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A soft murmur of joyous voices echoed through marble halls and down chiseled steps. The sound rolled across flowering fields and bright forests where young nymphs played. It wound its way around grand statues and fountains bubbling and swirling with crystal clear water. Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, sat in a large courtyard surrounded by Ares, Enyo, Iris, Odysseus, and a few nymphs. She let out a shrill laugh and swung her arm around Ares’ neck, pulling him closer to her. He smiled mischievously while slipping her arm off his shoulder and, used his godly strength, quickly scooped Artemis into his arms. The god of war carried her bridal-style to a large fountain filled with giggling nymphs. The dryads turned and squealed in excitement when they saw Ares coming toward them.
Ares called out to them turned on his godly charm. “Fair maidens, I wish to place a gift in your fountain. Please step out for a moment so I may deposit my holy present.” He winked at the nearest dryad and she swooned, caught gently by her companions who carried her out of the water.
Artemis noticed the sly look in Ares’ eyes and realized what he had planned. The goddess struggled and squirmed “Ares put me down!” She screamed and lightly beat on her kidnapper’s chest.
But it was no use. Ares shook his head, smiled, and quickly dumped his sister into the water. Odysseus, Enyo, and Iris laughed from their seats on a white leather couch. Glaring at her companions Artemis sent a few splashes of water their way, but Iris lifted a slender hand and twitched her slight wrist. The water quickly froze, shifting into a dazzling rainbow. The divine group let out a sigh of wonder, watching the delicate arch glitter in the sun. With another flick of her wrist the rainbow disappeared and all eyes fell onto Artemis, who was climbing sluggishly out of the fountain. She began to shake her limbs vigorously, carelessly shedding droplets of water onto her friends. The group let out shouts of protest, swatting at the flying drops. Artemis stopped moving and snickered when she glanced up and noticed her now soggy friends. Enyo, goddess of the battle, joined in her laughter and soon even Odysseus, Iris, and Ares were chuckling. The nymphs let out squeals of delight just as they hopped back into their beloved fountain. The group slowly let their laughter fade and all of the heavenly creatures in the luxurious courtyard enjoyed the peace and tranquility of their lives. They were thankful for another beautiful evening on Mount Olympus.
The serenity quickly vanished as an alarming scream ripped through the air. The dryads yelped and scampered out of the fountain and out of the courtyard. Enyo and Ares stood from the couch and started to walk cautiously towards the entrance. Artemis took out her bow while Odysseus took Iris by the hand and led her to a well hidden spot in the yard, knowing Iris’ dislike of confrontation. A sharp wind passed by Ares and Enyo, causing them to stop abruptly. The whirlwind turned out to be a young man wearing a white robe with gold trim like the others. Silver wings fluttered on his sandals, standing out against his bronze skin. When the gods realized it was Hermes, messenger of the gods, they relaxed and gathered happily back at the couch. But Artemis froze and stiffened when she saw her holy relative’s face. Sweat dripped from his hairline, tear tracks stained his lovely face, and fear pooled in his eyes. He was shaking, his hands wringing themselves until they had turned scarlet. Artemis stepped forward and reached out, taking Hermes hands in hers, trying to get his attention.
She spoke, “Hermes, brother, why do you look so troubled? Enjoy the peace of our home. Come now and sit with us, enjoy the beautiful evening we have been blessed with.”
Smiling, Artemis patted his shoulder while Iris fetched a glass goblet full of ambrosia and offered it to Hermes, giggling all the while. But Hermes pulled away from Artemis and shook his head.
He looked around the yard, taking in each eternal face, and finally focused on his own feet. “Artemis,” he whispered, “this is not the time for joy. Grief is a plague we will all be soon infested.” Hermes started wringing his hands again and tried to pull himself together.
Enyo stepped forward and stood next to Artemis, her head tilted as she looked at him curiously. “Hermes, old friend, what has happened? Is MountOlympus threatened?”
Hermes shook his head and looked upwards at the sky. Artemis saw a small tear trace a path down a bronze cheek. The god of speed looked down and his grief filled gaze stared straight ahead. “MountOlympus is soon to be in peril, dear Enyo. Tragedy has struck like an angry viper, and her poison has brought the stench of death. She bit a heavenly heart and immortality is no more. Zeus, our king and our father, is dead.” With that Hermes knees gave out and he kneeled in the grass. Soft groans of grief rumbled in his throat and he hung his head.
Iris began to wheeze and she slipped into unconscious, collapsing onto the soft grass. The goblet slipped from her delicate fingers, rolling gently away from her body. No one moved to care for her. Enyo paled and crumpled against Ares, who stood like a statue with his face frozen in shock, and clung desperately to him. Artemis’s face was stony and empty of emotion.
