Artemis PoV
"Important matters to attend to, huh?" Percy asked.I shut him up quickly, pressing my lips to his.
My boyfriend pulled me closer, hands at my waist as we kissed.
Arms around his shoulders, I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging lightly as he took over.
Percy drew his lips from mine. "You sure you can't stay?"
"Yes. Important matters. There is another meeting I have to attend pertaining to the number of demigod children that have survived to adulthood and how it is declining," I explained.
He nodded, kissing me lightly on the cheek.
"Don't fall asleep."
I smiled and left, appearing in my throne.
The meeting was one of the most boring I had attended in all the time I had been part of the council.
When it came to an end, Aphrodite came over to talk to me. "So, who is he?"
"Who is who?" I asked.
"Your boyfriend," the goddess replied flatly. "Your lips are swollen as though you've made out with someone recently and you're smiling more. Don't try to deter me by saying it could be a girl, because if that were true such occurrences would have begun long before your vows were removed."
I snorted. "Still not telling you."
"Why?" She asked. "It's not like you'll get in trouble for it."
"I like to keep my private life private. Who I am dating does not concern you," I said sternly.
"I'll seduce Apollo during the next council meeting if you don't tell me," the love goddess threatened.
"That's gross, but it doesn't really change anything," I rebuked.
"I'll seduce your boyfriend when I find him then," Aphrodite attempted.
"Not going to work," I stated.
"You seem rather confident of that, Artemis," she hinted. "You haven't had sex with him, have you?"
I felt myself blush at the idea of committing such acts with Percy. "No."
"The rest of the council doesn't know that," Aphrodite threatened.
I sighed, pulling out my phone. "Give me a minute."
I texted Percy, informing him of the
situation.
There was a flash, and I felt strong arms wrapping around my midsection.
"Hey," he greeted. I bit my lip. "Hey."
"You're kidding, right?" Aphrodite asked. "I haven't even gotten to peg him yet!"
"And you never will," Percy added.
The goddess's irises flashed pink. "Perseus, you will sleep with me."
My boyfriend fell back with a thud.
"What did you do to him?" I demanded, kneeling down by him.
"I only used charmspeak on him," she replied innocently.
I shot her a glare, transporting Percy and myself to my palace.
Percy was still passed out, but now he was on my bed.
Running through possible charms and illnesses, I decided it would be best to just let him rest for now. Apollo certainly wouldn't want to help him, but I knew some healing tricks too.
I summoned bowls of ambrosia, nectar, and warm water, snagging a couple of washcloths from the bathroom.
Percy's pulse was normal, and it looked as though he was sleeping. His skin was freezing though.
I pulled the blanket up and soaked a cloth in warm water.
Scanning the bookshelf, I grabbed the Encyclopedia of Magical and Godly Illnesses; Their Cures, Causes, and other Facts.
This would take a while.
Flipping through the pages, I found a 'Search By Symptom' chart.
Pages 160-214, 371-521, and 789-853. Wonderful.
And that was just possible illnesses related to passing out and cold skin.
I started going through the chapters, making note of the illnesses that only had the aforementioned symptoms.
When that was complete, I was left with 27 possible illnesses.
27 is still a lot, but I'll take it over the hundreds of options there had been before slimming it down.
I read through the information on the illnesses and made a list of remedies from most common to least and most effective to least.
I ground a paste out of the ambrosia and mixed it with a small amount of nectar, causing the substance to have a plasmalike consistency.
Smearing some of the concoction over his face was supposed to be the most common and effective of the cures, but it was also said to take a bit longer than others.
It was late, and I was getting tired. I didn't want to risk something happening while I was asleep in another room, so I decided I would share a bed with the passed out man I'd been tending to.
Percy PoV
I woke up with this weird, icky crap on my face.
More importantly, I woke up next to Artemis.
She was fast asleep, and quite beautiful.
Attempting not to wake her, I slipped out of the bed and to the bathroom to wash the icky crap off my face.
I got some in my mouth, and for some reason, it tasted like my mom's blue cookies.
I showered and changed into clean clothing an old shirt and sweats before returning to find Artemis still asleep.
My girlfriend made a sound of discomfort, after which I retook my spot on the bed.
The goddess quickly made herself comfortable, nuzzling closer, shifting slightly, and pulling the blanket up.
I drifted back off into sleep, no dreams to disturb me.
Artemis PoV
I woke up in Percy's arms, warm and comfortable.
His paste mask was gone. I touched my boyfriend's cheek, and his eyes fluttered open. "Good morning,
beautiful."
I couldn't help but blush despite the cheesiness.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"I'm a bit tired," he replied. "Kind of sore, but other than that I'm fine."
I kissed him lightly on the lips. "Good."
Percy held me tightly. Not trying to deepen the kiss or anything like that, but just to hold me.
He pecked my cheek. "Thank you for looking after me."
I blushed. "Do you know what happened?"
"Yes," he replied. "Aphrodite wanted to sleep with me, I said no, she tried to use charmspeak, and I passed out."
My boyfriend pulled me close, tugging the blanket so it was snug around us.
I looked over at the clock. "It's late. We should go back to sleep."
Percy cleared his throat. "Should, um, should I leave?"
"No," I replied, closing my eyes.
Percy PoV
I woke up pretty early, at about four in the morning.
Artemis was still asleep, but I could tell she was having some kind of dream.
As closed my eyes, I heard my girlfriend moan.
Artemis, the virgin goddess. Moaning.
Then her moan turned into words.
The only one I was able to catch was my name.
