Nicknames
Thank the Gods! After a week of Mid-Term testing, I practically collapsed into my bed. My hand was sore from writing over a million words, my neck was still aching from craning over papers, and I sear I had blisters on my butt from sitting so much. I'd rather take on a Hydra or maybe Ladon than go through that again. I was beginning to hate college…
I feel asleep without a second thought…I was way too tired to eat, change, or whatever.
I woke up a couple hours later to the touch of someone ruffling my hair gently. My eyes were still blurred but I could make out a cascade of Auburn hair and a beautiful, bright face.
"Ar-Artemis?" I asked groggily.
She feigned shock, "Oh my! The beast wakes from his slumber!"
Yeah…It's her. Apparently my sarcasm rubs off quickly.
"Everyone's a comedian…" I groaned.
Reluctantly, I sat up until my vision cleared. Artemis had pulled a chair from my desk to the side of my bed and helped herself to the banana muffin I'd left half-eaten.
Finally, the realization hit me—every time she came back from a Hunt, we'd spend her down time together. Before, we had gone to dinner, watched a movie in New York, or go Pegasi racing. The things normal couples would do…Except one problem: She was an Olympian, "Lady Artemis the Maiden Goddess" and I was a demigod, Son of Poseidon, Percy Jackson. Nothing is normal for either of us.
But I loved her, and I had no doubt she loved me. We were going to make it work, someway, some how.
"Enjoy your Mid-Term?" she asked playfully.
"Ugh…sorry Moon-Beam…I'm just exhausted," I apologized.
She threw me a look; half pity, half amusement.
"It's fine Percy…Trust me," she said.
"Come on…it's not," I staggered off my bed.
"Perseus Jackson" she pleaded, "I'm okay with just spending time with you here."
"I've been through worse than—," I shut up at the look on her face. She's softly biting her bottom lip; her eyes asking me to just relax.
"Okay," I sighed, "Wanna just watch a movie downstairs?"
"It's perfect," she said, "I'd be delighted to…"
She slips her arm through mine, pulls me in close, and planted a kiss on my cheek.
"That's not going to work every time," I mumbled.
She rolled her eyes and we went downstairs to watch a movie.
Artemis and I were lying on the couch (Well, I was lying on the couch, she was lying on me), when Amelia, my little sister, came bounding through the door obviously ecstatic.
"Hey kiddo," I asked, "What's got you so riled up?"
"Oh...not much," she tried to hide a smile, "James finally asked me out!"
"Wait-wait." I paused, "James, son of Hermes; the one who stole Katie Gardner's top at the beach? James?"
"No," she huffed, "James Wilson, son of Athena; works at the library… you know?"
"No, not really. I'll talk to him later."
"Percy, please don't," Amelia begged, "You do this to every guy; you're too overprotective!"
"Come on, I—"
"I agree with Amelia," Artemis interrupted.
I give them both dubious looks. Why does everyone have to gang up on me?
"Well," she explained, "Percy… I love you, but you are too overprotective."
"Yeah," that was Amelia, "Do remember that Hephaestus guy? I could handle kicking his butt, I can handle myself."
"Really?" I tried to defend myself, "What about Michael? I had to make him stop stalking you…you couldn't handle that."
Her face turned crimson in anger. "You're insufferable!" she spat, storming off.
I tried to get up, but Artemis stopped me, face set in a hard frown.
"Let her cool off," she continued, "You're her older brother, she respects you're judgment you know. But at times you're a bit too much…"
"I know…" I sighed, "I would have gotten some headway explaining myself…but someone kept interrupting me…"
"Percy—stop it." She rolled her eyes.
"Fine. I won't be as protective…"
"Good," she said, laying her head back on my chest.
"Moony," I teased under my breath.
"Fish-Breath" she shot back quietly.
"Twig-Arms"
"Perseus Jackson," Artemis warned, "Do not start this again!"
"Moon-Butt."
