"Ow-OW! Fuck!" Percy snarled, trying to rip his arm out of Calypso's grasp, forgetting about her superior strength.
The titaness rolled her eyes and held firm,"Don't be a baby. Stay still and I can fix it-"
"It hurts!"
"Surely it's not as painful as listening to you complain." She replied dryly, dark eyes flickered up to meet his momentarily before lowering to his wound.
He scowled,"Yeah well, let's shove you full of thorns and see how you like it."
Her lips tugged into the smallest of smiles,"If I recall correctly, you jumped into the thorns."
"I saw a skunk."
"You could have spoken to her, you know. Pan said you hurt her feelings."
"LA didn't have skunks...well at least we didn't where I lived. She startled me!" He defended, yelping as she ripped out another thorn. To his credit, the thorns were deeply embedded in his skin, and it undoubtably hurt to yank them out. Percy, when startled by the skunk, had leapt into brambles and landed on his left arm. He had a couple scratches but none hurt him as much as the various thorns that dug into his flesh.
Calypso worked diligently, focusing on gently prying the thorns out,"Ah, you lived a very nice life with little struggle, correct?" It wasn't spoken with malice, and Percy didn't feel defensive when he responded.
"Yeah, I lived a great life. My dad died when I was too young to remember and, thanks to my mom's hard work, we became rich. My mom has quite the rags to riches story but I don't." He shrugged casually, jumping and cursing at the abrupt pain that came from yet another thorn being ripped out. The woman paused what she was doing to wipe up the blood leaking out of his arm.
"Tell me about your mother."
He raised a brow,"You want to hear about my mom-FUCK!" He yelped, grimacing as Calypso tossed another thorn aside.
"I do not wish to hear your mom participate in...such activities." Calypso said cooly, managing to evoke a quiet laugh from the man.
"You know what I mean." He chuckled, always an appreciator for dry humor. His elation was quickly diminished when she ripped another thorn from his arm. He cursed loudly and had to prevent himself from shoving the titaness away from him.
"I want to distract you...but I am curious about her. She seems to be the one person you think highly of." She murmured, pausing to allow Percy to regain his bearings. His face was red down to his neck from anger and pain.
Green eyes, surprisingly, softened as he looked down at Calypso,"She's the greatest person I know. If you ever met her...you'd wonder how she gave birth to someone like me." She looked at him in surprise, he didn't sound bitter, instead he sounded indifferent; as though he had already come to terms with the monster of a man he believed he was.
"Why is that?"
A genuine laugh escaped him,"I'm a prick. My mother is so kind and caring and honest...she's so unbelievably real. Maybe she's better because she didn't grow up in the industry like I did. I've learned how to play the game, you never expose your true self in public, and that's the most important rule to remember." He said, becoming more serious as he spoke,"You're different in front of the cameras, clients, employees, business partners, etc. You have to adjust yourself in order to get the best results."
He then smiled,"It's thrilling. You learn to read people so well...all while hiding behind a mask of your own. You can't let people get close. Open up to the wrong people and they'll fuck up everything you've worked so hard to build. It's like...being a spy. You dig up whatever you can about the other person, hide behind this carefully crafted persona, and try not to get caught."
Calypso frowned at this,"Isn't that...tiring?"
"I suppose it can be...shit sometimes I-" He slammed his mouth shut before looking away from her. The titaness looked at him imploringly, not noticing how fascinated she had become with his story. But it was clear he had already revealed too much of himself.
"You talk about having many personas...what about your real one?"
Green eyes looked lost, staring intently at her, as though she held the answer to this question,"I...I don't know." He frowned,"I like to think my real self comes out when I'm around my mom but...is it really me, or the son she so desperately wants me to be? The son I so desperately want to be for her?" He mused,"I can't give you an answer, the real me is here but it will take a lot of digging to find him."
Calypso nodded slowly, pulling the last thorn out and wiping up the remainder of the blood,"Do you want to?"
"Do I want to, what?"
"Do you want to find him?"
"...I don't know."
They were silent after that. Percy, not wanting to dwell on their conversation, became quickly enraptured with Calypso's healing process. He watched in amazement as her hands glowed a brilliant gold, his skin tingled as her healing hands hovered over his injuries, and his wounds closed themselves.
"Whoa...will you teach me how to heal?" He asked, looking at her in awe as she continued to heal him.
Calypso looked up at him, an amused smile adorned her lips,"If healing was one of your abilities, I would."
"You mean I can grow plants but I can't heal myself or others? That's bullshit." Percy grumbled, causing Calypso to shake her head in disapproval.
"Maybe Pan wanted me to tag along so I could tame your vulgar mouth."
"What, and you don't cuss?"
"No."
"Well shit, maybe you're here so I can teach you how to cuss properly."
The corner of her lips twitched upward,"You're ridiculous."
