TW: implied SA and there's some not so nice language ahead. I'll give a warning specifically when so you guys can skip ahead if you want. ❤️

"Dad wants to talk to you," Apollo warned as Artemis returned from the farm later the next afternoon. Whenever Zeus wanted to address her directly, Artemis knew it wasn't a good thing. Often times it devolved into an insensible conversation full of logical fallacies on his part.
"When?" Artemis asked, tucking her hands nervously in her pockets.
"Tonight," Apollo remarked, finding it difficult to meet his sister's gaze. Something had happened. Whatever it was, Artemis wasn't sure but she didn't like her brother's demeanor. He was quiet and withdrawn unlike normal. Part of her wanted to pry, the other part figured it might be best not to.
"Thanks for letting me know. How was work?" Artemis asked, hoping to break Apollo out of his shell.
"Boring as always," He shrugged, studying a worn medical book with care. He'd been trying to move away from being an apprentice at the bank but their father was against Apollo's studies. Artemis didn't understand why Zeus couldn't just find another apprentice and let Apollo be happy, but it seemed that their father's goal was only to make people miserable. He was particularly good at it.
"Right." Nodding, Artemis moved towards the small cupboards. Perhaps she could ease Zeus' foul mood by making dinner. It was one of her least favorite jobs to do but it would be worth it if a simple meal helped fix his attitude problem.
Washing her hands, Artemis set to work with what little ingredients they had. Hermes' trading post was supposed to come in towards the end of the month. If they could hang on until then, all would be well.
Slowly, Artemis lost track of time until the door creaked open and a set of heavy boots crossed the threshold. She was conscious of her father's footsteps as he ventured into the small kitchen and abruptly stopped.
"Well I'll be damned. You finally made it back home." Zeus snorted, tossing his hat onto the table and shedding his overcoat. "At least you made yourself useful."
"Nice to see you too," Artemis muttered, retrieving a set of plates and silverware to set the table.
"Apollo, put that away," Zeus grunted, messing with the pages to Apollo's book. With a frown, the blonde reluctantly dog eared the page he was on and set the book aside. "Artemis, take a seat."
"Wait a moment," she replied, passing Apollo his dinner and moving to get her own. She didn't care if she served Zeus or not.
"Now," came the demand. Swallowing tightly, Artemis plastered a false smile on her face and took her place at the table. "Apollo take your dinner upstairs would you?"
The blonde looked skeptically between his father and his sister. It was clear he wasn't comfortable at leaving but it was best to avoid an argument. With a silent nod, Apollo stood and took his plate with him. For a while, Zeus said nothing. Artemis figured he wanted to make her uncomfortable and as much as she hated to admit it-it was working.
"Did you want what I made, or-"
"I'll get it myself. That's not important right now," Zeus replied, leaning forward in his seat. His dirty and calloused hands were clasped together on the table. "Where have you been lately?"
"Out and about," Artemis shrugged, not finding it necessary to elaborate.
"Come on," Zeus scoffed, "you expect me to accept that vague of an answer?"
"Yeah, I do," Artemis frowned, leaning forward to match her father's intimidating position. She watched him carefully and Zeus' eyes narrowed in challenge.
"It's my job to know where you go," he grumbled.
"You never cared before, so why now?" Artemis asked, arching a brow. "Are the rumors getting to you?"
(TW starts now. Read at your own risk my friends. Please be safe)
"The rumors tell me more than you do."
"And you believe them?" Artemis laughed, leaning back in her seat.
"Rumors have truth to them," he argued, voice harsh and strained. "From what I've been told my daughter is running around being a whore."
Artemis struggled to bite back a laugh. She shouldn't have been as amused let alone as shocked as she was that such a rumor had now taken root. The people of Olympus wanted to believe anything they could about her.
"A whore? Really? And whose telling you that?" Artemis asked, a slight smirk playing at the edges of her lips.
"This isn't funny. I didn't raise you to be a slut of a daughter. In fact, a lot of your behavior makes sense to me now," Zeus scowled. He paused in his little theatrical speech to run a hand through his beard before hesitantly but aggressively continuing. "Are you pregnant?"