"Percy!" she steamed hitting my chest.
"Deer-Ears."
"Tuna-Legs!"
"You hit like a tree…"
"Bait-Breath!"
"Okay—I take it back."
Too late, she was on a roll, "Shark bait! Fish lips! Kelp Head! Corral Brains! Squid Eyes! Horse Fu—"
I quickly press my lips against her angry ones, but she tried to talk again.
"No—don't think you can get out of trouble that easy," she pouted.
I do it again, this time she kissed back. The scowl on her face quickly changed into a sweet smile.
"You are sooo lucky I love you." She said.
"Eh… I know," I replied.
"And his ego gets bigger!" Artemis rolled her eyes.
"Kidding! I love you too." I said, he shook her head smiling and we returned to watching the movie.
After the movie she looks up at me and said she had to go.
"Why?" I asked, "It's still early…"
"Equinox meeting—," she said standing up, "—Apollo and I need to synchronize night/day schedules and the usual arguing… I might need to work a few extra hours after that."
She yawned and stretched her arms over her head; Lime green top rising too. I got up, slipped one of my arms behind her back and the other behind her knees; and then picked her up into a bridal carry, dancing around the room like an idiot.
"Percy," she laughed, "Come on… I need to go—please?"
"Sorry…" I said, putting her down, "I just want to spend more time with you…I love our IM conversations, but it's not the same without you her…"
"It's the same for me…" she chewed over a thought, "Maybe we should tell them."
My heart skipped a beat. I knew there would be a time when Artemis and I told the other Olympians. I just—my ADHD mind swept through a million scenarios—I don't want to endanger Artemis or our relationship. Zeus is very protective of his children; specifically the females. And Apollo can be just as bad when it comes to Artemis… I know Lady Hestia is okay with it; she's like my second mom after all and seems to be infinite with advice.
"Okay," I said, "We'll tell them tomorrow."
"Together…" she added, this time pressing her lips onto mine; supple and warm. I give her a hug and watch her walk through the doorway.
I spend the Saturday morning with vigorously training my sword class students. The Equinox Meeting isn't until 6:30 pm, so I did everything to ease my worries. My class is actually very skilled; we cruised through the basic single sword tainting easy. Shield training was a bit more difficult…but we got through it all the same. I taught them dagger training, but some found it "degrading". Yet all of them held it in a classic Roman "hammer grip". The flaw being the dagger is a short blade meant for deflecting, parrying, or countering, not power strikes. The "ice-pick" grip is actually ideal. With the blade parallel to one's dominant arm, in backhand style, thus allowing for quicker slashes and deflections.
Today, I tried to teach them something new: dual wielding. I demonstrated with Riptide and hunting knife Thalia gave me as a present earlier in the morning. First, I showed them the basic neutral stance; dominant hand with sword back, and dagger in "ice-pick" grip in the weaker hand forward. They were sloppy at first, throwing strikes randomly, but they had heart. I decided I might as well correct them. I called them to beak and gather around.
"Guys," I said, "and gals. I like your effort, but you're still a ways off…"
"Percy," one of the guys asked, "The blades feel—uneven. Is there like a trick or something you could tell us?"
I chewed over it for a second, and then the thought hit me," Does anyone know what Anaklusmos means?"
Amelia piped up, "Riptide?"
"Precisely. Riptide—the current that take one by surprise. Think of it like this: the short blade is used to whittle down your opponent's defense without sacrificing your strength (ice-pick grip) or compromising your own defense."
They nodded with new found realization. After that class went spectacularly; I even say a little Demeter girl taking on an Ares girl twice her size on equal footing. When it ended I congratulated then on their accomplishment, said a few encouraging worse, and quickly took off to my dorm.
I quickly showered, changed, and caught up with Thalia to grab a ride to New York. I was anxious and my ADHD didn't help. Thalia kept trying to calm me down, but did so poorly.
