Percy
Percy walked into his tent, his eyes already scanning the entire room, carefully looking out for traps and the likes. He found none, and gave a sigh of relief. He was rather surprised at how comfy his tent was. And it looked a lot bigger from the inside than the outside. His tent had a comfy looking bed that was large enough to fit his newly increased frame with a simple wooden dresser. There was also a desk and a chair, even though he had no idea what that was supposed to be used for. Then he noticed a piece of paper lying on the desk. He walked over, picked it up and read it.
To Perseus Jackson, Guardian (And Slave!) of the Hunt,
Get up at 10 am, and report to my tent. The chores that you are mandated to do includes cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner, sharpening the arrows, knives and swords, and washing the clothes. Among other things. Oh, and remember, after today, you have to wake up at 6 am. I'm only letting you and the rest sleep so late because we're behind schedule. Now, go to sleep.
A
"Definitely my own personal underworld…" Percy thought glumly before putting the list down and crashing onto bed and falling into a deep sleep. He was woken up by a huge surge of electricity. He instantly shot up, expecting Thalia to be in his tent, laughing her head off. Instead, his tent was empty, and nothing was moved. He looked at the clock. 7:30 am. He frowned. That shock was very strong, which meant either Zeus, which was unlikely, or Thalia was very angry and very pissed. Percy got out of his tent as quickly and quietly as he could, following the source of electricity, Riptide uncapped in his right hand and his left hand already hovering near his three knives on his shoulder. To his surprise, instead of leading to Thalia's tent, he sensed it coming from Artemis's tent. He also felt and saw a silvery suppressing magic that seemed to be dimming the shock down to a low buzz. He stopped in front of the tent and tried to listen but all he could hear was muffled and indistinct noises.
"My Lady? Is everything alright? Can you hear me?" Percy asked in a loudish voice. No answer. He frowned. He decided to try knocking. Unfortunately for him, his hand made contact with the door at the same moment another pulse of electricity shot through the barrier. The instant his hand touched the door, there was a loud Crack! And he felt himself flying backwards, his hand literally smoking. More bad luck for him. He landed face down in front of a Hunters tent with a loud crash. The next thing he knew, he was instantly flipped over with a foot pushing against his throat. He opened his eyes and to his horror, recognized the girl as Phoebe. Oh shit… Percy thought.
Phoebe's eyes flared when she saw him. She whipped out her knife, putting it right next to his neck. "You dare try to sneak into our tent, boy?" She screamed.
The other hunters, woken up by the commotion, notched their arrows, pointing straight at his head. Hades, what'd I do to deserve this? Percy thought.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Phoebe just stepped down harder, choking him. "No. I don't want to listen to your disgusting words and lies, boy, instead I think I'll-" Phoebe snarled, but stopped as they heard Artemis and Thalia talking or yelling at the entrance of her tent
"Ok, listen Thalia, I will not permit you to go and give her a piece of your mind, no matter how much I dislike what she did and no matter how much she des-"
"But my lady, she was my best friend along with Percy, closer than Jason, and when she just did something so..so stupid that I can't help but just find a place to vent my anger! I can't believe that she could have been such a bitch!" Thalia was ranting.
"Thalia, watch your language." Artemis said.
"I'm sorry. It's just that, agh, ugh! My Lady, I request that I get Percy up to have a fight with him, it'll give me a vent. And I want to see how good he is with those twin swords of his." Thalia asked.
The tent door opened. "Permission gran-" Artemis stopped short when she saw Percy on the ground with Phoebe crushing his throat and the other huntresses pointing their arrows at him.
Artemis's and Thalia's eyes widened. "Perseus! Phoebe! What happened?"
"We found him in front of my tent, my lady, and I think that he was trying to sneak in." Phoebe said.
Artemis raised an eyebrow when Phoebe said that. "I highly doubt that."
Phoebe looked confused. "Why?"
