In  the farthest edge of what mortals know as Olympus, lies a meadow adorned with flowers b with a variety of white to red and trees bearing fruits unseen and untasted by mortal tongues. And in the middle of this meadow of dew-filled grass and populous blossoming trees, lie a small green cottage.

A cottage housed by the Son of Asclepius.

Unlike most who enjoy the company of others of the same species, Yixing takes pleasure in the company of the varying plants and medical apparatus, of the intoxicating smell of flowers and ripe fruits that surround his humble abode. It’s in his nature to be a healer – to help those in need and to appreciate everything that is related to the art of healing. Yixing simply loves to help the wounded, the scarred, the helpless, and yet, as much as he is gifted with the power, he can’t seem to heal his own wounds which he has grown to ignore.

Gifted, no, cursed with immortality as long as he can remember, Yixing has been confined in this Eden-like meadow he has learned to call home. Stepping out of boundaries of this paradise-like prison was not an option, unless he is called to accompany the Son of Earth. Truth be told, Yixing sometimes prefers to stay in the little green house next to his cottage playing Doctor with no patient to cure, far from the problems the Higher Gods had brought upon themselves.

It’s his own little world.

But despite living inside the borders of this fantasy world, Yixing knows he can’t escape it, for every breath he takes reminds him of everything that had happened outside his sanctuary.

But that is another story to be told.

With the sun around the corner, bidding mortals and immortals farewell, Yixing sits beside his copper-furred cat, Cyprus, while reading a book written by none other than his Father. He is one of the few other demigods permitted to live inside the imaginary walls of Olympus.

“You’re the son of the only woman I loved. I asked all the gods to give you to me, and that they gifted.” His Father had once told him, a few days after his only life source was taken away.

Some nights, before he ventures into the comfort of slumber, Yixing would pray to the Gods like what he remembers his Mother would do, to take his gift away, but sometimes he finds himself walking around his small piece of land and thanking the same Gods for the gift of everlasting life and, of course, his wonderful cat companion - Cyprus.

Presented to him as a ball of copper fur when he had just moved into the cottage, Cyprus is the only pet Yixing has. From the moment the kitten opened its deep emerald eyes which seemed to bore into his soul, Yixing felt a connection, a bond, with the small animal. And as the years went by, he found himself attached to the feline - liking the cat’s silence and loyalty to him, and knowing that this creature is the only one that will never betray him.

“Cyprus,” Yixing calls for the feline as he his thumb before using it to flip the page of his book.

“Where are you going?” He asks, giving a quick glance at the cat who was trudging towards the door. The copper-furred feline gives no distinct response except for a soft meow as it continues to walk on its four legs, its long, fluffy tail swaying from left to right. Yixing eyes his cat for a few seconds before returning his gaze to the page he was reading.

I guess he’s off to hunt.

Yixing leaves his feline be with the thought that it was just bored, but it seems as though that was not the case when Cyprus suddenly comes running back with a silver bow between his sharp canines.

“What do you have there, Cyprus?” Yixing reaches out to his cat, slowly taking the bow into his hands. The bow was of high-quality silver and was obviously crafted by a seasoned blacksmith judging from the contours and defined edges it had. It isn’t the weapon’s craft, though, that captures Yixing’s attention with wide eyes. It’s the symbol that was carved on the bow – a man in armor riding a chariot.

The symbol of the God of War – Ares.

“Cyprus, where did you get this?” Yixing asks his cat who just tilts its head to the side in answer.

Yixing is not alarmed by the fact that a follower of Ares is inside his territory. No.

What alarms him is the fact that someone is inside his private land.

Ever since the Son of Earth gave him this land, no soul has been able to enter the area except for him, his Father, and the Son of Earth. Even his friend, the Son of Time, has not been able to catch a glimpse of the land he has come to call home.

So how was a man of Ares able to pass through the barriers?

“Cyprus, take me to where you found this.” Yixing commands. The cat meows and stretches to its heart content before obeying and darting out of the cottage with Yixing in its heels.

Cyprus leads Yixing into the small forest, stopping under a gigantic sycamore tree. Yixing stops a few meters away from his meowing cat who was pointing its paw towards the direction of the tree’s huge roots. He slowly walks towards the tree, climbing over the unbelievably giant roots that are exposed above the ground, and grunts as he almost lost his balance when he landed.

Meow.

Yixing looks up to see Cyprus standing on its hind legs next to a figure lying against the tree, body clad in silver armor. He slowly walks towards the stranger, only to have his eyes widen in surprise.

