'Artemisias'
— murasaki no chou
Summary: Percy never bathed in the River Styx, therefore he isn't invulnerable. Five years had passed since the battle against Kronos and his army, but what would happen if things go wrong? Percy and the goddess, Artemis, are slowly developing feelings toward each other; that can't end well, can it? Meanwhile, a new enemy has appeared, but no one knows who or what it is.
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and I never will.
It had been five years since the battle against Kronos and his army. Everything was peaceful once more with the help of young Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan and their friends. Without them, Artemis and everyone knew, the Olympians would've faded until they were no more and Kronos, the Titan Lord of Time, would've completely destroyed over Olympus . The Greek deities would be forever in debt with the demigods, especially the son of Poseidon—the child of the prophecy—and Luke Castellan—the hero who had given up his life to stop Kronos.
Artemis smiled slightly at that; she knew they would have to reward Percy for all his efforts, but the deities had already offered him immortality, and he had refused. Instead, Percy had asked for the deities to recognise their children; claim them early so that they wouldn't feel insecure and side with the villains; and to make a place at Camp Half-Blood for Hades and all the children of the minor gods. It benefited everyone, and that made Artemis quite glad for the hero wasn't selfish and wanted all the children of the gods feel welcome. However, she thought that they still have to repay him one way or another.
Artemis stepped out of her cosy tent, nodding when her Hunters greeted her as she passed by. She had told them that they would be setting camp for the night at a forest near New York after chasing and eradicating a couple of hellhounds that seemed to be appearing out of nowhere, witch couldn't be right. Artemis had a bad feeling about this, but she didn't dare tell her Hunters; she didn't need to worry them any further. Artemis could sense that they're slowly realising something out of place, but just couldn't tell what it was. The wary glances they were shooting her screamed that they demanded confirmation from her.
A hand touched her shoulder, startling the goddess, but she didn't show it. Artemis turned around deliberately, careful not to give anything away. Her lips twitched at the corner of her mouth, a small smile forming as she said in recognition, "Thalia, is there something you need from me?" The aforementioned girl hesitantly nodded, motioning for Artemis to follow her deep in the forest. Artemis told Thalia to wait and that she would inform the Hunters first before following her. After that, Artemis trailed after Thalia who was nervously touching the mace canister in the pocket of her silver parka.
The sky above was clear and pure blue; stars were shining brightly as they accompanied the beautiful, glowing full moon in heaven. Constellations such as the Auriga, Andromeda and the newest addition, The Huntress, to honour the deceased lieutenant of Artemis, Zoë Nightshade, was gleaming majestically; decorating the sky with their delicate forms. The trees and long grasses below looked dazzling under the moonlight; swaying in harmony when a soft gust of warm wind blew by. They seemed to embrace Thalia and Artemis as though protecting them from any harm that may befall them.
When they were far enough from camp and out of the Hunters hearing range, Thalia stopped on her tracks and faced Artemis; she immediately thought that she wouldn't like what her dear lieutenant had to say. She certainly hoped it wasn't because of that that Thalia was acting this way. It couldn't be; there must be another reason for her unusual actions.
They stood there for a while, the wind making their hair dance in a steady rhythm. Somewhere in the forest, birds were signing gracious songs, relaxing Artemis' every nerve. She wasn't sure if she had enough patience to stand there and worry her Hunters; Artemis was about to voice her thoughts when Thalia began, "I—I'm sorry."
The Goddess of the Hunt remained impassive, studying her lieutenant and half-sister in silence. Finally, she spoke in a gentle voice, "Sorry, for what? Thalia, there is nothing to be forgiven; you did not do anything wrong, I assure you." Artemis noted how her half-sister looked so fragile at the moment; how Thalia's lips were pulled down at the sides to a frown, her eyebrows meeting together with a crease on her forehead, her pale her complexion was under the ray of the moon as if she was facing her doom, and how her electric blue eyes seemed so lost as her dark hair flowed against the wind. Thalia appeared to be a child awaiting punishment.
"I don't know what to say but, Lady Artemis, I've been having these dreams..." she trailed off, looking like she didn't want to talk about it yet, at the same time, she wanted to get it off of her chest. Thalia took a deep breath, courageously staring straight into Artemis' silver eyes that seemed to be able to see through her very soul. "They're not normal, that I'm sure of, and it's like they're telling me that something bad is—"
Thalia didn't get to finish her sentence as Artemis signalled her to stop. There were faint sounds of twigs snapping and heavy breathing nearby. The Goddess mouthed that they had better check it out, in case it was another hellhound, or other mythological creatures, getting ready to attack. They both advanced toward where the noise was coming from, preparing their weapons for offence.
As the duo got closer, they could hear the faint voices of the intruders some distance away. Artemis and Thalia exchanged glances; an invoiced agreement happening between them. They crept to where the intruders were, and Artemis had to stop Thalia from charging out of sheer anger because of what they saw.
