A/N: Sorry for the delay. I had 2 exams in a week so I had to take a forced break from writing. Hope this chapter makes up for it.
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So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself, and I
Didn't know I was lost
Prev. Chap Summary:
Zoe regains consciousness inside Artemis's palace, sees the whole Hunt injured and strew across the palace, and finds Percy and Artemis missing. They realize their brother and mistress had sacrificed themselves to save the Hunt. Zoe and Atlanta go to the Council, everyone is shocked by the news, and Zeus orders everyone to start searching.
Meanwhile, Artemis wakes up in an underground stronghold cell alongside Percy, wrapped in immortal restraining chains. She is subjected to torture and public humiliation at the hands of Gration, Orion, and Enceladus. Later when Percy wakes up, the same is done to him. For two weeks they are constantly tortured and assaulted before Damasen, the peaceful Gigante, unsuccessfully tries to rescue them and is sent to Tartarus. As a punishment for trying to escape, both are beaten almost to death. Percy snaps when Artemis's spine and hip bone are broken. He manages to generate power enough to overpower the chains and breaks free of them, proceeding to torture and kill Gration and Orion while Enceladus is left alive to bear the news of war declared by Percy.
With that, Percy destroys the whole place and carries Artemis and himself to safety. He prays to Hestia to rescue them and falls unconscious due to overuse of power. He wakes up three days later at Hestia's palace, having been healed by her. He learns two things, he wouldn't be able to use his power for a week, and Artemis was severely injured and wouldn't wake up for another month followed by 2 more months of bed rest. He reaches the Council and declares war on the Gigantes.
PRESENT:
Percy POV
"We are not waiting, we are declaring war on the Gigantes"
My voice rang loud and clear through the Throne room, creating echoes. If they were surprised to see me, now they were full-on gobsmacked round their heads. The deities were frozen in place, no doubt trying to comprehend what happened in the span of a few minutes. But I wasn't the one to give in. What I promised to Artemis, I will hold on to it. I would wreak havoc on the Gigantes. How dare they touch my Artemis? Going even further to humiliate her and getting satisfied by torturing her.
"Wh-what do you mean? Where is Artemis?" Athena asked, being the goddess of wisdom, she got over the initial shock quite easily. Hearing her voice, the Olympians recovered pretty quickly. Before I could answer, I was tackled in a giant hug by my father. "How are you, Percy? What did they do to you? I will rip them apart for touching Artemis and you?" he growled out as storm clouds gathered and the room shook, mirroring his rage. The whole Council erupted in a volcano of chaos, many throwing questions at Percy at breakneck speeds, others trying to control father's rage. "Father, I am fine right now, physically. Torture they did but I didn't break. Mentally, though I can't say, not after I had to watch what they did to Artemis" I said.
Apparently, this was not the right thing to say right now because in the storm clouds that my father as the Stormbringer summoned, lightning started flashing furiously and thunder boomed loud enough for people to go deaf. Olympus and its citizens started cowering and shuddering when the clouds of destruction formed in the sky above them as the world felt the combined wrath of two of the strongest gods. As amazing as the spectacle was to see the united force of the God of Lightning and the God of Storms, none could marvel it for the situation was too grim. Back at the Throne room, everyone had gone silent once again, this time from the rage exhibited by my father and uncle.
"What. Did. They. Do. To. My. Daughter" Zeus said in a death-calm voice that would any enemy piss their pants. The Master bolt was sparkling with blinding bright lightning as small sparks flew out of it, rhythmically giving off a hum of such incredible power that it made everyone's skin itch. Zeus's eyes were now pure sky blue as lightning flitted across them. My father, still standing beside me, was in no better state. His aura felt like huge waves crashing into cliffs with killing intent and I was sure everyone was glad that he didn't have his symbol of power right now. Apollo had gone rigid, not responding to anything but I knew he was deep in thought regarding his sister.
Frankly, I couldn't care less for the menacing storm created by my father and uncle since I was in a similar mood of anger and rage but I already had a target to destroy to quell my rage. I cared for the mortals down on Earth enough to not let a random city be plundered by the storm and decided to stop it. "Father, Uncle stop this storm. I know you are in states of turmoil and so am I. But this does not give us a reason to destroy mortal cities on Earth. I have already promised to wreak havoc and I will" I said solemnly. They realized it and the storm slowly started dissipating. Zeus calmed down enough for his eyes to return to normal and the Master Bolt to return to its dormant state. Father just shook his head and returned to his throne.
"Perseus, tell us what happened. Everything. Do not leave out any detail" Zeus said. I nodded grimly and sat on my throne, everyone looking at me expectantly. " We were tortured. Tortured to our limits. Artemis broke but I didn't. We were taken to our limits" I said in a monotonous voice, barely keeping in the tears that threatened to fall. The Council gasped, none louder than Apollo. "Is she...is she still a...?" Apollo asked, his voice cracking. "They humiliated her and made her strip naked before continuing our torture but yes she is still a virgin" I explained before looking down, instead of sadness or anything, a primal rage burned inside.
"Do you think you can tell us what happened? That is if you want, we will leave you alone if you don't want to" Aphrodite asked me softly. I took a deep breath in, this was my family, if anyone should know, they were the ones. So in the next hour, I explained each and every detail as to what happened to us in the past 2 weeks of captivity. Every passing second, the gods grew horrified. No one, not even the enemies in war, is given this kind of treatment. What hurt most, something the Olympians could never understand, except Artemis, was the mental torture.
Each day, after our regular torture, Artemis would be held back for an hour after I was thrown back into our cell. I was in constant mental pain as her blood-curdling screams of agony filled my ears. When she was returned, she would be a quivering mess, curled up into a ball until I embraced her, where she would slowly relax and then cry, but never told me what they did except telling me that only her virginity had been spared. But that was the past and now the Giants would pay heavily.
After my explanation, most of them looked sick in the stomach, Aphrodite and Demeter had long left, not being able to take in the details. "How d-did you escape? And y-you still haven't told where Artemis is" Athena asked. "Damasen, the peaceful Gigante rescued us, almost. Our captors found out and sent him to Tartarus. They beat us with iron rods and poles until we almost died" I said, not missing the shocked expression of the members of the Council. "Artemis was being beaten by Orion in ways much worse than me. My rage started hitting the roof when he shattered her shin but I finally snapped when a hit broke her pelvis and shattered her spine. She is healing very slowly and won't wake up for another month"
Zeus was seething silently, same with Apollo, holding back just enough to not burst into their true forms. "Who is healing her? Why was I not informed of her injury?" Apollo raged. "It was Aunt Hestia who took care of us once we escaped. You must understand Apollo, Aunt was the best option sighting the circumstances" I reasoned. Apollo didn't reply so I took into my stride and continued my explain my escape. "Once I snapped, I saw nothing but red. I don't know what took over me, but raw power began churning inside me. It was so much that I broke through the power-sapping chains, but only my primordial powers. I commanded geysers to shoot out of the ground and summoned water to break mine and Artemis's chains, who by this time had passed out. I won't even describe what I did to the three captors afterward, for it disgusts even myself. Artemis regained enough consciousness to kill Gration but we left Enceladus barely alive and to tell his brethren that I would wage war on them the day Artemis is healed. According to Aunt, it is going to take some months" I finished, panting hard from the strain, signifying that I had not recovered. Aunt Hestia summoned a glass of Nectar which I gratefully took.
