Percy woke up to an aching body. He tried to roll sideways, to get into a more comfortable position, but was stopped by a wall of cushion. Glancing at it, he recognized the brown material of his couch.
"So, I fell asleep here? No wonder I feel like shit..." he muttered, then attempted to sit up. Key word; attempted. He felt something pulling down on his stomach, like one of those safety bars on a roller coaster. The demigod was pretty sure his couch hadn't been transformed into a roller coaster seat overnight, so he was rightly confused. Glancing down, he saw a pale… Thing. It was just long enough to span his width, and quite thin… Oh, it was an arm.
Now even more confused than before, the man trailed his gaze up the pale arm, which transitioned into a silver sleeve that began midway between the elbow and shoulder. Turning his head the rest of the way at once, Percy laid eyes on the sleeping Artemis, auburn hair hanging off the couch and silver eyes closed. However, they were twitching.
Then they opened.
Percy had to stifle a girlish scream as he brought his hand up to his face. His mask had, at some point during the night, broken off, leaving him bare-faced, something he fixed quickly. Just in time, too, because the last spark of black flames had vanished by the time Artemis began to actually register anything her eyes saw.
That crisis averted, he relaxed marginally. Then, the reality of the situation kicked in, and the demigod very nearly had a heart attack. As it was, his heart simply skipped a beat, but that was still plenty scary.
"H-Hi," Percy said, cursing the way his tongue spasmed. He could hide his facial expressions behind a bone-white mask, but there was little point if his words came out shaky.
Artemis replied by tugging the man back down onto the couch, snuggling into his chest. A chest that was now slowly growing cold, because his heart had actually stopped beating this time.
What the fuck? What the actual fuck!? Is this really happening!? Is she gonna kill me when she gets up!? Am I gonna die!? I'll definitely die! Definitely! FUCK!
Apparently, Artemis had noticed her pillow's drop in body temperature, because she cracked her eyes open. "Why are you so cold all of a sudden?" she asked drowsily.
"Because, it's time for you to get up," Percy replied, and nearly bit his tongue off once he realised what he had said. He did not want her to wake up, because then she would see the position they were in, and beat his ass!
Unfortunately, Artemis was completely unaware of his inner turmoil. She yawned, muttered, "Fine," and stood up from the couch, the soft material crackling with her every movement.
Percy immediately noticed the lack of warmth in the parts of him that Artemis was cuddling with, but he ignored it. Living through the next five minutes took priority.
"So… What are ya doin' here?" he asked casually.
"If I remember correctly, you were the one that invited me over to play video games. So what's the issue?"
Percy swallowed quitely, bracing himself. "Yeah, I invited ya to play games, not have a sleepover."
Artemis opened her mouth to respond, but then froze in shock once the man's words had registered in her still-awakening divine brain. She slowly turned her head to the couch, which had a vaguely Artemis-shaped impression stuck in the cushions, right next to the Percy-shaped impression, which the man was still occupying. Her cheeks erupted with a golden blush, and she suddenly found the wooden floor very interesting.
"So, do you want breakfast, or…?" Percy asked, determined to not let her see how nervous he was. Even if that meant keeping her around longer (which did not sound that bad).
Rather than reply, the goddess turned and walked straight out of the apartment, almost in a daze. Once he had heard the door click, every muscle in Percy's body unclenched simultaneously, and he slumped back onto the couch.
"Holy. Fucking. Shit."
He spent a few minutes like that, just marvelling at the fact that he was still alive, and not a red paste on his floor. Soon, though, his thoughts turned toward the Moon Goddess. Sure, it felt nice to lay next to her, but he was a guy! Of course it would be nice!
However, he couldn't quite ignore the ache in his chest. He knew it was caused by the sudden loss of the goddess' presence, but he would be damned if he admitted it! It had to be heartburn!
Percy's mind slowly drifted towards thoughts of emotional pain. It had been a while since he had felt anything of the sort- it was usually just physical pain. The last time had been… Years ago? The man wasn't quite sure. It felt like it had been much longer…
If he remembered correctly, it was about a month into his spiritual imprisonment in that parallel world. He hadn't woken up, so much as come out of the trance which replaced sleep. But, he had 'awoken' in the Poseidon Cabin, in his old bunk, which was the start of his problems. Being in such a familiar place, Percy couldn't help but fall back into his old routine; wake up, brush his teeth, shower, and head for the mess hall. Everything seemed fine- he had even touched the toothbrush, and everything!
