Ambrosia hugged the boy closer to her chest and listened to the chaos outside her hideout. Her tears had dried on her cheeks, but inside of her was a new hollowness. The boy's hair brushed up against her palm, and she winced at the soft touch of his curls. A tear fell from her eye, landing on his cheek, making it look like he was crying with her. She rested her head against the rock, wondering if this chaos would ever end or if the gods intended on continuing this massacre until enough pray was slaughtered. Ambrosia peeked out between the rocks, as her ears didn't pick up as much noise. A couple of kids were sobbing, but the rocks had stopped flying. She finally saw the arena in its full glory. The dark room was no longer dark, it was bright with sun and the ground was replaced with sand instead of hard concrete. Ambrosia hadn't noticed with all the shock, but she was sitting in the sand too. Her dress was probably ruined, though she didn't care. Rage was brewing inside of her, dominating her fully, preventing her from thinking clearly. The only thing she cared about was avenging the lives of her lost friends. All the deaths and suffering came back to her. All the lost lives over the course of fifteen years of her living. The girl with hair as bright as sun from the next cell, raped and tortured by Deimos until her body gave in. The whole world could hear her screams, and her body was discarded like she had no value. The little boy who slept next to her, killed maliciously because his legs gave in and he collapsed on the ground, unable to continue his duty any more. The two-year-old dropped on the ground and squashed by Hecate. The boy with the flaming red hair, killed because Hecate envied his beautiful eyes. The two boys who got killed because humans aren't supposed to fall in love, ever.

All the horrors she had witnessed, all the screams she heard, were in her head, whispering to her, telling her to go and tell the gods how much she despised them. How they had ruined the lives of thousands, and how many more they would demolish. The boy in her lap was another proof, and Ambrosia felt anger, unlike anything she had experienced. She laid the boy softly on the ground, made sure the rocks were covering him and crawled out. She no longer feared anything. The boy had given her the tiniest doubt in her life, making her want a reason to live. Now he was gone, and there was nothing left in this world worth living for. She shook her dress, all the sand coming off of it. It looked just as shimmery and beautiful as when she first saw it. She wiped her tears and felt the paint on her face smudge. Who cared? Ambrosia would make sure the gods saw her and heard every story she had to tell, even if it meant she'd be tortured without end.

She looked up and around. On every seat, sat a god, filled to the brim with egoism and malice. Ambrosia felt her anger wanting to pour out of her and burn everything until there was nothing left. Out of two hundred kids, three dozen had survived at best. Half of them were harshly wounded, some at the brink of death. Her throat tightened at the sight of dead bodies and blood. So much blood. Snapped necks, torn limbs, and split torsos. Ambrosia had seen blood,  worse than just plain blood, but the sight in front of her was more gruesome than anything she had ever seen.

A god stood up and jumped down to the arena. The ground vibrated at his touch, and all Ambrosia needed to identify him was his bloodshot eyes and big, burly figure. Ares, God of War, stood in front of measly mortals in his full glory. His body was covered in bronze armor, the sun reflecting off of it. He had a devilish smirk on his face, warning the humans of what was to come. Ambrosia shivered at the thought of him coming anywhere near her, but the god had already noticed her sparkly dress shimmering in the sun.  Ambrosia felt everything stop when his eyes looked at her, the air stood still when their eyes locked, and Ambrosia could swear she saw the god of war tremble at her look. She was charmed by the devil himself.

"Who will dare challenge me for this pretty human over there?" Ares roared and pointed his spear towards her, making Ambrosia lose her composure and stagger a bit. She suddenly felt powerless, her whole plan failing in front of her. She realised she was not strong, nor brave enough to carry out her desired scheme. Her legs were failing her, her heart was thumping in her chest, dark spots started dancing in her eyes. Ares spread his hands, and said "Nobody? Eh, I was expecting at least four for this gorgeous legs." 

Ambrosia snapped her head up, and every ounce of hesitation left her body. She still felt dizzy, and scared, but nothing was going to stop her from avenging the people in her life. The words started coming out of her mouth before she could even stop it, and all her anguish started spilling out. "He was only two when he was squashed by Hecate's rage," tears started piling in her eyes, a few of them trickling down her face, " She was so much more than her sun-colored hair. That boy didn't deserve to be killed for being tired. They deserved a chance to have a life full of love for each other. They shouldn't have been killed because they dared to love in this world."

