A/N. Reviews!
"Sort of, our ancestors did come to the continent from Siberia but that was way before the concept of West even existed, so Percy would be first.
The chapter itself, damn, fucking finally is all I'm gonna say" -8MexicanJaeger
Ah. Yeah, I'm not very good with that early of history. Anyways, I hope it was worth the wait.
"So this is really going to end... Well thoughts on the chapter, it was amazing but I am a little surprised that the Empousa's magic worked when Percy is so focused on someone else. And the ending was rushed, this ruins the whole FLAMES sector." -KryptonWrites
Yeah, it is. Anyways, I'm pretty sure the empousa's magic works no matter what. In canon, if I remember correctly, Percy was obsessed with Annabeth and the Empousa's passive magic still worked on him. The ending was done like that on purpose because well, this story is being read to a child, remember the prologue? You're not gonna explain to a child the intricacies of sex when they're only like, four or five. (Also, what's the FLAMES sector?)
"I want to see Percy in a sequel about the second giant war. Perhaps the gods realise that the giants couldn't be killed by any demigod but the original humans created by the fates specifically to defeat the giants." -fugy
I regret to inform you that there is no sequel planned. It's a cool idea though, but yea, no sequel sorry. Though you can certainly write it if you want to.
"What abilities did the guardians have besides the ones they'd get from being blessed by their charge" -guest
They have godlike strength, reflexes, and durability. That's it really. Percy was the only one blessed by his God though.
"Would there child be a demigod, a regular mortal, or something in between" -Chris Driscoll
I think immortality is a super recessive gene, so it would probably be a super powerful demigod.
Onto the chapter!
Chapter Fourteen
"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.
LINE BREAK
A three day old Artemis took in the sights of Mount Olympus with eager eyes. This was her first time seeing the Home of the Gods since her birth on Delos. Her mother, Leto, finally allowed her and her brother, Apollo, to go to Olympus and receive their birthrights.
Nymphs sold everything from laurel wreaths to nectar out of little road shops. Artemis ran up to one and bought a silver laurel wreath for a drachma. She put it on her head.
The siblings and mother made their way to the throne room, walking up the long staircase that wrapped around the mountaintop. They entered the large room where the council of Gods were congregated.
There were six thrones arranged in an Omega symbol. Sitting in the two thrones in the center of the horseshoe were the King and Queen of Olympus, Zeus and Hera.
Hera instantly looked at the newcomers with scorn. Bastard kids of her husband.
Leto pointed at Zeus.
The King of the Gods stood up. "Well, who are these children?"
"Your children, m'lord." Leto responded. "Artemis and Apollo." She turned to her kids. "Go to your father, children."
They hesitantly approached their father, who welcomed them with open arms.
Artemis bowed before her father. Apollo followed the actions of his older sister.
"Rise, children. I must grant you a wish. Anything you want!"
Artemis went first. Her eyes were wide. "I want to be the Goddess of Hunting! I want a group to hunt with me, and no boys! And a bow! And I want to be a maiden forever!"
Zeus chuckled. "That can be done."
Apollo wished to be the most awesome God.
Later that evening, when the council had disbanded for the day, and Artemis was by herself, she made a decision. "I want to be a maiden forever. I'm going to be a maiden forever. I swear it on the Styx."
Styx paused the video. A younger Artemis, frozen in time right after she made her vow hovered in a misty image in front of her. The Goddess of Hatred felt her rage begin to grow.
Artemis made an oath. And she broke it. You don't just break a Stygian oath with the casual ferocity of a pinky promise!
Styx growled. Her black eyes can only be described as endless death. Paralyzing for the faint hearted. She paced across the bottom of her river as thoughts raced in her head.
Artemis swore a solemn vow. An oath you only made if you meant it. The road ahead would be paved with divine retribution.