"Are you serious about declaring war first?" Athena asked cautiously. All of them were looking at me differently as if I was entirely someone new, something about my demeanor changed, that I felt. Now, all I wanted was blood, the blood of the giants, no matter what it takes, no matter how many losses, the giants would eat dirt. "Yes Athena, I am absolutely sure. Nothing stands in my and Artemis's way to destroy them" I said in a calm voice which clearly reflected my anger. "The instant I get my powers back, I'm going to unite the camps and that too in a week's time. Those who oppose will face punishment."
"Then we will discuss the war planning once Artemis recovers. What will you be doing now Perseus? You have certainly not healed fully, neither are your powers working. I strongly suggest you rest" Zeus said. "Uncle, I know myself that I need rest, I promise that I would not leave Aunt Hestia's palace until she deems it fine and even then I would visit Artemis till the day she leaves the bed. But right now, I have something much more important to do" I reasoned. "Fine then. I would advise all of you to hold your urges to meet Percy and Artemis and wait till they recover from the trauma" Zeus said, resulting in groans from Apollo, Aphrodite, and Dionysus. "MEETING DISMISSED!" He slammed the bolt and flashed away, as did the Council.
"Aunt Hestia?" I asked the Goddess who was still there, no doubt waiting for me to flash us away back to her palace. "Yes Percy? Are you ready to go back? You are straining your body too much" she said. I shook my head "No Aunt, I need to visit the Hunt. They are probably going insane and blaming themselves for our unfortunate condition. Auntie, would you please let them stay at your palace. They will surely appreciate being close to their mistress" I asked, more like pleaded. Hestia just chuckled. "I was wondering when you would ask, you selfless boy. They are at Artemis's palace. Go and bring them to mine while I prepare their rooms" She smiled once more before flashing away in a whirl of fire.
I sighed and got up from my throne, making my way slowly out of the room and onto the streets of Olympus. The mood was grim, no doubt due to the news of our capture. As I walked past the streets, the citizens went wide-eyed before smiling widely, turning into a chain reaction of similar results as whispers broke among the onlookers. I smiled and waved back but somehow the actions felt empty for my mind always went back to Artemis and all forms of happiness died. As I walked, deep in thoughts of how to deal with the Hunt, I walked straight into someone.
"Percy, oh my gods you escaped, are you okay?" asked a surprised Iris. "Yes Iris I am fine, but that can't be said for Artemis unfortunately" I said as she pulled me into a small hug. "As much as I would like to talk to you, my duty calls. I hope you both get well soon. The Hunt has been going crazy in the last 2 weeks" she said and as she went her way, waving as she left. Once she left, I increased my pace on my way towards Artemis's palace.
After a 10 minute walk, I arrived at the front gate of her palace. Taking in a deep breath, I walked in, the doors opening on their own, recognizing me as one of the members of the Hunt. The first thing I noticed were the 30 huntresses sitting there in the hall, hair disheveled, bags under their eyes which were red from crying, either staring away into space or comforting each other, not noticing my presence. My heart broke seeing my sisters in arms in the state they were in. A loud clattering sound of a utensil dropping echoed around the silent hall, followed by numerous gasps.
"P-Percy?" Atlanta whispered but was clearly heard by everyone. "Yes Girls. We escaped-uffff" I began responding but was flung down to the floor under the weight of 30 teenage hunters dog-piling on top of me. They started crying hysterically, not responding to any of my words. "It-it was o-our f-fault we s-should have b-been more c-careful" they continued this over and over, bawling their eyes out. After some minutes they calmed down. I went over to each and hugged them individually, soothing and reassuring them that it was our choice and they had no fault.
"Percy where is Milady?" a young huntress asked expectantly. I bet my expression visibly darkened because they all took a step back, stifling again. "Whatever they did to us was nasty and I will not scar you by telling. Her virginity was spared but that's it. She was very grievously injured. I am sorry and it hurts me too but she won't be waking up for another month" I said in a small voice. They nodded but I could see a few tears leaking out of their eyes.
"Where are Zoe and the rest of the Hunt?" I asked a little skeptically. "They were injured more than us so Apollo ordered them to rest a lot. Some have broken bones and are not walking around much. They are taking a nap right now in the Infirmary" Atlanta replied. I went slowly towards the room, the others following me as I entered. The first one I spotted was my sister, her arm in a sling. Quietly, I went up to her and kneeled by her bed. "Zoe, sister, wake up. I am here" I said softly, gently shaking her as the rest fawned out around the bed.
Some moments later, she stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes slowly. As her eyes landed on me, she scrambled back. "Percy? Please don't tell me that this is a dream" she broke down in tears. I wrapped in a hug, where she cried on my shoulder. When she finally pulled back, she was still sniffling but a small smile graced her face. "I am so glad you are back. Only if I had been more careful you and Milady wouldn't have to face whatever you faced" she said, shuddering at the end. My mind automatically went back to the time when I had to hear Artemis's screams and how she wouldn't tell me what they did to her. I thought of what I would do to the Giants once I got my hands on them.
"...Percy?" Zoe was waving her hand before my face. "Y-yeah?" I said, shaking my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "Where is Lady Artemis?" she asked, the tone of dread very visible. The other hunters who were resting were also up and surrounding us, wearing similar expressions of curiosity and dread. Although I tried my best, the crestfallen and sad emotions got expressed by my body language anyway. My lack of response was taken very badly. Hunters started sobbing badly, muttering 'its our fault' and 'we are sorry'. "Wh-what happened to her?" Atlanta asked. "She was injured, severely, her spine and hips were broken. That's when I snapped and destroyed the stronghold in which we were imprisoned, escaping with Artemis. Lady Hestia found us and treated us" I said. "She will be bedridden for some time."
"Can we go see her?" Zoe asked hurriedly. "Actually that's why I am here. With Hestia's permission, you all will stay at her palace until Artemis is healed. I will be there too but only at nights for I have a big task ahead of me" I replied. They somewhat managed a small smile before asking again. "What do you mean you can't stay?"I gained an angered expression, "I have declared war on the Giants before they could on us. I will be the one uniting the Romans and Greeks." 48 jaws hit the floor.
"You did WHAT?" Zoe screamed. "Declared war on the Giants. I want revenge for what they did to us. I want their blood" I said coldly. "And the gods agreed?" Palena asked. "Yes, they did". "And you are going to unite the two camps with your body in this state?" Phoebe continued. "No, because of overuse, I have been rendered powerless for the week. The moment I get my powers back, I will go and visit each of them, and no you will not come, I will do it alone" I replied. They just nodded numbly, still miffed about not being able to help.
"Hey pack up fast. We need to go to Aunt's palace fast or she will have my head for not getting enough rest" I tried to lighten the mood but to no effect since the situation was so grim, and it hurt me to not see Artemis among the huntresses. Nevertheless, they packed up in an hour while I helped those who were injured. Once gathered in the hall, I prayed to Aunt Hestia, who appeared in a second.
"Are you girls ready to go?" she asked the hunters caringly who nodded in response. She looked at me as I too nodded and in a moment we were at her palace. A sudden wave of nausea and migraine hit me at the same time as I slumped to the floor, groaning. The hunters rushed towards me and helped me up but Hestia just gave me a disappointed look. "I don't know why you always defy orders, Percy. You were supposed to be in bed right now, resting, not roaming around. First, you forced me to take you to the Council then you exert yourself by walking all the way to Artemis's palace. You could have just told me to flash the hunters over here directly" Hestia continued to scold me before I went up to her and hugged her tightly.
"I am sorry Aunt. Thank you for looking out for me, for Artemis, for us" I said, smiling at her. "I don't know what to do with you, you sweet boy. Now go and rest in your bed, I will explain everything to the hunters and treat them too" she said smiling back and giving me a motherly peck on my cheek. I waved at the hunters and Aunt Hestia and went to the room-turned-infirmary that was occupied by me and Artemis. Heaviness set on my heart once again as I saw the comatose body of the girl I loved more than myself lying on the bed beside my own.
