Responses to my awesome reviewers-
Guest #1- Awwww you're too sweet, thank you!
Nutmeg Loves Books- Well I'm glad you saw it too! Thank you a gazillion times for the the awesome review!
OppositesExist- XD Thanks!
HeavensLuminousArc- Yep! And thanks!
ConnwaersonofThantos- I like the feel of mistrust when Percy keeps his identity hidden for so long. It just like shows where his true loyalties lie. Thank you for your ideas as well!
MiniHorseMeadow- Awwwwww thank you! That makes me feel happy!
Solangelover- Yes it would! I love it!
Arkyz- Like I said before, I take all ideas into consideration because those could result in an amazing story. Thank you for your feedback!
Cheetah2613- Haha yes! Great minds think alike!
Stetsonbennett- While you did PM me, I have to say it again. ThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!
Brsrkfury- I have been considering that. Don't worry, I am indeed planning something that might be right up your alley.
ddhbfb- XD Thank ya! And here you go!
camocommander72- I think I just may be joining that revolution.
chewie7876- Thank you!
The doctor- Yasssss man.
MkSophFanfic- Taking that into serious consideration and thanks!
Guest #2- I'm not sure if you know it's you, but who is "the other guy" as you mentioned. But thanks for the other advice!
Scarlet Nightshadow- I agree man.
death212- Oh my gods XD I started hysterically laughing when I read your review. The little girl I was babysitting looked at me like I was insane!
Percy POV-
A blaring headache causes me to open my eyes finally. I open my eyes just barely, attempting to sit up.
"Woah! Easy there!" A familiar voice says beside me, pushing me back down. I open my eyes wide, I look to the side of me.
Apollo sits there, his eyes wide with alarm. Wait... He sees me? Nononono not now. Great, just fucking great. My plan as failed and he knows its me!
"How long was I out?" I ask, sitting up again. Apollo looks at me, stunned. Jeez, that expression is getting old.
"Barely an hour! You've lost so much blood, not mention the slight concussion you got when you fell. How are you okay?" He asks, completely in awe.
"I've been through worse." I mumble as I get to my feet. I look down and I realize my cloak was taken off.
"Where's my cloak?" I ask him as I pull my hunting boots back on. Apollo continues to stare at me, dumbfounded.
"Apollo. Where. Is. My. Cloak?" I ask, not really in the mood to play around. I stand up straight again as I face him. The sun god blinks a few times before pointing to where it is. It hangs on a simple golden coat rack.
Sighing a little, I pick it off the cloak from the rack. But instead of putting it on, I throw it over my arm to hang onto. This was the same cloak Hestia gave to me all those years ago. Besides Riptide and my watch, it's one of the only items I have from this place.
"Thank you for healing me, Lord Apollo. But I must return to the Hunt." I bow a little in respect before waving my hand and disappearing in the shadows.
I reappear in the forest once more. I can hear the chatter of the Hunters nearby, so I know they haven't changed their campsite yet.
"Here goes nothing." I mutter as I walk to the camp. Silence falls over the camp once everyone sees me. I ignore them all as I go to find Artemis.
Someone jumps onto my back, causing both of us to tumble to the ground. I turn around to see Thalia hugging me like crazy.
"I thought you died!" She cries out, clutching onto me tightly. I hug back lightly, patting her back. While it did make me feel better that she did miss me, I can't get too attached again.
I stand up, picking her up and placing her on her feet. Before I can even register the look on her face, she drives her fist right into my stomach.
"Okay, I deserved that." I groan as I double over. Some of the hunters nearby start laughing at the sight, but I ignore them.
Standing straight again, I face the now angry Thalia. "Look, Thals, I'm really sorry. I-"
"You're sorry? Do you know how much not only I missed you but how much your friends missed you? Or how much Annabeth missed-" At the mention of her name, I know that either Annabeth regretted what she did, or, what I believe to be the actual answer, Thalia has no clue to what Annabeth actually did.
