"You cannot be serious father," Artemis cried as her father, Zeus, stared at her emotionless and unaware of the storm brewing inside his daughter's mind, "I cannot be wed."
Zeus sighed, exhausted from her tirade, and interjected, "Artemis, this offer isn't just for you. This is for all gods and goddesses who are unmarried-"
"But father."
"-Last year, after the war with Gaia, I did not realize but we lost a lot of faithful gods and goddesses, bringing us to the brink of fading. Fortunately, since us Olympians made it through, we still exist, although powerless."
He took a deep breath.
"If some pantheon were to attack us, we would be sitting ducks before them. To avoid this, I consulted the Fates and the solution was for the unmarried gods and goddesses to marry."
"Surely, you can make some mortals or demigods, minor gods and goddesses," Athena stated, worry gracing her facial features.
This time, Poseidon stepped in, "Athena, we would have done that, but since our energy is depleted, we together cannot make anyone gods and goddesses. Having someone marry a god or goddess requires less energy since they are already given a portion of godly energy from their partner. Along with the lack of worshippers in the real world, we are powerless."
"But what about Aunt Hestia?"
Zeus and Poseidon shared an awkward glance with each other before looking at the hearth where sat an 8-year-old girl, flaming orange hair and kind brown eyes as she stared at them, waiting for their response.
Zeus coughed, "Y-Yes, sh-she will be wed." Hestia looked down, head hanging in defeat at the reply. Artemis glared at her father and said, "I refuse to marry some, some man. They are vile, disgusting and think of us women as objects."
The King of Olympus took offense to what she said, and his mood shifted from annoyance to anger, so much fury that Poseidon could feel thunder and lightning hitting oceans below. The second oldest son of Kronos turned to Zeus and whispered, "Calm down. You are wasting your energy."
Zeus nodded and lightning subsided, but anger was still evident in his eyes as he glared at his favorite daughter.
"Since you have such strong opinions on men, I suggest you get married first. Everyone in favor?"
All hands rose up, including Artemis' favorite sister, Athena who looked relieved and guilty. Artemis bowed her head in remorse and dejection and Zeus' eyes softened a bit, parental feelings coming back. He sighed, "Tomorrow, I will call all demigod bachelors and minor gods who aren't married or are divorced. You may choose 2 of them who will battle each other till the victor remains standing for your hand."
Artemis nodded, gears in her mind whirring, trying to find a solution but a question nagged her mind, "What about my hunters?"
"They will not be disbanded. They are our biggest worshippers but there is a catch. You will not be allowed to hunt any more males. Only monsters can be hunted. If you see a male behaving horribly, you may kill him, but you cannot hunt him anymore."
Artemis exhaled in relief that her hunters would not be disbanded, although she felt a groan erupting within her at not being able to hunt down men.
Zeus spoke about other trivial matters before dismissing the gathering but stopping Artemis, "Artemis wait."
Artemis turned to him, "Yes father?" She was still frustrated at his decision, but she decided that she did not want him to throw a tantrum at her.
"I have done a huge favor for you daughter. I made you go first so that you would have the opportunity to choose a man for yourself, a good man."
It was now she realised that by getting the first chance, she had a higher chance of getting a good man, someone who was similar to her ideals. She hugged her father, the latter being surprised at the gesture, not having been hugged before but he relented and embraced her favorite daughter.
"Thank you, father." Zeus nodded, emotions visible within his eyes.
For the first time, Artemis saw her father look at her with love and affection and her heart melted at that. All of a sudden, she felt like she was 5 years old again, sitting in her father's lap, ranting out her demands for a Hunt and to be sworn off boys.
*Time Skip*
All the men gathered in the Throne Room, some shuffling awkwardly and some standing proudly. There were men of different sizes, some big, some small and some were both, which was weird.
Zeus coughed loudly, snapping everyone's attention to him, "As you all are aware, I have gathered all of you for the Artemis' hand in marriage. However, only two shall be selected who will battle each other till one is standing. The victor will marry Artemis, and should the victor be a demigod, he will be made into a god."
Artemis took a deep breath and stood up, looking over the crowd, her face scrunching in disgust as some of the males looked at her hungrily while some just cowered in fear. Her eyes finally landed on a man, his green eyes captivating her as he stared at her emotionless.
Perseus, her mind supplied as she remembered when he had rescued her from Mount Othrys.
She nodded at him and he stepped out of the crowd and walked towards the temporary gladiator arena. She looked around for any other demigod or man and her eyes landed on Hercules.
Confused, she asked, "What is Hercules doing here? Isn't he married to Hebe?" Zeus looked at his son and replied, "Yes but he is interested in another wife. Although I do not support it," he continued, "I cannot deny that there is not such law stating that a god cannot be married to more than one woman."
