A/N: I know I said one chapter a week, but I had some stuff to do, and for more than a week I have been trying to log in to but apparently the servers are down? Or is it a problem that only I am facing? If so, please mention in the comments. I found out that the Mobile version is working.
Previously
And then it struck me, Thalia had mentioned a lot of times that the Gods were responsible for the sudden death of Sally Jackson and her unborn child.
"You also had his mother killed?"
"No, just the girl and her pregnant child."
"Did you personally confirm where the mortal lived?"
"No, I didn't feel any need to."
"For the Goddess of Wisdom that was awfully unwise."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Just that, if what I think happened, then you not only killed two innocents but also damned Perseus to Tartarus, foolishly."
"Huh?"
"Come with me, let's go check the place out."
So, we teleported to the apartment that she had destroyed. It had mostly been cleared, but I knew I was right the moment I entered the apartment. This apartment was none other than that of Sally Jackson.
All this had happened because of just a huge misunderstanding….
Now
Artemis P.O.V
My sister in her hatred for Poseidon and his sea spawn had not even bothered to look into it. Even if Perseus had betrayed her daughter, that was no excuse to kill the mortal.
"You would've done the same." Diana spoke up.
"I wouldn't have fallen for the boy," I replied.
"Who talked about liking him? I said you would've killed the mortal too."
"Oh..."
"Where did this falling for the boy come from?"
"I just thought..."
"You thought? Since when have you started thinking about this stuff?"
I was speechless, only for a moment.
"Since you started having feelings for him."
"I told you I do not like him, nor do I hate him. He is just okay.", she shrieked back.
"If you insist."
This shut her up and I decided to focus more towards the outside world.
"Do you get it?" I asked my sister.
"No?" she replied.
"Doesn't the apartment number ring a bell?"
"No..."
"This is none other than the apartment of Sally Jackson" I broke the news.
"So?... Oh...OH...OH!"
It finally dawned upon her and her face was of absolute horror, on realizing her mistake. Then again it was masked with confusion.
"You said two innocents? One was his mother, who was the other?"
"An unborn child" I solemnly replied.
"WHAT!?"
Her legs gave way and she fell on the floor. And then she broke into tears.
ATHENA, the Goddess of Strength, had broken into tears. I had no idea, how to console her, but I decided to go with how I console my hunters, patting on their backs and holding their hands. Athena continued to sob.
After about five minutes, she calmed herself and let go of me. I also stood up.
"Why were you crying?" I asked her.
"Don't you get it? I am supposed to be the Goddess of Wisdom, how did I not see this, how could I let my hatred get in the way of justice. Justice is supposed to be my domain. Not only that, but I killed innocents. I thought I had changed, I was trying to become better to set an example for my children. Furthermore I condemned my daughter's love to Tartarus. Surely she was blinded but she was a human but I was an Olympian! I should have calmed her down and looked into the matter. But NO, I continued to be the same old Athena. He had changed us, he gave me hope, that I could change too. But NO, I let my impulse get the better of me!" She raged on.
"Calm down. Calm down..." I consoled her.
The thing was, she was right, she had been impulsive and was completely to blame for her actions, so were the rest of us, but not as much as her, because we took her word for it. Though I also let my hatred for men cloud my judgement, I must change that too.
Not all men are like that, Perseus, was one example of how loyal men can be. Therefore from now on I must resolve to judge them each on their own actions and not generalize them. Easier said than done.
So, I decided to be honest with her, because even if it would hurt, she needed to hear it.
"I probably shouldn't be saying this right now, but you like to hear the truth, no matter how bitter it is, so I am going to be honest with you."
Seeing that she didn't react, I sighed, with relief.
"Yes, it was your fault that you were blinded by hatred, that you didn't think straight, and that you killed innocent humans who did you no harm, and condemned perhaps the greatest hero of all times, to Tartarus, a place of nightmares. You cannot change what has happened but you can make amends. Or at least you can try. And the best way to do that is to admit your mistake, to swallow your ego and pride and to admit that you were wrong, in front of the Council as well as the camp and especially Annabeth. Only then can you somewhat get rid of the guilt which is weighing you down." I finished, short of breath.
