A/N: I know I say this every time, but thank you all so much for the reviews! Each one I read emboldens me to continue writing and making this story the best it can be for all of you. Please keep them coming! I love them!
Here's another 10k chapter, and I think I'm getting more and more used to making this the standard chapter size. I know this one took longer than normal, but just like last time, it felt much healthier. I hope you all enjoy!
I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any affiliated works. All credit goes to Rick Riordan. Please support the official books.
Chapter 8: Conflict
PERCY
For the first time in his life, Percy Jackson didn't feel like eating.
He sat by the lake where he was replacing bow strings earlier. He found it peaceful there, being near a body of water. It helped him calm down and reminded him that his father was out there and in his corner.
His food sat next to him near the edge as his feet dangled in the water, kicking them softly, enjoying the ripples he was causing. He was hungry after running away from the bird flock of doom an hour ago, but his motivation to eat had all but left him.
The sun had nearly disappeared from the sky, and Percy estimated it was a little past 6:30. The evening horizon created a painting of orange, blue, and purple that streaked in the sky above him, which he saw reflected in the lake.
His senses had grown with Lupa, and he felt someone approaching him with little attempts to hide themselves, so he had a fair guess as to who it was. Only one hunter would approach him so boldly.
"Hey Thals," he called out. She froze in her tracks and let out a sigh.
"I'm not even gonna ask how you knew it was me," she made a few more steps and stopped right behind him. "Mind if I join you?"
"Be my guest." She kicked off her shoes and sat down beside him, her feet dipping into the cool water as well, letting out a small shiver when her skin made contact.
"Chilly. Not a fan of water, since, you know, daughter of Zeus and all that, but I'm willing to make an exception for you."
He snorted. "Gee, thanks, I'm honored. To what do I owe the honor, your Grace?"
She punched him in the arm. "I forgot how much I hated your puns. How long were you waiting to use that one?"
"Longer than I'd like to admit," he said with a small chuckle.
Thalia couldn't help but laugh a little too. "So why don't you crack some more jokes back with me and the others? Even super hunters trained by Lupa need to eat."
Percy looked up, knowing this question would come. "As much as I'd love to eat with a group of girls who hate my guts, I think I'll have to pass."
Thalia pressed on. "They don't hate you Percy. They're just not used to you yet. I'm pretty sure you know that. There's something else that's bothering you, I can tell. And it probably has to do with your past."
"I wasn't the most subtle back there, was I?"
"Not even a little bit," she smirked. "What's wrong Percy?"
Percy heaved a sigh. "I can't hide anything from you, can I? I just…got nervous. I don't know the other hunters like I know you, or Jason, or Grover. They don't know me that well either. If I told them all my story, I doubt any of them would believe me. The letter, the fake me, none of it. They have no reason to trust a male's voice."
"Well there's your problem. You're trying to do too much too fast. Like you said, they don't know you yet. So make them. Spend time with us, do your chores, don't even think about flirting with them, and little by little they might just warm up to you." Thalia comforted him.
"Maybe they will, maybe they won't. That's exactly what I'm scared of. That…rejection, I guess you can call it. When I got turned invisible and heard all my friends say those awful things about me, it hurt. Badly. And they didn't even say them to my face. If the hunters found out what I did and had the same reaction…" he trailed off, not willing to think about it.
"Rejection is a valid fear. Everyone has it, even if it's just a little bit. I had it too, you know. When I popped out of that tree with the Golden Fleece's help, I was worried people had forgotten about me. That everything had changed to the point where it was unrecognizable. Then I found out that it was only 3 years, and I was okay, but the fear was still there." She explained.
Percy rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Thalia. That really helps," he said sarcastically. She punched him again.
"Let me finish, Fish Face. The point I'm trying to make here is that you'll never know what's ahead of you unless you take that first step. The hunters won't be able to know you unless you know them in turn. If you let your worries consume you, there won't be any of you left."
Percy pondered her words. "Huh. You're smarter than you look."
"I swear Percy, I'll fry you," she warned.
"Sorry, sorry. Humor is a go-to for me. What you say makes sense, and I really appreciate it. It's just a little more complicated than that. I'm not exactly used to being around people again. I mean, I was alone with a bunch of wolves for a year and then for the next year I only interacted with kids. I feel like I'm putting on an act, because I have no idea how I'm supposed to behave around you guys. Especially since you all kind of hate men." He elaborated.
Thalia looked thoughtful for a moment, then smacked Percy upside the head.
"Ow!" he exclaimed. "I thought you were supposed to be comforting me, but that's the third time you've hit me."
"And it won't be the last," Thalia promised. "I don't hate you, and I'm the freaking lieutenant. If I can put up with you, they can too. I know you're not sure what to do, since you spent an entire year under a secret identity or whatever, but the same goes for the Hunt. This is the first time that a male's been in the group for…let's just say a really long time. Everyone needs to adjust in one way or another."
Percy's eyes widened in realization. "I…never thought about it like that."
"I know you didn't, Seaweed Brain. That's why I'm here to do it for you. Remember, you're not alone anymore. And you've got all the time in the world, no need to rush it. As you slowly get used to being around the hunters, they'll get used to you too."
Percy shook his head in amazement. "When did you get so good at giving out life advice?"
"When you're the co-leader of a group of young girls that love drama, you get used to it." Thalia answered with a grin.
"It's gonna be hard for the hunters to get used to me when I'm spending all my time away from them doing chores." Percy remarked.
"That's your job to figure out, not mine," Thalia said with a yawn. "Just be yourself and they'll come around. Percy should always be Percy."
"The same Percy that you want to punch in the face most of the time?"
"Exactly! You get it now. Even if you do have to put on a front for a tiny bit, as long as you eventually come to terms with where you are and what your life has come to, it's perfectly okay." Thalia looked at him, kindness in her blue eyes.
Percy closed his eyes momentarily and turned to face her. "I missed having you as a friend, Pinecone Face."
"Likewise. Don't get me wrong though, the process isn't gonna be easy. I hope you're prepared for a lot more pranks. I'm gonna make what Artemis did look tame in comparison." There was no longer kindness in her blue eyes.