She glared at Hercules and Zeus before nodding at him. She had faith that Perseus would definitely defeat Hercules. As Hercules walked to the arena, his voice booming his strength and feats, Artemis couldn't help but sigh. Arrogant males.
Perseus drew his trusty sword, Riptide, which sent a pang of hurt inside Artemis' heart as she remembered her fallen lieutenant, Zoe Nightshade. Hercules cracked his neck against his shoulders before a club materialized in his right hand and he waved it in air, trying to intimidate Perseus. To his credit, Perseus stood there, unflinching, his sea-green eyes following the movement of the club.
On an unspoken signal, the two warriors dashed at each other. Hercules brought his club from the side, aiming at Perseus' ribs but Perseus dodged it and attempted to stab forward. Hercules barely dodged by moving to the side, but his overweight led him to fall to the ground.
Not missing the chance, Perseus brought his sword down in an arc, attempting to slash Hercules' stomach but Hercules brought his club in the way at the last second and the blade met the wooden club and Artemis could feel the collision force till her throne as Hercules' club crumpled in splinters.
Hercules stared wide eyed before rolling to the side and hoisting himself up, his legs shaking from the sheer force. He stumbled backwards as Perseus walked towards him stealthily. Although, the son of Zeus was no longer a threat with his main source of power gone, he was still a god and if he so decided to use his godly power against Perseus, then the outcome could be quite painful for the latter.
"Is that it, Hercules? Is that your strength you overgrown prideful idiot?" Perseus taunted and Artemis had to stifle a laugh when Perseus insulted Hercules. Zeus looked mad at the insult, but Artemis could see that he was resisting to laugh at that as well. So, Hercules wasn't Zeus' favorite child either.
Before she could contemplate further, Perseus launched forward, his sword gone from his hands as he grabbed Hercules' head between his hands and kneed him in the face. Before Hercules could fall to the ground, Perseus picked the minor god up from his loincloth and threw him across the arena.
Hercules gasped out ichor as he struggled to stand up. Perseus sprinted towards him and kicked Hercules' stomach making the god scrunch his face in pain and he fell backwards, ichor spouting from the side of his lips and nose. A black eye seemed to be forming on his left eye and his body had turned golden and reddish from the wounds and impact. Overall, it wasn't a pretty sight.
The Olympians and the other bachelors clapped for Perseus who stood next to the fallen minor god and looked towards the Olympians.
Zeus sighed in discomfort before coughing and saying, "As per the rules, it has been decided that Perseus Jackson shall wed my daughter, Artemis, today."
Clapping and wolf whistles blew through the roof per say, and Zeus clapped loudly, and the decorations of Olympus Throne Room changed to match a wedding theme, sea green, blue and silver colors flowing and complimenting each other as they covered walls and statues.
Everyone left their thrones, walking to the hearth where the eight-year-old goddess stood, a plain white dress on as she smiled at the two paired couple.
Perseus walked towards the goddess and bowed before her, Hestia smiling at his gesture and waved. Perseus straightened and shuffled to the side as the Olympians and others joined. For the first time in ages, the hearth had a lot of people around it and the fire within the hearth grew, its colors matching the theme of green, blue and silver.
Hera stepped up, two rings in her hands, "We will skip the formalities since frankly, no one cares. Nobody can say anything against them because saying anything against them is saying something against my husband and King of Olympus."
There was silence all around the room and Hera smirked and motioned for Perseus and Artemis to stand up the front, on the temporary altar.
Artemis hated that this was the way they were getting married. If she was to be married, at least they could have it attractive and actually eventful instead of such laziness.
Hera asked, "Phoebe Artemis, do you take Perseus Jackson as your lawfully wed husband?" Her tone clearly stated that she had to reply positively as it was her only option. Artemis gritted her teeth and bit her tongue before reply, "I do."
Same thing happened with Perseus who took slightly longer than Artemis to reply, making the goddess narrow her eyes at him. Hera said some words to the gathered audience which Artemis didn't bother listening before concluding, "The two of you are officially wed according to Olympian Laws and, as Zeus stated, Perseus will become a god, his domains linking alongside yours. And remember, the hunt will not be disbanded, however, they are prohibited from hunting men without any provocation."
Noticing bored looks from everyone, she continued, "The two of you may kiss now." Artemis closed her eyes and moved her neck forward, her lips strangely dry before she felt soft lips on hers and her body stepped forward, trying to get more of Perseus' lips.
The son of Poseidon broke the kiss and smiled at Artemis, his first smile since she had seen him. Claps echoed within the Throne Room before silencing and Zeus boomed, "Daughter, since Perseus is not a god yet and he will be made a god after this. He is partially immortal for the time being and is permitted to reside within your palace."
