Chapter four is here! This is the last part to this hunt, but don't worry! More will be coming very soon! I've already finished the next one! (Which is another 10,000 words! So get ready!)

Thank you all so much for your support! I was worried there for a bit that I didn't have many people interested, but when I voiced this you all came out to let me know that you care! It really means a lot!

It was five in the afternoon and Artemis was losing her mind.

She only had one lead on the rogue Goddess. And that lead was a supremely boring redhead.

"The supermarket! Again!?" The blonde groaned, banging her head against the musty old leather of her car's headrest. "How is this guy not a hundred pounds heavier?" She spoke to herself.

Artemis had been following Wally around for a few days already, and he seemed to have some sort of a routine going. Which is an absolute horrible idea when there's someone out to kill you. It was no wonder the goddess hadn't been having any trouble finding the runner.

She considered texting the poor guy creepy messages from one of her other aliases phones. It was easy to see the large bag of chicken whizzes sticking out of one of the many plastic grocery bags he was hauling back to his truck and one quick message about his choice of chips would be enough to scare him.

But he was already paranoid. She didn't need to crack his psyche.

As far as Artemis could tell, she was the only one following Wally around. However, the culprit she was looking for was a Goddess who had been escaping the public eye for centuries, so chances that they were better at hiding were pretty damn good.

Wally had started his truck up again and Artemis sneaked her car around the other end of the parking lot to follow his trail. She was still guessing his next destination when her phone started ringing.

It was Wally.

"What's up Speedy?" Artemis chirped into the microphone.

"My name isn't speedy," He grumbled, and the blonde withheld a chuckle.

"But it makes sense," She argued lightly.

"Well I don't like it,"

"What's got your panties in a twist?"

"Someone is following me," Wally blurted out.

"Really?" Artemis feigned innocence, "For how long now?"

"Like a day and a half as far as I can tell,"

"Not bad, Wally," Artemis smirked, "Not bad,"

"What?" He responded quickly, in a tone that she recognized as the 'What-are-you-hiding-from-me?' variation.

"I've been tailing you for three days," She corrected, swerving into the redhead's lane and honking her car horn to prove her point.

"Why!?" His voice rang through the speaker.

Artemis hummed to herself a little as she maneuvered her car to follow Wally's truck through a yellow light, "Stop trying to ditch me," She mumbled, raising an eyebrow when she thought she heard a small bit of laughter on his side of the conversation.

"Why are you following me?" He tried again, pulling over to the side of the road that led to his favorite hiking spot.

"I'm trying to catch the goddess that's following you," The blonde explained, parking her own car directly behind the bumper of Wally's truck, "This is the worst place to be," She hissed at him through the phone. Wally responded by hanging up so Artemis hopped out of her car as quickly as she could to follow the redhead onto the trail.

The woods were a terrible place to be when an ancient creature was after you. After all, they'd been living in nature longer than civilization had even arisen.

"Wally!" She snapped, catching up and walking alongside him, "I'm trying to save your life!"

"No offense, but I don't think you're qualified to do that," He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Why did you come here? This area is too exposed," Artemis turned around as she walked, surveying the tree line as best she could.

"Because you obviously won't leave me alone and I don't need everyone in the city to associate me with you," Their eyes clashed and Wally ran a hand through his wild red hair in frustration, "Look, you seem to really believe in this stuff. But I don't, so I'd be great if you could just leave me be,"

"Wally," Artemis spoke up, darting in front of him to meet his eyes as she spoke, "I'm not asking you to believe me. I just need you to trust me,"

The redhead's green eyes fell to the trail floor and his face morphed into a frown, "I think," He met her eyes once more, "I think, for some reason, I do trust you,"

Artemis let her shoulders relax, feeling a tad bit relieved as he continued.

"But..."

The two tensed abruptly as a sound carried across the forest, an unmistakable noise. A harsh, strangled coughing.

"It's her," Wally whispered, his hand darting out grab Artemis's own as he turned to run.

"No!" Artemis jerked her arm back from his grasp to reach into her coat, "This is why I was following you," She spoke quietly, a smile forming as she pulled the Greek blade out of its hiding place.

"Where the hell were you keeping that?!" Wally yelped, taking a few stumbling steps backward.

The wheezing sounded again, closer, and the redhead gripped Artemis's shoulders.

"Artemis, come on!"

"You need to stay here! She'll keep coming after you until she kills you-" Artemis stated roughly.

"That's promising," He muttered, although his grip loosened when he realized that she wouldn't leave with him.

"But she can't get you if I kill her first,"

"Artemis!"

"I can give you my gun if it would make you feel better," She quipped, holding her free arm out as a barrier between Wally and the sound of the goddess.