He looked at her with wide eyes,"Ridiculous?" He seemed completely mystified, and just like that he had his guard up again,"That's...new."
Percy was a schmoozer, and a damn good one at that, but only towards people he believed could be useful to him. He didn't schmooze those he respected, they deserved better, and they were usually too cynical to be easily flattered. So Percy sat in the grass quietly, examining the gods before him closely, trying to discover which ones would be useful to befriend.
Artemis, Apollo, Persephone, Demeter, Dionysus, Lupa, and Hermes. Percy didn't know why Hermes and Apollo visited his training sessions so frequently, he assumed that Hermes wanted to spend his remaining time with Pan before he faded, and Apollo was there to antagonize his twin. The other gods were there due to their ties with nature, and Pan wanted them to help Percy in any way they could. Apparently training a new god was difficult, and Pan thought their occasional guidance would be helpful.
Fox ears twitched at the sound of Apollo and Hermes snickering as they stood a ways away from the group. Percy huffed in annoyance. Ever since he had grown his ears it was painful to keep them suppressed for too long; meaning he had to wear them in order to prevent himself from getting splitting headaches. His tail was folded neatly in his lap as half heartedly listened to Pan's lecture.
I look like a fucking furry. Fuck me.
"Further more," The god continued, looking at Percy with a gentle smile,"your fox traits will help you be more adaptable to your surroundings. The reason for this is because foxes are in nearly every type of environment..." Percy's eyes wandered to Dionysus. He was leaning casually against the tree and cradling his small glass of wine to his chest.
Dionysus had a chubby face topped with curly hair so black it looked purple. His nose was a bright red and he had thick, black stubble that only added to his sloppy appearance. He wore a tacky, tiger striped Hawaiian shirt, bright red pants, and purple running shoes. His reward for helping Pan to train the new god was an occasional glass of wine, he'd been sober for far too long to ever turn down the chance. And while Dionysus was immune to the effects of alcohol, he didn't let that stop him from letting himself feel some of it's inebriating effects, just for old times sake.
Percy and Dionysus got along surprisingly well due to their similar attitudes- that and the wine god had cracked up when he heard Percy's constant use of dry humor. The god liked him because he had balls. And Percy liked him because he wasn't full of bullshit, Dionysus openly expressed his displeasure of being there with these other gods.
Green eyes trailed to Lupa. The wolf goddess was stoic, but very straightforward. She was apparently there to help him channel his inner beast...or whatever that meant. She had actually volunteered, wanting to get a feel for him, to see who was worthy enough to succeed Pan. Percy examined her for a moment, not seeing how she could benefit him in any way. She only controlled wolves and...could hold her own in a fight. Maybe her physical strength alone was enough of a reason to keep her close.
His eyes flickered over to Demeter. She had long, blonde hair the color of wheat. She was beautiful, wearing a bright green dress that accentuated her features, tied together with a dark brown cape. Atop her head was a crown of woven corn leaves and adornments of various, vibrant flowers. Demeter would be a useful ally to have. She was an Olympian, and would undoubtably hold a lot of sway within Olympus. However, he'd have to be acquainted with her daughter to get on her good side. He didn't see much use for Persephone, she was quiet and most certainly not as powerful as her mother, but they were a package deal.
Persephone was beautiful like her mother. She had voluminous black hair and warm brown eyes, she wore a dress that shimmered with brilliant colors, and the flower patterns in the fabric of her dress were constantly changing and bloomed. Her skin was sun kissed like her mother's, and she seemed more lively than he would have ever pegged her to be. Apparently her appearance changed given the season. She was pale and gloomier during the winter, but the warmer months made her brighter and happier.
Demeter was constantly doting on Persephone, hugging her, kissing her forehead, or making sure she ate plenty of cereal and other grains. Percy would watch with envy and disgust as Persephone brushed off her mother's affection.
He would kill to be coddled by his mom, it had been months and he missed her terribly. He had figured that, due to their separation during the winter months, Persephone would be very receptive towards her mother's affection. But she didn't seem to care, and that infuriated him, she was so lucky to get to be around such a loving mother.
Hermes and Apollo were also Olympians...but they didn't seem worth befriending. There was also something very strange about Hermes, the god seemed really familiar but Percy didn't know where he would have seen him before. Hermes always tried to make small talk with him, and Percy had made it very clear that he had no intentions of befriending him.
Hermes was the god of thieves, why would Percy associate with such a mischievous loose cannon? But no matter how cold he was towards Hermes it never deterred him. The god was still chipper and eager to talk to him.
Apollo was just annoyingly vain. What use was a sun god? His sister, however, was a goddess he liked. Percy was trying to analyze her, trying to get on her good side. She would be a powerful asset if he played his cards right. She was Zeus's darling daughter, being in her good graces could prove beneficial in the future. Not to mention she knew the forest like the back of her hand and was a very skilled huntress. He wanted Artemis to back him in any altercation his big mouth would surely get him into.
