Percy
"Hey Percy, how's it going? And you haven't stopped by to say 'Hi' at all." Thalia said, leaning against a tree, watching Percy struggling with all the laundry.
Percy scowled. "Oh, well, you know, besides washing piles of clothes that reach more than 6 feet in height, conjuring and maintaining several swimming pools, sharpen 10,000 arrows, fletch unknown amount of arrows, conjure banquets out of mid-air, repair the training dummies, making dummies, fix targets, build more targets, forge knives, daggers, arrow heads, keep them clean and perfect, run errands left and right, and make 15 frickin cross country trips to move the camp from New York to California, and then back again to New York, then the past two months have been great, absolutelygreat! Couldn't have asked for anything better!" Percy replied sarcastically. He was in a bad mood, since he'd had almost no sleep for quite a while. No full sleep, mostly just half sleeping on a tree, jerking awake whenever Artemis called him.
"And to answer your second question, I couldn't stop by to say 'Hi' because the huntresses will shoot me on sight the instant I get within 20 feet of you, and I was too busy being used for free-labour." Percy grumbled.
Thalia couldn't help it. She laughed. Percy glared at her. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. Oh gods, the same old, sarcastic Seaweed Brain I've known for so long." Thalia said smiling.
Percy's face softened. "Huh. Seaweed Brain? Haven't heard that name in a long time, Pinecone Face."
Thalia looked at him. "You call me that again, and I'll kick your butt so hard that you'll reach Olympus."
"Oh wonderful, you're becoming more and more like your half-sister. Now I have to deal with two of you guys." Percy said, swirling the clothes around.
Thalia smirked. "Half-sister? Heh, I haven't thought about that before. Don't worry, eventually you'll get used to doing all of this and it'll be natural for you."
"Oh yeah? Then please tell me why the pile of clothes I need to wash is growing every day, or why the pile of arrows I need to sharpen is getting bigger every day, or why the Huntresses need so many arrows?"
Thalia grinned. "Well, ok, fine, maybe I can ask the hunters to not take so many baths a day."
Percy glared at her. "Excuse me. You seem to be the person who tosses me the most clothes!"
"That's not true!" Thalia said indignantly.
"Oh really? Please, after washing laundry for two months, I more or less know who wears what. Especially you. I've known you for a long time. I know your style of clothing. Phoebe, she wears red. Loves red like crazy. Red underclothes, red shirts, red everything. The trio, Christy, Alex and Elizabeth, those three huntresses from Elizabethan times, they love the colour blue. All the other hunters wear silver stuff. Now, you, you wear black. You love black and dark colours. Dark blue, black, dark brown, dark green, all weird styles. And weird slogans. Seriously, 'Kiss my A$S?' I've seen them all. And the ratio I've seen from you is waaay higher than the others, Thals."
Thalia blushed. "Well, um, I just have more clothes…"
Percy rolled his eyes. "Right. Oh, and by the way, I didn't know a Hunter of Artemis was supposed to wear this type of jewelry." Percy said, reaching into his pocket and taking out a silver bracelet. Hanging from the bracelet were the letters that spelled out PERCY JACKSON. It had the look of a well-worn bracelet.
Thalia blushed furiously. "I was searching for that! And where did you find it!" She said, snatching it away and putting it on her wrist.
Percy raised an eyebrow. "I found it in the pockets of your skinny jeans. And what the crap is my name doing on your bracelet?"
Thalia continued blushing. "Well, you were one of the only males that I liked. And you were the only person beside that Annabeth who I could confide to."
Percy merely continued staring at her and raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh. And no Luke? No Jason?"
Thalia sighed. "Ok, fine, basically, you were more of a brother and a great friend than Jason or Luke could ever be. You were someone I could yell at, someone I could beat up, be rough with, and I'd know you would still be at my side. With Jason, I have to be "protective". With Luke, I had to be careful. To be honest, I thought he was a bit too sneaky. Which I suppose was true." Thalia sighed. "You see, I needed a family. Someone to be with. That's why the Hunters are such a good family. We always stick together. Someone reliable." She turned to Percy. "Go ahead. Laugh it up." She grumbled.
Percy gave a small chuckle. "That, Pinecone Face, is the definition of family. Does Artemis and the hunters know about that bracelet?"
Thalia blushed again. "Yes. She let me off after I explained everything." She gave Percy a sly look. "If you ask me, I'd say she has a very soft spot inside her heart for a certain demigod who is currently doing laundry."
It was Percy's turn to turn red. "Oh really? Then please ask me why she seems to enjoy giving me more and more chores and plain, old torturing."
"Someone's blushing and fidgeting." Thalia said in a singsong voice, smirking.
Percy turned even redder and began doing laundry as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "Whatever you say Thals, that still doesn't explain why Artemis loves torturing me."
Thalia laughed. "Ok, fine, how about this, I'll go and ask Artemis to see if you she can let you off the hook and start training you. You'll still have to do some work, but I'll try to convince Artemis to go easier on you. And who knows, it's possible that Artemis and the Huntresses will like you. Especially the former." Thalia smirked, wiggling her eyebrows.
Percy blushed again. "Oh really? Then please explain why all the arrows were aimed at me when their targets were all the way on the other side of the field."
"Well, about that… we decided to make small jokes. And anyways, you're like a source of entertainment. We don't really have TVs or computers here. And you're way better than cable."
"Oh hooray, that's just what I wanted, to be some source of entertainment…" Percy grumbled.
Thalia smiled. "Well, I better get going on trying to convince Artemis. Oh, and to be honest, you're really hot, Annabeth doesn't know what she missed."
Percy smiled. Hearing Annabeth's name didn't hurt him anymore, he supposed that Annabeth had broken his heart so bad, he had gotten over her without much trouble. And all this work helps too. Percy thought. It was nice to know he still had good friends around. "Thanks for the compliment. Now, I have a lot of work to do, so the earlier you can convince Artemis, the better. Because if you don't, I swear I'll die from stress than from battles."
Thalia smirked. "See? You are protecting Artemis, by doing the work for her." Thalia said before disappearing into the forest.
Percy looked at the huge pile of clothes he still needed to wash. I'm beginning to believe that…Percy thought glumly. At least now he knew how to swirl the clothes around without getting them knotted together. He sighed. He actually didn't mind washing the clothes too much, he just hated hanging the clothes up, it was so annoying.