A tear slipped out automatically, wishing I could take away her pain so she could stand by me instead of being in a coma. Taking a chair and sitting by her side, I observed the angelic beauty of both her face and her soul and the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. Subconsciously, I placed a loose strand of her lush auburn hair behind her ear. I just couldn't help it now. Even though I knew she couldn't sense it, I gently placed my lips on hers and gave her a soft kiss but I was joyous when her face contorted into the smallest of smiles, even in her coma. With that happy note, I climbed into my own bed, at once realizing how tired I was from the strain on my still recovering body, and dozed off to sleep.
LINEBREAK
The week of recovery went by pretty fast. The days were filled by me waking up in the morning to the smell of Aunt's cooking, something I had missed sorely in my captivity. That pleasant feeling was soon replaced by sadness when my eyes would fall on Artemis. Her screams filled my dreams and thoughts all the time, having a severe mental effect on me. I would get up from my bed and kiss Artemis the first thing, then freshen up and get to the hall where I would be greeted by Aunt and the hunters who had woken up before me. Once everyone was there, breakfast would be served after which nothing of importance happened till lunch and afterward, often occupied by me helping Aunt with her work or spending time with my sisters in arms. The Hunt meanwhile would one-by-one visit their mistress throughout the day, often just sitting there on a chair by her side with a sad expression on their face. After lunch, I would be forced to rest for some time before I was allowed to do something.
Apollo, being the brother to Artemis he is, couldn't keep himself from ignoring Zeus's orders and visit her. And according to him, growing his hair out meant a completely new identity. After an emotional breakdown at the sight of Artemis's body lying there helplessly, Apollo went away. I did visit Aphrodite later and had to hear a long rant about how I always found trouble and how I should have visited earlier but her happiness betrayed her facade of anger.
But today was important. Today was the day I visited Camp Half-Blood. When I reached the hall, Zoe was already there, in a get-up that said she was going somewhere, to which I gave her a questioning look. "No matter what you say, I am going with you. The least I can do is help you" she replied sternly. 10 minutes and one bruise later, she did manage to convince me to let her go with me. After breakfast, I tried out my powers in Aunt's gardens to make sure they were working fine. Once I was done, I fetched Zoe, kissed Artemis goodbye, hugged the Hunters, sought Hestia's blessing, and left for the Council.
At the Council, I discussed my plan of staying three days at each camp and finally bringing them together on the last day. I was told that I had full permission to use my authority as an Olympian and use other Olympians' names too should the need arise. Camp Half-Blood was chosen as the place to combine forces since it was the nearest to the Peloponnese, the place where the battle would be held, opposed to Camp Jupiter, which was located near Sicily.
Once the Council discussion was finished, Zoe and I flashed straight to the location of Camp Half-Blood, a small valley type of area with a small hill on one side, which was the entry, and forest on two sides, used for survival training, full of animals but no monsters for the Camp was protected by a spell surrounding it like a dome. On the opposite side of the hill and entry, facing east, was the sparkling Mediterranean sea.
As we arrived on the hill, I and Zoe took a moment to admire the beauty of the place. Just down the hill was a big house in blue and a little way off were 14 cottages for the 14 Olympian deities. There was a creek right beside the settlement, along with what seemed like an armory and a forge not far away from it. A track and field ground was there right on the other side of the creek and a climbing wall next to it. Near the big house was an amphitheater with proof of bonfire in the middle.
(A/N: I hope you remember that Hestia and Hades still have their thrones in this fanfic)
In my 50 years with the Hunt, I have been here about 5-6 times, but every time, I would gawk at the beauty of the demigod safe-haven. This time too, Zoe had to literally drag me towards the big house for I took too long to even start walking. As we entered, the inside of the house was still pretty much the same with a fireplace going and a lounging-area type sitting space. Within moments, out came the head of the camp. The old centaur looked the same, not having aged a day, having been granted partial immortality like me.
"Oh Chiron, how you doing these days?" I asked with a smile. The trainer of heroes was a being with such an easy-going personality that no one could ever be mad at him, not to mention we got along right from the first minute. "Perseus and Artemis's lieutenant too. It's been so long since your last visit. What was it? 25 years or something?" he asked back. "You're right Chiron. As good as it is to stay here, we feel more at ease in the wild" Zoe answered. "So when is the rest of the Hunt arriving?" he asked curiously, obviously not knowing what had happened. The dark look on our faces must have given something away because the old centaur became concerned immediately.
So for the next few hours, we sat in the big house and told Chiron everything, from our capture to the declaration of war to the plan of bringing demigods together. By the time we finished, it was evening and time for campfire, followed by dinner. "Perseus I am sorry for what happened to Lady Artemis and you. I think you should introduce yourself to the campers at the campfire. If I recall correctly, only a few campers remain who were there in your earlier visit, and since you are the latest addition to the Council, a partial mortal at that, so unfortunately, no one recognizes you here, much less the status of an Olympian" Chiron explained. I could only agree for this was indeed the best thing because there would be no progress today as it was already past sunset. As we started to make our way out of the building, we could see campers pooling towards the amphitheater. Chiro stopped once and looked back at us.
"And Zoe, be a little considerate for some new male students who seem to be...cocky at the very least" the centaur shifted uncomfortably as memories of earlier incidents resurfaced in our heads. "We shall see about that Chiron. No promises though" Zoe smirked evilly. He just shook his head as I chuckled and waited with Zoe so Chiron could introduce us. As the crowd cheered and talked among themselves, Chiron cleared his throat, getting their attention.
"Demigods, we have 2 important guests today. We have a very important job in the near future and they are here to ensure that it happens smoothly" he said, stepping aside to let us take the spotlight. Once we did step up, the crowd started murmuring among themselves. I was disgusted to see the Aphrodite girls swooning over my appearance. The one for me was Artemis and only her, nobody else. The same thing was happening with my sister but instead of ignoring the boys, she glared at them so coldly that the floor suddenly felt like an interesting place to look at. Before I could introduce myself, a youth of about 20 years of age stepped up arrogantly along with 3 other boys.
He gave a yellow-toothed smirk and a failed wink to Zoe, to which she visibly gagged. He turned to face me. "I am Marleus, son of Zeus, King of Gods, defeated of the Erymanthian Boar. Tell me your name and bow to me punk and I will think of training you to be as great as me. And maybe you, pretty lady, will dump him and beg m to have a good time together?" he told us, cockily laughing. Chiron and I tried to say something but Zoe beat us to it. "Do you even know who we are, boy? I am Zoe Nightshade, lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, and in no way am I going to leave my brother. You should probably ask him first who he is before asking him to bow, stupid boy" she said through gritted teeth. The boy and his cronies cowered but I think their pride was greater than fear, for they held their ground, the campers watching with withheld breaths. I looked at Chiron and winked getting a sigh in response but a twinkle of amusement was there. "I am Perseus Jackson, boy, son of the sea. No way I am going to bow to you, you undeserving wretch. See how you speak to my sister" I growled at him, though not genuinely. Gods, this was fun. "I am far greater a hero than you, dolt. I am the son of Zeus, maybe someday I will become a god, so bow to me and I will spare your life. Girls swoon over me, so be grateful that I am giving your sister a chance" he said in what he thought appeared to be looking intimidating. The sky growled at his god comment.
