A/N: Hey everyone, finals have been much easier than expected. 2 down, 3 to go. Had lots of fun writing this chapter because it's a nice change of pace after several thousand words of fighting. Much harder to write, though, since it's so easy to get carried away with cool battle sequences. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy. Please review and let me know what you think.
Chapter 14: How Do You Ask Out a Goddess?
"Dead? She's a Titan. I thought gods, titans, and the rest couldn't die. Are you saying she faded? Or was she scattered and sent to Tartarus to reform?" Percy asked, rattled by Apollo's solemn statement.
The sun god shook his head sadly. Artemis looked at her twin in shock. She'd never heard anyone, let alone a god, describe a deity as 'dead.'
"Those other five that we fought, their souls were scattered. But they're alive. It may take them thousands of years in Tartarus after their brutal defeats, but they'll come back," Apollo began, his tone deadly serious as he processed what had happened.
"And fading is mostly a voluntary process for us. Such as when Helios and Selene bestowed their powers to my brother and I. They themselves faded, but a part of their soul lives on in us. The same goes for Pan and your satyr friend. In exceptionally rare cases, it could be possible to force a deity to fade but that is not what happened here," Artemis finished, addressing Percy.
"So what did happen, then?" Percy asked sorrowfully.
"He destroyed her soul," Apollo said with a stone face, "I could feel nothing when I touched her. It wasn't like a dead mortal body; it was like she hadn't ever been alive at all. I'd never even think that was possible."
Percy realized that this was a first for even the gods. Nobody had ever seen a dead deity before. They all realized, or very desperately hoped, that this must be a difficult process even for a primordial or else Erebus could've done the same to them before withdrawing. Nico arrived on the hill in silent understanding, kneeling next to the body as he muttered a prayer. Her body sunk into the ground to be buried. The group returned to camp after paying their respects for Mnemosyne's sacrifice.
(Line Break)
"… and I only JUST got done fixing them, man!"
The table erupted in laughter as Leo threw his hands in the air in frustration. He had finished complaining to his friends about the week it had taken to rebuild his dragons that were dented and melted by 'that glowing fire idiot.' Thalia clapped Percy on the back, causing him to almost spill his blue Cherry Coke.
"Speaking of 'glowing fire idiots', that new power of yours is really something, Perce," she said, making everyone chuckle.
"Yeah, dude. Way to steal my brand," Leo said, feigning annoyance. "Anyways, what are you going to call it?"
Percy laughed before he remembered he already knew the answer.
"Erebus called it the Hammer of Sol, and it's the third and final one of those powers from another universe. I asked Apollo about it before he left, but he told me hammers have nothing to do with him or Helios or Sol Invictus, Helios' Roman aspect. So I'm not really sure why it's called that but it sounds super cool," Percy said.
"Maybe the explanation is much simpler than we're thinking. What if this other universe's powers don't stem from a pantheon of gods with symbols, and it's just the way it is over there? Like that lightning fist you told us about, I doubt that has any connection to Zeus because he wouldn't want you to have it," It was Annabeth that spoke, and most of the table went quiet for a moment.
Everyone seated would've been lying if they said it hadn't been a little bit awkward watching Percy and Annabeth interact in the same group together again. They expected some amount of bad blood between them after everything that had happened. And they didn't want to take sides between their friends, because that would only lead to the entire group falling apart. They collectively let out a silent sigh of relief when Percy responded without missing a beat.
"Yeah, I think that makes the most sense, it's probably so different over there."
A week had passed since the battle over New Rome. The fallen demigods had been buried with their shrouds, and the limited damage to the camp and city had already been repaired. For the most part, life had returned to what would be considered normal for the Romans. Percy and Thalia were spending the day with their friends, who were all banned from War Games, while the hunters wiped the floor with segments of the 12th Legion.
They were waiting for Artemis to return from her meeting on Olympus, probably with a mission on where they were going next. The gang continued to chat about anything and everything, enjoying every second of the peace and quiet that had become so rare in their lives.
"We've got something big coming up kinda soon, don't we?" Leo asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Jason and Piper.
Jason grinned as Piper squealed in excitement. This was something that she had absolutely no shame in being a stereotypical daughter of Aphrodite about.
"Yes! Our wedding is just months away!" Piper exclaimed, turning to Annabeth.
