A/N. Review response time!
"Zeus and co are so ungrateful, how can death be their reward. They could've have released them from their oath but not kill them" -Jarie
He could have, yes, but he didn't. That's how Zeus is.
"Fascinating, I thought Percy's Temple moved around like Olympus, Othrys, the labyrinth and shit. Apparently he was the first westerner to come to our continent." -8MexicanJaeger
I mean, I wouldn't say first, because I think there were some others that came from that land bridge between Russia and Asia, I think? I could be wrong. But he was early, yes.
"Nice of the gods to show how grateful they are to their guardians. I think it suits them quite well. I (personally)think you should have added some resentment towards the gods (Artemis excluded, of course) for not caring about their guardian's ultimate fate.
Great chapter! I was kind of alarmed when I saw that there would only be three more chapters remaining, though. Will be eagerly waiting for the epilogue." -RagingFusion
It's not that Percy resents, more than just diesn't really care about them anymore. He only fears for his (and Artemis by extension) safety. And don't worry, everything is going to come to a neat end!
"OK HOLD UP. WHAT IN ZUES NAME DO YOU MEAN 4 CHAPTERS TILL THE END? This Fic hasn't even started. If you are going to end it now, I am seriously going to be disappointed. I mean abandoned? Hiatus? Disappearance? Not Gonna make it? Lost interest? Death!? (Ok, this one is a joke) those things I understand. But if you are just gonna end it, I am going to be very disappointed. This is a Really, capital R fully deserved, good fic. Yet explain to me, how are you going to make Artemis goddess again 4! Chapters!? Let me tell you, this is not an endgame. How much time has this Fic been here? 2 Months. 2! Please don't leave it. I wait every week for this to upload. And there are not a lot of books I personally like, no matter how much my favorite list is. Just hear me out, please, don't leave it.
Unless of course, you will do like the 'Average Canadian' does, who writes 2 or 3 chapters story with 39kk words each and takes 2 months to write each chapter, then of course! Take your time. But give some good 39k chapters. Good luck! (Ok, this paragraph was a joke, but I am serious about the above one)" -KryptonWrites
But it has started. The story is getting Artemis her immortality back, and we're almost there. This story is coming to its conclusion. Don't worry, it's not being abandoned. I just don't believe in extending it longer than it needs to be. (Also, originally, there was only going to be two more and then an epilogue, but I decided to split chapter fifteen into two, because I didn't want to cram too much into one chapter, like I did in chapter six.
I'm glad you're enjoying this one!
"Perfect as always loved it
What if other guardiasn are still alive and plotting to bring the gods down" -HellraiderS
Thank you! They aren't, they are actually dead.
"Can you do more pertemis storys, you have the potential to do some truely great ones if you put your mind to it" -Darth Kyuubi kurama
I have some other ones. They're one shots, but it's something. I'll write more when the pairing fits the story.
Chapter Thirteen
Percy looked at Artemis. An understanding passed between them.
They were in Tartarus.
Artemis coughed as the air burned her lungs. "So, what was all… all that about?"
"What was what about?" Percy asked, before coughing again.
"All that! In the Underworld!"
Percy sighed. "I've been there before." He admitted. "A long time ago."
Artemis looked at him intently. "When? How? I was with you up until the end of the gigantomachy. And then after it, you were at my temple. Three sacrifices a day, never failing. So when?"
Percy looked off into the distance at the rolling plains of obsidian and glass shards. A strange orange glow emitted in the distance. "A little after you left me at the temple. Hades found me. Of course, I had no Mist back then."
He chuckled.
"I had just sacrificed a midday meal to you when he appeared in my room. I was going to meditate, so imagine my surprise when I saw him sitting at the edge of my bed. Anyways, he had seen the other Guardians in the Underworld. He reassured me that they all made Elysium." His voice grew quiet. Artemis had to strain her ears to hear him.
He coughed again, violently. He covered his cough with his hand. The terror he felt when he felt something wet on his hand was indescribable. He pulled his hand away. He almost couldn't believe it. In his hand was a bunch of blood.
Artemis coughed again, blood coming out of her mouth too.
"We need to get going. The air is toxic." Percy said.
"You're finishing this story later." She told him.
