“I’m sorry.. What!!” The words ripped out of Phineus before he could stop them. Shock flooded his face, and any sense of decorum vanished as the realisation of such a ludicrous offer registered.
A demi-god?
That isn’t something you would just be offered. It was the stuff of stories, legend, myth; they don't stumble around a forest proud that you moved on from hunting rabbits to deer. They were heroes, warriors, visionaries, and kings. Not some eighteen-year-old nobody from an isolated village, knocking him out of his musing, Artemis went on.
“I assure you this offer is both real and genuine, young Phineus” Her voice carried through the woods with the weight of a ruler talking over her subjects. “I've seen you grow up, Phineus. Always fascinated by the woods that surrounded you, the sparkle in your eye after your first Bow shot,” she giggled, “or when you wore the target of your first bullseye around your neck like a cape. And now, navigating through the lost woods all by yourself, instead of despair, your fondness for nature only grew!” She finished happily
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“Phineus,” she said slowly. “ This is no joke, no game. You are my first choice. I want you to be yourself, do what you want, and you can act in my name.” Then her tone got a little harsher
“However, this won’t be easy; you will be known far and wide for better and for worse. Trouble will always find you when you least expect it. There are more dangers and powers than you could know. Your life may be packed with strife, you may die early and a terrible death. But you will be remembered. You will be one of the very stars who can shape history itself. Whether you accept or not, I would like you to understand that out of every mortal in the world. I chose you”
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Phineus was absolutely flabbergasted, ‘can I really do it? Can I really be a demi-god?’
I chose you. Those words hit him like a flood, out of everyone, everywhere she picked him? A boy born in the middle of nowhere who has never even seen the wider world can he become a demigod? Someone who can end wars, someone who could do the impossible? Artemis seems to think so, ‘A god believes in me,’ and not just any god, the goddess of the hunt, the blessing he always wanted. Now he can get that and more, and all he has to do is say ‘yes’. Is he even able to stand on those battle grounds, a life full of danger, everyone knows his name…
?
“I accept!” Phineus didn't need to think about it; he was given a chance to stand at the centre of the world. A chance to write a story that nobody can ignore and that got him excited, “I’m going to do it. I will tell the world my story!” he declared to the heavens themself.
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“Then say goodbye, my child. For this is the end of your mortal life.” Phineus felt the world start to churn; everything was fading. The beautiful forest landscape became a mishmash of colours, and the moon started to get so bright that he could barely see. Yet in the middle of it all was Artemis, unmoving as she continued, “And rise in the moonlight, child of the hunt, may the wilds prosper under your gaze. Learn your limits, then break them, hunt the sun itself and follow your story to the end”
Phineus was lightheaded, a warmth was seeping into his body from every angle, his legs started to give out, and as he was falling to the forest floor, the last thing he heard was
“Please continue to treat wilds with as much respect as you have shown, and seek me out again once you are able!” and with that, he fell asleep.
___
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Phineus awoke sprawled out on the forest floor. After taking a second to get his bearings, he sat up. Phineus felt weird; without even looking, he was able to sense everything around him. It was strange, like the forest itself was an extension of his senses.
“I’m the Demi god of Artemis!” he shouted out loud so the whole world could hear him. Phineus was ecstatic; he couldn’t believe it was real, but what he was feeling was undeniable.
He felt every leaf rustle and even the wind that caused it; he felt the grass straining under his own weight and all of the wildlife around him.
Standing up, he noticed that something was wrong; his clothes were absolutely massive.
His arms were unable to reach all the way through his sleeves, his pants seemed almost double his legs, and he almost tripped while getting up. But weirdest of all was his sightline. Everything felt much closer to the ground now, at least a foot closer “feels like I’m a kid again,” he joked, but then Phineus froze. Artemis, goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon and children. Artemis herself looked like a child no older than eleven.
Phineus took off running to the closest river, his new speed startling but ignored in his panic. Only one thought kept repeating in his mind, ‘No, no, no no nooooo.’ Reaching the bank, he looked down at the water to confirm his worst fear.
The reflection that looked back at him was a child, no older than eleven. His eyes, instead of being smooth brown, were now a sharp forest green. His brown hair, now much shorter, held a subtle milk white sheen, his skin now perfect, not a blemish in sight. While his face seemed much more defined than his muscles, his poor, poor muscles were nowhere to be seen.
Phineus took a while just staring at his new reflection as an eighteen-year-old trapped in the body of a child. “Hillarious, but I’m ready to grow up again,” he spoke to the sky and spread out his arms. It wasn’t until he felt a distinct sense of amusement coming from his… arm?
Rolling up the sleeve of his left hand, he saw a crescent moon with an arrow over it glowing on his forearm. He’s seen these before; it was proof of your blessing; everyone who gets blessed has a mark appear on them.
However, unlike anything he’s seen, his mark had a subtle white glow to it. Staring at his arm, he really let it sink in, ‘I’m a demi-god’ It was unbelievable yet undeniable.
Phineus Calder, son of artemis has now awoken, and in his wake a whole new era will follow. Where it will go is only the gods may know, but one thing is certain.
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An all-new Mythos is about to begin.
