Bloodstains in the Labyrinth

"You brat, you've never even met him, and you're already calling him big brother." Doris looked at the teddy bear plush Orion with a warm smile.

She hated Poseidon—hated everything he had done to her life—but she did not hate Oushen, nor would she hate Poseidon's other children.

No child needed to pay for their parents' actions.

"He was an optimistic dreamer, and a dreamer willing to weave a path toward his dreams." Nostalgia filled Doris's eyes. "Even after entrusting his dream to someone else, he did not lose that infectious optimism. Instead, he set foot on an even freer path."

"A... free road of no return."

Artemis's gaze dimmed slightly.

"The way he was born was not something wonderful. It was the gods' mistake, but at the time, we—"

"Artemis, as a god unrelated to that incident, you need not apologize to me. On the contrary, I should be the one thanking you." Doris sighed. "Actually, before Doris Island was relocated, Hermes and I met once. He told me that if you and Apollo had not backed up his memories and personality, he would not have brought Oushen's Divine Core to me, allowing me to shelter Doris Island from the wrath of the greater gods."

Orion looked utterly bewildered. What were they talking about? Why couldn't he understand any of it?

"Then why did you—" Artemis was referring to when Doris had asked about her stance on the beach earlier.

"Sorry. I was a little sensitive earlier. After all, gods..."

A faint silence settled over the little stone boat.

"Hey, Auntie, I don't know what exactly happened between you all, but Artemis is a really good person, okay? You can be completely assured of that!" Orion usually called Artemis a crazy woman, but no one cared more about Artemis