A/N. Reviews!

"Alright, I'll take it, by introducing everyone in bulk we get that out of the way." -8MexicanJaegar

Yeah, besides, it doesn't really matter, they're all gonna die soon.

"So, an insight between the other guardians and their charges. I was rather shocked you managed to update so quickly; I actually thought the website had glitched out when I checked this story.

Now I have the names of all the guardians, I'm kind of curious to how all of them met their demise. We know Perseus is the last guardian, but I'm really curious as to how his siblings died and how Artemis saved him. I wonder if their deaths affected him in any way...

Great chapter, I've always wanted to know how the guardians interacted with their charges. Please, keep it up!" -RagingFusion

Yeah, I already had it done, I just wait for Zaeng_ to read it. Also, don't worry, I'm gonna show you how they die. And yeah, it does affect Percy. He gets survivor's guilt. I've shown it a little bit, hopefully.

"Bruhhhhhh, that was the worst cliffhanger of this story. Seriously though, the meeting? Now THAT was epic. I hope we could also see a Post Giant War scene because you haven't explained what happened to them. Though please don't take THat long like before.

P.S. IF you didn't know, worst means a good cliffhanger.

Well, to you, not the readers. We hate you for that." -KryptonWrites

Lmao, I'm glad you enjoyed it. And yeah, you're gonna get a post war chapter! Well, it's not up to me. No matter when I finish, I still gotta run it by Zaeng.

"Loved it perfect story keep the updates coming" -HellRaiderS

Thank you, will do!

Onto the chapter!

Chapter Nine

"So what do we do then?"

"I guess…" Artemis paused. "I guess we're going on a road trip."

They walked back into the kitchen of the temple. Once Artemis caught Percy up to speed on what a 'road trip' and a 'car' was, he had several questions.

"So, this car… I presume it's going to cost some sort of currency?" He asked.

Artemis nodded.

"A lot of this currency?"

"Yes."

"Where are we going to get the currency?"

"Percy. What's surrounding this temple?"

"Forest?"

"And?"

His eyes widened. "The Mist."

She nodded. "You've gotten good at manipulating it."

"So, I just have to manipulate something into looking like currency, and then hope the person taking it isn't clear sighted."

"Now you're getting it."

"So, what does this money look like?"

Artemis paused. "Well, it's green…or a plastic card? I think? I don't know."

Percy looked at her like he was saying 'seriously?'.

"Percy, I spent most of my time in the woods, do you really think I deal with mortal money?"

"You know what a car is! Are those in the forest?"

"That's different, their roads are destroying forests. Of course, I know about my enemy."

"And you want to use your enemy, effectively contributing to the wilderness's destruction." He pointed out.

"But I can become immortal again. The ends justify the means here!"

Percy held his hands in surrender. "Okay. So, the Mist Currency option isn't going to really work."

Artemis sighed and lowered her head.

"We could ask your brother." Percy said.

Artemis's head shot up. "NO!"

Percy rested his hands on the table. "Arty, if we're going to do this, we're gonna need help. He could get us a car, that's all we need."

"I could get you two a car." A voice came from the main hall. Standing by the doorway was a blond teenager, with eyes as blue as the sky. He was tall, and dressed in jeans, loafers and a sleeveless t-shirt.

"No, Apollo." Artemis groaned.

"But Arty–"

"Don't call me that!" She yelled, pointing at him.

"But he–" He gestured to Percy before shaking his head. He walked into the room. "Look, you need a car, right? I can get you a car, as well as some money."

"But Zeus will know that you helped."

"Please, I doubt the bastard even knows I'm here. Percy laid so much Mist around this place, even a primordial would get confused. Only reason I could even get here is because I knew he was here."

"You knew he was here?"

Apollo sighed and moved a seat out from the table. He sat down in it smoothly. "Not until you came here yesterday."

"You were watching me?!" Artemis yelled, raising a fist angrily. She would never hit her brother (no matter how much she wanted to or no matter how much he deserved it), she just used her hands a lot when she talked.

Percy put a hand on hers and forced it back down to the table. He looked at her pointedly.