 Ares stared at her, his eyes flaming with rage. " Did I hear something?" he snarled, making Ambrosia's blood boil. Her voice would be heard, the gods would look at her and be angry, and they would hear every story she had to tell. Her voice rose, and she continued telling the stories of the forgotten. Ambrosia's voice was deafening, and she wondered why she wasn't dead yet. She disobeyed the gods, broke the golden rule of keeping quiet, and yet she was still breathing. An angry voice boomed from above and Ambrosia's mouth stopped moving against her will. The words got stuck in her mouth, and she knew her end was close. Ambrosia closed her eyes, and waited for the strike but nothing happened. She was still standing on the sand, she could still feel the sun shining down on her, and the piercing gaze of Ares. "Quiet now?", he mused "Ignoring this little outburst, I repeat, who wants to fight me for her?" 

Ambrosia stood stunned. Her whole life, she had thought the gods killed without thinking, without reason, and now, when they had every reason to turn her to ashes, Ambrosia was alive. She could feel the sand on her legs, the rays of sun shining down on her, the piercing gaze of the god of war. Ares was standing with his hand raised, with a spear in his hand, waiting, but nobody came. He sighed and said " What a pity, not even one? I repeat, gorgeous legs! What are you, the olympian gods or blind suckers?" Ares laughed, and took a step towards her, thinking she was all his without competition. Ambrosia shivered and waited for the hot touch of his hands, but something pulled him back. " Brother, I believe you gave up too fast."  The god was tall and slender, and he had the most handsome face Ambrosia had ever seen in her life. Unlike Ares, who caused the air around her to stop, Hermes's gaze made it move again. The corners of his mouth twitched when he looked at her, like he was suppressing a smile. Ambrosia's heart fluttered when the most beautiful creature landed next to them. She had a bow and an arrow in her hand, and the most beautiful emerald eyes Ambrosia had ever seen. Ambrosia had heart tales of the beautiful Artemis, but she had never imagined her beauty to be so blinding. Next to the goddess of the hunt, stood Apollo. He was intimidating, to say at least.  His stern face stared right at Ambrosia, and her chest tightened. All of a sudden, the stern look disappeared and a bright smile illuminated his face. "I'm just kidding, girl. Why so scared?" he chuckled, " Now, who do I have to fight for this pretty face?"

"I'm afraid you've all lost," Artemis announced, "I like this girl, and I haven't liked a human girl in the last four arena fights, so imagine you've already lost and I can take her without extra fuss."

Ares chortled  "You wish, sister,"  and plucked his knife and threw it at Apollo. Ambrosia yelled and fell back, hitting her back on the sand. Apollo flew up in the air, dodging the knife and throwing one of his own. Ambrosia hid behind a rock, avoiding getting slaughtered by the gods. Artemis was shooting arrows after arrows, but none of them hit the intended target. She screamed out in annoyance and threw her dagger at Nike, damaging her wing. Nike's golden wings reflected the sunlight, creating a blinding light. The light got in everyone's way, restricting the gods to see,  giving Nike an advantage. She threw her golden spear at Hermes, and he wasn't as lucky as Apollo today. He flashed Ambrosia a sad smile and reappeared on his seat next to Aphrodite. The Goddess of Love flashed him her pretty smile and put her head on his shoulder. Ambrosia was staring at them, when Ares roared and disappeared in flames, cursing Artemis. Artemis had a huge smile plastered on her face, proud of defeating her foe for the gods knows which time. Nike's wing had healed itself, but Apollo was quick with shooting his white-hot light, and when he caught Nike off-guard, he shot her in the chest. Nike let out a scream, and cursed Artemis in every single curse word ever known. Apollo wasted no time and shoot his knife, but Artemis ducked and shot him with her spear. Apollo was still in motion of throwing a knife, making it impossible for him to avoid the spear. It embedded in his chest, and gold ichor spilled out. He disappeared into a blinding light, leaving Ambrosia with Artemis. Ambrosia crouched down behind the rock and put her head in her hands. Her master had been chosen, and it was not Nike, neither Hermes. It was Artemis, and Ambrosia was now an eternal maiden, and that thought didn't appeal to her. With being an Artemis huntress, came a certain strength and responsibility, one you couldn't escape. Ambrosia emerged from behind the rock, her dress shining, and bowed down in front of her master.

- Lady Artemis, thank you for finding me worthy fighting for.

****

On the gif above, there is our Nike, Goddess of Victory. Aliane is the exact representation of what I imagined Nike to be, and when she popped up on my instagram feed, I knew she'd make the perfect Nike. For all the people who have read the previous version, I changed things up a bit, and I think I prefer it this way. Hope you enjoyed :)

Love,

Talia