"Um... who are you?" Orion asked, his eyebrows furrowing as Artemis stared at him in shock.

"Sorry about this, I'm Apollo," he apologized, his voice carrying a hint of charm. "This here is my sister. Sorry if she's been bothering you."

"Oh, no worries. She hasn't bothered me at all," Orion reassured him, his eyes filled with concern as he looked at Artemis. "Though, I must say, she does seem upset."

Apollo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, well... it's nothing for you to worry about. I'm sure she has her reasons for acting this way." his eyes met Orion's, a silent understanding passing between them. "Which is why I'm taking her with me. It was nice meeting you."

Artemis simply gazed at her brother, confusion etched on her face, as Apollo gently tugged her arm. Before she could protest or ask any questions, he swiftly led her away from the clearing, leaving Orion's sight. They teleported back to their apartment, Apollo refusing to release his grip on her arm until they reached her bedroom.

The moment they stepped inside, Artemis's anger erupted like a volcano. Without a second thought, she unleashed a punch, her hand connecting with her brother's gut. Apollo staggered back, clutching his injured stomach, a pained groan escaping his lips.

"What in Olympus was that?!" Artemis exclaimed, her fury palpable. "Why did you suddenly whisk us away? What's your problem?"

Apollo winced, his face contorting in pain as he held onto his torso. "You were losing yourself, sis. Over a mortal. That's not like you."

"This isn't just about some human!" Artemis raised her voice, her emotions running high. "It's him, Apollo! I know it's him! Why did you stop me from finding out more?"

"Artemis, please, just stop!" Apollo shouted, his frustration evident.

"Why? Why did you—"

"He's dead, Artemis," Apollo's voice softened, his words slicing through the air, causing Artemis's body to go still. "He's not here anymore. You have to accept that fact. Just because someone looks like him doesn't mean it's him."

Artemis clenched her jaw, the tears threatening to spill from her closed eyelids. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, the truth she already knew but refused to acknowledge. It hurt, and she wanted to despise her brother for reminding her of that pain, but deep down, she knew he was right. She knew she had to face reality.

Without warning, Apollo pulled her into a tight embrace, her sobs echoing through the room. He rubbed her back gently, offering her comfort as she cried in his arms. The tears flowed, leaving her feeling drained on every level—emotionally, physically, mentally, and even spiritually. It was an exhausting experience, a stark reminder of just how much she missed Orion, yearning for him more than anything else.

"How can this be... how is it possible?" she cried brokenly into her brother's shoulder.

Apollo held her tighter, his voice filled with compassion. "I don't know, sis. I wish I did."

Artemis didn't respond, instead pulling away from the embrace and wiping her tears with her free hand.

"As much as it pains me to admit, you're right... he's gone. I can't afford to let my mind wander to other possibilities. I need to focus on the present and find a way out of this mess," she declared firmly, her voice filled with determination.

"Finally, you're coming to your senses," a voice chimed in from behind Artemis, causing both siblings to turn their heads in surprise.

There stood a woman who looked to be the same age as Artemis, her long dark hair flowing freely around her shoulders. Her stern expression and icy gray eyes, paired with her gray half top jacket, gray pants, and plain white sneakers, made her quite intimidating.

"Athena? Is that really you?" Artemis questioned, her confusion evident in her voice as she immediately recognized the woman.

"Long time no see, Artemis. I didn't expect you to be caught up in childish drama so soon after I promised to help you both with your homework," Athena replied coldly, taking a step closer to them.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? This isn't a... wait, did you just say homework?" Artemis asked, her disbelief clear as she turned to look at Apollo.

Athena simply shrugged, an air of indifference surrounding her.

"Yeah, so... she's the friend I mentioned. Surprise?" Apollo tried to lighten the mood with a joke, hoping to break the tension between the siblings. But it didn't work.

Artemis shot her brother a glare so intense it could rival Medusa's gaze. It practically screamed, "Out of all people, you had to bring judgmental Athena into this."

