Ah, Pertemis. An unexpected yet rich ship.
WARNING – I do not know much of Greek Mythology other then what I study, so some villains and histories here will be fabricated due to my current ignorance.
…
Dear friends,
When word got around camp that a new demigod, one who had taught a few rogue Cyclopes a lesson or two, I knew I'd like him.
Seeing that he was, in fact, a she, made me sheepish.
Dashing up the hillside to the crest, where Thalia's Pine Tree stood tall and proud, I spotted a girl ripping her bronze knife from the leg of a sobbing animalistic Cyclops. The girl looked stunned, eyes as blue as stark ice wide and shocked. She held the knife awkwardly (Annabeth would have given a full-blown lecture) and she was favoring her left leg. A few more demigods from the Hermes cabin were already there, shouting at and taunting the two other Cyclopes, who were getting so frustrated they swung their clubs around with no true precision. The earth thundered whenever a club would slam into the hillside, kicking up dirt and adding all the more fuel for the monsters' rage.
One Hermes camper, I recognized him as Jack Baker, rolled between one Cyclops' legs and drove his javelin upward point-first into the monster's gluteus maximus. Nobody seemed so concerned. Cyclopes were bumbling idiots who'd accept peanut butter while trying to kill you, so no worrying about to campers. The only one to worry about was the new girl.
I shouted for Will Solace, standing right at my side, to cover me as I went in. The blond nodded, notching an arrow as I broke into a full sprint for the girl. I bellowed for her to duck. She looked my way, her jet-black hair cut short whipping as she spun to face me, and she dove for the grown just as a huge, crudely-made axe whistled through the air where her head had just been.
She stayed that way on the ground, the girl, with her hands over her head. I hit the dirt right next to her, grasping her shoulder.
"What's your name?" I shouted over the roars and yells of the battle.
The girl screamed and slapped at my hands. "Get off me!"
I rolled aside to avoid an intentionally aimed stomp from one of the Cyclopes. The beast growled, cracked yellow teeth showing in a hostile and hideous snarl, and bore down on me. I rolled back onto my feet and whipped out my weapon, Riptide. Holding his axe aloft, the Cyclops attacked. Whether this idiot knew it or not, I basically grew up slaying monsters. I was almost twenty, older than most demigods lived, so that would make me a dangerous card to play to begin with. I'm not bragging. Okay, maybe a little bit. But living as long as I did, along with you guys, I can't help but feel a little pride.
The Cyclops swung his axe and I leaned back, pulling a limbo move and watching as the axe passed over me. If the weapon had been made of steel or iron and not jagged stone, I would have seen my reflection. The Cyclops reached forward, attempting to grab me. Riptide caught the light of the blazing afternoon sun as she severed his hand from his body. A roar of agony and rage ensued, and I rolled back again to avoid a wild swing of the axe. An arrow caught the Cyclops in the eye, burying deep. He stood rigid for a moment, took a few staggering steps back, one forward, and then toppled over with a moan.
"Did you see that?!" I heard Will shout, "Please tell me somebody saw that!"
One Cyclops remained. One out of the three must have wounded a camper because now the Aphrodite cabin were wailing on the poor beast with all they got. I was about to turn my back on them, surely a bunch of well-trained campers could down a single rogue Cyclops, but a move caught me off-guard, making me hesitate.
The Cyclops viciously back-handed a few Aphrodite campers, sending them flying and screaming as he barreled through his opening. Headed directly for the new girl. She was standing now, blue eyes wide, mouth agape as he charged. Apollo campers shouted, arrows pierced his shoulders and back and even a high heeled shoe smacked against the side of his head, but the wrathful monster was still boring down upon the girl.
I hurled Riptide.
The blade flashed through the air, past the Cyclops, and was caught in the palm of the demigod girl. She looked as surprised as I felt relieved. She did have some battle instincts in her after all. The girl sidestepped a wild haymaker and with perfect formation, perfect strength, thrusted the blade upward into the monster's chest, directly through his heart.
I saw Riptide's gleaming tip sprout through the Cyclops' back. It was the like the world was holding its breath. Nobody spoke. All jaws simply dropped, and I just grinned like a madman, glad to see Riptide being used properly as well as the new girl unharmed.
