Mornin', boys (and girls, probably?), sixteenth chapter is here. Without much random talk, let's go to reviews. Also, updated it to rating T here on FF. Cry about it.
Death Fury, skotos07, ThomasTyler2020 and Guest: thank you very much!
Le Connoisseur: I bet you're pretty happy with happened at Sunday.
Etkowatches: Let's hope it wins the Oscar instead of Turning Red.
Percy did not exactly enjoy being consumed in thought, but there wasn't much he could do while Artemis was out hunting for food. Food for him, nonetheless.
He would have, without a doubt, preferred to go with her. He didn't really like people doing stuff for him, especially something like acquiring his meals. But Artemis had made some fair points. First, she was the goddess of all that encompassed the act of hunting, despite how good he was with a sniper rifle. Second, Percy couldn't flash out to places like she could, making any exits significantly longer, especially without Blackjack here. Third, and probably the most important point, he couldn't really trust the crew of the ship, not yet. It was already morning and nobody showed up, and in all honesty, Percy wasn't too eager to go downstairs and be ambushed by a group of dead sailors. Artemis also spoke about a fourth point, something related to being able to revive the animals she hunted, but Percy wasn't paying too much attention to that.
He was currently leaning on the bow, near the figurehead of Zöe. The hug that Artemis gave him after he revealed what he had asked Mississippi to concede him was still fresh in his mind. The proximity, as he had thought about ever since they came close to each other last night, was so intoxicating that it resembled a drug to him. He wanted more, and he wanted it badly.
But of course, reality was disappointing. Percy found himself all on his own, with only his uneasy mind as company, who had been reprimanding him for hours at this point, simply for having these thoughts of wanting to be near Artemis. To be fair, it probably had a point if you consider who Artemis was, but his heart couldn't care less. After all, nothing ever left his mind, realistically nothing would happen. At least let a man dream, for Christ's sake. Despite that, the thoughts of the past and the guilt didn't leave his head for nothing. Move on, many would say. A therapist would probably recommend that to him, but it was like he was cursed. He was unable to let the past die in his mind.
Particularly when it came to the subject of his late girlfriend. He forgot the amount of times he tried to cope with reality, to tell himself that she was dead and there was nothing he could do about it, but the voice inside his head did not shut up. It urged him to think about it, every time, every day, every moment. It haunted him like a ghost. So much so that he had flirted with the idea of storming the Underworld and demanding Annabeth back like Orpheus had before him, but it would probably not work, since his methods usually revolved around threatening and intimidation, instead of musical talent. Percy came to the conclusion that the reason for him being unable to move on was probably thanks to his fatal flaw.
Your fatal flaw is personal loyalty, Percy. You do not know when it is time to cut your losses. To save a friend, you would sacrifice the world.
In the end, Athena had been proven correct. What a shock. Percy would sacrifice the world for a friend. For Annabeth then, he would challenge primordials, he would give up his own life. But there was nothing he could do against the arrival of death. The inevitable, cold, and merciless demise that every mortal would inevitably go through. He had been through four stages of grief, but acceptance was something he never really achieved.
Percy was driven away from the turmoil of thoughts when he heard movement behind him. The Butcher turned abruptly, bringing one hand to his belt, where the revolver that had nearly killed him last night was placed, coupled to his belt. Artemis had protested him keeping the gun, but he had made up his mind. Instead of any possible ambushes or a group prepared to charge at him, all he saw was a lone ghoul with his hands raised in the air.
"Wait!" He pleaded with a rather youthful voice.
Percy looked at the ghoul from top to bottom, trying to see some sort of weird behavior, but he found nothing. He decided to shrug his shoulders, motioning for the ghoul to speak.
"Thanks. The crew decided to send me here to… meet our new captain. Sir." The ghoul quickly added, visibly afraid of saying something wrong.
"Hey, you can chill out. I'm not gonna kill you if you say something I don't like. And I could use some company right now, come join me." Percy invited with a grin. The ghoul smiled sheepishly and walked until he was standing right beside him. "So, what's your name?"
"My name is Jack. Jack Harper." The newly presented Jack seemed taken aback by the out of nowhere question. "And what is your name, sir?"
"Percy Jackson. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jack." The Butcher once more smiled, extending one hand forward. He realized a second later that it would be silly to handshake a dead person, but it was already too late. Jack shook his hand, and it felt weird. It was like normal skin, but much rougher and thicker. Weird for a supposed ghost to be corporeal.
"Same for you, sir." Jack paused, looking at the waters of the Mississippi River. "The boys are impatient… they didn't know what to expect of you."