Percy arched an eyebrow. "Really? I doubt anything you can do can be worse than a bombardment of bird poop."
"Oh, I'm so gonna make you eat those words. Along with some other gross things that I'll slip into your food one night."
Percy shuddered. "Just no fish, please. It would violate my code of ethics."
"Deal," Thalia agreed, standing up. "You good to head back?"
Percy stood up shortly after. "Yeah. All this life-changing talk really worked up my appetite."
The son of Poseidon used his powers to will both of their feet dry and slip their shoes on. Percy picked up his food (which had gone from piping hot to aggressively lukewarm) and they made their way back to the main camp area together.
Percy felt immense gratitude for Thalia. After struggling on his own for so long, it felt good to have a friend to knock some sense into him whenever he was feeling down. Sometimes literally, since Thalia had the strangest habit of punching him.
Most of all, though, he was thankful for the words she said. The entire time he was on his own, he was in a constant state of conflict between missing his friends dearly and fearing the pain of being rejected by them. He became isolated, and never thought about the situation from their point of view. He became the 'Wolf,' a lone soldier against the world, thinking that the only person he needed was himself. How wrong he had been.
When he and Thalia entered the dining area once more, all eyes turned to them. Artemis seemed a little relieved, and a lone hunter called out.
"So? What's the story then?"
Percy cleared his throat and addressed them briefly. "I can't tell you the whole thing now since we're not that close yet. I'd also like to apologize for trying to act all buddy-buddy with you guys on my first day here. I promise I'll watch my step and stay in line until maybe one day you're all comfortable enough with me and vice versa to allow us to open up to each other."
With that, he marched towards his tent, taking a seat and began to eat his meal at a respectable distance from them. He saw the hunters looking very confused at first, but it soon morphed into one of content. They seemed satisfied with his answer and continued eating their dinners.
Once all the food had disappeared from everyone's plates, Percy cleaned them up without a word and brought them all over to the lake to wash them. Most of the hunters still looked at him with disdain, but unless Percy was imagining things, it seemed as if a few of the gazes had softened. They all dispersed to continue the training they were doing before dinner.
Percy simply looked at his list of chores, mentally crossed off 'Replace bowstrings,' and approached Artemis to ask about the next one.
"Hey Artemis? Can I ask you about this task here?" He pointed to the list. The goddess started walking over to him.
"I think I can guess the one you're referring to. The one labelled 'Hunt Research?'" Percy nodded. "In that case, follow me."
She led him to her tent, which was placed in the back end of the reverse U shape, similar to where Zeus' throne was placed on Olympus. He reached out to pull on the entrance flap, but Artemis slapped his hand away.
"No males enter here. Remember this, or you will find an arrow to the neck," she warned. Percy nodded again, with much more vigor this time as Artemis ducked inside her tent. She reemerged a few seconds later holding a large, leather bound book with a golden outline of an arrow on the front.
"This is known as the Hunter's Journal. It contains vital information about virtually every monster known to us, from when the Hunt was first founded to now. This information includes descriptions, weaknesses, locations, habits, etc. You've traveled a lot over the past few years, and you may have seen something that we haven't. Your job is to go through this, entry by entry, and fill in any blanks we may have that you're aware of."
Percy looked at her with horror. "You're telling me I have to do schoolwork?"
Artemis sighed. "No…but at the same time, yes. You don't have to be a child of Athena to understand that the side in battle that has more information is the side that comes out on top. Any and all accurate info we can gather about the creatures we hunt is an asset. Do you understand?"
"Yeah," Percy replied. "Lupa went on about something similar once, but definitely not in this much detail."
"Makes sense. Her pack fights mainly based on animal instinct, while we battle with strategy. If, and this is a big if, you manage to stick around and join us on one of our hunts, I imagine that each of us will attempt to carry it out in different ways," Artemis mused.
"Filling out workbooks, comparing notes…this is school," Percy grumbled. Artemis didn't even give off a hint of a smile, opting instead to stare at him curiously.
"Before I leave you begin this task, I'd like to extend my appreciation for what you said. A lot of my girls…haven't had the best experience with men in their lifetimes, and your being here troubles them more than they like to let on. I've no idea what happened to cause your speech at dinner, but I believe that they acknowledged your words at the very least."
Percy shook his head. "It was nothing, really. It needed to be said, and it was Thalia that motivated me in the first place. You should thank her instead."
Artemis let out a short breath. "Still humble as ever I see. In any case, I believe there is truth in your words; both parties here need some time to get used to each other. That is, if you're not long gone before it could even hope to come into fruition."
Percy grinned. "Is that a challenge? You think a few pranks and chores will be able to drive me away? Sorry to disappoint, but Thalia will agree with me that I am incredibly stubborn."
Artemis smirked in response. "We shall see. Thalia told me of her plans for you. Let's just say that you're in for quite the rude awakening."
Before Percy could contemplate what that meant, the moon goddess had vanished into her tent, leaving him with a book and a bad feeling about tomorrow.
One Week Later
Percy had his instincts trained by Lupa herself, so when he had a bad feeling, it tended to be right.
That morning, the same one Artemis warned him about, he woke up to the sound of giggling just like he had on the first night with the Amazons, giving him an intense feeling of déjà vu.
"Oh gods, what is it this time?" he thought groggily as he got out of bed…or at least, he tried to.
"What in Poseidon's name!?" he shouted out, waking up to find that his mattress, with him still laying in it, had been mysteriously placed in the middle of the lake. He looked around in a panic and saw a handful of hunters on the shore, roaring with laughter. He was unsurprised to find Thalia leading them.
"Wow Percy! I never took you for a sleepwalker! Turns out you're a sleep-swimmer!" She said between gasps of air.
"Very funny Thalia, very funny…" he grumbled as he willed the lake to push his bed back to the coast.
The night prior, he had spent so long attempting to set up his tent (to Thalia's absolute delight), that when he finished, he collapsed into his bed immediately, clothes still on. This turned out to be a stroke of luck because otherwise he would be in nothing but his boxers.
