Hello and welcome to another chapter of Out of Reach!

Due to the fact that the amounts of comments are getting larger and larger with every incoming chapter, I decided to move the part where I answer your comments to the after chapter's author's note.

And so, it is time to begin. Enjoy!

Out of Reach

Chapter 9

First Contact

With every incoming day, Artemis was getting frustrated more and more. Ever since the encounter between her hunt and the automaton, she hoped that she will find this malfunctioning machine very fast. Instead, after all those weeks, she was still chasing a ghost. Somehow that stupid machine was able to outrun her, and not reveal any proof of its existence.

She was getting angry because she could not understand how a stupid machine could avoid her so many times. It should not be possible for her – Artemis, the Goddess of hunt and moon – to lose against a primitive machine.

After the incident with the snake women, she asked – well, more like demanded from - her half-brother Hephaestus to reveal any information about that automaton. But to her own surprise, Hephaestus swore on the Styx that he did not create such a thing.

And that raised a few red flags inside Artemis' head. Because if that thing was not created by the god of forges, then whom? Who could have the power and abilities to create an automaton that advanced?

The more Artemis tried to think about it, the less it had a sense for her. She knew that throughout history, many demigods were capable of creating wonders, but she never heard about any demigod capable of creating a machine able to compete with her hunt. It was almost as if someone was mocking her and her hunt.

If only Artemis could think outside of her box…

As the hunt moved on, Artemis and her hunters noticed another very scary thing – some of the monsters killed by the machine were killed permanently. It was something that should not be possible for any mortal or their creations.

Surprisingly those bodies were very hard to find. The machine was hiding them in places where most people would not even think about. Artemis now knew that this thing was trying to hide all the pieces of evidence of its activities. That thing was clever, imaginative, and deadly. Whenever Artemis would find any of those rare pieces of evidence, she would often get sad that this thing was an automaton and not a girl. Because if it was, then she will welcome a new sister of the hunt with open arms.

One day, some hunters examined the bodies they were able to recover after hours of searching. Some bodies looked as if someone just shreds and torn them apart with just pure strength. Others had knife wounds… But the biggest shock for Artemis was when one of her hunters told her that there were bodies killed by bullets.

It was something Artemis refused to acknowledge. It was impossible to defeat a monster with a mortal gun, let alone to kill it permanently with such a barbaric weapon. No mortal weapon was capable of even harming monsters, let alone kill them. And yet, the proof was all around her. There was no magic involved, no godly weapon – just a machine with a mortal gun.

Now she knew just how important it was for her to find this machine and then – its creator. If there was someone able to create machines and weapons capable of killing monsters, then it was also a direct danger for the entire Olympus. After all, no mortal should be capable of such a thing.

And it would seem that she had finally caught up with the machine.

It was a day just like others. Her hunters set up a camp and were busy with either their chores or with just chatting among themselves. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary – just a normal day when her hunters will have a chance to rest.

That all drastically changed when they've heard a few monsters' roars, and then – gunshots.

Artemis did not even have to give the order to move – her hunters were ready within a few seconds. Soon, they were all on the run, chasing their target. Now Artemis was sure – there was no way for her target to escape. Now it was trapped – even if it didn't know about it.

A minute later, they could finally see their target – and by the gods, it was massive! Just like Britomartis described. A bulky, more than two meters high machine, with a silver-black armor and one giant brown eye or a visor.

Artemis looked for a second at her friend, the goddess of the nets and she only gave a confirmed nod as if saying – this is it. The machine I saw.

Now it was time for the hunt and their goddess to observe their target. And what a shocking view it was for all of them. Just right below them, they have witnessed a battle, no, a one-sided massacre. At first, they all thought that the machine was cornered and stood no chance against the group of monsters – a giant pit scorpion, a few dracaenas, and Cyclops, with a few hellhounds accompanying them.

But that machine before them was something else – it was almost as if a god of war possessed that automaton. The machine first just ripped apart the scorpion's sting out of its tail and then used it as a dagger against one of the Cyclops. Soon, one of cyclops throat was pierced all the way through.

As another one started to run towards the silver machine, the automaton just took out another knife and then threw it right at the monster's only eye. As a monster was too busy crying in pain, the machine lifted up the scorpion and just threw it at the now-eyeless monster.