Zeus made her the river to swear on for a reason! She went before the Gods, and she pledged her loyalty. And as a reward, she got put in charge of oaths. And the punishments. Oh, the punishments themselves deserved a cruel laugh. Worthy of Tartarus himself.
The usual punishment was exile from Olympus for ten years, in which the exiled couldn't eat ambrosia or nectar. By the first year, the God would be paralyzed in agony. A coma of pain in which they couldn't escape.
Her dark eyes settled on the misty image of Artemis from thousands of years ago. She smiled cruelly. She was going to make sure that Artemis would be more wary when breaking an oath in the future. She wasn't going to give her the usual punishment.
She was going to teach her. Artemis was going to learn.
Styx threw her head back as she let out a cackling laughter.
Because you don't break a vow sworn on the Styx.
LINE BREAK
Artemis opened her eyes slowly. She expected to see sunlight, or something of the sort, but there was none. Then she remembered they were in Tartarus. There was no sunlight down here.
Her head was resting on something hard. She lifted her head to see that beneath her was the body of her Guardian. The memories of the previous night (or day, whatever) flooded her brain.
She looked at Percy, who had his eyes closed and his head back, still asleep. She noticed how he looked so relaxed, something that she rarely saw from him. It always seemed like he was stressing over something, to see him looking like he had no cares, it was something special.
She got up and looked around. Nothing had changed from when they had slept, except that the fire in the kitchen was now just a few embers glowing in a pile of ash.
She didn't know what it was, but something felt off. Like that feeling when you've almost got over a sickness and you don't exactly feel bad, but you can tell that you aren't fully recovered either. It wouldn't hinder her, but it would bug her until it went away.
The sound of voices came from outside the hut. One was definitely Damasen, but the other was deeper. It sounded older, far older than her, far older than even the Titans. It was an old, deep, and cold voice.
Artemis turned when the sound of someone standing up came from behind her. Percy was awake now, standing up. His shirt was gone. She hadn't noticed that he hadn't put it back on before they went to sleep.
She stared at him, taking in the sight of his toned body. He pulled his shirt over his body, breaking her trance.
Percy looked up at her. "What?" He asked.
She shook her head.
Percy slowly walked over to her. "You okay?" He asked. Concern was evident in his eyes. "You don't regret… y'know?"
Artemis's eyes widened. "Hell no! That was… that was great. I'm glad I did that. I'm just thinking…"
"About?"
"Four thousand years. I've liked you for four thousand years, yet didn't admit it to myself until yesterday. I don't know when I started, maybe when you killed Orion, maybe when you got mad after the Chimera, I don't know. But I regret not doing this sooner."
Percy was silent after she finished speaking. He stared into her silver eyes. He kissed her softly as his eyes fluttered close. She did the same.
They stood there, kissing for a few moments before the door opened, causing them to spring apart. They looked at the doorway, where Damasen was standing. Artemis idly noticed that he had a satchel type of bag slung across his chest. A man purse.
"Are you two ready to go? There's someone here to guide you." The gigante said.
Damasen moved out of the way to allow an even bigger guy inside. He towered over Damasen. His ripped muscles glistened underneath his purple skin. Each of his fingers was topped with a long, black, razor-sharp talon. His hands were the size of crane scoops. Each one of his boots were the size of a coffin. His breastplate had images of gorgons, cyclops, drakons, and even a hydra, all pressed against the metal, as if they were trying to escape. But his worst feature was definitely his face. Or rather, his lack of one. Instead of a face, he had a whirlpool with a spiral of darkness going into the center of where his face would be. Everything around him seemed to be drawn into the whirlpool.
Artemis's eyes widened. She didn't recognize him by his appearance, but his power and aura was unmistakable. The being in front of them was the Pit in a physical form— Tartarus himself. She eyed him warily. Whatever reason he was here for, it couldn't have been good for her and Percy.
He had no face, but she could tell that he had an impatient look on his face. "Are you ready?" His deep voice rumbled throughout the room, but it also seemed to fall back into the vortex that was his face.
