[Third Person Pov]
Lucian turned away from Artemis on his seat, quietly sipping from his cup of cocoa. He was clearly sulking now, pointedly ignoring her as he stared into the gently crackling flames of the fireplace.
“Hehehe…” Artemis continued to giggle softly, using her mug as a makeshift shield to hide her lingering smile and laughter. “I’m sorry, Lucian, but how do you honestly expect me to react when you drop such a bombshell on me out of nowhere?”
“Like a mature person would—and not laugh in my face,” Lucian replied dryly, still refusing to look at her while he continued to pout.
Artemis fondly rolled her eyes at his dramatic reaction. She cleared her throat, making a genuine effort to rein in her amusement. “Well, that was certainly a rather… interesting conception story,” she said, still covering her mouth to hide the occasional giggle that escaped.
“I’m so glad you find it amusing,” Lucian responded, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Oh, I do,” Artemis admitted with a faint, teasing smile. “So what you mean to tell me is that the reason you’re able to create life is because you were conceived during a threesome with Persephone?”
“As much as I hate that part of my backstory… yes,” Lucian confirmed, which only made Artemis more intrigued to learn more about him.
‘Now that I’m realizing it, I don’t think I know much about Lucian at all…’ she thought to herself. She kept her mug partially raised, covering the lower half of her face while her eyes remained fixed on him with newfound curiosity.
The two of them fell into an easy back-and-forth conversation. Artemis asked a series of increasingly personal questions about his life, and Lucian, to her pleasant surprise, didn’t seem to mind. He answered openly and happily, sharing details she had never known before.
“Wow… So your mother is actually Medea?” Artemis said in genuine surprise, eyeing him up and down with renewed interest. “That honestly explains so much.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lucian asked, looking bewildered. “Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?”
“Neither,” Artemis shrugged, scoffing softly in amusement. “I just mean that I met your mother once. I even offered her a place among my hunters.”
“Seriously?” Lucian snorted, already imagining how that particular interaction must have unfolded. The mental image was almost comical.
“Yes, she obviously declined,” Artemis scoffed, a hint of grumbling entering her voice as she set her empty mug down. “She would have been a fine addition to my hunters.”
Lucian started to chuckle, the sound warm and genuine. He stood up and extended his hand toward her. “You want a refill?”
“Yes, please,” she replied, handing over her mug. As he took it, she couldn’t help but notice how much taller he seemed compared to the last time she had seen him clearly. The growth was striking.
“Say, Lucian, how old are you again?” she asked, drawing her knees up close to her chest as she watched him.
“Fourteen. Why do you ask?” Lucian said, glancing at her weirdly over his shoulder while he prepared the drinks.
“What? I can’t be curious about how old you are?” Artemis retorted, noting the strange look on his face.
“I’m not saying you can’t, but you sound like one of those old aunties at a family gathering,” he teased. “You’re not planning on squeezing my cheeks next, are you?”
“I might if you keep behaving that way,” Artemis shot back playfully, rolling her eyes. “It’s just that I couldn’t help but notice how tall you’ve gotten. I’ve never met a boy who has changed so much over the course of just a few years as you have.”
Lucian walked back over with the two refilled mugs, a teasing smirk playing on his lips. “That’s probably because you only hang around immortal women who never change even after decades have passed.”
“Hmm, maybe,” she said, her tone almost dismissive, though a small, thoughtful smile lingered. The cozy firelight danced across their faces, wrapping the enchanted tent in a comfortable, intimate atmosphere.
She raised her brow as Lucian sat down next to her and accepted the mug he handed over. The warmth from the hot chocolate seeped pleasantly into her palms.
“Have I really gotten taller? You sure you haven’t just shrunk down a peg?” Lucian teased, using his hands to dramatically measure the height difference between them.
Artemis slapped his hand away with a huff. “I’ll show you a peg,” she snapped back with a low grumble.
Lucian immediately leaned away from her as quickly as he could, holding his arms protectively over himself. “The hell you will!” he exclaimed, warily scanning her up and down. “Pervert!”
“Wha—” Artemis was momentarily confused before her eyes widened in realization. “I obviously didn’t mean it like that! You’re the perverted one since you were the one who thought that!”
“I’m not sure I feel safe around you anymore after you just threatened to peg me,” Lucian continued, still looking at her with exaggerated apprehension.
“I did no such thing! What?!!” she exclaimed loudly, pushing him over in protest. “Don’t you dare put words in my mouth like that again, do you hear me?!”
Lucian toppled sideways, somehow managing to balance his mug without spilling a drop while cackling hysterically. Artemis’s face grew increasingly warm with embarrassment as she watched him.
“And for your information, just to make it explicitly clear—” Artemis continued, feeling the strong need to defend herself, “being this small was a matter of choice and personal preference. It’s a way to better relate to my hunters, since they’re all young girls the moment they are initiated into my Hunt.”
“You sure do sound awfully defensive about your height,” Lucian said, quickly finding joy in discovering this new way to tease her.
“Well, I have to be when you’re attempting to make fun of me for it,” she grumbled, pursing her lips before taking a quiet sip from her mug. “And in case you’ve forgotten, Lucian, I am a goddess. I can change my appearance at will.”
To prove her point, Artemis suddenly began to grow. Her form shimmered and expanded until she matched his exact height. She scooted closer and sat shoulder to shoulder with him, radiating smug satisfaction. “See?” she said, placing a hand on top of his head and playfully moving it back and forth to compare their heights.
Lucian sucked in his stomach and extended his neck dramatically. “Are you sure? You might want to double-check,” he strained out, his voice comically tight.
Artemis burst into giggles at his ridiculous antics, shaking her head. “You are such a child.”
The two of them continued their playful back-and-forth conversation for far longer than Artemis had ever expected. Time slipped away easily in the warm, enchanted tent.
Talking to Lucian felt completely different than talking to anyone else. With everyone else, she had to carefully maintain the image of a goddess—the untouchable Hunter of the Wilderness, the eternal woman who could not stand the presence of men.
However, with Lucian, she was none of those things. He made her feel like she was simply Artemis—nothing more, nothing less. Normally that realization would have felt insulting to her divine pride, but with him, it didn’t. Instead, it felt strangely liberating.
…
She was the first one to awaken between the two of them as the sun rose. For a long moment, Artemis froze, suddenly hyper-aware of her surroundings and position.
Sometime during the night, she had fallen asleep in front of the now-extinguished campfire, her face resting comfortably against Lucian’s chest. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him in a secure embrace, while he remained deeply asleep, breathing slow and even.
Her eyes widened in a mix of shock and fear. Moving with extreme care, she slowly unwrapped her arms and withdrew from him, creating as much distance as the tent would allow.
She stood up and walked a few steps away, pressing both hands over her face as she berated herself harshly in her mind. ‘What am I seriously doing?! Am I losing my mind—!! No… this can’t go on any longer. For both our sakes, it’s best if it stops now.’
The internal conflict churned within her, heavy and unresolved, as the soft morning light filtered into the tent.