AN :
This story began as a simple side project, spawned from my churning mind while sitting in a college course on Alexander the Great. And now, it has become a serious work, that is fast approaching a size that I couldn't have dreamed of before! The story itself is very intensively researched, as I am incorporating the Percy Jackson Novels, The Landmark Arrian, along with various other texts that describe mythological aspects of the Near East.
Blending it all together into a cohesive story sounds, well, daunting to say the least, looking back on it It has been a privilege to write, and I hope that every reader enjoys this story. And now, let us begin, on the anniversary of a fateful day:
...
She watched the terrain before her, as a full moon shone over a glistening silvery lake, illuminating the surrounding forest and shore. The serene sight was accompanied by a gentle breeze that billowed over the water's surface. Above, the night sky twinkled with dimmed stars, as the light of the full moon bathed everything in a silver hue. But above all, it was quiet. Peaceful. A picturesque beauty in a modern age that seldom cared for the natural world.
Artemis, thus, found herself completely isolated, standing on the pebbled shore of the lake. She wedged her feet into the smooth stones as her sandals buried the tops of her feet in the smooth pebbles, rounded and smoothed over time.
'How poetic.' Artemis bored her vision into the water's surface, a sudden feeling of rage and despair welling up inside her. How dare he.
The water lapped without a sound against scattered driftwood and odd rocks that were within reach of the mirrored surface of the water. A familiar dread welled up inside her: feelings of remorse unable to be contained. It was the eternal problem of being a goddess, that she had lived through this moment more times than she could count.
That was a lie. She didn't know why she kept trying to convince herself of not obsessing on this certain issue. Foolish… Selfish… Arrogant…
She knew exactly how long it had been. How many days, how many years ticked by, where she wondered what could have been.
Kneeling at the water's edge, she looked into the wind rippled surface of the water, seeing the distorted reflection of the moon and stars. Her vision blurred, whether it was by the wind blowing over the water before her, or the memories that flooded her mind, she was unable to say.
Today, after all, marked the two thousand, three hundredth, and thirty third anniversary of his passing.
Tears tracked down her face and she wiped them away. Her hands involuntarily reached backwards over her head, gripping the smooth hardwood grip of her bow, which was slung over her back. The instinct was hard-wired in her being, but she had nothing to shoot. Nothing.
Slowly, as the night passed by, her tears slowed and she sat quietly by the water, the damp stones seeping into her tunic. Gentle waves lapped at her feet and she closed her eyes, feeling the presence of her hunters nearby, safe, and secure. But most of all, she knew that they were far enough away so that they wouldn't see this yearly ritual she had. They wouldn't believe or understand her situation. No one did.
"Sister, I thought I would find you here."
Artemis scowled into the water, which had cleared enough to see her own reflection. A thin face, with high cheekbones, wild auburn hair, and piercing red-rimmed silver eyes stared back at her. 'No one knew but one,' Artemis amended to herself. Standing up, she wheeled around to converse with her confidant.
Artemis was normally in her twelve-year-old mortal form, yet she always took the form of a woman in her mid twenties on this day. Despite efforts to change this habit, her mind and body worked against every year, which only served as another horrible reminder.
The goddess that stood outside the tree line was tall, easily passing six feet, where she didn't even come close. 'He liked that though,' Her mind sang, a mental pathway that she ruthlessly suppressed.
The tall goddess before her wore a pristine white toga under a chest plate of the finest celestial bronze. The woman, marked by her long double braided brunette hair and sympathetic grey eyes, was none other than her half-sister: Athena.
Artemis looked over at her, the instinct to put up an instinctive front against any who questioned her at this annual time racing through her mind. But instead, she immediately slumped her shoulders, her gaze drawn down to the pebbled shore.
"Hello sister." Artemis quietly spoke, as she picked up a pebble, rolling it in over her calloused hand.
Athena's sandals crunched on the stone shore behind her, which marked her approach. Artemis heard Athena approach and then saw Athena's reflection on the lake over her own reflection's shoulder. "You should not let your guard down."
Artemis almost scoffed. "You've told me this hundreds of times. You know I cannot help it." That was the truth. Artemis was almost used to the vulnerability now, unlike other gods and goddesses. It was a common emotion and state of mind for mortals, but she relished on some occasions. This was not one of them. Hate was something she was familiar with. Love… love was not. Not anymore… anyway. The two combined, felt for the same bygone person, was something she would never hope to understand.
