Chapter Three
The Phlegathon river really deserved an MVP award. Seriously. It was the only reason Percy was still alive. He had been walking for hours. Blisters covered his skin, and his lungs felt like they were on fire. The air in Tartarus was extremely poisonous. Luckily, the Phlegathon seemed to combat it very well, but only for a limited time. He was very glad he decided to stick by it.
He didn't know where he was going, only following the river. Maybe walking in a direction with no clear goal in mind wasn't that great of an idea.
While the river quenched his thirst, it didn't do anything for his hunger. Actually, it didn't even really quench his thirst. His stomach rumbled. He wondered how long it had been since he last ate. How long had he fallen for? 2 days, 3 maybe?
Percy looked around. Maybe he could kill something and it. Monsters didn't turn to dust in Tartarus, instead leaving behind a physical corpse. There was nothing in his vicinity. He quessed he could have another drink of fire, but he knew that it wouldn't help. He would pass out from hunger soon.
He continued his journey. He would see how far he could get. Would the great Percy Jackson make out, or would he succumb to hunger?
Apparently, it was the latter, since he fell to the ground a couple of hours later. His eyes closed. He felt the ground rumble beneath him. He managed the strength to open his eyes a final time to see a massive figure walking towards him.
Each foot was the size of a coffin. They were clad in boots that looked to be made of stygian iron. The figure's legs were bare up until leather covered its groin. Its skin was gray, looking like a zombie. That was all Percy could see though, before exhaustion made him close his eyes.
Before he went unconscious, a voice spoke. It was deep, like thunder itself had a voice. "Yes, you'll do very well."
LINE BREAK
Percy woke up in a nice office. His head was resting on a desk. Percy lifted his head up and looked around. The office was nice, but also kind of barren. Besides the desk and chairs, nothing took up space in the room. What made the office nice was the wooden walls and floor. A fireplace sat in one of the walls, keeping the room warm.
The door to the office opened and a figure came inside. It shut the door behind itself. It turned around and Percy grasped the knife that was strapped to his side. The figure was Tartarus, the Primordial, in a physical form. The same one he and Annabeth had faced last time he was here. The one who had given him the mark that was on his chest. Though he was smaller, around the same height as a tall human.
"You're awake. That's good." Tartarus said. He sat down on the other side of the desk. "Didn't know if you were going to make it."
"What do you want with me?" Percy asked. He unsheathed the blade but kept it under the desk.
"You can put the knife away. I'm on your side here. I'm here to help you."
"You tried to kill me last time I was here. So sorry if I'm a bit untrusting of you."
Tartarus waved his hand good-naturedly. "Of course. You have every right. But you must know, what happened last time, I wasn't myself. Gaia, she poisoned my mind, controlling me. She made me attack you. I didn't want to, but she practically mind controlled me. It wasn't my fault."
"So what, I'm just supposed to forgive you?"
"It wasn't my fault."
"You already said that." Percy's grip tightened on the knife. "So tell me, what is it that you want?"
"More like, what is it that you want?" Tartarus said. "Don't bother asking, I already know what it is. You want freedom. You want to leave this place and get back to your life on the surface world."
"And, what, can you just what, snap your fingers and poof, I'm on the surface?" Percy asked sarcastically.
Tartarus chuckled. "No, no." He waved his hand and a slip of paper appeared in his hand. He placed it on the desk. On it read the words 'Ticket for One: Train Out Of Tartarus'. "I can give you this and you'll be out of here in no time."
"And you're just going to give it to me?"
"No, of course not."
'Yeah, when would that ever happen.' Percy thought. "So what am I supposed to do to get it then?"
"Why, you have to win it of course!" Tartarus smiled sadistically. "I'm having a tournament. You win, you get the ticket, you get out of here." Percy was silent. "I'll sweeten the deal. You need shelter, along with food and water. I can provide all of that. I'll even let you breathe the air without it harming you."
"The deal is too good to be true. What's the catch?" Percy asked.
"Besides the fact that you could die? Nothing. So tell me, do we have a deal?"
Percy's gut was telling him that something was off. He shouldn't trust the Primordial. But his brain was telling him to take the deal. It was a good offer. He was practically being given everything he wanted, with the cost of fighting, but he would be doing that anyway. So what was there to lose?
Percy held out his hand. "I guess we do."
Tartarus shook his hand. "I'm glad. I'm very glad."
LINE BREAK
Artemis sat by a lake. A few days had passed since Percy had been cast into Tartarus. She was with the Hunters, hunting for a monster nest. The Hunters were setting up camp, so Artemis was sitting by a lake. She watched as fish swam around, going about their day, no cares in the world.
