In your eyes, I swear I feel forever
And I'm falling into the deepest part of you
In your eyes, I feel my heart surrender
As your love breaks through
I'm lost inside your deep blue
Artemis POV
Percy's screaming woke me up in the middle of the night. He was still sleeping, meaning he was having one of those nightmares that would cause him to fear sleep. He used to have those long ago but had stopped after some time. When he had one of these, he would wake up looking broken and terrified but never told anyone. I felt bad, knowing I couldn't help him since he would never tell anyone about those nightmares.
I called out his name but he didn't wake up, tossing and turning in his sleep, mumbling incoherent words. I shook him, shoved him, and even slapped him but he wouldn't budge. When he still didn't wake up I knew something was wrong. Though he acted like a child when woken up in the morning, he was a really light sleeper, sometimes he woke up just because the trees were rustling a little too loud.
He stopped saying anything and suddenly went rigid. I panicked when I saw silent tears gushing down in torrents from his closed eyes along with a pained expression. I had to wake him up, quickly at that. I remembered that he would always calm down at my touch and decided to see if it would work in the current situation. After all, he would readily help me when I was dealing with nightmares, it was only right I did too.
Closing the gap between us, I slowly climbed on top of him. I blushed when I realized the position I was in, straddling him, but decided that this was maybe the only way. Staying in the same position, I hugged him tightly. I could feel his heart beating very fast against my own. I gulped down the warm feeling inside me that always came when I was this close to him and instead focused on waking my friend who was still inside his horrible dream.
"Percy, wake up. This is just a dream, wake up. Nothing will happen to you" I whispered softly, bringing my mouth close to his ear while lightly stroking his hair. He stirred after doing this for a minute. Instead of waking up slowly, his eyes fluttered open. He instantly pushed me aside and tried to scamper away, falling onto the floor in the process. The broken and hopeless look in his eyes broke my heart. When he realized he was no longer in his dream, he sunk back on the floor, put his head in his hands, and started sobbing.
I got up from the bed, sat down on the floor beside him, and pulled him into a comforting hug. He tensed momentarily but then hugged back as he sobbed on my shoulder. I just held him like that in my arms as he let it all out, drenching my tunic but I couldn't care less. After some time, he pulled back though he still had that helpless and defeated look.
"What did you see?" I asked with concern. He looked at me and shook his head and said, "I am alright Missy. Sorry for waking you up" he answered in a small voice that suggested otherwise, like by a big margin. He had been bottling this up for too long. "Percy, tell me. If you don't share and bottle it up, it will cause you meaningless pain" I said in a serious tone. "N-no nothing. You shouldn't concern yourself with these things. I'll manage by myself" he began reasoning. "BULLSHIT" I yelled back. "You helped me with nightmares all those years ago. Did I ever hide them from you? Then why are you hiding them? You know, Percy, it hurts when even your closest friend doesn't trust you."
His face immediately became apologetic. "I am sorry Missy. I didn't mean it that way. I didn't intend to hide anything from you. It-it is just that they were too painful and scarring. It hurts to talk about it, you know" he said in a small voice. I took his hand in mine. "Percy, you know I am always by your side. Don't worry, you can tell me anything, share anything. Believe me Percy, once you share it, you will feel much better. Now tell me" I said comfortingly. He looked at me before taking in a shaky breath.
"My step-father" he said, "He used to abuse me when I was small." I went wide-eyed at that. "WHAT! You are telling me that now" I screamed. "He had threatened me that he will hurt those near to me if I told anyone. I was a little kid so those words were etched in my mind and hence I didn't tell anyone" he said as his eyes watered again. "He tortured me, Missy. It was so painful that even rape would have been better." He broke out crying. "When I rescued those girls, it-it reminded me of my own abuse. Except nobody came to rescue me. I had to endure it all and tell no one" he said. I pulled him into another hug. "No Percy it was just a dream. I am always beside you" I said, patting his back.
"So will you tell me?" I said looking in his eyes. "I-I can't. It is better if you see yourself. I will take you to my memories" he replied holding out his hand. I took it and saw Percy's eyes glow brown, using his power from Hera's blessing before all went black.
DREAM STATE
When I came to, and I was in a corner of a fairly large bedroom. I realized I was like a translucent mist, with no real mass to call a body. I tried to speak but found that I couldn't talk, I was like a silent observer. I heard heavy footsteps outside the room and like a chain reaction, there was a whimper from the room itself. After looking around for the source, I found it to be coming from under the bed. Peeking under it, I saw a small kid with raven black hair hardly around 9 years of age. When he turned towards me, I instinctively jumped back for two reasons, one I thought he had found me, and two, this was Percy as a 9-year-old.
In a moment I realized how dumb it was to get surprised by seeing a young Percy, like Duh! This was his dream/memories, of course it would be him. I chuckled at myself but all the humor went down the gutter the moment a man walked in.
