The son of Thor

by Darkgamer08

Perseus, better known as Percy, is the last child of Asgard. He is the son of Thor, Norse god of thunder and war, and Sif, the Norse goddess of fertility and family. Seeing that the Norse gods are fading, Thor seeks Odin, the all-father, for a way to protect Percy. Odin cashes in a favour from Poseidon, the Greek god of seas and asks him to adopt Percy as his son. Percy/harem

10. Sparring with the moon goddess

A/N

So, we have officially reached 505 follows.

That's awesome, especially for a new writer like me. Thanks for the support and love.

Phew. A relief that you guys prefer the idea of a slow burn, reasonable relationship between the girls and Percy. So, I have decided to keep it that way.

I won't keep blabbering about this story now, because I know that you guys really don't want long A/N's. But here's a request. Please do read the A/N's as they carry important messages and choices that I offer you peeps.

So, now let's continue this story without any further delays.

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Last time:

Turning around, my jaw dropped as I saw that almost eight hunters were standing behind me, waiting to speak to me.Four of them were the little hunters that weren't even ten years old. Then there were Sophia, Chloe, Atalanta and Emma.

Surprised, I raised my eyebrows at them.Sophia was the one to speak. "We just came to say sorry for treating you badly all these days. We thought that you would turn out to be like those other vile males. But you have to understand, most of the members of the hunt have had bad experiences with males. So, it isn't that easy for us to accept you. But I promise that we will try. So, do you forgive us?"I was honestly dumbstruck by this.

I hadn't actually expected an apology from the hunters. I just wanted them to lay off me for a while. "Of...of course you are forgiven. I am genuinely happy that you are letting go of your prejudice for men."The little hunters squealed and hugged me. Chloe was the one to speak next. "Umm. Percy, would you mind teaching us sword combat? It would really help us as our close range combat is not as good as our skills with the bow."

"Oh . I would love teaching you sword fighting. Shall we start tomorrow? " The eight hunters nodded and went off to do what they wanted. Chloe was the one who stayed back.I smiled at her and asked, "So shall we get going? Wouldn't want to miss our lessons, would we?"She nodded and punched my shoulder playfully. "You're on, bro."

Smiling, I put my arm around her shoulder and we started walking towards the lake for our daily hydrokinetic powers practice.

'Maybe my time at the hunt won't be so bad.'

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Present time:Third POV

"I am saying this for the last time, brother. I have not stolen your bolt. And if you do not understand this, you can basically kiss my ass." Bellowed the man in a loud voice. One could easily tell that the man was annoyed.

You may be wondering why this man's anger and annoyance is important. Well, fair point, except for the fact that this 'man' was no ordinary mortal. This was a being about four millennia old. The amount power that he held was something that an ordinary mortal couldn't even comprehend without his brain melting into a puddle.

Now to answer your questions further, this place was the throne room of Mount Olympus. The abode of the gods of Greece. But as the flame of the West had moved from Greece to America, so had the mighty Gods and other beings of the Greek Pantheon. There are many other pantheons present, but let us focus on the Greek one for now.

Moving back to the topic, the place that we speak about is none other than the grand throne room of the Olympians. Well, room may not be the proper word to describe it.

The plain size of the Olympian throne room made even the Madison square garden look like a Janitor's closet.

The room had twelve massive thrones present in it. These thrones were placed in a U shape. At the head of the room was placed a mighty blue throne. A throne befitting for a king. Majestic as it was, it looked like it was made up of clouds. A small thunderstorm was currently brewing above the person who sat on the throne. Undoubtedly, this throne radiated the most power amongst all the twelve thrones in the room.

To the left side of this majestic throne, was another royally befitting throne. This throne was dark, muted, peacock green with a seafoam undertone. The color of this throne was so mesmerizing that it could bring any true artist to tears. On the base of the throne were some carvings of cows grazing on grass. A shiny golden apple sat on the top of the throne along with a platinum peacock feather. Pictures signifying marriage could be seen on the throne. On the throne sat a beautiful lady wearing a golden Greek dress. She had brown hair and similar eyes. This was Hera, queen of Olympus.

Beside this throne was a grass-green colored throne. Although not as majestic as the first two thrones, this throne too emitted unbelievable power. One of the four most powerful signatures in the throne room. On this sat Demeter, the second born of Kronos and goddess of crops and harvest.

Beside Demeter's throne was a stormy grey throne. A great horned owl made of gold was placed on the top of the headrest of the throne. On this throne sat Athena, the first child of Zeus and goddess of wisdom and battle strategy.

Beside Athena was a silver throne that had engravings of wolves and deers on it. A bow and arrow made of pure silver stood proudly on the armrest of the throne. On this throne sat a twelve year old girl. Funny right, a twelve year old girl sitting amongst the mighty Olympians? No. This was Artemis, the goddess of the moon, hunting and wildlife creatures. The daughter of Zeus and Leto.

Beside Artemis' throne was a deep pink throne that depicted love itself. On this throne sat a woman who was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman in the whole pantheon. Aphrodite, goddess of love sat on her throne, checking her own reflection in a mirror, not at all bothered about the tension present in the throne room.

Beside Aphrodite was a purple throne that radiated madness. Nothing was special about this throne. In fact, the aura of this throne was undoubtedly the weakest in the room. This throne housed a small, but porky man. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple.

He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt, and was currently snoring so loudly that it could be heard from across the room. This was Dionysus, god of wine and madness. Or as we will call him, the good for nothing Olympian.

Moving to the other side of the room, on the majestic blue throne that housed a thunderstorm, sat a man who radiated terrifying amounts of power. He wore a pin-striped suit and had black hair with electric-blue eyes. This was Zeus, Lord of Olympus and the god of sky and justice.

Beside Zeus sat a man who had a similar aura of power to the king of gods. This man wore a simple pair of Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. He held a trident in his hands while he pointedly glared at Zeus with his sea-green eyes that radiated power of the seas. His throne was not at all majestic. It was but a simple sailor's chair.

