Artemis the Hunter, Artemis the Hunted
Title: Artemis the Hunter, Artemis the Hunted
WC: 1251
Characters: Artemis/Apollo, references to several other gods/characters
Rating: R (non-con)
Summary: They were born into it, the world of the gods, and this was the price they both paid for it.
Notes: Um … yeah. I don't know what to say about this, really. It fits the prompt, though not in a way I think the prompter might have suggested/wanted. I stayed with early mythology; Artemis is a hunter and not yet associated with the moon. Chione is regarded as an affair, thought I tweaked that a little bit. Several of the myths referenced have different outcomes/explanations attached to them; for those I went with the one that fit this particular story better.
Perhaps they had been destined for it. Their mother told them stories of the gods, of sex and lust, power and desire. Her brother thought they'd been born into it; in the end, she couldn't argue.
They were born in anger, in a time when the gods could afford to be possessive. Her father always looked at her with kind eyes, Hera with anger, and her brother with a look she would not recognise until she had been promised her virginity.
"Of all the things." He is angry, pacing. She cannot understand the anger. "You will be a target for all the men," he says.
"You will protect me," she says simply. "I have my bow, silver, like yours. I have my stags, and hounds, and there are the nymphs. I have the protection of a god- I am a goddess."
"That will never be enough."
"I have Demeter and Hestia. I have our father, I have Leto. I have the protection of the firstborn."
"That will never be enough, Artie." He circles her, the look in his eye. "Can you protect yourself from me?"
She does not look surprised, "And what would you do with me, brother? Would you desecrate my body?"
He has no answer. She picks up her bow, runs her fingers lovingly along the edges. "I am Artemis, the hunter. I shall not be hunted by you."
*
She comes to fear his power, his desire. They had been born in a time when the gods were young. Now, the gods use their power for force. Demeter's child is taken, Zeus forces himself upon Leda and Callisto, and Apollo circles closer.
He comes for her after she avenges Hippolytus.
"Adonis is dead," he says quietly.
She fingers her bow, smiles, "Yes, yes Adonis is dead."
"Must you kill everyone who is better than you?"
"If you were better, I would not kill you."
"I am not a hunter."
She smiles, "You are a healer, the weaver of beautiful tunes. And yet, Apollo, you hunt me."
"Adonis is dead, and by your hand."
"And what would you have me do?"
There is hunger in his eyes, desire to claim, as so many gods have done, the body of one he admires- and fears.
"They say I am your heart's desire," she says. "That you protect me, my maidenhood. They say you love me purely, unconditionally. But you lust, brother, do you not?"
"I want to taste your power."
*
After they have slain the family of Niobe, and Artemis turned them to stone, Apollo makes his move, cuts the circle, traps Artemis.
"Give them back."
He strokes her bow, lovingly. He rests a finger on the tip of an arrow, kisses it.
"Dear sister, you know what it is I want from you."
"You want what you have been protecting," she says simply, watching. She is a hunter, she knows what it is she is watching for. He has stolen her bow, and the nymphs are out of calling distance. He has stolen her bow and the stags and hounds are off in the forest, waiting for her to return. Hestia and Demeter are with the gods, paying their tributes to Niobe and her children, slain by the poison arrows she created.
He snaps an arrow and she winces, falls to the ground. "Please," she begs. "Brother, this is madness."
"You alone have the power to make it stop." He snaps another, watches. She is the hunter, but in this moment, she is the hunted. She is in his trap. His eyes burn with desire.
*
She yields to him, silently, on the top of the mountain, secluded from the watchful eyes of the gods. He holds her wrists tightly, presses into her, laughs as she struggles against him.
*
He had expected her protection at Troy, and she gives it to him, to them, calming the waters. She watches as the gods fight, the battle of the divine. She herself cannot bear to be a hunter in this battle. She flees to Zeus. He follows her there.
"You dropped your arrows," he says, holding the bundle behind his back.
"Mother picked them up."
"And gave them to me, to give to you."
She knows what he wants and does not protest this time, on the bed of the gods. His desire has taken him and she is trapped by his power. She has been hunted twice by him, and has lost both times.
