Chapter 29: Special Time
I'M BAACK! I know it's been a long time, but I had to take a break from worrying about this story, but I have lots of ideas for the next few chapters. I'll work on this and some other stuff after this goes out. Also, after writing my new really long oneshot, I discovered how much better it is to write in third person, so it's gonna be that for pretty much the rest of my stories.
Also, yes, I know this story is way too long. It took me 20 chapters to pretty much set up the story, but those 20 chapters were not technically part of the story. If you've read the Iliad and the Odyssey, you likely know of the Epic Cycle. For those who don't, it's basically a collection of 8 (I think?) stories that all link, the two aforementioned ones written by Homer and the rest added in. You ever wondered why the Trojan Horse isn't in The Iliad? That's because they build it 2 books later and then invade Troy the book after that.
For example, The Iliad is without a doubt the main story in the series, but it isn't about the Trojan War. It's specifically about Achilles' rage during a certain period of the war. The book starts with Agamemnon taking his girl, and ends with Achilles cooling down and returning the body of Hector to his father, not mad at him anymore for Patroclus' death, and having reconciled with Agamemnon. But there was a book before that called the Cypria, which was the prologue and the first 9/10 years of the Trojan War. That book had the whole Paris taking Helen and all that nonsense, plus Menelaus calling the Achaeans to war. Consider the first 20 chapters of this story it's Cypria. Not much use to the story, but you need to read it to properly understand it.
Enjoy :)
Chapter 29: Special Time
Artemis watched the arrow soar into the deer's skull with a loud crunch, before the animal hit the ground, making a huge thud. She smiled at her youngest son, Urion. He was improving a lot with his archery, which he was only too happy to learn.
She saw a lot of Orion in her son, or at least the few parts she liked about him. He was great with a bow and arrow, practically a master, but he was always eager for Artemis to teach him. Of course, he liked to be taught by her for a different reason than what Orion wanted. He was polite, and from what she had seen with his limited interactions with the females that came to their fortress in the barren wastelands of Erebus, he respected women and dared not lay a hand on them or make them feel uncomfortable. Percy had taught him good manners.
Thankfully he wasn't too much like Orion. He looked a lot like her, with her face and silver eyes, but like most of his siblings he inherited the black hair of the male Kronoan line, that is Zeus, Poseidon and Hades' sons tended to have black hair, unless you were Apollo. Urion was also humble, never taking a liking to the art of pride such as his mother sometimes tended to do, and which Selena and Achilles inherited from her. He was like his father. Unwilling to accept how powerful he really was and always dropping the credit on others.
Sometimes Artemis wished Selena was like that, and wasn't getting into brawls with various gods and demigods.
Urion clicked his tongue, going to retrieve the arrow. "I was aiming for the eye, but oh well." He said,making Artemis roll her eyes. "You're being too hard on yourself. Your father wouldn't have even hit the deer, despite how much I had him training all those years ago." She said, earning a laugh from Urion.
"Still, if I'm centimetres off, what's that gonna mean when my target's 500 metres away?" He said, while his mother sighed. "It doesn't matter, you got the headshot, quick and clean. It didn't feel a thing. Now come and skin it. Always make use of what you hunt." She reminded him, taking out her two daggers and handing one to him.
The pair quickly skinned the buck, Artemis putting the meat in a bag while Urion threw the pelt over his shoulders. They would leave the skeleton there for nature to do with it what it will.
As they walked back to a clearer location where Artemis would flash them out, they talked. "I resume my hunt for dad's sisters tomorrow." He said, trying to break the silence. Artemis frowned. "I know I promised I wouldn't get involved, but please don't hurt them. I love them as I love my own hunters. One of them even is a hunter." She pleaded.
Urion nodded. "Dad doesn't want them hurt either. He just wants them at home with us so they don't get caught in the crossfire. They're all he has left of our grandmother." He said sadly, thinking of how he never got to meet the woman his father held up as a shining example of what humans should be.
