Disclaimer, I don't own this story or these character… yet!
Also, shout out to Dyde21. They are such an amazing talented writer, please run over there and drop them a review or follow. Their story 'Café Half-Caff' is so imaginative and original, it's making me feel bad about my ability to write.
Family Bonding
Previously…
I could tell she was kidding but that got me thinking, maybe I could help her develop her powers.
"That's not a bad idea Thals. I think they may have a form of fighting for manipulating lightning and air." I said thoughtfully.
She stopped laughing and looked at me curiously. "You know I was just kidding right?" She said.
I smirked at her. "But I wasn't." She paled at my comment, knowing that when I had my stubborn mind set on something, I wasn't going to let it go. Much like her. She groaned and burying her face in her hands.
'All right girls, And Perseus." She added as an afterthought. "Time to go to bed. We have a big day tomorrow." She shooed the hunters off to their tents, who were murmuring about my training.
I bowed my special bow to her. "Goodnight Milady. See you tomorrow." I said softly.
I walked to my tent, but I heard Artemis whisper something so softly, I almost missed it.
"Goodnight Perseus. See you in the morning." I grinned like a fool all the way back to my tent, before I settled into my bed, taking one last look at my picture of me and my mom before falling asleep.
Now…
Percy POV
You would think that living in the woods, cut off from any civilization, with a bunch of immortal, teenage, girls that hates males with a fiery passion and has a bunch of very sharp pointy arrows that they can fire with pinpoint accuracy at your man-parts, would be extremely difficult it live with. That since you are the only male in the group, they would taunt you relentlessly, look at you as if you were lower than the dirt they walked on, and would pull some of the most evil and sick pranks on you for giggles, it would be a living Tartarus, right? Well, I'm here to tell you it is not at all like that…
It's much, MUCH worse!
I wake up to a very peculiar smell hitting my nostrils. It starts off faint, sort of like a dream smell that you think you can shake off and ignore. But instead of going away, it just gets stronger, invading my nostrils with its pungent odour. Frowning, I try to go back to sleep, doing my best to ignore the smell, but it gets to the point where it can't be ignored.
Scrunching my nose and groaning, I blearily open sit up and open my eyes, rubbing the eye crust out of my eyes. I'm not paying attention, still half asleep when I feel a cold wet thing brush against my foot. I jolt to full awareness instantly, my senses on high alert. What the heck is touching me? I slowly open my eyes, where they almost pop out of my skull, as I look at what is brushing against my foot.
That has got to be the largest, most vicious, white-haired wolf I have ever seen in my life. This thing has got to be twice the size of a regular wolf; bigger muscles, sharper teeth, and huge razor-sharp claws. And the look he was giving me, was the look that Lupa gave me whenever I did something wrong when I was training at the Wolf House. Basically the "You better be strong or I will tear your throat out" look.
What was a wolf doing in my tent in the first place? Then I looked around and realized that I was in the wolf's pen, surrounded by over 3 dozen, magic-enhanced, hunting wolves. Okay, new question, what am I doing in the wolves' pen? I thought.
I got my answer in the form of a dozen, senior hunters laughing their butts off, as they pointed and laughed at me. I felt a burst of anger in my chest at their treatment of me. They put me with the freaking wolves and their laughing about it? I could die and then dad would probably declare war on the Artemis and the Hunt for their stupid 'prank'. I forced the anger back down. It wasn't going to help me in this situation and I needed to think clearly.
I lived with Lupa's wolf pack for a few months, so I decided to try and apply her teachings to this situation. I gave my best "Wolf Stare" letting them know not to mess with me. I slowly began to climb to my feet, all the while maintaining my glare. The wolves were snarling at me, not wanting to let me go after I, technically, invaded their territory. I snarled right back at them and assumed an aggressive pose. They shifted, seeing that I wasn't going to back down.
The big Alpha wolf, looked at me curiously before stalking right up to me and scrutinized me with its penetrating glare. It sniffed me a few times, circling my person before standing right in front of me. I prepared to defend myself, ready to summon a tidal wave, a water lash, or something to make sure not to kill this thing. Even if it was trying to kill me, Artemis wouldn't take to kindly to me killing her personal hunting wolves.
Imagine my surprise when the Alpha gave me one last look before sitting back on his haunches, tail wagging, with a wolf smile on his face, tongue hanging out of his mouth. The hunters behind me were stunned speechless.
"Impossible."
"He managed to tame Alpha?"