Calypso was the disgraced daughter of Atlas and a powerful sorceress. She had magical abilities that allowed her to heal and she could manipulate the winds. She had control of wind spirits, not that Percy knew what the hell those were, and she was apparently a proficient gardener. Seeing as she was stuck on this journey with him, he had no choice but to at least become civil with the girl.
She wasn't all that bad, they were just very different, and this caused them to argue a lot. What surprised him was how...happy she was. She always found beauty in the world around her. He had noticed a slight bitterness in her, but for the most part she was a rather pleasant person.
"Percy?" Percy's ears flickered at the sound of Pan addressing him,"Does that work for you?"
The man glanced up at his mentor with a bored facial expression,"I don't know what you said, but does my opinion really matter in this situation?" He asked scathingly, still bitter about forced to become Pan's successor.
Pan smiled pityingly at him,"I suppose not. I was just saying that you will spend time with your fellow nature gods, and they will teach you how to better your abilities. While we do this, we will be staying with Artemis and her hunt. There's a lot you can learn from them."
"Like how to cut off dicks?"
Artemis shrugged,"Well, since you'll be with all girls, we'll obviously have to start with yours." Calypso snickered at her joke. She didn't get along with Artemis very well, and she wasn't looking forward to staying with the hunt, but she did appreciate the goddess's humor.
Dionysus took one look at the horror on Percy's face and belt out a thunderous laugh,"Good luck with them, kid. You thought being stuck with this hipster was bad," Another laugh escaped him,"wait till you're stuck with team feminist."
Percy couldn't help but chuckle at this,"Shut up and drink your wine, fat bastard."
"Don't have to tell me twice, little shit." He hummed, happily taking a swig from his glass.
Apollo frowned,"I'm so confused, how do you and Percy even get along?"
Dionysus snorted,"Easy, he's the least annoying person here aside from Lupa and Calypso." He glowered at Apollo,"Your haikus are shit and your head is stuck up your own ass. Your sister hates anything with a penis," He leveled his glare at Artemis,"a lot of men are pigs, sweetheart, we all know that. But your gender is made up of gold digging whores and does a helluva lot more bitching." Everyone started at him in shock as he held up his index finger and chugged down half his glass; which confused the hell out of Percy because, the glass wasn't that large, how was there any wine in there at this point?
When he finished he turned to Demeter,"If I could, I would shove a whole box of cereal down your throat so you'll shut up about grain." He then sneered at her daughter,"And wasn't it Persephone that bitched about being stuck with Hades and separated from her mother? And now that she's around her she acts as aloof as I'll get out, makes no fucking sense, stop being a bitch." He didn't even bother looking at Hermes as he chugged more wine down,"Hermes is a smarmy prick that needs to keep it in his pants- fucking hell how many kids do you have?"
The wine god was red in the face now,"You have so many kids-"
"How many are there?!" Apollo chirped in, completely loving the antagonistic side of Dionysus.
"So many kids, that any unclaimed demigod is presumably your child." Apollo and Percy snickered while everyone else watched on disbelief.
He then pointed at Pan,"Don't even get me started on this kumbaya motherfucker. Commie bastard. I swear if you weren't so nice I would tell you to take your hippy dippy shit and shove it." Dionysus was breathing heavily now, all red in the face from drinking,"I have no problem with Calypso, I actually feel bad for her, but for fucks sake woman get some standards. Most of the men that got trapped on your island were fucking creeps. And the only reason I'm not tearing Lupa a new one is because I don't want my throat torn out. Percy may be an ass but at least he's just as miserable as me and doesn't pretend to be hot shit. Tch, if I didn't know any better I'd think he was my kid."
It was completely silent...until Percy started laughing. He was clutching his stomach and bending over, leaning against a startled Calypso as he laughed. And while Calypso was awkwardly allowing him to use her for support, she couldn't fight back her own smile caused by Dionysus's rant. She had some left over resentment towards the gods for leaving her trapped on that accursed island, so hearing Dionysus verbally rip them apart was rather amusing to her.
The wine god finished his drink before chucking the glass and smiling widely,"And before you get up in arms, I can yell at myself too. I'm a fat, lazy, no good bastard who gets soused by one cup of wine because I miss being drunk. Everyone hates me because I'm not an ass kisser, like Percy is, so fuck off." Percy laughed even harder, surprisingly good natured about being insulted. You had to have thick skin in the business world. Maintaining a positive image was one thing, but those in business couldn't afford to be deterred by hurt feelings.
Apollo joined Percy in laughing, as did Persephone, Pan, and Hermes. Lupa didn't seem amused and neither did Demeter or Artemis.
Artemis was scowling at the drunkard,"If one glass of wine makes you so bold then I'm not surprised your alcohol privileges have been revoked."