"Perseus, come out, we are gonna have some fu-un" he said in a mock singsong voice. Just his appearance was repelling enough to fuel my anger. This was no male, he was a monster. When the male dragged Perseus from under the bed, he slapped Perseus. "This was for being disobedient, you piece of shit" the male said in a cold tone. Instinctively, I rushed forward, trying to free the child but passed right through them.
I could only observe as little Percy started crying. "Please don't take me there. Please. It hurts. It hurts very bad" Percy pleaded. It was so heartwrenching that my eyes automatically watered. "Do you want me to do the same to your mother and that bitch of a foster kid? DO YOU?" the male screamed. Percy started crying more but shook his head. I was very angry, I wanted nothing more than to castrate that man very painfully but alas could do nothing.
"Stop crying or else your punishment will be double. Do you understand?" the man said as he dragged him out of the room and into a courtyard of a big house. My body automatically followed the 2 as Percy's stepfather, as I realized, continued dragging him out of the house towards a dungeon in close proximity. Percy started struggling and whimpering but another slap shut him up. The guards snickered at the sight, making my blood boil even more. Not only were they not protesting against what Percy's stepfather was doing, but they were also joining in by laughing at Percy.
Soon I found myself at a cell in the farthest corner of the dungeon. I was horrified at what was happening and what was to come next. How could someone do this to a child that too without reason? I mentally made a note to curse the army of Athens. The crimes they had committed towards Percy were too much to go unnoticed. A sad, hollow feeling overcame me. How did Percy manage to bottle up something like this? But I was brought back to focus when I heard the man's next words.
TRIGGER WARNING
"STRIP!" he yelled at Percy. My blood went cold, how ruthless exactly was this man. Percy whimpered but did nothing. I watched in horror as the man hit Percy when he did nothing and proceeded to strip Percy himself. Percy tried to struggle but in vain as it was evident that the man was much stronger than the 9-year-old boy. Once free of his clothes, Percy was thrown across the room towards the wall. He curled up into a ball and tried to protect his modesty with his hands. I rushed towards him to check but again found myself unable to touch him.
The man laughed cruelly as he slowly approached Percy and stuffed a cloth as a gag to prevent his screams. Silent tears began tracing my face as I watched the past self of my best friend being chained up, naked and scared with nobody to help him. Percy tried saying something but was met with a fist on his face, a black eye already forming. This was only the start of what happened next.
The man took out a long whip and cracked it on the floor as he smiled sadistically. My eyes widened at what unfolded before me. A look of pure terror and helplessness crossed Percy's eyes before he squeezed them shut, waiting for the inevitable. My heart felt like it had been crushed under Talos as the first hit from the whip hit Percy on his back. He cried into his gag like no tomorrow.
He continued whipping the naked body of Percy like a smith shaping hot metal. The monster of a man took immense pleasure in seeing Percy get hurt. He relentlessly whipped Percy without giving any break until his little body was full of painful bruises, whipping exceptionally hard when hitting his bare backside, resulting in dark purple colored marks that were painful to even look at. All the while, Percy was hysterically crying into his gag. Every inch of his body was covered in red marks and purple bruises. Only when the man finally stopped did I realize I was full-out sobbing at Percy's condition. I wanted to go and hug him, comfort him but could only watch helplessly.
When the man stopped and removed the gag from Percy's mouth, I thought that the ordeal was over. Percy was still crying hysterically as the man walked up to him. "Now to punish you for being a bad boy. You should have come without making a sound. I will make sure you remember" he said giving Percy a punch to the stomach. Percy doubled over and started pleading, "Please no. Not that. It hurts too much. I will do anything else you want." As Percy groveled the man laughed cruelly before hitting him again and walking away towards an open fire. He took out an iron rod and heated it till he was satisfied. Percy's eyes widened and he started crying harder than ever.
I was frozen in shock as the man approached Percy with the heated rod. Percy was now struggling hard against his chains but to no avail. The man let out an evil giggle before pressing the heated end on Percy's back. He screamed his lungs out from the evident pain as the man happily looked on. When he released the rod, Percy's skin was red and blistered. Let me tell you something, there is nothing more disturbing and heartbreaking than a hurting child's agonized scream. For a full hour, I had to witness and hear helplessly as the man, again and again, heated the rod and poked Percy with it all over his little and already bruised body.
Even though I knew it wasn't possible I still tried to intervene, going right through the man and Percy each time, as the man continued his assault. He took exceptional pleasure in pressing the rod on the whip bruises on his body and the whip laceration on his backside. Percy was littered in bruises and burns by the time he was done and had passed out from pain and exhaustion. My soul was crying at the sight of a little being so horrendously tortured, not even my most abused hunters had such a dark past. Satisfied with his sick work, the man picked Percy up, threw him in a water tank, apparently knowing that water healed him completely, and walked away. Soon everything faded to black.
