A/N. Reviews!
"Wow, this is a very unique story so far. Percy as a guardian is a loyal and true friend of Artemis and is not bullied like in other "guardian of the hunt" stories. His character is unique and shows how caring and selfless he serves his goddess until his death. This is what a true friend and faithful servant does. I am impressed by your writing. Big respect from GermanyI'd love to hear more from you."
Thank you! Yeah I wanted something different from this trope. I do have other stories if you're looking for more from me. Respect from America!
"You Don't know what FLAMES Mean?! Well, kids don't read this. It means Friends(to)Lovers(to)Affection(to)Marriage(to)Enemies(to)Sex.
Also, nice end, though I hope Styx isn't too cruel. I mean never seeing the only love you ever had for the rest of your life is a worse punishment right?" -KryptonWrites
Ah. See, the only Flames I know of are the mean reviews that make me cry lol. I don't know man, Styx is the Goddess of Hatred, she could be downright cruel.
"Please tell me Percy did not just die. They barely got together. I hope Percy got reborn or something. Pertemis rarely gets completed and here we have one but the endings are sad." -Jarie
Sorry, but he's dead. This marked tragedy for a reason.
"I feel betrayed" -8MexicanJaeger
Good.
"that seemed a bit rushed
but hey, it was good stuff
not too dramatic or cliche" -OkBoomer147
Sorry, I was trying not to. I'm glad you still liked it though.
"I hate you so much LMAOOO (why would you do this to me)" -Guest
I enjoy suffering.
Onto more suffering!
Chapter Fifteen
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.
The stars were the only thing shining as the moon was as dark as the night, grieving along with its Goddess. The grass on the ground fell flat, and wildlife around the world took a deep bow for their fallen Guardian. The tides rose and fell unnaturally as the Goddess of the Moon's body wracked with sobs.
Her face was buried in Percy's unmoving chest. Her tears were soaking the shirt but she didn't care. She would only pause for a brief moment to take in a quick breath of air before her tears would start again. Snot was dripping out of her nose.
The sounds of the forest were silent as it wept with its Goddess.
Artemis's hands grasped at Percy's shirt tightly. Bunches of the fabric were starting to rip.
She mourned for either minutes or hours. The passage of time was the last thing on her mind right now. That's when the tears started to stop. Her body had drained all of its water, and she couldn't physically cry anymore. She looked up at the sky, finally seeing the new constellation.
Her smile was watery as she saw that Percy had gotten what he wanted. It would have wrought another round of tears, but she couldn't summon them.
Her eyes were red and puffy, and her throat was parched. Her face was wet with tears and her hands were cramping.
The sound of footsteps came from behind her. She didn't look back. Not until a pair of arms wrapped around her.
"I'm sorry." A male's voice said.
"I don't want an apology, Apollo." Artemis's voice croaked out. "I want him." Her voice cracked.
Apollo pulled back and sat down next to her, letting his legs swing as he sat at the edge of the cliff. "I know."
Artemis sniffled and looked down at Percy's wrinkled face.
"So, you're a Goddess again." He said.
Artemis nodded. "I paid a terrible price for it."
"Yeah."
A moment of silence passed between them.
"He was a cool dude. I could see why you fell for him."
Artemis felt a spike of anger, but grief quickly conquered it. "You aren't mad that I broke my vow?"
Apollo shook his head. "Nah. Like I said, he was a cool dude. If you weren't gonna have him, I would've."
Artemis possessively hugged Percy's body closer to her. "No one can have him now." She said miserably.
"Yeah. You know what they say about God and flowers."
"You're a God, and you're talking about Yahweh. There's a bad joke in there somewhere." Artemis tried to joke, but her voice came out so miserably, there was no humor to be found.
"Yeah, well."
Artemis took a deep breath and wiped her tears on her sleeve. "I'm going to be okay." She said.
"I know. You always turn out to be. But that doesn't mean you have to be alone."
Artemis turned to him. Her vision was clearer than it had been in the last thirty minutes. She could actually make out Apollo's face. "I won't be alone. I have my hunters. They'll mourn when they hear of Percy's loss too."
