A/N. Reviews!

"This is a lovely, and quite honestly refreshing change of pace for the guardrian of the hunt/ Artemis trope! it's really well written, and I like that you are going down the path less traveled for this. I've seen stories where Percy and Artemis knew each other during ancient times, but this is a totally new route as far as I know, props for originality. I can't wait to see where this journey goes." -PokemonAndPJOFanboy

Thank you! I wanted to do a Guardian of Artemis story, but one that wasn't like the other ones.

"thank you for this chapter. I like the stupidity with the red thread. On the other hand I hope that it will not be a guardian of the hunt with the hunt which tortures him because it is really stupid." -Poulpy2003

You're welcome. I like the accidental red thread too. Yeah, the Hunt isn't going to fuck with him. They'll have a 'you don't mess with me, I won't mess with you' thing going.

"Great chapter" -Darth Kyuubi kurama

Thanks!

"Great keep it going" -Guest

Thank you, will do.

"Oooh more backstory, I wonder when Chaos is going to show up, anyways what's the update schedule going to be like? Can't wait to see more, so far so good" -Walter

Chaos is going to be at the end of the story, so we still have a little bit. As for the update schedule, just whenever I finish and Zaeng_ finishes giving me edits to make.

"i like this, it's well written. definitely look forward to the full story." -Delegated Forces

Thank you. I do too.

Chapter Three

He opened the door and froze. At his door was a girl who looked his age. She had long auburn hair that was braided in one long braid over her shoulder. Her skin was pale. She wore a green chiton that ended below her knees. But the most defining trait—one he would recognize anywhere—were her silver eyes, glowing like the moon in the sky.

His goddess was at the door.

Artemis had come to visit.

Percy was taken aback. It had been about four thousand years since he had seen Artemis in person. They both didn't want to risk contact with the Gods not knowing of his survival. Zeus would kill him if he found out that he had survived The Guardian's Act repeal.

"Um, you want to come in?" He asked her.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Inviting me into my own temple?"

Percy sighed. "Yeah, what am I doing?" He muttered to himself. He opened the door wider to let her in.

She stepped past him and walked slowly into her temple. She looked around.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Do I need a reason to visit a friend?" She asked, turning around to face Percy.

"When said friend is hiding and a visit could potentially compromise that friend's position, resulting in their death. And when the visitor doesn't take stupid risks like that, yeah, there's a reason."

Artemis sighed and placed a hand on the wall next to her. She ran her fingers along the smooth stone wall. She took her hand off of the wall. "Do you have a knife?" She asked.

"In the kitchen, yeah." Percy said. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. He walked back into the hallway and handed Artemis the knife.

"Thank you."

Before he could react, she pricked her finger with the knife. A second later, his instincts kicked in. "Whoa, Artemis." He stepped forward to grab the knife, but she was finished. She handed the knife to him. She pressed her finger to the wall and pulled it away.

Percy looked at the red spot on the wall. It wasn't there before, so it came from Artemis's hand. Wait, red? Red. Not the golden ichor of a Goddess, but the red blood of a mortal. Artemis was human.

"Artemis–" He said, but she held up a hand to silence him.

"I know."

"This is bad."

"I know."

"How did this even happen? Who made you mortal?"

Artemis ignored him and walked down the hallway towards her altar. She stopped before it and looked over it.

Percy walked up behind her. "Artemis." He said softly. "What happened?"

Artemis gazed at the brazier. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She closed her mouth and tried again. "Well…"

LINE BREAK

Artemis walked into town confidently. It was a small rural town that was reminiscent of the towns in old wild west movies. A bunch of wooden buildings on one dirt road. It classified more as a village than a town. She could almost hear the stereotypical western motif playing in the background.

Her bow was slung over her shoulder. Her hunting garb made her sweat in the heat, but she wouldn't be here long.

A request had brought her here. A prayer from a little girl. Artemis may not have gotten here in time, but she would sure as hell strike her vengeance into the problem.

The villagers came out of their buildings, looking at the newcomer. Many stared at her as she walked past.

Artemis paused as a saloon entered her peripheral vision. She turned towards it and went inside. She pushed open the doors to the saloon and studied the inside. Unlike the old western movies, the action didn't stop for her entrance. The brawl in the corner continued. The people at the bar still drank their alcohol.

