Chapter 2: The Deer and the Predators

So this is gonna be the romance chapter, they all fall in love and get married. Obviously theres gonna be some timeskips because i cant write a many year love story out and still have it be one chapter.

Chapter 2: The Deer and the Predators

When the council disbanded, Perseus and his sister Aphrodite fled to the only unclaimed territory, the wild North. The supposed Land Beyond the Gods. There they fled into the treeline and were never seen again. 

Artemis however took a different approach at first. Being that they were twins, Artemis and Apollo agreed to form an alliance. A pact of co-rulership. The King and Queen of Olympus weren't to be married, but twins.

The twins were quick to snatch up as much land from the Woodlands and Goldenfields as they could. They ended up with one of the largest realms, rivalling even Ares to the south. Artemis handled the governing, Apollo the people.

Their arrangement was perfect, Artemis got what she wanted and was able to be a ruler, while Apollo got what he wanted in using the realm's treasury for his own luxuries. The silver queen and golden king had it going good.

Well, until the golden king wanted more than being golden. He wanted to truly be king, too.

So he hatched a coup d'état. Apollo paid a small force of soldiers to storm into his sisters chambers and seize her. At knifepoint he forced her to give up her titles and took the throne for himself and himself alone. Once he was done with that, Apollo gave his sister to the soldiers as payment rather than give up more gold.

Thankfully, Artemis was more capable than that. As the men made to assault her she headbutted the one with the knife whose guard had been let down by the change of plans. Her cruel brother swirled around in shock as she swung another guard into a third. With the knife from the first guard she slashed the fourth one's throat and then leapt on the fifth.

"Morietur, proditor canis! Morietur! Morietur! Morietur!" She roared, plunging the Othryc steel blade into the soldier's heart repeatedly. With all his guards dead, Apollo grabbed a chair to defend himself. "Guards! Guards! Help! She's trying to kill me!" He cried as Artemis got up to take her revenge.

Within seconds a group of guards burst in the chambers wielding spears and swords and other weapons her knife couldn't combat. Seeing no way of surviving a fight or killing her brother, Artemis did the smart thing and fled, jumping out of her third story window and damaging her ankle from the fall.

Using her powers as a hunter goddess, Artemis snuck past the patrols out looking for her, utilizIng the shadows and back alleys of their city to make it to the wall. All the gates were shut so her only chance of escape was scaling the walls and jumping over to freedom.

It was hard with her busted ankle, but Artemis managed to crawl over and run for the nearest woodland. Realising his sister was no longer a threat, Apollo happily went back to his whores and baths without a second thought.

This is perhaps the most damning evidence of what these thrones did to the gods, how they corrupted them, but unfortunately for Artemis her brother would cover it up. Forever would she be known by her former realm as the Traitor Queen, and to escape persecution she fled the only place she knew no one would find her. The North.

It was in the North that they first encountered each other. An arrow struck the heart of the tree Aphrodite was seated beside, reading a tattered old book. The goddess of love jolted in shock and looked around worriedly. She had no idea who had fired that until she looked at the arrow and saw… silver?

"Aphrodite?" She heard a familiar voice from the treeline. The top of the treeline to be exact. A figure dropped from the trees and hit the ground with a surprising lack of sound, getting up and looking at her confusedly.

"Ar…. Artemis?" Aphrodite dropped her book in surprise. The familiar goddess showed herself, staring at the love goddess with confusion. She looked different to when Aph had last seen her half a decade ago. Her hair had many silver streaks through it and she had a tattoo on the left side of her neck of an arrow. Her face was even more scarred and she looked more solemn without the look of shock present on her face currently.

Aphrodite slowly stood up and got a better look at her. "By the gods… it is you!" She launched forward into a hug, catching the moon goddess off guard. Artemis didn't know how to react as this goddess she never really got along with hugged her. "Um, how are you here?" The daughter of Leto asked her older counterpart.