Apollo nodded his thanks and continued. "I was only looking over you. But anyways, Zeus wouldn't know a damn thing. Hell, he probably forgot he even turned you mortal."

"Really?"

"Happened with me and Poseidon. He was too busy with his… 'leisurely activities' to keep an eye on us." He shrugged. "Probably the same here. Gods know he hasn't changed."

"But you can get us a car?" Percy asked.

"Can I drive the Sun?"

"Isn't that your job?"

"That was rhetorical."

Percy still looked confused.

"A question that doesn't need an answer." Artemis whispered in his ear. He nodded.

Apollo rolled his eyes good-naturedly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of paper as well as car keys. "Here. Money and a car. Like I promised."

"That's a car?" Percy muttered. It wasn't what he was expecting.

"It's the keys to the car." Apollo said. He stood up. "It's in the parking lot. Artemis will know what it looks like. And Percy, remember what I told you yesterday." He said, before walking out of the room. A flash of gold from the hall signaled the Sun God's departure.

Artemis looked at him curiously. "What did he tell you yesterday?"

Percy looked at her with a teasing look in his eyes. "I swear to protect the Goddess Artemis–"

"OKAY, OKAY!" Artemis exclaimed. "I get it." She laughed. Percy started laughing too.

Their laughter died down.

"So, you know how to drive, right?" Percy asked. "Cause I don't."

"Yeah, I know how to drive."

LINE BREAK

It was Percy's first time outside of his seclusion and he was eagerly taking it all in. Packs hung on their backs filled with the bear meat that Percy had hunted earlier that day. They exited the woods and reached the parking lot. There were a bunch of large different looking objects that Percy decided were cars.

Upon laying her eyes on one, she groaned.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Of course Apollo left us with a Maserati."

A golden Maserati Spyder sat in a parking lot. When Artemis pressed the button on the keys, to her expecting horror, the car unlocked as the lights flashed. She sighed and opened the driver's side door. She motioned to the other side to Percy before getting in.

Percy followed Artemis's actions.

"Seatbelt." She told him.

He copied what she did. He might've been out of touch, but he wasn't an idiot.

Artemis adjusted the rearview mirror until it suited her. She took the parking brake off and put the car in reverse. She slowly backed up, taking care to not hit any pedestrians.

She pulled out of the space and drove out of the parking lot.

Artemis knew how to drive, though she didn't have much experience. She had tried to turn the moon chariot into a car, opting for a silver Porsche 911, but decided that she liked the traditional chariot better. But for a goddess, driving was like riding a bike, you never forget how to. Though, that really applies to anything.

The ride was silent except for the quiet hum of the engine. Whether the engine was supposed to be quiet or not, the author didn't know, because he wasn't a car person, and google didn't have the answer in the box, and he wasn't going to spend forever trying to find out. But we're gonna go with what Zaeng's experience is and let it be the sound of a semi-quiet purr.

The sun was already touching the horizon when they left, and when the moon was high in the sky, Artemis yawned. Rather than letting Percy take a crack at driving, they decided to get a hotel for the night, and resume driving in the morning.

They pulled into the next hotel they saw, El Elegante Suites. Artemis parked the car and they got out. They walked inside. The person at the desk saw them and instantly put on a fake facade of kindness. His nametag read 'Gustavo'.

"How can I help you?"

"Hi. We just need a room for the night." Artemis told Gustavo."

"We have one bed, two beds, and suites, which would you prefer?"

"Two beds." Percy said after a moment of Artemis hesitating.

Gustavo typed a couple of things on the computer. "I'm just going to need a couple bits of information. Who is the room going to be under?"

"Artemis."

"Last name?"

"Ummm… Selene?" She asked uncertainly.

Gustavo's face didn't waver, but Percy could tell that he was having suspicions about them. He typed some more things on the computer.

"What will you be paying with?"

"Cash." Artemis said. She reached a hand out to Percy, who handed her the roll of bills. He had counted it in the car. Two thousand. All in one hundreds.

"How much for the room?" Artemis asked.

