AN: As many of you are well aware, this is one of Fanofthehunt's books. I do not claim that I own it. Nor am I Uncle Rick, meaning that I do not own PJO/HOO.Since Fanofthehunt's account got deleted, I took the liberty, and the duty, of being the saviour of all the Pertemis fans. Which means that I carefully preserved, and will be republishing several, though not all, of her books.So, read on, and welcome to Acceptance, by Fanofthehunt, TheSonofTartarus77 republished edition.

Artemis PoV

I sighed, wiping off the small amount of makeup Aphrodite had insisted I wear to the ball.

My hunters had grudgingly accepted my father's decree, swearing not to kill whichever male had taken my hand in marriage by the end of the night.

Father had promised to never force me into marriage, and of course, he couldn't follow through.

Resigning myself to my fate, I pushed open the door, faced with every other unmarried immortal that resided within Olympus.

After the recent wars, more and more of my peers, comrades, and even enemies within Olympus had faded, but none were reproducing.

Anyone who had been around before the wars could see the difference.

During gatherings, attendees had more elbow room. During festivals, the streets were less crowded.

It was almost as though a blanket of dread had been laid out over Olympus.

Leaving my thoughts, I pushed away the male attempting to court me.

I vaguely remembered him as a son of Aphrodite.

Noticing a passing tray, I snagged one of the wine glasses.

Likely the first of many to be had that night.

After seeing the group of suitors preparing to court me, I downed the glass and set it on another passing tray, looking to find my sister, Athena.

I found her captivated, enraptured even, by one of the wittier minor gods of the third or fourth generation.

Zachariah, I think.

Turning away, I found myself encircled by several eager suitors.

A dark-haired man with a sharp jaw and green eyes whom even I had to admit was handsome caught my eye.

He seemed familiar, though I couldn't quite place him.

The man took a small step forward and paused.

I nodded slightly, and he continued forward, grabbing two glasses off a passing tray.

Before another suitor could approach me, the handsome man had arrived, offering a drink.

Accepting the alcohol, I moved farther from the horde of males.

"I know I shouldn't be happy to see someone else uncomfortable during a social event," he started. "But it's nice to know I'm not the only one who dislikes the nature of it."

I nodded. "Father believes that as long as there are gods, the era will not die out. He'll do anything to stay in power, even if it means breaking promises made to his favourite children."

"Oh," he mumbled. "Right. Good evening, Lady Artemis."

"I much prefer being referred to as Artemis," I interjected. "Formalities lose their meaning after the first century or two."

"Alright," the man replied. "I'm Perseus Jackson, but everyone calls me Percy."

"Perseus," I repeated, watching him shiver at my usage of his name. "Are you no longer dating the daughter of Athena?"

"I'm not," he replied. "Annabeth accepted an architecture job down in California, but my mother is getting older, so I'm afraid something will happen if I leave Manhattan."

"So you opted out of a long-distance relationship?" I questioned.

"No," the hero remarked. "She gave me a choice between her and my mother."

I nodded at his selflessness.

We placed our now empty glasses on a passing tray and Perseus offered his hand. "It's getting late, so I suppose now is when I ask for your hand in marriage after half an hour of conversation and we dance until you've made your decision."

"And what if I've already made my decision?" I asked, placing my hand in his.

The man took my waist-something I had never allowed any to do-and pulled me close. "Then I suppose you should tell me."

I inhaled sharply, feeling a primal instinct awaken inside me. "Yes, Perseus. You happen to be one of the few men here on Olympus I hold some respect for."

His smile made my stomach churn, and he slipped a gorgeous ring onto my finger.

Somehow, the man had managed to design a sleek ring that had no jewels and was in no way interfering with my ability to hunt.

It was a simple band, but he had somehow mixed Olympian silver, celestial bronze, imperial gold, and what I believed to be Stygian iron into one design.

We made our way to the certification station, where Hera waited with a surprised look.

She cleared her throat. "Which place of residence will you be staying at?"

"Mine," I replied. "And I accept his last name as my own."

With the minimal amount of work required completed, I took my new husband's hand.

"Incredible," he breathed as we appeared at my palace. "I've never seen anything like it."

The only thing in my mind was how the man continued to hold my hand.

"Oh!" Peruses exclaimed, pulling his hand away. "Before I forget, what boundaries do you have? I'm a very cuddly person, so it's important to establish those early on."

"I'm not sure what my boundaries are with you," I replied honestly. "I always push men away, but I find myself attracted to you, and I don't know what I'm comfortable with."

"We can go slow," he offered. "I just hope you're okay with hugs."

Closing my eyes, I wrapped my arms around his chest and sighed contently, feeling myself being embraced.

"Perseus," I addressed. "Thank you for approaching me when you did. I'm a powerful goddess, and I can handle my own protection, but against a group that large..."

"You think they would've hurt you in such a public place?" He asked.

"I'm not sure," I replied. "Several of them were stupid enough to attempt capturing one of my hunters while less than a hundred feet from the camp."

My husband sighed. "When am I supposed to get the shovel talk from a bunch of girls that know all the ways to castrate me?"

I couldn't help but laugh at this. "Now, if you want to get it over with."

With a snap of my fingers, we were both in much more casual clothing.

He released me from the hug, and we appeared at my hunters' campsite.

It was late, so the younger girls were already sleeping.

My elder hunters, however, were very awake.

They wielded knives well, which seemed to unsettle my husband.

"Girls," I addressed. "This is my husband, Perseus. I know you would rather have me unmarried, and in that sense, he was the least of all evils considering who was in attendance."

Thalia stood and walked over, embracing him. "Long time no see, Perce."

He smiled softly. "Sorry I haven't visited. My mom's getting older, and I don't want to leave her for long periods of time."

"I get it," my lieutenant replied, sitting back down. "Family is important."

My husband nodded, standing awkwardly as I began to converse with my hunters.

Percy PoV

"I'm not tired yet," Artemis announced, appearing back in the palace. "What would you like to do?"

"Well," I started. "We never did make it to the dancing part."

She smiled, pulling me toward the hall that connected her bedroom and the living room.

I held her close, and we began swaying to the music that seemed to be coming out of the walls.

My wife rested her head on my chest, closing her eyes.

I noticed how her movements slowed, and eventually stopped completely.

She was asleep.

Gently, I hoisted her into my arms and carried her into her bedroom, tucking her in.

As I was leaving, I felt someone looking at me and found that it was Artemis.

I closed the door and walked back over, kneeling to face her. "Would you like me to sleep here?"

She nodded, and I slipped into bed next to my wife, finding that she enjoyed my hugs.