Artemis gave a small chuckle. "Phoebe, Phoebe, after all these years, you still havn't learned to look first and act second. Look at the left side of his shirt. Looks pretty charred to me. His left hand fingertips are bleeding. His fingernails are cracked, and he smells a bit burnt. And as much as I dislike Perseus, he would never try to sneak into a huntresses tent. So get your foot off his throat." Artemis commanded.
Phoebe took her foot off meekly as she realized that what Artemis had said was, indeed, true. Percy slowly got up, massaging his throat while looking down at himself. All in all, Percy thought that he was pretty well off, he had suffered worse wounds than this when fighting with Thalia.
"However, Perseus, I would like to know what you are doing so early in the morning. I fully expected to call Thalia and shock you awake." Artemis inquired.
Percy laughed. "Ironically enough, that's what happened. I was woken up by a large shock as if I walked into an electric field. I instantly got out of my tent and traced the source to your tent. When I called you, you didn't answer, so I tried knocking. I think the moment I touched the door, Thalia must've let loose another wave of electricity."
Artemis sent Thalia a look, whose mouth had dropped open. "Oh my gods, Percy, I'm so sorry, I was just, um, kinda angry, and I uh, well…"
"Lost control" Percy finished.
"Yeah… anyway, sorry about that." Thalia mumbled.
Percy gave a chuckle. He walked over to Thalia and clapped a hand on Thalia's shoulder. "You're not the only one, you know. Camp Half Blood currently has a destroyed Demeter cabin, about a quarter of the forest is gone, and let's just say that it'll be extremely hard to invade that camp through the beach." Percy finished rather sheepishly.
"That makes me feel better." Thalia gave Percy a sly look. "You still up for that fight?"
"Anytime. My Lady, do I have permission?" Percy asked Artemis.
Artemis gave Percy a wicked grin. "Yup. You have my permission."
Percy gave Artemis a wary look before turning to Thalia. "Alright, let's go. Race you there?"
"You are soo going to lose." Thalia said before sprinting off with a Hunter's speed and grace. Percy smirked before extending his wings. He leapt into the air like a rocket before shooting downwards at a blurring speed.
"I suggest you girls go watch the fight." Artemis said.
"Why? We all know Thalia's going to beat up the boy's ass." Phoebe said.
Artemis shook her head. "Thalia won't. But I will." Artemis said, a glint in her eyes. The hunter's instantly agreed. Artemis nodded and snapped her fingers, transporting all of them to the training arena. They turned and saw Percy and Thalia facing each other, stating the rules.
"No powers. Cause if you use powers, you'd beat me up easily." Thalia said.
Percy nodded. "No archery either. That'd be unfair. But throwing knives are completely welcome."
"No way! I have like six throwing knives. You have what, 30?" Thalia argued.
"Ok, ok, fine. Just close combat, skill only. The person loses when he or she admits defeat or a blade to the throat or something." Percy stated.
Thalia nodded. "Alright, I'm ready." She said, pulling out her spear and slapping her bracelet, causing it to transform into Aegis. Percy didn't flinch or cower, he was so used to seeing the gorgon's head that he was kinda immune to it. However, it was still a unbreakable shield, and he'd have to knock it away.
Percy leapt back, drawing both of his swords, holding them low at his side. Thalia leapt forward, jabbing at a pretty fast pace in all directions, but Percy calmly deflected the point and took a step forward. Spears were only good at a distance, they were practically useless in very close combat. Thalia then began slashing with her spear in zig zagging motions, holding her shield in front of her and charging. Percy cursed. Unlike Jason, Thalia was extremely skilled with a spear. Percy parried her blows, then ducked underneath and lashed out with his feet, smashing into her shield. Thalia tumbled backwards, and Percy took the chance to leap after her, bring both swords down. She rolled to the side, leapt up and brought her spear down in a smashing motion. Percy took his chance.
He leapt to his right, bringing both of his swords up with as much force as he could. Spear and swords hit with a jarring clash and Thalia's spear flew away. Percy then smacked her thigh with the flat of his blade, as she stumbled, he leapt behind her and crouched down, putting his two swords into one and pulling a dagger out before holding it right in front of Thalia's throat. She froze.