"He's the blood thirstiest wolf we have! How is he still alive?"
Their whispers of disbelief reached my ears, causing the balloon of anger to swell before I pushed it down again.
"Hey there buddy. So your name is Alpha huh? You're a hug wolf my friend." I said in a soothing tone, reaching my hand out to stroke his fur.
Alpha barked happily, before rubbing his hand against my hand and giving me a lick.
"They say your all blood thirsty so I bet you don't get fed much or played with often huh?" I gestured to the flabbergasted hunters. He whined a little bit and covered his eyes with his paws.
"Well, I got something here that will make you all better." I said. I then called upon my powers over the Hearth and summoned the biggest, juiciest T-bone steak I could. The delicious smells coming from the steak made all the wolves look at it hungrily.
"Here you go buddy. A big old steak for you." I said, tossing Alpha the steak. He immediately tore into it, gobbling up the meat greedily. All the other wolves began to whine a little bit, but I snapped my fingers and steaks appeared in front of them too. They all barked happily as they tore into the steaks. Pretty soon, I had a bunch of happy, content wolves all brushing against me like I was their new best friend.
I chuckled at their affection. Give a bunch of steaks to them and they are putty in your hands. Wish their owners were as easy to persuade. "Come on guys. I think it's time for some exercise, what do you say?" I asked. They all barked happily as I opened the door to their pin.
They all burst out of the pen and ran right to the clearing, scattering the hunters who let out terrified squeals. Recovering from their outburst, they glared murderously at me, pissed that their plan had backfired on them. I just smiled and gave them a small wave. They just sneered and stomped off back to their tents, no doubt already planning revenge.
Laughing, I about launched myself into the air when I felt Alpha walk up beside me, looking at me with pleading eyes.
"Alright boy, I'll follow you." I said. We walked to clearing, where we saw the rest of the pack running around, nipping and playing with each other, just having a good time. Alpha was by my side, looking on proudly at his pack. I don't know why, but I felt a connection to Alpha.
That's because we share one, master. I heard a deep voice in my head. I whipped my head to see Alpha's yellow eyes boring into mine.
"Did you just speak in my mind or did I finally go crazy?" I asked warily. I swear, if that wolf could laugh he would be right now. But he settled for an amused grin on his wolfish features.
No, you haven't gone crazy. Since you are part of the Hunt now as their guardian, you have been accepted by the Pack and will therefore, be able to understand us now. He spoke in my mind.
My only response was. "Oh, that's cool." Alpha just chuckled before he turned back to watch his wolves play around in the field.
Third Person POV
After Percy and Alpha got the wolves back in their pens, Percy went off to the dining area to get breakfast going, with Alpha trailing alongside him. The giant wolf wouldn't leave Percy's side for some reason. He tried to get Alpha go back to his pen, but you try manhandling a 200-pound wolf that refuses to move. He eventually gave up and Alpha tagged along with him to the dining area.
Even as much as he would like to let the Hunt go hungry for their cruel prank, he made a promise to protect them and Artemis, and letting them starve is not taking care of their well-being. He arrived to the usual glares and angry stares of the hunters but he was happy to see that Lora and Lisa waved at him and motioned for him to sit by them, which he happily did.
"So, what do you all want to eat?" He asked, still a little miffed at their fun little prank they pulled this morning.
"How about a cheese omelette with bacon and French Toast, with a glass of orange juice. If that isn't too much for you, boy." Phoebe mocked. She was really starting to grind on Percy's nerves, but he pushed it back down, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. Heck, he was pretty sure that if he went off on her, Artemis would kill him and they would think he was like all other males. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction of winning.
Percy just rolled his eyes and gave a lazy clap of his hands, summoning up all the food. The hunters dug in with their usual ferocity, but Percy just nibbled on his food, not really feeling hungry.
"Something wrong Perseus?" Percy snapped his head in the direction of the voice, only to see Artemis starring at him with concern in her silver eyes. Percy just stared into her eyes, getting lost in them for a second as he felt his stomach go all a flutter... He knew that he shouldn't be having these feelings for her. She was ARTEMIS the MAIDEN goddess of VIRGINTIY for Poseidon's sake! He bet if she could read his thoughts right now, he would be a jackalope. But he couldn't help this rush of feelings flooding into his heart every time he looked at her. It was stronger than anything he felt for Annabeth and he didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
Realizing he had been starring for too long, he broke eye contact, blushing a little bit. "Nothing milady. Just some things on my mind is all." He said. As much as he wanted too, he decided against ratting on the hunters. He doubted she would believe him anyways.