As if the man had done this to mock the throne room. This was Poseidon, Lord of the seas and king of Atlantis.

Beside Poseidon sat a brute of a man. He was ridiculously muscled and looked like a body builder on steroids. He had blood red flaming orbs in place of his eyes. He was sharpening a sword while also supporting a maniacal grin on his face, awaiting a fight to break out. This was Ares, son of Hera and Zeus, the god of war.

Beside Ares sat a crippled god. Although his legs were crippled, his hands were ridiculously muscled just like Ares. But to put it plain and blunt, he was ugly. The god was currently tinkering with some pieces of metal with his fingers. This was Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths and fire, the son of Hera.

Beside Hephaestus sat undoubtedly the most handsome guy in the room. On a pure golden throne that had a sun on the headrest, sat an eighteen year old dude with blonde hair and soft blue eyes. He sported a flirtatious grin on his face and was currently winking at Artemis in an attempt to rile her up. This was Apollo, god of the sun, music, poetry, archery, and many more minor domains. He was the son of Zeus and Leto, and the younger twin if Artemis, though he would never admit it.

At the end of the row sat a man who looked almost similar to Apollo, with the exact same eyes and hair. But, he had elfish features , like slightly pointed ears. His throne was plain brown in colour, nothing special about it. This was Hermes, the god of thieves, travellers and the messenger of the gods.

Now that we are done with the descriptions of the gods, let us not forget the small eight year old girl who sat near the hearth, tending to it. She had a sad expression on her face, seeing her family fight against each other. This was Hestia, the first born child of Kronos, and also the last Olympian, who had give up her throne to avoid conflict amongst the Olympians. Nowadays, nobody really noticed her other than Hera and Demeter, who were her two sisters that would usually visit her and spend their time with her.

"There is no use denying it Poseidon. I know that it is you who have stolen my Master bolt. Return it now and I will let it slide with only a minor punishment." Zeus roared out in anger as a large thunder clash could be heard in the distance.

This caused Poseidon to lose his cool. Standing up with his trident in his hand, he aimed it at Zeus and shouted, "If I had your bloody bolt, you would not even be sitting here alive, brother. I have no wish to cause any trouble amongst the council. But if you accuse me again, we go to war."

Zeus's eyes widened in fear for a moment, but he regained his stoic expression surprisingly quick. "If war is what you want, war is what you will get. If my bolt is not returned to me by the next summer solstice, I, Zeus will wage war on Poseidon."

Saying so, Zeus flashed out of the room with Ares following him, already giddy at the prospect of war. Yet, nobody seemed to notice the glint in Ares' eyes, as if he knew something that the others didn't know.

The remaining gods were left dumbstruck by the shock they had just received. They just stared at Poseidon, who had remained stoic, but his eyes showed a bit of apprehension. Even Athena, who usually had answers to every problem, was silent, contemplating the gravity of the situation.

Hestia was the first to react. She stood up from her seat near the hearth and walked up to Poseidon. Once there, she grew to her godly height and placed her hand on her younger brother's shoulder. "This is really bad brother. You do know the consequences that a war amongst immortals will have on the Earth and the mortals. Zeus cares nothing about the mortals. But I know that you do. So, please think your next move through."

Poseidon absent mindedly nodded to his sister and gave her a small smile. Hestia returned the smile and was about to go back to her place when Poseidon spoke, "I do care for the mortals, sister. But this time, Zeus has crossed the line. If war is what he wants, let him taste the might of Atlantis."

Hestia's smile vanished and she gave out a sad sigh. But seeing that she couldn't convince her painfully stubborn brother, she went back to the hearth.

Hermes was the first to flash out as he had his duties to carry out. The next was Hephaestus, followed by Aphrodite, Athena, Hera and Demeter. Dionysus had just woken up and flashed out to Camp Half-blood.

The only ones remaining in the room now were Poseidon, Artemis and Apollo. Apollo approached Poseidon slowly and spoke, "I know that father has hurt your pride, Uncle P. But I have a bad feeling about the future if a war does happen. While I will side with you, please try to avoid it. You know that father will have the support of the Romans.

So, please think this through."

Poseidon again nodded to his nephew and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. Apollo grinned at his favourite uncle and flashed out. Artemis approached Poseidon slowly. He was one of the only males that she didn't hate. "I may have a way uncle. You can claim Perseus once he gets to camp. I have a sinking feeling that this is the work of my other uncle. Perseus can get a quest and try to prove your innocence. Think about it."

Poseidon's eyes widened as the brilliance behind this plan struck him. Although he knew that stealing was not Hades's style, he was the only deity that Poseidon believed would be benefited by this war. "That actually is a wonderful idea niece. I believe that Perseus is staying with you as of now. Now, there still are about three months to the summer solstice and I need to keep Perseus out of Zeus's eyes for as long as possible. So let him be with you for now till I think of a way to send him to camp.

Again, Thank you for this, niece."

Artemis nodded and gave him a small smile. She then flashed back to her hunt.

Sighing, Poseidon himself flashed out to his palace in Atlantis, to spar with his elder son and blow some steam off his system.

Hestia, who had heard Artemis' idea, chuckled at the simple plan that hadn't struck her barnacle brain of a brother. In the hearth, she saw the image of the twelve year old boy with mesmerizing royal blue eyes. "Hmmm, it seems like I need to pay you another visit, Perseus."

Saying so, she herself flashed out to her palace, thinking of ways to convince her brothers to call off the war.

Linebreak

Place: The Hunter's camp

"No, you need to keep your shoulder relaxed while performing this maneuver. This is a maneuver where you need to use flexibility to confuse your opponent and strike. That's why this is different from using a bow, where you need to stiffen your shoulder. Understand?" Asked the twelve year old boy to the teenage girl that was standing in front of him, with a sword in her hand.

The girl nodded with a determined glint in her eyes.

