I had failed as a father, I already knew that.
My two sons had finally started to mend the rift between them and now this had happened.
Now, I had failed as a king.
Tears slipped silently down my face and I covered my eyes with my hands.
It should have been my son mourning me. Not me mourning my son. I shouldn’t have had to listen to my wife mourn our boy.
4
Victor
I sat dozing in one of the chairs in the room where Ares’ and Artemis’ bodies lay. I had fed and returned quickly, not wanting to miss Ares’ return. Two more hours had passed, and I was quickly losing my ability to stay awake.
Hades gasped. “Victor! He’s coming back.”
I was alert and instantly on my feet. Koda climbed down from where he had been lying at Artemis’ feet and stood beside me, facing Ares’ body. We stood side by side, both rigid in anticipation and worry. Hades closed his eyes in concentration and grunted just as Ares took a gasping breath and sat up.
His eyes met mine, and he whispered, “Find me a steak.”
Koda whined and wagged his tail, and Ares frowned down at him. “You thought I wouldn’t come back?”
Koda flattened his ears to his head and crawled on his belly towards Ares.
Ares set his hand on Koda’s head and smiled. “I would not leave you alone, Brother.” Ares turned and looked at Artemis’ still body a moment before looking at me with a small smile. “She’s pregnant.”
I stared at him a moment before comprehending what he had said. Had he forgotten what had happened? Had he dreamed instead of going to Death’s realm?
“Ares, she’s not alive,” I whispered to him.
He waved his hand dismissively at me. “She will be in a little bit. I just need to take her outside so she can be resurrected.”
“Resurrected?” I asked.
He stood slowly, testing his body, and whispered, “Death agreed to let me have both of their souls back.”
That was not uncommon. Many had traveled to Death and had a life returned, but all was done at an extreme cost. “What price was asked of you?”
Ares walked to Artemis and stroked her hair, looking at her with so much love that it felt like an invasion to even witness him next to her.
“Ares, what price was asked of you?” I asked again.
He picked her body up in his arms and cradled her against his chest. “Come, their souls need to return to her body.”
I grabbed his arm and his lips pulled back over his teeth as he snarled at me.
“Ares, tell me,” I insisted.
He smiled. “None, because I demanded their souls back as the God of War.” His smile became darker and he said, “And I smelled Death’s fear.”
I stared at him in astonishment. “You think Death will leave it at that?”
Ares smiled brightly and said, “I will deal with that when the time comes. For now, let’s go enjoy the moonlight and the last bit of quiet before Artemis wakes up.”
The joy on his face, the absurdity of everything that was happening, it broke the shell of worry surrounding me.
With a chuckle, I followed him out of the room.
5
Ares
I hated Artemis feeling, smelling, and looking so dead in my arms. I hurried from the room, out of the catacombs, through the cathedral, and out to the open grassy area outside.
My mind was still reeling from the conversation with Death, but that was something I didn’t have to worry about for a long time. For now, I had only to focus on Artemis and our child inside of her.
I laid her down on the grass and Draco Blu approached.
His huge body towered over us both, his scales gleaming in the fading sunlight, and yet his eyes were soft as he looked down at my mate. “What happened?” he asked.
I smiled at him. “I came to an agreement with Death. Artemis will be alive again as soon as the moon’s and the stars’ lights shine upon her face.”
Draco Blu lowered his head until it was level with mine, his eye staring straight into my own, and whispered, “I will help you with the price, if you need it. I know Death asks a lot of those souls it releases.”
It was the greatest offering any could give, especially considering I had almost killed off his entire race.
I bowed my head and whispered, “I am honored at your offer.”
He snorted softly, dual rings of smoke rising from his nostrils. “I offer only because she is my friend and valuable to all. You alone should not be forced to carry the burden just because she is your match.”
I had known he was not offering for me, but I found it amusing that he felt the need to point it out.
I was barely able to keep the smirk off my face. “Luckily, no price was required,” I whispered to him.
He snorted again, this time in disbelief, and I smiled, enjoying the shock on his face.
The sun began to set and a crowd started to gather. Koda, still in wolf form, kept everyone back to give us room.
I kissed Artemis gently on the lips and moved a little ways away from her.
Zeus made his way through the crowd and sat down next to me on the grass. His face was drawn, his eyes pinched, and for the first time in his life he had bags beneath his eyes. Achilles’ death was taking a toll on my father. He most likely had found some way to blame himself, as he often took the blame for things not his doing. And, he was likely mourning Artemis as well. He had grown attached to her rather quickly.
“Will you help protect those gathered?” I asked him.
He nodded. “I will shield everyone else, but you must shield yourself from her when she wakes up.”
The return of a soul to a being of power was often catastrophic for those nearby. Artemis’ return was bound to be cataclysmic due to her amount of power. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be nearly as bad as when she had broken the barrier and regained her memories since we only had four dragons with us this time.
