"This is going to work." She told herself once more.
The plan was simple, on any other enemy, what she had in mind was not going to work. Thankfully the twin giants were not that bright. Egos as large as mountains. Failure was not an option here. The consequences were too dire, for herself and for Olympus. What possessed her to come up and follow through with this plan she did not know, however no one else had a solution, no one else was willing to deal with this problem. Hera was not listening to their demands anymore, the other gods didn't want to fight them for they could not die. So here she was, risking her own maidenhead.
"No." She thought. She would never have put ahead with this plan if there was even any chance of either of the twin giants touching her. She had thought this through. "The plan will work." On the minuscule chance it fails, she was quick, confident in her ability to escape them.
The two giants were strong. The gods had tried hard to eliminate them but none could, not even her father's master bolt could kill them. They couldn't overpower the prophecy; "No god and no man can kill them." But they were neither god nor man, they were giants. And brought upon their own strength and invulnerability; they were an egotistic pair of giants. She would use that against them. Their capture of the God of War had inflated their already large ego to a point where it had become their weakness. She already had a weakness to target, she just needed a way to exploit it.
She guessed she could call it luck that Hera refused their demands. The pair of giants had long been demanding both herself and Hera for themselves; Otis wanted her, Ephialtes wanted the Queen of the Gods. But currently, there were two of them and only one of her. She would use that.
She didn't speak when she arrived and saw the pair of giants. Pretending or not, the thought of actually giving herself to them disgusted her.
"Artemis." Otis said with a smile befitting a pig.
"Release Ares first then we will speak."
"Why give up the God of War for the Goddess of the Hunt when we can have both." Ephialtes replied.
"You won't have both of us, I am confident in my ability to leave this place without being captured by you. Do you believe otherwise?" She gave a confident and calm reply.
Otis frowned and turned to his twin. "We can just capture Ares again brother."
"Do not believe her words, she will run away as soon as she gets her brother, and then we will lose both." Ephialtes chided, not liking that his brother was considering the goddess' offer. Otis' lust was clouding his judgement. He needed to be the rational one in this situation.
"We will have you first and then release Ares" Ephialtes replied to Artemis.
The goddess narrowed her eyes at them. She saw the looks on their faces. Greed, Lust, Arrogance. All emotions she could use to her advantage. The words spoken by the giants were as good as nothing, she would have to be an enormous fool to believe them. She commenced her plan. She looked to her sides, looking for escape routes. This action did not go unnoticed to the twin giants. She was going to run, and they knew it.
Otis was the first one to charge, a half step earlier than Ephialtes. His desire added to his eagerness. He will have the goddess today, he will go first. He won't let his brother take first action. She is his. Ephialtes soon followed, though he demanded for Hera, the virgin goddess will have to do for now. He will have her first before the Queen of the Gods. Spears in hand, the twin giants rushed towards Artemis.
'Good.' They made the first move. She needed them to do that, she needed them to think that they had a chance to catch her. Fluidly, she transformed herself into a deer. A form she is much familiar and comfortable with. 'I need to reinforce the idea that they are the ones in the advantage; that they are the ones hunting me.' She ran into the forest. In her domain she is peerless, she could smell them, she knows exactly where they are. Otis was 230 cubits* directly behind her, Ephialtes is 25 cubits* to the left of Otis.
(A.N. a cubit 0.4~0.5 meters)
She slowly veered to the left. In addition, she gradually lost her speed, as if she was getting exhausted. She drew them to a false sense of security. Making sure everything seemed natural, for the pair must never figure out what she was trying to do.
Ephialtes looked to his brother and gave a single nod. He did not need to voice to him what he intended to do. He moved further and further to the left until he was no longer able to see Otis. Together they hunted, intent to capture their prey that was slowly but surely slowing down.
He saw her taking a rest, her shadow pointing directly to him. He prepared his spear once again. He did not see his brother anywhere, he must not have caught up yet. This was his chance. Without his brother, he gets the first serving of the fine goddess. He waited for an opening. Eyes focused, muscles tensed, spear ready; He threw.
He saw her taking a rest, her shadow pointing directly away from him. He prepared his spear once again. He did not see his brother anywhere, he must not have caught up yet. This was his chance. Without his brother, he gets the first serving of the fine goddess. He waited for an opening. Eyes focused, muscles tensed, spear ready; He threw.
