Chapter 21: At Last
The entire House of Night groaned and shuddered under the weight of the battle raging inside. Percy danced like a whirlwind through the remaining children of Nyx, who'd all grown to fear him over the last year. Wielding Riptide, the demigod tore through a gaggle of Keres, half-human half-bat creatures. He cleaved the first three in half before roughly grabbing the last by the face, slamming its head into the wall so hard that its skull shattered.
Percy continued his rampage, both of his fists sparking with blue lightning as he spun on Deimos, the God of Fear. The child of Night wailed as his sword shattered beneath a barrage of electric fists before a blow caught him in the chin, and he exploded through the wall behind him. Percy had grown to be able to use his Fists of Havoc repetitively before they needed to regenerate. As the light from his hands finally dimmed, he gritted his teeth and faced the nearest wall.
Like every other time, his blood froze. But Percy didn't waver. He let the intensity build in his throat as the etchings in the cursed walls bore their fear into him. Percy yelled as his heartbeat reached a crescendo, his eyes held open, and burning hammers appeared in his hands while he burst into flames. Moros had been stalking towards the demigod, but the god suddenly stumbled backwards, knocked away by the explosion of fire.
Percy grinned before he threw a hammer into the wall, disintegrating the twisted imagery, before he whirled towards the son of Nyx. Moros warily approached him with his spear, wading through the mangled bodies of his siblings that the demigod had been decimating for the past hours. Percy charged the God of Doom, who felt his own was imminent, and threw a flaming hammer at his head.
Moros parried the projectile, bracing as it violently erupted against the staff of his spear. He charged at the flaming demigod, and they met in a brief clash of hammers against spear shaft. The standstill didn't last long before Percy hooked his hammers around the weapon and jerked it towards him. Moros tripped forward, and the demigod ducked under the spear before bringing a burning knee up into his opponent's face.
The God of Doom let out a whelp as ichor gushed from his nose, followed closely by more godly blood from the side of his head as Percy cleaved an ear off using the sharper edge of one of his war hammers. Moros clutched the side of his face before a sweeping kick brought the god to his knees. Percy allowed his flames to die out, and he raised Riptide overhead to bring down on the whimpering god.
"Mama," Moros begged with his deep, heavily trembling voice.
The demigod felt a malevolent presence form behind him, and every hair on his body stood on end. He stomped on the god's face as he pivoted a hundred and eighty degrees, raising Riptide to guard from an attack he was certain was coming. The blade of a silver scythe slashed against his bronze sword, sending a piercing shing echoing across the room. The demigod exhaled sharply through his teeth as the impact fractured his left forearm.
But Percy pressed on, his adrenaline temporarily numbing the throbbing pain. He roughly shoved to the side while leaning into his blade, granting him the opportunity to spin away. Brandishing her scythe, Nyx let out a sizzling laugh as Percy coughed from the smoke and ash billowing around her.
She stood leering down at the demigod before charging at him again. They exchanged dozens of strikes, the Primordial of Night laughing maniacally while Percy had to put his full power behind each parry just to avoid being ripped in two. Nyx gnashed her teeth as the speed of her attacks increased. Percy's eyes widened when the strength behind her blows steadily increased as well.
Nyx stepped back and lifted her scythe overhead. Percy again raised Riptide to block, taking a moment to brace his legs for the coming impact. The churning mass of the primordial let out a shriek as she tore down at the demigod at beyond impossible speeds. When the weapons met, Percy's legs rattled as they tightened, and he thought his teeth would chatter right out of his mouth.
The primordial leaned into the strike, placing a hand on the back of the curved blade to push harder. The demigod felt his legs nearing their limit and suddenly remembered a very familiar instance. He allowed himself a quick grin as he dropped a foot back into a deep lunge. Nyx smiled evilly as she leaned further towards Percy's quivering form.
Thanks, Artemis, Percy thought as he concentrated his remaining strength in his front foot, trying to ignore the blinding pain building throughout the rest of his body.
Using as much power he could, he kicked into the ground with his lead leg, slipping out and back from their draining clash. Nyx's expression shifted to surprise and then confusion as she tripped forward. Percy hadn't stopped moving, the demigod already twisting on his back foot. As she crashed down, Nyx lifted her head only to receive the demigod's roundhouse kick to her nose.
The force from his pistoning leg launched her into falling in the other direction. As Nyx cascaded flat onto her back, Percy already stood with his Void Ether blade at her throat. Or at least what was left of it. The primordial laughed at the shoddy broken knife missing the top half of its blade, and she feigned surrender. Ash filled the air as she continued to shake while laughing.
