"You had me at merlot?" Artemis craned her head back and stared quizzically up at the wooden sign of the wine shop. It swung gently in an ocean breeze, its metal hinges all but screaming as it swayed back and forth sending a chill of unease through Apollo.

"No one's here, and even if they were, they're long gone by now," he said, hoping Artemis hadn't lost her touch as his eyes glanced up and down the empty boardwalk.

"Patience, brother, this is just where the trail leads."

As if awaiting their arrival, the sound of beating wings fluttered through the air and a gray screech owl—much smaller than the sound its wings had led him to believe—swooped down onto the already outstretched forearm of Artemis.

She gazed silently into the owl's large round eyes, a precarious smile dancing across her lips. She touched her head to the owls and gave thanks before it took off into the night.

"You've involved Athena? What does she have invested in all of this?"

"Just because we are twins, dearest brother, does not mean we are the only sibling the other has. Athena sends her blessing because she is still our sister, even if you choose to be distant. Not to mention, she has little love for Aphrodite, and word of her endeavors has spread all over Olympus."

"All the more reason to be on our way." He said, knowing Athena's owl hadn't solely shown up to bring a blessing, it had given Artemis a direction to travel.

Apollo stuck close to her as she rushed down the boardwalk and when they approached a pier, he spotted a small boat tied off at the end. Artemis confirmed it was their destination as she began undoing the line to the rowboat which was decorated ornately with the bust of a stag carved into the bow.

She motioned him into the boat as she tossed the line down. They each took a set of oars, alternating strokes as they pushed out into the darkness of the open water.

It didn't take long before Apollo spotted a yacht in the distance, illuminated by multicolored spotlights shooting up from the deck as if a beacon to the heavens. A party in the middle of the Atlantic? Aphrodite couldn't help herself, could she?

"We're close," Artemis huffed, pulling her oars into the boat. She stared at her hands, her breathing slowing before she raised her eyes to meet Apollo's. "This is our last opportunity to stop this, tell me you are certain she is your other half and I will say no more."

"We've lived long lives and few feelings come to mind that have ever been so clear and profound. I'm sure you can relate, was the feeling not the same for you the first time you stood in a forest? The earth beneath your feet and rainfall drumming on the tree canopies?

"Do you know the cure for eternal sleep?" Artemis asked, her eyes glowing in their soft green light.

"I do." He smiled, "The fairytales always get it wrong though, true love is only the first part. What wakes them at the moment when lips meet is a twin soul and two halves become whole again."

"Then I don't think I have to tell you what happens if you kiss someone in an internal sleep that is not your twin soul."

Apollo peered at his sister through the blackness as waves gently rocked the boat side to side. She was mere seconds younger than him, yet she'd always been the mature one, the warrior and caregiver, he could see now how badly she worried for him. She knew that if Ember were not his soul's twin, the consequences of a kiss were deadly. "I know the risk."

Artemis nodded and lifted her oars, "Well then, I hope you brushed your teeth."

Music and singing poured down from above them as they drifted toward the bottom of the yacht. It was no cruise liner, but he didn't think they made them much bigger for personal use.

Artemis, light as a feather, scaled the side of the boat, Apollo hefting the line up to her. Once the boat was secured, Apollo climbed the rope and quickly joined his sister, taking cover behind a catering table.

His eyes panned their surroundings seeking an acceptable path to a higher vantage point, Aphrodite was sure to have a trick up her sleeve. There were dozens of women on board, music blaring from two enormous speakers on either side of a DJ booth where a woman with pink hair stared into a laptop, thick headphones over her ears as she danced to a mechanical beat. It took him a moment to notice the purple sheen of scales glittering across her skin as she swayed and his jaw clenched.

"We're in the middle of the ocean of course she has a boat full of sirens." he hissed, hoping for a response or a plan of action from Artemis, but he found that she was instead transfixed upon a balcony on the opposite end of the dancefloor. He followed her gaze and suddenly knew why.

What looked to be a funeral pyre was adorned and surrounded by various arrangements of gladiolus and achyls flowers, and atop, laid a slumbering Ember.

Aphrodite had put her on display, like one of her party favors.

Apollo couldn't stop himself, he was moving, his legs carrying him out from the cover of the table. He saw himself bounding toward Ember, but his body never made it more than one step. A siren's song rang out in a deafening scream that strangled his senses, preventing him from focusing his thoughts, and his body fell to the ground. His eyes went wide and his hands flew to his ear in an attempt to block out the pain, but he was helpless as two women with flowing purple hair and black slits for eyes swam into focus. They clawed at him, sharp nails digging into his biceps as they dragged him forward and propped him on his knees before Aphrodite.

"Apollo!" Aphrodite's voice boomed over a speaker as the music stopped. "You're cutting it kind of close, aren't you? I could have lit that puppy up hours ago."

