The sprawling corridors of the Underworld were constantly changing and shifting, making attempts to map them out nigh impossible. It was a maze in motion, a puzzle where the solution constantly shifted with each attempt at escape from it. Zagreus should have been used to it by now and yet it never ceased to frustrate how often success or failure could be decided by the whims of seemingly random chance. No matter. This time would be the one. This time he would make it out of the Underworld, no matter what his Father did to stop him. 

The minions of Hades had fallen well to his blade, Tartarus having long fallen behind him and the sweltering heat of Asphodel. Now all that stood between him and the gate to the surface was the Fields of Elysium. As well as the spirits of many a hero and warrior chomping at the bit to take his head off his shoulders. Really, it was so nice being the center of attention in a realm of the departed heroes. 

The son of Hades pulled his blade from the broken remains of a possessed chariot and was already speeding through the next exit to the room, his footsteps leaving fiery footprints in his wake. He was close, just a bit further he could feel it. Then it would be another fight with King Theseus and Asterius. He hurried along the pristine meadows and emerged in a rather wide open area with a number of statues looming imposingly around the edges. 

That was when he spied the only two occupants to the room ahead. Not enemies but rather a pair of glowing orbs. One bore the symbol of an arrow and bow upon it. The other a blue trident. Lady Artemis and Uncle Poseidon. They emitted glows of power that were cast softly upon him as he approached. His relatives on Mount Olympus sent him messages and boons of power down into the depths of the Underworld to aid his escape. Two at once meant one thing.

“Looks like the gods are making me choose here.” He mused ruefully to himself.

Zagreus recalled earlier when he’d had to pick between Ares and Aphrodite. That had been particularly dicey as the enraged Lord of War had attempted to smite him. His different colored eyes shifted from one orb to the next. Lady Artemis was perhaps the most amicable and relatable of the gods, her boons had served him quite well but he already had a good number of Poseidon’s blessings and those tended to compliment each other extremely well in his experience. 

It was thus that his hand stretched out and he placed his hand upon the blue orb. “In the name of Hades I accept this message!” He called out. 

“Excellent choice, Nephew, you won’t regret this!” Boomed the voice of the boisterous god of the sea as Zagreus felt his body enveloped with the power of the sea. It felt like whenever he would knock an enemy back he’d do far more damage when he struck them against a wall. Potent since almost all of the sea god’s boons had to do with knocking enemies back. 

There was a brief pause before a rather ominous rumbling followed. Another voice rumbled into his mind and it was less that pleased. 

“Wow, thanks, I always wondered what an arrow in the back felt like, Zagreus. You’d better start running.” The goddess of the hunt growled. 

Zagreus winced as the green orb flickered out and he felt a sense of foreboding. “Sorry Lady Artemis.” He said as he prepared for a swarm of enemies no doubt about to appear. 

“Not as sorry as you are going to be.” 

The voice echoed behind him and standing there in the middle of the fields of Elysium was a figure he had not seen before but her voice was unmistakable. She was dressed in a number of furs, had a pair of antlers sticking out from the front of some light greenish hair, and held a bow in one hand. Her other hand was on her hip, a sandal clad foot tapping upon the ground as she glared at Zagreus with a look of purest annoyance on her rather beautiful face. 

“L-Lady Artemis, how are you- that shouldn’t be-” 

“Same way I sent down that gift you snubbed your nose at. Just a projection, don’t worry though it's more than enough to dish out some punishment.” She said as she lifted her bow up and fired off a glowing green arrow. 

The speed was something Zagreus hadn’t encountered yet. The goddess of the hunt loosed her arrow with such speed and accuracy it pierced his heart before he could react… passing right through him before fizzling out. He blinked and lifted a hand to his chest, patting at it before looking at the goddess with an inquisitive look. 

“Is this one of those delayed-” 

Suddenly his head started swimming and the whole of the room started spinning around him, disorienting the demi-god. The dark haired prince of the underworld groaned and shook his head as his senses returned to him. And when they did he found himself surrounded by grass as tall as him. Looking out before him he blinked as the sight of the Goddess Artemis towering above very much confirmed that. 

“Effects.” He finally finished in a deadpan. 

The figure of the goddess stretching above him had a smirk on her lips as her bow vanished in a flicker of green light and she leered down at Zagreus. It was easy to forget that while Artemis was perhaps the most easygoing of the gods aside from perhaps Hermes, she was still a god. A very easily irritated god when slighted. This view, staring up at her incredible form from the ground level was enough that it served to remind him of that. 

