For the love of the Gods

Prologue-Ancient Greece

******************

Artemis sat beside her twin, her only ally at the moment. Apollo, awaiting judgment from there father Zeus, king and all powerful ruler of the Gods. Sighing despondently, Artemis idly twirled a lock of her copper colored hair and watched her extended family frolic around the main hall of Olympus.

“Why did you do it?” Apollo asked, curiously, for the better part of the day he had been silent ever since she had been found out.

It was no secret that Artemis was as notorious for her virginity as Apollo was for his lack of virtue. Looking up into his vibrant gold eyes Artemis smiled sweetly.

“Did you think id remain virgin forever?” Artemis asked. Apollo’s eyes widened and he scoffed.

“Well yes sister I did, you were the one who requested such a daunting role…and you know that father loves you dearly…it isn’t as if Athena or Aphrodite slept with the mortal. You were THE virgin Goddess…now.” Apollo let it trail off there, studying his twin closely, honestly he was hurt.

His sister was his closest friend and she hadn’t confided in him at all.

“I was a child when I made that pledge, and I didn’t know father would be so tyrannical about it. I’ve existed for well over ten thousand years as it is...what do you think he’s going to do?”

Artemis asked, suddenly worried at the mirage of possibilities. Zeus was incredibly creative in his punishments.

“I don’t know Artemis, Gods knows he’s been in a foul mood ever since binding that Glorificus creature in tarturus, honestly what Aries was thinking in bringing that freak into existence I cannot imagine.”

Artemis shivered at the memory of the beast…it had taken all twelve high Gods to subdue the creature and bind it in its prison; Fates protect them if it ever broke free.

“Artemis…he wants to see you now.” Hermes said clearly, startling the twins from there silent thoughts. Sighing heavily Artemis stood and walked down the illustrious halls toward Zeus’s council chambers.

***********

Artemis stepped through the large oval doors and swallowed hard, she was an all powerful Goddess, but Zeus…he was her father and lord. Watching as his immense frame nearly blocked out the window he was looking out turned to acknowledge her presence.

“Do I scare you that badly child?” Zeus asked, watching as his most willful independent child shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

“I am not scared father.” Artemis lied. Zeus smiled and materialized her throne beside the council table.

“Have a seat.” Zeus waited as Goddess of the hunt walked around the side of the table, he noticed her stance, and she was ready to spring away at a moments notice. “Artemis…you are my child, but I am no fool. If you had wished the pledges removed why not say something?”

“I did not wish to disappoint you Father.” Artemis admitted, willing her body to relax.

“You are not a child, the pledge you took…it is sacred, and the mortal you lay with must be punished.”

“Why? I am God, the mortals will is nothing to what I want and I was the one that initiated the encounter.” Artemis stated levelly, if Zeus had an inkling of her true emotions for Velma he would either smite her or turn her into some god’s forsaken flower.

“I am no hypocrite Artemis, I know how tempting mortals may be, Gods knows everyone has heard the fights and storms that follow after Hera finds out, but the mortals I lay with do not violate sacred pledges, this mortal however…she is one of your followers yes?”

“Yes, she is an Amazon.” Artemis admitted softly.

“She is an exceptional mortal without a doubt. I have thought long and hard about what to do and I would like to reward her in a sense.” Zeus stated going and sitting beside Artemis, turning so that he had full attention.

“As you are aware, the rival Gods of other nations have been allowing there deities to breed with mortals, creating…monsters the likes of which I have never seen. The vampyr, lycans and many other such creatures. Your amazons are all valiant warriors; I would like to give them a blessing.”


Suddenly leery, Artemis drew back slightly; this had danger written all over it. “What kind of blessing Father.”

“Velma is what…twenty six seasons? I will make her a warrior the like of which the world has never seen, her name means strong willed warrior does it not?” At Artemis’s nod Zeus continued.

“I said I would punish her and I shall, the role she will fill, she will be the only one of her kind, she will fight these pestilent creatures and her life shall be short but glorious. She will be remembered and revered. I am calling it…slayer.” Zeus declared happily, pleased that he could solve the problems of honor with no blood shed.

