AN: Hey guys, back for Chapter 3. Just quickly, this chapter is in special thanks to NightForever, Limeime and superguy880. Also, this story is going to be extremely "fluffy" for lack of a better word, or "lovey-dovey" if you will. Just a warning, there will be a lot of emotion and feels. As always, leave a review telling me what you think, and any suggestions you may have. Thanks.

LAST TIME: Not even 4 second passed when 2 arrows sprouted from Percy's torso, a groan ripped from his lips as his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed at Artemis' feet. The last thing he saw was a pair of concerned silver eyes, before everything went black.

THIS TIME: (Still 3rd person)

Two hunters lowered their bows, contrasting expressions on their respective faces. Thalia, daughter of Zeus, looked horrified, realizing who she had just shot, and immediately dropped her bow and raced towards her cousin. Phoebe, however, seemed very smug and pleased with herself as she slung her bow over her shoulder and walked away, smiling to herself.

Artemis had barely registered what had happened until Percy's body hit the ground with a thud. Panicked, she knelt by his side, and just saw his eyes close as he fell once more into unconsciousness. Fury built inside her. How could her hunters do such a thing? After the state that they had seen him in? She was snapped out of her thoughts as the demigod at her feet convulsed and coughed, a few drops of blood sliding from the corners of his mouth. Determined that he would not die in her care, she placed her arms under him just as Thalia arrived.

"OhmygoshmyladyI'msosososososorryIdidn'tseewhoitwaswhatishedoingherewhatsgoingonwillhebeok." Thalia stopped as she gasped for air, her concern for her cousin seeming to have momentarily made her forget her need of oxygen. Artemis smiled wryly.

"Yes lieutenant, he should be OK, and if you follow me to the infirmary, all will be explained." The Moon Goddess tried to hoist Percy, but grunted in surprise as she barely got him off the ground. Grinning Thalia grabbed her cousin from the other side and assisted Artemis in carrying the bulky son of Poseidon to the infirmary tent.

Once the arrows had been gently removed, they placed him in a bed, and Artemis gingerly fed him some nectar and treated his wounds. When she was satisfied that she could do no more, she absentmindedly brushed his hair from his face and turned to find her lieutenant staring at her with a raised eyebrow, and arms folded.

"What was that milady?" Artemis blushed, not having realized what she did.

"Force of habit Thalia, I always do it for you girls when you're in here. Now, I suppose you have some questions?" It was a blatant lie, but Thalia seemed satisfied as they both pulled up chairs next to Percy's bed and she began with her barrage of questions. Sighing, Artemis did her best to answer them as fully as possible.

Once Thalia finally ran out of questions, her face seemed to hold a mixture of shock, pity, disgust and anger, and Artemis could hear the faint crackle of lightning outside.

"Excuse me, my lady," the daughter of Zeus fumed, "I must inform the hunters of this… situation. With your permission?" Artemis nodded wearily, turning her attention to Percy. She heard Thalia's footsteps grow faint behind her, and sat there idly gazing at his face for what felt like ages. The tent grew silent, the only noise was the faint breathing from the bedridden demigod, the only movement being his chest rising and falling slowly. Artemis hated how he made her feel, it was an unfamiliar warmth, but a pleasant one nonetheless. After what felt like several eternities, his eyes fluttered open, groaning as he made eye contact with her. Annoyingly, her breath hitched as he smiled warmly at her, the sea-green pools of his eyes drawing her in, seemingly holding her captive.

"My lady, where am I?" This snapped Artemis back to reality as she returned his with a smile of her own.

"In my infirmary tent Perseus. After two of my hunters mistakenly shot you, you collapsed, and I brought you here. You've been out for around 4 hours." At this, he attempted to get up, grunting as he realized the immense strain his body was under, the two arrows seemingly having awoken old aches and pains. Although he tried his best to cover it up, and got out of the bed with no other signs of pain, the grunt did not go unnoticed by Artemis. In an instant she stood, her hand on his chest, meeting his eyes with hers, filled with worry.

"You should rest Perseus. Take the rest of the day to recover. Tomorrow, your duties begin, if you feel up to it." His face contorted in confusion.

"Duties, my lady?" This brought a sly grin to Artemis' face.

"Of course. No man can enter my hunt without proving his worth, not even you." Internally Percy groaned, but on the surface he smiled and bowed his head in respect.

