"I prefer not to learn any more of your secrets," Alexander declined the offer. If not for her suspicious smile and the fact that she was God, he might've taken a look at the water.
"I said come here," she commanded him this time through the bracelet. He must secretly be someone who loved pain for him to keep disobeying her so much.
Alexander moved quickly before the pain could return for him disobeying her. He stuck his hand out to the water like Artemis and looked down for any threats. Surprised was all over his face from his wide eyes to open mouth when he looked into the water and saw a beautiful woman staring right back at him.
"See, she's beautiful," Artemis complimented the siren's beauty. "She uses her beauty along with a sweet song to attract men to the water. Her songs are usually of heartbreak passed down from others like herself that once were betrayed by sailor men out at sea. Now her kind brings those men down under the water and drowns them. Do you hear the song?" Artemis asked as she watched Alexander be enchanted by the woman's beauty.
"She is beautiful but I will not be tricked by an illusion," he removed his hand and stood away from the water. The siren poked its head above water and screeched at him. "Never seen one but I've heard the tails of such creatures."
"You fought off her charm," Artemis looked at him impressed. Men always found it hard to look away from the beauty of the sirens or block out their song pulling them to the water.
Alexander was amazed that sirens were so close to the palace when he had only heard made-up stories of them living out at sea. His father used to tell him stories of the creatures to make him be careful around water after he had an accident when he was younger. His family estate had a large pond out back and his father recounted a young Alexander claiming something tried to pull him down under. They searched the water high and low but nothing out of the ordinary was found. No one was allowed back near the pond.
"Even though you never came across a siren before, you've used what you heard about them to stay safe just now. Smart man. It takes a strong person to fight against the lust for the siren's beauty to get away from their spell. Although you angered her, she still remained beautiful to keep trying to plot and lure you again. When I anger them, the sirens turn into ugly witches. How dare you," Artemis lowered her gaze at the siren making it disappear back below the water.
"Come, I'll show you the sight of the human's souls that still wander around the forest because they have unfinished business with this world. Don't think you can play the hero and try to save them. That type of behavior from you annoys me the most." Artemis didn't like how his entire persona screamed savior. She didn't like that saving other humans were always on his mind. Look where wanting to protect others got her.
Alexander followed behind Artemis into the forest. Even though it was daytime, the forest was darker than it looked from the outside. "Instead of keeping you here as a prisoner, what if it is trying to protect you by keeping outsiders away?"
"I don't want to be here but something ties me down here. I don't care whether or not it's trying to protect me," Artemis replied. She'd rather the forest allow her to leave and never force her to return. "There's also something really bad about me that I know makes this place a prison. You're speaking to me comfortably as you've forgotten I am a God and you are a human."
"I could say the same about you."
Artemis hid her smile as it was only because of her past loneliness that she was telling him so much. Her pets only told her what she wanted to hear and the tree annoyed her. Alexander sometimes agreed or disagreed with her opinions and she liked that even if he was human. But she had not forgotten that both of them were enemies even though Alexander asked to help her with her plans. She wanted him to never forget that she had brought him here against his will or for the slightest moment think that she was a good person.
"Look there," she pointed out in the distance where fireflies flickered in one area. The image of a man walking around in circles was in the midst of the fireflies. "He has unfinished business in this world. Maybe he has something to tell a loved one or perhaps there is someone he needs to avenge. What can a ghost do for anyone still alive? He should just go on into the underworld."
"There's been interesting cases where those alive wish for a horrible punishment for the person who has passed on and the person can't walk into the underworld no matter how many times they try. It's funny to watch them try to figure out why they can't leave," Artemis snorted, remembering the scene of one of them pleading with her to help them leave this world.
"I have a feeling it's you who has something to do with making them not be able to leave. You have a sick sense of humor," Alexander commented looking on as the man continued to walk in circles. Not too far from this man was another sitting down on the ground rocking back and forth with his hands on his head.
"That one is regretting the decisions he made with his life and is hoping to start over. After I've had my fun I'll let him know humans reincarnate so he should just go down to the underworld. Till then, let him regret what he's done. This forest is full of lost people who have no idea where to go. Very few of them will find their way and move on to the next life."