Now, there was just one giant cyclops and a lonely snake woman. Even this combination was a still deadly situation for most demigods. But not for the machine. It simply took a riffle, looking unlike anything known to the hunters, and then pulled the trigger.

First shot – straight through the eye of the Cyclops. The bullet went straight through the monster's head, leaving just a lifeless body. Second shot – a non-lethal shot at the right hip of a snake woman. And then, the machine slowly started to walk towards the monster woman.

Obviously, as the snake woman noticed what happened, she tried to run. Sadly, her wound in the hip made it very hard and very painful to even move. And so, a few seconds later, the silver-black machine was standing right above her, while she struggled to stay conscious from all the pain coming from the bullet wound.

Neither Artemis nor her hunters were able to believe what they have just witnessed. Permanently killing monsters with mortal weapons? Every part of Artemis' mind and instinct yelled at her that it should be impossible. And yet her eyes were not lying – the machine just took out a group of very dangerous monsters, the ones who were able to kill demigods. And this machine just defeated them as if they were nothing.

Artemis was now convinced more than ever. The silver machine must be taken into custody. The gods must know who was capable of creating such a thing. And how that thing was capable of killing monsters with mortal weapons.

Meanwhile, the machine just stared at the bleeding snake woman. She was hissing and screaming in pain, she even tried to fight with the last bits of her strength. But it was all for nothing. The automaton just continued to stare at the snake woman with an emotionless brown eye.

"What… What do you want?" Dracaena asked with a voice full of pain. It was barely louder than a whisper.

"The location of a manticore." As the automaton spoke, Artemis could not help but shiver. There were so many things wrong with this thing voice. It was harsh, monotone, and devoid of any emotions. And to make it worse, the moon goddess could swear that it was very familiar to her.

That thought alone was terrifying for the goddess.

Meanwhile, the automaton continued its session with a snake woman.

"The location of a manticore. Give it to me, now."

"Fuck you! I don't know anything about any stupid manticore!" Dracaena yelled while trying to reach the automaton's single eye. Sadly for the monster woman, the automaton caught her right-hand in mid-air. And then it started to squeeze the hand.

The snake woman let out a painful cry. She begged the machine and tried to fight off the automaton, but all her attempts to break herself free were useless. The giant automaton did not even flinch or break her free.

"Manticore's location." It said with the same emotionless voice. It was as if that machine was completely indifferent to the monster's cry.

"I… No…" Snake woman was struggling to say something through the pain, and it took her a lot to muster even whisper a word. "Now!"

In the last resort, and despite being wounded, the giant pit scorpion jumped at the machine, obeying the last wish coming from – most likely – his owner. And that was also the moment when the scorpion was pierced by dozens of arrows.

Obviously, all the arrows came from Artemis and her hunters, who finally decided to make a move. They all jumped off the trees, and then circled both the Dracaena and the silver-black machine. From their perspective, it looked like they had the situation handled. Neither the snake woman nor the machine able to run away from them.

And yet, it would seem that the automaton did not care about the sudden arrival of Artemis. It was still squeezing the hand of the snake woman.

"Let go of that monster. We have much more important things to do." Artemis spoke with the same attitude to the machine she used on males. Even if it was still unclear if that machine even had implemented any form of personality, it still used a male voice. And for the hunting goddess, it was more than enough to treat it like any other males. "You hear me, boy? Let go of her."

Meanwhile, the machine just slowly turned to face the goddess and her hunters. Its grip on the monster was still firm, with no signs of it ever letting the snake woman go. The machine just gazed upon the goddess without showing any emotions.

Artemis on the other hand started to get irritated. Why this machine was not obeying her? Who created such a defective automaton that does not obey a goddess? Thousands of similar thoughts appeared in her head, while she also tried to figure out what will this machine do next. Will it attack her hunters? Or will it just stand there, motionless?

It would seem that the second scenario was more possible because, with every minute that had passed, the machine seemed to not move at all. It just continued to stare at the goddess and her followers.

"This is your last chance, boy. Drop that monster and give up!" Every single hunter knew that their goddess was already on the edge of getting mad. And all of them knew that soon, Artemis will order them to fire.