Artemis smiled sadly too, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Your grandmother was a wonderful woman. We helped each other get past your father's 'death', and she helped me raise your sister." She reminisced. Urion smiled. "Still, I would've liked to meet her." He said.
They reached a wired fence, and after throwing their loot over, managed to scale it with ease. Urion had certainly inherited her agility and hunting prowess. He had the body, patience and skill of a true hunter. Once on the other side, they made their way further into the empty field. "Sapphire's probably bored out of her mind without me there. Unless she's managed to find someone else to play with." He said, ushering her to a smooth spot.
Artemis took his shoulder. "She's very innocent. She behaves more like a 5 year old than a 9 year old, though she definitely has the intelligence of someone around the age of 11 or 12." The woman commented. Urion smiled. "Yeah, she's had a very secluded life. Dad's really protective of her, and she only leaves the castle to play with us in the mortal world. She's never had any taste of war or fighting. Dad calls her the princess of the family." He explained.
Artemis flashed them out, and they landed inside the castle with a bright silver light. Percy rubbed his eyes, having been standing in the hallway they arrived in drinking coffee. "Gods, that scared the shit out of me." He said, then saw who it was. "Oh, you guys are back. Sapphire's been looking all over for you, Uri." He said, pointing behind him presumably in the direction his youngest daughter was.
Urion turned around and hugged his mother one last time, making the woman smile and hug the teen back. "See ya mom." He said, before running off. She managed only a wave back.
Percy smiled at her, making the goddess of the Hunt tilt her head in confusion. "What?" She asked, slightly defensive that she looked funny. Percy laughed. "Nothing. I just like the motherly look on your face. It suits you, which I never thought it would when I first met you." He said.
"Well that's because you left me alone with Selena for 17 years. I had to get used to it." She said. Percy rolled his eyes. "Oh stop whining. I had to raise 5 kids by myself. Nyx had to teach me the difference between a sleeping baby and a roast chicken so I didn't accidentally switch them around." He said, continuing to walk down the hall.
Artemis took the venison to the kitchen, where they put it in the freezer for their dinner later that night. She walked around the castle for a while, before hearing strange noises. There was some muffled grunting noises coming from behind a door, and as she got closer, she heard some familiar voices. "Fuck! You're good!" She heard the distinct voice of Eris say, before Achilles spoke as well. "Not too bad yourself, beautiful." Then the grunting started again.
Artemis was horrified that she'd stumbled in on something private, but as she leaned on the door, it cracked open a bit, and she saw inside. Thankfully, it was not what she had thought.
It was a backdoor to the training grounds, and the two teen gods were sparring, though to be fair it was more like an MMA match with weapons. Eris had a sword while Achilles had some blunt axe, since using his actual one would be unfair.
The moon goddess fully opened the door and walked in, leaning against a statue and watching the two. Her son was an amazing fighter, using his strength to his advantage over her considerably smaller frame.
Achilles looked a lot like Percy. Jet black hair, sea-green eyes, tanned skin. He was basically Percy but more broader, and he had Artemis' hardened facial structure. He wasn't a brute like Hercules, but still very strong. He had the body structure of the original Jason. Big but not hulking.
Unfortunately, he'd also inherited Artemis' pride, and that led to him and Selena getting into many arguments and even becoming territorial. She wouldn't say they hated each other but they were definitely the siblings who found each other equally annoying, sorta like if Ares was her own twin.
"I understand your relief. I walked in on those two screwing once. It was horrifying." Calix had suddenly appeared out of nowhere beside her, eating an apple. Artemis jumped in shock, but then cringed as she realised what he just said. "I did not need to know my son and his girlfriend were having sex." She said.
Calix continued to eat. "Larissa was just being a dick by the way, at dinner that one time. None of us are virgins, not even her. We've all had sex with various monsters and godlings." He said, making Artemis cringe even more. "What? Why would you tell me that? Who?"