Percy looked at the face of the ghoul. Complementing his voice, Jack's features looked rather young, despite his deceased status. His jawline was sharp, and his eyes had a spark of youth to it, which again, was weird for someone who was dead. "For starters, I don't intend on ruling with an iron fist. I believe in merit and not having a bunch of yes-men at my disposal. And at the moment, I just have one goal in mind at the moment. One mission to look forward to."
The ghoul turned his gaze over to Percy. "And what's that goal, sir?"
A mischievous glow passed through Percy's green eyes. "First of all, no need for the 'sir' thing, Jack. I don't have much appreciation or need for others to submit." When the ghoul nodded in understanding, Percy continued. "And about the mission… You're a sailor, Jack, I'm sure you've heard of the Flying Dutchman."
The Butcher smirked when he saw the ghoul widen his eyes in awe. "You really mean it? I personally thought that it was just a legend."
"What really is a legend in this world?" Percy argued with a chuckle, to which the ghoul shrugged.
"Fair point. But I have some doubts about this, with all due respect." Jack admitted, grimacing.
Percy straightened his posture. "What troubles you?"
"Well, we're river pirates sir. This ship, even in its old form, never left the Ohio and Mississippi. You could call us a brown water crew." Jack pointed out with an apologetic smile.
Percy pondered in Jack's words for a moment, thinking about the implications. He decided to put a reassuring hand on the ghoul's shoulder, and he didn't even need to comment on how strange it was. Was that how Nico and Hazel felt all the time? "I think we will manage it. I know that one blow from celestial bronze or imperial gold means your demise and the rest of the crew as well, but it's fine. You won't be at the frontline of anything, don't worry. In all honesty, I just don't wanna operate the ship all by myself." He said with a hint of humor, but the truth was that he could sail all by himself, he had done it before after all, Clarisse and her fancy Confederate ship be damned.
Fortunately, Jack detected the playfulness behind Percy's words, laughing for a bit. "Fair. Completely fair." The ghoul composed himself. "Just a question, are you one of those demigods? Seems redundant to ask, considering everything…"
"Oh, no, it's fine." Now Percy was the one to laugh. "Yes, I am. Son of Poseidon, at your disposal."
Jack seemed actually surprised by the revelation. "Wow. Wasn't expecting that. Makes sense for you wanting to own a ship and go after another."
Percy nodded. "True, I guess the sea is a part of me."
After that, a rather comforting silence installed itself, with both demigod and ghoul admiring the landscape around the river that the Nightshade was sailing through. Many thoughts passed through Percy's head, most of them involving why Artemis was taking so long.
"Jack?"
"Yes, sir?" The ghoul realized what he had called Percy and smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Yes, captain?"
Percy stared at the undead sailor for a moment, feeling good about the usage of 'captain'. "I suppose that works. Let's go downstairs. I want to meet the rest of the crew."
"Of course. They're eager to meet you, I can say that much." Jack commented with a smile. Percy remembered how Artemis had said the exact same words the previous night.
Three hours later, and the Nightshade looked more alive than ever, which was ironic for a ship that had its crew consisting mostly of dead people.
At first, said crew was very skeptical of Percy. Serving the same guy for decades, even after death, and now having a new boss who had killed the previous one probably had that effect. But soon the heavy mood was broken, and the bonds were beginning to grow. It was at least a cordial relation. Percy had already memorized the names of a few people. Especially the man who threw that knife at him. Nine-Eyes, was his name, the second in command to the late captain. He was quite intimidating, didn't like to talk that much, but wasn't hostile by any means. The demigod decided to keep Nine-Eyes in his position, to gain the favor of the rest of the crew and so there wasn't any room for discontent. And of course, the ghoul's skill was unmatched by any other crew member, baring the captain.
The only thing that was really troubling Percy was the fact that Artemis still wasn't back. It had been all day already, with the afternoon sun of New Orleans shining down so heavily that he was truly considering praying to Apollo so he would tone it down a bit. The first real problem was that he was hungry. Very hungry, in fact. Cora Roberts, the only female sailor of the Nightshade - who had quite an interesting backstory, that traced back to her being a rebellious teenager who ran from her wealthy father's farm, in order to become a pirate - had offered him some rotten flesh, that apparently was appetizing to ghouls. To Percy, it made him want to puke, but he simply refused it politely with a smile that Cora described as 'charming'. Safe to say, he didn't wish for her to elaborate on that.
The second reason was a bit more confusing. True, Percy didn't need to be concerned about Artemis's well being, with her being an immortal deity. But it still didn't make sense for her to be taking so long. Unless she had been called for a meeting or something, but usually those didn't take that long, as far as Percy knew.