"Kelp-for-Brains!" she hissed, "Relax. Worst comes to worst; they won't kill you. You're kind of famous…" She already knew of Artemis and me, but I just told her what we were going to do.
"Thals," I sighed, "That's not who I'm worried about…"
"Her face changed from annoyance to surprise, "Wow Perce…you do care about milady, huh?"
"Yeah—I do."
She blushed…and the rest of the ride to Olympus as silent. My heart pounded and my head was a nervous wreck. It's one thing to meet your girlfriend's parents; it's totally another to meet her father.
Being the eldest of Poseidon, I was allowed to sit at the mini-throne beside my dad's. Thalia didn't attend; she had to watch over the Hunters since Artemis was here. All-in-all it was a standard Olympian council, the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) were bickering. Zeus and Hades over how many kids sired. (2 sired by Hades and 8 sired by Zeus); Hera listened on disgruntled. My dad argued about the scraps of building material in Olympus being thrown haphazardly in the ocean.
Lady Hestia caught my eye and winked, I guess she knew what we were going to do. Artemis was fidgeting slightly; every moment for me was a fight-or-flight tense moment, but it had to be done.
"Alright!" Zeus thundered after a while, "Enough!" He heaved a sigh, "Anyone else have something to say?"
hree beats of silence, "Yes—I do" Artemis squeaked.
There was a collective groan from the Olympians, but they looked to her in anticipation. The Big Three with tired looks on their faces, Lady Hestia gave an encouraging nod, and the rest looked like they wanted to go home already. Except Hera, she looked like she was about to strangle Zeus (again).
Artemis took a deep breath, slipped off her throne, and stood in the middle of the Council. Alone. I got up, barely glancing at my dad, and took my place beside Artemis. She smiled weakly and I returned an encouraging one; hoping it looked better than I felt. She slipped her warm hand into my clammy, nervous one. Every Olympian perked up immediately—especially Zeus and Apollo.
She took another deep breath.
"Percy and I are," she dropped the bomb, "dating." I nodded bravely.
My dad and Zeus yelled, "What?!" Demeter and Hera gasped, Athena and Hestia nodded, and the six other sat in stunned silence. Even Hades looked stunned.
Then, ever instinct took over. The king of Gods yanked out his lightning bolt and prepared to strike me down. I pressed Artemis behind me, but she clung to my back, face pressing into my shoulder blades. Maybe it'll be quick. Not a bad way to die huh Percy? Artemis will can still live and we had a good relationship. At least we made it count…
Zeus released the bolt just as I heard Artemis scream "NO!"
I closed my eyes, and tried to think of the good time I've had with her: the time I spent with her when she was accidentally drunk and disoriented from the Hermes Dorm party, every time we'd be at the beach together, and our first kiss, when I fell over the beached log and into the sand.
I waited in anxious anticipation to meet my death… I felt its raw power wash over me. My skin pricked from the intense heat. I felt my left side get scorched and the explosion threw me across the room. Everything faded into blackness; I felt the cold slowly clamp over my soul.
Suddenly, a familiar warm feeling danced along my body. It started in my hand—soft and caressing—like someone was holding it. Consciousness slowly floated back into my head; I couldn't open my eyes, but my hearing was back.
Crying—Artemis crying, it hurt just to hear it. I cringed as I heard the tears splash onto the marble floors. It stopped suddenly, "Apollo" she screamed, "APOLLO GET OVER HERE! HE'S—HE'S COMING BACK!"
"Sis—I, "he tried to protest.
"NOW!" she screeched.
"He's okay," Apollo said check my pulse and breathing.
Then, a gallon of water slapped me in the face and soaked into my skin; revitalizing me.
"Artemis?" I croaked.
"Percy!" she screamed, silver eyes puffy and red.
"Thought you could get rid of me that easy; huh Moon Beam?" I coughed bravely.
