Before I begin-something very importanttttttt
Some people don't like one sided perlia.
In that case, I'm happy to tell you that…You can stay! Because I don't plan this story to end in a one sided perlia. There's a reason I added it to the pairing after all…yes, it might be cruel, but I think it's a good character development arc (?) and it also fits my vision of how this relationship is gonna work out.
Anyway, enjoy this new chapter! Don't forget to review if you're on FFN and comment if you're on Wattpad. Side note-if you find that there's some questions/oddities regarding a certain part in the story, you can comment on that specific part on wattpad. (In case you need to)
Her eyes focused on the starry night sky above her, somehow finding Zoë's constellation as everything else dimmed.
The last thing she heard was the sound of clanking armor and crunching boots freezing up as the sound of a hunting horn rang out, clear and crisp through the night air.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Diana stifled a sob as she saw Persia's battered body on the ground.
The seemingly infinite wave of monsters were dealt with by the romans and her hunters. Some were wounded, none were fatally injured,
And then they stumbled across Persia.
Artemis, watching the scene unfold through Diana's eyes, wailed in pain and horror. If not for Diana being in control right now, half the Roman legion and her hunters would've been vapourized. Even Diana's sorrow could be felt through the mental links they shared.
Still, she forced herself to watch.
Her gut was run through by a blade, her ribs were cracked, bone fractures all over the place…it was a miracle she hadn't died yet. Blood spilled from her wounds, coating the tattered hoodie she had left camp with.
Meanwhile, Diana was getting guiltier by the second as she thought about what Artemis had asked her to do if she met Persia outside rome. She was lucky that Artemis would soon be in control again…
"Lady Diana! Do you need any assistance?" The Roman centurion-Reyna, she remembered, asked.
Shaking her head, she allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "No, not now. Thanks for the offer."
The centurion saluted, before turning away and ordering the Roman legionnaires back into camp. Nearby, Naomi, Atlanta and even Phoebe were helping out the healers in stabilising Persia's condition. Still, she knew that her lover would be dead if no divine intervention occurred. Her healers were good, but not good enough.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
As the Romans left the area, Artemis barged her way back, wrenching control from Diana. Her features transformed and she de-aged slightly, before her eyes looked around wildly until she spotted the nearly dead demigoddess on the ground.
She knew her hunters wouldn't succeed…and there was only one way she could help her love.
Sighing, she did the act she hated the most. She called upon her brother, Apollo, through their mental link.
Apollo. Come quickly, this is urgent.
Sure thing, sis.
With a golden flash, Apollo appeared next to her. "What is the-oh."
He knelt down next to Persia, bow furrowed, as a soft golden glow began to envelop his hand-and then he pulled back as a stoney expression set upon his features. She looked at him, frustration and panic settling in.
"APOLLO! What are you doing, HEAL HER!"
A good for nothing evil smirk set upon his features.
"Swear that you will distance yourself from her and end…it."
Oh, no. "You were…serious about that?"
At this, her brother's expression turned dark. "It wasn't just for your good, you know. A child of Hestia, previously of Poseidon, mixing together with a child of Zeus. It will never work. Stop deluding yourself-"
Her hunters looked on incredulously. Some widened their eyes as they connected the dots.
"APOLLO! I DON'T CARE, JUST-FUCKING HEAL HER FOR CHAOS' SAKE!"
"Swear it then. And I'll do it," her brother said, a nasty, sinister smirk playing on his lips.
She was between a rock and a hard place.
Behind Apollo, Persia convulsed slightly. "Milady! We're losing her!" Atlanta yelled, sweat dripping down her brow.
Inside, she felt like a war was raging, her thoughts flying at impossible speeds as emotions ran rampant. Outside, she grew still and deathly calm.
"Apollo." Her voice was monotonous and sharp, "heal her."
Her brother lost his smirk, as his face paled, but he didn't waver in his demands. "Swear it, and I'll heal her."