REAL WORLD
When I regained consciousness in the real world, I was propped up against the bed, sitting on the floor, with Percy beside me, staring at the wall, my head on his shoulder. I felt tears raining down my cheeks in torrents as I remembered what happened to Percy. I picked myself up from his shoulder and faced him. I slapped him across the face, still crying. "WHY THE HADES PERCY?! WHY DID YOU KEEP SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO YOURSELF?" I asked, my voice barely more than a screech as more tears found their way out of my eyes. Before I knew it, Percy too was sobbing. I crashed down on him and hugged him tightly, crying into each other's shoulders.
"I-I am sorry. It-it was t-too much. It hurts e-even to think, w-what he did t-to me" he choked out, wetting my nightgown with fresh tears. I pulled out of his embrace and softly kissed his cheek. "But don't worry. You shared it with me. Now you don't have to bottle it up" I said softly. He gave me a small smile which I mirrored. "You are right Missy. I do feel much better after sharing. Those memories used to haunt me for years before I joined the Hunt. Then it got triggered after watching those girls in that condition" he said but his voice cracked, giving away the fact that he still was not over it.
"How often did it happen, Percy? And why did you not tell anyone?" I asked, squeezing his hand to give him support. "He did that whenever he was frustrated. He was a heavy drinker and gambled a lot. Whenever he was angry or lost money, he would come and do that to me. The best-case scenario would be just a normal beating but that would change into whipping, flogging, spanking then to torture of various measures but what you saw was the worst ever. Also, he promised to do the same and more to my mother and sister if I told anybody and make me watch. So I took the beating and torture to save my family" he replied a lone tear tracing his already tear-stained face.
I was very shocked and impressed at the same time. How far could Percy go to save one of his own? That too at mere 9 years of age, possibly even younger. I smiled brightly at my best friend and wrapped him in another hug. "You looked very cute as a 9-year-old, not gonna lie" I giggled, trying to lighten the mood. Percy smiled too, "Did the eternal man-hater call a 9-year-old me cute? That's a first." He laughed before he turned red, like tomato red. "Wait...you saw the whole dream...that means...you saw me naked, didn't you?" he asked in embarrassment. I realized what he said and myself turned golden. "Y-you were j-just a k-kid then, P-Percy. N-nothing to s-see there wh-when you w-were a kid" I stuttered out as I remembered Percy being forced to strip in the dream. He was cute, even though he was a kid, I thought, blushing deeper at my own thoughts.
As an awkward silence settled around us, I was occupied by my thoughts as I saw Percy stare blankly at the ceiling, seemingly occupied with his own and being internally conflicted over something. My thoughts went to the times I and Percy spent, his uncanny ability to make me happy without even trying, and his ever selfless attitude. But that was not what attracted me to him, sure he was very good looking and many were always fawning on him, but no, what drew me to him was his undying loyalty, his willingness to do anything for the well-being of those close to him, his ideology of treating everyone equally and justly, and above all, his humble attitude. He was a born warrior, his powers and skills not only shadowed those of the younger Olympians but matched those of the Big Three. While one, be it male or female, would boast about being this powerful, Percy on the other hand would never admit he was better and would whine about excess powers.
I could no longer keep it to myself, it was causing too much conflict, I had to tell him about my feelings. But then why would someone want to be with a goddess who was a maiden and was known to hate men with a passion? Then again, even if he rejected me, at least I would not have to war with myself for an answer and hopefully, it wouldn't ruin our friendship either. I took a deep breath and stood up.
"Percy, I don't think either of us is going to fall asleep tonight. Let's go outside, shall we? Might as well clear our mind" I asked him. Percy, who was in his own world, returned his gaze to me before his face morphed into an I-have-made-up-my-mind look. "Ah umm all right. It seems that there is no way sleep will come to me tonight. Might as well go with you" he said before standing up and dusting his clothes. I extended my hand which he took as I flashed us away.
I flashed us to a meadow on a cliff right beside the Agean Sea. I had found the place accidentally on a solo hunt and used to come whenever I felt like clearing my mind. The place was full of various flowers and the ever-so-sweet fragrance always helped me calm down. The area was surrounded by trees on 3 sides and ended in a cliff on one side, the sea a hundred feet below. It was a beautiful place, the moon reflecting on the sea resulting in a breathtaking sight with the sound of the crashing of waves being the only thing that could be heard at this hour.
Percy gasped at the enchanting view before him before his face broke into that troublemaker smile that had immortalized itself in my heart. "This is so beautiful Missy. The sea and the forest in the same place, not to mention these beautiful flowers. Just WOW" he said giddily like a child who found something new, for a moment entirely forgetting those awful memories. I chuckled seeing him like that, the exact same reaction that I had when I first discovered the place.
After the initial excitement died down, we started walking towards the cliff. I noticed we were still holding hands but since Percy didn't let go, I decided to not let go too. Holding his hand felt like the right thing to do, my hand fitting perfectly in his. We sat down with our feet dangling over the ledge, talking about menial things unrelated to anything. We gossiped and laughed together as we sat for a long time, taking in the perfect view of the moon over the ocean.