"If you have a gun, why aren't you using it?" Wally hissed into her ear, having moved up to stand closer. Artemis ignored him and refused to allow him to push her arm down, keeping him behind her.

"It won't kill her," She turned her head to answer him, pursing her lips when she found that Wally's face was closer than she had anticipated, "But this blade will,"

"So you mean you're really gon-"

Wally's words were cut off by the sudden appearance of Arke, the Goddess.

Arke moved with extreme speed, but she had no use for walking or running. Her skin was gray and shriveled, her waned powers having been unable to keep up a youthful appearance any longer. Her clothes seemed to be what remained of her regal dress from the Roman Empire, although the fabric had since become threadbare and dirtied.

"Hello Bitch," Artemis greeted her fondly, her false tone laced with venom. The dull bronze blade clenched tight in her fist.

Wally's soft, disbelieving yammering was overruled by the hoarse Greek curses that fell from the Goddess's chapped lips.

The blonde bent her knees slightly in preparation when Arke hunched and held her claw-like fingers out in warning. She understood the gesture well, if she ran and let Arke have Wally, she would be spared.

"You can't have him," Artemis snarled, narrowing her eyes and settling farther into her stance.

Arke shrieked something unintelligible and suddenly she was upon them. Artemis used her free hand to knock her sharp hands away, swinging the blade around towards her back, but Arke was too fast. The blade didn't make contact and the two were at a standstill once more.

"Wally, get back. You're in the danger zone," The blonde spoke under her breath, her sharp grey eyes locked on her opponent. She couldn't see him move, but his shoes crunched in the wood chips so she figured he'd listened.

The goddess rasped out something else, but her Greek was lost on the two. Artemis charged first, feigning an upper strike in order to get a good shot at her abdomen. Arke raised her arms to grab the blade mid-swing but when Artemis curved her swing low her arms moved just as fast as the weapon.

The blade sunk into Arke's forearm and she let out a shrill scream, her skin shriveling away from the metal as her glistening, iridescent blood seeped from the wound. The blonde pulled the blade away to get another swing while Arke held her arm close, but, once more, she wasn't faster than the goddess.

Artemis grit her teeth as Arke swiped the blade out of her hands and gripped her upper arms with a grip tight enough to bruise. The blonde tried to reach into her jacket for another weapon but found herself yelling out in pain when Arke dug her long fingers into her skin and tossed her to the side, throwing her audibly into the trunk of a tree.

She faintly heard Wally shouting her name, but her senses had become shifted and vague from the harsh treatment. Her vision came back first as her head lolled to find her charge. Wally's hair was easy to spot, the vibrant red striking against the dark green backdrop. There were two, sometimes three of him, but Artemis only registered the fact that the many redhead's were all holding the Greek blade.

Arke was rushing at him, thrashing her arms about in an attempt to dislodge the weapon from his hand. Wally was faring better than Artemis though, his inherited speed allowing him to keep up with the goddess's own power. He wasn't landing any hits with the weapon, but he wasn't taking any either.

By this point, Artemis's vision had largely returned and her coherency was better. From her position slumped against a tree, still attempting to regain her sense of balance, Artemis could see Arke's back. Sprouting from the goddess's back were the stubs of two shredded wings. Their color and glinting shine telling her that it was the source of the strange substance at the crimes.

Wally grunted when Arke got in a good hit, his muscles failing him as he dropped the blade. The goddess wasted no time in latching her fingers onto the sides of his temple. Wally yelled in pain as she began sucking his life force away.

Artemis struggled to stand up and reach him, her footing uneasy and her head throbbing from what she was sure was a concussion.

Arke's skin grew a bit flusher and Wally grasped at her, trying in vain to get her to stop.

In one, final stumble, Artemis plucked the blade from the ground and sheathed it violently between what was left of Arke's wings. The blonde clenched her eyes when the goddess screeched in pain and defeat, opening them when she felt the weight holding the blade disappear.

Arke had shriveled into smoke and smoldering metal.

Artemis blinked a few times in relief before looking up to check on Wally. He was slumped, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clenching the sides of his head.

"Wally?" She spoke up, stepping across the molten goddess to rest her hand on his shoulder.

"Gimme a sec," He grumbled.

Artemis nodded and decided to sit on the wood chips next to him, frowning and wondering how bad her concussion was. She scratched absently at her arm and the twinge of pain reminded her of the fingernail wounds Arke had left her.

Wally let out a deep breath and plopped himself down next to the blonde, his eyes locked on the remnants of Arke, "So, what she did to me," He started slowly, "Is that what happened to my parents?"

"Uh," Artemis wrinkled her nose and tried to get her brain working, "Maybe, but I wasn't gonna watch and find out,"

Wally snorted and sent her friendly glare.

