I'll like to thank Engineer4Ever for his advice on the characters. I'll also like to thank Bonesboy15 for his encouragement in letting me 'borrow' his Seer. Finally I'll like to thank Catastrophic Finale for letting me do this.
The threat of Gaia had finally passed and peace had been restored to the world. The gods learned from their mistake of closing Olympus and had decreed that Olympus would no longer be closed off to demigods, allowing them to visit their godly parents'. Olympus was thriving, nymphs, demigods and minor gods crowded the streets. Immortals were reminded of the ancient days of Athens, where peace and prosperity roamed. However like all things there is a problem with peace, a problem that has plagued the world since the beginning of time, its antithesis- boredom.
"I'm soooo bored," Apollo whined. He was currently lounging on his throne in the council room, his face was resting on his right fist and his legs were sprawled over the edge of his throne. What can he do? His chariot was on autopilot- not like he actually wants to do work, Hermes was busy with his deliveries and Artemis was busy with her hunters. His head rose as an idea struck him, he can go visit that mortal woman, what was her name? Linda- no, Jasmi- no… His face fell as he realised that he cannot recall that woman's name, actually he can't remember anything about her!
A sudden flash of light startled him out of his musing; he jumped up onto his throne and let out a high-pitch yelp as a hooded figure approached him from a portal of blue light. Apollo quickly looked around and let out a sigh of relief as he realised no-one else was here. He sat down and cleared his throat. A serious gaze on his face as he turned to the hooded figure, "That never happened".
The hooded figure had a smirk on his face, "Right of course. Never happened," he nodded sagely.
Satisfied, Apollo sank back into his throne but then tensed back up as he realised, 'How the Hades did he get in here'.
Reading his mind the figure spoke up, "Peace, Apollo," he put his hands up as a gesture of surrender. "I will explain everything soon." He snapped his fingers and a bright light appeared in front of him.
All fourteen Olympians appeared on their thrones in a blinding light. They were all in a bit of a daze at first but quickly recovered when they saw the hooded figure in front of them. Zeus spoke first," Who are you, what is your business here?" His master bolt appeared in his hand.
The figure waved his hand and the master bolt reappeared in his hands. He studied the bolt with a critical eye. "Hmm not bad, it can probably do some damage," he muttered.
Zeus's face turned red with rage," Some damage? This is the most powerful weapon in existence," he screamed.
The figure looked at him strangely, then cleared his throat," My name is the Seer. I have the ability to see the different strands time." He started to pace around the room, "I'm able to see alternate universes, days that could have been, should have been and might have been," he finished wistfully.
Zeus opened his mouth to say something but the Seer snapped his fingers and the master bolt reappeared back in Zeus's hands. The Seer gestured to Zeus, "An example of my power," he paused and stopped pacing. He turned to Athena who had raised her hand to speak. "I am not bound by the Ancient Laws because I predate them Athena. That is why I can take Zeus's bolt. Now, the reason why I have brought you all here is to read a story that I think will interest you".
Poseidon spoke up," What is this story about"?
The Seer smiled," Your son Poseidon." Seeing Poseidon's confused expression he explained further," Not the Percy Jackson you know in this universe but another one whose life turned out to be entirely different.
The Seer's smile faltered for a moment," He was cursed by the Fates to have a different life, a harder life. But along the way he met different types of people and those experiences changed him. He was blessed with so many things later in life and-." The Seer shook his head, he was getting off-track.
A book with a blue cover appeared and flew to Poseidon's hand. The Olympians looked at the book, it had letters on the front that no-one could decipher, even Athena didn't know.
"Since this is your son you may read first Poseidon," the Seer said. After a moment's silence he dipped his head and said," Well I'm off. Have fun reading," and disappeared in a blue flash.
Poseidon opened the book and saw that it was a graphic novel," There are some pictures in this book," he muttered to the others.
Apollo beamed," I love graphic novels," he put on a haughty expression and sniffed. "My son Stan Lee was one of the best at writing graphic novels".
Athena spoke up, "Your son didn't write graphic novels Apollo, he drewcomics," putting emphasis on drew.