I mentally sought Uncle's permission to teach this upstart a lesson, to which I got an affirmative with the condition of keeping him alive. "Last chance. Bow to me or face punishment" he snarled as his cronies brandished weapons. The crowd took some steps back, as did Chiron and Zoe, who was smirking evilly, giving us a space good enough to spar. When I didn't bow he screamed in frustration, the sky darkened as he directed a lightning bolt towards me. Not to brag, I had survived Zeus's master bolt with nothing more than being winded as a consequence, compared to that, this felt like the woolen clothes' static charge. Apparently, this was a big shot to the campers as they screamed and Marleus smiled pleased at himself. Their surprise knew no bounds once they saw me yawning after the attack, not even a little singed. "You really should learn not to pick fights with people who can whoop your ass in seconds" I sassed. "People if you could back up a little more." Once I made sure everybody was a safe distance away, I grinned sadistically at the 4 boys in front of me, who were failing miserably to look heroic. As I raised my hand, the sky darkened to the point it looked like a cyclone was approaching.
"You should have asked me about my powers, bitch" I hissed before clenching my fist and bringing my hand down. Immediately, a gigantic bolt of lightning hit Marleus directly, the arks traveling to his friends, as all four were flung across the area. The son of Zeus, hit the hardest, flew in the air and crashed into the wall of the big house, thankfully not breaking it. As the dust cleared, the crowd could clearly see the singed boy, unconscious with twitching muscles due to the electricity. The demigods looked at me with fear-filled gazes.
"Since that is out of the way, I think I should introduce myself properly and I promise this umm...doesn't happen regularly" I said awkwardly, rubbing the back of my head, which was met with a facepalm from Zoe. The campers let out a breath they didn't were holding in but still eyed me warily. "As you heard earlier, I am Perseus Jackson, adopted son of Poseidon" I said, releasing a small tremor. "adopted brother of Aphrodite" I continued, making the rose petal blades appear. "blessed by Demeter" At my command, the trees around us suddenly sprouted ripe fruits. "blessed by Hera" I made my eyes glow brown. "blessed by Hades" I jumped into a shadow and appearing back a moment later. "blessed by Zeus" causing the wind to pick up speed. "blessed by Hestia" I said, lighting myself up on fire. "Legacy of the Indian God of Lightning" as another bolt of lightning was summoned by me. "Legacy of the Chinese Goddess of the Moon" I said, reaching up with my hand towards the heavenly body, which was out by now, and caused it to glow even brighter. By now, the campers looked like they were choking on air, like fish out of water.
I took in a deep breath, preparing for the final introduction, having the Drama Queen as your Uncle and the God of Theater as your friend ought to have the effect of being over-dramatic. I looked over to the crowd's gaping faces and smirked. With a flick of my wrist, water from the Mediterranean rose 200 feet up in the air and covered the entirety of the sky over Camp Half-blood as my eyes glowed sea green, "And the son of Pontus, Protogenus of water". Marleus chose the exact moment to wake up, rubbing his head. "Oh, must have used too much of my great power on that punk. That sorry bastard must have- AAAHHHH" he started but the moment he saw the mass of water overhead, he screamed like a baby and passed out again. The crowd would have been laughing their asses off if not for the fact that they were hyperventilating like asthma patients who had inhaled pollens. (Sorry if that sounded offensive)
"Not to mention the 15th Olympian, the only partially immortal at that" Zoe chimed in. That she-devil had to do it. She laughed as I groaned when all of them took a knee, some passing out from shock. "If you guys don't stop bowing to me from now on, I will fry you with lightning" I threatened as the demigods scampered back to a standing position with pale faces. Zoe gave me another evil look and mouthed Artemis. I quickly caught on and shook my head but her smirk only grew. "And did I forget to mention, he is the only male in the Hunt...and the love of Lady Artemis" she said, not meeting my glare. Several thuds were heard because the ones that were awake also fainted. Chiron's eyes were wide too before turning into a knowing smile. "Only you my boy, only you. Care to tell me how and when?" he asked jovially.
As I finished my story of how I had been crushing on Artemis for half a century and how she too had developed feelings at some later point, the campers started waking up with confused looks until they saw Zoe and me. Once I assured everyone that I wasn't a dream or illusion, they somewhat believed, but the girls were still skeptical of me dating Artemis; all this though didn't include that son of Zeus, who was still out cold. "Alright campers, I will tell you about our mission tomorrow morning for it is of no use today" I stated as Chiron ushered them off to the dining area. With that being said, I grabbed Zoe and shadow-traveled ourselves back to Aunt's palace.
At once we were overwhelmed by the hunters, being bombarded by questions without any relent. Aunt Hestia meanwhile stood there by the kitchen, watching us getting taken apart by the multitude of questions with a smirk on her face. Dinner spanned a total of 2 hours because we had to relay everything that transpired in our visit. It was worth it though, especially because the incident with the Zeus spawn made the hunters crack up. Following dinner with a long and relaxing shower, I went to bed.
The next day I was up at sunrise and after some breakfast, I and Zoe were once again ready to go back to Camp Half-blood. Now I will genuinely admit that my powers were still not at their best, but I absolutely didn't expect to flash in right on top of Chiron's soup bowl on the Dining table. But how Zoe got flashed beside the table and I on top of it even though we were holding hands is still beyond me. It did result in the soup getting splashed onto Chiron, followed by subsequent laughter among the campers and an exasperated sigh from the trainer heroes, along with a smack on my head by Zoe and more laughter.
Once the mess was cleaned up, I told Chiron about my plan on telling them about how the Romans were to arrive in less than a week and to see and devise a workout plan for each camper's combat prowess, something Athena had told me to do. Then there also was the task of creating temporary barracks and settlements for the arriving legion of Roman demigods. That being said, Chiron gathered the demigods in the amphitheater once again after breakfast for me to speak out. Zoe meanwhile was in a world of her own, glaring daggers at any boy who glanced at her and smirked when they cowered under her gaze.
I cleared my throat, getting the attention of all the demigods gathered. Since there was no other way to say it, I decided to just go for it. "Demigods, we have a divine war on the horizon" I said, cue the gasps. "One with the Gigantes, born from Gaea and Tartarus to oppose the Gods and to take over their rule", cue more gasps. "Now, the gods need their own army to counter the Giants, and that army is the campers. So, under the direct order of the Olympian Council, we will be uniting the Greek and Roman camps for the war and will fight as a united army."
That was all they needed to hear before chaos ensued. Several 'NO WAY's and 'RIDICULUOS's were heard along with one "DONT TRUST HIM' and it didn't take no shit to realize it was that blasted sky spawn. The level of discord these campers were creating was getting harder to control by the moment and reached the point that someone yelled a 'shut up' to Chiron when he tried to calm them down. I held Chiron and Zoe and stomped my foot down, generating an earthquake enough to make the campers fall on their asses. "ENOUGH" I yelled. "UNITING THE CAMPS IS THE ORDER OF THE GODS." The campers grew fearful faces but I was on a roll now. "Do you know why the war was declared? It was declared by me. Artemis and I were captured and put through unimaginable torture that would have killed you on the first day and we had to endure it for two weeks and Artemis is still in coma. If we don't unite and fight, you people will be put through much worse than what happened to us. So suck it up and cooperate with the Romans or just go fuck off" I said in an angry voice. By now, all the demigods were suddenly very compliant, even Marleus, though it did take a combined glare from me and Zoe.
So in the next two days, I observed every camper while they sparred and made each one a workout plan to improve the points I felt they lacked. This may sound easy but when you are doing this for almost 300 demigods, it is very, very difficult. Those two days, I returned to the palace so tired that I lost my appetite and wanted nothing more than just my bed. Not gonna lie, the Romans were far better than the Greeks when it came to combat training and discipline. I knew it would be easier to convince the Romans, again no offense to the Greeks.
