IMPORTANT NOTE: This does contain Christian beliefs, if you are uncomfortable with that or are not a believer please do not read. Thank you.
I have been thinking about this for the longest time and recently I have gained the inspiration (and courage) to write it. This is not a Pertemis fic, I ship Percabeth far too much to write something like that for some reason. However, there is a strong friendship displayed between Artemis and Percy and I really hope you like it.
Enjoy! :)
The water glistened under the silver rays of the moon. The waves were soft and quiet as they slapped the shore. Cool sand clung to his palms as he propped himself up to stare at the water. Stars twinkled overhead, each one filling the sky with a mysterious glow. He looked up in the deep dark blue sky and spotted her among the balls of light, The Huntress. Her bow was extended and she was prepared to release the arrow and send a comet shooting across the sky. His heart beat with remorse.
Zoe Nightshade.
The name still rang in his ears every time he caught a glimpse of her. She had been brave, she had been loyal to a fault, and just as she deserved, she died a hero. He smiled remembering her and the small moments he and his friends had had the pleasure of sharing with her. He almost laughed remembering how hard it was for her to get along with someone like him, a male. The very same male that carried the weapon of her lover, who shattered her heart without a care in the world. He wasn't Hercules though, he didn't know how much it hurt her, he had no idea that this weapon he carried in his pocket had been such a burden to her.
He remembered the nuts Grover had lined up on their quest to find Annabeth. "That's us," Grover had said. "Those five nuts right there."
"Which one is me?" he had stupidly asked.
"The little deformed one," The huntress, Zoe, had suggested.
"Oh, shut up."
It was almost comical how much she had hated him, but in the end she had told him that she trusted him with the weapon. She told him that she was honored that he carried this weapon. Percy Jackson pulled the ballpoint pen out of his pocket and fiddled with it as he stared. He gazed down at the cap and yanked it off, the next thing that happened came as no surprise to him. The pen morphed into a sword, a Celestial Bronze weapon great for killing monsters, and he'd trusted it through many quests. "Anaklusmos," he whispered. His smile grew as he twisted the sword around in his grip. A perfect balance. "Riptide." He translated.
Staring at that sword, thinking about Zoe…it all hurt so much…especially when he remembered all the others who had fallen. Bianca di Angelo, she died saving the lives of Percy and his friends, and he had promised her little brother Nico, he would protect her. Charles Beckendorf, who died on a mission with Percy himself, in an explosion of Greek Fire, the flame that is nearly impossible to put out. Silena Beauregard, she had been trading information with Kronos and his army so that in return she and her boyfriend, Charles, would be safe, she died correcting that mistake. Ethan Nakamura, a traitor who died because he refused to end Percy's life by exposing his Achilles heel. Luke Castellan, a man Percy had come to trust in the short time he knew him, exposed as the ultimate traitor, but he died a hero by ending his life and sending every piece of Kronos back to Tartarus.
As much as it hurt to think about them, he was proud to have survived all that. Proud to have known every one of them. Zoe might have been the only one immortalized in the stars, but he'd never forget any of them. Even if sometimes, he wished he could.
The son of Poseidon felt the hilt grow warm in his grip and he stared at the letters engraved on the cross-guard and slide his thumb over them, and he remembered everything. A silver beam of light bounced off the blade and into his eyes and he was brought out of his thoughts. Just one more second he stared at Riptide, before he followed the edge up to the point of the blade and placed the cap atop it. Riptide became a pen once again.
He looked back to the water and felt something in his gut. An erg coiled around inside him and the waves lapped the shore faster, responding to his desire. He didn't think as he raised his arm and thrusted the pen as far as he could into the water. He then focused his mind on the waves, telling them to carry the utensil as far away from him as they could. The waves complied. In that moment Percy had no regrets, it felt good to do it actually, as if he were throwing away problems.
"Is it wise of you, Perseus…?" Percy felt a strong presence approach him, some might describe it as divine, almost godly. They wouldn't be wrong. A figure sat next to him, a beautiful brunette teenage girl, with literal silver eyes, the color of the moon. "…To throw away you're only weapon, when you live in such a dangerous world?" she asked.
Percy didn't turn to her, he just stared at the water and smirked. "Lady Artemis." He greeted politely.
"Perseus." She nodded her head at him, respectively. The stars grew brighter in her presence, the reflection of the moon in the water sparkled. And as Percy stared at the constellation "The Huntress" he saw Zoe Nightshade release her arrow and sure enough, a comet shot across the sky. His eyes followed the comet.