The campers erupted in cheers as the Cyclops began to crumble into dust, carried away by the wind. The girl just stood there, her large eyes appraising my majestic sword in awe. And our eyes met. Wordlessly, as I approached, she bent to retrieve her celestial bronze knife from the grass. She gingerly held out my sword in her shaking hand and I retrieved it gratefully.
"My name's Lindsey," She said wearily as the other campers approached. She met my gaze, "Lindsey Jones."
Lindsey and I quickly became friends.
She had rapidly recovered from her battle shock as I, along with Will Solace and Malcom from the Athena Cabin, took her to the infirmary. There she was patched up by our best, and Lindsey simply couldn't stop staring around her in a daze. I had recognized the look on her face, the look of a kid who had been lost all her life and finally, at long last, reached home. I had felt the same way when I first arrived at Camp Half Blood.
Her story wasn't so different from many other campers'. She spent her life with a single father and his sister. They lived on a farm in West Virginia, raising sheep and tending to an orchard of peaches. She told me her story in private, Lindsey obviously didn't feel comfortable in a large crowd. She described her life with a wistfully sad smile. Homeschooled, raised on a farm with not so many worries other than the nagging question of where had her mother run off to…
The fiery demons had crawled from fissures in the earth. Without going into so much detail, Lindsey told me the events that transpired when her father and aunt died. Mr. Jones had gone down fighting with a celestial bronze knife, the very one his daughter now carried, and brought two demons down with him to his grave. Lindsey never told me what happened to her aunt.
I could picture it, the burning orchard and the screamed bleats of sheep, running through an unnatural inferno, desperate to escape. Desperate to live.
Lindsey had retired for the night after her story, leaving me to ponder my own thoughts.
…
I sit on the beach. Four months. Four months had passed since Lindsey's arrival to camp. Six months since Annabeth had left for her quest.
I had wanted to go with her to retrieve Artemis' stolen chariot. Stealing the Moon Goddess' chariot was pretty much like stealing the moon, and I couldn't imagine how the mortals would react with the absence of the moon in the sky, or lack thereof. Maybe the mist would pull a big one, but we can't fully rely on the mysterious force that veils supernatural and mythological activity from mortal eyes.
Annabeth had been the first to raise her hand. I had stood as well, surprised that my girlfriend wanted to go on this quest. We had plans for college in New Rome, you see, and this quest would certainly put a delay in our schedule. But if it was a quest she wanted, I was all for it. So you can't blame me for gaping like a total idiot once she said she wanted to do it alone. We had been a couple for two and a half years, been through Tartarus together, and she wanted to take this quest alone? After much protesting and forcing about a few hundred promises on her return, I ultimately let Annabeth depart, albeit reluctantly. She meant the world to me. Strong, beautiful Annabeth, with those storm-grey eyes that always seemed to calculate. Plus, she was an amazing kisser.
The first few days I Iris messaged her every evening. Every time she had been sitting beside a temporary camp fire, deep in thought. She almost seemed troubled at times. I seriously hoped nothing was wrong, something we should've been working out together.
Piper, I had noticed your confused frowns when you'd look at me. you would whisper something to Jason, who would look in my direction with a concerned expression. That day we sparred, demonstrating to the younger campers footwork and mixed techniques of both Roman and Greek.
"Has anything been going on with you two, man?" Jason had question, striking for my undefended flank.
"Huh?" I feigned ignorance and spun from his strike. I followed with a slash.
"You know what I mean, Percy," The Son of Jupiter gave me 'the look' from behind his glasses and executed a spinning kick, knocking aside my sword. (Yes, Jason, you have a look)
I sighed, "I dunno. She's just been so distant lately," our swords met with a clang.
"Don't blame her, she's hundreds of miles away,"
Oh, Jason, just to let ya know, that wasn't funny.
I snorted and focused on the fight. Jason's battle technique was practical, sturdy, yet predictable. Mine, however, was more flashy, wild, and erratic, albeit less practical, yet no less deadly.
I wasn't kidding when I told Jason was she had been distant, both spiritually and physically. She seemed distracted whenever I'd call, and she'd been quick to end our talks, always rushing to some random conclusion.
