Chapter 11

Artemis looked at the bracelet she had kept safe all these years but had no use for until now. Her finger traced the old language of her true home, following the markings down to where she noticed a missing piece. Lucky for her it was nighttime.

Artemis looked to the night sky, her hair swaying downwards. She closed her eyes and forced a tear out of her eye which caused what looked to be a shooting star to appear in the night sky. The light shined brightly in the sky, moving at the speed of light to head to the forest where it was called to.

Artemis opened her eyes, feeling the star drawing nearer to her. Right before it would crash into her, she raised her hand up to catch the ball of light in her hands. She admired the beauty of the light in her hand as it seemingly turned in a circle showing many different colors. Her tears created something truly beautiful. The light could cause a lot of damage if she ever called upon them but never decreased its size like the one in her hand.

There were two types of shooting stars. One which came whenever she cried and one she created from her own free will. The star called upon from her tears was much more precious, giving the chance to make a wish come through to the first person who saw it. It was rare but there were instances where people were blessed by this star. The star created out of thin air by her free will, was just a simple gift to light up the night sky even more.

Humans never knew the difference between the stars, just the passed down stories they had heard about wishing on a star. Whether or not a wish came through, it was a fun activity parents made their kids do when they spotted a shooting star.

Artemis slowly closed her hand making the ball of light even smaller until it could fit in the bracelet. Taking the star, she placed it in the empty spot on the bracelet. A blue light emitted from the bracelet as it was completed. All she needed to do now was get the general.

He was the King's most trusted ally from what she had always heard from the whispers of the tree and her shadows. There was so much said in the wishes sent to the tree at night which allowed her to keep up with the outside world. Shadows were her pets she created to protect her and lie in the shadows of the kingdom bringing information back to her since Artemis never left the forest until now.

The man Alexander did seem to care about the safety of the kingdom from what she had heard but in her opinion he was annoying. However, she could not wait to have him under her control doing whatever she commanded him to do. She had learned of the King trying to enter the forest and she would be waiting for him.

Even if she decided not to take revenge on the pain she experienced because of humans, she would still need to deal with the king trying to invade her home. The timing of her leaving the forest seemed more than perfect as it led to her finding the perfect start to her plan.

It thrilled her inside thinking of how she would knock the king right off his throne and expose the world to the truth. She could send a message for the other Gods to join her, but they would most likely decline. They would be afraid of the elders punishing them for going against their wishes.

Artemis knew some of them believed after death they would return to their true home and so they waited around, continuing their duties until they were found and killed. But that was a route Artemis never wanted to take. To be killed all for nothing just to return home.

Why couldn't they just open the gate and let her return home? Then she would forget all about the humans. She wouldn't care to take it this far if they just let her return home. But they never will.

"Maybe I should also search for the other artifacts soon. The kings had the sword, what about the last one?" Artemis pondered walking back and forth. The kings had the sword in possession for many years whilst she had the bracelet. But she didn't know where the last artifact was or even what it was. It seemed as if no one had ever used it before. However, she couldn't erase it from her plans.

"My pets," she called out loud towards the shadows of the forest. Their dark shadows appeared from four different places. Her pets had no face but were just as they were called shadows. "My beauties, how have you been? I need you to do something. Gather as much information as you can about the last artifact."

"Search high and low until you find news about the artifact and bring that information back to me right away. Search the palace to see what you can find there and then the villages. I need one of you to locate all the fallen temples. Don't disappoint my pets," Artemis warned in a motherly tone. She was their mother after all. She had created them. "Go now!"

She sent them off back into the darkness to finish the tasks she had given them. Artemis knew they would never disappoint her. Her pets had been doing a good job keeping her up to date with the outside world.

If the King knew something about the last artifact, then her pets would find out in no time. But even if the King found the last artifact first it wouldn't hinder plans. She would just need to adjust and prepare for what he could possibly have planned.

What Artemis definitely did need was the books on the artifacts and about Gods. They were written by other Gods and passed around amongst each other like a guide. Especially for the new Gods who were learning about the strange human world in the beginning and learning more about the history and tools of the Gods before them.