Odysseus looked around the lawn taking in the scene, and then he let out a nervous laugh. “Good one Hermes! That may have been a sick joke but you made it so believable. You could even challenge Thalia to a comedy contest.” He chuckled awkwardly but let it vanish when he noticed that Hermes wasn’t laughing. “C’mon Hermes you can’t be serious. It’s impossible!” Odysseus eyes were wide and pleading, almost begging Hermes to declare it untrue.
But with grief in his eyes Hermes looked up at Odysseus and shook his head. “It was impossible. I would not lie to you Odysseus, especially about something this severe. Zeus was found on the track less than an hour ago by Hera.” As the god spoke, he started walking toward Iris. Gently Hermes scooped up the slim goddess and laid her on the couch. She stirred slightly and moaned, but slipped smoothly back once again into unconsciousness. “I was sent to fetch Asclepius and Apollo immediately, but when I returned it was too late. They did everything within their power, however Charon sent word that Zeus had crossed the Styx.” With that Hermes broke down and began to wail, large tears quickly cascading down his cheeks.
Enyo began to sob, clutching tightly to Ares’ robe and shaking him. Ares slowly pulled himself out of his thoughts and gathered his war faring friend into his arms.
Hermes spoke with a voice smothered in pain. “There is a vigil tonight and will begin once Nyx arrives with the night sky. Then we will bury our fallen king when Eos leaves for the break of dawn. But for now his body has been laid in his chambers for private mourning. You can say your goodbyes there.” He let his voice trail off and settled himself into a sitting position on the ground, his temple in his palms.
Hermes saw a blur streak past him and he turned to watch Odysseus as he ran out of the blessed courtyard. Enyo tore herself out of her grief-stricken mind and chased after the Greek hero, pulling Ares along by the hand. Quickly they fled and Artemis was left alone with a comatose goddess and her grieving brother. She watched as Iris twitched and moaned in her sleep while tears colored like a rainbow trickled down her pale cheeks.
Hermes kept his head bowed but whispered to his sister, “I will look after her, Artemis. Go with the others and mourn for our vanquished king.” Standing and stretching his stiff body, he went and scooped the goddess of rainbows into his arms. She hung limply, softly whimpering like an injured dog. Soon they were gone, with nothing but a gust of wind left behind with Artemis.
Artemis, now alone, let out a wail of agony. Fists that had been through many wars and vicious hunts swung clumsily through the air. Grief and anger pounded on her heart and she felt herself breaking. She started to control her breathing and was slowly able to calm her racing heart. Artemis took a deep breath and sprinted toward the courtyard entrance. She passed under the flowered archway and ran up the sleek marble steps. She saw grand temples and tall statues blur at the edge of her vision as the divine huntress hastily worked her way up the mountain that was her home.
Artemis saw Zeus’ mansion hurriedly rise into her line of vision. The towering building, carved of stone and lined with gold, was swarming with immortal mourners. Artemis spotted Pan using his panpipes to play a song for Zeus. She noticed Dionysus stumbling along, screaming in drunken rage. She even saw Odysseus, Enyo, and Ares sitting on the marble steps grieving. Artemis sluggishly walked up to the house and ignored the weeping people she passed. Her mind wandered as she reached the gold painted doors and the goddess of the wilderness failed to notice the trembling of the doors. She didn’t hear the thunder that started to roar on the other side of Mount Olympus as it unnaturally sped toward the crowd of mourners. Sudden screaming is what finally tugged Artemis out of her distracted mind. It was Hestia, goddess of the hearth, who was wailing and screeching. Ares ran quickly to her side and gripped her shoulders, trying to calm the frantic divinity.
Hestia squirmed and fought to break out of Ares’ grasp. “Ares please let me go! We have to flee for our lives; it’s our only chance for survival. Zeus is dead.”
Odysseus stepped forward and interrupted the goddess. “We know that Hestia. Your grief has unsettled your mind and you, dear, need to rest.” Both Ares and Odysseus advanced on Hestia and seized her.
“No! I’m not crazy and you have to listen to me. Zeus is dead and no there is no one to control the Titans. Those monsters have escaped and are headed here to attack.” Hestia shrieked and everyone froze.
Artemis’ blood turned to ice and her skin paled. Hestia began to describe to the crowd how the once defeated Titans had become powerful and escaped but the goddess of the hunt tuned the retelling out. How could this have happened? Zeus couldn’t have been the only one keeping the Titans there in the underground prison. Surely there had to be something else that had kept those monsters locked away all those years.