Some of the hunters were already thinking ahead about what they will do with that machine. Perhaps they will strip away its armor? Change it for a personal servant of the hunt? Or just dismantle it and send it to the Hephaestus?

And then, something completely unexpected happened. The machine pointed one of its guns and targeted something above one of the hunters and pulled the trigger.

The entire thing happened too fast for any human to notice anything. Even hunters were able to barely see what actually happened. As soon as the shock left them, they wanted to let out their arrows from the bows. Even Artemis was already running towards the machine, with killing intent.

That is until they have heard an inhuman voice, screaming in pain. As the hunters turned around, shock once more possessed their bodies, because in the place near of hunters, just where the machine shot, now another snake woman appeared, with a bullet wound in her chest, slowly dying.

It was beyond them – how in Hades they were not able to detect that monster? She was standing right next to them, capable of killing a few hunters without even being detected. And that machine… Just how that machine could detect that invisible monster?

As hunters were still recovering from their shock, the snake female, the one still being held by the silver machine could not help but feel fear. How that automaton was able to detect her sister? How that thing was capable of defeating their whole group?

In her mind, it was supposed to be a perfect trap. They received orders from the manticore, to test a new specific giving the invisibility for anyone who covered their entire body in it. Then try it out on hunters to see just how effective it could be.

But nothing went as planned. Instead of hunters, they were all found by the silver-black machine. It slaughtered them, left no chance to even survive to tell the tale.

"Damn you, Thorn… For a doctor, you aren't really that clever…" The snake woman cursed under her breath, not knowing that the machine was able to hear her without problems.

And now, that machine was looking at her.

Soon, a sound of breaking bones was heard by everyone – a sudden snap of the neck of the snake woman. She was now dead, killed by the machine. And that brought all the hunters back to reality. They were once again pointing their arrows at the rogue automaton, waiting for the direct order from their goddess.

At first, they thought that it will obey them. The machine just drew in its weapon. Without a gun, that thing should not be able to harm them – not when Artemis herself was with them.

"Good choice. Now give me back your weapons. We have a lot to discuss before I will send you to my half-brother on Olympus." Just like her hunters, Artemis was sure that she had won. That the machine now will have to surrender and obey her orders.

Sadly for everyone, the machine simply stood there, motionless. And soon, to everyone's shock, it started to disappear.

After a few seconds, the machine was completely invisible.

And what they didn't know about, was that it was also long gone…

From Six's perspective, it looked different.

The fight against the monsters was not hard. Some of the monsters had no understanding of how tactics work, or how to even fight properly. Those who had some form of intelligence within them were often underestimating him, believing that a machine cannot beat them.

With time, it seems that what they believe to be a machine, can beat them very painfully. Now Six could tell – monsters were afraid of him. They were afraid of each of his attacks.

For a Spartan, such a reaction is not anything new. Even the Covenant feared Spartans. Insurrection scared their children with the tales about the Spartans. Hell, even most of the UNSC and ONI personnel were scared of Spartans.

In a way, some of the Spartans welcomed that feeling. After all, a skilled warrior can use his enemy's fear for his own advantage. And all Six has done since his sudden appearance on old Earth was exactly that.

This time was no different. An overgrown scorpion, few giant Cyclops, and another weird snake-like woman. In his opinion, they weren't difficult to kill. Compared to what he was forced to face in the stars, this was almost like a child-play. Not even a minute and everything was over.

But there was something different. He could feel from the very beginning that he was being watched. Someone was trying to hunt him down. A Spartan was now someone's target. At least that is what his gut was telling him. And Spartans always trust their gut feelings.

[Six, someone is watching us. We are surrounded by at least twenty enemies. And to make it weirder… Their reading is not fully human. Not to mention, they are all teenagers…] Dot's alarmed voice ringed inside Six's head. Or at least, it was alarmed at the beginning, because her voice soon turned into something similar to amusement and interest. [Do you think we've just met those hunters that Lycaon kept mentioning?]

Soon, all the information Six needed was displayed on his helmet's HUD. Heat signatures, positions, possible armor, and weapons. Six was fully aware of the situation he found himself in. But he had something much important to do. After all, the monster will not interrogate herself.

