Following what Artemis assumed would be her final encounter with Void, she spent about an hour talking to Percy before waking up. The sensation was still weird, the state between sleeping and waking not something she was used to at all, but what was one more weird thing when she was currently living underwater?
To her utter dismay and embarrassment however, this was the best part of the day to come. While she was told that the royal family had left Atlantis for urgent matters, she herself stayed behind with an attendant of the palace that taught her how to swim. As if she were a child, she had to learn how to orient herself, how to stay still and finally how to move freely.
For a goddess that had not been so helpless in millennia, it was a terribly uncomfortable and shameful feeling and it only got worse when she had to admit to herself that she needed the help too. Despite her learning ability being boosted by her divine nature, she took an entire day to finally get the hang of things and her lessons ended late enough for Percy to have returned a good two hours earlier. Dealing with a problem big enough to require Poseidon himself to move was faster than her learning how to swim well.
However it was ultimately worth it as Artemis found herself laying down in her Atlantan bed for the first time that night, finally able to rest herself properly. With her unable to access most of her domains, she didn't take long to check up on what she could see before she was left to her own devices.
Her mind wandered as soon as that happened, her thoughts stuck on the time she would spend in her uncle's domain. She wasn't a fool, she knew that trouble was brewing down here too but she also knew that it wasn't her place to ask Poseidon about it. Politically speaking, she was but an outsider right now.
Adding to that the fact that her actual wedding was slowly creeping closer and Artemis already had her plate full. But there was more. The Norse. Tartarus. The fallout after Tartarus. There was so much more and Artemis hated it. At every corner there was no room for mistakes and any mistake she still made was lethal and costly. These truly were dark times and so soon after they had warded off the last great calamity too.
Her thoughts were interrupted when another divine presence bumped her own, alerting her. Someone wanted to talk to her. Judging from the presence itself, she almost believed it to be Percy, the power behind it very similar to his own. However as she took a closer look, the volume of power was much too great, dwarfing not just Percy but also her. This was Poseidon.
Deciding to not keep him waiting, Artemis got up and began moving towards the throne room. Even if he didn't boast it around like her father did, Poseidon was easily strong enough for her to sense him. Because of his strength, she also failed to notice the other presences filling the throne room and only when she was at the door did she finally realise.
Percy and Triton both had their aura blend in with their father's, basically undetectable even for her fine senses. However next to the sea god stood another god she was very familiar with, this one her own half-brother Hermes. The usually stealthy god had managed to stay outside of her perception too, something she was a little irked by.
Now wasn't the time to get mad at herself though as Poseidon was already signalling Hermes to talk, meaning he was here as messenger, bearing the word of her father, no doubt. "Ah, yes…", Hermes seemed almost nervous, a characteristic rarely found in the carefree god, "Artemis, Percy, I was ordered to bring you your summons to Olympus…Hera has decided that it is time to officially announce your coming marriage now. For that you two need to come to Olympus…now…"
Again and again Hermes was throwing nervous glances at Poseidon, fearful of his famed temper. The messenger god was clearly not the one who had decided this, if memory served her right he had even been amongst the gods that opposed the marriage from the very beginning, but Poseidon could very well decide to just not care about that anymore. To the relief of Hermes though, the sea god kept his calm, if only barely.
Unlike his father though, the sea was violently churning around its crown prince, Triton not quite as composed. He was only stopped by his father who had decided to answer in their stead. "Very well, I will bring them with me shortly. Triton, you are in charge while I am away. Notify me in case of an emergency and make sure that what we talked about before is carried out too."
Poseidon seemed almost too calm, to a degree where Artemis felt somehow more scared at the cold wrath underneath than she felt thankful about his lack of direct anger. As the sea god stood up, it almost felt like he was marching into war, his trident appearing together with his armour. His power was pulsing here, in the depths of his domain, resonating with everything around them.
