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Hades opens his arms with a big smile. “Artemis! It’s been a long time.”
Artemis hugs Hades. “It has.”
“You’re in the sun more than me, but you look pale Artemis!”
Artemis: “I’ve been dealing with the mortals’ famine.”
Hades sighs. “It has been terrible, right? You know how Demeter gets when Persephone is down here. Even after all this time, she’s difficult and wants to make others’ jobs difficult.”
Persephone comes in slowly. “Welcome Artemis, we’re glad to have you.”
Hades quickly takes hold of Persephone. He speaks to her softly. “Hey, I told you to rest.”
Persephone: “I’m fine, my love.”
Artemis's eyes automatically cast down to see Persephone’s stomach swollen with a child. Artemis heard the announcement that she and Hades were expecting. To see it in the flesh is something else.
A goddess of spring with the god of death. One would’ve thought it was a match doomed from the start but somehow those two defied the odds. Who knew how powerful love could be?
Artemis closes her eyes and slightly bows. “Thank you, Persephone. I wanted to come here to give the child my blessing.”
Persephone rubs her stomach. “Thank you, Artemis. Did you hear that, child? One of the finest goddesses is blessing you.”
Artemis: “It’s no problem at all. I will bless this baby with my instincts and courage."
Hades: "I hope these blessings will balance out Aries'. He was here earlier and well....let's say he wasn't here for long."
Artemis: "Where will you have the baby?”
Persephone: “Since Spring is near. Hades and I have decided to have our child in the Earth realm. My mother would be pleased.”
Artemis: “Will Hades witness the birth?”
Hades: “I will but I can only be gone for a day.”
Artemis: “Then who will be watching over the Underworld?”
Hades: “Aries volunteered too easily but I’ll have Cerberus watch over. It’s only a day, a few mere hours at best. No one would dare mess with Cerberus.”
Persephone: “Don’t jinx yourself, my love.”
Hades: “There will be no mercy if I have to come back early from my only day off.” He chuckles.
Persephone: “Please stay for dinner, Artemis.”
Artemis: “I apologize but I can't. I have duties to attend to.”
Hades groans. “You and your duties.”
Persephone: “You work as much as her.”
Hades: “I take breaks! I have subordinates for a reason.”
Persephone rolls her eyes. “Thank you for coming. Please stay longer next time.”
Hades: “Yes, don’t be a stranger.”
Artemis: “I may bring Apollo next time.”
Hades: “No, please come alone.”
Artemis laughs and leaves the underworld. After she visited Hades and Persephone, she entered into the mortal realm. Taking a trip as an outsider to the Underworld was tiring, so Artemis changed into her mortal form to gain more energy before her nightly moon routine. As she was walking, an injured bird caught her attention. If Artemis was in her goddess form or at least paid attention, she would’ve noticed a bear stalking her. Artemis didn’t realize its presence until it roared and almost hit her.
Taking this bear down would’ve been easy but there were two problems. The first is that she’s in her human form and of all bears, it had to be the bear belonging to Aries that he lost a few days ago (the third one this month).
Artemis grits her teeth. She wouldn’t have enough time to get her arrows, better yet, get her knife. Suddenly, a spear pierced the bear’s neck. Artemis states in disbelief. ‘How did it ge-‘
“Hey! Are you alright?”
Artemis turns her eyes to a mortal man. He was tall and had a lean build with light brown hair and a scraggly beard. She was almost stumped by his golden eyes until she saw something moving from the corner of her eye.
The bear wasn’t stopped by the spear and removed it from his neck. The mortal man gasps and turns to Artemis.
“Hey! Run! Get out of here!”
Artemis gets up and readies her weapon.
“Hey! Did you hear me?! Get out of here!”
Artemis ignores the man’s pleas. “I think you need to leave.”
“What?”
“The neck area is just a flesh wound for this bear.”
The bear roars and wacks the mortal man a few yards back.
Artemis draws her arrow and hits the bear in the shoulder. The action lured his attention to Artemis and he charged at her. Artemis was better prepared this time and easily dodged the bear’s attacks. She then grabs her blade, jumps on a nearby tree, and dives in, piercing the bear in the heart.
