Athena woke up the next day, feeling ready for the day that had yet to come, she headed to the kitchen where Artemis was sitting by the chair, waiting for her.
"You're a bit later than usual, sister..." Artemis said, crossing her arms.
"Sorry about that Artemis...I was feeling overworked yesterday..." Athena chuckled, rubbing her eyes.
"Where's mother and father?' Athena said, looking around.
"They went outside to buy at the market stalls...I was waiting for you to wake up and eat with me..." Artemis sighed.
"Alright, I'll eat with you, but I must say...I'll be on patrol after this..." Athena sighed, as she ate breakfast.
"Fine...I'll tell it to Mother and Father...but please make some time to bond with me..." Artemis said, she looked at her with puppy eyes.
"I will...don't worry my sweet little sister...your older sister will ensure you that we will have some fun later..." Athena said, gently brushing her hair.
"Also if you don't mind, can you bring Creo over?" Artemis chuckled.
"E-eh???!!!" Athena gasped, her eyes widened.
"What's the matter sis?" Artemis asked in a teasing tone.
"Nothing's the matter...I'll tell him later if I ever encounter him..." Athena said, as she stood up and cleaned the dishes.
She headed to her room and changed her clothes to her military uniform and equipped her sword, brushing her hair and headed downstairs.
"I'll see you later, Artemis..." Athena said as she was about to leave the cottage.
"See you later, big sis..." Artemis said.
Athena headed out and strolled by, her eyes started to wander about, as she continued to walk.
"Hey Athena..." A voice called out.
Athena turns around and notices Creo who was at his blacksmith shop, she slowly approached her and stopped, his face had a soft smile.
"Oh hey Creo..." Athena said with a wide smile on her face.
"Oh, you're not with Oskar or Arcane?" Athena asked, tilting her head.
"Well they're a little busy right now, they're doing some favors around the kingdom..." Creo sighed, crossing his arms.
"But I have to ask, what are you doing here, passing by my little blacksmith shop?" Creo asked, waiting for her response.
"Well, don't you want some company for a while?" Athena said with a teasing tone.
Creo raised an eyebrow but he let it slide as she gestured Athena to sit down.
"Can I get you anything?" Creo asked her, waiting for her to respond.
"A simple drink would be nice..." Athena smiled, her eyes wondered around, she was captivated by Creo's creations.
Creo came back with a cup of tea for her, he noticed she was staring at his creations, he put down the cup of tea, a smirk growing on his face as he moved closer.
He decided to take this opportunity and put his hand on her chin which catches Athena off-guard.
"W-what are you doing?" Athena said, her body trembling.
"I was just trying to catch your attention...but it seems your mind was distracted..." Creo said, lifting her head up to face him.
"Let me fix that..." Creo said, pulling away her chin.
"Y-you...you did that to tease me, didn't you?!!" Athena exclaimed, her face was red and she was annoyed by how Creo teased her.
"Maybe...maybe not, anyways your tea is going to get cold, so I suggest you drink it now..." Creo said, as he sat down on his chair.
Athena began to drink her tea as she took a sip, staring at Creo who was carefully shining his blade.
Before any of them could make a move, Amara and Oskar came back, surprising both Creo and Athena.
"Uh...we're sorry...were we disturbing something?" Amara and Oskar, looked away.
"No it's fine..." Creo smiled at them.
Athena looks away and says to herself. "You guys were definitely disturbing something..."
"Is something the matter Athena?" Creo said, moving closer to her.
"Nothing is bothering me Creo..." Athena sighed and stood up.
"So I'm sure you guys have something to report to us?" Athena asked.
"Indeed we do have..." Oskar panted, deciding to sit down and rest.
"Woah take it easy, what happened on your patrol?" Creo asked him, waiting for his response.
"Well, when me and Amara went scouring around the kingdom, trying to find background about the Mystic scroll, Locke's gang was there and he's got a new member..." Oskar said.
As they were talking, their discussion was suddenly interrupted as an incoming sound caught their attention
Thwip
An incoming arrow that nearly hit Oskar.
"What the heck..." Athena said as she drew her sword, ready for battle.