Apollo shook his head furiously," Nah, comic writers should be treated as proper literary writers".
Athena rolled her eyes and waved the comment off, "As if comic artists have the same talent as proper literary writers".
A shouting match ensured between the two of them, arguing whether comic artists have the same legitimacy as literary writers. Artemis was telling her twin to be quiet, Ares was egging the pair on while the others just sat and watched.
Zeus couldn't take any more of this bickering so he yelled, "Enough! We are here to read this book not bicker with each other. We can save that for the Winter Solstice because that what all the other fanfiction authors say we do".
"Wait what authors." Hermes asked, sending a confused gaze to Zeus.
Zeus had an equally befuddled expression," I don't know why I said that," he admitted.
"We need start reading so can we please have silence," Hestia interrupted in a stern tone, the Hearth flames grew hotter and bigger as she said it. Seeing that everybody had nodded, albeit a bit too silently, she smiled and turned to Poseidon. "Please start brother".
Poseidon nodded and began to read:
Chapter 1: Vengeance
"Good, some fighting in this chapter," said Ares approvingly, he started to rub his hands together and an excited grin appeared on his face.
The vivid darkness of the evening passed gradually through the woods of Central Park in New York City. The low soft rustling sound of the leaves could be heard in the eloquent silence that partially surrounded the forest.
Artemis gave a small smile. That was why she loved the forest, because it was so peaceful.
Going deeper in the woods was a clearing where an odd looking puppy, more like a Chihuahua stood leisurely along with some huge dogs that seemed to be accompanying it.
Poseidon paused in his reading, "If this is what I think it is then this probably won't be good.
"Why won't it be good Poseidon?" Hestia questioned.
"It's nothing." He dismissed, remembering back to Percy's first quest on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Some were licking their paws, cleaning their freshly bloodstained claws as sharp as a knife. Unknown to the hounds' keen senses, a figure was hiding up a tree, watching the mutts intensely.
"It's Batman," Hermes yelled out.
"I'm Batman," Apollo boomed in a deep voice.
They gave each other a high-five, "Nice one bro," they chorused.
Clouds obstructed the beautiful moon until a gentle wind swept it away. The moon in the sky shone brightly illuminating the place beneath it, specifically the trees. It revealed a twelve year old girl with auburn hair tied in a ponytail that reached her back.
"Boo. It's just Arty," Apollo sighed sadly to Hermes, who nodded in agreement.
Artemis's eyes flashed dangerously as she sent a glare to her twin and growled," Don't call me that".
Apollo put his hands up as an act of surrender, "Ok-ok you don't have to be do grumpy about it".
She was wearing a silver hunting tunic that complimented her silver eyes well. Armed with her symbol of power: a silver bow, she studied her preys critically.
"Why would you need to study your prey? I would have just got in there and killed them all." Ares scoffed.
"That's because unlike you Ares, Artemis actually has a brain," Hephaestus sighed, the others chuckled at his comment.
"You'll probably need some ice for that burn Ares," Hermes quipped.
Ares just flipped them all the finger.
Artemis, maiden goddess of the hunt and moon was out for a solitary hunting. Not just an ordinary hunting but hunting that sought revenge.
Artemis frowned, why would she need to hunt something for revenge?
Several hours ago, she was on the throne room of Mt. Olympus for an emergency meeting when Echidna, Mother of Monsters disguised as a young maiden and appeared in the camp of her hunt. The younger hunters welcomed Echidna with enthusiasm.
Artemis's eyes widened as she began to realise the reason why she was hunting for revenge. She closed her eyes and buried her face in her hands, she knew what was coming next.
Sadly, only the older hunters knew about Echidna's curse and the mother of monsters easily passed them and unleashed several of her children right in the heart of the camp. Zoë and Phoebe, two of her oldest hunters recognized the terrible Echidna but it was too late.
Hestia bowed her head in silence; she too was a protector of maidens, for them to be killed in such a cruel and barbaric way…
The hunters immediately sent a prayer to their mistress and they bravely fought Echidna's children but the hunt was caught off guard especially if the Chimera was one of the monsters mauling them to death.