“You…Father please don’t fate her to this.” Artemis cried, falling to her knees she forwent all pretenses and clutched to his robes. “Please smite me, strip me of my powers and throw me to Hades I don’t care just I beg of you don’t give her such a brutal fate.”

“Daughter, you have dishonored your pledge and what’s more you dishonor me by this weak portrayal of immortality. YOU are a Goddess, that mortal will die eventually, be happy I am responding as well as I am to this news that you are now soiled as your sisters are. That is my decision, now be gone.”

Zeus stepped away from Artemis and watched as she teleported from his presence, most likely to her forests.

Sighing stepped back, and running his fingers through his beard he muttered unhappily. He had seen the essence of love on the girl, only now seeing it for what it was. But if his plan to save his family were to work there could be no loose ends. Nothing to tie her to earth.

*********************

Apollo stood the second he sensed his twins essence disappear from the Great Hall, quickly making his way outside of the grounds he teleported after his sister. When he appeared, not in her temple where he expected to find her, but in a dense forest that he had never seen before.

Stepping back surprised, he quickly made himself invisible to mortals, walking through the trees to where he sensed Artemis was he stopped just outside a clearing. Looking through the trees he was shocked by what he saw.

Artemis was kneeling in front of a mortal woman, ‘this must be the mortal’ he thought, what shocked him was the intimacy.

Artemis’s gleaming copper curls were piled atop her head in disarray as she lay with her head in the mortals lap, her shoulders shaking spastically. Crying? His sister was crying?

Shocked now beyond words, Apollo looked up to study the woman. She was beautiful. Her skin was a bronzed healthy tan, she was fit and her arms were thick like that of warriors.

Her leather toga was stitched elaborately telling him she was of the river Amazon tribes. The woman’s face…she was striking, she had clear blue eyes and hair as dark as obsidian braided and tied away from her face…and…she was crying. Turning, he had the sudden urge to leave his sister to her moment with her lover.

It was unfair that Artemis, the chastest of them all would be punished for loving one woman who was an exceptional warrior and mortal. But with the people losing beliefs in the old ways, the Gods powers were waning, and with the rise of the mortal called Jesus…it was no longer safe of Olympians of the Ancient world.


As he was about to leave he heard Artemis whisper something to the Amazon. Turning back he listened intently.

“Please Velma. Come with me. I can keep you safe.” Artemis begged. Clutching her lover’s hands tightly in her own.

“I cannot abandon my sisters Artemis, they need me, and Rome is closing in on our territories. I cannot abandon them.” Velma whispered out.

“I will not leave you here for this.” Artemis hissed, “You belong with me. I love you my warrior.”Reaching up she gently cupped the amazon’s cheek and gazing into the water blue eyes that had captured her heart.

“It is my duty, someday the Gods will come back to this world and when they do things will be better.” Velma said softly, neither woman really believed it.

“I don’t want you to die.” Artemis said sadly. “You’re so…mortal.”
Velma smiled sadly and nodded. “It is as is intended. Mortals live but a blink in time.”

“I will stay with you. I don’t care about being a Goddess.” Artemis whispered.

“No. It is what you were born for. You are patron Goddess to my people, Goddess of the hunt, protector of children. When I have fulfilled my destiny as this…slayer. Find me in the Elysian Fields and I will come to you.” Velma vowed quietly.

Her heart breaking as the Goddess before her sagged to the ground and cried softly into her lap, with quiet resignation they both knew it was a love not meant to be.

Velma leaned back against a tree, looking up she saw a figure through her tears, he was shrouded in such a way she knew it was a God, looking more closely she saw that it was the male version of her precious Artie.

Tall, flame haired and golden; Apollo stood watching them with a heart wrenching expression on his face. Silently she sent her thoughts out to him.


‘Take care of her Apollo’

Wordlessly the God nodded and disappeared into the shadows, crying softly Velma continued to stroke his sister’s copper colored curls as his chariot pulled through the sky, pulling day into night.
This was the end of the ancient world.

TBC
Comments?