None Shall Witness [Phobos]

[artemis]

A thin-framed, twelve-year-old girl crouched in the shadows, watching a tall bear intently. Her simply silver dress seemed to flow like water over her body with every move, gleaming in the moonlight. Deep silver-blue eyes narrowed in concentration as she slowly pulled the bow from her shoulder and drew a silver arrow from its quiver. It seemed an odd thing for a child to be doing, taking on such a large animal. Then again, one glance showed she was certainly not a normal child. The thin silver circlet in her light auburn hair, for one, but more than anything, the faint silver glow coming off her body and the aura of power about her gave her away. No, Artemis was no ordinary child.

For once, she was alone, her Hunters resting for now. She did not feel like resting though. That was why she was out here by herself. If anything went wrong back at camp, Thalia would be able to handle it; she was an excellent leader and the others followed her well. So Artemis didn’t worry at all at the idea of being - what, half a mile? A mile? - away from her Hunters. She could handle anything herself, and Thalia and the Hunters could handle nearly anything themselves for the short period of time she’d be gone.

Knocking the arrow, she drew it back until her fingers rested against her cheek, holding it there a minute. It was one of the perks of being a goddess, and one that specialized in archery at that, that she could honestly hold a bow at full draw as long as need be, something most mortals couldn’t do for more than a matter of seconds. She gazed down the arrow shaft at the beast’s heart…then let it fly. With a roar, the bear reared up, but immediately several arrows sprouted from it. It tried to find the source, so it could use its last energy to attack its own attacker, but Artemis was on the move. Sweeping in a wide circle, she put four arrows into the creature before it gave up the fight and collapsed in a motionless heap.

[Phobos]

Phobos had seen her the entire time. He kept hidden in the shadows as well but watched with boredom as the huntress went on the prowl. With a sigh he crossed his arms. It was almost fun watching the bear give in to the fear knowing it would soon die by this young child like being. Phobos fed off the fear he felt from the bear. It made his lips curl into a cruel smile. He watched as the arrows jetted out from the hide and it’s defeated form collapsed to the ground. Emerging from the shadows Phobos raised his hands in front of him and clapped a slow almost mocking clap.

“Well done! Well done!” He sighed and stared down at the beast. Taking his foot he nudged the body. Glancing up at Artemis Phobos felt a bit of glee rise inside of him. “You know, he was afraid to die. He didn’t want to, and you killed him. It’s a wonder how you can pass through day-to-day killing like this.” He clicked his tongue and scratched his chin.

Phobos stretched his arms and rested them behind his head. There was a cocky; I’m better than you smirk on his godly face. “One wonders what brings Artemis, Olympian Goddess out here alone.” He paced for a few seconds and then stopped pivoting back in her direction. There was a laugh to his voice.

“Shouldn’t you have learned by now that being alone isn’t one of your strong suits? I mean, you were captured those years ago. Made to hold up the sky. Anyone could try that again. Not saying I would, I have no contact with that creep. I’m just—“ Phobos scoffed and smiled knowingly. “I’m looking out for your best interest. I mean, Gramps wouldn’t like it if you were caught.”

He put his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and presented a crooked smile to Artemis. He stared at her for a moment and then blinked shrugging. “But what do I know, right?”

[artemis]

Artemis’ head whipped around at the sound of claps and her eyes narrowed. Not only was it a male, but it was one of her more unpleasant relatives. “Phobos. You’re really one to talk, you know. Yes, I know all about how you torment people day in and day out. It’s a wonder how you can live with yourself. Hmm, guess that explains why you have no friends.” Sure, goading him on wasn’t really a great idea; no one, mortal, demigod, or god, was immune to his power, and he’d certainly had long enough to learn her own fears. But of course, she hated his guts, so she’d take a jab at him any day. Actually, shooting an arrow at him sounded far more entertaining, but another day… or at least, not right this instant.

She rolled her eyes. He was quite intelligent, at least for a male, but he certainly acted like an idiot. Perhaps that was, again, part of the male thing. It seemed to be fairly common. Thank the Fates she was female. “I never stay on Olympus for extended periods. After all these centuries, one would think you would know that. Or have you decided to exchange roles with the god of stupidity?”

When he pivoted to face her and spoke again, though, all thoughts of mocking him went away. That particular little trick had been one of the most embarrassing things in her life - and that was quite a long time to be speaking for. If Atlas didn’t have the important job of being the sky-doorstop, she’d give him the important job of being her personal pincushion. And once he was so shot up with arrows you could hardly see him anymore, she kick his sorry butt into the pits of Tartarus! Yes, leave it to Phobos, god of seriously-asking-for-it, to know just how to push her buttons.

