A disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or anything pertaining to it.
Hello, this is my first Fanfiction. There will be some changes in the story, and not all of it is not accurate according to Greek mythology records, but keep in mind that this is a fanfiction story, not a textbook! Things will be changed. Without further ado… the story.
Gone and Forgotten
"Daddy, can I have a bow for my birthday?" Artemis asked eagerly. She had always enjoyed the outdoors, and watching the other gods hunt captivated her. "Please, daddy! I promise I wont get hurt or shoot Apollo!" Zeus didn't know what to do with the little girl in his lap. Out of all of his daughters, she was by far his favorite one. Zeus loved her unconditionally and would do anything for her, but right now, he felt like she was taking advantage of that.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Artem-," he was interrupted by his daughter grabbing his hand in a vice like grip. Artemis put on her best puppy eyes and stared up at her father. "Artemis, my dear, weapons are not meant for little godlings like you!" Artemis switched tactics. She looked away and started to sniffle. The sniffle turned to a sob, and before Zeus could react, her face was buried in his toga as she fake cried. Zeus knew he was beat. Sighing, he looked at the night sky. The light from the moon was pulled into his hand until it looked like he was holding a miniature crescent. When the glow died down, he was holding a small, silver bow, that shined with a purifying glow.
"Here you go," he said lovingly as he placed the bow in his daughter's hand.
"Oh! Thank you daddy! I love you!" Artemis said as she hugged him. There was no traces that she was crying on her face.
"It's imbued with godly power so it will continue to be your size no matter how old you are. It will never break, and its arrows will always fly true," Zeus informed his child. Artemis Turned to run and go play with her new bow. She was already testing the tension on the string, something she has seen others do.
"Don't you go hurt yourself!" Zeus called out to his daughter,"
"I won't!" she said, looking back. Artemis immediately dashed onto the streets of Olympus holding her bow tightly so it wouldn't fall out of her hand. She was so focused on her bow that she didn't notice the person in front of her until it was too late. Artemis collided into the other person. Hard. She cried as they were both knocked to the ground.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" she huffed, already back on her feet. The other person just laughed before getting up.
"Are you okay?" he asked. Artemis merely huffed, pointedly staring at the child in front of her. She sized him up, before deciding she could take him if things went south.
"I'm fine, thank you very much." There was something about the way this kid held himself. It wasn't arrogance, yet he wasn't very humble. The kid just laughed. He seemed amused with her antics, though she didn't know why.
He held his hand out, "My name's Percy, and you are...?" he asked, patiently waiting for a response. Artemis didn't know if he deserved an answer, but she remembered her manners.
She took his hand and shook it. "Artemis," she said proudly, "my name is Artemis, daughter of Zeus," She expected him to immediately get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness, but instead, he just looked coolly at her. They both stared into each others eyes, and she was still holding his hand. It was then that she noticed the fire in his eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Artemis. I'm Perseus, but you can call me Percy."
"Percy? That's an odd name," Artemis said. She had never heard of a Percy on Olympus. Realizing she was still holding his hand, she let go of it.
"I'm not surprised. Olympus is a big place. The only things that you hear are of the Olympians." Percy smirked, "Goddess of the moon." His eyes wandered down to her silver bow, "Do you know how to use that?" he asked.
"Well...sort of." she said.
Percy stared at her for a long while. "You don't really look like the type for killing animals..."
Artemis was hurt, "You just think I'm another girl who's afraid to get her hands dirty, don't you!" She thought she was perfectly capable of doing things by herself. The fact that this stupid boy thought she was incapable of doing anything made her mad.
"No, no! It's not that. It's just," Percy flushed red and didn't finish his sentence. He was beyond embarrassed that his mouth was speaking words faster than his brain could stop them from coming out. "Do you want to know how to to shoot a bow?" he said, trying to change the subject.
"You teach me?" Artemis said incredulously.