Just as Six suspected, the snake woman tried a few tricks with him. But he knew it was to be expected. After all everyone, no matter how mutated or how powerful, wanted to live. And so, the snake-woman tried to destroy his helmet or to stall some time in order for the dying giant scorpion to attack him once more.

But Six wasn't some kind of arrogant demigod. He was a soldier, trained since a very young age. Such tricks never worked on him.

And as he was about to turn around and reach for his weapon, the giant scorpion was suddenly killed by dozens of arrows. And a few seconds later, at least a dozen of young girls, in their teenage years simply jumped off the trees, just to aim at Noble Six.

[Yes, it seems we've just met the Hunters of Artemis.] Dot's voice once again appeared in Six's mind, while the Spartan was analyzing his possibly-new opponents.

All of the hunters were armed with what seemed to look like longbows. All of them were also equipped with daggers clipped to their belts. Some of them were also having personal weapons, such as swords and in one case – even an ax.

With just one quick look he was also able to recognize the woman who he saved from Lycaon – Britomartis. She was no standing with the hunters, aiming at him as well.

[It would seem that she does not appreciate us saving her life…] Dot was somehow disappointed with her. After all, what kind of person aims at someone who saved her life in the past? Was it because Six simply not obeyed any of her wishes? Was this some kind of revenge from her?

But Six, as always did not care. He was never expecting anything from Britomartis. And so, he wasn't affected in any way seeing her aiming at him.

Meanwhile, from the hunters' side, one small girl stepped out. Her posture and face were just screaming about her feeling of superiority and confidence. Six could recognize it – he had seen it on the face of many insurrection leaders. Their feeling of never being wrong, of being better than anyone else.

Most of the time such an attitude was what made them such an easy target to kill.

Thankfully for them, Six had better things to do. Under any other circumstances, Six would simply obliterate this weird military organization. But Dot gave him a different idea.

[Wait. Don't kill them yet. They will bring valuable intel about Artemis and other gods. Besides, we might have some common enemies. Meanwhile, let's see what else this monster can tell us.] Six could not help, but to agree with his AI. In the best-case scenario, both enemy groups will slaughter each other and all Six will have to do, is just kill the survivors.

Suddenly, a small girl moved forward. She looked as if she was just twelve years old. But one look in the girl's eyes was enough for Six to confirm, that the girl in front of him was neither a human nor a twelve-year-old kid. It took just a quick shot at her eyes to see, that she was anything but a fragile small girl.

[So I guess this is the Artemis we've heard so much about… Be careful. While I am more than sure you would be able to defeat all her followers, I am not sure if we have a chance against a goddess. I cannot get a clear reading of her.]

Meanwhile, the girl – Artemis – decided to speak up.

"Let go of that monster. We have much more important things to do." A minute or so have passed, without any form of acknowledgment of the goddess from Six. "You hear me, boy? Let go of her!"

It took just a few words for Six to recognize what kind of person he was dealing with. From the first look, Artemis was an arrogant brat, believing she can do as she pleases because she is someone important. And where Six came from, those kinds of people were often first to be killed.

"This is your last chance boy! Drop the monster and give up!" Six noticed that with every second the goddess was denied something she wanted, she grew more irritated. That was another thing he could use in the future.

On the other hand, Auntie Dot was furious. She could not understand how someone can be so rude to a person who previously saved someone important for that goddess. It was just beyond her. Such a thing to do was illogical.

[I do not like this 'Artemis' at all.] Auntie Dot's voice had a hint of frustration. Something that was very unusual for her. But her attitude soon changed once more fully analytic. [A hidden heat signature, near of the hunters. It is another snake-woman, but she is somehow invisible.]

And so, Six wasted no time, and simply pull out a gun, and pulled the trigger. The reaction of the opposite group was very easy to predict – all hunters were ready to shot at Six, while Artemis rushed at the Spartan.

At that moment, Six was able to analyze the reaction time of all hunters and also have a first look at the goddess' abilities. And the lone wolf was forced to admit – the hunting goddess reaction time and speed were amazing. She could definitely give a hard time to all ODST's, but he still wasn't sure about her being at the Spartan level.