"Ready for what, lord?" Percy asked. His decision to be respectful surprised Artemis. He was never usually respectful towards a deity, opting for a more casual friendship. He must've recognized the danger of angering this particular primordial.
"To go to the Orphic Egg. I can't stand watching you two wander around with no idea of what you're doing. So I'm going to take you there so I don't have to suffer anymore. I also just want you two to get out."
He answered the unspoken question that was on the forefront of both Percy and Artemis's head. 'Why is he helping us?'
"You want us out, Lord?" Artemis asked.
The Pit deity nodded. "I do. I don't want lesser beings who don't belong here to be here."
A look of irritation came across Artemis's face. "Lesser beings? What's that supposed to mean?! I'll have you—"
"I could just kill you. Would accomplish the same result." Tartarus commented.
Artemis went pale.
"Would you like my help?"
"Yes, Lord." Percy said before Artemis could say anything.
"Good. Then let's go."
"Wait." Damasen said. "I know you said that your bows had broken. So…" He reached into his man purse. "I made you some new ones. They're made of drakon bone and a bunch of Arachne's spider silk woven into a tight string. May it serve you well."
He pulled out two bows that looked like children's toys in his huge hands. But when they received the gifts, they realized that they were full sized long bows. True to his word, they were carved from a bone from the drakon. The silk string was wound so tightly that it would require a lot of force to pull back an arrow. But the power from the bow would make any arrow an even deadlier projectile.
While it had nothing on her bow made by the Elder Cyclops themselves, it would do very nicely until she got her godhood back. She thanked the gigante, as did Percy.
With that, Damasen bid them luck and farewell.
The first thing that the duo noticed as they traveled with Tartarus was that the air no longer burned their lungs. Blisters no longer formed on their skin. Compared to the last time they walked the terrain of the Pit, this was Heaven. Artemis had almost forgotten how good it was to breathe without your lungs wanting to commit suicide.
The second thing they noticed was that there wasn't a single monster in sight. While they only saw/fought two the previous day, they didn't see one now. Whether that was the presence of Tartarus himself, or the fact that they were approaching the Orphic Egg, Artemis didn't know. Or maybe it was a combination of the both.
It was a quiet walk. Their own footsteps were silent as well, years of hunting (and Artemis's blessing in Percy's case) had practically guaranteed that they made no sound as they moved. The only noise was the heavy stomping of Tartarus's Stygian Iron boots, which made a heavy CRUNCH with every step.
A black grass began to grow. Just patches here and there. It amazed the two mortals. How such a thing as grass grew down here, it gave them more hope than ever. Surely it must've been made possible from the demiurgic power of the Creator and its egg, but grass was grass.
The patches began to grow until they all started to touch, and then suddenly, they were in a meadow of black grass. Red flowers began to pop up here and there.
Percy picked one and examined it. It looked like a water lily covered in blood. He smelled the scent of the sea when he took a sniff. He turned to Artemis.
"What?" She asked him.
He smiled and put the flower behind her ear.
She blushed and gently touched the flower. "Thanks." She mumbled.
They were silent as they stared at each other. Percy's thoughts ran as he studied how the red flower matched her auburn hair. And her cheeks, which were flamed red now. God, how cute she looked when she was flushed. Percy felt a swell of happiness in his chest at the sight.
Artemis's fingers lingered on the flower, feeling the petals in between her fingers. She traced her finger along the stem that went behind her ear.
Artemis cleared her throat, putting her hand down. "Tartarus is getting ahead. We have to catch up."
They followed the footprints left in the grass caused by Tartarus's boots.
At some point a river cut through the meadow. Flowers bloomed along the river bank, looking like cattails with blue flowers. The trickle of the water provided a nice ambience that enhanced that surrealness of the meadow. The water itself was white, likely being the river Lethe. Percy and Artemis were careful to keep their distance. Didn't want to lose their memory after all.
