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"Er," Percy shifts uncomfortably. "A crescent moon?" he says deciding to play dumb even know he knows exactly why it was a crescent moon.
Artemis was obviously not buying this. "You are lying, boy," Artemis says, and Percy mentally gulps and tries to steel himself. "It's kind of personal….and you don't need to know about it, Lady Artemis"
Artemis was nearing her limit at this point in time. One moment this boy makes her give him a little ounce of….trust in his words…the next a dream goes by and shatters his trust! One moment after that first moment, this boy says things with respect but then says words that make you doubt the tone of respect! One moment, after that second moment, he stays distant from my hunters and she finds him with her lieutenant!...though that was coincidental. She doesn't blame Thalia. One moment, after that third moment, he keeps his words and do not get in the way of her hunters' hunts and fights and the next he's talking with yet another of her hunters who was wearing wet clothes.
"I demand an answer, then" Artemis said in a cool voice but she had rage inside.
"But I can't, Lady. I'm sorry….you just have to trust my word…" he says in an almost exasperated, begging, tired, if-only-you-knew, I'm-so-sorry-i-can't-tell-you tone. And it was sincere….the last time she heard such sincere words was from….Percy Jackson himself.
But no! Of course she wouldn't trust this boy. That's ridiculous. How could she? She knows nothing about this boy!
"Trust your word? How could I when you give me no reason to, boy! Your history is as good as a blank paper to us! Your hoods and masks begs suspicions and doubt! Your actions scream mistrust! Your—"
"I got the scar from trying to save someone important," he blurted out cutting the goddess's word-rampage. Loyalty was still his fatal flaw and the goddess's words were getting to his skin. He was anything but loyal to all he cared for and yet everyone—save for some—questioned every bit of his actions. But he doesn't really blame the goddess.
"What did you say?" the goddess said surprised at the sudden confession. The boy had managed to surprise him again.
"She was about to get….hurt. I knew I couldn't let anything happen to her" Percy started. "She was important to me" What the hell was he saying?! Why the hell was he telling her this?! Let her distrust him for all he cares! But unfortunately for him, his mouth had other plans. "She was important to my sister so to me, it was important that she would not get harmed" Percy said.
"You have a sister?" Artemis asked curiously. A part of her felt triumphant to finally get information out of this mysterious robot-like-leader
Percy nodded. He wanted to say 'I sure do. She's actually your lieutenant, you know? That's why I had to make sure you were unharmed. And my best friend is your new recruit, did I mention that?' But of course, he just nodded.
Meanwhile Artemis was thinking that if this Ace had a sister, then he couldn't possibly Percy Jackson.
"I got this scar and it was…..pure torture…." Percy says and he couldn't help but think in his head 'that's because that's exactly what they did: torture me!' "….I…it didn't matter. As long as it wasn't anybody else who were going through what I did, it's worth it"
Artemis didn't know what to say. After trying so hard to glean any information…hell, glean at least even one emotion from the Ace, he was suddenly spouting up personal facts out of nowhere! The last thing he said caught Artemis's attention. 'as long as it wasn't anybody else, it's worth it'
That sounded like something the only man she had come to respect would say. Thalia and Phoebe would like to hear of this conversation. Knowing that the Ace and the only man they've…acknowledge shared at least one trait would calm them a bit.
Percy realized what he had shared and he mentally faced palmed himself. Stupid, how could he have opened himself again.
It must be because they shared the weight of the sky together long before that's why he felt like he could….'trust' (if only for a bit) her.
He then noticed that Artemis's soft hands were still on top of his scar. Her touch was comforting, the way only a goddess's or a god's touch could be, but what was curious was because 1) he actually felt at ease with the touch that he did not notice it was there for long and 2) she touched his scar without disgust and as if she was not repulsed by it.
"Lady Artemis…..?" Percy asked looking at her hands on his bare chest. Artemis momentarily forgot about her hand too. She willed the silver glow around her hand that stretched to the boy's scar to fade.
"I…tried to heal the scar away, sorry but I couldn't" Artemis said and took her hands back. Again for the second time, Percy felt a bit of dread at the loss of Artemis's touch. Urgh, he thought to himself. This is what goddess's and god's can do when they interact with demigods for too long.