"Yes, I'm aware. I can always hope that your mind will heal eventually." Athena said, drawing her back into their discussion.
Artemis's fingers spasmed against the pebble, crushing it instantly. "I will heal when I please to heal." She snapped. The mere idea of forgetting that time long ago felt like betrayal, likened to making a god fade. Such a horrible fate was something she wouldn't wish on most mortals, with a select few of those included on that list being men. He was certainly on that list.
Artemis saw Athena grimace in the reflection on the water, and she felt some sort of satisfaction flush through her body. Juvenile perhaps, but any emotion that liberated her from this annual grief was welcomed.
"Apologies Sister, you know I always have trouble relating."
Artemis sighed, knowing Athena's words to be true, "I know, but so did I once." She stood up from the lake's edge, turning to face Athena, "You promised counsel, two millennia ago."
"And I will always honor that promise, even without swearing upon the Styx. He loved you very much."
Artemis fell tears well up again, "Don't." She warned, but she knew her voice lacked conviction. Athena knew it too. Too many centuries had gone by now to hide her emotions from Athena.
"He loved you and would have never asked you to do this to yourself repeatedly." Athena looked at her with sorrow, and held out an arm to her. But she lashed out, letting her rage and fear flood outwards.
"You know nothing! I loved him too, do not forget! I don't want to tear my heart asunder year after year, until all I feel is pain at the very shade of his memory, but it is all I have left of him!" Artemis yelled, sweeping her arm across her body, knocking away Athena's hand. Her strike continued back behind her, where she let loose a burst of her power.
Silver energy erupted from her finger tips, striking the water with a thunderous blast. A great plume of of white grey smoke formed as the blast caused the water to turn to steam, which wafted back over her from the night breeze.
The explosion hid her face for the moment, and Artemis used the distraction to wipe fresh tears from her eyes. She cursed his name, which she had sworn never to speak again. 'Why did you leave me!?' The internal scream tore at her mind, radiating so loudly that Artemis thought for a moment it had become actual sound.
"Artemis, it is time you don't face this alone." Athena spoke gently, and this time, Artemis allowed her half-sister to place her hand on her heaving shoulder. She wiped a hand across her eyes, looking up to the heavens, seeing her empty chariot race across the sky, the moon securely in place.
"Artemis, you must tell your hunters. You know your old friend has started to wonder. She has always questioned you on this."
Artemis took in a ragged breath, closing her eyes. She had no need to, but the peace of darkness wasn't something she enjoyed often. Her half-sister was almost always right. This time was no different. Artemis had long wanted to share this with her hunters, and most importantly… Zoe. But the same fear that drove her terror of remembering him was also imbedded in any thought of telling her hunters.
"Athena… they are everything to me, Zoe… and the others might not understand. How can I claim to hate men when I fell in love with one? A mortal at that!" She seethed, hurriedly repressing an image of him in her mind, where he was staring at her, wearing armor and wielding a xiphos without fear. His long, flopped hair, neat beard, where he was so much kinder and more loyal than so many others…
"Artemis?"
"What?" She responded sharply, unwilling to admit her anger at losing her thought of him.
Athena looked at her with great patience, "I said, your hunters are more caring for you than you think. Zoe is holding a meeting as we speak to calm others above your whereabouts. They need to know."
She paused, errant thoughts forgotten for the moment. Telling her hunters of that time had crossed her mind before, but never had she fully considered it. But, hearing that Zoe and her hunters had begun to pick up on her yearly ritual, Artemis knew she would need to address it eventually. The familiar fear crept into her mind, as the Hunt would not understand her story, or her motivations.
But she could try.
"You are right… I need to tell them." Artemis whispered, looking at Athena with resignation. Athena, always observant, seemed to notice her mood and nodded.
"I can assist you in telling the story if you need me there. I know you haven't told me everything, but I know enough…"
"No." Artemis interjected, shaking her head, allowing her auburn curls to bounce over her upper back, "I need to do this alone." Artemis had never told the entire story to a soul on the entirety of the world, heavens, and underworld alike. Athena had seen it, but Artemis needed to convey her own experience to her hunters. They deserved to know the whole truth. Even then, Artemis froze at the thought of even the Hunt knowing all her strife in that long-ago time.
"You are right, I only wished to spare you some of the pain Sister." Athena replied, before turning and walking towards the tree line.
"We are only half-sisters." Artemis pointed out, gesturing to Athena's turned back.