"That half-destroyed dagger was your final play? Even with its sharp point gone, you still keep it?" she asked.
Percy stabbed the jagged edge of the blade into Nyx's neck, eliciting a shriek. The primordial deity reared back her fist and rammed it against Percy's chest, sending him into the wall behind her. As the demigod groaned and dislodged himself from the rubble, Nyx's form returned to its calmer shape and the same black dress she always wore in it.
"Alright. I admit that blade may still serve an, albeit lesser, purpose. And it appears I underestimated you; that was a clever move to escape our clash. I should have used even more of my power to overwhelm you," Nyx analyzed.
Percy grinned.
"Thanks! Artemis taught it to me," he said giddily as he thought about what day it was.
His adrenaline faded, replaced by a jittering flutter in his chest. Though his entire body throbbed, his forearm and legs especially, it didn't compare to the excitement filling the demigod, considering it was the end of the last day of his sentence. Before Percy could make his way towards his personal Phlegethon, Nyx stopped him with a shake of her head.
"You will not need recovery just this once," she said as she pointed both palms at him, connecting her thumbs and pointer fingers.
A black beam shot from the space between her hands and collided with Percy's chest. The demigod gritted his teeth as a foreign feeling spread through his body. The discomfort only lasted a moment, quickly replaced by euphoria accompanying the new power coursing through his veins. His wounds healed themselves as Percy closed his eyes and reveled in the new connection he felt to the night.
"As promised, you have received the second half of my blessing, fully realizing its potential, now that your sentence is complete," Nyx said, smiling wistfully at the demigod.
Percy rubbed the back of his neck as he realized exactly what that entailed; he'd see his friends again, his family again, Artemis again. Percy turned to the primordial.
"Nyx," he started before quickly stabbing the shifting Moros lying next to him, "thank you so much for this twiste–"
"Yes, okay. No gloomy goodbyes. I wish you luck against my brother," Nyx said quickly before waving her hand as she turned to tend to her children.
Percy couldn't get out another word before he'd been transported out of the House of Night and back into the overworld. The demigod appeared in a dark clearing of a forest that he was certain he'd never been to before.
11:55 PM Local Time. Colville, Washington, he thought.
Percy was stumped for a moment before he realized that Nyx's blessing had probably given him seriously enhanced navigation at night. After a minute of exhilaration that he was truly back in the world, he stared up at the glowing moon and a grin spread across his face. He couldn't explain how, but he knew exactly where he needed to be.
(Line Break)
"Hi, Percy."
Artemis lowered herself into the same sandy divot she'd sat in so many times over the past year. Her inner elbows wrapped around her knees, holding them off of the ground, and her hands clasped together in front of her. She had always thought it was a silly way to sit, but it was how Percy would perch in the sand every time they'd come to Alcatraz Island together. Artemis had taken up the habit; it was just another way to keep him a part of her.
The goddess' eyes drifted to their Sea Jewel, the stone floating where it always did. Since that night a year ago, it'd lost much of its shine as if it also knew what had happened. While staring at their memento, Artemis quietly cried.
"I miss you," she said minutes later, wiping her tears before laughing softly.
"You would hate to see me like this, sobbing as I had when I'd just lost you. But today, it feels that way all over again as the year you earned us draws to a close. I don't want to say goodbye a second time."
Artemis sat in silence for a while, her eyes never leaving their dim Sea Jewel. She always found herself watching the stone intently, hoping that its gleam would somehow return. The goddess sighed before she kept talking in its direction.
"You know, Anna has become quite strong. She has learned to use her powers to grow any herb we require for healing or provisions. Every day, she still trains in the ways you taught her to. Even a year later, you–"
Artemis trailed off as the Sea Jewel brightened to a soft glint. She wiped away the welling tears in her eyes to ensure her vision wasn't playing tricks on her. Her breath hitched when, surely, the Sea Jewel began to glow more brilliantly by the moment as it returned to its former self. Locked on it, bewildered, the goddess didn't notice the demigod that had landed silently behind her, tears falling freely from his eyes.
"Artemis," she heard, the word almost inaudibly choked out.
The Goddess of the Hunt flipped out of her seat in the sand, knives already in her grip, before she froze. Staring into the face of her lost love, Artemis felt overwhelmed with emotion. First came shock at the sight of him, then the emerging sorrow from their last encounter, and finally, rage at the certain imposter in front of her. The goddess vengefully slashed forward with her knife.