"Sir?" A ghoul much like Jack in terms of appearance, named Jan Baker, approached Percy, who was sitting near the stern of the Nightshade. The Butcher had tried to tell the crew not to call him 'sir', but unlike Jack, they kept doing it, probably out of respect, but mostly out of fear. Even behind deceased eyes, the fear was still there.
"Yes, Jan?"
The ghoul took a moment to answer. "Just wanted to check and know if you are in need of something." He explained sincerely.
"No." Percy asked with a bit of surprise. "No, I'm fine. Why the question out of nowhere?"
Jan shifted, uneasy. "Well, as I said, just checking, sir. You seem thoughtful."
Percy snickered. "I suppose. It's just that–-" He interrupted himself when he saw a flicker of silver light coming down from one side of the ship. "Nevermind, forget it." Percy turned, leaving Jan with an arched eyebrow and a confused expression that the demigod never saw, instead having his attention completely turned to the silver glow that had just erupted behind him.
And from where the bright had come, he was taken completely off-guard by what he saw. There she was, but in a way that confused Percy out of his mind.
First of all, what she had on. When she had left, Artemis had been wearing her Hunter outfit, the modern version at least, a silver jacket and jeans. But now, she wore a black t-shirt, a different set of jeans, and her hair was for some reason black instead of auburn. Of course, she looked as gorgeous as ever, maybe even more. In her hands, instead of a dead rabbit or anything that would normally be the product of a hunting session, the goddess had a bag from McDonald's. Her face alone denounced that something was wrong.
"Hi?" Percy tried, afraid of what she would say. Luckily, Artemis's gaze seemed to soften when she set her eyes on him, but the anger was still present.
"Hi." She answered coldly. "Here, your lunch." She gave him the bag. Percy peeked inside of it, finding a sandwich, apparently a Quarter Pounder, along with fries and soda.
"It's past 3:00 PM already. I wouldn't call this a lunch. Where have you been?" He asked carefully, trying to ignore the smell of the junk food so he would maintain his focus on Artemis.
The goddess looked around for a second, making sure none of the members of the crew were eavesdropping. Artemis looked at Percy again, her jaw clenched. "It is a sensitive topic. I'm not happy at all with what has transpired recently."
"I can see that." Percy said in a snarky way. The goddess glared lightly at him, but didn't say anything. "What really happened?"
Artemis scowled. "You're not gonna like it either, by the way. I was on my way to hunt, when a council meeting was called."
Percy nodded. "I imagined it could be that. I assume what happened in the throne room made you this agitated."
"Oh, you don't even know it." Artemis sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Father, my wonderful father, wanted an update on your situation."
"My… situation?"
Artemis nodded. "Yes. Your situation. It seems that the council still has some opinions regarding the extent of your abilities." She paused, taking a moment to breathe. "They're afraid of you. Think you are too powerful, even with a god watching you. They want to make you immortal."
The anger that Artemis had was quickly being shared by Percy, rising up as she explained. "Oh, come on, this again?!" He snarled, furious.
"I know." Artemis said, looking just as annoyed as he did. "I tried to argue with them. Your father too. But it was to no avail. They haven't decided anything, don't worry," She quickly assured, seeing as Percy's face morphed into concern. "But I don't know for how long they will remain lenient to your mortality."
The demigod digested these sour words. It seemed that this debate would never be over. "What happened next?"
"I left." Artemis stated bluntly.
"You left." Percy repeated.
"Yes. I got too frustrated and left before the meeting was over." Artemis explained with a grimace.
Percy stared blankly at her for a few seconds. "I… Well, your father is probably unhappy."
The goddess simply shrugged. "Maybe. But I don't think he cares, simply for the fact that it won't change anything."
"I see." The demigod again took notice of Artemis's unusual appearance. "Care to explain your clothing and hair?"
"Stealth." She explained simply. "I didn't wish for anyone to be following me around while I waited in that cursed waiting line for this aberration." She pointed in the direction of the McDonald's bag. "Never before in my four thousand, six hundred and fifteen years of life had I wanted more to blast mortals out of the face of the Earth than earlier today."
Percy couldn't help but to burst out laughing at her rant. "Maybe it's better if you stick to hunting, in all honesty."
Artemis rolled her eyes, but her lips were slightly curved upwards. "I suppose. I'm not all too accustomed to mortal occurrences. Better to stay in the comfort zone."
Just as Percy was about to reply, the Nightshade came to a halt abruptly. He felt that they weren't in the Mississippi anymore, with the ship floating above salt water. One of the crew members ran in his direction in a hurry. If he wasn't mistaken, this was Thomas Anderson, one of the oldest members of the crew when alive. Even as an undead, there were traces of gray hair.
