A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews! As predicted, Percy and Artemis will be together officially by the end of this chapter. I might've overdone it, though.
Also, screw the Guest that said Artemis is an eternal maiden. Does he seriously think I don't know that? The entire point of fan-fictions is to change what might happen!
Chapter 21-
A year had passed, along with quite a few adventures and close scrapes with death -mortal mercenaries, angry customers, and people who thought it'd be a good thing to bring their pet drakon into McDonalds to be fed. Interestingly enough, it didn't fit.
And Percy was still working the register, eventually being promoted to Shift Manager, a Rank-A employee position. He and Alex got to know each other better, along with a nice dracaenae named Seth, short for Sethno.
But Percy's powers never came. He tested himself every night -pricking his finger and seeing a little dot of red form. Nothing.
At least he was away from all of the commotion with the Hunt -though he frequented their Minecraft server, late at night when he knew everyone else was asleep. Or thought so, anyways -Baccina found him out his third night of playing, and they chatted for a while.
Then, of course, there was Sylia. Infuriatingly beautiful, frustratingly sexy, and annoyingly bewitching, she seemed to know exactly where Percy was at all times, and rarely left him alone.
"We are mates." she explained, "I could search for the rest of my life and not find anyone I love more than you."
"So you're stalking me?"
"No. Well, yes. You see, you might fit together with other people like this," she laced her pinkies together, "But we are made for each other." she laced her fingers together fully, "You wouldn't find a better match than me, either. Besides, who could be better than me?
She flipped her blond hair over one shoulder, and Percy's gaze unintentionally followed it, and the sway of her hips as she walked away. They had shared a few nights together, until Percy learnt to resist the intoxicating scent. Even then, it was hard.
But gods damn it, she was amazing. And just a bit annoying. All the time.
He also had to prepare gifts for the rest of the gods -some of them straightforward, some not.
That, and two very special projects he was working on, one much, much more important than the other.
And that's when a girl in silver whom he knew very well walked in.
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It had been a year since the Hunt was almost completely destroyed, and Thalia felt side-lined. With the Hunt so small now, and with so many older, experienced Hunters, she felt completely out of her depth.
Despite being the Lieutenant, everyone else seemed to know what to do better than her. They still numbered fourteen -and interesting things had happened on their end as well.
But more than that, Artemis was very closed-mouthed about Perseus, and rarely even came out of her tent these days. She ate alone, hunted alone, and even slept alone -Amber was sent to the kennel with a nasty looking bruise in her side. No one wanted to cross her if she'd do that to her favorite familiar.
Only over the last few days did Artemis become slightly more spirited, steering the Hunt in a straight line across the States.
Thalia sighed, looking up -the sun was going down, and that meant the marching day was over. But Veronica already reported it, and went over to Thalia.
"Artemis wants you to collect orders from everyone and pick some food up at the city?" asked Veronica.
Thalia nodded silently, annoyed. By the time she finished getting orders, the camp of fourteen tents were set up, and Thalia left. No one even noticed her as she walked away.
Barely at the outskirts of one of the worst sections of Chicago was a surprisingly clean-looking McDonalds, and inside was someone who looked a lot like Percy.
Thalia narrowed her eyes, eyes honed by years of shooting arrows into distant targets -it was Percy. But in Chicago? Working at McDonalds?
There was another customer, she noticed, a woman a little older than Perseus, with a spear strapped to her back and a crossbow on the table. She had a rough kind of beauty, while another girl, this one exactly Percy's age, sitting at a counter making doe-eyes at the son of Poseidon. The first women, Thalia saw, was watching the girl very closely.
Next to Perseus, at the other cash register, was a barrel-shaped man with muscular arms and a mean-looking sword on his back. This was clearly a place used to receiving odd customers, and knew how to handle themselves.
Thalia strode in, right up to Perseus -or tried to. A spear stopped her cold; The woman had moved with blinding speed.
"Tyra, she's a friend. I think." Percy said, sighing, "Thalia, what are you doing here?"
"Is this the Hunter you told me about?" asked the girl, "She looks pretty plain. Nothing compared to me."
Meanwhile, the other man at the register drew his sword and slung a shield from his back -previously hidden behind his massive form.
Thalia already had her bow out.
"No, this isn't that Hunter." Percy replied to the girl, "Tyra, "she's a friend" means you can put the spear away."