They started walking down the small hill they were on. Artemis felt her hands start to hurt. She looked down at them and saw blisters start to rapidly form on her skin. She looked at Percy, who seemed to be experiencing the same thing.
They were thankful for their shoes. Who knows how much untold damage was being prevented just by having shoes on. All of the shattered glass on the ground would surely be digging into the soles of their feet without them.
One thing made them cautious though. This was Tartarus. Where monsters went to reform. So where were the monsters? They hadn't seen any. To be fair, they hadn't been there long, but you would think the place would be crawling with entities wishing to kill them.
They continued walking, taking in the terrible sights. There was only so much broken obsidian glass and blood red clouds one could take before they started to get bored of it. The only thing that made the walk interesting was trying to determine how long it would take Tartarus to kill them.
Artemis bet a week.
Percy bet two hours.
Finally, after about ten minutes of suffering, they found something new. A river of flame that cut through the obsidian plains. It continued in the distance before falling off of a cliff. The river gave off an orangish glow that filled the air.
Percy noticed how Artemis's auburn hair seemed to glow orange in the light.
"The River Phlegethon." She said.
Percy nodded. "The Flaming River."
"It's kind of pretty." Artemis said, before frowning. "In a way."
"It's weird to see fire moving like water." Percy commented. He coughed into his hand again, an action that had grown tiresome over their time in Tartarus. His hand was covered in a thick layer of blood at this point.
They stared at the river in silence, the flickering of the flame the only noise.
"Wasn't this called the River of Healing at some point?" Asked Percy.
"It was used in the Fields of Punishment to heal the wicked so they could go through more punishment." She responded. "Don't know if that would translate over to us living though."
"I've worked with less before." He muttered. He knelt down by the river.
He instantly stuck his hands into the river. He was expecting the river to be hot, to burn his hands with unimaginable pain. It was not. It was actually freezing cold which probably meant that the river was so hot that it was confusing his nerves. He cupped some fire into his hands and brought them out of the river.
He brought his hands to his mouth, and after a moment's hesitation, he drank the fire. The coldness flowed down his throat and he felt it spread throughout his body.
"Tastes like gasoline mixed with a Carolina Reaper." He said. He looked down at his hands. The blisters were starting to fade. His lungs didn't feel like they were trying as hard to breathe. "But it seemed to have worked."
Artemis stared at him, unblinking.
"Artemis?"
She fell back without warning. Percy rushed forward and caught her. He laid her gently down on the ground, being careful not to let any of the glass shards scratch her. He turned back to the river and thrust his hands back into it. He collected some water and carried it to Artemis's mouth.
He poured the fire onto her mouth. He put a hand on her forehead. She was burning up. But as the Phlegethon water made its way into her system, the fever started to fade.
She slowly opened her eyes to see Percy hovering over there, looking worried. Upon seeing her open eyes, he smiled.
"Thought I lost ya for a second there."
"That was disgusting." She said after a minute. She sat up and looked around. "But I feel better."
She stood up.
"I think we should keep to the river, so that way we can always have a way to heal ourselves." Percy said.
Artemis nodded. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan." She pursed her lips. "How are we going to find the Orphic Egg in this place? Especially when we're sticking to the river?"
Percy shrugged. "I mean, we have to find it eventually, right?"
"That could take years!"
"It could, yeah. But maybe we'll get lucky."
Artemis sighed.
They started walking down the riverside, following it. When they reached the cliff that the river fell over in a waterfall, they decided to climb down.
Slowly they made their way down. About halfway, their hands were cramping, and their blisters were back, and their coughing up blood threatened to make them fall off the cliff.
"There's a ledge we can sit on there." Percy said, motioning his head to a chunk of rock that jutted out of the side right next to the Phlegethon.
They made their way to the ledge and sat down. Artemis drank some firewater, then Percy. They caught their breath as they sat.
The air was cold, but the Phlegethon kept them warm. To an extent. This is why any monster that looked up at them would see them cuddled together. For warmth. Definitely for warmth.
"We have to keep going." Percy whispered in her ear.
Artemis sighed and nodded. "Let's go." She said softly.
They climbed the rest of the way down. As their feet touched the ground, Percy looked up at the cliff. The wall had a weird look to it. It almost reminded him of teeth. The thought made his skin crawl.