"Well?" Percy asked. "I'm waiting."
"Fine. You win." Thalia grumbled.
Percy laughed as he pulled Thalia up. "You know, it's only anger release if you win, not if you lose. If you lose, that just adds up." Percy said.
"Oh thanks Percy, as if I didn't know that." Thalia said sarcastically, cranky about the fact that Percy managed to defeat her so quickly. "How did you do it? You're way faster than before, when you fought the giants, you were fast and good yeah, but I could last at least 15 minutes with you. What changed?"
"You can thank the Amazons for that. They created the Percy Jackson levels, where it's supposed to be unbeatable. Trust me, they're tough. And also, did I just hear you telling me that I'm better than you?" Percy asked teasingly.
"DON'T RUB IT IN, JACKSON!" Thalia yelled at him, sparks dancing around her.
"Ok, ok, jeez, calm down Thals, you seriously need some anger management." Percy smirked.
Thalia gave him a death glare before stomping off to join Artemis and the other huntresses, who were rather surprised that Percy was able to fight. Artemis, meanwhile, was barely holding back a smile as she watched Percy and Thalia arguing. So similar to how I argue and yell with Apollo. Artemis thought wryly.
"Perseus." Artemis called out.
Percy instantly turned to her. "Yes my lady?"
"Are you warmed up?" Artemis asked, smiling slightly. A smile that should've warned Percy.
"Of course. Why? Want me to do laundry, cook breakfast and whatnot?" Percy asked.
"Oh, of course I want you to do those stuff. And a lot more. But first, you're absolutely sure you're warmed up?" Artemis asked again.
"Yup. Perfectly warmed up." Percy replied.
"Good." Artemis said before leaping at him, her knives already out of their sheathes, cross cutting at high speed. Percy barely managed to leap backwards to avoid get a nice cut on his chest as he quickly drew both of his swords. Artemis just continued, raining quick and fast blows down at him, not giving him respite. Percy cursed as he ducked, a blade swinging just above his head. Damn, she's fast! He gathered himself, and began pushing back, swinging his sword faster. Soon, both of them stopped moving as they stood face to face, blades whirling, Percy's bronze swords causing bronze streaks in the air and Artemis's silver knives causing silver streaks. Each of them was trying to overpower the other. Percy finally disengaged, aimed a wild kick at Artemis, and spun in a 360, smashing into Artemis's blades with enough force to knock them away. Artemis's eyes widened as she realized what happened but then did something unexpected. She leapt forward at Percy, crashing into him, sending both of them tumbling. Percy dropped both of his swords so he wouldn't accidentally impale Artemis with it and reached for his dagger and a throwing knife. There was a blur of movement, and the next thing he knew, Artemis was on top of him with a arrow jammed under his jaw while he was holding onto Artemis's other wrist and had his dagger at Artemis's throat. They stared at each other.
"So, you admit defeat?" Artemis murmured, unable to talk normally due to the dagger at her neck.
Percy shook his head. "Odds are better on my side, seeing as your arrow is under my jaw and I have a blade at your neck." He managed to whisper out.
Artemis glared at him as she realized what he said was partially true. "A draw then." Artemis said.
Percy gave the slightest of a nod. He withdrew his dagger as Artemis pulled her arrow away. Surprisingly, Artemis bent down and helped Percy up.
"Thank you, m'lady." Percy said, standing up.
Artemis nodded. "Good job. Now that I know what you level you are, I can assure you our future fights won't be so easy."
Percy smiled his trademark crooked smile. "Easy? You look a little worn out, m'lady, you sure you don't want to go back to sleep?"
Artemis blushed involuntarily at his smile. "No. I want you to get started on cooking. The hunter's will tell you what they want to eat. Now, get going." Artemis snapped.
Percy bowed. "As you wish. But what about you? What do you want to eat?" Percy asked.
Artemis laughed scornfully. "No thanks. I'm not hungry. Besides, I don't think I want to eat your cooking."
Percy raised an eyebrow." What about last night? Or actually, early this morning?"