She strolled into the fray, dodging a glass cup thrown from some random direction. She sat down at the bar and pulled out a couple of dollars. "A Bloody Mary, please."

The bartender took the money and started to make the drink. Artemis turned around and surveyed the bar. To an untrained eye, the Goddess appeared relaxed, but a hunter could see that she was poised like a predator.

Her prey was in the corner, drinking up a storm. The man was drunk beyond belief, and was bragging about his immense strength. He had a girl around him, who looked less than pleased to be there.

The bartender came back with the drink. Artemis thanked the bartender and took a sip. She put the drink on the counter and turned around again. She drew her bow and knocked an arrow.

"Edgar Jenkins. You have been tried and have been convicted for the rape of Chrissy Molasses. Your punishment is death." Artemis whispered as she lined up the arrow with Edgar's head.

She released the arrow and watched as the arrow flew through the air. It found its mark in Edgar's head. The arrow pinned his head to the wall.

Artemis turned around as screams filled the air. The calamity of people rushing out, fearing for their lives, was ignored by Artemis as she picked up her drink and downed the entire glass. She slung her bow over her back and stood up.

She looked around. With no one left in the saloon besides the guy in the corner who was so drunk he passed out, she flashed out, leaving the corpse of the dead rapist.

Artemis reappeared back at her camp. The Hunters were milling about, tending to various duties. Inside of one of the tents, two hunters comforted a young girl. Artemis made her way to the tent. She opened the flap.

"He's dead." Was all she said.

Tears welled up in Chrissy's eyes. She rushed forward and hugged the Goddess.

Artemis wrapped her arms around her and allowed the girl's tears to stain her clothes.

"Are you ready?"

A flash illuminated the room. Artemis turned her head to see Hermes. He was tapping his foot impatiently.

"What do you want?" She asked her brother.

"Zeus wants to see you. And he is pissed."

Hermes flashed out. Messenger God duties can't wait after all.

Artemis unattached herself from the little girl. "I have to go." She said softly. "Zoë will take you into the nearest town."

The dark-skinned girl with a silver circlet around her forehead stepped forward.

Artemis stepped outside of the tent and flashed to Olympus. She appeared in the throne room. Zeus was already in his throne and like Hermes said, he was Mad. With a capital M.

"Father. You wanted to see me?" Artemis asked cautiously.

"Yes. I did." Zeus said. Artemis had to give it to him. He was good at hiding his anger in his voice. However, the redness of his face gave it away. "What makes you think it's okay to kill my child?"

"What?"

"You heard me. What makes you think it's okay to kill my child?"

"I didn't kill one of your kids. The only one I've killed today was some rapist somewhere in Idaho."

"That 'some rapist' was my son, Edgar. And you admit to killing him."

"Well, he did rape a young girl. She was only seven. He deserved to die. Maybe worse." Artemis said carefully.

"Not my children, no."

Artemis almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. Actually, no, she could. Of course he would be okay with it. Most of his kids were born because of his libido. "Well, I guess like father, like son."

"What?" Zeus asked, deadly calm. A vein had popped up on his head.

"I said, 'Like father, like son'."

"You disrespect me, in my throne room?"

"Maybe if you were someone worth respecting, maybe I would. I hate that you're my father."

"That's it!" Zeus stood up. "You need to learn how to respect your elders. Maybe some time as a mortal would straighten you out."

"Would rather be a mortal than your daughter." The venom behind the words were potent enough to kill a herd of elephants.

Zeus raised his Master Bolt. He expected Artemis to apologize. To get on her knees and beg for mercy. To admit that it was a slip of her tongue and to promise to not let it happen again. She did neither. She just raised her head to stare directly into the point of the Master Bolt.

A blast of lightning shot from Zeus's weapon and hit Artemis in the chest. She fell to her knees in pain, before blacking out. When he stopped shooting lightning at her, there was no remain of her.

Artemis woke up hours later in the mortal world. The sounds of a busy city were all around her. She noticed that she was lying down on a bench. She sat up.

First thing, she felt terrible. She felt like a trapped bird. In a way, she was. She was confined to the body she was in, not able to flash away. She had no extra strength, no extra power. It was like cutting the arms off of a human. And not giving them a prosthetic.