She saw them as she stilled to a rest. One straight to the direction of the sun, the other opposite to his brother. She looked around, feigning to look for them. 'This is going to work.' She grinned inwardly. Then she gave them the opening they were looking for. She saw the spears flying just a moment after she sat. The spears were flying fast, thrown by powerful giants. Anticipated attacks however, were much easier to dodge. And so she did. Just before the spears hit their mark; she was gone in a blur.
So much tension was finally released from her, relieved that her plan worked. She was safe, no more giants threatening to destroy the gods and raping her. No more spears coming her way. Those would definitely hurt had she gotten hit.
She froze.
She didn't hear any screams of pain nor did she hear any metal going through flesh.
'Curses.' she spat. Her plan had failed. She was going to have to make a run for it.
She scanned the area again, and she saw it. Now standing in place was a blond haired, orange eyes with toad-like pupils young man. He was tall but he was only tall for a human, he was not a giant. He didn't look like any other monsters that she knew of. She blinked again and the man's eyes changed into a bright blue pair of human eyes. He had nothing peculiar to him aside from the whisker like marks on his cheeks.
She was angry; an unknown factor had just ruined her plans, now she had to deal with the giants as well as their unexpected help. She needed to think and react quickly. The fake resting was in the end good for her as she got actual rest from it. She needed as much energy as possible when dealing with an unknown.
"Oi oi oi oi!" The man shouted, eyes darting to and from each of the twin giants.
"If you're going to hunt deer try not kill yourselves while you're at it won't you!" The man exclaimed to the giants again.
Ephialtes growled, this blonde man was standing where Artemis was, and he was holding his spear and what looks to be his brother's. An unknown man had just rescued Artemis and had their weapons. The situation has become a two versus two. He did not know where Artemis had gone to but they needed their weapons back, now. And so he charged. He was surprised to see Otis charging directly from the other side but glad he was thinking of the same thing.
He threw a right straight aimed for the blonde's face and missed.
"Hey!" The blonde shouted as he dodged.
"I saved both of your lives, what are you doing?!"
"Silence human, we know you side with the huntress." Ephialtes followed up with a jab that missed
"With who?"
"Artemis!" Otis exclaimed as he tried to kick the blonde
"Who?" He asked again as he stepped back.
Artemis watched the short but quick exchange from the sidelines. The blonde man was not on the giant's side after all. But he wasn't on her side as well, he was a third party. So, she continued to observe.
"Give us our spears back and then maybe we talk." Ephialtes demanded.
"Why would I give weapons to you when you are so clearly trying to kill me? He shouted back.
"I can feel the strength behind those punches and kicks so don't try to tell me otherwise." The blonde added.
Otis growled and he stepped in again to kill the blonde, the longer it takes to kill this man the longer they can go back to hunting Artemis. They already lost sight of her and there's no telling how far she is now. The blonde is probably here to stall time as she escapes. He stomped hard and the ground shook violently, the blonde momentarily losing balance which then gave him an opportunity to hit the blonde square in the face. An opportunity he happily took. The blonde flew back fast and straight and through a couple of trees.
Ephialtes walked and took their spears that the blonde dropped as he was punched.
"Here's yours brother."
"Thank you."
"Shall we go back to hunting Artemis then?"
"Let us."
Suddenly, Otis was sent flying back. Attacked by the man he previously punched. Otis was currently knocked out.
The blonde stood where Otis was, eyes back to the original shape and color they first were when he appeared. The other giant was upon him as soon as he punched the first one. They soon came into an exchange of fists. The blonde was getting more hits in than he was receiving. The giant was strong but he did not have the same training he had. He did not have the footwork, the technique. He was easy to read, easy to evade.
Artemis continued to watch, and she noticed something very useful. The wounds inflicted by the blonde to the giants was not healing nearly as well as they normally should. He was not a god, he was not a man either. Perhaps a demigod, that would explain the strength and injuries dealt to the giants. She decided to think about that later, what matters is she had someone who could possibly kill the twins. She had best to use that to her advantage. Her initial plan had failed due to the blonde, but she could still succeed with her goal using the same blonde. She breathed deeply, preparing to join the fight.
Otis did not have time to react. One moment he was walking to Ephialtes and the next he was on the ground knocked away by something. He was hurting. Pain. "My chest has bruised." Someone actually managed to hurt and injure him. He was seeing red.
