10 IS IT ALIVE?
THE SIGHT OF THE OBNOXIOUS SUN PREYING DOWN ON ARTEMIS WOKE HER FROM HER SLUMBER.
Despite the heat radiating from the shine above, a cold shiver ran down Artemis' spine. She felt this rattling of cold shivers with the absence of a body beside her. Her eyes flickered back and forth around her surroundings, Adonis was nowhere to be found.
She bounced up on her feet without another wasted second, clenching her fists in balls as her nails dig deeper into the flesh at her palms. A degrading feeling rattled deep into every crevice of the huntress' bones. She felt stupid for even trusting her prisoner. Of course he ran off, he wasn't even chained up. Adonis most likely waited until Artemis was entrapped in a deep sleep and then made his leave.
One thing she couldn't quite comprehend was why he didn't kill her. He could've killed her. He should've killed her.
What also didn't make sense is why he chose to run off now. When he had many chances to leave and let Artemis rot alone.
"Artemis!" Someone yelled behind her, her hands instantly shot up and reached for the bow case that usually sat on her shoulder blade, but ended up grasping air.
With a grunt, she slumped her shoulders and turned towards the direction of the noise. A dry glare laced he features when she saw sandy brown hair and piercing bright eyes.
She had to admit that she became relieved when she figured Adonis had ran off. Almost like a weight lifted itself from her shoulders. But now that he was here, standing in front of her, everything was back on track.
Get to Zeus, send Adonis down to Mortal Earth, reclaim the throne of lord of the hunt.
"I don't understand you." She muttered, recounting her thoughts of Adonis finally finding his freedom.
Adonis furrowed his brows, "I uh..sorry for leaving." He said, taking steps forward as Artemis rubbed her eyes.
The crunch of the fallen leaves beneath their feet, signaled to Artemis that Adonis was cautiously approaching her. It became louder and louder, echoing throughout the quiet, serene forest, until it stopped.
"I went looking for this." He finished, clearing the rasp that settling in his throat.
Artemis cleared her vision. The sight before her was Adonis holding her bow case by the shoulder strap.
A snort released from in-between her lips, cupping her mouth in disbelief at the sight of her longed possession. And then she snatched it from his grip, worried he'd yank it away any second and throw it off a cliff, like some sort of joke.
She hugged the case to her body tightly, not wanting to part ways with it ever again. Her bow and arrow was an anchor for Artemis. An anchor to keep her going and strong. She didn't even care that Adonis was probably staring at her, shocked, as she hugged the stationary object like it was a happy meal in the arms of a needy child.
When Adonis cleared his throat, she finally loosened the grip on her case and shrugged it over her shoulder. Not wanting to feel any more debase this day, she straightened her head and looked sharply at the god in front of her.
"Why?" She asked, her voice croaky and quiet.
He blinked. "Pardon me?"
"You went back...for my bow.." She said slowly, her eyes narrowing as she tried to figure out his reasonings for leaving just to find a bow and then come back. Nothing, absolutely nothing was adding up. The only thing she could comprehend was the urge to jump into his arms and beat him in the head until he gave her answers.
He lifted a shoulder with a twitch of his lips, "I'm following you into the woods to Zeus. You're basically my guard, and without your bow, you lose like eighty percent of your confidence." He told her.
She shook her head, biting her cheek to hide a laugh. "Eighty percent? That's pretty high." When she sobered up, she continued, "So you went back for my bow to ensure your safety."
"For the most part."
"What does that mean?"
"For the most part."
"Wha-"
"Shouldn't we keep moving? We're losing daylight, huntress." he winked and began walking between the fields of endless trees.
Artemis watched his retreated figure until it became a mere silhouette. He was unforgivingly confusing and soon he would be the mortals' problems. Tightening the grip on her case, she trekked up to follow Adonis.
**
They entered a village hours laters. A small area known as Lipari. The villagers were scavenging around selling various useless things in the market.