Several hours later, Percy slowly stretched his back and his wings, no longer wincing at the many cracks he heard. He was, after all, quite used to them, as he should be after laboring endlessly for two months. After drying them, Artemis had wanted him to fold the clothes into neat little piles, her excuse being that if it rained, it'd ruin his work. What she didn't mention was it was near the end of March, it'd more likely rain, and she had protective barriers around the camp. More like an excuse for me to do more… Percy thought. Still, folding clothes wasn't too bad, just constantly reaching up to fold them was annoying. And folding female undergarments was still embarrassing. It was also time consuming. He quickly folded all of them, before putting them in a bag to bring to the "clothes tent".
He stretched his wings and shot into the air, keeping an eye out for monsters while scanning the ground at the same time, landing with a barely perceptible rustle. At least the 15 cross country trips had taught him how to land quietly on the ground with heavy objects, instead of crashing to the ground and announcing your presence. It had also greatly improved his aerial skills, since he could pull off all sorts of tricks in the air now. And it had improved his speed and muscles enormously. Even though his shoulder blades ached for days after moving the entire camp, Percy was pretty confident he could break the soun barrier without trying too hard. He walked to the tent and gently put the bag of clothes inside it, he knew that before the day was gone, that bag of clothes would be gone. He looked around and saw Artemis leaning underneath a tree, gazing off into the distance. Percy stared at her before wrenching his gaze from her. He really had to control that, since he found himself staring at Artemis more and more often.
He walked up to her, ready to "ask" her for more instructions, but before he got within 10 of her, he was suddenly wrenched upside down, dangling in mid-air, his ankles wrapped tight in a thick rope.
"What the…" Percy muttered before he heard peals of laughter. As he slowly spun in a circle, he saw hunters coming out from all over the place, with Thalia biting her lip hard, trying not to laugh. Percy heard a beautiful and taunting laugh, and he could only guess that it came from Artemis, since only her laugh held that type of sparkle in them.
"My, my, someone sure isn't used to the outdoors eh? Even the simplest and dumbest animal could've seen that trap, and yet you completely fell for it." Artemis chuckled.
Percy narrowed his eyes. "I'm from New York, I'm city born and bred, this nature lifestyle isn't something I'm used to so this caught me off guard. Put me in the city, and I bet I can follow you without knowing, I know all the tricks that people use in alleyways, and where people are most likely to ambush you."
"Well then, if that's the case, I don't think you should be our slave anymore." The huntresses instantly started whining. Artemis held her hand up and they fell silent. "You'll still have to make the bathes and our meals, since your meals are, admittedly, too good to pass. But you'll split your other chores evenly with all the huntresses. You will use that extra time I have given you to learn some wilderness training and archery. With me." She said, smirking at Percy's horrified expression.
"A-Archery?" He stuttered.
"Yup. I think that's going to be quite a bit of fun, especially added with your wilderness training." Artemis said with a glint in her eyes that made Percy shiver.
"Great. Just great. Always wanted to be the Hunt's punching bag." Percy grumbled.
"Oh don't worry Perseus, I won't do anything to your pretty face." She said, grinning.
"Alright, fine, now can you please let me down, Moon Beam?" Percy asked, smirking at her reaction. That smirk promptly disappeared when Artemis's eyes flashed and she put her foot against his chest and pushed. He went flying in the air, only to come to a abrupt stop and began swinging back and forth like a pendulum. The hunters shrieked with laughter, and even Artemis had a smile on her face though she quickly wiped it off so she could be "serious" with Perseus. She walked over and stopped Perseus from swinging back and forth to talk to him.
"Now Perseus, how many times do I have to tell you to not call me 'Moon Beam'? And second, I am definitely not letting you down after you call me 'Moon Beam'! I'm only letting you down once you swear on the Styx to not call me that stupid name!" Artemis yelled in his face.
Percy smirked again. "I'll stop calling you Moon Beam when you stop calling me Perseus. And I can easily free myself without your help."
"Oh yeah? How are you supposed to do that when you're hanging upside down?" Artemis asked skeptically.
"Oh please my lady, I didn't defeat all those monsters by being a weakling." Percy said. In a nice show of abdominal strength, he easily did a 180 "sit up" and stayed in that position without shaking, untying the knot. He landed gracefully on his feet when he untied it, calmly brushing his elbows off.
"Besides my lady, you know you like that nickname." Percy said slyly, giving her a heart-stopping grin.
Artemis froze. She glared at him, a mix of emotions inside her. She was angry at him for calling her 'Moon Beam', disgruntled that he managed to free himself so easily, and hating the effect his smile had on her. "I-I…What do you mean I like that nickname? I hate it!" Artemis yelled at him, yet at the same time staring at his wonderful smile.
Percy smirked. "Someone's stuttering." Seeing her angry eyes flare, he decided to drop it and save it for later. "Anyways, what would you like me to do now then, my lady?" he asked.
Artemis ground her teeth together. "Go and do a patrol of the sky and keep an eye out for anything. And take your time in doing it." She said, still infuriated by the fact that Percy was able to throw her off with a simple smile. But it wasn't a simple smile, it was a special smile. A really nice smile. A voice inside her head said. She angrily pushed it out of her mind, giving Percy her best glare.
Percy did his special bow. "As you wish, my lady." He turned to Thalia, who was still chuckling. "And Thals, we'll see who's laughing after I tell you what Jason most likely did a couple months ago. Talk to you after my patrol." He said, smirking as he extended his wings and shot into the air. Thalia looked confused. Artemis just glared at the disappearing speck that was Percy.
"Alright girls, go back to what you were doing before." She said grumpily.
They quickly bowed and left. Artemis sighed and flopped down in front of a tree, leaning against it. Truth was, she actually liked being called 'Moon Beam'. It made her feel special and cared for, kind of like how Percy called Thalia 'Pinecone Face' and 'Thals'. Not that she'd ever say that in front of Percy's face of course. Artemis sighed again and put her chin on her head. Percy had truly impressed her with his obedience and loyalty by listening and obeying her every command. She knew that he complained a bit to Thalia, but he always did the job, always finished it before reporting back to her. Artemis grimaced. She could almost feel herself being pulled towards Percy, and that was not what she wanted. Deep down, she knew she harbored strong feelings for him but she did her best to squash them. She had to distance herself, but she had effectively trapped herself by agreeing to teach archery and the wilderness skills for Percy. Maybe something that would cause him to chicken out of the training.
