Arcadian Huntress ⚢

Chapter XVIII Tritonia

"Apollo, you...." I cannot even express my anger for him.  "She is dead?"

I called for him to meet me in my temple chambers in Mount Olympus, turning off the barrier to let him in and turning away all my other maidens so we can talk without the fear of anyone hearing. 

He does not look me in the eye, guilt tightened around his proverbial noose. "She has been dead for quite a while."

His words echoed through my silver made temple to which I returned to experience a little reality after all the unbelievable events. "How? How can this happen? Why had I not heard anything?"

"It was all of a sudden."

Spiralling, I stood from where I sat and started to pace.  "You... you liar... You promised me you would protect her!" 

 I keep walking and turning around, making him dizzy as he watched me. Step, step, step, step, nostrils flaring, turn around, step. I looked back at him. 

"I cannot believe you had let this happen. You promised on the River Styx to not let anyone touch her!"

He finally met my eyes, his blue eyes glistening. "Dearest sister, you must realize, I did try my hardest to stop him. I promised I would try my hardest within all my power and I did.  He promised he would restore Arcadia to its glory after it was burned but he tricked me. He only used it as an excuse so he would go down there and chase after her. When I realized what he was doing, I tried to stop him really but he was a different person! Like he was possessed or something! He even took out his thunderbolts. You know I cannot handle those... Artemis?"

He explained it perfectly well.  It does not calm me down.

"Then help me! Let us retrieve her from Hades' realm and back into my embrace."

Apollo flinched at the crazy idea. "Artemis, I cannot..."

"Apollo," I began sternly. "Please, we promised each other when we are young to always help one another in times of great need and danger. This is heaven and earth for me." I take a step towards him, staring him in the eye, "Little brother."

He swallowed in fear, I know he loved me and treat me like I am the youngest but I am the oldest. It always has been. I merely humored him when I agreed for him to call me his little sister. I still have the authority over him but he cannot refuse it when I call him brother, and begging for his cooperation.

"But Lord Father Zeus..." he mumbled.

"Zeus?" I scoffed at the mere mention of his name. "Our father Zeus? He is a pathetic excuse for a king."

"Artemis please, you must understand. I cannot help you. There are rules that governed the land of the living and the death. Rules more ancient than us. And it has to be strictly obeyed. We are nothing but grandchildren of those who made them. We are nothing but specks of dust compared to Mother Gaia. Sure she granted us authority over every creature in her body, but she can always get it back. We are not immortal in the way we keep telling mortals, Artemis. We depend on humans to revere us, without them, Grandmother Gaia will swallow us so we may return to her. And humans depend on us for their survival. The death must not return to the living."