A/N: I have nothing to say. Hope you guys are doing well and enjoy the chapter! Please continue to review, they mean a lot to me.
Chapter 6: Wings and Reluctant Family
A feminine figure towered over Artemis' human form. She stood nearly seven feet tall, clad in a flowy dress decorated with the moving form of the universe. Every god and goddess in the throne room dropped to kneel in the direction of the figure, none faster than the king of the gods. But Percy still stood, transfixed by the shifting cosmos in front of him, watching supernovas give birth to nebulae and new stars. He tilted his head up, finding himself staring into kind, immensely powerful eyes.
"You're.. you're Chaos," he whispered, processing the impossibly ancient being standing only inches from him.
Yes. Her voice seemed to come from all directions. She spoke softly, but her gentle tone did little to hide the power she possessed. Percy finally caught up to the gods and went to kneel, but was stopped by Chaos, who signaled for the Olympians to rise as well. After returning to his throne, Zeus started to speak, an unfamiliar timidness in his normally confident voice.
"Lady Chaos, it is an honor for you to be here. But, may I ask, why have you come to accept a promise personally? It is foretold that your sacred vow is sealed with a light shake of the world itself," he said.
It is. But it has been millenia since anyone has sworn on my name, and this vow was taken by a demigod that I have had a unique interest in since what you call the Second Titan War. And with the war now coming to this universe, it is the best opportunity for me to bestow a gift as well.
In hushed tones, the council speculated about the gift Chaos could be referring to. Were they about to gain the creator of the universe itself as an ally for the war? Ares especially seemed to think so, giddy with excitement, wondering what kinds of weapons she had available at her disposal. Artemis held her doubts, but decided there was no harm in asking.
"My Lady, will you be on our side in the fight against your son?"
She felt strange asking this to the most powerful being in the universe, as if there would even be a "fight" if Chaos herself decided to intervene. The woman smiled sadly at the goddess of the moon.
I imposed heavy restrictions on myself long before I created this universe. I am incapable of directly enlisting on any side of a conflict, or my own contingencies will wipe this universe from existence.
Ares groaned quietly from his throne. He ignored the potential erasure of the world, mainly dejected that he wouldn't see any impossible feats of power from her. Artemis and most of the other gods simply nodded at the reasonable explanation.
But as the Creator, I am always on the side of life. Although I am very limited in my ability to contribute to a cause, what I can do is select a champion that I consider worthy of my favor.
Her eyes shifted to Percy, as did the rest of the room. He stood dumbfounded after he realized what she was implying.
"Wait, what? I-I don't know if that's the best idea, Lady Chaos. There are a bunch of other people, like my friends, that would be more worthy. O-or gods, too. Like Lady Hestia or Lady Artemis, they would both do a better job than I could," he stammered, in shock that the god of gods would place this kind of faith in him.
Attempting to reject the greatest gift ever offered in this room, downplaying his own achievements as well. How can you be this way, Perseus? Artemis thought to herself, surprised time and time again by the demigod's actions.
That only makes me certain of my choice. It is your character along with your prowess that moved me to this decision. You will be my champion.
Percy considered protesting again, but Chaos locked eyes with him. His body stiffened involuntarily and her eyes glowed a blinding white. Even the gods had to shield their vision from the shining light. Percy panicked slightly as he felt his body begin to change. Several seconds passed before the light disappeared. Percy's sight readjusted to the room's lighting while the gods awaited the results of the transformation.
Looking down at his arms, Percy could feel newfound strength coursing through his body. The gods around him seemed to take notice as well, a few sending apprehensive looks at his elevated presence. Percy felt a strange pressure in his back, and stretched his lats. He gritted his teeth in pain as wings, twenty feet across, unfurled themselves from his back. The entire council was taken aback, none more than Artemis, who had to physically hop back to avoid getting hit by his new massive extremities.