After some time, I put my head on his shoulder, hoping he would accept. He hesitated for a moment but to my happiness, he put an arm around me and pulled me closer, the warmth of his body countering the chill of the night. I looked down at the sea and sighed loudly. Percy frowned slightly, "What happened Missy? Why sigh so loudly?" "It's just that I have always wanted to explore the sea, to watch the underwater flora and fauna, to hunt underwater. But being a daughter of Zeus, it is not possible for me. It is my one wish that was never fulfilled" I said sadly. He thought for a minute before his expression brightened.
"Missy, do you trust me?" he asked to which I nodded but the realization hit pretty fast. "No Percy. Your father will not take the fact kindly that a daughter of Zeus is entering his domain" I reasoned but he just shook his head. "First, he will not do anything while I am with you. Second, you are forgetting who my birth father is. Whose decision do you think the sea will prefer? It's own child or it's lord?" he said, smirking.
All of a sudden, he wrapped both of his arms around my waist, bringing me closer, and before I could question anything, he pushed off of the cliff. I screamed and wrapped my hands around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder instinctively as the water approached fast. After what seemed like falling forever, we crashed into the water but instead of turning into ground meat, the water cushioned our fall, much like falling on sand. Percy let go of me; I had squeezed my eyes shut and was making every effort not to breathe. But then Percy started laughing. I got embarrassed and was about to retort but...
"Hey-... Wait how did you laugh underwater and how can I talk...and breathe?" I asked him, very astonished. He just laughed some more, "Missy, look around us." I looked about us and gasped for we were in an air bubble and my clothes were perfectly dry. I looked around more and was amazed to see the vast life that existed down at the bottom of the sea. "This is so wonderful Percy. It must be so good to come and see this whenever you want" I exclaimed to which he nodded and smiled. I tried to touch a large fish but was restricted by the bubble and sadly gave up on interacting with sea life but Percy seemed to sense my predicament. He held out his hand and beckoned me to hold it.
As soon as I held his hand an ethereal green glow spread from him and onto me and stayed that way. "What was that?" I asked as curiosity got the better of me. "Oh nothing, just a temporary measure to let you breathe underwater freely without an air bubble. Hold on to my hand and it will be fine" he responded before popping the air bubble. I blushed at the prospect of having to hold hands for some time and was grateful that Percy didn't see it. First, I resisted breathing, but once I did, it felt natural and didn't give any second thoughts to it. "So shall we have some fun, Milady?" he asked, smiling mischievously as he tugged my hand. I returned the smile and gratefully followed him.
For an hour, we forgot about all our worries, sorrows, and responsibilities. We swam around and explored everything like little kids on sugar, jumping and dancing inside the water. We sawm through a large school of fish and laughed as they scattered away. We explored an underwater cave system that housed some critters and sea plants that I saw for the first time. One of the best was things was the multi-colored coral reef and the various flora on and around it. Percy being the fun-loving being he is, made me a beautiful tiara made of exotic shells along with a charm-pendant made of pearls and turquoise. Now I am not one for jewelry but I absolutely loved what Percy made for me, though I had to hold it for now since I couldn't wear them seeing that we were still holding hands. The highlight of the underwater experience, though, were the dolphins. We played with them for a long time before we had to eventually let go since they were not in their territory as explained to Percy but they promised to meet us whenever we were here.
By the time we were done, we both were completely exhausted. Percy mist traveled us back to the meadow. We crashed onto the grass, lying beside each other, stargazing at 3 in the morning. Sometime later, as the sky grew lighter in the east, Percy stood up and stretched his limbs, and popped his back. He turned around and lent me a hand which I accepted as he pulled me up. He must have overestimated my weight because he pulled a little too hard, resulting in me flying right into his arms. I groaned, pulling away slightly before looking at him, ready to chew him off for obviously thinking I weighed much. But that thought, along with all others, disappeared as soon as his eyes met mine, silver on emerald tridents.
Any other time, either me or him would have looked away, but right now, it seemed we both had lost the ability to look away. It felt like our eyes were showing each other the emotions we had tried to hide from each other, something that we had been successful at for a long time but now had failed epically. I don't know for how long, but we just stood there gazing into the eyes that belonged to the other, drinking in the fact and feeling of being together, holding each other. Finally, I regained control over my voice and cleared my throat.