Calix shrugged. "For me Medusa was my first, but there've been a few more since. I caught Uri in a threesome last year with two servant nymphs. Achilles of course has Eris, but I did see him sneaking off with young titanesses before they got together. Larissa has always had flings with random godlings, but Sykor is the first one she's ever really liked. Thankfully Sapphire is still a virgin to my knowledge, and I pray it remains so for the rest of time. She should take up that virgin goddess business Dad says you were so fond of." He suggested.
Artemis really had no idea why she was having this conversation with her son. It was not something she wanted to know. "Let's change the subject. You really don't know how to make conversation, huh?" She said, crossing her arms and watching the fight.
Calix shook his head. "What do ya think I was just doing? Though I see why you're uncomfortable. Dad says I'm tone deaf, Larissa says I just don't know when to shut up. Did you catch anything for dinner? Me and Achilles wanted to go catch a bear, but Dad said you and Urion needed some bonding time. Selena said I wouldn't be able to wrestle a bear if I tried, or at least not a male one. So, I asked her if she wanted to, and said that she's got plenty of experience 'wrestling' with guys. Larissa had to hold her back." He rambled, before breaking out in laughter.
Artemis rolled her eyes at her oldest son, knowing that he was probably just as much trouble as Selena and Achilles, except they liked to start fights with swords and shields while Calix could just walk into the wrong place and say the wrong thing at any time. Percy was right. He was kinda tone deaf. He reminded her of Hermes. Quick to cause trouble with his tongue, but still as formidable in combat with his spear as the Slayer of Argus was with his magic wand.
"You confuse me, Calix." She told him, shaking her head with a smile. He tilted his head, smirking. "How so, mother?" He cheekily replied, earning a side-glance from the goddess. "I still cannot tell whether you are more of a warrior or a trickster." She admitted, and the teen laughed.
"When we were young, Dad told us lots of stories of the gods, and one of them he told a lot was of this guy called Odysseus. He was strong, one of the best fighters that Greece ever had, but he was blessed by Athena, which allowed him to bullshit his way out of every situation. That's what I am. I can cut off a guy's dick to escape, but I can just as easily piss on him with mine as I fly out in a Black Hawk, and I pride myself on that." He said, humoring the Goddess of the Silver Arrow.
Nevertheless, Artemis shook her head. "Don't let pride get to you. You may be able to do that, but he can just as easily sever your manhood with a well-aimed arrow as you piss. If you don't stay humble, one day you're gonna try and take on all of Olympus without your brothers and sisters to back you up, and like it or not, you're gonna lose." She warned him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.
Calix smiled, looking at the two finish off their fight. "That would be the day. If I ever do that, it means one of three things: I've lost my mind; there's nothing else to lose; or I'm the only one left." He said, smiling sadly. "Let's hope it never comes to that." Artemis said, rubbing his arm comfortingly.
Finally, Achilles managed to swipe Eris' sword out of her hand and pin her down on the floor with it. "Got ya." He told her with a wolfish grin, and the girl under him smirked. "I'm at your mercy." She said, before pushing the blade out of the way and wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss.
As the two made out on the floor, Artemis scoffed in disgust while Calix wolf-whistled. "Gross. Can you guys do that somewhere private?" Artemis asked, while the two teens stood up to collect their weapons. Achilles shrugged. "What? It's not like you and dad never kissed. Probably in that exact same circumstance, knowing your guys' love for fighting." He suggested, making Calix cringe at the thought of his parents rolling around on the floor.
As Eris went to bend over and grab her sword, Calix made a photo gesture with his hands, earning a death glare from literally everyone in the room. "You're dead, bitch." Achilles said, pointing his axe at Calix threateningly. The elder brother rolled his eyes. "Oh please, you know I'd never beat you in one on one close combat. Maybe if I had a horse or were 20 feet away, but not like this. Here, trial by combat, you and mom can duke it out. If she wins, you go away. If you win, you can beat the shit out of me all you like." He offered.
