Percy PoV
Artemis was silent for a long time when we returned from the meeting.I took her hands. "Dear, I can refuse to go on the mission. There are plenty of other gods capable of fighting."
"No," she replied. "You need to go down to Tartarus and eliminate the threat. I just don't understand why Aphrodite is the one that's supposed to accompany you."
"You know I would never cheat on you," I remarked, trying to make her feel better. "Besides, it's not like any of her love magic is going to work down there anyway."
My girlfriend sighed and allowed me to take her into my arms. "I know. It's just, the mission could last for months, and I don't want to not see you for that long."
"I'll make it up to you when I get back," I assured. "Though I guess I'll have a lot of making up to do if I miss our six month anniversary."
I tucked her hair behind her ear and gave her a quick kiss to the nose. "Do you want to help me pack?"
She nodded. "I have an enchanted pack that you can use. Its enchantment allows you to pack a lot more stuff in there."
I decided to only pack a couple of sets of clothing since they would take up space and I could wash them easily with my powers over water.
I also packed a couple of chest plates, an extra helmet, two sleeping bags, and lots of water.
There was, of course, also nectar, ambrosia, other basic foods, and weapons.
Artemis tucked a picture of us looking happy together into the front of the pack.
The doorbell rang, which for some reason seemed to startle her.
"Relax, dear," I said soothingly. "It's probably just Hephaestus delivering the favour he owed me."
I answered the door to find that it was, in fact, Hephaestus.
The god handed me the two bracelets and disappeared, likely to work on his next project.
"What are those?" Artemis asked, peering over my shoulder at the thin metal bands.
"The favour Hephaestus owed me," I replied. "Enchanted bracelets. They'll make it so we can communicate regardless of location, which includes Tartarus."
She kissed me lightly on the cheek and hugged me from behind.
I took her hand and slipped one of the bracelets on it. The metal band shrunk to fit snugly around her wrist.
I put on the other bracelet and watched it do the same thing.
My girlfriend turned me around to face her and stood up on her toes to kiss me lightly on the lips.
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer, deepening then kiss.
She moaned softly and grabbed my face, hoping it would win her the battle for dominance in the kiss.
When I broke away to take a breath, she looked me in the eye. "Make sure you come back in one piece, alright?"
I nodded. "I love you, Artemis, and I will come back to you. I'm immortal now, so if I get killed it'll only take a little bit longer."
"You should've just stuck with the I love you, part," she remarked. "I love you too. Now get going before I change my mind and accept your offer to stay and have someone else go."
I smiled and sighed.
With that, I appeared in the council room, where Hades was waiting for Aphrodite and l.
The god of the underworld cleared his throat. "I happen to be quite fond of Artemis. If you hurt her, rest assured I will send my furies after you."