I nodded at Zeus and prepared a shield around myself. Koda stepped out into the circle of people and Zeus raised a shield of power around all of us. I raised my shield and spread it to cover Zeus. Draco Blu and the other dragons that had come also put shields around us, singing to invoke their magic.
I only hoped it was enough.
The sun set and everyone became silent in anticipation. The moon rose and the stars glittered brightly, yet Artemis lay still.
I started to move, but Draco Blu whispered, “Look.”
The moon’s light flared, and a beam like a spotlight highlighted Artemis. The stars flared brighter and they formed a unified beam down on her. Her body twitched once and lay still again. Her chest rose and fell with breath, but I dared not move. The stars and moon shone brighter than our eyes could handle, forcing us to close them. Power greater than any I had ever encountered before pressed down upon us, and then Artemis began to scream.
I forced open my eyes, squinting against the light, but needing to see what was happening to my mate.
Artemis floated in the air, her wings extended, her skin the source of the shining. Her eyes were orbs of white and her stomach glowed blue. She stopped screaming and sighed as the power left her in a wave of fire that burned through our shields and knocked those nearby to the ground.
I crawled to her body, ignoring the pain and the still sizzling grass.
She lay on the ground, sleeping peacefully.
After pressing my ear to her stomach and hearing Artemis’ heartbeat as well as our child’s, I cried. The sorrow I felt at her death, the pain from carrying her lifeless body from the battlefield, the hurt knowing she loved Achilles, and the grief I felt at losing Achilles. I released all the pain and wept at the return of my soul mate, my passt genau, while those around me cheered.
6
Artemis
My body felt stiff and uncomfortable, but I knew I had to get up because something was happening. I could feel Ares touching me, but people around us were shouting and dragons we
re roaring so loudly that I could not hear him.
I opened my eyes and whispered, “What’s going on?”
The ground around us was burned and some bits still smoking. It looked like all of our allies were gathered around us, most sitting on the ground with huge smiles on their faces. Some were even crying.
Ares lifted his face from my stomach but the wetness of his tears remained. “Are you hungry?” he asked softly.
Of all of the things I had expected him to say, that was not one of them.
I nodded and started to stand, but he picked me up in his arms and cradled me against his chest. I relaxed against his familiar touch and the wonderful warmth of him, letting his body heat warm my chilled body.
He walked past a crowd of smiling people who all looked at me with awe.
What had happened while I was asleep?
Ares set me down on a padded pew in a large, empty cathedral and a young girl brought a bowl of soup to me.
I sipped the soup, and then my hunger took over and I gulped it down in eager swallows.
Ares took the empty bowl and handed me a plate with two slabs of meat on it. He ate a third slab of meat. I ate my meat just as quickly as I had eaten the soup, and more food was brought to me. After thirty minutes of stuffing my face, I was finally full.
I leaned back against the pew and patted the spot beside me.
Ares sat down next to me and hugged me tightly, wrapping his entire body around mine.
I gently rubbed his back. “Ares, what has happened? Why were you crying when I woke up?”
He pulled away and ran the back of his hand gently down my face, caressing me and smiling tenderly. “What is the last thing you remember?”
I tried to think, but the last thing I remembered was the fight and…
I gasped. “Achilles! Oh no, Ares please tell me that he is alright.” My heart constricted, and I knew the truth without Ares having to say it.
Ares took my hands in his and whispered, “During the battle, he was stabbed in the heart and instantly died. You both fell and because you were bound to him. You…” He choked on his words and couldn’t finish the statement.
“I died,” I whispered.
Ares swallowed, trying to keep his emotions at bay. “Yes.”
I shivered and climbed into his lap, hiding my face against his chest. I couldn’t believe that I had died. “How did I come back?”
“I demanded your life back from Death,” Ares said in a serious tone.
I looked up at him. “You did what?”
He smiled. “With Hades’ help, I entered Death’s realm and demanded your life back.” He put a hand on my stomach and whispered, “As well as the life of our baby.”
I stared at his hand sitting on my flat stomach and said, “You’re joking.”
He shook his head. “You’re pregnant. That is why you were throwing up and why you were so moody.”
I was pregnant. I stared in disbelief at my stomach a moment before closing my eyes and focusing on my body. There, in the center of my stomach, I felt the power of another being, small, but still very much there. I was pregnant.
“I’m going to be a mom,” I whispered. I looked at Ares’ happy face and smiled. “We’re going to have a baby.”
He kissed my lips and I melted against him, kissing him back as though it had been years since we had last kissed. His lips burned mine, and I shivered from the difference in our body heat. How long would it take my formerly dead body to heat back up?
After a few minutes, he pulled away with a somber expression on his face. “I am sorry that our news is tainted. I would have preferred we were able to fully enjoy this.”
I stood up and stretched my stiff body. How long had I been dead? I was not sure what to expect, but I would have thought that my body would be stiffer than it was. “I agree, but we have had our moment of joy. Perhaps it is time to deal with our grief and begin grieving,” I said.
