"Hey, Lady Artemis," Percy smiles awkwardly. Artemis blinked slowly.
"Perseus"
It wasn't a question. And she breathed the name out. It was a soft statement. And then…
"Perseus!"
Percy, crazy that he did, let out a laugh. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Lady Artemis?"
"But…what happ—" Artemis started to stutter but she stopped herself, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and gave Percy a composed look. Percy frowned.
"Tell me everything, now," Artemis said coolly. Yes, this definitely bothered Percy. He'd rather the virgin goddess of the moon Artemis who was blatant and outspoken about everything she hated, disliked, and wanted, than the formal calculating semi-Athena like Artemis goddess of the Hunt. Though, Percy thought remembering his good friend, if it were up to Leo, he'd fall for the ice goddess of the Hunt aura Artemis was sending Percy there and then.
"Alright, Lady Artemis." Percy says with a short bow to show respect. "Would you like to take it inside?"
"Oh. So he's in the ranch telling mi'lady—say what?!"
Nico gulped. Damn Percy. Thalia had known something was up with Nico right away. Damn damned Percy. How could Percy not have known that Thalia would sense that Nico was keeping something from her right away? Now Nico had to endure the torture known as Thalia.
"WHAT IS HE DOING?! Wait, did Poseidon discover Percy already and got so mad that he really replaced Percy's head with kelp?! Because that would certainly explain why he's so stupidly dumping Primus in the trash can to Artemis!"
"But Thalia—"
"PRIMUS! Our first most important secret!"
"Thals—"
Thalia took a step towards Nico in anger
"This is dangerous! How dare he! He maybe what Primus is all about but this is waaaay too important! Doesn't he know that?!"
"Don't blame me!" Nico yelped.
"AGH!" Thalia screamed.
"You sound like Khufu" Nico couldn't help but say. Thalia glared at him. Okay, so maybe mentioning their old friend the baboon was very inappropriate in this situation, but still, he couldn't help remember the time when Percy introduced them to the Egyptians. But that was another story to tell in a different time—preferably in a time where Thalia wasn't screaming at Nico.
"You know Percy and his plans. Their always crazy. Plus, he gave as errands to d—"
"Errands! He goes and destroys secret Primus and he goes and tell us we have to do errands!"
"Ugh. I don't have time. It involves the other two secrets, lightning mcqueen. Now, you're not supposed to know about this. Either shut up and leave me alone, or help me with it"
Thalia groaned. "Okay, fine. What does he want us to do?"
"He wants to have some of the Pack check on…you know…them."
"Them? What? Why? Are they in trouble?" Thalia asked concerned.
"No. But Percy wants them to go low for a while. If Treis Tracitum gets discovered, Percy wants to make sure that Deftrus is the last one anyone finds out about"
"Okay? Next errand?"
"We have to recheck the scrolls"
"The scrolls? Why? We've destroyed it."
"Percy wants to make sure, besides, I get his point. If we already destroyed it, but we can still track it when we recheck, then we haven't destroy it properly."
"Alright"
"Oh, and we'll pay a visit to Ypy and Morph. Gotta recheck our mind shields"
Thalia laughed at the names. "Only you would nickname Hypnos and Morpheus like that, death breath"
Nico rolls his eyes. And then smiles to himself. It's been a long time his spent a lot of time with Thalia. He had miss her.
"Why are you grinning like a fool?" Thalia asked.
Nico blushes. Thalia wouldn't stop laughing at him if he admitted what he thought.
"I was just thinking about how you're not gonna keep up with me when we go back and recheck the scrolls" Nico smirks at her
"Oh, you are so on"
Percy had just started the fire by the fire place in the cabin. He smiled at the feel of the flame, and went his way towards the coach to sit beside Artemis. For a moment, they just stared at the flames. Neither of them knew how to open the subject they knew they would be talking about for the rest of the day. When Percy's ADHD couldn't take it anymore, he said
"It makes me comfortable. The fire."
Artemis laughed, which Percy thought was mellifluous. "Oh I wonder why," Artemis sarcastically says.
"It feels weird you know? I feel so comfortable with fire, but just as at home in the cold water"
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "You still go to bodies of water?"
Percy looked at her bemused. "Why wouldn't I? I can't stay away from them. It's like removing a part of myself"
"What? Then how come Poseidon never felt you in his domain?"
Percy smiles softly. Artemis hadn't seen that goofy smile in hundreds of years. "You know, I have gotten more powerful since I disappeared," Percy says. Or rather, I have come across power, and that is why I have disappeared. Just to change the subject, Percy asked
"What were you doing before Hestia had whisked you away to this place?"
