Chapter 6

Percy POV

Artemis is an amazing singer, I never thought i'd think that. As soon as she had started singing my nightmare of Him faded into a image of my mom smiling at me when she was giving me blue cookies. When I came to, she just finished the song, and her eyes opened. I had thought my mom was the only one who could calm me, I- I guess I was wrong.

"Hey." She whispered to me. I could only stare, she, just gave off, well the same aura my momma had, that kind of warm and gentle kind, white and pure, untainted even through pain. She reminded me of her when she laughed, and in her smiles, or the way worry lit up her eyes when she thought I was in pain or scared.

I wanted to think of her as a new mom, really I do. But, I am so, SO scared. What if she ends up not wanting me? Or she gets bored of me? Or she starts hating me and hitting me like Him? Would she do that? She strokes my hair gently and looks at me with liquid silver eyes, so much softer than her steel ones, full of, love? Happiness? Kindness? Barely concealed hatred?

It was hard to tell, but when she hugged me, my fear of her melted away with the familiarity of the feeling, so much like mom. I practically melt in her arms. She tightened her grip on me, I feel the bed dip, and large arms, wrap around me, my first thought was Oh god, he's back.

But then they didn't feel slimy, sweaty, or fat. They felt, warm, and- kind? Artemis seemed to relax, and I followed her guide, she wouldn't let a man hurt me, right?, let alone enter her camp, so it had to be someone she trusted. I don't know when I closed my eyes, but I opened them slowly to see that the second set of arms belonged to Hades, and he looked, I stifle a giggle, a tad lost and uncomfortable, but he was clearly trying to be comforting.

It befuddled me, why? Why be kind to me? Why push past his own comfort zone to help me? Why? He looked down at me, noticing my questioning gaze. He smiled gently, it was so small, like it was for me only, I was so surprised, I couldn't hold back one of my own tiny smiles.

"I have a surprise for you ." He whispered, slowly he got up and we sat up, he reached into the shadows and pulled something out, a tiny bundle. I look at him questioningly. He smiled the tiny smile again, and handed to me gently. I slowly, and carefully took it, because if he was being gentle, it must mean it's easily broken, and then it MOVED.

In my surprise, I nearly dropped IT. Luckily Hades helped me cupping my hands around it, and smiled. Slowly I unwrapped the tiny bundle, inside was something I thought i'd never get. It was a puppy, a tiny black puppy with the cutest pink tongue and tiny teeth. It yawned and I felt my eyes water, NEVER in my life did I think I would get a puppy like normal kids, He didn't like them, called them messy and wastes of money.

I stared in wonder at the pudgy little creature as it wiggled in my hands and after a while I looked up at Hades,

"Is- is it for, for me?" I whisper. He smiled and nodded,

"Now all you have to do is name her." I was even more shocked, I got to NAME it too? I looked at the tiny- girl- puppy. She was so cute, my fears came back, I would have to name her Ms. something, or else i'll get yelled at. Thinking I remember a name of a foreign lady that I had liked when I was little at the store.

"Ms. O'Leary." I stated. Looking up from MY puppy, they were both smiling at me, and said it was a wonderful name, smiling I cuddled the tiny thing. The next few hours Artemis went to instruct her hunters on what to be doing and to get started on breakfast, apparently I had slept the rest of yesterday away, and Hades stayed with me to teach me all the things I'd need to raise a hell-hound puppy, which was apparently what Ms.O'Leary was.

He told me what to feed her and when, what she would look like when she was older and how big she could get, where she should sleep, and what I could and couldn't do with her, like she can't come with me during my training because she could get hurt at such a small size, but she could come to eat with me as long as I didn't feed her my food until she got bigger and stopped only eating milk and wet puppy food. I ended up having to write it all down, as I couldn't remember it all.

Hades helped me with feeding her the first time, feeding her through a bottle, her tiny mouth covered in white foam as she suckled the nipple of the bottle. I smiled down at her, and she cooed gently in her sleep, as soon as she had finished eating, she had fallen asleep. Hades gave me diapers for her saying they would be preferable to my clothes. Apparently I will have to potty train her like mom did with me. By now I was really hungry, I turned to Hades who was staring at Ms. O'Leary with a gentle gaze. I waited until he looked up at me,

"Uhm, Hades sir, can I, uh, uhm can I- I-." I can't do it. He would never let me eat, what if Hades was the same?

"Percy?" He asked I looked up at him fearfully, he frowned slightly,

"I'm sorry!" I said quickly, seeing the frown, he sighed, I close my eyes.

"Are you hungry Percy?" I hear him ask, I open my eyes he's staring at Ms. O'Leary again. I nod slowly, and he smiles and tells me to never be afraid to ask for food, the thought was so absurd I would have laughed if I wasn't afraid he'd hit me for it. Especially since i'd drop Ms. O'Leary and she was too tiny to withstand the fall. I pulled her closer to me, he got up and started walking to the door, turning around he gave me a look.

"Aren't you coming Percy?" he asked, at that I quickly stood and rushed over to him clutching Ms. O'Leary carefully, her tiny body so fragile, my only thoughts being to protect her like my mom tried to do for me.

Hades POV

I had thought we were making progress, but it seems the shock of being rescued had worn off and Percy was as wary and jumpy as a victim of such a heinous crime should be. I only wish he wasn't so afraid of me. I led him to the table for breakfast which was probably beginning by now, he was quiet behind me holding his new puppy, Ms. O'Leary with such a reverence I knew i'd made the right choice in giving her to him. Once at the breakfast table, Artemis was just finishing saying something,

"-et Percy for breakfast, ok? So don't start without us." she turned around and almost ran into us,

"oh." she said. Then she smiled at the both of us, which surprised me, and she guided us to the table and Percy and I looked on in astonishment, though mine was much more concealed. The whole breakfast was, blue, even things I didn't think possible to turn blue was blue. She was smiling the biggest smile, in fact, they ALL were, they all looked at Percy for his approval.

The poor boy looked like he couldn't decide whether or not to cry, be amazed, or say thank you and be grateful, he settled for crying with a huge smile, while saying "Thank you!" I'd never seen someone display so many emotions at once. We all tucked in and ate, everyone smiling, knowing everything was going to be better...

.

..

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Which of course means something bad was bound to happen.