"Who are you?!" she shrieked as she took a wild swing.
Percy's arm shot up towards the arcing weapon, and his hand firmly closed around its distraught wielder's wrist. Artemis bared her teeth before she saw his eyes. They glimmered with the relief of finding exactly what they'd been longing for. Disbelief flooded through the goddess, and she swung her free blade halfheartedly as she silently begged for the impossible.
"Wh-who are you?" she repeated, her voice faltering.
Percy caught her other wrist softly, his gaze never abandoning her silver eyes.
"I'm sorry it took me so long, Arty."
The knives fell from her hands. Artemis wrenched her arms from his grip and wrapped them tightly around his neck. Percy's arms fell to her waist, and he lifted her from the ground.
They pulled each other so close that not even a sliver of wind could have slipped between them. The reunited pair buried their faces in each other as they sobbed into their tight embrace. Percy sank to his knees as they both pulled away, bringing the pair face to face with their legs in the sand.
The goddess' hands crawled from laced behind his neck to cupped around his face, as if she were checking to see if he was really there. Percy mirrored her, his thumbs softly drawing circles on her cheeks. They closed their eyes in sync, pulling together until their lips touched. Percy forgot every spear he'd been stabbed with, every sword he'd been cut with, every bone he'd had broken in the past year, because it had all led to their fleeting, infinite moment. Tears escaped Artemis' shut eyes as she realized every one of her prayers during their time apart had come true.
"How?" she asked, the pair unwillingly leaning apart to breathe.
Percy laughed, a melody Artemis had forgotten how much she'd missed, before he found his seat next to her in the sand. The demigod took a deep breath before he told his story from start to finish, not leaving out a single detail. Artemis listened intently, reacting only with her expressions until he was done. The goddess settled on a regretful frown as her eyes found the mark trailing down his neck.
"I want to see them," she whispered.
Percy tensed, afraid of how she'd react, before he relented. The demigod peeled his shirt off, revealing his marred torso. Artemis' hand drifted over her mouth as she took in the dozens upon dozens of scars patterned across him, none more prominent than the one starting on his neck and snaking past his abdomen. The demigod looked away as Artemis traced each one, her cold touch making him shiver. Her eyes traveled up to find Percy staring into the sea.
"Why are you ashamed of them?" Artemis asked, and he turned to look at her.
"I'm not," he started, "I know it's stupid, but I was afraid you wouldn't like what you saw."
Artemis lightly swatted his shoulder with the back of her hand.
"Yes, that is very stupid. Each one represents your sheer determination to survive and to continue forward. Every scar also tells a story, a reminder of a memory. Such as your time growing close with Lady Nyx," Artemis said, her voice clipping at the end.
Percy took in her words before his face morphed into a slight smirk.
"Yeah? I see it in a kinda similar way. Every time I got some surely fatal injury, I saw you. It was always some memory or another, and it was the only reason I survived. I knew I couldn't die down there if I wanted to see you again," he said with a knowingly assuring tone.
Artemis ran her hands down his bare chest before she sat herself in his lap and kissed him deeply. Percy's arms wrapped her, again dragging her close enough that nothing could find its way between them.
"Good answer," she said between heavy breaths.
Artemis' nails explored the ridges of Percy's back, not distinguishing between knolls of new muscle or dunes of new scars. His lips left hers and inched their way down the goddess' neck before they stopped at her collarbone, softly kissing the scar she'd always had there. Percy pulled back, and Artemis automatically shifted towards him, unconsciously begging him not to stop. The goddess caught herself as their eyes opened together.
"Do each of your scars tell a story, too?" Percy asked, still breathless while every nerve in his body burned.
Artemis smiled, nodding silently before slipping out of her own shirt. Percy stopped breathing, his mind turning to mush as he took in the goddess in front of him. It was her voice that brought him back from his inhibition.
"The one you just kissed, on my collarbone, came from Apollo. Back when we were only children and constantly fighting on Delos," she said softly.
"And this one?" Percy asked, exploring her with his eyes before touching his lips to a new scar along her ribcage.
A quiet laugh escaped the goddess alongside a shiver.
"That was Thalia, actually. It happened several months ago and marks the first spear she landed on me during our sparring, though it was only a graze."
Percy perked up at the mention of the Lieutenant of the Hunt.
