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Is he actually attracted to me or being a horny god?
Embarrassed, I furrow my brow. I lash out. “You're a lewd man.” I narrowed my eyes. “Plus, I doubt that Hera would be perturbed by demigods.”
“A lewd god,” he corrected. “There are ways around the demigod situation but alright fine. Should your answer change, you know how to reach me.”
Flicking my eyes over to Artemis, I watch her haunted expression from the corner of my vision. She may need therapy after hearing her brother flirt with her friend. Stepping in, I state, “Artemis is obviously not interested in Ares and who can blame her. From what little I know as an outsider; he sounds like a monster. A god who’s little regard for those around him. Plus, from what little I know of you Olympians, isn’t Ares already practically married to Aphrodite.”
“... Plus, they’ve like five children together,” Artemis added meekly.
Apollo scoffs at his twin, “And? How many different partners did Zeus have for his children?”
Ov meekly watches his niece and nephew fight. His face was pale as he watched the madness ensue.
Standing, Artemis smacks the table. “Don’t compare me to our father. He was a cruel man but even he never would have requested this from me.”
The smell of bonfire spreads through the air. Pervasive. More so than what the fire could emit. I assume that this must be from Apollo’s magic.
Even with magic in short supply, anger has a way of pulling deep into energy reserves. Had I not known any better, the room felt like it was becoming the forge of Hephaestus in Mount Etna.
His face reddens from anger. “You misunderstand. This isn’t a request.”
“Apollo, you must understand. This is hard for me. I'm a maiden. Our father promised that I would never be married to a man.” Horror and disgust bleed like a painful wound across her face.
“Dad isn’t here anymore.” Apollo cuts his mutton into small pieces.
“You want us to not question you and blindly obey. You and I know that this isn’t how the House of Leto holds themselves. Since mom entered her period of regeneration, you and I have made decisions together. I don’t appreciate you going behind my back on this.” Artemis buries her hands into her chiton. Keeping her hands occupied on strangling the fabric rather than her twin.
Apollo turns back to Artemis who looks on in horror. The twin threatens, “Sister, mark my words. You’ll marry Ares. You’ll like it. When the day of your engagement is commenced, you’ll smile through the hand binding. You’ll act in love in every public gathering. If not and you willfully choose to hurt our reputation, I'll have no qualms with casting you out of this family and this court.” Uncle, Artemis, and I gasp at the Sun God’s forceful words.
“But she’s your sister!” I exclaim as I slap my hands onto the table. His flirting is forgotten in my mind as I watch their argument unfold. Artemis’s goblet tips over from the force of my strike. “She shouldn’t marry anyone that she doesn’t love!”
“Welcome to Olympus and its games of immortal politics.” Whispering into my ear, Ari murmurs, “The gods don’t care about love, only advantage. You’d do best to accept that fact immediately.”
Her voice is grave and all knowing. Tucking her long red locks behind her back, before she sits down once more.
“Pandy, calm down, it's okay,” soothes Artemis. Standing, she wraps her arms around me.
At the cool touch of her arms, my vision clouds.
No.
Not now.
Not here.
Blinking away the feeling, I try to push it far from my mind. Begging my brain to listen to me for this one time.
“I understand,” Artemis inclines her head.
The world feels fuzzy. Like a mesh cloth is dividing us. Pulling me back away from dinner.
“Thank you, sister, for understanding the gravity of the situation,” Apollo purrs. “This is a major arrangement and shouldn’t be taken lightly. With this deal secured, the House of Leto and the House of Hera will be inexplicably tied. Pandora, you must learn how to hold your tongue.”
I stare blankly ahead. Spots cloud my visions as I begin to sway.
Artemis’s hands shake me. “Pandy? Are you alright? You're looking a bit peaky.”
Shaking me harder, I try to respond. To tell her that I'm here. To acknowledge that I'm listening. But my mouth is sealed closed.