Everyone was now looking pityingly at Artemis, whose eyes were red and puffed up as she struggled not to cry. She felt the death of each one of her hunters; they were her sisters, her comrades-in-arms and most importantly, her friends. She felt a hand on her shoulder; she turned to face Hades, who was looking at her with kindness.
"Niece, I promise you that all of them would have gone to Elysium," Hades whispered.
Zeus didn't really know what to say, this happened in a different universe but even so he couldn't stand to see his baby girl look so upset. He cleared his throat and said," Artemis, daughter I am sorry for your loss," a sincere tone entered his voice.
Artemis nodded her head and looked at them, "Thank you Father," she turned her head to Hades and said. "Thank you too Uncle".
When Artemis arrived to help, Echidna and her children had escaped already leaving mourning maidens for their sisters' deaths. Seething with anger, Artemis silently promised that she would avenge their deaths. Fear that she would lose more of her hunters: she came out with a firm decision.
Apollo looked at his sister worryingly, despite the constant bickering he had with her he still loved his sister very much. He really hoped that the Artemis in this story wouldn't do anything too rash.
Without the knowledge of her hunt, she left and tracked the monsters alone. Vengeance is mine, Artemis thought.
"I hope she kills those bastards for what they did," Ares said.
When he saw everyone looking at him strangely he said, "What? Tricking twelve year old girls into letting their guards down and then stabbing them while they aren't looking is the pussy way".
Artemis traced their trails and it led her into an unusual part of the forest. There was a strange feeling that her godly senses told her something wasn't right but she continued deeper in the woods.
"You should trust your senses Artemis, you know that better than anyone," Apollo said gently.
She shook the thought off when she found the monsters in a clearing and climbed a tree silently for a better view. Her golden blood boiled. She was gripping her bow tightly and her silver eyes flashed fury at the hounds nearby. She was certain that these were the monsters that ambushed her hunters. Mortal blood was all over their fur.
Aphrodite sighed; revenge is such an ugly thing. All those premature wrinkles and stress lines you get.
She seethed and put all the blame on herself for the death of eight.
"Eight! I will go down there and kill her myself right now," Artemis seethed. She got up from her throne and was just about to flash down when she felt something grab her hand. She whirled around and came face-to-face with Demeter, who had a sympatric look on her face.
"There's no point in going down there and killing Echidna right now. I've learned by now that there are some things that are just outside our control. Like when my darling daughter Persephone was kidnapped." She looked directly at Hades, who just rolled his eyes at listening to the same sob story over and over. She continued," I tried everything I could to get her back but after a while I've learnt that there are just some things we can't change".
Artemis sighed and said to her, "You're right. There are some things that I cannot change." She slowly sat back down on her throne and motioned to Poseidon to continue on.
After several minutes of surveying the area, she couldn't sense Echidna's presence. The mother of all monsters was nowhere to be seen but the Chimera, one of her strongest children was with a pack of hellhounds. Notching an arrow confidently, the goddess of the hunt released her pent up volcanic anger along with the tension in her bowstring. A shower of death followed when arrows where shot at a very rapid pace, startling the unknowing monsters. The arrows swiftly embedded itself at the heads and necks of the hellhounds turning them into yellow dust except for the Chihuahua which transformed into its true form. It turned into a gigantic creature, the Chimera with the head of a lion, a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its butt.
"Whoa I thought that it was ugly in the old days but it's even worse now," Apollo scowled.
The Chimera opened its ravenous maw of death and shot a column of flame straight to Artemis, incinerating the arrows in the process. She dove to her left and shot more arrows at the grotesque monster.
"I think he just proved that arrows don't work against him little sis." When no snark remark was made he frowned and looked over to Artemis, who looked deep in thought.
With a quick movement of its tail, the arrows were deflected. Artemis stopped attacking when a fat old woman appeared beside the Chimera. The old woman's eyes turned into reptilian slits and her skin became scaly and green. She smiled, her forked tongue flickering between her sharp teeth.
Aphrodite wrinkled her nose," Eww… Why would anybody want to marry that"?
"Monsters have very different tastes to us," Hades said dryly.