A woman.

A woman. A warrior. A woman warrior. In his land. Unconscious. Bleeding. Cyprus meowing.

Yixing snaps out of his daze when he feels his cat’s claws against the hem of his pants. Being the son of a healer and a healer himself, Yixing finds it his duty to suddenly half-drag and half-carry the unconscious woman into his cottage to tend her wounds.

Cyprus, what have you gotten me into?

He lays her down by his handmade hammock and searches his cabinet for the remedies he has made since long ago. For years, he has been reading books, asking his Father for advice and pointers in healing techniques, and inventing his own batch of medicine and testing them on himself. The perks of being immortal.

The rack is full of different concoctions - for wounds, concussions, abrasions, and even medicine to help you sleep at night. Colors ranging from milky white, bloody red to ocean blue are to be found in his rack, placed orderly in a manner that defines the illness they cure.

“Guava. Father once told me that it’s one of the best remedies for cuts and scratches,” Yixing speaks to himself.

He closes the rack and goes to the kitchen to boil the leaves of the fruit before making his way back to where he left the woman, only to reach an empty hammock. Yixing’s brows furrow as he whips his head to the side to see the not-so-unconscious woman standing by the door, a dagger dangerously pressed against the throat of his feline pet.

Yixing remains passive despite the slight worry he has for his pet. In situations like this, he has learned to show as little fear as possible to make his enemy lose confidence and assurance in having the upper-hand. He gazes into her eyes, invisibly raking his vision from her head to feet, while thinking of how he can turn the situation in his favor.

“Who are you?” The maiden warrior asks, hand clenching tightly on the knife as her other hand holds Yixing’s cat by its scruff. She had toned arms and sun-tanned skin covered in cuts and scratches. Her eyes a pair of deep pools of the prettiest golden honey and her hair of flaming red tied in a messy ponytail made Yixing stare before coughing out an answer. This is an intruder, for Christ’s sake!

“I always knew that Ares was too occupied with violence to be able to teach his underlings some etiquette.” Yixing says coolly as he places the cup of medicine on the table beside his father’s book.

“You should be thanking me for carrying you all the way back here to my lonely cottage. You’re not that light, you know. Tell me, is that how you repay someone who tries to help you?” Yixing adds on as he raises a brow, making the maiden give him a look of bewilderment.

“Who is Ares?”

Yixing’s brows furrow in confusion at the question. Is she joking? He peeks at the bow sitting on his couch before redirecting his attention back to honey orbs. Pale thin lips press into a straight line, thin brows furrow in confusion and deep honey - golden eyes looking for answers, are enough for him to know that she looks too tame to be a warrior of the God of War.

But that would not explain the bow with Ares’ crest his cat has found.

“Are you not one of Ares’ soldiers?” Yixing asks, his stoic façade slipping as he lets his curiosity take over.

“Does that not belong to you?” He points to the bow as he watches the maiden’s eyes dart from him to the object then back to him. She slowly drops her weapon to her side as she looks back at Yixing, her orbs clouded with confusion and uncertainty.

“I don’t know who this Ares is.” She answers plainly.

“Who are you?”

Silence engulfs them as they both just stare, trying to decipher the persona of the other. Yixing doesn’t say anything. He waits for her answer. He can go on like this for hours, that is, until Cyprus lets out a loud and draggy meow. Yixing sighs.

“Please, put my cat down. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

“If I can remember correctly, I asked for your name first.” The maiden says as she slowly lets go of the cat who happily trudges back to sit beside its owner’s feet.

“Yixing. Son of Asclepius. And you?”

“A-Asclepius?” The maiden repeats the foreign name which makes Yixing look at her incredulously.

“You have no knowledge of Ares and, also of Asclepius? Just who are you, woman?” Yixing asks for the second time, getting tired of asking questions over and over again.

The maiden says nothing for a while. Yixing watches as she bites her lip, struggling for an answer. His gaze falls on the silver plate around her chest.

Warrior. Woman. Silver. Arrow.

Yixing’s eyes widen in realization. He finds himself staring right back at those honey orbs while trying to debate with himself about the odds of his hypotheses. But the bow…

“You do not know Ares yet you are dressed in a manner suited for combat…” He trails, making the woman look at him in anticipation.

“Are you by any chance a huntress of Artemis?”

The maiden remains silent once more, her facial features turning soft before she flashes a small smile at him.

“Truth be told, I don’t know who I am.”