Aphrodite pulled away and looked her over. "I could ask the same of you, but there's no time for that right now. We must go see Percy." She said, taking her hand and leading her off.

Artemis was still wary of people after her brother's deception and she slapped Aph's hand away. "Woah! I am not going anywhere." She stood her ground, making Aph roll her eyes. "Godsdamnit. You need to. We can get you sorted. We have food, bath, fresh clothing, beds, everything you need. Come!" She urged, but Artemis stayed firm.

"Why should I trust you? Because we happened to meet again? No thanks, I'm not in favor of getting poisoned, imprisoned and/or tortured. You go, I will not follow." She shook her head. Aphrodite's face was deadpan. "But Arty, dear, you smell like a barrel of fish. Please just take me up on my offer. I promise not to hurt you." She pouted, having no effect on Artemis.

It took way more convincing for Artemis to follow her back to the 'city'. A town the size of one of her villages back in Artemis’ old kingdom. It had measly walls and all the buildings were wooden, with snow piled everywhere. She had absolutely no idea how Aphrodite wasn’t freezing in her dress.

The past few weeks had gotten her used to the cold, she had even managed to skim some warm clothes off a travelling caravan with threats of unleashing her armies on them. Fortunately the caravan hadn’t yet received the news of Artemis’ desertion and handed over some spare winter clothes in fear.

They reached the keep, which Artemis was glad had torches and fires in every room to keep its inhabitants warm. There weren't many inhabitants though, a few dozen servants out of the measly couple-thousand populated city outside.

Aphrodite led Artemis into a room which appeared to be a sitting room. There was a fireplace and a few leather chairs and Aphrodite told Artemis to seat herself. The goddess reluctantly did so and Aphrodite left the room, apparently intent on getting Perseus.

As she was left in the room Artemis thought over the situation. Aphrodite and Perseus, who had been missing for years, were just sitting all cozy in the North while the entire Immortal world remained at war with each other. It was kinda smart. No one, no one, knew they were up here. They could just avoid all the tension and politics of the south and still live the good life. Artemis should have been overthrown and fled to the North sooner.

Aphrodite came back quickly but this time she was not alone. A tall man was with her, one she barely recognized. Perseus, son of Poseidon, god of swordsmanship, tides, heroes, war, animals and snow, the fifteenth Olympian.

The god had his usual black hair but this time there was a silver streak in it near the front, not unlike Artemis'. His usually jovial sea-green eyes were less happy and more dense. His tan skin had paled likely due to this new environment of cold and no sun.

"Artemis?" Percy said in confusion as he walked over to her, checking the goddess from a distance for any injuries. Artemis was unsure what to say, she and Perseus had never been close and she didn't dislike him the same way she did every other male. He had never earned her distrust or hatred, in fact she had heard plenty of things that swayed her to the opposite end of the spectrum.

"Hello." She said simply, watching as he stepped closer to talk about what had happened to her..

It was a fast couple months as the three grew closer together. Aphrodite and Perseus were close, far closer than Artemis realised, but she had been connecting with the two in ways she'd never imagined she could. I mean, how likely is that the man-hating virgin goddess would become close friends with the goddess of love and develop feelings for a man?

That's right, Artemis felt she might be in love. She was worried about it too, anxious. She had never experienced something like this before and the feeling of what she kept denying was love felt like Hellfire tearing her up from the inside.

So when she felt like she was about to burst and flood the entire city with godly fire, Artemis knew it was time to woman up and tell him. She got out of bed late in the night and roamed the halls, making her way to Percy's room with nothing except the nightclothes she was wearing.

When she arrived she noticed there was a light coming from inside so she assumed he was still awake. Without knocking she pushed open the door and was taken aback by what she saw. Aphrodite and Perseus were… on each other.

"Oh…" A small exclamation escaped her lips as a whisper and, completely disheartened and admittedly crushed, she turned and tried to sneak out of the room without either of them knowing she'd ever been there. Unfortunately for her, Percy heard her small whisper and stopped what he was doing, looking to the side. "Artemis?!" He asked in shock.