Artemis eyes widened. She forgot what she wanted to tell him. Her eyebrows scrunch up. She moved closer to Percy, which surprised him. She gently brushed off his cloak to reveal him shirtless. She frowned more—which Percy took in a wrong way and blushed because he was embarrassed of his scars—but before he could push her away, she had touched the moon shaped scar and traced it.
Percy had to stop himself from taking in a sharp intake of breath at her touch. Artemis thought that the spark from her fingers were caused by the friction when she had traced the scar.
"Why hadn't you told me that you had save me and had to endure torture?"
At the mention of it, Percy's sea green eyes turned stormy. He moved away from her. For a moment, he had been distracted by the sudden absence of Artemis touch. Gods, he thought, contact with goddesses really shouldn't be legal. But that had not been enough for him to forget the cold feeling whenever 'being tortured' was mentioned.
"Don't tell me I shouldn't have done it," Percy said. "Please, tell me I was stupid, but don't tell me I shouldn't have done it. Of course, I did it. It was you. You who should've turned me to a jackalope long before, but trusted me to make sure the 'd angelos and the hunt got to camp when I was fourteen. You who took the sky up for who used to be my Annabeth. You who voted everytime in a council meeting that I shouldn't be killed. And Thalia. Gods, if you got cap—and she—I…no, it was worth it. You were worth it. Saving Thalia from losing you was worth it. So please don't tell me I shouldn't have done it."
Artemis smiled. Yes, only Perseus Jackson would've notice simple things like that and thought of it as huge favors and good deeds and feel gratitude-bound.
"I wasn't going to tell you that. I was going to apologize"
"Oh" Percy says, then, "You were going to what?"
"Apologize, and thank you"
"Oh"
"Well…I…you don't need to thank—"
"Of course, I need to, Perseus, and after all the ways my hunters and I mistreated you this past month!"
"But you didn't know who I was so it was understandable!"
"Just accept the apology and thank you, Perseus," Artemis groaned. Percy blushed. "Alright, Lady Artemis. Apology accepted," then Percy smiled, "And you're welcome"
Artemis looked at Percy properly—as in really looked at him—for the first time in years when he smiled. Nothing much changed from him. Although his body looked more toned, he was till the goofy 17 year old from before with unruly hair and his famous sea green eyes.
Percy thought if Artemis stared—no, glared at him any longer, he would blush shyly and hide behind the sofa. Artemis silver analytical stare almost rivalled Athena's stormy calculative eyes. Thinking those thoughts, Percy was completely unprepared for the question that popped out of Artemis's lips.
"Why did you disappear, Perseus?"
If Percy was drinking water, he could've spit taken then and there.
"Er, can we not talk about it?" Percy hope tentatively smiling and hoping she'd say yes.
"Of course not"
"Eh, I've revealed myself already. Isn't that enough for now?"
"Surely you didn't think that revealing yourself wouldn't make me want to bombard you with questions! You disappeared! Suddenly! And I want to know why the hunt couldn't find you!"
Percy took a moment. "Alright, but anything you hear, no other god or goddess should know"
"Of course"
"And I can't tell you everything"
"Why?!"
"It's…important, Lady Artemis. The Pack has its reasons. Some things are better off unknown. You have to trust me.
"How can I when you can't trust me"
"It's not that!"
"But it is!"
"You trusted me when I was Perseus Jackson, why is the Ace of the Pack any different?!"
They were silent for a while.
"I promise, I'll tell you as much as I can"
"Alright"
Percy breathed a sigh of relief.
"Where should I start?" Percy asked. Artemis thought for a while before asking, "Why had Hestia teleported me to you when you tried so hard for hundreds of years not to be known?"
"Oh," Percy says. "I kinda wanted to reveal myself to you"
Artemis was bemused. "Why?"
Percy took a deep breath. Here goes "Because of Thalia"
"Thali—oh" Suddenly, all the pieces fit together.
Artemis's throat became dry. Her lieutenant had known all along? She then dared to ask another question, "then your lieutenant would be…"
"Yeah, Nico 'D Angelo"
Artemis stared at the fire. "I should've known" she whispers. "I should've known" she repeats a little bit louder. "After all, you three have always been inseparable. And…and the Pack's stories. They said you discovered something about the gods with your lieutenant and another demigod….and that you three created your companions…Nix? That's it, isn't it? She was the third demigod. She created Nix?"
Percy nodded.
"I always wondered how she came across with a tigress with black fur and white stripes—wait, if Nico D Angelo is your lieutenant, does that mean that…Hades knows—"
"Yes"
Artemis was getting a headache. Too many questions are formulating in her head. "This is confusing. Can you start from the start?"
Percy paused.
"Alright"