Percy understood earlier than she did, grabbing onto his father's shoulder just before they both disappeared. They were followed by Hermes almost instantly and Artemis hurried too, finding herself in an almost empty throne room once more, this one very different from Poseidon's. The Olympian thrones were mostly deserted, even Hermes nowhere to be found and the only people in the room were Percy and her, faced with Aphrodite and Hera. Poseidon had left to a corner of the room where he stood with her father Zeus, both only watching what was unfolding right now.
The moment her eyes met those of her step-mother, she saw a sickening victorious smile that made her want nothing more than to rip her apart for it. No matter how she reasoned this to others, Hera was getting them married for her own personal vendetta. "Artemis, Perseus, I see you didn't let us wait for long. As Hermes has surely told you by now, you are here today to announce your marriage to the entire pantheon. We have gathered spirits of nature and gods alike outside the throne room for that. Once you are ready, we will go out and meet them."
While she was talking, Aphrodite was walking circles around her and Percy, muttering to herself. Once Hera was done however, the goddess clapped her hands together and in a burst of power, Artemis felt her own outfit change. If not for the presence of Hera, she would have changed back instantly but with the queen of the gods here, she couldn't.
Aphrodite had put her into festive clothes, a wide dress to be exact. The dress was lightly coloured with white and silver and onto it green and blue patterns were sewn, patterns she recognised from murals in Poseidon's palace. At her side, Percy had undergone a similar change, now resembling Triton more than he ever had before. He was clad in light armour, flashily engraved with Atlantan murals and texts, clearly showing his status as prince of the sea. If not for the situation, Artemis would have laughed at Percy, especially since Aphrodite had included a small crown for him to wear and he was very clearly uncomfortable with that accessory. But it wasn't another occasion and so she stayed silent, glaring at the two goddesses.
What she got in return though was a mocking smile, one that infuriated her even more. "Artemis, dear, put on a smile. We wouldn't want people to get the wrong thoughts!"
Oh how she wanted to just…only millennia of learning to not jump at Hera's provocations saved her from the mistake she almost just made as a look to the side of the room revealed Poseidon in a similar situation, held back only by Zeus, who had taken out his master bolt.
"Now, that's better! You too, Perseus, smile! And Aphrodite, get rid of those gloves too. People have to see their rings, don't they?" It was only then that Artemis noticed both of their hands were still covered, their rings hidden from view. Deciding to not give Aphrodite the satisfaction of belittling her more, Artemis forced the glove off herself, Percy taking his off too. It felt like petty defiance but that was all they had left.
What followed was a trance to Artemis. From both sides, Zeus and Poseidon came, hushed whispers between them. Zeus took her arm and let her towards the door while Poseidon mirrored the same with Percy. Apparently whatever Zeus had told Poseidon had convinced the sea god to go along with this. The doors opened on their own as they got close, Artemis mind slowly shutting down in a reverse reaction.
There was a crowd there, alright. Hundreds of gods and immortals and spirits filling the streets of Olympus before the throne room. And all of them were quiet as the king approached. By that point, Artemis was deaf to whispers and words, numb to even her own emotions. She had thought herself somewhat prepared by now but that was foolish.
She couldn't even hear her father speak anymore, only faintly aware of the cheers of the crowd by the end of it. With a small pull, her hand was interwoven with Percy's as they raised them up high, showing off the rings they both wore. When had her ring gone onto her left hand? She didn't even know. She snapped out of her trance only when she felt her head tilt towards Percy's, realising what was happening.
The flinch in her posture caused a mirrored reaction in Percy, although slightly delayed. She could see a small seed of anger in his eyes, the same seed even larger in the eyes of Poseidon as they both understood what had just happened. They couldn't do anything other than play along for now but there was no way she'd let Aphrodite get away with this.
By now Artemis could hear the whispers of the crowd fully again. She had become a princess of Atlantis to them, subject of their talks as if she were merely an object, a nice accessory to the prince beside her. Oh how much self-control she had to bring up to not snap right there. Suddenly it felt like the world itself was spinning, her senses overwhelmed by what was happening.