Unfortunately, the illusion of normality, the illusion that the past month in the other world had just been a really weird dream, was shattered when he greeted the first person he saw.
"Hey, Leo! What's up?" he had called to the impish son of Hephaestus, who simply continued walking without even a glance in his direction. Confused, Percy walked alongside Leo for a little, following the younger boy to the mess hall. They parted ways, heading for their respective tables, Percy was slightly upset that his friend had ignored him, but knew that Leo could get like that sometimes when he was mentally blueprinting his next invention.
Of course, Percy realized the truth when he walked straight through another camper, moments after turning away from the fire-user. That was when reality came crashing back in, and a hole was blown into his heart, large enough to swallow the Earth whole.
It had been a cruel trick of the Fates, letting him think he was back home, when he was still stuck in this backwards world. That incident caused Percy to harden his heart, wary of the deceitful ways of those old hags. He was determined not to be hurt by them again.
Unfortunately, it seemed he had failed in the endeavor, if the pang of loss when Artemis left was anything to go by.
Percy recognized the symptoms of a forming crush, since he had gone through it with Annabeth; wanting to be near that person all the time, the loneliness when they were gone, the urge to be in contact with them (whether it be by cuddling or fighting), the odd way you acted around them- all of it, Percy saw and recognized. And it pissed him the fuck off.
He was not here to hook up with anyone! Much less the Maiden Goddess herself! It wouldn't make sense to even try forming a relationship with her, since he would be gone before it could ever happen- if it happened. It would take years, maybe decades, to break through Artemis' man-hating exterior. Time he did not have.
Then again, what about yesterday? They had been pretty close, and in such a compromising position (imagine if one of the Hunters had walked in on that). They had spoken gently to one another, making promises and swears, caressing and hugging. It was like they were already lovers.
Of course, Percy knew that was impossible. Regardless of his rapidly-developing feelings- feelings that shouldn't exist in the first place- Artemis was a maiden goddess, who was also the leader of an entire group of anti-male ladies. There was no way she actually felt that way about him! There had to be some explanation…
Answers. She was doing it for answers, Percy realized. She probably couldn't stand not knowing so much, felt it an insult to her godly pride or something dumb, and decided to use underhanded tactics to get what she wanted.
Well, she got it. Percy had sworn an oath on the River Styx, like the fool he was. He wasn't a god, able to break those oaths as he pleased, so he was stuck now. Didn't mean he had to be happy about it. It also did not mean he had to do anything with these feelings. All Percy had to do was wait out the storm, and all would soon be fine. Artemis would get her answers, Percy's feelings would fade, and then they would go their separate ways; her, off to kill whatever monster she pleased with her Hunters, and him… Well, who knew, but the Fates?
Percy peeled his mask off his face, turning it over to examine the demonic appearance. There was a reason he hid behind a mask; it was a security blanket, a wall between him and everyone else. It was a quick, easy way to throw them all off their game, silently tell them that he would keep them all at arm's length. After all, how could you form anything more than a tentative friendship with someone who didn't even trust you enough to show you his face?
Yes, there was a reason he wore this mask, and it was time to remember that.
Artemis was dazed. She had just woken up, next to a male, for the first time in her immortal life. Which was pretty long, by the way- over three thousand years.
It was completely unexpected, something she never thought possible. Something Artemis, the maiden goddess, should have never done. And yet, despite how unlike her it was, it had been… Pleasant.
Ghost had been comfortably warm- not too warm, which would cause her to shy away, and also not too cold, forcing her to shiver through the night. It was perfect. Except for that little bit this morning, where his body temperature had dropped drastically, but she simply chalked it up to one of his unknown abilities.
Even so, it was embarrassing. Falling asleep had been hard enough, but waking up was mortifying. Especially with how casual the man had been- asking her if she wanted breakfast, of all things! It was as if he was used to that sort of thing… Which, astoundingly, hurt Artemis. Just a little bit… Okay, maybe a lot.
She didn't know why, but the thought of Ghost waking up next to somebody else stirred feelings in her that she hadn't known existed. It was ridiculous. She recognized the foreign emotion as jealousy, something she shouldn't be feeling, period. Why would she get jealous over something that insignificant? He was his own person, and he could do what he wanted! If he wanted to sleep around like some man-whore, then who was she to complain?
Artemis sighed, slightly irritated. Her thoughts were a mess now, thanks to that infuriating man, and yet she couldn't find it in herself to be angry at him. Annoyed? Yes. But anger, and hatred by extension, was beyond her.
