Welcome to Mooncakes: The Mini-Series! The title is a reference to both the lunar thematic of the Lunar Saga (the overarching title of this fanfic series revolving around everyone's favorite nerdy Artemis boi and the multiverse connected to his story, yes this includes BB: AAA) and the mooncake pastries of Chinese tradition.

Speaking of mooncakes, why does a mooncake have an egg yolk in the center? It kinda ruins the taste for me. Oh well, with a new story comes a new formula for Matthew!

How to make Matthew, son of Artemis:

5 portions of Vanillite the Dragonslayer's Special Original Character Formula 3.0
1 portion of nerd essence
1 portion of insanity
1 portion of references
1 portion of more references
1/2 portion of Jason Nicholson
1/2 portion of Armani Dove

Mix it all together and you get one fresh Nerdy Artemis Boi! Have fun!

Disclaimer: Y'know, the usual. Eh.

Prologue: New Year, New Look

December 30, 2014

Cabin 8, Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Oort Cloud, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group... Eh, you get the picture.

Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. Heck, I didn't even want to get myself involved with gods and this whole damn cosmic puppet show, with strange creatures lurking around every corner, deities blasting random mortals to bits, varying universes and dimensions with each playing by their own rules, and possibly the threat of aliens hopping from one star to the next, messing with the inhabitants of the surrounding planets.

I'm sure that last one isn't probably a realistic scenario, but I've dealt with aliens before, so it could be possible...

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. I thought I'd just go through the trials of the Alola region, train some Pokémon, do all I need to do, and retire peacefully.

But nope, fate had other plans.

First, I had to deal with aliens and some crazy old lady (sorry Lusamine), then I unseal an ancient moon goddess who also happens to have feelings for me, then a year later I learn my mother is another universe's moon goddess, then she gets captured and we had to rescue her, then it was all over, right? Right?

Wrong.

I was most definitely wrong.

It was far from being over.

Why? Well, after my mother was freed, I went back to the Pokémon world to take my rightful place as Alola's Champion, then an ancient evil was unsealed and we had to fight it, then I lost my arm.

Yes, you heard that right, I lost my whole left arm fighting that creature.

It all worked out in the end though. My moon goddess companion crafted a new arm for me made out of crystal shards from the monster, who shattered from the strongest ice spell ever cast by a mortal being.

So that sums up my journey so far, and here I am in a nice warm bed. It's snowing outside, and I've got blankets covering me as I tried to sleep through the day.

Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Matthew, the only son of the celibate man-hating goddess Artemis. Now, you may ask, "How did a celibate man-hating goddess have a son?" Well, you see, it has something to do with clay. Basically my mother decided to have a child one day, made the form of a human baby out of clay, and infused it with her divine essence. Her ichor (the blood of deities) randomly configured my DNA, and my gender, which is why I'm a boy. (To be honest, I'm comfortable being a boy. Being male means no periods, which I heard hurt like heck, and I think I'd feel weird if I didn't have a... you-know-what.)

Where was I? Oh yes, in this toasty warm bed. Cabin 8 usually has bunk beds intended for my mother's followers (the Hunters of Artemis) to sleep in. However, it also has one regular bed intended for the Lieutenant, mom's right hand woman. Her current Lieutenant was Thalia, the daughter of Zeus. Stuck at the age of a-day-before-sixteen by the blessing of eternal youth put on the Hunters, she was quite the leader. Thalia allowed me to sleep in the bed meant for her, since the Hunters are out doing what their title implies: hunting, duh.

My moon goddess companion, Lunala, sat next to me on the bed, meditating in her human form. As a human, she looked like a pretty 20 year old woman with moon-white hair (even lighter than my unkempt silver hair) with dark violet tips, with piercing magenta eyes and a stylish outfit consisting of a robe not unlike those worn by the mages of olden times. Even though her human form helped whenever she wanted to just chill with me, it certainly wouldn't blend in with the humans of this universe. Besides, I think the police would have a field day if they saw a 20 year old woman hang out with an 11 year old boy like me.

"Exactly," she said as if she read my mind. Well, she probably did, considering she has psychic powers. "I think I'll go for a more casual look, maybe update my clothes with modern fashion and decrease my physical age a bit so the mortals wouldn't get suspicious. What do you think, Matthew?"