So on the morning of the 4th day of my planned week, I and Zoe were once again back in the Throne room, discussing the plans for convincing them and then moving the Romans to Camp Half-Blood by the 7th day, all deities flickering among both aspects. Athena/Minerva meanwhile told me that it would be beneficial to all if, quoting her, "Drop your humility and give them a display of your full power, or whatever they could withstand without getting incinerated." Apparently, it would be much easier to control them after they learn that I held much more authority and power than other demigods. The Council all gave their approval to the plan of showing off my power, which I was not at all happy about.
So after a whole hour of planning, we were ready to finally leave for Camp Jupiter. This time though, unlike with the Greeks, we had an advantage at managing the Roman camp, which came in the form of the help of a goddess, more specifically, Lupa, Mother of Rome, the Wolf Goddess. Thus, before the trip to Camp Jupiter, we would be making a detour and look for Lupa's pack, tell her about the recent incidents because she didn't know (obviously because she lived in the wild), and only after that we would go to the camp, accompanied by Lupa.
I grabbed Zoe's hand and mist-traveled to a clearing in the forest where Lupa and her pack were currently stationed in. It was a pretty big forest and frankly, we had no idea how we were to find them within a few hours. Luckily for us, Zoe was a huntress, meaning she was an exceptional tracker, and even luckier was the fact that we found some demarcations that indeed a wolf pack had gone through the said clearing. So we set off, following the trail my sister picked up and after an hour, we were thirsty, breathless, and hopeless. But that was when it struck me.
"I am such a fool! We could just pray to her. Not to brag but I am an Olympian, so she must reply to my prayer" I cursed myself, summoning some freshwater for both of us to drink. Zoe face-palmed too at our seemingly foolish mistake and I had no doubt the Olympians would be laughing their hearts out. I sighed and when we arrived at the next clearing, I sent a mental prayer to the Wolf Goddess, proceeding to make 2 stools out of grass and wines for us to sit on while we waited; Demeter's blessing really was handy.
Within half an hour, I sensed the being of an immortal nearby and realized it was Lupa herself. The gasp from Zoe indicated I had subconsciously changed to my Roman form. Unlike the other gods, I was still not a full immortal so my form was influenced by whoever the god near me was. And Styx! I had forgotten to tell the Hunt of my Roman form. I turned towards Zoe and got her famous glare which promised much pain afterward and instantly looked away. In a minute, the pack of wolves broke into our clearing with Lupa leading them. Seeing me her eyes widened a bit before she gave me a wolfish smile.
"Perseus, I see you have your own Roman aspect now. First non-immortal to do so. I was wondering which Olympian called me. Say Perseus where is Diana? Haven't seen my friend in a long time" she exclaimed happily in my mind. That instantly hit a sour spot, which Lupa picked from mine and Zoe's expressions and scowls. "Why do I smell anxiety and helplessness from you? And rage?" she asked quizzically with what would be called a frown if she wasn't a wolf.
"She is umm...not here. Why don't you and your pack sit down? We have a long talk ahead of us" I said, clapping my hands as grass and bush grew around us into small heaps for the wolves to sit on, along with a small fountain of water for them to drink. Lupa looked confused but still sat down, her pack shot grateful looks before proceeding to do the same as Lupa. With a dark expression, I started telling her what had happened. "So it all began at the winter solstice..."
By the time I had completed my story from the capture and torture to our escape and Artemis's coma, she was horrified and at the same time trembling with such intense and uncontrolled rage that the nearby wolves started to whimper. All this I told Lupa in her mind because I still didn't want Zoe to find out the details of our torture. "I promise you this Perseus, if I chance upon any giant, I will rip its organs apart with my fangs. I will avenge you and Diana" she snarled, sending an involuntary shiver when I looked at her famous stare.
"And that's why I need your help, Lupa. I have declared war on them. But for that, we need an army, an army of the combined forces of Greeks and Romans. I need your help in handling the Romans for I have a feeling that they won't be very accepting of the fact that they have to work with the Greeks" I said solemnly. Without missing a beat, she replied, "How much time do you need Perseus? I will do anything in my power to help as long as it harms the Giants." I cracked a small smile at her dedication.
"Well, I thought you would say that. I vowed to bring the two camps together in a week. I already spent 3 days in the Greek camp and did manage to convince them. They are building the barracks for accommodating the Romans while we are talking. I have another 3 days including today and we are to move the Romans on the last day" I explained our plan. Zoe meanwhile had completely zoned out, quite happily resorting to pet and scratch the wolves. Lupa just gave me a wolfish smirk, "That's a long time Perseus. Don't underestimate Romans. I will have them ready and willing by tonight. If they refuse, I will make them agree" she said with resolution. I let out a chuckle at that. "I know Lupa. I know for a fact that Romans are way more disciplined" I said.
Leaving her pack at the spot I made, I, Lupa, and a miffed Zoe flashed to the outskirts of Camp Jupiter. Located on the coast of the Mediterranean, Camp Jupiter was very similar yet very different from Camp Half-Blood. For starters, there were no safety spells to keep monsters, instead, they used tall fortifications with sentries keeping an eye for activity outside the camp, and while the seaside was exposed, it was kept under watch via the frequent patrols undertaken by the demigods. There was the field of Mars, a very big clearing, which served the purpose of a training ground. Flowing through it was a small river, a replica of the Tiber, which actually had its properties and was named Little Tiber. Then there were the settlements for each cohort, the place where the demigods lived. The dining area was quite big too. The senate-house stood alone like a landmark, standing proud as the most decorated of the buildings in the camp. An aqueduct brought water from the Little Tiber to the barracks for daily usage. But no Roman settlement missed a very important feature: the famous Roman bathhouse, placed some distance away from the training grounds. Temples to the gods pockmarked the area around the living quarters.
That being said, another thing setting apart the Greek and Roman camps was how they ran the place. While Camp Half-blood was run by Chiron's command, Camp Jupiter was run by the demigods themselves. They were divided into many cohorts whose members were legionnaires led by the Centurions of that Cohort. The Centurions also formed the Senate and were also responsible for various everyday requirements. Elected by the demigods were the Praetors, 2 to be exact, who were kind of like the rulers of the place and the Generals in battle. United, the Roman demigods became the Legion Fulminata.
Back to the present, I realized that the last time I was here was when we had to hunt a monster way up north and we were so tired, especially me and Artemis, from the power drain in the land beyond gods that we couldn't reach Olympus and had to make a forced stop at Camp Jupiter. And just so you know, it was 3 decades ago. I decided to go against the previous plan of directly introducing myself as an Olympian, instead preferring to go through the customary fight in the colosseum. The Romans wanted power, right? Well, I will show them power, just not the way it was planned by Athena.
"Gods Percy, you really have a knack for being dramatic" Zoe commented as I told her and Lupa of my plan. Lupa gave a sigh of annoyance but her eyes held mirth. So Lupa would introduce me to the demigods while Zoe would act like she came to Lupa with some message from the Hunters. With that being said, we arrived at the entry of the Camp, with the afternoon sun right above us.
"HALT! STATE YOUR BUSINESS" a sentry yelled from the other side of the fort. "It is I, Lupa. Open the gates, pup, for I bring someone along" Lupa said. "Forgive us Lady Lupa" a lanky guy with a spatha said as the heavy gates swung open to reveal him and another boy around 15 years of age. She just nodded while Zoe gave them a glare. I just walked with them silently, keeping a low profile and not giving away any hint of my identity. By the time we were near the Senate house, the whole legion had accumulated around us, though in a disciplined way, and looked on. Apparently, it wasn't every day that Lupa brought someone in herself. And once again, the girls were ogling me and whenever I met the eyes of one of them, they would wink suggestively. Believe me, that disgusted me very much because Artemis was the only girl I had any interest in, and it would be the same way forever.
