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“I’m used to being overlooked, you know. Which is fine, most of the time. Being in a family like ours, I prefer it, really.”
Artemis paused, then briefly glanced at Zagreus beside her, before she looked down at the babbling brook in front of them, whose bank they were both seated upon. She sat cross legged, hands in her lap, while he sat to her left with his flame licked feet in front of him, green grass being singed below them if he so much as grazed it wrong at all.
“It’s nice to have someone in the family to talk to though, Zagreus.”
She paused briefly again, then looked her cousin directly in the eyes.
“Callisto is a fine companion, and I’m grateful for her, but there’s only so much of our family she can take in all of its many forms, and it’s a lot less lonely for me, now that we all know you exist. So, thank you, for not deeming me as replaceable as some of the rest have.”
Zagreus gave her a kind smile, then said, “Thank you, for believing in me, and helping me to escape the realm in which I was born, many times.”
“I more than anyone understand what it’s like to be trapped by one’s father, whether by force or otherwise. If I had the power to help you, then why shouldn’t I?”
Zagreus shifted slightly, then said, “It is always appreciated, but more than that, though, I value our friendship, Artemis. You’re not just some goddess to me, you are my family; one of those I’d choose over any of the others I’ve met before.”
Artemis felt something inside of her warm further; was this what it was like to be loved, without conditions, by a family member?
While Callisto was indeed her life partner, and had given her ample amounts of love, away from prying eyes, in various ways, where storge was not involved, Artemis rarely interacted with anyone else, outside of Zagreus, Athena, or even Hermes, on occasion. Still, she was closer to no one, save for Callisto, than Zagreus.
Zagreus, who she felt a strong need to protect, had easily become one of her favorite people in existence, after the initial hesitancy had worn off. Of course, she held anyone remotely related to her at arm's length; it was for survival alone that she had learnt to put this tactic to good use, after all, following one too many dark experiences, forced upon her by those whom she should have been able to trust most. She was grateful that Zagreus was also breaking such a disappointing precedent, which various other familial relations had engaged in, before him.