"Gods, I miss her. I miss all the hunters, especially Anna. Phoebe, too. When can we go see them?" Percy rambled excitedly, shedding his previously sensual tone.
Artemis stared down at him in disbelief, watching the half-naked demigod rave about seeing the hunters again while a barely-clad goddess preened in his lap. Percy took note of her marveling at him before realization struck, and he blushed an even deeper red. He stumbled for a response.
"Hey, wait. This is because of you. You were the one that brought up my cousin," he said pointedly, feigning accusation.
Artemis just smirked and rolled her eyes before she gave him one last kiss and climbed to her feet. The pair fumbled back into their clothes as Percy waffled for a do-over that would return them to their previous positions. Artemis clamped her hand over his mouth.
"Later," she whispered before they both vanished in a flash of silver.
(Line Break)
The Primordial of the Pit unleashed blood-curdling laughter through the cavern as he shook with excitement. Beneath his seat on the throne, gaping cracks spread out in every direction. Ourea skittered from opening to opening, attempting to seal the crumbling earth. Poseidon's body lurched forward, his wrists still chained to the wall behind him. A massive explosion rocked the cave, eliciting another bellowing laugh from the seated monster.
"Ourea," Tartarus commanded.
"Y-yes, Lord Tartarus?" The runty mountain primordial answered, bolting to his eldest brother's side.
"What is this place called?"
"This is right beneath the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. It is the highest free-standing mountain in the world. For mortals, it was named by–"
"Kil-luh-min-jarro…" Tartarus enunciated, cutting off the ramblings of his sibling, "This mountain may fall, for he is finally waking. Hold it up, Ourea. I have an army to unleash."
Tartarus stood roughly from his throne, a crazed look in his eyes before his face warped to its demonic whirlpool. Another violent shake tore through the room, followed by a ravaging roar from far below that sparked terror in Poseidon's sunken eyes. Tartarus released a final, grating laugh.
"At last."
(Line Break)
Artemis and Percy reappeared in the goddess' cabin at Camp Half-Blood, expecting it to be empty. Instead, a shriek rang through the dark room followed by the thud of a body tumbling over furniture. The couple tensed before the unknown figure rose and flicked on the light switch. Phoebe rubbed her head as she complained about the obvious culprit.
"Gods, Milady. Would it kill you to–" the huntress stopped in her tracks as she looked up to find Artemis leaned against the wall next to a dead man.
"Jeez, what's more likely? Me standing here, or the fact that the Phoebe screeches like a little baby," Percy teased, though his tone gave away he was nervous about her reaction.
The daughter of Ares said nothing as she, stone-faced, walked up to the demigod and wrapped him into a tight hug. Percy tensed with his eyes wide while Artemis stifled a laugh, tears welling in all parties present, before he hugged her back.
"I have no idea how you are here, and it does not matter. It feels so good to see you," Phoebe said, her voice muffled.
"I missed you too, Phoebe," Percy whispered to her.
The door creaked open and a familiar voice rang out as another huntress entered.
"Phoebe, what was that… noise," Thalia finished quietly as her voice died in her throat.
Percy looked up, not letting go of Phoebe as he met the second huntress' eyes.
"Percy?" Thalia asked, her voice breaking.
The returned demigod stood no chance as his mental barrier broke and the waterworks began.
"Anna!" Thalia shouted as she ran to the embracing duo, already sobbing.
A confused daughter of Demeter poked her head into the cabin holding her bow. She dropped it instantly, hysterically crying as she jumped into the group hug. Behind her, the rest of the hunters stood exhaustedly outside of the cabin, just returning from evening training. One by one, they crammed into the small entryway and many joined the growing circle. Artemis covered her eyes as she sobbed, overwhelmed while watching her girls' reactions.
The newer hunters that had never met Percy stared at the shifting mob hug in bewilderment, watching some of the most violent, male-hating women they'd ever met sob profusely at the center of the group.
The embracing horde eventually settled, and Artemis was able to slowly herd the chattering group outside, where there was at least enough room to breathe. Anna refused to let go of Percy, which worked itself out considering he also refused to let go of her. The hunters spread out in a semicircle around Percy, Artemis, Thalia, and Anna before they all began shooting questions at once. The daughter of Zeus wiped her red-rimmed eyes before releasing a small spark, silencing the group.
"Percy, how the Hades are you here?" she asked.
The demigod smiled and shook his head, wiping his own tears away before trying to speak. But naturally, he was interrupted by a new flash of light.