Tyra gritted her teeth, "Must I?"
"Yes." Percy said firmly.
Tyra huffed, but put it away, her right hand now settling on the crossbow.
The girl was still inspecting her, "She's got decent legs, she should show them off more. Maybe a tighter shirt, too."
Percy put his head in his hands, "Sylia, you've already driven away enough customers. The branch manager isn't happy about that, is he?"
The man grunted, "No."
"I have a few orders to make." Thalia said, "And a few questions."
Percy pressed a few buttons, "Shoot. One question per order."
"Big Mac with mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, and ketchup. What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to make money. Would you like to make that a meal?"
"Yes. Big Mac with ketchup only. Meal again. Why didn't you come back to the Hunt?"
"I wanted to get away from it all. Everything. What else?"
For fourteen orders it went like that, until Thalia ran out -though a million questions still spun in her head.
"Does anyone in the Hunt know you're here?"
Percy smiled, inputting the last order, "Can't answer that."
"Fine. One small fries. Does anyone else in the Hunt know you're here?"
"Baccina does. Artemis, probably. I've missed her."
"What? You were . . . not gonna question that."
Then the snake woman appeared.
Thalia narrowed her eyes, drawing an arrow, "Percy."
"Yeah?"
"There's a monster behind-"
Then a lot of things happened all at once.
Tyra fired her crossbow, severing the string of Thalia's bow, while Sylia leapt forward, sharpened claws cutting apart the arrow. Alex caught the arrowhead on the tip of his sword, flicking it out the door.
Percy had Riptide in hand, the point under Thalia's chin.
"As junior Shift Manager, it's my job to ensure the safety of McDonald's employees in the workplace." Percy said, "Seth happens to be a very valued member of the workplace. And I don't appreciate discrimination."
"Why is there a mon-" Thalia started, but Percy's sword dug in a little more, "dracaenae here?"
"Why shouldn't there be? I'm a demigod and a male empousa, Sylia's a true empousa, Alex's a werewolf, and Tyra's a mortal with clear sight. Seth's just another employee."
"And I'm not gonna tolerate any bared silver in here." Alex scowled, "You gotta problem?"
"Why would you side with them?" Thalia asked, "We've been friends for years."
"That's why we haven't killed you yet." growled Alex, "Didn't you read the sign?"
He pointed, and sure enough, a little sticker on the window said "No Drawn Weapons or Bare Silver Allowed."
"I'll help you take these back to the Hunt." Percy said, picking up half the bags Seth brought, food hot and ready, "Alex-"
"Been a pleasure working with you, kid." replied the massive man, clapping a hand on his shoulder, "Don't kid yourself -you ain't coming back. Been 'Artemis this' and 'Artemis that' for the last few months. Go get 'er."
Percy grinned, "Bye, then. Sylia, if you follow me, I swear . . ."
Tyra grunted, getting up and slinging her crossbow. Her spear was in her hands again, and she didn't seem to be at all hindered by the leather armor she was wearing.
"Artemis?" Thalia asked as they left the fast-food place together.
"What? It's been a year. I've realized a few things." Percy shrugged, "Ever since I left the Hunt, I missed her. Sure, I missed you too, but not like her. Hades, I've spent days in her tent. When I went crazy, I could see this beautiful silver light around her, almost as beautiful as she always is-"
"And-"
"Be quiet, I'm monologuing." Percy snapped, "I haven't finished yet. She's headstrong, graceful, almost the opposite of Annabeth. But she's amazing. Have you seen her fight? She killed Ladon to make me sane again. When I was near her, or doing something for her, or anything, I wasn't thinking of Annabeth anymore. When I was tied up, in her tent, I could see her always, and she kept the nightmares away. Even here, I couldn't get far enough away. Annabeth is still in my dreams, but now she's saying to go back to Artemis. She sent you, right?"
"Yeah. Kindof. Where did you meet her?" Thalia asked, pointing at Tyra
"Hades was keeping a bunch of Amazons in the Underworld, and she stayed with me as a bodyguard." Percy answered, "How is Artemis?"
Thalia shrugged, "She kept to her tent mostly, until just a few days ago."
"Did she miss me?"
"How should I know?" Thalia asked, "The camp's right up there."