"Sorry for interrupting your little peace time, but we will not stop until our opponents are eliminated from the game..." Locke said in a mocking tone, belittling Athena's presence.
"This guy is always annoying..." Amara said, rolling her eyes.
"Watch your tongue woman!" Locke exclaimed.
"You offend me..." Amara said as she casted her magic on him.
Athena was about to aid Amara when she felt a sharp pain struck at her shoulder- it was an arrow that pierced her shoulder
"Tch, you're a pain in the ass." Athena said as she yanked out the arrow from her shoulder.
Suddenly her vision began to blur slightly, her heart began to race, not due to pain but instead, she felt a strange warmth that made her loosen her grip for a second.
"What is this?" She gasped.
Before she could analyze it, a figure dropped from the rooftops- the Archer elegant, and masked in rose trimmed black leather stepped forward.
"You're feeling it now." The archer said. "My arrows don't pierce you with poison- they pierce your heart."
Athena staggered and began to feel disoriented.
Triton proceeded to attack Athena but Creo launched a projectile at him, glaring for trying to hurt Athena and his eyes locked at the archer.
"You stay the hell away from her." Creo said as he launched a fireball at him.
Oskar stood up and fought the assassin, knocking her back on the ground.
Athena regained her composure and chased after the mysterious archer as she aimed ice projectiles towards them, but the Archer shot the ice projectiles, making them shatter with ease.
The Archer decided to move closer as they attempted to shoot Athena in point blank range, aiming for her leg but she managed to block it with ease.
"I don't know who you are but next time we cross paths, I'll cut you down!" She spat.
The archer simply smiled. "They call me the Love Spot. And darling, next time you just might..."
The archer went back to Locke's group and they left, vanishing in the shadows, leaving behind a heart shaped arrow pinned to the door.
Athena stared at the arrow for a long moment.
"Love Spot." She muttered. "Great, now we've got a flirt for an enemy." She said in a sarcastic tone.
Creo picked up the arrow. "This one plays a different kind of game and we're already part of it..."
*Epilogue 1*
In a dark chamber lit with flickering candles, Locke swirls his wine, leaning over a rune-covered map.
"Well," he said glancing at the side. "Love Spot has certainly left an impression on our enemies."
Love Spot sat on a barrel, twirling a heart-tipped arrow.
"They're not bad...but they'll need more than brute strength to resist me."
Triton grunted in annoyance. "They'll regroup eventually. We should've finished them."
"Let them..." Locke said calmly. "After all, the Mystic Scroll is still hidden away."
He tapped the scroll icon on the map.
"But soon, it will be in our reach, and it's going to be ours."
He smirked, eyes gleaming. "Let them chase shadows, we're going to chase history."
*Epilogue 2*
Back at the cottage, later that evening.
The sun had begun to set behind the hills, casting golden hues across the forest clearing behind Athena's home. There, three figures stood tall beside a small wooden archery target.
"Okay, I want to see if you actually kept your promise." Artemis said, with her arms crossed, as she eyed Athena.
"I always do." Athena smiled, holding a bow. "And guess who I dragged along with us?"
Creo walked over with a casual shrug. "She didn't drag me. I came willingly...mostly."
Artemis giggled, handing him a wooden arrow. "Let's see how good you are, mister blacksmith."
They each took turns, with Artemis nailing the bullseye first. Athena followed with an elegant shot, just inches off-center. Creo's arrow stuck on the edge. Close, but not quite.
"Not bad, but not perfect." Artemis teased.
"Hey, my talents are in forgingg weapons, not aiming them." Creo chuckled.
Athena stood off to the side, watching them laugh together. She smiled softly at the peace, at her sister's joy...but mostly, at Creo. The sunlight hit his face just right, and for a brief moment, she forgot about patrols, missions, and enemies. She saw something simple...something warm.
"You're staring." Artemis whispered beside her.
"I am not!" Athena said quickly, cheeks flushing.
"You totally are." She replied.
Athena playfully nudged her. "Let's just focus on the next round."
As they reset the arrows and took aim again, laughter echoed across the clearing, even as the shadows of new threats loomed just beyond the horizon.