The mortal man watched the scene as if it was in slow motion. He stared in amazement as the woman with long dark hair fatally wounded the bear. The bear only struggled for a few seconds before dying. He expected to save the damsel. He didn’t know she was the last one who needed a savior. The woman gets up gracefully and walks towards him. She bends down to him.
“Are you alright?”
“Uh, yes, thank you.”
Artemis lightly touches his shoulder and he flinches. “It appears that your shoulder is injured.”
“I’ll be alright.”
She gives him a small smile and gets up to leave.
“H-hey!"
Artemis turns around and the man immediately looks towards the ground. A blush forms on his cheeks.
"U-um you have really beautiful black hair."
She touches her long hair loosened by the recent activity. "Thank you."
"I’m Orion.Wha-what’s your name?”
The goddess looked at the man named Orion in silence until she said. “Mikasa.”
"Thank you, Mikasa."
She quickly turns around to leave until Orion speaks again.
“You’re good at archery!”
“That I am.”
“I am a huntsman.”
Mikasa turns slightly back around. “So you must’ve known this wasn’t an ordinary bear.”
“I knew that. Some villagers say it’s Aries and I knew my arrows possibly wouldn’t work on it but I couldn’t help it. When I saw you, Mikasa, in distress, I had to help.”
“I am grateful for your aid.”
Orion smirks. “How about we have a friendly competition? See which one is the better huntsman.”
“What makes you think that I am a huntsman?”
“Come on, the way you killed that bear? You’re not an ordinary woman.”
Artemis quietly looked at the man and noticed how handsome he was. His light brown hair matched his well-tan complexion with his golden eyes. From his arms, she could tell he was well-skilled at his huntsman craft. He was courageous enough to try and fight Aries’ bear and had enough strength to not get knocked unconscious by the bear’s blow. Artemis had to admit, that she was quite intrigued. “I wouldn’t mind have a friendly competition”
Orion smiles. “Good. We can hunt deer and see whose aim has a better shot.”
“What about rabbits?”
“They’re quite difficult.”
“For you?”
Orion scoffs. “Not at all. Let’s go hunt some rabbits.”
Artemis severely underestimated Orion’s abilities. Orion is quick and resourceful. Once he saw a rabbit, he could take it out with great ease. Even if a rabbit did run away, he was light on his feet to capture it soundly.
Orion watched in amazement at the graceful tact Mikasa had at hunting. It was as if she created this sport herself. Orion also noticed the way she took care of the fallen animals. She handled them with great care and blessed them for allowing their lives to be taken.
The rabbit competition quickly turned into multiple weeks of various competitions between the two. Artemis rarely spent her time with mortals. She definitely did not spend her time with men. Men were harmful, impulsive, and greedy. However, Orion felt different.
When Artemis met Orion, she didn’t expect to be interested in him. Yet through their hunting trips together, she was enraptured by his charm, humor, looks, and above all, love for hunting. His love for hunting equaled the same as hers. It was fun for Artemis to have someone to spend the days with. A few weeks went by with their hunting routine, and the sun was low in the sky.
Orion breathes slowly and stills himself. ‘Not yet’, he thought. ‘Not yet, not yet….. FIRE!’ He lets his finger go and the arrow flies and pierces a squirrel's head. He sighs in relief.
Mikasa nods her head impressively. “Not bad. I believe that makes our score 12-10 now?”
Orion: “Yeah and I’m slowly catching up!”
Mikasa: “With that shoulder of yours, I don’t think you can keep up.”
Orion: “Don’t worry about me. Besides, my shoulder has already healed well.”
Mikasa smiles. “I’m afraid I have to go now. I have some business to attend to.”
Orion: “Business, huh? Every time you disappear it’s always for business. Excuse my abrasiveness but what type of business keeps you busy?”
Mikasa: “Something above your control.”
Orion: “Oh unless I’m Zeus, right?”
Mikasa: “Be careful using the god's name so freely.”
Orion: “I was joking, I'm sorry.”
Mikasa: “I’m sorry that I can’t explain my business. I may never and if you want to stop hunti-”
Orion: “No! I mean I love hunting with you. I just...I wish we could spend more time together.”