Maybe Aphrodite had influenced her, Artemis wondered. Then again, the Love Goddess had sworn dozens upon dozens of oaths over the centuries to not interfere in the affairs of Artemis and her Hunters, so that wasn't really possible. Besides, Aphrodite had long since given up trying to corrupt the Huntresses, and the two had fallen into an amicable relationship. At least, as amiable as it could be when they only really talked about once a decade.
Maybe she should visit…? Just to confirm Aphrodite wasn't messing with her? Sure, it would reveal that she had a crush on someone, but Aphrodite, despite common belief, was not an uncontrollable gossip. She knew discretion, and would not tell anyone anything if someone asked her not to. Besides, Aphrodite made very good tea, and it would be nice to catch up. A lot could happen in a decade, even if one was a goddess.
Mind made up, Artemis sought out her Lieutenant.
"Thalia, I am going to Olympus to speak to some of the other gods, and find out what happened at the Winter Solstice Assembly after I left. If anything happens, pray to me, and I shall return."
The younger daughter of Zeus nodded, mock-saluting her sister, causing the goddess to smirk fondly at her. Thalia jogged back to the archery range, where she had been keeping her skills sharp.
Artemis vanished in a flash of light. She had a Love Goddess to talk to.
Aphrodite's palace on Olympus was not notable for its extravagant size, numerous statues of the goddess herself, or even the gorgeous, perfectly-maintained garden that ran along the pathways. Those were all standard for Olympian palaces. No, what made the Love Goddess' abode stand out was the sheer amount of pink.
The walls, the floors, the ceilings- Hades, even the windows were tinted pink! It was honestly an eyesore, and probably one of the reasons Artemis did not meet with Aphrodite on Olympus, instead choosing to get together down in the mortal world.
Unfortunately, it was one of the few palaces spared during the Second Titan War, since it was not anywhere near the path to the Throne Room. Therefore, the Architect of Olympus, Annabeth Chase, could not do anything about it. It was a shame; the daughter of Athena had done good work on Artemis' own palace. Maybe she could have done something about all this blasted pink…
Artemis knocked on the front door of the palace, which was the size of a normal mortal door. It looked out of place, compared to the size of the building. It was also, unfortunately, pink.
The door opened a few minutes later, and Aphrodite poked her head out curiously.
"Oh, Artemis!" she squealed, opening the door all way, revealing her state of half-dress. She stepped forward and wrapped the maiden goddess in a hug, which Artemis returned. "Are you here to chat?"
When she nodded, Aphrodite stepped aside, enthusiastically gesturing for her to enter.
"Sorry I look like this- you caught me at a bad time," Aphrodite apologized. She knew how Artemis felt about her constant escapades with men, but the two had reached a mutual understanding of the situation; don't talk about it. That only led to arguments, which neither particularly liked.
"No, I suppose it's my fault. I did show up unannounced," Artemis replied, following Aphrodite through the winding pink halls. They ended up in a quaint sitting room, with an ornate coffee table, and two heart-shaped loveseats on opposite sides of the table. With a snap of her finger, Aphrodite had fixed her clothes into something more appropriate for a casual meeting between girlfriends; simple blue jeans and a low-cut pink blouse. She had taken in Artemis' state of dress when choosing her new outfit, since she didn't want the other goddess to feel underdressed or anything. With a wave of her hand, sweets and baked snacks covered the table, as well as a tray with a kettle and an assortment of tea leaves.
"Help yourself, hon. Any preference on tea?" Aphrodite asked when the two sat down across from each other.
"...I think I'll try Oolong," Artemis said slowly.
Aphrodite fixed her with a pitying gaze. "Apollo?"
"Yes! He will not shut up about Japan! Does he think his stupid haikus honestly sound good!?" Artemis exploded, then calmed down and blushed slightly. Aphrodite giggled, a melodious sound.
"I wonder what he'll say if I tell him about this…?" Aphrodite teased, amused by the way Artemis' face contorted into a disgusted sneer,
"Tell him if you want, but warn him, too- if he ever bugs me about it, I'll hurt him."
"Of course, honey! I know the drill by now, don't worry," Aphrodite said, waving her hand dismissively. She decided it probably wasn't a good idea to tell Artemis that she had just been in bed with the Sun God himself when she dropped by. "So, what brings you here?"
"Well, certainly not your palace. Seriously, why don't you just stage a little accident, and have Athena's daughter remodel it?"
