"The days after we met were filled with different challenges. Orion did his best, but he wasn't a sore loser when it came down to it. He really wanted to prove something to me", Artemis continues to tell her story.....

They met up at the same spot the next day. Orion leaned against a tree, waiting for her.

"Did you wait long for me?", she spoke gently to not frighten him.

He followed the voice to find her hanging from a tree branch using her feet as hands. She dropped down to the ground on her feet.

"Not long. How are you?"

"I didn't know rivals cared about how the other is doing", she teased.

"Well, it wouldn't feel right if I beat you if you got sick or something", he bluffed.

"In your dreams. Good thing is that gods like me don't get sick."

"Lucky you."

"In that case, how are you?"

"Slept and ate well before I came here. I couldn't find Narcissus yesterday. Seems like he disappeared."

"If I do see him, I will punch him for you."

"Thanks. What will we hunt today?"

"How about bears? They are out around this time and there's too many of them."

"Sounds fun."

Her ears perked up to alert her to something. She sniffed the air. "I will be right back." She ran off at a speed that amazed the hunter.

Narcissus watched them from a distance with a telescope and the goddess ran past him--

Thwack!

He fell to the ground with a heavy thud. He rubbed his right cheek from the mysterious pain inflicted on him.

He couldn't finish his proclamation of pain as the goddess stands behind him with a hunting knife to his throat.

"If you ever do anything else to hurt Orion, I will not hesitate to slit your throat and feed you to my dogs. They will enjoy ripping you limb from limb, you pathetic excuse of a man. When I let go, you must leave and hunt elsewhere. Take pride that I allowed you to keep living. Nod if you agree", she threatened in a hushed tone.

Narcissus nods. As soon as she removed the blade, he ran away without looking back. She calmed herself down to avoid Orion's suspicion and returned with some edible berries.

"Sorry about that. Just wanted a snack for later."

"No problem. You eat a lot for someone your size."

"And what do you mean by that?", she asked with a tilted head.

"Don't be offended. For someone as petite as you are. I find that to be quite...admirable in a woman."

Artemis' green eyes sparkled while her face turned scarlet. "You must eat a lot to maintain those muscles."

"I do eat a lot. My friends say that I have the stomach of a small army. Maybe next time, we will have an eating contest."

Artemis nodded to prevent herself from saying another flirtatious statement. He changed the topic, and they negotiated that the first one to ten kills would win. Each kill would be signaled with a whistle to keep count.

They split off in different directions to start. With her hawk-like eyes, she found a bear marking on a tree. She jumped into the treetops. The brown beast's jaws were pulling away at the deer it killed. She readied an arrow and hung from the branch using her legs.

The arrow connected the bear to the grass for an eternal slumber. She whistled to signify her skill. A whistle replied back to her delight.....

It got to a point where they were tied for the last bear. A beaming smile was glued to her face. She looked forward to more challenges with him.

She pulled out her hunting knife to face the last target head on. The bear raised its right paw to swipe at her, but she dodged it with nimble speed. The bear opened its jaws to bite her, but she pulled it by the snout and slammed its head against the ground. A quick slice to the throat to ended their battle. 

She whistled to announce her victory. She summoned her numerous dogs that eat up her kills, leaving behind a good amount for their master to eat.

"Thank you, Gaia, for this hunt. May nature be restored to balance", she prayed.

She wrapped up the leftover meat before returning to their meeting spot. Orion emerged from the bushes.

"Congratulations, Artemis! That was really close", he panted.

"It was a lot of fun too. I brought back some bear meat for our dinner." She felt something was off. "What's wrong?"

"We would have been tied because I found a bear to take down a minute before you whistled."

"Why didn't you do it?", she asked with a puzzled look.

"I saw it was waiting for something. Its cub came out of the bushes. I didn't want to take a parent away from the little one."

His compassion for creatures made Artemis' heart flutter. "Do you know what? Consider this a draw."

"A draw? But you won fair and square", Orion was surprised.

"I insist. Let's save the real contest when we eat at noon tomorrow. Meet me at my temple and we will have it there."

"Alright then."

Artemis seasoned and cooked the bear meat over a fire. The two ate their fill and leave each other for tomorrow. 