Artemis continued to think, and then it hit her. The wolves! Artemis smiled evilly. Percy had seen the wolves but had never fed them before. Besides, she could also just say that to hunt, Percy had to acquaint himself with the wolves. She smiled again. This'll be fun. When he gets back, I'm going to take him straight to the wolves. Artemis thought. Now that was a good plan. She leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes, relaxed at last.
Percy calmly circled the perimeters of the Hunter's camp, sweeping his eyes over the surrounding areas with a eagle like vision. He loved the feel of his wings now, they felt powerful and smooth, and he itched to see if he could break the sound barrier. He glanced down and instantly spotted Artemis. She was leaning against a tree, eyes closed. Perhaps he could take a minute and try it. Barely had he thought that before he shot off into the air, pumping his wings as hard as he could. He felt the air around him thicken as he sped up. He gave a growl and pushed, he knew he was close. The air thickened even more as the wind whistled past his ears, and he silently thought whether Zeus was slowing him down on purpose. That made him angry, and with the anger came a burst of energy. He pushed his muscles to their limit, even though they were screaming in protest. He heard a dull boom around him and watched as a white cloud dissipated around him. Yes! Yes! I've broken the sound barrier! Haha! Percy thought triumphantly before slowing himself down drastically. As he slowed down, he realized just how much his muscles hurt. He cursed. This was going to make his training much harder. He slowly turned around and began flying back to camp, but as he flew, he noticed that many mortals were staring at the sky, screaming as they pointed at him. Oh crap, what do they think I am? Percy thought desperately, the last thing he wanted was the US Air Force to send in a couple fighter jets after him. He really should have thought about that before trying for the sound barrier.
A small chuckle filled his head. "They think you are a very scary UFO, my champion. Which you are, in a sense."
Percy was so surprised he almost stopped flying. "Lady Hestia?"
A small image formed in his head, showing a smiling 8 year old girl sitting in a fire. "Of course. Who else? Now, I had originally thought I wouldn't need to tell you this, since you had been granted wings by Chaos, but it turns out you do need this after all." Hestia said in his mind.
"Um, what is the thing you're talking about?" Percy asked.
"Percy, you know what my animal is, correct?" She asked.
"Er, yeah, it's a crane and a donkey, right?" Percy replied, hoping he hadn't gotten it wrong.
"Correct. Now, since you're my champion, I'm able to grant you this ability. Percy Jackson, would you like the ability to turn into a crane, so as to help disguise yourself?" Hesta asked in a formal tone.
"That would be awesome, and thank you my patron." Percy said, mentally bowing.
Hestia nodded. She waved her hand and her image glowed with a fiery heat, filling his body with warmth. Then it disappeared. She smiled. "Now, while you seem to appear as a eagle to the mortals, I suggest that you turn into a crane and fly lower. Over time, you will be able to transform without a second thought. So I also suggest you practice the form. Who knows, perhaps you can even have fun with Artemis and the hunters." Hestia said with a sly smile before disappearing from his mind.
Percy decided to try it out. He found, to his surprise, that there were a lot of crane's to pick from. Crane's with weird feather styles, the common crane, the blue crane… Hey! Blue! Sweet! Percy thought excitedly. He closed his eyes, concentrating and imagining himself as a blue crane. He felt his body morphing, shrinking. He opened his eyes and found himself looking at a really long, pink bill. He looked down and found his body to be an exact replica of a blue crane. Well, not completely blue. And I'm definitely not a fan of the pink bill, but damn, this is sooo cool. Percy thought. He realized that he was over the hunter's camp and decided to descend as quietly as he could, landing in front of Artemis, who seemed to be napping. Hehe, this is going to be fun. Percy thought.
He calmly stood in front of Artemis, noticing just how much bigger she was than he in his crane guise. I wonder if this is how Artemis and the hunters feel when they talk to me. Percy thought. He was getting bored. He gave a short squawk in an attempt to wake her up. No response. He was about to squawk again when he heard the huntresses coming.
"Hey, look, a crane! I wonder what it's doing here?" Thalia wondered aloud.
Artemis woke up to her huntresses sound. "What? A crane? And where's Perseus?" She asked. Then she noticed Percy the Crane standing in front of her. She frowned when she saw him.
"A blue crane. I wonder what one is doing here? It's supposed to be in South Africa." Artemis said, her eyes calculating.
Percy stared back at her, unflinching, which turned out to be a big mistake. Artemis's eyes narrowed. "Apollo!" She growled before leaping at him with incredible speed and grace. Percy's eyes widened and barely managed to dodge and roll aside as Artemis landed right where he was a nanosecond after he got out of the way.
"Right, that proves it, no bird has that type of reactions. Get out of that form before I get angry, Apollo." Artemis said, her silver eyes flashing.
Uh oh. This is turning out to be a bad idea… Percy thought as he kept a careful eye on Artemis's leg muscles, the better to determine when she was going to leap and where. He saw them tense and instinctively leapt aside at the same moment Artemis sprang at him. He clacked his bill in amusement. This was turning out to be pretty fun. Artemis was literally steaming as she leapt after him, each one faster and quicker than the last, but Percy evaded each one easily.
"Fine, if you want to play…" Artemis said in a ominous voice. She leapt at him, and again Percy leapt aside, but this time, Artemis transformed into a huge grizzly bear in midair, greatly extending her reach. Percy's eyes widened as she crashed on top of him, his poor crane body getting crushed by the huge bear's weight. Artemis gave a massive swipe of her huge paws and sent Percy flying into a tree. She transformed back into her normal form before walking over and picking up the bird by its neck.
"Now, are you going to transform back into your old stupid form or shall I make you, stupid brother." Artemis said, looking straight into the crane's eyes. And gasped. "Perseus?" She asked incredulously, dropping the bird.
Percy transformed into his original form as he fell, landing as the big guardian at Artemis's feet. He slowly staggered to his feet, the blow that sent him crashing into a tree hurt a lot. Artemis and the Hunter's stared at him in shock.
"What gave it away?" Percy asked, rolling his shoulders blades to ease the tension in them.
Artemis walked up to him and smacked him across the face. "Don't do that again! Do you know what would've happened if I hadn't seen your eyes? You would've been dead, because only a god would have been able to survive what I was going to do!" Artemis said in a anxious voice.
Percy looked at her, surprised. "Well now, that's a nice change isn't it? I never knew you cared." Percy said teasingly.
Artemis blushed but changed the subject. "Whenever could you change your form? I never knew that!"
"Yeah, I'd like to know too Seaweed Brain." Thalia added.