Artemis sighed, needing a warm up anyway. "For the record, I have no support for what you did, Cal." She said, drawing her silver knives -the non-godly ones, of course. Achilles nodded, walking to the other side of the arena and taking a stance. Artemis got into position as well. "I'll try not to cut your throat." She said with an innocent smile. Achilles rolled his eyes, before charging her.
Easy, Artemis thought to herself, before effortlessly side-stepping him and elbowing the small of his back. Achilles hissed in pain, before reeling around and going for a swing. Artemis, practically a ninja, leaned to the right and dodged it, before bringing her arm to the back of his head and yanking forward, pulling him over. Achilles dropped the axe and slammed on the floor, moving to get up before he felt the point of her dagger pressing against the back of his neck.
Artemis smirked, choosing to rub it in. "You rely too much on strength and not speed. Those who are smaller than you can easily dodge, while those who are bigger can easily parry. You have to learn to balance it out." She said, removing the dagger from his neck since he'd yielded.
Achilles scoffed as he stood up. "Mom, no offense, but you don't look the type to balance speed and strength. I don't think you'd be able to knock out a guy my size in one punch." He said. Artemis narrowed her eyes. "You ever heard of Ares?" She asked.
Achilles nodded, wondering where this was going. "Yeah?" She stepped closer to him. "There are three gods Ares is too afraid to fight: Zeus, Athena," She reeled back her arm, before punching Achilles square in the nose, sending him sprawling onto the floor. "And me."
Eris' eyes widened as Calix whistled. "Damn. I'm glad both my parents are such badasses." He laughed. Artemis walked over and held out a hand, helping her son up. "Sorry, sweetie." She mocked, watching as Achilles wiped some blood from his nose. It was crooked, but Achilles, the strong guy he was, reached up and snapped it back into place, the only hint of pain being a slight grunt.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, a young blonde teen sat on the edge of a bridge, legs dangling over the Little Tiber just south of the New Rome Aviary. Michael Grace sat alone thinking over everything. He'd almost died that day on Aeolus' mountain. Some monster got a lucky shot on him and if it wasn't for the wind god getting rid of the monsters and Arianna rushing out and holding onto him, Michael would never have gotten to see his parents again.
Michael found himself thinking about the daughter of Poseidon again. They were close friends, though admittedly Michael was not as vocal with her as their other friends were. He had the Roman blood in him, so his mind was constantly hotwired on fighting and training whenever he had spare time, not partying and going to the lake like other people his age were.
Of course, he still hung out with his friends when they invited him… but only when they invited him. Truth is, Michael was socially awkward to an extent. He didn't like showing up to things uninvited, and he always made more effort to not screw everything up than he did to have fun. The amount of this skyrocketed when Arianna and Estelle began hanging out with them, since they were new and he didn't want to lose them as friends.
Crassus and Alex liked to tease him and say that it was because he had a thing for Arianna, but he didn't. That's what he told himself at night, anyway.
Speak of the devil… Michael thought to himself as he heard footsteps on the stone bridge behind him. "You mind if I sit here?" He heard the all too familiar voice of Arianna Blofis-Jackson ask. He turned his head silently, then held out his hand in a 'be my guest' gesture.
Arianna sat down beside him and they looked out at the low sun. "How you feeling, tough guy?" She asked, looking at him and hitting his bicep playfully. Michael laughed, faking hurt as he clutched his arm. "Well, I might need to go back to the infirmary ward if you keep that up, but otherwise I'm fine. The wound's healed up pretty good thanks to the Apollo kids." He said.
