Percy Jackson: Ancient Greek Demigod

Chapter 20

"But, you are a maiden?" Artemis asked curiously.

"Yes," Zoë said, her face starting to redden. "I offered myself to him, but he refused. At first, I thought it was because he didn't want me, but now I see he refused because he cared for me. He knew I couldn't join if I wasn't a maiden."

Artemis' eyes widened. "But, why did you join the hunt? Do you not hate men?"

Zoë scowled. "I hate men, but Perseus is an exception. He was kind, gentle, and caring. He wasn't like the rest, like that vile son of Zeus," she spat, saying 'Zeus' as if it was poisonous.

Artemis stepped forward and gave Zoë a hug, surprising the huntress. She quickly recovered and returned the embrace, tears falling from her face. "I'm sorry you lost Perseus, he was a rare man," Artemis whispered.

Zoë just hugged her tighter. Her only relief was that Perseus would be seeing his brother in the Underworld, and was happy about this. She knew his brother meant more than everything to him, and she assumed he wasn't afraid of dying, as he would see his brother again.

Artemis released her huntress and looked her dead in the eyes. "Perseus will find his peace, wherever his goes, and you will find yours with your new family."

Zoë smiled despite her current sadness. Even though Perseus couldn't be there for her, he had brought her to her new family, and she would be forever grateful.

LINE BREAK (Centuries Later)

A cloaked woman walked into the Parthenon in Athens. These were dark times in Athens, but it was the same anywhere else in Greece. A new empire had risen in the west, and it was surpassing Greece in every way, including power and greatness. Even the gods, including the Olympians, had conformed to the new empire, adopting new names and personalities as they were worshipped in the new empire.

Soon, the empire of the west would close in, and Greece would be gone once and for all.

The woman walked alone, the Parthenon empty, and made her way to the Athena Parthenos. The woman looked up at the statue of the goddess almost longingly.

The woman couldn't break herself away from the Greek symbol of power and strength. She wasn't sure how long she had stayed, and was brought out of her thoughts when a figure to her left cleared their throat, causing the woman to jump.

The woman snapped her head around and saw another cloaked figure leaning against one of the pillars near the statue. "Getting one last look before the city falls?" the cloaked man asked.

The woman bristled at the man's words, but kept her expression stoic and emotionless. "There is still hope, Greece has always rallied, and it will rally again," she said calmly.

The cloaked figure shook his head. "Not this time. As sad as it is, this will be her end," he said sadly.

Despite how much she despised his words, she saw the wisdom of them. She decided to ignore the figure who had interrupted her and began to gaze at the statue once more. There was a few minutes of silence before the man spoke again. "Beautiful, isn't she?" The man asked, gesturing to the statue.

"Indeed," the woman mused, giving a tight lipped smile before the man started chuckling. Her blood boiled, but controlled herself again, deciding to ignore the man completely before she did something rash.

"You know, I met her once," he said casually. "She made me understand I must let things go to get past them."

The woman froze. The words he spoke were familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place them. "Why are you not fighting for Greece?"