"What?!" Artemis exclaimed, blinking in surprise at the leap of logic. "No!"
"Be honest," Zeus insisted, studying his daughter with an intent gaze.
"You want me to be honest? Fine, I'm a virgin you bastard," Artemis glared pointedly at him.
"No you're not."
"I didn't have a choice in that," she replied, the venom in her voice faltering. "You know that."
"That's not what Orion said and he's a bright young man. You're lucky he never charged you-" Zeus' eyes widened in surprise as Artemis got to her feet in a fit of passion.
"For defending myself?!" She scoffed. "Get a load of yourself. You'd believe him?"
"He doesn't lie. He's a man of the law," Zeus replied.
"He's a man!" Artemis argued, her voice now close to a yell. "He's lucky I didn't kill him."
"Then you'd be a murderer and in jail."
"Like you? It must run in the family," Artemis scowled, pushing her chair away so hard it fell over.
"I've never killed anyone," Zeus protested, standing to block his daughter's path to the door.
"Move," Artemis demanded.
"No. You're not running away this time. You're going to tell me the truth." For once, Artemis refused to retreat no matter how physical her father became. Meeting his gaze with a fiery look of her own she pushed past his bulky frame with a well placed elbow in the side.
As her hand settled on the door handle, large hands grasped her by the shoulders and spun her about. Artemis' back pressed painfully into the door with the handle jabbing uncomfortably into her spine. She'd been in this position before. With hands on her that didn't belong there. She could feel the anger radiating off her father but it was no different than Orion's that fateful night. It was passion in an ugly form.
Reacting as she had once before, Artemis lashed out trying to break free and being painfully aware of the way her skin felt like it was on fire.
"Stop it. Stop!" Zeus' words fell on deaf ears and in a fit of frustration and anger he too lashed out. As Artemis wriggled free of his hold and made a desperate attempt to escape through the door, his fist crashed into her cheek. The force of the punch sent her tumbling down the porch steps and into the dirt.
Blood dripped from her nose to stain the ground red. The sight was exactly as it had been before. She realized there was a reason Zeus would believe Orion. He'd have done the same thing that the blasted sheriff did years ago. And for a moment, Artemis wondered if that's how she'd been born. If the only reason her mother even stayed with Zeus was because of some nefarious deed.
"Call me a whore," Artemis muttered, shakily getting to her feet, "but never call me a liar."
Zeus stood completely still in the doorway. A stoic expression on his face as he watched Artemis stagger off towards the stables.
"Run all you want. This is your home," Zeus called after her as she gently woke Stella and expertly saddled up.
"This place isn't a home," Artemis spat, as she regarded the man in the doorway who she once called father. Stella huffed angrily at Zeus before racing off at Artemis' command. The rhythm of the ride was somewhat soothing, but Artemis was lost in thought. Old and dangerous memories were now raw and new.
(TW Over)
— — —
"Cowboy!" Calypso grinned from ear to ear as she swung open the door and tackled Artemis in a hug. The touch would have been comforting once upon a time but all it did was cause the auburn haired girl to go rigid in posture.
"Cally," Zoë spoke gently, hesitantly pulling her sister away. "Not now. Go on to bed."
"What? Why?" Calypso frowned, grudgingly letting go.
"Grown up talk," Zoë explained, noticing Artemis' true condition more than young Calypso would. The small girl was oblivious to the blood staining Artemis' nose, lip, and cheek. Or the way her thin frame shook uncontrollably and how her eyes seemed unable to focus on anything. And Calypso certainly didn't notice the trail of tears leaving tracks on Artemis' face.
With a huff Calypso obeyed and Zoë shut the door behind her younger sister. She didn't say anything for some time until Artemis seemed to register that she was no longer being touched. Relaxing ever so slightly the cowgirl managed to choke out a sentence.
"I didn't know where else to go."
"I know," Zoë nodded, for once seeing an ounce of fear in the usually fearless visitor's eyes. It was a side to Artemis that genuinely worried her. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"You'd probably agree with him," Artemis whispered, wiping hastily at her eyes with trembling hands.
"Try me." Reaching out, Zoë very carefully took Artemis' hands in her own, "you'd be surprised."