"Well, it's thanks to my patron Hestia again. I was flying around and needed a better disguise, since the mortals thought I was a big scary UFO. Hestia gave me the ability to transform into a crane so I could blend in a bit better." Percy said.
"You need to pick your crane better then. Blue cranes are usually found in South Africa. Not in New York, and especially not in winter." Artemis said, still shaken from the fact that Percy had been a crane and she had nearly killed it.
"As you wish, my lady. I shall choose the common crane next time." Percy said, giving her his special bow.
"Good. Now, go make a bath for the huntresses and follow me. Your wilderness training is beginning now." Artemis said, smiling slightly.
Percy turned to the huntresses. "Fine. But you girls are washing your own clothes now."
The hunters nodded dejectedly. Percy gave a grin and summoned water from within himself and shaped it into a super-sized spa bath. He quickly heated it up and stood next to Artemis.
"Done, my lady." Percy said.
"Good. Now, follow me." Artemis commanded.
Percy obediently followed Artemis. "Where are we going?" Percy asked.
"Well, you've met the falcons; you got along pretty well with them. Now, if you want to hunt properly, you need to know how to feed the wolves." Artemis replied, taking especial pleasure at the look of horror crossing Percy's face.
"W-Wolves?" He stuttered.
Artemis smirked. "I'm sure you'll get along just fine with them." Artemis said. She distinctly heard him mutter under his breath, "Yeah, as in getting eaten type of "getting along well…." Artemis couldn't help but smirk again. They stopped in front of a small tent.
"Here? Here is where you keep the wolves?" Percy asked incredulously, wondering how such a small tent could fit all the wolves.
Artemis rolled her eyes. "This tent is magic. Much bigger on the inside than the outside. And also, we only kept them in here because we didn't want to scare you. Once you get acquainted with them, they'll roam around our camp freely."
Percy looked nervous. "Ok. Then let's get this over with, cause I have a feeling this is going to end badly." Percy said.
Artemis rolled her eyes again. "You are such a pessimist." She remarked. She opened the door, pulling a reluctant Percy in.
"Um, aren't we supposed to have something to give the wolves to eat?" Percy asked.
"Yes, but since you're here, you can just summon some chicken, can't you?" Artemis asked.
"They eat cooked meat?" Percy asked, amazed.
"Duh. Of course. They eat raw or cooked. Usually raw, since cooking meat for them is like a waste of time, they eat both types up too quickly." Artemis said. "Now come on. There's only 8 of them." Artemis grabbed Percy's arm and pulled him towards the wolves. She fully expected the wolves to come out snarling. Instead, she found them all asleep. They were lying on the ground, on tree trunks, all over the place, snoring.
This is not what I planned… Artemis thought. She had planned that they would come out snarling and scaring the crap out of Percy, but instead, she found them napping. Percy, meanwhile, looked surprised.
"Wow. They don't look bad, in fact, they look adorable." Percy said, walking straight toward the wolves. However, the instant he got within petting distance, all the wolves instantly woke up, their noses sniffing the air. Percy froze. Then a low growl came from the middle of the pack as a large white she-wolf trotted forward, sniffing Percy.
"Um, Artemis, did I do something wrong?" He asked tentatively.
"Perseus, just stay still and if you're lucky, they won't attack you. Just be on guard. And be very careful, that wolf is named Tempest for a reason." Artemis said carefully. Not even she knew what was happening.
"Tempest? I thought that's the name of Jason's pet venti?" Percy asked.
Tempest continued sniffing Percy, slowly circling him while Percy just stood stock still. Suddenly, Tempest sat in front of Percy, her tongue out, panting. It looked as if she were asking for something. As soon as she did it, all the other wolves also began sat around Percy, panting.
"Um, what the Hades?" Percy asked.
Artemis frowned. "Unless I'm mistaken, I think they smell the ability you have from Hestia. You're ability to summon food. Try it." Artemis said.
Percy looked doubtful but he listened. He summoned a huge chunk of ham, and barely had he summoned it when Tempest snapped it out of his hand, swallowing it whole. Percy's eyes widened as Tempest gave a low growl of pleasure, licked her chops and sat back down in front of him, staring. Percy looked at all the other wolves, and shrugged. He clapped his hands, and eight huge cooked turkeys appeared out of nowhere in front of each wolf. The wolves instantly attacked the turkeys, with the exception of Tempest, who nudged the turkey to Percy's feet, curled herself around Percy's feet and began to tear apart the turkey at a leisurely pace.
"My lady, how am I supposed to move?" Percy asked, glancing down at Tempest, who was still curled tightly around Percy's feet.
Artemis stifled a laugh. "I suppose you're stuck there until she decides to move, Perseus."
"Can't you tell Tempest to move, Moon Beam? Cause I don't think I can stay here forever." Percy said.
Artemis gave Percy a glare. "I'm definitely not asking Tempest to move, unless you stop calling me that nickname." She said, thinking this would be a excellent time to get rid of a name that reminded her of Percy. Unfortunately, Tempest seemed to have understood Percy's question, since she unwound herself from Percy's feet and licked Percy's hand before going back to eating her turkey. Percy smirked at Artemis as he walked over to her.
"You know, I think I like Tempest and the other wolves a lot." Percy said. Tempest perked her ears up when she heard and almost seemed to smile a bit.
Artemis glared at him. She was getting pissed at her so far failed attempts to distance herself from Perseus.
"Well, that's good. Now, say your goodbyes and meet me at the archery range." Artemis said grumpily, storming out of the tent. Percy stared after her, confused.
"I swear, I will never understand women…" Percy muttered. He walked over and bent down, patting Tempest on the head before leaving. He reluctantly made his way into the archery range, knowing that it would end badly. He arrived and saw Artemis shooting streams of arrows at the targets, far faster than any machine gun. She stopped when she saw him.
"Alright boy, from what I've heard, you're a pretty bad archer, so you better get started." Artemis commanded.
"Excuse me? Pretty bad archer? I'm the worst archer the world has ever seen!" Percy said.
"Oh come on, you can't be that bad, you've got my brother's blessing after all." Artemis said.
"Yeah? Watch this then." Percy said. He picked up a bow and notched an arrow, aiming at the targets. He winced at how bad his shoulder muscles felt. Serve me right for breaking the sound barrier… Percy thought glumly. Then he let loose. As expected, the arrow flew way off, shooting somewhere into the distance, missing the target by a good half foot. Percy turned around to face Artemis, who was looking dumbfounded, probably because she couldn't believe someone was that bad.