Artemis looked thrown off by the comment. "Uh.. well, I was starving that time, so anything would have tasted good." She said defensively.
Percy smirked. "As you wish, my lady." He turned to Thalia and the rest of the huntresses. "So, what do you ladies want?"
Thalia and the rest conferred briefly. "Alright, since this is your first time, we'll go easy. Just normal bacon, scrambled eggs, chopped up potatoes and French toast please, Kelp for Brains."
Percy nodded. "14 servings yes? And how many strips of bacon on each plate?"
Thalia nodded."14 huntresses, not including my lady. And 4 strips of bacon on each."
Percy nodded again. He turned to Artemis. "You sure you don't want anything m'lady?"
"No, I already told you. Maybe when you improve in your cooking skills, then yes. But now, no thanks." Artemis replied grumpily, probably miffed by the fact that Percy gave her such a workout.
"Alright. Where are the tables?" Percy asked.
"Right here" Artemis replied, snapping her fingers and transporting them all to the "dining area", more like a place where the huntresses sat together and just talked.
"Alright, take a seat and I can see if this works." Percy said.
Artemis looked wary. "What do you mean? And how do you expect to cook things so fast?"
"Please, just sit down." Percy said, smiling slightly.
Artemis sat at the head with Thalia on her right and Phoebe on her left, the other huntresses sitting randomly.
"Ok. So what are you gonna do?" Artemis asked.
"Watch" was all Percy said.
Percy waved his hand over the table and clapped his hands. There was a brief burst of green fire on the table, and suddenly , the air was filled with the rich smell of perfectly cooked bacon, properly baked potatoes and excellently done scrambled eggs. Everyone's mouth dropped wide open. In front of every huntress, was a plate filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, French toast and potatoes. Beside each person was a saucer of maple syrup and ketchup. Thalia hesitantly reached forward and picked a piece of bacon off, examining it before taking a bite. There was slight crunching sound as she bit into it, the outside perfectly done, and the inside nice and juicy. Thalia's eyes widened.
"Exquisite" Thalia said with awe. The other huntresses also took a piece of their choice, dipping it in syrup or ketchup before popping it into their mouths. Each and every huntresses eyes widened.
"Wow." They breathed. Artemis was bemused. She turned to Thalia. "May I?" she asked. Thalia nodded. Artemis carefully took a piece of bacon before popping it into her mouth. She munched on it, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Wow. That was actually pretty darn good." Artemis admitted. The huntresses nodded in agreement.
"So, how does it taste? You girls like it?" Percy asked, a smug smile on his face.
"Definitely love it."Thalia said. The other huntresses were quick to voice their agreement.
"Glad to hear that. Now, my lady, what are you going to be eating?" Percy asked, looking down at Artemis with a smirk on his face.
Artemis looked up at his face, blushing with embarrassment. "Um, well, er, can you make me a plate too?" She asked, embarrassed.
"Excuse me my lady, but what did you say?" Percy said, grinning cockily.
Artemis gritted her teeth. "I said, could you make me a plate too?"
Percy grinned. Damn, she is so cute when she's put on the spot. He quickly pulled himself together "Of course, my lady. No problem." He snapped his fingers and a plate of the same stuff as the hunters appeared. "Go eat your fill. If you want more, I can always make more."
Artemis instantly reached for her fork but stopped. "What are you going to eat then?
"Me? I'll just eat a slice of pizza or munch on a chicken leg, with your permission." Percy said simply.
"Ok. But at least sit at the end of the table over there. It's more comfortable than standing."
Percy's eyes flicked to the two huntresses sitting opposite of Artemis. They were now glaring daggers at him. "That's alright. I'm content to stand behind you. A slice of pizza doesn't require a plate anyway. Now, you should start eating before it gets cold." Percy said, making a slice of pizza materialize in his hand.
Barely had the words left his mouth than Artemis and the Hunters attacked their food. In less than 5 minutes, the plates were perfectly clean.
"Well, I must admit, that was… pretty good." Artemis said.