She wanted nothing more than to vomit right there, ruin everything about this cursed announcement. But she didn't. Whatever it was that made Poseidon go along with this, she never wanted to find out. So she played along. As did Percy. As did Poseidon. As did Zeus. They all played along.
Before long, they were inside the throne room again, the doors once again closed and Artemis more distraught than she had ever been since the very day she took the oath that had caused all this. Despite her being a goddess, her mind was spinning, her very soul aching. She just wanted to get away and now that things were over, she could. Without a word to anyone, she flashed away.
It was pure instinct that brought her to her brother's palace and pure luck that her brother was alone right now. Apollo needed only one look at her before he jumped up and held her in a tight hug. She was supposed to be the older one but right now their roles were reversed as Artemis sobbed into her brother's shoulders, all the pent-up emotions breaking loose.
She didn't know how long she stayed that way, maybe seconds, maybe hours but she felt the weight on her shoulders slowly melt away as she cried to her brother. She wasn't ready to marry at all, she had just managed to distract herself well while she had been with her hunt. Apollo understood that and without speaking much, he comforted her about it.
By the time she was done, she felt like she had recounted her entire lifetime of troubles to her brother and slowly but surely she also felt her composure return. She wouldn't allow this to break her, for Hera to succeed like this. No, Artemis was stronger than that.
Without another word or thought, she flashed back into the throne room where a few gods had gathered by now. Athena had joined at some point while Hera and Zeus were standing opposite of Poseidon. Behind them was the shivering body of Aphrodite, ichor bleeding from a wound on her neck. With all the spite that she had just built up, Artemis couldn't stop a laugh when she saw Aphrodite's predicament, malice shining in her voice.
This alone got the attention of the crowd onto her, Zeus in particular looking almost betrayed as she didn't pick his side. It was somewhat satisfying to see the gentle sliver of apprehension that went through them, first Aphrodite and then Hera. Even Athena seemed wary, something Artemis had rarely seen her sister show.
By now the air was crackling with power as Zeus' original surprise over her hostility was quickly turning to irritation and anger. Poseidon of course mirrored his brother and just when it seemed like the two would fight, Apollo flashed in after her. He was probably called because of Aphrodite, not that he would help her much. However to their surprise Apollo never made it more than two steps.
Even the two brothers snapped out of their conflict, both staring at the god of prophecies as his domain acted up. Mist filled the room and the temperature seemed to plummet far below the freezing point. The sensation was so bizarre that even Artemis' own emotions took a backseat as she carefully observed her brother just in time to see him speak.
"In far distance false lovers will seek
Under crow's eyes the fiends to speak
Third eye to open, tether to break
Hell's mistress free, the serpent's shake
Beneath the tree at the den of snake
To grow beyond, a god to make
In struggle to dispel abyss's gloom
Or lose the world to certain doom"
Silence was all that followed the prophecy, forgotten the brewing conflict just moments ago. Both Zeus and Poseidon were busy with something more important now, joined by Hera and Athena. Her brother was slowly getting up right now, leaning onto her as she helped him up.
Her mind was still too chaotic to grasp a proper thought even about a prophecy such as this but the sheer absurdity of the situation had pushed aside any emotional turmoil she had had.
Once Apollo was back on his feet, Artemis turned back to the gathered gods to find them just about to call a meeting, thunder striking in the sky to act as a call. One by one the remaining Olympians appeared and took their seat, some already suspecting what was up based on the pale look her brother wore. By the time the last one, Ares, arrived, Aphrodite had also recovered from her earlier encounter with what Artemis assumed was Poseidon's trident.
As was usual with a new prophecy, the meeting was chaotic. The instant that Athena had recited the prophecy, the first guesses on what it could mean followed. Gods were shouting over each other or discussing among themselves what they thought the lines could mean while others were quietly contemplating on their own. Artemis may have been the only Olympian that didn't bother trying to decipher it as she couldn't even concentrate on the stupid poem with how eventful her day had been.
