Artemis (Greek Goddess of the Hunt)

# Artemis

## Artemis

Goddess of the Hunt DCWW

Insert Artemis quote here ~ Roy

## History

### Early Life

During the Age of the Gods, Zeus, the King of the Gods and Leto the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe and Goddess of Fertility gave birth to twins. These twins were born on the Island of Leto to avoid the wrath of Zeus' wife Hera who forbade Leto from giving birth on the mainland. The twins were named Artemis and Apollo. Artemis was the older of the pair and she was always very protective of her brother as they were growing up. Their father Zeus had granted the children powers and skills to become gods in their own rights when they were old enough to handle the responsibilities. Artemis was given extraordinary abilities, they were tied to nature, wildlife, the art of hunting, the moon and the care of all children.

Artemis took great pride in her responsibilities and sought to carry out her tasks with the utmost focus and professionalism. She left little time to be unburdened with destiny. Artemis and her brother Apollo were inseparable growing up which likely made the pain and extremity of future events hurt more. Artemis was the best hunter the Pantheon had ever seen. Her reputation began to grow rapidly and over time she built up a band of loyal followers from all walks of life, her huntresses.

### Meeting Orion

On one of Artemis' many trips to the forests in Ancient Greece, she met a mortal huntsman named Orion. He was from Boeotia and the two paired up to go on a hunt. They quickly realised that they made a good team, their strengths in the art of the hunt complimented each other nicely. The pair became close hunting companions and most of the time Artemis spent in Ancient Greece was with Orion. They formed games within the art and they spent hours upon hours sharing stories, making and jokes and just enjoying each other's company overall. This joy and bliss would not last forever though as Orion's desires had grown darker over time…

### True intentions revealed

Apollo was spending some time in the trading markets of Greece one day, he spotted Orion deep in conversation with some of his friends one day. He was boasting about how he was the better hunter of the two of them and how he had staked the claim of the Goddess. He had also heavily mentioned nasty intentions of what he would do to her. Apollo was very angry, worried that Orion would take advantage of Artemis and her infatuation over her companion. He knew that this would happen without some kind of intervention

In order to prevent this from becoming reality and to protect his sister, Apollo sent a giant scorpion to kill Orion. And on one dark and lonely night the scorpion found Orion and killed him. The next morning Artemis and Apollo discovered the body. Artemis was distraught and in disbelief. How was he killed? Who would murder him? Apollo then explained what he had heard at the markets in Boeotia and how he was only trying to protect his sister from being taken advantage of. She was furious with her brother and cast him away. She no longer wanted anything to do with her twin since he had murdered her first and only love. Both relationships broke down.

Artemis placed Orion's body within the constellations so she could see her love every night as she guided the moon across the expanse of the sky. She made a vow never to fall in love or to marry again. She made her huntresses also take this vow and the majority cooperated with no questions as they were loyal followers. Those who didn't were cast away from the group or faced severe punishment. The Goddess was a broken mess. She continued to hunt but lost her purpose in the world for quite some time.

### Now to the Current Era

We now fast forward a few hundred years. Artemis, now a Patron Goddess of the island of Themyscira, is simply existing. Yes she watches over her huntresses like a mother and keeps an eye on those she blessed from the Amazonian island but she feels as if she is missing something. She spends many years in self-reflection, evaluating past actions and realising she was extremely cruel due to her broken heart. She wandered the lands seeking forgiveness from those she had wronged in order to become a better person, a better leader and a better Goddess to those who looked to her for guidance. Not once did she approach Apollo, he deserved no forgiveness in her eyes even though unbeknownst to her, he had done her a great service.

Her true spirit would only be rejuvenated years later. A small Amazon, a young Amazon from overseas would choose her as the Patron Goddess she wished to receive a blessing from. Her name was Donna Troy. The small girl would never  know but she was secretly Artemis' favourite Amazon. The girl reminded Artemis of her purpose, who she was and what she was born to do. She cared for the girl, offered her guidance and advice where she could and followed her as she grew into a woman. Artemis had been reminded of what it was to be a Goddess. It was to be in service of the people who looked to the skies with awe and hope. It was to fulfil the hopes of the masses.

However, the world was not the same as the one she had left millennia ago. The names of her and her family were reduced to myths and legends. Artemis did not know what had happened, how they were forgotten. She knew even if humanity did not believe in her anymore she wanted to help the people anyway she could, even in the smallest possible ways. Artemis, along with her huntresses now roam the Earth on occasion, learning what they can from the changed societies to see if there could ever be a hybrid of the old and new ways of the world. It was a dream that a young Amazon had unknowingly sparked inside the huntress. It was a dream Artemis would follow from Mount Olympus to the ends of the Earth and beyond.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Shapeshifting:** Therianthropy or animal shapeshifting is another power that Artemis possesses. She can transform herself and used to transform others as a punishment for transgressions. An example would be transforming herself into a deer to trick the two Aloadae giant brothers into striking each other with spears when they were hunting. She cannot hold the forms permanently however. They are temporary and have a time limit. This makes communication with wildlife easier.
* **Empathic/Telepathy:** Artemis possesses empath/telepathic-like abilities to sense the emotions of children. As the Goddess of Childbirth and the Care of Children she needed to be able to watch over children and monitor their lives. Without direct interference she would be able to sense and improve a child's mood. For example she could soothe a crying child to give their parents a few minutes of peace and quiet.
* **Divine Physicality:** As Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis also has enhanced senses of sight, hearing and smell. This makes it easier to hunt and guide her huntresses' through the mountains and forests more efficiently.
* **Immortality:** Finally Artemis possesses immortality and an increased ability of health regeneration. She has lived for many years and has witnessed the evolution of the world and the role of the Gods in it.

### Abilities

* **Marksmanship:** Being the Greek Goddess of Archery, Artemis would be one of the world's greatest archers. The credit of the creation and development of archery would fall to her and her twin brother, Apollo. Artemis has near perfect aim with a bow and arrow. Her golden bow was gifted to her upon her third birthday and it was crafted by the Cyclopes. She requested it because she simply wanted one like her brother. Some of her arrows could bring disease and death to those who displeased her. It is something she does not do anymore. She sees it as inhumane, showing growth as a person.

### Weaknesses

* Immortality does not mean that Artemis cannot die. Across history she has had close calls with being sent to the realm of her Uncle. She is susceptible to other godly powers and super powered beings. No one is perfect, she can be fatigued and picked off quickly, she could be afflicted with a sensory overload etc. She is flawed like any being.
* Artemis isn't very social. She tends to keep to herself and prefers to work either alone or with her huntresses. Therefore, she is not very trusting. Since she is not willing to work with others, a large group could easily take her by surprise. Someone could also torment her with bottled-up emotions of past lives.
* Artemis is a Goddess. She cannot directly intervene with the affairs of humanity. If she does want to interact with humanity her time is only temporary as she must take on a weakened form with severely dampened versions of her abilities. She must do her best not to reveal who she is in these cases.
* Artemis used to be quite aggressive with punishments. Over time she has realised she was far too harsh and cruel. Her more controlled and calm nature of present times could be used against her in times of great difficulties e.g. ultimatums where she would be required to take lives.
* Artemis is stubborn and prideful. She will not back down from an opinion or task for anyone. It's her way or the highway. She is an inspiring and dedicated leader to her people but sometimes she can take her duties to the extreme. She can "get lost in her work and principles."