"See? I told you I suck at archer-" There was a zipping sound and a huge amount of pain exploded in his left butt cheek. "OW! Ow-ow-ow!" Percy yelped, clutching his bottom in serious pain.
"Y-you must've shot it n-near o-one of the huntresses." Artemis stammered because she was trying hard to maintain her composure but was on the verge of rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter.
"Agh! Get it out! Why are they so freakin evil?" Percy yelled.
Artemis glowered at Percy. "It's called self-defense! Don't you dare call my huntresses evil, it's your own gender that's at wrong!" She yelled right back.
Percy pulled the offending arrow out of his butt and gave another yelp of pain. Thanks gods it's not too deep, or it'll leave a nasty mark. Percy thought.
"Just stop with the stupid prejudice! You can't judge a whole race by the actions of a few. Ok, admittedly, a lot, but there are some exceptions! And yet I wondered why you're single." Percy said without thinking. Oh shit… Percy slowly turned to meet Artemis's eyes, which were flashing with anger, all traces of humour wiped out.
"I'm single because I chose to be! Your kind can't be trusted, and I did make an exception by accepting you! I only made an exception because you're a real man, a man's man!" Artemis paused, realizing what she just said. She flushed slightly, "First few seconds of practice and you injure yourself. Go patch yourself up at the infirmary." Artemis snapped.
Percy half walked and half limped his way to the tent that contained the supplies of nectar and ambrosia, even though he had a packet and a whole flask hanging on his belt. He had decided to take this time to think about what Artemis had just said. Had she just straight up complimented him? What did she mean by a "man's man"? Should he apologize? Had he hurt Artemis's feelings? If she even had any? Don't be an ass, of course she has feelings, she just hides them well. He pondered about this as he took a sip of nectar. Unfortunately for him, he was still part demigod, so he couldn't drink too much. Nor could he eat too much ambrosia. If I had known what would happen earlier, I would have taken godhood… Percy thought. Ah well, might as well get back, or she'll shoot me full of arrows. As he walked back, he decided not to apologize and just stay quiet about it, since he didn't want another arrow in another sensitive spot. Especially his jewels. As it turned out, his jewels did get hit by a arrow.
Artemis heard him stomping through the bushes and grass far earlier than she could even begin to see her. I guess I'll have to train him on how to be quiet… Artemis thought. She was also thinking on how she had just complimented Perseus. True, she had called him a man after he took the sky for her, but never a real man. Or a man's man. It made a huge difference. For some reason, he just got to her. Somehow. So much different than any other male she had ever met. Artemis shook the thoughts away as Percy emerged, looking at her warily.
"Do I still have to do this? I can't feel my left butt cheek." Percy said timidly.
Artemis stifled a laugh. Not laughing at his stupidity and clumsiness was almost impossible.
"Don't be a chicken, I won't turn you into a animal. Now, I'm going to show you how to properly hold a bow and arrow, and then I'll start teaching you how to shoot. Stand like this." Artemis said, smoothly sliding into a completely natural and perfect stance. Percy raised an eyebrow and tried to copy it. It all went pretty well until he drew his arrow back, in which he accidentally let it go. It went flying off into the distance again.
"Uh oh…" Percy said. Instantly, he extended one of his wings and wrapped it around himself like a shield. He stood like that for maybe about a minute and then retracted his wings.
"Ok, maybe the huntresses moved somewhere else." Percy said, giving a sigh of relief. Hardly had the words left his mouth when a red rubber ball-tipped arrow shot past the target, hitting Percy square on the nuts. He gave a choked scream as he fell forward, collapsing to his knees, a look of pain crossing his face. Artemis couldn't help it. She too fell to the ground, but she was shrieking with laughter, unable to stop. Percy gasped as he struggled to get up, it felt as if someone had nailed his balls to a two by four and smashed it with a sledgehammer. Percy slowly got up and noticed Artemis still laughing uncontrollably on the ground. The smile she had on lit her face up brighter than a full moon and made her look absolutely beautiful. Percy allowed himself two more seconds of staring at her before bending down to help her up. He tapped her on the shoulder.
"Hey Moon Beam, is this how're you're supposed to teach me archery?" Percy asked.
Artemis stopped laughing at his nickname for her and slapped him across the face. She got up, ignoring his outstretched hand.
"That's enough for today. I don't think you'll be able to withstand any more hits, so we'll do it tomorrow. Besides, the hunters are probably getting hungry, it's much later than usual. About 10 o'clock right now" Artemis said after taking a look at the sky, walking to the dining area.
"Huh. After what they did, I don't think I'm making dinner." Percy said, sounding like a child. Artemis noticed that instead of walking straight and tall like he usually did, he was hobbling and walking with bent knees. That made her smile.
"Of course you're making dinner." Artemis said.
"Yeah? Says who?" Percy asked.
"Says me" Artemis said, slapping Percy's left butt cheek extra hard. Artemis instantly blushed when she realized what she had just done, and quickly snuck a look at Percy's face. Thankfully, Percy was too busy cringing at her slap, since it had connected with his arrow wound.
"My Lady, did you have to hit me there?" Percy whined.
Artemis rolled her eyes. "Of course. Now, are you going to make dinner?" She asked, giving him a look.
"Ok, ok, fine, of course I will." Percy said, anything to stop her from punching him again.
The huntresses were already seated at the table, waiting for the two. "Hello girls, how was your day?" Artemis asked cheerfully, keeping an eye on Percy's expression.
"Oh, it was wonderful. Just that someone seemed to be trying to shoot us. Twice in fact." Phoebe said, smirking. The huntresses were snickering at Percy, who was wincing as he made his way to sit down. So occupied was he in carefully sitting down, he did not notice Elizabeth sneak somethingunderneath him right as he sat down. He did hear it though. The moment Percy sat down, an enormous farting sound escaped from his seat, causing him to shoot upwards like a rocket. The huntresses fell off of their benches, screaming with laughter. Percy gave a low growl and flicked the whoopee cushion off his bench.
"Very funny… Now, do you guys want to eat or not?" He asked grumpily. The hunters pulled themselves together as they ordered a simple steak with broccoli and sparkling apple cider as drinks.
"And you, my lady?" Percy asked.
"To be honest, I'm not hungry tonight. So a serving less to summon, Perseus." Artemis said.