Artemis nodded and grabbed Perseus' hand and flashed away, her presence no longer required for the ceremony. As she materialized within her palace, she broke away the contact and said, "Look, we need to set some ground rules."
Perseus nodded and said, "May I request something though milady?"
"Yes, you may."
"When you go for hunting, may I accompany you on your hunts?"
"I don't need any help, boy," Artemis sneered, her man hating attitude returning as her eyes narrowed at him.
Perseus stepped back, his right hand travelling to the back of his head, as he rubbed is nervously, "Its not that milady. I- uh, I needed some help with archery."
Oh.
Artemis almost laughed at that and said, "Ah, I apologize for jumping to that conclusion. Sure, you may join me on my hunts. It may even teach you how to hunt." She attempted to joke, and Perseus' eyebrows rose at that, but he wisely stayed quiet.
She mildly checked her throat before stating, "Right. Ground rules. Rule one, no entering my room without knocking. While my father requires that we," she coughed uncomfortably, "reproduce, I would prefer to delay it till we are more acquainted with each other. You may stay in the guest room for the time being."
Perseus nodded, not replying. Artemis pondered further and said, "No touching me or my hunters. Since you are my husband, the hunters might be quite uneasy with your presence."
Perseus nodded again, not replying. Artemis narrowed her eyes and said, "Why are you not replying to me?"
Perseus replied, respectfully, "Milady, you are a goddess. I do not think that a demigod is allowed to talk to a highly reputed and powerful goddess."
"And yet you talked to several gods and goddesses disrespectfully."
He shrugged, "They deserved it, milady."
"Rule Three, No milady business. I am your wife, I shall not be treated above you but rather equal to you."
He nodded and replied, "Alright, Artemis." Artemis smiled at him and said, "Would you like to skip these formalities?"
Perseus nodded and said, "Sure thing Artemis." Artemis exhaled and smiled again, getting slightly used to Perseus.
"Here, I'll show you to your room."
*Time Skip*
It had been three days and Artemis rarely saw Perseus. Whenever he stepped out of the guest room, he would give her a sad smile and retreat back within his room. It was the fourth day and Zeus had asked for the victors and couples to attend the meeting where they would turn into gods or goddesses.
Artemis knocked on Perseus' room and heard shuffling till he opened the door, his hair disheveled. Her eyes narrowed and she asked, "What are you doing inside?"
"N-Nothing."
"Right," she pushed the door open and saw that he was indeed doing nothing, but his bed seemed to be wrinkly and the sheets were on the ground. With trained eye, she realised that he had been sleeping and when she knocked, he had hurried to open the door, resulting in the mess. Blood rushed to her face when she turned and saw her husband shirtless and in boxers.
"GAH!" she screamed indignantly, covering her eyes.
Perseus jumped startled and looked at himself, grasping that he was standing half-naked before her. He covered himself with his hands and hurriedly rushed to his bed where a blue t-shirt lay which read 'I can sea' with a wave on the background. He put on his pants and said, "You can see now Artemis."
She opened her eyes and hissed, "Why were you half-naked you filthy boy?"
Perseus rolled his eyes and responded, "Probably because I was sleeping Artemis. Now why did you ask upon me?"
"Oh right, father wants us to go to Throne Room. He is going to make you a god and then we will go to the Hunt."
Perseus nodded and walked outside, followed by Artemis. The two walked and Artemis took a leap of faith and latched her arm through Perseus'. He turned his head to look at her, surprised.
"We gotta make them see that we are bonding. I don't want father to have any doubts that we aren't working together."
Perseus simply nodded again and continued walking to the Throne Room. While Artemis has stated that to be her excuse, she felt herself warm and safe within his arms. It was frustrating that she felt like that near a man, but her barriers were breaking slowly, and she wanted to believe that this man would not hurt her, would not harm her.
*Line Break*
They reached the Throne Room and Artemis broke away from Perseus and grew to her godly height. The two nodded at each other in understanding and Artemis opened the door and walked to her throne as the gathered Olympians acknowledged them. As Artemis looked around, she felt proud and ecstatic as she saw that there was no Hercules.
Zeus looked around and, once he was certain everyone was present, he announced, "As I am certain all of you are aware why you have been invited here. Demigods are turning into gods and goddesses to increase our power and once they have children in future, they shall make more minor gods and goddesses till we are back to our former power and preferably with more power to spare."
Silence and the Olympians stood up, the newly wed couples giving each other a look of caution and every Olympian shot a beam of light within the center, godly aura overflooding the room and each demigod who was standing within the Throne Room felt energy seep inside him or her and slowly but surely, each of them collapsed.
