Leon POV
"Bad news." Viper said as he rushed in our direction, "Some guy I talked to earlier said that Hermes is being accompanied by his sister."
"Which kind of goddess? There's still a chance."
"Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, she's a fucking psycho, she once turned a guy into a deer and have her dogs ripped him apart because he accidentally stumbled on her bathing. Heck, we're never getting close."
"Can't Mike outrun arrows now? At least dodge them?"
"She uses sniper rifles now."
"Damn technology."
"Besides, Mike can barely dodge arrows."
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Hermes POV
Guiding Artemis through the underworld was an odd job, but it wasn't like I could say no. She rarely came down here, and when she did, it was always for something peculiar. This time, it was for a weaponsmith. A dead one, sent directly to Tartarus, of all places. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye as we walked through the underworld. She was as stoic as ever, her silver eyes scanning the landscape with quiet intensity as if she were on the lookout, which is stupid because no one would jump her. Heck, gods who tried would die, mortals wouldn't stand a chance.
Artemis never said much. She didn't have to. The way she carried herself made it clear she didn't desire conversation. And me? Well, I wasn't too worried about this trip. Navigating the underworld was second nature to me by now. The place had its share of dangers, sure, but nothing that could faze a god. At least, not me.
Still, I couldn't help but think about Leon. That mortal had surprised me. His strength was something else. I hadn't seen anyone with that kind of raw, physical power since Heracles, after his ascension to godhood. But I wasn't scared of him. Mortals had their tricks, but I'd seen it all. I'd been through wars and seen cities rise and fall. Leon's strength might be impressive, but in the grand scheme of things, he was still just mortal. Besides, I got Artemis with me, he isn't dumb enough to attempt any tricks today.
Back to the weaponsmith problem. His location was only known to a select few: the three judges of the underworld, and some poor fool who had the misfortune of being judged at the same time. That's who we were after now, the friend who had been there when the judgment came down but was sent to the more merciful field of punishments. Artemis didn't trust anyone else to track him down, and frankly, I wasn't surprised. She didn't leave things to chance.
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I approached the poor wretch chained to the wall, his back lashed and raw from the constant whipping. Quite a pitiful sight, but he has done something really terrible and had to be sentenced to be continuously punished for 10,000 years.
"You've had enough punishment, haven't you?" I asked the trembling man, "Tell me what I need to know, and I can get your sentence reduced. Two hundred years less, wouldn't that be nice?"
"W-what do you want?" He managed to spit out as the whip landed on his back.
"Where's the weaponsmith? The one that was sent here with you. Just tell me which section of Tartarus he was placed in, and you'll be free of this for a while. That's my promise. 200 years off, I swear it on the Styx."
"Block C...they sent him to Block C."
"Good man. I'll put in the word for that reduced sentence. You'll get a break. 200 years might not sound like much, but down here? It's a gift."
The man didn't respond, just hung there in defeat. I didn't stay to offer any more comfort; I'd gotten what I needed. Artemis stayed silent, eyes cold as ever, but I could tell she was pleased. We had our lead.
Just as I turned to leave, something caught my eye. In the distance, trudging toward us, was none other than Leon. Of course. He was pulling a cart with a...cat on top of it. The cat's tail swayed lazily as Leon trudged closer with a strange expression on his face.
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"Fancy seeing you here." I greeted him.
"Yeah yeah, I got your order, Cheesesteak with no cheese...like what the hell are with your orders?" he questioned as he had the cat hand him the food before passing it to me.
"It's my snakes, not mine."
"Aren't y'all immortal? Why eat?"
"I would love to talk with you, but I'm here on the job, I should get going, I'll return in a few weeks to see you though, let's get..."
Before I could continue, I noticed Leon's gaze drift behind me, locking onto Artemis. He frowned slightly, like he was trying to remember something.
"Why is she looking at me like that?" he muttered under his breath.
Artemis, in turn, was staring at him, her eyes as sharp as a hunter's. The tension between them was palpable, and I couldn't help but find it amusing. After a moment of awkward silence, Leon finally spoke up, his voice casual but laced with something else.
"Your face...is uncanny. You look exactly like an ex of mine." he commented, much to my amusement.
"There was a girl who was interested in you? With that face?" the cat chimed in.
"My face?"
"Seriously? Try harder, because a lot of people look alike, so don't fall for this one, she'll..."
I trailed off as I spotted a slight shift in the corner of my eyes. Artemis, who was normally so composed and unshakable, blinked in surprise. Her cheeks, ever so slightly, turned pink. It can't...be...right? No, impossible, this is Artemis, sworn to be an eternal maiden. Artemis glared at me once she saw me looking in her direction and I knew I was risking a swift and painful beating, but I didn't think so as she currently needs me.
Instead, she turned on her heel and started to walk away, clearly not interested in this charade any longer.
"What's the name of your ex? I don't have a lot of opportunities to tease her often."
"Diana." he answered quickly.
"Oh that's hilarious, her Roman name is also..."
Artemis stopped dead in her tracks.
No way...
No fucking way...