Demeter placed her hands on her hips,"I agree with Artemis, that entire rant was uncalled for. And I can't believe you attacked me for wanting to keep everyone healthy! Cereal is an important to have for breakfast, just as grains are important to our nutrition!" She insisted, glancing at her daughter in slight surprise by her levity,"I'm rather surprised you found his drivel at all humorous."
Persephone smiled gently at her mother before placing a hand over hers,"He's a bitter drunk, you can't take what he says to heart..." She trailed off, looking at Demeter apologetically,"even if there's truth to his ranting." The harvest goddess gave her daughter a tender kiss on the head but said nothing, knowing now wasn't the appropriate time to be discussing such things.
Dionysus let out a loud belch, making Artemis wrinkle her nose in disgust,"Artemis, I've been furious for decades because I haven't been allowed to indulge in my alcoholism. You have no clue how good it feels to be able to drunkenly rant again." He grumbled, smiling evilly at the goddess's obvious disdain for him.
Pan quickly interjected before Artemis could conjure up a retort,"As nice as this has been," He placed a hand on the wine god's shoulder and grinned,"and it is always entertaining with you around," Dionysus grunted but made no move to remove the god's hand,"we must retire for the evening."
All of the gods dispersed except for Hermes. Percy glanced at him curiously, ears twitching as he heard the god approach him. What was up with this guy? Why couldn't he just leave him alone? Hermes wasn't worth befriending, he had no interest in getting to know him, and he thought he had been very clear about that. The godling shuffled closer to Pan and Calypso, hoping Pan would say something to him, anything to keep Hermes away.
Percy was a good judge of character. He had spent many years of his life reading people, he had to in order to run his successful company, and something about Hermes made him uncomfortable. He didn't like the mischievous blue eyes or the familiar smile that he often shot in Percy's direction.
Luckily for him, Pan chose to ask him,"Percy, what do you think of them?" Calypso too looked at Percy curiously.
Percy shrugged,"The gods worth befriending were..." He paused thoughtfully,"Dionysus, Artemis, Demeter, and maybe Lupa."
Pan narrowed his eyes,"Worth befriending?"
"Yes. Those three are strong and smart, they have good relations with Zeus, and they'll have more sway in Olympus. They can help me when I need it." He then grinned,"Dionysus is pretty worthless but he's funny. I like having him around."
His mentor looked at him with slight frustration,"I sometimes forget how much you have to learn, boy." The disapproval in his voice made Percy roll his eyes.
"I'm a grown man. I don't need a lecture from you."
Calypso decided to intervene,"Perhaps we can talk about this later?"
Percy opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted,"Percy."
His brow furrowed as he turned to Hermes,"What? Can't you see I'm a little busy here?"
The god cracked a smile,"I was just going to say that I'm impressed, you're handling this all better than I expected."
Calypso smirked as she watched Percy flounder for a response,"Uh, thanks. It's been difficult to adjust but I've been trying to be strong-"
"He saw a spider and hid behind me until I killed it." Calypso supplied, leaning causally against a tree,"And, when he saw a bear, he screamed and turned into-"
Percy glared at her and quickly cut her off,"Yeah yeah, I'm full of shit, I get it. But to be completely fair that spider was the size of a fucking walnut. Also, who isn't scared of bears?"
"The God of the Wild."
"Well it's a good fucking thing I'm not a god yet." He snarked back, growing quickly aggravated by Calypso's teasing. His ears flattened and his tail began to thrash as he turned his glare to a laughing Pan.
Hermes chuckled and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder,"Hey, don't worry about all that. You've been living as a mortal up until now. Pan and I have been gods our whole lives, Calypso has been a titan her whole life, and we don't expect you to be perfect." Percy looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before awkwardly stepping away from his touch.
"Yeah, I guess." He muttered, feeling embarrassed by his shortcomings. He was used to succeeding and having everyone's respect, but now he was completely out of his element. His mistakes and ludicrous moments hurt his image, and he detested that. It was one thing for Dionysus to mock his character, that had nothing to do with his performance, but it was another thing to be ridiculed when he was trying his hardest to succeed. He would not allow for Hermes to make excuses for him, he should be better.
Pan nodded in agreement, eyes still sparkling with amusement,"Couldn't have said it better myself. Your powers are coming along surprisingly well, you just have to get used to living in the wild."
"Or, and here's a crazy idea, you could conjure up a fucking bed." Percy growled,"I'm tired of sleeping on the ground, it's uncomfortable and I wake up with a sore neck every morning. You know, I can even live with a sleeping bag! Of all the fucking gods I'm stuck with it has to be the goat man that doesn't know what a fucking house is." He groused, grimacing at the slight ache in his back that flared up just at the thought of sleeping on the ground again.
This caused Calypso to roll her eyes,"Anything else you'd like to complain about?"
