AN: Hello again! I managed to get this finished just before I headed off on holiday. It's shorter than the last one, but the last one was a special case.

This is set during 'The Burning Maze', just after they return from saving the oracle. Spoilers, obviously.

I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

I waited till midnight.

Midnight has always been my favourite time. It wasn't bright and showy like daytime, full of noise and activity. It was settled, unlike dawn and dusk, where creatures rush to start or finish their activities. Midnight was calm and still, the perfect conditions for the visit.

I'll admit, it was more spying than visiting, since I had no intention of letting my brother know I was there. Think what you will, but this precaution wasn't so I could tease to him about how oblivious he was to people sneaking up on him; it was only slightly to do with that.

The real reason for my silent visit was because my father, Zeus, had repeatedly threatened to punish me alongside my sibling if I'm caught communicating with him. And, as much as I care about my brother, I'm more useful as a goddess than a mortal. At least from Olympus I can keep an eye on him as he repeatedly gets himself into trouble. I'd also rather not suffer the humiliation of being mortal.

While I was slowly flying the moon chariot over the blackening sky, I peered down to the desert below. From this height it looked exactly the same as the rest of the dusty wasteland that surrounded it. The brightest part was the city off in the distance, polluting the sky and fading out the beautiful constellations. Mortals had no respect for the heroes in those stars. My mind jumped to Orion, the closest I ever came to breaking my vow, and Zoë Nightshade, my most recent constellation.

I was beginning to wonder how I'd find my brother's current camp in this sea of identical-looking desert rocks and scrubs. Normally I'd be able to locate his exact position just by thinking about it. Now though, Zeus has weakened the mental bond we usually share. I could still find his vague location and feel some of his more extreme emotions, but it wasn't even close to what I was used to. I also suspected that Apollo's connection to me had been completely severed. That thought didn't sit well with me.

My eye caught on a glint in the desert, the familiar shine of moonlight on glass. Greenhouses! I remembered one of my scouts mention that Apollo was staying with some nymphs and satyrs in an abandoned home that used to belong to a gardener. This must be it.

Leaving part of my essence in the chariot to continue its path across the sky, I flew down to the desert surface in the form of a burrowing owl. This creature's long legs and small body provided the perfect way for me to approach without suspicion.

Talons kicking up dust and dried plants, I dashed towards what looked like an old pond. As I got closer, the presence of nature was amplified. It reminded me of Pan, before human activities caused him to fade. I knew this place must have some kind of strong connection to the wild or Demeter. The area was also less heat-scorched than it had been recently.

Now that I was next to the pond/pool, I could make out the sleeping forms of two humans. Seven ash trees surrounded the pool, emitting oddly large amounts of energy. Even after inspecting one sapling close up, I still couldn't tell where the energy was going. Never mind. I have more important things to do.

Taking on the form of a fennec fox, I crept closer to the sleeping humans. No nymphs were nearby, but I could smell their scent in the area. It wouldn't matter much if they did see me, since gods can go wherever they want without constraint; I'd just rather avoid any risk of this meeting getting back to Zeus. I was wiser at avoiding conflicts with our father than my brother was.

Soon I was a few feet from the nearest human. Peering at its face, I recognised it as my brother's master, Margaret (Meg) McCaffrey. For someone so young she looked surprisingly troubled, even in sleep. She'd be a good candidate for joining my hunters. I'd watched her fight a few times, and her swordsmanship was wonderful. I shook my head, trying not to get distracted.

Moving quietly past Meg, I spotted my goal. My brother's mortal form was curled up about a metre from the girl, sleeping in a thin-looking sleeping bag. As I trotted over to him, he snorted in his sleep and rolled over, facing away from me. With great effort I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He'd never been a quiet sleeper, even as a god. It was like he couldn't stand to be silent for more than a few seconds, at most. The action was so like him, that I almost expected his face to be just the same as his godly form.