"Sir, we've reached the Gulf." The ghoul announced.
"Yes, Thomas, I'm aware of this. Why have we stopped?"
Thomas maintained his stare as he began to explain. "The waves have materialized, forming what seems to be the shape of a man. I know it sounds ludicrous, but he seeks to speak with you, captain."
"Don't worry, I will handle this." Thomas nodded and walked away. Percy turned his attention to Artemis, who had been watching the conversation with her arms crossed. "You coming?"
"Sure." Artemis confirmed. "Someone needs to save your skin when you get mortally wounded."
Percy rolled his eyes at the provocation, but did not retort, instead opting to begin walking, something that Artemis also did right away. The two of them made their way to the bow of the ship, occasionally greeting crew members along the way, who were either engaged in different tasks, or simply lying around. Even dead people needed their breaks, it seemed.
When they did reach the bow, near the figurehead of Zöe, Percy didn't even need to look too closely at the water-made figure that was staring at him to be able to identify who it was.
"Father." He acknowledged in a neutral tone. Granted, Percy wasn't all that happy that his dad wasn't aware of his mother's demise for years, but like he said in the throne room, that was in the past.
"Percy." Poseidon greeted him, his voice also neutral, but he had a smile on his face. He gave Artemis a short nod, before once more looking at his son. "I believe we need to have a conversation." He said solemnly, his smile fading.
"About what, exactly?"
Poseidon scratched his beard, which was interesting considering that he was currently made out of water. The demigod could only imagine that he was actually scratching his well shaved beard, wherever he was. "First, something that Artemis has probably made you aware of at this point."
Now it was the Goddess of the Moon who grinned. "What can I say? We can't leave our hero in the dark."
Poseidon nodded. "I find that fair. But the problem remains. Personally, I would like for you to become a god, Percy, but…" The God of the Seas paused, trying to find the best words. "I do respect your choices. Something that the Council might not do."
Percy remained silent for a moment, pondering heavily while staring at the waters below the Nightshade. "I really don't know what to say. Let's just hope they forget this altogether."
"Agreed." Artemis added.
"Anyway," Poseidon continued. "The second issue is more personal. May I know why are you hunting a ghost ship, son?"
Percy scratched the back of his head. "Well… Why not? Do I have anything else to do while Artemis babysits me?"
"I'm not 'babysitting' you." The goddess protested, but her voice had a tint of humor to it. Poseidon, on the other hand, wasn't so playful.
"This is risky, son. There isn't any trace of the Flying Dutchman for centuries. I can't even confirm if it still exists."
"I thought you were the god of this whole thing, Poseidon. Not being able to keep track of one ship…" Artemis said sarcastically, giving Percy quite the chuckle.
His father on the other hand glared intensely at his fellow Olympian. "The sea is a big place. As far as I'm aware, the ship might be roaming around the Sea of Monsters."
"Oh, I would love to visit Scylla and Charybdis again." Even as he looked at Poseidon, he could feel the glare of Artemis as he spoke, much like a wave of deadly heat. Being a goddess, who knows, it might be just that. Percy reminded himself to be less naive. "But it won't come to that."
"I should hope so. Tread carefully here. We can't afford to lose you again." Of course, Poseidon used 'we' instead of 'I', but Percy could see right through the façade. His father was obviously worried about his safety, much like the goddess by his side. And not because of Olympian politics.
"Don't worry, father. I will be fine. If anything happens, I have an Olympian by my side to assist me."
"Like that prevented you from being shot again last night."
"Being what?!" Poseidon bellowed, the waves around the ship becoming much more intense and violent.
Percy looked down to the deck. "Yeah, that happened. But I'm fine, I even retrieved the gun!" He quickly drawed the revolver from his belt, trying to spin it like it was a wild west movie. Instead, the revolver quickly fell to the ground. Percy picked up and stored it back, trying to ignore Artemis attempting to suppress laughter. Poseidon simply sighed.
"Fine. I will trust your words. But again, tread very carefully, and be mindful. I should go now, I have businesses that require my presence.."
Percy bowed his head slightly. "Of course, father. Farewell."
"Goodbye, son." The silhouette of Poseidon dissolved into the water, leaving the Butcher to stare at the water.
"Well, I think we're ready to go." Percy said, mostly to himself, drifting his eyes away from the water, locking his gaze on Artemis. The goddess had a curious look on her face.
"You're the boss, captain." She said playfully, making Percy smile. It would be a difficult journey, but at least he had good company by his side.
Perhaps too good for his heart to endure.