Percy nodded and gave a weary clap of his hands causing the requested food to appear. As usual, the food was impeccable. As usual, the huntresses dug in. Percy had summoned two chicken legs and two slices of cheese pizza, tearing through them almost viciously then washing them down with several cups of water. When everyone had finished eating, Artemis looked around the table and asked a question.
"Alright. Who shot the arrow that hit Perseus in his sensitive spot?" Artemis asked.
"Um, me." Phoebe mumbled. Percy had a 'Why-am-I-not-surprised' look.
"Ok Phoebe, you'll take first watch. Percy will take the second. Then whoever else decides to take it after Percy." Artemis said.
"Awww, my lady, do I have to?" Phoebe asked.
Artemis nodded, while Phoebe looked glum. Until Percy interrupted.
"It's alright. I'll take first watch. And as much as I want to sleep, I don't think I can go to sleep yet anyway." Percy said.
Artemis looked at Percy. "Are you sure, Perseus?"
Percy nodded. "Of course I'm sure Moon Beam." Percy said, giving her a quick grin. "Now, if you'll excuse me." Percy said, extending his wings and flying up to his post in the upper branches of a tree.
"You should be grateful that Percy is so nice." Artemis said, looking at her hunters. Thalia smiled but the rest of her huntresses looked down and quickly ran off to their tents. Thalia remained a little longer before following them. Artemis sighed as she got up. There she was, doing it again. Complimenting and defending Perseus even though all she wanted was to get away from him. Artemis decided to take a walk in the woods, since she guessed she wouldn't be able to sleep either.
As she walked, she pondered her feelings for Perseus. She had never experienced such feelings before, although she did experience them to a lesser scale with Orion. She frowned slightly as she thought of Orion. She had fallen in love with Orion, yes, but it had taken years. And would she have given up her oath for him? No. After she had unintentionally killed him, and gotten over the heartbreak a few days later, she realized that she had mainly fallen in love with Orion due to his superb hunting skills and archery. She had relished the fact that there was a man who could hunt and shoot as well as she could, where they both shared a common interest, where they could both find enjoyment. She had not loved him for his person, but for his abilities. She had been too blinded by this impression of him and she had let them take over. Orion, after all, had too many flaws that were still reminiscent of his male species that she did not see at the time, the worst was the fact that he had raped the poor maiden Merope, the daughter of the legendary king, Oenopion. Seriously, Oenopion welcomes Orion with a banquet and what happens? Orion gets drunk and rapes Merope. Then Oenopion rightfully stabs Orion in the eye as revenge, but instead, Orion gets healed and tries to get revenge on Oenopion. He had also been boastful, almost nearing to the point where he would insult her. And while he respected Artemis, he had looked down on her hunters, many times showing off his superior skills to them.
Men… and their stupid pride. Artemis thought sourly. While she would never admit it to Apollo's face, she was actually glad that Apollo had tricked her into killing Orion. He had been nothing but a distraction. Even though I wish that Apollo had killed Orion himself, instead of tricking me into killing him.Artemis thought sadly. That had galled her the most, the fact that she had killed him personally. Her thoughts turned to Percy, who truly intrigued her to no end. Percy was different. He was truly different than anyone she had ever met. And the speed which she had developed feelings for him scared her. I have to distance myself, I have to-
Artemis was shaken out of her thoughts by a rustle. She froze and listened, before taking in her surroundings. Artemis was shocked. She didn't recognize any part of this forest, which meant she had walked a long way. She turned upwards to the sky, and realized with a shock she had been walking for three hours! Artemis looked around and what she saw made her stare. It was a large monster camp, with dracaene, Laistrygonian's, rogue Cyclopes, all sorts of monsters camping there.
How did they get so close to here? Artemis thought wonderingly before she felt a touch of metal on her neck. Unfortunately for her, in her sleep-walk like state of walking through the woods, she had not been careful to be quiet. Artemis cursed as two more monsters stepped from behind the trees.
"Hehehe, look, we got the goddess without even trying. We'll be able to fulfill our mistress's last wish! She'll be happy! And we'll be rewarded!" The monster spoke in a grating voice.
"Yeah! And then we can kill-" The second monster began but couldn't finish when a throwing knife sprouted from his head. Artemis heard a dull clunk as the sword at her neck fell to the ground, while the third monster was already a pile of dust. Artemis turned in surprise, to find a tall figure standing over her, three throwing knives gone from his left shoulder.
"Perseus-?" Artemis asked questioningly.
"Hurry. Go back to camp and protect the hunters, if they have a group here, then they will try to attack the camp from the front. Go!" Percy hissed quietly.
"What? No! I can't leave you here, too many monsters!" Artemis said.
"I'll hold them off, this is what I was sworn to do. I have to protect you and the hunters. Now GO!" Percy yelled the last word before leaping right into the monster's camp with a loud yell, drawing both of his swords in mid-air and causing a burst of fire as he landed. Artemis hesitated, then turned and sprinted towards her camp. No teleporting, since it required energy, and Fates knows she was weak enough after fighting the Typhon and the Giants.
Percy managed to take down an entire tent of Laistrygonian's before they responded. He went into full battle mode, slashing crazily, blocking and dodging attacks, sending balls of fire left and right, and causing mass destruction. He did the 360 when he felt the amount of monster pressing against him increase. Soon it became a standstill, with Percy standing in the center of a sea of monsters, while the monsters tried to take him down by shooting arrows or full on attacking him. Percy was quite surprised at his endurance doing the 360, it usually took quite a bit of energy. But now, perhaps thanks to Artemis's chores, he was doing it with relative ease, slicing through armour and monsters like a hot knife through butter. Perhaps I will thank Artemis after this fight. Percy thought dryly. However, Percy had to end this soon, since he was positive another group was attacking the hunter's camp. He summoned his water powers from within and created a full-fledged hurricane. Water and wind whirled around him, blowing monsters off their feet, drowning them in tons of water as lightning struck and thunder boomed. He continued the hurricane for 5 more minutes before stopping it. A Aethiopian drakon came at him with its mouth wide open. Percy tossed a fireball inside its mouth and leapt aside. The drakon's eyes widened as it automatically swallowed it down, and then Percy cause the fireball to explode. The drakon exploded too, leaving behind charred flesh and shell. Percy looked around, stretching out with his sense for any more monsters. He could feel none, but he felt something pulsing at the base of his head. Artemis and the camp was under attack. He had to hurry. He capped both Riptides and shot into the air without a second thought.