"First, didn't I tell you to stop reading my mind all the time? It's kinda creepy for anyone to do that. Second, I'd really appreciate it if you looked a bit younger. Even though Mother approved of our relationship, she seemed unsettled by our apparent age difference." I replied.

"Alright, here we go!" Lunala stood up from the bed and started emitting a strong flash of lunar light. I shielded my eyes until the light died down, my mind wandering to thoughts of colors weaving into a spire of flame. My mind works in weird ways, I've been told.

I looked at my companion's new appearance, which I estimated was around 20 centimeters taller than me (I'm 144 centimeters tall. That's a little over 4 feet and 8 inches. Damn faithless Imperial system, with its wonky Fahrenheit and pounds and whatnot). Despite her new clothes, the basic color scheme of violet, white, and gold was still blatant. Her ankle-length pleated violet skirt seemed to conceal a pair of white leggings, leading down to yellow winter boots.

I turned my gaze upwards and observed that her long-sleeved violet jacket had white outlines, with a simple violet shirt underneath, which seemed to have elbow-length sleeves. She had bright yellow mittens too. Her face looked younger and less mature, but still had her usual calculating gaze, reminding me of Thalia or my mother's deceased lieutenant Zoë. Her white hair was framed by a gold-colored headband, and she had earrings in the shape of crescents. I also noticed that her chest seemed slightly smaller.

"What are you looking at, loverboy?" She smirked as she asked me. I blushed and stuttered out a "N-nothing!" and collected myself.

"You look... stunning." I said slowly. "How old are you supposed to be in this form?"

"Sixteen. That way, we can pose as childhood friends or something, don't ya think?"

"I suppose so." I remarked. She took off her boots and climbed into the bed, with me, and started to hug me. I'm sorta used to her affection at this point, for roughly a year and a month now. Her new teenage form certainly made it easier for me to deal with her coddling. Or was it cuddling? Eh, I forgot.

If I were to be completely honest, it's really nice to have a trusted friend hold me every now and then. It's really nice and makes me feel secure. Romance isn't my thing, but as long as she doesn't overstep my boundaries, I'm okay with her constant displays of affection.

"Hey, what time is it?" She suddenly asked. I took a quick glance at the digital clock on the bedside table, it read 10:06 AM. "A few minutes past ten, I guess. I wonder if they reserved any breakfast for us."

"Well, I'm a goddess. I don't really need to eat, but I'd stick around and keep you company, I guess." Lunala commented. That makes me think...

"Hey Lunala, what should I call you when we're in public?" I asked, "The name Luna is a bit too outlandish, isn't it? How'd you like a new name?"

"Hmm..." She hummed, putting her finger on her chin, which looked cute. Wait, what?

"How about... Lene?" She suggested. I thought about it for a moment. I do have a friend by the name of Selene, but she's currently presiding over Alola, acting as the Champion in my absence. I wonder how she's doing now. Back to the name, it seemed distinct enough from Selene to me, like as distinct as Percival and Perseus.

"Sounds good to me." I said. She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and turned away as I changed into my daily attire.

I put on my simple violet-colored shirt, overlaid by a long-sleeved violet jacket with silver-colored outlines. I zipped up the jacket and put on my long purple pants. I was already wearing my short purple socks, so I only needed to put on my thick-framed glasses and a silver gauntlet to protect my remaining organic hand from the dangerous elements I often wielded. To top it all off, I put on my violet all-purpose boots and I was ready to go. I did have a hat, but I decided to leave it hanging for now.

The multi-layered clothing ensemble I wore doesn't just protect me from the cold winter conditions of New York in December, it also makes me feel safe. You see, I feel weird when showing much skin, because I'm kinda uncomfortable with my own body because of how scrawny it is, how my complexion is unusually icy pale, which remained that way even under the hot Alolan sun, and how I don't really look masculine at all. I have a feeling something's wrong with my body's very biology. Even my hair is unusually silver, although I heard it was auburn at birth (like my mom), but eventually grayed until I was left with a hair color unusual for a mortal of this realm.

Come to think of it, I remember seeing a man with dark blue hair once, and he had a daughter with the same hair color. He also had a friend whose hair was bright red, and that guy's son was also the same shade of red. The boy's mom had light turquoise hair, but since she was secretly an ice dragon, I think that's probably normal for her species.