She could almost smell the sea, the scent of Percy. He would love to see the lake she saw. He would talk to the fish, gathering their name and other information. Then he'd relay it to her. She found it funny when she could only hear half of the conversation.
She found herself missing the days when they would sit by bodies of water. Back before everything went to shit. Back before Annabeth.
Before the quest into the labyrinth, when Percy was still in school, he would often go to Central Park. It was always after dark, when the moon was up. He would sit by some body of water and do his homework. Well, he was supposed to be doing it, and sometimes he did, but most of the time he was talking to the fish.
Artemis would watch over him from her chariot as she drove the moon across the sky. Just to make sure he was safe. You know, couldn't have the potential prophecy child dying now, could she? Yeah, that's why she was watching him.
But one day, after watching over him for weeks, she decided that she would see what he was doing up close. She was never one to use the autopilot on her chariot, unlike her brother, but she figured she could use it just this once. What was the worst that could happen?
She pressed the autopilot button and flashed down to the ground. She landed a couple of yards away from him. Better to walk up to him than just popping out of nowhere. She subconciously shifted to her 14 year old form, the same age as him. Not that she knew she changed her form.
She walked up to him. She paused when she saw him. It looked like it was one of the nights where he was trying to do his homework. One look and she saw that it was math, specifically geometry. Maybe even trigonometry, based on the usage of sines. Percy was working on a problem, writing down numbers as he worked it out.
Artemis silently sat down next to him. The sounds of nature were relaxing to her. Maybe to him too, based on how carefree he looked. His pencil stopped moving as he completed the problem. "That's probably wrong." He muttered to himself.
Artemis looked over his shoulder. "You forgot to carry the two there." She said, pointing at his mistake.
"Thanks Artemis." Percy said before correcting it. He started the math over again, doing it correctly this time, coming to an answer that was much more believable. Then he paused. "Wait, Artemis?"
He turned to face the moon goddess. "What are you doing here?"
"I see you out here almost every night. So I decided to see what all the fuss was about."
"So, you've been watching me?"
"Yes, Perseus, I've been watching you."
"Why, am I just too good looking not to?" Percy said with a smile.
Artemis narrowed her eyes. "I'll smite you for that."
Percy's smile instantly faded. "Sorry, I was just joking." He looked down to the lake.
Artemis bumped his shoulder with hers. "So was I. No need to look so downtrodden. I have a sense of humor, you know."
"Well, the myths never really convey that."
Artemis rolled her eyes. "What do the myths convey? Every story has multiple sides, which is why they never agree. Better get a hands-on experience, I say."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"You never answered my question. What are you doing out here?"
Percy was silent. "I like the sky here. It's not as polluted by the light. Not by much, but you're able to see the stars."
Artemis looked up. Sure enough, he was telling the truth. While she knew of better spots, this was better than what most of the mortals saw.
"Do you trust me?" She asked him.
"Yeah. You're better than most of the Gods I've met."
"Grab my hand." She said, holding it out.
He did as she asked. She blushed as he did so. His hand was calloused from the couple of years he had been sword fighting, but it was also soft. It fit perfectly in her hand. "Close your eyes." She whispered. He did so.
She flashed him away. They reappeared at the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. The forest spanned behind them. The moon shone brightly, along with the stars. "You can open now." She told him.
He opened his eyes and let out a breath. The night sky was beautiful. It was like looking at the galaxy. Each star sparkled.
"Do you like it?" She asked him.
"Artemis, it's beautiful. Especially the moon." He said. He was blown away.
Artemis blushed at his words. Gods, what was happening to her? She was blushing like a schoolgirl at a simple compliment. She was allowing him to touch her, and she was... matching his age? She didn't know she was doing that.
She turned to look at him. He looked so handsome in the moonlight. His tan skin glowed. She looked down at his lips, before going back to his eyes.
She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Artemis?" He questioned. "Not that I don't like this but-"
"Shh. Just enjoy the sky." She said, eyes trained on the sky.
Percy shut up. They sat there in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the beautiful night sky and each other's company.
Artemis looked at Percy as he looked at her. An understanding passed between them. She leaned in, as did he. Just as his lips were about to touch hers, he found himself back in his room in his apartment.
Artemis reappeared in her palace, hyperventilating. She was about to kiss him. What the hell was she thinking?! She was a maiden goddess, forever sworn to be alone. Why was she feeling like this?
That was the end of that night, a bitter way to end a sweet night.
Artemis liked that memory, at least until the end. Instead of berating herself for almost kissing him, she berated herself for not doing it. She should've done it.
It was now one of her biggest regrets.