I jumped over him, turning to look closely at his face. Its basic structure was similar to his godly face, except his hair was now brown and his skin was cursed with ache. But, despite these differences, I still recognised him. This was the closest I'd been to my twin in over a year. Unconsciously, I reached out to him with our mental bond, expecting to feel him respond. He didn't. Feeling oddly saddened by this, I took a few steps back.

After double checking that no nymphs were nearby and awake, I changed my form from a fox to a young woman, about the same age as my brother's form. Now that I'd seen him, I wasn't sure what to do next. As much as I wanted to talk to him, I couldn't wake him and risk Zeus finding out.

Deciding to just make sure Apollo was okay, I ran my gaze over his body. His ache ridden face was also marked by a few healing cuts and burns. His red-ringed eyes told me that he'd been crying recently, and his mouth was curled in a small frown. From what I could see of his arms, it was obvious he'd been burnt recently. The burns were healing well so I wasn't worried about infections, but seeing my normally so lively brother look so down-trodden and damaged angered and disturbed me. Our father should never have let this happen!

"You've done so well so far, brother. I know you'll complete Zeus' trials and re-join the Olympians," I bent down and whispered softly to him, half-hoping he'd hear it even in sleep. If he did, he showed no sign of it. "good luck, Apollo."

With that, I stood up to leave, still watching my sleeping twin. Just as I moved to leave a young voice piped up in the silent night.

"Who are you?" Spinning around, I found myself face to face with a very much awake Meg McCaffrey. The dark-haired girl blinked up at me, while her left hand absentmindedly grabbed her glasses from the floor and placed them on her face.

Caught off guard, I stood still for awhile, just starting at her. I'd never planned what I'd do if someone saw me. I just assumed I wouldn't be seen. That was back-firing on me now. I could just flash away without a word, but then Meg would probably tell Apollo I was here. And, as much as my brother annoyed me, I had no wish to make him feel like I visited him but only talked to Meg. That would probably get me a 'worst sister' award.

Speaking of Margaret McCaffrey, the young girl had now stood up and was walking towards me with a determined frown on her face. Her fingers fiddled with two golden rings, ready to wield the swords that came from them.

"Hello, Margaret McCaffrey." I spoke calmly, channelling most regale and godly voice, hoping she'd get the hint and forget I was here. She didn't.

"Meg. Don't call me Margaret!" The girl replied with cold anger, stopping a few steps from me, standing on her toes to appear taller. It was almost cute to watch. I probably have more respect for mortals than most of the other gods, but even I can't deny that they can be adorable when they get grumpy.

"Meg, then," I corrected myself, and continued in a diplomatic voice. "you did not see me here on this night. You will tell no one of this, or you will perish."

"Sure, whatever," Meg dismissed my threat with a shrug. Tilting her head at me, she asked. "but who are you?"

"That is not your business, mortal."

"No, wait, I can guess. You sounded just like him when you said that," Meg smiled vindictively, glancing at my sleeping twin. "you're Apollo's sister, Artemis."

"Yes, and I warn you that if you breathe a word of this to him, you will regret it." Keeping my voice level, I met her challenging gaze with one of my own. Again, she seemed unfazed.

"He wants to see you." Meg told me simply, kicking a pebble absentmindedly.

"I know."

"Then why don't you talk to him?" Meg tilted her head again, the rhinestones in her glasses blinking in the moonlight.

"It's not that simple. Zeus has forbidden it." I explained stoically, deciding she would be less likely to blab if she understood my reasoning.

"Sure it is," Meg corrected me, looking much too confident as she stared up at me. "he's family. You're supposed to put family first."

"He may be family, but this punishment is his own doing, even if Zeus is being unreasonable," I justified, moving to leave. "if I end up mortal too, then I'll be unable to watch over him. He needs me as a goddess more than an equally weak mortal."

With that, I turned away from her and walked off, preparing to flash away. Meg, who quiet for a few seconds, spoke up just as I was about to leave.

"He nearly killed himself," I stopped in my tracks, listening to Meg's sudden, blunt announcement. She continued. "with his own arrow."