"One hundred and eighty." Gustavo said, a friendly smile on his face.

"Do you have change? I need a twenty." She said, taking two Benjamins out of the roll.

Gustavo made a low 'tsk' sound and pulled out his wallet. He handed her the twenty as she handed him the two hundreds.

"Thank you for your business." Gustavo said, putting the money right by the keyboard. He grabbed two room keys and laid them on the counter. "You'll be in room 219, on the second floor. The elevators are down the hall. Complimentary breakfast starts at seven and ends at ten. Your checkout time is at eleven. Any questions?"

Artemis shook her head and grabbed the two key cards. She handed one to Percy. They walked away from the desk. As they walked away, they could still feel Gustavo's eyes on them.

They took the elevator to the second floor and found their room. Artemis unlocked the door and opened it. They stepped into the room. Artemis took a look around the room with an unbelieving look on her face.

There were two beds in the room. Only problem, they were bunk beds. What kind of hotel has bunk beds?! Artemis sighed. "Do you want top or bottom?" She asked Percy.

Percy took a look at the bunk bed. "Top. Reminds me of the trees I sleep in sometimes."

Artemis nodded.

Percy placed the backpack on the desk and climbed up to the top bunk. He laid down and whistled softly. "Damn, this is comfortable."

Artemis smiled softly before laying down herself. She got under the covers and closed her eyes. Falling into a blissful sleep.

She had a magnificent dream of an alternate life, one with the man who slept in the bunk above her. However, it was forgotten as she woke up in the morning.

LINE BREAK

Artemis was in the shower. Percy was sitting on the top bunk, waiting for his turn.

The sound of water hitting the ground stopped. A couple of minutes later, Artemis opened the door, her hair still wet. Steam wafted from the bathroom and into the main room. Percy hopped down from the top bunk and landed on his feet. He grabbed his clothes and walked past her. The smell of the forest filled his nose. He loved that smell.

He closed the door behind him. The room was small. A small white porcelain seat was in front of him, while a small clear room was next to him on his left. On his right was a wall with a counter and a sink. Above it was a piece of glass that was fogged up. He could still tell that his reflection was underneath. He wiped the mirror with his hand, revealing his face.

'This is what I look like?' He thought to himself. His face was dirty, with lines on his face. His eyes looked dead inside. His hair was a mess. He sighed and turned away from the mirror.

He stepped into the glass room that Artemis had called a shower. He stood there for a minute looking at the protrusion of metal that sat in the wall at his waist. He grabbed it and tried to pull it. Nothing happened. He tried to move it in different directions before discovering that it turned.

Water sprayed out of the spigot that sat above his head. The falling water reminded him of rain. He stood there for a minute, just enjoying the sensation of the water. He finally looked around and saw two containers. One was titled shampoo, and the other, body wash. He picked up the body wash.

It seemed straightforward enough. Push down the top and wash yourself. He followed his intuition and washed his body. Yes, he got in all the nooks and crannies, you don't need to ask.

The shampoo did confuse him though. What did he use that for? He turned the container, trying to find something.

"Ah, directions. Here we go." He said to himself softly. He read the instructions before saying, "For my hair, huh?"

He pumped some shampoo into his hand and rubbed the soap into his hair. He washed his hair before standing under the water and rinsing the shampoo out.

He stood under the water for another minute, enjoying the water again. He turned the water off and got out of the shower. He took a towel and dried himself off. He noticed that the mirror had fogged up again.

He took the towel and wiped the mirror. There were still droplets and streaks of water, but he could see himself. He instantly liked his appearance a lot more. Though, his hair was not flat and he wished it had some more volume. Hopefully it would come back when it dried. He sighed again. Since when did he care about his appearance this much?

He turned away from the mirror and put on his clothes. He walked out of the bathroom. Artemis was waiting for him. He put on a thin smile.

She stood up. "Ready to go? We have a long way to go."

Percy nodded. They walked out of the room with their backpacks and walked to the front desk. Gustavo was behind the desk again.

"I trust your stay was pleasant?" He asked.

