[3rd POV]
Artemis had been keeping watch by Isaac's room for two days.
When Isaac didn't show up for training, she became quite irritated. She waited for over an hour, but he still didn't come.
She decided to visit Donna in the library, knowing Isaac's love for knowledge and assuming he ended up falling asleep.
However, he wasn't there.
She then decided to look in his room to find out why he was nowhere to be found.
It was the only place he could still be.
Then she found him.
The bed was a little damp from sweat.
He had blue lips and a face as white as marble with his sleeping face. He was trembling, and his hair was tangled with sweat.
Of course, she immediately checked his pulse, and it was fast. She didn't know what had happened to him.
Afterwards, she called for a healer, an old friend she had known since they were mortals.
However, the healer shrugged her shoulders.
She couldn't make a diagnosis. She could only say one thing—fever—but what caused it was unclear.
Soon after receiving such news, Diana, Donna, and even Hippolyta herself arrived.
The news of the only sick man on the island had spread.
Trying to lift Artemis's spirits, Donna and Diana were sent away on "business" by the queen.
Sitting next to her old friend, Hippolyta visibly relaxed.
"This is unexpected."
"I didn't expect him to catch a fever so easily in such sheltered conditions either."
"I'm not talking about him. I'm talking about you."
Hippolyta said with a slight smile on her face.
"About me?"
"Yes. You've become… softer. Since your husband died, you haven't slept with any men. You haven't even tried to get close to anyone. Hercules, who killed him, became a symbol of cruelty for you. A symbol of all men. You've come to hate them."
"Not all. But many."
Artemis muttered shortly, shifting her gaze back to Isaac.
"Isaac really does remind me of him."
"To be honest, I don't even remember your husband's face anymore. However, they were similar in personality. Your Aristophanes also sought more peaceful pursuits than others but that's what cost him his life. Hercules killed him. And in your grief for your husband, you lost your firstborn, the one you carried in your womb. After that, something happened that even the gods did not expect. You rewrote history…"
"Enough, Hippolyta!"
Artemis grimaced.
"I don't want to remember that."
"No! You must remember why you became this way. You became Artemis the Destroyer precisely after those losses. When we first met, I thought you were that legendary death. I didn't see your eyes. Instead, there was pain, death, and suffering that you inflicted upon your victims. It was you who defeated Hercules, not me, but that feat is credit to me. However, we both know that the true strongest Amazon of Themyscira is you!"
"I've already changed."
"Yes. It was a long journey to become the New Artemis. At first, I thought that your new role as a mentor for the young Amazons had changed you. I even thought that your relationship with Diana was closer than just that of a mentor and a student, and that it influenced you and your views on life. However, that's not the case. You've long set a goal within yourself to die in battle. That's why you didn't fight at full strength in the Arena?"
"Yes!"
"And those words spoken by Isaac impressed you so much that you began to shine like the morning star?"
Hippolyta smiled, hugging her friend around the shoulders.
"Go to Hades!"
"I'm afraid Zeus wouldn't approve of that."
She laughed.
"Speaking of Zeus, when do you intend to tell Diana everything?"
"When she confesses her feelings to her lover."
"Her lover?"
Artemis exclaimed in surprise, "Who is he? When?"
"Ha-ha-ha! You really surprise me, Artemis. You didn't notice that you have two rivals right under your nose?"
"What two rivals? For what? What are you talking about?"
Artemis cried out.
"Diana and Donna are also not indifferent to him. While Donna's feelings are related to her isolation and detachment from the world, Diana has him placed in her heart, even though she doesn't realize it yet. But you've surprised me even more. Ha-ha-ha. Are you planning to make him your mate?"
"W-what? He has…"
"Katherine Smith. I know because I spoke with the oracle. She told me a lot about him."
This time, Hippolyta's voice was serious.
"He has another woman, a dryad. He loves them both equally. He didn't lie to us about his fidelity of love. He's just like all men… weak at heart. So, it turned out to be quite an interesting case, a dog, but a faithful dog."
Artemis froze, her expression unreadable.
It was hard to tell whether she was frozen from the news her friend had just dumped on her or from the phrase "faithful dog."
"Besides that, there was something more significant regarding his fate."
"What exactly?"
"The thing is, nothing. NOTHING!"
"You mean to say that it's hidden from the Oracle's eyes?"
"Yes. The Oracle has one theory that she once heard directly from Athena. A person whose future is hidden from anyone's powers has a special strength. That allows him to choose his own path."
"Does that mean he's special?"
"Yes. And even though he is special, he's still a man, and they are weak creatures by nature, despite convincing the whole world of their strength, intelligence, and all that. They sometimes can be so defenseless like Isaac right now."
At that moment, Isaac began to mumble, or rather gibberish...
"Katherine… Artemis… Diana… Batman… Joker… Darkseid…"
"What are these names?"
Artemis asked.
"I don't know. He might already be better but his pain and the dark fears that are hidden deep in his soul are coming to the surface. I think I should go now. You should stay by his side and support him. He needs you."
After these words, she left Artemis, who was already holding tightly the hand of the one who mattered to her.
She stayed with him, giving him water, wiping his forehead and medicine, and simply being there.
Therefore, two days passed before he emerged from unconsciousness.
To be continued...
...
A/N: Unfortunately, we didn't reach 200 power stones, so i'll release two chapterers as usual.