The blonde heard a loud roar and sensed the first giant that he took out homing in, he side stepped to dodge. 'Tch.' The situation had become more troublesome; a two versus one now, he didn't really intend to fight today but luck decided otherwise. He was just heading to his favorite spot in the forest when he saw what was about to happen to the two giants. He saved the lives of the twins but he ended up having a fight with them, a fight that was escalating in force and in lethality. He would have to go to a stronger mode if he wanted to take care of them but he decided against that just yet, he needed to learn more about the enemy. He was about to make a clone to even out the number disadvantage when the same deer that they were hunting earlier came into view. It was going in fast and he thought it would go right to the fight but it stopped at just about a safe distance from them. Then he saw it transform into a gorgeous auburn haired young woman in silver clothing, bow and arrow in hand.
The blonde was only barely able to register what happened. The woman placed an arrow into her bow, aimed, drew, and fired. All done faster than the time it takes for him to throw a kunai. She was fast. And her arrow was faster. It hit the newly rejoined giant straight through his left leg. Both giants turned their head to the direction the arrow came from.
"ARTEMIS!" "ARTEMIS!" Both giants roared at the same time.
"Artemis? The one they accused me to be on the side of?" He asked himself.
"Oh." He got it now. They weren't hunting deer, they were trying to kill her, and she them.
"She tried to take the both of them out at the same time using their own weapons."
And he ruined it. "Oh."
"I got in the middle of the fight between these three." He was annoyed at himself now, he understood why they attacked him so suddenly now. "I don't know who's right or wrong here nor who's good or bad but I just don't want to get myself involved any further."
"Hey, this is all a big misunderstanding, you are here for her right? I don't know her, I'm not involved with her so I'm going to just leave you two to your business." He told the giants.
Ephialtes turned his gaze back to the blonde, eyes narrowing. "The bruises I got from him are healing much slower than supposed to. He's a threat to us. We will have to deal with him now."
"Stay right there yellow he-" He was not able to finish his sentence before an arrow went right through his head. Another went through the other giant's chest.
"Well, that was a quick progression of events." The remaining male thought. He turned to look at the woman who killed the giants. Her gaze was still strong, bow still ready. "They are still alive." She spoke. He did not know how; but she did not shout those words and yet he still heard them. Her voice carried through the forest without losing volume and he heard her as if she was next to him. The blonde turned to look at where the corpses were supposed to be. And true to her word, the giants were already up, wounds dealt by the arrow already healed. He groaned at that, not liking having to fight immortal enemies.
"You will have to deal the killing blow to deal with them." The woman spoke again. The blonde raised an eyebrow at that and looked at the giants more closely. The bruises they got from fighting him were still there, healing slower than the arrow wound did.
Artemis moved through the forest, moving to a position where the blonde was in between her and the giants. It was easier to give support fire in the rear.
"As soon as I get my hands on you I'm going to enjoy my time with you Artemis." Otis said with anger.
The twin giants were furious. They were going to kill the blonde and the huntress, that was for sure. Such arrogance to think that they could kill him and his brother. They were going to make their deaths painful. The blonde was only able to deal damage because he either caught them off guard or fighting only one of them. Together, the blonde would not stand a chance.
The blonde had to duck down to avoid an oncoming punch, they were getting faster he thought. He did not have the time to further think as the other giant prepared a kick to where he dodged. The blonde would have to block this one. He raised his arm in defense when an arrow hit the giant's leg, which gave him time to dodge. He gave a silent nod to the marksman for that one. He doesn't need to go power up now. His current mode with the woman's help would be enough to deal with them. He rushed back to the giants area muttering "Shadow clone" before an identical copy of him popped into existence. He went straight into a fist fight with them. He was the better fighter, he was sure of that, but each swing from one of them carried so much power he had to make sure he didn't get hit.
His clone dispelled every time it got hit, but he was quick to replace it. Deciding that numbers is not the way to go in this fight, he kept his clones to one. The huntress was good, every time he was about to get hit an arrow went buzzing by to stagger the giant for just a moment, which was enough for him to get away. So far, she was a large reason why he wasn't hit yet. She was also a large reason he got so many hits in. An arrow would always come right when he needs it. Her skill with the bow was impeccable. Fighting together, the twin giants were so easy.
However, this was turning into an ugly and high risk fight. He needed to constantly be perfect, to dodge an attack. The enemy just needed to get lucky once and land a hit. He was confident he wouldn't die in one hit but he didn't want to get injured either. And although he got a lot of hits in, they were still healing the injuries, albeit slowly. They needed to end this fight soon.
He moved faster now, tapping into a different power source. He decked the first giant and moved to the second, an elbow straight to the head. He threw him directly to his twin.
"Huntress!" He shouted.