"I need to tell you something" we both said at the same time, in perfect synchronization, blushing gold and red respectively, though never leaving eye contact. "Go ahead" I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "You see Artemis, when my mother told me stories about the Greek Gods as a child, you were the one I held the highest regards for. It was your independent nature and free but fierce mind that led you to that position in my mind. Then when I lost all, you were the only one who came to my aid and gave me a new purpose and roof over my head. You may be a man-hater to the world Missy, but to me, you were my savior. You were the first one I could proudly call my friend, my best friend. You became the person in my life that I could die for, 1000 times over, just to see you smile. Even unknowingly, you healed me. Yes Missy, it was because of you that my nightmares had disappeared over time and it was your voice that woke me up from the one I had tonight, the one even I myself couldn't force to wake up from. When you were kidnapped all those years ago and were almost used by the enemy, I lost it way worse than I would have done for somebody else. Because you Missy are the light in my darkest times. You are the moon that brightens up my worst nights. I am as lost as a blind man in a forest without you. To me, you become more than my best friend. You make me happy by just being near me. I know you are a sworn maiden and that you already had your heart broken once by him and thus might not feel the same for me but I'll be truthful for I can no longer keep my feelings for you hidden. Because Missy...Εγώ θα σε αγαπώ ακόμα κι αν δεν ανταποδώσεις. Θα σε αγαπώ για πάντα μέχρι το τέλος του χρόνου. Θα είμαι για πάντα μαζί σου μέχρι να ξεθωριάσω*." he nervously said before waiting for an answer.
I was shocked and happy beyond belief. He had his sight on me for about 5 decades yet he managed to hold it back. He did what I had planned to do and it made me ecstatic. Here I was, thinking he might never love me back, foolishly oblivious to the fact that we both were suffering from not knowing if one would love the other back. I was especially surprised by his last lines. Was he this serious? Now it would have been perfect if I had confessed my own feelings and kissed him or just said the three words back. But it didn't turn out that way. I was in such shock and extreme euphoria that my speech part of the brain stopped working. I tried to speak, to let him know that I loved him back just as much, but my tongue wouldn't budge. Instead, I tried kissing him but even my muscles betrayed me. So as he waited nervously for a response, I couldn't do anything but stand like an idiot.
But Perseus took it differently and in a bad sense at that. He took my surprised and shock-frozen form as a refusal and looked at me apologetically. Tears threatening to spill from his gorgeous green eyes, he whispered out words that made me curse the state I was in. "Lady Artemis, I am sorry. I shouldn't have said that to a maiden such as you. I hope it doesn't ruin our friendship" he said as his voice cracked and a lone tear escaped his eye before shadow-traveling away.
As soon as he disappeared, I cried out in exasperation. I just collapsed back on the grass and cried for a long time. I had messed everything up. Almost 50 years of pent-up feelings, mutual feelings now that it was revealed, efforts to keep each other happy, and most importantly, a deep bond of friendship, gone in a few moments. Just a few words or even a small gesture would have the effect of us being happy, together. The moment he used formal titles to address me, I knew he blamed himself for everything. I don't know where he flashed to, but I had to apologize to him and make it up.
So I got up and flashed to my tent, hoping Percy would be there. I muffled a sob when I found it empty. Nevertheless, I tried to straighten out my clothes and freshen up the best I could but was not able to remove the red rim around my eyes that I got from crying. I had to find Percy and make things right. With newfound determination, I exited my tent. It was around 6 in the morning, meaning Zoe would be awake. I walked up to her tent and knocked and within a moment she was out. "What is it MIlady?" she asked. Not meeting her eyes, I said, "I have to leave Zoe. I have some i-important work to do." As I turned around and started to leave, Zoe grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.
"Milady, do not try to hide it from me. I have known you for too long. So just tell me why are you crying?" she asked without breaking a breath. I let out a groan, not knowing what her reaction would be to what Percy and I discussed. But I could never hide anything from Zoe, she was more like a sister rather than a follower, so I told her about Percy's confession and how royally I srewed it up.
I expected some severe tongue lashing from her but to my surprise, she just sighed out. "Milady, do you truly love him?" she asked calmly. I blushed but nodded. "Good, because if you do you have nothing to worry about. He just flashed away because he was nervous. Find him and tell him that you share his feelings and believe me, from how much I know my brother, things will be happy for both of you. That guy has been head over heels with you, but his conscience prevented him from letting you know, since you are a maiden. And truthfully, it is way too obvious from your actions how much you 2 are into one another" she said chuckling. I gave her a warm smile for her encouraging words and flashed to Olympus.
After searching various places, I approached Aunt Hestia as a last resort, since she always knew things that others didn't. As I knocked at her palace door, she opened the door and dragged me in. From the look on her face, she already knew. Since it was already 8, Aunt Hestia invited me for breakfast which I gladly accepted as I told her what happened. She just smiled at me saying that Perseus came here at 5 in the morning and told her his side of the things. Apparently, he was scared that he had caused a rift in our friendship and thus was afraid to speak to me and was heartbroken from my lack of response. He had left minutes before I arrived and according to Aunt Hestia, I knew where he was currently. Pondering over where he could have been for a minute, my eyes widened in realization. I quickly thanked Aunt for the breakfast before flashing once again to the meadow by the Aegean.