He saw the hunters and Artemis clashing with a massive sea of monsters. Artemis had set up a protective shield, but soon they would be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of monsters. He drew both swords and called on his increased Son of Poseidon powers. He angled himself down in a ninety degrees, pointed his swords straight at the ground, and increased his speed ignoring his screaming muscles. A dull boom was heard as he broke the sound barrier again, and then he slammed into the ground at speeds excess of 800 mph. As he hit, he summoned his powers and released it in a explosive bang. A massive wave of force blew back all of the monsters within 30 feet in all directions, giving Artemis and her hunters a brief respite. He quickly walked over.
"Perseus! Protect the huntresses, I'll handle the two drakons and that group of monsters." Artemis said.
More drakons? Percy thought, then turned around, scanning the area. He saw two more drakons slithering closer, with a large mass of monsters surrounding the pair. He recognized them as more Aethiopian drakons. Not as bad as Lydian, but still bad.
"Are you sure, my lady? That's a huge group, I'm supposed to stick by your side at all times." Percy asked.
"Yes, I'm sure! And in case something happens and father gets angry, I command you to stay here, protect my hunters and get those pesky rogue Cyclopes. I've got the drakons and those monsters, don't worry." Artemis said before rushing off.
Percy opened his mouth to say something but Thalia interrupted him.
"C'mon, get into battle. Hunters, get in a phalanx and-" Thalia stopped when Percy leapt forward, stretching his wings out to their widest extent just as a volley of arrows hit his wings. If he hadn't moved in time, all of the hunters would've been hit. Percy grunted when they hit. His wings were impenetrable, like what Chaos said, but the arrows still had force. Since he couldn't see the archers hidden in the trees, he raised his hands, summoned more water from within himself and created a 50 foot tall tidal wave. He threw it forward, smashing trees and causing a brief flash flood. The huntress took the chance to duck out from behind his wings and started shooting.
"Thalia! I'll go forward and draw their fire off you girls, pick off the ones that I can't see ok?" Percy yelled. Thalia and the rest of her hunters nodded. Percy leapt forward, spinning his swords, cutting off 4 Cyclopes heads in a single smooth stroke. He waded right in, letting his battle instincts take over, while his ADHD took care of dodging and analyzing his surroundings. He was aware of wave after wave of silvery arrows falling, cutting down hordes of monsters. Once Percy took care of the Cyclopes, he summoned a large fire tornado and set himself on fire. Its heat was so intense that monsters burned just getting close to it. It was easy work afterwards; the monsters were cringing and fleeing from Burning Percy, giving the hunters easy targets. Soon, they had wiped out all of the other monsters.
"Percy! Go and help Artemis, we're fine now!" Thalia yelled, bandaging a wound on her arm.
Percy nodded and sprinted off towards Artemis. He found her victorious over a drakon and a huge piles of dust, but she was currently having some trouble with the last remaining drakon and a group of basilisks that none of them had seen. Artemis was sending a stream of arrows at the drakon, so many were lodged in the drakon's armour that he looked like a porcupine. However, every time Artemis tried to shoot its eyes or mouth, the basilisks would come forward, spitting fire and poison, causing Artemis to duck or dodge. Percy leapt in and shot a ball of water at the basilisks, momentarily pushing them back.
"Artemis! Get the basilisks, I've got the drakon!" Percy yelled, distracting the drakon with a blast of fire.
Artemis nodded and shot a cloud of arrows at the basilisks, causing them to scatter. Percy ducked aside as the drakon brought its head down and jumped onto its back. Using the arrows stuck in its shell like handholds, Percy climbed upwards, using his wings to keep himself steady as the drakon bucked, trying to throw him off. Percy reached the drakon's eyes and, using only his knees to hold on tightly, raised both Riptides, set them on fire, and slammed them into the drakon's eyes. The drakon gave a last scream as the flaming Riptides burned and evaporated its brain. Percy jumped off and rolled as the drakon fell to the ground with a loud crash. Percy stood up and looked for Artemis. Artemis had destroyed most of the basilisks except for two. He saw a one basilisk leap at Artemis, who shot it point blank, but because it was so close, momentum allowed the basilisk's body to crash into her, knocking her down before the body could disintegrate. The instant she was down, the last basilisk leapt at her, mouth wide open, poison and flames dripping from its mouth. Percy acted without thinking.
He threw himself at Artemis and crashed into her at the same instance the basilisk struck. Percy gave a involuntary scream of pain as the basilisk bit deep into his left thigh, the fire didn't bother him, but the poison sure as Hades did. Its poison felt as if someone had gotten a cup of River Styx water and poured it right onto that specific spot. Fighting through the pain with years of experience, Percy raised a shaking hand and chopped down at the basilisk's neck with Riptide, severing its head from its body. Seconds later, it burst into dust. Percy gave a curse as he limped to a kneeling position; he had to check on Artemis but couldn't do it if he was bleeding like a broken dam. He ripped off a part of his shirt and wrapped it tight around his "snake bite" to stop it from bleeding for now. He got to his feet and limped over to Artemis. He noticed that she was bleeding heavily from cuts across her arms and torso, though she didn't have a single scratch on her legs. Her foot work must be pretty darn good Percy thought. He reached over and gently touched her shoulder.
"My Lady, are you alright?" Percy asked, a little nervously.
"I don't need your help, boy! Just… just go away and LEAVE ME ALONE!" Artemis snapped at him as she struggled up and leaned against a tree, breathing heavily. Artemis was furious. She was furious that Percy had to protect her, furious that she needed protecting. "My Lady, I-" Percy began but was cut off again.
"I'M NOT WEAK OR ANYTHING LIKE WHAT MY FATHER THINKS! I DON'T ALWAYS NEED YOU TO PROTECT ME! I… I CAN PROTECT MYSELF PERFECTLY WELL! I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Artemis screamed at him. Artemis winced at how desperate she sounded as she continued to throw verbal barbs at him. But she knew it was true. She was falling for him, falling for this stupid son of Poseidon and she was desperate to distance herself, desperate for him to yell back at her, for him to get angry, for him to retort, for him to do anything that would stop her from falling for him. But Percy did not respond to her ranting's and barbs, he merely looked her in the eye with deep loyalty in them and refusing to purposely anger her. Artemis stopped yelling at him and took a deep breath. She also noticed that her hunters were looking at her with a bit of shock and pity for Percy.