"I said I was sorry, to you. I'm sorry that I left you without any warning, okay?" I say, exasperated by this point. "I need to speak with Artemis." I say before stepping away.
Oh gods that hurt, that hurt more then when Lucifer drove the dagger into my shoulder. But I can't just open up and be the person I was before with the snap of my fingers! Even if they remember me from before, I can't let my guard down.
I find Artemis at the archery range, releasing arrow after arrow with pristine accuracy. I remember when she saved me and the di Angelos from Dr. Thorn, who was a Manicore. Her silver arrows scared the living daylights out of him, and now that I think about it more, it brings a small smile to my face.
"So the Prince of the universe finally decides to show up I see? Did you enjoy your little break?" Artemis asks, not even slowing down as she shoots.
"I apologize for taking so long, Lady Artemis." I say respectively, bowing a little. Artemis groans and stops shooting, facing me. Her silver eyes taking a steel edge to them, reminds me of Aerin every time I do something to piss her off... Which can be anything from accidentally scaring her or just breathing pisses that girl off.
"Do not bow, boy. That is not something I like. And I swear on the Styx, if you even think because you are... You, you're going to get more leeway during your time here, I will turn you into a rabbit and hunt you down. Are we clear?" She asks and I nod understandingly.
"Yes My Lady." I say simply. She narrows her eyes at me, her glare like daggers. Before, I would have probably cowered in pure fear just at the sight of her glares, but now? It barely causes me to even blink. I think it was Zoë who trained me the best for this after all the glares she's given me, even if some of them were jokingly.
"Good. Now I expect you to finish all of your missed chores before you can retire for the evening." She turns towards the targets again. "That'll be all, Perseus." She dismisses me as she continues to shoot.
I go to bow, but remembering what she said, I just nod instead. I walk away from her and past the other hunters to go to the armory tent. The Hunters are well known for two things, being kick-ass immortal single women and... Legendary weapon breakers. They dull their arrows to the curve of a perfect semicircle in a matter of days, they can snap the strings of their bows easily, their daggers can become crooked and bent, don't get me started on the shafts of the arrows, a splintery mess.
As one of my chores, I have to sharpen 100 arrowheads, fix 50 bowstrings and mend 75 daggers. So as I sit on the ground beside the bucket of arrow heads, I prepare myself for the tedious work. I grab an arrow head and I begin to sharpen it with a tool given to me. This is the perfect thing to do when I just need to get my mind off things.
My hands go into auto-pilot as I sharpen all the arrowheads in the bucket and my thoughts go blank. It's blissful to not think, I can only imagine what Athena and her children to through since they think all the time, probably what makes them so wise. So was Annabeth's choice to leave you a wise choice? Part of my mind asks. I wince a little at the sudden thought, but I continue to work.
But really, did she think it through and believe it was the right choice? Was James really the better choice? Was he actually right? That sleazy piece of shit would also make fun of me, saying I was nothing compared to him. He didn't even go on one quest, but he somehow managed to have the entire camp fall to their knees and kiss his feet. But Annabeth is one of the most smartest people I know, so if even she believed James... Maybe he was right. But what about now? Would she still choose the son of Zeus over me? Why am I even thinking so selfishly?! If Annabeth would rather bid her time and heart with him, so be it! I should have moved on centuries ago!
Moving onto the bowstrings, I pause my thoughts to get into a rhythm with fixing those. Again, my thoughts go elsewhere as I fix the bowstrings. Maybe if I just talked to her and cleared the air, maybe then I could move on. But would she even listen? I was pretty rude to her last time her and I talked... Then again she was cheating on me right in front of my face. I am still a little uneasy when I go back to those memories, so I try not to dwell on them as much. Years ago, when I was going through the furious stage of my time to get over them, I would just tap into the memories of seeing Annabeth and James together or seeing my old friends glare at me whenever I needed a little extra push for energy while in battle. But now? I just flinch at the memory and I think about my current friends, like Luke and Zoë. They understand me the best probably, even if I haven't given in much. But they trust me as much as I trust them and sometimes they'll even come to me if they need someone to talk to.