As soon, as the bullet penetrated the monster's head, and a piercing cry of pain was heard, all hunters – Artemis included – turned around, just in a perfect moment to see a dead monster's body falling to the ground.

Shock and unbelief – Those were the main things Six could see on all hunters' faces. It was obvious that they could not understand what happened, but for Six it was very easy – when you are overconfident in your victory, you are the most vulnerable.

[It would seem that you have saved the life of another huntress… I wonder if now they will let you go…]

Meanwhile, the monster in Six's captivity began cursing and – saying something, she definitely shouldn't.

"Damn you, Thorn… For a doctor, you aren't really that clever…" Now Six knew for whom he should look for. His target, a manticore, hiding under the persona of Doctor Thorn. A new target was acquired.

Six put his M6G magnum back to the holder and then, without a hint of hesitation, Six snapped the monster's neck.

As the monster's lifeless body dropped dead, Six focused his attention fully on the hunters. They were once again aiming at him with their bows. But there were other factors that Six noticed. One of them was the fact that many of the hunters were… Under-age.

It was something Noble Six could not fully comprehend. Why there were so many teenagers in the hunt? Wouldn't it be better for the goddess to take fully developed grown-ups? Or was there perhaps a weird and twisted reason behind recruiting children and turning them into hunters? Six knew that now he had another thing to find out.

As Noble Six put back his magnum to the holder, he also noticed that the 'leader' of the group was now once more casually taking a step in his direction. It was almost as if she was assured of her win. And Six knew that it was a big mistake. Because now, she was at his mercy.

[I do not understand – why does this weird woman think she has won? Can't she see the situation, or perhaps is she that arrogant?] With every minute, it would seem that Auntie Dot was more and more disappointed with the hunter's leader.

"Good choice. Now give me back your weapons. We have a lot to discuss before I will send you to my half-brother on Olympus." Judging from the tone of Artemis's voice, Six was now sure about few things. One – that she was arrogant. Two – that she was foolish.

Six had her at gunpoint. He could still kill countless of her followers. Their arrows would never be able to pierce his armor, they will not be even able to activate his energy shields. And on top of that, they barely know what Six was capable of. So why this 'Artemis' was already claiming her victory?

Noble Six started to think about all the possible outcomes of a fight with Artemis and her hunters. From what he observed, they were fast and accurate in a fight. But they were still not on the level to be a danger for a Spartan. At least from what Six knew from all the intel he had.

Artemis on the other hand was a different story. From just one encounter with her, he knew that she might be a threat to a lonely Spartan. When Six pulled out his gun, he analyzed the goddess's speed when she was trying to reach him. It wasn't anything above or near a Spartan-level speed, but she was still faster than any normal human.

Of course, Six knew that his intel was incomplete. He knew that he should wait with provoking any fight. There was a chance that he could win this fight. But only an idiot rushes to a battle without knowing anything about the enemy.

That – and if what he heard about the possible incoming war between Titans and Gods, Six knew that killing hunters would be a mistake. After all – why fighting enemies when you can let them fight themselves.

[I also believe that leaving them will be the best thing we can do right now.] Auntie Dot's voice inside Six's head was now cold. It was almost as if she was distasted by the fact she has to be near the goddess. [Let them fight against the forces of titans. They will lose some firepower, and we will learn how they fully operate in a battle condition.]

There was just one problem – how Six was just about to disappear? He could try to run away, but that would force him to go into combat as well. And according to Lycaon, Artemis would never stop chasing him down. And that could compromise his position and his safe-house.

[Don't worry about anything Noble Six! We are prepared for this kind of situation.] Dot's voice switched from cold to excited within a second. It was almost as if she was happy to present something to Six. [During our last moments on Reach, when I was repairing your armor… Well, I added a thing or two to your armor. One of those things was an Active camouflage emitter.]

Six heard about those emitters. The covenant forces – mostly Elites – were carrying them and could turn invisible at any time. They were not only making someone invisible, but they were also capable of muffling sound around the user. Of course, the more and faster user moved, the less effectively the emitter was working.

Now Six had a real chance to escape.

"Dot. Activate the emitter." Six said to Dot, fully knowing, that only she will be able to hear him.

[Emitter activated. We are fully covered. We have fifteen seconds before the emitter will have to be recharged.]

