Artemis PoV
I closed my eyes, taking in the feeling of the kiss.His lips tasted good. I couldn't place it, but I liked it.
I held his face as we kissed, likely the spectacle of the night.
After pulling away, I couldn't seem to string my words together.
Demeter winked at me.
"Artemis," Percy whispered. "Those guys aren't gods."
I looked over to the group he had gestured at.
The group continued walking.
It took me a moment to realize they were walking toward us.
A tall woman with grey hair stepped forward. "I am Zelphis, leader of the Unnamed. We have come to recruit you, Perseus Jackson."
"Um," my boyfriend responded. "What would that mean?"
"As a member of the Unnamed, you would be in charge of coordinating between your pantheon and others. You will not likely be required to fight, but you must be at full strength in case," Zelphis explained.
She snapped her fingers, and Percy's power cuff fell with a clang. "You will receive powers rivalling that of even a primordial. Do you accept?"
"Can I get some time to think about it?" He asked. "I'm starting to like what I've got going on right now."
There was hushed murmuring from the rest of the group.
The grey-haired leader cleared her throat, silencing everyone. "This is a communicator. You will have one month to make your decision. Contact us with your response by the deadline."
After those orders were given, they left.
Percy kissed my cheek. "What now?"
I looked around. "We go back to my palace."
Once we had returned to the safety of my abode, the man I was with held me tight. "Before I make my decision on whatever that was, I need to know how you feel. I like you a lot, but I'll stop if you don't feel the same."
In private, with the curtains drawn and the doors locked, I kissed him.
And I kept kissing him and kissing him until we were in my bedroom, the door locked.
"Do you want this?" He asked. "I don't want to hurt you."
My hands left the hem of his shirt and rested behind his shoulders.
"Stay with me," I whispered.
My romancer paused, gazing into my eyes. "For you, anything."
Percy PoV
"How did this happen so quickly?" Artemis asked.
"I don't know," I replied. "But waking up with a beautiful woman in the morning is something I can get used to."
She cuddled up closer to me, kissing my cheek. "Are we an us now?"
"Can we be?" I asked.
I was kissed again and told to inform my potential recruiters of the circumstances.
After fiddling with the communication device a little, a holographic image popped up. "Hello?"
Zelphis cleared her throat. "Have you made your decision already?"
"No," I replied. "I have more questions about how this would affect my day to day life."
The grey-haired woman thought for a moment. "Your quarters may remain the same. Every week, you will attend a meeting of your council and then log it. If something troublesome occurs, notify me."
I swallowed. "So, um, am I still allowed to date?"
"Yes," she replied. "Who is it you are with?"
"Um," I replied. "Artemis."
Zelphis nodded and cut the communication.
Walking out to the kitchen, I found my girlfriend flipping pancakes.
I kissed her cheek. "Thank you." I grabbed things to set the table and went out to the dining room, Artemis close behind.
She hugged me, nuzzling into my chest. "I like your hugs."
Pulling away, my girlfriend kissed my cheek. "Let's eat."
Artemis PoV
Percy played with my hair, braiding, unbraiding, and repeating.
I took his hand into both of mine and kissed it. "Nervous?"
He shook his head. "They wanted me, not the other way around. I should be fine."
"This..." I thought for a moment. "Us. I like it."
"Me too," he whispered, kissing me lightly.
I cleared my throat. "About last night..."
"What about it?" Percy asked. "Did I go too far?"
"Well, I enjoyed it, but I feel like it's just going a bit fast," I explained.
He kissed my cheek. "I understand."
"I mean," I tried to find the right words. "The kissing and the hugging-I really liked those. I liked being wrapped up in your arms too. It's just so quick."
Percy was nodding, sitting there with his arms around me, totally and completely accepting of everything I had to say.
He was perfect.
After finishing my explanation of how I wanted to take things slow, I kissed him.
My boyfriend did not take control. He waited for me to, kissing back and holding my waist.
When I pulled away, he brushed the hair behind my ear, his hand resting on my cheek.
"How can anyone be this beautiful?" He asked.
I blushed, flattered by the genuine compliment.
A signal went off in my head, and somehow Percy sensed something was off. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," l replied. "Another meeting was called. You'll meet me at the bar?"
"Of course," he answered, hugging me. "I've got you."
Percy PoV
I took another sip of my beer, keeping an eye on the door. It was my third bottle, and it was getting later and later.
Not long after I started on my fourth, the Olympians came in and started chatting.
Looking around, I see that I wasn't the only one watching an Olympian.
I met another immortal, Derrick, and we started talking. He was with Demeter.
Artemis started to falter. Her speech began to slur, her steps were more uneven.
She stumbled over to me, and I smiled a bit despite her condition. Even drunk, she trusted me. "You alright?" I asked.
My girlfriend nodded. "Take me home, Percy."
I took her hand and used the powers I regained from having my cuffs removed to flash us back to the palace.
She pulled me toward the bedroom, closing the door. "Go draw the curtains."
When I finished, Artemis tugged me toward the bed.
She started kissing me, tugging at the hem of my shirt.
Her lips on mine, her smell, her taste, they were all intoxicating. I wanted to let her keep going.
But she was drunk. "Artemis, we can't do this now."
"I don't care," she slurred. "I want this."
"So do I," I reasoned. "But I care about you, and I won't be the man that steals your dignity." My goddess pulled away.
I retrieved nectar from the bathroom, handing her a glass.
She drained it obediently, looking away from me. "Thanks."
"Artemis," I addressed. "You know I care about you. I'm not trying to hurt your feelings."
She curled up and pulled the blanket over her, but didn't push me away when I laid down next to her. "I'm sorry."
"No," my girlfriend corrected, the nectar taking effect. "You're right. I wasn't thinking straight. It's just a new feeling to be wanted, and the rejection hurt."
I kissed the back of her head. "Good night."
Artemis PoV
Percy was still holding me when I woke up the next morning.
He was sleeping peacefully, his touch gentle, his smell soothing.
I thought about last night. He had been right. I had been drunk.
Percy started to wake, and I rested my head back on his chest. "Hey."
"Hey," he reciprocated. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings last night."
I kissed his cheek. "You were right to stop it. Thank you for looking after me in my drunken state."
Shifting, I felt a tremendous boner pressing against my thigh. Percy tensed up, and I bit my lip.
I cut him off as he began to apologize.
"Could you draw a bath, please?"
My boyfriend nodded, making his way to the bathroom.
I went to the walk-in closet, stripped, and donned a thin bathrobe before heading to the bathroom myself.
"Why are you still clothed?" I asked him.
