Perseus winced in pain as the auburn haired goddess rubbed some sort of lotion on his legs. Burning was a new sensation for the young god, and as far as he was concerned, it was not one which he wanted to repeat ever again. Yes he had gotten sunburned before, it was inevitable when he lived on such an island.

But being burned was different than sunburned. Not only it ached, it made the skin actually blister and become, for a lack of a better word, gross. Just watching his legs made Perseus want to puke. The yellow pus flowed from the big red bubbles of pain. Then there were some parts with his leg being some sort of 'brownish' or 'blackish' tone, which only meant that it had more contact with the fire than the others.

All in all, Perseus' legs looked like the mess of the century. If he had been a mortal, his recovery would be based on an amputation and the therapy that comes after that. Thankfully, Perseus was a god, a strong god at that. He could manage the pain with great ease.

Or so Artemis thought. As soon as she began to rub the lotion on his leg, Perseus screamed and convulsed as if he was being killed in the most painful way in existence. The goddess got very scared, but soon realized that her friend was just making a big show out of his pain. She stopped rubbing the lotion and just put her hand very close to his skin, yet he still cried and screamed.

"Oh shut up, I'm not doing anything" Artemis said irritated. As soon as her words came out, Perseus opened his eyes wide and blushed in embarrassment. And so, as Artemis rubbed the lotion on his legs while Perseus only winced in his pain.

After about twenty minutes of treating his burns, the goddess of the hunt went on to prepare food for the both of them. The only problem was that she had no idea how to make any of the foods that were on the kitchen, aside from pasta, and being honest, she wasn't in a mood for that.

"Hey Perseus, how do you cook these frozen pizza's"? Artemis asked from the kitchen.

Perseus tried to move towards the kitchen but was unable to put any weight on the lower side of his body. "You just follow the instructions on the carton. There's a microwave in the kitchen" he yelled from the sofa he was laying on.

"What's a microwave?"

"It's like a metal box with numbers. You just put the number the carton indicates and press enter. Then, at that time, the pizza will be ready"

"Got it. It couldn't have been that hard if you were able to do it" Artemis smirked at her comment, not really caring if her friend could not see her face.

"Hey! I'm only average intelligence, not stupid"

Artemis went from the kitchen and sat on the couch, putting Perseus head on her thighs. "That was before I arrived here. Now that it's only us, you're below the average intelligence by default"

Perseus frowned and replied "shit that's true"

"Of course it's true, my logic never fails" Artemis said as she groomed Perseus short hair. Being wavy and very unruly, it was very hard to groom. She was never a fan of how he styled his hair, or rather the lack of style he had. Not being on the outside world surely had an effect on his physical self.

Perseus looked up and met Artemis silver eyes. He loved how her hand felt on his head and he wished she never stopped playing with his hair.

"Thank you" he said as he looked seriously at Artemis

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Because you're taking care of me. You could've left when you first came here you returned. You could've left yesterday yet you chose to help me with my domains and everything. And even now, you're taking care of me in this situation. Been here alone all my life has really made me kind of strong headed, or so I like to believe. I thought that I didn't need anybody to survive. And that was true, I didn't need anybody to survive.

"But it's another thing survival and actually living. The first time you were here doesn't really count, but since you have returned, my life has changed. Time has been passing normally and I've been able to enjoy everything. Even now that I'm in a lot of physical pain, you being here really makes me happy. And the fact that you're taking care of me just really shows how great of a friend you are. Just by being here you've made my life actually worth something. You're the reason why I'm living, I realize that now"

"Percy" Artemis began to say

"No wait, don't interrupt me. Before you came, I was just a boy that was abandoned by his parents, left to rot in a cursed island. Now, even if my past or surroundings haven't changed, I still feel like I am a whole different person. You literally led me to find out my domains, you introduced me to the idea of outside people and that I could be happy with someone else. So yeah, just thank you so much for randomly popping on this horrible island. Bet that shows that sometimes unplanned occurrences make the best times"

Artemis was left without words. Thankfully, before she could even think about what to reply, the microwave beeped with the hot pizza inside it. She quickly got up, putting Perseus head down carefully, and went on to serve the pizza.

She placed both plates on the center table, close enough so the unmovable god could reach his plate. She then sat on the floor, so that the plate was on the table and it would be easier to eat.

"Could you pass me the remote?" Percy asked after taking a bite

"What are we going to play?" Artemis asked passing the remote

"We're not going to play anything. I mean technically we're going to play a movie"

Artemis raised an eyebrow "what's that?"

"It's like reading a book, except you use less of your imagination and it's more fun"

Artemis was never really a fan of books. The only good book in her opinion was the Iliad, and it didn't even have a good ending! They could've changed the real life version and written that Troy had won. Seriously, the troyans weren't saints, but the Greeks were so savage against the women it made her sick. It was a curious phenomena that the Greeks even worshiped her, considering that they could've just praised another god into being the god of the hunt, just like the Romans did with her and Selene.

"Alright, ill trust you Perseus" Artemis told Perseus

"I liked it when you called me Percy" Perseus murmured

"What?" Artemis said after not listening very well what the god had said

"Nothing. Anyways, which one would you rather watch? Hercules, Mulan, Shrek, or Tangled?"