Judging from all the shock coming from hunters, the emitter worked perfectly. Now Six could change his position and move to a safer place. And as Six found a safe spot, he began to watch hunters once again. From a safe distance and ever-vigilant riffle scope of his SRS-99 AM sniper riffle…

In many centuries of her duty, Zoe Nightshade never experienced anything like this. It was the most bizarre hunt of her entire life. And that is much coming from one of the oldest companions in Artemis' hunt.

From the moment she joined her lady in her adventures, she had seen many wonders and horrors of the world. She saw monsters, she saw the beauty of nature. She witnessed the death of many sisters-in-arms. And she also witnessed the cruelty and stupidity of men.

And yet, she was glad, that Artemis took her when she needed. When she was alone, after that bastard Heracles betrayed her. At that moment she gained a wonderful family. And she was able to live a life full of wonders and adventures.

But this was something new to her. Never before in her life, neither she nor her Lady was hunting for an automaton. At first, it felt surreal to her – after all, why the hunt would waste their time with something that any demigod or even legacy was able to do. How hard it was to dismantle one rogue automaton?

Zoe believed that this automaton was nothing more than a failed experiment of one of Hephaestus's children. The god of forges' creations was never flawed, so it was obvious as to whom anyone should blame for wasting the hunt's time.

Even with what Britomartis told her, about the brutality and efficiency of that automaton, Zoe was more than sure that this entire thing was a waste of hunters' time. And perhaps Britomartis exaggerated with her tale. After all, she was fighting against Lycaon, during a very deadly situation.

Then again, Britomartis would never lie to Artemis. She was as loyal to the hunting goddess as any other member of the hunt.

Then, during the hunt for one of the Scythian Dracaena women's nest, Britomartis noticed her rogue automaton through the flames, in the caves. Soon, Artemis and the rest of the hunt followed. And what they have witnessed inside was something that sown the grains of uncertainty inside Zoe's mind. Perhaps this rogue machine was even more dangerous than even Britomartis knew.

Snake females' bodies, with perfect bullet wounds in their heads. The ones who did not die from a gun had either their throats slit open or their necks were broken. All of them – dead. Without any sign of them returning to Tartarus or even deforming into golden ashes.

Zoe could not understand how was that possible. All monsters whenever killed should turn into golden ash and then return to Tartarus, where they would reform. There were ways to kill monsters permanently, but most of them were outside of demigods' hands. And yet, somehow someone was able to create a machine capable of killing monsters.

Now Zoe knew how this hunt will go. They will catch the rogue machine, dismantle it and send it to Hephaestus, and then they will hunt down the creator. And then Artemis will make sure that the creator will spill out every detail on how he was able to create such an abomination.

And then, the hunt encountered the machine. Zoe was forced to admit, the machine was good. It was better than most demigods. In other words – it was dangerous.

But the hunt underestimated the machine's skill. Not only it was able to defeat many dangerous monsters with ease, but it was also capable of seeing monsters hidden even from the hunt's eyes.

In other words – it was now getting personal for Zoe and many other hunters. After all, they could not let a machine be better than them.

And yet, when all monsters were defeated, even the one lurking away from the hunter's eyes, Zoe and her sisters believed that they have won. After all, they were aiming all their bows at the machine. There was no way it could escape.

Then the machine started to vanish right before her eyes.

It was surreal. It was impossible. In all the centuries of serving Artemis, Zoe never witnessed anything even similar to this. The machine just disappeared without a trace. There was no trace of any artifacts, godly interference, magic, or mist. There was no image or even sound. It was almost as if the machine just vanished into oblivion.

"Spread out! Search for the automaton. It must be still here!" It took Zoe a few seconds to realize that her Lady had given her and the hunt a direct order. But after the initial shock, she obeyed. Only to find nothing.

This entire situation, all that happened. On the minds of all hunters, there was just one thing. Just one thought that described what happened just a moment ago. The very same that Zoe said aloud to no one particularly.

"This is not possible…"

Sadly for her, the universe was not exactly giving a damn about what she thought was possible or not. And that was just the beginning…

For the first time in her life, Circe found herself in a situation like this. In her immortal – and very often immoral – life, she always had been the one to be in control. All the people around her obeying her every wish. Just like they should – she was a goddess after all. A minor one, but goddess nevertheless.