Ari held out a finger. "We're in the Roman camp now, Mike. It's offensive to refer to the gods by their Greek names, especially when talking about the Roman's parents." She corrected. Michael just stared at her blankly for a few seconds, not getting if she was making a joke. "You do realise that Apollo's Roman name is Apollo, right?" He asked, and Ari immediately blushed, but went on the defensive. "Pfft, yeah I knew that! I was just testing ya!" She said, crossing her arms. Michael looked back out at the sun with an amused smile.
Ari tried to continue the conversation. "I know I've said this before, but your parents are really nice. I like them." She said. Michael nodded. "Yeah, but it's hard having Heroes of Olympus as your parents. It's like being a son of Zeus back in ancient Greece. Everyone expects so much of you. Then again, my parents were only one-time saviors. I can't imagine how Selena must've felt, or Hades, even you must get a lot of that, being Percy Jackson's sister." He said.
Ari immediately darkened at the mention of her brother, but quickly brightened. "Yeah, but I know Selena, and I know that she won't be affected by that as much. Either that, or she's like Artemis, and too prideful to admit that she's stressed out. Seriously, descendants of Zeus need to take a chill pill." She ranted, then realising she was talking to the grandson of Jupiter, blushed again. "No offence." She mumbled, which was met with a "None taken."
Ari looked down at her reflection, moving a stray strand of black hair back into place. "We should go for a swim." She suggested, and Michael looked at her incredulously. "What? But it's like 5 in the afternoon!" He exclaimed. Too late, however. Ari was already up and taking her shirt off. "Exactly. 2 hours after the hottest point of the day equals 2 hours before the hottest point of the day, and we always go swimming at 1ish. Now come on, get your shirt and shoes off." She said, removing her flannel skirt.
Michael sighed, before getting up and undressing himself. Soon the two of them were left in their underwear, which was pretty much their swimsuits but not made for water. Michael was hesitant to get in, so he watched as Ari dived off the bridge into the relatively deep river. After a few moments, her head surfaced, and she looked up at him. "Come on, the water's fine!"
"For a sea-spawn, maybe." Michael grumbled, before taking the plunge and diving in himself. After he surfaced and wiped the water away from his eyes, Ari clapped. "10/10 dive right there." She joked, making him laugh too.
Before he could ask what they were going to do now, Ari swam off downstream towards the lake, leaving him to trail after her. This is good practice for if I need to chase a monster who's really good at swimming down a river, I guess. Michael made excuses for this little excursion of his, before Ari went off a little edge into the main lake.
Since they were on the opposite side of the lake from New Rome, no one could see them out there, so they just paddled around a bit. Eventually, as always, Ari decided to do something fun. "I'm bored. You wanna see something cool?" She asked, and he shrugged. "I guess so."
The breath was taken from Michael's mouth as Ari grabbed his shoulders and yanked him underwater. He flailed around desperately, not liking the feeling of no oxygen in his lungs, before he was stopped by Ari putting a finger on his lips. Almost as id by magic, Michael was suddenly able to breathe, despite the fact that they were underwater.
"As a daughter of Poseidon, I let you breath underwater for the time being. Just don't break the surface or I'll have to do it again." She said, and he nodded. "Okay. Wow, I can talk too?" He exclaimed, surprised. Ari nodded with a grin as she saw his bewilderment.
"Now come on." She said, taking his hand and going deeper. Michael went with her, not liking the fact that it got darker the deeper they went. Eventually it was so dark that he could hardly see anything, only Ari and the limited light above. Then Ari stopped and looked at him, and Michael became confused. "What?"
She smiled. "We're here." She said. Michael looked around. "I don't see anything." He said. Ari laughed, then held out her arms wide. "What do you mean? Look around you! There's so much to see down here. Wildlife, pretty shells, we could probably find a cave if we looked." She said.
Michael laughed. "I hate to break it to you Ari, but I can't see two feet in front of me." He said. Ari smiled and reached out her hands. Michael's eyes instinctively closed, and he felt two of her fingers press against them lightly. When they went away, he opened his eyes and gasped.