Apollo remained silent. He seemed to be biting his tongue. "That's… um…"
"Apollo?"
"Your hunters, they're um. Well, earlier there was an attack on the camp. A bunch of hellhounds, cyclops, a hydra. They fought well, killing most of them. They held out for a long time, but they just wouldn't stop coming. And eventually…"
"No." Artemis looked away.
"Artemis, they're with him now."
Artemis looked down. She probably would've felt despair, but her body was numb with grief already. It would only hit her later that she was now all alone. Her Guardian/Lover? Dead. Her lifelong friends in the Hunt? Dead.
"Artemis?" Apollo asked.
Artemis rubbed her mouth with her hand. "Yeah, I'm here."
"You're not alone. I'm still here."
Artemis looked out at the sea below them. It stretched out into the horizon.
"I'm not alone. Completely, at least." She said, more to herself than her brother.
"Mm-hmm." Apollo agreed.
They were silent for a minute as the sound of the waves hitting the cliff face below filled the air.
"I'm pregnant." Artemis whispered.
Apollo turned to her, his eyes wide. "What?"
"I'm pregnant. It's Percy's."
"Artemis… Are you going to—"
"I'm going to raise him."
"Artemis, Percy was still mortal, so the id is going to be too."
"I'm going to raise him." She repeated.
"Zeus is going to kill you and the kid."
Artemis shook her head. "No. He doesn't even know I'm immortal again. I can hide from him. He'll never know."
Apollo sighed. "What do you know about it?"
Artemis looked down at her stomach. "It's a boy. He'll be here soon."
"What are you going to name him?"
Artemis pursed her lips. "I don't know."
Apollo stood up. "It's going to be day soon, and I have to get ready for the day. Let me know when you figure it out. And expect more visits. I'm going to want to meet my nephew."
Apollo flashed out in a golden light that illuminated the cliff.
Artemis sighed. She looked down at Percy's body. She rested a hand on his cheek. She kissed his forehead before resting her head on his chest.
The sound of powerful steps came from behind her.
"Artemis." A woman's voice called it. Her voice was cold and stern, with a layer of malice hidden underneath.
Artemis moved Percy's corpse and stood up to face the woman. "Styx." She grit the name out of her mouth.
The Goddess was dressed in black, silky robes. Her midnight blue skin would have sparkled in the moonlight, but the moon had no interest in shining tonight. Her mascara and eyeliner was done perfectly in black, matching her black eyes and ebony hair. "No need to be so hostile." She said.
Artemis laughed with no humor. It was the laughter of a cornered animal with nothing left to lose. The psychotic laughter of a serial killer. "Tell that to him." She pointed at Percy's body. "Or my Hunters. Tell them that there's no need to be hostile. You'll find that I have every reason to be hostile."
A knife appeared in Artemis's hand. Her eyes were alight with a silver flame.
Styx's face hardened. Her eyes narrowed at the Goddess. "I didn't kill them, Artemis. You did. Their blood is on your hands."
Artemis pointed her knife at Styx. "Bullshit." She said slowly, emphasizing the 't'.
Styx shook her head slowly. "You know it's true." She pointed a finger at the Moon Goddess. "They're dead because of your actions."
"I kept that damn oath for four thousand FUCKING YEARS! You couldn't cut me any slack?!"
Styx laughed this time. "Slack?! If you wanted slack, you shouldn't have sworn on my river!"
"People change Styx. To expect them to keep to their oaths for eternity is cruel."
"People do change. But we're not people." She took a step forward. "Are we?"
Artemis eyed the Goddess. A couple of more steps and she would be able to strike and land justice for Percy and her Hunters.
"We are GODS! We don't change. Why do you think that it was only when you were mortal that you fucked Percy, hm? Because you changed as a mortal."
Artemis breathed out heavily. "I'm going to kill you."
Styx raised an eyebrow. "Try it. Join your lover in death. Maybe Chaos will put you in the stars too." She pointed up at the new constellation.