With a nod, Artemis took a few shaky breathes before explaining what had lead her to the farmgirl's doorstep once more. Zoë didn't interrupt. She simply listened to what Artemis said and made sure the other girl remembered she wasn't in danger anymore.
"I can't go back," Artemis rasped. "God, I hate them. I hate them both."
Once more, the cowgirl tried to hide her tears but Zoë embraced her. "I believe you. It wasn't your fault."
"I can't help but feel like I should be thankful I got lucky and nothing came of it," Artemis whispered. "That the only consequence was a bad memory or two. That I should be saying thank you to whatever powers there are that it wasn't worse."
"You don't owe anyone anything. No matter what they say there's nothing you did that made you deserve any bit of what happened." Zoë assured, feeling a new wave of tears settle on her shoulder. It would have been a strange feeling if she hadn't comforted Calypso like this before.
"Then why does it feel like I'm losing my mind and everyone else is right? Like I did deserve it?" Artemis sobbed, abandoning her reservations and adjusting her hold on the farm girl. The cowgirl clung to Zoë like her life depended on it.
"Because they're men," Zoë replied. She now understood why Artemis had been so hell bent on protecting Calypso from Lycaon despite their short friendship. In fact, a lot about Artemis was starting to make sense whether Zoë liked it or not.
Artemis was the type of person who didn't belong. She didn't belong with her people let alone her own family. She was everything no one wanted so she was used to being turned away. It was why, despite Zoë's best efforts, the damned cowgirl kept coming around. Artemis had grown numb to being rejected. So much so she didn't even care if no one wanted her. And all this time it was Calypso, a young girl with no true understanding of the world who saw something in Artemis worth admiring.
In a way, Zoë saw herself in the other girl. She knew her father didn't want her. Knew he never wanted kids but they just happened to be accidents that occurred. Zoë wasn't wanted at Olympus either and she was certainly unwanted by higher circles in the east no matter her father's  connections. The only person that wanted her was Calypso and maybe, in a strange way, Artemis.
"Stay," Zoë sighed, not sure what exactly she was committing to. "I can't send you off back home. It wouldn't be fair."
"I don't want to trouble you," Artemis sniffled, worriedly pulling back from their extended embrace.
"You've already done that plenty of times before," the farm girl joked, offering a small smile in sentiment. "Stay as long as you like just help around the farm. Deal?"
Artemis wearily took the other girl's outstretched hand and shook. She was surprised that despite the callouses, Zoë's hand was rather soft.
"Thank you," Artemis tried to smile but she couldn't. She was drained physically and emotionally.
"Don't mention it. Get some rest okay? You can take my room since Cally's already asleep," Zoë decided.
"What about you?" The cowgirl worried.
"I'll use it as an excuse to snuggle Cally," Zoë mused. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Right," Artemis nodded, hesitantly heading inside. She made her way slowly through the house before arriving to a small faintly lit room. The bed was slightly larger than Calypso's with a handmade patched quilt laying atop it. There was a dark oak dresser tucked in the corner and a chest at the foot of the bed. Against one wall was the Spanish guitar Zoë had played. A single painting decorated the only other unoccupied wall. It was a creek of sorts with deer sipping at the blue water.
Overall it was plain, but that was okay. To Artemis, it was nice. Feeling the weight of the day finally creep into her bones, she did her best to carefully wipe away any remaining tears or blood on her face before awkwardly crawling beneath the sheets and quilt. It was strange to sleep in someone else's bed, but she couldn't fathom returning home to her own.
With a weary sigh, she closed her eyes and attempted to sleep. It took some time, but what she found to be comforting more than anything was the scent of fresh air, damp soil, and the faint smell of soap. It took Artemis a moment to realize that the scent had become somewhat familiar to her, and it belonged specifically to Zoë. Somehow it had taken her this long to even realize it, but once she did she felt safe. Safer than she would back home.
Battling the resurgence of old wounds and bad memories, Artemis focused heavily on this new set of smells until any trace of her past was chased away. At last she could rest. Somewhere that maybe wasn't perfect, but was more of a home than the one she'd been born in.