Zoë, one of the greatest man-haters of all time, comes to me, a male, whenever she needs to talk. But it's not like I don't help her because of the weirdness behind it, I consider her my friend and I care about my friends. From first sight of her, you'd expect her to be this fearless, cold girl. But in reality, she is one of the most kindest, gentlest girls I know. Like everyone, she has her insecurities, even if she keeps them pretty hidden, she talks about them to me every now and then. She probably talks to me about these things because I listen. I can't help but flash back to the last time we spoke alone.
It's late, probably midnight. Zoë and I sit on our favorite hiding spot, the roof of Chaos's castle. If you look just right, you can find this perfect little spot that's flat, perfect for sitting on, even if it's a little slanted. Zoë and I lay on the roof, staring up at the stars. I can see planets and other galaxies also in the sky, it's simply amazing.
"Do thou believe we will get caught by Chaos for being out so late?" The former huntress asks me curiously as we both look up at the stars. Sometimes we don't have deep conversations, but rather just star-gaze. We never do these kind of things during the day, where we could be seen by everyone. Both Zoë and I agreed that would just be odd and awkward.
With a small laugh, I shrug my shoulders. "I doubt it. He's probably asleep by now." I say, looking over at her.
"He does love his sleep." She says, looking over at me as well. There was that carefree smile again, I rarely get to see it. But when I do, it simply lights up the entire planet, brighter than any star if you ask me. Her dark brown eyes gleam with happiness as she smiles.
"He's a beast to wake up. Trust me, I once woke him up and he exploded with fury." I laugh at the memory of him getting so pissed off, but then apologizing immensely once he saw it was me who was cowering away.
Zoë starts to laugh hysterically. "Thy shall never wake him up, he is much like thou in the mornings. No wonder he chose thou to be his second in command. Two peas in a pod." She laughs even more, holding her sides. Her laugh being contagious, I begin to laugh as well.
"Well, I'm not going to be one to say you're wrong." I say in between laughs. She nods and takes a few breaths to calm herself down, but a few giggles escape her mouth as she calms down.
"That's good, because thy would probably hit thou if thou did call thy wrong." She laughs, shoving my shoulder lightly.
I laugh and I hold my hands up in surrender. "I am very well aware of that." I say and a comfortable silence falls over us once more. We look up at the stars and I sigh softly. If I could, I would freeze this moment and stay in it for an eternity.
We ended up falling asleep that night. We were both exhausted from a long day of training so it was totally acceptable to fall asleep in such a peaceful way. Gods I miss home right now, I wish I could just get this goddamn war over with and go home. This place just doesn't hold the same anchor as Paradíso does now. No one there throws me into quests and wars with only a day of notice. I am respected as a friend and fellow soldier in my new home, I have a family of my own.
I finish the bowstrings and I grab the bent daggers. I sit down once more as I begin to bend them straight once more. Celestial bronze is like Play-Doh to me now, I've dealt with stronger materials most certainly. Should I sharpen them as well? Might do me good in the future. I decide to sharpen them once I finish bending them.
Going back to my thoughts, they for some reason bring me back to Annabeth. Should I talk to her? Yes I should. It would be best to be on at least good terms with her, and it would probably resolve some of my worries. Am I still upset with her? Yes I am. But it's time to forgive and forget with her. Keep the lesson, but let go of the grudge. That's what Chaos used to tell me before I- Rather not go back to that nasty memory.
My mind goes blank after I create my plan to talk to Annabeth. After I finish with these daggers, I'm going to go to Camp Half-Blood, talk with Silena into getting Annabeth. Once I meet with my ex, I'll just cut to the chase with what I need to say and hopefully she'll agree. I'll be back before midnight and maybe sneak in some time with talking with Zoë before going to bed.
I finally finish with these stubborn daggers, placing them all in their designated area before getting to my feet and stretching a little. I was in that position for a long time, so my neck and back were as stiff as stone. I walk out of the armory tent and I go to find Artemis to tell her I finished.