Percy whirled his head back and forth between his wings, ready to faint in surprise. They were metallic silver, giving off a soft glow. Thalia jumped up from her seat on the floor to feel them. The wings were impossibly soft for how strong they felt on Percy's back. He closed his eyes to focus on controlling his newfound body parts, and gave them an experimental flap. Percy rose a dozen feet in an instant, giving him whiplash before crashing back to the ground. Several of the gods enjoyed light laughs at his little tumble, getting over their initial shock of a demigod with wings.
"Oh man, they're powerful. I'll need to get used to flying and walking around with these, I guess," he said with mixed emotions. This got a laugh from Chaos.
Retract your shoulder blades, Perseus.
He did and the wings promptly folded into his back with none of the pressure from before. Percy had a pleased expression on his face, but was embarrassed that he didn't realize they could be pulled back in.
Unsheathe the weapon at your belt.
Percy's hands went to his waist and he felt the hilt of a blade on his left side. He drew it in front of him to find that it was a small dagger, only about 6 inches long. But the blade was a black metal that he had never seen before, and neither had any of the gods. Before any of them could ask what it was, Chaos answered.
It is made from hardened Void Ether: the most versatile substance in the universe. In its liquid form, it has millions of applications but I have seen it best used to create weapons or in medicine.
Apollo's ears perked up at the mention of medicine. He wanted to get his hands on some of this foreign substance.
That dagger will be instrumental in your fight against an enemy as powerful as my son. As for this, Chaos produced a vial of liquid the same color as the blade, I will leave it with you, god of medicine. Do with it as you please. She floated it to Apollo, who reached out and held it gingerly while thanking Chaos.
This is the limit of my contribution. And Perseus, with my blessing, you have latent powers that will manifest as you become stronger. Everyone, I wish you all good fortune in this war, and we will meet again.
Everyone bowed to Chaos as she vanished from the throne room. Percy took a mental note of Chaos' reference to some future powers. He then turned to Artemis, returning to his kneeling position when he had made the vow.
"I guess we got a little off track again. Oh, and I'm sorry for almost hitting you with my new wings when I took them out. Anyways, will you accept my promise and let me join your Hunt?" he asked, jumbling through his words.
He wasn't sure why, but he felt a little nervous whenever he spoke directly to Artemis. The goddess put on a stoic expression.
" will be heading back to Yosemite Park, don't be late," she commanded.
"Understood, My Lady."
Percy didn't catch on that they would be traveling separately until Artemis disappeared in a flash of silver light with Thalia. Zeus dismissed the meeting, believing they had had enough developments for one congregation. All but one of the gods flashed out of the throne room. Hestia still sat in her throne, smiling warmly at the demigod.
"I appreciate you mentioning me in who you believed to be worthy of Chaos' gift," she said
"How could I not think that? Especially after how you've helped me these last two years…" he trailed off .
"Oh, we don't need to bring that up now. What are you still doing here? You're keeping your new mistress waiting. Get going, Percy!" she said before disappearing with a spark of embers.
Percy laughed to himself as he spread his wings, excited to master his new ability. He rose high into the air above the throne room, out into the night sky. Fighting to maintain midair balance, he adjusted in the direction he guessed Yosemite was. He flapped his wings, propelling himself west.
In only a matter of hours, Percy crossed into the park borders. He soared over Yosemite's granite monoliths and zigzagged between the park's famous sequoia trees. He laughed as he spit out twigs that he had accidentally caught in his mouth. Flying was a feeling like no other to the son of Poseidon. His birthright denied him access to the kingdom of the sky for most of his life, and he couldn't believe what he had missed out on for his first 20 years. From his aerial view, he spotted the clearing and the hunters' camp. Percy dove down outside the borders to approach the camp on foot.
Unfortunately, his flying improvements in the time it took to get to the park didn't apply to landing. He crashed face first into the dirt after failing to slow his descent. Brushing himself off and retracting his wings, Percy made his way towards the camp. As he got within a dozen yards, still hidden by the trees, he noticed all of the hunters were gathered in front of Artemis.