When he stepped onto the sandy shore, he decided to have a little fun himself and cause a small jet of water to squirt up and nail Thalia right in the face. She glared at him, face dripping.
"That's it. You're on." They proceeded to play a rigorous game of cat-and-mouse where Percy would spray her with water and bolt away, then Thalia would give chase and zap him with an electric shock upon catching him, making Percy turn around and run after her again. Artemis intervened and ended their fun after a few minutes, but it was quite the show for the other hunters.
For the past week, Thalia had pranked him only a couple of times, all of which were harmless and lighthearted. This included things like placing a gross looking bug into his soup when he wasn't looking one night, causing him to leap back in surprise, spilling it all over himself. Or when he was sharpening arrowheads one peaceful afternoon, perfectly content and minding his own business, when a well-placed fart arrow found itself embedded in the ground by his feet. He had put his powers into overdrive trying to scrub the smell out.
Thalia's talk with him that first day really helped him, and he kept to himself for the most part, only interacting with the girls when he had to. He respected their space, and they respected his in turn. In fact, some of them had begun to exchange small pleasantries whenever he passed by.
"Good morning."
"Nice weather, yes?"
"I didn't hate your cooking."
The conversations weren't anything to write home about, but Percy was glad that they weren't treating him like a discarded shoe on the side of the road. It gave him hope that they could be more comfortable with him one day.
He spent most of his time preparing meals and doing the chores that Artemis had laid out for him. Ever since that first dinner, they had requested his culinary skills more often, and he ended up making breakfast and dinner for the whole hunt on most days. He used herbs that he found in the forest for spices as well as meat that they had gathered from their expeditions. Not that he could come, of course.
"While I'm confident we could leave camp in your care, the girls don't trust you around their personal belongings just yet. So, while we're gone, I recommend that you leave for the city and attempt to sniff out a demigod child or two." Artemis had instructed him.
That's exactly what he did. While the Hunt was out tracking a request from the gods or gathering meat for their meals, Percy would venture out in his wolf mask and try to locate any half-bloods in the area. He couldn't exactly leave for a couple of days to guide them to camp, so whenever he found one, he would IM Grover their location who told the Council of Cloven Elders where to find them.
He felt like a glorified housemaid at times, but he didn't have much say in the matter. The chores kept his ADHD brain busy and helping the kids in need kept his heart full. Other than the slightly strained relationship he had with the others as well as Thalia's occasional pranks, he couldn't complain.
…is what he would say if it weren't for a certain huntress. Phoebe. Compared to her pranks, Thalia's were a ray of sunshine. Whenever Phoebe decided to pull a joke on Percy, it ended up being borderline dangerous, almost seriously injuring him.
Thalia put a stink arrow near his foot, while Phoebe would try to put a real arrow in his foot. She also tried throwing her daggers at him, missing by a hair and claiming it was 'target practice,' as well as leaving a piece of meat under his bed so wild dogs would raid his tent in the middle of the night.
Percy knew she wouldn't try to outright kill him, but she was sure getting close. He wasn't entirely sure how to react to her onslaught because he figured that Artemis would dismiss his complaints as cowardice and Phoebe probably knew how to cover up her tracks well. He was stuck between a rock and hard place – and in Phoebe's case, it might be a literal rock one day. Aimed at his head.
Percy was currently pondering this dilemma as he sat under a tree, having moved on to his next chore of re-adjusting the fletches on the Hunt's arrows. It was tedious work, even more so since he had no idea what a fletching even was before today.
He felt his senses sharpen and realized someone was close by. He stopped his work and stood to his feet, groaning as his back cracked like fresh popcorn.
"Thalia?" he called out, assuming it was his friend since she was the only one who was willing to get close to him. He couldn't have been more wrong.
"You wish." A beefy-looking huntress approached him, sporting combat boots, baggy camouflage jeans, tightened with a belt full of fun and sharp weapons. She wore a large, beige overcoat lined with fur, and her ginger hair was wrapped up in a ponytail.
Percy raised an eyebrow. "Phoebe? What do you need?"
"Do not address me so casually," she snapped. "I want to know why you're still here."
"Hey, I just learned how to fix the fletches an hour ago, so give me a-"
"No," she cut him off. "I meant why you're still with us. With the Hunt. Why have you not left yet?"
"Oh." Percy didn't know how to follow that up.
"You are a male. None of us want you here. Artemis even offered you a ticket out! You are truly the world's biggest fool for not taking it," she continued.
Percy just shrugged. "I've been called worse things before."
Phoebe was clearly not amused by his response. She inched closer, hand resting on the hilt her dagger. "I don't understand you. Why did you even leave your precious camp in the first place? Why not return there now?"
Percy paled. Phoebe was the last person he wanted to talk to about his situation to right now. "Well it's, uh, kind of a long story, and really really boring. You'd just fall asleep, so I'd rather not tell it."
The huntress narrowed her eyes. "I didn't hear your 'inspiring' speech at dinner, but I heard that you wanted us to open up to each other. Laughable. How can we do that if you can't even do the same?"
"No, I hope to one day tell you all the truth, but I think it's too early for that…"
"Wrong. That time will never come. You are not welcome here, especially by me."
Percy was doing well holding back against this unfair treatment, but he unintentionally let out a hint of his feelings. "Why do you hate me so much? Why can't you join the others and at least try to tolerate me?"
Phoebe snorted. "Tolerate you? Not a chance. I don't trust a word that comes out of your mouth. You're not telling us your past for a reason, and I think it's suspicious. Especially coming from a boy."
That just heated Percy up more. "What did I ever do to you? Can't you-"
She interjected him with a yell. "It wasn't me you did it to! It was her! It's your fault she died!"
That hit Percy like a truck. "Wait…you don't mean…?"
Phoebe looked away, arms crossed, and fists clenched. "Zoë is nothing more than a pattern of stars in the sky, and her death is on your hands. No matter what you say, I will stop at nothing to get you out of my sight."
