One quick shower and clothes change later, Hunter and Dan called a ride and got in the gold-colored car, giving the driver the directions that probably-Artemis-the-god had provided Hunter over the phone.

They were on their way to the end, whatever that meant. Hunter leaned back in his seat, tilting his head up and closing his eyes for a moment. He could do this. It was as Dan had said; no matter what happened, he would still be Hunter at the end of the day. Whatever was in store for him, he could take it on.

“A god. Of course it was a god,” Dan murmured, snapping Hunter back to reality. “The evidence was right there the entire time and I didn’t see it…anyone with the resources to do what she did either had to be a god, or some dickhead one-percenter.” 

“I wasn’t expecting you to solve this for me,” Hunter reassured his friend while leaning on his shoulder. He was tired, really tired. But keeping a god waiting was generally a terrible idea. “I’m just happy you’re supporting me even with everything that’s happened.”

Dan seemed taken aback for a moment when Hunter’s head made contact with his shoulder, but allowed it, slipping his hand around to pull Hunter in further. “I’m here for you,” Dan confirmed. “Take a nap, alright? It’s a bit of a drive and you’ve been through a lot.”

“Fine, whatever…” Hunter mumbled, holding his hand up and staring at the two fingers that had gotten slathered up with green nail polish. He didn’t object to the actual act of wearing nail polish, he objected to the principle of it as part of the greater attempts to transform him. If anything, he might be tempted to experiment with it more, assuming he made it out of this in one piece. 

A few minutes passed, with Hunter being unable to doze off for one specific reason.

“Dan, you’re trembling,” Hunter said.

“I know…I…” Dan said shakily. “The Artemis in myth has done things that genuinely terrify me, and remind me a bit of…the bad side of where you can go with transformation and gender bending. I don’t want to tell you what she’s capable of.”

“You don’t have to,” Hunter said reassuringly. “You’re scared though. I’ll protect you from whatever it is she tries to do, promise.”

Hunter couldn’t see Dan’s face, but could hear Dan’s smile and feel Dan’s muscles relax a little. “Okay. If there’s anyone who’s going to fight god and win, it’s you, dude. I just…I hope we come out of this with our senses of self intact.”

Hunter didn’t really get what Dan meant, and didn’t need to. Instead, he changed the subject. “When I’m more awake, you need to tell me why you didn’t let me give you the idol.” 

“I will,” Dan confirmed. “When this is over, promise. Now, get some sleep. I’ll keep you comfy.”

***

The motion of the car coming to a stop was enough to wake Hunter up. He sleepily looked around as Dan gently helped him sit upright.

“We’re here?” Hunter asked.

“Yup,” Dan said solemnly. Hunter undid his seat belt and looked to his friend.

“Usually by now you’d have thrown a few hypotheticals at me,” Hunter commented.

“Hard to think, my thoughts have been dominated by what questions I’ll ask her,” Dan said, obviously referring to Artemis.

“Hit me with one.”

“Fine,” Dan relented. “‘Hey, Artemis, did you decide to torture Hunter on a whim or was it because his name made it funnier?’”

“Mmm…that’s a bit too forward,” Hunter chuckled. “You got a laugh out of me. Any more?”

“Uhh…’Artemis, what’s your stance on climate change?’” 

“Isn’t she really big on wildlife? I thought you were afraid of her, but you’re picking questions that’ll make her mad.”

“Oh, these questions are assuming that she’s already mad at you. If that’s the case, then I think it’s a license to make her even angrier since at that point we’re already screwed.”

“Great to see you have faith in me.” Hunter grumbled before abruptly being swept up in a hug.

“I do have faith in you,” Dan said earnestly. “Now let’s go, the driver’s looking at us funny.”

The instructions said to travel through the forest to a temple in the middle. They weren't sure why there was a mysterious temple in the middle of a forest, but some things were best left unquestioned, lest they get subjected to a round of smiting.

As they took their first steps into the forest, the sound of a car door made Hunter turn back around. The driver had stepped out of her car and faced the two. Hunter tapped Dan on the shoulder and Dan spun around.

“Fuck,” Dan gaped. “The car is gold-colored. It’s her golden chariot.”

“What does that mean?” Hunter asked.