In front of them, a grove of black wood trees with red leaves grew from the ground. It was just a circle of trees with a rock in the middle. The trees looked out of place, as they were the only trees in the area. Behind the circle was a drop-off into nothingness. The river Lethe flowed over, spelling into the nothing forever below.
Maybe that was why the Lethe had the power to take away someone's memory. Because it washed the memories into the nothingness, destroying it forever.
Tartarus turned around. "The Egg is just beyond the trees. Be careful. The cliff comes up unexpectedly. Underneath us is Chaos. Pure, unfiltered Chaos. To fall in would be to destroy every atom of your body, till the point that there wasn't any original part of you. I'd wish you luck, but as long as you leave, I don't care." He said, before walking past them, down the way they just came.
As the footsteps of the primordial faded away into nothing, they turned to the grove of trees. They walked silently to the grove before entering.
The ring of trees sat at a radius of fifty feet from the rocks. Black rocks jutted up in the center of the clearing. Sitting on the top of the smooth rocks was an egg with a serpent wrapped around it like it was strangling it. The egg was intact though, not a single crack in its white shell.
The Orphic Egg.
The couple approached it. The rocks only reached Percy's chest. The egg sat just below his eye level.
"So, how do we summon Chaos?" He asked.
Artemis frowned. "I don't know." She admitted.
"Hmmm." Percy looked at the egg. He knocked on it like it was a door. He was surprised when it didn't crack or anything, and was even more surprised that it felt like concrete. "CHAOS!" He yelled, hoping to get the Creator's attention.
There was no response.
Artemis pursed her lips as she stared at the rock. A few minutes passed as they tried to figure out how they used the egg to get to the Creator.
"I'm gonna try something stupid." Percy said. He picked up the egg. He raised it above his head.
Artemis just barely had time to yell "Percy, no!" before he threw the egg on the ground.
The egg smashed into the round. It didn't shatter, but instead one long crack crawled down the length of the egg, disappearing under the snake and reappearing on the other side.
"Percy, that was stupid. What if it broke?"
Suddenly, a ray of white light shined through the crack, illuminating Percy's face. He felt sick in the stomach. He felt the need to vomit as his vision went blurry. He could barely see the blurry form of Artemis before his vision went black.
The next thing he knew, he was still seeing black, but not because his eyes were closed. Instead, there was simply nothing to see.
He turned to see Artemis standing next to him.
He examined his surroundings. They seemed to be standing on a black rock. The rock extended into the distance where a black throne sat. Half crumbled columns made of the black stone lined the edge of the rock. Out in the distance was a sea of nothing. There was simply nothing there to see, despite the fact that the nothingness was moving with the fluidity of water. But there was still nothing.
But how did nothingness lap at the rock like the gentle tide to the shore? He didn't know.
When Percy looked back at the throne in the distance, there was now a humanoid person sitting on it.
Artemis and Percy wordlessly made their way to the throne.
Sitting on the throne was an androgynous being. It had black long hair, with pale skin the color of paper. Its eyes were the color of galaxies, shifting from blue to purple to white to black. It wore a simple black T-shirt and jeans. It lounged in its throne, with one leg thrown over the other. It was pretty obvious who this being was.
Chaos. Creator of the Universe. The first primordial.
Chaos watched them approach with watchful eyes. It seemed to be amused based on the small smile on its face, like how a human watches a dog they just adopted look around its new home.
Artemis and Percy reached the throne and knelt down, bowing before the Creator in a show of respect.
"Rise, my children." Chaos spoke. Its voice was both male and female, like there were two people's voices overlayed together. It was also distinctly old. It was hard to describe, but it was old.
Percy and Artemis rose. Artemis went to speak but the Creator raised a hand.
Chaos put on an easy-going smile. "You've no need to tell me why you're here, child. I know, Artemis."