"Of course, my lady," Was his dutiful reply. He felt a warm hand take his, and arched an eyebrow as Artemis lead him out of the infirmary. Surely this wouldn't be the best first impression that he could make on the hunters.

Once they reached the center of the camp, she let go of his hand and cleared her throat. Instantly, he missed the feeling of her warm, tender hand in his, but he understood why she did it. Still, even as she called the hunters, and they began to file into the clearing, hostility towards him apparent in their eyes, he longed for her hand, and he was certain that he would bear the brunt of whatever punishment they would inflict just to see her smile as her hand squeezed his. He was rudely awoken from his fantasies as Artemis turned to him expectantly. Assuming that she was expecting an introduction, he hastily bowed and respectfully addressed them, introducing himself. Most of them looked at him with spite in they eyes, some looked unsure, but Thalia smiled warmly at him, and this instilled him with happiness. Surely, at least he had two friends right? Thalia was more like a sister to him, he knew that she could get him through anything, and he loved her endlessly. He tried to express all of that in the smile that he returned to her, and his happiness increased tenfold when her smile grew.

In addition, Artemis seemed to be warming to him, and her presence alone could keep him going for eternities, let alone her musical laugh and enchanting smile. With those two, he reckoned he could survive if the hunters chose to assault him. Once again, he was caught daydreaming as Artemis placed a delicate hand on his shoulder.

"Perseus, your tent is right next to mine. I would advise that you rest until morning comes tomorrow. You need it." Smiling grateful, he bowed once more before walking off to find his tent. He had little trouble finding it, a modest-sized humble abode beside Artemis' larger, glowing silver tent. His seemed to be smaller than those of the hunters, but he could hardly complain. It would serve its purpose, and he had a feeling he wouldn't be using it much in times to come. As he entered, he shrugged off his shirt, tossed it to the side along with Riptide. As they landed beside the sleeping bag, his eyes began to dim, and he collapsed onto the bedding, not bothering to pull up the cover, instantly welcoming the dark embrace of sleep.

That night, Artemis sat wearily in her tent, unable to sleep. The hunters had gone to bed long ago, and were undoubtedly sound asleep, but her thoughts were plagued by a certain son of Poseidon. More specifically, their encounter in the infirmary. Although he had made an effort to hide his agony, Percy was clearly still feeling pain, and the mention of "tasks" had prompted a flash of discomfort in his eyes. However, the question that kept her up was why had he not complained? His strain was obvious, yet he had made no attempt to argue with her or persuade her otherwise. The only conclusion she seemed to be able to arrive at was that he was far too noble to deny any favors that were asked of him, no matter the pain he was in. This made her feel guilty, yet she justified it with the thought He's just a man. Was he though? All of his actions seemed to suggest otherwise. Nonetheless, it was another few hours before Artemis finally found any rest.

As a result, she was extremely irritated when she awoke at her usual time, eight o'clock sharp. She rose out of her bed, dressed quickly yet sharply and stopped to straighten her hair and wash her face. Striding out of her tent, she made her way to Perseus', expecting to have to wake him and prepared herself for the worst. Yet, what she least expected was an empty, clean tent with a few possessions, clothes and weapons arranged neatly to the side, so imagine her surprise when she unzipped the tent to find just that. Stepping into the tent wryly, she looked around, expecting this to be some trick of some sorts. Even her hunters were still in bed. Suddenly, she heard a loud thud from the center of camp, making her jump. Composing herself, she stepped out, only to find Percy standing there, his back to her as he neatly skinned and began to prepare a large deer. She walked up behind him, stopping just behind him. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, he cut her off without turning around.

"Good morning my lady. I hope you slept well?" Annoyingly there was only respect in his voice. Ignoring his question, she asked,

"Perseus what is the meaning of this?" Sensing irritation in her voice, Percy's mood fell considerably. Yesterday must have been a one-off then. Standing, he turned and bowed to the Goddess.

"Breakfast my lady. I have already collected and washed fruits and nuts, as well as fresh water from a nearby stream. I was going to set this to grill before coming to wake you and your hunters." Still, Artemis could find no disrespect or insincerity in his voice, much to her annoyance.