Aphrodite stuck her tongue out, and brought her legs up to tuck them under her daintily. "That was a phase, Artemis. Remember when you had an obsession with silver? I swear, any werewolf that snuck up on you while you were eating would've gotten the surprise of their life when they got murdered with a spoon…"
Artemis ignored the jab. "I could help- just say that you tried to mess with one of my Hunters, and I went ballistic and destroyed your palace. Simple, and I get the added bonus of levelling this place."
"Wow, you really hate my house. Should I feel offended?" Aphrodite asked mockingly, and Artemis grinned.
"Yes. So offended, in fact, that you tried to make one of my girls fall in love, causing me to destroy your palace as revenge."
"Okay, you're actually starting to scare me a bit with how hung up you are on this…" Aphrodite said warily.
"It's a good plan- one worthy of the owl herself!" Artemis replied petulantly, and the goddesses broke down in giggles.
Once Aphrodite pulled herself together, she put on her serious face. "Okay, seriously, Artemis, what's wrong? You normally aren't the one to come to me."
Artemis sighed, slightly dreading the upcoming conversation. "Well…" she muttered, then stopped.
"Well?" Aphrodite repeated, prompting her to continue.
"Well, do you remember the Winter Solstice Assembly?"
"You mean this last one, when Apollo ran out of the throne room crying like a bitch?"
"Wait, what?"
"...Oh, right, you weren't there on the second day. Do you mean when that spy showed up and called Hades a bitch? I thought he was going to vaporize him on the spot, which would have been a shame, since that man looked built..." Aphrodite licked her lips, causing a shiver to go down Artemis' spine. It was always creepy, to her, whenever Aphrodite did that. It may have drove many a man crazy, but she was not a man.
"Yes, this is… About him," Artemis admitted, with some difficulty.
Aphrodite gasped, a reaction Artemis did not find very surprising. "I just remembered! DIdn't you volunteer to watch over him?" The Moon Goddess nodded, causing Aphrodite to squeal. Artemis flinched away due to the volume and pitch of the sound. "Does little Arty have a crush!?" Aphrodite shouted, and Artemis blushed. The coloring of her cheeks served to answer the Love Goddess' question.
"Oh my gosh, she does!" Aphrodite cried, and began to clap excitedly. "So, how did this happen!? It's not every day that one of the virgin goddesses falls in love!"
"...What about Athena?" Artemis asked, trying to take the attention off herself for a moment.
"Hon, you and I both know she doesn't count. Especially not with all the time she spends around Poseidon these days…" Aphrodite muttered. Artemis was forced to agree- those two seemed to be particularly close recently, which was odd considering their three-thousand-year-long rivalry.
"Anyways, back to you!" Aphrodite exclaimed, "What's going on with this mysterious man?"
"W-well…" Artemis began slowly, taken aback by Aphrodite's extreme enthusiasm, "First things first, I just want to confirm that you didn't do anything. I know you probably didn't, but it never hurts to check, right?"
Aphrodite gasped, laying a hand over her heart. "I'm hurt, Arty. How could you accuse me of such a thing!?" the Love Goddess cried, sniffling for dramatic effect. Artemis rolled her eyes, not falling for it. Aphrodite saw, and dropped her act. "Gosh, you can't play along? Anyways, I didn't do anything."
Artemis nodded, not really expecting a different answer. Not with how surprised Aphrodite had been moments ago. "Alright, so… I've been spending a... Fair bit of time with him, and we've had a lot of fun-"
"Fun!?" the pink goddess shouted, interrupting her. The way she said it caused Artemis to blush heavily.
"I don't mean like that!" the maiden yelled back, "We just get along well! Like, talking, and teasing each other, and playing video games, and…" Artemis stopped, suddenly unable to look Aphrodite in the eye. Said goddess noticed instantly, and very nearly jumped the table to shake the answers out of her friend. Fortunately, she was a graceful lady, and simply leaned forward in anticipation.
"And?" she prompted, when Artemis was silent for a long moment. The younger immortal seemed to be struggling to find the right words.
"I… May or may not have… Slept with him…"
Aphrodite, elegant as she was, could not stop herself from choking on her saliva and falling face-first onto the floor. She popped her head up over the table a moment later.
"What!?" the Love Goddess shrieked, probably loud enough for all of Olympus to hear. Artemis flinched back, then realized her mistake.
"Wait! I didn't mean it that way! I just slept next to him!" she cried, rushing her words out so Aphrodite couldn't interrupt.
The floored goddess laid a hand over her ample bust again, but this time she was actually checking to see if her divine heart was still beating properly. She swallowed heavily, then exhaled slowly, rising from the pink carpet. Her legs were somewhat shaky from shock.