*
Her revenge was Chione. Chione the beautiful girl her brother had desired above her. Chione, it was said, loved Apollo, and Apollo her. He was done grieving Persephone, the woman he could never have. Chione, he could have for eons.
"Chione is dead," he says, his heart breaking.
She merely smiles, her bow and arrows safely hidden from him, "Yes, Chione is dead."
"I think I might have loved her."
"More than me?" Once he admits it, once she has taken from him everything he has taken from her, will the score be even. She thinks she might understand his desire now. If it is not his, at least some desire. The desire to take, to claim, to own. She will own him, with the death of Chione.
He looks surprised, though the glimmer of desire is still in his eyes, "No-one more than you, sister."
Her smile waves. She is unsure. "That is not what they say.They say it was only an affair, yet you both were drawn to each other again and again. They say that is why you were not there for Aloadae. Someone else desired me. Someone else lay claim to me, and where were you, brother? Off with Chione."
"I would have come for you, I would have saved you."
"I saved myself."
His eyes gleam, "I alone then, have tasted your power. I alone, shall. Chione is dead, I shall not be tempted. You shall belong to no other-"
"I belong to no-one!" She fears him, his lust, his desire. She has given in twice now, and no more, she has promised herself, no more. His next words chill her.
"You belong to me."
*
He is not gentle, holding her clawing arms down, silencing her screams with his mouth tightly pressed against hers. Her struggles fuel him and he pushes on, desperate. When he is finished, he takes her more, marking her again and again as his.
She does not move after the final time, as he retrieves her bow and arrows. He lays them across her naked chest, counting them. There is one missing, one he has saved for himself. One that he will hold over her; anytime he wishes to hunt her, he will snap it, and she will come running, shards of heart breaking. She will come to him, look at his eyes full of desire, and she will not be able to resist. She will lay on the bed and let him claim her. She will lay on the bed and let the desire wash over her. They will move together as one, brother and sister.
They were born into it, he said. They were born in anger and lust, at a time when the gods used sex as power, used their desire as destiny. They were born into it, the hunter being the hunted, the protector unable to protect from himself. They were born into it, the world of the gods, and this was the price they both paid for it.
WC: 1251
Characters: Artemis/Apollo, references to several other gods/characters
Rating: R (non-con)
Summary: They were born into it, the world of the gods, and this was the price they both paid for it.
Notes: Um … yeah. I don't know what to say about this, really. It fits the prompt, though not in a way I think the prompter might have suggested/wanted. I stayed with early mythology; Artemis is a hunter and not yet associated with the moon. Chione is regarded as an affair, thought I tweaked that a little bit. Several of the myths referenced have different outcomes/explanations attached to them; for those I went with the one that fit this particular story better.
Perhaps they had been destined for it. Their mother told them stories of the gods, of sex and lust, power and desire. Her brother thought they'd been born into it; in the end, she couldn't argue.
They were born in anger, in a time when the gods could afford to be possessive. Her father always looked at her with kind eyes, Hera with anger, and her brother with a look she would not recognise until she had been promised her virginity.
"Of all the things." He is angry, pacing. She cannot understand the anger. "You will be a target for all the men," he says.
"You will protect me," she says simply. "I have my bow, silver, like yours. I have my stags, and hounds, and there are the nymphs. I have the protection of a god- I am a goddess."
"That will never be enough."
"I have Demeter and Hestia. I have our father, I have Leto. I have the protection of the firstborn."
"That will never be enough, Artie." He circles her, the look in his eye. "Can you protect yourself from me?"
She does not look surprised, "And what would you do with me, brother? Would you desecrate my body?"
He has no answer. She picks up her bow, runs her fingers lovingly along the edges. "I am Artemis, the hunter. I shall not be hunted by you."
*
She comes to fear his power, his desire. They had been born in a time when the gods were young. Now, the gods use their power for force. Demeter's child is taken, Zeus forces himself upon Leda and Callisto, and Apollo circles closer.
He comes for her after she avenges Hippolytus.
"Adonis is dead," he says quietly.
She fingers her bow, smiles, "Yes, yes Adonis is dead."
"Must you kill everyone who is better than you?"
"If you were better, I would not kill you."