Artemis felt nails dig into her shoulder and she was pulled roughly down the stone steps.
It was Ares yanking her along, pulling her with great force. She could hear her brother Apollo playing a tune that was a warning to the divinities not at Zeus’ home. The rustling of cloth and the slap of sandals on stone echoed in her ears. Artemis glanced behind her and saw a large crowd of deities fall in line behind her and Ares.
“Ares, where are we going? What are we going to do about the Titans?” Artemis whispered into Ares’ ear as she struggled to keep up. The group of battle hungry gods and goddesses followed a grassy path up a grand hill. It twisted and winded, hidden by trees and shrubs. Ares finally let go of Artemis’ arm and leaned in to answer her.
“We are going to the armoury so we can fight those retched beasts.” He snarled and his hands formed into fists. “We will attack them as soon as everyone is armed. You will lead the first wave and I will go with the second.” With that he stomped ahead of her and yelled back at the others to hurry. Artemis nodded and her mind swirled with battle plans and thoughts of the enemy.
Promptly the group of heavenly people reached the wooden building known as the armoury. The old shack was covered in dark green ivy and trumpet vines, guarded by thick redwood trees and bushes full of thorns. It looked harmless, and to the untrained eye the structure looked like an accumulation of fallen trees covered in plant growth. But only the gods knew what it really was. Ares stepped forward, ripped off the vines, and yanked at the old, rotted door. It finally opened and the smell of dead vegetation wafted into the air. The group flinched and groaned slightly at the smell but then swiftly plunged inside. Indoors, the entire room was composed of a large staircase that led into the earth. Going three at a time, the warriors trekked down the stairs and deeper into the earth. Artemis walked down with Apollo and Ares at her side and could hear the slight wheezing from some of the out of shape gods. Slowly the smell of rotted wood was replaced by the scent of cold dirt, sending a chill down everyone’s back.
The crowd of deities reached the end of the staircase after finally reaching the end of the staircase, which ended abruptly at a heavy stone door. Ares, Odysseus, and Apollo passed through the crowd and reached out to touch the chilled door. Ares suddenly thrust his body against it and the door shifted forward slightly. Sharing a look with Apollo and Odysseus, he nodded lightly and simultaneously all three men shoved themselves against the stone. The door began to glide forward and the men kept pushing, grunting from exertion. Trying not to step on sandaled feet, the crowd surged forward following the moving door. Abruptly there was a pull in the surrounding air and the trapped air in the underground stairway was sucked forward. There then was a loud pop and a solid thud. Looking towards where Artemis had last seen the men moving the door she saw a rectangle of light the size of the door. She ran forward and realized she was standing in the armoury. It was a large, open room with stone walls and shelves lined with weapons. Everyone quickly filled the room and began to grab whatever dangerous weaponry they could. Artemis saw Ares reach for the Harpe sword and Odysseus grab the Spear of Achilles. She grabbed her personal bow and hurriedly headed for the steps.
She heard Ares call to half of the group to follow her while the rest were to stay with him. Artemis smiled and ran faster, agilely taking the steps four at a time. Sandals thudded and slapped on the stairs behind her and she knew her group of warriors was following. She could feel the air around her grow warmer and smell fresher. Artemis leapt out of the staircase into the old hut, and rolled through the open doorway. She stopped on one knee and pulled an arrow from her quiver, loading it swiftly into her bow. She looked around with the eyes of a hunter but saw no immediate threat. The ominous thunder was closer now and the ground beneath her feet trembled. Artemis heard her troop exit the shack and stand in a group behind her.
She turned to address them, “Here is the plan: take down as many of those bloodthirsty demons as you can. We’ll take our position on this hill.” She looked around and took in the weaponry her group was holding. “I see no one else grabbed bows,” Artemis sighed and shook her head with disappointment, “that means that I will stay on the hill. The rest of you will hide at its base. The signal to attack will be an arrow flying towards the west. I will shoot it to distract them, pulling their attention to the west, while you silently attack from the east. Understood?” Calls of agreement and quiet battle cries filled the still air. Artemis nodded and the crowd charged silently down the hill. Trees rustled and bushed shook at the movement of the warriors.
The goddess gave them enough time to get into position, then she slowly pulled and arrow from her loaded quiver. Breathing deeply, she gently placed it into firing position and raised her bow, aiming towards the western sky. She let her fingers slip and the arrow flew toward the west. It was the first battle move in a war she knew might never end. Mount Olympus was at war, and by the end there may be no one left.