It was so much clearer now. The water was a bright blue instead of eerily green. He could see various fishes swimming about in schools, and the lake floor was filled to the brim with rocks and shells of various astonishing colors. "This is where I come to relax. It was the same at Camp. I'd just take a midnight swim to the bottom of the lake to clear my head, and now with the war I've been doing it a lot here too." She admitted, rubbing her arm sheepishly.
Michael blinked. "Ari, this is amazing!" He said, forcing her to smile. "I know right. It's sad that really only children of Poseidon can experience this, cause I usually have no one to share this with." She said. Michael smiled, showing a rare case of affection and hugging his friend. "Thank you for showing me this. This means a lot to me." He said. Ari blushed the contact. "N-no problem."
Michael pulled away. "You blush a lot." He noted, setting Ari on the defensive like a wild animal when cornered. "No, you blush a lot." She countered like a child. Michael laughed.
They sat there, or rather hovered, for nearly half an hour, just resting against each other and watching the fish go about their business like they weren't there. They were enjoying each other's company. Eventually, Ari decided that it was the best time to make a move.
She had come to terms a few days ago that she liked Michael. She had known him for months now, but always shot Estelle down when she suggested a chemistry between them. Then, after Michael almost died and her heart was nearly broken, she realised how dear to her he was.
Now was her time to move.
"Follow me, I wanna show you something." She said, taking his hand and paddling off. Since his hand was ensnared, Michael was forced to follow her even further down until they came inches above the same. They practically crawled for a couple dozen meters, before they came upon a hole in the wall.
Ari led him in the darkness, and he was forced to rely on her guidance for him to not get lost. Eventually, they came upon one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen.
There was some sort of algae on the walls of a small inlet, glowing bright neon glows of various colors. He remained there awestruck for a few moments before Ari came up to him. "This is where I sometimes spend the night when I come here. It's actually quite comfortable." She said, gesturing to the smooth sand in the middle of the room.
Michael raised an eyebrow. "Really? Doesn't look very comfortable." He noted, and Ari nodded. "Yeah. My body temperature heats up in the water, and the water itself acts like a pillow. So all I need are some nightlights and a smooth surface and I'm good. Here, come lie down with me." She told him, swimming into the room and gently relaxing onto the sandbed.
Michael shrugged and followed her, managing to float the bottom next to her, where he pulled her into his side. They lay there for a while, enjoying the company of each other once more, before Ari shifted around.
He looked down at her, and she raised her head to look at him. "What's up?" He asked, and she stayed silent. Then, ever so gently, Ari leaned her head in and closed her eyes. As he realised what she was doing, he did the same, and their lips connected. As cliche as it sounds, it sent sparks up his body, and he felt like his heart could stop right there and then, and he wouldn't care one bit.
As he lay kissing the goddess of his repressed dreams, the kiss got more passionate, and he felt her arm sneak down his muscled torso. He gasped as her hand entered his boxers and grasped his package delicately. Ari parted from the kiss. "Shh, just let this happen." She whispered as she descended down his body, and he lay back in pleasure as she carefully took him in her mouth.
The two spent the night there in pure teenage ecstasy, not returning to the Camo until late the next morning.
So, there it is. The newest chapter of this story. What'd you guys think? A bit longer than usual, but I thought I'd treat you guys. Do you want to see a full lemon between those two? Because if so, I'll write one then edit this chapter and replace it. I don't know whether you'd prefer for it to end there or if you're desperate for material.
As a side note, please go check out DauntlessEmperor's new story on Wattpad called The Silhouette. No, this isn't sponsored or anything, I just really like the story and I'm kinda upset that it's only got 70 reads. Also, congrats to Page9900 for getting 1000 reads on their story. You deserve it. What do you guys wanna see next in this story? Pertemis fluff? More plot? I think I can tell which one already. Have fun in quarantine. I'll probably be posting more because of it.
Word Count: 5040