"Milady please proceed to the stage. I will call the Praetors for you" the lanky guy said with a bow which Lupa responded with a curt nod. With that, we walked a little way back towards the fields and onto the stage. I stood right beside Lupa and to her other side was Zoe, proudly sporting her Lieutenant's tiara. A few minutes later, the whole camp was standing in front of the stage, organized into respective cohorts, lead by their centurions. The Praetors, one a tall boy with blond hair and blue eyes about my age, the other an average-height girl with shoulder-length brown hair and grass-greenish eyes, both wearing Imperial Gold armor, arrived on stage and bowed to Lupa.
"Ave Lady Lupa. Who have you brought with you?" the girl asked, definitely a daughter of Ceres. Turning to the legion "Children of Rome, I introduce you to Perseus Jackson, son of Neptune and this is the Lieutenant of Diana's Hunt" she said in every demigod's mind. They all looked at us warily, especially me, before giving a short bow and even though I hated it, I held my tongue for otherwise all the planning would go waste. "Son of Neptune, we welcome you to Camp Jupiter. I am Kalmus, son of Apollo and this is Aurelia, daughter of Ceres. I hope Lady Lupa has already trained you a little and told you about the functioning of our camp. We will watch you fight in the arena and based on the results, we will assign you a suitable cohort. There you will train even more and do a customary 10-year service to the Legion" the boy, Kalmus, told me, and once I numbly nodded, they both turned to the crowd.
"Legion, today we will witness the introduction of a new recruit. Gather at the arena in 2 hours. The customary fight will go on till sundown and tomorrow we will assign him a cohort" they said as the demigods bowed once again and went their way, leaving only the Praetors and us. "Lady Lupa, do you plan on staying for the time being?" Aurelia asked. "Yes, pup. I will be watching Perseus fight. He is...quite interesting" Lupa said, doing her part. Zoe stayed silent, with an expressionless mask. The Praetors were taken aback but they offered to show me around camp. So while Zoe and Lupa went to the Senate house, I acted like this was my first time when they showed me around.
Two hours passed quite quickly as I now found myself being walked towards the Colosseum by the Praetor themselves in the evening sun. At the gates, they just told me to get inside and went their way. Inside I found that all the Demigods were already seated; Lupa, Zoe, and the Praetors in a special viewing cage. As I stood in the middle, Kalmus stood up and said in a clear voice, "Perseus, choose your weapon of choice." Without hesitation, I replied, "Anything except the spear and shield." Once again the crowd gasped. The Praetors themselves went wide-eyed before speaking "Very-well then. We will start with a bow." With a clap, the whole arena shifted and changed until an archery course appeared, complete with an arsenal of different bows of various shapes and sizes. "Choose one that suits you, recruit, along with a quiver" Aurelia ordered and I smirked visibly as I shook my head. "I have my own weapon" I replied cooly, summoning Moonlit. The Romans gawked at the beautiful bow in my hands like it was a Godly weapon...well it technically used to be a symbol of power for Chang'e.
"BEGIN!" the Praetors yelled together. Two targets popped up in front of me, one near and the other at the other side of the arena. I just summoned to normal-looking arrows, even though they were a pure white color since they were in fact moonlight arrows, and fired simultaneously, hitting both bullseyes. The crowd had become very quiet as they observed me. The nest was 2 moving targets, again bullseye, followed by 10 airborne targets, and finally, 5 airborne targets that I had to hit while moving myself, which again were all bullseye.
This was followed by swords, hunting knives, and then other weapons. In these, I had to fight automatons set at different intensities. The spectators did get a surprise when they saw Celestial bronze for the first time in the form of Riptide. My hunting knives were a neat surprise too. Not gonna lie, I was a complete badass. In an hour, I had burnt through the course. What would take others more than a day, I did it in an hour. By now, everyone was at the edge of their seats. I grinned internally at the state of their anticipation. Show of power? Check. Though I know if Artemis was here, I would get a smack right on my head for being cocky. Though Zoe's glare did have some effect
So when I was finished I had to stand in the middle for like 5 minutes like an idiot because no one could believe that I had already completed the course. Finally, the Praetors stood up shakily and caught the attention of the demigods. "Al-alright legion, Perseus has completed the course in record time, all weapons combined, and has shown great skill" This was met by a standing ovation. "Now it is time to see his inherited powers. Perseus please show us what amount of water control you possess as the son of Neptune." Aurelia said. Lupa's and Zoe's smirks at that didn't go unnoticed by the Praetors who frowned in confusion. From what I think they thought I would have fewer water powers since I would have inherited my father's combat more.
I just couldn't help as a small giggle left my mouth at the thought of their reaction in just about 2 minutes, luckily no one was near enough to hear. I just took in a deep breath and spread my arms in a T-pose. First I concentrated on my left and reached out to the Little Tiber, whose water rose to my command with absolutely no resistance or fatigue on my side. Almost all of the river rose 50 feet high in the sky drawing yelps. Oh boy...now for the main course. Concentrating on my right, I made the Mediterranean rise even higher than what I did in Camp Half-blood. Believe me when I say that half the audience fainted and the others turned even whiter than snow. Satisfied with their reaction, I made the water bodies return to their rightful places. While the Praetors were trying to make their voice boxes work again, Lupa was smiling and Zoe was grinning with amusement.
"Uhh...umm" Kalmus managed before he shut his mouth. "Since the Praetors seem to have lost their voices, let me tell. It is now time for the fight with the Centurions" Lupa said. "Centurions, come out and get ready. It will be a 5v1" she said. The audience immediately came back to reality, no sounds as all the attention was on me. The Centurions of each cohort arrived on the arena decked with light armor, sporting a standard-issue gladius and shield. I, on the other hand, took my Hunter stance, right leg stretched out as I crouched down, without weapons. The Centurions seemed surprised but hid it well.
"GO!" Lupa yelled. All 5, not taking a risk jumped at me. The first one, a girl around 24, thrust her sword at me while holding up her shield. Big mistake. I swatted away her blade and round-kicked her open side as she was sent tumbling by the gladius's momentum and my kick, landing in a rather painful way right on her head. Without a moment's rest, I sensed 2 people both boys around my age rush towards me at the same time. At the last moment, I back-flipped, making the 2 Centurions collide head-on, and landed right on another Centurion, a girl my age. Unfortunately for her, I twisted mid-air and landed a solid 270-degree kick to her temple, knocking her out as she went down without a fight but unfortunately for me too, I landed on my half-turned ankle and sprained it pretty bad, meaning I was rooted to the spot...or was I?
Seeing this as an opportunity, the last Centurion charged without thinking. At the last moment, I subtly shifted such that I missed his spatha's thrust and caught the blade in my fist. Though it did open my flesh, I still yanked the sword out of his hands and it clattered onto the floor. He tried to hit my head with his shield but I reacted faster, blocking his shield with an arm and gave a tight uppercut directly on his chin, knocking him out too. The crowd was sitting there with open mouths.
"So the winner is Perseus Jackson" Lupa announced, smiling widely. After discussing among themselves while I stood there, the Praetors spoke out. "That was exceptional Perseus. You have everything an ideal roman needs. Thus, it is our decision that you will directly be trained as one of the Praetors, seeing that Aurelia's term has almost ended" Kalmus stated as the crowd roared with approval. The sweet feeling of a successful plan. Now the fun starts...