"O-kay...Okay…" she muttered, repositioning herself on her seat. Finally, she came out of her stupor. "Lead with that next time!" Aphrodite snapped, "I nearly had a heart attack!"
"Sorry! I don't know why it came out like that!" Artemis replied, slightly panicked.
"Ugh…" Aphrodite groaned, "Why do you have to be so difficult, Arty? First you refuse to have anything to do with my domain for three thousand years, then suddenly you're trying to make me have a stroke by saying things like that!"
"Sorry," Artemis said again, feeling slightly bad for the state she put her friend in. "I really didn't mean to say it that way…"
The Love Goddess sighed. "It's fine, hon. Just… Try not to do it again. So, how'd you end up in that fine mess?"
"Well, we were playing video games, like I mentioned, and we just… Fell asleep. We woke up in the middle of the night, and he moved us around so we were laying down next to each other- we passed out sitting up on the couch- then we went back to sleep. I don't think he was really awake, because he sounded confused in the morning…"
"Ooh," Aphrodite murmured, "It's never good when the guy's confused in the morning. What happened when you woke up?"
"Well, I was freaking out, so I left really fast, but he was really calm. He even offered me breakfast! It was almost like…"
"Like he'd done it before? Woken up next to a random person, not really remembering how they got there?" Aphrodite finished for her, understanding what the younger goddess was saying. After all, she'd done it herself, quite a number of times. Artemis nodded sadly, and Aphrodite felt a bit sympathetic for her friend.
"Well, maybe he was just as surprised as you, but hid it better?" Aphrodite said, trying to reassure her friend. Artemis tilted her head, considering the theory.
"Hmm… I suppose it's possible, since I couldn't see his face-"
"What do you mean, you couldn't see his face!?" Aphrodite interrupted, astounded.
"He still wears that mask he showed up in at the Solstice."
"What!? And you still fell for him!? What if he's as ugly as Hephaestus!?"
"I don't exactly judged based on looks, Aphrodite!" Artemis cried indignantly, "Besides, he said he's a demigod, and you know that even the children of Hephaestus aren't that bad!"
Aphrodite heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh! Alright, that makes it a little better, I guess… Do you have any idea who his parent is?"
Artemis shook her head. "Not really. He has black hair, but that's the only defining feature I've noticed. His eyes are covered up by that mask, and the abilities he's shown don't match up with any of the gods, so…"
"Well, hair isn't enough to go off of. There's plenty of demigods with black hair. What powers are you talking about?"
Artemis told Aphrodite about the black flames and the Shadow Walking.
The Love Goddess pondered the description for a while, then shook her head in defeat. "Yeah, I've never heard of anybody else doing stuff like that… By the way, what's his name? You never mentioned it."
Artemis lowered her head, mumbling something that even Aphrodite's godly hearing could not pick.
"Sorry, could you repeat that?"
"I said… I don't know," Artemis said sheepishly. She hunched over slightly when Aphrodite face-palmed, trying to make herself a smaller target for the upcoming rant.
"Artemis, how could you not know his name!? And you fell for him!?"
"He gave me a name," Artemis defended weakly.
"Oh? What is it?"
"He said one of his titles was 'The Ghost of the Bloody Mist,' so I could just call him Ghost."
Aphrodite face-palmed once more, dragging her perfectly manicured nails down her face in exasperation. "Arty~," she moaned unhappily, "You cannot possibly hope to start a relationship with this guy. Relationships are built on trust, and there's obviously none between you two if he won't tell you anything!"
"Who said I wanted to start a relationship with him?" Artemis asked defiantly. The pitying look she got in return caused the Moon Goddess to deflate. "Okay, so maybe I do- but I can't, anyways! What would happen to my Hunters?"
"What about them?" Aphrodite asked, confused.
"I am their leader! What kind of example would it set if I broke every single one of the founding principles!?"
"So… Just change it. What's the big deal?"
"What if they stop following me? I don't want them to lose faith in me!"
"Ugh, Arty, you're just making things complicated. You're a goddess- you can do what you want, and if they don't like it, they're free to go. It's not like anything is forcing you to take care of them. If anything, they should be grateful to you! You saved most of them from some pretty bad situations, gave them a second chance at life, gave them immortality! The ones who are smart will understand that, and follow you even if you fall in love."
"But I don't want any of them to leave!" Artemis wailed, becoming more and more distraught.
