A/N
Set after HoO, Phoebe didn't die.
Enjoy!
"I swear. It's been years and they still act like lovesick idiots."
Artemis hummed in agreement as Phoebe, her Lieutenant, stood by her side. The two watched as a couple chased each other through the forests of Camp Half-Blood, laughing gleefully.
Looking so in love.
"It was better that Thalia left, isn't it?"
Phoebe looked on at the scene from the treetops. "She was a remarkable Lieutenant during her short stay – surprisingly, I might add, I did hate her at first – but I don't think Thalia was made for the Hunters."
Artemis sighed. "She fell in love, Phoebe. In the older days, I might've punished her, but..."
The Lieutenant nodded silently. Times were different. He was different.
"A good man, he is."
Artemis conceded the point. "I suppose. Never would I have imagined saying this. Maybe for Hippolytus. He was chaste."
Phoebe shrugged. "I doubt Jackson is, yet here you are."
The Moon-Goddess lay down on a branch gracefully, her lithe figure somehow being perfectly supported by the frail thing. "I suspect he isn't. Yet... there is some quality in the man that makes me respect him. I am unaware of what it is, Phoebe, but here we are."
The demigoddess's lips quirked up in amusement. "It's rather amazing to hear you say that, milady."
Artemis shrugged, ignoring the subtle discomfort of splinters digging through her parka. "'Tis true. Jackson is no boy. I heard he'd gotten the respect of the Amazons, of all people."
Phoebe raised an eyebrow. "The Amazons? They have intercourse, milady." Despite their alliance against Orion, the Lieutenant of Artemis couldn't find it in her to respect the Amazons for that. Millennia of life had taught her to stay chaste, and the Amazons went against her teachings.
"Indeed. But still, it is no mean feat. They are still women warriors, and despite our rivalry, the Amazons are formidable. A man obtaining the respect of them... even Theseus was no more than a toy for Hippolyta."
The demigoddess hummed, but did not verbally agree.
"We should head back, milady. I'd rather not watch this."
The Moon-Goddess raised an eyebrow at Phoebe's disgusted face and nimbly got up, balancing herself flawlessly on the fragile branch she stood on. Artemis turned around and her face contorted into a frown, much like Phoebe's.
"Yes, Phoebe. As much as I like Thalia, and I tolerate Jackson, I'd rather not watch this either."
With an impossible grace the two quickly sped off through the trees, leaving Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace by themselves, making out rather heatedly on the forest floor.
"Lia..."
Fin.