Percy woke up that morning with a feeling of dread. He had no clue why, but normally it was not wise to ignore those. Which is precisely what he did. The demigod went through with his morning routine; brushing teeth, showering, eating, putting on his mask. You know, the works. That done, Percy walked out of his tent/apartment, and took a moment to simply observe nature.
The birds were chirping, the leaves rustling in the wind, the sun blazing in the sky- and now there's an arrow in his shoulder. He stared at the offending projectile, as if he didn't register what it was. Finally, he got his shit together, and yanked the arrow out, leaving a bloody hole in blue shirt. With a twist of his fingers, he snapped the arrow in half, tossing the pieces to the ground.
"Alright, I hope whoever shot that has fifty dollars! These clothes ain't cheap!" Percy called into the forest, then turned around and went back into his apartment. The demigod pulled off his mask and crushed it to dust. He would not need it today, especially since he was not dealing with that bullshit- he'd much rather stay cooped up in his room all day.
Besides, it wasn't like his apartment was boring, and devoid of entertainment. If anything, it was the most fun place Percy had access to at the moment. There was a PS4 hooked up to his living room, and his dad had sent a ton of games. Percy was pretty sure the god had given him just about every game for the console in existence, since there was an entire bookshelf dedicated to games. Percy quickly changed his shirt, dumping the now ruined one in the trash, before heading to examine said bookshelf.
There were new ones, which Percy had seen the trailers for on his laptop, such as God of War, or Far Cry 5. There were mainstream ones, like Call of Duty and Battlefield. There were even a few obscure ones, such as Little Big Planet 3. All in all, a lot of games, which would provide countless weeks (perhaps months, if Percy wanted to be a perfectionist and complete everything the game had to offer) of fun, and nobody could stop him.
Unless they walked into his tent like they owned the place, like Artemis just did. Percy was lucky he had fairly quick reflexes, because he just barely managed to get his mask on in time. However, Artemis still saw the fading black flames, and narrowed her eyes in annoyance at the barely-missed opportunity.
"Um, hi? The fuck are ya doin'?" Percy asked from his place by the bookshelf.
"Just checking up on you to make sure you didn't try to escape," Artemis replied.
Percy sighed, picking up on the subtle message. "Listen, yesterday was an accident, and you even said it was totally your fault! What more do you want?"
"You already know what I want."
"And I already told you I'm not taking the mask off. So go, run off and frolic with your little girl scouts." With that, Percy turned his attention back to the bookshelf, pulling a game off it; Horizon: Zero Dawn. He examined the cover, cracked open the case, and slid the disc inside the console. That done, he grabbed the TV remote, turned on the screen, and sat down on the couch, controller in hand. He was all set to dive right into the game, ignoring the goddess until she got pissed and left.
Unfortunately, his concentration was once more broken when he felt a weight settle on the couch next to him. He blinked slowly, fighting the temptation to look at the disturbance. It was one he ultimately lost, and he slowly turned his masked face. He met Artemis' silver eyes, and they stared at each other for a long moment.
"So, what, exactly, do you think you're doing?" Percy finally asked.
"Ensuring you remain in captivity," Artemis calmly answered.
"Really? 'Cause it looks a lot like you're slacking off." Artemis' eyes narrowed into a fierce glare. "Don't look at me like that! Shouldn't you be off doing… Whatever the hell you do with your Hunters?"
"I am performing the duties given to me by my father, the King of Olympus. They will understand if I am not there, and Thalia is a capable lieutenant. She will be able to deal with any issues they might have."
Percy sank back into his seat, exasperated beyond belief. "Just say you're lazy, and be done with it. Honestly, givin' these long-ass explanations for no reason…" the demigod muttered.
Artemis was quite irritated by his sass, and responded with a punch to the shoulder. She frowned when Percy didn't react, so she tried again. And again. And again. The entire time, she was growing more and more angry when the man remained more focused on the game's introduction cutscene than the goddess beating on him.
"What is wrong with you!?" Artemis finally cried. She sat back with a huff.
"What do you mean, what's wrong with me!?" Percy asked indignantly, "I'm not the one who walked up into someone's apartment and started beating the fuck out of 'em! Now, shut up if you're gonna stay here- I'm tryin' to watch this."