She turned around and left in a hurry, without saying another word, leaving Percy alone with his mouth slightly agape.
"So that was the issue…" he thought, slumping his back against the tree. He knew that there was something else beneath the surface that was causing Phoebe's irrational hatred towards him. Now he knew, and old memories were starting to resurface.
"Stars. I can see the stars again, m'lady."
Percy pushed the thought to the back of his mind, not allowing himself to get lost within the flashback. He couldn't handle that right now. Instead, he tried to think of the best way to deal with the situation in front of him.
"Phoebe will kill me if I don't leave, but Zeus might kill me if I do. I can't decide which one would be worse," Percy said to himself honestly, knowing that the huntress's wrath could be on par with the King of Olympus.
Thinking about it too much made his brain hurt, so he decided to tuck it away and maybe talk to Thalia or muster up the courage to approach Artemis about it tomorrow morning. He had a lot of time to reflect on it, and plenty of fletches to fix in the meantime.
Soon enough, dinner rolled around, and Percy was asked to cook again, which he was okay with. He enjoyed cooking. It gave him plenty of time to himself, and he got to show the hunters that he could be somewhat useful. At least in the kitchen.
"Yeah, I'm definitely a maid," he muttered to himself while preparing his ingredients.
Tonight, he made them roasted duck with cooked vegetables, courtesy of the garden that one of the hunters tended to. She was a daughter of Demeter and didn't see a reason to hold back her plants from Percy, especially considering that he knew how to use them.
He still ate away from them, but the number of dirty glances they shot him had decreased significantly. He enjoyed observing them all eat together. They laughed, they talked, they joked, all like one big happy family. It reminded him of camp but…a little different somehow. While he wasn't too happy about being forced into the Hunt to begin with, there was a small part of him that wanted to join that family too one day.
As he was finishing up his plate, he noticed Thalia had walked up to him and plopped down beside him. "Alright, you're brooding more than Nico. Something's on your mind. What's up?"
Percy couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Am I that easy to read?"
"Only to me. Now spit it out. And I don't mean your food."
Percy nearly did spit out his food when she said that, but he managed to swallow it and let out a slow breath. "It's Phoebe."
Thalia pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "I knew it. She's good at hiding it, but I could tell she was doing something to you. She really doesn't trust you."
"It's more than that. Yeah, her pranks against me haven't been, well, the safest, but at least I can handle them. What I can't handle is the reason she hates me." Percy explained, setting his empty dish on the ground next to him.
"Wait, she gets violent with you?" Thalia asked incredulously. "We specifically agreed not to do that."
"Well, she didn't seem to get the message. None of you strike me as strict rule-followers anyway."
"You got me there," she agreed. "So? Why does she want to kill you so bad?"
"It's…about Zoë," Percy said, seeing no reason to hide it. Keeping it bottled up wouldn't solve anything.
Thalia let out a small gasp. "Oh gods. Does she blame you for…?"
"Yeah," he confirmed without her having to say it. "I have no idea what to do."
Sure, he'd consoled people about death before. More times than he ever would have liked to in his life. But this one was different – this one felt so much more personal and involved several years' worth of pent up anger.
Thalia had a sullen look on her face. "Don't worry about it too much, Percy. I don't want you getting hung up on this. You need to stay focused on maintaining a friendly relationship with the others, so they can see you how I see you."
"You see me as an object of amusement for your own evil pranks," Percy pointed out.
"That's still better than 'typical male scum.' Let me handle Phoebe. I'll corner her at some point tonight and talk about it with her. Maybe try to convince her to not be so…aggressive."
Percy quickly scanned the dining area. "Good luck with that because I don't even think she's here right now. She has a habit of disappearing whenever I cook."
Thalia groaned. "Great. Now I have to track the best tracker in the Hunt. That's exactly what I wanted to spend my night doing."
"Thals, you really don't have to-"
"Zip it, Kelp Head. I'm doing this cause I want to. Leaving her alone with those feelings probably isn't the best idea. As her lieutenant, it's my job to make sure she's healthy in both mind and body." Thalia looked ahead of her with determination.
Percy couldn't fight back after hearing that. "I guess you do take some things seriously."
Thalia huffed. "Of course I do. I know I make everything I do look easy, but it isn't. Co-leading is tough! I gotta give it everything I got. Just like your pranks."
It was Percy's turn to groan. "Don't get me started. If I wake up with a racoon in my bed, you're getting a personal waterfall later."
"I wasn't thinking that at all, but thanks for the idea!" Thalia beamed at him, malicious intent hidden behind her smile.
Thalia promised Percy again that she would deal with Phoebe somehow, and parted ways with him just as the rest of the Hunt were finishing their meals, leaving Percy to do clean-up duty. It was easy for him because of his powers but being treated like a human dishwasher was slightly demeaning.
"Well, it's better than being treated like a human punching bag," he thought as he carried the dishes to the lake. Once he arrived, he started his usual process of setting the plates down in the shallow end and creating a mini whirlpool of sorts to scrub off every speck of food. Then he poured some dish soap on the whole pile and washed them again. When Artemis handed him the soap, he was taken aback.
"We may live in the woods, camping out in tents for eternity, but we're not savages," was all she told him. "I cannot tell you how thankful I was when mortals invented deodorant."
Apparently, shopping trips for supplies were rare, but they happened. Percy appreciated this when he first heard it, because even though he had grown well versed in living in the wilds, the comforts of modern society were hard to turn his back on. Like pancakes. And burgers.
He had just finished the last plate when he heard the sound of rustling bushes behind him. He reflexively turned around and pulled out Riptide at lightning speed, eyes focused on the cluster of green before him.
"My senses didn't pick up a thing…what is this?" he thought to himself, crouching down slightly and raising his sword in a battle stance. His fist clenched the hilt as the mysterious creature hopped out from the brush to reveal…a small squirrel.
Percy sighed and lowered his weapon, ruing the fact that his senses sometimes didn't pick up little critters. They were simply too small and could easily take him by surprise; the same reason as to why he didn't notice Artemis' army of birds the other week.
