The Heartache

After that night, Artemis and I were inseparable. I had replaced my cousin's spot at her side. Now, Apollo wasn't happy when he saw how close Artemis and I had become. Artemis had grown uncomfortable around my pushy cousin, and it destroyed their relationship; at least that was how Artemis explained it to me. And in his anger, Apollo left again for Troy. Now a few months into our relationship, I took Artemis in a boat on the beautiful waters, and there I asked her to marry me.

"Yes!" she cried as I took her joyfully in my arms "Yes I will!" It was the happiest night of my life. The wedding was planned for the next week, but I had been called to the city of Ephesus to use my skills in building Artemis' new temple. I had kissed her good bye, got on the boat and left reluctantly.

It was only to be a weeklong trip, four days at sea and five days to work on the temple. But a storm blew the shipway off course, and it took many days to get back on track and finally arrive. When we did arrive, the supplies I needed weren't there, which delayed us even longer. I ended up staying in the city for three weeks longer then I had intended. I sent Artemis letters each day, giving her detailed notes about the delays and the progress, and at the end of each letter, I told her how much I loved her and how much I wanted to be with her. In the three weeks I was away, I had gotten no letters back.

I was easily worried, but I forced myself to believe that there was a delay in the letters for some understandable reason. Maybe the ship that held my notes went down or got lost at sea like mine had. I hoped that it wasn't a terminal illness that held my love captive from holding a pen; that she was in complete health. After my time in Ephesus was up, I quickly jumped on Pegasus, sprouted his wings when no one was in sight, and flew quickly off to Athens; arriving a week before the ship docked in port. When I arrived, I looked to the villagers who walked past, asking if they'd seen Artemis. I was confused when each woman, mother and man quickly darted from me. This welcome didn't ease my fears, and I quickly rode home.

I stabled Pegasus and ran inside to look for Artemis, and think of my surprise when I saw Apollo sitting in my chair I walked cautiously toward my cousin and looked around for Artemis, "Oh, my cousin Orion. You're finally home!" Apollo stated, his face wrinkled up into a smile. I ran up to him and pulled him up by the collar of his shirt.

"Where is Artem-"

"She's at the river," he stated flatly. I was so afraid, to blind to see the signs of the opening doom. I dropped Apollo and quickly ran for the Eridanus River bank. I called out her name when I searched the shore; I couldn't find her, my heart beat quickly as I suddenly felt two hands quickly cover my eyes.

"Thank god! I was looking all over for you!" I cried out with a sigh of relief. But when I heard the giggle, I was overcome with fear. I turned and looked into the eyes of a complete stranger. Only when I looked deeper into the eyes of the amused girl did I recognize her. It was my cousin Virgo, Apollo's sister. Why was she here? Where was Artemis? "Virgo?" I was caught completely by surprise when she took my face in her grasp and pressed her lips against mine.

"Orion!" someone cried, and as if on cue, Virgo pulled away and slapped me as she quickly ran to a couple that hid in the bushes only feet away. I cried in horror to see with her bow and arrow aimed at me, my dear Artemis. Apollo stood only inches away holding the now dramatically crying Virgo, almost instantly I understood just how much trouble I was in. Apollo had framed me!

"Artemis! It's not what it looks like! Please, you have to believe me!" I cried desperately "It's Apollo he's-"

"Orion, how could you lie to me?" she shouted. I saw a beautiful, icy blue tears fall down her cheek.

"Artemis, just listen, Apollo is trying to turn you against me, please-" I pleaded.

"Not another word!" Artemis commanded. I prayed to my mother and father that Artemis would listen, would believe me. I started to take slow small steps toward Artemis, "Please, you have to believe me,"

"Don't come any closer!" she threatened as she tightened her hold on the bow. I paused, this couldn't be happening, I thought over and over again, this couldn't be happening.

"Orion, you can't fool us, we watched you follow Virginia into the wood to the river. We know about everything, there is no where you can hide," Apollo stated with a small grin, Virgo had obviously changed her name to Virginia, my mind was racing. "You can't lie any longer,"

"What are you talking about? I went after Artemis!" I cried "Please, Artemis! You have to believe me! I love you!"

"You love me?" I watched her slowly soften, I saw her falter; but Apollo placed a hand on her shoulder and her expression quickly changed. I wouldn't let him win; I wasn't going to lose her.