Artemis wanted to respond, but realized that she actually was being quite annoying. In fact, this was something Apollo would do, had done to her (not exactly in the same situation, but the principle was the same). She huffed once more, irritated by both her own actions and the man's reaction, but remained quiet, and watched as Percy played the game. After a few cutscenes, Artemis was quite confused.
"What is this game about?" When there was no response, she asked again. Percy remained silent, and hadn't even glanced at the goddess. Annoyed, she shoved the demigod, who spasmed at the unexpected contact, accidentally throwing his controller up in the air. Luckily, it landed on the couch beside him.
"What!?" he cried, startled enough that it shocked Artemis as well. She recovered quickly.
"I asked what this game is about. Are you deaf?"
"You did? Oh, my bad, guess I wasn't paying attention. Uh… Pass me my laptop."
Artemis grabbed the computer on the coffee table in front of them, though she was slightly confused. "Can't you just tell me?"
"No, 'cause I don't know either,"
"So why are you playing it?"
"The cover looked cool. It's there, on the table." Percy nodded his head to the game's case, and returned to the computer.
Artemis shook her head, amused by his fickleness, then grabbed the case. She examined it, taking in the young woman with a bow, dressed in furs and tribal marks, and the massive robot dinosaur thing that looked incredibly pissed off.
"Well, I suppose I can understand why a boy would be interested in something like this."
"Don't act all snooty," Percy replied, "I bet you wanna play, too." When Artemis did not respond to that, Percy mentally chalked it up as a victory. "Anyways, come here. I found the trailer."
Artemis complied, scooting over until she was sitting next to Percy. He turned the laptop slightly so they could both see properly, turned up the volume on the computer, then hit play.
The first few seconds were a very intense montage of a woman locked in combat with mechanical animals, using nothing but a bow, her legs, and a horse-looking machine in one clip. At some point, the two had leaned forward slightly in anticipation, bringing their heads close together.
"I told you it looked cool," Percy commented when the screen faded to black for a second. Artemis nodded silently, her close proximity to the demigod causing her auburn hair to rub against his mask a bit. He took in the scent of the forest, then focused back on his computer when the trailer switched to a new scene.
It showed a young girl, who likely grew up to be the woman they had previously seen, being given to a caretaker, exploring a cave, and finding a strange, triangular object which seemed to scare her. The scene switched, and now she was grown up, rock climbing, shooting machines, then slowly exploring the world, as a man explained the mystery of the world, and why it may not be a good idea to search for answers. The trailer ended with a masked man holding the woman, Aloy, over a cliff, yelling at her, then stabbing her in the neck. Artemis flinched at the unexpectedness of the scene, causing her to slam into Percy's mask.
Percy jerked backwards as well, startled so much that he almost dropped his laptop. "Shit!" he cried, "Relax, woman! It's just a game!"
"That excuses nothing! They killed a very capable maiden!" Artemis shouted
"She's the main character! There's no way they'd kill her!" Percy responded, in an attempt to calm her down. "Plus, are we totally gonna ignore the fact that she's not real?"
Artemis settled back into the couch, crossing her arms, glaring at the TV screen.
"Jesus," Percy muttered, "I thought you were supposed to be thousands of years old, but here you are acting like a teenager…" He received an elbow to his side for his trouble. Artemis hadn't bothered moving back to her side of the couch, so she was still close enough to do that comfortably.
Percy rubbed his side- she had some sharp elbows!- before unpausing the game. After a few more cutscenes, and some general exploring, Percy embarked on the game's first main quest, which required making fire arrows and getting a new weapon.
"Do you use fire arrows?" Percy asked Artemis.
"Well, we have Greek fire arrows, but we tend to stay away from those, considering how quickly it spreads. They're also a pain to put out."
Percy hummed in agreement, then muttered, "The heck is a tripcaster?"
"Probably a weapon that casts a tripwire," Artemis responded mockingly. Percy glared at her out of the corner of his eye, but she wouldn't have seen it. So, he also elbowed her in the sides. He was not very surprised when she retaliated, so he did it again, then blocked her next attack with his controller, which he had slipped under his arm.
"Hey, we're even now," he told her, in an effort to get the goddess to stop.