"No" I replied. "What? I thought you said no" Aurelius disbelievingly asked. I could see Zoe trying to hold in her laughter. "You heard me right. I am very honored but I just can't because it is impossible" I replied, smiling. "What do you mean you can't?" they asked genuinely confused. "He can't because he is not a recruit or even a demigod actually" Lupa said. Oh Gods! Could this be any better?
"B-but..." Aurelius faltered. "I never said recruit, did I? I said I brought someone" Lupa said. "And Perseus, enough of this. Introduce yourself already. Enough with your drama." I just stood there and innocently smiled at the mentally lost crowd. "Alright, alright! Jeez, Lupa no need to scold me for that" I said. I was sure the Romans were brain dead by now from sensory overload with the sudden change of my demeanor. "Ok guys, my name is Perseus Jackson, son of Pontus, adopted son of Neptune, and even though I am not a full immortal, I am the 15th Olympian. Now see you tomorrow" I quickly said, trying to avoid the inevitable bowing though I knew it was futile. The demigods stood there with a gobsmacked look. "Oh no, you don't! You, Percy Jackson, are going to give them the full introduction including that" Zoe said, Lupa nodding her approval.
"Fine, fine. I am Perseus Jackson, son of Pontus, son of Neptune, brother to Venus, blessed by Vesta, blessed by Pluto, blessed by Ceres, blessed by Juno, blessed by Jupiter, legacy of the king of Indian Gods, legacy of the Chinese goddess of the moon. To fulfill a certain prophecy I was made the 15th Olympian. I am also the Protector of the Hunt, which means I was blessed by Diana too. Happy?" I said in one breath. The Romans went wide-eyed and fell into a deep bow. There we go, I hated unnecessary bowing and respect. "For Chaos's sake, this was why I wasn't telling. Please refrain from bowing to me like ever." As the demigods stood back up, I tried to walk away again but was met with a kick to the shin by Zoe. "Alright. I am dating Diana" I said with a huff. That was the last straw, everyone started shouting at the same time. That is until Lupa snarled viciously. "His private life is not something for you to talk about. He is here on behalf of the council and they need our help. We are joining the Greeks" she said. The shouts of disapproval were higher this time. I stomped my foot and generated a tremor, which had the same effect on them like the Greeks.
"There is war on the horizon with the Gigantes. Long story short, the Gigantes captured me and Diana and horribly tortured us with the intent of using us as bait for the gods to surrender. We escaped with our lives but Diana was severely wounded and is in coma. Angered by this, gods declared war first. So if we don't fight together, we will surely lose. We need to fight for our survival" I said solemnly snd seriously. The crowd was standing still. "So does anyone have any problem?" I asked and got absolutely no resistance. "That's what I thought. In the next 2 days, I will personally see each of you train and will give you a personalized workout schedule that will help you to prepare for the war. On the 3rd day from now, the whole legion will be transported to the Greek camp where you will stay until war, training with them as an army" I said as the Romans nodded in acceptance. "Very well then, I will see you tomorrow."
With that, I, Lupa, and Zoe started to make our way towards the gates under the twilight sky, the sun being already taken over by the horizon as the sky bled into a red hue. Once outside, we flashed to Lupa's pack where we said our goodbyes after which I shadow-traveled to Hestia's palace. After the long day I had, I was very tired, so I did end up flashing right into the kitchen and scaring the shit out of Phoebe who was attempting to steal some cookies from the larder. I had automatically changed into my original self and somehow dragged myself to the bench in the hall and crashed on it, my body wanting to not get up till next morning.
But did the hunters spare me and Zoe? No they did not. Just like the time with the Greeks, dinner spanned over 2 hours where we had to recount each and every small incident in the most detailed way. By the end, I was so tired, I was thinking of just going to sleep on the dining table instead of going back to my room. Aunt Hestia being the wonderful woman she is, made me a cup of hot cocoa to cheer me up. After drinking and thanking her, I dragged myself into my room. I checked on Artemis and smiled at seeing a little color return to her face. Being a goddess, she didn't require much time to heal, so even though her hips were still broken, her spine had healed already. I gave her a kiss on her forehead and went to sleep in my own bed.
The next two days were very uneventful, just filled with me watching the Romans train and helping them with their combat skills, which again took a lot of time seeing there were 400 demigods. So on the final day of the week, I found myself back in the throne room, no Zoe this time, preparing to transport the demigods in Camp Jupiter to Camp Half-blood. We had decided that even though there would be demigods of both aspects, the gods would be staying in their Greek aspect because it was more natural. Since I wasn't an immortal, there was a limit on how many times I could mist-travel/shadow-travel and that number reduced every time I was taking along someone else with me. Now I had enough stamina and power reserves but 400 demigods dragged the number of times I could flash down to 0. So it was decided that once I reached the Roman camp and made sure everyone is ready to go, I would IM Hermes, and I and Hermes would take 100 and 300 demigods respectively to Camp Half-Blood.
One hour later, all the cohorts were standing in the Fields of Mars, led by the Praetors, ready to go. Each had their cohort's color-coordinated battle armor on, carrying their weapon of choice either on their waists or in their hands. The only other thing they had packed were a few changes of clothes, valuables, and essentials, into a small bag. One IM later, Mercury stood in front of the demigods and smiled as they gave him a bow. "Alright people, get into position. Half of First Cohort and the Fifth with Percy, and the others with me" he announced. Sorted out, the demigods in each group touched each other's shoulders and closed their eyes. I saw Mercury flash out and focused on my group. Closing my eyes, I thought of the hill in Camp Half-blood and touched the shoulder of the nearest guy. The familiar tug in my gut was felt, except it was much stronger and tiring. When I opened my eyes, we were on the hill, right inside the magical barrier.
My muscles screamed as the fatigue finally took a hold of me. Hermes, having changed back to his Greek form, waved from the amphitheater, where he had teleported his group to. On the other side of the Camp, near the beach was a massive temporary housing, obviously made for the Romans. Though many Greeks were glaring at the Romans, the Romans had no time for that as they tried to control their nausea, having traveled this way for the first time. I took my group to the Amphitheater, where they were united to the others. Hermes left after a minute of talking to Chiron. "Okay demigods! Do not attack each other. Make peace. Praetors, talk to Chiron. I will be at the big house, taking a nap. Because with great powers, comes the great need to take a nap" I declared with a yawn and collapsed onto the first chair I found in the Big House.
After what I think was 2 hours, I woke up to a huge commotion in the Dining area. I rushed outside under the afternoon sky only to find the Greeks and Romans engaged in a brutal food fight from what was left of lunch as Chiron and the Praetors looked on helplessly. This is going to be a very testing period of my life. I thought to myself with an audible sigh as I went in to stop the fight.
Being the only one free from Ancient laws sucked. Oh how much I wished Artemis to be here with me. 3 days in, I was knee-deep in stress from trying to contain the demigods and prevent their petty fights every 10 minutes, and severely missing the auburn-haired goddess who was free from these laws too. I had made sure that the Greeks and Romans weren't at each other's throats but this didn't stop the pranks. I sighed as I continued to train the demigods. It was around 4 in the evening when an IM opened up while I was giving sword fighting lessons. Zoe's face popped into view and the expression she was wearing wasn't good.
"Percy! We need you here. Its Artemis. She should have been in coma but now she is tossing and turning badly. She is not responding to anything else and now she has started screaming. Apollo and Hestia are here but had no effect on her" she said and with that, the message disappeared. I knew I turned as white as snow because the demigods backed away knowingly. I sprinted to the big house where I found Chiron and told him what was happening.