"I know you love me, too, please don't do this Artemis!" I pleaded. "Put the bow and arrow down, and let's talk," She quickly bats her eyes of tears and glared down at me.

"There will be no talks, and I won't fall for your games. You love me? I never loved you! Never did," she said, I saw the tears, I knew she was trying to convince herself to do it; I saw the strong hold on her arrow, the tension in the bow…she was going to kill me. "I'll never fell for your trap, never again," she cried, her bow started to shake as she began to sob, the arrow bounced.

"No, Artemis, my love. Please, don't say that, I… I love you," I pleaded. She shook her head.

"I wont fall for your tricks any more, I can't," She cried. "I can't take it," The amusement, the glee in Apollo's eyes, and the now equally amused Virginia, set my face aflame. I wanted to wring their necks, but Artemis was more important right now.

"Don't give me your lies! Into the water! Now!" she ordered. I tried, I couldn't hold back the tears, and I found myself stepping back into the frigid river. She got me waist deep as she stood on the shore, her feet being washed by the waves.

"Artemis…please don't do this," I pleaded. But she was stone still.

"That is 'Goddess' to you," she said. "You've angered the gods and destroyed the faith I had in you, now you must die. Go drown, Orion!" she cried. She let go of the arrow, one of the beautiful arrows I had made her so long ago. The next thing I knew, I felt the pain of my heart stopping as the arrow hit me, the loss of consciousness.

I woke up in my room in Cloud Castle, with my mother tending my chest wound. "Good, you're awake…" she said, I saw her saddened face. I turned away and tried to fall asleep. But once my eyes shut, I saw Artemis' angered and pained eyes staring down at me as she let the arrow soar through the air. "I thought you would be out longer then two days…" my mother continued. "With a blow like that to your celestial being…you could have taken far more damage than what you got. Thank god your brother Perseus saw the whole thing; your father took you from your earthly body before you fully died. I have been taking care of you for days-," my mother continued, but I wasn't listening.

"I loved her," I said softly. My mother paused.

"Excuse me dear?"

"I loved her, and she was only playing with me…Apollo framed me, she killed me…I loved her…" My mother quickly scooped me up as if I were a child, and I guess acted like one.

"My poor baby…" And I started crying once again. She didn't tell me to stop, she didn't tell me not to cry she didn't say anything, she just let me cry.

"I'll never love again," I forced, Artemis was my everything, I would never find another girl like her. The next day my grandfather visited me, I wanted to hit him when he told me he wouldn't stop with one Astra, he said he'd keep re incarnating her. I think he just wanted to torture me, but he said he just wanted to keep Jud from destroying things.

I found out later that Apollo had taken all my letters to Artemis and burned them, forging new letters to Virginia and giving them to Artemis, making it seem as if I were attempting an affair with Virginia, who was truly Virgo; not on the trip to Epheus as I had told her. Apollo had planned everything so neatly that I couldn't see what was going on. I also found out that later that week, after Artemis discovered that Apollo planned the whole thing and framed me, she was mortified. She had gone to Apollo's temple, found him alone and stabbed him to death. Covered in blood and filled with despair, she cried up to the heavens that she did love me, and she loved me so much that she jumped into the same river. I had to watch tormented as she drowned from the metal weights on her ankles, and there was nothing I could do to stop her.

Artemis had drowned herself thinking that she would join me in the afterlife, but she didn't know her soul would be caught by my grandfather and stored in a jar only to be reborn over and over again. And she didn't know that my grandfather wouldn't stop until the perfect world he planned out came to be. Her temple was finished but no one saw her again, and she became only a myth goddess. Due to the damage I had taken, I became a constellation demi-god. My grandfather couldn't heal my celestial being enough to bring me back to my higher god status; but I didn't care…I just wanted to take one of my grandfather's Mortalias Potion's and die. Once I had walked to my grandfather's study, and I saw Artemis' sleeping soul in my grandfather's soul-catcher-jar on his shelf. I would sneak into his study just to watch her float around in the small space, talk to her, cry, and I would have freed her if I had thought it possible. I knew that each time I tried my grandfather would only capture her again and scold me. Either way I knew the painful fact about Artemis and I…

We were never going to be happy.