Prologue

"Sometimes the world doesn't need a hero. Sometimes, what it needs, its a monster." — Dracula. (Dracula: Untold)

.:...:.

FREYA

"You don't have to do this," she said, caressing his bruised cheek tenderly, but he averted his gaze far away from her. That hurt. And she almost retracted her touch from his face. "I'm trying to save your life."

"Like all those times—" He coughed, blood spraying in the air. "It doesn't matter if you try or not… I'll die anyway."

At this Freya sighed sadly, trembling. Her violet eyes failed to hold the tears that threatened to fall at any moment.

"I… I don't want to—"

"I don't care if you want this or not, Lady Freya. I'm dying. I was happy being free, on my own, taking care of my mother's garden… But you had to come and destroy everything that I had." Finally, his red-crimson eyes stared back at her, with that inner fire that she loved so much to see. Red as those roses she found in that valley. "I won't say that I hate you because I don't. But I can't say that I still love you… After all, that happened to us. And never again… after… Artemis"

"I know," Freya answered bitterly and gazed down. "You love her, don't you?"

He nodded.

"She made me happy… but I'm glad you understand—" Another round of forced coughs, blood and saliva flowing from his mouth.

But the goddess could do little to help him in that place. Chains wrapped around his limbs and stretched them to uncomfortable directions to prevent that he could escape, a sole beam of light illuminated his damaged body. Cuts, bruises and unhealed wounds covered his skin as blood poured from the fresh ones.

A grunt caught her attention. "Like what you see?" He asked, hanging his head down once again.

"No."

"This is because of you—"

"Stop it—"

"This is because of loving you—"

"Stop it, Bell—"

He raised his head painfully slowly. "I don't want to hear you use my name… never again."

She stood there, in silence, holding a beautiful and undying rose with her fingers. Freya wanted to cry in despair for this injustice that she couldn't solve. And as her tears ran down her cheeks before falling to the rose petals.

"I'll die, that's for sure." He said weakly. "Who am I facing this time?" Bell asked.

She froze, the hollowness in her taking control over her body. Suddenly, the time seemed to stop for a moment as her mind repeated the words. Who are you facing this time…?

Freya knew that answer because there was no one else who wanted to face him and his unholy abilities.

The goddess gulped.

"Who?" He asked, sharply, like a thorn.

"M-… *Cough*… Minos." She whispered, trembling. "You'll be fighting Minos."

. . .

.

. . .

ARTEMIS

She stared at the white rose in her fingers, spinning it slowly as if she wanted to find any kind of imperfection, but she knew that no matter the time it passed that rose had no ageing sign.

"Beautiful… truly beautiful." She whispered, lowering her eyes at the city.

It was night time but the full moon cut through the darkness with her caring and marvellous white light. Artemis could only smile as she thought about her Familia banner, as the moon was hers; a metaphorical expression about her and her brother, Apollo, the god of the sun.

"Breathtaking I would say…" A voice answered behind her. "But nothing compares to you, dear sister. Not even a wimpy white rose. Wouldn't you agree, Artemis?"

She masked her annoyance under an expression of neutrality. "Apollo, what are you doing here?"

A (some would consider but not Artemis) sensual and deep laugh escaped from him as he approached her. His red hair shining under the moonlight and his eyes stared at her figure. The goddess could feel his depraved gaze on her body, and his dark intentions, but Apollo knew better than to mess with his twin sister.

Finally, he reached her and placed a hand on her bare shoulder, and Artemis had to use every bit of her self-control to not jump away from him. "I came to admire the raw beauty of this place…" He said, trying hard to sound like a true gentleman. "And my eyes were rewarded with the beauty of your presence, dear sister—"

"Cut the charade, Apollo, why are you here?"

The smile on Apollo's face vanished and soon a sinister smirk took over.

"You couldn't save him," it wasn't a question but a statement. "At the end, he fell in my hands." He said.

and before Artemis could do anything to prevent it, Apollo took the rose from her hands.

"Hey—!"

"Just like I took this rose, I took your precious… friend." The world rolled out of his tongue with disdain, and his frown deepened. "I'm honest, this rose is pitiful as the same man who created it."

"Say whatever you want about Bell, he'll kick your ass," Artemis answered, facing him as a quiver materialized behind her back. "But you dare to bad talk about him like that in front of me again," A bow appeared in her hand as a golden-winged crown covered her blue hair. "I'll show what your big sis' can do!"

But before, Artemis could say anything else, Apollo faced her with an amused smirk. Without a second thought he raised his hand and caressed her cheek, Artemis became rigid as rock and her eyes dilated in anger.

"I know what you can do, dear sister." He said fearlessly.

"What—"

Apollo tucked a lock of blue hair behind her ear as he sighed tenderly. "But, in time and after I kill that human, you'll start seeing reason and love me—"

Artemis snarled. "That won't happen, never. Not in one hundred years. Not in one thousand; ten thousand, one thousand millions of years will change what I feel for you." Her bright green eyes shone in a dangerous light. "I won't love you."

"A true shame," He replied, taking one final moment to look at her. And after a minute he lifted carefully the same white rose he took from her hands and placed in her hair, entangling it gently with her blue curls. "You're so beautiful, dear sister."

"Apollo," She warned, taking a quick step back, with her bow in hand and her golden-winged crown decorated with the white rose.

At that moment, the god of the sun turned around, making his red hair dancing in the air. "I'll see you around, Artemis. And I hope you reconsider your feeling about that mortal when I see you again."

The Moon goddess took a moment to relax after all that happened in the silent balcony. She wanted to scream, cry out at her father for help and strength, but Artemis just stood there, wondering what was going on in Apollo's mind. Her emerald eyes searched for an answer among the stars and, for a moment, she recognized some of the stars… They were the same stars that had led her to him that night.

"Bell…" She sighed tenderly, reaching with one hand for the white rose in her hair.

And as she fell to her knees with silent and warm tears, Artemis could only think of the time that she spent denying love for so long and how one man managed to change that.

But what she didn't notice was one lonely white petal falling from the rose before being swiftly carried by the wind into the dark and cold night.