The Art of Submission

•Two•

The mortal realm was always a place of balance. Always a place where light and dark battled vehemently til one claimed victor. Then the vicious cycle would begin again. Evil won at times and good won the other times. The reign of terrors and peace through the human world passed in waves.

The deities knew at times dark forces would overcome but in the end the light would shine through the dark.

As the goddess of the hunt sat on her moonlit throne, she doubted the light coming to aid her and her mortal creatures. Even her attendants. The gods whom she thought would aid her had fell silent. Her father, king of the gods, bringer of justice, the lightninger had betrayed the gods. Had foolishly listened to the goddess of chaos, had been poisoned by the personification of strife, Eris.

Eris had infiltrated her fathers thoughts and none of the gods and goddesses were allowed to aid any mortals, even the ones they created. Eris had sown the seeds of strife and now they were blooming.

Artemis's own creations were turning on one another. An organization of her own creations whom she thought would never amount to anything had become a great threat to her creations. Her children were killing each other and she usually could always intervene...now she couldn't.

Silver tears leaked from her eyes. She was the goddess of the hunt, the eternal maiden and she was useless. The cries and prayers of her Lycans fell upon deaf ears. The worries and whispers of her attendants were like Eros's bloody arrows to her heart.

The goddess had done all that she could do. She had struck a deal with Morpheus which costed her dearly. Of course she could never tell the girls that. At least they were still cable to communicate with their projects through dreams. It costed her, her power. Her strength.

The only solace that she took in trading her strength for time was that her attendants still got the chance to help her children to the best of their abilities.

"Mighty Huntress?"

It was Callisto. Her greatest attendant. Artemis wiped at the stray tears, straightened her spine and held her head high. Instead of grabbing her helmet she grabbed her tiara and gently placed it on her head.

She was ready to receive her attendant.

"You may enter."

The woman entered. Her hazel eyes darting all over the throne room, the look of a warrior scanning their surroundings overtaking her soft features. "No one is here. Ease yourself, Callisto."

The tense stature she took evaporated. Callisto was one of her first handmaidens. One of the first young girls she offered to come live with her at Mount Olympus to escape a life of turmoil and to help other female mortals and lycans in her same position. Callisto grew from a resentful, rage fueled girl to a cunning and respected woman.

Callisto was virtually the same age as her. After Zeus granted her the wish to become an eternal virgin, vowing that a man would never enter her as long as he had breath in his lungs, she set out to make a difference. She found Callisto ready to be married off to a man fourfold her age. Her father was a greedy and powerful king whom later Zeus killed for his horrid acts. Before that he had many children, mostly sons and three daughters. Callisto was the runt of the children and had such a horrendous life that Artemis took pity on her and offered her solace. The two had been thick as thieves since. Which was eras ago.