"So, it seems we got your attention daughter of Leto."
"Damn right you have it," Apollo yelled.
"Echidna," spat the silver eyed goddess. Artemis stood there glaring murderously at the serpentine woman. "I'll see to it that you will suffer greatly before I sent you back to Tartarus and prayed that you will never reform."
"Prayed? Who was Artemis praying too?" Hermes asked
"I think that the author was trying to say that Echidna would be praying not to reform once Artemis was done with her." Athena said.
Echidna patted the head of the Chimera. "You're just making things easier for me, goddess. Anger is really a good piece to invest with. I am sure my master will be grateful once my sonny here dragged you in chains."
Artemis's face turned dark; she really hoped this wouldn't be a repeat of what happened with Atlas.
Artemis bristled when Echidna implied what happened. It reminded her of the reason why she was here.
"Yeah to fuck all those bitches up," Ares snorted.
Hestia frowned, "Ares, mind your language please".
The snake mother hissed and more monsters: a mixture of hellhounds and dracaenaes flooded the clearing and surrounded the lone huntress. They were eyeing the goddess like she was the yummiest and tastiest food ever.
Claps of thunder filled the room. "How dare they try comparing an Olympian with food!" Zeus growled and then sniffed," We are above that".
Everybody rolled their eyes at his dramatics, while Poseidon muttered 'Drama Queen' under his breath.
Artemis reacted as fast as she could. She prepared herself and glowed brightly, ready to assume her true form to obliterate any monster looking at her when her power outburst subsided abruptly.
"The area is probably enchanted." Hera muttered, thinking back to the time she was captured in the Wolf House.
She stood there confused; she even tried to escape by flashing out but to no avail. Her eyes widened in shock as realization hit her. The place was enchanted, that was why her godly senses acting up strangely the first time she set foot on this area.
"I should probably make an alarm or something to detect enchantments in the area," Hephaestus said while scratching his beard thoughtfully.
The sinister laughter of Echidna echoed in the woods. "I prepared this place just for you Artemis. Your godly powers will be rendered useless as long as you are inside this area. That is why we separated you from your hunt. Tsk. Tsk. Too proud that you can do anything without the help of your demigods. Even the other gods, Olympian or minor cannot find you here. Kampê personally came to my aid in setting this up.
"Who was stupid enough to let Kampê out of Tartarus in the first place," Zeus snorted.
Poseidon and Hades looked at each other for a moment and said to Zeus, "You".
Zeus turned red at being called out and said," I will tell mother that you are both ganging up on me," he said weakly.
Others snickered at that while Hades coughed and said, "Mommy's boy".
We don't want the only deity less bound by the Ancient Laws lurking around killing my children. You want to escape? You have to go through the Original Chimera first." She said sweetly.
Apollo frowned," Making your children do your dirty work isn't cool." Athena, Hermes and surprisingly Ares nodded in agreement.
For a split second, Artemis expression turned into fear. Kampê the jailer only serve one master: Kronos, the Titan of Time. She steeled her nerves and aimed her bow. "It doesn't matter. Powerless or not I'll avenge the deaths of my sisters even if I had to go through this alone." The goddess hissed.
Apollo nodded," She really would. She is just independent like that".
Artemis turned red at the compliment.
"Always the brave maiden I see," Echidna bared her fangs and smirked wickedly. "Very well. Have Fun."
Echidna retreated in the tress leaving Artemis' fate to her children. One by one the monsters lunged at her while the Chimera brandished its poisonous tail.
Artemis killed every monster that attempted to come near her in quick succession but the outpouring of the vile beasts at once tired her in the same pace. Volley of arrows bombarded the monsters until she reached the boundary lane being guarded by the Chimera.
"You shall not pass!" Hermes boomed in a loud voice while striking his caduceus on the floor.
Ares nodded," Yeah it was too bad that old Dumbledore died".
Everybody looked at him incredulously.
"What"?
She was already tired and it was clearly impossible to kill a monster of that caliber with just arrows. Artemis drew her two long hunting knives, one in each of her hand and ducked underneath the Chimera that leapt directly at her. She slashed its underside causing the monster to grunt in pain.