Instead she just watched the chaos unfold. She watched as her fellow gods took turns trying to decipher the words of fate just to be called a fool by the next god. She had seen these meetings many times and she knew that this circle would go on for a while and she appreciated that. It gave her time to collect herself. Reign in some of the emotions that were still bubbling underneath her skin.
Unlike her uncontrollable outburst earlier, she managed to stay in control this time, slowly storing all her feelings away for them to be brought back out later. It was an arduous task but she managed to wrestle back control over herself from whatever haze she had been in earlier.
By the time she was done, the meeting also seemed to come to an end. By now the less intellectual gods had just taken to quietly listening and the conversation was mostly between Hephaestus, Athena and Demeter. Normally she would also be a part of this, as would her brother, but not today. She hadn't been paying attention and he was still feeling the backlash of delivering the prophecy earlier. It was just short of an hour later that Athena managed to present their final interpretation of the prophecy.
"So we don't know for sure who the false lovers are since there are many affairs that may qualify for it but it most likely refers to Perseus and Artemis given the timing of the prophecy right before their wedding and when both of them were in the room."
Artemis hadn't noticed him earlier but it made sense that Percy would still be with his father. Even now he was sitting next to his father's throne, watching silently from the floor.
"Crow's eyes is again something we can't be sure of but since the prophecy speaks of a threat to the world as a whole, we assume that this means Nyx since crows are usually associated with her and her children. We don't know what the third eye is since there are plenty of creatures with more than two eyes and it could also have metaphorical meaning but Hell's mistress should once again be Nyx as she resides beneath the pit. The serpent we assume to be Python who would then most likely reside in some cave under a tree. While we can't be sure, the most likely location would be the cave the oracle was stationed in before. The last three lines on the other hand, if we assume the false lovers to really be Perseus and Artemis, would imply that we need to make Perseus a god and that our fate somehow is in his hands then."
When Athena finished, she received nods from all the gods gathered. Artemis was sure that some were nodding just to seem like they had been paying attention and she too was only agreeing because she wanted the meeting to end quickly. It sounded like a good deduction but Athena had essentially just hazarded a guess.
To her relief, the meeting really did end there with the final closing words coming from Zeus, having them agree to keep the prophecy secret for now. It truly was the same as always.
After that, the gods disappeared one by one, none waiting to stick around for longer than necessary. She herself almost did so too until she remembered that she needed Poseidon to take her back to Atlantis. Making her way to his throne she made a point out of avoiding any eye contact until eventually she reached the sea god. She couldn't avoid his eyes, not when she had to talk to him.
However just one look into her eyes seemed to be enough for Poseidon as he grabbed Percy and without letting her follow disappeared, only leaving behind a short 'I will bring you to Atlantis tomorrow'. Even he could see how upset she was at the moment but somehow she was still relieved. In a flash second, she transported herself to her palace, enjoying the comfort she hadn't had for a while now. At least here she was still free. Here she was at home.
So that's the next chapter, a very hectic one if I do say so myself. For those that didn't get it, Aphrodite used a form of charmspeak to get Percy and Artemis to act like a couple hence the angry reaction from them when they found out (and Poseidon).
The entire chapter from when they left was very unclear and hazy. That was intentional because this was written from Artemis' perspective, who was completely panicked and also temporarily enchanted.
Overall I was trying to express clearly just how overwhelmed she is by everything and how lost she is in the chaotic mess of a situation where even her godly composure built over millennia starts to falter.
Lastly, I got a prophecy done and I'll just put it out there as a question: What do you think of it? Can you decipher it? Is it too obvious? I'll properly explain it once the prophecy is passed too but from a reader's perspective I think it should be possible to figure out.
Anyways, that's all I got to say. As always feedback is appreciated and see you around in probably two weeks. Bye!
-M