Percy Jackson was the second male that Artemis hesitated to kill.
The first, unlike what others guessed, was not Orion. He was a stereotypical male scum, the very kind she despised with all of her being. It was because of him that she made her oath.
Putting him into the stars was an order from her father, who liked the boy though he was his brother's son.
No, the first one was the original Perseus, her very own half brother.
Call her wicked for even thinking of killing blood, but if you put it that way she was related to all male demigods. And she hated all of them.
But then Perseus came along, and he was the first male ever to keep his oath of marriage. Andromeda had come to her the night before their marriage, about to take the oath of maidenhood, but shockingly, she'd declined at the very last second.
At first she was furious. She watched them for days, vowing to take her revenge on the male for seducing her then soon to be huntress. But as she watched, she could not help but admit that he didn't seem to be taking advantage of her.
Not once did he stray from his marriage.
When he died, he was the first male she willingly put in the stars.
When she met Percy Jackson, the first thing she thought was that he could never live up to his namesake. He was just like she had thought– Rash and irresponsible and so stereotypical boy that she wanted to kill him at first sight.
The fact that his green eyes look so much like Orion's was enough to send her over the edge.
She didn't know what made her stop.
Maybe it was the kindness that was in his eyes, or maybe it was the willingness he gave himself up to save his friends. Nevertheless she let him go with only a threat. Later Zoe Nightshade would joke about her going soft. She didn't know what to respond.
There was something about this boy named Percy that made her wary of killing her not only because of his parenthood but also because of his personality. Somehow she knew that if she killed him now she would regret it later on.
There was another boy with a younger man named Nico. At first glad she knew that had to be a son of Hades or a minor gosling. She did not understand why Percy was so protective of him even with his annoyingly hyper attitude.
That her annoying brother arrived, and the expression on Percy's face was enough to make her respect him, at least for a little while.
A sliver of respect filled her she watched him prepare to jump off the cliff to save his friend.
She left her hunters with only a warning that they could not burn down the cabins like they did last time. As she watched them leave, casting angry glances at the boy that followed them into the bus, she couldn't help but feel that she was leaving him into incapable hands.
It was the first time a boy had ridden in a bus with the hunters gotten out alive.
Maybe that was why she was distracted when she took off for the hunt. But despite how much she wanted to, she knew she could not blame her own failure to be careful on the boy.
The goddess of the Hunt walked into the trap so easily that she was ashamed. She had been so preoccupied she didn't notice the silence of the woods around her, the chirping of the birds falling silent until all that remained was the noise of her feet falling through the ground.
The next thing she knew she was bound and gagged, dragged by another arrogant male through a different she could open her eyes and scream the male froze, stopping in his tracks and forcing her to slide to a halt.
A girl was straining against the burden of the sky, gray eyes widening in terror and gratitude. Aboy stood next to her—another one?—with sandy blond hair and blue eyes that were glazed with pain.
But barely concealed in the icy depths was a triumph of capture.
Instantly she recognized the girl as the one Percy had prepared to jump off the cliff for. The thought made her better somehow. So that was where she went. The manticore was smart—too smart for a monster. It was the perfect bait.
The monster knew that Artemis would never leave a girl to suffer, Especially not when she could die. The helpless look in Annabeth's eyes was all it took. Artemis gave up and slid under the weight of the sky, bracing her arms and lifting the sky from her shaking body.
It was heavy, much heavier than she expected.
Immediately Annabeth collapsed and the Titan Atlas—she thought she was under the sky! He was a trickster, that one—grinned in victory. Tauntingly he knelt before her, waving finger teasingly in front of her nose.
She bit at him almost taking off his fingers and he jerked back, smirking.
"Cat got your tongue?" He bellowed with malicious laughter. "Don't worry my little goddess, they'll come for you soon. The hunters and the demigod— that demigod. He's a strange one, but he'll come. I know he will come if not for the girl then for you."
Atlas was right and he knew it. Percy was far too loyal for his own good and strangely, she admired it. Maybe she admired it more than she should have.
The Titan glanced this tastefully at Annabeth's crumpled body. "Perhaps we should just kill now," he suggested, glancing at Luke for confirmation.
Luke opened his eyes wide with panic. "No! I mean...she...she will be useful to our cause," he stammered, like he actually cared. "Further bait." Colors flashed before the goddesses eyes, and she blinked away white spots to focus on the two of them.
For some reason she was slightly angry at the idea of Percy coming for Annabeth and not her.
The Titan nodded distractedly and turned to face Artemis. "Scared." He laughed. "For your little lieutenant? Don't worry – I'll be sure my daughter gets extra special treatment." The way he said it made her shiver with maybe a little fear.
Dread creeped up her back. She was almost certain someone would die on this mountain and she hoped it wouldn't be her faithful lieutenant. For the first time she found herself wishing that the boy would live.
Time passed slowly so slowly she was sure that she was fading away. The demigods didn't come—not one day, not the next. Hopefully, she almost wished that they wouldn't arrive.
Her wish came too late. The next two days past in a blur and somewhere in the back of her mind she felt Apollo searching for her, looking everywhere for his older sister that would probably never come back.
With all the spare time she had, she found her mind drifting back to the green eyed boy that had caught her interest. He was special, she admitted, the first one in a very long time to ever gain even a sliver of her trust. But then again, Poseidon had always sired either the worst or the most undyingly loyal children that she had ever met.
She had a feeling that he would be the second. He was nothing like his half-brother Orion. His green eyes sparkled with life though they had dulled with acceptance when they looked up at her.
Despite what her instincts taught her, she had to admit he was rather handsome.
Of course he was only thirteen—too young to be a heartthrob, too old to be cute. And then she cursed herself for thinking these thoughts, for even considering that a male like all the others could ever capture her attention.