Artemis was surprised he heard her and didn't know what to say. As both Aphrodite and Perseus looked at her she got cold feet and ran off. "Shit!" Percy exclaimed, leaving Aphrodite and grabbing a coat so he could run after her. Aphrodite was left nude on his bed and slightly offended as he ran off to chase after her in the cold night.

Artemis ran through the halls, trying to find her way back to her room, but Perseus knew these halls better than her and managed to cut the goddess off. "Artemis!" Percy stopped her, regaining his breath as the nervous goddess avoided his gaze. "What's wrong?" He asked.

In truth he was worried. He had no idea of Artemis' feelings towards him, but he reciprocated them, and he worried that she would never be interested if she thought he was in love with only Aphrodite. While yes he did have feelings for the love goddess too, he didn't want to miss out on a potential relationship with this great woman before him.

Artemis struggled to answer, contemplating whether or not to be honest. It was a huge risk, as he'd either not reciprocate her feelings and things between them woulf forever be strange, but he could also reciprocate them… but then again, she did just catch him with Aphrodite.

"I think I love you." Artemis blurted out suddenly, and as she heard herself not mentally but audibly her eyes widened and she cupped two hands over her mouth in shock. She prayed to all gods that she didn't really just say that, but judging by Percy's equally shocked expression she knew her fate was sealed.

"I…" Percy started, but Artemis quickly cut him off. "I should go." She said quietly and turned, making to move before her arm was grabbed by Percy and his overbearing strength made her stop in her tracks.

She looked back and he had a conflicted and upset expression. "Artemis… I think…" He laughed slightly. "I think I love you too."

Artemis' heart dropped in a good way. This felt like one of those stories where the princess and the knight fall in love. She felt as though he were about to pick her up and seat her on the back of his steed so they could ride off into the sunset together. Only an outcome like that is too perfect for a world with the gods in it.

"But I'm promised to Aphrodite." He dropped the bombshell on her quick, making the young goddess' eyes widen. "Wh-what? But you just said-" She was cut off by the man in front og her.

"I know what I said, Artemis… and I meant it." He added as an afterthought, before continuing. "But I promised myself to Aphrodite months ago, before I developed these feelings for you. I promised I would marry her and we would rule as king and queen of thr North. I'm sorry, but… I'm a man of my word, Artemis." He apologized, looking down in shame.

Artemis had tears in her eyes, not wanting this perfect ending to slip through her fingers. "Marry us both then! I can kill her while she sleeps? Please, Percy…" She nearly begged, willing to do anything if this was her only shot at the feeling of love that had evaded her for over three millennia.

"I'm happy with the first option." They heard a voice to the left, and both heads snapped in that direction. None other than Aphrodite stood there, bare as the day she walked out of the scallop shell. Her black hair draped over her shoulders perfectly and her universal eyes sparkled in the torchlight. She walked over to Artemis and inspected the much younger goddess with a smirk.

"I always wanted to see how you were in bed but for some reason your damned virginity oath always held you away from other women. Perhaps a… demonstration of how you would be able to treat Perseus would convince me?" She suggested with a sly smirk. Artemis was dumbfounded, and Percy nearly dropped the large cloth he was covering himself with.

"Aph… you would do that? For me?" He asked in shock. He knew the love goddess was into all different manner of things but to share a husband? With her immortal enemy no less?

Aphrodite shook her head. "No. Not for you. For both of you. It is too young to be dubbed true love but… for Artemis here to have grown feelings for you, it must be something special. Who am I, the goddess of love, to deny such an attraction? At the end of the day, I will be married to Perseus no matter what, so it doesn't bother me to have to share him. It would be interesting for all three of us to participate at once." She once again suggested with the bisexual hints that Artemis had no idea her feelings on.