"Yes it was. But Percy, tell me, how come you can do this? Which god or goddess did you get this from? You got fire from Hestia. But where in Hades did you get this summoning food ability?" Thalia asked, very curious.
Percy grinned. "Through Hestia. She's a goddess of the hearth right? All those things with family, it's under her control. The good meals, like excellent, home cooked meals that everyone is supposed to have, I have some control over it too. Unfortunately, I can only summon food to a certain extent. The super fancy types of food, nope, I won't be able to. But anything from macaroni and cheese to turkey's, no problem. No fish though, I absolutely refuse to do fish."
"Wow. That's cool. You're our own personal cook!" A hunter said gleefully.
"Yes. That is quite nice. But since this is so easy for you Perseus, then I think you have more time to do other chores." Artemis said, smiling a evil smile.
Percy's eyes widened. "What do you mean." He asked warily.
"Oh, nothing. Just go do the laundry, and I'll hand out the rest." She smirked."And girls, go start training. We're late, it's already in the afternoon" Artemis said after taking a look at the sky.
The hunters left quickly, with Thalia in the lead. "Whoa, you can tell the time just by looking at the sky?" Percy asked.
Artemis rolled her eyes. "Yes, boy, by the position of the sun, stars and the moon. I suppose I will have to teach it to you soon." Artemis groaned.
"Alright… so, where do I go to do the laundry?" Percy asked.
"Over by the river. You'll find the clothes already there. And there are the proper zip lines to try them too." She smirked. "I trust you'll have a lot of fun. But first, you can clean the dishes." Artemis ordered.
"No problem. Rather grumpy today, aren't you my lady?" Percy asked cheerfully as he raised his hand, shot a blast of high powered water at the plates, and then dried and sanitized them with a burst of fire. "All done, my lady."
The grin on Percy's face infuriated Artemis since it quirked his perfectly shaped lips into a adorable shape. "We'll be seeing who's the happy one and who's the grumpy one after today is done, boy. Don't forget, you need to learn how to shoot." Artemis smirked. She had the intense pleasure of seeing fear crossing Percy's face before flashing herself off.
Percy shook his head when she disappeared. "Women… are the weirdest beings on this planet. Mortal or immortal…" Percy muttered, flying himself towards the river. He would never admit that he liked Artemis, which was the only reason why he obeyed her commands. Wait a moment.I like Artemis? No way. I only agreed because I have nothing to do. Percy thought. He cringed at how hollow the thought sounded. Ugh. Aphrodite, stop messing with my mind! Percy thought furiously. If she heard, she made no sign that she had heard. Chances were she hadn't heard. He dove down, landing at the shore of the river. And right there, was a massive pile of clothing, piled at least 4 feet high. That's a lot… but I can control water so maybe it won't be too bad…
Five hours later, a swearing and sweating Percy Jackson had just finished hanging up the last of the garments that Artemis and the huntresses had piled on top of him. Percy swore, not caring who heard him, and stretched his back, wincing at the cracks he heard. Washing clothes had been a nightmare. He had originally thought he could swish them in circle like a washing machine, but what happened instead was a huge pile of tangled up clothes. It had taken him several hours to separate all of them and wash them one by one. Then came the part of hooking up the zip lines. He had found the lines on a table and without looking for instructions, began trying to find the places to hook them. After several frustrating minutes, he finally found a small note attached to the tables leg, telling him to hang them on two poles that he had not seen. After several minutes trying to find how to attach them properly, he began lifting the clothes and clamping them onto the line, his back and arms sore from constant bending and lifting.
Percy cursed again, looking at the long lines of wet clothes. Artemis wanted them dry and crisp. The keyword was 'crisp'. If she just wanted them dry, then all he had to do was force the water out of the clothes and ta-da, job done. But nooo, she wanted 'crisp'. Which meant he had to dry them with his fire powers. He raised his arms and shot a gentle stream of fire towards the clothes, using his water abilities to tell when they were dry enough and stopping every once in a while to check if they were "crisp".