"I'm gonna go sleep off my concussion," Artemis declared, rolling to her feet and turning to walk back to their cars.

"What?" The redhead exclaimed in disbelief, quickly jumping up to follow her, his own steps unsteady for a few strides.

"It was nice meeting you Wally," She waved behind her, snorting unpleasantly at the ground when her footing was off.

"I'm taking you to my house," He told her, his hand resting on her shoulder to stabilize her.

"I'm fine," Artemis insisted, holding her hand in front of her mouth to quell a yawn.

"You have a concussion," Wally stated.

"Yes," Artemis agreed.

"I am notleaving you to die in your sleep in your car," He frowned, "I owe you, just let me make sure you don't die,"

The blonde shot him a contemplative look and chewed on her lower lip, knowing that it would be better to just get away from the redhead before she made a friendship. And she had dealt with concussions before

But there was always a fifty fifty chance of waking up...

"Fine," Artemis rolled her eyes, successfully throwing her balance off and tripping sideways.

Wally scoffed at her and easily scooped her up into his arms.

"West, I don't want carried," She said, frowning because her head was swimming, "You have three heads," She continued to inform him.

"How do I treat a concussion?" He asked, carefully unlocking the passenger side of his truck and buckling the reluctant blonde in.

"You let me sleep,"

"That is the one thing I know not to do," He retorted, smirking when Artemis rolled her head back and let out a very audible sigh.

"I don't like you,"

"You're concussed,"

"I still don't like you,"

Artemis woke up in a bedroom that she'd never seen before. The sheets were yellow and soft, the room itself was all very pale and sparse. Her memory slowly pieced itself together and soon she had a pretty good idea of where she was.

Wally's house.

Her favorite leather jacket was hanging neatly on the back of a sweet wooden chair, just waiting to be reunited with its owner.

It took her five minutes to get out of the bed and have it back on, as well as the boots that had been waiting underneath it.

She guessed that she was in some sort of guest bedroom, based on the scarce personal effects, so she slipped into the hallway as quietly as she could. Artemis hoped that she would be able to sneak out before Wally came to his senses and called the cops. That is, if he hadn't called them already.

Artemis tiptoed silently down the hallway, hoping that everyone who lived there was out at work. It seemed like the middle of the day, she didn't check a clock. There were sounds of someone working in the kitchen, however, so that hope flew out the window.

She'd made it two thirds of the way down the stairs when she was startled by the appearance of a very tall blonde man.

"Artemis, you're awake," He spoke, a smile on his face and his hands landing on his hips.

"Mr. Allen," She mumbled, her heart falling and her hair bristling. The law was aware of her.

"Artemis?" Wally's voice rang out from the kitchen. (Why was she not surprised?)

The redhead was standing next to Barry a moment later with a large grin on his face, "I'm glad you're feeling better,"

"You called the cops," She accused, throwing her shoulders back.

"I called the cops?" He frowned, tilting his head as though he'd heard wrong.

"You called the cops," Artemis repeated, turning her gaze dejectedly on the forensic scientist.

"I'm not part of this," Barry announced quickly, throwing his hands up in mock surrender and scooting away back to the kitchen.

"I didn't call the cops," Wally relaxed once more, his eyes wandering over her face and checking for signs of the concussion, "Barry is my uncle, he lives here,"

"Oh," Artemis moved her line of sight to the floor, a part of her relieved and a part of her upset that she'd mistrust the person who had obviously looked after her, "How long was I out for?" She changed the subject.

Wally gave her an easy smile that told her that he understood what she was doing, but he answered her anyway, "You've been in and out of it for about two days,"

"Two days!" She exclaimed, looking at his features for any sign of a lie. There was none, "The motel is going to take everything," She let out a breath through her teeth.

"Don't worry, I took care of it," Wally waved her off, "Come eat something, we've got stuff to talk about,"

Artemis was still trying to understand why the redhead would worry about her motel room when he lead her into the kitchen where Barry and a red haired woman were sitting at the table. Wally pulled out a chair and gestured for her to sit while he got something out of the fridge.

"Uh. Hi," She started awkwardly.

Barry looked at a loss for conversation so the red haired woman leaned forward and gave her a disarming smile, "Hello Artemis, we're so glad you're back on your feet again. I'm Iris, Barry's wife and Wally's aunt," She spoke kindly, and Artemis found herself nodding, "Wally explained everything to us,"

That sent off the warning lights.

"I'm not crazy," The blonde cut in quickly, her heart pounding.

Mental hospitals were a hunter's worst nightmare. It was nearly impossible to get away legally, and the staff was damn good at keeping patients from leaving. She'd heard the horror stories. Once you got in, you never got out.