The boy tilted his head and observed the girl's stance. It was still a little stiff, bit it would do for now. "That's better. Although it is still stiffer than required. But will do for now. Now, try the maneuver on me."

The girl did as she was told to do. The boy's sword went flying out if his hand and the remaining girls gasped at the brilliance behind the extremely simple maneuver.

The boy smiled and patted the girl on her back. "That was absolutely perfect. Now you girls, try it against each other. And do not stop until you get it right."

It had been ten days since Perseus had begun training the hunters in swordsmanship. One thing that he had to admit, the hunters were extremely fast learners. Within eight days, they had learned the basic moves like slashing and parrying. Now, they had started practicing sword maneuvers.

It had also been ten days since Perseus had started teaching Zoë modern English. And boy, had she shown progress? The only thing wrong with her English now was her usage of thy and thou instead of your and you.

The training stopped when a brilliant silver flash appeared in the camp, signifying that the Hunter's mistress had returned from her meeting. By the looks of it, she didn't look happy.

Turning to Percy, she spoke, "Percy, I would like to speak to you in my tent for a moment." Surprised by this, Percy nodded his head and followed her.

Inside the tent, Artemis took a seat on the edge of her bed while Percy remained standing.

Waving her hand, she signalled for the boy to have a seat. Once he was seated, she started to inform him about the occurings that had taken place in today's meeting.

To say Percy was shocked was an understatement. "So you mean to say that a I have to go to camp and gain trust of all the demigods, then try to prove my ties to Olympus and try to prove my innocence in the greatest theft ever committed?"

Artemis nodded. Percy continued, "And this is because Zeus thinks that dad has stolen his firecracker using a mortal to do his bidding. And as I am the only mortal son of Poseidon alive, the blame will immediately come onto me?"

Artemis raised her eyebrow in amusement and her lips curled up in a small size when she heard the name that Percy had made up for the most powerful weapon present. But she nodded anyway.

"So, I need to get to camp, but I can't be dropped there by your hunters because it will raise Zeus's already topped paranoia, right?"

Artemis again nodded her head. She had been doing it a lot today.

He shook his head to clear it of all the thoughts. "Wow. That is honestly a lot to take in. Huh. Now that I think of it, I heard father grumbling about a bolt when I had last iris messaged him. Well, I am completely okay with even going to the underworld, of it is to prove my father's innocence. I know my father. He may be many things, but thief is not one of them."

Artemis agreed with his sentence."Yes. Even I believe that Lord Poseidon is not one for practicing robbery."

Percy gave her a small smile, which to his immense surprise, was returned by the goddess. Deciding that he didn't really feel like speaking about this topic any further, Percy quickly thought of something to change topics to.

"Uhh. Lady Artemis, I have a small question for you. You see, your hunters either tolerate me or straight up hate me. I am totally fine with that and do not wish for anything to change. I am fine with teaching the hunters that like me and leaving the hunters that don't like me alone. But the one that confuses me is your lieutenant."

Percy POV

Artemis raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner and signalled for me to go on.

"To put it simply, what is the matter with her? She pretends to hate me like the other hunters, but I can tell that she doesn't really hate me. But every time she sees Riptide, she almost goes into a killing rampage against me. Whenever I ask her about this, she tries to evade the topic. While i believe that her past is none of my business, I can't help but wonder about her history with the blade that I wield currently. So, if you could just help me with this slight topic, it would make it a lot easier to take her modern English classes."

Maybe it was my imagination, but Artemis'eyes seemed to glow with barely controlled rage when I mentioned about Zoë's past, but it disappeared before I could be sure about it. The next moment, her eyes filled with sadness as she seemed to be thinking about something in the past.

After a few moments, she snapped out of her memories and looked straight into my eyes. The gleaming silver orbs boring into

my skull made me gulp subconsciously.

Man, was she scary?

"Zoë Nightshade has had a past that no one should deserve, not even the worst of my enemies. She has been hurt by the ones she trusted and held dear. And the sword that you hold now is an important part of her past. That sword is an unforgettable reason and catalyst of her getting hurt from her loved ones. I cannot tell you her past as I immensely respect the privacy of my huntress. If you want further information, you should just ask her." Artemis spoke solemnly.

Dumbstruck, I nodded my head at her explanation. I knew that most of the hunters had had really bad pasts. Abuse and hurt that no one should go to. Chloe herself had told me that her step-mother would beat her daily and keep her hungry for days on end before she ran away and Lady Artemis found her.

In contrast to this, I had actually had the best childhood that any child could dream of. I had two parents who loved me with their whole being. Two elder siblings who doted on me. Caring and understanding teachers who understood what I needed and trained me accordingly. All the facilities that even children of millionaires would not get were provided to me. Also, I had been crowned prince of the most powerful underwater kingdom. To put it easy, I had had it really easy. Don't misunderstand me. I am really happy about my childhood and wouldn't do anything to change it. But the fact was, not every child born in the Greek Pantheon was as lucky as me. Some demigods went through levels of abuse that I couldn't even comprehend.

But here Lady Artemis told me that Zoë had suffered so much that even the other Hunter's past seemed kind of ok in front of it. Just what had happened to the lieutenant of hunters that had turned her into this cold warrior?

That is when I made a resolution. I would get Zoë to open up. I knew that it sounded impossible, but hey, I could at least try. I remember when I was a toddler and my mother had told me that sharing someone's pain eases their worries. It also helps us understand others. Now I would help Zoë. Even of I got shot with hundred arrows in the process, I would get her to open up. I would be the shoulder that she leans on to ease her pain.

Reigning back my thoughts for a moment, I saw that the mighty goddess of the hunt had again lost herself in memories. She was staring at nothing with a glazed look in her eyes. A crooked grin made it's way to my mouth.

Now I know that this is an Olympian goddess. She could literally kill me and get away with slight consequences if she wanted. Add to it the fact that she was a man-hater and would love to end my life. But hey, what's some fun without taking risks?