"It always returns." Percy reminded her, meeting her face at last. Artemis stared up at The Huntress with the expression of a proud leader, before she faced Percy once again.
"And what should happen if perhaps, one day it doesn't?" she replied, with a sly smirk. Percy leaned forward, placing his arms on his knees and laughed.
"Is that a threat?" he asked.
"Perhaps." The goddess replied, slipping a mysterious tone into her words.
"You'd seriously leave me weaponless?" he asked, seriously.
"If it would teach you to take responsibility for your weapon," Artemis told him. "Then yes, I would." Percy felt his nerves rise and he reached into his pocket, but Riptide wasn't there. Percy scowled at the goddess.
"Lady Artemis," he started to say. "With all due respect, I-" Artemis snickered in amusement, interrupting.
"You have failed to check your left pocket, Perseus." She pointed out. Percy's face went white as he reached into his left pocket and found Riptide, he blushed a deep shade of red as he slipped it out of his pocket to show the goddess.
"I'm sorry, M'lady…" he floundered an apology. Percy didn't want to become a jackalope. In fact, you could say he had a healthy fear of being turned into a jackalope by the moon goddess. The goddess laughed, sending a delicate song dancing upon his eardrums.
"Truly, Perseus you wouldn't expect me to punish you, a hero, for something so small?" The goddess had not meant it as a serious question, but Percy could not hold back his scowl. Artemis frowned and the stars seemed to dim just a little. "But that is what you believe isn't it, demigod?"
"I wouldn't put it past the gods." Percy whispered, venomously. He didn't care if Zeus shot him down with the freaking master bolt, it felt good to get it off his chest. Artemis glared at him.
"You'd be wise to hold your tongue, demigod or…"
"Or what?" Percy asked, never once lowering his glare. "I've been through Tartarus, literally the living hell, which is something some would describe as a fate worse than death. What could you possibly do to me that could be any worse?" Percy's heart pounded with fear, but he held his glare, even though he knew the goddess could dispose of him quite easily if she wanted to. Artemis sighed.
"You're right, of course, Perseus." She said. That surprised Percy so much that he almost completely lowered his guard. "The gods do tend to be far too emotional about just these situations. It's something…" the goddess lowered her head and sighed sadly. "It's something, many of us regret." Percy frowned in confusion, but Artemis just stared up at the stars, a ghost of a smile on her face. "Do you know how long mortal men have stared up at the stars and wondered why they were there?" Percy raised an eyebrow.
"Thousands of years." He guessed following her eyes. Artemis smiled at him.
"Longer." She informed. Percy blinked, studying the stars further.
"Why are they there?" he questioned. The moon goddess was silent for the longest time, before she finally spoke.
"Do you believe in God, Perseus?" she asked, innocently. Percy turned to her, uncertain he heard correctly.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me." She assured.
"Is this a test?" Percy asked, suspicious.
"Answer the question, sea spawn." She ordered. Percy frowned and turned his eyes to the stars once again. Would he get in trouble if he answered this question the wrong way? His heart pounded fast in his chest.
"I don't know," he answered, truthfully. "Should I?"
"I cannot answer that." Artemis said. "That is something you must decide on your own, Perseus." Percy nodded. Why was the moon goddess taking this so lightly? It was as if she believed that there was a presence far more divine then her own.
"Why do you ask?" The son of Poseidon cocked his head.
Artemis sighed. "And God said 'Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night,'" she quoted. "'And let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.' And it was so. God made two great lights-the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the fourth day." Artemis smiled. "Genesis 1:14-19."
Percy felt his eyes grow wide. "D-did you just-?" he stuttered. "Did you just quote…the Bible?"
Instead of answering his question Artemis stared at him like it was obvious. "I did not create the stars, Perseus. Nor am I the embodiment of them. I was merely chosen to safe-guard them."
"Are you saying that…God exists?" Percy questioned, confused.
"If you're asking if I know God exists, the answer is no." Artemis said. "But if what you're asking is, do I believe He exists? Well, I wish I could answer you with certainty, but the truth is; I'm not sure myself." Percy nodded, but his mind was in a whole other world. How did she expect him to take all this in? He had only ever known the gods to be greedy, sensitive, egotistical beings who pretty much ignored their own children. A few of them were nice, acceptable people he supposed, but he had never expected any of them to think there could possibly be a force higher than them.