His thoughts now in disarray from the distraction, he turned to continue his dishwashing duties, when suddenly,
CRASH!
He assumed battle stance once more, knowing that no squirrel caused that noise. He closed his eyes and tried to sense what caused the disturbance.
"Something big…and fast…heading right towards me!" his eyes shot open in alarm just in in time to see a ginormous boar burst into the clearing, only barely jumping out of the way to avoid impalement via tusk.
The beast reminded Percy of the Erymanthian Boar but decreased in size. It stood at a menacing 15 feet with tusks as long as guitars, made of ivory, and sharp enough to penetrate steel. Its fur was brown and full of knots and tufts, and its eyes were red and full of rage.
"How in Olympus' name did this get here?" he asked himself, only for the answer to scream at him from the boar's back.
"GAH! How could you miss!? Get him!" Phoebe sat upon the monster, jabbing it with a silver-tipped arrow, causing it to let out a horrible squeal.
"REEEEET!"
With no time to spare, it charged towards Percy again, giving him no time to process what was happening. Luckily, his instincts kicked in and his body jerked to the side, narrowly avoiding instant death.
The shock in his brain started to wear off, and he began to strategize how to deal with this. Instead of charging, this time the boar stood up on its hind legs and tried to squish Percy with its hooves like a bug. He somersaulted forward, avoiding being crushed and finding himself underneath the boar's stomach.
"Gross, it smells like a barn down here," he thought before stabbing Riptide upwards into the monster's flesh. He was shocked to find that his sword would not penetrate; it's hide was too thick.
He rolled away as he heard Phoebe laugh. "Sorry Jackson! Your Celestial Bronze won't work here!"
He jumped to his feet and dusted himself off before addressing his attacker. "Why are you doing this!?"
"You know exactly why! Yah!" She prodded the boar once more, spurring it to charge at Percy for the third time. Percy jumped out of the way towards the lake, giving him an idea.
He thrust his arms out, commanding the water to bend to his will. He formed a giant pillar and directed it straight into the boar's snout.
"REEEEEEEE!" it screeched. Percy used that opening to quickly bring out his spear and hurl it into the monster's gaping maw. With a satisfying 'shink,' the spear connected, and the boar became nothing but a pile of dust.
"Oof!" Phoebe, who was still riding it, found herself suddenly airborne and dropped onto the ground. Landing directly on her back, she let out a yelp of pain.
Percy took advantage of her stunned state and willed some lake water to surround her, holding her down to the ground. Once she collected herself and realized she was trapped, she shot Percy a glare that could melt ice.
"Let me go this instant, male!" she hissed. Percy shook his head.
"Phoebe, I was able to tolerate what you were doing before, but this was a straight-up murder attempt. Are you crazy? What were you thinking?"
"You dare speak down to me like that? I'll show you your place!" Struggle all she might, she could not free herself from the watery prison.
Percy let out a tired breath. "Can't we just talk about this? At least listen to what I have to say?"
Phoebe just snorted. "As if you'd tell anything short of a lie. Don't you dare think that anything you say has worth."
Percy was about to launch into another rant about how unfair she was being, but it was at that moment that Artemis and the other hunters arrived at the lake, bows at the ready.
"What on Earth was that monstrous roar we heard just now…" Artemis trailed off, taking in the scene before her. Percy realized just now how bad this looked. Immediately, all bows were trained at him, arrows notched.
"Explain why you have one of my own pinned down this instant, and maybe your death will be painless," Artemis growled.
Percy, understanding that this was no time to fool around, put his weapons away and hands up, undoing his powers on Phoebe. "I swear this is not what it looks like."
"Actually, it's exactly what it looks like. M'lady, I was attempting to bathe, and Percy jumped out at me and held me down like a fiend! He clearly wanted to assault me!" Phoebe spat. The hunters looked at him with the fury of a thousand suns.
"What? No! I was cleaning the dishes, and Phoebe charged at me with this giant boar! That was the roar you all heard!" Percy tried to explain himself, but the looks in all their eyes still held massive amounts of doubt.
"And where is this beast now? Or the dishes you claimed to be cleaning?" One hunter called out accusingly. Percy looked around frantically.
"I killed the monster, and the plates…" he went cold when he saw they were nowhere to be found. They must have been blown away during their fight.
"I am naturally inclined to take the side of my own hunter," Artemis stated coolly. "Do you have any last words?"
"Uh, can I get a second opinion?" His joke had the opposite effect, making the hunters think that he wasn't taking this seriously at all. He braced himself as he saw their fingers loosening around their bowstrings.
"Hold up! Wait just a darn second!" A resounding voice broke the tense silence, causing the hunters to relax their arms, leaving Percy still in one piece. He felt relief flood his body when Thalia pushed her way past her sisters to the front of the group, acting as a barrier between the two parties.
"Artemis, you can't seriously believe that Percy would do something like that! The same goes for the rest of you! Some of you fought beside him during the Titan War, and the rest of you have seen how he's been acting for the past week. He's done nothing but be respectful of your space and done his chores with no complaints. Do you really think he would assault one of us, out of nowhere like this?" Her speech caused a flurry of whispers among the hunters, and Percy's keen ears picked up on snippets of them. Some of them believed her, and others think their lieutenant's gone soft.
Unfortunately, Phoebe spoke up right after. "As if male's need a reason to assault us. They're nothing but animals, and they can give into their base urges at any time!"
Thalia glowered at her subordinate. "I can't believe you would lie about something like this, Phoebe. What did Percy ever do to…" Realization dawned on her face as she turned to Percy, face full of concern.
"She must have remembered our conversation after dinner…" he thought. Artemis sighed.
"I…actually agree with you, Thalia," she admitted, causing small gasps to emanate from the hunters. "I too have been keeping careful tabs on our male companion and believe that this is something that is a tad out of reach for him to do." Percy was about to express his thanks before she continued talking.
"However, I cannot so easily dismiss the words of Phoebe, one who has served me faithfully for centuries. Therefore, I want this dispute to be solved by the people in question themselves. Phoebe. Percy. You two are to take this to the sparring ground and settle your conflict through combat."
