Myths and Legends

"Succeed, and you will become legend. Honestly, how sanctimonious can you get?"

Artemis wasn't sure what "sanctimonious" meant. But she wasn't particularly interested in finding out. Rather, her attention was focussed on The Book of Myth that was laid out in front of her. And Hal, for that matter, seated on the opposite side of the table on the balcony that overlooked the Last City.

"I mean, yeah, they say that to every Guardian before they leave the city. Leave, kick arse, take names, fight the good fight, yadda yadda yadda." The titan waved a hand. "You'd have thought they'd have come up with a different prep speech by now."

"Hmm-mmm," Artemis murmured, still not listening.

"So, anyway, I was thinking of going to the moon next," Hal continued, either oblivious to the Awoken's indifference, or taking no heed of it. "I mean, there's been a whole horde of thralls sighted on the surface and-"

"Hal, have you ever heard of Madrigal?"

Hal's eyes flared for a moment, Artemis noticed, but only for a moment. She'd seen the titan do brutal things to humanity's foes, and felt assured that her body wouldn't be joining them.

"I mean, I was reading this," she said, turning the book over to her fellow Guardian. "It tells the story of a city called Madrigal, which also came under attack by thralls."

"The Book of Myth," Hal said, reading out the cover. He glanced at Artemis. "This some book you're working on."

"I found it in Chicago," she snapped. "And for all you know it's a history of a time prior to the Golden Age, when-"

"Or, it's nothing but fiction." Hal closed the book. "Piece of advice Artemis – don't believe everything you read."

"But-"

"If it's legend, it's fiction woven around a grain of truth. If it's myth, it's a case of the fiction covering the grain entirely. And if it's pure fiction, like they used to write before the Fall, then it shouldn't be taken as fact in any way whatsoever."

"Hal-"

"Plus I don't think the Hive were around back then," the titan said, flicking the book open again and showing her a picture of shambling corpses. "Nor were they laying siege to cities called Madrigal."

Artemis remained silent. It had sounded so real. Looked so real. But while not human, she knew much of the Awoken's parent species, and that included the knowledge that there likely weren't the walking dead at any point in the past. Which after seeing pictures of the Hive, might have been for the best.

"It's funny though isn't it?" she ventured.

"What is?"

"Well, how fiction mimics reality," she said. "I mean, here we have Madrigal. Last of the Free Cities, besieged by an army of darkness."

Hal leant back in his chair. "Don't be so melodramatic."

"And it's called Myth," she said, still pressing the point. "Myth? Legend? We're part of the Last City? Ring any bells?"

Hal got to his feet and walked out to the balcony of the Tower. The Last City and the Traveller lay before him. And as she got up to join him, lay out before Artemis as well.

"Last cities, fearful odds, armies of darkness." Hal snorted. "That's what fiction is, kiddo. A story's always better when the heroes have to triumph over adversity."

"So…this is our story then?"

"What?"

"I mean, you heard what they said." Artemis smirked. "Become legend? Don't fade into myth? Drive back the dark before the last light of civilization goes out?"

"I told you not to be melodramatic."

Artemis shoved the book into the titan's hands. "Try and get some soul Hal. I mean, if we are to become myth, we could at least leave a good one behind."

Hal sighed.

"Which would involve killing thralls of our own."

Hal's eyes lit up. "Sure," he said. "I could get behind that."

Heading back to her seat with a smile on her lips, Artemis supposed she could get behind that as well.

A/N

So, another game of "story based on similarities" - Myth and Destiny both produced by Bungie, Madrigal and the Last City standing alone besotted by "the dark," enemy thralls...gave me the idea for this.