"It's okay, Lady Artemis. Lady Hestia has searched for medics for years, and they have not been able to remove my sca—"
Just then the silver wolf, Aku, who had fallen asleep but awaken, growled at his master and lunged angrily at the Ace grabbing him at the back of his cloak as if scolding a little pup.
He then leaped away but stopped himself, turned his wolf head back, tilted it and sorta made a makeshift bow to the goddess and then exited away.
Artemis was stunned at what happened.
"What the hell?! Let go of me Aku!" Artemis could hear the Ace screamed
"I was just talking, alright?!"
She heard the Ace screamed and the wolfy growl
"You're over reacting! Let me go!"
His voice was getting quitter now
"Don't you dare rat me out to Pisto! And don't get that Nix involved!"
"GAH! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Where are you taking me! Gah!"
His voice faded into the woods and Artemis involuntarily chuckled at the thought that the Ace was being bullied by his own trusty wolf
Artemis guessed that the Ace wasn't so bad….right?...No. he could still be a traitor.
Of course, this scene caused a very heated conversation with Nico and Thalia that involved
Some: "Idiot! Kelp Head"—Thalia
"Even I'm not that stupid, bro"—Nico
"Tell me, if Aku didn't wake up and drag you away, how many more info and hints would you have told my mistress?!"—Thalia
"Wait till B, L, and the others get back from their mission! They're gonna beat the crap out of you!"—Nico
"Hey, I'm your and their leader!"—Percy
"YEAH, but when it comes to the pack, L is kind of more of the leader-y type. He's gonna kick your butt!"—Thalia says
"Of course, you had to defend L, huh Thals?" Nico says waggling his eyebrows which explained why the next day, the Lieutenant of the Pack smelled like smoke and had multiple lightning burns in his arms.
Anyway, so yeah, Percy tried to become more distant after that, but of course, somehow, he ends up alone or being interrogated by Artemis a couple more times which resulted to multiple nagging from Thalia.
But the last straw was what caused the predicament they were in right now. It went on something like this…..
Artemis still didn't get the dream pass the Ace. She has been observing him. But so far, no boys showed signs of 'corrupting' her girls…well, there's the fact that Thalia seems to ask her often to leave and walk alone somewhere, but she had never saw her lieutenant interact with anyone from the Pack more than necessary. And Artemis guess that she wants to be left alone because this is the last month Olympus would put up with the other gods and goddesses' insistence that they find Percy Jackson.
And then, there's her new recruit, Annabeth, who seemed to throwing in casual 'goodmorning' or 'hi' to everyone including the Pack, but that's probably because she joined not because she hated men but because she wanted a purpose.
As far as Artemis observations, the boy had done nothing out of the line…..yet. So she guess there's only one more thing to do: confront the boy.
Percy was dozing off on one of the high branches of the woods. He had been avoiding Artemis lately because according to his beloved sister, Thalia, he was beginning to become open to said moon goddess. But honestly, how could he not? Before, Artemis has been kind to him…or at least 'kind' enough not to turn him into a jackelope given the multiple chances she could've….and has respected him. She was the one among few who insisted that Percy was treated wrongly and should be brought back. (he knew of this because Hestia gave him updates about the council) Artemis was one of the few gods that Percy did not loathe. Nico on the other hands explains it as 'Percy's too soft and wants to make friends with everybody even though said friend was loyal to a certain stupid king of the gods'
"I need to talk to you, boy"
Percy lazily and slowly tried to open his eyes. He was momentarily stung in the eyes by the light and found himself staring at the very goddess he has been trying to avoid.
"Wha….?" Percy mumbled and then his eyes widen when he finally process the beautiful maiden goddess's presence and the intense glare she was giving him. Any other day he would've shrunk back from the glare, but realizing the goddess proximity considering it was just a short branch, of course he had to fall off the branch.
"AH!"
Percy said and managed to grab a branch below before crashing to the ground. He did a 360 degree swing and steadied himself on a branch. Percy wanted to say 'what the hell?' but considering it was Artemis, he decided against it.
"Lady Artemis," Percy says as Artemis graciously gets down a branch and onto the branch Percy was. "Is there a, er, problem?" Percy asked hesitantly. Artemis raised an eyebrow and continued to glare at him and finally sighed.
"I had a dream," Artemis started. And to Percy, that was kind of weird. A goddess woke him up to talk about dreams. Maybe this was a dream, and in reality, he was still on the branch high after this sleeping.