"I know it's so soon and I definitely should've asked earlier, but would you be willing to be my maid of honor?" she asked hopefully.
"Gods, yes! I'd love to!" Annabeth answered excitedly as she wrapped her friend in a hug, "I promise I'll take care of everything so you don't have to," she said, hopping into her natural role as a daughter of Athena.
"Alright guys, we've all got our roles sorted, right? Leo's the best man, Percy, Frank, and Nico are groomsmen," Jason said, listing their names like an attendance sheet.
All four saluted in unison, mocking their professional orator. The girls at the table laughed as Jason turned red in embarrassment. Piper then turned to Thalia.
"I know we're not close or really know each other at all, but would you be willing to be one of my bridesmaids with Hazel, Reyna, and Calypso?" the daughter of Aphrodite asked.
"Are you kidding? For my little brother's wedding of course I would!" Thalia replied.
Piper hugged her as well and the group celebrated the incoming function, not noticing a flash of silver.
"You are ridding me of both my Lieutenant and Guardian; will I be given an invitation as well?"
Artemis appeared alongside the table, looking at the engaged couple with a straight face. The pair's eyes widened as the table fell silent.
"Oh. Y-yes, o-of course Lady Artemis. We'd be so honored if you came," Piper stuttered out and Jason nodded furiously.
"Good. Thalia, Perseus, come with me," the moon goddess instructed as she walked away from the group.
The duo excused themselves from the petrified demigods, stifling laughs as they followed Artemis outside of the dining hall. They caught up to her, out of earshot of their friends, and couldn't hold it in.
"Artemis, that was mean," Percy said as he composed himself.
Thalia continued to laugh as she tried to emulate the fear in her little brother's face. Artemis smirked at the duo before chuckling lightly.
"It is one of the harmless joys that comes with being a goddess. And anyways, I truly did want an invitation," she replied innocently.
"Any interesting news at the meeting, Milady?" Thalia asked after pulling herself together.
Artemis' face darkened at the question, and the demigods looked at her quizzically. She sighed.
"After Apollo and I recounted the battle, that damn Aphrodite of all gods had a thought that nearly split the council. She brought up the line of the prophecy, 'Stand against Darkness, die by the blade' and how Percy stabbed him with his Void Ether dagger, claiming that it 'killed' Erebus by forcing him to withdraw," she explained, exasperated.
Percy and Thalia shared identical expressions, looking at the goddess as if she were trying and failing to do simple addition.
"You both are making the same face I was for the rest of the meeting. Hephaestus, being her husband, agreed with her. Ares claimed her logic was sound. Demeter, ever the pacifist, decided to be hopeful and claim that part of the prophecy had passed. That drunkard Dionysus agreed so he wouldn't have to fight. Zeus and Hera abstained from the vote, and the other 6 of us agree that the dark one will return," she finished.
"They can't be serious. I've probably made fun of half the council for being a little dumb, but even they can't actually think that counts as killing him!" Percy exclaimed.
"I do not think they believe what they are saying. They are just afraid of what could happen, after hearing about soul destruction, and want to be done with this prophecy as soon as they can be," Artemis replied, eyeing Percy suspiciously about who was included in 'half the council.'
"I'm just glad my dad didn't vote for the worse side. But anyways, any news on what we're doing next?" Thalia asked.
Artemis seemed to perk up, hopefully signaling good news for them all.
"Yes. Even with the split council, we all have noticed a severe increase in monster activity over this week. The ones that believe Erebus is gone think it has to do with the next line of the prophecy, the ascension of Hell, with Tartarus allowing more monsters to return. The rest of us believe it is Erebus sending distractions as he plans his next attack. But regardless, our mission is simply to hunt," Artemis said, not even making an attempt to hide her excitement at the end.
Percy and Thalia grinned as well. Thalia was always in the mood to hunt more monsters, but Percy had other reasons.
"I'm just glad I get to spend more time with my new sisters and my girlfriend," he said nonchalantly.
Artemis raised an eyebrow in his direction as Thalia tried and failed to stifle another laugh.
"Okay, lovebird. I'll leave you to figure this one out yourself. Calling the maiden goddess your girlfriend," Thalia snickered to herself as she wandered back towards their friends.
After Thalia disappeared from view, Artemis turned to Percy with her arms crossed. He looked at her, slightly confused.
"Girlfriend?" she asked him.