"You survived the wrath of one god, Ocean Eyes," she sobbed, "Don't push your luck." She hugged me tightly.
At that, my sight cleared and I saw Zeus beneath a golden net. Hephaestus and Poseidon holding him down; with Hera shouting obscenities to him.
"Please don't try to die on me again?" she teased, wiping a drop of golden Ichor from her mouth.
"Because you asked…sure," I replied.
Finally, I found the strength to stand with Artemis' help. After what felt like an entire night, Zeus calmed down and the Council resumed. Poseidon, Hera, and Hephaestus watched him carefully. Lady Hestia acted as head because of Zeus' position and behavior.
"Putting my brother's outburst aside." She gave him a stern glare as Hera smacked him. "I believe we all saw you're devotion to each other and I support this relationship. All in agreement?" In my amazement, 10 of the 12 seated Olympians raised their hands in agreement. New strength found my body, and I pulled Artemis close; smiling.
"Good," Lady Hestia remarked, "I believe you too have been through enough for one night…"
"Well," I said sheepishly, "No major harm done… I guess. I—ahem—we should get going."
"Best of luck you two," Lady Hestia said, giving that signature motherly smile. The other Olympians nodded, but 2 did so glumly.
Once we got out of earshot, Artemis quickly filled me in on what happened. She had recovered the quickest, and watched in horror as I was flung across the grand room. Immediately, a million tings happened at once: Hera smacked Zeus' hand so the lightning bolt didn't hit me directly; Dionysius grew a wall of vines to cushion my crash, Ares (Yeah…I was surprised too) stopped Apollo from drawing his bow to finish the kill, Demeter & Aphrodite jumped up to form a wall between Zeus and Apollo from Artemis and I, Lady Hestia and Athena came to my side as well before assisting Poseidon and Hephaestus in restrain Zeus with the golden net. Hades even played a part by checking my vitals, but he declared me dead in seconds…although something…someone pulled me back moments later.
We got to the elevator as she finished her detailed explanation, then Apollo appeared looking rather grim. His usual pretty boy feature seemed dulled, and it gave him that haunted look Luke had all those years ago.
"What do you want?" Artemis snapped.
He flinched, but said, "I need to speak with Percy—alone."
"No." we both said firmly.
His face twisted in anger… "Fine. I do not support your relationship with my sister Jackson. Plain and simple. You're a moody, overconfident, lucky punk. If you ever hurt my sister—I'll kill you."
Normally, my sarcastic anger would take over and I'd be sun-baked ash, but I took a glance at Artemis. It just melted away.
"Alright Apollo," I stuck out my hand, "I understand."
He looked at me dumbfounded.
"I have a little sister too." I explained, "I know what it's like to constantly worry, but man—sir. You have to be willing to let them grow up on their own…Artemis…means the world and the heavens to me. I wouldn't trade that for an eternity of immortality."
He gave me a wary look, but he too glanced at Artemis and decided my words were genuine. Then he shook my hand.
"For your sake, Perseus," gesturing to the wonderful person by my side, "I hope you're good to her." He sulked away, but Artemis beamed at me, silver eyes saying it all.
In the long elevator ride down, she kept fussing over my slight wounds. Honestly, the water healed me up pretty quick albeit I was still really sore.
"I'm okay…" I sighed exasperated.
"Percy…" she persists.
"Artemis…" I pleaded. She shakes her head and presses her forehead against mine. I smirk and as soon as I do, I see a bright smile dance across her face. And for once, the elevator is filled with beautiful silence.
We step into the nippy Manhattan air and sit on the front steps of the Empire State Building. We're just watching the constellations, when the moons come into view. But something is very different…it's blue! My favorite color! How—?
I looked over at Artemis and she had a smug look on her face.
"Happy Birthday Percy…" she whispered as we closed my birthday night with a kiss.
(A/N This chapter has been redited, but still. Feel free to comment/review below. Or not. Keep reading, then we'll see how it goes from there.)