"Yes, m'lady. I'd be happy to." Phoebe dropped to her knee, accepting the challenge. Percy saw fire in her eyes, no doubt looking forward to the chance to beat Percy to a pulp.
"Hold on, this isn't right. Like I said last week, I want to be respectful of you all, and I don't think fighting would help with that," Percy protested, raising his arms in objection. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt any of the hunters.
"Are you taking pity on me? Do you think yourself so good that you cannot even fathom the idea of losing?" Phoebe snarled.
"Percy, while I appreciate your sentiment towards us, I will have no choice but to assume that you're guilty if you don't partake in this," Artemis explained. "If you wish to show us respect, you can also do so by showing Phoebe respect as a proper opponent."
Percy gave in, recognizing the futility of fighting back. "Fine. But let the records show that I did not want this."
With that settled, everyone started walking away from the lake, making their way towards the empty field used for sparring. Phoebe was surrounded by the hunters, all of them making sure she was okay, and getting her ready for the fight.
Percy trailed behind them, putting a fair amount of distance between them. The only one who walked with him was Thalia, unsurprisingly. Percy thanked her for standing up for him.
"Pfft, you kidding? Anyone who knows you would have done the same. It's not right, the way Phoebe's treating you."
"Well, she does blame me for the death of her closest friend. At least I can understand where she's coming from," Percy reasoned.
Thalia looked stunned. "Seriously Percy, you gotta stop being so nice. She tried to kill you! Over something that wasn't your fault! How are you even remotely okay with that?"
He shrugged. "People have tried to kill me for less." Which was true, however sad it was.
Thalia shook her head. "I mean it. You need to whoop her butt out there. Show her and the hunt that they can't just push you around however you feel. Make a statement! Fight the system!"
Percy gave a small chuckle. "Thanks, but no thanks. I don't think that's the way to earn their trust. I don't know what I need to do to fix this, but maybe it'll come to me during the battle."
"Alright, alright. I'll stop talking because I know how stubborn you are about these things. If you can't think of anything though, consider my option."
Percy agreed as they reached the field. It was an open stretch of grass, devoid of any trees or rocks, making it perfect for dueling. A considerable amount of time had passed since dinner, and the sun had just faded from the sky, allowing the first glimpses of stars to become visible. The field was illuminated by the torches circling it that magically lit up whenever the night reached a certain time.
Once they all arrived, the hunters formed a circle around the ground, cutting off any possible route for escape (not that he was going to in the first place). Percy couldn't help but allow the corner of his mouth to curl up in a half-smile.
"I seem to have a real habit of having duels in a circle of other people, huh?" he thought as he recalled his spats with Kinzie and Lupa. He then grimaced, realizing that this fight had much more at stake than those two.
Artemis addressed them all. "Hunters. We are here to witness the brawl between our own Phoebe, and our extended visitor, Percy. Each claim different accounts of what transpired at the lake and will now resolve their discord with the clashing of their weapons. Combatants, are you ready?"
Phoebe gave him a sinister grin as she held her dagger in a reverse grip, looking eager to begin. "Yes, m'lady."
Percy reluctantly readied Riptide. "No, but let's start anyway."
"Start!" Artemis shouted, swinging her arm down. Phoebe immediately launched herself at him, unleashing a flurry of slashes and jabs. Percy was still slightly fatigued from the boar fight, so he put all his efforts in defending, slowly getting pushed backwards.
Phoebe didn't let up one bit, adding on verbal assault to her physical one. "What's the matter, boy? Too afraid to fight back!?" she jeered as she leaped back, giving Percy a small moment to catch his breath.
The hunters on the sidelined cheered, obviously rooting for their sister in arms. Quick as lighting, Phoebe grabbed her bow and notched an arrow from her quiver, letting it fly towards Percy. He ducked, feeling it brush past his hair, the wind slightly parting it.
"Fine. If she wants a fight, I'll give her one!" He briefly recalled Thalia's advice as he jumped up from his crouched position and brought his blade down from above, which was met with a loud CLANG as she raised her silver bow to intercept his blow.
"That's more like it. It won't be nearly as much fun to kill you if you don't give it your all!" She shouted as she kicked him in the chest, sending him backwards.
"Is that how you see this? Nothing but fun to you?" Percy asked as he put Riptide away and switched to his own dagger. Phoebe put her bow back on her back.
"Not at all, but I'd be lying if I said that getting revenge didn't put a smile on my face." She resumed her barrage of attacks with her hunting knife, letting her rage fuel her. Percy met each one with his own, a cacophony of metallic clangs ringing out in the woods.
Back and forth they went on, Phoebe taking the offensive often, with Percy attacking back very infrequently. All the while, she taunted him mercilessly.
"Coward! Fight back!"
"Don't you dare look down on me!"
I'll make you pay for what you did to Zoë!"
That last one caused a metaphorical shock to reverberate around the entire field, making all the hunters gasp, including Artemis. Thalia looked somber, as if all her worst fears were realized. Phoebe either didn't notice or didn't care and continued to hack away at Percy.
In a sudden flash of painful realization, he understood why her words hurt so much. He knew what he had to do. Phoebe swung her dagger towards his leg and he…did nothing to stop her.
"Ack!" he cried out as her knife tore his flesh open, making him fall to the ground. Phoebe looked bewildered but didn't let this golden opportunity escape her. She instantly was on top of Percy, knee pressed down on his chest and dagger pointed at his neck.
Thalia let out a worried shout and hurriedly stepped forward. "Don't-!" she was cut off by Artemis' arm, who silently shook her head and looked on at the two of them.
Phoebe was panting heavily, but her eyes held confusion.
"Why. Why did you give up? I'm not an idiot. I can tell that was intentional. Why!?" she demanded, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.
Percy groaned softly. "Because…I agree with you. It was my fault. I'm the reason Zoë died. I blame myself just as much as you blame me."