Artemis didn't need to look, she had already seen it. "That's a low blow."
"As if you haven't been taking cheap shots. You want to kill me, grow some tits and actually do it. Charge forward. Fastest way to a girl's heart is through her ribcage."
Styx stood there and waited before she grinned. "Thought so. Remember this day, Artemis, whenever you want to swear another oath." She stepped forward and leaned in her ear. "Remember what I took from you. I won't be so lenient next time."
Artemis grit her teeth and used all of her self control to avoid stabbing Styx right there. She was so close, it wouldn't be hard. But she couldn't do that. It would ruin everything Percy died for. So she could be immortal again. To die would be spitting on him.
Styx took a step backwards. "Until next oath, Artemis." She said before melting into a puddle of Stygian water.
Artemis breathed out and sheathed her knife. The environment was quiet. Not a sound. She was alone. Her shoulders sagged with her guilt. She looked at Percy.
Might as well give him a proper burial.
LINE BREAK
Artemis buried Percy behind her temple. The one in the middle of the clearing where he had worshiped her for four thousand years. She dug a hold six feet deep, using a shovel. She decided to actually do the labor rather than using magic or something.
Her hands gained a few new calluses that day. Her back ached as she stood up straight. She dropped Percy into the hole and threw his bow in with him. The bow that he never got to use. The one from Damasen that was made of the bone of a drakon. She threw a couple of drachmas down there too. He didn't need them for Charon, but it was the proper rite.
She filled the hole with dirt and patted it down. She did use her powers to make grass grow over the dirt. She summoned a headstone and placed it at the head of the grave site. Engraved in the rock were the words:
Here lies the Guardian Perseus. The Last Guardian and Lover of Artemis. May his soul rest easy.
The clouds above opened as rain started to fall. Artemis walked into the temple. She took the flower that was still behind her ear and examined it. She placed a charm on it, ensuring that it would never wilt, and never decay.
Her eyelids were heavy. She was exhausted, physically and mentally. Gods didn't need rest often, but she definitely needed it now.
She made her way to the bed she had slept in only a couple of days before and laid down. Percy's smell was still lingering in the covers, teasing her.
She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep immediately.
LINE BREAK
Nine months later, Artemis gave birth to a healthy boy. She was the Goddess of Childbirth and had been preparing for a month before at least so she was able to deliver the baby herself. It was still painful, but she completed it.
When you look at the definitions of both Queen and Badass, there were only pictures of Artemis.
She swaddled the newborn in a blanket after cleaning him. He was sleeping after screaming his lungs out, as newborns tend to do because y'know, that's how they breathe when just coming out of the womb.
He was a big baby, weighing in at eight pounds and thirteen ounces. Artemis felt a tear leak at his similarities to his father. He had his black hair and tan skin. While his eyes were closed, Artemis had seen that they were the same color as hers, silver.
The baby peacefully rested in the cradle Artemis had made with her bare hands. She sat on her bed, exhausted. She looked at the baby.
A flash of light came from the hallway outside. Apollo walked into the room quietly. He saw Artemis sitting on her bed. Then his eyes landed on the baby. His face broke into a grin.
He took a seat next to Artemis.
"He looks like him." He commented.
Artemis nodded. "He does. He has my eyes though."
Apollo nodded. "Have you decided on a name yet?"
Artemis shook her head. "No."
"Well, you kind of have to decide now."
Artemis sighed. What could she name her child? She wasn't going to name him after her love, no. She couldn't really name him after one of her Hunters, since they were all girls. The name Diana popped into her head, her Roman alternate, but that also wouldn't work. Something similar maybe?
Dean? Nah.
Daniel? No.
What about…?
"Dennis. With two n's. That's his name."
Apollo smiled. "Dennis." He decided to keep the fact that the name came from Dionysus to himself. She wouldn't appreciate it, and she had obviously put some thought into it.
"Dennis. Son of Artemis and Perseus."
A/N. Epilogue will be posted tomorrow, so be ready for that.
Thanks to Zaeng_ for looking over this!
Thoughts?