"Oh I have a whole list, sweetheart, and right now you're on it."
"Perseus." Hermes snapped, making the godling look at him in surprise. He had never heard the god speak in such a firm tone, a tone that would belong to a disappointed parent,"Calm yourself."
He looked at the god incredulously before pointing at Pan,"That's your son, not me. My dad is dead, so don't talk to me like I'm your kid." He snarled, turning on his heel and stomping off.
Calypso watched him storm off, disdain filled her eyes as her lip curled into a sneer,"What a brat."
Pan sighed,"He's adjusting...I can't blame him for his anger. I believe he's just homesick."
"Doesn't mean he should act that way."
"It doesn't." Pan agreed,"But change is not instantaneous." He then looked at his father,"Your reaction to his behavior did you no good. He doesn't know you nor does he care about you. Try building a relationship with him first before you reprimand him." He suggested lightly, giving the god a pitying look as his shoulders sagged.
"I did mess that up, didn't I?" He sighed.
Calypso nodded,"It was...uncomfortable for everyone."
"I just...I don't want him to act that way." Hermes said weakly, knowing how foolish that sounded coming from him. The titaness regarded him with disapproval but kept her mouth shut. With a quiet farewell she walked back towards the camp, hoping Percy was sleeping so they wouldn't get into another argument.
When she got back she looked in the cave, confused to see Percy was nowhere to be found. She looked around in slight worry, squinting in the darkness, only having the light of the fire to assist her. She then heard a soft snore, and she looked around in confusion.
Another snore, she looked up and nearly laughed at the sight of Percy. He was on a thick tree branch, straddling it and sleeping on his stomach. His arms and legs dangled, his cheek pressed against the branch, and she was surprised he had even managed to get up there. Percy wasn't particularly skilled when it came to anything outdoorsy, much less climbing. He was clearly tired of sleeping on the ground, but he would undoubtably be sore from sleeping in such a position. She shook her head before crawling into the cave.
Just as she laid down a loud thud was heard, followed by an even louder,"FUCK ME!" A small smile crept on her lips as she closed her eyes to sleep.
The hunters weren't a bunch of bitches as Percy had suspected. If anything they were more standoffish towards him rather than outright hostile. They regarded him with suspicion but weren't disrespectful, maybe it was because he was Pan's successor, and he knew when to keep his mouth shut. He treated the hunters like they were potential clients, if he were to gain favor with Artemis then he'd need to be kind to her huntresses. Percy wasn't ass kissing, no, he knew that the hunt would give him hell for that; he just stayed out of their way and made conversation when necessary.
But he was surprised by how the huntresses treated Calypso. They treated her as though she were an outcast and it confused him. Even her sister, Zoe Nightshade, didn't acknowledge her; except for the occasional glare shot in her direction. The daughter of Atlas sat with Percy, carefully schooling her facial expression to be neutral, eyes focused intently on the small fire before them. The two sat away from the hunters, Artemis and Pan were talking quietly amongst themselves, and Percy shifted his gaze to Calypso.
The girl was stoking the flames broodily while casting a glance in Percy's direction,"Why are you staring?"
"Just curious, why does the hunt hate you?"
"Why does it matter?" She grumbled, tensing slightly as she prepared to go on the defensive.
The billionaire looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before speaking,"We're both outcasts here..." An amused smile graced his lips,"I figured we could probably get along by focusing all our annoyance towards them." He pointed to the huntresses, causing Calypso to huff out a quiet laugh.
"Do you know the tale of Odysseus?"
"I just know that he pissed off the gods and had to go on some quest."
Calypso smiled bitterly, almond colored eyes hardened in anger as she focused on stoking the flames of the fire,"Yes...on his quest he landed on my cursed island..." She trailed off, eyes flashing with pain and fury,"I...I loved him. And when he wanted to leave I wouldn't let him, I knew he had a wife, but I didn't care. I manipulated him, kept him prisoner for seven years...I'm rather infamous for it."
"...well shit."
"Indeed."
"Do you feel bad about it?" He asked, and she squinted at him, trying to see the intent behind his question. But there was none, only curiosity.
"I feel bad that he didn't want to stay...but I don't feel bad for imprisoning him." She clenched her jaw, unable to meet the man's steady gaze,"And maybe I should, but no one knows how lonely that island is." She finally looked at him again, face filled with anger,"The huntresses despise me for it, they think I'm some stupid girl that needs a man in her life, and maybe they're right..." She trailed off before shaking her head,"But that's besides the point. I don't feel bad about having seven years of company."
Percy nodded slowly, digesting her words and trying to formulate his own opinion on the matter. The first thing he had noticed was that she was honest with him, which was something he appreciated. The second thing he noticed was Calypso's lack of remorse for her actions. She knew what she did was wrong, but it was during a time of desperation. It was something Percy could almost empathize with. It was easy for him to feel alone, he only had his mother and his company; a couple of friends were scattered here and there but nothing that filled the void. However, her honesty and painful past didn't change what he thought about the situation.