"Artemis," Hermes said gravely, appearing next to the goddess.
The God of Travelers froze for a moment before his head snapped to Percy. Then to Artemis. Then to Percy. Then again to Artemis. And finally again to Percy before he coughed out his words.
"Ho-how? What? What? WHAT?! How are you here?!" he shouted incredulously.
"I literally just asked him that," Thalia groaned.
Hermes stared at him with a gaping mouth for a little longer before shaking his head violently.
"Okay, wait. Your whole thing is important, but there's somehow something even more pressing. Artemis," he said, turning back to the goddess gravely, "Zeus has rallied us all for war. Typhon is back."
A/N: Cliffhangers are back now that the story is rounding third base and barreling towards home! Please review and let me know what you guys think so far.
levisorous: Oh no! Not my story lolol. It's so rough around the edges, definitely not as enjoyable as yours but thank you for showing interest. I have to admit I got more excited then I should have at the update lol, the book is just so enjoyable I can't help it. This chapter was a pretty good one, I liked it. I like to see that both sides are training very well, and even the fact we got to see Poseidon! I missed my surfer god haha. Another fact I find super interesting is how Artemis doesn't seem to wallow in her misery at the lost of Percy. It's such a different thing compared to the other stories of this nature where she like breaks down at his loss. She's a badass in your story rather then some damsel in distress and that's just such a nice take. I have to admit, I've been reading Pertemis stories since 2015 and being the picky man I am not many fully capture my attention. 1. Titans of the Hunt 2. The like original Chaos story that came out on wattpad that was unfortunately deleted (very aware that doesn't narrow anything down) and finally this one. Of course I also keep up with all the newer ones aka Ocean full of Stars, Moonlit Liquor, The Last Guardian, A Maidens Dilemma etc etc but this one captures my attention like no other. (Of course all the other books I mentioned are also amazing and if you haven't read them definitely check em out) In shorter terms, I love the story and the way you're approaching it. Can't wait for Percy and Artemis to meet again. I love their dynamic in this story for real. I hope you enjoyed your holiday and I'm definitely looking forward to the next chapter already
You're being too modest. I left a more thorough review on your story itself, but I caught up and loved it. I love the premise of it and want to see more soon! As for your review of the chapter, no spoilers but hope you're excited to see Percy and Poseidon's reunion right around the corner (maybe or maybe not actually). And yes, I've actually stopped reading several stories that make Artemis a helpless victim when faced with loss like this. Her innate nature is how strong she is as a person and, in my opinion, she's also the most powerful Olympian behind the Big 3. Of course she'd feel terrible after a devastating loss, but I really don't enjoy when people forget who she actually is. Tried my best to balance her in this chapter too, hope it went over well. I haven't read any of the stories you mentioned but it makes me feel so good to see how high you rate mine. I'll be sure to check them out and I hope you had a great holiday as well!
Dragon21356: LETS GOOOO! I'm stoked to see what's going to come. Happy new year by the way! I hope 2022 has been great to you and 2023 better.
I'm so glad you're enjoying the story and thank you so much. Happy New Year and hope you also have an incredible 2023 :)
PokemonAndPJOFanboy:Dang, I can't wait to see what you do with Percy's return to his friends and home! Cue the battle of the labyrinth "memorial to Percy" scene x10 lol. In all seriousness I absolutely love this story, and it's weird to think that it's getting closer and closer to the end. It is wild to realize that this story has come so far in such a short time, especially because nearly every Pertemis story that I've read on this site in the last few years has been abandoned/canceled within a few chapters, looked like it was written by a crummy AI and run through google translate twenty times, or both. It is awesome to see that you have really kept at it, and produced a lovely twist on this trope. The only other Pertemis stories I've seen with really dedicated authors recently are; "The Legend of the Son of Poseidon" by HPfanfictioner66, and "The Last Gaurdian" by RandomRandomness12. I'd recommend both of these stories if you've not read them. I can honestly say that you and these two other authors have produced my absolute favorite PJO stories in a long time, and I want to thank you for keeping with this fantastic story! You are a fantastic writer and I can't wait to see what other projects you have in store after this one!
Hope you liked at least the first half of Percy's return to some of his family ;) It's so weird for me as well seeing how quickly we're approaching the end. I might be taking a short break following this story before my next one, but that's a thought for later. I'm glad you're enjoying my story as much as you are haha. Have not read either of those stories but I'll be sure to give them a look as well! Thank you so much for the kind words and I hope you enjoyed!