Orion arrived the next day at the temple on an empty stomach. Artemis sat in a chair facing him. Her followers placed prepared meals of roasted duck, boar, chicken, fish, and sparrows for each person. He licked his lips.

"You better have not eaten anything beforehand", Artemis playfully warned.

"I didn't. I'm famished. What are the rules?"

"You have an hour to complete your prepared meal. Whoever finishes their meal before the time expires, wins the contest", a follower spoke up.

"That's fair."

"Participants, ready?"

The goddess and the hunter nod. As soon as the hourglass flipped, they dug in. 

The huntress ate away at the roasted chicken like a starving dog. The beast hunter took his knife and cut the different meats into portions that he could roll up several times to save time. Artemis got her second wind from his competitive nature. Helena and the followers cheer for their goddess.

"Don't let him beat you, Artemis!"

"You can do it! Beat Orion!"

......5 seconds were left on the clock. Orion reached for another portion, but he couldn't get himself to take another bite.

"Time!"

Artemis was able to eat the last bite that he couldn't. She burped while her followers cheered.

Orion burped with queasiness. Artemis slid him a goblet of ginger tea and he drunk it to clear his indigestion.

"You were right, Orion. You have the stomach of a small army. I respect that."

"I didn't win, but at least I met my protein intake for the day. Maybe two days."

"Probably!", she laughed.

"The contest isn't over", he declared. Artemis is puzzled.

"First one to nap wins!", he instantly snoozed after saying that.

The Olympian softly chuckled. "You win that one."

She had one of her followers throw a blanket over him so he could sleep properly. Hours passed....

Orion eventually woke up. He felt groggy from all the food he's eaten, but he didn't regret it. After going to the latrine, he found Artemis instructing her male and female followers on a workout session.

He is surprised to find her working out alongside them. She did ab crunches in perfect form, showing off her shredded abs. He shook his head before walking over. "Hello, everyone!"

Artemis jumped to her feet with a smile. "Had a good nap?"

"I sure did. I didn't expect you to be working out after that feast we had."

"I do have the perfect metabolism for that. My body just burns off whatever I eat."

"Perks of being a goddess", he smirked.

"Do you want to join us?"

"You go ahead", he refused without hesitation.

"We are going to have dinner after this if you like-"

"My small army has no more room. I will stay and drink with you."

"That will work."

She went back to instructing the others while the tall hunter sat on a boulder. He liked both sides of Artemis: the confident/competitive side and her bashful cute side. He reminded himself that it may not work between them since she's the goddess of chastity. Still, he enjoyed the rivalry they have.

After drinking with Artemis, she walked him out. They discussed meeting tomorrow for another challenge.

As he walked away, her right hand reached out to him. She wanted him to stay the night, but she calmed herself down with a dropped hand. That night, she found it hard to fall asleep in her comfortable bed. She felt something she had seen before, but she smacked herself to remind herself of her vow.

----

The next day, Orion came to the temple and heard children laughing. He walked to the back of the temple and saw some of them playing catch with a ball, being supervised by Artemis. Sitting on her lap is a little girl petting a rabbit. The kids notice the tall smiling man but aren't afraid of him.

"Afternoon, Artemis! Hello, everyone!"

"You feel better?"

"Yes, I do."

"Wow! You're really tall. Will I be your height one day?", one boy asked while tilting his head up.

"You can if you eat all your food and exercise right. But I wish I was a little shorter."

"Why? I bet being tall is great", another boy added.

"Two reasons. Your feet go past the bed, meaning they freeze and I bump my head on every doorway", he laughed.

His laugh made Artemis laugh as well.

"Everyone, this is Orion. My-"

"Boyfriend?", the little girl chimed in.

Both Orion and Artemis blushed from what she said.

"S-She's a rival", he corrected.

"W-Where did you learn that word?, Sophia?", the huntress asked her.

"My mother told me she has a boyfriend. I have boyfriends too."

"What does a boyfriend mean to you?"

"Isn't that a boy who is your friend?"

Artemis lightly laughed. "That's not what that means. How can I explain it?"

"She's not 100% wrong. A boyfriend is a friend that you have expressed romantic feelings for. Your heart flutters and they make you happy when they're around. If you see yourself with that person for a long time and get married, they will become your husband", Orion helped.