Their husbands and wives came once the incantations were over and grabbed their significant other and flashed to their palace. It took a few minutes before Perseus woke up, his hand in Artemis' hand as she looked at him worriedly.
He opened his mouth and a distorted voice came through, "God of tides and hunt. Protector of women and destroyer of betrayal."
He shook his head, trying to get rid of the pain that had erupted from the statement. When he opened his eyes again, he looked at Artemis who was staring at him with a weird expression and she helped him up and said, "Well that's absolutely peachy."
"What is?" All of a sudden, he could see different auras around the place, he could hear so many noises, so many conversations and so many prayers that he almost crashed to the ground. Keyword: Almost. Artemis carried his weight as he collapsed and helped him gently to his feet as his right hand held the side of his head, trying to stop the noises in vain.
"Did you hear we have a new lord?" a voice said.
"I did. Mortals have witnessed changes as well," another voice said.
A news reporter said, "Tides have been at utter unrest for 3 hours. Fishermen and ships are advised to avoid venturing near the sea. Three ships are missing and the people aboard the ship have lost contact."
"HELP! HELP! HELP!"
Voices continued screaming inside his head.
"Lord, help us."
"Son, come here."
"Ah, what a nice day."
"This feels like Titanic all over again."
"HELP! HELP!"
"Stay inside."
"Stay away from the seas."
"Perseus," a calm voice exclaimed, "Perseus, Perseus, c'mon listen to me."
His focus began shifting as a woman began forming before his vision, "Focus on my voice. Ignore the others."
He opened his eyes and saw concerned silver eyes staring at him in worry, "Artemis."
"Yes Perseus, I am here."
"I-I killed those people."
Artemis' eyes reflected centuries worth of pain and she gave him a sad smile and said, "Its okay. It happens sometimes. Perseus, becoming a god is not something people should be proud of. Immortality is a gift and a curse. I have seen countless people die, empires fall and rise, innocent people die at my hands. The things that matter is whether you will move on and make sure you don't do it again. Will you learn from your mistakes or continue doing them?"
Perseus nodded in understanding and replied, "I want to learn." An ear-splitting grin spread over Artemis' face as she engulfed Perseus in a hug, "Oh and Artemis, call me Percy."
*Time Skip*
Artemis and Percy stood in her tent, both of them anxious to see how the hunt would react to the news.
Both nodded at each other in understanding and Artemis opened the flap and both of them stepped out and saw the hunters messing around, the older hunters shooting arrows in the archery range while the younger hunters were practicing close combat.
Artemis stared at them till one of the older hunters, Atlanta, noticed her and called everyone for attention and within seconds, the entire hunt stood before the couple, arrows notched in their bows as they glared at Percy.
"Hunters," Artemis greeted. The hunters bowed except for the lieutenant, Thalia who stepped forward and asked, "Who is this man milady? Is he your husband?"
Artemis nodded and turned her head to Percy and nodded, giving him the signal to explain himself. He got the idea and said, "Hunters, I am Perseus, Perseus Jackson but please call me Percy."
The hunters didn't react, opting to instead look at Percy stunned. Their lady had married the Hero of Olympus. Artemis had married the Hero of Olympus.
The first to break out of her shock was Thalia who shot an arrow at Percy and said, "Yeah right. Percy doesn't look like that. He is more tanned and has sea green eyes, not bluish green eyes. Milady, step back. That man is an imposter."
Percy dodged the arrow and shot towards Thalia, and pointed his sword (that had mysteriously appeared in his hands) at her and said, "Really Thals? That the best you can do?"
Artemis had enough of that and shoved Percy away from Thalia and said, "Percy was made a god, a god of Tides so his eye colour changed and since he married me, we both kinda blended together, him losing some of his tan and me gaining some."
Thalia looked at her and inspected her before nodding in understanding and said, "Well, bite me, I feel bad losing to Percy."
Percy chuckled beside Artemis, earning him a glare from the lieutenant and an elbow nudge from Artemis. They turned to see the gathered hunters who looked eager to ask questions and as Artemis looked over them, she sighed.
This would take time.
A/N: Phew. This was hard to write. I didn't want to rush their feelings but at the same time, didn't want to go too slow. Of course the two are OOC but hey, if they weren't OOC, Artemis wouldn't even go near Percy, Zeus wouldn't be that fatherly and stuff. Also excuse me if you see some changes within this story from beginning to end because I spent 3 weeks writing this. Your idea kind of begins to fade from your mind. Also, polygamy is still allowed within Greek mythology but is not preferred since the gods don't want to be responsible for others. So, they prefer bedding them rather than wedding them (I know that rhymed).
Word Count (First time doing this) (excluding A/N): 3694.