"I don't play for even, I play to win!" she replied, then outmaneuvered his controller shield and drove home a blow to his ribs. Percy jolted a bit, feeling some air get forced out of his lungs, before he rallied and struck back. The goddess and demigod spent a minute doing this, until Artemis tapped into her godly strength, and jabbed at Percy hard enough that a loud crack was heard from the point of contact.
"Ouch," he muttered, then prodded the injury. The bone was still there, so it was a simple crack. Nothing his high-speed regeneration couldn't take care of in a few minutes.
Artemis, however, was a lot less nonchalant than Percy. She gasped, hands waving around in her panic. "Sorry! I didn't think that would happen!" she cried, surprising Percy. He figured she would've never been caught dead apologizing to a male. Then again, he also thought she would never willingly sit next to a male, but look where we are today.
"Relax," he told her, "It's nothing serious, just a crack. It'll heal in a moment."
"What do you mean?" Artemis asked, confused. Had he eaten ambrosia while she wasn't looking or something?
"I have super fast regeneration, and it works pretty well," Percy explained. He saw the doubt in her face. "Wanna test it?"
"What?"
"I asked, do you wanna test it? Gosh, are ya deaf or something?" he teased, repeating her earlier words, then laughed when she almost elbowed him in his abused side. "Nice one, beat on the injured guy some more."
He chuckled some more when she clenched her jaw and turned her head away with a huff.
"Alright, pass me your knife."
"Huh?"
"Ugh, it's not that funny anymore. You heard me."
"Why do you need my knife?" Artemis asked warily, "Why can't you use one of your weapons?"
"That stuff… Isn't for casual use," Percy said, grimly. Artemis wanted to ask more about it, but decided not to after hearing his tone. Instead, she pulled her hunting knife out of the sheath on her hip, and handed it to the masked man. He held the knife, testing the weight and balance, spinning it a few times. It was about a foot long, with a smooth blade on one side and jagged teeth on the other.
"Ooh, this is nice… Can I keep it?" he asked jokingly.
"Absolutely not!" Artemis exploded, startling Percy. He leaned away from her a bit.
"Woah, sorry, it was just a joke! It's yours!" he cried, tossing it into her lap, too scared to hold onto it anymore.
Artemis calmed down once she had her knife back, and heaved a sigh. They were silent for a moment, the goddess looking sadly at the blade, and Percy watching warily, in case she decided to use it on him. Finally, she looked up, and the demigod's muscles tensed.
"Sorry, just… This knife belonged to someone dear to me, so I'd rather if you don't say things like that, even as a joke. Some things should not be played around with."
Percy nodded. "Don't worry, I understand." They remained silent for a moment, remembering painful memories, before Percy spoke up once more. "Cut me."
"...What?"
"I said I was going to show you my regeneration, didn't I? So, cut me," Percy said, holding his hand out to Artemis. She stared at it for a moment, before gently grabbing his wrist. She examined his hand for a long moment, amusing Percy.
"Having fun?" he asked quietly. After all, it might not be a good idea to startle someone with a knife.
"No, it's just that… Your hands are unblemished. It is odd- aren't you a warrior?"
"Eh, maybe? I mean, I've done some fighting in my time, but after a while, it just gets kinda boring, ya know?
"And what about the lack of scars?"
"Regeneration, which you would see if you just cut me already," Percy said, exasperated.
Taking the hint, Artemis raised her blade, and slowly poked it at the center of his palm. So hesitant was the contact that it didn't even break skin. Slightly annoyed now, Percy simply grabbed the blade and squeezed.
Artemis jerked backwards, yanking the knife out of Percy's grasp, but it was too late. A bit of blood stuck to the blade, but the majority of it pooled in Percy's now-cupped palm. The demigod raised his bleeding right hand to his mask, then to the goddess' surprise, opened both the mouth of his mask and his real mouth. He then tipped his hand so the blood fell into his mouth. With a gulp, Percy closed his mouths, then showed his red hand to Artemis. He noticed the look she was giving him.
"What?"
"Did you have to… Drink it?" she asked, disgusted.
"Where else was I gonna put it? In your hair?"
"If you had done that, I would have castrated you!"
