Artemis

15

A/N: play the video at some point, let me know what y'all think! Also, enjoy a bit of a less harsh chapter.

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I read my gaze away from the Gods and Goddesses, feeling betrayal radiate through me. It's stupid of me to feel it, even if they raised me and never considered me family, I was too human and grew feelings. I loved all of them, mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters. Hades and Poseidon I grew especially close too, until about three years before I left.

They started to grow cold and uncaring, focused more on humans and the way the world was changing. Poseidon fell in love with multiple humans, having sex and leaving them for Olympus. Their children often would find me somehow, ask questions, and would leave angry and full of questions.

Questions I could never answer.

I nodded my head and walked away, feeling the weight of their stare on my back. I could hear the silent footfalls of the wolves, anger festering and boiling deep under my skin. It wasn't until we reached the elevator and the drachma went in when I heard an intake of breath and knew they were about to onslaught me with questions.

"Was that true? What you said back there..." I turned slightly to answer Mona's question, her eyes wide and trained onto me. I nodded briskly, feeling the betrayal roll through me all over again, fresh and burning inside of my veins.

"I didn't know they were feeding me their blood at first," I paused as we walked out, beginning our long descent down the mountain. "It wasn't until I saw Athena slice her palm into my wine that I knew. I watched my food be prepared silently, and watched as each of them, all twelve, cut their palms and had me drink their blood every night."

I cocked my ears as we started through the rocky terrain, my eyes watching the sky. I grit my teeth as I watch birds – or what I hope is birds, fly through the blue sky. They were silent as we got closer to the base of the mountain, the next town to us lighting up as the night comes.

"What does that all mean?" I look over to Jaxon, my eyes glancing to the ground below us as I paused, unsure whether I should tell him or not.

"You won't look at me differently?" I hate how unsure I sound, how weak I suddenly feel before the eyes of the man Selene herself paired me with. Maybe if my own family had reacted differently, treated me like normal instead of how they really treated me, I'd be okay. They didn't abuse me or think lower of me, instead hey acted like I was the new Jesus Christ or something. They prayed to me like other Greek Gods and acted like I was a savior, definitely something I didn't want.

"You can tell me anything baby." I smile at his endearment, feeling my heart flutter and soar like some type of fucking rocket.

"I'm part Goddess. Not like a demigod, children of Gods and Goddesses, but an actual Goddess. The fact I'm a witch help, it makes my powers greater tenfold." I turned and began to walk, not hearing them follow me for a few seconds until they scrambled and chased after me.

"So wait, you're an actual Goddess? Like praying prayers Greece monument Goddess?" I snort at Rileys cracking voice, shaking my head as I power down the walk.

"Yep, ever heard of Hecate?"

"Yeah, isn't she the Goddess of witchcraft or something like that?" I smirked, nodding as we finally reached the end of the mountain.

I whirled around, flashing my eyes at them. They changed from violet to brilliant silver, a crescent moon appearing directly in the middle of my forehead. They gasps amused me and the inner darkness within me, once again clawing to get out and wreak havoc upon the earth. I never let it out, bottling it up and stashing it away for another day.

"Jaxon, what do I smell like to you?" He looks me over before stepping forward slightly, taking a deep breath as he pondered over everything.

"Moonlight, you smell like moonlight." I smiled, so the legend was true.

"I come from Wolves, my family being one half wolf and one half witch. I received no wolf genes, and received all powers of my previous ancestors before me. Once I die, I become both a midwife and one that oversees the passing of life to death." I grin at their stunned expressions, turning back and walking to where I had called a taxi for minutes earlier.

We got in the taxi that brought us to the small town of Litohoro, connecting with a bus to bring us to Athens. I wanted to show them Greece the way it is meant to be seen, the bright lights and loud music that I adored so much. It was finally when we reached a small but packed restaurant on the border of Athens when they turned back to me, their eyes full of questions.

"Wait, isn't Hecate thousands of years old?" I nodded, smiling to them.

"If you want to be technical, I'm close to a thousand. Time in Olympus was almost frozen for me, one hundred years was practically one regular year for me. Does that freak you out?" I directed the last question to Jaxon, his eyes wide as hell staring at me.

"Whoa, I'm dating a cougar."

I lied my eyes as a plate broke in the restaurant, chuckling to myself as the three before me jumped in their seats. "Just watch."

We received our food shortly after and a small stage lit up near the front, a short woman coming onto the stage and introducing an act in Greek. The three just looked over to me with furrowed eyebrows, looking away only when I point back to the stage.

A large man walked on with a guitar in his hand and a connecting microphone, pushing it into a stand as he sat down on what had to be an uncomfortable stool. He began to sing in Greek, his voice deep and powerful as it filled the room. Thai became one of my favorite places to come too when I came back down to earth, spending days here at a time just singing and playing the busted piano they kept in he corner specifically for me.

The man switched to English as he sang the other half of the song, my eyes sparkling at I watched the three wolves relax and watch him in awe. Several performers go one before the short woman, who's name happens to be Cecile, notices me and her face immediately brightens.

She stops the band that was about to come on and go to the microphone, grasping a guitar and a pick from one of the performers with a thanks. She nods to me, her grin wide and infectious as she begins to speak in her broken English.

"We have old time performer, Artemis!" I smile and stand as Cecile's husband, Silas, stands behind the bar and whoops in excitement.

I walk up to the stage and hug her, the familiar smell of tea and honey invade my nose. She pressed a kiss to my arm, the only place she's able to reach with her short height, and pushed me to the stool lightly.

I pluck the strings as I begin my intro, drawing in a breath as I preform. I could feel Selene listening in, sending my voice out onto the winds and up into Olympus. Praying that somehow, this gift they gave me reaches them, and they feel something. Remorse, guilt, a sense of ownership in how they created what I am.

"And this too shall pass. This loneliness won't last, for long."

I could feel Jaxon's eyes staring intently on me, burning hole into my skin stronger than before. Stronger than the first time I played the piano in front of him, stronger than the second I stepped into the cafeteria he sat in, stronger than in my bedroom under the moon.

My eyes drifted into his, the bond strengthening into tree trunks. It grew and strengthened into an imperial bond, almost enough to make my heart erupt and die right there. I loved him and although it may be my weakness, I was okay. I was okay with knowing what I would have to do one day, what my role in the war would be.

I would have to lead our side in the battle, and save Jaxon from The Fates themselves. I just hope he loves me enough to give me the strength to do it.