Percy was sitting under a tree, overlooking the sea. His back was turned towards me so I couldn't see his face, but I could tell he was sobbing from the jerks and shakes of his body. A lump of guilt appeared in my throat. He was crying because of me, for doing something that I was anyway going to do. I mentally slapped myself for not reacting on time. I stealthily walked behind him until I was standing right beside him. He was still sobbing and noticed my presence only when I cleared my throat. He looked up with puffy, red, and guilt-ridden eyes; his eyes had changed color to a murky green, the mirth and happiness lost. Before I could say anything, he kneeled in front of me and looked down. "Lady Artemis, I am sorry for saying such unacceptable things to you. I realize my mistake now and am ready for any punishment" he said in a broken voice.
"Is that a way to talk to your friend, Perseus?" I said with mischievousness. He looked back up to me to check if I was just being sarcastic or being genuine. When he saw that what I said was indeed genuine, he stood up, the color of his eyes changing to normal green, some mirth returning to them as he let out a sigh of relief. "I am so, so sorry. I am glad to know my stupidity didn't ruin our friendship. I hope you will forgive me" he said sincerely, not meeting my eyes. That was it, I couldn't take it anymore.
I pulled him into a hug and rested my head on his chest, feeling his beating heart. "Percy, I am not at all angry with you. I was just shocked at that time because you said what I had tried to tell. I too share your feelings. You are the one person who completes me. Percy...Σε αγαπώ γιατί κάνω αντίστροφα τα συναισθήματά σου. Σε αγαπώ και μόνο εσύ γιατί θέλω να είμαι μαζί σου για πάντα. Ούτε το ξεθώριασμα δεν μπορεί να με κάνει να ξεχάσω την αγάπη που νιώθω για σένα^" I said softly into his chest, smiling.
I heard a gasp and looked up from his chest to see his eyes were back to their former glowing emerald color and seemed to shine with pure happiness. With the morning sun in the sky shining down on us, it made Percy look more handsome than ever, casting an ethereal yellow glow around him. He put a hand under my chin and made me hold my gaze. "Did you mean what you said?" he questioned in a soft voice. Without hesitation, I replied, "I don't regret and will never regret what I said, ever."
He gave me a big heart-melting smile which I responded with my own. We once again gazed into each other's eyes and held it, except this time, willingly. Slowly, his hands shifted to my waist and pulled me closer gently, leaning in even more slowly, his eyes shifting to my lips. Almost desperately, I urged him to draw me even closer into his warm and waiting embrace. My own hands found their way to their destinations, one coiling around his neck while the other losing itself in his messy black hair, pulling him in as I myself leaned in, meeting him halfway.
When our lips finally connected, I felt a thousand bottled feelings of love and belongingness flow through my body. I was feeling giddy with infinite happiness. He tasted salty like the air near the sea, a taste so good I would never forget in my immortal life. I was sure he liked the taste of my own because he pressed his lips harder into mine and I returned with equal thirst. We seemed to move in perfect sync, in a harmony that could make the cycle of day and night jealous. Our lips molded over one another as if trying to remember the other's shape forever. I could feel his soul through the kiss and found nothing but absolute, committed love and affection.
Instead of sloppy, hungry kisses, his were caring and just endearing. Orion's, the only one I shared with him, was just lustful and rough, done just for deriving pleasure and not to express feelings. But the feeling of kissing Percy was just pure and heartwarming, a kiss filled with innocent love. We kissed for another minute before breaking apart due to the lack of oxygen. Both red and golden in the face for not breathing for so long, we were both smiling like mad people.
I sighed contentedly before leaning back into his embrace, my head securely tucked under his chin. "Even though I wished for this for a long, long time, I never actually thought it would be possible. I am so happy that you and I could become us" he said with a chuckle. "You know Percy, not gonna lie, I fell for you hard, but after my experience with Orion, I was scared. Now though, it seems my longing for you was a good decision, for now, I feel complete. You, Percy Jackson, are the best thing to happen to me in a long time" I said with all the care I could muster, which was still less than what Percy showed.
He pulled me in for a chaste kiss on the lips. "Took you long enough to confess, you dense idiot" I said, giggling, before he sat down under the shade of the tree, bringing me with him. We sat such that I was sitting between his spread legs, my back facing him as he hugged me from behind, my head and his chin resting on each other's shoulders. My mind was at absolute peace, my Percy had that effect on me, even before today. My Percy. I smiled at my thought of Percy being mine. We sat there for quite a long time, none of us speaking anything, just enjoying the other's presence and drinking in the fact that we were now actually together, something that felt like a dream to both but to our delight was the reality.
"How are we gonna tell others?" Percy asked the inevitable question, absent-mindedly braiding and unbraiding my hair. "Well Aunt Hestia knows, she kinda knows everything happening with her family" I said. "And Aphrodite knows too since she threatened me that if I didn't tell you, she would make me fall for Apollo" he added with a shudder. I laughed at that. "The real problem would be Father, Apollo, and the Hunt. And I would like to know how Zoe knew" I asked with mock-anger.