They continued to follow the river when the sounds of scuffling reached Percy's ears. It was quiet, but he had good ears. He turned and surveyed their surroundings. There wasn't a moving thing, but there was a collection of rocks.
"What's wrong?" Artemis asked.
"Something is following us. I heard it. I don't know what."
She frowned. "I hate being mortal. These stupid ears can't hear shite."
"Who's there?!" Percy yelled out.
Slowly, the sound metal scraping against rock filled the air as a hot woman emerged from behind the rocks. She had black hair and skin as white as snow. Her eyes were a dark green. Her lips were done with perfect lipstick.
"How sweet. You heard me." She said. Her voice was as sweet as a marshmallow dipped in chocolate.
Percy drew his bow and nocked an arrow. Artemis did the same thing.
"Who are you?" Artemis asked.
"How hostile. Shouldn't have expected anything different from the bitch herself." The woman ground her teeth. "Do you really do anything other than be a prick?"
Percy and Artemis kept their eyes trained on the woman.
The woman flickered, as if she was an image hiding something. In the woman's place was a humanoid with hair made of fire, and two legs made of different materials, one wood, and one celestial bronze. Her nails had turned into long clothes.
Percy's eyes widened. "Empousa." He knew all about these creatures. They used charmspeak to entice men into kissing them, then they would drink the blood of the man they ensnared. They were the inspiration of modern vampires.
"Strong boy is smart too. Such a catch I've found." She chuckled to herself. "Your blood is going to be delicious."
She charged forward. Percy felt the woman trying to entice him with magic. "You want to lie down and give me something."
Percy felt his hands go numb as she approached. She was affecting him heavily. She should have been dead a long time ago. She would've been if he could think straight. Time was slowing down.
He saw movement in his peripheral. Artemis was drawing her bow with an angry look on his face.
Artemis. His mind cleared; time seemed to speed up again. Percy let loose his arrow, which found its mark in the empousa's forehead. She crumbled into dust, giving the black obsidian a nice golden touch.
"All talk and no substance." He remarked.
Artemis put her arrow back in her quiver.
Percy knelt by the river and drank some more Phlegethon water. He breathed out. "Let's go."
They continued their journey. They were noticeably more on edge, now that they knew that monsters were actually down here. They still drank from the Phlegethon whenever they started to feel bad.
They eventually struck up an idle chatter that led to Percy explaining how he had been to the Underworld.
"-So Hades tells me that he has a gigante as well. But he didn't get a Guardian to help him. Something he resents Zeus for, by the way."
A roar sounded in the distance, making them freeze. They stood there for a minute, staying silent, before deciding that the creature wasn't coming for them yet.
"So he tells me where to find him, Pallene. Cerberus came with us. He can shadow travel, as he did with us earlier. So we went to Pallene. But there, Hades's gigante, Alcyoneus, informed us that he couldn't be defeated in his home territory. He was special, as he was the oldest one."
"So how did you defeat him?"
"Well, Cerberus ended up biting on Alcyoneus's arm and shadow traveled to right outside of Athens. Hades took me there, and three of us just tag teamed him until he was sent back here."
Artemis froze. "Wait. If we sent the gigantes black to Tartarus…"
Percy's eyes widened. "Then we're in the same place as them…"
"...And we don't have a God to help us." Percy let out a shaky breath. "That, is terrifying. Let's NOT think about that."
"Good idea." Artemis gulped. "So, after Alcyoneus was dead, what happened?"
"Hades told me that he was indebted to me. Whatever I wanted, he would give to me, within his power, obviously. He swore on the Syx and everything. That's probably why he was so happy to see us. Didn't like that hanging over him."
Artemis nodded just as another roar, closer this time, erupted from in front of them.
"Does that sound familiar to you?" Percy asked.
She nodded. "It does, but I can't place where I've heard it from."
They didn't have to wait long. After a few minutes, they saw the creature that was roaring up a storm.
Upon seeing the monster, they felt their blood run cold. Standing in front of them, roaring at the cavern ceiling was the worst monster from Percy's past.
It was about the size of a Wooly Mammoth. In the front, it had the head and forepaws of a lion. The back half of its body was scaly and reptilian, with dragon legs and a snaky tail that had a rattlesnake's head at the tip. A goat's head poked straight up from its back like a periscope.