"His legs!" I heard Lindsey shout. I couldn't tell who she was screaming to, so I turned my head.
Before I could apprehend the inevitable, my legs had been swept out from under me. As the air raced from my lungs, I stared up at the blue sky in stupefied silence. I tried to rise but was met with the point of Jason's gladius to my forehead.
"Gods, Percy," He looked as surprised as everybody in the arena, "You're out of it."
I grimaced and grasped my friend's offered hand, allowing him to hoist me to my feet as the campers clapped and hooted. I dusted off my shirt and grinned crookedly at Jason.
"That wasn't a Roman move,"
"Hey, you Greeks may be sloppy, but that doesn't necessarily make you lazy." He shrugged grudgingly.
Turned to glare, not fully angry, yet slightly annoyed nonetheless, at Lindsey. She was leaning against a smoking brazier that was cooking some sausages for the hungry, hotdog bun in hand.
"What was that for?" I capped Riptide, the sword receding back into a ballpoint pen.
"You were dazing in the dead middle of a heated sword fight," Lindsey cracked sasmirk and plopped a sausage into her bun, "That's showing off."
I crossed my arms and rose a brow, "So you gave my enemy advice?"
Lindsey shrugged noncommittally and took a ravaging bite, "To you it would seem," she said aft swallowing a mouthful of sloppy glory.
She made a face and snatched some mustard from a stand beside the brazier. I sighed and uncrossed my arms, letting my shoulders relax as my eyes carried over the field of training demigods. Jason was now leading an effort of javelin hurling. Coach Hedge shouted in the faces of new campers as they struggled with their pushups, calling the poor kids cupcakes and hosing them down with a, eh, hose.
His young son, Chuck, sat upon the back of one of the 13 year-old demigods rodeo-style, repeating his father's rather colorful insults in tiny squeaks.
"Live it up, cupcakes," Coach Hedge hollered through his megaphone.
"Wive it up, qwupqwakes!" Chuck squeaked, he pounded his tiny fist against his current victim's skull, making the poor kid whimper.
I smiled. This... This was peace. No prophesies to threaten those you hold dear, no army of vengeful monsters seeking their next meal, and no oppressing lord of some ancient evil yearning to block out the sun. Monsters still littered the world, we demigods would never be free of hold encounters, but no major threat seemed to darken the horizon.
At first, campers had thought Lindsey's arrival a bad omen. It had been the most exiting since the dark days. However, given a few weeks, Camp half Blood warmed up to the demigoddess. I had shared my doubts as well. She looked eerily familiar, but I simply couldn't place where I had seen the likeliness of her appearance. She obviously took after her godly parent.
The girl had an appealing sense of fashion that would make any Aphrodite girl approve, yet refrain from making the Ares cabin choke. She kept her hair cut chin-length and I never saw her without her sapphire-bejeweled choker. Lindsey showed skill in combat, not so with a knife but undeniably in swordsmanship. She was a natural. So natural, I fear that she might best me one day. And her growing skill with a Bo staff was unparalleled. Mainly because few other campers favored the Bo staff.
"Hotdog?" Lindsey held the naked treat toward me. I examined it, shrugged, and accepted the hotdog.
I took a bite.
And an explosion of silver light blinded the day. My sword was in my hand before I knew to think, as well as the most seasoned of warriors in the training arena.
A young woman stood in the very center of the training grounds, arms crossed with one foot tapping. Her hair was auburn and pulled back into a practical braid that fell over one shoulder, her silver eyes like shining moons, and her pale skin complimented by her huntress outfit.
"I swear," She hissed through clenched teeth, "If my gods blasted father hadn't insisted that a quest for my chariot would be 'healthy' for the mortal god-spawns, I would have found it already."
Everybody hastily went to their knees. Except Coach Hedge. Dear oblivious Coach Hedge who never really gets a hint.
"Who the Hades are you?!" He shouted through his megaphone, making me cringe and Artemis turn toward him.
"Silence would do you wise, satyr."