“Been a while since I broke that one out. Now maybe you want to take my advice and start running, Zagreus.” She said with a look that promised the exact opposite of mercy. 

She didn’t need to tell Zagreus twice as he bolted in the opposite direction from the jilted goddess. The sound of quiet booming steps upon the ground were enough to confirm that she was following after him. The gods were generous but also incredibly petty when they needed to be. He was going to have to just out last her until she blew off enough steam that she stopped. However long that took. 

“I figured you’d be a lot faster, might explain how it's taking you so long to get out of here.” She remarked from on high. 

A shadow was cast over the prince as he bolted ahead quickly, managing to just barely avoid a stomp that would have absolutely squashed him flat. There was no time to rest as her other foot lifted up and cast its shadow over him before coming down. He bolted to the side, diving out of the way. The stomp came down so close that he could reach out and touch her foot if he wanted to. 

She snorted and flicked her foot to the side just as he was recovering and sent him flying. The impact was enough that he would be feeling that one if he made it out of this one without another death. He grunted as he rose and eyed the towering deity warily, watching her as she gazed upon him like he was a particularly persistent bug. Sometimes it really sucked having to depend on the Olympians for help. 

“Hey how come you never give me that power when I’m trying to get out of here? Would make this whole battle through the Underworld thing way easier.” He remarked. 

“Oh, so my aid hasn’t been good enough for you, Zagreus? That it? Typical.” She narrowed her eyes. 

The prince realized that this was perhaps not the best time for wise remarks as she leapt up into the air with incredible dexterity and came down upon him like a bomb. His view was rather blocked out by the slightly dirtied sole of her sandal before it slammed down upon him as she landed. Hard. With as much weight as she could manage in the jump. She growled under her breath before blinking. 

“Still alive eh?” 

Indeed the blow was enough to kill but Zagreus had the ability to defy death a couple of times. So he got to enjoy the feeling of his entire body being completely crushed to paste under the goddess before coming back and feeling like he had a mountain standing atop him. He could feel his bones creaking and cracking, the weight and pressure upon him something that went beyond any of his battles thus far. 

Artemis slowly arched her foot up and started grinding him into the dirt, rolling her eyes as she did it. “Like a cockroach more than a demi-god.” She groused as she pressed him against the dirt and worked him down. 

The prince let out a cry as he felt his body slowly being crushed again under the punishment the angered goddess was dishing out to him. He tried to wheeze something out but Artemis was having none of it as she continued to grind away at him, putting her weight into the step as she worked the demi-god more effectively than any of the foes in the Underworld had managed. By the gods this was painful. 

It didn’t take long until there was another crack and Zagreus felt himself die only to defy death one last time, coming back still pinned beneath Artemis. This was his last chance. If he didn’t stop this now he was going to end up right back in the House of Hades where he started again. He had to think quickly but there was nothing. Pushing and shoving and using all his strength amounted to nothing. The sole of Artemis’s sandal might as well have been the weight Atlas was forced to hold up. And Zagreus was no Atlus. 

Then a thought struck him as a last ditch effort to save this run. He swallowed his immense pride and pursed his lips, pecking at the bottom of her sole. “Forgive me, Lady Artemis, I’ve only gotten this far because of your generous aid! Without you I’d still be floundering in the deepest depths of the Underworld!” He cried out. 

At first it didn’t seem to work as the pressure was still heavy upon Zagreus. And then, moments later, Artemis lifted her foot off of him and Zagreus sucked in great gulps of air. The goddess of the hunt set a hand on her hip as she looked down at Zagreus with a severe frown. “Next time you forget that, I’ll show you how insects smaller than ants feel, Zagreus.” The goddess said. 

He nodded hurriedly as the deity snapped her fingers and he was returned to his original size. “Anyway. You need all the pity you can get I guess, so here. And you better be thankful for it.” She said as she snapped her fingers and another green glowing orb appeared next to her. Moments later her form flickered out and she vanished. 

Zagreus took a long couple of moments to catch his breath before falling out onto his back in exhaustion. He had lost both of his death defiances and looked all beat up and bruised, but he’d survived the wrath of Artemis. He looked at the green glowing orb and made a solemn promise to himself that if he ever had a choice with Artemis on it, he was picking Artemis, didn’t matter who he needed. He really didn’t want to test her patience again. 

With a weary sigh the brow beaten prince stood up on weary knees and shuffled forward to collect the generous gift left to him by Artemis.