"Yes! Go, critical hit!" Apollo said
Apparently, it'll take a lot of strikes to take down this behemoth.
"Or not you know…"
Artemis gracefully dodged the Chimera's fiery mouth but she failed to remember the Chimera's tail. It whipped across her back and the serpent headed-tail sank its venom dripping fangs in her left shoulder.
Golden ichor, the blood of the immortals stained her hunter outfit.
Artemis screamed in agony as the Chimera wrapped its tail around her body and squeezed the life out of the weakened goddess.
Zeus gripped his throne tightly, contrary to what people thought he cared a lot about his children, especially his two maiden daughters, they were his pride and joy. He took a deep breath as he reminded himself that she couldn't possibly die here.
She was immortal but she knew that once she lost consciousness, it would be the end of her. Who knew where they would bring her or what they would do to her. She dropped one of her knives and held the last knife with both hands. With all the remaining strength she could muster, Artemis raised her knife and drove it forcefully in its tail. The Chimera howled in anger. Luckily or unluckily, it released her by throwing her into a huge tree. She cried in pain upon impact and remorse filled her heart. She didn't act like a goddess should.
She let her anger blind her and doing something unplanned and stupid. Not only had she led herself into torment but put the deaths of her hunters into vain.
Hestia sent a comforting smile to Artemis," None of us can deny that we have never acted out of anger or spite. We might be gods but we can still make mistakes".
Artemis dropped into one knee, her right hand was clamped in her wounded left shoulder and her left hand gripped her hunting knife downward. Poison coursed through her veins making her head dizzy and her vision blurry. She shook her head weakly trying to regain her balance. For a moment, it cleared her vision only to see the fire breathing monster advancing, its maw curled up smoke.
She assumed her fighting stance while kneeling, left hand poised to strike. Her face started getting paler and sweat trickled down her face. Her eyes flared with fiery determination. The pain she was feeling couldn't match the sorrow she felt for losing her sisters. She couldn't fail her hunters.
"You haven't failed anyone Artemis." Hestia said reassuringly, Artemis sent her a grateful smile.
Artemis arrived into a conclusion: Fight.
"Fading in a fight like that is a good way to die," said Ares. He ignored all the angry glares sent to him by the others.
The Chimera lashed Artemis with its tail viciously. She tried to block it but failed. The goddess' hand with her knife was shaking terribly. The poison invading her body took effect, paralyzing her little by little. The apparent desire of the monster to inflict serious harm continued as the Chimera struck her repeatedly slamming her in the tree. The goddess collapsed onto the ground like a ragged doll.
Artemis was furious, stupid Echidna and her cheating ways.
If she was mortal, she could have sworn she would be dead already. The poison and the horrid attacks were excruciating. Using the remaining strength she had, Artemis sat up slowly and leaned on the tree for support while breathing heavily.
An image appeared of Artemis, everyone flinched when they saw the condition Artemis was in while Zeus and Apollo were crackling with energy, their true forms bursting at the edges.
Despair was present in her eyes but the thirst for revenge covered it up. The Chimera's lion mouth heat up, glowing red every second and sent a blast of flame towards her.
Everyone tensed and held their breaths. Artemis couldn't die here, could she? A golden glow started to surround Apollo and Zeus as their thrones started to shake.
Artemis braced herself for what was to come; the searing pain that she was about to feel but then a pillar of water rose between her and the monster.
A sigh of relief could be heard from everyone in the room as the pressure instantly dropped.
Apollo let out a laugh, "Oh us, our boy Percy has come to save her life once again".
Poseidon smiled; his son was finally making an entrance.
Artemis was conflicted, on one hand she was glad she didn't get a chance to fade but on the other hand she was saved by a boy. She winced; she'll actually have to call him a man now. After all he did save her life twice.
The water formed a protective barrier in front of her, extinguishing the fire. She heard a nearby beating of wings and hoped it wasn't another enemy.
"It's probably a Pegasi that Percy has," said Poseidon.
Relief crossed her face but she was still nervous.
She saw a small figure jumped from the air, a boy about twelve. Which, to her disdain was her current age.