"Silence? HAH, you're on of 'em Shakespearians aren't you?" He rose his megaphone back to his mouth and bellowed, "Well lemme tell ya what you should do with your – THE PIG SAYS OINK – and then stuff it in your – THE COW GOES MOO – And WHAT THE HADES IS WRONG WITH MY-,"
A silver arrow skewered the tampered megaphone in Coach Hedge's hands. Artemis whirled around, the bow already fding in her hand, and faced Jason, who was just beginning to rise from his knees.
"You, male, are you in charge here?" The impatience was evident in the goddess' face.
Jason straightened his back. I had long since stood, along with most of the braver and more ignorant demigods. Lindsey hastily swallowed her hotdog and hissed.
"Is that who I think it is?"
I nodded, recapping Riptide.
"She's beautiful," Lindsey said, still whispering as Artemis addressed Jason, who was doing his best not to look like a sweaty, sooty and dirty demigod and more like a dignified leader. I got to admit, you did your job well.
And I nodded in agreement to Lindsey's words, and it wasn't until I realized that I had been nodding more to myself then to Lindsey that she gave me a sidelong glance, eyes conniving. I felt an involuntary chill. Had I really just agreed to that? Artemis was an immortal goddess who despised males more than anything. Hades, if a guy so much as looked at her the wrong way, he'd find himself turned into a weasel. I'm surprised she hadn't done more to Coach Hedge. Maybe satyrs were an exception?
And I thought this woman, this immortal goddess of the hunt and the moon, beautiful. And she truly was, but could I afford to think that way while I still had Annabeth?
"Annabeth hasn't found the chariot yet?" Jason looked surprised.
"When I first heard that a girl would be seeking out my stolen chariot, I dare say I had hopes," Artemis snarled, causing Jason to narrow his eyes rather than flinch. "I should have sent one of my huntresses after it," Artemis muttered.
"Are you questioning our fidelity, Lady Artemis, or out dexterity?" Chiron trotted into the arena, dressed in a fine suit from the waist up.
Chiron looked dressed for an official meeting of some sort, then it occurred to me that he still had to keep up his appearance as a business man managing fields of strawberries. Though I still didn't think why the suit was a necessary look for a gardener.
"Chiron," Artemis turned to face him, "Finally, a respectable male. I want you to call off this quest of yours."
Chiron bowed his head in greeting, coming to a stop beside me. Hesitantly, the demigods got back to training. Coach Hedge shouted less, and I didn't miss his forlorn glances at the forsaken pile of sparking plastic and wires that was once his beloved – though already broken – megaphone. I still stood there, a bit awkward as the two immortals began to talk.
"Why?" Chiron brushed a bit of dirt from the shoulder of his suit, "Have you definite evidence of Ms. Chase's failure?"
"Her 'failure', Chiron, is that for four months the moon has been missing from the sky, and the dimwitted mortals are just beginning to notice. What do you think will follow after they finally see that my chariot no longer journeys over the nightly heavens?" Artemis seethed.
Her silver eyes turned to me, and she faltered. "Perseus," She almost breathed. He stared at me for a moment, her face slightly distant. Artemis snapped back to attention as I cleared my throat.
"It has been a while, Lady Artemis," I said. The last time we had truly traded words was after I held the sky for her, when Zoe Nightshade died and adjoined the heavens.
She had changed. Artemis looked older, of course she looked older – she wasn't in her 12 year-old form. Now she was adopting the aged look of a young woman in her early twenties. I could tell she was trying to find the white streak in my hair, but over the years, the scar of bearing the sky had dulled to a muted grey. Which didn't stand out so much as it used to in contrast to my raven-black hair.
"I assure you, Lady Artemis, that our demigod will have the chariot soon enough." Chiron said, both aligning the conversation back on-subject and regaining the goddess' attention.
"Speaking of your demigod…" Artemis crossed her arms and rose a slender brow, "Do you know where she is?"
Chiron hesitated. "Not for certain… No definite location, no."
"I never completely trusted my reliability in the god-spawns," Artemis said, "So, naturally, I had my lieutenant follow the girl."
I blinked. "Thalia?"
"That's right," Artemis mused, "I forgot you two are friends."
Thalia and I never really saw eye-to-eye. Schist, I think we bicker more than agree, but I love that huntress to pieces.
"And what has come of it?" Chiron asked wearily. He seemed to know the answer before Artemis even spoke.