"I do not require you to wake me, boy. I expect, however, that you keep up this practice of having breakfast ready each morning by the time my girls are awake." Percy winced inwardly at the cold tone in her voice. Nevertheless, he continued to treat her with respect, nodding and bowing before returning to attend to the deer. Satisfied that he knew his place, although slightly guilty about how she had spoken, she woke her hunters, and slowly they made their way to the dining table, still rubbing fatigue from their eyes.

"Morning girls!" Percy beamed cheerily as the girls made their way to their seats, replying with grunts and looks of distrust and general loathing. Percy's smile faltered, and his cheerful expression replaced with a weary acceptance, that he would find no love among these hunters. He turned slowly and defeatedly back to his task, shoulder slumped as he dejectedly prepared each plate and glass. With the same dejectedness, he served each hunter their breakfast, earning a few more grunts. Finally, he placed Artemis' meal in front of her, not making eye contact as he bowed and slowly moved aside, standing with his hands behind his back, eyes on the ground. None of the hunters paid him any attention, but Artemis noticed and asked,
"Perseus, will you not eat?" Slowly, he met her gaze and she was staggered by the depths of sadness buried in them, instantly regretting how she had spoken to him earlier.

"With all due respect my lady, I already ate. I thought it would be best if I respected your space and did not intrude on your lives any more than necessary." Artemis quickly picked up on what he was hiding; he blamed himself for "disrupting" their lives. Before she could address him, a huntress she recognized as Tanya stood up, snarling.

"How dare you gorge yourself before us boy! What have you prepared for us, your leftovers? If so, we don't need your pathetic meals." At this, 20 other hunters stood up and growled, voicing their agreement. Percy's eyes once again found the floor as he replied in a quiet, meek voice.

"No, I apologize for eating before you, but you were all asleep, so I had a few of the extra fruits. Nothing more than half a plate. Sorry." The hunters seemed reluctant to accept his answer, so Artemis searched his mind, and found no more than she expected.

"Girls, sit down, he is telling the truth." With a final glare, the hunters sat down, and continued their meals, Percy's eyes still firmly fixed on the floor. When they had finished, they stood and wandered off to find some activity to occupy their spare time, Thalia glancing back hesitantly at her cousin, before joining her sisters.

Percy remained in his position, unmoving as Artemis finished her food. As she swallowed the final bite, she turned and was startled to find him still there, not having moved a fraction of an inch. She cleared her throat to get his attention, once again hit by waves of pity and guilt as his tortured eyes met hers.

"My lady, what are to be my duties?" His voice was quiet yet steely, with an air of defeat, as if he had accepted his fate of loneliness. Resolving to apologize and comfort him later, Artemis listed his tasks.

"First, you must clear the dining table, and wash every plate and glass. Then, I believe there is a stock of arrows that require sharpening and mending, and wolves that need feeding. Following that, you will need to begin whatever laundry needs doing, and of course, hunt and prepare our meals. These tasks will be yours along with sentry duty every other night for the duration of your stay here, and I expect them to be completed to the fullest of your capabilities." Nodding, Percy bowed and began clearing the table. Sighing, Artemis walked away, needing to clear her mind

Time Skip: 1.5 hours later, Hunters Camp (Still 3rd Person)

Percy swore, emerging from the wolf pen, covered in scratches and bites, having just about fed them without dying. The hunters chuckled spitefully as he passed them on his way to the armory tent, further increasing his sense of isolation. Still, at least he had some sense of purpose. Entering the armory tent, he stretched, preparing himself for an arduous ordeal. Looking around, he grabbed a whetstone and the nearest bucket of arrows. He sat himself down with a sigh. This would be a long day.

Unknown to him, Artemis was watching from her tent, having opened a viewing screen similar to an Iris message. She watched in slight admiration and awe as his muscles flexed and popped, sharpening arrow after arrow, going through buckets in an incredible pace, having found his rhythm. He had not complained once, which really stood out to her, as even her hunters would complain occasionally, and he seemed to have taken to break. Additionally, the various fresh scratches adorning his arms and rips in his shirt did not go unnoticed. She winced as an old scar slowly opened as Percy continued steaming through the arrows. Her eyes widened in shock when he paused momentarily to look at the blood slowly trickling from his forearm, before grunting and going back to his work, finding his rhythm again in no time. Closing the portal, Artemis processed what she had just witnessed. Truly, he seemed to take his tasks seriously.