"Oh. Are we- uh. Have I - uh - been seriously misreading things? Isn't this what we talked about in Apollo's infirmary on Olympus?" Percy questioned.
Artemis thought it was funny to mess with him like this, though it really had thrown her off to be referred to as a girlfriend. She wasn't sure how she felt about it, but it had led to a welcome opportunity to watch Percy squirm.
"I thought you modern mortals had a tradition: you males have to grovel in front of women, on those horrid dating apps or in strange settings like grocery stores and hope she agrees to go on a date with you. And only then can you ask them to be your girlfriend. I do not recall that date, Perseus," Artemis said.
"I'm not sure where you keep up with dating trends, but alright Arty," he replied, smirking as he stepped in as close as he could.
Percy took her hands in his and dropped to one knee, bowing his head. To make the moment even more dramatic than it already was, he extended his wings and draped them towards the ground.
"My beautiful Lady Artemis," he began in an overly breathy voice, making the goddess laugh, "would you do me the honor of a lifetime, and allow me to take you out on a date?"
Artemis rolled her eyes and smiled before accepting and asking where they would be going. Percy sighed contentedly as he stood up straight and sheathed his wings.
"Alcatraz Island," he said while smiling.
"That is quite romantic. Taking me somewhere we have been so many times already," she replied, though she didn't mind at all.
"Trust me, it won't be anything like the last times."
"Alright, Percy. Impress me."
(Line Break)
Percy touched down again in New Rome after sunset. He was giddy with excitement as he made his way towards Artemis' tent. The hunters had set up camp in the Fields of Mars instead of sleeping in a designated area of the demigod barracks. This worked out well for Percy, ensuring nobody besides the hunters could even have a chance of catching the two of them sneaking off. He came to a stop in front of her tent and cleared his throat.
He lifted the flap to enter and walked face-first into Thalia, who was on the way out. The two bumped heads and each took a step back. Thalia narrowed her eyes and looked him up and down. Percy stood awkwardly rubbing his forehead as she sized up his outfit.
"Fashionable untucked white dress shirt, nice black jeans. Not bad, Perce. Too bad Artemis still runs laps around you," Thalia said as she walked back towards her own tent.
"That doesn't surprise anyo–oh wow," Percy said as Artemis emerged from her tent.
She was wearing a slim, black puff-sleeve top and blue jeans. It was a casual outfit by most mortal date standards, but Percy thought she looked ethereal. Artemis felt a little uncomfortable, because she hadn't worn "normal" clothes in so long, but blushed when she saw the way Percy was looking at her.
"You look incredible, Artemis. Do you secretly have a bunch of date outfits stashed somewhere in your tent?" he asked and she laughed.
"No, Thalia is allowing me to borrow them for the evening but I'm glad you like it. You look very handsome, Percy," she said, and he sheepishly scratched his head.
"So, shall we go?" Artemis asked as she reached to touch his shoulder and flash them to the island.
"No teleporting," Percy answered quickly as he swept her off of her feet bridal-style and took off into the air.
Artemis let out a very non-goddess-like sound after being catapulted hundreds of feet into the air before they leveled out and flew towards the island.
"Don't do that again or I will turn you into a jackalope," Artemis warned after swatting his chest with the back of her hand.
"Sorry Artemis, but I'm taking you out on our first date. The only powers that are going to be used tonight are mine. Plus, we're already in Berkeley Hills; flying to the island takes barely five minutes," he replied.
The goddess relented and wrapped her arms around his neck as she admired the city lights from her vantage point.
"The view is beautiful from up here. I rarely drive my chariot myself now, I forget how colorful your cities look," she said.
"Yeah the view is beautiful," Percy answered quietly.
Artemis turned her head to see he was looking down at her. She smirked and grabbed his chin, turning his vision towards the city below them.
(Line Break)
The pair set down on the familiar beach just minutes later. In place of where they normally sat together, a small stretch of sand just along the shore, was a picnic blanket encircled by candles. Two plates and a basket filled with food decorated the center of the blanket.
"Percy, this is delightful," Artemis said earnestly as she sat down across from him.
"Come on, this is just the beginning," he said, pleased with her reaction.
Artemis turned behind her and noticed that each corner of the blanket was held down by a mason jar filled with red amaranth, her sacred flower. She plucked a few strains from the jar closest to her and just held them in her hands as she turned back to her date.