Artemis cleared her throat loudly to regain his attention and Percy whipped his head around to look at her. "My point is, Perseus…" she continued. "The gods do not deserve the power they've been given. It is true that we do the jobs we were assigned with the power, but it is also true that we abuse it. I am… I am no exception." Her voice was shaky and Percy could tell it really stained her pride to say that. "We are by no means free of sin. We make mistakes, we overcome them, and we ask for forgiveness, just like the mortals."
"Lady Artemis?" Percy questioned, hugging his knees. "Are-are you trying to apologize?" Artemis gripped her knees and took a couple breaths and it was at that moment that Percy thought that she almost looked…human.
"Yes, Perseus, I am." She caught his eyes and Percy could see she was sincere. "But I am also trying to explain to you why." Percy smiled and nodded his head for her to continue. "The gods are not immortal, sea spawn." She told him. "Yes, we live longer then mortals. Yes, we cannot truthfully age. And yes, we have power that the mortals cannot possess. But we are not immortal. We can die. We can fade away. We can be absorbed. We can become mortal. But we cannot-we will not-live forever."
"So you're saying that the gods-you-are like us?" Percy gestured to himself and then realized he wasn't completely mortal himself. "Like mortals?" he corrected.
"In a sense, yes." She answered. "We are guilty of sin just like any demigod, legacy, monster, or human. We are not perfect. We are not deserving of the respect we are given." The goddess paused. "We have regrets."
"Is this one of them?" Percy asked. Artemis cocked her head. "I mean, do you regret being as powerful and respected as you are for the things you do, when it isn't completely your work?" Artemis nodded.
"A lot of us do, Perseus." She replied. "But my father is not one of them." Percy rolled his eyes at the thought of Zeus, king of the gods, of course he'd never regret this, all the mortals' egos on this planet could not add up to his. He's also stubborn, not a completely awful guy Percy supposed, but definitely not a role-model. "I'm sorry you've suffered so much, son of Poseidon, just as I am sorry for all the other demigods who have suffered. I'm sorry I could not be of more help to you on your quests. And this apology is not completely my own."
"I watched my friends die." Percy told her. "I was abandoned, I was mistrusted, and even hated. My mother was forced to marry an abusive alcoholic, who loved to gamble, (the jerk!). And then she was kidnapped too. I was tortured in Tartarus alongside my girlfriend. Monsters track down my friends and I pretty much every day of our lives and do their best to torture us. I was kidnapped and my memories were erased. I have encountered and escaped death more times than I can count. I've had regrets and I've made mistakes." He forced the tears back and sucked in a sore breath, because it all hurt so much to think about. "I'v-I've wished for…death." Artemis looked close to tears herself, but tried her best to hide it behind a prideful mask. "And to think that if the gods could have just lifted a finger to help in any of those moments…it might have turned out better…it's almost unforgivable."
"Almost?" Artemis asked, hopefully.
"It wasn't your fault I guess." He continued. "After all, you are not allowed to interfere with mortal or heroic affairs." He gave her a half-hearted smile. "So yeah, I forgive you Lady Artemis, but I hope you understand that it's going to take longer to forgive the others. My father is no exception." Artemis smiled and there was silence.
The waves were like a melody to the song that was the ocean and the sea. They stared at the moon as it glided slowly through the sky and Percy contemplated how the moon goddess could possibly move it while just sitting here. The constellation The Huntress glistened and sprinkled wonder across the night sky and Percy understood why mortals would want to know what it was like to be up there. Then he wondered: When the mortals first landed on the moon, could they feel the goddess' presence? Or God's for that matter, (if he truly did exist)?
"Perseus?" Artemis asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. Percy met her silver orbs.
"Yeah?" he replied, a tear etching a trail down his cheek.
"It is true, is it not, that your mother has found love once again with another mortal man?" Artemis didn't meet his eyes but instead followed the tear that had just reached his jaw.
"Yeah, Paul." He answered, nodding his head quizzically. "How did you-?"
"Olympian gossip travels far faster than that of mortal gossip." She answered. Percy nodded his head, because that definitely made sense. "And haven't you made several friends along with the enemies on your quests?" Percy nodded, unsure of where the goddess was going with this. "And let's not forget that if not for the misfortune of your mother's kidnapping, the young daughter of Athena might not be by your side today. And your mother did return safely." Percy remembered how he met his girlfriend, the daughter of Athena, the love of his life. Annabeth Chase, his Wisegirl, one of the most wonderfully recognizable things in his life. The woman he chose to go through Tartarus with because he couldn't leave her side. He had never really thought about how his misfortunes had effected his bounties. But one thing was for certain, if any moment in his life were to change, he might not have her by his side.
"She's amazing…" he commented, his words filled with love. Artemis smiled proudly at him.
