Tales From The Story: Morpheus

Chapter 4: Breaking and Entering with Artemis

Morpheus returned to his temple, laid down, and was unable to sleep for the rest of the night. His encounter with Adelaide had shaken him more than he liked to admit. There was a reason she served Hades, and she knew more about the whole situation than she was letting on. Still, Morpheus didn't think she would hurt him. She didn't seem... vicious enough to be a willing participant in Hades's plan.

But what if he was wrong, and she really was working for Hades? Then he'd have the award for being the most foolish god in all of Ancient Greece. Of course, that wouldn't help him much; he'd be dead.

The following morning, people left his temple grumbling. They had many nightmares, since Morpheus hadn't been asleep to dream them for them. How selfish of me, he thought with grim sarcasm. Just this once, people experienced what I do every night. Maybe tonight there won't be so many.

Morpheus organized his rooms in a fervor of impatience. They were already neat and tidy, but he needed something to do. He planned to sneak into Adelaide's house that day, but he couldn't go too early or she would catch him. And another confrontation with Adelaide was definitely something he wanted to avoid.

It was the longest six hours of his life. He wanted to wait until past noon to go there, but waiting that long with no one to talk to and nothing to do was pure torture. Even Hermes failed to turn up. Probably he was still recovering from his ordeal the day before.

Fortunately for Morpheus's sanity, after about four hours, someone did turn up. He was rather surprised when he opened his door and found Artemis, goddess of the hunt, standing there. "Artemis!" he exclaimed. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

The goddess raised her slim eyebrow. Her auburn hair was tied back from her face, her silver eyes as cold as the moon itself. In spite of her average height, she cut a very intimidating figure. "What do you think?" she said. "You've been pestering a girl who is considering joining my hunters."

"Pestering?" Morpheus blinked. "Do you mean Adelaide?"

"No. I meant Hermes." Artemis rolled her eyes. Morpheus still found it disturbing that one of the main twelve gods looked like a fourteen year old girl. "Of course I meant Adelaide! Honestly, Morpheus, you are thicker than my brother."

Since Morpheus knew exactly how thick Artemis's brother Apollo could be, he was offended. "Are you aware, Artemis, that Adelaide is a servant of Hades?"

"Hades?" Artemis inhaled sharply. "Lies."

"She wears the mark of Hades around her upper arm," Morpheus said. Maybe if Artemis hadn't called him stupid he would have broken it more gently, but she had annoyed him. "Isn't that proof enough?"

A frown darkened Artemis's face. "I cannot comprehend why she would make such a deal with Hades," she murmured. "But I would require proof before any action is taken."

"I was going to have a look around her house," Morpheus admitted.

"You were going to break in?"

"Well ..." Morpheus would have put it a better way—probably entering without Adelaide's knowing—but Artemis was in no mood for that. "Yes."

"Then let's go."

For a moment, the full import of Artemis's words didn't hit him. Then his eyes widened. "W-wait a minute! Who invited you?"

"I need proof, and if I find out that Hades is doing something the gods wouldn't approve of—like, I don't know, trying to murder all of us—then I'll help you," Artemis replied. "But in order to do that, we need answers, and Adelaide's house has those. Shall we go?"