Fateful Foes

He was a mighty hero, and even more of a man;

He filled my most wonderful dreams, and sadly, my worst nightmares.

His name was O'rion, and as well as mere mortal men, the gods grew fondly jealous of him;

He caught the woe of many women, and the hearts and bodies of man.

O'rion had the finest huntsman skill I had ever seen in a hero,

So grand that my maidens were jealous of his game.

I had the honor of meeting this man in the woods one lovely night,

The moon shone bright and the nymphs were giggling in delight at the shadows.

His footsteps were soft;

I barely could figure out where he was when he gasped at my beauty.

I shouldn't be so vain;

The night was beautiful, therefore I reflected.

The summer solstice went by quickly;

For he had joined my company and hunted alongside us every dusk.

We'd exchange stories of our lifetime (for me, my lifetimes);

And he told me about the many men he'd fallen for, or the women that'd fall for him.

I, being a chaste goddess, only told the stories that I've heard the nymphs whispering late at night.

He'd laugh, and as dawn arose he pulled me up and held me tight, "I'm a better man knowing you."

It wasn't long before my twin wanted to meddle in;

Apollo found O'rion further beautiful and captivating than any god he'd ever laid eyes on.

He assumed that I would give my love (or more likely my virginity) for such a mortal;

And maybe I would have, for O'rion has been burned into my memory for decades on end.

Apollo only wanted O'rion to himself, and the thought of me made him sick;

Without knowing it, I woke up that morning and introduced them, then went to do my godly duties.

I regret it to this day.

O'rion was nowhere to be found that evening;

Nor I, or my maidens, had seen him all day, so they sent me to his post.

I came across my hero, crying, naked;

He told me everything Apollo and him had done, then how my brother reacted.

He only wanted the three of us to hunt together;

Apollo had other plans.

I confronted my twin brother, yelling and screaming;

But he cut me off and told me my dear Opos had been raped.

By the evil man Candaon, and he was swimming away before I could reach him.

Apollo takes me to the beach where I can get my arrow into his life, and points him out;

Three seconds go by, and the body far ahead falls back.

The arrow wedged into his skull.

Hours later I find Opos sitting in a meadow underneath a great oak;
I realize the truth, for my Opos was not raped.

And I had killed the man I loved.

I raced towards the beach;

There I found him, his cold wet body on the shore.

I held his head in my lap and cried for only Aion knows how long.

O'rion hardly knew of my fondness of him;

Nor will he ever.

That night I found the beast that chased him into the ocean;

My maidens aided me in it's defeat.

To honor my love that didn't know, I put him in the winter skies;

For the beast, Scorpius, I put him in the summer sky.
Winter will always be my love, as will O'rion.

Forever shall I remain a chaste goddess, and the death of my love reminded me of this;

It is my fate.