“I am not a weakling, Phobos!” Her pride, as was the case with so many other gods and goddesses, was one of her greatest faults. “It is not I whom hides behind a veil of illusions in order to win a battle!” Phobos’ smile though… oh, how she wanted to just rip it off his face! She was being quite quickly reminded why ‘more unpleasant relatives’ wasn’t exactly a strong enough category for him. And then he hit yet another nerve - curse him! She knocked another arrow, keeping it pointed at the ground, but quite obviously at a position where she could have it aiming at his heart in an instant. “You leave father out of this,” she growled.

[Phobos]

Phobos scoffed at Artemis and her snide comment. He gave a shrug. “I can live with myself just fine thank you. And for your information I do too have friends. They just don’t run in the same circles that you do.” He stared at the bow in her hand not bringing his eye up to her face. Phobos was finding this to be quite entertaining. Of all the Gods and Goddesses to run into he was glad it had been Artemis. She was always a curious sort.

Phobos wasn’t a fool he knew how things worked around Olympus, so when his intelligence came into question a scowl appeared on his face. It was blow to his pride. His eyes burned red for a moment but he didn’t make eye contact with Artemis. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. After a minute the scowled was replaced with another cocky smile. He had a bag full of them.

“I’m not a fool Artemis. I understand how it works, and I understand how you work. I was just merely curious seeing as how you were so easily captured before. I didn’t think you’d want a repeat of that.”

He leaned forward on his toes closer to Artemis looking her right in the eyes. “Best interest.”

He chuckled to himself and turned. Phobos bent down and picked up a good size rock. He tossed it into the air catching it each time, his back toward Artemis. Hearing the anger in Goddess’ voice made Phobos only smile further. He laughed aloud tossing the rock up into the air once again. This time though Phobos didn’t continue carelessly throwing and catching the rock. He caught it and every muscle on his body froze upon the extreme insult dealt by Artemis.

Phobos thought of Percy Jackson and that time in New York his eyes smoldered ruby red. His grip tightened on the rock until it cracked and was reduced to nothing but fine dust. He turned his head slightly and saw the arrow Artemis had ready.

His jaw set and the tone of his voice turned poisonous. “I’ll show you illusion Artemis.”

Phobos spun on his feet as fast as he could. He stared Artemis dead in the eyes, a look of pure malevolence plastered in his eyes and on his face. His eyes burned bright red and he waited patiently to see what the Goddess of the Hunt feared the most.

[artemis]

Artemis’ bow dropped from her fingers, vanishing into silver light the moment it left her grip. But the goddess Artemis didn’t notice. She collapsed to the ground, folding her hands over her ears as the illusion filled her head. “NO!”

There was fire everywhere. All the forests were burning under the dead dark of a new moon. Terrified animals were running in all directions, but that wasn’t what Artemis was paying the most attention to. There were screams. Horrible screams, like people in terrible pain, nearing death. And cries for help. And the worst part was: she knew those voices. They belonged to her Hunters. She ran through the inferno, searching and searching, but they were nowhere to be found. It was impossible! They sounded right next to her! Always right next to her!

Other voices chimed in, the same agonized, horrible death-throws. Artemis remembered every Hunter that had ever joined her cause, but this was a little too vivid a reminder of those whom had perished over the centuries. Hunters that had fallen before the fall of Rome, or who had been killed in battles during Europe’s Renaissance, any number of individual countries’ Civil Wars, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Korea. A Hunter that had left the Hunters in grief when her entire family was killed when the World Trade Center was destroyed. Hunters that had fallen to Kronos. All of them, every last one. They all pleaded for her help, pleaded to be saved from the merciless world. She’d saved them once. Why couldn’t she help them now!?

Because she couldn’t find them. It was undeniably the worst feeling in the world. She was completely powerless to do that which she had devoted her life to: not just the Hunt, but helping young maidens like herself. But they were all dying. The screams were fading. Fewer and fewer… And then there were none. Nothing but the crackling of the fire as it destroyed what was left of her home as well.

[Phobos]

Phobos witnessed the scene with the greatest pleasure. He soaked in the fear that came from the small Goddess. His eyes followed her as she sank to the ground trying to block the terrible image and sounds. A rumbling laughter started in his gut and slowly made its way up and echoed out of his mouth. Phobos blinked and released the Goddess Artemis from her torture. He never got tired of this. He continued to laugh like a mad man for a minute until it steadily faded out.

He shook his head. “I should have known. What did you think of the so-called illusion Artemis? Did it satisfy you? It very much satisfied me.” Phobos bent down and picked up a long stick. He tossed it into the air and caught it, weighing it in his hands. His eyes ran up and down it twirling it in his hands like a baton. He thought back to the worst fear of the Goddess of the Hunt. He wished he could see it actually play out in real life. Endless suffering and fear would be the ultimate treat. Phobos froze and the stick dropped from his hand. A gradual cruel smile appeared on his boyish face.

