Third PoV
Perseus Jackson was one of the greatest heroes of all time. He was powerful, but he was not greedy and he did not want fame.Of course, Zeus never saw this. He only saw a threat to his Kingship.
Zeus wanted to banish Perseus to Tartarus, but Poseidon wouldn't allow it.
Instead, after months of debate, they reached a compromise.
In wake of the battles, Artemis had lost her hunters. Those not dead or missing had left to help their families, seeing what feuds could lead to.
Perseus would be a slave to Artemis. It was not a death sentence, but it was not a free pass.
Percy PoV
After being stripped of my powers and tortured, I was taken to the palace of my new mistress, Artemis.
When I entered the palace, I expected to be ill-treated, verbally and possibly physically.
But I was not greeted with an insult and I was not given harsh orders.
Artemis simply shook her head at the sight of me. "Of all that could have been enslaved, it had to be you. Come with me."
The goddess led me to a rather large guest room. "These will be your quarters. I will give you tasks, but I will not treat the man that played a part in saving Olympus on multiple counts poorly."
I winced as my cuts began to sting again.
Artemis noticed and summoned a glass of nectar for me. "I have matters I must attend to. Pray to me if you need anything." Once she had left, I explored a little.
It was magnificent, with a pool, recreation room, several bedrooms, a kitchen, gym, and many other rooms.
Once I had my fill of exploring, I decided to take a nap.
Artemis PoV
The official meeting had ended around seven in the evening, but nothing really important was discussed until alcohol came into play.
Dionysus was powerful that way. He could hold his alcohol much better than the rest of us, and he almost always ended up with the most knowledge.
I might even have respected him if he hadn't been taking advantage of the drunkenness of my fellow female Olympians.
Several drinks in, I saw the god eyeing me, and even in my drunken state knew it was best to go home.
My speech was slurred and my thought process was not proper when I returned to my palace.
As I stumbled, Perseus caught me. He seemed to understand I was drunk and retrieved nectar from the cabinet.
The effects of the alcohol started to dissipate, and my servant led me to my bathroom.
I took a long shower, waiting for my head to clear.
When that finally happened, I got out and dried off, dressing in grey sweatpants and an old sweatshirt.
I found Perseus reading one of the many books I had but never seemed to use.
"There's hot nectar in the kitchen," he muttered absentmindedly.
I poured myself some of the hot liquid and sat down next to him. "Why are you reading up on nectar and ambrosia?"
"I became curious after it cured some of the effects of the alcohol," he replied, turning the page. "Did someone attempt harming you?"
I took a moment to process the question. "Um, why?"
"When you returned from your meeting you looked panicked," Perseus explained.
"I can take care of myself, but thank you for your concern," I replied.
"You didn't answer my question," he pushed.
I sighed. "Dionysus can hold more alcohol than the rest of the council combined. We vote on matters during meetings, but we typically discuss matters after meetings over alcohol. He usually tries to bed one of the goddesses."
"I find that disturbing," Perseus remarked.
"The other Olympians have started to bring their servants to meetings. Would you like to come with me to the next one?" I asked.
"Yes," My servant answered.
"You seem much smarter than your reputation gives you credit for," I commented.
He nodded. "All Annabeth's doing. Her hubris gets in the way of everything."
I set down my mug. "Why do you say that? She seems to be the one that orchestrated all the successful plans."
Perseus shook his head. "It was Coach Hedge that introduced the ideas. Annabeth just changed a little and called it her own. She doesn't understand how to leave a good thing be."
It donned on me. "She broke up with you because she believed there was someone more powerful than you."
He nodded. "I'm glad I told her I wanted to wait until we were married to have sex."
I looked over at him. "Your mother raised you right."
Perseus smiled a little. "Thank you."
Something went off in my head, and I was reminded of my hunters.
My servant noticed my quivering hand and took it in his own. "What seems to be bothering you?"
"I just miss my hunters," I explained in a hushed tone.
Perseus leaned over and hugged me.
I hesitated for a moment and hugged back.
He pulled away. "They fought with honour."
I nodded. "Good night."
Percy PoV
I woke up early and went to the gym.
Some of my time was spent on the treadmill, some on the weights, and a majority on the punching bag.
I heard someone clear their throat, and I turned to find Artemis leaning against the doorframe. "I'm making pancakes. Would you like some?"
"Yes. Could you dye some blue?" I asked. "Strange request but doable," my mistress replied. "Just take a quick shower first. I can smell you from here."
Artemis PoV
Blue pancakes. A strange request, certainly, but required very little effort. I would ask him about the colouration preference later.
I understand what you may be thinking. You're the goddess Artemis. You don't cook.
And that assumption would be incorrect.
Yes, I hunt, I capture, and I fight. I advocate for the rights of women and despise the chauvinistic men that believe women are meant only for household duties.
That said, I am capable of household duties. I can use my powers to complete tasks much quicker, but it is always of a lesser quality than if I were to do it myself.
I said the fresh pancakes down on plates.
One stack was regular, and the other was blue.
Percy walked into the kitchen. "How can I help?"
"Grab the cups, drink jug, and silverware," I replied, carrying the food out to the dining area.
My servant obeyed, carrying the items with such focus one would have thought dropping anything was worse than death.
Percy PoV
I thanked my mistress for the breakfast and asked if there was anything I could do to help.
The doorbell rang.
"You could answer that," Artemis replied.
Opening it, I saw what seemed to be several of my mistress's suitors.
She saw this from the kitchen, and I've got to say she's a great actor. "Babe? Who is it?"
"I don't know," I replied.
My mistress hugged me from behind and rested her chin on my shoulder. "Hey, babe."
The suitors, falling for her act, left. I closed the door but felt Artemis still on me.
"Is there something wrong, mistress?" I asked.
She crumpled to the ground, curling up in a ball.
Unsure of what to do‚ I prayed to Apollo.
The sun god was all business, pulling out the needed equipment.
After some quick mixing, Artemis was drinking a strange concoction.
The younger twin drew up instructions for her care and left in a hurry.
I propped my mistress up on the couch. "How are you feeling?"
She murmured incoherently, and I couldn't understand what she was saying.
"Do you want to go to sleep?" I asked.
Artemis nodded, and I carried her to her bedroom. "Good night. Just tell me if you need anything."
She murmured a response, falling asleep quickly.
I smiled a little, happy that she trusted me.
