This fanfic does diverge from canon timeline, and hence I will mention the change where necessary.
So this jumble of words had been gathering dust in my Notes. So, I finally finished it and hoped you guys enjoy it.
The demigod possessed an innate aura of leadership and his current stance complimented it perfectly. His face was the same since Zoe's passing- cool, calm and stoic- and so were his eyes. But the untrained eye couldn't recognise the cleverly crafted facade. Artemis was sure that even her sister, Athena, would have difficulty in noticing the Son of Poseidon's mask and that it was only her skilled eyes and her experience from millennia of interactions with the Hunt that she could see the illusion.
Moreover, she also had a suspicion that the cracks in the half-blood's disguise was because of the weight of her lieutenant's death. Even in her very final moments, Artemis had gleaned the colossal cavern of care and concern that she held for the Sea Spawn. The goddess supposed that if her best friend for more than two millennia we're willing to befriend a man, then the least she could do was to respect him.
Reluctantly, she removed her eyesight from her saviour and finally, realised the importance of the night: The Winter Solstice. She quickly left, not wanting to spend anymore time in the enchanting green orbs of a certain male. She again left hastily after the meeting in the Throne Room, preferring the isolation of her chariot to vent her guilt through tears. As she continued her daily ride, she found herself spotting the demigod sitting in her garden in Olympus.
She flashed to him, instinctively ageing to an age similar to his. He dissipated his tears, using his demigod powers, upon catching sight of the silver huntress. Their eyes met yet again and, for the first time, she saw past the deception. The gnawing guilt, the genuine grief and inexpressible regret were enough to soften her own mask. By the widening of the male's green orbs, she was convinced that he had seen the same in hers too.
The huntress could no longer hold her gaze with the male, in fear of busting into tears because of her own guilt over their mutual friend. Hearing the scuffle of footsteps, she looked up to meet the captivating sea-green of her cousin. There were a mere feet away from each other and whether it was out of impulsiveness or not, they both rushed toward each other. They both had wrapped themselves around each other, enveloped in a cocoon of warm limbs. Realisation crashed upon Artemis but before she could untangle herself, she heard Percy's soothing voice,
"It's not weak to cry"
And the dam broke. Heaving sobs of guilt and loss were muffled by the fabric of his shirt. In the emotional turmoil of tears and wailing, she had lost all track of where she was. She remembered distinctly, however, of being carried and being laid on a bed. She refused when the warmth, that had embraced her throughout her state of discomposure, tried to leave. Her constant weeping was occasionally interrupted by Percy's voice, which dulled the pain, only for it to comeback full force when she remembered her huntress. Finally, Artemis succumbed to the lull of sleep and allowed the darkness to overtake her, still tangled in limbs.
She didn't see him again till the events of the so-called Battle of the Labyrinth. The morning after, she had awoken to an empty bed and as her godly mind replayed the events of the previous night, she was grateful that he had left. It would have been incredibly damaging to her reputation to be found in bed with a male. She had blushed furiously when she recalled that it had been her that had been adamant that he lay with her. And was again thankful that he left and avoided a conversation that would have been awkward for the both of them.
The Hunt was at camp to aid in the forthcoming battle. Her girls were at Camp, she assured herself, for the sake of protection and definitely not because of a certain boy. She had planned to visit her hunters for an update and arrived an hour after dinner. From the bonds between herself and her hunters, she knew that none of them had died but she was unsure of the extent of their injuries, if any. Upon entering her cabin, she was immediately reported on hastily by her lieutenant and sister, Thalia Grace. She was made cognisant of only minor injuries with the single exception of a concussion, though she learnt that the Infirmary had promised that she would survive.
Her legs led her to the shore, the very shore where she had quite frequently seen the half blood occupy as she rode her chalice across the world. The demigod, like always, was brooding as he gazed out at the sea but this time fresh tear marks were evident. He looked up at her, recognition flitting through his eyes. She almost gasped when she realised the familiarity of their situation. The Hunt was her responsibility and a death would weigh on her eternally and the same was for him. He was the unofficial leader of the Camp and the many deaths earlier in the day were weighing on him.
This time, she again willingly wrapped her arms around, letting him expunge the feelings of pain and misery. This time, it wasn't him holding her, no she was one the rubbing the comforting circles in his back and whispering soothing voices into his ear. This time, they didn't lay together in her palace, instead they spent the night in the Poseidon cabin, encased in a solacing envelope. This time, similarly, the other had woken to an empty bed and they were both grateful for that.
They hadn't seen each other again until after the events of the Titans' defeat. Artemis had already instructed Thalia to help in the efforts to protect Olympus alongside her cousin. Her lieutenant had been more than willing to fulfil those commands. Upon being paired together during the reconstruction of the Throne Room, both the fierce huntress and the Saviour of Olympus had stammered through a conversation, noticing that both had seen the other at their lowest and yet never had a conversation. For Artemis, not even her dear mother or brother had ever seen her cry. While for Percy, it was the cognisance that he had comforted the man-hating female and vice versa.
His refusal of godhood hurt her- very painfully, in fact- but for the life of her, she couldn't understand why. When she heard of Perseus' relationship with the daughter of Athena, she couldn't grasp the reason why bile crawled up her throat and why she felt a nasty feeling clawing at her chest. Thankfully, her self-control was under optimum condition or else she would have already skewered the brain child. To fight that horrible feeling that she felt seeing the couple, she avoided the Camp at all cost, preferring the woods near Olympus.
She felt distraught and helpless when she heard that Perseus was missing, especially as she was imprisoned on Olympus by her father's commands. Still, she secretly, directed her Hunt to find the demigod and assist anyone doing so. It was during this period of boycott and constant worrying that she stumbled over to the Throne Room and was beckoned over by the lone figure at the Hearth. She sat beside the fire goddess, resting her head on her shoulder- in hopes of attaining the calming effect her presence held. What she hadn't considered was that the lady beside her would be able to discern the unease and tension gnawing in her.