Unbeknownst to him, a certain goddess was watching in the shadows of the woods. Artemis stood in the shadows, watching Percy laboring about. She was deeply impressed and surprised at just how different Percy was from other men. Hell, even other people. Artemis thought. Other people, even her most obedient huntress would have long since gone to her to ask for a break, or complain about doing so much laundry. She had fully expected Percy to come back to her and start complaining like the male he was, but instead, Percy had obediently listened to her commands and was dutifully following her instructions to the letter. It was…touching. And intriguing. That made Artemis scowl again. She hated it that this young male had a way of impressing and getting at her, despite the fact he had absolutely no idea about it. She would have to distance herself and just dump more work on him. And annoy him. Artemis smiled. That was a good plan. She stepped into the light and called out,
"Having fun, Perseus?" Artemis asked in a taunting voice.
Percy jerked and whirled around. He scowled slightly. "Will you stop calling me that?"
Artemis frowned slightly. "Call you what?"
"Perseus. Please don't call me that, it makes me feel old and uncomfortable." Percy explained.
Artemis smiled and leaned against a tree. "Yeah? Or what?" She asked teasingly.
Percy struggled to hold back a blush as he saw Artemis leaning sexily against the tree. "Ummm…. I don't know?" He managed to get out as he wrenched his eyes away from her.
Thankfully, Artemis didn't seem to notice. "Well then, I suppose there is nothing to stop me from calling you Perseus." Artemis said.
Percy rolled his eyes. "As you wish, Moon Beam." Percy said with a crooked grin.
Artemis froze. She was getting really annoyed with that catching grin of his. "What did you call me?" She managed to choke out.
Percy gave her a perfectly innocent look. "Nothing, my lady. I was just, testing, my ammunition." Percy smirked. "Anyways, I'm done with the laundry. Can I go rest now? I'm sore and tired."
Artemis was so surprised that he had finished the laundry while they were talking that she completely forgot about his 'Moon Beam' comment.
"Excellent. And no, you can't rest. My hunters have been waiting to take a bath. And you need to sharpen the arrows. I'm sure you know how to use a whetstone, yes?"
Percy groaned. "Yes, I know how to use a whetstone. And what do you mean, waiting for me to take a bath? Can't they just take one in the river or the lake? Isn't that what they usually do?"
Artemis nodded. "That's true. But they were waiting for you for two reasons. One, they needed the clothes. Second, since you're here, you can heat up a nice pool of water for them, instead of dipping themselves in the ice cold water." Artemis smirked.
"Fine… Oh, so you mean that I won't have to do laundry for a couple days?" Percy said hopefully.
Artemis smiled. "Nope. Since you're so proficient at laundry, it means that my hunters can rough and tumble as much as they want."
"Very well. Roman style bath then?" Percy asked resignedly.
Artemis paused. "That works. And make sure the water is warm, not too hot and not too cold."
Percy did his special bow. "As you wish, Moon Beam." He muttered quietly.
Artemis shot him a glare before calling her hunters. Percy smirked and raised his arms, calling water from the river and hardening it into a huge pool, plenty of space for 14 girls to swim and play around. He then began calling on his flame powers to heat it up, until it was steaming.
"This warm enough my lady or hotter?" Percy called out.
Thalia skipped over and dipped her hand into it. "Perfect, Kelp Head. Now, move it, we need to take a bath."
Percy turned and almost fainted as he saw how muddy and dirty the huntresses clothes were. It looked as if they were wrestling and just messing around on the ground. He groaned.
Thalia saw his look and smirked. "This is just the beginning. We'll try to stay clean, but it's kinda hard when we don't have to wash the clothes. Now, scat."
Percy walked off, grumbling as he went. Artemis fell in line with him, chortling.
"So, you want to know what you are going to do next, Perseus?" Artemis asked.
"Oh, yes please, Moon Beam, I absolutely can't wait." Percy said sarcastically.
Artemis gritted her teeth. "When. Are. You. Going. To. Stop. Calling. Me. Moon Beam?"
Percy smirked. "When you stop calling me Perseus, my lady."