"Listen, hon, this can go one of two ways. Either you keep all of your hunters, and stay unhappy, or you follow your heart and do what you want. Think about it this way; if any of your Hunters want to fight you on your decision to fall in love, then that means they care more about some stupid values than your happiness. Do you really want to keep such toxic people around?"
"I… I don't… I can't just kick them out because they don't agree with me! What will the other girls think!?"
Aphrodite sighed, getting up to walk around the table and sit next to the Moon Goddess. She wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, pulling her into a motherly embrace.
"Artemis, you don't understand. Love does not involve anyone besides the two people with feelings for each other. It does not matter what they think, because they are not in the relationship… Are they? Because that'd be really kinky."
"No! Of course not!" Artemis cried, though it was slightly muffled by Aphrodite's shoulder. Aphrodite yanked the silver goddess away from her, holding the now-startled immortal at arms length, so she could look her in her wide eyes.
"So why are you worried about them!?" the Love Goddess shouted, shaking the maiden goddess for emphasis, "They are not you, and they are not Ghost, so they do not matter!"
Artemis grabbed Aphrodite's wrists before she responded, to reduce the risk of biting her tongue off when she opened her mouth. "Alright, I get it! Stop shaking me!"
Aphrodite stopped rocking her friend, instead squeezing her shoulders in a painfully tight grip. The pink goddess leaned forward, eyes narrowed dangerously. Artemis tried to move away, but found herself stuck in place.
"What do you get?" Aphrodite asked in a low, almost growling, voice.
"I- I'll do what I want," Artemis choked out, terrified by her friend's sudden personality switch.
"Okay, great!" Aphrodite cried, releasing Artemis. She clapped her hands together like a preppy high school girl. The silver goddess released a breath she hadn't known she was holding, suddenly aware of her heart hammering against her ribcage.
"You're scary…" she muttered, trying to recompose herself. Aphrodite heard, but didn't comment. After all, love could be quite terrifying with how unpredictable and sudden it was.
"Well, I think my work here is done!" Aphrodite said proudly. She moved back to her side of the table, picking up her cup of rosemary tea, that had been mostly neglected during the conversation. Luckily, it was still warm. "Arty, drink your tea before it gets cold."
Artemis did so, picking up her cup with slightly-trembling hands. That insane glint in Aphrodite's eyes had frayed her nerves more than she would care to admit. Taking a sip of the tea, Artemis decided that she quite liked it, and drank some more.
"Oh, and take some snacks while you're at it- I would hate to see them go to waste."
The two goddesses spent the next few minutes in a comfortable silence, eating and drinking. Artemis was thinking about what Aphrodite had said.
"Alright," the Moon Goddess began, "So, we've determined that I have… Fallen, for Ghost, despite not knowing his actual name or what he looks like-"
"Which, while cute, is kind of stupid," Aphrodite cut in, "He obviously doesn't trust you."
Artemis scowled at the Love Goddess. "Well, I trust that he will tell me everything soon. He even swore on the Styx that he would, so that has to count for something, right?"
"Of course it does!" Aphrodite cried, "Why didn't you say that sooner!?"
"Well, I was a bit busy getting my brain rattled by someone, so excuse me!" Artemis replied, disgruntled by her friend's accusatory tone.
"You needed that," Aphrodite said, completely unrepentant for her actions. The Moon Goddess had to acknowledge the truth behind that statement; if Aphrodite hadn't done it, she would never get anywhere.
"So, how do I find out if he feels the same way?" Artemis asked, continuing her interrupted thought.
Aphrodite grimaced, sucking in air through her teeth. "That's the tricky part. Facial expressions are a huge part of silent communication. Without those, you'll just have to watch his body language, and listen to his tone whenever he speaks. Until you know for sure- and I'll help you find out- don't try to confess to him. It's possible he might not feel the same way, and you'll just end up getting hurt. In the meantime, though, don't act differently. Sure, try to be around him as much as you can, but be you. It'd be bad if he fell for an act, right?"
Artemis nodded, seeing the logic behind the advice.
"And…" Aphrodite continued, before pausing, "Actually, I think that's everything, for now. Obviously, keep me updated, and I'll do my best to help you," she gave Artemis a pointed look, at which the Moon Goddess simply rolled her eyes.
"So, since we're done with that, let's actually talk- it's been so long. Anyways, you weren't there for the second half of the Solstice Assembly, right? Well, things got really crazy when Athena gave Apollo a book, but he chucked it back at her face…"
Artemis settled back with a contented smile. She had her plan and she knew what to do. All that was left was to actually do it. But, that could wait. For now, she wanted to hear just how badly her stupid brother messed up this time.