Percy nodded, taking a deep breath and running his hand through his unruly hair and checking his uniform for obvious stains. There were none, thankfully, so he put the McDonalds visor back on, "Can we not say who I am until we're at Artemis' tent? I don't want any attention."
Thalia stopped, "Resuza?"
A shape in silver dropped from the branch, bow slung.
Percy smiled at seeing Lyra's daughter again; He missed Lyra, too.
"Classic with mustard and lettuce?" Thalia asked, searching around until she found it, a small order of fries, and a shake.
"Yep." Resuza replied, taking the food, "Who's he?"
Thalia shrugged carelessly, "Just an employee."
Percy grinned -the darkness and hat combined made it impossible to tell who he was.
They made their way into the camp, Thalia doing the talking while Percy acted like a mortal who stumbled into a girl's summer camp.
And it worked beautifully . . . until they got to Artemis' tent.
"Perseus?" Artemis guessed the moment Thalia stepped in.
"Yo." Percy replied, stretching out his hand. In that hand was a piece of paper, on one side of which was the note Artemis gave him . . . and this was his reply, "How are you, Lady Artemis?"
"Didn't I say no honorifics?" Artemis asked, unfolding the note. Thalia tilted her head, reading the back of it.
Perseus,
You will find this within the next day, probably, or sooner. In a year, I'll find you again. Wherever you are. You are still my Servant, and don't forget that. When you come back, I'll have something to tell you.
Remember, you can always stay in the Hunt.
Sincerely,
Pheobe Artemis, Goddess of the Moon, Lady of the Hunt
Thalia could've sworn she saw a hastily erased "I love you" under the "Sincerely,".
Artemis looked up again, a tear in the corner of her eye, "You may leave now, Thalia. I have something to . . . discuss with Perseus."
Thalia blinked, turning -but not before seeing the other side of the sheet of paper as it fell from Artemis' eyes.
My Lady Artemis,
If you can read this over how many times I've erased what I was going to say, I've missed you. I remember how you cared for me, when no one else could. How you healed me. You stuck your neck out for me at the council, but it's more than that. When I'm with you, I feel safe, like nothing could ever harm me if you're there. The nightmares go away, and I could even forget Hades and what he did.
But I don't want protection. I want to be with you, Artemis. You're so much like me, but better. Stronger, faster, amazing . . . I can't ask you to love me when you probably have much better alternatives . . . I mean, you've known Pheobe for centuries. How could I hope to compare?
I love you, Artemis, and I will never leave again.
Percy Jackson
Thalia went away, stunned -how could this be happening, and under her nose no less?
Of course, Baccina knew exactly what was happening -she already knew about the note. She saw Percy's love expand in the chat log. She even encouraged it -he was a powerful son of Poseidon, after all, not to mention a god.
She knew it would come about -a beautiful warrior woman? In all her days, Baccina hadn't met a man or woman who wasn't attracted to that. The problem was, now the daughter of Niccolo had no idea just how deep the love ran. There were certainly a bucket full of similarities between them. Headstrong, powerful. Both hate bullies, both used to be the underdogs. Both had watched those they love die, those they cared about perish. Both indomitable in their chosen weapons. Both indomitable, period. Only Hades could break Percy's spirit, and even still he recovered.
They could relate perfectly, understand each other the way no one else could.
Even Annabeth wasn't so good of a match.
That night, when Artemis finally left her tent, she summoned the entire Hunt of thirteen Hunters -recruitment was a bit low.
She was out of her funk, too -any Hunter could see that, "Our wayward Servant has returned. I-"
Liliana stepped forward, "Sorry, Artemis, but we can't let you have a boyfriend who isn't a Hunter. Hear that, Perseus!?"
Baccina hid a smile; She might've told a few other Hunters about this budding romance.
Artemis stood there, opened mouthed, while Perseus grinned sheepishly, stepping outside.
Most of the Hunters smiled impishly -they had quite some time to plan this out, after all.
Liliana turned to them, "Don't you agree?"
The Hunters cheered.
"Well, I think if Percy wants to date our little lady here, he needs to prove himself, doesn't he?"
The Hunters cheered.
"And I can't think of a better way to do that than train him to be a Hunter."
The Hunters cheered.
"Of course, he's a guy, so it'll have to be Huntress."
The Hunters booed.
"Fine, how about Hunstman?"