"That's a little fucked up, you know that right?"
Calypso's lips twitched, curling into the smallest of smiles,"I know." Her facial expression was unreadable, which frustrated the young billionaire, he was used to the transparency fame and fortune had filtered onto people expressions.
Percy hummed before shrugging,"I guess I'm a little fucked up too, so I won't judge." He admitted before huffing out a laugh,"Just don't do that shit to me."
Calypso rolled her eyes,"Don't flatter yourself."
He smirked at her,"Too late." She snorted and he huffed out a laugh before asking,"So even your sister is giving you the cold shoulder, why is that?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"I suppose so, but I don't like uncertainty."
She shifted her gaze to Zoe,"I'm an embarrassment to her. She does not like that I had previously sided with the Titans, and she belittles me for falling in love so easily." She smiles wryly at Percy,"As you can imagine, she and I are very different. She was once spurned by Hercules and now has a strong dislike for men. I have been abandoned by all that have been stranded on my island...yet I do not give up hope."
Percy hummed thoughtfully,"Why do you continue to hope? What's the end goal for you?"
"I do not know. It's easy to become embittered by the past and act out of spite. Many of these girls have every reason to distrust men, though I believe it is misplaced." She confessed,"Everyone has malevolence, regardless of gender, and everyone acts on it at one point or another. I find the hunt to be strong and admirable, but perhaps too clouded by their judgment of men. Women can be just as wicked, and they'd be smart to remember that."
He eyed her warily,"I suppose you've proven that."
There was a spark of malice in her eyes as she looked at him stoically,"I suppose have."
"Why do I need to learn this?" Percy sighed, looking disdainfully at the silver bow placed in his hand. He stood alone with Artemis in front of her archery range. Percy had zero experience when it came to fighting or shooting arrows. He wasn't an outdoor guy, he was an innovator, a strategist. He was in fine shape, not extremely muscular but lean and well toned. What was the point of learning such a worthless skill? Wasn't he just supposed to be nice to plants and animals?
Artemis sighed,"You'll need to know how to defend yourself."
He looked at her in alarm,"W-Why would anyone want to hurt me?" He stammered, the thought of beings out there trying to kill him was enough to give him chills. It was an idea he had entertained a couple times, but he had also brushed it off. He just figured his godly powers could protect him.
The goddess rolled her eyes before turning back to the range,"A couple months ago we had to fight Kronos and several other titans to prevent them from taking over the world. They had an army of monsters and demigods that they used to attempt to overthrow us. You'll need more than your powers to be able to defend yourself."
"What the hell, no one told me I'd have to actually fight...I can't fight! I only know how to make a fist!" He complained, scowling at the bow he had been given,"And shooting arrows...why don't you guys have guns?"
"Monsters and titans cannot be killed by guns. Arrows are made of celestial bronze, which is why we use them."
"So you're telling me no one- not even the immortal black smith that's been alive for a millennia, has ever thought to make celestial bullets?" Percy snorted, eyeing the arrow in his hand disdainfully,"Un-fucking believable."
Artemis glowered at him,"Guns are unnecessary-"
"Bet you guys could have used them against Kronos's demigods." Percy pointed out,"Woulda made things a lot easier." His eyes suddenly brightened,"What if we make celestial bullets!" He enthused, grabbing Artemis's arm without thinking,"We take the idea to Hephaestus, negotiate his cut, and profit!" Percy was smiling now. For the first time since he's been in the wilderness he felt completely at ease in his element.
Artemis stared at the hand on her arm, eyes narrowed as she watched the boy for any sort of ill intentions. But he wasn't concerned about her whatsoever, his gaze was on her but he appeared to be somewhere else. The godling hadn't even registered that he held her arm, too wrapped up in his own vision to notice the way she stiffened.
"Hermes can be the distributor so we'd have to cut him in too, but with the amount we'd be making it shouldn't be a problem. We can have programs that teach demigods how to properly use guns, shit, I bet we can put some magic on them to make sure they never misfire. Of course we'd also have to account for who can own one and who can't. Just like in the mortal world, we have to put an age limit on this." He began to pace, Artemis watched him in surprise as he continued sprouting off ideas. His once mopey behavior was completely eradicated as excited rambling fell on deaf ears.
The goddess watched him for a moment longer before an idea struck her,"Percy," He stopped pacing and looked at her,"if you can go the rest of archery training, without complaining, then I'll take your idea to Hephaestus."
She was stunned by the brilliant smile he gave her,"You will?"
"As long as you put in effort, you have my word." Green eyes glistened with unbridled joy as he thrust his hand out for her to shake. Artemis regarded him with slight surprise before she shook his hand. She knew the other gods would instantly shut the idea down, undoubtably disliking the power this would give demigods, but she would speak to them about it none the less.