Phoebe looked as if she was punched in the gut and released her hold on him, staggering away and falling to the ground, her knife slipping from her fingers. She held her head in her hands, not saying anything. Her previous bloodlust had left her.
"…that's not fair. You're not supposed to agree with me…what's the point then…" she muttered to herself.
All the tension that was previously on the battlefield had dissipated completely and was now filled with melancholy and bitterness. Percy heard Artemis approach them.
"Hunt, you are dismissed to resume your evening tasks. Thalia, fetch some nectar and gauze for Percy. As for you two…" she narrowed her eyes at Percy and Phoebe. "Join me in my tent. It seems we have much to discuss."
ARTEMIS
Artemis hated being wrong.
Even though she was a major goddess on the Olympian Council, her family up there didn't take anything she said seriously, always posturing, bickering, and talking over her. It annoyed her to no end, and she had almost put an arrow in Ares on more than one occasion.
With her Hunt, her own group of personalized sisters made up of half-bloods and nymphs alike, she felt like a true leader. That what she did mattered and had value. She was glad to be a role model to these maidens and helped them whenever she could.
But when she was wrong about something, no matter how rare the occasion, it always felt like she let them down. That she led them astray, even if it was a little bit. It made her feel…weak.
That is why she was currently glaring at Percy with an annoyed look on her face even though she knew deep down that Phoebe truly was the one who started their bout at the lake. It filled her with no pleasure to admit that she had misjudged the situation.
Even though she had chastised Percy earlier for attempting to enter her tent, he could see him looking around in wonder at it, which replenished her pride only slightly. It was a tad bigger on the inside than the rest of the hunter's tents, with fur pelts of a plethora of animals scattered across the floor. At the center of the tent stood a small wooden table covered with maps and various other tools, and to it's left, against the wall, sat a weapons rack with a multitude of bows and quivers. A few stuffed heads of particularly dangerous monsters adorned the walls, and there were candles lit up located in various places.
Artemis sat on the edge of her bed, while Phoebe and Percy were on the ground in front of her, neither of them daring to speak. Phoebe was no longer radiating a violent aura, and Percy looked nervous, like a child being caught stealing from the cookie jar.
Artemis spoke up first. "Percy, you don't need to be so scared. I've given you permission to be in here. And no, I'm not going to kill you."
He seemed to relax a little. "Uh, thanks. I appreciate not being dead."
Phoebe looked despondent. Artemis tried to reach out. "Phoebe? I take it you have something to tell me?"
"There's not much to say, m'lady. This male is responsible for Zoë's death, and it was time I made him pay for it. I wasn't expecting his…response."
Percy looked at the ground. "Well, it's the truth. It was my fault. If I were able to defeat Atlas quicker, we could have treated her. Or if I were able to notice the poison in time…I could have done more."
Artemis felt Phoebe heat up a bit. "We agree then. It's your fault, and you need to accept the consequences with your life!"
Percy skirted away from her sudden hostility as Artemis put her hand up. "There will be no killing here. So, Phoebe, am I correct to assume that Percy was telling the truth about what happened at the lake? That you ambushed him with a wild boar?"
"Tch." Phoebe frowned and turned away. "So what if it is? He deserved it."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Even though I gave out specific orders on the first day of his arrival that we were not to resort to such violent measures?"
"M'lady!" the huntress protested. "He's the reason Zoë's dead! How can you sit here calmly like this?"
"Because," Artemis explained. "He isn't. There is only one person to blame for her passing, and that is Atlas himself. That horrible Titan treated his daughter with no mercy, and by the time we discovered Ladon's poison…the damage had been done. She was beyond help."
"But he even agrees that it was him!" Phoebe pressed on frantically, desperate to place the blame on someone.
"Do you want to know what Zoë told Percy here before she left us?" Artemis asked. "She told him that he was nothing like Hercules, and that she was honored that he carried her sword. In the end, she recognized that not all men were awful, and put Percy on that list."
Phoebe looked shocked. "This…I never knew of this…"
"You would not have believed me if I told you…I know how close you two were." Artemis said, closing her eyes briefly, the memories of the pair rising to the surface of her mind. They were like a rough pair of siblings; fighting, getting into trouble, but always having each other's backs when they needed it. She knew that Zoë's death hit Phoebe particularly hard, especially considering that she was supposed to be on that quest in the first place.
"I just…I just wish I could have been there…maybe I could have stopped it…" Phoebe's eyes were brimming with tears.
Percy looked at her, worried. "Phoebe…"
Artemis stood up from her bed, taking a knee in front of the crestfallen huntress. She wrapped Phoebe in a hug, feeling the girl relax in her arms. "It's alright Phoebe. We all miss her too."
For a while, they all remained just like that, no words needing to be said. Phoebe quietly sobbed into Artemis' shoulder, no longer caring that Percy was there. Percy looked as if he wanted to help, or do something, but he knew it was not his place, which Artemis appreciated. Phoebe has been dealing with this internally for years now, and it was time for the walls to come down once and for all.
After the pair had separated, and Phoebe had wiped away any semblance of tears from her face, Artemis began talking. "Phoebe, while I'm not asking you to accept Percy right off the bat, all I want is for you to understand that her death is not on his hands. So please hold off all murder attempts. Be content with normal pranks just like the rest of us."
Percy groaned at that, and Artemis thought she saw Phoebe's lip tug upwards slightly. The latter of the two turned to the former.
"I will not apologize for what I did. I recognize that I may have…overreacted, but from my point of view, I had no choice."
Percy waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "It's alright. I've gotten used to people trying to kill me at this point."
Phoebe's face turned sour, as if she were having trouble saying what came next. "I will do my best to tolerate your presence here from now on."
Percy gave a small smile. "That's all I ask. And I know you were curious about my past earlier, but I promise there is a real reason I can't tell you just yet. I hope, one day, if we are able to trust each other, I can share it with no hesitation."
Phoebe snorted. "I doubt it. Now that I'm working together with Thalia on your pranks, you won't last another week."
Percy smirked. "All of you keep underestimating my prank tolerance. I'm an Amazon, remember? I can handle anything you throw at me."