The Hunters booed.
"Tough crowd! Percy the Hunter it is!"
The Hunters cheered.
"So, first order of business: The oath."
The Hunters cheered.
"Repeat after me: I pledge myself to be Artemis' boyfriend."
"I pledge myself to be Artemis' boyfriend." Percy repeated -he could see he wasn't getting out of this anymore.
"I turn my back on any other women, accept eternal Huntership, and become Artemis' boyfriend. Also, I join the Hunt."
"I turn my back on any other women, accept eternal Huntership, and become Artemis' boyfriend. Also, I join the Hunt." Percy pledged, but nothing happened.
Liliana turned on Artemis, "Please? I'll give you one of Orion's eyes."
Artemis shook her head, "If you want Percy to go through a Hunter's training, then go ahead. But I'm not accepting an oath like that. Clear?"
The Hunters slumped, Liliana especially, "Fine."
"Also, I'll do the training." Artemis added.
"Make sure you're actually training!" Celyn called.
There was one Hunter who was still slightly bitter about this -Pheobe. What did this male have that she didn't?
That's when she noticed a shifty-looking woman holding a crossbow, though not quite aiming it at anybody. A woman who appeared to be talking to Baccina. Then she walked away, disappearing into the night.
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Percy woke the next day, surprisingly not having dreamed of Artemis the last night.
The rooster-clock said four AM -about typical for one of his McDonalds shifts, so he rolled out of bed, reaching for the nightstand that wasn't there, and the pen that wasn't on it.
The son of Poseidon hit the ground with a thud, then climbed to his feet, blinking.
Oh, right. The Hunt.
It didn't take him long to gather the little gear he had -he moved the rest of his possessions last night, along with paying his rent and canceling it.
This is going to be very awkward if Artemis tries to find me. Himeros warned, Probably best if you wore long sleeves and pants. Gloves too.
Easy enough.
Percy did exactly that, wearing a cheap, tight exercise shirt and pants -a part-time job at McDonalds didn't pay the best, after all.
So, with Riptide in his pocket and "his" dagger at his waist, Percy had an hour and a half to burn.
What would he do but jump onto the Hunt's server, spawning in exactly where he logged out of.
His base was quite a bit north of the group of the Hunt's buildings, built into the side of a mountain and practically invisible. He didn't have a faction, really, just built the base and amassed his fortune -not that it was a very large one.
It was like a ghost town. Random explosions put craters in streets and buildings that held Hunters who left the game . . . or died.
There were signs on most of the buildings as well. It looked like the Hunt managed the server well, given the two-hundred plus dedicated players. Except most of them were dead, now.
Tylia's House
Susan's Trading Post
Faction Storehouse-Take What You Need!
Public Farm
Mary's Magnificent Mansion
Percy shivered -for Minecraft, it was surprisingly creepy.
If there could be wind whistling through the blocky streets, there would be.
He logged out, shaking himself roughly before standing and pacing back and forth.
The son of Poseidon had too much time on his hands, and patience was one thing his year of introspection didn't give him.
Annabeth's dagger was cold at his waist, and he took it out.
θάνατος - φέρει αγάπη
Death-Marked Love
Percy sighed, sheathing it again and stepping outside. It was just about six AM, just enough time for Percy to walk over to Artemis' tent and wait there. He didn't have to wait long before Artemis herself stepped out, arrayed in Hunter's gear.
"Follow me." she ordered, walking over to the Armory. Once inside, she immediately headed over to the racks upon racks of silvery bows.
"Try this." she tossed one over, but took it back at once.
Artemis frowned at the rack, then stepped forward and took another one down, "Hold this."
Percy did just that, and Artemis paced around him.
"Good." Artemis took a quiver of arrows off another rack, passing it to the son of Poseidon before heading out to the archery range.
Percy frowned, "I'm . . . not very good with a bow."
"That much I've heard." Artemis sighed, "However, if I can't teach you, no one can. Take up a position at the closest target."
Percy did so, "Can I have an arrow?"
"Not yet." Artemis circled around him, keen eyes marking every way Percy was shaping up wrong. She nudged his back foot wider, turned his shoulders, raised his arms, then stepped back.
"Now take an arrow and knock it." Artemis ordered, then scowled as Percy's form fell apart. His feet were too close together and twisted slightly, he was holding the arrow with thumb and index finger, and his shoulders were facing the target.