And so it was, in a bout of joy Perseus promised his left hand to Artemis in marriage, and to Aphrodite his right hand. The god sealed both proposals with a kiss on their lips. For Aphrodite it was nothing too special, for Artemis it was groundbreaking. Her first kiss and she felt like she was ready to fade and become one with Cosmos.

In only a matter of weeks the three were ready, and in the Great Hall of their keep, where the tables had been pushed to the sides and replaced with crowds of their future subjects, the entire North was ready for the wedding and coronation of their king and queens.

One by one they arrived, decked in the attire of their godly forms materialized. 

First, Perseus wearing his black armor with sea-green trims, freshly polished and with his hair actually brushed for once. Despite it being a peaceful occasion, his trusty blade Anaklusmos was sheathed on his hip and the shield of his newborn house was strapped to his back.

Then came Artemis, clad in her hunting garments, consisting of a hide skirt and top piece to cover her breasts. Being that it was the Northlands where the snow is common and the sun is rarer than blue bear shit, she also had the fur of an ox draped around her shoulders. To top it off, the parts of her body that weren't covered by the hunting gear, namely her abdomen, arms and legs, were decorated with red markings to represent her. Her legs bore the Flight of the Eagle with pride, her arms wore the Strength of the Bear with courage, her stomach displayed the Grace of the Stag with honor and her back showed the Skill of the Fox with dignity.

Finally Aphrodite arrived, and many a young man were lost in daydreams as she walked the path to her soon-to-be husband and wife. Her white dress trailed along behind her and it appeared as though she was gliding towardd them. Her face was angelic and the dress made accentuated how her body was the most desirable in the land. 

All three met in the middle, Perseus standing facing the main door for the Great Hall while Artemis stood to his left and Aphrodite to his right, both looking at him smiling. He offered both his hands and they held on, waiting for the ceremony to be done and for them to be wed.

Under the watchful eyes of Chaos, Ouranos and all those lost as constellations, the three said their vows, promising never to stray from each other, hurt each other and to love each other unconditionally. Once they were proclaimed husband and wives, it was time for the coronation.

The wise one, an old woman who acted as a chief advisor to the villages in the area and what was soon to be the capital city of a new kingdom, was the one to crown them. She had with her a sack of dye and next to her a man stood with the three crowns ready.

The woman went to Aphrodite first. The kneeling goddess had her eyes closed as the wise one dipped her thumb in the bag and brought it to Aphrodite's face. She drew a line under her bottom lip to her chin and another two under her eyes. To top it off she had one simple V-shape on her forehead in between her brow. "Aphrodite, Snake-Tongue, First of her Name, Queen of the Northlanders, Lady of the House of Beauty." She declared, taking the tiara from the servants hand and placing it on Aphrodite's head. Silver and rubied.

She walked over past Percy to Artemis. Once again she dipped her thumb in but this time she would draw a different style on Aryemis' face. Two horizontal lines on her forehead with little notches sticking out of the top of them, smaller in the center and longer on the outer side of the lines. She drew circles around Artemis' eyes and made a pattern on one side of her neck. "Artemis, Stag-Whisperer, First of her Name, Queen of the Northlanders, Lady of the House of the Hunt." She cried, and this time the crown was silver with emeralds adorning it.

Finally, Percy. With her thumb she slashed over both eyes, leaving two vertical lines running over them like battle scars. Three fingers she dipped them and she wiped them on both sides of his neck like fish gills. On the outsides of his eyes she made hooks stretching out from the edge of his eyes to the sides of his head and then curling back around. "Perseus, Wolf-Born, First of his Name, King of the Northlanders, Lord of the House of Heroes." The final crown was gold and had sapphires embedded in the cricular plate.

As the three were coronated, they stood to be met with cheers of fealty. The men and women of the North here today, a representative from every region of the Northlands, cried their allegiance to the King Wolf-Born, the Queen Stag-Whisperer and the Queen Snake-Tongue. All these minor gods, demigods, spirits and humans who were no less than refugees of the Immortal Lands were now united under a new kingdom, one the world would come to fear, praise and admire.