“That means you’ve met me sooner than you previously anticipated,” the driver said.

The driver walked forward, her features morphing before Dan and Hunter’s eyes. She grew tall, taller than the both of them, muscles becoming more well defined. A casual outfit turned into a functional cloak with boots combo. A golden bow and quiver of silver arrows were holstered on her back.

Definitely evocative of the Greek Goddess, Artemis.

“She heard everything I said during the ride.” Dan paled.

Artemis turned to address Dan first, “Fortunately for you, the last few millennia have given me time to develop a sense of humor,” The goddess walked toward both of them, causing Dan to flinch as her arms leapt out and turned the two around, then she put a hand on each of their shoulders. “Let’s walk, the temple is not far.”

***

The forest was beautiful. It had a picturesque quality to it which made Hunter wonder how much was natural beauty, and how much was a carefully crafted piece of Artemis’s domain. The small trail led them through the underbrush as wild animals, particularly deer, wandered the forest. 

Artemis was leading the group, with Hunter and Dan trailing at both sides just trying to keep up. It was evident that she was slowing down for them, and could have disappeared any time she wished.

“You have questions,” Artemis said, then glanced at Dan. “Serious questions only.”

“Okay…why me?” Hunter squeaked out.

Artemis stopped for a moment to think, putting one hand on her hip and turning to face Hunter. "There is a lot leading up to your answer. I'll start from my own change in perspective."

The goddess gestured to the trees and wildlife. "One of my domains is the hunt. When people think about that domain, they generally consider it to look like this. Conceptually, we would think about hunting wild game with a sling, or as I prefer, a bow and arrow. Then it became guns and different game. The concept evolved over time while retaining its core identity."

They started walking down the trail once again.

"Now take the hunt, and distill its core identity down further. A hunt needs two primary components. First, you need a tool or implement, which is the subject or concept. Second, you need to define your type of quarry. By creating a basic, independent interpretation of the hunt, this domain can include so much more than nature."

Artemis studied a nearby tree. "Though you should never forget your roots, no matter how literal they may be."

Hunter frowned. "So I'm the quarry, in your hunt to transform me."

"Yes and no," Artemis continued, "I'll get to exactly why you're my quarry. Think of it as part of a much greater hunt, with the identifiable tool or implement being centered around true selves."

That confirmed pretty much everything Hunter had feared.

"...I'm not walking out of this as I am right now, am I?" Hunter said, barely avoiding stuttering.

Artemis and even Dan both gave him a look. "No," Artemis said.

"Please don't hurt him," Dan turned to Artemis with a pleading look. As the goddess matched Dan's gaze, Dan held his hands up. "As a respectful request, your…majesty?"

"I will honor the spirit of the request," the goddess said cryptically. "Now, we're almost to my temple. This is sacred ground, so do not do anything that would…displease me," she said with a sinister look in her eyes.

"Do you enjoy using your higher status as a god to get away with being absolutely terrifying?" Dan asked, deciding that shooting himself in the foot was a wonderful idea. Of course Dan couldn’t keep his mouth shut in any situation. 

Hunter sharply took in a breath, waiting for the figurative bolt of lightning to strike.

Artemis paced around for a couple of moments, making a big show of hemming and hawing, never breaking eye contact with Dan as she circled him. "Yes," she admitted with a smirk. "Now come inside, I've got half a mind to turn you into a doe."

"Well, that's one way of becoming a girl," Dan muttered quietly. 

In spite of Hunter's impending doom and the seriousness of the situation, seeing Dan thoroughly cowed was incredibly cathartic and brought forth some confusingly arousing feelings. Finally, someone who could put him in his place.

Why did it have to be a god that finally did it? Why couldn’t Hunter keep a lid on Dan?

The group passed by the ornate marble pillars, entering an overgrown Temple of Artemis. It was massive, to the point that Hunter guessed it only appeared when Artemis willed it to, considering this was her domain. Gods tended to make reality go out to lunch, and surely someone else would have noticed this.

“A shame the original was destroyed. Poseidon was in a rather foul mood that day,” Artemis muttered with a hint of regret.

Ominous. 

Artemis led them into the middle of the temple, and then turned back to face them. "I must apologize for my…rigidity. I do not entertain mortals without a disguise often. I have a certain reputation to uphold."