"Do they teach you nothing about archery at Camp Half-Blood?" Artemis asked, correcting his form again, "Draw . . . stop."
Once again, Percy's form was in shambles.
"Di immortals, this is harder than I thought." Artemis swore, "Draw back the arrow and keep it there for as long as possible."
Percy gave a valiant effort. He really did, and his arms were hardened from years of sword-fighting. In truth, he lasted longer than Artemis expected, but still fell far short of what a Hunter should be able to do.
Eventually, his thumb and index fingers slackened, and the arrow loosed and the shaft flew . . . until it appeared back in Artemis' hand.
"Watch me and tell me what's different about our forms." Artemis instructed, drawing her arrow back. Unlike Percy, who held the bow where he wanted it and pulled the string back with his arm, Artemis started with the bow centered, then pulled the string and shaft apart with the muscles of her back.
"You're facing the target with one shoulder, and you're using your back to draw the bow." Percy noted.
"Correct. I'm also holding the string with my index and middle fingers curled around it on either side of the arrow. While holding it between your thumb and index could cause it to slip from your grasp, the correct way prevents that." Artemis released the arrow, and it went into the exact center of the target.
She loosed two more after that, both coming so close to the first that one of them actually cut off a feather of the first near the shaft.
"Now copy me. Do exactly as I do." Artemis ordered, then drew another arrow.
Percy copied it faithfully, and once Artemis deemed it was acceptable form, he loosed the arrow. It didn't come anywhere near the target.
"Hmph. Don't aim down the shaft of the arrow -no matter how powerful the bow is, the arrow will drop at any significant range." instructed the goddess, "You know how far away that target is, and after a while you will know how much the arrow drops. Keep practicing, alternating between these five targets."
Artemis walked off, and Percy drew again, seeing in his mind's eye Artemis drawing her own bow, her form perfect.
Percy breathed out slowly, loosing the arrow. It missed, and the next one as well.
He kept going at it, though, focusing on at least hitting one of the targets before Artemis came back. Arrow upon arrow bounced off nearby tree trunks or dug into the ground.
"Look who I found spying on us." Artemis said from behind him. Percy turned, seeing Liliana just a few steps behind the goddess.
"That's an impressive number of misses, brother. Keep it up." Liliana said, clapping him on the shoulder before going to the longest target.
"Learning how to shoot a bow takes a long time." Artemis agreed, "Keep trying, and by the end of the week, you'll hit the target at least a few times."
Artemis disappeared into the forest again, leaving Percy to fire arrows until his back was a dull ache, his fingers raw from drawing back the bowstring, and arms sore from being in the same position for an untold amount of time.
Meanwhile, Liliana was still firing away at the longest sets of targets, much faster -and more accurate- than Percy. About halfway through, Percy realized was she was actually doing -firing left-handed. She was right-handed -Percy picked that up along the way- but she was doing a mirrored version of Percy's own stance.
And she was still pegging targets a hundred fifty meters away from her. It wasn't quite up to a Hunter's standard of shooting, but the daughter of Poseidon was well on her way.
Meanwhile, Percy was barely getting started down that path.
Artemis was looking through the forest for a certain type of prey -the type that seemed to be spying on her. She could feel something's gaze on her as she taught Percy to shoot, and the goddess needed to find out what, and she could still feel it even after she founded Lili.
Her search was fruitless -whatever entity that was spying on her and Perseus was nowhere to be found, and it was time to start the son of Poseidon on the hunting knives -at this point, more practice shooting wouldn't be any better for him.
Artemis took two knives that seemed to be Percy's size from the Armory, then headed to the range. He was still shooting -no real surprise there, she expected him to have much more endurance than the average Hunt inductee.
And -surprise, surprise- there was an arrow sticking out of three of the five targets Artemis instructed him to alternate between. True progress at last.
"Now for the next stage of your training," Artemis announced, "Take these and put the sheathes where they would be best for you."
Percy slung his bow as he turned, then took the sheathed knives and strung the sheathes on his belt.
"Follow me." Artemis ordered, "Do you have any questions so far?"
"How do you find a clearing the right size for an archery range everywhere you go?" Percy asked, "And why did I never run out of arrows?"
