Disclaimer: I do not own PJO nor Mythology.
Hunting
"Percy, please stop!" Artemis giggled. Percy was tickling her making Artemis squirm. Artemis had pushed Perseus into a spiderweb making him scream like a little girl. Percy took revenge on her by tickling her knowing that she was beyond ticklish.
Artemis and Percy were out picking berries from the nearby bushes near they're home.
Both grew up fast for both were gods. Yes, Perseus, was a god. Artemis had found that out when she slashed his arm with a knife, while training with him, making golden ichor flow from the wound. Also she found out because he was aging just as fast as she was. They both looked to be around the age of thirteen or fourteen.
Percy had shown Artemis everything a person needed to survive in the wilderness and also to defend themselves. He taught her how to hunt, how to know which berries were poisonous and which were not, and mostly basic survival skills. Artemis, of course, was a fast learner and soon showed signs of a great hunter.
Percy and Artemis were best friends, but Perseus didn't want to be just friends. Ever since he met her he fell in love upon sight. Percy wanted to tell her how he felt about her and had tried to, but failed. He knew that she didn't believe in love. She told him herself. He remembered her word's everyday he saw her. "I could never love someone. I don't know why, but I feel that no man could ever be what I want them to be. I'll never find that one person that makes me want to give my life to them... you know what I mean?"
Oh, how Perseus tried to impress her, but she never paid him any attention. He wanted to be the person she gave her life to. He wanted her to know how he felt. He wanted his Artie to actually be his forever...
Perseus had stopped tickling Artemis and now stood in front of her all spaced out. Artemis snapped her fingers and waved her hand in his face trying to get him out of his little dream session. Percy didn't even blink. "Percy, hello? Earth to Percy. Are you there?" Artemis spoke, still waving her hand to get his attention.
Percy soon shook his head and stared confusingly at Artemis. Artemis just stared back equally confused.
"Are you okay? You seem to be spacing out a lot Percy." Artemis teased, but inside she was worried. He'd been acting very strange lately.
"I'm fine, Artie," Percy said in some sort of a trance, "I'm just thinking about stuff, that's all. No need to worry about little old me." Artemis still didn't look convinced but let it go. Percy was so hard headed that it would take a lot for him to break. She took one last look at him, scoffed, and turned around leaving Perseus with a dumb expression. 'What's up with her?' He just shrugged it off and kept on picking the berries from the bushes.
"You know Percy, if you keep thinking too much your head might explode." Artemis spoke, in a conversing manner.
"No it won't! You're just saying that to scare me," Percy exclaimed. "I remember last time you told me that if I ate my food to fast it would eat me. Well, here's a news flash, it didn't eat me! I'm not falling for you're tricks this time." Even though he said that he still felt his head to see if it was still there. Thankfully, it was.
"Oh, really?" Artemis turned toward him with a smirk upon her face. "Well, if it does explode don't come crying to me for any help." As she said this, she turned around, and walked away leaving Perseus with a frightened look.
"A-A-Artie, you were just kidding right? Artie?" Percy took off toward her direction making sure the berries didn't fall from the basket he was holding.
By the time he reached her they were already inside their home. Both put the baskets of berries atop a wooden table where they ate their meals and sat down on the wooden chairs that accompanied the table.
"You're so mean Artie," Percy spoke, breaking the silence between them. "Why are you always picking on me?"
"'Cause you're so fun to pick on," Artemis said, as if it were obvious. "Stop being such a baby and take it like a man." Artemis stood up from where she was sitting, grabbing the baskets of berries, and started exiting the house.
"Where are you going?" Perseus asked, a bit of anger evident in his voice. He was still mad about the whole 'Your heads gonna explode' situation.
Artemis didn't seem to hear him as she walked away without a word. At this Percy ran out the door, following Artemis.
"Ugh, now what do you want?" Artemis spoke, clearly annoyed.
"Well, since you avoided my question... I have to follow you around to have that question answered. Now where are we going?" Percy had snatched a basket from her hand and now took the lead.
"We aren't going anywhere." Artemis took back the basket of berries from Perseus. "I'm going to wash these berries in the river, while you go hunt for food. It's your turn to catch it. Remember?" She walked away again, leaving Percy behind.
"It's your turn to catch it. Remember?" Percy said, quietly, in a bad imitation of her voice. He stuck his tongue out at her leaving figure, while kicking the dirt that lay beneath him. "Thinks she could order me around. Well, I'll show her! I'll hunt down the biggest deer she's ever seen!" With that said he ran back toward the house to grab some weapons and started his search for their meal.
Several hour's later...
The whole hunting thing wasn't really Perseus' thing. He was more of a fishing kind of guy. So, when Percy said he would hunt the biggest deer she'd ever seen, well, it didn't go so well...
"Ahh!" Percy was running for his life, as a heard of cattle came charging at him.