She was working on organizing her tent an hour later when a soft knock came on her tent door. Pausing, she appreciated the presence of a door rather than a zip, before calling out,

"Enter!" The door swung inwards to reveal a younger hunter, Laura, aged 15, who respectfully addressed her,

"My lady," She began, "It is nearing lunchtime and the boy is nowhere to be found." The word "boy" seemed to have a bitter taste in her mouth, and Artemis sighed. What had she done?

"Assemble the hunters at the table. I will find Perseus." Nodding, Laura bowed again before hurrying away. Sighing once more, Artemis picked herself up and exited her tent, closing the door behind her. She wandered around the camp, checking every tent, resulting in nothing. Suddenly, it came to her. He must be at the stream. Closing her eyes, she flashed herself there, and as expected, she found herself behind a shirtless Percy, his naked and scar-covered back covered in a sheen of sweat as he removed a shirt from the water and hung it to dry beside what seemed to be hundreds of other garments. Pausing momentarily, he stretched, causing Artemis to wince at the cracks and pops that sounded as a result, but she couldn't help staring at his firm, muscled back, tanned deltoids clearly defined. She was snapped out of her thoughts when a few droplets of cold water hit her, as a result of Percy splashing himself to in an attempt to rejuvenate himself. This drew an uncontrolled yelp, causing Percy to jump slightly. He turned, only to bow quickly when he noticed who it was.

"Lady Artemis, my apologies for my state. What do you require of me, my lady?" He said respectfully and sincerely. Artemis was slightly taken aback.

"Why do you assume that I need something of you?" Percy smiled bitterly at this.

"Why else would you grace me with your presence my lady?" Artemis was flattered by the compliment, yet simultaneously felt guilt as she replied,

"You do not assume wrong," Even she winced inwardly as she heard her own words, "My hunters are hungry and it is lunchtime."

"My sincere apologies my lady. Give me five minutes, I will have lunch prepared." Bowing, he ran off, leaving Artemis there feeling even more guilty. Everything she had said today only must've hurt him more. She promised herself that she would catch him after he finished his chores, which so far, had been going inhumanly quickly. Sighing again (she had sighed a lot today) she flashed herself to the dining table.

Exactly 5 minutes lates, Percy appeared, with a shirt on this time, carrying several bowls of what appeared to be some form of soup. Once everyone had been served, he disappeared and came back with glasses of fresh orange juice and water for everyone. Pleasantly surprised, Artemis turned to smile her thanks, only to find him in the same position he had been in earlier, standing still as a statue, eyes glued to the ground. Frowning, she asked,

"Perseus, will you not eat?" Once again, his eyes rose to meet hers.

"Apologies my lady, there is none left. I will find some scraps later." At this, his gaze dipped again as he bowed his head. Artemis tried her best to dismiss it, but she was definitely concerned for the young demigod, and it bothered her from her first sip of the soup till the time a knock came at her tent door an hour later.

"Enter," she called, preoccupied in her thoughts concerning Perseus. Coincidentally, it was the son of Poseidon himself who entered her tent.

"My lady, I have completed all my duties for the time being. Is there any task that requires doing?" Artemis looked up, surprised, to find the demigod standing at the foot of her bed, head bowed respectfully. She sighed. It was time.

"Perseus." He looked up at her. "Come sit with me." She patted the space on her bed beside her. Hesitantly, Percy took a seat next to her.

"My lady? Have I done something wrong?" He enquired worriedly. Artemis sighed for the Gods-knew-how-many time that day.

"No Perseus, quite the opposite. I would like to apologize for how I have treated you today." At this, he raised an eyebrow, but his heart pounded.

"My lady?" He asked, confused.

"I spoke very rudely to you, and realizing how my hunters have received you, and how hurt you were after everything you've been through, I-I…" Artemis stumbled over her words, her eyes suddenly finding a fascination in the floor as a lump filled her throat. She nearly jumped when Percy's large, calloused hand squeezed hers in sympathy, understanding what she was saying. Nevertheless, she took a deep breath and continued. "I realized how it must've made you feel, alone, after everything you've been through, after everything you've done for everyone selflessly, and especially after how respectfully you've always been towards me and my hunters, I… Well I thought I should apologize. I felt extremely guilty, and I want to be your friend, Perseus, Gods know we both need it." Her shoulders slumped as she got it all off her chest. She winced as she there was no reply for several agonizing seconds, expecting the worst. She relaxed, relieved when his arms wrapped around her, embracing her tenderly. Artemis returned the hug, shutting her eyes and squeezing his muscular frame against hers tightly, enjoying how warm it felt. She hated to pull away, but it had to be done eventually, and it relieved her to no end when she saw his eyes shine with happiness.
"My lady, I would like nothing more. But you never have to apologize to me. I am the one intruding on your way of life, I must deal with the repercussions. Although," he broke into a grin, "It is nice to have you by my side Moon Beam." Blushing, she punched him playfully, not noticing the flash of pain in his eyes as she accidentally made contact with an old bruise.