"The wild is one of my domains, and I can shape it however I wish to." answered the goddess, "When we leave, that clearing will be reclaimed by the forest. As for the arrows, I used a small portion of my power to enchant each quiver so that it never runs out of arrows. Every time you draw one, it is replaced by a like arrow from the Armory, which is in turn replaced by one that I summon."
Artemis took an arrow from her quiver, holding it up in front of Percy's eyes, "Do you see how it gives off moonlight?"
Percy nodded.
"Each arrow is made off a tiny portion of my essence, and eventually, ever fired arrow disappears, and the essence returns to me." Artemis closed her eyes, "And I create another arrow in turn. I take it you have seen similar auras around the Hunters?"
"So you also give all of your Hunters your power?"
"After a fashion. I mark them as part of my domain. My familiars." Artemis shrugged, "Athena came up with the method a long time ago, and as near as I understand it, each of the Hunters supply me with power, which in turn I use to sustain their immortality. What makes me one of the most powerful Olympians is that I have an ancient base of worshipers and priestesses. While it is hard to come across a demigod who truly worships their father and mother, that is the case for the Hunt."
"I won't have to sacrifice chickens to you or anything, will I?"
"Some keep to the old ways. No one has too, but some prefer that style of worship. In reality, all that is needed is for the Hunt to truly recognize me as a goddess and make offerings to me. I lead them, and they follow my commands." Artemis shrugged, "And so I, alone among gods, have a temple and following."
They entered a small clearing, and Artemis drew her knives. Percy mirrored her. He knew about what to expect -training with Resuza and Lyra taught him a lot about the hunting knives.
"I'd imagine this will be a lot easier for you to learn than archery. I'll attack first, then we will switch. Ready?"
Percy nodded in consent, then Artemis came at him a lot slower than he expected. Even then, the knives felt clumsy and awkward in his hands, and the son of Poseidon barely managed to block her first strike. The second one got through, scoring a shallow cut on the back of his hand. Red blood dripping out.
"Hold." Artemis ordered, eyes on the drops of red, "You . . . aren't a god?"
Percy shook his head, "I never got the powers. I visited the Underworld a few times, and the skeletons followed my orders, but I never got any powers and my blood stayed red."
Artemis blinked, "I'll ask Athena about that later. In the mean time, we'd better use blunt weapons."
All of their blades shimmered, dulling until they could no longer pierce the skin. At least, that's what Percy hoped.
They trained together for a long time. Hours, certainly. By the end of it, Percy had picked up the basics of the hunting knives, and it wouldn't be long before he would be wielding them as adeptly as any.
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By the end of the week, the days of training had melded together. Artemis moved Percy from the closer targets to the farther ones, and tested him against Resuza. It was a close match, but Resuza pulled ahead at the end.
He was much further ahead in knifeplay, though. Already quick on his feet and accustomed to Annabeth's dagger, the hunting knifes were easy, and he could match most Hunters on the battlefield, at least for a while.
Tracking and hunting were harder to learn, along with basic survival skill, but Artemis was a very patient teacher. Best of all, the Hunt started to accept Perseus as one of their own. The spying presence Artemis felt went away eventually, and he was even trusted to be put on sentry duty.
Then the day approached when he would again have to face the gods -the ceremony.
Artemis looked over at Perseus from the edge of camp, "And you're sure your ready for this?"
Percy gave her a tight smile, "As ready as I'll ever be. I'll come back in one piece. I promise."
The goddess laid a hand on his shoulder -she found it was a lot easier to touch him when she thought of him as a Hunter, not a male.
And they both disappeared.
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Olympus was as impressive as always, the view over New York putting an instant damper on Percy before he tore away from the past.
It was six o' clock on the winter solstice -whether the date was intentional or not, he had no idea.
The throne room was mostly empty, with only a fire crackling cheerfully in the center.
Artemis grew to twenty feet tall, ascending to her throne, "Stand by my right side."
Percy did exactly that, a little less than a third of her height. Her clothing shifted to, becoming an elegant silver gown and what looked like a silver circlet woven into her raven hair. Funnily enough, he hadn't seen her hair be auburn for a while, nor had she been a twelve-year old. Instead, she was Percy's age.
The son of Poseidon inspected the side of the throne he was on, seeing engravings of names and battles in the silver. Artemis and her hunters slaying various beasts, dueling with the werewolves, and generally having an good time.