"Maybe you're a son of Hephaestus." She hummed thoughtfully, making Percy raise a brow.
"Isn't he ugly?"
"I suppose."
"Then he's definitely not my father." He hadn't spoken boastfully, just truthfully,"And my father isn't a god, he died when I was a baby." Percy shrugged, lifting his bow and aiming it at the target before him. Artemis frowned in confusion. Pan had informed her that Percy had been a demigod, how he had evaded monsters his whole life was beyond her.
"Elbow up." She instructed, deciding to leave Percy to his ignorance. It wasn't her place to tell him the truth, that was up to his father.
Percy was surprisingly decent at archery. Too bad his skills couldn't be transferred to fighting with a knife or sword.
"This fucking sucks." He growled, angrily stabbing at Artemis again, only to miss. The goddess had started him out with a sword, only to quickly switch him to a knife. He had no weapons training, and when he had the sword he was swinging crazily at her, no strategy or skill to be found. He quickly ran out of breath, complained about the sword's weight, and asked for something that would be easier to swing.
Percy wasn't a full god yet, so he didn't quite have the stamina of one. He was strong but he was in no way as fast or agile as a god should be. He had the speed of a child of Hermes, but it was no match for the goddess of the hunt.
Calypso and Pan watched the boy with slight amusement as he clumsily chased after the goddess. He was drenched in sweat, his breathing was labored, and he was now jogging after her- looking dead on his feet as he swung halfheartedly at her. Artemis parried his attack and shoved him backward. The godling yelped as he flew backward, slamming into a tree and slumping to the ground.
Artemis grimaced, offering a sheepish,"Sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"Whatever." Percy grumbled, stumbling to his feet and blinking in surprise as rolled his shoulders experimentally,"That...why didn't that hurt that bad?" He asked, looking at Pan in confusion.
The god laughed,"You are only a half god, but I gave you most of my natural strength. I'm strong enough without it.. and I knew you'd need it." He said playfully, making Percy roll his eyes, but he couldn't fight the small smile the explanation had evoked from him.
"Yeah yeah, stuff it you old goat." He snorted, turning back to Artemis who was watching him cautiously. There was no way he was going to beat her. In a last ditch ever he chucked his knife at her. To everyone's surprise it flew straight at her head with a startling speed.
The goddess ducked, effectively startled, but when she looked up Percy was already charging at her. Pain crashed into her skull and she flew backwards, a curse escaping her as she slammed into the ground. She clutched her head, wondering what in gods name he had hit her with.
Percy was on the ground too,"Motherfucker! Agh! Holy shit!" He had tried to tackle the goddess, only to fuck up and head butt her,"How hard is that damn head of yours?" He whined, hearing the familiar laugh of Pan and Calypso. Keeping his eyes shut he flipped them off with one hand and cradled his head with the other. It felt like the worlds worst hangover, and he was undoubtedly going to have a headache for the next century. Warm hands cupped his cheeks and his eyes fluttered open.
He was met with the sight of a beaming Calypso,"Maybe Pan brought me along because he knew how much of a disaster you'd be. At this point, I'm just your personal healer." She hummed, laughing as Percy groaned in annoyance and tried to roll away from her,"Oh don't be a baby, let me help."
As Calypso healed him Artemis stumbled to her feet, scowling angrily at the man,"Are you insane?" The pain was subsiding but her pride was wounded from having been caught off guard.
Percy grunted as he shifted in Calypso's lap, eyes remaining closed as he responded,"I was going to tackle you but I tripped."
"Unbelievable."
"I'm just glad I didn't hurt my ears."
Pan chimed in,"This is precisely why I prefer horns."
Percy rolled his eyes,"I'll remember that horns are superior the next time you get tangled up in vines."
"That was one time, and I...I was testing you." Pan huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and smiling slightly as Calypso laughed at him.
"Of course you were. Was it also a test when you accidentally poked Dionysus in the eye with your horn?" She teased, eliciting a snicker from the man in her lap.
A mischievous grin spread across his lips,"Who said that was an accident?" This caused Percy to open his eyes and regard him in surprise. Artemis and Calypso were chuckling at the god's antics while Percy frowned in confusion.
"That was on purpose?" Pan belted out a hardy laugh, attracting the attention of birds and squirrels in the area. He didn't even blink as the critters jumped on his shoulders or horns, instead, he smiled at them fondly before looking back at Percy.
"My father is Hermes, mischief is in my nature." Percy looked at him curiously for a moment, Pan was far more mature than Hermes, and it was hard for him to believe Hermes was a father to someone so wise.
The godling couldn't help but ask,"Was it because Dionysus called you a kumbaya mother fucker?"