"In your dreams, Perseus." Artemis shot back.
"Then the same goes for you, Moon Beam." Percy said, clearly unruffled.
"I demand that you stop calling me Moon Beam!" Artemis hissed.
"You know, I'd say that you want me to stop calling you 'Moon Beam' way more than I want you to stop calling me 'Perseus'. And anyways, what's the harm in creating a nickname?" Percy said, grinning.
Artemis flushed. It's because a nickname from you will just make it harder for me to distance myself! Artemis thought. Out loud she said, "Forget about it. I'll get back at you later, Perseus. Now, since you know how to use a whetstone, and we need sharp arrows, go sharpen that pile. And hopefully you can finish it by dinnertime." Artemis said, pointing to a huge pile of neatly stacked arrows.
Percy froze as he looked it, a look of horror crossing his face. "How many arrows are in that pile?" He asked, horrified.
Now it was Artemis's turn to grin. "Oh, enough to last a day or so."
Percy turned to her. "A day? You use that many arrows in a day?"
"Actually, no, but since you're doing the sharpening, we don't need to be careful, right? So, off you go, I'll come and tell you when the Hunter's want to eat." Artemis said, smirking as she disappeared in a soft silver light.
Oh man… Percy thought as he looked at the pile of arrows. I better hurry up…
Four hours later, a cramped and sweaty Percy toppled off the whetstone-bike that he had to pedal to sharpen the arrows to a razor sharp point. Thank the gods he hadn't broken any of the arrows. Percy was ready to swear that the huntresses had purposely dulled the arrows to a blunt tip. He lay on the ground, massaging the cramps that he had in his calves. If this is what life as a Guardian is going to be, I'm going to die from overwork than from battle. Percy thought. He heard footsteps approaching and struggled to sit up. He looked up and saw a smiling Artemis. The instant he saw Artemis, all of his pains seemed to magically disappear. She just had the breathtaking, natural, beautiful look that Aphrodite couldn't ever hope to match and a slim figure that came naturally.
"Well done, Perseus. Those blunt tipped arrows weren't made to be that sharp." Artemis said, rather impressed.
Percy stopped admiring Artemis and stared at her in shock. "What? Those were blunt-tipped arrows? I thought they were just dull arrows that were notoriously hard to sharpen!" Percy half-yelled indignantly.
Artemis smirked. "Well, let's just say that you got some good exercise, we've got plenty of arrows to use, and you can take this chance of temporary blunt tipped arrow shortage to learn how to fletch arrows."
Percy's mouth dropped open. "Fletch arrows? Excuse me, but can't you just make arrows appear out of, like, mid-air?"
Artemis rolled her eyes. "Well, duh, but sometimes, when I'm on solo hunting missions, then you need to learn how to make arrows in case you run out, right?"
"I'm supposed to be your Guardian, which means I can't leave you alone, you know." Percy said.
Artemis gritted her teeth. She didn't need to be reminded of that. "Whatever. Now, the huntresses are getting hungry, and it's getting late so hurry up."
Percy struggled to his feet and did his special bow. "As you wish, my lady." Then he added, "Moon Beam" under his breath.
Artemis glared. "For saying that hated nickname, you shall have to walk or fly yourself to the dining area." She knew she sounded like a little girl, but she couldn't help it. She snapped her fingers and she disappeared in a sheen of silver light.
Percy groaned. Life is tough. Percy thought. He stretched his wings out and shot into the air, still enjoying the feel of the air rushing past him. He spotted the hunters and Artemis already seated at the table, so he decided to drop instead of glide. Bad choice. Had he not pedaled so much, it would've been fine, but his legs were cramped and weak, so instead of landing with a impressive crash, he landed in a very undignified heap. "Ugh…" He grumbled as he detangled himself and stood up.
"Really Kelp for Brains? That's how you announce your presence? And boy, you smell like metal, you need to take a bath." Thalia said, grinning mischievously.