"Romantic? What is that?", she squinted.

"You don't have to worry about that. Focus on having fun and enjoy your youth."

"Okay!"

Orion crouched down to the girl. "Is that a rabbit? What is his name?"

"Hopsy."

"That's a good name. You are doing a good job holding him. He looks relaxed."

Orion petted the rabbit's fur gently. Artemis liked how he's interacting with her. She imagined them having....She shook her head.

"He's really soft", Orion told Sophia.

"He's like a pillow with feet."

"He sure is."

"Would you like to play catch, Orion?", one of the boys asked.

"Sure."

The boy tossed the ball and Orion caught it. He motioned for them to go long and they ran further out. Orion threw the ball through the air and one of the boys jumped up to catch it.

The boy kicked it back to Orion. He waved them to the right and threw the ball. The second boy caught it as he fell. He got back up.

"You could be an Olympic athlete one day!"

They played catch for a little bit longer until the little girl tugged on his tunic. He looked at the girl who's raising her arms to be picked up. He placed her on his shoulders. He ran around which made her laugh.

"Faster!", she ordered.

"Okay, hold on tight", he picked up his speed to her laughter. After a nice little run, the boys requested him to throw them high into the air.

"Again!"

"I have next!"

"I'm after him!"

"You are quite popular, Orion", Artemis said while holding the rabbit.

"These little kids may tire me out before we do our challenge."

I didn't set up a challenge, but you already won in my book.

Orion and Artemis played with them until their parents called for them. The children embraced them before they leave. Sophia waved while holding her pet.

As soon as they were out of sight, Orion sat down. "If I had a bit of your divinity, they wouldn't tire me out this badly."

"True, but it wouldn't be the same."

"I think I need to rest before our challenge."

"Consider today a break from that. Tomorrow, bring your best."

The next day, Orion and Artemis had a discus challenge that had her followers by the side to measure the distances. They took 2kg discus and do some practice throws before the real challenge. Orion goes first and he launched it. It landed at the 50-meter mark.

Artemis' turn. 55 meters.

Orion threw with more effort. 65 meters.

She stepped it up a bit. 68 meters. Orion did a final attempt, throwing with all of his might. 73 meters.

The huntress whistled. "Wow! I think that is a new record."

She thought about throwing in the towel knowing that she could out throw Orion. It would hurt the work he put into this.

He noticed this. "Don't hold nothing back! Show me what you are capable of, Artemis!"

Her aura glowed. She used this energy to throw the discus.......and it flew outside of the boundaries. It was still flying in the air until it knocked down trees in another part of the forest. Orion and the others were stunned since they haven't seen her do that before.

"Sorry, Gaia! I think I put too much energy in that."

"We have a winner. Our goddess Artemis!"

"That was a damn good throw. You set a record no one will ever surpass", Orion complimented.

"You did too. No other mortal has thrown it as far as you did. I mean, except for Heracles, but it still works."

"I still take my loss though. Let's celebrate now with food and drink.'

The next day, Echo showed up and Artemis introduced her to Orion.

"This is my best friend, Echo. Echo, this is Orion."

"Wow! You're really tall. You must have been a big baby when you were born.  It's nice to meet you, Orion."

The rambling made him laugh in a pleasant manner. Artemis laughed as well. Echo noticed that and she smiled.

"My mom didn't like it one bit, but I was a healthy baby."

"There won't be a challenge today. Let's do a group hunt for a few days and get a good haul", Artemis announced.

"Sounds good to me. Lead the way."

The trio spent the next three days together. Echo played some lively music on her flute. The duo enjoy the music until the tune changed. 

The hearts of Orion and Artemis beat along to the notes. Their blood warmed up. Artemis daydreamed about their life together--

"Echo, can you stop? I want to talk with you."

"Sure."

They walked away and she puts aura up to hide their conversation.

"Please don't do that again."

"I'm sorry. I forgot about your oath. I shouldn't have done that. I just like that you make each other smile. I won't do it again", she walked past her.

Artemis grabbed her wrist. "If only things were different."

"I know", she turned and hugged her tightly. The trip ended as they stopped at Artemis' temple. Echo left for her home in the mountainside.