"Let's go, Lene." I said, using her new name for the first time. She gave me another kiss on the cheek and we left the cozy cabin.

"So, got any plans for today?" I asked my legendary companion, who nodded in reply.

"Yeah. I think I'll contact Giratina and ask her about the portals popping around in the woods." From what I've gathered from my mother, portals to the Pokémon world have started opening at random intervals here in this world. While it's certainly a boon to our allies, it's also a double-edged sword in that it also allows our enemies access to the same resources.

"You go do that." I said, relieved at being away from her for once. Having a clingy moon goddess for a companion sure takes its toll on one's mind. "I'll get myself some food then. Meet you at the tables, I guess?"

"Sure thing." She gave me one last hug before running off to wherever she was to contact the Mistress of the Distortion World. I blushed and began walking to the dining pavilion, observing the light snowfall all around me.

I picked up a simple breakfast of waffles (which made me think of the Pokémon Gastrodon, strangely enough) and some sausages and sat down at the Artemis table to eat. An enchanted goblet was on the table, so I commanded it to fill itself with ice cold milk.

Halfway through my drink, as I was wondering how the enchantment behind it worked and if I could replicate its magic, a blonde girl a few years older than me with storm grey eyes walked up to me and stared. She seemed familiar, like I had seen a relative of hers on my previous journey.

"Um, can I help you?" I asked, placing down my drink and grabbing a slice of waffle.

"You're a boy." She said flatly.

"Uh, yeah. I am." I replied, "What's up with that?"

"You should be dead." She simply stated.

"Huh? Why?" I asked her. Why should I be dead?

"You're sitting at the table of Artemis, the man-hating virgin goddess." She responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Nah, it's fine." I said nonchalantly, "I'm sure she wouldn't pulverize her son just for sitting at his rightful table, right?"

"I gue- wait, what?" She did a double-take. "Did you just claim to be the son of Artemis?!"

"As a matter of fact, I am." I said, then politely extended my right hand to her, "Matthew, son of Artemis. Pleased to meet you, uh..."

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena." She replied. Oh, I remember now!

"Ah, I think I met your dad once. I suppose you were that demigod we rescued on Mount Tam?"

"Yeah." She said. "Wait, you met my dad?"

"A man by the name of Mr. Chase, lives in San Francisco, inexplicably has a son who also shares my name. Does of that ring a bell?" I asked.

"All that you said just did. I do have a stepbrother who's also named Matthew."

"That confirms it, alright." I muttered, "Seriously though, why do I have a really common name? I should really ask my mother about that the next time I meet her."

"You said you were the son of Artemis, right? How were you born if she's a man-hating virgin goddess?" She asked.

"Well, to simply put it, clay." I replied.

"Clay?"

"Yeah, infused with her ichor, randomized human DNA, including gender. And so, through her divine wisdom," I sarcastically said that last part, "She entrusted me to some guy who had married one of her former Hunters and sent me away to another universe."

To be honest, my mom told me there were two candidates who were probably willing to go off to another universe to raise me. "But nooooo," She told me, "Louise and her husband... Tent? Kent? Ah yes, Pent, well, they had a child by then, and I didn't want to bother them. So you got stuck with that Canas fellow instead."

Well, "that Canas fellow" was really nice. He was eccentric and his curiosity knew no bounds, I admit, but he got the job done, at least. Where was I? Oh yeah.

"Sometimes," I told Annabeth, "I've a feeling my mom isn't telling the exact truth about the circumstances of my birth."

She nodded. "You mentioned another universe. Is that where these... Pokémon creatures are coming from?"

"Yeah." I said, "Some spacetime anomalies are causing portals to appear, connecting both universes and bringing Pokémon over to this side of the cosmic fence. Can we continue this conversation later? I'm still kinda hungry and I haven't even finished my breakfast."

"Fine, kid. See you around." She relented, and left me alone. I finished my meal, then decided to walk to the Big House to meet with Chiron the centaur.

Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. *snaps fingers and cuts the chapter in half*

Whew, I don't think I can write any further than that for now. I think I'll take a break from writing all these complex stories and scale down for once. See ya!

This is Vanillite the Dragonslayer, signing off.