"My Lady, I'm sorry if I made you angry, but you're wounded, and I can help with the healing process-"
"You? Help with the healing? I can feed myself nectar and ambrosia perfectly well boy, and if need be, I can ask my immature brother for help." Artemis said disparagingly, hoping that Percy would rise to the jab. To her disappointment, he didn't, he merely met her gaze steadily. Feeling angry, she commanded him "Now just leave me alone." Artemis took a hesitant step and instantly felt dizzy from loss of blood. She forced herself forward but stumbled. Instantly, a pair of strong arms were wrapped around her, easily supporting her.
"Let me go. I can walk perfectly fine by myself." Artemis mumbled faintly.
"Could've fooled me." Percy whispered. Artemis gave a slight yelp as he bent down and lifted her up in a style similar to a bridal-style carry and limped to a bench, Percy ignoring his protesting thigh muscles.
"Get off me." Artemis mumbled even though she was unconsciously shifting herself to a more comfortable position in his arms, resting her head in the crook of his arms.
"Shush my lady. Now don't move." Percy said. Percy gently laid a hand on Artemis's cheek and tenderly pushed a strand of her hand from her face. He muttered a string of words that she barely heard:
"I, Perseus Jackson, as Guardian of the Hunt, forfeit my body to receive my Lady Artemis's wounds."
There was a brief flash of light and suddenly, all of the cuts, gashes and pain that Artemis had and felt disappeared. Percy stiffened and turned his head to the side, blood pouring out of his mouth. Artemis and the hunters gasped.
"Percy! No! What did you do?" Artemis asked frantically. Then she realized that Percy was bleeding all over place, where he previously had only minor scratches. Her eyes widened. "Perseus, you idiot, you'll die from blood loss if you don't hurry-" She stopped as Percy calmly put a finger to her lips, quieting her. Surprisingly, she obeyed.
"You're mostly healed, my lady, but you haven't recovered your lost blood. I just took away your pain and cuts. You still need to recover your energy." Percy said quietly.
"I can do it myself, Percy, you need to-"Again Percy quieted her, and again, she listened. He carefully took his arm from beneath her head, and gently lay her head on the bench, wincing at the sight of his now-bleeding arm.
"You're going to have to clean yourself up before you go to sleep, my lady." He said, smiling slightly.
"Percy, what are you doing?" Artemis asked, ignoring his comment. He in turn ignored what she said and summoned a spoon and a bowl of soup which he promptly dumped on the ground. He rinsed it with a blast of water and dried it with a spurt of flame. He reached to his belt and took out a flask of nectar and a packet of ambrosia. He carefully poured the nectar in and crumbled the packet of ambrosia, mixing the two together. Then, holding the bowl in his right hand, he gently lifted Artemis's head up and looped his arm around her head. He dipped the spoon into the bowl and got out a spoonful of nectar-ambrosia hybrid. He put it in front of her lips with a inviting look. Artemis looked at him.
"No Perseus, you need it more than I-"
"My Lady, I'm still technically a demigod, I can't eat this combination. Now, please drink it." Percy said, moving the spoon a little closer. Against her will, Artemis opened her mouth as Percy calmly spooned it in. She swallowed, relishing the taste and enjoying the revitalizing feel of it. She had to admit that the combination tasted great, and wondered why no one had thought of it earlier. Unconsciously, she shifted her head so that her head was resting on his strong and firm biceps, a small smile crossing her face since it felt like a very comfy pillow. Then she blushed as she realized what she just did and prayed to anyone that Percy and her huntresses hadn't seen it. Patiently, Percy continued spooning the mixture into Artemis's mouth, with Artemis obediently drinking it. When the bowl was finished, Artemis felt great, and rather hungry.
"Done my lady, you can go and clean yourself up and probably take a nap, since it's getting late. Or should I say, getting really early." Percy said, looking at her. Artemis really didn't want to leave his arms, since they were so comfortable.
"Um, Percy? Can I have something to eat?" Artemis asked shyly.
Percy couldn't help but smile, even though his thigh hurt terribly. "Hungry now? What would you like then?"
"New England clam chowder? Haven't had it in a long time." Artemis said pleadingly.
Even though clams were seafood and Percy said he wouldn't do seafood, there was no way Percy could resist those silver eyes. He gave a small sigh. "Very well my lady, as you wish."
Percy summoned a bowl of it and looked at her questioningly. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Artemis asked. Percy raised an eyebrow.
"You want me to feed you?" Percy said with slight surprise, even though he was actually quite happy he could hold on to Artemis for a bit longer.
"Of course. I'm injured, so I can't feed myself for now." Artemis said playfully.
Percy gave a slight shake of his head. Just a couple minutes ago, Artemis had been yelling at him. Now, here she was, begging to be fed. "As you wish, my lady." Percy said, unable to hold back a smile, spooning it out carefully. Artemis ate it gratefully and was almost sad when the bowl was finished.
"Anything else my lady?" Percy asked. As much as he liked having Artemis in his arms, he really needed to go jump into the lake, since he was beginning to feel his consciousness beginning to feel fuzzy.
Artemis looked into Percy's sea green orbs and was deeply touched at how obvious it was that Percy cared for her. She turned red as she stared, then decided that a sort of apology was needed.
"Percy, um, what I said back there… I-I didn't mean any of it…" Artemis mumbled softly. It was hard for her to admit that she was wrong.
Percy smiled at her. "It's alright my lady, you know that I will always protect you." Percy replied, equally soft.
"And Percy?"
"Yes?"
Artemis reached up and patted his cheek, blushing as she did so. "Thank you" she whispered, before leaping off of his lap and dashing back to her tent so fast that she left after images of herself.
Percy looked in the direction she left in and smiled just slightly. He turned to the huntresses who were still staring at him. He thought they'd be a little happy that they won but instead, they were glaring at him.
"Just because my lady has decided to go easier on you doesn't mean we will." Phoebe said in a rather threatening tone. "We'll let this time pass, but don't try to touch her like that again." With that, she turned and left. The rest of the huntresses gave Percy one last glare before leaving with Phoebe. Thalia stayed behind a little longer.
"Good job Seaweed Brain, and good luck." Thalia said before leaving.
Percy sighed as he stood up, swaying a little bit. Great, now the hunters are angry at me… Just my luck. He staggered towards the lake, his vision blurring and the pain in his leg growing to almost unbearable levels. He reached the lake, barely conscious. He ripped off his shirt and cut off his left leg pants, deciding not to look at how bad his wound was. But it was worth it, to help and heal Artemis Percy thought, right before he lost consciousness and tumbled in the lake, sinking deep down.