And that's when Artemis told him….wait what?! ARTEMIS WAS THE PRESENCE HE FELT DURING THAT DREAM!?
"Oh" Percy says but he was now leaning on the tree trunk for support and drumming his fingers because of nervousness.
"And?" Artemis says.
And being the Percy that he was he said, "Er?"
Artemis took his hesitation as confirmation. So a Pack member does want to corrupt one of her hunters!
Percy tried to recall the details from his dream. Stupid Morpheus and Hypnos, he thought. They didn't even warn him that Artemis was eavesdropping on his sleep…and that's their realm!
"Oh! Lady Artemis, my pack is sending me our secret signal. There's an emergency!" Percy says trying to use the excuse he gave Annabeth before. Artemis just raised an eyebrow. Percy gulped hard, counted one to three and sighed.
"I don't want to make anyone chose" he breathed
"So there's someone that you can make chose" Artemis demanded "If anyone of you tries to court my Hunters and make her leave the hunt, I'll turn all of you into a jackalope, make your own wolf, tigers, and lions hunt you down, and put you up in the stars so that men will know not to cross—"
"Court?" Percy said confused. "Yes court! The dream said you 'cared' for her and—"
This time Percy couldn't help but laugh, which made him an inch close to turning into a jackalope.
And then Percy realized this so he took a deep breath and said, "My brothers will do no such thing, Lady Artemis"
"Then what did the dream mean by you making her chose—"
Percy made a split-second decision, or what Percy recalled Annabeth referring to hundreds of years ago as split-stupid decision
"I'm going to tell you something, Lady Artemis" Percy says and the moment he says it he knows this is the most stupid thing he's done since he let the Pack get discovered by Olympus. "But you have to swear not to tell or use this information against the Pack in any way" Percy says. Artemis bites her lips. "I swear to the river styx to do as you said as long as what you say is true"
"I swear on the river styx that the next sentence I'm gonna Some of the Pack members have some…" Percy hesitated…"Sisters in your Hunt" well it was true, Thalia and Annabeth was there.
Artemis was once again utterly shocked which was once again caused by the Paradox known as the Ace of the Pack. But this time her jaw dropped.
"How…what do you mean…are you taking away my hunters then….but…" this set Artemis into a typhoon of a headache. If the Ace and their pack had family members in the hunt, then that just gives them more right to make them chose! And that leaves Artemis no choice but to accept if they leave because…she treats everyone in the Hunt like her family so of course she won't force any of them to stay!
...So when Thalia heard of this she said
"YOU TOLD HER WHAT!?"
"HOW COULD YOU, BRO!?" Nico exclaimed
"I AM SO GONNA KILL YOU"—Thalia
"And after her, L will want me to bring you back to life, so he can kill you!"—Nico exclaimed
"Shutup guys!"
"Percy! THIS IS SERIOUS! ALL M'LADY NEEDS TO DO NOW IS CHECK OUT ALL OF THE HUNTERS' BROTHERS AND OR PAST BROTHERLY RELATIONSHIP AND BOOM. SHE'S GOT A LEAD!" Thalia screeched which is why when a Pack member came bursting in the igloo, he had his fingers in his ears.
"HEY GUYS! B, L, and the others are back from the mission!"
Percy paled visibly and gulped.
"And no Percy, we are not going to keep this little info secret from L and B" Nico says with finality
"Oh you don't need to tell me the info, Nico. We know perfectly well about your slip ups"
Two men entered the igloo.
They put their hoods down.
"Er, hey guys, how was your mission" Percy says almost in a yelpy whisper
"Oh it was good, Perce. What else can you expect from us?" B said
"You on the other hand, Perce. It's just been a few weeks with the hunters so tell me, how many times have you—"
"Hey! How did you know about it in the first place!" Percy asked L
"We know about it because—" B started
"—Lady Hestia's been watching you. When she kind of slipped and told Mars about it—" L continued
"—well, let's just say Mars is not happy" B finished
Thalia's and Nico's eyes widened. Suddenly, they forgot about their anger about their cousin's foolishness. Instead, they just felt pity.
Percy gulped. "I'm gonna get punished, aren't I?"
B and L just nodded. Gamiseme Tora, Percy thought