"You can be so much more Artemis." Aphrodite sighed," If only you would get out of that ridiculous twelve year old form".
"I'm not a prostitute like you Aphrodite." Artemis spat.
She was sure he was a demigod and perhaps a son of Poseidon which means her uncle broke the Big Three oath too like her father.
Poseidon looked a bit sheepish at that.
Oh the bitter irony, her Uncle Hades who was casted out of Olympus was the only one who could keep his thing behind his pants.
"Oh yes the bitter irony," He glared at his brothers, who had the decency to look embarrassed.
Hera sniffed; she didn't need to be reminded of her husband's constant unfaithfulness.
The goddess watched how foolishly the boy charged the monster that beat her up with nothing but a pen.
"It's not so foolish once you know what that pen is," said Poseidon.
She was shocked on what the boy said. "Hey chop-chop victim! How did you come back? I thought I killed you a year ago."
"Ohh, this Percy has got big balls," Apollo said. He felt a sharp smack on his head," Oww-".
"Stop being such a pig Apollo".
Artemis winced in pain clutching her broken bones and then covering the bite in her shoulder. Even if she was in pain, she forced herself to observe the battle and was impressed of the boy's capability to fight a legendary monster toe to toe. But how could he defeat the Chimera? It sounded like a bluff to her but she had a feeling that the boy wasn't lying.
Apollo put his hand to his heart," I am the god of truth and I can vouch for him," he declared.
The Chimera growled pouncing like a lion although it was one-third lion, it tried to swipe a sharp claw on the boy's unarmored chest. The boy simply backpedaled and snapped his fingers. Four water spheres the size of a soccer ball formed in the air circling the boy.
"This Percy Jackson seems to be a lot more powerful with his water abilities," Athena observed.
"Yes, the last demigod of mine who was able to do this was Theseus," Poseidon said.
He uncapped the pen and a three feet long sword made of glowing celestial bronze sprung out.
"It's so small," Ares said.
"That's what she said!" Apollo and Hermes said at the same time. They high-fived and snickers broke out through the room.
"Fuck youse," Ares yelled.
"Nah its good bro we're not gay like you," Apollo said with a wave.
"Apollo, Ares." Hestia warned, a dangerous fire brewed in her eyes.
They both gulped and sat back down quietly; Hestia was really scary when she wanted to be.
"Blackjack!" The boy yelled. Few seconds later a pure black Pegasus swooped down and landed a kicked at the Chimera's mouth making it stagger. The boy mounted the winged horse and with a single gesture of his index finger the water spheres hurled itself to the monster's face forcing its mouth to open wide.
"So many innuendos in this chapter," Apollo said.
He threw his sword to the monster's cave like maw preventing it from closing.
"Just like the old times," The boy said emotionlessly. He fished something out of his pocket and it was another ball
Apollo started panic, "WHOA, too much info here".
Artemis gave him a punch on his arm, "Idiot, it's clearly something he got from his pocket".
A ball made of lead to be exact. Artemis eyes widened. She muttered under her breath. "Like Bellerophon"
"What, to have balls of lead"? He yelped as he saw arrows embedded on his throne, every other male in the room had flinched the moment the arrows had landed. He gulped; it was way too close to his little Apollo's.
Artemis was whistling, plucking the string on her bow, looking far too innocent for his liking. He got the hint and wisely stayed quiet.
The Chimera roared in anger. It tried to move away but the water spheres formed a net and restrained it from escaping. The boy jammed the lead ball down its throat.
"Yeah, take the ball down your throat," Ares urged quietly. He glanced at Hestia; luckily she didn't seem to have heard him.
Besides him Hermes was snickering behind his hand.
Just like the old times, the ball melted, poisoning and suffocating the beast. It disintegrated into dust.
Athena was impressed with this Percy Jackson, not that she'll ever admit it to Poseidon's face. Nowadays not many heroes know about the old stories, hence why they died so fast. Knowing your history was so important for a demigod, it told you all you needed to know about your enemies.
He picked up his sword recapping it back to its pen form.
Artemis was glad that the Chimera was sent back to Tartarus but she was upset that she wasn't the one who sent it back. And it was a boy for Zeus sake that stole her chance.