So, I summoned some water and splashed it onto the goddess. And boy, did it work? The next moment, I was being chased around the Hunter's camp by an extremely pissed off goddess of the moon. She was holding two hunting knives and was screaming bloody murder. It actually reminded me of some anime that I had once seen.

Now I really do pride myself on my speed, but even I was nothing in front of Artemis. She was rapidly gaining on me and I knew that I needed to think of some escape fast, or I was dead meat. As I was thinking, with a jolt, my senses screamed at me to duck.

Listening to them, I ducked my head. Not a second later, a throwing knife flew above me and struck the tree that was in front of me. Taking a sharp right, I sprinted towards the lake at my top speed. Now the goddess was just ten metres behind me. Using the momentum that I had gained, I launched myself with full force.

With a splash, I landed in the lake. Finally, I released a sigh of relief. Here, the goddess wouldn't even think of harming me. After taking a few deep breaths to stabilize my heartbeat, I finally raised my head above the water. There, I saw an angry goddess of the moon pacing the edge of the lake.

She was still cursing me, using some um...

colourful words. I couldn't help but be amazed by the goddess's vocabulary of curse words. When she saw me emerge from the water, she stopped moving and sent a withering glare in my direction. That is when I lost it.

I burst out laughing. Now I know what you are thinking. Am I stupid? Well, if you have this question, then buddy, you really are slow. You have come so far and are still wondering about it. Here's your answer- No person who is even a little bit sane would laugh at the man-hating goddess of she is glaring at you.

But eh. It was worth it.

Seeing me laughing, Artemis turned bright golden with anger. Her ears were such a bright golden that I thought they would burst open. Then all of a sudden, she cooled down and smirked evilly.

Now it was my turn to get nervous. When a man-hater got an evil smirk while looking at you, it never meant anything good. For you, that is.

"Hmm. You really do find that funny, don't you? You know what else is funny? You getting beaten up by me. So, today, you and I will spar against each other after dinner. And I won't be holding back. Also, this spar will be till someone is knocked unconscious. No surrender allowed. Like it?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice.

My jaw dropped as sweat started to form at my brows. Please, please let her be lying. She can't seriously do this, right?

As is she sensed my thoughts, she smirked evilly and spoke innocently, "Of course I am not joking. I never joke about such matters, boy. So, I will see you in the arena after dinner. Be there on time." Saying so, she turned around and jogged back to the camp.

This left me alone in the lake, sweating profusely and cursing myself. I just had to go and splash Artemis with water.

Sighing, I got out of the lake and walked back to the camp for my lesson with Zoë.

Once I entered the camp, I saw the hunters looking at me with a mix of emotions. The hunters that liked me were gazing at me sadly, as if I was a goat that was about to be slaughtered, which in a way, I was.

The others, like Phoebe, who hated me and my guts, were grinning maniacally. Phoebe saw me walk past her and spoke, "Damn boy, even though I hate you, I really do feel sorry for you. Well, it wasn't really nice to know you, but hope you have a good afterlife." The other hunters snickered at her sentence and went back to their work.

Sighing, I walked towards Zoë's tent. Being the lieutenant of the hunt, she got a tent of her own. Once there, I called for her and asked permission for entering. Once she gave her consent, I opened the flap and stepped inside her tent. There she was, sitting casually on her bed with a book and pen in her hand.

One look at her face and I knew that she knew about my spar with Lady Artemis.

She got up from her place and walked up to me. Once she was near me, she raised her hand and smacked me on the back of my head.

"You idiot. How many times have I told you to not play such pranks on Lady Artemis? Now look at where this has brought you. You do know that even I am not match for milady, right? The only person who can even dream of defeating Lady Artemis in a spar is Lady Athena, and that is because she is so wise and has a domain related to war."

She spoke angrily. But I could sense the concern behind her words.

I nodded at her and spoke, "I Know that I don't stand any chance against her, but what is done can't be changed. So, let's not talk about it. I will cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, let us continue our lessons."

She sighed in frustration, but nodded nonetheless. The next hour was spent in me teaching her the usage of Grammar in modern English.

After the day's lesson, we still had some time left before I had to go prepare dinner. So, I decided to ask Zoë about her past. I know that I couldn't ask her bluntly as it would hurt her and I would never get answers. So, I tried a different approach.

I uncapped Riptide and turned to Zoë. Her eyes widened at the sight of the blade before narrowing dangerously.

She grit her teeth and asked, "Put the sword away, Percy. I really am not in the mood to see it."

I nodded and put my sword back. Walking towards her, I took a seat on her bed, near enough to speak in whispers, but far enough that she knew I wasn't trying anything funny.

"You know, sharing your pain with others helps in reducing it. The more you bottle up your emotions, the more they make you hollow from inside." I spoke.

She tilted her head towards me in a confused manner. "What do you want to say, Percy?" She asked with a bit of apprehension.

"Oh fuck it. You know how I am not good with words. So let me just put it bluntly. I know that you have some sort of connection to riptide. Heck, even the aura from my sword resembles you. So, if you could please tell me about it."

Her expression darkened instantly. "I would rather not speak about it. That is something I wish to forget, and it would help if you never mention it again. Thank you." She effectively ended the topic.

"I know that this is really important to you, so I won't pressurize you to tell me. But just so you know, I will always be there if you need to talk about it." I spoke as last straw.

She lifted her eyes and stared right at me. Seeing the sincerity in them, she nodded and stood up without speaking another word. "Well, thank you for the lesson. How many more do we need?"

Thinking about it in my head, I responded with, "Maybe five more classes will be enough." She nodded and opened the flap for me to leave.

I got up and walked out of the door. As I was moving towards the cooking tent, I was intercepted by Chloe. And boy, did she look mad?

Before I could speak, she raised her hand and slapped me hard. Stunned, I could only stare at her with wide eyes.

She took a deep breath to calm herself and spoke in a cold, but calm voice, "What were you thinking, playing pranks on Lady Artemis?"