"Well... yeah. Something like that," he replied. "I know you're all high and mighty being a daughter of Zeus and probably an Olympian when you grow up, but unlike you, I know how to use one already." To prove his point, he summoned his bow and his quiver. It was an elegant bow made from the wood of a Yew tree. "I made it myself," Percy said proudly. He drew an arrow from his quiver and nocked it. He scanned his surroundings before finding a fountain with a statue of Poseidon holding a trident in the middle of it. Drawing the bow back, he slowly breathed in, letting his arm steady. He exhaled, releasing his shot at the same time. The arrow soared through the air, before making contact with the middle prong of the trident, breaking it Artemis had to admit that was a pretty good shot.
"So what do you say?" Percy asked.
Over the next few years, Artemis would come to Percy to learn how to use the bow without magical influences. The very first day she came, Percy knew she was a natural. Almost every shot hit its mark. Steadily she progressed until she became better than even Percy. At that point it was just about honing her skills until she was constantly splitting arrows in two. Archery wasn't the only thing he taught Artemis. He taught her how to make a bow from scratch and survival tips, such as certain monsters' weaknesses and what to do and not do when you're stuck in the wild. After hours of practice alone and with Percy, there came a time when Artemis was the one teaching him. It was on her 20th birthday that Percy felt there was nothing more he knew that she didn't.
"Artemis! There you are," Percy exclaimed. He had been looking for her for the past few hours. He found her at the archery range drilling arrow after arrow into the various targets and dummies. She was drenched in sweat, and Percy had to admit, she looked very attractive when her face was flushed and her hair was in a mess. "Why are you at the archery range on your birthday? You should be spending time celebrating!" Percy said.
She pulled back her bow and released. Thunk. "I am celebrating." Thunk "Just with myself." Thunk. Artemis wiped her forehead before turning to face a grinning Percy.
"Since you haven't been around, no one has had a chance to give you a present," he said, "It looks like I'm the first." He had spent the past month trying to figure out what to give Artemis for her birthday this year. It wasn't until it was all stored away and ready did he finally feel satisfied. "Close your eyes," he commanded. Artemis complied albeit hesitantly. There was a few seconds of silence before Percy said, "Okay, you can open your eyes now." Artemis opened them, and when she did, she felt a gasp leave her. In his hands, was a silvery white composite bow. It was carefully made with intricate designs carved into it.
"Percy, You didn't have to! I already have a bow!" She slowly reached out and took the bow. It was as light as a feather. She looked in awe at the beautiful designs carved into the wood. On the handle was her name in delicate Greek letters.
"I made it myself," Percy said. "The wood is from a moon tree, a very rare tree with wood stronger and more flexible than almost any metal or wood." He grinned, "Besides, the bow you have now is probably best suited for ceremonial purposes seeing as it's made from the moon." Artemis held the bow lightly in her hands, as if fearing it would somehow break if she didn't handle it with the utmost care. "Well? Go ahead, give it a try." She took an arrow from the stack she had piled next to her and nocked it. She drew back, the wood straining to relieve the tension. She eyed her target before releasing. The power of the bow surprised her as the arrow sang through the air, going straight through a practice dummy and punching a hole in the wooden target behind it.
"Percy... I don't know how to thank you," she said, her voice getting emotional.
"Thank me by using it to keep yourself safe," was his only reply. "Come on, there's a party at Apollo's palace for your birthday. Everyone is missing you."
Artemis picked up her other bow. "I need to get cleaned up first." Ten minutes later she was outside of Apollo's temple, Percy with her. He held the door open for her, "Happy birthday, Artemis," he said smiling. She gave him a smile before entering the palace, the door closing behind both of them.
Make sure to review! Tell me what needs to be fixed. Too much dialogue? Too much description? I want to know so I can get better! I know it's short, but I'm pretty sure I know where this story is going, so chapters may become longer. Also, thanks to Pw223 for proofreading my work. Any grammatical errors you find are on him! I decided to give Chapter one a revamp because it felt so boring to me. As of 12/5/2014 you will not have read the same thing as those who've read this earlier.