It still felt like she was trying to convince herself.
And then they arrived. She heard them yelling to each other over the hill, heard Zoe's voice crying out in pain. If she could she would've rushed, tried in vain to save her Lieutenant. But her arms were so sore she could no longer move. It felt like a blowtorch was setting fire to her entire body.
Then footsteps were running up the hill and his voice was begging Zoe to tell him what was wrong.
She had never been so terrified yet so helpless. They struggled to the peak of the hill, and she watched Zoe's face turn gray. "Stop," she croaked, choking out the last of her energy. "It's a trap!"
She wasn't sure who she was talking to Percy or Zoe. They both reacted, starting upward.
Curse her Lieutenant for being so loyal. Zoe sobbed and tugged at the chains on her feet. Faithful brown eyes gazed up at her desperately. "My lady, my lady, are you okay? Tell me...talk to me!" Her voice was verging on hysteria.
And then Atlas appeared behind her, and Zoe turned three shades paler. "Ah, how touching."
The rest of the conversation blurred in her mind, her muscles screaming in agony. Her palms were slippery with sweat, like the rest of her body, and all she could think about was holding onto the sky.
Vaguely, she remembered Atlas's fingers reaching to stroke her face, and she bit at him weakly. The world faded into mist again.
The next time she focused on reality, Percy was lying on his side staring up at her she reached out with her foot to nudge him to the side, but found she had no strength. "Run, boy," she gasped, struggling to breathe. "You must run!"
Atlas bellowed in laughter and raised his javelin.
"No!" A volley of arrows appeared in his arms, and fear gripped her when Atlas turned to his daughter.
"Zoe!" She choked on her tears, and Percy rolled and came up on one knee. Something in his eyes made her wary, but wary for him. His expression was dangerous and she desperately hoped he wasn't going to do anything stupid.
Of course, it was hopeless. He was a boy. "The sky, " he muttered. His sword was gone. "Give me the weight of the sky!"
She choked again. "No, boy," her teeth gritted against her will. The sky crushed down on her. "You don't know what you're asking. It will crush you!" His expression turned determined the last expression she wanted to see on his face. "Please," She murmured but he did not hear.
"Annabeth took it," He snapped. Frustration built up on his face.
"She had the spirit of a true huntress," Artemis felt her strength waning. "You will not last so long." It wasn't necessarily true, but she had to do what she could to stop him. He would surely die if he took the weight of the sky.
" I'll die anyway!" She'd never seen a boy face death so bravely. It hurt that he was going to be gone—no one would ever stand a chance against Atlas, especially not a demigod. "Give me the weight of the sky!"
There was no room for arguing as he stepped up and braced himself against the sky. "Go," he croaked softly, and then she slipped out from the restraints.
For the first time in history she was fighting for a boy.
As quickly as the battle began it ended, and Atlas was under the sky once more. They ran for the black rocks, where Zoe lay crumpled.
Zoe was cradled in her arms. The lieutenant was deathly pale and ebony locks fell over her forehead. the silver circlet had dulled and so had the glow around her, as if her life was draining away. Immediately Artemis knew that Zoe's time with her was limited. Not even Apollo could fix this.
She had to fight the urge not to laugh when Percy, still dazed, murmured "Like Santa Claus."
"And where do you think that legend came from?" She shot back, but wasn't sure if he'd heard.
A minute later her smile faded when she looked back at Zoe. He followed her gaze and his eyes turned troubled. "Can't you heal her? I mean, you're a goddess." His voice trailed off as he realized. She shook her head.
"Life is a fragile thing, Percy. If the fates will the string to be cut there is little I can do. But I can try." She tried to set her hand on her lieutenant's side but Zoe gripped her wrist.
"Have I... Have I served thee well?" The Goddess nodded.
"With great honor," She whispered, trying not to feel like she was saying goodbye. "The finest of my attendants." Zoe's last words passed by her lips, and then her Lieutenant was gone.
Percy glanced at her sorrowfully as if just realizing what had actually happened. His green eyes darkened with regret and maybe some guilt. If she could, she would've told him that it wasn't his fault, but there was nothing she could say.
And when he turned away, a sinking feeling told her that she had fallen for him, hard.
She slid from her throne in the minutes of the council, a 12-year-old girl surrounded by that other Olympians. The demigods watched her, unsure of what to do, and she struggled to send a reassuring smile. Percy glanced at her as if he wasn't sure what to say and she hoped he wouldn't say anything. The gods weren't exactly known for their patience.
When she opened her mouth to ask Annabeth to join the hunt she was thinking of only one thing—herself. All she knew was that she had to get Annabeth away from Percy. She didn't know why. Maybe was jealousy or maybe just plain regret, but then she saw the horrified look on his face, the paling of his skin. Her thoughts changed.
"I will have a new lieutenant," she muttered, "if she will accept it." She sighed. "Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus. Will you join the hunt?"
Thalia opened her mouth in shock. "I will, Milady," she answered, And Artemis nodded. As Thalia repeated the oath to join the hunters, Artemis couldn't help but feel like she was giving up her dreams.
The Council drew to a close. Artemis wanted to seek out Percy, to congratulate him, to say anything, but her feet let her far, far away. And in that moment she knew—Percy would belong to Annabeth and Annabeth would belong with Percy, and they would belong to each other.
After all he was a boy. A noble boy that had managed earn her respect over a span of only a week, yes, but a heartbreaker all the same.
She let him slip through her fingertips.
A/N: I do not own PJO, or any of the quotes from it. Thanks for reading!
PS: I have a question: I submitted an idea for a story to my professor, and she said that I should get the opinion of a couple other people. It's a PJO fanfic...well, kind of. It's complicated. There will be a poll on my profile asking if you guys would like to read it... and based on my writing, how old do you think I am?
Johanna