Having no answer to this, I shrugged my shoulder and spoke, "Well, actually, I wasn't really thinking."

She scoffed at this. "Of course you weren't thinking. I have been in the hunt for three centuries, and I haven't seen even one hunter trying to prank lady Artemis."

Not knowing what to do further, I decided on doing my best imitation of being ashamed. But she saw right through it as the next second, I was smacked on the back of my head.

"Do not try to fool me, uncle dear. I think I know you well enough to differentiate between your real expressions and fake ones." She said with a huff.

I smiled apologetically at her and rubbed the back of my neck.

Seeing that it was useful to explain me, she just pushed me towards the tent and stormed off, muttering about crazy uncles and undersea funerals. Not something I really wanted to hear.

The next one hour went by with me preparing dinner for the hunters and them eating it. By the time I was done with the dishes, it was already time for my spar. Sighing, I got up and started walking towards the arena, ready for some severe pain and beating.

As I reached the arena, I saw that Lady Artemis was already present in the arena. The hunters too were present, with different agendas. Some hunters were here to relish in the joy of seeing me get beaten up, while Chloe and the others were here to make sure their lady didn't get overboard with the beating.

But I could see that Zoë was not present there. Not thinking much of it, I walked into the arena and uncapped Riptide. Twisting the ring on my left hand, I turned it into hurricane and got into a battle stance.

Seeing that I was ready, Lady Artemis pulled out her hunting knives and lunged at me with normal speed.

For the first five minutes, we traded blows equally. I was actually matching her speed, but I knew that this wasn't even close to her top speed. She was just toying with me, tiring me.

After a while of sparring, I saw her grip on the knife in her left hand slacken for a second. Taking this chance, I tried to disarm her by banging my shield into her arm.

But alas, at the last moment, I figured it out. It was a trick. And a damn good one. As my shield neared her hand, she pulled back with impossible speed, making me miss completely and stumble forward.

Using this as an advantage, she slashed her knives into my back, drawing blood. This made me hiss in pain. Regaining my composure, I stepped forward and tried another slash at her thighs, but it was blocked by her knives.

Again, a few blows were traded between us.

Now I was seriously starting to tire. I was sweating profusely, while Artemis was just breathing a little heavier than normal.

Trying to end it, I used a sword maneuver and make her knives fall to the ground. But she seemed to sense my move in the nick of time as she countered it effectively and instead used it to disarm me. Now, I was left with only my shield.

I know that riptide would return to me in a few minutes, but judging the sadistic expression on Artemis' face, I wasn't even sure I would live that long. Also, added to it the fact that the cuts on my back were really starting to sting.

The next instant, Artemis was pouncing on me like a predator making a jump to rip apart it's prey. And it was at this moment that I knew, I was totally and completely fucked.

I tried to dodge and block her strikes, but she was too fast for me. Although I managed to dodge three fourth of the attacks she sent towards me, the other one fourth got me and soon, I was covered in slashes.

I know that these slashes would heal once I was in water, but right now, they were killing me. Not literally, of course. But still, it felt like I was being crucified.

By the time she was done, each and every part of my body had some blood splattered on it. I dropped to my knees, unable to even bear my own weight. My vision started going hazy as I lost my remaining balance.

With a thud, I face planted on the ground and drifted into unconsciousness. The last thing I remember is seeing Chloe running towards me, a panicked expression on her face.

The next moment, darkness enveloped me as my eyes closed shut. But this time, my unconsciousness was different than the others.

I found myself in a dark place. I tried to move my hands, but found that they were as stiff as cardboard.

Panicking, I started to look around for any sign of another being present near me. After a few moments, I felt a presence enter the darkness near me.

The aura that the figure was radiating was even greater than Artemis'. This fact worried me immensely as Artemis was one of the strongest second generation Olympians.

This aura was almost as powerful as my father, and that was a lot. But strangely, it had a calming effect to it. I did not feel afraid of it. If anything, this aura seemed to calm me down. My heartbeat, that was running about a thousand miles an hour after the spar with Artemis, calmed down back to normal in an instant.

As the figure came nearer, I felt a wave of recognition pass over me. I had felt this aura once. I remembered it clear as daylight. It was of the time I first got to know that I was adopted.

Flashback:

