粉红的窗帘

Artemis held her mother Edona in her arms. The mana woods echoed with the soft rustling of leaves, bearing witness to the painful scene unfolding beneath the ancient trees and most of them started wilting like dead plants because Edona's magic power kept depleting each second. Edona's breath came in shallow gasps, her body weakened by the wound inflicted by the arrow of Fenrir, the arrow created by Artemis with an apocalypse creature of great power.

Artemis clutched her mother tightly, her heart heavy with worry. Tears streamed down her face, mingling with the dirt and blood that stained her cheek. "Mother," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion, "hold on. Help is coming. I won't let you go."

Edona's eyes fluttered weakly, her pain etched across her face. She reached up, her trembling hand caressing her daughter's cheek. "Artemis, my beloved daughter," she rasped, her voice barely audible. "You must go. Leave this place. Apollo... he may come for you next. I cannot bear to lose you too."

Artemis shook her head, her eyes blazing with determination. "No, Mother. I will not abandon you. We will face this together. I will protect you, just as you have always protected me and how you believed me."

Edona's frail smile tugged at her lips. "You are so brave, my child. But Apollo's rage is relentless. He will not rest until he sees us both destroyed. You must flee and find a safe sanctuary. You have to send Tasha back, don't hurt her anymore, she's carrying someone important,"

Artemis's grip tightened around her mother, her voice filled with resolve. "I will not run, Mother. I will face Apollo and put an end to his wrath. He will not harm you any longer."

Just then, a gust of wind whispered through the forest, carrying with it a haunting melody. Apollo descended from the heavens, his radiant presence casting an otherworldly glow upon the scene. His piercing gaze fell upon Artemis and Edona, his face twisted with a mix of anger and satisfaction.

"Artemis," he hissed, his voice dripping with malice. "You dare defy me and betray? Do you think you can protect her? You are but a mere whore of a goddess, unworthy of your divine heritage. You're a waste of space and energy. I don't understand why you got a high-quality land when I was there, this bitch has always been treating me like garbage, serves her right, dying like a human,"

Artemis rose to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury. "You will pay for what you have done, Apollo. Your actions will not go unpunished."

Apollo smirked, a cruel gleam in his eyes. "Is that so? You, a mere hunter, believe you can beat me, with these arrows? You overestimate your abilities and also I have to thank you for these arrows because they are awesome,"

Artemis held her mother close, shielding her while looking at the five arrows she created and she couldn't understand how he get them when she was the only person who knew where these arrows were supposed to be. But then she remembered.

"You! Don't tell me those arrows!" Artemis shouted, but then she saw someone walking toward Apollo with a guilty look on her face.

"Sister!" Artemis felt her eyeballs falling out of her eye sockets seeing the betrayal she was going through.

"I'm sorry Artemis, but Mother need to die, she's clearly biased toward you, I should have been the one to get control of the land which you got, but she went ahead and gave it to an irresponsible goddess like you, this wouldn't have happened if she treated her children equally," She said and looked at Edona, who was still trying to calm Artemis.

"Look, even now all she cares about is you," Artemis's sister said and pointed at Edona, but she just smiled at both Apollo and Artemis's sister.

*Cough

"It's not like that, you two, I love everyone equally, just like every other parent, I wanted Artemis to be more responsible, that's why I took that decision, I didn't mean to hurt both of you," Edona said causing both Apollo and the sister to clench their teeth.

But Artemis glanced at her mother, still cradled in her protective embrace, and then turned her gaze back to her treacherous sister. The realization hit her like an arrow straight to the heart.

"How could you?" Artemis whispered, her voice quivering with a mix of sadness and rage. "You would harm our own mother, all for power and envy? Is that what our family has become?"

Her sister's face hardened, her eyes gleaming with a twisted determination. "Artemis, you've always been favoured by Mother, I know she lying now, because she's dying. It's always been about you, your hunting skills, your adventures. I've been overshadowed and neglected. This is my chance to prove myself, to claim what should have been rightfully mine and prove that you were just a brat,"

Artemis shook her head in disbelief. She had always thought that sibling rivalry could be overcome and that the love between sisters would prevail even though such a concept didn't exist between higher beings like them. But now, standing face to face with her sister's betrayal, she realized how wrong she had been.

With a deep breath, Artemis released her mother from her protective grasp, letting her stand on her own. Her voice hardened, echoing her resolve. "If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you shall have. But mark my words, sister, I will protect our mother at all costs. I will not let you harm her."

As she spoke, her eyes darted towards the five arrows her sister had obtained. Each arrow represented the power of the man she hated so much, a piece of his legacy. Artemis knew that reclaiming them would be crucial in preserving her mother's life and her own rightful place in the divine realm.

In a fluid motion, Artemis reached for her bow, nocking an arrow with unparalleled grace. Her sister took a step back, realizing the gravity of the situation. The air crackled with tension as the two goddesses faced off, their sisterhood tore asunder by envy and ambition.

'Don't...do.... this," Edona muttered but Artemis wasn't in her right mind to listen, so she tried to charge but suddenly she felt Edona's touch on her hand again and suddenly she felt like she was being electrocuted.

When she opened her eyes again, Artemis found herself in a different place altogether. The surroundings had changed, and she no longer stood in the midst of the chaotic scene she had been prepared to charge into. Confusion and concern washed over her as she held Edona's hand tightly, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"Mother?" Artemis whispered, her voice filled with a mixture of sadness and longing. "Why did you do that? Why did you take me away from there?"

Edona gazed at Artemis, her eyes brimming with tears. She knew she had to explain her actions, even if Artemis might not fully understand or agree.

"Artemis!" Edona began, her voice trembling with emotion. "I did it to protect you, to keep you safe. I couldn't bear the thought of you being harmed or worse. There was too much danger, and you were not in your right mind. I had to intervene and I want you to do something for me,"

Artemis tried to steady her racing thoughts, grappling with conflicting emotions. She could sense the depth of her mother's sadness and the immense love she held for her. But there was also a part of her that yearned to face the challenges head-on, to fight for what she believed in, even if it meant risking her own well-being.

"I understand that you were trying to protect me, but Edona, I can't bear the thought of hiding away while others suffer," Artemis said, her voice filled with a mixture of determination and heartache. "I want to make a difference, to fight for what's right. Why won't you let me?"

Tears streamed down Edona's face as she tightened her grip on Artemis' hand, trying to find the right words to convey her deepest fears.

"Listen Artemis, If Fenrir fail and his brother wins the duel, everything in our world will reset including our memories, I know I'm being selfish here, but I don't want that to happen, and he will probably kill Tasha," She said and took Artemis hand and kept it on her belly.

"So I want you to give birth to this child, he is the only solution we have now if I die like this, I want to be someone who knows everything that I experienced, I don't want anyone to mess with my memories," Edona said causing Artemis to clench her teeth.

This was the first time her mother asked something from her, and she couldn't believe that request for something this sad and wild.

"I-I can't-" Artemis wanted to refuse, but suddenly Edona coughed out her blood showing that she doesn't have time to entertain her conflict.

"Kuhhh~ I will do it if that's what you desire, I will do it," Artemis said and promised Edona, who smiled at her words feeling happy.

"I feel satisfied now, I'm sorry for doing this to you and everyone else, I know I'm the worst woman in history, but I hope you at least will forgive me," Edona said and took Artemis's hand and placed it on her belly.

"Let's begin the ceremony," Edona said and Artemis nodded her head without knowing what was about to happen.