Artemis's Point of View
The council chamber was suffocating.
Artemis stood rigid in the center of the Olympian throne room, her hands clenched at her sides, every muscle in her body coiled like a drawn bowstring. The gods sat in a semi-circle around her, their expressions varying from disinterest to outright hostility. Only Poseidon, seated beside his empty throne, met her gaze with quiet determination.
But Zeus... her father's fury was palpable.
"You will not go to Tartarus." Zeus's voice cracked through the chamber like a thunderclap, shaking the very foundations of Olympus. "I have forbidden it."
Artemis did not flinch. "I was not asking permission."
The silence that followed was deafening. The other gods exchanged uneasy glances. Hera pressed her lips together in disapproval. Athena's eyes narrowed, calculating. Ares smirked, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Zeus rose from his throne, his presence towering over her. "You are my daughter. A goddess of Olympus. And yet, you would throw that away for him?"
Artemis lifted her chin. "Percy Jackson is not just 'some mortal.' He is a hero. One who has bled for Olympus more times than anyone in this room." Her silver eyes burned with fury. "And we have abandoned him."
Poseidon let out a low growl. "I have not abandoned him." His sea-green gaze was a storm barely held at bay. "But the rest of you? You let my son rot in Tartarus while you sit here in comfort."
Hera scoffed. "It is not our place to meddle with Tartarus. It is beyond even your reach, Poseidon."
Artemis clenched her fists tighter. "Then what is the point of being gods if we let one of our own suffer while we do nothing?"
Apollo, seated beside her, let out a sigh. "Sister, I admire your loyalty, but this is suicide. Even if you managed to reach him, you wouldn't stand a chance against Kronos and the other Titans."
"I don't care." Artemis's voice was ice. "I will save him."
"No," Zeus snapped. "You will obey."
Artemis turned to face her father, her expression unreadable. "And if I refuse?"
A terrible silence fell over the chamber. For a moment, Zeus did not speak. Then, his blue eyes darkened like a sky before the storm.
"You will no longer be my daughter."
The words should have hurt. But Artemis had already made her choice.
She stepped forward, her voice steady. "Then so be it."
Gasps echoed through the chamber. Apollo shot to his feet. "Artemis, don't."
Zeus's face twisted with rage. Lightning crackled at his fingertips. "You dare defy me?"
"I dare," Artemis said.
The air trembled with Zeus's fury. The chamber darkened, thunder rumbling in the distance. "If you step one foot into Tartarus, you will be stripped of your divinity. You will be nothing."
Artemis stared at him, unshaken. "Then I will be nothing."
A single heartbeat passed. Then Zeus raised his hand. A bolt of lightning formed, so bright it burned Artemis's vision. But before he could strike—
Poseidon moved.
The sea god's trident clashed against Zeus's lightning with a deafening roar, sending shockwaves through the chamber. The floor cracked. Pillars trembled.
"Enough." Poseidon's voice was deep, furious. "I will not stand by while you punish her for doing what is right."
Zeus's eyes flashed dangerously. "You would dare challenge me, brother?"
Poseidon tightened his grip on his trident. "If it means saving my son? Yes."
The gods sat frozen, tension crackling between the two brothers. For a moment, it seemed as though Olympus itself might shatter under the weight of their fury.
Then, suddenly, Athena stood. "Enough of this madness." She turned to Artemis. "You want to throw yourself into Tartarus? Then go. But don't expect any of us to save you."
Artemis met her gaze, and for the first time, she saw something in Athena's eyes that resembled regret.
"I never expected you to."
She turned, ready to leave—
But Zeus raised his hand.
A golden force slammed into Artemis like a tidal wave. She gasped as her limbs locked, her divine strength suddenly gone. Her knees buckled, and she barely managed to stay standing.
"What—"
Zeus's voice rang out, cold and final.
"You will not go to Tartarus," he declared. "Not because I forbid it. But because I will not allow it."
The realization hit her like a dagger to the chest. He had bound her. Stripped her of the ability to defy his command.
Artemis's breath came fast and uneven, fury and helplessness clawing at her.
"No," she whispered.
Zeus turned his back to her. "This discussion is over."
Artemis staggered back, her hands trembling. No. No, no, no.
Poseidon clenched his jaw, his expression murderous. But even he couldn't break Zeus's decree.
She was trapped.
And Percy was still in Tartarus.
Suffering.
Alone.
And she had failed him.
Artemis closed her eyes, a silent promise burning in her soul.
I will find a way.
No matter what it took. No matter the cost.
She would save him.
As always Please review