"Oh haha, very funny Thalia. Now, what do you guys want to eat tonight?" Percy sighed, noticing that Thalia and the rest still had wet hair and pink cheeks from the heat of the bath.
"First, Percy, sit down. That's your seat. The huntresses have agreed not to attack you or stab you with forks and knives." Thalia said, pointing to a spot exactly opposite of Artemis. Percy nodded as he sat down, careful not to get too close to the hunters on his left and right.
"Thank you. Now, what will it be?" He asked.
"Hmmmm, two chicken legs, a grilled chicken breast, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans and orange juice. For each of us." Thalia said with a flourish.
"For my lady also?" Percy asked.
"Yes, that's right, except I think I'd like your water instead of orange juice, Perseus." Artemis replied.
"Very well. Alright, sit back." Percy said. He raised his hands and clapped them once. Instantly, there was the rich smell of perfectly cooked chicken with the smooth smell of gravy. Orange juice appeared alongside them, with a clear cup of water in front of Artemis.
"Oh goody, this looks great." Thalia said eagerly before she and the rest of the hunters attacked their plates of food as if they had done all the grueling work. Percy gave a slight sigh as he summoned a pork chop and began to rip it apart. Artemis looked around at everyone, a slight smile crossing her face as she ate her food at a leisurely pace.
After everyone finished, all the hunters leaned back with contented smiles. They didn't even have to do any hard work, other than training and having fun.
"So my lady, can I go to sleep now?" Percy asked wearily.
Artemis smiled. "Technically, no, even though you'll be half sleeping."
Percy frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you need to keep watch at night, because while you may be a slave of the hunt, you're also part Guardian, so you need to keep watch. The good thing is since you now have god level water and sea powers from your father, you should be able to put half of your mind to rest and the other half alert. Like dolphins." Artemis tossed Percy a drachma. "I don't know how to do it of course, but Poseidon will be able to tell you how."
Percy groaned. He had been hoping to be able to crash to bed, but noo, he had to sit in a tree and half sleep instead. He got up and bowed. "As you wish, my lady."
As the hunters walked off to their tents, Percy heated up a plate, sent a small stream of water onto it, which caused steam to rise in the air, then ignited a fireball to create a harsh enough light to make a rainbow. He tossed it in.
"O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering and please show me Poseidon, wherever he is."
The rainbow shimmered and soon pictures formed, along with lots of yelling.
"Look Athena, your plans are always great, I'll admit, but I'm getting back at that slimy git for Percy, and he's MY son, so I'm going with my plan, not your plan! Any other time, and I'd go with your plan, but not this time!" Poseidon was yelling, face to face with Athena. They glared at each other for a few more seconds before Athena relented.
"Alright, fine, only this time Poseidon, next time, you follow MY plans. Got that?" Athena said.
Poseidon nodded. "Thank you."
Percy swore that he saw both of them blush, and decided to speak up.
"Hey Dad."
Poseidon flinched. "Percy! Oh, um, you need any help? Anything troubling you?" He asked, pushing Athena out of the room.
"Oh, Artemis just said that I should be able to shut down half of my mind like a dolphin, while remaining alert. It's for Guardian duty. She told me to ask you how to do it."
"Oh, that's easy. Just think on which side you are most tired on, and go to "sleep", but only on that side. The other side will still see everything and will still be observant and alert. Just remember that to get absolute rest, you'll need to shut down your brain completely."
"Alright, thanks a lot dad, I gotta go." Percy said.
"You're welcome son."
Percy quickly swiped his hand through the mist, ending the call. I wonder what he and Athena are doing? Especially since they seem to be working together on some sort of plan? Percy thought, but then decided to dismiss it. He had enough on his plate already.
He quietly flew up to a tree branch and leaned against the trunk. Concentrating, he decided to shut down the right side of his brain, since he seemed to have a headache there. To his surprise, it happened quickly. He could feel himself resting, and yet could also see everything. He smiled. Peace at last.
"And Perseus, remember to wake up at 6 tomorrow!" Artemis called out, completely shattering his peaceful bubble.
Percy groaned. This is gonna be a awful…