Chaos stood up from its throne. Percy and Artemis realized that unlike the Gods, Chaos wasn't some huge larger than life form. It was the same height as Artemis, just a normal human size. Percy guessed that Chaos felt that it had no reason to convey its power through size. After all, they created everything, why would they need to display its power when it was surrounding them everyday.
Chaos stopped in front of Percy. "The Fates did well with you. A proper Greek hero. But you know that a Hero's fate is always tragic."
"There was the son of Zeus, Perseus, who I share a name with."
"Yes, I suppose there was." Chaos said, smiling at him.
Chaos walked over to Artemis. "How's mortality, Artemis?"
Artemis looked at the Creator, annoyed. Was it really teasing her with her plight?
"I do not mean to jest, child. I am just curious. I have been alive a long time, since before the Protogenos even came into consciousness. That egg Percy smashed is even older than I. I have been alive this whole time, and I know a great many things, and yet, mortality alludes me. I wish to know, what is it like, as someone who knows what both immortality and mortality feels like, what is the difference?"
Artemis was quiet for a minute, thinking over her answer. Chaos just waiting with a friendly smile, knowing she would answer it's question. "When I first became mortal, I hated it. It felt like I was chained from every limb, unable to move. Like I was a bird with its wings cut off. And while I still feel like that, I feel that I have a better understanding of life itself. To live isn't to survive, but to take in the beauty that surrounds you, because you might not see it again. To live in the moment, because there is only a limited amount of them. It's something the mortals know, but they don't really do it. They watch life pass them by and they forget that they are going to die, and they are glad they do. Death is unknown to them, and the unknown is scary. We immortals have no such fear. But death is natural, as natural as birth. I know this now, and I feel it take effect on me now. That's what it's like to be mortal."
"Beautiful." Chaos said. "And you still want to be immortal again?"
Artemis nodded. "I don't need the threat of Death to hang over me to know how to live in the moment now. I know how important it is now, and I am eager to do it for the rest of eternity."
Artemis looked at Percy, who smiled softly at her. The red flower tucked behind her ear matched her auburn hair.
Chaos nodded. "I can give you this, of course. But it's not easy. Are you sure you're willing to go through the sacrifices needed?"
"Yes, I am."
Chaos nodded. There seemed to be a certain sadness in its eyes. "I can make you immortal, yes, but I need some kind of immortality to transfer to you. I can't work with nothing."
"Would partial immortality work?" Percy asked.
Chaos's eyes settled on him. After a moment, it nodded. "Yes, but it could take a lot out of you."
"Do it." He said, his eyes steeling over with determination.
Artemis whirled, turning to Percy. "What are you doing? This could kill you."
"I'm helping you become immortal again, like I said I would."
"Percy, you don't have to do this."
"Artemis, I'm choosing to do this."
"But why? Then you're going to die in the future. I can't give you my blessing again!"
"Then I die." He said simply. "I'm mortal Artemis, I'm going to die at some point."
"But I don't want you to!" She put a hand on his face, cupping his cheek. "I want you with me forever." Her voice was a whisper, bearly heard.
Percy looked at her intently. "Artemis, I swore my life to you. For you are my charge, you are my duty. Your life is my own. My loyalty is to you above all else. I swore that. And I meant every word." He kissed her slowly before slightly pulling away. "We'll still have the time until I die." He whispered against her lips.
He turned to Chaos and nodded.
"You're a good man, Percy." Chaos said. It raised its hand.
Percy glowed silver as he stood up straight. Beams of light started to fly into Chaos's palm, forming a ball of silver light. It floated about an inch off of her palm. When the light faded from Percy, he looked older. Artemis couldn't place her finger on it, but he did seem older.
Chaos blasted the orb into Artemis, knocking her down. Percy almost jumped forward to catch her when her body started to float in the air. It looked like she was lying down on a bed of air as her body was laid out flat. She was covered in a silver glow. White light showered her from above.