Since Artemis' appointment as an Olympian, she perceived Hestia as her second mom, considering her birth mother's absence and her father's negligence. Hence, she knew it wouldn't be long before Hestia questioned her and so she did, enquiring about her troubles. The huntress knew there was no way out from this interrogation she had trapped herself in. Reluctantly, she spoke about the discomfort of seclusion and her inability to spend time with her Hunt. She continued ranting on by speaking of Zeus' foolish and arrogant behaviour, trusting that her "mother" would fail to recognise her words as half-truths.
As she stopped to take a breath, the peaceful goddess chuckled and continued her questioning with,
"Are you sure that's all that's bothering you?"
Artemis gazed directly into her Aunt's fiery orbs and saw a knowing hint and before she could think to express any arguments, while simultaneously maintaining her composure strayed to a certain someone- Hestia continued,
"Am I to believe this doesn't concern a certain black-haired green-eyed nephew of mine?"
The silver goddess immediately found the spot the floor on her left amazingly fascinating, considering how intently she seemed to be gazing at it. The moon goddess wouldn't dare to speak out now, in fear of revealing just how delirious the son of Poseidon was having her feel. When Artemis offered no response, Hestia took the light pink on her cheeks as an acceptable answer.
Hestia broke the silence that had settled between them,
"Artemis, child, do you like him?"
Careful not to use the word, love, as it would be utterly inconceivable for silver-eyed immortal to recite and accept the worded feelings without even informing the other of those feelings.
Still, Artemis didn't reply but had by then was at least facing forward to stare into distance in front of her. She pondered over her relationship with the demigod. They had first met in Maine and she had surprised herself by not punishing the boy for his angry outburst and by speaking amiably with him. They met again at Mount Othrys but had spoken little as either of the two was either battling Atlas or were holding the sky and then they had both had to brave through Zoe's death. It was the later encounters that were more interesting.
For the first time in her immortal life, Artemis had dropped all her walls and let her emotions consume and she did so in Percy's arms. Then, she had done the same that he had did for her, wrapping her arms around him and letting him pour out his emotions. They had an incomprehensible relationship, providing the comfort the other needed it and damning everything else in the process, to the point were, Artemis noted, she had slept in the same bed with a male- willingly.
When she had seen him in the Throne Room, standing safe with Luke's body limp in the middle of a scorched circle, she would be lying if she didn't feel her heart beat erratically. She would be surely lying if she said that the thought of talking with him for the little while that they had, didn't make her cheeks rosy red. She would definitely be lying if she didn't admit to feeling an electric and fire-churning tingle when their arms brushed each other. She would especially be lying if she said that her thoughts didn't stray when he had kissed the back of her hand at the end of their conversation. She was positive her thoughts hadn't strayed to wonder how if his lips would feel just as soft on her lips or wondered if his hair was just as soft as it seemed or wondered if his chest would make for a comfortable pillow.
Decidedly, Artemis mumbled,
"Yes",
in a voice so soft that if it wasn't for the close proximity between the two and for the enhanced auditory senses of the goddess, Hestia wouldn't have heard it.
Hestia smiled in a way that said that she had known all along and was delighted that her "daughter" had come to terms with it. She replied,
"So, what are you going to do now?"
Artemis glanced wryly at her Hearth goddess,
"There isn't much I can do. Percy is in a relationship with Annabeth and I'm not Aphrodite to break them apart for my own selfish reasons. And then there is also the matter of my oath."
The older goddess already had her answers, knowing what the younger goddess would present as excuses,
"If somehow circumstances has had allowed you, my dear, the fierce hunter and eternal man-hater, to have feelings for a male, it would be no wonder if he also reciprocates the same feelings but doesn't act upon them in fear of divine chastisement. And as for your oath, we both know the answer to that, don't we?"
What do you guys think?
Ok, so at the end of every chapter I'm going to provide a sort of justification for a certain decision or for something in the story. For this chapter, it is going to be Artemis' character. Many readers would claim that Artemis was OOC in this story but I would first and foremost want to mention that most Pertemis story require Artemis to be OOC. But I have another rationale to support my portrayal. It is that I believe the gods, as portrayed in the PJO universe, are merely humans with supernatural powers and a peculiar set of characteristics linked to their domains. For example, look at Aphrodite, she is basically a nymphomaniac/sex addict, which many humans are. Or Ares, who believes violence and tough love is the only solution and so do many humans. And then Zeus, who makes false claims and warns of imaginary threats, the same as Donald Trump. However, my theory is that human interaction is what brings out the more positive aspect of their humanity. Most gods only interact with mortals to fulfil their carnal desires. But as we see in the books, the littlest interaction goes a long way.
Firstly, there's Hades and Poseidon, who forsook their eternal grudge and loyalty, respectively, to listen to their demigod children. Then there's Dionysus, who, as we see in Titan's Curse and the Last Olympian, to possess human emotion. Moreover, when we look closer, we realise that Dionysus only demigod children are twins, meaning he broke his marriage vows the least of all the gods, baring the big three and they only did so because of their oath. This is Dionysus after only a decade or two in the company of a camp of children. Then, there's Apollo, who at the start of ToA is an arrogant and pompous brat but less than two months within demigod company, we begin to uncover his humanity. And now there is Artemis, who has spent her entire immortal life since the induction of the Hunt in the company of mortals. So it is no surprise, if she displays and feels emotions and feelings just as strongly as any normal human.
Thank you for reading and please share your thoughts on whether I should have Percy blessed by Artemis in your Reviews and any constructive criticism will be gratefully accepted.
Posaidezeus