It was a night of feasting, dancing and partying for the entire city. Even Artemis had been persuaded by her husband for a dance in front of everyone in the hall. Aphrodite had made sure to supply the three of them with as little wine and mead as necessary, as she wanted the coming night to be the one they eternally remembered.

And oh what a night it was.

Perseus conceived his first three children in that night alone, a pair of fierce twins he bore by Artemis named Larissa and Calix and a beautiful daughter by Aphrodite he named Selena. The night was memorable and pleasurable for the royal trio as they consummated the marriage.

Aphrodite had gone first to show Artemis how it was done, and then when her womanhood had been filled with his seed she got up and let Artemis have a turn. The love goddess sat on the bed and guided Artemis through the pain as Percy took her maidenhood. She whispered soothing words into her ear and kissed all over her body and massaged her untouched breasts. Truly living up to the title of Snake-Tongue.

Percy made sure his auburn-haired wife had also taken his seed and then the three continued to bask in each other's love, their moans of pleasure being heard down the hall well into the early hours of the morning. Artemis had never felt an orgasm before, but by the end of the night her husband's manhood and her wife's touch had brought her dozens.

The next winter came and Artemis gave birth first to the twins, eldest girl Larissa and boy Calix. They would go on to earn the epithets of Larissa the Black and Calix the Red respectively based on the color of their hair. Merely a few days after that and despite being conceived first, Aphrodite birthed a beautiful baby girl also of the black hair and sea-green eyes named Selena, though this girl had the face of her father whereas Larissa took hers from Artemis. Selena's future title would be Selena Water-Blade based on the way she moved and her fluidity in battle.

Artemis and Aphrodite would bear five children each from Perseus by the time this story truly starts. Aphrodite gave him two sons while Artemis never had another after Calix. Instead the trio were blessed with seven daughters, five of the black hair, one of auburn and one of a light blue, which downplayed Larissa and Calix's titles a bit.

By Artemis he sired Larissa the Black, Calix the Red, Kaylee the Huntress, Lyanna Lion-Kissed and Sapphire Snake-Eyed. The first three were all teenaged while Lyanna a girl of eight and Sapphire a babe of five seasons.

By Aphrodite he sired Selena Water-Blade, Atronex Sand-Skin, Leonius the Spear, Kali the Snow-Gem and Avrina the Skin-Taker. All of them were teens and were said to be as enchanting as their mother, and equally as cunning.

Sticking to her old ways, Artemis reformed the Hunters of Artemis - the oath optional this time for obvious reasons - and took in orphaned girls all over the North as her champions. She then gave them a list of names and sent them all around the Immortal Lands in secret, tracking down her old members and offering the position once again. Most accepted and travelled back North with the messenger and their new sister. Some had already fallen in love or even had families and so politely declined but sent their best wishes. Some of them even took their loves and families North to escape the looming threat of war. A few of her hunters were never able to be tracked down, and one had actually become a member of Ares' court which surprised and worried Artemis at the same time, but she dared not risk sending a messenger and alerting the entire land to her presence in the North.

Aphrodite had done the same thing, but asked for her children to come North to her. Most of them refused, however. Not many liked the sound of a tundra and like with Artemis' Hunters many had settled down by this point. Reportedly many of the whores in Ares and Apollo's lands were daughters of Aphrodite, strange enough.

Unbeknownst to the rest of Olympus, a new kingdom had been formed, three new houses bearing the symbols and words they would come to dread.

The Rose - To Seduce and Subject

The Bow and Arrow - Thrill of the Hunt

The Cursed Blade - Honor, Valor and Loyalty

I think in done that chapter then. Ill post this when i get wifi cause i dont wanna run outta data cause my dad will get mad. Hopefully i posted the bsc chapter before this cause otherwise whoops sorry page.

Word Count: 4208