Chapter 5 edited

Atalanta stood frozen, gripping a rope, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing. Artemis—the Artemis—was hugging Cyd. It didn't make sense.

"Wait, what...?"

Cyd, eyes wide in panic, tried to keep Atalanta from tightening the rope around his neck. His face screamed help me!

But Atalanta was too dazed to notice. She drifted towards them like she was sleepwalking, her grip on the rope tightening with each step.

Cyd gulped. He was getting the distinct feeling that his days were numbered.

"Ah, Atalanta, it's been a while," Artemis greeted, completely unbothered by the weird tension in the air.

Atalanta snapped back to reality at the sound of Artemis' voice. She let go of the rope, but before Cyd could relax, she threw him over her shoulder, slamming him to the ground with a judo move so fast he barely registered it.

"I…" Cyd groaned, crawling away toward his horse, clutching his shoulder. His eyes flicked nervously between Atalanta and Artemis, half-expecting another attack.

"Lady Artemis, that man may have pale skin, but he's still a man!" Atalanta pointed at Cyd like she was exposing some huge conspiracy.

Artemis nodded, smiling. "Yes, I know. But he's also one of my followers."

"What?" Atalanta looked like someone had just told her the sky was green.

How could a man take Artemis' vow?

"I've been offering sacrifices, faithfully," Cyd added weakly, raising a hand from his spot on the ground. He knew better than to cross Artemis. She had a reputation. Just ask the guy who forgot to offer her a tribute and ended up cursed with a giant boar problem.

"I'm very happy," Artemis said, her smile deepening.

Cyd let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. As long as she was happy, everything was fine.

Atalanta, however, shot him a glare that could melt steel. "Idiot!"

"You two should get along," Artemis said, patting Atalanta's head like she was a misbehaving kitten.

"If you say so…" Atalanta grumbled, but the look in her eyes said she had plans. Dangerous plans.

"Nope! Nope, nope, nope!" Cyd jumped to his feet, clearly spooked. "I'll be leaving now!" He grabbed the rope Atalanta had dropped and scrambled onto his horse. "Take me to the Caucasus Mountains, quick!" There was no way he was sticking around to "get along" with Atalanta. She looked ready to make his life miserable.

The white horse flicked its tail, sensing his urgency. Then, to Cyd's amazement, it spread a pair of massive white wings.

"Wait, you can fly?!" Cyd's jaw dropped. How had it hidden those wings?

The horse snorted, as if to say, Of course I can fly. I'm Poseidon's horse, after all.

"Leaving so soon?" Artemis called after him, watching as the horse and Cyd took off into the sky. "We barely got to talk."

"Want me to shoot him down?" Atalanta had her bow ready in a heartbeat.

Artemis blinked, then smiled and shook her head. "No, we'll meet again."

"At least let me take a shot," Atalanta grumbled, but by then, Cyd and the horse were already vanishing into the clouds.

"Tsk…"

Reluctantly, she lowered her bow, mentally kicking herself for not acting sooner.

"If it were you, Lady Artemis, you could've brought him down," Atalanta said.

"Easily," Artemis petted the golden-antlered deer beside her. "But it would hurt him. Let's not."

Atalanta kicked a rock in frustration. "Why do you care so much about that man?"

Artemis smiled softly. "Because... that child is the child of the moon."

Atalanta's eye twitched. I should've shot him in the head.

Far above, clinging to his horse's neck, Cyd shivered, suddenly feeling a cold dread settle in his gut.

Back on Mount Olympus, Zeus sat lazily on the palace steps, watching something in the distance. "The boy's heading to Prometheus."

Poseidon leaned against a pillar, his trident resting beside him. "You sure that's wise? You did chain Prometheus up for a reason."

"If he hadn't stirred up so much trouble, I wouldn't have had to," Zeus grumbled. "And you, sending your Divine Horse to help him? Really?"

Poseidon chuckled. "He prayed for it."

Zeus rolled his eyes. "You sent your warhorse because of a mortal's prayer? What next, pushing schools of fish ashore for him?"

Poseidon smirked. "He didn't ask for much in five years. I thought I owed him a favor."

"Be careful he doesn't run off with it," Zeus teased.

A dark, shadowy figure appeared from the palace's depths, stepping into the light. "That boy will return the horse."

Zeus smiled. "He offered tribute to you, didn't he?"

The shadow nodded.

"Well, I bet he won't give it back," Zeus said with a grin, always ready to bet against his brothers.

"And if I lose?" Poseidon asked, looking at the shadow.

"If you lose, you help take care of my child," Zeus stretched out on the steps with a lazy grin.

Poseidon raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

Zeus sighed. "Too many to count."

The shadow chuckled, flicking its cloak before disappearing into the night.