In the corner of Artemis' eyes she could see a barter selling jars of olives, she instantly felt her mouth water.
"Adonis, follow me." She ordered, letting her hunger take over her legs.
"Hello." She greeted the seller, her eyes solely on the olives placed on his table.
"Hello, hello! May I interest you in a jar of my olives? Maybe even a few, miss?" He asked, an overload of happiness and excitement in his voice.
Adonis flinched at his forced smile. He felt tremendously out of his comfort zone. His life was spent, with Aphrodite, in the underworld, or in the woods. Never out in the towns, seeking unnecessary attention from underdogs like these strangers just looking for a good trade in exchange of food. A part of him wanted to leave, make a break for it and find Aphrodite. He'd tell her what Artemis did to him and then sure enough both Artemis and Apollo would be lifeless. But another part, oddly wanted to stay. The other part craved to see the mortals, to see how they lived. And mostly, just to be one of them. Maybe that's where he belonged in this world.
"Yes, we'll take two jars." Artemis said, reaching for coins in her cloak pocket, but serving up empty cloth only.
The barter narrowed his eyes at her charmless pockets with a grimace, "Looks like you won't." He said, moving his eyes from Artemis to a few others nearby
Artemis twisted her lips into a grim frown, balling her fists to suppress the anger pumping inside her. She cleared her throat, "Do you know who I am?"
Adonis rolled his eyes, "Here we go."
"Oh, I know exactly who you are. Daughter of Leto and Zeus, eh?" He scoffed, shaking his head lightly, "If you have no money, please find you way around my stand so the customers behind you can pay." He added, warning Artemis an amused pout.
Adonis could hear the growl that emitted from Artemis lips. So before she was able to fully take a step forward, he wrapped his fingers around her bony wrist and pulled her away from the crowd that was gathering.
"Hey!" She gasped as he jerked her into a less occupied alleyway.
"Are you stupid?" He asked, contorting his eyebrows.
Her eyes widened, "Excuse me?" She spat, ready to drive an arrow through his brain.
"Don't you think you were getting a little out of control back there?" He hissed, annoyed by this unneeded stump in their path.
She rubbed a hand over her face, "No, no..let's talk about you calling me stupid, okay? I am not stupid. Not even close. You, though? Yes. You are immensely stupid." She laughed dryly. "I lost count of how many chances you had to escape. Yet, here you are. Just going along for the ride, or something. Nothing about you makes sense. It's like you want to lose your immortality. What? You wanna be one of them?" She yelled, letting the spit travel past her teeth gaps to his shimmering facial skin.
His lips flattened, visibly trying to contain something fighting him inside. His hand rose slowly, balled up, and directed towards Artemis' face.
She eyed the hand. It was shaking and so was he.
Realization hit her like a ball of fire. "You were gonna hit me." She said to herself, quiet.
His chest rose rapidly, the pound constant and invasive. It controlled him effectively, eyes blazing to the hand hovering near her face.
"I- I didn't-" He stuttered. "It wasn't mea-"
Before he had a chance to reply, she smacked his hand down with an irritated snarl. "Shut up."
He swallowed.
"Forget the fucking olives. Let's go." She ordered, gesturing for him to follow her as they walked past Lipari and back to the forest.
They make it to a small stream when dawn falls over them. The air cracking a shiver down Artemis' vertebrae, making her think of her room, and home, and her bed. And Apollo. A black abyss showed itself above them, shining with stars, like a reflex, Artemis' eyes shot up right to Orion, and smiled.
Adonis collected water in his flask, taking a large gulp before filling it back up and then repeating.
Artemis watched not so discreetly with amusement. Both of their clothes are ratty and disheveled. Adonis still somehow smells nice. Like earth, and freshly grown flowers.
Her eyes dart down to her legs spread out in front of her when he looked up to her and they caught gaze.
She feels the log slightly shift when he takes a seat next to her. He grunted, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. Artemis doing the same thing. Silently, he extended his arm out and offered her the flask.