"- and we have a new member in our hunt," Artemis finished. The girls looked around at each other confused because they didn't see a new face among them. The goddess breathed deeply, knowing they weren't going to be happy about it. "It is a man. There is a new Guardian of the Hunt,"
The group was in uproar at the idea of a male joining their ranks. Thalia tried to calm them down but it wasn't easy to be heard over the clamor of thirty voices shouting variations of 'death to the newcomer'. Percy watched aghast at what he realized he had gotten himself into before he felt piercing silver eyes train onto him through the underbrush concealing him. Thalia had finally had enough and ripped down a bolt of lightning behind her, silencing the crowd.
"Calm down! It's already done. Do you think Lady Artemis made this decision lightly? That she just brought some random, stupid male into her Hunt?" she asked them warningly, daring them to question Artemis' judgment.
Nobody said anything for a moment as they realized the goddess wouldn't do that; at the end of the day, nobody distrusted men more than she did. Finally, one of the older hunters, Atalanta, spoke up.
"Alright then show us. Who is he? Or is he a coward and already abandoning the job?" she sneered.
Artemis just smirked and turned directly towards Percy, beckoning him forward. Climbing through what he thought was his cover, he looked sheepishly at the goddess.. He made his way towards the group and bowed to Artemis.
"My Lady," he said. Artemis just nodded.
"I suppose hiding behind those shrubs would make him a bit of a coward, Atalanta," she said.
The huntresses were shocked at the sight of the infamous demigod they had been assigned to pursue for the past year. Percy realized that they had no idea he was the one that had fought the monsters with Thalia. He waved to the group and was surprised when he got even a handful of dismissive waves back. It was an unpopular opinion, but some of the hunters held some respect for their only unsuccessfully captured target ever, but it was in the same way a fox may respect a particularly elusive chicken it was about to eat.
Okay, maybe this won't be as bad as I thought, he half-thought-half-wished to himself.
His dream was cut short by the next voice he heard.
"Alright, boy. If we're going to be stuck with you, make yourself useful. Carry the camp equipment," said Phoebe, doing nothing to hide her disapproving tone.
She gestured behind her and Percy couldn't believe what he saw. The hunt had somehow condensed all of its tents, excess firewood, training supplies, and any other camp necessities into a very tall bundle on a platform the size of a supermarket pallet. Thalia looked at Percy apologetically, telling him that it was normally split up and carried between a dozen hunters. He just shook his head and grabbed the rope that secured the massive package together.
"We'll see you at Sequoia National Park next. Kinda seems like we're sightseeing, huh?" Thalia said to Percy, making sure he knew what direction to go.
Phoebe laughed. "You're even making him travel separately from us? Good, thought you had gone soft for this one," she snickered to the group.
Percy ignored her comment. He quickly bowed to Artemis and waved bye to Thalia before spreading his wings and taking off, towing along the heavy burden. Thalia laughed at Phoebe's raging red face at what she took as open disrespect. She yelled after the disappearing demigod,
"You better have everything set up before we get there!"
Artemis had chosen to remain a bystander for the entire exchange. She didn't like the way Phoebe was already taking an aggressive stance against Percy, but knew it couldn't be helped for now. She didn't plan to allow it to go on as long as it did, but she was curious about how Percy would react when faced with unprovoked hostility like that. Artemis felt that Percy passed with flying colors by choosing to say nothing at all. Now that he was already on the way, she couldn't have her hunters fall far behind. The Hunt began their trek to Sequoia.
Percy, having been flying for half an hour, needed all of his concentration to not let go of the rope. His forearms burned like fire from holding up the equipment pallet the entire time. In the near distance, he made out the trademark trees of Sequoia National Park, and a sense of relief flooded his body. This gave him the final push he needed as he thrust his wings harder towards his destination.
