Hello Lovelies! I'm back! I know it's been forever since I've posted, and I'm so so sorry! Life got incredibly difficult, and writing became unbelievably unappealing at times. However, I do believe everything is alright (for now) and hopefully I will be able to write more and finish this story up! Now for the advertisement portion of the introduction. My very dear friend SongOfRejoice and I have formed a collaboration account called CelestialTwins. We currently have one story up and almost finished with many more to come! So if you like what you see here, you're sure to love what's on there! Now, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson nor do I own anything affiliated with it. Percy Jackson and all his friends (as well as his enemies) belong to the brilliant mind of Rick Riordan.

Chapter 15

Apollo burst through the large golden doors of the Olympus throne room. "Hera!" he shouted, striding toward the center of the room. "I wish to speak with you!"

Hera walked slowly in to the room. "What is it Apollo? I'm growing tired of your complaining." She came to a stop next to her peacock throne.

"I demand that you release my sister." He gave his best effort to sound powerful rather than desperate. How that was working out was debatable.

A wicked chuckle passed Hera's lips. "Have you both learned your lesson?"

"What lesson?" He could feel his fingernails digging in to his palms.

"Responsibility, respect, humility, discipline, take your pick. Honestly, why all the fuss? You finally get to see her after all this time." A grin pulled the corners of her lips.

"She's trapped in a damn cave! Starving! With a wall between us!" Apollo looked down at his hands. They longed for nothing more than to touch his sister's hands, to play with her auburn hair, to feel her slender figure as he held her close. "This agony… I beg of you to end it." He fought the sting of tears behind his eyes. He must not show weakness here.

"Beg?" Hera knew full well how rare it was Apollo ever truly begged for something. Her fingers fiddled with a peacock feather sticking out from her throne. "I guess you have learned something." Maintaining her stern appearance became more and more difficult as Apollo caused her guilt to grow. She hated that. "Fine. I will show you mercy. Continue your job driving the sun across the sky, and on the third sunset the barrier will come down." She saw the look of glee on his face and quickly added "However, you are not to see her before then. The barrier feeds off your agony, so don't give it any."

Apollo knew this was generous of Hera, but leaving Artemis for three days would be a worse agony. Nevertheless, it would be worth it to free her. "Thank you." He was about to leave when he quickly asked, "And afterwards?" He worried if maybe he had pushed too far.

Hera simply looked at him with an expression of stone. "We'll see."

He gave a bow and left the room, mixed emotions on his accomplishments. He quickly wrote out a note and attached it to a dove, sending it to Hermes to tell him of what he must do to free Artemis. Then he set off in his sports chariot, hoping that there would be little consequences to perhaps speeding through the sky the next three days.

"So…" Hermes was sitting close to the wall, leaning in toward Artemis who sat against the far wall. "Which song was your favorite?"

Artemis gave a silent sigh. She had just endured a long marathon of all the Beyoncé songs on Hermes' iPod, and now it still wasn't over. "I guess the one about maidens rising to power over boys."

Hermes smiled. "Run the World. I love that one!" He began to play it again when a dove landed in the cave next to him. He found the note and the dove flew away as he began to read. When he was finished he turned to Artemis. "So, good news!" Artemis pushed away from the cave wall to get closer. "This pesky barrier is gonna come down in three days!" A smile appeared on Artemis' face. "Bad news though," Hermes said, "you're not gonna see Apollo for three days."

Her smile lessened, but nonetheless was still there. "It will be well worth it once I am free." She stood and instantly slumped against the wall, her body beginning to tremble.

"Artemis!" Hermes jumped to his feet, both his hands against the barrier. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Artemis pushed herself down to sit on the ground. An exhausted grunt passed her lips as she did so. "I am fine." She saw the disbelief is his eyes.

Hermes paused before realizing the problem. "You haven't eaten since you got trapped in here have you?"

Artemis gave a small nod, gesturing weakly with her arm. "Not many cuisine options to be found in the back of a cave." Hermes still held a look of worry on his face that she had hoped would leave. "I am immortal, Hermes. Lack of food won't kill me."

"Immortal shmimmortal, Artemis, you're starving!" Hermes pressed harder against the barrier. "And don't say it isn't causing you and problems, I can see you shaking!"

"Even so, there is nothing that can be done about it. In three days, I will be released, I will see my brother, then I will eat."

Hermes ran a hand through his hair. "Well, good for you that you're so patient. But Apollo will kill me if I let his sister starve." He moved away from the barrier and began walking toward the mouth of the cave. "Maybe I can get in from the outside!" He called over his shoulder before taking off in to the sky.

After several attempts at drilling through the ground, involving various forms of drills, explosives, sharp objects and some things illegal in some countries, Hermes gave up and went back inside. "Sorry. Looks like the cave was enchanted to withstand any attempts to get in."

Artemis nodded weakly. "As I suspected." She looked up at Hermes. "You have your job, Hermes. And I don't want to force you to watch me grow weaker. I think it would be best if you leave."

Hermes' eyes widened. "What? No! I can't just leave you alone! Then Apollo would definitely kill me!"

"Hermes," she stared deeply in to his eyes, pleading, "please. I don't want you not doing your job just to watch me deteriorate with nothing you can do to help. You don't deserve such torture."

It was the eyes that got him. Those deep pools of silver that somehow were both pleading and demanding in all the right ways. He gave another sigh. "Alright. But I'm setting animals to watch the cave. And you have to tell Apollo that you sent me away. Also, I'm going to check on you whenever I'm not doing anything, so don't think you've seen the last of me."

A small smile of thanks grew on her lips. "Thank you, Hermes."

After a moment of hesitation Hermes slowly walked out of the cave, turned back over his shoulder, and flew off. After Artemis was sure he was gone, she let herself collapse on the floor of the cave. She released her jaw to tremble and let her eyelids shut as tears streamed down her cheeks. She could not recall a time that she had ever felt so empty. Perhaps when her brother had left and said his tender goodbye, or when Hera had come to gloat in her tent. Perhaps they came close. Her strained breaths whistled between her trembling lips as she lie there, silently weeping, thinking how long the coming three days are sure to be.