Percy PoV
Artemis bit her lip again.I kissed her forehead. "None of what he said was true."
"I know," she murmured quietly. "Apollo is my twin brother. He's my baby brother. I'm supposed to protect him, and he's supposed to look after me too. But those things he said...he knew they would hurt me, and he said them anyway. All because I had a boyfriend."
"I'll leave, if that's what you want," I
mumbled quietly.
"Oh," Artemis sighed, shaking her head. "It's not your fault. Nobody ever changes on Olympus. They're just afraid."
I looked at her, confused.
Her lips moved to my ear. "Percy, I don't want you to leave. You mean a lot to me, and everything is so much better with you around."
Artemis sat up in my lap, kissing me softly on the lips.
The kiss was wet.
Like she was crying.
I pulled back, wiping the tears away.
Artemis turned away, trying to hide her tears.
I held her close, kissing the top of her head. "It's okay to cry, Artemis. Just let me be your strength."
As she cried into my chest, the doorbell rang. "You should get that," she murmured.
"You're more important than a damned doorbell," I replied.
"I'll answer it then," Artemis snapped, suddenly angry.
Women were confusing sometimes.
I answered the door, finding the visitor to be none other than Apollo.
"Mason," The Olympian greeted curtly. "I need to speak to my sister."
"No," I denied. "You do not need to speak to Artemis."
"I need to apologize!" The god exclaimed.
"You hurt her," I stated bluntly. "What you said was untrue, but it hurt her badly. Apollo, you made your older sister cry. You're supposed to care for and protect her, not go stomping all over her emotions."
"Which is why I need to tell her I'm sorry!" Apollo yelled.
"You'll only upset her more, Apollo," I explained.
There was a pattering of feet from behind me. "Mason? Who is it?"
"Artemis!" Apollo called. "It's me. I wanted to say sorry for my actions last night."
Artemis stepped behind me, as though hiding.
Her eyes began to water. "You know what would happen when you said those things, Apollo. You knew exactly how much it would hurt if you said those things, but you did it anyway. You thought of what would hurt me most and did that."
"But I-" the god was cut off by the door being slammed shut.
I brought Artemis back to bed, stroking her hair as she cried into my chest.
I murmured sweet nothings, holding my girlfriend close.
"A council meeting was called," Artemis whispered. "He'll be there."
"You don't have to go," I assured her. Artemis nodded, closing her eyes.
Sometime later, there was another ring on the doorbell. "I'll get it. You stay here, alright?"
Artemis curled up under the blanket, Arnold resting at the foot of the bed.
I opened the door, finding Athena in wait.
"Lady Athena," I greeted. "What brings you here?"
"Artemis isn't at the council meeting," Athena replied. "I assume this is your doing?"
I shook my head. "Apollo said some hurtful things to Artemis. She doesn't want to see him."
"I need to see her," Athena demanded.
"Artemis!" I called. "Athena's here!"
I let her in and closed the door, showing her to the couch.
I hurried back to the master bedroom, finding Artemis slowly getting into motion.
I slipped one of my hoodies over her head, and she clung to me as we went back out to the living room.
Artemis saw her sister and detached herself from me, hugging Athena.
"What did Apollo say?" Athena asked.
"A lot of things," Artemis whispered. "He called me all sorts of names. He said I was a whore, and many other things like that. He said I changed, and he didn't know who I was anymore. He said I was a traitor to Olympus. He said I was a bad sister."
With that, Artemis retreated to my arms. "Go ahead and tell the council that's why I'm not there. I don't want to see Apollo."
Athena nodded and left.
"Would going out for a walk make you feel better?" I asked.
"I don't feel like walking around Olympus," Artemis murmured.
"I was thinking more of something like Paris," I replied.
She kissed my cheek and nodded.
We appeared on a bridge with a stunning view.
Artemis blushed and smiled. "You look like yourself again."
I pecked her lips. "I thought it wouldn't be right to wear a mask on a date."
I purchased two tickets for a Ferris wheel ride, and we relaxed in the spinning metal contraption.
Okay, that sounded weird.
I leaned over and kissed Artemis softly on the lips.
Her arms went around my neck, and we made out until the ride was over.
After that, we explored the city until deciding it was time for dinner.
We had some nice steak and potatoes for dinner and headed over to the last stop.
I covered my girlfriend's eyes, telling her it was a surprise.
We appeared at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I booked it so we were the only ones up here.
It was nighttime, and the city lights made for an incredible view.
Artemis pulled my hands down, gasping at the view. "It's incredible."
I smiled, kissing her cheek.
We stood in comfortable silence for a while. Artemis was at the railing, trying to get a better look at things. I was close behind her, my hands on the railing on either side of her.
A firefly landed in her hand, and she watched it fly off.
More and more of the little bugs flew by, and they condensed to form a message.
"I love you," Artemis read.
"I love you too," I murmured.
Artemis turned to face me. "You love me?"
"I love you," I clarified, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "My beautiful goddess."
"I love you too," Artemis whispered, pressing her lips to mine.
I responded with passion, smiling into the kiss as I felt one of her hands running through my hair, the other on my shoulder.
Artemis pulled away, resting her forehead against mine. "Wanna go home?" I asked.
She nodded, and we appeared back in my cave in the Himalayas.
Artemis smiled, feeling Arnold muzzle her leg.
I led Artemis back to the bedroom, and we spent the night kissing and cuddling.
After we got ready for bed, Artemis curled up on my chest, kissing me goodnight.
When I woke up in the morning, Artemis was asleep on my chest.
I woke her with a kiss on the lips, smiling goofily as she woke up.
"Good morning, love," I greeted.
"Why do you have to be so sweet?" Artemis asked, pecking my lips.
I placed a hand over my heart in mock offence. "I'm only sweet?"
"You're also hot, sexy, and attractive, but you were being sweet," Artemis explained.
I leaned over and kissed my girlfriend passionately.
She grasped at my shirt as I kissed her, and she seemed kind of dazed when I pulled away. "Like my kisses?" I asked.
Artemis blushed and nodded. "They're gentle and loving. Like you."
I kissed her again, holding her close.
Artemis snuggled into my chest. "I want to stay here forever."
"Me too," I replied.