“Lightning has just struck my brain. You what you made me realize my dear Artemis?” He walked over and knelt down beside her. With the malicious grin his fingers carefully picked up a strand of her light hair and removed it from in front of her face. With the other hand he took her wrist and lowered from the side of her head. Taking in a breath he continued in a careful whisper.

“It’s not enough to just show someone what they fear. I want them to live it. Truly live it. I want them to show the world their fears, and the fears of everyone on the planet. You’ve just given me a purpose now. Thank you.”

Phobos dropped her hand and stood up quickly moving a few yards away. He stopped and turned back to Artemis a new realization set in his red eyes. “But why stop at the mortals. Why not allow the Gods to live their fears. The ultimate satisfaction.” He paused a moment to soak in the words his spoke. “I’m going to show the world what they fear. Starting with the fools as Camp Half-Blood. Namely, that Percy Jackson.”

Phobos felt that the day of reckoning was near. He would be able to accomplish what Kronos had failed to do. He would be witness and the cause of the downfall of the Gods. He couldn’t do it alone. Even though he would like to think he could, Phobos understood that he would have to carefully plan out his destruction of the Gods and the spiral of the world into chaos and fear.

[artemis]

Artemis couldn’t bear the sound of Phobos’ laughter, but the ringing screams in her ears prevented her from moving. So uncharacteristic of the goddess, there were actually tears running down her cheeks. She stared at the ground, wanting nothing more than for the horrible memory of the illusion to go away. And then Phobos’ voice cut through the echoes. She looked up, teeth grit hard. “Monster…” Oh, how she would love to break that stick over his sorry head and drive the splintered ends into his accursed eyes! Then he could not cause anyone else that agony.

But the smile that crept over his face was enough to silence her thoughts. Phobos smiling was never a good thing. And that he had the nerve to come near her, to take hold of her wrist. She tried to pull away from him. “It’s no secret you are a weak coward, Phobos! That’s been proven before, hasn’t it!” But then he spoke and her ichor ran cold. She cursed at him in ancient Greek through clenched teeth. He was by far one of the most horrible people she had the displeasure of being related to.

And he didn’t stop there. Artemis could hardly believe what she was hearing. “You would destroy your own kind, Phobos? Your family! You’re despicable! You know you don’t stand a chance! You’re outnumbered, outwitted, out-equipped. You’ll be destroyed. Give up.” But, of course, he continued. And struck where it counted. He knew well enough that the main way the gods interacted with the mortal world was through demigods. And he was ready to strike them at the heart. She had to stop him any way she could.

So she did the first thing that came to mind. She stood, holding her hand out and, as though the moonlight pouring into clearing was bending into a solid form, her silver bow materialized in her hand. She drew a silver arrow from the quiver on her back that had not been there a moment before, knocking it in one fluid motion, aiming it at the traitorous excuse for a god and letting it fly.

[Phobos]

Phobos merely chuckled at Artemis’ insult toward him. “Sticks and stones Artemis.” They were getting old really fast. He savored the feeling he felt from here when he caught a glimpse of her fear. He shook his head and let go of her moving at a safe distance from the little Goddess. “It doesn’t matter what happened in the past little Artemis.” He said in a condescending manner, “Only think of what will be. And that is a new order. So many thing shave been opened up to me because of you. My past doesn’t mean a thing.”

He turned his back on her a smug smile on his face. Before he could respond Phobos caught a glint out of the corner of his eye. He spun on his heels and dodged to the right. While the arrow didn’t strike him deep in the shoulder, it skimmed his arm cutting him. A thin line of gold ichor dripped from his jacket. His lips pursed as Phobos examined the wound. He clicked his tongue and slowly his eyes followed up to meet hers. There was so much anger resting in them. This was so much fun.

“I really loved this jacket.” Phobos wiped the ichor off with his other hand and rubbed it between his fingers. “Here we are, and I thought we were having such a night chat! You have to go and ruin it by firing one of your pathetic little arrows at me like I’m some kind of buck. I’m not sure if I want to stick around and be in your company anymore if you aren’t going to play nice.”

Phobos dried his hand off on his pants and put another cocky grin on his face. He shrugged and slid his hands into his pockets. “But since I’m a good sport, I’ll ignore that blatant attempt on my life and stay. That is, if we can continue to talk as two normal Gods. Your choice though.” Before giving her a chance to respond Phobos raised his hand to silence her.

“Oh, and I really don’t think I’ll lose too much sleep over destroying my own kind. Besides, if I get rid of Percy Jackson I’m sure Dad wouldn’t give two flying Hermes about it. Besides, I won’t be forced to destroy them if they join with me. Those who see it my way have a full pardon, the same for Demi-Gods. I wouldn’t mind worshipers.” He said and then added silently in his head, Not to mention it would help tremendously with the downfall of Camp Half-Blood.

“Come on Artemis, I’m not the bad guy here. Well, maybe I am. But everyone loves a good villain. Besides, I am just going to help people realize their fears. Nothing wrong with a little realization is there?”