She slowly came down, landing on her feet. A new brilliant sheen radiated from Artemis. Her own godly bow was slung over her shoulder. Her silver hunting garbs now clothed her body. Her eyes glowed silver, ethereal in the darkness of the nothingness. A smile adorned her face, her canine-like teeth poking out over her bottom lip.
She was once again, a Goddess.
Percy fell to a knee. Not out of respect, though he did respect her, he did it out of his knee failing.
Artemis turned to Percy. He was on one knee, breathing heavily. She looked over his face. Was that wrinkle on his forehead always there? She rushed forward and steadied him.
She turned her head to look at Chaos. "What's happening to him?"
"His body relied on the immortality you bestowed on him. Without it, I fear he is showing his age now."
Chaos was right. More wrinkles were appearing on his skin. His skin was starting to sag and his muscles were fading. His hair was turning gray.
Artemis sat down and laid his head in her lap. "No, Percy." She croaked out. Her throat didn't want to work. A tear leaked out of her eye.
Percy smiled. "I love you." He said hoarsely as he continued to age.
Artemis shook her head. "Don't leave me." Her voice was small. The 'please' barely came out a whisper.
Percy just kept smiling as his eyes closed and body stilled.
"No." Artemis only mouthed the words as her voice didn't work. She laid her head down on his chest, sniffling as she tried to hold back her tears.
Chaos looked on with sympathy. She waved her hand and Artemis disappeared silently, the body of Percy going with her.
"A true tragedy. Hero's fate. I did warn you."
"Not funny." Percy's soul said. He looked like a force ghost from Star Wars. His body was transparent and glowing blue.
Chaos looked at him. "I told you, you did well."
Percy sighed. "I could've done better."
Chaos sat on its throne. "We can always do better. If we get caught up in it, we'll never be happy."
"Artemis isn't going to be happy."
Chaos sighed. "Not for a while, no. But she'll always have a piece of you with her."
Percy looked at the Creator with squinted eyes. "If you say, 'I'll be in her heart' crap, I will fight you."
Chaos's laughter echoed throughout the nothingness. "No, that's not what I mean."
Percy stared at the First Primordial as it stopped laughing.
"You'll be able to watch over her where you're going."
Percy raised an eyebrow. "I can't watch over her from Elysium?"
"So sure you've made it there?" Chaos said. "How arrogant of you." The Creator jested.
Percy rolled his eyes. "I was practically guaranteed a spot when I helped Hades."
"Well, that leaves you with a dilemma. Either take your guaranteed spot in Elysium, or, I could send you to the stars to watch over her for eternity. Whenever she rides her chariot, you'll be close. Never touching, of course, but close."
"You mean…"
"Yes, Percy, I know you wanted to be a star. But I'm saying you can be multiple stars. A whole constellation in that place where you thought the sky was open. I was waiting for a worthy constellation to put there."
Percy sucked in a breath. "And I'll be able to see Artemis?"
"You'll be able to watch over her. "
"No interference though." Percy said dejectedly.
Chaos shook its head.
Percy sighed and looked off into the distance. He weighed the pros and cons. Sure, if he went to the Underworld, he could go to Elysium and be reborn, but what were the chances of him even knowing of the Greek world whenever he was alive again? He wouldn't remember Artemis at all. If he took the stars option, he could remember Artemis, and even look over her.
"I'll take it." Percy said.
Chaos smiled.
Percy began to fade into silver smoke.
In the mortal world, on a cliff overlooking the sea, Artemis mourned her lover with tears wetting his shirt. Above her shone a new constellation. Perseus—The Guardian.
A/N. I'm not sorry.
Remember how I said that Orion wasn't placed in the stars? This is why, because Percy is that constellation.
Anyways, so this was the climax of the story. Next chapter is the falling action and then there resolution after that. I'm going to write the next two chapters and then post them back to back on two days, so that way you don't have to wait too long to see the epilogue.
Thanks to Zaeng_ for betaing this chapter.
Thoughts?