The Chosen One - by ArtemisPrime

Part 1 - The ending

The early morning air was disturbed by the trespassing of an intruder. Watchful eyes gazed upon the man as he cautiously made his way through the undergrowth. The eyes turned sharply to see the arrow come flying out and strike the man through his heart. He screamed, clutched the shaft embedded within him and fell to the floor. He gasped, then died.

The eyes emerged from their hiding spot. They looked upon the dead man, then up into the sky. "You didn't have to kill him," she called out. A whoosh of wind and flurry of light responded to the call.

"He trespassed," the new figure answered. "I had no choice."

The woman glared. "You always have a choice, Artemis. You could have just let him go along his way and be done with it." She put her hands on her hips.

"Never mind giving me instructions on how to run my forest," the goddess retorted, pointing a finger at the woman. "Besides, he smelled." She then disappeared.

"Artemis," the woman sighed while shaking her head. "Leave me to do the dirty work..." She bent down, grabbed the dead man's arms and began dragging him away. "For once, Artemis, clean up your own mess," she muttered under her breathe.

Athene finished telling her tale. She looked down at Jonus.

"That's it? Just like that, Hera's gone for good?" Jonus asked. She couldn't hardly believe that Hercules got rid of Hera so easily.

"Well, I wouldn't say it was easy for him, but yeah, Hera's finally gone," the goddess of knowledge replied.

Jonus shook her head. "Wow. Amazing. Hercules must be one strong man, putting up with everything Hera did and then to defeat her like that." She paused. "Wow."

Athene straightened. "Oops, gotta go. One of my priestesses is calling for me. Mustn't keep my public waiting. Later, Jonus." The goddess vanished in a shimmer of light.

Jonus rose, grabbed her pack and began slowly walking towards the creek. Athene's story kept replaying over and over in her mind. Zeus had given Hercules full god powers, but he didn't want them. He gave them up! And not once, but twice! "Amazing," she said outloud.

"Yes, he is," Artemis answered, appearing before Jonus.

"Artemis." Jonus stopped. "You heard the story, then?"

The goddess smiled. "I knew it before. It only happened a short while ago." She walked towards Jonus. "Listen. There's something we need to talk about."

Jonus looked into Artemis's eyes. She saw concern in them, something she had never seen before.

"It's Zeus," the huntress began, "he's changed since the incident with Hercules and Hera."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I think he's starting to see things from a mortal's perspective." She stopped and leaned against a tree, pulling down its leaves for her to see. Yes, they were coming along quite well this summer. By next year, it should be bearing fruit. "He's been thinking about you and the deal he made with your father." Her eyes went from the leaf to Jonus.

Jonus furrowed her brow. "What?"

Artemis stepped forward. "He's decided to..." Her voice broke off when she heard a splash. She quickly turned to see a man flailing about in the water.

Jonus saw him, too, and rushed over to help him. She bent over the makeshift bridge of tree trunks. "Here, grab my hand." She thrust her hand towards the stranger who tried many times to grab it, until he finally got a secure hold. She pulled, drew back and eventually managed to drag the man out of the water.

"Are you okay?" she puffed.

"Ppptttwwwah," he answered, spitting out a mouthful of water. He sat up on his elbows and coughed. "Yeah...I think so..."

"Good. You have to be careful along there. It gets slippery with the water hitting it and...Artemis...NO!" She caught the goddess aiming her arrow on the man. Jonus stepped in front, the man oblivious to anything going on.

"Get outta the way, Jonus. He's trespassing." The goddess's voice was deep and serious.

"No. I won't let you kill a man I just saved." She refused to move.

"Jonus, don't make me..." She stopped, cocking her head as if listening to something. A few moments passed and her eyes widened. She lowered the bow. "I have to go." And she did.

Jonus was confused, but with goddesses, anything was possible. A cough behind her drew her attention back to the man. She knelt down next to him. "You sure you're okay?" She gazed into his brown eyes. They're very brown, she thought, and nice.

"Yeah," he sputtered out. He tried to get to his feet, but slipped again on the smooth wood. He fell again, sprawled all over. Jonus smirked. It had been so long since she had actually talked with a mortal. It felt good. Then she remembered Artemis.

"You have to leave. Now." She helped the man up.

"Wha...?"

Jonus was moving him in the direction he came from. "Quickly, before Artemis returns and kills you."

The man's eyes widened in fear. "Art...Artemis? Goddess of the hunt? Goddess who likes to turn men into deer and watch their dogs rip them apart? That goddess?"

"Yes, yes, that goddess. Now hurry." Jonus was shoving the man forward.

"You got it." He finally got his footing and took off on his own. "Wait! I didn't thank you for saving my life."

"Never mind that. Go!" Jonus pointed her finger for further emphasis.

"But..."

"GO!"

He turned, started, then turned back. "By the way, my name's Joxer. Thanks." He raised his hand to his funny looking helmet and half saluted, then resumed his exit at a fast trot.

Jonus watched him leave. Joxer? What kinda name is that? And where on earth did he get such silly looking armour, from a tavern's garage sale of cooking pots? Jonus shook her head and walked in the opposite direction.

"Joxer the mighty,

He's very tidy.

He's so handsome

It's a sin..."

"Joxer," a haunting voice called.

The warrior wannabe stopped in his path. "Who said that?" He swiveled in all directions.

"I did," the voice answered as its form materialised before him.

Joxer's jaw dropped. He tried to run, but his feet tripped on a root and fell backwards. He crawled around. "Please, please don't kill me. I didn't know...that woman told me to and I am sorry, really I am..."