Artemis looked at him suspiciously before gaining a mischievous glint in her silver eyes. "I'm surprised at that. Form what Thalia has told me, there really isn't much going on up there." She smiled playfully. Percy starred at her in shock while the hunters burst out laughing.
He grinned a little bit. "Did you just make a joke? Now that is something don't see every day! And just for the record, I do have a lot going on in my mind, just most of the time, it's random thoughts." He replied back, just as playfully.
Thalia snorted. "Please Kelp Head. If your thoughts could be projected on a screen, they would be so jumbled that they would make alphabet soup look legible." The hunters were doubled over laughing, with Artemis giving a soft smile. Percy tried to scowl but it didn't last long before he too began to chuckle as well.
"So Perseus, we forgot to practice archery last night, so as soon as breakfast is over, you will meet me in the archery range." She said seriously. She smirked slightly at seeing the look of dread on his face as he paled drastically.
"Could we please not do this." He all but begged. "I swear, I am gods awful with a bow. You would have better luck having Uncle Hades were bright pink boxers and doing the hokey pokey with a rubber chicken than getting me to shoot straight."
The hunters looked at him as if he grew an extra head.
'Thank you for that particular image Kelp Head. I'm gonna have nightmares for a week now." Thalia said with a shudder.
Percy just smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It doesn't matter. I will teach you how to shoot and you will be a master with the bow by the time I am done with you. I will not fail in my field of expertise." Artemis said with a tone of finality to it. He knew there was no way he was going to get out of this so he just accepted with a defeated nod, starring at the table, waiting for his impending doom.
As soon as breakfast was over, the hunters dispersed. Percy quickly washed the dishes with a few bursts of high-pressure water and burst of flames. After that, he slowly trudged his way to the archery range. From the way he was walking, you would think he was walking towards his execution.
Finally forcing himself into the range, he saw Artemis standing in front of the rows of targets. She was in her eighteen-year-old form, something he realized she hadn't changed out of since he got here.
She smirked seeing the look on his face. "Oh, lighten up Perseus. It won't be that bad." She said. She materialized a silver-hunting bow in her hands and gave it to Percy. Percy took the bow and held it gingerly, like it was a bomb waiting to go off.
Artemis rolled her eyes and smacked him on the shoulder hard to get his attention. "Alright, I want you to draw the bow string back a few times, like so." She flawlessly drew her bow back in demonstration.
Percy looked at her questioningly. "Aren't you going to give me arrows first?" He asked.
She rolled her eyes and smacked him again. "Of course not. You won't be shooting any arrows until you can draw back the bowstring perfectly. You must learn how to hold your bow and position it. It will also build up the muscles in your shoulder and arms." She said patiently.
Percy just nodded and drew back the bowstring. Now, if you have never pulled back the string on a bow before, it is really hard to due. Even though Percy was no weakling and very strong, the unfamiliar action of pulling back 45 pounds of force on a string was an unfamiliar feeling to him. After muscling it up, he managed to draw it out successfully.
"No, no, no." Artemis came over and grabbed the hand holding the string. "You do not use all five fingers to pull the string back. You use your thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger to draw the string back." She instructed.
Percy sighed, but did as he was told and found that the grip she told him to use was actually way easier than he thought it would be. It felt right in his hands and he couldn't help the smile coming across his face.
"Again." Came Artemis's reply. So, for over an hour, Percy worked on just pulling back the bowstring, feeling his muscles strengthen with constant practice. Pretty soon, the feeling began to feel natural until Percy could pull the string back perfectly and with no hesitation. Feeling very proud of his accomplishment, he grinned at an approving Artemis, who blushed the slightest shades of pink at his dazzling smile.
Quickly shaking her head and hiding her blush, Artemis nodded her head in approval. "Very good Perseus. Now that you know how to hold the bow and can draw back the string, now it is time for arrows." She snapped her fingers, a quiver of silver and sea green arrows appearing on Percy's back.
"The keys to Archery are Speed, Precision, and Accuracy. You must be able to hit your target, whether it be to kill or maim, hit it multiple times to ensure that the target is incapacitated and dead, and do it quickly enough for when you are in the heat of battle, a half second could mean the difference between life and death. Now show me your quickest draw, but do not shoot." Artemis commanded.
Percy took a deep breath before he attempted to do as instructed. Key word: Attempted. He drew the arrow and pulled the string back, but accidently released it on the upswing, causing it to shoot off into gods know where.