"I am aware of that." I informed her, without turning around. This was only half true. I'd been aware of the fight on the yacht, and that he'd experienced high levels of pain and emotion. But, I had not seen the fight or what caused it. The only thing I'd known was that my lieutenant, Thalia Grace, had lost her brother. Not that she was aware of that yet. I planned to break it to her as gently as I could; as soon as I figured out a way to do that.

"Yet you don't care?" Meg asked me rhetorically, obvious mocking in her voice.

"I do care. But I also believe my father would not let Apollo die as a result of his trials. They are lessons, not a death sentence."

"It doesn't matter if you think he'll die or not, he will still be hurt that you apparently abandoned him," Meg snapped, showing the first anger behind her statements. "you're breaking his trust in you. He needs his sister."

I'll admit I didn't know how to react to that. As long as he became a god again and didn't die trying, I was begrudgingly okay with Zeus' chosen punishment. Perhaps it was uncalled for, since the war with Gaia was hardly his fault, but I could understand that my father needed to punish someone. I didn't like it, but I accepted it. I'd never given thought to what it was actually like to be mortal and how it would affect him.

Every time he'd previously returned from being mortal, he would just act the same as always. Maybe a bit quieter for awhile, but nothing concerning. But, then again, this was the first time he'd been completely powerless as a mortal. Before, Zeus had always granted him some of his godly powers, so he was similar to a demigod. That wasn't the case this time.

"He will be fine. He has done this before," I brushed off her accusations, turning to glare at her. "now please, do not repeat this meeting to anyone."

Meg's only response was a stiff nod. I watched as she lay back down on her sleeping bag, facing decidedly away from me.

Satisfied that she would cause no more issues, I once again prepared to leave. I willed myself to appear as a buzzard, one of my sacred animals, and prepared to take off into the sky.

Just as I tensed my wings to take off, another snore came from my sleeping brother. Glancing back, I watched him roll onto his back, causing his sleeping bag to slip off his chest. This left me with a very clear view of the scar on his upper body, just beside his heart. A small slither of pale skin.

It was a strange feeling, seeing something like a scar on my twin. Gods do not get scars, it just isn't possible. A scar implied the survival of a near-death injury. So, since it was almost impossible to injure a god into near-death, scars never stayed with us. Sure, we could get hurt and have a mark there for a bit, but it was never permanent. Scars were for mortals.

And, yet here my brother was, with a scar. I knew it probably wouldn't remain when he became a god again, but it suddenly made Meg's accusations more valid. This was how close my twin had been to death. This was a sign of how far Zeus was willing to go just to get his point across. And it made me sick.

I'd always known our father favoured me over my brother but, as I flew towards the moon chariot, it had never been something I'd worried about before. But, now I did. If Apollo did survive these trials, how long would it be before he angered Zeus again? Would Zeus give him an even deadlier task? Or would he just lose his patience and remove my brother permanently?

The idea of ever losing my other half was unthinkable. He may drive me up the walls with his silly songs and poems and irritate me for eternity with his over-protective brother act, but he was still my twin and I would never want him to disappear. I would miss him dearly.

Landing in my moon chariot, I regained my godly form and continued my path across the sky, pushing such thoughts from my mind. Thinking and fretting about the future was my brother's gig, not mine. I had a job to do and hunters to lead. My brother needed to regain Zeus' favour on his own.

But, that wouldn't stop me from checking up on him in the meantime.

AN: Wooh, done! Writing from Artemis' POV was much harder than I expected, so sorry if it didn't sound right. I imagine she's a bit like her brother, but less silly and more thoughtful. But she still has a slight condescending attitude to mortals, like all the gods.

I hope Meg wasn't OCC. I wanted Meg and Artemis to talk, since they have similar yet different approaches to Apollo. And I think they'd get along.

I'm off to Iceland now, so hopefully I'll be able to write my next oneshot while I'm there. Please leave suggestions, they're a great help

Bye

Wyrenfire