People passed by, not noticing her. They were going about their business, going inside and out of a building.

Artemis stood up and noticed that she was dressed in a green chiton, which was misplaced with all of the mortals wearing their jeans and t-shirts and whatnot.

She joined the crowd of people and walked alongside them. Where was she going? She had not a clue. She didn't have a home to go to. She didn't even know where she was. And how would she find out? She couldn't ask someone without looking like an idiot. Sure, she could suck up her pride and ask someone anyway, taking one to find out where she was.

It'd be a blow to her pride, but it would be worth it in the end. She turned to the woman next to her. "Excuse me, where are we?"

The woman looked at her confused. "Walmart?"

Artemis pursed her lips. "I meant, like, city, state?"

"New York."

"Damn." Artemis said. "I need to get to Minnesota."

"I'm sure there's a Greyhound that can get you there." The woman said. "Um, real quick. Where'd you get your dress? I love it."

"I don't know. I just woke up in it."

"Rough night?"

Artemis shook her head. "I don't know." She lied.

"Well, there's a greyhound station just down the way, over there." The woman said, pointing.

"Thank you. And what's your name?"

"Of course. I'm Sally."

"Thank you, Sally. I won't forget your kindness."

Sally walked into the Walmart, leaving Artemis by herself. The newly mortal Goddess sighed. She would need money for the bus, but of course, she was wearing a chiton. No pockets. Besides, she highly doubted that her father would give her money after her transgression.

She looked around. There had to be some way she could get some money. People often played music for tips, but she didn't have a musical bone in her body. That all went to her brother. She could beg for money, but that was humiliating.

She decided to start walking to the greyhound stop anyway. Maybe she would catch a lucky break.

The station wasn't too far, maybe a thirty minute walk at most. She reached the station and sat down on a bench. A bus going to Newmark was rolling into the station. The bus came to a stop and the bus driver ran out of the bus, holding his crutch like he needed to pee. The door was left open.

Artemis thanked the Fates for this opportunity. She could sneak aboard! She was the hunting goddess, sneaking was her thing, she could do this.

She stood up and looked around. No one was looking. She rushed onto the bus and took a seat at the back. She ducked behind the seat in front of her so that anyone in the front couldn't see her.

A minute later, the driver came back on the bus and started to let people on. One by one, the seats filled up. After about thirty people, Artemis poked her head up and acted like she had paid to be there like everyone else.

An older woman sat down next to her. Artemis smiled at her briefly and turned to look out of the window. After about five minutes, the bus started to move.

The sun was starting to set when the woman next to her started talking. "Where are you going honey?" She asked.

"Uh, Minnesota. I'm visiting my uh… an old friend."

"That's nice, dear. Tell me about your friend."

"Oh, well, um. It's been a long time since I've seen him. Well, he's the kindest man I've ever met. He's funny, very sarcastic, strong, and loyal. He would give up everything for someone he loves. He loves the ocean."

"He sounds very nice, dear."

"What about you?" Artemis asked. "Where are you going?"

"I'm coming back from visiting my daughter. I'm on my way to Illinois, back home."

"Well, I wish you a good trip." Artemis said.

"You too, dear." The woman paused. "And please be careful. The world is a dangerous place for us, especially someone so pretty as yourself. They often experience the worst tragedies."

Artemis let the words turn in her mind. "I'll keep that in mind."

Artemis changed buses a stop later.

LINE BREAK

"After changing buses again, I got a ride from a stranger to Superior national Forest, and now here I am."

"Wow." Percy said, staring at her from across the table they had sat at in the middle of her story. "So you've been mortal for over a day now?"

Artemis ran through the entire debacle again. "Yeah, almost two now."

Percy was silent.

"I must say, I love what you've done with the place." Artemis said, gesturing to the interior of the temple. "And that Mist barrier surrounding the place, that was hard to get through."

Percy smiled. "Yeah, after a couple of Jehovah Witnesses stopped by, I decided that a bit of protection would be needed."

"It's definitely helping."

They were silent.

"So now what?" Percy asked.

"Right now, I'm exhausted. I feel like I could fall asleep right now."