"Respect her, love her, take care of her." She ordered. Percy nodded his head with a smile, knowing that the goddess had respect for all females and mistrusted most males. "You also have wonderful friends, Perseus and many of them would give their lives for you. You are a good person and even though your fatal flaw is personal loyalty, it is also a strength. Never forget that." Percy was now recognizing just how much good had come out of the bad for him. Without the bad, he would never have met his friends, Annabeth, Grover, Tyson, Rachel, Frank, Hazel, Jason, Piper, Leo, Reyna, and all the others. All the people he loved. "Your father loves you, few demigods get that benefit. You've saved the world, you're a hero. You have a place to call home. You have a place where you're safe from harm too." Percy smiled. "You are blessed Perseus Jackson, people have had far less." The son of Poseidon turned to the goddess with pleasure.
"Thank you." He told her and she nodded her head respectively.
"If there is a God, Perseus, then He is most certainly taking care of you," she replied with certainty. "If you will except Jesus into your heart and trust Him to take control of your life, then I can almost guarantee you'll be okay."
"Why are you telling me this?" Percy questioned, suspicious. Artemis smiled and turned her eyes to the moon and Percy saw how it was reflected in her pupils.
"Would you believe me, Perseus...?" Artemis started to ask. "…If I told you that someone awesome told me to?" Percy followed her eyes to the moon, just a crescent in the sky and he could swear that it looked more like a smile then it ever had before.
"Yes." He answered, confidently. That was apparently all the goddess needed to hear, because she then stood up.
"Well, I must return to my hunters. They surely have noticed my absence by now." Percy looked up at her with bright sea green eyes and he hoped she understood just how much this conversation had meant to him.
"Tell Thalia I don't miss her." He said with a sly grin. Artemis rolled her eyes.
"I shall tell my lieutenant that you said hello." She replied.
Percy laughed. "Yeah, okay." He agreed.
Artemis' smile glowed and just as Percy thought she was about to leave, she spoke again. "Remember, Perseus," she advised, gesturing to her surroundings. "The gods may control what you see, but we cannot create more of it and we cannot control what you cannot see. That is all Grace." Percy smiled and nodded.
"Goodbye, Lady Artemis." He told her, respectively. "And thank you."
"Goodbye Perseus." Just as soon as Percy blinked the goddess was gone. He smirked and stared at the edge of the water in the distance, where stars twinkled above. He could see how everything he had now was given to him for a reason and how all of this was planned by an almighty God who loved him. The only thing he wasn't sure of yet, was if he was ready to except Jesus into his heart. All in good time, Perseus. Said Artemis' voice in the back of his mind.
"Hey Seaweedbrain." Percy looked up to meet the blond princess curls and stormy grey eyes of Annabeth Chase. He grabbed her hand with a smile and pulled her into his lap.
"Hey Wisegirl." He greeted, their noses almost touching.
Annabeth ran a hand through his mop of jet black hair. "I was worried about you, so I went to check your cabin and when you weren't there, I figured you were here." She explained. Annabeth punched him in the arm playfully. "You scared me, you idiot!" she laughed. Percy laughed with her.
"Sorry, Wisegirl." He apologized.
"What are you doing out here, anyway?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be getting some heroic rest?"
"I don't know how to explain it." He told her truthfully, looking a little embarrassed.
"Try me." She dared, hugging his neck.
"I just had this feeling," he told her. "Like I needed to be here." And as he said it, he realized now more than ever that he truly was being cared for by someone far greater than the gods. Annabeth smiled at him and kissed him like she always did and Percy knew he loved her with everything he had. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met, he'd never say it out loud though, because Aphrodite was sure to curse him for it. The point was, he loved her and he shared pretty much everything with her and some day he was going to marry her.
As soon as they broke apart he turned his head to the stars and Annabeth followed his gaze. The moon still shone bright in the water. A satellite was visible overhead. The Huntress shot her arrows across the dark blue atmosphere. Percy smiled. "Annabeth?" he asked, staring into her beautiful orbs.
"Yeah, Percy?" she replied, with a loving tone. Percy sucked in a breath and silently thanked God for everything he had just before he replied.
"Do you believe in God?" The water rippled in response to his curiosity and the stars seemed to twinkle brighter overhead. And the daughter of Athena smiled.
How was that? Please express your thoughts in a review. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, but flames will be ignored.
This is my first time writing Artemis, so I would appreciate some feedback on how I did on writing her.
Thanks for reading guys. Don't forget to review. :)
Samantha's Library.