Artemis flickered her eyes over to him, surveying his body once and then towards the flask, her hands move on their own accord. Only meaning to take a sip, but, she ends up almost emptying the can.
"Thanks." She used her inner wrist to wipe her mouth, and handed the flask back to him.
"Do you have anyone who will miss you? Once you live among the mortals." She asked, peeling her eyes to her boot as she kicks crusty leaves around.
He shook his head, "No, my parents..they uh well it's a long story."
"I have time." she said softly, trying to reassure him oddly.
A sigh relieved his chest, "My father, Theias, he was also my grandfather." he began.
"Oh." Artemis said, her eyes swiftly moving up to Adonis.
He stared at the swish of the water, focusing on the currents. He could feel the pinning of Artemis' glare on his profile. her silence guided him to carry on, "Her name was Smyrna. I've never had the grace of meeting her. But I was told she was beautiful. Theias loved my mother. and it was a love meant of a father to his daughter, only." He nodded to himself. "But something happened. Something changed. He began forcing himself upon her. She didn't want him like that. Sin after sin, he committed. He was her father. Supposed to be the first man she ever loved and then he became her downfall."
It was only then that Artemis noticed the wells of after growing under his eyes. He made no advance to hide the tears, just kept talking. Fighting through the ache that clenched his heart.
"When my mother tried to flee from him, he turned her into a myrrha tree. That was the last of her." he said, a sob escaped his lips. He felt weak and he hated himself for being so raw in front of a huntress but at the same time he didn't care. He knew his end of olympus would be soon, he accepted it. "I was fucking popped out of a myrrha tree. That was my birth." He dryly laughed, it turned into weeping.
Without much thought, Artemis brought her hands carefully up to his swollen red cheeks, and gently wiped the wet tears off. Every time a new one came, her dainty finger brushed it damp. Rubbed it into his skin till it was no more.
He stared at her for a moment and then slowly cupped her wrist with his hand. They stayed like that for a moment. their eyes connected and lost in depth of the others. Skin to skin. Vulnerable, raw, lost.
"I'm sorry for your loss." She whispered.
He sucked in a breath and finally let go of Artemis' wrist. "Me too." he sighed, looking back to the stream.
Artemis couldn't find herself to look away from Adonis, though. She never seen a god cry before, never. It was so taboo for a god to breakdown. To show weakness. They were supposed to be strong. Strong for their people. for their kingdoms. For their maidens. But Adonis just unfolded his past like it was nothing. Like it was nothing to him to talk so loosely of his grandfather or fathers betrayal.
She wanted to grip his shoulder comfortingly. Tell him it would be okay soon. That the hurt, the ache, it ran away with time. It was the same thing her mother told her after Orion's death. But now seeing Adonis after what must've been his whole life, still shed tears over his mother's undoing, she knew it was all a sham. The hurt never left. It only became easier to ignore.
"Can I ask you something?" Artemis asked, breaking the defining silence that hung over them. A question has been dribbling itself into every crevice of her head and she tried to ignore it but it only became stronger.
"Go on." He encouraged, his eyes steady on the flowing water before them.
Artemis let in a deepbreath, "Before we..before we kissed.." she started and she saw him suck in an uneasy breath. "the naiad said something to you." She finished, drawling her brows together and daring a glance at Adonis .
He didn't speak. His mouth shut into a sad grimace. She wondered why he was so easy to tick. So easy to read. He must be a terrible liar, Artemis thought. She could very well gather valuable information from him. But a part of her didn't want that. Didn't want to use Adonis for such trivial things.
Adonis finally brought his eyes towards Artemis. Now they stared into each other so in depth. She had to look down and make sure she wasn't nude. It felt like he was staring right past her, she didn't like that one bit.
"She told me she would kill Aphrodite." he said, letting out an exhale. It was bad, yes, but not nearly as bad as she thought it was going to be. Artemis let out a breath of relief shockingly. "and you."