Chapter 60 : Shackles

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•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Atë.

She's the Greek goddess of mischief,

delusion, ruin, and folly.

Até also refers to an action performed by a hero. 

Mythology personifies Atë as the daughter either of Zeus or Eris.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Two words;

Who's Artemis?

Eros stood before me. He looked calm and unfazed but his hands spoke differently; they had balled into tight fists.

The little dot had gotten bigger and it was easy to tell what headed our way.

An eagle.

With every second, its size began to increase abnormally in size. It circled the rooftop like a vulture surrounding a dead corpse. It had the size of a vehicle.

After a few seconds of aimless wondering. It landed on the pavement a few feet from us with its huge talons.

The eagle ruffled its feathers and cocked its head at us. It slowly folded its massive wings.

"That's Artemis?"

Eros never answered. I couldn't see his face since his back was in full view. He looked tense.

Wait, who's Artemis?

I remembered a class session with Mr. Metallic Butt and had mostly described her as Tarzan's sister.

A goddess of the hunt.

The eagle lowered its body and slowly bowed its head. That's when I noticed the tiny figure settled upon it.

A girl no more than eleven or twelve jumped from the huge bird's back.

"Hello, lover boy!" She chirped at Eros. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail. She pet her companion and the eagle cooed from her touch.

She had a cute fanny pack around her waist along with a short denim jacket braided with wildflowers. Her dress swayed over her tiny knees and her pixie flat shoes slapped against the concrete as she walked closer.

Eros gave a wide smile but I knew it was just a facade. "Artery, what are you doing here?"

She pouted at him. It was a childish action but a close glance at her made her seem like a centuries-old lady. 

"It's Artemis. And stop trying to annoy me, Eros. It's been a while since we talked. I expected you to be more welcoming." She said with a hint of disappointment.

He sighed. "What are you doing here?"

The girl beamed with childlike happiness. "How's your search for Psyche?"

Eros pulled a tight smile. "I'd love to tell you but I just remembered it's none of your business. Now answer the question."

The girl folded her hands behind her and bobbed back and forth on her feet. "Didn't your dwarf servant inform you I was coming?"

Trent?

Come to think of it, I remembered the poor little guy tried to tell Eros something.

Eros went silent. "Uh...no. He constantly fails with that."

Is he blaming Trent?

"Well..." Artemis straightened her jacket. "...Dwarf boy sent me a message saying you wanted to find the Shackles of past Martyrs, but you need a medallion to do that."

Eros gave a small nod. "So did you find it?"

She huffed. "Do you doubt me? It's in my nature to find things, and I always get what I want."

I tensed at the statement, my mind drifting back to Henry's words. His stupid promise to find me.

Artemis frowned and looked around Eros. Her featured twisted into a sneer as her eyes zeroed in on me. "What's she doing here?"

Eros gave a glance over his shoulder. His eyes observed me for a second before turning to her. "Any problem?"

"Why is Pandora alive and breathing?" In a short space of time, she lunged at me, her hands sticking out like claws, ready to scratch my face.

Eros wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back.

"What are you doing!? She isn't supposed to exist!" The little girl was kicking and screaming as Eros tried restraining her.

He seemed to be struggling with her small form; her strength had matched his.

The eagle ruffled it's feathers and glared at me with disdain.

It was weird.

Do eagles have emotions?

"We need her," Eros said, his tone calm.

"For what!?" Artemis gritted her teeth. "To destroy the world!? Zeus won't be happy with this!"

He had a bummed expression. "Yeah, like the guy has been happy with anything apart from women."

Artemis dropped her violent attempt. "Okay fine! Just put me down you big jerk!"

Eros slipped his arms away and she regained her stance. She huffed and stretched out her dress.

Eros dipped his thumbs in his pockets. "So did you find what I want?"

She rose a finger. "Uh...no. But I did find this..." She reached into her pack and brought a small, flat, but circular-shaped object.

It was a bronze material enclosed in a golden ring.

A medallion.

Eros looked disgusted. "What's that?"

She observed it and shrugged. "You can say it's a key of some sort. I asked around for some info and found that what you're looking for is locked up in one of Hephaestus' chambers. Mainly in a hidden volt somewhere in Devler's Cemetery. If you want to find those dreadful Shackles, it's in there."

Eros frowned, clearly upset. "I thought you're a huntress. Shouldn't you go there and find it."

She looked up at him with hands over her hips. "I don't have time. So you'll have to do it."

"What!?" He exclaimed. "What do I pay you for?"

Artemis pulled a blank face. "That's the thing, you don't pay me."

"True."

She tossed the medallion at him and he caught it. "Just curious though, why would you need those Shackles? There's a reason why it's locked up."

Eros turned the bronze material in his hands, cautiously observing it. "Just need to capture some pesky monster."

Pesky monster?

For the moment, I was happy to not be the center of attention. Just a girl standing in the corner, happy to be ignored.

She pivoted on her feet and walked back to her eagle. "By the way, I need a feather for good luck."

She turned back to Eros with an air of superiority, like a lady of high class. "Everybody knows you're granted with safe travels when you journey with a lucky feather from the god of love."

Eros scrunched his face. "That's cheesy."

I couldn't hold the curiosity anymore. "Wait, you have feathers?"

They both turned to me like they had just noticed my presence.

I pointed at Eros. "You're a bird?"

The girly broke into a heartfelt laugh. "No silly! It's his wings." She made a dreamy voice. "He just has the most magnificent wings. They're the purest white. The most beautiful thing you've ever seen."

He has wings!

Come to think of it, I never thought about the abilities Eros might possess.

I was too occupied in 'other things'.

Eros gave Artemis a face that told her to shut up.

The girl winked and used her reins to climb unto the eagle's back.

"Now if you don't mind, I have places to go; stuff to steal. Ciao!" She whipped her reins and with an exuberant laugh, the eagle tore to the sky.

We watched her soar through the clouds until she was out of sight.

I turned to Eros. He was observing the medallion. "You never told me you had wings!"

"Let it go." He handed me the medallion and I gave a close look at it.  It had a symbol carved over its surface. It consisted of a hammer, anvil, and tongs.


A symbol for Hephaestus. The greek god of fire and blacksmiths.

Thank you, Mr. Metallic Butt!

"Quick question..." I faced Eros. "...You said this medallion is used to get the Shackles of past Martyrs or something. What the hell is that?"

"It's a special artifact. If you're desperate to save your friend's dad, you'll need it."

"What's so special about it?"

He took back the medallion and slipped it in his pocket. "It contains the blood of every mortal martyr. Forged into bronze material during its creation. It contains special properties."

"What kind?"

"It nullifies the power of any mythical being, lowering our abilities to that of mere mortals. No god can overcome its prison." He turned to me. "Not even Zeus."

"So how's that going to save Gwen's dad?"

Eros gave a devilish grin. "We're going to catch ourselves a Crocotta."

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