Until I saw Achilles’ body, I could not believe that it was true that he was dead. It had to be a cruel joke. He had been so alive. I remembered his fierce face during battle and the compassion he showed me when we were alone. I could not believe he was dead now. It did not seem possible.
Ares linked his fingers with mine and led me down a stairway into dark catacombs.
Koda bounded inside in his wolf form and knocked me to the ground, licking my face.
I laughed and pushed his face away, wiping the slobber off. I pet Koda’s head and asked, “Why are you in wolf form?”
“Because he thought you and I were gone and not going to return,” Ares answered for him with a bit of anger in his tone.
I tapped Koda’s nose in a playful discipline. “You should know better than that.”
Koda grunted and then looked up at Ares. Apparently, he had been in wolf form too long and could not change back on his own.
Ares grabbed Koda by his scruff and growled into his face as he used his power to force the change.
Koda whined and then moaned as he shifted into his human form.
Ares released Koda and grabbed my hand again. “Eat something and then wait for us to summon you.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Koda said softly as he panted, naked on the floor.
Ares led me down a hallway to another room which had five Sidhe males guarding it. The guards gaped at me for a moment before stepping aside and opening the doors. Apparently, they weren’t used to seeing people back from the dead.
The room was cold and empty except for Hera, Zeus, and a table with Achilles’ body lying on top of it.
I pulled out of Ares’ hand and walked to Achilles, feeling like I was in a dream. He looked so much more handsome than I remembered him being and so at peace. I reached out slowly and rested my hand against his cheek. Instantly tears rolled down my face as the warmth that usually radiated from him was gone.
He felt cold, like stone.
I sobbed and cried as I held his lifeless hand in mine. He had died protecting me. It was cruel that I was alive again while he was not. He had watched me and loved me since I was a child. He had bound me to him to protect me and had endured so much for me. I had not been able to spend enough time with him. I loved him, but not as he had deserved to be loved and he had not been allowed to love me as he had wanted.
Ares wrapped his arms around me to comfort me, but that only increased my sorrow.
If Achilles had found me first, what would things have been like? Would I be carrying Achilles’ child now instead of Ares’? Would I have been fighting this war or would we have been somewhere safe, away from the battle which took both of our lives?
The sounds of sorrow poured from my mouth, but all I could see or hear were memories of Achilles and the awful understanding that I would never experience them again. I would never see his smile. I would never see his vines glow or his power open when I touched him. I would never see his wings spread and watch him take flight. I would never again hear his voice in my head. I would never again hear him speak Latin to me.
He was gone before I had ever gotten to have him. It wasn’t fair!
I felt my body begin to heat up, but I did not care about the repercussions. Ares said something to me, but I pushed him away from me. I climbed onto Achilles, straddling his body, and called my power. I called to all of the plants and trees. I called to the moon and the stars. I called to the goddess or god or whatever being created us. I called them all to me and pulled the power into my hands.
Ares was yelling at me, but I ignored him.
I raised my hands and prepared to pour the power into Achilles to try to resurrect him when Zeus touched my arms and whispered, “You must not mourn the times you did not have, but remember and cherish the times you did have.”
“I can raise him. I can bring him back,” I said in a voice that sounded strange even to me.
Zeus shook his head. “You could raise him from the dead, but he would not be the Achilles you loved or the son I loved. His soul has been gone for to
o long. Besides, you would not be bound to him anymore.”
“I can bring him back,” I insisted.
Zeus gently grabbed my arms and whispered, “He died to save you because he loved you. Do not let his sacrifice be for nothing. Release the power before it kills you and the child you carry. Let his soul rest.”
I screamed in grief, pain, and loss and released the powers.
Zeus caught me before I fell and whispered, “Remember, Artemis. That is all he would want. He would only want you to remember him.”
Ares reached for me, but I jerked away from him. I could not let him comfort me over Achilles’ death. It was not fair to Achilles.
I used some of my power and teleported to Ares’ house in Russia, knowing that no one would be there and that it was one place Ares would not look for me.
The living room looked just like I remembered it and thankfully there was no one inside. I collapsed onto the couch and let the tears flow again. Achilles was dead, and I had not been able to help him. If only I had been faster. If only I had not been a burden to him. I had been pushing him away and now he was gone forever. All I wanted was one touch. Just one whispered word. I wanted to hear his voice and feel his skin touch mine. I tried to stop crying, but could not.
Hours passed as my sorrow poured out of my body in cries, sobs, and screams of agony. I was tired of losing people whom I loved.
The day turned into night and the river of tears turned into a trickle. I knew I should eat, but the grief I felt over losing Achilles was too much to bear. I buried my face into the pillows and let more of my grief lose by way of tears and uncontrollable sobs.
Day Two
The pain became so unbearable that my wolf took over, and I shifted forms despite the small fear I had that I would not be able to change back again. My wolf felt as sad as I did and instead of cries and sobs, I released my pain in heartbroken howls.
Artemis Lupine- The Complete Series Page 64