That's when the other gods started arriving, seeing Artemis and growing to massive sizes. It took them a few seconds to notice Perseus standing there.
He waved, "Yo."
"What're you doing down there, my boy?" Hephaestus asked.
Percy shrugged, "I never got my powers. For some reason."
Apollo frowned, "Not cool. I was waiting for you to hang out."
Hermes then jogged into the room, a bag over his back. He swung it down in front of Perseus, "Here you are. Please use Hermes Delivery for all your shipping needs!"
Percy laughed, and the god joined him.
Other small talk was exchanged before Zeus clapped his hands -it sounded like a thunderclap, go figure.
"Now begins the gift-giving ceremony to welcome Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, to the halls of the gods." he said officially, "I will give mine first."
The assembled Olympians eventually went silent, and Zeus stood, "It was discovered that no Enemy of Olympus could be made a god. As such, I am formally lifting the Enemy of Olympus status from Perseus Jackson."
There was an ominous crackle of thunder, then the air popped as Perseus suddenly grew in size, mirroring the rest of Olympus.
Percy bowed to feign respect -apparently, it was polite here, during this ceremony.
"Thank you, Zeus, and in return I can confidently say I can defend my domain against outside threats. So I hereby demobilize my armies, making the Underworld once more in a state of peace." Percy recited from memory. Baccina gave him some help in coming up with what to say to each god.
Triton stood next, facing Perseus with disdain and just a little respect, "The sea is bountiful with gifts, but my mother takes pride in reminding me that I do not yet have a mate. Thus, you are to be heir to the domains of the Sea and all it contains, should my line die out entirely."
They both bowed to each other, and Percy stood, "Every ruler needs a symbol to associate with, and that is why I bestow this gift upon you."
The demigod-turned-god extended his hands, and called the sea out from himself. Sea-green light coalesced around his form, being drawn through his arms and forming the shaft of a trident. The Trident.
Triton took it gratefully, and it looked like he was reconsidering his opinion of the demigod, "Many thanks for such a fine gift. What as been lost to both of us may never be again, but we can keep his legacy alive."
Percy nodded once, silent, as Hera stepped forward, "My gift is one that will be revealed later, much later, but is crucial to your deepest wishes. Do not let it be in vain, and take this advice to heart: Family is more important than anything else. Always stand by the ones you love."
The son of the sea took that in, then they bowed to each other. Percy bowed, that is, Hera curtsied professionally.
"I spent many hours searching for materials fit for a Queen, and eventually procured this gift for you." Percy rummaged around the bag of gifts Hermes delivered, then withdrew a simple rosewood box.
Hera opened it, revealing an exquisite cow made of dark red gemstone, and a matching peacock. They were expertly crafted and beautifully made, priceless works of art. The goddess snapped the box shut, smiled in appreciation, and stepped back.
Hephaestus went next, stepping forward and holding out a small capsule. His voice was gruff as he said, "This'll make Riptide turn into anything made out of metal. Just slice it in half with your blade, and you can change it however you want to, whenever you want to."
Percy bowed, and Hephaestus bowed his head and upper back as much as he could, but didn't go any lower.
"I know you respected Daedulus and his inventions, so I compiled a list of all of Daedulus' data on this vessel." Percy replied as he straightened out, taking out another box. It was full of terabites of data -Daedulus had a lot of stuff on his laptop.
Athena stepped forward after Hephaestus went back, a hefty book appearing in her hands, "It is said that knowledge is power, and from stories I have heard, you have much more knowledge than power. I would suggest reading more."
Percy bowed, taking the book and setting it down before pulling two items from the bag, "Years ago, you mended this and gave it to me, but I find it reminds me too much of Annabeth. I would like you to have both of these."
Athena took the hat without comment, but smiled as Percy also gave her Annabeth's teddy bear. It looked well-loved, but Percy didn't want to touch it.
Dionysus got up grumpily and plodded over, "I wish I didn't have to give anything to the sea brat, but here you go."
A bottle of wine appeared in his hands, one that looked old an aged well. Percy took it gratefully, putting it aside before taking his own gift, "It has occurred to me that a man so cultured in most forms of alcohol should complete his collection."
Percy took a bottle of fine vodka from his bag -something Dionysus had never seen before. He took it eagerly, taking a long swill as he went back to his grapevine thrown.