Hovering over an area he decided on as the campsite, he slowly lowered the rope until the package touched down safely on the ground. Unraveling the rope, Percy got to work setting up the camp. Even though this Phoebe situation wasn't ideal for him, he wasn't going to let her get under his skin and land him on Artemis' bad side. Another hour passed before Percy finished setting up the tents and campfires as similarly as he could to what he remembered the camp looking like. The tents took up three quarters of a circle around the campsite, and the campfires were spread evenly with one at the "exit" of the circle. Percy lastly set up the somehow-foldable long wooden table that he figured the hunters all ate at. Realizing he hadn't eaten since before the Minotaur showed up, he decided to cook some food.
The hunters trickled into the campsite, having no option but to follow the incredible smell of grilled burgers and mac and cheese. They walked past their tents that had already been set up to find Percy laying out the final plate on the table. The girls filed into their chairs surrounding the table and looked on at the feast prepared for them.
Lined down the center of the table, within reach of everyone at the table, sat a row of plates or bowls stacked or filled with burger patties, buns, mac and cheese, and duchess rolls. Artemis entered the clearing to see the hunters sitting quietly at the table, licking their lips while staring at the food in front of them. Artemis looked to Percy who just smiled back while he pulled out her chair at the head of the table.
She took her seat and Percy ran off to fetch something. He came back a moment later holding a plate with goat and broccoli on it, placing it in front of the goddess. Percy had dedicated extra time to her meal, hopeful that she'd like it. Thalia spoke up before Artemis had the chance.
"Percy, you know you didn't have to do this right?" she asked him, nearly salivating at just how the food in front of her smelled. Percy just waved his hand dismissively.
"It's my first day, just wanted to make a good first impression," he said. Phoebe scoffed from next to Thalia.
"Maybe if he cooked like this for that daughter of Athena…" she said, expecting a laugh from her sisters.
Instead, she received a fist in the face courtesy of Thalia. Several of the hunters also looked distastefully at Phoebe for the joke she tried to make.
"Watch your mouth," Thalia said through gritted teeth.
Percy had no idea how she or any of the other hunters seemed to know about that. His eyes hardened, but he again said nothing. He turned to Artemis, who shot a disapproving glance at her oldest huntress.
"My Lady, can I be dismissed for the night?" he asked. Strangely, she felt the need to ask him to stay, but she knew spending two years isolated would make dealing with things alone more comfortable. She nodded.
"I hope you all enjoy the food. Also there's some vegetarian patties, I didn't know if everyone ate meat. I'll be back in an hour or two," he mentioned to the group as he flew off into the park's foliage.
After he was gone, the hunters dug in and were amazed that the food tasted even better than it smelled. They ravaged the dinner table while Artemis tentatively took a bite of her custom plate. She was shocked that the goat, her favorite kind of meat, seemed to be cooked to perfection, maybe some of the best she'd ever had. She had never been partial to broccoli but even the vegetable looked and tasted like it was made with the utmost care. While trying to savor one of the best meals she'd had in a very long time, she ended up mirroring the hunters in her fervor to eat it all.
The only huntress not devouring her food was also their newest and youngest recruit, Anna. She just so happened to be the only vegetarian in the hunt. She was used to it being a little harder for her to eat tasty, vegetarian meals when traveling with a group of hunters, so being catered to by their new Guardian was something she felt grateful for.
"Thank you, Percy," she said to nobody in particular as she bit into the best burger she had ever had, happily bantering with her sisters at the dinner table.
Artemis tapped her foot impatiently. The hunters had cleared the entire table of food swiftly after dinner had begun, cleaned up the mess they had made, and packed it in for the rest of the night, contentedly sent into food comas. Artemis was the only one still awake. It had only been an hour since Percy had left but she was already on edge. She wasn't going to have the demigod disappear on her only hours joining the hunt. She figured he must be somewhere in the park and decided to track him down.