Percy paled in horror and turned slowly, expecting to see a glaring Artemis. Only, she wasn't so much glaring as she looked at him with a look that said "Really?"
She rolled her eyes at him and smiled in amusement. "And here I was thinking you weren't completely hopeless, but there you go and defy logic again." She said laughing.
Percy just smiled sheepishly. Out of nowhere, two blunt arrows were shot from the forest and hit him dead centre of the forehead and in his nuts, knocking him on his butt. He felt an immense pain explode in his nether regions as nausea filled his stomach. He curled into a foetal position and whimpered. Say what you want, but taking an arrow to the testicles is probably the worst pain out there. Sitting up through the pain, he could make out a hunter smirking at him, before glaring and walking away.
"I knew I was forgetting to ask something. Note to self, always look out for angry hunters while shooting; it will come back to bite you in the ass." Percy grumbled.
Artemis was laughing. He was making excellent progress for someone with such feeble archery skills and then he goes and hits a huntress with an arrow.
"Yes, it will. Now all you have to do is actually aim for the target and not the surrounding area." Artemis smirked, reaching down to pick Percy up from the ground. She felt a small tingle race up her arm as Percy touched her hand, making her pull back really quickly. If Percy noticed her odd behaviour, he didn't comment.
"Could you at least warn your hunters to stay away from the archery range? I would prefer to stay fully intact and not have your brother to come and heal me when I start peeing blood." He said still clutching his groin.
She just gave him a mischievous smile. "Why would I do that now? It will teach you to watch out for friendly fire. Gives you more incentive to actually hit the target no?"
Percy's shoulders slumped. "Thanks Bambi." Percy said sarcastically. She glared at him, before smiling evilly.
"For using that accursed nickname, we are not leaving her until you get a bull's eye." She felt great satisfaction at seeing his imitation of a very pale fish.
"But that will never happen!" That would take all night!" He exclaimed.
"Well then you better get shooting." She smirked at his sulking look. He looks king of cute doing that. AHH! Snap out of it Artemis! You are a maiden goddess. You are a maiden goddess. You are a maiden goddess. She chanted in her head.
Percy sighed in defeat again, before focusing on the target in front of him. He pulled out an arrow, aimed and fired. What happened next, he could not explain. The arrow skimmed over the top of the target, bounced off a tree, which bounced of a rock, zooming back in their direction, where it bounced of several trees and rocks, with Artemis and him ducking for cover, before it turned around and hit the target, straight in the middle of the bull's eye.
They had identical looks of shock and awe on their faces, trying to comprehend what they just saw.
"But how did I-? Bouncing Arrow…? Bulls eye…? Huh…?" Percy spluttered out. Artemis wasn't much better.
"Never have I ever seen anything like what I just saw. I can't figure out how you did that and I the Goddess of Archery for Zeus's sake!" She shouted out.
Percy came back to his senses, before smirking at Artemis. "Since I did, technically get a bull's eye, I can leave, now right?" He asked. Artemis's faced turned a bright red, before she gave a quick angry nod. She didn't like getting beaten at her own game.
Percy smiled widely, before he bolted out the archery range. "Thanks bye!" He called over his shoulder, leaving a fuming goddess of the hunt behind. She got over her irritation and merely shook her head at the strange demigod. She couldn't stop thinking about him and it showed in her teachings.
Usually she would be shouting and be angry for him messing up the way he did, but instead she was patient, wanting him to succeed, and not because it was her area of expertise. She wanted him to succeed, wanted him to smile, to feel that joy that came from a job well done. He brought out a playful, fun side that she didn't even know about. Giving one last look at where her guardian left, she soon followed after, just wondering what else the day would bring her.
Line Break
Percy POV
I cursed as I wrestled with the giant mountain of clothes I was washing by the creek. I swear, every single day I'm here, the hunters just pile on more and more clothes. I even walked in on them in a clearing, seeing them wrestling in mud and smirking at me. I just shook my head and went back to the virtual mountain of clothes.
I've been living with the Hunt for almost three months now and after living with them for that amount of time I can honestly say THAT IT IS WORSE THAN TARTARUS!
The chores were bad enough, but I swear they are sabotaging everything I do. I go to wash the clothes; they pile on a virtual mountain if them. As soon as I'm done washing and start taking them to their respective places, I come back to see that half of them have been dumped in the mud, making me have to start all over again. The only good thing out of the that is I am now a grand master black belt at washing clothes. If there was a competition out there for washing clothes, I would take home first place, no problem.