"Oh, we shall definitely see about that." Phoebe stood up and made her way to the entrance of the tent. Before stepping out to rejoin the rest of the hunt, she turned her head to say one last thing.
"I've…heard good things about your cooking. I look forward to seeing if they're true." With that, she was gone.
Artemis couldn't help but laugh at her behavior. "Apologies, Perseus. She is much too proud to actually apologize."
Percy chuckled. "I understand. I've met a lot of people like that. A few gods too."
"What's that supposed to mean, hmm?" Artemis questioned, pretending to reach towards her dagger.
"Oh uh, except you, Lady Artemis. You're one of the good ones." Artemis nodded, satisfied with his answer.
"I hope this teaches you to watch your image around here. When we burst onto the scene and saw you holding down Phoebe, we naturally assumed the worst."
"I get it, really. They all probably hate me now, though," he said glumly.
"Don't fret over that. I'll gather them and explain everything. Hopefully, they shouldn't think any differently of you."
Percy looked confused. "I'm a little lost here. I thought you wanted me gone. Wouldn't you want all of your hunters to hate me?"
He raised a good point. "Yes, I do. Having a male forced onto our Hunt is still quite the insult. But I'm not like my father, and won't reduce myself to bullying, threatening, or lying to achieve my goals. I will not have my hunters thinking you're a murderer."
Relief became visible on his face. "Thank you. I…don't do well with false accusations."
Artemis nodded, remembering his traumatic experience with camp. "If that's the case, why did you not protest against Phoebe? You were present at Zoë's passing…you should know that it was not your fault."
Percy shook his head. "I didn't think hers was a false accusation…I really do blame myself for her death. I meant what I said earlier…if I were only stronger…"
Artemis had to swallow her own pride to voice her thoughts on the matter. "I don't normally say this to people, especially males, but…thank you. Anyone else in your shoes would have lashed out at Phoebe unfairly. But you empathized with her and helped her reach the truth; that her death was not by your own hand. Do you hear me?"
He nodded, but Artemis wasn't sure if he truly believed it. "Actually, this is not the first time I've had to think about this. While I was on my own on the road, rescuing kids as the 'Wolf,' I had plenty of nightmares to keep me company. A lot of them about my past, but a handful about all the friends I lost on the way… Zoë being one of them."
Artemis said nothing, surprised at his confession. Why would he tell her this?
"I've seen a lot of death in my life. More than anyone should have to. But hers always unnerved me the most…she was this powerful, immortal hunter of Artemis, and the moment I showed up she…"
Artemis looked at him thoughtfully, then stood up, walked over, and slapped him in the face.
"Ow!" he cried out, rubbing his cheek. "What is with hunters and slapping me? Did Thalia give you any pointers?"
"Percy, while I'm glad you hold my former lieutenant in such high regard, I hate repeating myself, so I will not be saying this again: you are not to blame for her death. Rather than focusing on the lives you couldn't save; I want you to focus on the lives that you did. Through your fight with Atlas, by taking the weight of the sky to free me, you saved the world." Artemis lectured.
Percy gazed at her, dumbfounded. "Why are you trying to help me? I thought you hated me…"
It was Artemis' turn to be surprised. "Are you deaf? I distinctly remember telling you that I respect you, painful as it is to admit. As for why…why did you tell me of your nightmares?"
"It just…" he started.
"…felt like the right thing to do." Artemis finished. "Percy, I have not been blind to how you have been acting for the past week. Like I said back at the lake, I am truly grateful for the way you have been treating my hunters with dignity and respect as you both take the time to get more comfortable with each other. While it was by the will of my father to have you placed here, you are technically under my care, and I will not have one of the only men that Zoë respected treating himself without any. Got it?"
Percy nodded again, but it was not hollow like last time. Artemis felt that her words had truly taken hold this time. "…thank you, Artemis. I don't know what to say."
"You've already said it. I know you regret not being stronger back then, but you have strength now. It's part of my duties to make sure you use that strength wisely. Maybe, one day, in service to the Hunt."
Percy raised his eyebrows. "Okay, you lost me again. Do you want me gone, or do you want me to go on a hunt with you guys?"
"My answer changes depending on how good I find your cooking," she teased.
Percy sighed. "I appreciate the potential offer, but even I can tell the time isn't right yet. The other hunters are nowhere near being comfortable with me, and if I'm being honest, I feel…" he trailed off.
"Yes? What is it?" Artemis asked, curious as to what he was going to say.
"Forget it. It's just some personal stuff. Am I, uh, free to go?" he gestured to the flap of the tent.
"Yes, you are." He stood up, dusted himself off, and made his way over. "I trust that you no longer blame yourself?"
He turned around before leaving, just like Phoebe did moments prior. "Yeah, I think I can come to terms with that a lot better now, thanks to you. As for the Hunt…" his expression turned far away. "Nevermind. I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow." He lifted the flap and walked out.
Artemis thought for a while, wondering what was bothering the son of Poseidon about the Hunt, when it hit her. She felt slightly agitated that he hadn't reached the conclusion earlier. She had one final thought before she walked outside herself.
"If Percy wants to have any sort of future with the Hunt, he needs to sort out his past."
A/N: Chapter 8 is done and out of the way! I hope you liked it! I felt like I needed to address two things in this chapter: The Hunt's feelings about Percy as well as Phoebe's conflict with him. I've read a lot of fics that have Percy join the group and he's already eating and cracking jokes with them, despite their deep mistrust of men, so I hope I made their interactions a bit more believable this time around.
Unfortunately, I have reached the end of my outline for this story, so the next chapter may take a bit longer than normal to get out, since I need to hit the drawing board again and storyboard the next couple chapters. Please be patient! They're coming, I promise! The only thing I will say now is that for those of you who are waiting for more a more healthy relationship between Percy and the hunters, that will be the main issue of Chapter 9, something I hinted to at the very end of this one.
Like always, please leave a review! This chapter was also a bit nerve-wracking to write, so give me your honest thoughts and criticisms! They are always absolutely welcome! I hope you enjoyed!