You Will Live Forever

Chapter 23: One Last Breath

Hades above.

My reflexes were so fast; I punched Aphrodite square in the jaw. Athena stepped back in disgust.

"Cheap trick if you ask me." Athena almost spat on Aphrodite who was collapsed on the ground from the impact.

Aphrodite laughed and rubbed her jaw, "I swear if that leaves a bruise, you're going to get it, Artemis.

Aphrodite vanished as Ares applauded.

"How in the hell-" I pondered. Am I the only one who doesn't know this trick?

"Only those who have accessed their full potential can do it." Ares said. "Anyways, loved the chick fight. They're always fun to watch." He smirked and disappeared as well.

I rolled my eyes and Athena and I turned our attention back to battle. Everyone was fighting viciously and I noticed that several more angels were missing.

"Couldn't let you get all the kills." Blake said from the side of a building, throwing one of his demon knives at an angel.

I nodded and searched for Shelby. She was tending to Rem's face with Poseidon while everyone seemed to form enough of a barrier between them and the enemy. Angels were taking turns trying to penetrate our forces but always seemed to get blocked. Athena and I made our way to our barrier and fought amongst our allies.

"Shelby, how's it looking?" I called back to her, deflecting an arrow.

"He's doing ok but it will take a while to heal. He can't fight right now." She said while Poseidon manipulated water to heal the wounds on Rem's face.

Gabriel's sinister laugh echoed through the courtyard.

"Artemis, I have a little surprise for you!" He flicked his hand and my human brother, Josh, appeared holding a sword in his hand looking scared out of his mind.

"Josh!" Shelby and I both yelled. Josh looked at us completely confused.

"Liz... Shelby... why are you here? You shouldn't be..." The look on his face was sorrowful. His deep brown eyes emotionless as he held the sword shaking. It didn't look like he was in control of himself.

Right then I knew what Gabriel had brought him here to do. "Don't do it Josh!" I shouted.

Poseidon made his way closer, pushing Michael back to finish tending to Rem.

"Son... my boy." He said. The way he said it I had a feeling that it was true. Josh was actually his son. Which made him a demigod.

Josh looked like he was about to say something, but Gabriel interrupted with a sinister laugh. "The perfect family reunion. But wait, where's mommy?"

"Don't bring her into this!" I shouted.

"Too late." Gabriel grinned and my human mother appeared before him in chains at his feet. Another woman also appeared by his side, holding a chain around my mother's neck, treating her like she was some kind of slave.

"Felicity be a dear and bring her closer to me." Gabriel sneered. Felicity, the woman holding the chain and Jeremy's ex, yanked my mother closer.

I made a movement to approach but Poseidon held me back.

"Be a good girl Artemis and hear me out." Gabriel grinned. "Josh... would you like to tell them how this situation occurred?" Josh was silent. "No... ok then. I had captured her and was going to use her as bait but Josh was so eager to set his mother free that I just had to make him a deal. The deal was he would kill my greatest enemies. Little did he know... it was his father and sister? But wait... daddy is Poseidon and sister is Artemis. That makes him a demigod." Gabriel mimicked a whiny teenagers voice. He chuckled to himself. "Too late. A deal is a deal and when you make deals with angels, you must obey."