Mikasa: “Nightfall is coming. It’ll be hard to hunt.”
Orion: “Then why don’t I tell you a story by the fire? I know you must be hungry like me. We have a meal a few meters away. It won't be long and you can go take care of your business.”
Mikasa ponders for a moment if she should stay. It’s not as if her business was pressing. “I suppose I could stay for another hour or two.”
An hour or two stretched into 4-5 hours and one night stretched into the next two weeks. Artemis didn’t know why but desired to spend all of her waking moments with Orion. What was it about him that drew her in? Was it just the love for hunting? She still isn’t sure.
Artemis was contemplating this during their next visit and missed her shot.
Orion: “Haha, looks like I’m in the lead.”
Mikasa: “You were just lucky.”
Orion: “I noticed that you are not as focused as before. Did something happen?”
Mikasa: “No, I think I should rest for a bit.” She sits under a tree.
Orion: “Then I’ll do the same.” He sits by her.
Mikasa lightly chuckles. “You are a silly man.”
Orion shrugs his shoulders. “If I am a fool for being by a lovely woman’s side, then I’ll be a fool for the rest of my life.”
Mikasa: “You’ll stay by a woman’s side forever?”
Orion: “Not just any woman.”
Artemis looks at Orion. He’s blatantly staring at her and then her lips. He has an expression she has never seen before, an expression she hasn’t seen before for her.
Orion scoots closer to Mikasa and places both hands through her hair. “I do love your hair. It’s so beautiful.”
Mikasa: “I’m sure it’s not as pretty as Aphrodite’s.”
Orion leans in closer. “It’s the prettiest to me.” He places his lips on Mikasa’s for a chaste kiss. He pulls back to see her eyes still closed. When Mikasa opens her eyes, Orion leans in again for another kiss but this time it is deeper.
As inexperienced as Artemis was, she felt her passion guide her. Was kissing supposed to be this addicting? Artemis felt pressure on her leg slowly go up her thigh and near her-
“Wait-stop!” Mikasa pulls back breathing heavily.
Orion: “I…”
Mikasa gets up. “This isn’t supposed to happen.”
Orion gets up. He lightly pushes Mikasa’s back to a tree. “And why not?”
Mikasa: “It’s wrong. It’s unbecoming of me.”
Orion: “And being a hunter isn’t?”
Mikasa: “Never. Artemis is the goddess of hunting.”
Orion: “And Artemis can appreciate the beauty of not just hunting.” He glides his hand on her collarbone. “But life.” He holds Mikasa in place and kisses her again. He presses his whole body onto hers.
Artemis could feel something stirring inside her. It’s getting dangerous. Too dangerous. She pulls away from the kiss and pushes Orion away. “I’m sorry but we can’t see each other again.” Artemis turns to leave but Orion grabs her.
Orion: “Wait! Please don’t leave. I-I love you!”
Mikasa: “You are silly to fall in love with me.”
Orion: “Then I guess we’re both fools.”
Mikasa: “Orion I…..I made an oath that I must not break. The longer I stay with you, the longer my resolve wavers. I cannot let that happen.”
Orion: “Are you promised to another?”
Mikasa: “I’m sorry.” Artemis runs off into the forest before hearing Orion’s response.
Artemis had tears in her eyes and couldn’t stand being in her mortal form. She transforms into her true self to feel like she can breathe better. A cracking sound nearby alerts Artemis. She quickly turns around and sees Apollo.
Apollo: “Hello, my young sister. It’s been a while.”
Artemis: “Hello, dear brother.”
Apollo: “What is troubling you?”
Artemis turns slightly away. “I have no troubles.”
Apollo stares at Artemis in silence before he continues. “You probably noticed by now but you’ve been…neglectful of your duties.”
Artemis: “I have been dutiful.”
Apollo: “You’ve been out in the mortal world quite frequently.”
Artemis: “I always am. I look over the hunting.”
Apollo: “I see you looking over that mortal man, a lot.”
Artemis straightens her posture. “I am unsure of what you mean.”
Apollo walks closer. “You have been spending a whole lot of time with that man. It’s as if you….love him.”