In the past, there had been many attempts to capture or to kill her. All of them failed. She was a sorceress and a minor goddess. There was no way any stupid mortal would be able to harm her. She was indestructible, and with her own little cult, she could do whatever she wanted. She was free to do whatever she pleased.

Not even that arrogant son of Ares, that damn pirate could harm her. And soon, he and his crew joined her little collection.

But all of that changed, when one young son of Poseidon came… Or rather, when his friend, a daughter of Athena, decided to ruin her perfect island and release all the prisoners. Soon, what was once a paradise became hell for all of the women trapped with her.

And to make the situation even worse, that spawn of Athena gave Hermes's multivitamins to all former prisoners, making them resistant to her magic.

Without her magic, she and all of her students were forced to surrender. And now they were most likely used by the pirates.

What Circe could not know is that after she was captured, neither one pirate nor her student was left alive. Well, maybe except for two daughters of Bellona.

Circe recalled how her magic was not working on the Blackbeard. How he easily bested her, mocking her and bathing in his own glory. She was angry, no, she was furious. She wanted to skin that son of Ares alive, to hear him begging for mercy.

But then, the immortal sorceress recalled something new. There was someone else there. Someone who killed the Blackbeard and then destroyed her artifacts and took her somewhere. A weird machine without any human emotions.

Circe tried to open her eyes, only to notice that she was not able to. Something was forcing her eyes to remain closed. Some kind of weird metal band covering her eyes. And when she tried to move, she noticed that she was strangled by weird metal chains. And, as she tried to scream in a fury, she noticed as well, that her mouth was covered in a metal as well.

In other words – someone was keeping her as a prisoner, and wanted to make sure that she would not escape.

A fool. Whoever thought that containing her like this will ever work was full. After all, she was Circe, the immortal sorceress. There was nothing she could not do with magic. And escaping this prison was nothing that she could handle.

As Circe prepared herself to use magic, only a moment later – with horror – she realized that she was not able to muster any magic. It was almost as if someone just cut any connection to her powers from her.

The realization struck her like a hammer – she was a prisoner, waiting for the mercy of whoever took her. She was alone, in the dark, without the ability to see or to move.

She cursed once more that monster who took her away. She wished for that damn thing all the worst fate. And she promised to herself, that when she gets out, she will make sure for that thing to suffer.

Minutes turned into hours. Hours into days. And so on, and so on. Circe was not sure how much time she wasted in the darkness. Her emotions were slowly betraying her. Her fury has turned into irritation, and then into fear. She was alone, without anyone to help her. And soon, most likely – forgotten. Maybe whoever took her away wanted to keep her here until she fades away?

Or was she truly alone?

She could not tell when she started to hear the voices. It was almost unreal to her when after a few days in the darkness, she was able to hear something. She was so happy. Someone came to save her from this place. To take her back to the light.

And she didn't even care for the fact that the voice of her savior was a male one. She did not care, she was ready to throw away all her beliefs just to be out of here. She was desperate and she was ready to take any and every offer of help.

But her savior was still far away. Too far away to reach her. In fact, her savior was screaming, begging for help. Almost as if he was in agonizing pain. For her, it sounded almost like a dog whimpering to his owner for him to stop the beating.

Soon after that, all the voices disappeared. There were no whimperings, no screams for mercy, nothing. She was once more left alone in the darkness.

She wondered if she imagined it all if those voices were ever real. Or was she going insane, imagining imaginary voices to keep her company? She could not tell, and that fact kept driving her further into insanity.

And when she lost all the hope, the voices returned. There was once more this screams of the tortured soul, beginning for mercy. And Circe was happy, she was relieved just to be able to hear those voices. For her, it was like the happiest moment of her life, to learn that she was not alone in the dark.

Soon, between all those moments when the painful screams returned, she started begging, both in her mind and through making inarticulate sounds that she wanted to hear those screams more. She begged whoever was listening to keep the marvelous melody of pain with her. To never stop letting her know that he was with her.

She begged that she will help, she offered herself to help in any way, just to keep the sound around her. She didn't care about anything else in the world, she just wanted to hear those sounds in this new world of endless darkness. She could now barely recall a light of the sun in her mind. Light? Now, that was just childish imagination. Only those voices in the dark were real. They were her only salvation.