Still Percy POV

I was running as fast as I could. I had just come to know that my mommy and dad weren't my real parents and I was actually adopted by them. I wasn't even a real son of the seas.I could hear some footsteps approaching me briskly. By the sound of her voice I could tell that it was mommy. No. That's not your real mommy. You aren't even her son. A part of my mind spoke.Blinking back the tears that had welled up in my eyes, I ran into my bedroom and slammed the door shut. Locking the door, I jumped into my bed and started to cry.After a few moments, I could hear the sound of someone pounding on my door. It was my mother. By the sound of it, she seemed to be crying as she asked me to open the door. The thought of her crying because of me made me feel extremely guilty.But I didn't think anything would be the same anymore. Now that I knew I was adopted. That is when I felt a wave of warmth spread across my body. I looked behind me to see a small girl, about my age, hugging me.I shrieked in surprise as she was not present when I had entered. But the girl just looked at me and smiled kindly. The smile was full of warmth. In fact, it was so kind that I couldn't help but reciprocate it, even though my smile looked like a grimace.She was really cute. She was about my age, maybe a little older, but was an inch shorter than me. She had brown hair tied up in cute pigtails. But what really did surprise me were her eyes.Her eyes were a flaming orange color. Unlike any I had ever seen. Also, they seemed to be burning. Not in a violent way, but like a campfire. The type of fire that makes you feel warm and fuzzy.I found myself involuntary blushing while I stared at her. (Not that I knew about it that time.)"Wh...who are you? What are you doing here?" I asked. Although I had tried to speak in an even voice, it came out more of a squeak.Her smile widened as she separated from me and spoke, "My name is Tia. What is your name?" She asked. Her eyes were widened with curiosity as she asked me the question. Even though I was in no mood to speak to anyone, I found myself answering her question."Hello Tia. My name is Perseus. But you can call me Percy. What are you doing here?" I asked her curiously."I saw that you were sad. So, I came here to help you. What made you so sad?" She asked, her big orange eyes shining with curiosity.I told her about how I was adopted and my mom and dad had lied to me. She listened quietly, occasionally patting me on my back to show her concern. By the time I was finished, I found myself lying down with my head in her lap as she tried to straighten my messy hair. Tears were flowing down my cheeks.All of a sudden, she brought her hand to my face and tilted my head so that I was staring right into her eyes. "Tell me Percy, if your mom and dad didn't love you, would they have cared for you all these years? Would they have taken you in and raised you as their own? Would they have crowned you prince of the seas?"Thinking about it, I shook my head negative, indicating that they wouldn't have done all these things if they didn't love me.Nodding in satisfaction, she continued, "Does it really matter if you are their blood son? Does it really change anything? Does it change the love that you hold for your family?" She asked.Again, I could only shake my head no."Listen to me Percy. It doesn't matter that you are adopted. Poseidon and Amphitrite think of you as their real son and love you as much as they love your elder siblings. Do you understand? You being adopted changes nothing at all. You love your family and they love you back equally, right?" She asked with a kind voice.I nodded my head and got up slowly."So, are you ready to go and make it up to your parents?" She asked in a soothing tone.Nodding my head confidently, I spoke, "Yes. I love my mom and dad. This changes absolutely nothing."Her smile widened as she spoke, "That's great. Because I see that your mom is standing right outside the door, shedding tears, waiting for you to open the door. Do not keep her waiting. "We got up and I hugged her. "Thank you so much, Tia."She stood on her toes and kissed me on the cheek, making me blush madly. I must have imagined this, but I saw a hint of gold on her cheeks."Bye Percy." She spoke and disappeared in a flash of flames."Bye Tia." I said to the place where she was standing a moment ago. Then, I proceeded to run towards the door and hug my mommy.

Flashback end

I hadn't seen her since then. She looked the same, except that now she was about thirteen years old, thus making her as tall as me.

Her body had started to gain curves. It wasn't much now, but it promised some killer curves in the future.

Not knowing what to say, I spoke, "Hey Tia. What's up?"

She looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I am. Eh. I don't care anyway.

"Why hello, Percy. How have you been?" She asked in that gentle voice of hers.

"It's been good. Since the last time I saw you, a lot has happened. Fought the Leviathan, trained with my father, learnt water manipulation, met Lady Artemis, became the Hunt's slave. Yeah. That's pretty much all. How about you?" I asked nonchalantly.

Her face was anything but calm. The next thing I knew, I was being punched in the gut by an insanely powerful thirteen year old girl. Fuck. How could she even punch so hard?

"You what???? Tell me Percy, what the hell were you thinking before fighting the Leviathan? Better yet, were you even thinking?" She practically screamed .

Having the decency to act ashamed, I spoke, "Uhhh. To be honest, I wasn't really thinking."

She shook her head but visibly calmed down. I could hear her muttering, "Of course you weren't."

Then she spoke, "How has the hunt been treating you?"

"Honestly, can't complain. I've got a lot better treatment from the hunters than I expected. It is just their lady I am scared of. Man, that goddess really does scare me."

I shuddered.

"Speaking of which, where the hell even are we? Also, I remember getting knocked out. How am I able to speak to you? Moreover, I can feel your aura. You aren't an ordinary mortal, right? You aren't even a normal immortal. You are a god." I spoke.

She seemed to be taken aback by this. "You...you can s..sense auras?" She asked in a surprised voice.

I nodded my head and she sighed before speaking, "Well, no use hiding it. Well Perseus, I am Hestia, goddess of the hearth, hope and family. Eldest daughter of the crooked one."

Genuinely shocked, I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a muffled 'oh'.

My eloquence caused her to burst into a fit of giggles. I couldn't believe this. Standing ahead of me was Hestia, one of the strongest immortals on Olympus and the eldest daughter of Kronos.

I had expected the gods to be prideful and royal like Artemis and my father, but here was the eldest goddess, speaking to me normally.

I bowed my head, "I am sorry for not recognizing you, Lady Hestia. My father told me a lot about you."

She frowned at this and said with a scowl, "Do not bow to me. You are my friend, aren't you?" She asked with a challenging look.

Not knowing how to react, I nodded my head.

"So you will call me Hestia, understand?" She asked, more like challenged me to disobey her.

"Okay, Mila... Hestia." I spoke.

Seemingly satisfied, she smiled and pecked me on the cheek. "As much as I would love to speak with you Percy, we have lot's to discuss and limited time. "

I could only nod as my mind was still in a state of shock from knowing the real identity of my friend.

Was she a friend? I don't know.

Did I want her to be my friend? I don't know.

But I did know that she had some important news to give me. And by the look on her face, I could tell it wasn't really pleasant.

She gave me a small size and snapped her fingers. The space beside me rippled and started to swirl. The next moment, two chairs appeared beside us.

Hestia took a seat and gestured for me to do the same. Once we were seated, she placed her hands on her knees and interlocked her fingers. Leaning forward a little, she started speaking.

"I am guessing that my niece Artemis has already told you about how Zeus's master bolt has been stolen and that he blames your father for it?" She inquired.

I nodded my head in confirmation to her words.

"Well, you see. This issue is much graver than just his bolt being stolen. These recent few days, I have been feeling weird sensations. Negative ones. It is as if someone wants a fight between the gods to gain power. It is a dark presence. And an extremely powerful one at that."

I nodded again, not sure where this was heading.

"To put it simply, Zeus hasn't just demanded his bolt to be returned without trying to show his control over the council. He has declared that if his bolt is not returned to him by the summer solstice, he will declare war on your father. Although the war may be slightly in favour of your father, we can't afford to have it."