True to her word, Artemis laid her head down on the table. Her eyes closed, and with almost no time passing, her quiet snores filled the empty air.

Percy smiled at her and shook his head lightly.

Percy stood up and stretched. He walked over to the altar and picked up the now cold steak and salad. He placed the dishes on the table and sighed.

He carefully picked her up bridal style and carried her to his room. He silently entered the room and laid her down on the bed. Artemis instantly grabbed onto the pillow as he laid her down. Percy smiled and grabbed an extra blanket from under the bed. He laid on top of her and exited the room.

She could use his bed. Besides, it had been a while since he slept in the woods and felt like it was time again.

He entered the kitchen and frowned. Someone was sitting at the table waiting for him. He had blond hair and tan skin. He wore sunglasses, despite the fact that it was night, and that he was inside.

"What's up Apollo?"

Apollo took off the shades. His eyes glowed yellow. "Hey Perce." He smiled. "I always had a feeling you were alive."

"Do the other Gods know? Does Zeus want to kill me?"

Apollo shook his head. "Nah, I'm the only one who knows. If Zeus wanted to kill you, it would be Hermes sitting here, not me."

"So, how'd you find me?"

"Well, as you know, Artemis is now mortal. I was looking out for my younger sis–"

"She's older, Apollo." Percy interjected.

"Semantics." He waved off Percy. "Anyways, I was watching over her, and saw that she came here. I was confused, until guess who opened his door!"

Percy rolled his eyes.

"For real man, I'm glad you lived. You were my favorite Guardian anyway."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Not Lydia?"

Apollo smirked. "No, not even my Guardian compared to you. Honestly, I think every God was jealous of Artemis when you were revealed to be her Guardian."

"Gee, that makes me feel special." Percy said dryly.

Apollo rolled his eyes. "So, what've you been up to?! Slaying pussy, getting drunk, throwing revelries that would make ol' Dio jealous?!"

Percy started at Apollo incredulity. "No! That's pretty much the opposite of the monk thing I'm doing here." He said, gesturing around them.

"Bro, that's boring. God, no wonder you got paired up with my sister, you're both no fun."

"I'm just not interested in the stuff."

"Lies!" Apollo declared. He studied Percy for a moment and his mouth opened wide. "Ooooh. I get you." He said, teasingly. "You're waiting for the right girl, alright."

"What?"

"Please. It's so obvious. Why didn't I see it before? I mean, the way you look at her, none of the other Guardians looked at their assignment like that!"

Percy sat there, puzzled.

Apollo stared at him in disbelief. How could he not admit it yet? "You have a crush on Artemis!" he clapped in front of his face to punctuate the sentence.

If Percy had water, he would have done spit take. "What?!" He said, laughing. "No I don't."

"Stop lying to the God of Truth, Perce. I see through them, clear as day."

Percy bit his tongue.

"It's cool though."

"Why are you okay with this? You killed Orion for so much as looking at her that way."

"Cause you practically swore you won't hurt her. You literally can't break that oath, otherwise you cease to exist. Your whole purpose in life is to keep her safe."

"I thought my purpose was to be a weapon against the Gigantes. A weapon that's no longer needed."

Apollo rolled his eyes. "Forget whatever my father said. Look, my point is, you're practically the best guy out there for her. And please, don't ever mention Orion again."

Percy held up his hands. "Hey, I hate the prick as much as you do." Percy sighed. "Artemis isn't going to want a relationship. So, I'm not going to do anything about it."

"Good lad. Sad, but good." Apollo said. He stood up. "Well, I'm going to take my leave. I feel a lot better now that you're here. You got her, right?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "I swore to protect the Goddess Artemis. For she is my charge–"

"She is my duty. Her life is my own. My loyalty is to her above all else. This I swear, yadda yadda yadda." Apollo said. "I know, your stupid mantra. I get it. Be seeing you around, Perce."

Apollo flashed out in a golden light as bright as the sun.

Percy sighed and stood up. Time to go sleep in the woods.

A/N. Another chapter set in the present. Following right after the last one. I showed you why Artemis showed up, as well as expanded on how Artemis views Percy, versus how Apollo sees him.

Thanks to Zaeng_ again for betaing this chapter.

Thoughts?