"I have a feeling Zeus and Apollo would not be too mad, but I can't say the same about the Hunters. Also, you see, I kinda let it slip that I had feelings for you when I was talking to Zoe, almost a decade ago" he answered sheepishly. I thought about it for some time before coming to a decision. "I think we should tell Father and Apollo first and then the hunters" I told him, to which he agreed. I got up, dusted myself, and helped Percy up. We held hands, consciously interlacing our fingers and smiling at each other before flashing to my father's palace on Olympus.
Percy nervously knocked on the entrance. I squeezed his hand for reassurance but he still was a wreck. Father opened the door but his eyes narrowed when he saw us together. He raised an eyebrow as if inviting to speak. "Umm...uncle, you see, we...uhh actually" Percy started but then he noticed our locked hands. He gave us a strange look before setting it on Percy, who turned deathly pale. "I will take a wild guess and say you are together" he said in a miffed tone. We nodded our heads, looking down. He glared some more at Percy before saying, "Maybe I am in a good mood today, so I approve. But hear me out, Perseus. If you ever hurt my daughter, I will personally torture you till you fade. Now scram before I change my decision." I am still sure that his facade of anger was fake and he was...happy? Percy paled even further and nodded vigorously.
Apollo was...well waiting for us outside his palace, arms crossed, with an indifferent stare, which was rare since he was always goofing around if he was not healing somebody. "Something you want to tell me?" he asked. "H-How did you know?" I asked since Percy was too scared and shocked to even move. "God of knowledge, duh! Also, it is kind of hard to ignore when your sister is sucking off the face of someone right under the sun, which happens to be your major domain" Apollo deadpanned. I glared at him for putting it that way but he deftly ignored it, instead, focusing on Percy.
"Now I am highly protective of my little sister, more so after the Orion fiasco, but I have to learn to let her go at some point" he said with immense seriousness, so much that I forgot he referred to me as little sister. Percy visibly flinched at his tone. "I should have smited anyone else but I think I will give you a chance" he completed. Percy breathed out in relief, but Apollo seemed to have other plans. "Hear me out Percy, I will only approve if you sate my questions and remember that I am the God of Truth" Apollo continued. Percy looked at me once before nodding, full of determination.
"Tell me since when did you have feelings for her?" he asked. "I had a crush on her since my mother explained about the gods and it turned into true feelings after she saved me" Percy answered. My brother continued after a moment, "Why do you like her? What do you like about her?" I glared at my brother harder, what type of questions were these? But Percy seemed unfazed. "I like her because Artemis is my idol. She represents what I aimed to become when I was a kid. She is loyal beyond question, deals justice whenever required, and most of all sticks to her promises no matter what. I like her spirit and the fierce independence she shows. I like how she is a living example that women can not only be equal but even better than men. It was her nature that drew me closer to her. Also, in terms of beauty, she is the most beautiful creature to ever walk on the earth" Percy said as my heart swelled at his compliments. Apollo analyzed him for lies and asked one more question, "How much do you love her and what are you willing to do for her?" Percy, again without hesitation answered, "I love her with all my being. Even if I fade, she will be etched into my mind as I reach the realm of the faded. Now that I have feelings for her, I swear on the Styx that I will never look at any other woman the same way, even if Artemis and I part ways" he swore and thunder rumbled.
I gasped and threw myself at Percy, hugging him tight for the oath he swore. Apollo smiled like a maniac. "Guess you found someone worthy, sis" he said while clapping Percy's back. I pulled back and kissed his cheek. "Hey, I might give you two my permission to date but that doesn't mean you go smoochy-smooch in front of me. Get a room you two" he scrunched his nose in mock disgust before shooing us away.
As we walked through the streets of Olympus, hand-in-hand, we were trying to think of a plan to tell the hunters of our relationship status without getting my idiot killed, the reason we hadn't directly flashed to camp after visiting Apollo. We got quite a few raised eyebrows from the residents at me and Percy holding hands, obviously finding it hard to accept that I was in a relationship. We skipped lunch, instead, munching on the fruits Percy summoned, as we sat on a bench in the vast gardens of Olympus. After what felt like an eternity, Percy spoke. "Missy, I think we should tell the Hunt straightforward. I don't like tricking them. I am ready for any repercussions." I sighed and agreed since we couldn't think of any other way.
It was 4 in the evening when we flashed back to camp. At once, all the girls, save Zoe who was at the back smirking knowingly, flocked us, rapidly firing questions as to why I and Percy disappeared in the morning without letting anyone know. "Girls, listen. I...We gotta tell you something" I said, nudging Percy to help me out. He cleared his throat but faltered when all the eyes fell on him. "Uh...you see...umm...Artemis and I- Well, here goes nothing- I, uh, confessed my feelings to Artemis and asked her out, and, umm, she said yes" he said but not before stammering at each word. We both looked down nervously as a deathly silence but that soon changed.