The gravity of the situation struck me at this moment. Possibly the most destructive war that could possibly happen was about to begin. A war between nature itself. Two supreme forces fighting against each other. And all because of a stolen godly weapon, (and an oversized ego complex, but don't tell Zeus I said that.)

Well, although the reason behind this war sounds pathetic, do remember that the Trojan war was caused by a beauty contest between goddesses.

Hestia continued, "And the first one to feel the wrath of Zeus will definitely be you. Once he finds out that you are a son of Poseidon, he will try his best to get rid of you."

That was something that didn't surprise me at all. My father had told me enough stories about Zeus's paranoia and ego that I knew he wasn't even worthy of being a king, much less the king of all-powerful divine beings.

"As a goddess of family, this news is devastating for me. My domain is driving me crazy with the paranoia of this war breaking out and it's consequences. And do you know who will suffer? The mortals. Divine beings do not care enough for mortals. They are simply expendable. Zeus wouldn't even think twice before destroying a whole state of mortals just to prove his point."

This fact angered me. If you have power, it does not mean in any way that you can flaunt it in any way you want. Just so that you can get whatever you want. This was one thing that I hated about Zeus and the other Olympians, including my dad. Zeus and my dad had both used their powers to rape poor Demeter. There were so many examples of immortals misusing their powers that I couldn't even name all of them.

I vowed that one day, I would grow stronger than them all. Show them true power. Show them how it feels to be the weaker one. Powerless before the being in front of them.

I would teach the Olympians humility.

Hestia seemed to understand what I was thinking about as she placed a comforting hand on my thigh. "I get how you feel, Percy. But you have to cut them some slack. Afterall, no one would refrain from using their power to prove their points. So much power is more than enough to crumble their morality."

Honestly, I didn't care. Those were just excuses. Shaking my head, I spoke, "That's not true. You are one of the strongest immortals alive. Yet, you have never misused your powers. Actually, you can easily be classified as the only Olympian I respect other than my father. And my respect to my father is because of the fact that he is my parent.

Unlike that, to you, my respect is purely because you are the only righteous goddess who never misuses her power. So, Hestia, you are the only Olympian I respect."

I spoke with full sincerity and honesty. Hestia seemed to be shocked for a moment before a wide smile broke out on her face. She jumped from her seat and hugged me.

"Thank you Percy. These words mean a lot to me. But I am not even an Olympian."

I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly. "Doesn't matter to me. Believe me, you are a million times more deserving to be an Olympian than that lame excuse for a wine god." I spoke with distaste while remembering how Zeus had made that drunk bastard Dionysus an Olympian just because he was his son.

Hestia's smile just widened at my answer and she pecked me on the cheek. After a moment, she pulled back with a flustered face. I bet a hundred drachmas that my face was similar, if not more flustered. Hey! You can't blame me. A really cute girl just kissed me on the cheek.

That is when a fact hit me like a truck. Hestia was a maiden goddess. So, her liking me would never be possible. But I didn't know why that fact bothered me so much. Trying not to think about it, I cleared my throat and spoke, "So, you were speaking about that divine war. How do we prevent it?"

She seemed to be oddly relieved by my change of topic. Shaking her head, she composed herself and spoke, "Right. The Divine war. You see, you are the only person who can stop this divine war from happening. Once you reach camp, I have no doubt Poseidon will claim you as soon as possible. Once you are claimed, I can pull some strings and make sure that you get a quest to find the bolt. It will prevent the war from happening as your quest may be a chance of finding the bolt. If you succeed, the war will be prevented. So, you have to succeed." She spoke in a serious tone.

Whoa. Just whoa. That was an awesome idea. Not only could I prevent a divine war, I could also clear the charges of theft placed on my father.

"That is an excellent solution, Hestia. I am totally willing to follow your suggestion. How are we to proceed in this?" I asked her.

She seemed to be deep in thought. And at the moment, she looked irresistibly cute. Her eyebrows had scrunched up and a small pout was firmed on her adorable face.

What the fuck? Why am I acting like this? I am not a teenage girl madly in love with someone. Get your shit together, dude. She is a maiden goddess. Ok. Think of something to change your topic.

Gotta tell you. Biggest mistake of my life. I swear Lady Artemis is going to kill me. The reason- The moment I tried to change the topic, an image of Zoë and me kissing appeared in my mind.

I wanted to punch myself. Why did I happen to find three sworn maidens cute? And to make matters worse, two of them were man-haters. At this rate, I wouldn't even survive till I was sixteen. If any of these maidens took notice of my thoughts, I was dead meat.

Thankfully, I was broken out of this depressing line of thoughts by Hestia clapping her hands excitedly.

Her face had brightened up, signalling that she had an excellent idea. By now, she was grinning like a small child who had just received a tour ticket to the chocolate factory.

I raised my eyebrows at her antics, but couldn't stop a laugh to escape from my lips.

Suddenly getting self-conscious, she blushed in embarrassment and cleared her throat.

"I have an idea. We can send you to a mortal school for a few days. A school that already has a satyr placed there. Once the satyr finds you, he will take you to Camp Half-blood. Problem solved." She spoke excitedly with a victorious grin on her face.

"That's sounds about perfect. But I will still need someone to get me admitted in this school that you speak of." I spoke.

She nodded her head and spoke, "We can have Triton do it for you. I believe that he will listen to you. He can act as your care taker and get you admitted in this school. So, his does it sound?"

Nodding, I replied, "That sounds about perfect. Although please try to get the satyr to find me as fast as possible. I really don't want to learn the things that Aphros has taught me again."

She chuckled and nodded her head. "Well, looks like my work is complete. And you will also gain consciousness in a few moments. So, bye for now, Percy. I hope we will meet again."

Standing up, I smiled and spoke, "I hope so too, Hestia. Afterall, friends do need to meet from time to time, right?"

She smiled and hugged me. Moving her head, she pecked my cheek again. The next moment, she disappeared, leaving behind a blushing mess that goes by the name Perseus.