The Chimera.
It sniffed the air and turned straight at them. It instantly recognized them and roared at them while fire spewed from the goat's head. It charged towards them.
The duo grabbed their bows and nocked arrows before firing. The arrows bounced off of the Chimera's hide harmlessly, falling to the ground. The beast continued to pursue them.
"Our arrows aren't going to work." Percy said. "Not unless we can fire into it's mouth."
He shouldered his bow and looked down at the ground. His searching was interrupted by a breath of fire. They rolled in opposite directions, getting glass on their clothes.
Percy felt a stab of pain in his back. He reached around and felt a large shard of glass stabbing him. He grasped the shard and pulled it out. The shard cut his hand, drawing blood. He brandished the shard. It was as long as a knife.
Doubt started to probe Percy's mind. Would the glass even work against the Chimera? Usually only Celestial Bronze could harm monsters. But this glass was from Tartarus, maybe it would work? It was a long shot, but he would have to try.
Artemis kept firing arrows at the Chimera, but they weren't doing anything. They kept bouncing off of the beast's hide like they were nothing. But she was drawing its attention away from Percy, who was sneaking behind it.
Percy got behind the beast while Artemis continued to fire volley after volley of arrows at the monster. The serpent tail focused on him. It launched at him. Percy dropped the shard of glass and quickly grabbed his bow. He held it in both hands and blocked the serpent's bite.
Its teeth bit down on the wooden bow, snapping it in half like a twig. Percy's arms flew to his side as he held the broken halves of his bow.
The serpent continued to strike at the Guardian, only to be blocked by either one of Percy's new sticks. They got into a groove. The smacking of sticks against serpent skin created a dancing drum beat.
Percy could only defend for so long before he made a fatal mistake. The serpent feigned left and launched right, getting past his guard. It bit down on Percy's shoulder and injected poison into his bloodstream. He screamed out in pain as he fell to his knees, dropping his broken bow.
"PERCY!" Artemis yelled.
Percy collapsed on the ground as the serpent withdrew its fangs. The broken glass scraped his face, drawing blood in many instances. He felt the poison burning in his bloodstream.
The Chimera roared in victory, celebrating its win over its old foe.
Artemis glared at the beast with an intense fury. In the blink of an eye, she drew an arrow and nocked it. She felt her old Godly strength return to her as she aimed down the monster. Unknown to her, she was glowing silver.
She let the arrow loose as time seemed to slow around her. Her bow splintered in two. The arrow flew in slow motion as the beast finished its triumphant roar. Too late though, as the arrow entered the Chimera's throat and pierced its neck and incidentally, its heart.
The Chimera stiffened, then fell over on its side before crumbling into dust. Once again, defeated.
Artemis ran to her Guardian, discarding her broken bow. She knelt at his side. He was face down in the glass. She rolled him over and winced. He was covered in cuts, all leaking blood. He was hot to the touch, and was groaning lightly.
She dragged him over to the Phlegethon. She scooped some firewater out of the river and poured it into his mouth. It flowed down his throat. Cuts started to mend, and the bleeding stopped. His fever even seemed to cool a couple of degrees.
Artemis was almost hopeful that the river would heal him fully, but she knew, deep down, that the river would slow the poison's effects, but not remove it. She picked Percy, holding him in a bridal style.
He was heavy, and her burst of godly strength had faded after the Chimera had disintegrated, leaving her with her puny (in comparison, she was still stronger than the average human) human muscles.
She walked along the river bank. She would pause periodically to feed Percy firewater, giving him a few more minutes of life. He seemed to be in a state between unconscious and waking, as he would mumble something unintelligible, and toss and turn. At one point he turned his face into Artemis's elbow and stayed there.
She kept walking until the river disappeared into the ground. The obsidian turned into mud. Plants started to grow. She trudged through the swamp. She noticed that to her right, there was a large hut made of bones and a hide of some kind.
A roar sounded from behind her. She instantly turned around to see the most beautiful drakon she had ever seen in her life. Its hide was green and yellow, matching the hide used to make the hut. Its eyes were sea-green, the same shade as Percy's, whose eyes were closed as he drifted in his weird semi-conscious state.