This causes Artemis to turn her gaze towards Apollo. He has a scowl on his face.
Apollo: “Have you forgotten your honor for maidenhood?”
Artemis: “I have not.”
Apollo crosses his arms. “Then why did you fall for a mortal man?”
Artemis: “I have done no such thing.”
Apollo takes a step closer. “You cannot fool me. Look at you. Your poor lips.”
Artemis subconsciously touches her lips.
Apollo: “You disappoint me.”
Artemis: "It was an accident!”
Apollo: “All those times you spent with him was a mistake?”
Artemis: “Were you watching me?”
Apollo: “You were acting strange. How was I supposed to know that you’ll be ready to open your legs like some whore for a man who couldn’t even kill Aries’ bear!”
Artemis: “You’ve been watching me since then?”
Apollo: “The timeline is pointless now.”
Artemis: “Nothing will happen.”
Apollo: “But it will eventually.”
Artemis: “I’m not like you. You are inflicting your pain from Daphne onto me.”
Apollo: “Don’t ever mention her name. You made an oath. I didn’t. That will be your last time seeing him. You won’t visit him anymore.”
Artemis: “You are not my father. You can’t tell me what to do!”
Apollo: “You’re right but someone has to care for your oath. The sacred oath you made to the gods but don’t worry young sister, I took care of it.”
Artemis: “What do you mean?”
Apollo remains silent.
Artemis: “What DO YOU MEAN?”
Apollo: “I’m afraid you won’t make it in time to save him…..Mikasa.”
Artemis pushes Apollo aside and dashes back to where she last saw Orion. As she was running, she could hear loud crashes from within the forest. Artemis heads towards the noise that only got worse until she froze. She can see Orion fighting a giant scorpion. Orion was already bleeding from the head and there was blood oozing from his arm. He was holding its tail but was losing the fight. Suddenly the tail pierces his abdomen.
Mikasa: “Orion!”
Orion glances towards Mikasa. He looked back at the scorpion and removed the tail from his body. Orion’s eyes grew determined. He runs head-first toward the beast.
Artemis watches in awe as Orion leaps forward and does damaging blows to the scorpion. Orion’s movements were slower but his blows were hitting harder until he dealt the finishing blow. The scorpion let out a painful screech and collapsed. Orion soon joined it.
Artemis runs to Orion and catches him before he can face-plant the ground.
Orion pants. “You-you came back.”
Mikasa: “I did.”
Orion: “You are promised to another.”
Mikasa: “Only to myself.”
Orion: “Yourself?” He sinks against a tree trunk and Mikasa kneels beside him.
Artemis looks at the wound and tries to stop the bleeding but it keeps going. A tear rolls down her cheek. “You….you’re dying.”
Orion: “So that’s why I’m feeling so tired.” He gives out a heartless laugh.
Mikasa: “I’m not who you think I am.”
Orion: “It doesn’t matter.”
Mikasa: “It does, I’m the reason you are hurt. I’m the reason that you’re dying.” More tears spill.
Orion: “Your face is the last I’ll see. It was worth the fight.”
Mikasa: “Orion, I’m not some mortal woman. I’m…I’m......Artemis herself.”
Orion: “Please do not make jokes right now.” His expression widened when he realized how serious Mikasa was. “You can’t be.”
Artemis: “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
Orion lifts his hand and softly combs his hand through her face and touches her cheek. "Forgive me, my goddess.”
Artemis leans into his hand. “There is nothing to forgive.”
Orion: “Then can I have one request for my goddess?”
Artemis shakes her head.
Orion: “You’ll treasure our days together?”
Artemis nods her head. She leans towards Orion, closes her eyes, and kisses him lightly. She can feel him smile and his breath hitches to a stop. Artemis slowly opens her eyes. Orion’s eyes were half open but she could tell he was gone. More tears spilled from Artemis as she hugged Orion’s body tightly. She breaks into a sob and stays this way for what seems like hours.
Artemis pulls back in a daze. She whispers to herself. “No, this can't be the last time I see you. Apollo can't take you from me. I can save him......I can save you! You're not gone yet!” Artemis quickly stands up and heads towards the land no mortal dared to go to on their own accord, the land of the Underworld.