Zoe walked up to Percy and slapped Percy upside the head. I looked down in shame, thinking that I was such a hypocritical bitch, making girls swear off men then dating one myself. As we looked at Zoe to apologize, it turns out she was smiling widely. "That slap, you dumbo, was for making almost all the girls lose 50 drachmae, not for falling in love with Milady" she said as she joined the others.
"Wait what? You guys made a bet on whether Percy and I will date or not?" I asked incredulously, Percy mirroring my expression. "No Milady, it was not a bet for whether or not you will date him. It was about when you will confess to each other. Seriously, it was way too obvious that you two were head over heels with one another, it was just a matter of waiting. I am so happy for you two. Congratulations!" Atlanta said, grinning from ear to ear as the whole Hunt congratulated while we both blushed.
"And before you ask, we will still remain maidens forever. Even though Percy here showed us that not all males are bad, he is still one in a million. We have no objection for you two to date but we will stand with our oath to you to remain maidens. If we happen to find someone like him, we will take care of that later" Zoe said. I smiled at them widely. "But who won the bet? Hades, what were the bets?" Percy asked curiously. All the girls groaned before pulling out small pouches of drachmae and handed them to...Palena? We gasped but Palena started laughing.
"Milady, all of them better in 5 to 30 years range. They laughed me at when I placed my bet on 40 years. Though I was not accurate, I was the closest and hence I win" Palena said with a big grin as the hunters groaned at the loss of so much money. Between all this, the girls Percy rescued yesterday were standing open-mouthed, obviously unaware of this situation. So Zoe did us a favor by dragging them to the campfire before sitting down and explaining everything.
The Hunt spent the next few hours chatting near the campfire, merrily talking and sharing stories until an early dinner at 7 because Percy and I had not slept much since yesterday and were quite tired. It was called a day at 8 as the whole Hunt moved back to their respective tents. Hand-in-hand, Percy and I entered our own tent. A quick shower later, we both were in bed. I remembered what I always wanted to do but couldn't because it would have been awkward for both of us but was now possible.
16+ Content
I shifted from my place and moved towards him. Before he could question me, I lifted myself from the bed and laid down on top of him, quite literally. I was lying on him such that my whole body was on his and nothing touched the bed, straddling him. Percy looked at me in surprise before smiling gently. "I take it that you like sleeping on me but couldn't do it earlier, right? But isn't the bed more comfortable?" he asked. I blushed, "Well you are the most comfortable bed I slept on and would like to sleep thus, that is if you don't have any problem" I replied. He chuckled lightly before capturing my lips with his own.
We kissed for some time before he ran his tongue on my bottom lip. I parted my lips slightly and he gently slipped his tongue in my mouth. I moaned into his mouth at this new feeling, which felt surprisingly good, as Percy explored my mouth. Once he stopped, I did the same with him. Never had I ever thought that kissing the one you loved brought such happiness to yourself. Before long, we were having a heated make-out session. As his hand slipped down to my butt, pulling me closer, I moaned again as it felt so good. With a mind of their own, my hands went under his tunic and started tracing his muscles.
But this was not enough; arousal, something I had barely felt before, started to spread through my body like wildfire. It tingled my body from within as a certain need for more burned. Still kissing him, I slowly started grinding my pelvis against his. Feeling his own aroused being against my body made me go over the edge as I moaned his name. Percy groaned as he squeezed my butt and rubbed himself harder against me.
I broke the kiss and looked into his beautiful eyes, strings of saliva still connecting our lips. "Percy, make me yours. T-take my virginity" I said with uncertainty. Percy looked at me, observing carefully for a moment before speaking. "No" he simply said, letting go of my butt and wrapping them around me. "What do you mean no? Is my body not good enough for you?" I asked dejectedly, looking down at my form. "Missy, never say that again. You are the most beautiful girl and your body is just drop down gorgeous. What I meant was you are not ready for doing that. It's just your lust speaking at the moment. We will know when are ready but not know" he said sternly.
I sighed, knowing what he said was true. Percy once again showed how he can be different. Only Percy would be able to conquer his lust like that, not even females could do that much less those vile men. I pecked his lips once more, snuggling comfortably on my bed, which happened to be Percy, as he hugged me tighter. With a smile gracing both of our lips, we slipped into the realm of Morpheus, together in each other's arms.
We were finally together, finally happier.
[*I will love you even if you do not reciprocate. I will love you forever until the end of time. I will forever be with you till my fading breath]
[^ I love you because I do reciprocate your feelings. I love you and only you because I want to be with you for eternity. Not even fading can make me forget the love I feel for you]
A/N: That's all for this fluff-only chapter
Sorry for not posting last week. I had some very important family matters to attend to.
So...Pertemis is finally official. I can tell there will be fewer reads and reviews on this chapter since it is a filler kind of thing that has almost no relation to the main plot, and is all about Percy and Artemis being together. Anyway guys and gals, see you next time. (Hail Pertemis)
Please review guys, Idk why I managed 100 follows but only 20 reviews. So reviews are very appreciated.
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!
Ciao
-KK42069
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