Without wasting a second, I teleported right outside my and Artemis's room. Zoe was sitting right outside, her face pale. She looked at me and pointed to my room. Wordlessly, I entered only to find Apollo and Hestia hunched over Artemis's frame, their hands on her chest, Apollo's flowing Golden and Hestia's glowing orange as they tried to stabilize Artemis who was spasming and now sweating profusely. All of a sudden Artemis stopped spasming and lay still. Both gods took back their hands and sat down on my bed, sweating and panting. "What happened?" I asked as they finally noticed me.
"She has been having bouts like the one you saw but each time it gets worse. We managed to heal her hip but that's it. I remember you have healing abilities too so I called you" Apollo said, still heaving. Hestia just nodded in response. I started racking my brain. Water helped me recover but then Artemis was not a sea deity and Hestia just gave me her blessing so my healing would still below her own. Then an idea formed. I somehow just knew that for short bursts of time, I could exude the power of a Primordial. like I did while escaping the Celestial bronze chains in the Giants stronghold. So what if I combined my healing powers with that.
In an instant, I was sitting on the edge of Artemis's bed, one hand over her forehead and the other on her chest. Apollo and Hestia looked at me with confusion but said nothing. I closed my eyes and went into my mind-scape. There I thought of the Fire of Hope and focused on its healing abilities. A golden smoke shimmered into view in my mind and making it stay, I sought my energy reserves. Pushing beyond the limit, I focused on taking out a lot of it at once and compressed it right inside the golden smoke which was now glowing a blinding white.
I opened my eyes to see both my hands covered in the same white hue as I put all my strength and made it go into Artemis's body. I was momentarily blinded as the concoction went inside her, the whole room blazing along with it. Artemis's body glowed silver for 5 whole seconds before going back to normal. This was a final attempt, if this didn't work then there was nothing else. My whole body felt like stone. Using that much power came at a heavy cost of physical strain.
When I had almost given up, I heard Artemis's breath hitch, different from the even, breathing that comes with sleep or coma, drawing a gasp from Apollo and Hestia. My drooping eyes snapped wide open as I felt Artemis stir. I shifted and put both of my arms behind her neck and gently supported her as her eyes flickered open. And for the first time in a long period, bright silver eyes met my trident emerald ones. Artemis was up in an instant. Wordlessly, she literally threw herself into my awaiting arms and latched herself onto me in a death hug as tears flowed freely from her eyes. I felt myself tearing up too as I held the love of my life in my arms. No words were spoken because the emotions we shared said it all. Nothing mattered anymore. Artemis was back from her coma and safely tucked in my arms, her head buried in my chest as she straddled me, my chin resting on her head. But she still didn't know she was in a coma and thus the scar of the capture and torture was still raw in her mind.
And that was why, holding the fragile, once proud goddess in my embrace, I vowed to never let her get hurt, not while I still breathed.
A/N: There you go people.
Now I know I haven't been responding to reviews...so here we go, a compilation of all reviews so far starting from the day I published this fiction:
anthonychimot chapter 11 . May 13
More please
i m addict
Thanks my friend, glad my story could replace your weed (jk don't take it to your heart)
PrimalTitan chapter 11 .May 13
Amazing chapter! Keep it up! Btw in which chapter will Percy and Artemis be together? Will there be a smut/lemon chapter?
Thank you buddy. Hope you found your way to the chapter where Artemis and Percy get together. Also, idk about the smut thing, haven't decided.
Hsitirbchapter 11 .May 14
Ehh I like the overall story, but it doesn't flow very well, your writing seems...stiff, for lack of a better word
I know. The initial chapters were just not up to that mark. I hope you like it afterward. I worked up my mistakes in the newer chapters.
Woofingtonchapter 7 .May 14
Enjoyable story but way to many "Miladies" every time he talks to them its always that.
Well that changed a lot.
PersonUnknown26 chapter 3 . May 14
I find it a very interesting concept and liked it at first but Percy is respectful almost too much and the prophecy thing was kinda cliche and wack but other than that I enjoyed it it's not for me but I could see others Liking it hope you continue on making good stories though
I appreciate your view on the prophecy thing but most of the stories in PJO are based on prophecies, otherwise there was no way I could just randomly include Percy in the Hunt.
Olde reader chapter 8 .May 16
Good story. Lots of original parts to the story line.
Thanks a lot, appreciate your compliment
HellRaiderS chapter 12 . May 18
Loved it perfect chapter keep the updates coming
A hearty appreciation my friend. Hope my story entertains you.
Darkanaklusmos70 chapter 10 . May 25
One hell of a writer you are man! Keep up the good work
Bruh, you are gonna make my ego bubble up. *blushes in embarrassment*
J915WinterKing chapter 3 . May 27
Hehe he!
Protector of the hunt, non-unique concept but different name, I like it!
Originality! Mhm!
Nice job man! Interested to see where this goes, I take it this is not canon? So Percy did lift the sky off her shoulders?
Ngl, I say it as I see it, so sorry if this is blunt...
But Artemis having thoughts about Percy being handsome after first seeing him, or not really knowing him, isn't very realistic...
Again, sorry it was blunt, really...
Your review is much appreciated. I know this story is a little more OOC for some characters but hey that's why it is a fanfic right?
MaverickHunter18 chapter 4 .May 28
I really like this twist on the Guardian of the Hunt idea. I'm only 4 chapters in, but I can already tell this story is criminally underrated.
Thanks a lot and talking about underrated...I can say the same for you. Btw I absolutely love your stories man.
It's been a long time since I've read a Pertemis fic where Artemis' nickname wasn't Arty or Moonbeam. Props to you for the creativity, I'm loving this story!
Hey thanks man. I am quite proud to be different. I mean Arty has become like a norm for Pertemis fics so why not try something new.
nebious chapter 14 . Jun 7
I love this story. This is a unique one. So different from other pertemis stories.
As I said, proud to be different.
Saros Eclipsechapter 14 .Jun 11
I'm loving this story so far, and I hope life isn't treating you too harshly and that you always take time for yourself, looking forward to the next update and watch yourself and family and stay safe
I am really glad you love it. I am taking care of myself, thanks for your concern, and same to you.
Jack's Shack of Story Yaks chapter 15 . Jun 14
Alrighty then I'll give you a review. Great job dude. I feel you, the student life is bad, but summer is now here and your writing helped lift my spirits during the year.
Thanks, my man. It is my pleasure that my story had this kind of effect on you. And yeah, high school sucks big time, especially when its online and you cant even meet your friends.
sarsho chapter 15 . Jun 17
Just binged this!
Loving it, and leaving a review lol
Your review is much appreciated, thanks.
Yotsuba Tatsuya chapter 15 .Jun 18
Damn this is probably the most enjoyable PercyxArtemis story I've read in a while. You are really good at writing dialogues and the pacing is very fitting, too. Your story need more reviews and favorite cause this is actually a good well-written story. Can't wait for the next chapter.
Arigatou reader-kun. Thanks very much for such compliments (which are boosting my ego but whtvr).
juli26 chapter 16 . Jul 1
Amazing writing. Please don't abandoned it
Have not thought about abandoning it, not yet at least. My pleasure to entertain you.
No hard feelings to those whose reviews I haven't responded to. I will make sure to respond to your next reviews. I read and appreciate every review, even flames.
Make sure to drop more reviews.
12k word chapter to make up for a week's absence. Probably the penultimate chapter for this arc. Give it a read and hopefully, you enjoy it. Okay, no more talking nonsense right now.
So see you later, oh faithful readers. Stay safe everybody.
Ciao
-KK42069
12324 words (except bold font)