Vulunarability: Book One

Prologue.

Artemis had never experienced a battle this lethal.

Her days as a goddess weren't as long as some of her fellow Olympians, considering she was a child of one. But she also had her fair share of centuries, and never in that span of time did she encounter a deity who was this powerful and this determined to wipe her and her relatives out.

She unsheathed her Celestial Bronze dagger, aiming directly at a visible hole in the clear shield made by one of the allies of the deity. Artemis flung the dagger towards the kink in the barrier, though the deity's reflexes were sharp. She merely glanced at the incoming weapon, then caught it by the handle. Panic flooded in her veins, running quickly to the side when her eyes found themselves staring at the oncoming blade, sparing herself from what could've been a major injury. Unfortunately, she felt a sting at her shoulder and only had the smallest amount of time to glance at the burning gash before having to run away yet again from a different blade spinning towards her.

Once she rolled out of the way, Artemis glanced to the right of her, seeing her brother concentrated on fighting the being he was up against. The creature didn't look familiar whatsoever, and that worried Artemis. Most of the time, in wars, the gods knew who they fought. They understood their motives, they knew what their strengths are, and they knew who they were.

But not in this fight. Which strengthened the growing worry in her stomach.

The goddess was too deep in thought from the unknown antagonists that she hadn't noticed the ball of darkness headed her way.

She was barely able to dodge it, diving behind a nearby boulder that seemed like it wasn't strong enough to shield her. The attack tore at her skin, and symbols started to form from the burns, just above her hipbones. It seemed like it was spreading throughout her body, not to mention the jolts of pain shooting through her every time she tried to move.

Ragged breaths escaped her, each symbol burning into her skin. They were incoherent—definitely not Greek. Though she was well aware that these symbols were made from dark magic. At least that was one thing she knew about their attackers: they weren't Greek. Or Roman. In fact, these symbols look almost celestial. Artemis didn't have time to worry about that, though.

A piercing scream rattled the forest, panic immediately flaring in Artemis's mind. That scream sounded familiar.

Hestia.

Artemis's body ached, the sudden agony making her dizzy. Her mouth tasted metallic. Her vision blurred, and though it wasn't enough for Artemis to not see where she's going, it was enough to send her mind into a haze. Blasts of wind and water and every other element known to man whizzed past her, some almost hitting her. Lethal blows were thrown to and fro, and it was the hardest battle the Olympians had fought in millennia.

But that didn't stop Artemis from plowing through the battlefield to help the goddess of the hearth whom she deeply cared about.

Once Artemis spotted Hestia's body, she quickly stumbled forward. The marks didn't seem to stop spreading, and fire burned at her throat, but she pushed the thoughts aside and pulled the golden haired goddess to lie on top of her.

"Artemis," Hestia gasped out. Her expression was that of pain, and Artemis's heart broke at the sight of her. She was one of her closest friends, her best friend, even. It pained her to see the hearth goddess hurt.

She bit her lip, her eyes travelling south. That's when she noticed similar symbols burned into her body, just like Artemis's hip. Except Hestia's marks took over at least half of her body, and Artemis could only guess that whatever she felt, Hestia's pain was a tenfold of that.