He hadn't found any deer, so he decided to hunt down some cattle instead. At first he thought it would be easy to shoot down a cow with an arrow and of course being the idiot he was he actually shot one down. Boy, was he wrong when he thought it'd be easy. When the cow felt the arrow impale his butt, the cow went crazy.
The cow moved in circles and started making the other cows nervous. After the cow finished moving in circles it just dropped dead to the ground. Perseus was about to go claim his prize, but stopped midway seeing the other cattle turn toward him with angry looks.
"Uh, Hi, guys. I'm just going take your little friend over here and head home, okay?" Percy spoke to the cows, as if they were human. The cows just glared at Percy.
"Moo!" One of the cows sent out a battle cry. The cow that mooed came charging at him with the other cows following right behind. Percy seeing as he was outnumbered, ran for his immortal life.
After running for several hours Percy found a river and jumped right in. The cows stopped as they saw that Percy was no where to be seen. They all grunted and headed back to their territory.
"Phew, they're gone. Evil little cows." Percy said, clearly exhausted. "Now what am I going to do? Artie will hang me if I don't bring anything to eat and it's already nightfall." A fish passed by looking at Perseus with a weird look.
"What are you looking at? Scram!" Percy screamed at the little fish. The fish did as he was told and swam away faster than you can say tuna.
Percy breathed an exasperated sigh and put his head in his hands. Suddenly, Percy raised his head up and looked toward the direction the little fish swam away. Everything seemed to click in Percy's head.
"Wait, little fish! Come back!" Percy yelled. He propelled himself and swam after the fish.
Meanwhile...
"Ugh, where could that idiot be? He should be here by now!" Artemis breathed an angry breath. She hugged her stomach as it growled.
She was also worried about Percy. He wasn't exactly the greatest hunter out there and he would most likely get hurt in the wilderness. What confused her the most was how could he have survived when he was all alone until she came around. It also confused her at how he could have shown her how to hunt, kill, and survive, while he couldn't even get those things down himself.
Sure, Percy knew how to fight, but he was still...Um... What's the word? Clumsy. Yes, he was very clumsy. He always acted before he thought things through.
Even though he was clumsy and impulsive, Artemis still wouldn't leave his side if the world was about to end. She still remembered the day he had saved her. Perseus was protective and she knew he would do anything to keep her happy. He would conquer the world just for her...
"Artie! Open the door!" Percy yelled from outside. Quickly Artemis stood from where she was sitting and ran to the door, unlocking it.
She expected for Perseus to be all scratched up and have a little dead bunny with him, because last time he went hunting that was exactly the way he appeared at the front door, but what she saw wasn't that at all.
What she saw in front of her was Perseus soaking wet, holding four dead fish, and a triumphant smirk on his face.
"What happened to you Percy and what took you so long?" Artemis asked. He just walked in setting the dead fish on the table and sitting down on one of the chairs.
"Well, I didn't find any deer so I hunted for cattle, but that didn't work seeing as they chased me down." Percy began. "Then I sought out to catch some fish instead."
"You were chased down by cattle?" Artemis asked, not believing what she just heard.
"Yup, apparently, cattle get mad when you shoot down one of their own." Perseus sighed, he was exhausted from the events that had occurred in his hunt for food. He just wanted to eat with Artemis and head straight to bed.
Artemis didn't question him any further seeing at how tired he looked. She grabbed the fish and went outside to start a fire. She stuck the four fish on some sticks, held them close to the fire, and sat there thinking about Perseus and the things he went through just to make her happy. He thought she didn't notice how hard he tried to impress her, but she knew.
Percy made sure not to be heard as he made his way toward the entrance of the house and stared at her with a thoughtful expression. 'She's so beautiful.' He thought as he got lost in the memories the both had made together. 'The only good thing that's happened to me since I was born was meeting her. I just wish she could see how much I love and care about her.'
Artemis sensed his presence and turned to look in the direction he was standing. She noticed that he was spaced out again. She shook her head and left him to his thoughts. 'I wonder what he thinks in that little head of his.' She started to get lost in her own thoughts and memories as she stared at the fire.
Both ate in silence that night. Each not knowing that they were thinking about one another.
Percy, too exhausted to make it to bed, fell asleep by the warm fire. His thoughts plagued by Artemis. 'If only you knew Artie...'
Artemis just stared at Perseus feeling herself falling asleep as well. He seemed so peaceful and innocent while he was sleeping. 'When will you grow up?' Artemis knew it would take Perseus a long time to leave his childish ways, but she liked him exactly the way he was. He was Percy and even though she told him to leave his annoying kiddish ways behind, she never meant it. She wanted him to stay the way he was. She wanted for Percy to be Percy. She would never change him.
'I want you to be exactly the way you are Percy. Don't ever change.'
...
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-PercyxArtemis