Artemis hummed; to be honest she didn't really mind it, looking at it from this perspective made her appreciate Perseus's actions just a little bit.
The goddess felt a stinging pain in her chest, a sign that the poison settled inside her already. Thankfully her godly stamina provided her not to pass out.
Apollo opened his mouth but quickly closed it when he saw Hermes motioning to the arrows that were just a tad too close for his liking.
Her legs began shaking badly from the poison and punishments the monster had inflicted. Artemis' lower limbs finally lose control and she fell down leaning back into the tree.
"Trees have been used as crutches a lot in this chapter," Hermes observed.
"That's because that's all that they're good for," Hades remarked. Demeter sent him a death stare, which he just promptly shrugged off.
Please, he has been given those types of stares every day from the craziest people to have ever lived.
As the boy slowly approached her, Artemis couldn't help but to gaze at him warily. The moon dimmed reflecting the state of the goddess providing insufficient luminescence to light up his face.
Artemis was a bit worried about what he might do to her. But she reminded herself that Perseus was a good man and that he wouldn't try anything.
She yelped when the boy scooped her up, carrying her bridal style. He shot her an apologetic look.
"Poseidon! How dare your son place his filthy hands on my daughter," Zeus bellowed.
"Peace brother. You can see that Percy isn't exactly happy about is either".
To be honest, she was startled but refrained from complaining. The only thing she could think of was how badly she wanted to trash the boy away from her. She gritted her teeth but that was all, her hand felt numb and doesn't have the ability to hold the hunting knife anymore.
"Chimera poison holds a lot of paralytic properties, its amazing Artemis was able to fight that long," Athena mused.
Artemis was thinking. Considering the circumstances she would probably let the man go off with his life. She couldn't exactly turn her saviour into a jackalope.
The thoughts of the maiden goddess varied, conflicting on how she would deal with the boy. He was lucky enough go near her without turning into a bloody jackalope. He was definitely the luckiest boy ever live to have his manhood still intact or he was still alive for holding her.
"Hey Uncle P, this Percy is the complete opposite of ours. This one has the luck of the devil." Hermes said.
"He is a hero, his life is cursed to be filled with hardships and pain," Athena said gloomily. Poseidon sent a glare at her.
Perhaps she would let him be for he came to save her although albeit grudgingly the goddess of the hunt doesn't want to be save by a mere boy. The goddess in her twelve year old form tensed and began panicking in the inside. She couldn't be sure if this boy came just to save her. She was weak and powerless; he could do anything to her without worrying about any resistance.
"Relax Artemis, Percy is an honourable boy. His mother would have ingrained those values from birth," Poseidon appeased.
Artemis grimaced at the thought. After all what does a boy do in a secluded area? What if he took advantage of her weakened state?
"We'll find the boy, dice him into tiny pieces and throw in into Tartarus," Zeus snorted.
Hestia narrowed her eyes," We've already established that Percy is an honourable person. There's no need for that".
The King of the Gods accepted defeat grudgingly. He had come to tolerate the boy for his services to Olympus.
The moon goddess tried to squirm in his arms but the pain in her injuries inflamed again causing her to whimper. He held her tighter and a wave of warmth the goddess couldn't identify surged through her. It eased her pain and she could feel her body relaxing from the odd feeling. She was surprised that her injuries started to heal.
"Sweet this kid knows some of my skills," Apollo said excitedly.
When she loosened up the boy shifted her a little and made her head lean against his chest. Blood rose to her cheeks in embarassment and she screamed inside her mind. This is not happening.
All the women looked at Artemis with a knowing smile. Artemis glared at them, a pink tint to her cheeks.
"Daughter! What is your explanation for this," Zeus said
Artemis didn't answer and instead just stared at the marble floor. It was the after-effects of the Chimera poison, she reasoned. Yes, that was it.
"What's your name miss?" He asked softly.
"Ar…te…mis," she stuttered, her voice fading with every syllable. "Who—"
"Whoa little sis you've got to say your own name right. Say it with me, Arte-mis. Arte- OW!