Apollo couldn't help but smile smugly, meeting Artemis' gaze with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.


Finally, after the dust had settled, the three of them gathered in the dining room, ready to tackle their homework. Silence hung heavy in the air as they each pondered their own thoughts, unsure of what to say to one another. Did it even matter if they tried to strike up a conversation?

Artemis didn't despise her stepsister, Athena. It was more of a discomfort that arose from Athena's bossiness and incessant nagging. As the goddess of wisdom, Athena had an unspoken obligation to always be right. It was practically a universal law. Her constant demands and nitpicking grated on Artemis's nerves. However, Artemis had to admit that they did get along at times, given their maturity and independence.

When the need arose, they had a pretty decent relationship. Thanks to Athena's help, they swiftly completed their homework. Artemis decided to take a shower to ease her mind while waiting for the water to warm up. In the meantime, Apollo and Athena took the opportunity to have a conversation.

Sitting cross-legged at the dinner table, facing each other, they had been engaged in deep discussion for quite a few hours. Apollo broke the silence. "So, you won't believe this, but Artemis unexpectedly ran into Orion."

Athena raised an eyebrow, shooting Apollo a judgmental glare. "And you did a terrible job of preventing that, didn't you?"

Apollo defended himself, his voice tinged with pain as he suddenly felt a sharp kick to his leg. "Oh, come on! How was I supposed to know he would be there? Thankfully, my twin sense kicked in and warned me—OW! WHAT THE TARTARUS WAS THAT FOR!?" Apollo shouted angrily, clutching his leg.

Athena didn't respond verbally, but her piercing gaze said it all. She kicked Apollo to keep their conversation private, away from Artemis's ears upstairs. Sighing deeply, Athena continued, "Anyway, it's clear you can't handle this on your own. So, I've made up my mind."

Artemis descended the stairs, her wet locks dripping as she dried them with a towel. When she reached the bottom step, she looked at her siblings curiously. Athena chose to ignore her and continued with her thought. Artemis couldn't help but interrupt, curiosity getting the best of her. "Make up your mind about what exactly?"

Athena's gaze met Artemis's, her expression serious. "I've decided to attend your high school as well."

Artemis stood frozen for a moment, her mouth agape, eyes widened in shock.

Her brother, on the other hand, seemed less affected, though not as much as Artemis had anticipated. He simply blinked lazily a few times before nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.

"No way!" Artemis exclaimed, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Yep," Athena confirmed.

Apollo continued to gaze blankly at Athena, fully aware of her intentions to attend and help him through the ordeal.

"And Dad agreed to this too?" Artemis scowled.

"Of course he did. Being the favorite child has its advantages," Athena smirked. "Plus, it's to ensure that you won't do anything foolish and land us in even more trouble with Father." She pointed a finger at her younger sister, who glared back in response.

"Fine..." Artemis grumbled, realizing that she couldn't fight against her father's decision. Whatever Zeus said was law.

"Great, now I have a babysitter. Lucky me," she growled in defeat, throwing her hands up in the air before turning to head back upstairs.

"You know, a little 'thank you' wouldn't hurt," Athena called after her sister. "We may have our differences, but we're family, no matter what."

Artemis scoffed lightly but didn't bother looking back as she made her way to her room. She tossed her towel over her shoulders, settling down on her bed. With a sigh of contentment, she slipped out of her dirty clothes and snuggled beneath the covers. The warmth enveloped her, providing some solace. However, even that couldn't distract her from her thoughts about the boy she had met.

She tried to convince herself that it couldn't possibly be him, but her heart refused to listen. No matter how hard she denied the possibility, the image of those midnight blue eyes from her time in Crete haunted her thoughts, causing a lump to form in her throat every time she recalled them.

But amidst all these emotions, a nagging doubt still lingered within her. Perhaps, just perhaps, the boy from before could be him. Her instincts screamed at her, a voice that had never let her down. But she yearned for more, for concrete evidence to put her restless mind at ease. She refused to rest until she uncovered the truth, determined to dive deep into the heart of the matter.