And sharpening arrows and repairing bows has been a freaking nightmare. The arrows I have to sharpen are so blunted and bent that I'm surprised they haven't been completely scrapped. I see the hunters taking hammers to the arrows they don't use and blunting them down. It's like they want me to see them sabotaging me, mocking me like they know that it's my word against there's and they are so confident that they won't ever get caught.
And don't even get me started on the pranks! They started out small, like getting my butt glues to my chair and waking up in the wolves' pen or tied to a tree. But they have grown bigger and more dangerous. Just last week, I was walking through the wood, picking up firewood for the fire when I walked over a trip line. Next thing I saw was a giant log barrelling right towards me and striking me in the chest, sending me hurtling one hundred feet in the air. I felt six of my ribs shatter on impact causing screaming pain to explode throughout my chest. I was able to catch myself with my wings, but I wasn't able to completely stop my descent, landing in a crumbled heap by the lake.
I was lucky to land so close to the lake, where I used my powers to heal my injuries, but they were still incredibly sore for the next few days. And the hunters nearby just laughed at my pain, making my anger for them grow even more.
The only good thing about living in the Hunt was hanging out with Thalia, the twins, Lisa and Lora, and, surprisingly, Artemis. However, Thalia wasn't always able to hang out with me and she even participated in some of the pranks, but none of the violent ones. The hunters kept the bigger ones hidden from her, while she only did the silly, non-threatening ones.
Lisa and Lora would actually try to hang out with me and that made me feel warm inside. I saw those two as the little sisters I always wanted and they saw me as the big brother they always wanted. I trained them whenever I could, but the older hunters were adamant keeping them away from me.
But the best part of being here was being with Artemis. Over the couple of months, we have actually developed one of the weirdest friendships I have ever had. Sure, she was still a little cold towards me because of her man-hating tendencies, but during archery practice and our small talks, I felt my feelings for her grow. My heart lit up whenever I was able to make her smile or laugh, and I always laughed whenever I made her glare at me. Making her angry made her look very cute. I was actually looking forward to archery practice because they were the highlight of my day, getting to spend time with her. I did not know how she felt about me, but I swore to always be there for her and to protect her. She means a whole lot to me.
I got better at archery under the teaching of Artemis. I was so shocked and happy, seeing my skill with a bow grow. While i was no master by any stretch of the imagination, I was no longer feeble and a complete horror at it. I could actually hit what i was aiming at and even got a bulls eye every now and then. Artemis was always patient with me, giving me simple tips and adjustments that improved my skills to untold levels. Untold levels being that i could actually hit the target I was aiming at. She gave me a silver bow with green trim on it that appeared and disappeared on my back. It meant so much to me and I practiced in my spare time, wanting to please Artemis and show that I would not let her teachings go to waste.
I snapped out of my thoughts and finished up with the laundry. Placing the last pile of clothes by the respective hunter's tent, I headed to the training area to get some training done.
I arrived to see almost the entire hunt was there, besides Thalia and Artemis. They were smiling at me, which immediately put me on guard. Them smiling at me was never a good sign.
"Hey Lisa and Lora." I said warmly, waving to them. They smiled and waved back at me. I turned to the rest of the Hunt.
"Ladies." I said respectfully. They just glared at me and walked towards the other end of the training area, leaving me alone with the twins.
"Hey girls, would you guys like to train with me today?" I asked kindly.
They nodded their heads yes in excitement. They had a passion for learning and they said they loved training with me.
"Ok girls, today we are going to train on your demigod abilities." They looked confused as to what I was talking about.
"But, we're children of Hermes. We don't have any special abilities like you and other demigods." Lisa said sadly. Lora nodded her head, looking downcast as well.
My eyes widened. I knelt down in front of them. "Look at me." I said firmly. They both looked at me, eyes a little misty.
"Don't you ever say that you don't have special abilities. You two are the daughters of one of the most powerful beings on Olympus. Your father is an Olympian, meaning he is very powerful. Do you know what he is the god of?" I asked. They shook their heads no.
"Your father is the Olympian God of Messengers, Travelers, and Thieves. That may not sound like much, but being the god of travellers gives him a wide range of abilities. He is probably the most versatile of all the gods, being able to pull skills from multiple areas. A sort of Jack-of-all-Trades if you will." I explained to their wide-eyed expressions.
