PERCY POV

I began to sidle to left and flipped Darkspine to an icepick grip, I wasn't going to be able to hold back. Artemis eyebrow raised. She slightly avoiding looking at me, but she made no move to draw her weapons. That didn't mean that she couldn't draw them in less than a second though. I had seen her shoot three arrows that nearly pinned me to the floor, I wasn't going to be able to run away. I grit my teeth, the pull in blood was building up again.

Then not standing the somewhat tense and moreover awkward silence, I said, "Soooo…hi? What's up? Say something, this is unsettling."

"Where is your shirt?" she said, looking away.

I was confused before I remembered and struggled to wrench the shirt from my belt loop. I had completely forgotten that I had to tuck the shirt into my pants when I went through the change. With a red face, I slipped my shirt on and said, "Okay, that was awkward beyond words. Can we forget that happened?"

"Sure…"

"Sooo…yeah, Hi."

"Hi."

"Okay I am not going to lie, I know what you're about to say, and I have a proposition."

"Which is?"

"I walk away, and you walk away and we forget we saw each other. Sound good?" I said mildly hopeful.

She nodded, "Right, Um… So I kinda have to drag you to Olympus." She said bringing out her knives, "Let do this without a fuss."

My hopes plummeted

"You know me better than that…" and I smirked.

"Fine have it your way…" she sighed and she dashed right up to my face.

I let myself fall back, keeping my knees and lower legs tense, almost matrixing under her blade as she slashed at me. I grunted and surged forwards, slashing with Darkspine and Riptide. She evaded and back stepped multiple times before flashing behind me. I leapt into the air as I felt her presence behind me. As she stabbed her blades in the space where my back had been, I landed behind her and held up my blades. She pivoted and slammed her knives onto my blades locking them in check. The ground cracked beneath us and dust flew into the air. I could see she wasn't very happy.

"Geez Artemis! I can't let up a bit, can I? I asked smiling.

She scowled, "Just stay still!"

I raised my eyebrow, "You can't seriously expect me to do that can you?"

She tried to shove me off balance but I pushed back. She scowled.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't get mad. So how've you been?" I smiled

She spun, disengaging and unslung her bow trying to hit me across the face. I spun in synchronization, dodging the swing and slicing through several arrows she had fired at me. I danced sideways and back and forth before finding the slightest opening, I feinted and got in closer slashing with Riptide.

She shifted to the side and shot at me but I was too close, and the arrows flew past me, sending another plume of dust skyward. I landed a foot away. I ran in, closing the distance between us. She grunted and brought up her bow catching the strike before twisting her bow, deflecting it. She kicked out and I brought up my knee smacking the back of her heel sending her kick sideways. She huffed, and I shuffled back. She looked at me in astonishment.

"Surprised?"

"Mildly, you are much stronger than before." He said with a stoic face.

"I have been practicing." I responded and charged.

She flung a knife but I flicked Darkspine and sent it in the sky. I rolled under a new wave of arrows, and stabbed upwards. She leaped into the air, and I sent a blast of icy power right at her and she flashed out of the way. I dropped low as I felt her presence and ducked under her blades. I flipped backwards from my crouch and tried kicking at her upside down but she shifted sideways.

"Perseus just give up, you can't win!" she shouted.

"Okay before you offer me that again, I want you to call me Percy, I don't like Perseus!" I responded, "And by the way, my answer is still a resolute no!"

We battled across the forest, I sliced through a tree and as it fell I jumped on it trying to make it startle her. She rolled out of the way and fired three more arrows, which I avoided by ducking under the trunk. She blocked my strikes and flung me into the air. I made a wall of ice that caught the volley of arrows. I jumped off it as I sent it hurtling towards her. I landed and skipped back. I felt more presences approaching.

"Can we finish this some other time?" I said sighing.

"What?" she said, bemused.

"Look Artemis, I don't want to fight you, at all. But you family is coming."

"You mean Apollo?" she said.

"The hunters, you should spend more time with them by the way, like a real family."

"I know you already told me that! I haven't forgotten!" she said, angrily.

"Wait…." I thought back to the dream, "That dream thing we shared, that was real?" I said half laughing in disbelief.

"Of course it was! You thought it wasn't? Was it that bad?" she looked a bit hurt.

I backpedaled, "Not that it wasn't pleasant, it was fun, we should talk again sometime! It was the first good and really nice chat I had had in a while…"her expression softened and I turned, "Ugh, they are getting a bit close for my comfort, bye Artemis! See ya."

And I dissolved into mist, and sped away from the area.

I allowed myself to rematerialize at my campsite which was a few miles away, I winced feeling my muscles and bones pop and crack. Moving this far in mist form still was a bit much. I collapsed on the forest floor, feeling immensely happy for some reason. I was kinda-half -friends with the Goddess of the Hunt! I smiled and waited for the change, too tired to care when it happened.

ARTEMIS POV

I tried again and again to try to beat Perseus but he kept directing my blows away, frustrating me. When he shifted the fight into the forest, I thought I might best him, but he was just as comfortable fighting in the forest as he was in any clearing. When did he improve this much? Suddenly his head whipped to the side. He sighed and told me my family, the hunters, was coming and left.

I stared at the spot where he was before finally muttering, "Wait… Zeus dammit!"

He got away again, against me! The leader of the hunt! I flung my remaining knife into the forest floor to vent my frustration. What more he made me feel, strangely enough, hurt. When he thought the conversation we had that one time was a genuine dream. I sat on the stump of the tree he had slashed in half, with one hand. He had grown so strong. I began to think of how he may be different. He looked normal enough, except for those green eyes, full of mischief and light. He had been well-muscled but not overly-so, as I noticed from him being… shirtless. I shook my head, he was starting to annoy me.

Stupid son of Poseidon, what made me so damn conflicted when I fought him? He wasn't anything special, just another loathsome male in a world full of them.

But a voice in my head corrected myself, almost against my will, 'Oh really, I personally thought he was a good male for once in every thousand years?' it said smugly.

"Stupid son of Poseidon." I cursed.

I sat there waiting for my hunters to arrive which took a full minute.

Thalia and several hunters arrived, "What happened here, Milady?" Thalia panted, holding her bow and arrows.

"Perse…Percy happened. That's what." I muttered sourly, still contemplating the strange son of Poseidon.

THALIA POV

I walked back to the tent after Percy had left, poor guy. I knocked on Artemis' tent , "Milady? Are you here?"

Elizabeth walked by her arms full of sharpened arrows, "Oh she went on a walk a while back, she should be back soon."

I was worried but, shrugged it off. I went to my tent and washed my face, until I heard a commotion coming from outside. I strapped on my bow and quiver and got off my bed.

"What is going on?" I called at a hunter staring of in the distance, I looked and mentally screamed. Dust clouds were flying into the air and slight flashed of sliver glowed in the distance. She must have found Percy any group of monsters would never cause such a disturbance. I took off running for it despite hearing the other hunters yell for me to wait. I got about halfway there before several hunters caught up with me. We burst into the woods and noticed Artemis brooding over something as we approached.

"What happened here, Milady?" I asked hesitantly.

"Perse…Percy happened. That's what." She muttered lot in thought.