"You do realize I have no idea what any of them are, well except Hercules, and I'm not in the mood to watch him right now. So I guess Tangled? But we can watch the other ones afterwards" Artemis said

Perseus nodded and put the movie Tangled on. They both watched in silence, munching on their respective pizza slices. Occasionally, when the movie broke into a song, Perseus began to sing along, which made Artemis laugh at him. He simply ignored his friend and continued with his singing. As the movie went on, Perseus could only sympathize with Rapunzel, as she couldn't leave her tower until someone else arrived and helped her see the world.

That was exactly what had transpired with Artemis. He was stuck on this island with no idea how the outside world was. Then, his knight in shinning armor (well, more like his huntress in silver tunic) arrived at his house and offered him a new world view. Not only that, but according to the fates themselves, Artemis was the one who could free him from his prison.

That was another thing that bothered him. According to the fates, he would need to court an Olympian in order to escape from his island prison. The only Olympian he knew as of now was Artemis, and he would be lying if he said that he didn't find her attractive, but courting her just seemed like he was taking advantage of her. But was it really taking advantage if he wanted her even if it meant he had to stay in the prison forever?

Perseus did not know what love was, but he guessed it was a feeling of extreme care towards another person. Every movie he had contained some sort of love, but that was the closest thing to the real feeling that he felt. When Artemis arrived to his island, however, he felt so nervous and happy at the same time. On her first time here he was just nervous, and time seemed to just pass on slowly. But then the second time she came, time passed on flying. To him, it seemed as if she had arrived just a second ago. Even with his suffering, time flied when he was with her.

Before he knew it, the movie ended and Artemis was taking the plates to the sink. Percy sighed in defeat, not knowing what he should do in his situation. Sure, he could court Artemis by force, but that wasn't really a very good option. In a perfect world Perseus would just ask her to marry him, she would say yes, and they would love together forever and the end. But they did not live in the perfect world. The reality was very far from it.

Artemis returned from the kitchen and sat on the couch, once again putting his head on her lap.

"I liked the movie" she said breaking the silence

Percy smiled "that's great, which one was your favorite part?"

"I liked when they were both singing in the river, with the lights and all"

Perseus raised his eyebrows "really? I never pictured you as the romantic type"

Artemis smiled "not usually, but being next to someone who makes me feel that way helped me see the scene in all of its beauty"

They both stared at each other's eyes, daring their counterpart to say something. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but in the span of two hours, the friends had confessed their feeling towards one another.

"So umm" Percy cleared his throat

"Oh umm, guess discovering your domains wasn't the best idea" Artemis said

"Actually, I already know what they are"

"Really how?"

"The fates visited me. They told me everything I need to know about myself"

"The fates visited you? Guess you're more special than I thought" Artemis said as she touched Percy's hair

"Yeah, turns out I am Perseus, son of Hera and Poseidon, heir to the Olympian throne and to the throne of Atlantis, assigned the domains of Tides, Childhood, Technology, Hospitality, Feelings, Secrets, Humor, Sacrifice, and Time. So in other words, I am a badass"

Artemis stared blankly at her friend. "Hera and Poseidon? You sure?"

Percy nodded his head "yeah, unless the fates got confused"

Artemis shook her head "no, they're never wrong on those things"

"Oh, and also I learned that I have been stuck on this island because an Olympian decided I was too dangerous for society. And that I actually have to aid y'all in an upcoming war"

"Another war? Do you know who it is against?"

"They said that it was the upcoming titan war, whatever that means" Artemis face paled

"How are you supposed to aid us if you can't leave here?" Artemis asked

"There is actually a way I can escape. I just have to marry an Olympian"

Artemis stared at her friend, thinking deeply about what this new discovery meant. True, he did not say he had to marry her in specific, but out of all of her fellow Olympians, she was the best choice. Plus not that she'd ever admit it, but the thought of him marrying someone else made her sick on the stomach.

"Then marry me" Artemis said before thinking the extent of her request

"W-what?" Percy asked

"You need to marry an Olympian and there aren't many options. Plus, if you can get out of here then you would be able to explore the rest of the world and then, eventually...meet the woman who you'd have kids with" Artemis explained, struggling on the last part.

Percy laughed "bro, I would never cheat on my wife. Those aren't my values"

"I would understand. So Percy, marry me"

"No Artemis. I won't marry you just so I can escape. You deserve much more than that. You deserve someone who can give you all, and I'm far from it."

"But-"

"My answer is no, Artemis. Find someone who you can depend on, not someone you should help out."

Artemis stared heartbroken at the green eyes of Perseus. She could not believe what had just happened. She had asked for marriage. And not only that, but she was actually rejected.

"I have to go. You're almost as good as new, just rub some lotion or nectar on your legs and you'll be good as new before you even know it" Artemis said quickly, getting up and speed walking towards the door.

Percy stared at the entrance of his home. His only friend had just left, probably forever, from his life. "Well, I sure messed everything up"

Artemis ran to the shore, where the same boat from which she had left the last time was tied at the dock. She quickly untied it and set sail out of the island. The violent tides pulled her to the island, but after much maneuvering, she was able to exit the cursed island.

After about an hour or two, Artemis arrived at the shores of Sardinia. She sighed in relief and flashed herself to her room at her palace.

In there, all the feelings she had bottled up exploded, making the goddess cry heavily over her friend. Not only had she abandoned her lifestyle and principles, but she was actually rejected after doing so.

Maybe the reason why she had made her oath when she was little was because, subconsciously, she always knew that she was unlovable.