"So, does that mean, we can steal stuff very easily, and pick up skills rather quickly?" Lora asked shyly.
I grinned at her, making her relax and smile back. "Exactly. Haven't you noticed how fast you have progressed in your fighting skills? Versatility is the children of Hermes greatest weapons." I told them. They looked awed at how many things their father could do and what they could potentially do.
"Since he is the Messenger God, he is extremely fast, able to break the sound barrier with his speed. As his daughters, you too have inherited a portion of his speed, making you very fast. He is also the god of athletics, making him an amazing athlete, which, combined with his speed, should make you two devastating fighters, if you continue to practice." I said. They looked really excited now, nearly jumping in anticipation.
"We never knew we could do all those things Percy!" Lisa exclaimed, only in the way an eight-year-old can.
Lora looked at me curiously with her big brown eyes. "Percy, what is our dad like?" She asked.
The question caught me off guard but I recovered anyway. "He is kind. And funny. But also, very quick and clever. Very mischievous and funny, loves to play pranks too. Out of all the gods, he is probably the closest to human than all the gods. While I know my dad loves me very much, he spends a lot of time under the ocean, dealing with the matter of the sea. He loves his kids very much and never gives up on them. He had a son, named Luke, that used t be one of my friends, that turned bad. But Hermes never lost hope that he could come back to the good side. And you know what, he was right. His son, your brother, redeemed himself and saved Olympus and proved himself a hero. And I am certain that he loves you two very, very much." I said.
They both had awed and happy smiles on their faces as I described their dad.
I smiled at them. "Now you see why I told you to never to think that you don't have special abilities. Everyone is different, but everyone has something that makes them special. You two are very special and you will be able to do incredible things in the future. I know it." I said with conviction. They were a little misty eyed and launched themselves at me, giving me a giant hug.
"Thank you, brother, for telling us that and believing in us." They whispered in my ear. I was shocked at them calling me brother, but recovered and hugged them back tightly.
Pulling away, they ran off to their tent, probably to make a list of all the things they could probably do, as I watched them leave with a smile on my face.
I heard a throat clearing behind me. I turned and saw Phoebe, Atalanta, and Erica glaring at me.
"Can I help you three with something?" I asked stoically.
"Yeah, stay away from Lisa and Lora. We don't need filthy males like you deceiving them and filling their heads with lies." Erica spat at me.
I clenched my hands in anger. "What is your problem with me? And no, I will not stay away from them. I will never hurt them. I am trying to help train them and be a big brother to them." I said angrily at them.
Phoebe just scoffed. "They don't need a big brother. They have over two dozen big sisters, who can help them better than you ever could."
"Really now? Then why do they want me to train them? I know you all care for each other, but I am only here to help and if they want to train with me, then I will train them and there is nothing you can do about it." I snapped at them, my patience at its end.
They all looked at me murderously, before smiling a cold smile.
"Say, guardian, how many arrows can you dodge?" Atalanta asked innocently.
"I don't know." I said, wary now.
She smirked before yelling, "Fire at will."
Suddenly, all the other hunters pulled out their bows and started shooting a virtual storm of arrows at me. With lightning fast reflexes, I pulled out my swords and spun them in a spinning motion, deflecting as many arrows as I could. But the pressure didn't let up, as I felt a few arrows pierce my arms. I felt anger swell in me and fire erupted from my body, incinerating all the arrows flying at me and blasting the hunters back.
They stood up, a little signed and had furious looks on their faces. Before they could do anything, I flew up and away from the area. If I stayed there any longer, I would do something I would regret and I wouldn't be able to look at Artemis's disapproving look.
I flew to my tent and walked inside. I stomped my foot on the ground in anger, sending a shockwave through the tent, courtesy of my earth shaker powers. Sighing, I sat on my bed, feeling incredibly low and depressed, the brief happiness I felt talking with the twins, completely shot.
Placing my head in my hand, I groaned and thought of my time here. I was so sick and tired of being rejected, insulted and hurt constantly. I took up this position because I was tired of being alone and I thought I could find a family here, but that almost seems impossible, even for me.
I pulled my hands away from my face and did something I always did to calm myself and get away from the world. I reached under my bed and pulled out my guitar.
Running my fingers over the smooth surface, I tuned my guitar, and strummed the strings. Soon a melodious sound came from the guitar as I began to sing.