Artemis was about to drop Percy to fight the drakon. With what, she didn't know, her hands probably. She would have done something, all she knew was that she wasn't letting it harm Percy any more than he already was.
As if that wasn't bad enough, another contender decided to enter the ring at that moment.
The door to the hut opened with a SLAM! In the doorway was a gigante. He was twenty feet tall, with his skin as red as a cherry. He had a beard and hair the color of rusted iron, and many scars on his face. He had dreadlocks that were decorated with many plants, ranging from herbs, to grass, to flowers. His dragon legs matched his skin in color as did his clawed feet. Unlike the rest of his kind, he did not wear armor, instead opting for a tunic made of sheep's wool and the hide of the drakon. He just radiated sorrow and bitterness.
"YOU READY TO DIE AGAIN?!" His deep voice boomed.
'Die again? I haven't died once.' Artemis thought.
The drakon charged at the gigante and vice versa. The gigante landed the first blow with a punch to the drakon's face, stunning it. The gigante took the chance to pull the drakon to the ground. He reached his hands into the creature's mouth and pulled its jaw apart until there was a sickening crack.
The gigante stood up and walked over to a nearby tree. He grasped the trunk of the tree and pulled it out of the ground, roots and all. He stalked over to the drakon, who was watching the gigante with a defeated look in its eyes.
The gigante swung the tree down and impaled the drakon in the mouth. The roots of the tree dug into the ground again, planting itself firmly in the ground. The drakon began to crumble to dust. Bones and other biological functions were left behind. The gigante knelt down and picked through the beast's remains.
"No good bones. Shame. I wanted a new walking stick. Some terrible hide too. Would be good for the outhouse at least." The gigante muttered to himself. He collected the hide and meat and was about to walk back to his hut when he spotted Artemis. He froze and stared at her. "Can I help you?"
Artemis let out a breath. "My… friend… here, he's dying, can you help?" She asked.
The gigante raised an eyebrow. "Bring him inside, I'll see what I can do."
Artemis followed the gigante inside. Inside, there was an internal struggle raging. One side was yelling at her that she was stupid for following a gigante into a hut. The other argued that he might be able to cure Percy.
'Based on what?' The first side said.
'A feeling.' The other side said.
'A feeling. How cute. Shall we sit around a campfire and talk about our feelings like we're lovestruck teenagers?' It said mockingly.
'Why lovestruck?'
The first side had no answer.
The hut was cozy on the inside. A huge bed was on her left, a kitchen on her right. A door led out back in front of her.
"Lay him down. Let me look at him." The gigante said.
Artemis did as he asked.
As the gigante squatted down, like a human observing an ant, Artemis's mind began to turn some gears. This wasn't any gigante she or the other gods had fought before. There was only one that she knew of that hadn't fought in the gigantomachy.
"You're Damasen." She said.
He looked over at her. "Yes, I am."
Damasen continued to look over Percy. "He isn't in good shape. What caused this?"
Artemis looked down. "He was bitten by the Chimera's tail."
Damasen nodded. "Suspected so. Acts very quickly. But something is holding back the venom."
"I fed him a lot of Phlegethon water."
"That bought him some time. Even relieves the symptoms, slightly. Your friend is in much agony however."
Artemis looked at Percy sadly. "Can you help?"
Damasen laughed. "Chimera's venom! Can I heal it?! Girl, Chimera venom is way below my talents."
He stood up and gathered some herbs from the kitchen, which was just a room with a fire in the middle and a bunch of dried herbs and plants lining the walls. He boiled some water, where he got it, Artemis didn't know, and put some of the herbs in the bowl.
He chewed on some basil leaves and spat that into the bowl. He mixed the soup around and walked over to Percy. He squatted beside him and lifted his head up. He poured the soup down Percy's gullet and laid him back down.
Percy sat up, looked at Artemis, slurred "Feeling good" and than promptly fell unconscious on the floor.
Artemis looked at Damasen.
"He'll be fine. He just has to sleep the venom off. He'll be up in, well, time is difficult here, but two hours, maybe?"
Artemis nodded along.
Damasen went back to the kitchen. "I'll make some food. Hope you like drakon meat soup."