"Of course not. It was because he called me a commie bastard. I am certainly no communist." Percy barked out a laugh at this, sitting up as soon as Calypso healed his head.
"Well, that's good. If you couldn't tell already, I'm a proud capitalist."
Artemis huffed in annoyance,"If we're all done wasting time, I would like to continue training Percy-"
"Milady, I have your report ready." A voice interrupted her and they all turned to see Zoe Nightshade jogging towards her.
Percy looked at Calypso in confusion,"Milady? What year is she from?"
Zoe cast a glare at him,"Shut up, boy!" She snapped, surprising Percy with her audacity. He already didn't like Zoe based on the cold shoulder she gave her own sister. And while he and Calypso had a strange and somewhat rocky relationship, Percy still was bothered by how rude Zoe was to Calypso.
Calypso was a rather nice person, despite being an ass to him at times and vice versa, and she didn't deserve to be ostracized for her past actions. That's not to say she didn't deserve to be reprimanded for what she had done. He firmly believed she did. But just because she screwed up didn't mean she should be cast aside.
"Ah, there's that fiery personality I've been hearing so much about." He chuckled dryly, narrowing his eyes,"Don't forget that I'm to be a god soon. Show some respect, girl."
Artemis was quick to intervene,"You will hold your tongue when addressing my hunters, do you understand?"
"She fucking started it-"
"Do you understand?" Percy clenched his jaw but refused to respond, making the goddess grow angered by his lack of submission.
Calypso sighed from behind the godling,"Percy-"
He turned to her with a raised brow,"Oh don't tell me you're taking her side!" He pointed at Zoe,"And don't tell me you wouldn't love to see me put her in her place." Not physically of course, because he couldn't fight, and Zoe would beat his ass,"She's such a bitch to you for no reason." He had lowered his voice in hopes of Zoe and Artemis not hearing him. The last thing he wanted was for Zoe to actually kick his ass.
The man was stunned by the warm smile the titaness gave him,"As noble as this is, I would prefer if you didn't go picking fights on my behalf."
"W-What?" He was thrown off,"I'm not attacking her for you." Was he? "I got mad at her abrasive attitude and..." He trailed off, growing frustrated by Calypso's now knowing smile. He scowled at her and remained silent.
Pan watched the exchange with slight curiosity before turning to Artemis,"While Percy should watch his temper," He looked at the man pointedly before continuing,"your hunters should also be respectful towards him. They do not have to like him, but they must realize that this is the future god of the wilds." Artemis hesitated at this, opening her mouth just as quickly to close it; looking between Zoe and Percy with a conflicted facial expression.
A sigh escaped her,"You are correct." She turned to her lieutenant,"Zoe, you and your sister will be respectful towards Percy. However, if he does anything that warrants you to attack him then I'll permit it." She turned to Percy,"Same goes for you. If my hunters do anything out of spite, let me know and I shall handle it accordingly."
"So they can just kick my ass if they think I deserve it but I can't kick theirs? Awesome."
The goddess smiled slightly,"Your training is incomplete, so I highly doubt you'll be winning fights anytime soon. And you retaliating would only make things worse. I can handle my girls and punish them appropriately, they will not respect your authority, and if you attack one of their sisters they will only grow to hate you."
"But they can still attack me!"
"Only if you cause them physical harm." She amended quickly,"Only in self defense. If they are to grow agitated with you for anything verbal you may say...then they will address Pan or I on the matter."
Percy nodded slowly before saying,"So I can do this," He flipped off Zoe,"and she can't attack me?"
Artemis narrowed her eyes,"That is correct. But I must reprimand such behavior."
Percy put his finger down before grinning at Zoe,"Well look at this, we can get into verbal altercations and be just fine! We'll only be scolded, like children!" He said sarcastically, turning to Calypso when he heard her sigh in annoyance.
"Must you always make things so difficult? Why can't you just be content with the arrangement. It's actually a good idea." Percy rolled his eyes but didn't respond, instead choosing to walk off back to the camp, leaving three angered women and a disappointed Pan behind.
The god closed his eyes and breathed deeply,"We have a lot of work to do."
This chapter is dedicated to my cousin Alison. Rest easy.
Emperorlance: Was I the only one who thought Iron Man when I read the summary? xD
Playboy billionaire philanthropist.
timijaf: Great chapter can't wait for next one and I like your stance of. It mixing politics with pleasure
Shucks thanks! Yeah I'm just tired of all forms of entertainment shitting on Trump, it's just annoying, regardless of political leanings.
Thunderwolf7226: Very very good. I really like this. Could you work on your 1940s story please!
Why thank you my friend. And I gotchu on 1940 ;)
Would have done more reviews but I have other chapters to work on. I'm trying to crank a lot out before RD2 comes out because when it does it'll be all that I'm playing. I'm just so excited for that game and I've preordered it and everything. We outchea.
