AN: I would like to thank everyone who folowe or favorited this story in just a short time. I really didn't expect for this story to become so popular with my poor writing skills. I apologize about not updating yesterday but I had a little trouble writing this chapter.
Chapter 3
Percy POV
I looked up at Artemis and I knew I was a jackalope. I could feel the weight of my antlers on my head. My lips quivered as I saw all the grass I was surrounded by. I could feel my stomach grumble as I started to graze. It was awkward the way my teeth were so different but I still somehow knew how to eat. I remembered that Artemis was there and that I was really a human. This thought brought me back to reality and I stopped grazing.
I looked up and saw Artemis holding her sides laughing. I twitched my ears indignantly. She wouldn't stop laughing so I headbutted her leg with my antlers. She yelped in pain before glaring at me. Then her glare turned into an evil smirk.
The first thought to run through my mind was aww nuts, ooooh nuts yummy, no focus the hunters are gonna skin me alive, but I hope they fatten me up first. I thought of a way to avoid punishment but I doubted it would work. I looked up at Artemis and turned on the Bambi eyes, or Thumper eyes I guess.
Next I heard something that I never thought anyone would hear Artemis say to a male.
"Oh my gods, aren't you just the cutest thing" Artemis squealed before she clapped a hand over her mouth.
I lifted one of my forearms up to my mouth and bit myself drawing a bit of blood, trying to wake up from this screwed up dream. Or was it a nightmare I hadn't quite figured that one out yet.
In my moment of distraction Artemis reached down to pick me up. I tried to run from her, key word being tried. The second I tensed to spring away, Artemis reached down and grabbed me by the scruff of my neck faster than I could blink. I guess thats why she is the eternal huntress. I kicked and squirmed as she held me in her arms. I may have been a small furry animal but I was still blushing at being so close to a girl.
"Now don't be like that just calm down or the hunters might decide you're too much trouble to keep alive" she said.
I froze as she started walking through the woods with me in her arms.
Artemis POV
I don't know what came over me. When I saw the powerful warrior, Perseus Jackson, the killer of Titans, slayer of the Nemean Lion, the Minotaur, and the Clazmonyian sow, holder of the sky turn into a tiny fuzzy jackalope and start eating grass I couldn't help it I busted out laughing.
When he started trying to glare at me it just made me laugh harder. Then I felt a sharp pain in my shin as if someone kicked me. The pain was so unexpected that I yelped. I looked down and saw Perseus with an innocent look on his face. I glared at him before it turned into a smirk thinking of how I could get back at him. I looked back down to see his reaction and saw him looking at me adorably.
He had those wide, innocent, black eyes. Those huge ears that stuck straight up in the cutest way possible. A little pink nose that was wet and black whiskers both which were twitching. I couldn't hold it in no matter how hard I tried to.
I squealed "Oh my gods, aren't you just the cutest thing" then realizing I was speaking to a male and that I sounded like Aphrodite I clapped a hand over my mouth. I was so embaressed. I just hoped that Perseus was too distracted by his transformation to notice what I said.
Speaking of Perseus I looked down and saw he was just staring at me. I knew I needed to head back to the hunters. they would be waking up soon. The only reason they weren't up yet was the stress of the last few days and the party on Olympus last night. I chuckled quite a few males had been injured or turned into jackalopes. But none were as cute as Perseus.
I don't know why but Perseus's fur was the same color as his hair, right down to the gray streak on one side. If it wasn't for his eyes turning black I knew Thalia would recognize him right away.
I looked down and saw that he was distracted. I tooked advantage of this and reached down to pick him up. He tensed, about to spring away but I was faster. Millenia of hunting things far faster than jackalopes had sharpened my reflexes to unbelievable heights.
I grabbed him by the scruff oh his neck before he could get away. As I pulled him up to my chest and started walking he began to kick and squirm. Then I realized that it was still Perseus, a teenage boy and his face was against my breasts. I blushed a deep shade of red and shifted him away slightly but he still kept squirming.
I told him " Now don't be like that or else the hunters might decide you're too much trouble to keep alive". That got his attention. He froze immediately as I started to walk towards camp.
When we arrived at camp Thalia was the only one up and she was just coming out of her tent.
"Good morning my Lady, what do you have there?" she asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.
"Good morning Thalia, with the war and the lost of so many hunters and demigods I thought the hunt could use a mascot to cheer us up" I replied.
Phoebe came out of her tent and said with a straight face "The only thing that we need to cheer us up is some males to maim".
I laughed with them for a minute before saying "Phoebe while that may be true you know that Zeus has been getting on my case about hurting too many males so instead I got us a new mascot" as I held Perseus up.
When she saw Perseus as a jackalope she burst into to tears. "Hh-h-he ha-has t-th-the sa-same hai-hair as Per-Percy" she wailed. I could tell that she had not slept much by the bags under her eyes. She had probably stayed up all night crying for the death of her best male friend and the betrayal of one of her closest female friends.
In my lapse of concentration Perseus leapt out of my arms onto the ground. I thought he would make a run for the woods but he ran straight to Thalia. He rubbed against her leg like a cat but she wouldn't look down at him. When he realized that she was ignoring him he started to headbutt her leg with his antlers.
When Thalia moved her hands away from her face to shoo him away he leapt into her lap. He cuddled up against her stomach and laid down. Thalia looked shocked before she wrapped her arms around Perseus and began to cry into his soft fur like a teddy bear.
I felt a slight twinge of jealousy at the sight of Perseus cuddled up with Thalia even if he was a jackalope. Damn you Aphrodite stop messing with me I thought. I had been having these thoughts about Perseus ever since Aphrodite started messing with me about not killing him for getting two huntresses killed on a quest.
Thalia had calmed down and had unwrapped her arms from around Perseus. Now she was stroking his head and hiccuping slightly. Her eyes were red and bloodshot but she looked like she was feeling a little better.
"See Phoebe he is already doing his job" I answered smugly.
"What is his name my Lady?" Thalia questioned.
"Well since you say he looks so much like your friend why don't we name him after him" I said. This is a brilliant idea, now Perseus won't have to learn a new name and the hunters won't worry about me calling him Perseus I thought.
"That sounds like a great idea my Lady" she replied.
I sent Perseus a meaningful look before clapping my hands and holding my arms out. Perseus caught my meaning and leapt from Thalia's lap into my arms.
As I carried him towards the breakfast area, he snuggled closer to me, shying away from the hunters who sent questioning glances at him.
I sighed as I sat down in my seat with Perseus in my lap. Once all the hunters had filed in and taken their seats I began to explain about our new mascot.
AN: Please leave names for some of the hunters and their parentages in your reviews. also please let me know if you see any blaring errors in the story. Once again I thank everyone who reads, reviews, follows, or favorites you are my motivation to keep writing.