"This is very sweet, Percy," she said, gesturing with the flowers. "How did you know?"
"I prayed to Lady Hestia for help. I know we weren't supposed to tell anybody about us, but she somehow had a feeling from one look at me and I admitted it right before she adopted me," Percy replied sheepishly.
"If anyone on the council were to know, I am very glad it is Hestia. I will be sure to thank her next time I see her," the goddess replied.
"What else did she tell you?" Artemis asked as Percy reached into the basket.
He pulled out the goat dish he had made for the goddess during his first night as the Guardian of the Hunt. This time, the meat looked a little different, with almost a gold glow coming off of it. Artemis looked at it skeptically, but trusted Percy enough to know it would taste just as good as the last one. Percy pulled out a cheeseburger for himself, his favorite non-dessert food, followed by a plate of blue chocolate chip cookies, his favorite overall food, for them to share.
To answer her question, Percy urged the goddess to try the meat. She tentatively cut off a piece and took a bite. From the satisfied sounds Artemis was making, Percy knew he had followed Hestia's directions correctly.
"I grinded some ambrosia into a powder and used it to prepare the meat. A little trick Lady Hestia taught me," he explained.
"This is the best meal I have had in thousands of years," Artemis said appreciatively.
Percy smirked, warning her she'd change her mind after trying the chocolate chip cookies. The pair laughed as they dug into their food, Percy encouraging Artemis to take reasonable breaks between bites. They enjoyed each other's company for the next hour or two, their conversations unburdening their shoulders from the stress of the looming war.
(Line Break)
"Percy, what is that?" Artemis asked, her head resting on his shoulder as she pointed out towards the sea.
Percy assumed she was referring to the shining circle that he had shown her the first time they were here together. Still, all he knew about it was that it floated in a fixed spot about a hundred feet out in the ocean, and that it had some meaningful connection to his dad because of the way it made Percy feel. He and Artemis looked at it a lot when they came here together, dubbing it a Sea Jewel, but neither felt the need to investigate it further to keep up the mystery.
"I only know as much as you do, Arty. It's some circular rock that makes me feel closer to my dad," he replied.
"No, not the Sea Jewel. Look at how bright the ocean is."
It had been hours since the sun had set. The beach was enveloped in the comforting silence of night, only lit by the radiant reflection of the moon. But not even a dozen feet past the shore, the ocean looked ablaze. Percy smiled knowingly as he offered his hand to Artemis. She looked at him curiously as he led her into the water until it leveled at her waist. She looked down into the expanse of ocean and drew a sharp breath.
"Did you do this yourself?" she asked, stunned, and Percy laughed.
"No, I'm just surrounded by really talented friends. Leo quickly built them for me after I made him promise to not ask why. I just stuck them down there, " he replied.
Just feet ahead of them, if they continued walking deeper into the water, stood two columns of greek fire contained in separate, nearly transparent structures. Behind the first two stood rows upon rows more, painting an underwater path to walk between the columns. The fires burned brightly, illuminating the colorful marine ecosystem around them. Percy still held onto her hand and took another step forward, but Artemis resisted slightly.
"Percy, I cannot come down there with you," she said, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Is this because of Zeus and Poseidon? Before my dad was, uh, taken, they were being pretty nice to each other. I don't think they'd hurt either of us for this," he replied assuredly.
"I agree, but that is not why," Artemis said apprehensively. "For the thousands of years before they recently became kinder to each other, Zeus made all of his children promise to never enter the waters, out of the fear that Poseidon would destroy them. We all abided by his rule, and because of it, I do not know how to swim," she finished, embarrassed.
"That's alright, Artemis. Just trust me," he said, his eyes not leaving hers as he walked backwards into the ocean.
Artemis steeled her nerves and followed, the water rising to her chest, then chin, then mouth.
"I promise I won't let anything happen to you. And besides, you're you. Even if you were thrown into the deep end, you'd be out 5 minutes later moving like Michael Phelps," he said, hoping to encourage her.
She cocked her head, not recognizing the name, which left Percy dumbfounded.
"Greatest swimmer of all time? 23 gold medals? Anyways, nevermind, you'd come out a very good swimmer," Percy shook his head as he took another step backwards, submerging the goddess.
Artemis' body tensed when she could no longer breathe, her legs instinctively wanting to kick upwards towards open air. The only thing that kept her calm was that Percy never stopped holding her gaze, lowering his head to submerge at the same time as her. He closed his eyes for a moment and a thin lining appeared around the pair.
