Hunter: The Reckoning

Chapter 5

The second we entered the hall, I shivered with a sense of deja vu. It made me wonder if Tartarus had created his own little throne room in the image of this place as another way to mess with me or if terrible design skills started with the Firsts. Maybe it had made the Titans who'd once lived here feel more like their creators if they copied their home designs or had it skipped their generation and this was all Zeus's grand idea.

No one noticed our arrival, or if they did they weren't bothered and everything seemed to be as Hades had left it. Kara, Deimos and Ares were with Zane, Hermes was oddly missing, and Apollo stood between Circe and Artemis who looked as if they were seconds away from all-out war. Artemis had her bow in her hand, waving around an arrow like a magic wand as she attempted to bibbedy bobbedy boo Circe into another dimension, while Circe's face was flushed red and not in the way that left her with a happy glow.

Not only that, surrounding Circe were all of her lion friends and as the first one twitched about to pounce, I was there blocking Apollo who had seemed oblivious to its intent on making him a chew toy.

"Bad Kitty. Apollo is our friend, not your food." I clicked my tongue at him, looking at all of them as their noses wiggled and their ears remained upright. If lions could look surprised, this was it and one by one they stepped back in retreat as I turned to Artemis. "What's the problem now?"

"She kissed him!" She huffed, glaring at me as I snatched the arrow from her hand to save it from being waved around in my face.

I looked over my shoulder at Apollo who shrugged, his blush unmissable. "I said I'd tell her about Oizy, nothing else."

"Wait, you knew?" Artemis shoved Apollo in the chest. "She knew before I did! What else have you not told me about?"

"I used to tell you everything, but since we've come back, you've changed. We've all changed, and for once in our lives, we are not the same." He said softly. "I talk and you don't listen. So what is the point? You drive us all away Art. Even Hermes is sick of it. Don't blame Circe and Elise, or even Cain. It's you."

This wasn't an argument Apollo wanted right now. He already looked defeated, folding his arms over his chest, and closing his eyes as if that would make everything go away. It never did, I'd tried it enough times.

"After all I have done for them, for you, this is what I get? Secrets. Lies. Yet again I get replaced by a pretty face and a-"

"Aw, you think I'm pretty?" Circe taunted Artemis.

"No. I meant this one." She snapped, pointing to the tip of her bow my way. "Literally, years of trouble because he was too weak to do what he was supposed to do. My Huntress should have taken control of the mission, we all know she had plenty of opportunity considering the months you spent enjoying yourself and the earth realm."

Great, we were back to that again.

"Artemis." Apollo warned, his tone firming as he looked at her now. "Enough."

"No! Are you trying to impress that creature now? You are not as noble, brave or stupid, as to fall into line with all of this mess. There is a reason she was banished, and a reason why her name was forgotten, like her miserable lineage. She is not one of us and has no right to be here. Why am I the only one to see that? Has she managed to poison of all your minds with some, magical fuck or so called, kiss?"

Artemis was not about to stop. Apollo looked like he wanted the ground to open up and bury him, while no one pretended not to notice what was happening anymore. Even Circe managed to keep her mouth shut as Artemis seemed set to not only lose her mind but unleash it all on Apollo, no matter the casualties along the way. It made my head hurt thinking about it all, and I was too damn tired to let this play out to its full potential right now.