He worked around the kitchen, making a broth, then laying drakon meat on the fire. Good smells filled the air as Artemis's stomach rumbled. Turns out that Phlegethon fire water doesn't really fill you up.
Damasen served her a bowl of his drakon meat soup. "I usually require payment for my healing services." He said.
"Oh. I don't… I don't have any money."
Damasen laughed. "I don't take money. No, I think just telling me a story will be enough. Your story. Why are you, a mortal, down here in Tartarus?"
"Oh, well, um. That's quite a long story."
"We have a long time."
And so Artemis explained her tale in between taking sips of the soup. From how she became mortal to how she ended up in his swamp.
Damasen nodded. "Quite a tale." He stirred his soup. "I remember when my brethren wanted to overthrow the Gods. I was born to oppose Ares, his anti. Naturally, because he's the God of War, I was peaceful. I refused to fight. So I lived out my days as a farmer near Meaonia. One day, a drakon attacked the village and killed one of my friends. So, I slew the drakon, stabbing a tree through its mouth. That was the only time I decided to fight. And my father, Tartarus, deemed it unacceptable. So, he sent me here, where I am cursed to fight that drakon, every day, or what constitutes a day down in this hell hole."
Artemis felt sympathy for the gigante. "Our fathers, they really are assholes huh?"
Damasen smiled. "Yeah, they certainly are."
There was a lapse in the conversation.
"So, you're searching for the Orphic Egg?" Damasen asked.
Artemis nodded. "Yes, we are."
Damasen nodded. "Well, the journey should get easier the closer you get to it. Monsters and other creatures tend to stay clear of it. They get nervous around it. Probably because it radiates power like nothing else, but eh, it's just a theory."
"Well, that's good." She paused. "You wouldn't happen to know where it is, would you?"
Damasen nodded. "Sorry, no. This swamp is the only thing I've ever known here in Tartarus."
Artemis sighed. She looked over at Percy, who was sleeping next to her on the woolen rug beneath them. He hadn't moved much since being administered the soup, and she was starting to worry. Her anxiety was only quelled by the fact that his chest was rising and falling in measured breaths.
"You care for him, no?" Damasen asked.
Artemis nodded. "I care for him, as he does for me. My closest friend."
"You love him, no?"
Artemis opened her mouth to respond, but stopped herself. "I mean— I care for him deeply, yes, but do I..?" She seemed to be having an internal struggle with herself. Finally, she sighed. "I think I do."
Damasen raised an eyebrow. "You think."
"I think. I don't want to say I am, because we aren't even… together… but I think I do."
He nodded. "He is mortal, yes?"
She nodded.
"Mortality. Such a fragile thing." Damasen said, shaking his head. "For us immortals, we don't fear death. But mortals do. They know something we can never know. But while we can't die, we can't ever truly live either. And I say this to tell you, you're mortal right now. So, before you become immortal again, live."
The gigante rose. "I must tend to my sheep and plants. Think over what I said." He said before leaving out the back door.
Artemis pondered over the gigante's words. He did have a point. She was mortal, she might as well actually live. Enjoy it while it lasts.
"Hey." A voice croaked from beside her.
She whirled around to see Percy sitting up, looking at her. "Percy!"
She leaned forward and hugged him. "I thought I lost you for a moment there."
Percy grunted and winced. "I'm not gonna die until you're immortal again. Mark my words." He grit out.
He sat up as Artemis leaned back. Her eyes ran over him. "You look a lot better."
Percy let a small smile cross his face. "Thanks."
Artemis moved to sit beside him. "I was seriously worried about you, y'know."
Percy looked at her.
"Really, Percy. You scared me. I don't want to lose you."
"Artemis, I'm not going anywhere."
Artemis looked in his eyes, only finding sincerity in his eyes. They didn't realize they were leaning in until their lips were already touching. Once they did realize, neither made any move to stop.
Artemis moved, now straddling Percy's lap. She broke from the kiss. "I want you." She whispered.
"Artemis, your vow. We shouldn't even be doing this."
"I'm mortal, my vow probably isn't even enforced right now."
"Are you sure?" he asked, looking into her silver eyes.
"Never been more sure about anything."
And Artemis was soon a maiden no more, her vow broken.
A/N. Thanks to Zaeng_ for betaing this chapter.
Thoughts?