"Breathe," Percy said.
Artemis inhaled extremely lightly, testing out what she assumed was an air pocket. Her lungs filled with oxygen and the tension left her body. They each had their own outline of an air pocket, connected by a small tether. She knew Percy could breathe underwater just fine without it, and appreciated that he was only in the same boat to make her comfortable. They began their walk between the columns, Artemis' head turning sporadically as she took in an environment she had never seen before.
Schools of fish darted around and past them, snaking between the columns as they swam with no destination in mind. The jagged sea wall sloped downwards with them as they traversed deeper into the ocean. Artemis was mesmerized by the colorful formations underneath the rocks. Percy said they were called rhodoliths, but he also preferred saying 'colorful rocks.' Just a hundred feet out from shore, Artemis had already fallen in love with the world under the ocean.
Above the pair, Artemis felt something warmly calling to her. She looked up to find that they were directly below their Sea Jewel. She released Percy's hand and drifted upwards towards it, the air pocket allowing her to move freely. He watched her float towards it as the tether of air connecting them stretched further. Artemis didn't make it halfway when the connecting line severed, dissolving her air pocket.
Panic overtook her body when the freezing water doused her from all sides. She clamped her mouth shut to ensure she didn't breathe in. Artemis shifted back towards Percy and kicked against the water. Her powerful legs forced her downwards, regardless of her lack of form. Percy was already torpedoing towards her, his arms outstretched to form another pocket. They collided less than a second later, but before Percy could make a barrier for her, Artemis grabbed his face and crashed her lips on his.
Percy wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer as she breathed in his air. In response, his own pocket extended and enveloped the pair in its outline, no separating tether between them. They pulled apart and noticed their newly extended bubble.
"Oh, I didn't know it worked like that," Percy said, grinning like an idiot while he willed her dry.
They floated together in open water, the sea only dimly lit by the path they had strayed away from, and the hints of moonlight that had ventured into the ocean. They stared at each other for a few moments longer before Percy took a deep breath.
"Artemis, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked.
She laughed, remembering what she had told him about how mortal dating was supposed to work.
"Yes, I will."
They kissed again, neither of them noticing the Sea Jewel above shining brightly in response.
A/N: Did a little bit of research and was sad to find out there are no corals on the west coast, so I had to trash that description and find out what rhodoliths were instead. Anyways, slower chapter this time because I think a solid few too many stories gloss over the relationship aspect of them and immediately make them fall in love. It's been a month or something in-world, which just is not enough time to make it feel satisfying to me so I'm sorry if it feels slow. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and thought the relationship development felt natural. This is my first real attempt at writing something like this, please let me know what works and what doesn't. Thanks!
Kyt Lestrange: Hello again! Thank you for the new chapter :) and thank you for answering my review :) And oh dearie my! My heart stopped at the end. You're leaving us hanging there. I'm loving your story. There is a much darker tone to it (that was underlying in the original materials). And I aslo love your use of the Greco-Roman mythology and the way you incorporate the deities in your story. Good luck on your finals and can't wait for the next chapter. Kyt.
Thank you so much for the kind words. It was actually your review that spurred me into getting an early start on this chapter after I had finished studying for the night. I think a villain like Erebus requires a darker tone (get it) to really feel threatening against our heroes. But I still want the interactions between characters to feel lighthearted and even heartwarming to the readers, because that's one of my favorite parts of the original series that I want to do my best to emulate. I love doing little bits of searching to be accurate in my descriptions of these deities, and thank you for noticing. Hope you enjoyed this chapter too.
BlueRiptide15: Honestly didnt expect this to turn into a PJxDestiny fanfic. The powers were from another universe that beat Erebus which means that Erebus must be the Winnower(Darkness). Will you be including Strand in the story once it releases into D2.
I actually have played almost none of the Destiny story following The Taken King on D1. Besides from some multiplayer in D2, I know next to nothing about the story haha. But yes, Erebus is supposed to be "The Darkness" and you can imagine Oryx as one of his agents in that world. I don't know who the Winnower or Strand are, but I'm going to go watch a video to catch up on the new game's lore because I'm curious now. I'm almost certain the total extent of this crossover will be Percy's 3 "supers" and nothing else because I just think they're very cool powers. Hope this helped :)