She looked at me, weirdly.
But, thankfully, she understood that I was right, and what she must do.
"Very well, I will do so, but let me prepare myself mentally."
"Indeed, take your time, but don't take long enough."
And with that I vanished, leaving a thoughtful Athena behind.
Athena P.O.V
Artemis was right, I had messed up and now to atone for it I must apologize to everybody. Since when did Artemis become so rational. The speech she gave was inspiring and helped me a lot, more than she thought she did.
So, I have to prepare a speech.
Suddenly, I felt another presence in the apartment. It wasn't a human, nor a god, I couldn't identify the intruder with my senses. So I decided to see what the presence was. I entered a bedroom, where the presence had the most energy, but I couldn't see anything. The presence was still there and it grew stronger by the second.
From the corner of my eye I saw a black cloud forming, it grew bigger and bigger and then it came towards me, with a malicious intent. I backed away, frightened. Yes, I was frightened. But as suddenly as it had appeared, it disappeared, very close to my face.
I shook the feeling away, and flashed out of the apartment, back to the safety of my palace.
Thalia P.O.V
Artemis had been outright rude to me. There was no need for it. I wouldn't have disobeyed her order, nor was I questioning it, I was just putting forward my concerns.
Could it be that she was using it as a deflecting mechanism? Does that mean I am right, and we are facing another threat, but why would Artemis hide something so important from us? It doesn't add up. This doesn't mean she was lying to me, or hiding something, it could mean absolutely nothing, I might just be overthinking it all.
I exited her tent, time to tell the hunters that they were going to a place which they dreaded.
On my way I met Pheobe, so I asked her to gather all the hunters outside Artemis' tent, which she did. Within 5 minutes all the hunters who could be there, were there.
"Hello sisters! I have gathered you all here to inform you of a decision that Lady Artemis has made, and that is that we will be residing in Camp Half Blood for an unknown period."
Obviously this news had an effect that was expected. There was a lot of shrieking(mostly Pheobe) and grumbling about this matter. I thought to silence them, but then rememerbing Artemis' treatment with my own self, I decided against it.
I decided to listen to their protests and to try and reduce the hatred they had for the campers. Turned out it was a general dislike for the male species in the Camp, the Hunters thought of them as obnoxious idiots and perverts.
The humor in the fact that the Hunters themselves were full of themselves regarding their being better than the campers wasn't lost on me. But of course I wouldn't mention it to them. I had been a camper before I joined the Hunt thus I knew both the perspectives.
I sort of succeeded in convincing them to go to Camp, not that they had a choice, but it seemed to them they had, which was good enough. Besides talking about the errors of the Campers was fun, considering the gloomy mood that had been there due to the recent attacks.
Anyhow, our discussion had to end, because the sun had set and everyone needed a good night's sleep, for the long journey tomorrow.
Artemis P.O.V
After setting the moon on course, and ensuring that Chiron was well-aware of our arrival tomorrow, I returned to our camp. I had thought of helping Thalia calm the hunters, because like always I had expected the negotiations to continue. But I was pleasently surprised when I saw that not one hunter was up, except those on guard duty. How did Thalia convince them? However she did, it was good enough. I could rest too. Even though we Gods don't need to rest, others don't but I do, because the Hunters seep away a lot of my energy.
I fell in bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
Chiron P.O.V
Lady Artemis had come to inform me about their expected arrival tomorrow. It had already become extremely hard with the Romans. They did have their own camp similar to the one in Los Angeles but still the influx of Romans in the Greek camp was too much. Sure, it helped with the defenses, but the rivalry and competition between the Romans and the Greeks was getting too much. More and more fights were breaking up. Not to mention that the Romans weren't willing to accept my authority on any matter. I should probably mention these concerns with the Gods, Artemis is a good choice, better than Dionysus at least.
Although with this arrival of the Hunters, things were bound to get heated up. And the Hunters hadn't decided whether they would be staying with the Roman or the Greek camp.
R & R.
I love suggestions and comments, leave them :)
Although I won't be able to post one chapter a week, I'll try but no promises. One Chapter every fortnight hopefully.
