I followed Artemis through the forest, not too close—because I know my sister, and if she feels I'm trailing after her like a lost puppy, she'll leave me behind without a word—but close enough so she wouldn't think I was slacking off.
The moon hung above us, bright and silent, casting long shadows among the trees. And there I was, the god of the sun, walking under my sister's borrowed light, trying to remember if there was any elegant way to start a conversation with an angry goddess who also happened to be your twin. I couldn't think of anything.
The Hunters' campfire faded behind us, along with the muted laughter of the Huntresses. And Percy, who, if you asked me, had exactly one job: stay quiet and look harmless. But no, of course not. He had to have an opinion.
Artemis stopped so abruptly I almost bumped into her. She turned slowly, crossing her arms, and gave me a look that could make a giant monster regret ever being born—or, in my case, make an immortal god feel like a fifteen-year-old idiot.
"What did you want to talk about?" I blurted out, with a tense smile that only ever convinced very clueless mortals.
She glared at me. Literally, the air grew colder.
"Me?" she repeated. "You think I wanted to talk to you?"
Danger confirmed.
"Okay," I nodded. "Then... is there something you want to talk about?"
"You."
I swallowed hard. Whenever my sister started with "you," the conversation usually ended with a scolding, a veiled threat, or one of those remarks that kept you thinking for three centuries.
"I don't understand you, Apollo," she continued, pulling no punches. "One day you seem like someone I don't even recognize, and the next... you're the same as ever. Which one are you?"
There was no judgment in her tone. She didn't need to judge me; she just wanted to know.
I took a deep breath.
"Both," I finally said. "I'm both. The one who recites haikus at inappropriate dinners and the one who learned to stay silent when things hurt. The one who thought he was the center of the universe and the one who now... knows that universe owes him nothing."
Artemis looked at me as if she was truly seeing me. As if she were trying to tell which parts of me were new and which had just been hidden.
"I didn't want to drag you into this," I added. "That's why I didn't tell you my plan. If it went wrong... I didn't want you to suffer the consequences because of me."
"I'm not fragile, Apollo."
"I know. But you're my sister. That matters more than any plan. If things had gone badly, and you..." I stopped. "I wouldn't have forgiven myself."
There was a second of silence, thick but not uncomfortable.
"I was an idiot in our last conversation," I admitted. "Harsh, unfair. You had every right to be angry. And I say this with no sarcasm, which should count as a celestial miracle."
She raised an eyebrow but didn't smile. Yet.
"From now on, I want you to be part of this. If you'll let me."
"And why should I?" she asked. She didn't sound hurt or cold. Just... tired.
"Because you're the only person who has always told me the truth. Because I trust you more than I trust myself. Because... you make me better, Arty."
She let out a barely audible huff, as if I'd used the nickname just to break the tension.
"And now what?"
"Now..." I scratched the back of my neck, uncomfortable. "I was thinking maybe you could let Percy and Thalia train together someday. Not a formal truce or anything, just... practice. An alliance."
"An alliance between champions?"
"Yeah. And between siblings. I trust you. I trust Thalia. And I trust Percy."
Artemis narrowed her eyes.
"You're getting too attached to that boy."
"And who isn't? He's got that 'I survived Tartarus and still have a sense of humor' charm. He's a good man, a real one."
She didn't say anything. Just looked at me with that expression that always makes me feel transparent, like she sees more than what I'm saying.
"Take it how you want," I added with a smile. "But if you let yourself get to know him a little... you might like him too."
She turned toward the clearing, where the fire's shadows were still dancing between the trees.
"I'll think about it," she said.
I nodded. That was enough for me.
We started walking again, side by side, like when we were children playing at being gods before we understood what that actually meant. At least for now, things were good between us.
Or at the very least... better.
━━━━━━━༺ - ༻━━━━━━━
Going back to the clearing was less tense than I had expected... though not exactly relaxed either.
Artemis walked beside me in silence, her frown slightly less intense than at the start of our conversation. It wasn't a complete victory, but almost. And with my sister, that was saying a lot.
The Hunters were still in place, gathered around the fire, as if they had barely noticed our absence. Except they no longer looked at Percy like they wanted to turn him into a pincushion. Progress.
"So?" I asked, letting the question float as I sat next to Thalia.
"We asked Percy which champion he wouldn't want to face in the games," she answered without even turning around.
Percy let out a somewhat theatrical sigh.
"You made me look like a coward."
"Only because you said you're afraid of Connor Stoll," Thalia murmured, amused.
"I'm not afraid. I just... deeply respect his capacity for chaos," said Percy, raising an eyebrow. "Have any of you ever had spiders put in your bed? Because the children of Athena have. Five live tarantulas. I don't even know how he got them in there without anyone noticing... or survived the whole Cabin 6 afterward."
One of the Hunters muttered something about "typical Hermes behavior" and another nodded very slightly.
Artemis said nothing but sat back down, neutral-faced. Close enough to listen, not close enough to seem interested.
"Anyone else you'd rather avoid?" I asked lightly.
Percy hesitated, then his gaze rested on Reyna for a few seconds.
"Hylla is competing."
Reyna raised an eyebrow.
"Still scared of her?"
"Not scared. Respect... and a bit of guilt," Percy answered. "Let's just say accidentally destroying the island where you lived was... unlucky."
"That's for sure," Reyna muttered.
"It was a villa full of witches who turned men into rodents," Percy defended himself. "Technically it was an act of liberation."
"Technically, you still destroyed it," Reyna said flatly.
Before the conversation veered off into inter-Amazonian diplomacy, I decided it was time to put things into perspective.
"Those names are fine," I said, "but if you really want to know who the true threat is, the answer is simple."
The fire crackled.
"Nico," I said.
Percy immediately turned toward me, serious. His expression shifted from the light tone earlier to something much more alert.
"Is it confirmed?" he asked.
I nodded.
"He's representing Hades. It was expected."
A brief pause fell over the clearing. Not a single Hunter spoke. Artemis remained still but watchful.
"Makes sense," Percy finally said. "No one better to represent the Underworld. But it's going to be rough... for anyone who crosses his path."
"He's not alone," I added. "Most likely, he'll ally with Will."
"Will?" Percy repeated, surprised. "Our Will?"
"My Will," I corrected with a smile. "And yes, he's competing. Champion of Aphrodite."
Percy blinked.
"Aphrodite and Will?"
"Contradictions bring balance," I said. "And balance is dangerous. Especially when paired with someone who can sink you into the earth without a trace."
Thalia let out a soft whistle, barely audible. Artemis, for her part, let out a sigh.
"Perfect," she said. "The champion of the goddess of love teamed up with the champion of the god of the dead. How poetic. And how problematic."
"Don't worry, sister," I replied with a calm smile. "You have Thalia. And I, well, I have Percy. A daughter of Zeus and a son of Poseidon. If that's not intimidating, I don't know what is."
Artemis didn't answer, but her eyes rested on Thalia, who offered a small confident smile, though she didn't seem thrilled by how I had phrased it. Percy muttered something like "great, more pressure."
Reyna, however, spoke softly.
"Alliances won't be just about affinity. They'll be about strategy and trust."
"And that," I added, looking at each of them, "is where some of us have the advantage."
I didn't add anything more. Words weren't necessary. Reyna was going to represent my father, but right then, I didn't care if she knew about my alliance with my sister.
The tournament was approaching.
And I wasn't going to face it alone.
————