PJO Fanfic- Stars

Summary: Artemis grieves her fallen huntress. Apollo is there for her, as usual. One-shot.

Theme(s): 'Knife' by Rockwell

Artemis sat back in her throne, as the other gods filed out. Percy Jackson was to live. Well, he was worthy, in the moon goddess's opinion. He was one of the very few males she approved of.

"Aren't you coming, sis?" asked her brother, as he passed her on his way out. "The Nine Muses are playing, and I'll be doing a solo!"

Artemis managed a weak smile. "You go on ahead. I'll join you later."

Her brother shot her a curious look, but headed out with the other gods anyway. As silence filled the throne room, the full-impact of everything that had happened hit the goddess. Biting her lip, she took to her feet and fled the hall, heading straight for the nearest forest. Olympus may have a couple of forests here and there, brimming with wood nymphs, dryads and all sorts of other forest creatures and minor gods, but they couldn't compare to the ones rising from the surface of the Earth.

The woods were silent as well. It appeared that most of the woodland nymphs had gone to the party. Artemis picked a spot and sat with her back against the trunk of an oak. The night sky stretched above, a blanket of stars. The goddess's eyes passed over the millions of stars that twinkled. Several constellations stood out. Her gaze lingered momentarily on Orion, and then moved on to a new one she had put in the sky earlier.

"The Huntresses and I will never forget you, my brave one," Artemis whispered to the stars. One tear rolled down her cheek, quickly followed by another. Finally, the goddess succumbed. She hugged her knees, rested her forehead on them and allowed herself to weep silently, her body trembling. She didn't look up even when her godly senses picked up on someone approaching.

"Cry it all out. It's not good to keep it bottled up inside," came her brother's gentle voice. He put an arm around her and gave her a small, comforting squeeze. She leaned against him. For several moments, they just sat there together; the twins of Leto, enjoying each other's company, seeking comfort and solace in one another.

"How do you cope with it?" she asked, softly.

Apollo raised his eyebrows.

"Your demigod children. You've watched so many of them perish before their times, even the ones you favor. How do you cope with... with the pain?"

A pained expression dominated Apollo's divine face. His gaze turned to the stars and he remained silent for a long time.

"I love all my children, sis, god or demigod. There aren't any that I favor more than another. Every time one of them... passes, it hurts," Apollo finally broke the silence. He swallowed once. "Sometimes, love isn't about holding on, it's about letting go. Especially since we're immortal."

The word 'immortal' seemed to strike Artemis. The goddess was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of shame. Her Huntresses were immortal. They would only die should they fall in battle, which was unlikely. But Apollo's demigod children... they weren't in the least bit immortal despite being half-god. They went on quests in small numbers to face monsters whereas her Huntresses moved together. And those demigods... it was never 'when' they would return, it was always 'if'. Artemis felt a little selfish.

Artemis wiped away her tears and turned to her brother. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I didn't mean to bring up..." She could almost tell what was coursing through her twin's mind after she had brought up the topic of his demigod children. A war was coming. With Percy Jackson fighting, it was almost certain the rest of Camp Half-Blood would be involved. That meant the whole Apollo Cabin. Her Huntresses would be there as well, but still...

"Don't worry about it, sis." It was her brother's turn to give her a weak smile.

"So... aren't you supposed to be doing your solo? You do realise you're missing out on a lot of fun, right now?" she said, cocking an eyebrow and smirking slightly.

"I came looking for you," Apollo responded. He smiled slightly. "Shall we go?"

Artemis nodded. You run along. I'll be there. For sure, this time," she quickly added, seeing the look on her brother's face. He grinned and hurried off. Artemis turned back to the night sky. The goddess now had a new lieutenant, Thalia Grace, who was also her half-sister. Pining after Zoe might potentially offend the girl. Zoe was also definitely in Elysium, basking in eternal paradise. It was time to let her go. Artemis cast one last glance at Zoe's constellation before hurrying after her twin brother.