"It was a lot of fun. I hope we can do that again", Orion told Artemis.

"You don't mind her at all?"

"Not one bit. I see why she is your best friend and she's lucky to have you as one too."

Artemis smiled. She offered him to stay at the temple instead of the woods. He saw the effort it took to propose that, so he accepted.

Orion woke up the next day, but the goddess wasn't there. A servant came up to him with a letter and a small statue of a dog with an arrow on its head.

He handed him the items. "I'm sorry, Orion. There's a war in Troy and Artemis left to help her brother, Apollo. She didn't have time to say goodbye before she left, so she left these for you."

"Dear, Orion. Please forgive me for leaving without saying bye. Troy is engaged in a war with the Greeks and I have to help my brother and the others to defend Troy. I don't know how long I will be gone, but don't give up on your goal to capture what you wanted. If you want to contact me, it's best to reach me through my totem. Just say a prayer in my name. Be safe."
-Artemis

He held the totem tenderly. "Artemis, please respond to my call."

The statue glowed. "Orion?", her voice spoke through it.

"I-I just got your letter. I understand why and I'm not mad. How are you?"

"I'm doing well. I'm holding off the Greeks as we speak. I was able to make the water uneasy for them to sail through."

"Wow! You are amazing. Troy is in good hands."

"I-I try."

"I know you're a goddess but be safe out there. I can't let my number one rival get hurt out there."

"The same goes for you."

"I will be alive when you come back. I will check on you when I can."

"You better. I miss your face already."

"What did you say?"

"I-I got to go!"

The light of the totem turned off. While Artemis was in the war, Orion kept checking on her when he can. She told them the reason behind the war: Helen left her husband to be with Paris after falling in love. She also informed that Helen is her sister because of their father, Zeus.

"Anyway, how are you?"

"I have been hunting, but it doesn't feel the same without you. I miss your competitive side."

"Hopefully, it won't take too long."

"I hope so too. I miss you."

The statue went silent for a bit.

"Oh, wait. That was too much. I'm sor-"

"I miss you too", she spoke quickly.

"Be safe, goddess."

"You too."

Their relationship continued to bloom with their conversations. Orion never judged her for feeling regret for losing Trojan soldiers she tried to save. That motivation kept her going through those ten years.

Four years before the war ended....

The goddess saw her statue glow.

"Artemis", Orion spoke weakly to her concern.

Her heart sank. "Orion? What's going on?"

"A giant scorpion..... stabbed me, but I killed it. I don't have much time left", he breathed heavily.

She fought back her tears. "I will be right there! Don't you die on me!"

She ran across the battlefield to Aphrodite who gave her some dust. Artemis threw some dust on the ground and ran through the portal. Her pupils shook from what she saw.

Orion clutching his chest wound and the giant scorpion's lifeless body nearby with its tail cut off. He fought to stay awake.

She cupped his face. "Stay with me! I'm going to get the poison out."

"I should have....listened to you."

"Don't talk like that! I'm not losing you. I'm not losing you."

Her hands lit up. She transferred the venom from his chest into a jar. His breathing was shallow from losing a lot of blood. She placed a hand on his chest as he nodded off.

"Don't die. Stay with me!"

Her golden aura entered into his body. The open wound closed up. She placed her head against his forehead and gave more of her energy to save his life. She checked his vitals.

Thump Thump.

A strong heartbeat which made her cry. Happy tears ran down his body until she fell asleep....

She stirred awake from the pleasant feeling on her head. Orion brushing through her hair. Her enhanced vision told her that he's now healthy.

"You saved my life. I'm sorry to worry you like that."

She quickly jumped off of him. "I'm just glad that you're alright. Can you get up?"

Orion took his time, using the tree as support. "I'm sorry to take you away from the war like that. You were probably busy."

"It's fine. I almost lost my closest rival. No, I almost lost-"

She couldn't get herself to say it, but Orion knew what she was going to say.

She turned away from him. "I need to get back to Troy."

"Artemis, wait. Since I almost died, let me tell you what I wanted to capture. I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't tell you."

She stopped to listen.

"The one thing I want to capture without hurting is...your heart."

A smile almost formed on her face. Her heart raced faster than the winds.