"We know," Barry started, sensing her panic, "Wally believes you, and if he believes you...well then you've got our vote,"

Artemis let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and was only slightly startled when Wally's hand landed on her shoulder and a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon landed on the table in front of her, "Thanks," She breathed, excitedly digging into the meal.

"It makes sense too," Iris spoke up once more, "Once you think about it. How else would so many cultures in different places and times have the same stories?" She pointed out.

"And my running, I knew that was weird," Wally added through a mouthful of his own meal.

"There have been a lot of strange victims and unexplainable bodies found around the country, for years," Barry said, "It's a point of interest at all the forensic science conventions,"

"There is something I've been wondering though," Iris leaned her cheek on a fist, turning to Artemis, "How come Arke didn't come after me?" Her eyebrows furrowed, "After all, I'm farther up the family line than Wally,"

Artemis swallowed before answering, "I figured that out, actually," She tilted her head sideways, "Well, my friend and I did. It's the same reason that she didn't get Wally twelve years ago. She didn't know about you,"

"Didn't know?" Barry repeated, trying to understand. Artemis nodded.

"We figure that she only got her hands on an older family tree. She found Rudy on it, but both you and Wally hadn't been born yet. I'm guessing that she found Wally recently because of his last name and relation to Rudy, but it would have taken her much longer to find you because your name changed with marriage," The blonde explained easily before returning to a slice of bacon.

"And what about how she looked?" Wally blurted out, not bothering to swallow his mouthful completely before talking, "Gods are supposed to be perfect and beautiful and stuff. She looked terrible,"

Artemis smiled, her eyes sparkling, "That's the interesting thing about Gods, they are only as powerful as humans can make them. She was powerful and beautiful in ancient Greece and Rome because the people worshiped her. It's the same way with all the other Gods. All over the world," The blonde spread her arms out as she spoke, "The more followers a deity has, the more power they receive,"

She finished speaking and her cheeks grew flushed when she realized how passionate she'd become as she spoke. She avoided Wally's wide grin.

"I must admit, it's quite a relief to hear that there are people out there that dedicate their lives to protect the ignorant from monsters," Barry smiled, "And because I don't think you remember me saying it when you were delirious; thank you, for saving Wally's life,"

"Yes, thank you so much," Iris added, "And...We understand that you aren't on the favorable side of the law. So we just thought you should know that you're always welcome here,"

Artemis felt her throat constrict, her voice trapped. In the three years she'd been a true hunter, she'd never met a kinder family. And if she was being honest with herself, she never really had one to start with anyway.

"Thank you," She responded softly, unsure of how she could properly express her gratitude.

The warm silence was dispelled by a certain stubborn redhead sitting across from her.

"I have another question," He said seriously, leaning his elbows on the table and tilting his head back, "Will you take me with you?"

"What!?" Barry exclaimed, his shoulders thrown back as his spine straightened. Artemis's eyebrows rose in surprise, her gaze steady on Wally, testing his honesty. "What?" Barry hissed again, this time to his wife across the table from him.

"I knew he was going to do this," Iris shrugged, a smirk in place as she eyed her nephew.

"It's too dangerous," Artemis cut in, crossing her arms defiantly.

"I want to help people," Wally retorted, his face unchanging.

"You'll slow me down," She set her face into a glare.

"That's a laugh," He rolled his eyes.

"You'll get us killed,"

"We'll be watching each other's back. We'll be safer than if you were alone,"

"You should finish college,"

"I want to do this,"

"I'm not taking you,"

"Two heads are better than one,"

"Unless one of them is dumb,"

"I held my own against Arke,"

"Because you have goddess in your veins,"

"Exactly,"

"Don't I get a say in this!?" Barry cut in loudly.

"No," Iris answered him quickly, "Wally's old enough to make his own decisions," The ever present smile was still in place and the red haired woman reached over to pat her husband's hand consolingly.

Barry gave her an undistinguished pout.

"So will you take me?" Wally smiled at the blonde woman.

Artemis let out a huff, "Consider it a temporary consideration," Wally let out one of his wide grins so Artemis had to continue, "If I decide that you're going to get yourself killed, or me killed, or, or both of us killed then I'm taking you right back here," She narrowed her eyes as she spoke, emphasizing each point with her pointer finger thumping against the tabletop.

"That sounds fair," Wally agreed.

"We leave tomorrow," Artemis told him.

"I can't wait," He grinned.

THUS ENDS THE...(WAITFORIT)...PROLOGUE.

THAT RIGHT. I'VE GOT CRAPLOADS MORE PLANNED OUT ALREADY AND THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

What happens next? The meat of the story. Wally and Artemis as hunting partners in crime!

Please review and let me know what you think!

Love, Veg