Wow guys. Chapter fifteen. Oh how time goes by… I'd like to thank you all who have sticked with me and my horrible timing. Thank you all for the reviews, favorites and following and views. Hope you enjoy.
"Chaos . . ." Artemis heard Percy moan. She felt herself flush as she began thinking of reasons why he would call out her name. Maybe he was praying out to her, praying for someone to save him. After what he went through, she shouldn't complain.
Turns out, it was indeed Tartarus walking to their cell. He had gotten very, intimate, with Artemis, but did not go all the way. If Percy growled or did something not in compliance, then he would remove an article of clothing from Artemis. If Artemis did something to rebel, he promised to kill Percy and then make her his.
After messing with Artemis, and leaving a "love" bite, which Artemis and Percy can both assure you there was no love; Tartarus dragged Percy to a separate room for his "daily dose." When Tartarus came back, he looked stronger, fuller, more powerful. On the other hand, Percy looked drained, powerless, and hopeless. Tartarus did not bother to chain Percy up, allowing Artemis and Percy to move freely. She had crawled over to his sleeping form and pulled him up, his body leaning on her as she cradled his torso, but mainly his head. He was limp.
Two Underworldly days later, Tartarus sauntered into the cell. Percy and Artemis were chatting about escaping, as he slowly clapped his hands for a dramatic effect.
"Tartarus," Percy growled, "what do you want?"
He smiled and spread his arms out wide, as if waiting for a big hug that would never come. "Who, me?" He pointed innocently at himself and chuckled, waving his hands in front of him. "No. No, no, no, no. I'm not here to harm you. In fact, I'm here to grant you your freedom."
Percy looked taken aback. "Freedom?" He asked hesitantly, the gears in his head turning.
"Yes," Tartarus shoved his hands in the pockets of his dress pants before leaning on the heels of his feet, tip toeing and then setting his black dressy shoes flatly on the ground. "Your freedom. Although, on one condition," he faced Percy with a solemn expression on his face and features.
"The prince stays."
Percy and Artemis looked at each other.
_|M.M.J. 15|_
"No, no, no, nooooo," Poseidon began to get frustrated with his small search team. The team consisted of himself, the Hunt, Athena, Annabeth, Hestia, and Aphrodite, who was able to convince Ares to also come. Apollo was taking care of his godly duties.
"We all know he is in Tartarus. We just need to find how to get him out."
"Why don't we do the same thing as last time?" Ares asked.
"Because," Athena sighed, "as far as we know, Tartarus is involved."
"Yeah. We all know Percy is in Tartarus. So what?"
"Ares, the primordial, all powerful, that Tartarus is involved; and we do not know how strong he is. Artemis had reason to believe he is feeding off of Percy's blood."
"Oh." Ares stayed quiet.
Poseidon sighed heavily and rubbed his hand down his face, clearly stressed. It had been two days since Artemis went missing, and according to what they were told by Percy, it must've been five to ten days in the Underworld. Boy oh boy is the after-life confusing.
"I think we should wait, then." Ares and Athena looked at each other, and for the first time in a century, they agreed.
"Excuse me?" Poseidon glared at them.
"Yeah. It's simple; before taken, Percy told the girl that we need to prepare for war, right?"
Everyone nodded. Athena then continued.
"Well, let's assume what he meant is prepare to engage in a battle, with Tartarus himself. Or worse, Tartarus taking over Percy's body, and then fighting us. We need to think thoroughly, and I believe that preparing, will definitely benefit us."
Poseidon banged the bottom of his trident against the marble floor.
"Alright," he sighed, "Hestia, please be a darling and warn Chiron. Everyone, we meet tomorrow at the same time as today. Dismissed," and he flashed off. One by one, everyone flashed away. Athena, sending Annabeth back to CHB.
_|M.M.J. 15|_
Zeus glared at Poseidon as they passed by each other, Poseidon walking into his temple. Zeus's nose flared as he watched his family walk in behind Poseidon.
The doors closed.
…
"No!" Poseidon screamed as he slammed his fist on the table. "We are not letting him rot there. What if Tartarus never lets him go?"
"He will—"
"No. He won't," someone interrupted Athena. Apollo stood up straight, remembering that voice.
"ARTY!" He ran to her and hugged her tightly. She winced, and only then did he realize how she was cradling her abdomen.
"What did he do to you?" He growled.
"Nothing Brother. Tartarus did not do this to me. It was myself, and our decision."
"You left my son there to die?!"
"No! I did not, Uncle. I saved him. There was nothing we could do, we… we had to transfer some of him into me. I," she pulled up her shirt a little bit, just above her belly button, to show them a golden writing right over her right hip, "did this to myself. I begged him to do it. We are bound, and now I will know if anything happens to my husband. He has struck a deal with the devil, and this is our trump card," she explained.
"Are you out of your mind, Sis?! That can kill you!"
"I am aware of the dangers," she frowned. "I knew this was the only way to ensure our child's safety. My child's, and Percy's. As long as I bear the curse, I will know everything that happens to my husband. As I have said before, I need this. It is what binds us, surely you understand. Once he is back, he can remove the binding. Right now, my guardian is in trouble and I must get him back. With, or without your help," she stood up defiantly.
Athena, Aphrodite and Hestia seemed to be the only ones to catch "child" in Artemis's little speech.
Poseidon sat straight in his chair. "Okay. Alright, if that can help us save my boy, then I am willing to comply. Athena, Ares, prepare the children for war. The rest of you, I suggest you do the same. I have some business to take care of."
Apollo helped Artemis back to her home, and brought the kids over from his temple. Jake and Sally hugged their mother with all their might (imagine Jack as Jake T. Austin. I don't really have an actress for Sally, yet) after changing and looking at herself in the mirror, Artemis became determined to win the war before it even started.
An amazing thing, love. It causes you to cry, smile, laugh, do random things. Love is a raft in an ocean of sharks. Love is the wings when you fall. Love is not having to know the person, to know the person. Love is confusing and gets you into trouble, but at the end, it's all worth it.
Love is something the average man can't find in a life time. So when you find it, wrap yourself in it and don't let go. Because if you let go of the person you love, then prepare to sit back and watch someone else do it for you; and by then, it's too late to finish what you started.
Artemis looked at herself in the mirror. The war may have not even started yet, but she was going to end it. She was going to end it, and she and her husband will live together happily. She was not going to end it for herself, the safety of the world (damn the world and everything in it), or for the other gods. She was doing this for Percy. Sally. Jake. And baby Carter. Yes, she admits it, she is indeed pregnant, and no one was going to ruin this. No one.