Next was Apollo, smiling his kilowatt smile, and in his hands was a book, "I heard from someone that you were getting a little close to my little sis. So I got this, 'cause I knew she'd kill me if I said I'll let you date her. I hope Seven Easy Steps to Woo Your Goddess works for you."
Percy went red in the face while Artemis blushed heavily.
"Th-thank you, and I decided that an archer such as yourself deserves a work of art as well." Percy, in his hands, held a exquisite golden arrow, carved with beautiful scenes of music, healing, but also plague and war, "Should you shoot an ally with this arrow, they will be healed, no matter what injury they have. An enemy would be dealt a mortal wound."
Apollo took it, twirled it, and put it in a quiver that appeared on his back, "Tell me if you need any tips on archery. Artemis likes to think she knows it all, but really- OWWW!"
Artemis fixed her brother with a glare as she came forward, a small book in her hands. No, not a book, a notebook, and she gave it to Perseus without commented.
The son of the sea stared at it for a full five seconds before putting it away and bowing deep, "Thank you. In return, I thought it would be better to give a gift to the Hunt instead, so I have this to give."
"This" was in a small box, which Artemis promptly opened and withdrew a silver tiara. It was a masterwork, far outshining Apollo's arrow and Hera's jewels.
Artemis smiled at her newest addition, "I'm sure Thalia will like it."
Percy smiled back easily, "I hope so. This was the first gift I came up with, and the last one finished."
None of the gods missed the byplay before Ares stepped forward, "I thought about kicking your face in, but Aphrodite wouldn't like that. So this is what I'm gonna do. One day, in the future, I'm gonna attack you. First, I'm gonna slug you right in the jaw, and when you're down, I'm gonna take time to break all the bones in your feet, then work my way up. Then I'm taking a lead pipe to your face until-"
Percy interrupted him, "Yeah, you'll try. Maybe this'll help, since you couldn't seem to beat me with the last sword you had."
It was, predictably, a sword. But it was a solid one, engraved with scenes of blood and war. Skulls dominated the hilt, and the crossguard was a pair of idealized spears, and the blade was died bloodred. It was perfectly balanced and huge, perfect for the god.
Ares grinned, "You got spunk, kid. This is gonna be fun."
Aphrodite was next, her step sultry and her hips popping with each step. She was oozing sexiness, but Percy met her gaze steadily and his eyes didn't ever dip to her plunging neckline.
"It isn't that easy to seduce me." Percy said first, "Someone much better than you's tried."
She gasped, "Who?"
Percy smiled, zipping his lips and throwing away the key.
Aphrodite frowned, but went ahead anyways with a small bottle, "This cologne will make you instantly attractive to anyone who smells it. It's great if you're in a pinch!"
Percy bowed slightly, then took something else from the bag, "I retrieved this years ago, and thought you should have it back."
"My scarf!" Aphrodite snatched it from his hands, "I've missed you so much."
Percy, meanwhile, did his best to force the scarf's cloying scent out of his mind as Hermes came up, "I heard you had some bad experience with these shoes before, but I fixed them up. No misbehaving, you two! You can only use them once a day, though."
In his hands were a pair of basketball shoes, the same that tried pull him into the Underworld, and Percy quickly stuffed them away before turning back to the god.
"I know you still mourn for Luke, and while Hades ruled, he languished in Punishment. But now, I pledge to admit him to the Isle of the Blest, as is his right. I will also lift the curse of the Oracle from May Castellan, making her once again the woman you knew."
Hermes smiled sadly, "Thank you."
Then there was one, last goddess. Hestia held in her hands a bowl, a plate, and cutlery, "In these dishes, you may will any food to appear, and it will. Remember to enjoy the comforts of home, and those who share your hearth. Never forget your family, for they have not forgotten about you."
Percy bowed, taking them graciously, "I could only think of one thing to give you, and that is a shrine of your own in the Underworld. Nowhere could use more warmth than there."
Hestia smiled, "Thank you. Nico would be glad to see that."
A/N: And it's over. The problem: How can you make a gradual build up between a goddess and an off-kilter demigod? I think I did the best I could, given the situation. Anyways, the last of the major plot twists should be over. Now it's just time to introduce everyone who's influences Percy together, and watch the explosions.