She knew what he needed her to do. And without fail, she sent four arrows. The first two hit one giant each in head, knocking them down. The second two, went through a leg each. Pinning the legs to the ground.
"Thanks!" The blonde responded.
He drew back his arm and a large spinning ball of energy materialized on his open palm. The spinning grew more violently until blades started appearing. Spinning so wild that it was screeching. It was large as well, easily larger than the man holding it. Its size was closer to that of the twin giants themselves. Though they were small for giants, for the spinning ball of energy to be their size was frightening.
The twins' eyes regenerated first, but they weren't fast enough to remove the arrow pinning them to the ground. The blonde man threw the ball of energy directly at them. Their last moments spent desperately trying to dodge.
The blonde moved away as soon as he threw his attack. He jumped to a spot closer to the woman with the bow but still at a safe distance where he could react to her should she do anything.
Artemis narrowed her eyes at the attack, it was strong, too strong for a mortal to wield. She contemplated bringing him to Olympus.
Then the explosion came.
She was definitely bringing him to Olympus now.
The explosion had died down and she saw no traces of the giants. Satisfied, she turned to the blonde man. "Olympus is in gratitude for your service mortal." She told him.
"Olympus? I take it you gods are real then?" The blonde's eyes are back to blue human eyes again.
She just nodded at that.
"Nice to meet you Lady Artemis, my name's Naruto." He grinned. Sunshine blonde hair and a smile as bright as the sun. "Probably a demigod son of my brother then." She thought.
"A demigod surviving to his age and only knowing of Olympus until now with that much power is suspicious."
"I sure am glad I ended up helping you instead of the giants, I didn't know who was in the right or in the wrong in the beginning and was just gonna bail. I just ended up fighting them to save my skin. Luckily I was on the side of the gods." He smiled in relief.
"Who are your parents?" She asked him.
"Well, that's a random question. Besides, aren't you a goddess don't you just, y'know, know things."
"No we don't."
"That's disappointing."
"Your expectations of us gods do not concern me."
"So what can you do?"
"I do not intend to list my skills and powers to you mortal."
"That's fair. Did you really help your mother give birth to your twin?"
"Yes." She was smug about that.
"Freaky but cool."
"Did your grandfather really eat your uncles and aunts?"
"We are getting off track, mortal. Who are your parents?"
"Never met them, I'm an orphan. Is the moon really your chariot?"
"How did you get your powers?"
"Through hard work and training." He grinned at that fact, proud of what he has reached.
"Who taught you?"
"My teacher's dead too."
"This is going nowhere." She was annoyed.
"Do you really have a bunch of young girls that follow you around?"
"Yes, my hunters." She was annoyed.
"Approach, mortal, I will need to bring you to Olympus."
"What for? Didn't I just help you out?"
"A mortal capable of killing giants with a single attack is dangerous. You are an unknown, we need to decide what to do with you."
"Can't I just promise to not cause any trouble? You even said 'Olympus is in your gratitude' earlier."
"Olympus does not owe anyone anything, it thanks but it does not owe."
"Can't you just give me a pass then. Olympus does not have to know, you can take all the credit for the giant's defeat. You would've killed them anyway had I not intervened in the first place. You don't have to tell them I was here."
Remembering that tidbit just annoyed her even more.
"It is my duty to bring you to the gods, besides, I have no doubt that they have seen everything."
"Please." He bargained. Bright blue eyes striking right through her.
"No."
"Pleeeaase." He tried a little harder this time.
"I can't."
"Alright, alright." He sighed.
He looked straight at her again, silver eyes staring back. "I'm sorry." He said as sincerely as he could.
An explosion of power came from the man, he was suddenly cloaked in a golden-orange aura. Black markings in a pattern all over his body, with a notable set of circles on his stomach. His eyes orange once again, but his pupils in a '+' shape. His whiskers thickened to a set of black bars on his cheeks. Before she could further examine him. He was gone.
She was frustrated at him now, leaving her to pick up the mess he caused. "Annoying blonde."
A.N.
I'm back to writing again. I honestly don't know what to do with my old story. I still have the next chapters of it saved in my drive but I won't be posting it. I'm not proud of my first story for a lot of reasons. That's why I've been thinking of rewriting it. I don't know.
Regarding this story, I have had this idea for while now. I don't think it's good but I'm happy with it. I'm planning on making each chapter be contained, to have it as much of a one-shot feels as possible. So that's the idea for this fic. It will just be naruto popping around artemis in inopportune times. It's nothing serious and is just a lighthearted set of stories.