About a minute letter, I felt a splitting headache. It forced me to close my eyes. Then all of a sudden, it stopped.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at the angelic face of Zoë Nightshade. But this time, something was different. Her usually cold and stoic eyes were filled with worry.

Seeing me wake up, she immediately pulled me into a hug. I was so surprised that I wasn't even able to react for a few moments.

Immediately, she pulled back with an embarrassed face. Maybe because of the fact that my chest was bare, wrapped in bandages.

Coughing awkwardly, she spoke, "Good to know you are okay. I will be outside if you need me. Do not, I repeat, do not try to strain your body right now. Understand?" She asked threateningly.

I nodded my head, not wishing to get Zoë mad at me. Satisfied, she walked out of the tent. I slowly got up and walked towards the table in the corner of the tent. Grabbing the pitcher of water, I drank half of it. The water rejuvenated some of my energy and sped up the healing of my broken ribs.

The rest half of the water I poured on my body. My body immediately soaked up the water, effectively drying my skin and energizing me.

Finally feeling refreshed, I started to look for my shirt. When I saw it, I wished I hadn't. It couldn't be classified a shirt anymore. My once blue colored shirt was now completely red. Also, it was torn up everywhere from the slashes that Artemis delivered on my body.

Wincing internally at the memory of our spar, I walked out of the tent, holding my bloodied shirt in my hand. Once outside, I nodded to Zoë, who nodded back and walked away, now sure that I was ok.

Moving further, I saw some hunters practicing archery in the archery range. They smirked when they saw me. But it wasn't the usual smug smirk they gave me. It now had a small sliver of respect in it.

In the end, I found Lady Artemis sitting by herself, petting a doe that was lying beside her. When she saw me, she immediately got to her feet. The doe got up along with it's mistress. Gazing at me for a moment, it took off into the other direction, towards the forest.

Artemis walked up to me and I was afraid she was gonna start raining hell upon me again. But to my immense surprise, she spoke, "I am sorry Percy. I realize that I went overboard in the spar. I did not need to inflict so many injuries on you, but I did it out of my anger. So, please forgive me."

This was something I had never expected. The man-hating goddess of the moon apologizing to me. I had always assumed that she was too proud to do so. But here she was, apologizing to me. I guess I judged her too quickly.

"No need for an apology, Lady Artemis. I think of you as a friend. And friends do not apologize to each other." I smiled at her.

She seemed shocked at my reply, but soon, a smile grazed her lips. Chuckling, she spoke, "You really are different Percy. From today, you are my friend. The only male friend of Artemis."

"It's an honour, milady." I spoke with a dip of my head as I was in no condition to bow right now.

"Hey, now. I may not be much accustomed to

the modern world, but I do know that friends never bow to each other. So, from today, you can call me Artemis. No need of these formalities. Think of it as an exchange for me calling you Percy."

I smiled and nodded my head. "Okay then. Artemis, can I ask a favour from you? Can we have a daily spar? I really feel that I need to improve my speed. And who better to train me than the fastest Olympian combatant?"

She seemed surprised that I wanted to spar with her even after the result of our last spar, but nodded nonetheless. "Very well, Percy. Be ready tomorrow at 7."

"Thanks Artemis." I spoke. She nodded and smiled at me.

Taking my leave, I walked to my tent and got out a shirt to wear. Once I was done, I started walking to the dining tent to prepare the Hunter's dinner.

All the while, I couldn't stop thinking about the three maidens that had wormed their way into my heart. Only two problems, the three were sworn maidens, and that how could I like three women???

That was morally wrong of me.

'What the fuck is wrong with me?' I screamed internally to myself. Little did I know that I would get my answers from the one person I least expected to be helpful.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

And wrap.

Whew. 10k words in just the chapter, excluding the A/N. The chapter itself is 10,660 words long.

Introduced the third girl in the harem. Our favourite goddess- Hestia. I personally like her the best out of all the immortals. What about you guys?

Also, Artemis and Zoë have started to warm up to Percy. And Percy is in a mental war with himself as he has started to like three girls. On one side, he likes them equally, but on the other side, he knows that it is morally wrong.

Now here we are. Guys, please do tell me what I should do with Sally. So far, I have two requests for her to be Percy's step-mom and six requests for adding her in the harem as a ninth girl.

For the number of girls in the harem. The results are:

five members- 8

four members- 12

three members- 1

eight members- 25

six members- 12

two members - 2

ten members - 1

seven members - 3

eleven members - 1

Now, this poll is officially closed. The final number is eight. But if I want, I may or may not add Sally as the ninth member.

The current standings of the poll for the members in the harem are:

Artemis- 71

Hestia- 67

Thalia - 52

Athena- 54

Zoë- 59

Calypso- 47

Nyx- 53

Reyna- 44

Aphrodite- 43

Annabeth- 21

Bianca- 18

Piper - 42

Hera- 25

Rhea- 16

Khione - 10

Gaia - 13

Hazel - 5

Bellona- 4

Rachel - 4

Nike- 2

Lupa- 8

Selene- 2

Clarisse- 2

Rhode- 4

Hylla - 1

Hecate- 3

Silena- 8

Leto - 2

Drew - 1

Hebe- 1

Kymopoleia- 1

Sally - 6

Vote fast if you want any changes. The final standings will be declared after i start writing his quest to find the master bolt. That is something like two chapters from now. The max number of girls in the harem are 7 or 8.

Current standings:

1_ Artemis- 71

2_ Hestia - 67

3_ Zoë - 59

4_ Athena - 54

5_ Nyx - 53

6_ Thalia - 52

7_ Calypso - 47

8_ Reyna - 44

Although the top four are definitely fixed by now, Reyna is in danger as Aphrodite is only one vote behind her and Piper is one vote less of Aphrodite.This poll will close after the next two chapters.So, vote fast.

Tried some Perestia fluff here. How was it? Please comment what you liked and what you disliked.