For solitaryloner, who requested this after I bugged her with my third entry. Sorry for spamming you... and hope you like this! if you don't - which I can totally understand - feel free to ask for a new one.

They had loved each other for quite a long time, ever since they had been inside their mother's womb and the huntress came out into the world first and then helped with her brother's birth, they were meant to be forever together. They were twins. Even if other siblings hated each other, and drifted apart until they were strangers, they'd be a family.

Right?

So she swore her oath on being an eternal virgin, because she figured that her being involved in romance with any man would make the two of them drift apart, and she didn't want to be away from her other half – her lesser half, as she sometimes joked when she was in the mood.

He didn't, partly because it wasn't in his blood – the blood of their father – to do so, be chaste and stay so, and partly because he could have been with her even if he did so, but he found it incredibly empty in his life, when all the maidens and the women and the ladies seemed the same, frivolous things that never really mattered or shone enough to catch his attention for long.

– Why aren't you out there blessing the world with your babies again, Apollo? –

– You make me sound like such a bad person. And I can't help it if I'm tired and need a break, can I? Besides, I wanted to spend some time with my little baby sister. –

– I'm older than you. –

– Yeah, right. –

But still, it seemed rather cold of her to him that she didn't care who he slept with or sired a child by, that she didn't seem jealous at all. He thought he'd have been consumed by the rage and jealousy if she was with a man that hadn't been him.

She just thought it stupid of him to be such an overprotective brother, when she was more than capable of handling herself.

– You know Orion? –

–Son of Poseidon, yes, I know him. I see all, remember? –

– I know, you remind me of that every other day. But he's a rather special son of Poseidon. –

– What, not a thug like most of uncle's kids? –

– No. He's . . . he's special. Great with a bow, and a fantastic hunter. Apollo? –

– Yes? –

– I think I'm in love. –

He'd been right. He was absolutely green with envy. But no matter what he said, what lies he fabricated to make Artemis despise the man for his supposed past actions, she refused to part with that demigod. Refused to give up her pleas to father to make him an immortal god, refused to give up her attempts at finding a way to remove her vows.

He sent a scorpion with powerful venom after him. After all, if he was such a great hunter, he could defend himself against one small animal, right?

– Orion! Orion! –

–Artemis, he's dead. –

– No, no! –

Even in death the demigod managed to upstage him. Artemis sent his soul up into the velvet fabrics of the night sky where he'd hunt the monsters of darkness and stardust, keeping her company when her moon sleigh rode around the night.

After that, she was miserable. Refusing to now see him face to face, avoiding his eyes and his presence, she tore him apart until he was at the same level of misery, if not lower, as his sister, and driven insane by her actions.

– Artemis? –

– . . . –

– Artemis, I'm sorry. –

– . . . –

– Please, can we . . . Can we just talk? –

– . . . –

In the end, he made peace with her through a rather odd method. Apollo, shortly after, was sent to kill Python. He left gladly, his quiver filled with arrows from rays of sunlight and his bowstring strung to his golden bow, taught and ready to shoot at a moment's notice, to avenge the hardships their mother went through while they were safe within her womb.

The snake was fierce, and a very powerful opponent. The large snake thrashed a lot, often throwing him to the far end of the cave. Each time, he got back up, taking the pain, the wounds, and the bruises as self-imposed punishment for what he did to his sister. Each arrow fired, ripping through the scales and digging into the flesh of that creature was a distraction from the horrifying, sickening reality of his actions.

A thousand arrows later, the snake was dead and he still felt like the sinners that belonged in Tartarus. Tired and hurt, covered in dried golden ichor and the black blood of his dead prey, he dragged himself to Olympus, ready to rest, when Artemis came barreling to him, eyes wide and angry, though below the rage, her silver orbs were worried. When she saw him, she sagged with relief against him.

– Never do that again! –

–Never do what again? Kill an enemy of our mother's? I can't promise that. –

–That's not what I meant. Why didn't you call me along? The hunt is amongst my sphere of power! –

– Little sister, a brother is most happy when he's getting hurt in the stead of his favorite sister. –

She punched him hard and strong, and while he staggered under the extra acquired wound, hugged him and didn't let go for a long time, silently conveying her forgiveness and the end to their split.

She never argued again that technically, she was the older twin, though she did always remind him that they were twins.

– Apollo? –

– Yes? –

– How do you feel about killing seven sons of a vain, arrogant woman who has insulted our mother for having only one daughter and one son? –

– I'd love to. Are you coming as well? –

– Someone has to kill the daughters of Niobe, don't they? –

–And you don't trust me to do this by myself? –

– You get the sons, I get the daughters. You're lucky I'm letting come with me after you killed the Python without me. –

– Ah, little sister, you're never going to let that one go, are you? –

–Apollo. We're twins. –

– I'm older. –

– No, no you're not. We're twins. –

"I heard you helped the heroes sent on that quest."

Apollo looked up from his guitar. "Who blabbed?"

"Thalia," she answered, crossing over to his side of the room and taking a seat next to him. She was in the form of a young woman, in the silvery cloths of her hunting tunic. Her bow, more lithe and plain at the moment, hung from her back with the silver quiver of arrows that were the gentle, silent killing missiles of silvery moonlight. "You nearly broke the Ancient Laws."

He shrugged it off. "Nearly. But my baby sister-"

She tried to punch him, but he ducked at the last moment, so all her fist hit was the air where his presence was suddenly lacking. He continued speaking as if nothing had happened. "-is safe, so it was worth it."

"You're a big ball of hot gas and air," she retracted her hand.

"I do wish you'd stop spreading rumors about me," he commented. "Or I might do the same, and tell the world that you're in love with another son of Poseidon."

She lunged at him this time, and knocked him to the ground, twisting him into positions that were extremely painful and uncomfortable. "Apologize!"

"Never!" the gods spent some time this way, wrestling playfully until they burst out laughing. "It's good to have you back, little sis," he said, and kissed the top of her head.

Naturally, she butted his chin as hard as she could with her head. "We're twins, Hotshot."