"Booked a flight for England," Artemis uncrossed her arms, looking smug. "Now, seeing that your own has abandoned the quest – for I highly doubt that whoever took my chariot would dare to leave western civilization – I am fully in my rights to track down my own chariot."
I was having trouble comprehending these words. I stood there, numb as a snowman, staring incredulously at the goddess. Chiron closed his eyes and shook his head. He looked to me, sympathy evident in his expression.
"I don't believe you," I said. I met Artemis' eyes, "She wouldn't do that. I know Annabeth, she would never abandon a quest. She would never abandon… me."
"Males," Artemis snorted, "Always thinking for yourselves."
Annabeth… gone? The possibility was so utterly illogical that I simply could not picture it in my mind. Annabeth gone. We had been a steady couple for years, we had cried together, nearly died together, laughed together, and danced together. Annabeth gone. We had gone through so much, was it probable for her leaving? Annabeth gone.
She can't be.
"Tell me you're lying," I stepped toward Artemis. I felt something begin to stir deep within myself, like a storm breathing dangerous life into the sky. "Tell me you're lying," I took another step closer. I failed to notice the storm clouds brewing. My eyes were on Artemis.
"I'm begging you." I hissed these last words through clenched teeth. Thunder pealed over the gathering storm clouds, responding to my anguish of utter loss.
Artemis gazed over at me with her beautiful silver eyes, as if weighing a response. She didn't look so sympathetic, just a bit aggrieved. Whether it was my disrespect or my heartsick torment I didn't know. She turned to Chiron and spoke more softly.
"I will return in a day. I will allow one other demigod to be chosen for the quest for integrity's sake. Don't disappoint me." She flashed away in a shower of silver stars.
It began to rain.
Some campers began to complain, giving Jason sharp glares, who shrugged his innocence. The weather wasn't spontaneous in camp, Zeus' power over the weather protected the camp from unwelcome rainfalls. Mud gathered around my combat boots as I just stood there in the rain. Chiron withdrew to the Director's Cabin, and soon the campers, ignoring Coach Hedge's and Little Chuck's roared (and squeaked) protests, ran off to take shelter in their cabins as well.
Lindsey stood at my side a while longer, a hand on my shoulder, but even she left. I was completely dry. As Son of the Stormbringer, I had never summoned a storm before. At least not a full-scape deluge like this. However, I remained immobile, staring blankly at the ground.
Annabeth was gone. She had left for England. Why?
Have you ever thought of leaving your life of monsters and quests behind, Percy? She had once asked. We were sitting on a beach that evening, she had been leaning her head on my shoulder, my arm around her waist,
Leaving this behind? I had laughed, That would mean leaving you behind, Wise Girl.
Leaving me behind… Annabeth had whispered. She had sounded a bit uneasy, and I had been about to ask her what was the matter, until she snuggled a bit closer to me. We hadn't spoken the rest of that evening, just enjoying each other's company.
So here I sit now, upon the very spot where that question had been asked. The beach is calmly rolling along the shores and I'm grateful for the soothing sound they make. I write this in ink, for it seems that nothing laid upon paper cannot be trusted. I'll be leaving, my friends. But I must say that I'm not leaving because of you guys, you should know that. I just need some breathing room… some time on my own to… I dunno. Find myself, I guess? That sounds stupid.
I think I'll head west, over the country. Don't worry about me, guys. I can take care of myself, you know that more than anybody. I might pay New Rome a visit, take college there. Say hi to Frank and Hazel, haven't seen those two in ages. Hades, I might stop by Hylla and the Amazons, see if I can get a free deal on some sweet gadgets.
The thing is I'm leaving, I'm freeing myself from the tether of dread that tied me to grief.
I don't expect to return soon.
Without regrets and with much love,
P.J.
…
For those who failed to put the pieces together, yes, what Percy wrote was a goodbye letter xD I don't think that any future chapters will contain First Person narrative.
So, eh… what say you? Shall I continue? More information will come, and perhaps hints of Lindsey's godly parentage. Who is she? Why does she look familiar?
And how the heck am I going to turn this into a pertemis fic?
Well, stay tuned for more legends, monsters, and battles! :D
TheWildFiles