Stand by Rascal Flatts ( watch?v=G_Vzpjv_kR4) (Listen while reading)
You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless
Like you've lost your fight
But you'll be alright, you'll be alright
[Chorus:]
'Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, 'til you break
'Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand,
Then you stand
Life's like a novel
With the end ripped out
The edge of a canyon
With only one way down
Take what you're given before it's gone
And start holding on, keep holding on
[Chorus:]
'Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend 'til you break
'Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand,
Yeah, then you stand
Every time you get up
And get back in the race
One more small piece of you
Starts to fall into place
Oh
[Chorus]
Yeah, then you stand,
Yeah, yeah, baby
Woo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo
Then you stand, yeah, yeah
I strummed the last few cords, and ended the song, feeling a lot better, putting all my emotion and soul into that song. I felt a connection to that song, feeling like it described my situation perfectly. I felt like I was always being messed with, the fates never giving me a break, but no matter what, I will always stand back up and never back down.
I heard clapping off to my side. I whipped my head to my right, seeing a smiling Apollo, standing there clapping.
"Man cousin, that was awesome! When I felt such emotion and talent in my domain, I had no idea it would be you. Dude you can sing!" He praised.
"Thanks dude. Singing calms me down when I feel really angry. I never knew I could sing that well." I said simply.
Apollo gawked at me. "DUDE! That was incredible! If I didn't know better, i would say I blessed you sometime in the last few years, but I haven't. Perce, you got a gift."
I blushed at the praise, but looked at him confused. "No offense cousin, but why are you here and what do you mean, felt through your domain?" I asked him.
He face-palmed himself. "Come on dude. I know you got Athena's blessing and all. Music is one of my domains and I see all within it. And as for the reason why I'm here, well, I just wanted to check and see how you were doing?" He said, but it sounded like a question.
I gave him a hard glare. "Apollo, what are you doing here?" I demanded. He visibly deflated and sighed.
"I just wanted to check I up on the Hunt and Artemis; making sure everything was okay and all and no monster attacks had happened." Apollo said as he sat in the chair by my desk.
"Why would you want to check on us, especially if you know that if Artemis and the Hunters see you, you will be shot full of arrows, regardless if you are a god or not?" I said.
Apollo just gave a weary sigh. In that moment, he didn't look like the playful, happy Apollo with his bright, blindly smile, and excited cocky attitude. He looked his original age, being thousands of years old and the weight of all that time seemed to be etched into his features and shine in his eyes.
He turned his bright blue eyes that seemed to hold the thousands of years he has been alive. They showed a type of pain and longing I have never seen before in the usually happy and bright god.
"Percy, do you know why I asked you protect Artemis when you became the Guardian of the Hunt?" Apollo asked me.
I nodded my head. "Yeah, so that I can make sure that she is safe and nothing harms her. But there isn't much that can you know?" I said, confused on why he was asking me about the promise I made.
He smiled sadly. "Yeah, there aren't many people out there that can harm my little sis." He gazed at the side of my tent as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen.
"The reason why I asked you to make that promise was because I knew that I couldn't protect her." He admitted to me. My eyes widened at what he just told me.
"But you're her brother, how can you not protect her?" I asked, astonished.
He just shook his head and his eyes met mine, but his seemed to be looking off in the distance, as if relieving his oldest memories. "I remember when I was born. Artemis is right, I am the younger twin, but as we grew up, I always wanted to protect Artemis, be the big brother that she would always look up to. Be the person that she could always rely on and be the one to protect her against anything that would harm her. And for a time, I was." He said with a small smile.
"When we were kids, we were so happy, and so very close. I loved her and swore to myself that I would always protect my sister." His eyes turned a little darker. "But then came the day we were taken to Olympus and introduced to the gods when we began to slowly separate. After a few weeks on Olympus, most of the other male immortals looked at Artemis like she was a piece of meat and went after her. They never got close to her because I was always there, fending off those love-sick gods that wanted my sister." He clenched his hands as anger flooded his eyes.
"That was when she truly started to despise males and with me being a male, she started to despise me." He had a look of sadness in his eyes. "The division between us grew larger and larger until she stopped hanging out with me, stopped going on our weekly hunts and decided to be an eternal maiden. When she formed the Hunt and only had girls in the hunt, it was then I knew I had been replaced." He said as his eyes filled with tears.
I leaned forward and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Apollo. But that doesn't explain how you can't be the one to protect her." I said.
He just chuckled a little. "When she swore off all men for eternity, I was pushed to the side. I still protected her from a distance, but whenever I was there, she would always push me away and said that she could protect herself. I have tried over the years to watch over her and the Hunt, making sure they were safe, but it wasn't always enough. But then you come along and are now a guardian of her hunt, making you able to do what I have always wanted: to protect my sister from whatever harm comes her way." He said gripping my own shoulder.
