KEEPSAKE

chapter five

     "Hello?" She gulps nervously feeling a lump fall into her throat. She shakes her head at herself, feeling ashamed. She's never one to be scared or even have the gall to be so highly paranoid. But at this very moment, she can feel her heart beating against her chest rapidly.

       Suddenly a whiff of air flashes past Artemis, causing the door to slam shut and the hairs on Artemis' arms to rise. Her body swiftly turns towards the door, leaning forward and pulling out her knife. She bends her knees to get into a comfortable fighting stance.

      Her breathing somehow has already increased. Heaving slightly laced with pants as her eyes train on the now closed door.

     Yet, still, no one is present besides the goddess.

Before she even realizes what is happening a chest or something hard presses against her back. Artemis sucks in an annoyed breath of air, getting tired of all these shenanigans as she is quite the blunt gal.

She can feel someone's breath tickle her neck and lower ear, close to the side of her mouth. And then something cold and metal-feeling is swiping against her thigh.

A fucking sword.

Artemis grunts in pain as a build-up of bloody gold oozes from her leg, effectively staining her new cloak.

She clenches her hold on the knife in hand, wanting to kill the son of a bitch until-

"And just what do I owe the pleasure, Artemis?" He whispers.

Ares, Artemis chides to herself in her head, Of course, it's him. This is where he resides, after all.

Letting out a sigh she's been holding in, she tilts her neck back a little to see the heartless god eyeing her up from behind. The huntress jolts forward, releasing herself from his hold rather briskly.

At this new position, she was finally able to assess Ares.

He was of course dressed in armor. Something it seemed he was never seen without. His hair a dusty brown color, messy and disheveled. His eyes are menacingly calm and eerie as he stared down on Artemis.

He was figuring her out already. She could tell just by the way his eyes hummed at realization while he looked her up and down.

"We need to talk about your consort." Artemis voiced finally, hoarse and unstable, it was so degrading in all honesty. She didn't want to come off as just some scared young premature goddess who sought attention from the other gender.

"Aphrodite?" He asked, raising a brow.

Artemis nodded in response, "Look, I don't exactly know how to tell you lightly, but, it seems she's deceiving you with Adonis."

Ares chuckled bitterly, tilting his head.

Artemis was confused.

Why in the name of Zeus was he laughing at the mere fact of his consort committing deceit?

"Sir, Ares." Artemis cleared her throat. She sounding much more relaxed and static with her voice now that he was seemingly calm and relaxed. The pain in her thigh was still present and aching but the anxiety that flowed through the air was much stronger than any bloodshed. "Does that not concern you in the least bit?"