"I'm not going to kill you," Athene answered. "Get up." She waited for him to rise, but he was completely terrified and unable to respond. "Now," her voice booming throughout the forest.

He was up in a flash.

"There are some things we need to discuss. Walk with me."

Joxer stood there perplexed. "Wait a minute. Let me get this straight." He faced the goddess as she sat on the stone by the brook. "Her father made a deal with Zeus to become a warrior and that deal meant that he had to give up his daughter to Artemis."

"Not exactly," Athene answered. "Zeus actually said that he could do whatever he wanted with Ballius's daughters, as a kind of retribution."

"So he gave her to Artemis?"

"No, Artemis only stepped in." The goddess rose. "You see, Jonus's mother was a priestess of Artemis's, a favourite one actually, and she took pity on the woman. Her mother prayed to Artemis to help her daughters. Unfortunately, Zeus exacted his payment before Artemis could help them all."

"And Jonus was the only one left," Joxer finished.

"Yeah." The goddess shook her head.

"So, this Jonus has been here under Artemis's protection for how long?"

"About a century, give or take."

"Wow." Joxer turned to the side. "She still looks good too."

Athene grinned. "She hasn't aged since she got here. Part of Artemis's protection."

Joxer furrowed his brow. "Well, why doesn't she leave here then?"

"Because she can't. The only way Artemis can protect her is to keep her here in the sacred forest."

Joxer thought on that for a while, then his face scrunched up again. "Whoa, whoa." He raised his hands. "Why are you telling me this? I mean... you know, no disrespect, but..."

"Because, Joxer, you're going to help her."

"Huh?"

Athene walked to the warrior wannabe. "Zeus has had second thoughts. Maybe he's mellowing, I don't know. But the point is is that Jonus will be allowed to leave and have her life back."

"So what's that got to do with me?"

"You are going to teach her how to live again, in the real, living world of mortals."

Joxer's eyes widened. "Me?" he squeaked. "But...but..."

"Artemis chose you. She remembers what you did for Gabrielle when Xena went berserk. She knows that the Amazons trust you and have accepted you. That takes a lot for a man to be taken in by the Amazons. And after all, Gabrielle is their queen."

Joxer thought for a minute. "But she tried to kill me after Jonus pulled me out of the stream."

Athene smirked. "Well, she kind of forgot who you were. She just needed a reminder." The goddess paused. "Besides, I think you both need eachother." She placed her pale skinned hand on his shoulder. "Have some faith, Joxer. We believe in you." With that, the goddess vanished in a show of light, leaving Joxer standing just outside the sacred forest of Artemis, mouth open and wondering what in Olympus had caused him to be chosen by the gods to teach a young woman how to live again.

Jonus crashed through the trees, her every thought and action full of anger. How could she do this to me, she thought. I've been faithful to her for a hundred years and now she turns her back on me! She wacked a tree with her walking stick. The stick broke, but Jonus didn't care. Her companion, her mentor, her best friend in the entire universe was throwing her out.

"But that's not what I'm doing, Jonus. Please listen to what I'm saying," the goddess pleaded.

"You're getting rid of me! That's all I need to know." Jonus was full of anger and sadness. "All these years...nothing. They meant nothing to you."

"Jonus, please." She approached the young woman. "I'm giving you back your life."

"I have a life, here, in the forest, with you!" Jonus screamed back. "Don't take it away!"

The goddess straightened herself. "This conversation is over. You're leaving tomorrow at sunrise." The statement was definitive, no room for argument. She disappeared.

Jonus swiped at another leave in her rampage. Why? Why was she doing this? Sure Zeus had had a change of heart about her, thanks to Hercules Artemis had said, but why did it mean leaving her beloved home of so long? She knew every plant, every tree, every creature that existed in it, like it were her own body. She felt a connection to that place that no other could. That place was her and she was it. And Artemis was cutting her out. She may as well have cut out her own heart.

"Jonus!" a voice bellowed, making her stop dead in her tracks. She looked around and saw Zeus materialise before her. She dropped to her knees.

"Zeus, king of all gods."

He looked down at the woman and reached out his hand. "Rise, Jonus."

She cautiously looked up, saw his hand and tentatively reached for it.

He stared at Jonus a long time before beginning. "You look very like your mother."

Jonus remained quiet.

"I don't blame you if you're upset with me."

Jonus was still quiet.

Zeus breathed in deeply. "The deal I made with your father should not have occurred. But it did. And now I'm correcting my mistake."

Jonus finally looked at the Olympian, anger welling up in her, but she held her tongue.

"You're angry over this turn of events, I know. But this is for your own good." He looked around the woods. "This is most beautiful. I can understand your refusal to leave." He turned back to Jonus. "But you must and you will. I have voided the deal with your father and that means that you are to be returned to your old life."

"But I don't want it. My life is here." Jonus's voice was low.

"Do you remember when you first arrived? You cried for days, missing your sisters and mother. But after a time, you adjusted. You will again adjust."

"But why?"

Zeus sighed. "Because that is the way. Mortals are to have their lives and gods are to have their's. You can no longer be inbetween. You can no longer live in a god's world."

Jonus looked at the earthen floor. "But I don't want to die." She slowly looked back up at Zeus.

The king smiled. "Jonus, my dear, you may die a mortal death, but you will have an eternity in the afterlife." He held her hands tightly. "I promise you."

They stayed that way for a long time, then Zeus broke the hold. "I must go." He turned, then looked back. "Just remember this, Artemis loves you and will never leave you." He disappeared.

"But I'll still be alone," she whispered to no one.

Onto Chapter 2