(Four days after the incident at camp)
The Hunt decided to take Percy with them after seeing the condition that wretched daughter of Athena left him in. They had been traveling down the east coast and had just enter New Hampshire when they decided to camp in the woods for the night. Every girl in the Hunt, even Phoebe, was worried about Percy. He never came out of his tent and when he did he didn't talk to anyone he just walked out of camp and came back with a sack full of something heavy.
The girls thought it was just him needing time but even Artemis, who he said he loved, couldn't get him to talk. Deciding that enough was enough Artemis finally worked up the courage to keep trying until he talked. Walking to his tent Artemis stopped abruptly in front of it after getting a whiff of alcohol. Storming in she found Percy lying in his bed, scrunched up in the fetal position, shaking, with a bottle of Captain Morgan in his hand and many empty bottles on the floor.
"Oh Percy…" She whispered, a single tear trailing down her face at see the only male she ever respected like this. Apollo if you can hear me I need you She prayed.
A flash of gold to her right signaled his arrival. "Hey sis what's…" He trailed off when he seen Percy. Apollo instantly went in to medic mode, nudging his sister out of the way and touching Percy's forehead while chanting in ancient Greek.
Artemis left the tent, leaving Percy to Apollo, and went to search for Thalia. After ten minutes of searching Artemis heard the familiar twang of a bow followed shortly by the thud of a arrow hitting it's target. Stepping into the Archery Range she found Thalia shooting at dummies over two hundred yards away.
"Thalia? May I have a word with you?" Artemis asked tentatively.
"What do you need My Lady?" Thalia answer while notching a arrow.
Artemis took a deep breath and put her hand on Thalia's arm. "Percy is in trouble." She chose the short answer.
"Wait what do you mean? How is he in trouble isn't he in his tent?"
Artemis took the next ten minutes to explain what she saw to her lieutenant. When Thalia heard about what Percy did electricity started sparking off of her and the sky darkened. Seconds later the dummies at the other end of the range exploded as lightning hit them. When Artemis looked back at her she had tears falling down her face. Artemis wrapped her distraught lieutenant in a tight embrace while rubbing her back.
"Can we go see him?" She said in between sobs.
"Sure. Come on." Artemis helped Thalia up and guided her toward Percy's tent.
When Artemis opened the flaps to his tent she instantly regretted it. Laying on his bed white as a corpse, raggedly breathing, gripping Apollo's hand lay Percy Jackson the Savior of Olympus.
"What happened Apollo?" Artemis worriedly asked.
"He wasn't just drinking sis. He was doing almost every drug I know except for Coke. I did all I can but he just doesn't want to wake up. I honestly don't know what's wrong with him." With that Apollo flashed out of the tent to rest.
Seeing Percy like this was to much for Thalia, who ran to her tent as soon as Apollo flashed out. Artemis took hesitant steps towards him until she was by his side. Conjuring up a chair, Artemis sat down and watched as Percy mumbled in his sleep about a lion in the back of a truck. Artemis gently took his hand in hers and laced her fingers in his. Percy stopped mumbling and smiled a small smile before he was thrown into a fit of coughing making his eyes fly open as he struggled to breath. Artemis jumped out of her seat and placed both her hands on his chest to push him back on the bed and rub circles into it.
"A…Arty?" He asked weakly.
"Yes Percy." She smiled the smallest of smiles.
"What…What are you doing here?"
"I came to check on you and sit with you until you were better. Now I have to ask a question. Why would you do this?"
"I..I just wanted to be with my Mom and Paul again. I don't want to live this life anymore if all it's going to do is cost me the ones I love. And to make matters worst one of the people I truly love can't even she me the same affection or love." Tears were running down his face. "Just kill me please. Don't make me live like this anymore."
Artemis looked at her broken hero and decided what she needed to do. Lowering her head down while inhaling his scent of the ocean that somehow managed to overpower the alcohol, her lips met his. She felt him tense for a moment then he melted into the kiss along with her.
The need for air made the two break apart. Artemis looked into those intoxicating sea green eyes and put her forehead against his.
"I can return those feeling Perseus. So please don't ever do anything like this again." She said as she laid her head on his chest.
"I'm sorry…I just wanted to see them again and…" He trailed off.
Artemis looked up from her place on his chest and saw the pain that replace the mirth and goofiness in his eyes, that were now rimmed with tears that threatened to fall. Reaching her hand to cup his face she kissed him once again. Pulling away she saw that same old grin that stole her breath away.
"I'm sorry for doing this to you Arty. I was so lost in my depression and the pain of betrayal that I didn't even think of how you would feel." His gaze shifted towards the ground.
"It's fine Gill-boy just promise you won't do it again." She held out her hand with her pinkie finger extended.
Percy smiled as he wrapped his pinkie around her much smaller one. "I promise Sailor Moon" Some of the old Mirth returning to his eyes as he leaned down to kiss her once more before laying his head on the his pillow and falling asleep with her on his chest.