"So you were the one at the mall? And the NewU Corporation?" Hunter asked.

"Yes and yes." Artemis grinned. "I noticed you a bit before we met at the mall, though that was where I decided it was time I had a little fun. Then to my surprise, not only did you pass off the gift I gave you, but you gave it to someone who had their own legitimate use for it."

The girl at the mall who was wearing a depression hoodie. "I didn't know she needed it," Hunter said. "It just kinda happened."

"Which only served to make you more interesting. The same story repeated itself at the NewU Corporation."

"Then you sent my ex after me," Hunter said, careful to put no accusations behind it. Just a statement.

"Claire showed and continues to show promise with the arcane. I merely took advantage of the opportunity to give her more resources and a purpose, then sent her after you to see what happened."

Dan had a suppressed look of anger on his face, one which he was trying desperately to hide, but failing because Hunter knew him too well. "Okay, but what was with the VR stuff?" Dan asked through clenched teeth.

Artemis smirked. "I get bored too, you know. Aside from a healthy monetary investment into the development of the game to start with, running into Hunter there was a coincidence I elected to take advantage of."

"So money is a factor, after all…" Dan mused as Artemis made a side glance at Hunter.

"It is considered poor form to not respond to a friend request," Artemis lectured Hunter with a mockingly offended tone. "I am level twelve now and would quite enjoy going on one of those so-called raids with you."

"Uh, yeah, sure?" Hunter stammered while trying to figure out if he should burst out laughing or start begging to be let go without being harmed. Perhaps both.

Meanwhile, Dan mumbled a sentence which contained the phrase 'Raid me, Mommy'.

Artemis immediately was on the move, and strode toward Dan with a look that could petrify. Dan seemed aware that he just committed a cardinal sin and braced himself. Artemis stood in front of Dan as vines from the temple walls and floor creeped up and extended ever so slightly in Dan's direction. A moment of silence passed before Artemis let out a whisper. "Understand?"

Dan nodded his head up and down furiously, keeping his mouth shut. Hunter moved to step between them, but Artemis relented and moved back before Hunter could close the distance, making a gesture that indicated she would resume her speech.

"To summarize the rest, I set up the fertility idol which, once again, resulted in another person being transformed in a beneficial manner."

"And all that stuff at the Finals Festival?"

"All me. At that point I was throwing everything at you to see if you would get caught in any traps. Also, it was very fun." The goddess had a self-satisfied grin. 

"Fuck…" Hunter put a hand on his head. "So why…why did you do all of this after you found me interesting? Why not just directly tell me to meet with you?"

"Oh, how little you understand me," Artemis said. "That will change."

Artemis walked over to Hunter and put a hand on him, guiding him forward. Dan took a couple steps forward toward them.

"I don't like all the touching," Hunter said quietly.

"Oh?" Artemis said after a moment of silence, taking her hand off of Hunter. "Very well. Walk with me." 

The goddess looked over at Dan. "Stay here. I prefer not appearing in front of mortals I do not have business with, though I will admit that you…amuse me. Your time will come sooner than you think."

"But what about Hunter--"

Hunter felt a pang in his chest. Dan was so loyal. 

"Hunter will be fine, as I am honoring the spirit of your request for him to be unharmed. You have my word," Artemis said with a hint of finality, and then turned away from Dan. She walked ahead without looking back, only giving Hunter time to give Dan a quick reassuring glance he didn't feel before he ran off to catch up with her.

A couple minutes passed as they walked silently, reaching the edge of the temple. The goddess turned to Hunter.

"I did not answer your previous question. I did not directly ask you to meet with me, because you needed to learn what it felt like to be the quarry. Because my offer to you requires such an understanding," Artemis explained as they overlooked a small spring, with a small statue adorning it. 

"Offer?" Hunter asked.

"I want you to become one of my champions. With a responsibility to find those who are in need of the very service you avoided from me." Artemis explained while apparently making it evident she considered forced feminization a 'service'. "Help them using my blessing. Would you like to have the powers of a goddess?"

Hunter tried to understand the full extent of what he was being offered, and failed. "Does it come with good insurance?" he asked weakly.