Four empousa were circling a body belonging to a teenager, staring at it hungrily. They looked like regular mortal girls in short skirts, thin blouses and stilettos—a very disturbing kind of clothing for Artemis and her maidens—but they actually had flaming hair and mismatched legs: one of a donkey's and the other was bronze prosthetic. The Goddess was pretty sure that the teenager was still breathing; the gentle rise and fall of their chest, the slight movement assured her of that. They had to device a plan if they wanted to save the poor mortal who was captured by those abhorrent creatures.
"So, what do we do with him?" the first empousa asked, raising an elegant brow at her companions. She had long, wavy blonde-hair that was tied up in a ponytail and a pair of striking cerulean eyes. She may be pretty with her slightly-tanned complexion, if not for her disturbing lower body and thick make-up.
"Isn't it obvious? We eat him; what else do you think we're going to do with him, idiot?" the second empousa answered exasperatedly, crossing her arms on her chest. This one had short auburn-hair and tantalising crimson eyes.
"Probably turn him into a servant. Though, I must say, I'd prefer eating him after his service; it's not fun if we finish him off right now," the third empousa shrugged languidly. She looked exactly alike the previous speaker, as if they were twins, but with waist-length hair.
"Ditto. This guy will be fun to mess with and, if we get tired of him, well, we would just drain him of his blood ," the fourth agreed, kneeling before the unconscious teen and taking his hand in hers. She bared her razor-sharp canines, her black-hair draping over one side of her face, and her sepia eyes shining dangerously. Her teeth had almost pierced the teenager's skin when she was suddenly slapped over the back of her head for her impatience by the other empousa.
Speculating at the scene made Thalia want to strike; she couldn't stay still any longer, her ADHD was acting up. Thalia glanced at Artemis expectantly, silently begging the goddess to let her go and end the empousai's lives. Her stomach did somersaults when she saw the four creatures kneel beside the body, inhaling the human's scent and opening their mouths to pierce his skin and suck his blood.
"Now," Artemis whispered, getting into a stance as she got her bow and arrows ready. She aimed at one of the empousai, the head of the arrow glinting as the moon shone upon it. She gripped the handle of the bow harder whilst pulling the string a bit more and let it go. The arrow whizzed past the trees and was punctured directly at the red-headed empousa's head, instantly turning her into dust.
A collective gasp escaped the others' lips, and Thalia went charging with her spear and Aegis. She duelled all of them, dodging the empousa's attacks by blocking them with Aegis. They froze momentarily at the sight of the shield, and Thalia took that as an opportunity to use her spear to stab one of them right through the heart. The unlucky empousa dissolved into dust; its remains ware carried away by the wind.
The remaining two empousai left tried to go for Thalia's head, but was shot down by Artemis' speeding silver arrows. They, too, perished to nothingness, but the goddess and demigod knew there would be more.
Artemis' bow and arrows disappeared the moment she didn't need them any more, and Thalia's spear once again turned into a mace canister, whilst Aegis became a shiny silver bracelet. Thalia looked at Artemis questioningly, seeking answers to her unspoken questions. Finally, being unable to bear it any longer, Thalia asked in both curiosity and anxiety, "Do you think they're working for someone, Lady Artemis?"
"I do not know," Artemis admitted, shaking her head. She then tucked a stray of auburn hair behind her ear so that it wouldn't be a hindrance. "However, we should tend to the mortal, and make sure he is all right." She indicated at the teen lying almost lifelessly on the grassy plains with her thumb. Thalia followed where her mistress was pointing to; her eyes widened and her mouth hung wide open when she saw the wounded body behind Artemis.
"Lady Artemis," Thalia gasped, staring at the body in a mixture of disbelief and horror, "t—that's..." She felt a lump form in her throat, making it hard for her to continue. She couldn't believe what was in front of her; there must be some huge mistake! That boy was...
"What is it, Thalia?" Artemis frowned, disliking the expression her half-sister had on her face. She turned around, and stood motionless as a statue whilst staring at the body, for she now understood why Thalia appeared devastated.
Before them was a young man wearing bloodstained clothing; his denim trousers had holes and several whip marks, and the same could be said with his once-white T-shirt as both was coated in crimson blood. The young man had a lightly-tanned complexion and black hair with a streak of grey; Artemis didn't need to know what colour his eyes were as everything she noted so far was enough to tell her that it was a person she and Thalia knew all too well.
The man was none other than Percy Jackson.
A/N: The title means "everlasting", if you are wondering, and it is also a type of flower. This is my first Pertemis fan fiction, please be kind to me? :) I have not actually read The Last Olympian yet, but my friend spoiled me some parts of it (She's a great friend, isn't she?). However, I will check it out if the library has it.
-Edit: I have finally finished reading The Last Olympian and read through this instalment and made corrections. I hope this seems good enough for ye? :)-
Thank you for reading. Please review. ConCrits are welcome. :)