Laughs issued around him like nails on a chalkboard and he winced in pain.

"For a so-called deity of truth and prophecy, one would think that you'd have seen this coming after you decided to go back on our little arrangement. Maybe you really have spent too much time with the humans... like father, like son."

He struggled to stay upright, the image of Ember on the pyre alone kept him from losing consciousness.

"Checkmate." Aphrodite laughed into her microphone, "but all is fair in love and war, right? Just do us all a favor and keep your voice down, we wouldn't want to wake our guest of honor, now would we?"

A blue-haired siren loomed above him, nails extended at his throat ready to strike at the behest of Aphrodite. All at once, an arrow the distinct color of bronze pierced the siren's hand and her song was replaced by a scream of agony.

His body relaxed and he fell forward, panting on all fours.

"You don't really think your arrival is a surprise to me do you, Artemis?" Aphrodite cackled, fixing her gaze upon the goddess. "Your brother still needs you to fight his battles for him, huh?

A second siren lunged for Apollo, claws thrashing. He rolled to his side, just out of reach of his attacker as another arrow sank into the deck centimeters from her face.

"Final warning, leave now or I'll be scaling fish by a fire later tonight." Artemis stared coolly into the creature's face who along with several others scrambled overboard, disappearing into the night.

"I've got a dozen left," Artemis shouted, poised atop the catering table, a golden bow in her hands, sweeping the dance floor, begging for someone to move.

The remaining siren's pressed together, stepping in front of Aphrodite who seemed amused by the display. "Artemis, my love, how have you been?"

"Release the girl," Artemis growled, sending a warning shot whizzing past Aphrodite's head.

"We are having a party!" Aphrodite screamed, "Your brother is the one who broke the rules, not me!"

The sirens advanced, and without missing a beat Artemis produced several arrows from the quiver at her hip. She drew her bowstring back and loosed three at once, they bent and twisted together growing in size until a trident came crashing down directly before the group, electricity arcing in every direction and scorching the wooden deck. They hissed and staggered backward.

"The next shot will find a target amongst you, heed my words, I cannot undo what comes next."

Apollo inhaled a jagged breath, the pain of the song still lingering in his brain, he wished his sister would just shoot them and stop offering them a chance to escape, they wouldn't do the same for either of them.

As he caught the look on Aphrodite's face, her eyes narrowed on the trident, he smiled, she wasn't the only goddess that was calling in favors.

"Where did you get that from?!" Aphrodite had dropped the microphone, her voice rising over the sound of crashing waves.

"I thought you'd recognize the work of Poseidon, it's a nice touch, isn't it?" Artemis smirked, nocking another arrow, but she didn't have to shoot because the hum of worried voices rippled through the group at the utterance of the god of the sea's name, and without hesitation, they ran toward the sides of the boat, and dove over into the ocean.

"You're a wretched creature." Aphrodite hissed.

"And you're a tiresome, old hag," Artemis's arrow flew, cracking through the air as a column of fire erupted from the deck where it landed, encasing Aphrodite. "Go, brother! It won't last."

Apollo rose onto unsteady legs, taking a step away from the flames and screams of an enraged Aphrodite. He scrambled his way up the stairs and knelt before Ember's still body, her skin pale and cheeks streaked with dried tears.

He leaned in, cradling her face in his hands. "Please wake up," he whispered in a ragged breath as his lips crushed against hers.

The sensation was warm, yet sweet, spreading throughout his body and converging where their lips met. Apollo pulled back, confusion rolling through his mind as he stared at her motionless face.

He had felt it, she should be awake... he hesitated, his eyes focused on her pale lips, what if he was too late?

A cough rasped in her throat and her eyes flew open, green irises trained on him. "Jude?"

He sighed, smiling at the sound of her voice and the relief that it brought.

Ember looked up and touched his face, "Are your lips always this dry? It's like you've been swimming in the ocean."

He allowed himself a small laugh, but as he opened his mouth to respond, the words died in his throat.

The boat rocked violently and tilted sideways sending Ember into his arms, he caught her and pulled her to his chest. What now? For one horrifying moment, he wondered if Aphrodite's mer-friends had decided to attack the ship and change the playing field. Perhaps Artemis really should have sent arrows through each one of their hearts.

"What is happening? Where are we?" Ember asked, frantically wrapping his arms around his neck.

"It's okay," he said, trying to reassure her, but he wasn't entirely sure how to answer. It was as if an earthquake had cracked the ocean floor below the yacht, threatening to capsize them, but he didn't want to tell her that.

The taste of metal in the air drew Apollo's attention toward the sky and he watched as arcs of lightning danced behind storm clouds. It culminated in a blinding bolt crashing just over the boat that shuddered in wake of a thunderous crack. Hades be damned, it was worse than a siren.

"I guess that means the party's over," Artemis shouted from the deck, "Dad's here."