She welcomed every cry of pain with almost childish overjoy, as every next sound filled her with an ecstasy beyond anything she felt in the past. She was so happy, she was so in love.

And she craved for more…

And that is it! I hope you've enjoyed it!

Now it is time for your comments!

VGBlackwing – um… I really don't know what to say here…

Janny092 – Thanks! And I hope that you will be satisfied with the future chapters as well!

That Guy0101 – I do not know how Six would react to MGE world, because I have not seen/watched/read it. Sorry.

Ihatemylife – Emile is practical as well… Just more brutal…

Lordbrrt – None of those.

GOCsoldier426 – Thanks! I haven't seen this movie yet, but I will put it into my queue.

Solidghost - …I can tell that she does not have many fans here… I understand that, but, still….

StellarEngine – Thanks! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

Intata – That… That hurts… That hurts more than it is and was supposed to…

Kobistar123 – Thanks!

Drago – To be honest, I have not yet thought about precursors in this story. And as of now, I really don't know what to do with them…

Flash – Another question about precursors… As I said, I haven't really thought about precursors at all, and as of now, I do not know how to even put them here. And I am glad that you enjoy my portrait of Noble Six and Auntie Dot!

Guest – I am glad that you like how I portraited Auntie Dot. Tho, I am afraid that precursors had nothing to do with gods' fading away.

Mythic Imagination – Thank you!

Samuel Warshaw – Thanks!

NovaSaber – Well, all shall be revealed in the incoming chapters!

Eland – Thank you! It means a lot to me!

Mirrors Cracked And Broken – Who keeps saying that this fic is dead?!

.9279 – It almost makes you wonder how much Artemis is going to be pissed off when she realized that the monsters are scared of Six instead of her.

Griffmic000 – Do not worry – I have plans for Circe. And that you for the Calypso proposition. I shall think about it. As for Auntie Dot – well, just remember that she herself still needs to deal with her new emotions and feelings. But she will have a more important role in the story.

Crazzytony – Thanks! Well, Lone Wolf will have more encounters with Artemis and her hunters. But I guess from this chapter you can already tell that all those future encounters will be on his terms…

117 – Do not worry – this part will be explained in the future.

Firefly – Thank you! I am really glad that you like both stories! And as for the organization in fear the light… IDK yet, as of now, B312 will be strictly a lone wolf. Dunno about the future tho.

Ihatemylife – HM… This shall be revealed in the future. I don't want to spoil anything. But I will mention his full arsenal in the future.

Lordchicken568 – Thanks. And gods from other myths will appear as well.

Machine253 – Ay Ay captain.

BanzEye – But this story is already proofread… [CALLING FURIOUSLY HIS PROOFREADER]

Mangoose – Thanks. I know the grammar and spelling are very far from perfect but I am trying my best.

Malgrath – Well, the official canon says that celestial bronze is too expensive to be used as bullets…

the-lost-memories6 – Thanks! And I can't wait to write about it!

Fordo – Hell yeah!

Rarrarshark – Of course, this story will continue… And thanks!

ThatGuy - …ouch…

Wolf – Thanks! Well, Artemis – just like other gods – committed many crimes, and that is a fact. And Six will know about them. And about Saint of Killers… I haven't read it, but as soon as I've noticed the "created by Vertigo comics" part – I knew that I must be something good.

101 – Thank you! And I will definitely use the idea of him being the rumor in the camps! It is a great idea! As for fates… Oh, I will not spoil any future fan, you must wait. So be patient!

Arrow – Well… It is hard to have feelings for someone you don't know, who wasn't there with you in your life. And so, yes, Six does not hate Artemis. After all, he does not know her, she is a complete stranger to him. As for Artemis having dreams about Six… Damn, that is an awesome idea, I really must think about this.

Sentinel – Yep, pretty much.

Fushes – Okay, okay…

And that is it for now. I hope I will see you again in the next chapter.

Big thanks to Rogue-eL for proofreading this chapter.

Remember about my discord server if you want to know the current working status of the stories (/ discord . gg/ pghekDe )

See ya!