It has been too long since I've gone on a hunt alone. Maybe he'll run and we can make it fun, Artemis thought to herself as she prowled into the forest. She closed her eyes and sent out her senses, trying to pick up and trace of male demigod that he may have left behind or even to detect his presence. She was unsuccessful, which she expected considering he had evaded her hunters for two years; this was no sloppy demigod. Artemis darted through the park, moving quicker than the human eye could keep track of, scouring every area she found herself in.
She covered the entire footage of the park, over 600 square miles, with no success. She was panting and wholly frustrated, standing at the edge of the park. Catching her breath, she closed her eyes again to focus on Percy, who she was now irritated with. She cleared her mind, and imagined herself reaching out in all directions in search of this nuisance of a demigod.
"Chasing after a boy, niece?" a voice asked in her head. Artemis' eyes snapped open.
"Hestia? What are you talking about? Why are you watching me?" she asked, her face reddening further. Hestia just laughed inside her head.
"He is not in the park. He is where he wants to be alone, but please go to him," the goddess of the hearth said, a bit sadly, before telling Artemis his location.
Artemis raised an eyebrow before disappearing in a flash of silver, reappearing quietly on a shore of Alcatraz Island. She stood on the beach of the famous mortal prison island, looking out at the Pacific with the prison at her back, closer to the far side of the island. To her right sat Percy, but he hadn't noticed her yet. She silently drew closer, but stopped in her tracks when she realized he was speaking.
"... I really hope she liked it. Do you know how hard it is to find goat meat in a national park, dad? If California was any less weird, I wouldn't have found that eccentric dude just a town over, trying to get rid of the goat he bought, and I would've been a little stuck," he said, seated on the sand, fixated on a spot in the ocean.
"Who are you talking to?" Artemis decided to make her presence known. Percy jumped up from his position on the beach.
"Lady Artemis! Oh, did Lady Hestia tell you I was here?" he asked.
"Who are you talking to?" she repeated. He sighed and returned to his seated position, but tapped the spot next to him, requesting Artemis to join him.
"My dad," he said. This intrigued Artemis because they both knew Poseidon wasn't here, so she decided to take a seat next to him. She looked at him unconvinced, waiting for him to elaborate.
"This is where I feel closest to him, so I come here to talk to him even if I don't expect a response," he explained.
"Because it is near a prison, and Poseidon is likely in one as well?" she asked, confused by the crude connection she saw. Percy laughed, ruefully, at the newfound irony he hadn't even realized.
"No, I've been coming here for more than a year now. Way before we discovered it wasn't my dad on the council-"
"Before you discovered it wasn't Poseidon," she corrected, interrupting him for not taking credit where it was due.
"Sure, but I know you had your doubts. Anyways, look," he said, pointing to the spot he had been looking at earlier. Artemis couldn't see what he was referring to, so he leaned towards her to guide her sight in the right direction. She followed where his finger was pointing and a shining, circular object caught her eye.
"What is it?" she asked, not having taken her eyes off of it. Percy turned to look at her and realized he was barely an inch from her face. When she began to turn as well, he quickly leaned away and looked in another direction. She smelled like pine and every other aroma of a forest, and Percy couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by it. In his eagerness to not have her catch him, he hadn't noticed her similar but calmer reaction.
Artemis had allowed him to lean closer to her because of his intoxicating scent of the sea. When she felt him turn towards her, she made sure not to do the same to avoid even the tiniest chance of her making a terrible decision. But eventually she stirred for a moment and he looked away, decompressing the situation. Percy cleared his throat.
"Uh.. um, I'm not sure actually. But I know it's my dad's. I feel the same way looking at it as I do when I see his trident, or his throne. It's a part of him somehow, even if it's not with him. So this is the closest I can get to actually talking to my dad," he said, feeling a pang in his heart as he worried about Poseidon's situation.
Artemis looked at him sadly before straightening her posture.
"We're Hunters and you are now a Guardian. We will find Poseidon, Perseus, and he will return to Olympus," she said definitively. "But he isn't the only Olympian you are close to anymore, is he? Tell me about you and Hestia,"
Percy smiled widely at the mention of her name. Artemis slightly cocked her head, unsure what to make of that.