"Shut up, don't call me that." She remarked playfully, and they sat there until nightfall, joking and laughing, just enjoying each other's company.

Over the next few weeks, Percy's schedule seemed painfully repetitive. He'd wake up and hunt for breakfast, prepare it, stand silently while the hunt ate, clear up, eat whatever scraps were left, and attend to various chores around the hunters camp while stopping only twice to hunt and prepare lunch and dinner. In between, he was extremely grateful for Artemis' company, the two growing close, but both were painfully oblivious to each other's growing romantic feelings. He was slightly saddened that Thalia had barely made any contact with him since he arrived, but he understood that it would result in her sisters resenting her interacting with a male, so he learned to push down his hurt.

However, he barely kept himself nourished from the scraps that the hunters left him, something which was easily noticed by Artemis. Scolding him repeatedly, she always had to force him to take a break from his duties to hunt and gather some food for himself. Additionally, with the hunters now having plenty of free time, as Percy attended to all of the chores that would normally be theirs, they filled their time "pranking" the poor demigod. Many of these "pranks" seriously injured him, some left him unconscious, leading to a scolding from Artemis whenever he returned to camp. Always, he just hung his head and apologized, making up an excuse if she asked. Never, not once, did he complain or show her the pain he was in. He knew that was what the hunt wanted, to make him seem weak. Also, this was their home and life that he had intruded upon, justifying their torture, at least in his mind.

One day, however, it had gone too far. Having been extremely tired from night watch the night previous in addition to extra chores as punishment for "slacking" (he had been tied to a tree in the woods while hunters used him as target practice. From 3 meters) he had collapsed in his bed last night exhausted. To make matters worse, Artemis was mad at him for "knowingly slacking" and hadn't spoken to him in a few days, making those days the most miserable of his life. Without his one source of happiness, everything seemed to sink into a gloom, and nothing had a slight trace of joy anymore. So, he felt even worse when he woke up in a tree, suspended among its branches 10 feet off the ground. Groaning, he dropped from the oak unceremoniously, stretching and rubbing the weariness from his eyes. Glancing at his watch, he started in alarm. Breakfast was due in 2 minutes! Quickly, he sprinted around, gathering as many fruits and nuts as possible. Hurrying back to camp, he was met by the glares of Artemis and her hunters, although several hunters chuckled maliciously slightly as they saw the branches and leaves in his hair.

When breakfast was over and everything had been cleared away, Percy found himself alone, with nothing to do for the first time since he had arrived. Sighing, he decided to take a walk, and shoved his hands into his pockets as he strode into the forest. He walked for about an hour, finally coming to a stop as he found a small clearing. He sat down, resting against a tree. Closing his eyes, he felt a few tears leak from his eyes, not for the first time in the last few days. Ever since Artemis had stopped talking to him, except to order him around, he had been absolutely melancholy, eating less and ceasing to talk above a low voice, barely above a whisper, only to respectfully address Artemis when she commanded him. His heart felt heavy, and he felt utterly at a loss over how to do anything to make himself feel better. Opening his eyes, he sniffled as he half-heartedly picked at the grass beneath him. The hunters' pranks hadn't made it any easier. Old wound had been reopened regularly, new ones were added, and he was constantly in a state of agony. The worst thing was that Thalia seemed unwilling to even glance sympathetically at him, and he wondered if she was behind any of the pranks.

Almost as if on cue, a knife flew through the air, appearing from behind the trees facing Percy and embedded itself in his chest. Percy lurched forward, having being caught off guard, before his vision dimmed and he slumped to the ground, out cold.

AN: Yeah, that's it for now. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon, maybe even a quick update on the situation with the other Gods/ the Seven/ Camp. Anyway, as alway, review, let me know what you think, and until next time, take care.

MaverickHunter18