She sits by the fire with a few of her hunters, including Thalia. Artemis sighs in annoyance when she sees me coming.
"What is it, Perseus?" She asks. Thalia is sending me fierce glares as the other hunters glare at me for no reason.
"I have finished all of my chores. And if I may, with your permission of course, go to Camp Half-Blood in my free time?" I ask in the same emotionless tone I've been using more frequently.
Considering it for a moment, Artemis finally nods. "Be back within the hour, or else you will be punished heavily." She warns and I nod.
"Yes my lady." I say before disappearing in the shadows. I think what I'm about to do it enough of a punish for me anyways.
I reappear by Thalia's tree and I see Beckendorf and Silena standing guard nearby. They seem so happy, laughing every now and then and Beckendorf stealing a quick kiss once in a while. I'm glad to see that their love is eternal, they make the perfect couple.
"Guys." I whisper as I step through the trees to walk over to them. Even after all this time, I have this camp memorized like the back of my hand. It just comes natural to me I guess.
They both jump in alarm, but relax when they see its me. "Hey Percy, what's up?" Silena asks quietly, looking at me curiously.
"Can... Can you get Annabeth for me? I need to talk to her." I say, not exactly meeting Silena's eyes. Her kaleidoscope eyes harden as she realizes what I plan on doing.
"Yeah. I'll get her, and I swear if she even thinks of-"
"Silena, I'll be fine. I promise." I cut her off. She huffs in annoyance before walking to the campfire to get Annabeth.
I look up at the stars again as I wait, both Beckendorf and I remaining silent. He and I really don't talk as much, but we both respect one another immensely. If one were to ever need help, the other wouldn't hesitate to step up and lend a hand. It's just... We never seemed to have anything to talk about besides the occasional hey.
Silena soon comes back with a confused Annabeth, but the daughter of Athena quickly realizes what's going on and her mouth presses into a hard line. Silena sends one more hateful glare at Annabeth before grabbing Beckendorf's hand and walking away to give us space.
"Mind joining me on a walk? Those seem to always help." I offer and she hesitantly nods. I push away all the oncoming memory flashes before I get sucked into another memory.
Pushing past all the foliage and shrubbery, we walk along Half Blood Hill. Annabeth looks anywhere that isn't where I am, but I clasp my hands in front of me and I look over at her.
"Look, I know we've had our... Conflicts in the past, but I believe that we should move onto good terms once more. Do you agree?" I ask her and she looks at me for the first time, her grey eyes wide with shock.
"Since when do you speak so intelligently?" She asks me, probably not even listening to what I just said.
Setting my jaw, I speak again, but my tone flat this time. "Diplomatic lessons and personal experience with dealing with people older than Kronos himself can really change one's way of speaking." I deadpan.
Annabeth blushes in embarrassment, and I can't help but soften up ever so slightly. "But in response to what you said beforehand, I agree with what you said." She says and I nod.
"Good. Well, it was nice to see you once more, Annabeth, but I must be leaving." I lie smoothly, really just wanting to break away from this as quickly as possible.
I stop walking and I face her, holding my hand out to her. She reaches out and shakes my hand. But before I can move my hand away, she tightens her grip and pulls me close, crashing her lips into mine.
I freeze and I don't do anything. Half of me wants to pull away and run away as quick as my feet can carry me. But the other half... The other half wants me to kiss back with all the love I can muster.
But all of the sudden, a person flashes across my eyes. Her copper skin gleaming in the moonlight and her dark brown eyes catching the reflection of a million stars. Just that thought alone, causes me to push Annabeth away from me, breathing heavily.
"No." Is all I say before disappearing in the shadows again, this time I don't know where I'm going.
D. O. N. E. And cue evil laugh. XD. So what does this mean for Percy? Is his feelings finally becoming final? Until next time my dears! It is 2:00 am right now and I am on a sugar rush. Weeeeeeeeeee! Okay bye bye for now!