"As weird as it sounds, she's become a bit like a mother to me. She found me when I was in a really dark place, just emerging from my campfire, to talk. We quickly became close, and she sort of became my support system during a time I felt lost and alone. I don't know where I'd be without her. Oh yeah, she's also the one that taught me how to cook everything I know now, so the hunters have her to thank for their dinner today," he said, the smile never leaving his face.
Artemis was surprised to say the least, and ever so slightly relieved to have cleared up the kind of relationship between the two.
"Oh yes, the hunters enjoyed your dinner spread, as did I. How did you know about my affinity for goat meat?" she asked.
"Lady Hestia told me. I was nervous about what to make for a goddess, so I prayed to her for some help," he answered.
"And the broccoli?"
"Just so you'd have a balanced meal. You can't maintain a body like that without proper nutrition," His hand shot to his mouth and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he realized what he said out loud. His face burned and, in an instant, Percy accepted that his eternal fate would be to walk the earth as a jackalope.
"I will allow that to go ignored. Once. Because I want to apologize for my huntress' words and my inaction during. Phoebe is a strong woman, perhaps the strongest of all the hunters. But she is just as distrustful of men as I am while not having yet seen any of the traits that set you apart," Artemis surprised herself by admitting the last part to him.
Percy scratched his face to hide himself blushing at the fact that the world's greatest man hater maybe didn't hate him so much. He then remembered what Phoebe had said.
"How did she even know about that?" he asked Artemis.
Artemis told him that, during their trek to the new camp, there had been some open distrust of Percy joining the hunt. To fix that, Thalia had caught them up on what had happened to him to lead him here, and a handful of stories of Percy's quests over the years. Percy just nodded, glad that he wouldn't have to be explaining anything anymore.
"This place is quite beautiful," Artemis remarked, looking at the moon painting tides over the ocean. Percy looked at her.
"Yeah, it is," he said quietly before turning forward again.
The two sat in silence just admiring the view in front of them. Percy realized it had been a long time since he had smiled with his eyes as well while talking to anyone, and Artemis had noticed it too. They continued to stare ahead, both secretly wishing the sun would be late to rise.
A/N: I decided to be nice and not end it with a cliffhanger today because you guys have been so supportive of the story. Hope you all continue to enjoy it.
Gonzalji: I think you are doing a fantastic job twisting the "guardian of the hunt story" just 2 things please don't make percy be weak in the hunters presence as in don't make him a little "bitch" and don't have chaos bless him to be all powerful. those are the 2 things that everyone always uses and you so far are adding originality to the story
Thank you so much, this was a really helpful review. I had the same thing on my mind when writing this chapter. I'll let you all know now that this will be largely the limit of Percy being "bitched" by any hunters, I just didn't want them to accept him immediately because I don't think that's realistic. But yes they won't be physically abusing him until he eventually snaps or anything. And as for Chaos, I think you'll really enjoy the powers he ends up getting. The stakes will be VERY real for Percy and he won't be anywhere near as overpowered as some of the other stories I've seen make him.
PokemonAndPJOFanboy: wow firstly, I have to say amazing plot twists, very well executed. I am excited to see what you do with Chaos entering the story! Are you going to be giving Percy and big power ups soon? Also props for making Erebus the BBEG, usually with these guardian of the hunt stories the Big Bad is Tartarus. I can't want for your next update, I'm hooked on this story and am on the edge of my seat waiting to see where it goes!
This review made me feel so good, thank you so much. I hope you liked my handling of Chaos, and stay tuned for the power ups he'll be getting over time. As for the thing about Tartarus, I won't reveal too much but don't completely forget about him just yet! I think Erebus is so cool and underutilized in these stories and deserves time to shine as THE big bad.
Thank you all for the reviews and I'll catch you in the next update!