Artemis slowly turned her head and watched three figure in the distance. She slowly walked towards them, having no fear of being spotted.
Artemis studied three figures in the distance. One of them was ten feet tall, and his mechanical eyes were looking around at everything. Artemis stared at Orion. This was not happening now. She had watched over the praetor of Camp Jupiter as she strangled the giant and sent him back to Tartarus. Why was she seeing something from the past? Was it a prank by her brother or a warning?
The second person was only six feet tall and wore a full set of Greek armor, but it was older than the modern armor that the demigods at Camp Half-Blood wore. They were well built and wore a helmet that covered their face. Artemis' attention was drawn to the person that was being dragged between them.
Her heart almost jumped to her throat. The person had a hood thrown over their head, but that hood belonged to a bloodied and torn silver ski jacket. Their blue jeans were covered in dirt. The only thing the person was missing was a silver aura, but that was a Hunter of Artemis
Orion and the armored figure dragged the Hunter of Artemis between them. The Hunter was limp in their arms, and every breath was labored. Artemis tried to think of any Hunters of Artemis that went missing before their fight with Orion, but there had been so many lost in that amount of time. Gaea had sent monsters to hunt them relentlessly.
They didn't have a silver aura though, as if they had already fallen in battle. Unless, they had left the Hunters of Artemis. Why would they be down in the Underworld though? Artemis slowly looked at the river that she stood near, and her gut twisted.
Orion grabbed the Hunter and threw them towards the river. They collapsed on the shore and slowly rolled onto their back. Artemis tried to move closer, but she felt an invisible force stop her. Artemis wanted to do nothing more than burst in and help, but she knew that it would not work. This had already happened, and she could not change the past.
"Rebirth," Orion whispered. He knelt by the waters. The Hunter slowly reached out towards the weapon at Orion's side. The figure in Greek armor stomped on their hand. Artemis heard the sound of a bone break, and she watched the boot slowly dig into the hand of the Hunter. "This is where they go to bathe away their old life and start anew."
"Everyone who wants a new start will drink from the waters," the armored figure said. Their voice was male, and it was familiar. Artemis just couldn't identify it though. "We do not want you to be reborn though. You will be returned."
"No," the Hunter of Artemis whispered. The voice was so full of pain that Artemis could not identify it. That fact broke Artemis' heart. They had tortured one of her Hunters, and while Orion was rotting in Tartarus, this armored figure had to be roaming free. She would find out who it was, and they would pay.
Artemis felt a chill run down her spine. She tensed and watched an eleven foot woman walk towards the river. The woman was usually much taller, but it was clear that she wanted to send a message to Orion. There was no need for her to send a warning, as her mere presence had caused both Orion and the armored figure to freeze in place.
Darkness wrapped around the goddess, and it was followed by ash and smoke. Wings stuck out from her back, but she did not use them. Instead, she walked towards them, but her feet did not touch the ground. The figure in armor finally fell to their knees, and Orion bowed.
"Nyx," Artemis whispered. For the smallest moment, Nyx looked at her and smiled, as if she knew that Artemis would be seeing this. Then, she walked towards the Hunter of Artemis. Why had they summoned this darkness?
Artemis blinked, and the world fell into darkness. There was no light around her, and she could barely see Orion's mechanical eyes. A small light suddenly shown in the darkness. The light was the size of a quarter, but it shone bright enough to illuminate Nyx.
Nyx held the light out towards the Hunter of Artemis. She placed the light into the Hunter's chest, and it disappeared. The silver aura slowly came back to the Hunter of Artemis. Nyx spoke, "I do not normally bring the light back, Orion. I hope you know what you are doing."
"I am ensuring our revenge," Orion replied. The darkness start to leave and seep back into Nyx. Artemis blinked a few times and watched Orion grab the Hunter of Artemis by their jacket."I will destroy Artemis mentally, before I destroy her physically."
"If you fail?" Nyx asked. Orion glared at her, and she laughed. "You allow yourself to be blinded by your need for vengeance. To get to Artemis, you must first go through her Hunters. Can you actually do that?"
"Of course I can," Orion snapped. He picked the Hunter up by the back of their neck. A soft cry, a feminine one, escaped the Hunter. They weren't one of the few males that had been accepted. It didn't narrow the choices down much, but it was a start.
"My lady," the Hunter whispered. Her voice was so familiar, and a tug pulled at Artemis' heart. "I am sorry."
Orion threw the Hunter towards the edge of the River Lethe. The Hunter fell to their hands and knees. The armored figure slammed their foot into the Hunter's gut, and all Artemis could do was watch as the Hunter fall into the river. Orion took a few steps backwards and laughed.
"Find the statue and finish it. I will assure this goes to plan," the armored figure said. Artemis heard the Greek accent, and she realized they were talking in Ancient Greek. Orion nodded and stepped away.
Artemis saw a hand appear out of the water, and the armored figure grabbed it. The armored figure pulled the Hunter of Artemis back onto the shore. Their hood was still on, so Artemis couldn't tell who they were. Nyx looked back at Artemis and spoke, "Little goddess, how long has it been since you truly looked at the sky?"
Artemis' eyes snapped open, and she gasped. Her gaze moved around the camp. Nothing was wrong, but what she had seen disturbed her greatly. One of her Hunters had been tortured and thrown into the River Lethe. Why?
"My lady," Thalia Grace said. Artemis slowly looked at her lieutenant. Thalia was kneeling by the fire, but she slowly stood. A glance around showed that most of her Hunters were sleeping in their tents. "You haven't moved for the past few hours. Is something wrong?"
"No,"Artemis answered. She stood and left the campfire behind. Thalia Grace was a great lieutenant, even if her reasons for joining were not the best. Escaping the great prophecy was one of the reasons that she joined the hunt, but she had done everything she could to be the best lieutenant that she could be. Thalia was not Zoë though.
Artemis looked back towards the camp that her Hunters were sleeping in. There was days when she expected to walk back into the camp and find Zoë there. Zoë would be sitting at the fire and already have the Hunters ready to go. Artemis knew it would never happen though. Her beloved Zoë was gone, and she would never come back.
The goddess shook her head and tried to bring her focus back to the present. Her Hunters were going to visit Camp Jupiter, and Artemis was going to check on some of the monsters that her and her fellow immortals had locked away. After the war with Kronos and Gaea, she had to make sure that nothing was stirring, and it would be easiest to do it by herself.
Artemis slowly looked up at the sky and stared at the stars. There was not a cloud in sight, and everything seemed peaceful. Artemis' eyes moved to look for Zoë's constellation. After a minute of searching, a frown came to Artemis' face, and a cold feeling settled in her heart. Zoë's constellation was gone.