"I am not a hunter."
She smiles, "You are a healer, the weaver of beautiful tunes. And yet, Apollo, you hunt me."
"Adonis is dead, and by your hand."
"And what would you have me do?"
There is hunger in his eyes, desire to claim, as so many gods have done, the body of one he admires- and fears.
"They say I am your heart's desire," she says. "That you protect me, my maidenhood. They say you love me purely, unconditionally. But you lust, brother, do you not?"
"I want to taste your power."
*
After they have slain the family of Niobe, and Artemis turned them to stone, Apollo makes his move, cuts the circle, traps Artemis.
"Give them back."
He strokes her bow, lovingly. He rests a finger on the tip of an arrow, kisses it.
"Dear sister, you know what it is I want from you."
"You want what you have been protecting," she says simply, watching. She is a hunter, she knows what it is she is watching for. He has stolen her bow, and the nymphs are out of calling distance. He has stolen her bow and the stags and hounds are off in the forest, waiting for her to return. Hestia and Demeter are with the gods, paying their tributes to Niobe and her children, slain by the poison arrows she created.
He snaps an arrow and she winces, falls to the ground. "Please," she begs. "Brother, this is madness."
"You alone have the power to make it stop." He snaps another, watches. She is the hunter, but in this moment, she is the hunted. She is in his trap. His eyes burn with desire.
*
She yields to him, silently, on the top of the mountain, secluded from the watchful eyes of the gods. He holds her wrists tightly, presses into her, laughs as she struggles against him.
*
He had expected her protection at Troy, and she gives it to him, to them, calming the waters. She watches as the gods fight, the battle of the divine. She herself cannot bear to be a hunter in this battle. She flees to Zeus. He follows her there.
"You dropped your arrows," he says, holding the bundle behind his back.
"Mother picked them up."
"And gave them to me, to give to you."
She knows what he wants and does not protest this time, on the bed of the gods. His desire has taken him and she is trapped by his power. She has been hunted twice by him, and has lost both times.
*
Her revenge was Chione. Chione the beautiful girl her brother had desired above her. Chione, it was said, loved Apollo, and Apollo her. He was done grieving Persephone, the woman he could never have. Chione, he could have for eons.
"Chione is dead," he says, his heart breaking.
She merely smiles, her bow and arrows safely hidden from him, "Yes, Chione is dead."
"I think I might have loved her."
"More than me?" Once he admits it, once she has taken from him everything he has taken from her, will the score be even. She thinks she might understand his desire now. If it is not his, at least some desire. The desire to take, to claim, to own. She will own him, with the death of Chione.
He looks surprised, though the glimmer of desire is still in his eyes, "No-one more than you, sister."
Her smile waves. She is unsure. "That is not what they say.They say it was only an affair, yet you both were drawn to each other again and again. They say that is why you were not there for Aloadae. Someone else desired me. Someone else lay claim to me, and where were you, brother? Off with Chione."
"I would have come for you, I would have saved you."
"I saved myself."
His eyes gleam, "I alone then, have tasted your power. I alone, shall. Chione is dead, I shall not be tempted. You shall belong to no other-"
"I belong to no-one!" She fears him, his lust, his desire. She has given in twice now, and no more, she has promised herself, no more. His next words chill her.
"You belong to me."
*
He is not gentle, holding her clawing arms down, silencing her screams with his mouth tightly pressed against hers. Her struggles fuel him and he pushes on, desperate. When he is finished, he takes her more, marking her again and again as his.
She does not move after the final time, as he retrieves her bow and arrows. He lays them across her naked chest, counting them. There is one missing, one he has saved for himself. One that he will hold over her; anytime he wishes to hunt her, he will snap it, and she will come running, shards of heart breaking. She will come to him, look at his eyes full of desire, and she will not be able to resist. She will lay on the bed and let him claim her. She will lay on the bed and let the desire wash over her. They will move together as one, brother and sister.
They were born into it, he said. They were born in anger and lust, at a time when the gods used sex as power, used their desire as destiny. They were born into it, the hunter being the hunted, the protector unable to protect from himself. They were born into it, the world of the gods, and this was the price they both paid for it.