"Yes. It was nice."

Artemis handed him the keycards. "Have a good day." Gustavo said.

Artemis and Percy walked out of the hotel and got in their car. Artemis pulled out of the parking lot, and within minutes, they were back on the highway headed towards L.A.

LINE BREAK

After a lot of driving, and one more stay at a hotel, they finally arrived in Los Angeles. The air was thick with smog, the traffic was hell, and people were everybody.

"How the hell are we supposed to find the Underworld here?"

"It's run under a cover company, DOA Records. They have a studio downtown."

"Ah."

They were silent as the traffic didn't move an inch. Then Artemis spoke up. "Hey. What do you think about getting some food before we go to the Underworld? Maybe go visit the beach?"

"You sure? You don't want to go straight to the Underworld? Get your immortality faster and whatnot?"

Artemis shrugged. "You haven't seen the mortal world in four thousand years. And I know you like the beach."

Percy bit his tongue. "Sure. Sure, let's do it."

Artemis nodded and smiled to herself. "It's a date." She said softly.

"Hm?" Percy asked, turning to her.

"It's a date." She said, louder this time. "If… If that's alright with you?"

Percy didn't respond for a second before a shy smile spread across his face. "Sure, yeah."

"Okay. Good." Artemis said quietly before looking forward.

Both of their cheeks were flamed red as they didn't look at each other, for fear of shattering their dream. For fear that it was just a dream.

The traffic still didn't move.

LINE BREAK

They got In-and-Out, which took hours, before heading to the beach. When they got there, the sun was starting to set. The sunset was turning the sky orange.

Percy and Artemis sat down on the sand and pulled out their burgers.

"So, what is this?" Percy asked.

"It's a cheeseburger, Percy." Artemis replied. "It's cow beef on a bread bun. And then some cheese on it."

Percy pulled the burger out of its paper wrapping and took a bite. The flavors washed over his tongue. He was surprised, but he loved the taste.

They ate in comfortable silence, just enjoying the company of each other. They didn't want to say anything, for fear of ruining the moment. The sounds of waves crashing on the shore, the chirping of seagulls, and the occasional wind in their hair provided the right ambience for their date.

They finished their burgers and put the trash in the trash bins back up near the parking lot. Then they walked down to where the tides were running up on the land. They had taken their shoes off and rolled up their pants legs. The water washed over their feet.

Percy sighed as he looked around. Trash was everywhere. Bottles, papers, bags with unknown objects contained in them. The sheer amount of garbage made him sad. The beach was his favorite place, to see it so disrespected and messed up…

"What's wrong?" Artemis asked, worried that his sad look had to do with her.

"It's… it's so dirty." Percy said. "All the trash in the ocean, and on the sand. It makes me sad."

"I'm sorry." Artemis said. She grabbed his hand and laced her fingers in his.

"It's not your fault." He said. "It's better with you here."

Artemis blushed and looked towards the sun.

They watched the sunset, hand in hand as the tides continued their dance with the sand.

Once the sun had disappeared over the horizon, they walked back to the parking lot. There was a little spigot for washing the sand off of people's feet located at the edge of the parking lot. They washed their feet off.

"I don't think we should put our shoes back on." Percy commented.

"Yeah." Artemis agreed.

Artemis opened the trunk of the car and sat down inside it. Her legs hung over the edge of the car. She patted the space next to her. Percy sat down and took a deep breath in.

The sky was dark while the stars shone brightly in the sky. The moon was the brightest thing in the sky, outshining all of the stars.

"I'd like to be a star." Percy said.

"Hm?" Artemis looked at him curiously.

"Whenever I die." Percy said. "I'd like to be a star."

"Why?"

Percy turned to her. "So I could still watch over and be with you." He said, a faint smile playing on his lips.

She shook her head fondly and laid her head on his shoulder as they looked up at the stars.

Percy yawned and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him.

The sound of crickets filled the air as they sat in silence.

They would soon fall asleep to the ambience of the night.

A/N. Gustavo is Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad. Has nothing to do with the story, I just think it's funny.

Thoughts?