I looked at him stunned and felt a deep sympathy for him. Here was a man that all his life wanted to protect his sister and went to the lengths he did so that she could remain safe and she didn't even know about it. Apollo may be a playful and immature god at times, but he was a loving brother that would do whatever he had to make sure his family was safe. I felt a bond form between the two of us over our mutual want to keep our loved ones safe.
I smiled at him. "Dang Apollo, I never knew you could be this smart." I said jokingly.
He looked at me and I thought he would be angry but he let out a loud laugh. "Yeah, well there is a lot you don't know about me Perce." He said. "Man, that feels good to get off my chest after all these millennia."
"So, is that why you like me so much and have no problems of me being around your sister?" I asked warily.
He looked at me strangely. "Dude, you are the only guy I have ever seen to get this close to my sister. You are probably the only dude that I would ever approve of having a friendship with her. So, consider yourself lucky my friend." He said laughing. I blushed a little before recovering.
"Well, I'm honoured that you would share that with me cousin." I said, smiling a true smile, my first one in weeks.
He grinned at me before getting an 'Aha!' look on his face. "That reminds me, may I see your guitar?" I held out my guitar to him. He took it and examined it.
"This is some fine craftsmanship. Looks like from Hestia and forged by Hephaestus." He mumbled to himself. The guitar was suddenly surrounded in bright golden light. I shrunk down until it was a small necklace with a red and green guitar charm on it.
He handed it back to me. "There you go cousin. I enchanted your guitar so that it would always be in perfect tune and would be nigh indestructible. Oh, and it can be used as a weapon now if you strum the right notes. Loud music can be hazardous for your health." He said mischievously.
I grinned back at min, putting the necklace on. "Thanks bro."
He just shook his head. "No thanks needed cousin. Think of this as a 'thank you' gift for my favourite cousin." He said.
He then got a little nervous. "Umm…I do have another favour I would like to ask of you."
I looked at him curiously. "What do you need?"
"I have a seven-year-old daughter named Helen living in Florida. Her mother, who was a wonderful woman, was killed a year ago in a drunk driving accident and sent to live with her alcoholic of an uncle. I need to get her out of there, but due to the ancient laws and all the satyrs being scattered throughout the world, there is no one that can get to her. Could you please get her and bring her to the hunt so that she can be in a safe place?" He pleaded with me.
I was shocked that a god was actually begging me to do something. Usually they would demand I threaten me, but Apollo was here begging me. He has changed a lot in the past few years..
"Of course, cousin, but why not take her to Camp Half-Blood?" I asked, wincing on the name. Even after all this time, it still hurts to think of my former home.
"She doesn't have the best of experience with men and I don't want her near any of the boys at camp. She will be much safer her in the Hunt." He said with fatherly protection in his tone. Wow, who knew Apollo could be an over-protected dad.
I nodded my head. He gained a big smile and wrapped me in a bear hug. "Thanks, Perce! You have no idea what this means to me.
"Apollo…Air!" I gasped out. He set me down quickly and looked a little sheepish as I sucked in great quantities of air.
"You don't have to thank me. We're family and family does things for one another." I told him sincerely.
He just looked at me in surprise. "Have you met our family? Our family declares wars on each other if they misplace their overgrown lighting rod." He said.
The sky rumbled in the distance. "You know it's true dad!" Apollo yelled to the sky. I just fell over laughing so hard.
"Okay man. But we have to go find Artemis and tell her what we need to do, alright?" I said.
He nodded his head once in agreement. He made his way to the front of the tent before looking at me. "Should I summon us up some armour just in case we get shot at?" He asked.
I rubbed the back of my head. "Yeah, that would be the safe thing to do. I kind of pissed the hunters off today and they will probably shoot me on sight." I said sheepishly.
He just raised an eyebrow at me. "You really need to work on your 'I can piss off any immortal that has the ability to kill me' attitude." He said as he wrapped us in a protective layer of golden light.
"Yeah. Tell me something I don't know." I said.
We then walked out of my tent and headed to the dining area to let Artemis and the Hunters of a, hopefully, a potential recruit for the Hunt. And let's hope I will survive over a dozen pissed of immortal teen girls. Shuddering at that thought, we made our way to the dining area.
That's chapter 12 for you folks. Have fun, stay tuned!