Artemis PoV
I awoke early in the morning, wrapped around my husband.He groaned in protest when I roused him, but my lips on his brought silence quickly.
"Artemis," he grumbled in a raspy morning voice. "Mornings are meant for sleeping."
"And making breakfast for my hunters so they'll like you," I reminded, kissing my lover's cheek.
He sat up pulling me into his lap.
My husband took my face into his hands, and mine came to rest lazily on his shoulders as he kissed me.
It was always spectacular, getting lost in the bliss that was his kisses.
He was warm, sweet, and soft, yet powerful and dominating at the same time.
"Perseus..." I murmured breathlessly as he pulled away. The man pecked my lips. "I got the feeling your hunters wouldn't appreciate me doing that in front of them."
"Probably not," I agreed, getting out of bed.
He sighed, doing the same.
As I clothed myself, I felt his gaze on me again.
I bit my lip and pushed the thought aside, knowing that being in such a mood while with my hunters was never good.
My husband took my waist. "Ready to go?" I kissed his cheek. "Yeah."
We appeared in the kitchen area of my hunters' campsite, which was conveniently positioned to give us privacy.
"So, what do they like to eat for breakfast?" He asked, getting out several pans, bowls, and plates.
I chucked. "They like everything, Perseus. I can help you with cutting fruit, but that alone will take quite a bit of time."
He turned on the stove and set to work on the five different kinds of eggs he would be making.
I speared the last piece of fruit with the kebab stick, setting it on the rack with the others.
My husband kissed my cheek, giving me a quick hug before the hunters began to rise. "Thank you for letting me do this."
I smiled, stepping back slightly as I heard the approaching footsteps of my followers.
"Lady Artemis," Thalia greeted. "What's all this?"
"Perseus wanted to do something nice for you all," I explained, glancing over at him.
While my elder hunters sat down to eat with me, the much younger ones decided they wanted to play with my giant of a husband.
As I dug into my waffle, I watched his gentle interaction with the younger hunters and tried to hide my smile.
He would make a great father, and I was certain about that, but it didn't seem like the right time to become pregnant. The man sat down next to me, snagging a bite of my waffle as my hunters left to prepare for the hunt.
"Where are they going?" He asked.
"Perseus, we're going to eliminate another monster nest," I explained. "I am taking all but my youngest hunters with me."
He glanced around quickly, making sure none of the elder hunters was around before he kissed my cheek. "Be safe."
"I will," I replied, pushing my unfinished waffle toward him.
With that done, I made my way to my tent and began to prepare.
After zipping up the flap to my tent, I changed into clothes more appropriate for hunting.
Then, I slipped on my perfectly shaped hunting boots and slung my quiver over my shoulder, grabbing my bow.
I unzipped the tent flap and whistled for the wolves, watching as they bounced out from the forest to meet me.
My hunters gathered, and I went over the plan one last time before we executed it.
Percy PoV
Ayesha, a little four-year-old with the gift of clear sight was asleep on my shoulder after I had calmed her from a nightmare.
The other young huntresses were sleeping, and nobody else had returned.
I caught movement in the corner of my eye, and a few moments later I saw injured hunters helping one another back to the camp.
"Where's Lady Artemis?" I asked Naya, handing Ayesha to her.
"She stayed with the other hunters who weren't incapacitated," the huntress explained. "They'll be back soon."
I nodded, sitting down at one of the dining tables and muttering healing spells in Greek.
Soon turned out to be less than ten minutes, because the remaining hunters appeared with my wife in the centre of the camp. "Join hands! They have reinforcements, and they're coming for the camp!"
The hunters scrambled into position, and everything appeared in bags or disappeared.
We appeared in Camp Jupiter, and I had to catch Artemis to prevent her from falling face-first into a pile of elephant dung on the Field of Mars.
"I'll bring her home," I told Thalia, who had taken charge. "She hasn't been giving herself enough time to rest after using massive amounts of power, so it might be a little while."
My wife did her best to cling to me, lacking the energy to stand on her own, much less care about her reputation.
We appeared back at her palace, and I sat her down in a large, comfortable chair.
I kneeled next to my lover, taking her hands. "Would you like me to get you cleaned up, or do you just want to sleep?"
"Sleep," she murmured, closing her eyes.
I carried her to the bed and snapped my fingers, cleaning us both and changing us into pyjamas.
Artemis curled up among the many pillows, happily accepting my embrace after I pulled the covers up.
I was awoken by her nimble fingers tracing my facial features.
Shifting, I took her hand and kissed it. "Good morning, Moon. Sleep well?"
My wife nodded, scooting closer and kissing my cheek. "I had a pleasant dream, too."
"What was it about?" I asked courteously.
She smiled softly. "We were together, and my family accepted it, and we had a child."
I kissed her forehead. "Do you want a baby?"
"Yes," my lover replied. "I want to spend the rest of my immortal life with you, and I want to have children with you, and I know it's soon, but I think you want it too."
"That's fantastic," I remarked. "I feel the same, but to have a baby with this whole potential alliance might not be a great idea."
Artemis looked away for a moment before nodding. "I understand."
"Hey," I said, kissing her forehead. "I really do want what you want, but it's just not the right time to have a child. What if we made a sort of compromise?"
My wife looked up at me, lacing her fingers with mine. "What did you have in mind?"
"I'd been thinking a puppy," I explained. "It's easier than caring for a child, and the puppy won't be emotionally damaged if I have to leave for however long."
She chose to ignore the last part. "When would we get the dog?"
"After you take a look at how I rearranged things for the dog last night while you were sleeping," I provided.
Artemis pecked me on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you too," I reciprocated, sitting up as she got out of bed.
Once she was gone, I got up and went to my dresser, snagging a clean set of clothes and changing.
As I was grabbing a sweatshirt, I heard her calling for me.
I rushed out to the living room, saw a standoff between Artemis and Apollo, and assumed my place next to Artemis.
"What's the matter?" I asked, putting on my sweatshirt.
"Nothing," my wife replied, hugging me. "Apollo thought you left, and I felt like proving him wrong."
I wrapped her in my embrace, kissing the top of her forehead. "I'm ready to go to the shelter when you are."
"What shelter?" Apollo asked.
"I wanted children," she started. "Perseus pointed out that it may not be a good idea considering you hate him and are trying to separate us, so I've settled for a puppy for now."