"Big talk for someone who was barely able to cut me just now," Percy teased. Then, he noticed a familiar sensation on his palm. "Look," he told her. She did, and watched in awe as a white substance bubbled up from the wounded area, then hardened, covering Percy's palm in a streak of bone-white matter, similar to the stuff his mask was made from. With a flex of his hand, the white substance shattered, then dissolved, leaving behind smooth, unmarked skin.
"What was that?" she asked, running her fingers over the healed area.
"It's one of the powers that my mask grants me. Another one would be the Shadow Walking." Artemis nodded, then opened her mouth to speak. Percy cut her off, saying, "And no, I'm not taking my mask off."
The Moon Goddess frowned. "That wasn't what I was going to ask. I was going to ask what the difference is between Shadow Travel and Shadow Walking."
"Oh, sorry. I'm so used to that being the main topic of our conversations." He leaned away slightly from the glare she was giving him, but recovered quickly. "Anyways, the difference is pretty subtle, I guess. Shadow Travel is much, much faster, but at the same time very limited. With Travel, you go from point A to point B, and that's it. However, with Shadow Walking, you still go from A to B, but you can also make little stops at C, D, E, and so on. You understand?"
"Ah… That is quite interesting. What is it like, to be able to do that?" Artemis asked, still caressing his hand.
"Hm… It's pretty scary, to be honest. You probably couldn't see, since you don't have an affinity for the shadows, but the shadow world isn't just a void of darkness. It looks pretty similar to the normal world, but all the colors are… Muted, I guess, would be the right word. There's no sound, no wind, no movement, which… Kinda gets to me, every now and then. I don't like being in a place that's so dead, because it makes me feel like I'll get trapped if I stay too long. The trees don't have leaves, flowers don't bloom, and there are piles of dust everywhere- I'm pretty sure they were corpses at one point. I don't know if there were ever living creatures in there, beside the occasional traveler, but I suppose we'll never know. Unless..." Percy trailed off, then shuddered. He gently pulled his hand out of Artemis' grasp, surprising the goddess, who had forgotten it was there. He kept shivering, rubbing his arms slowly in an effort to stave off the feeling of dread. Unfortunately, it did not work very well.
"Sorry for being so sudden, Artemis, but… Can you go, just for now?"
"What? Why!?" Artemis asked, shocked by his, as he said, sudden dismissal of her.
"I can't explain right now. Please? You can come back in a few days if you want, I'll be fine then, but right now…"
Artemis stared at the man, who was now visibly shivering, before slowly nodding. "I expect an explanation, and soon."
"Well, I don't know about soon…" Percy attempted to joke, but it came out far more grim than he planned. "Seriously, go."
Artemis could hear how much effort it took for him to get those words out, so she quickly fled, feeling like a coward. She had no clue what had happened, but it scared her, and she hated being scared. Being scared meant being vulnerable, which was not a good position for a maiden to be in.
Artemis jogged back to her tent, greeting the few hunters she passed along the way. The goddess was lucky that she had taken a more distant approach to the training of her handmaidens. It forced them to rely more on each other, building a strong bond of friendship and sisterhood, while they respected her like the Olympian she was. She didn't want them thinking she had gotten soft by being too friendly with them, after all. However, the biggest advantage of her hands-off method was that it allowed her to disappear for the majority of the day, without being questioned. Like she had done today, spending the entire morning with the mysterious man… Whose name she still did not know. What was she supposed to call him…?
Well, whoever he was, his hands were really warm…
Percy was shaking violently now. He had managed to push himself up to his feet, and was now stumbling through his apartment, trying desperately to get to his room. It was only ten, maybe fifteen feet between the living room couch and his bed, but it felt more like ten or fifteen miles. Each step took more energy than the last, and the demigod had to support himself with the wall.
When he was outside his room door, Percy didn't even have the energy to open the door, so he simply slumped down to the floor. His teeth were chattering behind his mask, a mask which suddenly shattered and evaporated. He no longer had the strength to keep it on.
Black bled out his sclera, and his sickly yellow eyes faded to sea-green. Then, his eyes closed. Moments before he slipped into unconsciousness, the son of the sea heard a voice.
"So… You dared to invoke my presence, young demigod?"