An arrow flew past his head and embedded itself into his throne. A quiet whimper escaped Apollo's throat as he saw Artemis take aim once again.
Zeus saw this and decided it was enough," Artemis, no weapons are to be used while we are reading this book".
With a sigh from Artemis, the bow vanished with a bright light.
"Arty?" the boy interrupted softly. He didn't hear it well and he missed the last syllable of Artemis' name. "Sweet, it rhymes with mine. My name is Percy."
Snickers broke out through the room while Hermes said to Apollo," Bro this is your descendent".
"Amen brother".
The maiden goddess wanted to strangle him for calling her name wrong. She hated the nickname since her annoying brother Apollo kept on calling her that.
Apollo put his hands to his chest," I am truly hurt sis. You honestly find me annoying?"
"Yes, you are the most annoying person I have ever met," Artemis gritted out.
Unfortunately, she found herself nodding trying to be nice with her little savior and the fact that she doesn't have the power to retort with. She was definitely at his mercy.
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sou- OW"
"Stop singing".
The Huntress still didn't know whether to trust the boy or not. But she could assume that the boy doesn't recognize her.
"Probably a good thing," Ares nodded.
Seeing the look from Artemis he explained further," Look if Prissy knew who you were then he probably would have been grovelling for forgiveness the entire time and that would have made anyone lose their shit".
"That… was actually a pretty logical answer," Athena said, surprised.
"Hey I'm smart most of the time," Ares protested. Hephaestus snorted while others laughed chuckled.
Hermes coughed behind his hand," Dumbledore".
"Where—"Artemis started to ask weakly.
The boy interrupted her again. He glanced down at her with concern. "Save your strength Arty. You're still weak and injured. That prayer was just a temporary remedy.
"A prayer to the one and only… moi," Apollo said haughtily.
"Oui, vous verrez que beaucoup de gens te prions pour la guérison," Aphrodite said.
Apollo scratched his head in confusion," Ehh, What did Dite say"?
"She said, 'Yes, You will find that a lot of people pray to you for healing'," Athena explained.
Let's talk about what happened here when you're already in good condition."
She nodded again timidly.
Artemis wanted to protest, but instead crossed her arms with a huff. She did not do timid
Suddenly, she could feel the cold winds touching her skin gently and heard the constant flapping of wings. She then realized that they were flying, perhaps riding the Pegasus. For the first time because of the moonlight, Artemis caught a glimpse of Percy's face showing his glistening sea green eyes.
Aphrodite squealed,"They're so beautiful, like the ocean". Everyone, even the males agreed it was kind of like the ocean.
Involuntarily, the man-hating goddess snuggled closer in the boy's arms. She never thought that position she was in right now would make her feel warm and cozy.
Aphrodite squealed and looked to Artemis, who was looking a bit sick at the thought of being cozy with a male. Zeus narrowed his eyes at the book, he didn't like what it was implying.
Weariness took over her because of her almost suicidal attempt for revenge; Artemis felt her eyelids getting heavier. As she closed her eyes ever so slowly, she heard him say softly.
"I'll keep you safe." He promised.
There were coos from all the women who then glared at their respective husbands/brothers/cousins. They all thought the same thing:
Why can't he be as sweet as that?
Artemis however was silent as she contemplated what Percy said. He was quite different from other men; he was so brave, very kind and extremely selfless. 'Having him as a fr-friend wouldn't be that bad', she admitted. So she'll reserve her judgement for Percy, see if he exceeds her current opinion of him.
And that she drifted to sleep wondering whether something bad would happen to her while unconscious or to just trust the boy who apparently saved her immortal life.
Poseidon looked around him as he finished the chapter, "Who will read next," he asked.
Hades raised his hand up," I will".
AN: So that's it. It was kind of hard to write the first part of this chapter but it got easier as it went on. I'll like to thank Catastrophic Finale for letting me do this. The next chapter should be on in 3-4 days, I've got English HW to start (lol) and it's due tomorrow.
Remember Read and Review!
EDIT: I looked back on this one hour later and see that I've got heaps of mistakes cuz I was rushing through. So I think it's all fixed now