"I like your confident, yet bashful side. That warm smile. Your laugh. When Echo played that song, I thought about our future together. I know you're a goddess of chastity and I'm not asking you to give that up. I know you may not receive my feelings, but at least-"

"Stop. Don't finish that. I can't be with you even if you told me. You can be with anyone, Orion. Don't say it."

Her golden aura rose to make him back away. The weight of the aura made him get down on all fours and he gripped the ground to hold himself.

"Artemis, I lo-

"STOP!", she screamed with tears in her eyes. With a wave of her hand, her aura did something she didn't intend.

Standing in Orion's place was a large stag with a large belt wrapped around its waist. It broke her heart.

The stag looked at her. He goes to tell his feelings for her, but what came out was a long, soft grunt. He tried again, but the same thing happened. His eyes caught a glimpse in the puddle that gripped his full attention. He counted in his head four feet and the face of an animal. He jumped back in fright.

His eyes asked her what just happened. He bleated, but Artemis couldn't understand what he was saying. The first time she was unable to understand an animal's cry.

She touched his antlers with glowing hands to undo the spell. The transformation couldn't be undone no matter how many times she tried.

"Orion, I'm going to get someone to remove this curse."

She took out a totem that belonged to an enemy of the other side.

"Sister, please come to me. I need you", she almost cried.

Athena appeared within a flash of light. The glowing light of her helmet told her everything that just happened. She touched the stag's antlers, but it's not working to her surprise.

"What's wrong? Why isn't it working?", Artemis asked with haste.

Athena's helmet told her something new. "The Sisters of Fate have predicted this would happen and it can't be undone."

The huntress stumbled over to Orion and held him tightly while weeping.

Her wails could be heard from the temple.

Athena walked away. "I will have my forces retreat for now while you collect yourself. Something you should know. Because you put your energy into him, no mortal nor creature can kill him no matter how strong they are. He's protected by what you did."

Artemis checked Orion to find that she is right. At least, he won't die despite the curse.

She quickly hugged her sister. "Thank you", she said softly.

Athena left within a flash of light back to the battlefield. Artemis turned to Orion with regret that turned into a furious kick against a tree.

Orion came up and rested his head on her shoulder. She embraced him until it was time to get back.

After the Trojan War and the "disappearance" of the remaining Trojans, Artemis went back to her temple at night and was comforted by her followers. Orion also appeared. He used his snout to wipe away her tears on her face. She cried herself to sleep with Orion by her side. She woke up to see he never left her side. She gently stroke his fur.

"Thank you, my love", she whispered.

Orion's ears perked up when she said that. He pressed his snout against her forehead as if it was a kiss. She held him there so he wouldn't move.....

The aura display disappears from the present.

Tears hit the grass like heavy arrows. "Some months later and Orion never got turned back. I had to make a deal to save lives and....I had to kill Orion as part of it."

Shock gets Takashi and Helena to hold her hands.

"I didn't want to do it. I asked them to leave Orion out of it, but they left me no choice because they would have sacrificed all my followers in his place. Orion accepted his death and I hate myself that I couldn't save him."

"Who made that awful deal with you?", Taki asks.

"Athena", she sadly growls from her throat.

Takashi's energy rises to its peak which startles Helena. He pulls it back in.

"Artemis, it's not your fault. She has committed too many crimes against the people I care about. I don't care how powerful she is, if she gets in my-"

"Don't finish that sentence. You have no idea what she's capable of. Plus, would you go through with killing again?", the huntress questions him.

Helena is shocked from hearing that about him.

His lips open, but guilt stops the words from coming out.

"Athena will be dealt with in due time. Focus on getting home. I appreciate your care for me, Takashi. Get some sleep because tomorrow I will put you through the ringer."

Helena hugs her mother figure tightly and they go to sleep in Helena's tent. Takashi goes into his tent and tries to sleep. He leaves a voice message on his phone before turning it off.

     "Penelope, I've been learning a lot about the mythology you teach. I see why you dislike Athena. She's despicable in every way.......Oh, I made progress in my training. I feel like I'm getting closer to you this way. I love you, my bronze goddess. Keep thinking of me like I do for you."

He goes to sleep with worry about the goddess. He hopes his niece won't lose anymore of her family.