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That would fuck with someone’s mind.
Gods, who know the immortals were this fucked up.
Shaking her head, Artemis’s eyes fixed on the brightly woven rug. “For a mortal, yes. But not for an immortal. Goddesses don’t die.”
Somehow, that fact made everything much worse. “What do you mean?”
Artemis shakes her head. Eyes filled with a look of sadness. Pausing to clear her throat, she continued, “Before Zeus was married to Hera, he was married to a titaness named Metis. Shortly after Metis found out that she was pregnant, Zeus went to an oracle. The oracle saw that Metis would first have a daughter who’d be intelligent, with a mind like a dagger.
“But after Athena, Metis would later have a son. This son would overthrow Zeus just as Zeus did to his own father and as his father did to his own father. Fearing to be overcome in the cycle, he sought to break it. Zeus tricked Metis. He turned Metis into a fly before swallowing her whole.
“But he didn’t expect her to bind herself the confines of his skull until he gave her permission to leave. At some point, Metis gave birth to Athena, who grew, and grew inside the skull of the bastard.” Artemis shook. Out of terror or grief. “Imagine being trapped in his mind. Surrounded by his thoughts.”
People aren’t born cruel. Apparently, that may hold true for the gods. No wonder Apollo acts like he does if this is how his dad used to act.
Few spoke of what became of the old King of the Gods. Mortals knew that there was some upset in his power, but never knew what extent that was. Less and less we heard stories being passed down about Zeus. “Zeus. Why do you call him that? He’s your dad.”
Pressing her lips into a thin line, I watch as her brow furrows. “He was no dad of mine. Nor will he ever be. The fear he placed everyone in his house under… He doesn’t deserve the title or the respect.” Anger bleeds into Artemis’s voice. “Athena was the last child of Zeus who turned on him. Since we were young, she was fiercely loyal to him. If she were a mortal, she’d have died for him. The rest of our siblings cracked a long time before. Done with the torture he had put us all through.”
“But if life was so terrible… Why did it take her so long to change her mind?” Even if she was the favorite, wouldn’t Athena have known the fear that everyone was experiencing?
“I think she saw the writing on the wall. The House of Zeus was crumbling during our coup. Athena didn’t have the support to take the realm. Staying aligned with Zeus would mean a trip to Tartarus.” Artemis shuddered at the thought.
I question, now fully invested in the politics of the Olympians. “If she didn’t align with you early on, why is she here? How do you know that you can trust her?”
The goddess plays with her bobbed hair. “We can’t,” she states simply as she purses her lips. “Had the House of Hera taken the realm, she’d have been forced to flee. She couldn’t have sought support from Demeter’s court. Demeter, Hestia, and Hera are daughters of Rhea. The House of Poseidon would’ve also been a no go due to a long-standing conflict between Poseidon and Athena. Which left Caelum or Erebus and no one enters the Underworld of their free will.”
Hmm. With those options, I guess I can’t blame her for choosing to stick it out here. Even with the sourpuss God of the Sun.
If the God of the Daytime is this unbearable, I’m terrified to imagine how poor of a mood God of the Dead would have.
Walking across the room, the Moon Goddess watches through the tall arched glass which leads out to my patio. The goddess continued, “Apollo and I were her only option, in all actuality. She may be cold and distant most of the time, but her mind for strategy and tactics are genuinely without equal. She tolerates us and in turn we give her a position worthy of her skills.”
“Is that why she’s the head of the palace guard?” I shift nervously. Perhaps I’m being a bit too blunt. This is a goddess that I met who’d be more than capable of pulverizing me into tiny pieces… Even if she looks deceptively kind.
Coolly, Artemis nods. “Sometimes it’s easier knowing where your potential competition is and what they’re doing. She’s a Goddess of Wisdom and War. Giving her absolute control of the armies could mean the end of our rule.”
But giving her control over the castle guard, Apollo and Artemis could watch over Athena. Making sure that she doesn’t compromise their power in the realm. Keeping a potential enemy close enough to monitor but far enough to have limited freedoms.
As my brain spirals, I change topics. Looking for something happier. “It's a good thing that you and Apollo have each other. Is your mom also in the palace?”
The goddess’s face droops as sadness creeps into her eyes.
Artemis drops her gaze as she replied softly, “My mom is healing after an injury she sustained while we were defending our throne. Other than Apollo, Ov is the only family we’ve left. Zeus has a knack for making the different lines feel how separate they are. I'm thankful that Zeus is locked in Tartarus. Never to see the light of day again. What about you?”
My firm smile dropped to a frown. it’s only fair, I remind myself. This is what it looks like to make friends. “My mom died a long time ago. For years, it was dad and I. Eventually, he thought that I needed a ‘maternal’ influence in my life, so he married my stepmom. Though she’d no motherly love for me. She saw my dad as a servant and me as her slave. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that we were together.
“At least, that was until this past Summer Solstice. My dad was taken by an immortal, and it was all my fault. I brought him into the woods. While picking the pomegranate tree. Dad hid me from the stranger. You know, for the past six months, I have been telling myself that the monster wasn’t a god but being here now, it feels normal.” Glancing up, I watch the Moon Goddess.
Raising an eyebrow, Artemis asks, “What god? Where’s your dad?”
“I have no clue. But he knew my dad.” I shake my head, but the image of those electric blue eyes won’t leave me. “My dad is stubborn… But up against a god, I don’t know how long he’d survive. The god kicked the shit out of him before they vanished… Part of me hopes that he is dead. so that I don’t need to think about him suffering or in pain. No one has heard from him since. I hope… I hope to see him in the Underworld someday.” Tears rolled down my cheeks.
Artemis pats my back as I cry. Something I have not let myself do since losing Dad. My stepmom hardly blinked when I came back without him.
I felt so alone but with the silver haired goddess, I felt at ease. Felt safe enough to cry.
“Maybe we can figure out what happened to him or identify his captor? Would you recognize him if you saw him?”