She began shaking in anger and fear, a silver glow slowly gaining luminosity as she shook to contain her rage.
"Heal. Her."
"Swear it."
"HEAL HER!" She yelled, finally exploding as a silvery wave erupted from her. "HEAL HER! IF YOU DON'T-"
"LISTEN TO YOURSELF! YOU'RE BLINDED!" Her brother screamed back. "You know full well, your hunt will not accept it, your father will not accept it, and I will most certainly not accept it! Let her go, break it off! It won't work-"
"I LOVE HER!" Artemis roared, "I LOVE PERSIA AND YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!"
The area was silent, hunters staring at their mistress, shocked. Apollo stared back with equal surprise on his face. Phoebe, Atlanta and Naomi began working even more furiously upon hearing of this news.
"…so you admit it?" Apollo asked, surprise written all across his face.
"I love Persia." She reaffirmed, "and you're not taking her away from me. If it hurts me, then let her hurt me. At least let her enjoy her well-earned love and affection."
Apollo looked at her, then at Persia's limp body. "I cannot," he said, slowly shaking his head, "you don't understand the consequences."
"YOU WILL DO IT!" She screamed, gripping the hilt of her sheathed hunting knife tightly as she stepped towards him, "HEAL HER!"
"She's going to-"
"I DON'T CARE. HEAL, HER!"
"Swear it then. Swear you'll break it off. Then I'll heal her."
She and her hunt stared at Apollo. The hunt with shock, and her with disgust. "You…you pig," she began, "you're no better than all other males out there. Selfish, uncaring. If you cared about me, you'll do it."
"I care! That's why I want you to-"
"I'LL REGRET IT EVEN MORE IF SHE DIES RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW! SO YOU'LL HEAL HER, REVIVE HER, WHATEVER, JUST GET HER BACK TO ME!" She roared, Lessing loose another silver wave that smashed into everything and anything. Above her, the moon began glowing brighter and brighter, and for once her miserable brother looked horrified.
"H-hey arty, listen here-"
"DO. NOT. CALL. ME. ARTY! YOU LOST THE RIGHTS TO WHEN YOU TRIED TO HURT ME-"
"I DIDN'T! LISTEN TO YOURSELF! JUST SWEAR YOU'LL BREAK IT OFF, AND I'LL DO IT!"
"I'M NOT-"
"THEN SWEAR YOU)LL DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM HER! SWEAR IT!
"NO!"
"SWEAR IT OR SHE DIES!"
Sweat trickled down her brow as the realization set in. Time seemed to slow as her brain ran in overdrive.
If she swore to distance herself, she'd be hurting both of them. Merely thinking about it drove a wedge in her heart, and she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Yet if she didn't…Persia was going to die. She could literally feel Persia's life force flickering, and Thanatos was even ready to appear besides her.
But she just couldn't do it.
My dear Artemis…swear the oath.
The normally sweet and sultry voice speaking in such a serious tone shocked her out of her thoughts.
Aphrodite?
Yes, it's me. Swear the oath first, or she's going to die. I'll tell you why later.
"F-fine, I swear. Just fucking heal her!" She choked out, tears forming in the corner of her eyes, and a grin spread across Apollo's face.
"Got it, little sister."
She barely held herself together as she nearly exploded in rage and agony. Here she was, forcefully separated from her love, and Apollo saw this as a joke?
She forced herself to not implode into her divine form as she held her anger in check. She still needed Apollo, after all.
As the golden glow surrounding Persia and Apollo's hand receded and faded away, Apollo stepped back from a stabilized Persia and was instantly greeted with a hard slap to his face.
"You fucking deserve that, you vile male pig."
"Arty, listen. It's for your good-"
"FOR MY GOOD? I want to fucking kill you right now, you prick. For my fucking good? I would be happy if she lives and exists in my life, even for just a while! At least we can spend time together, you dickhead! At least I can have memories! Now I have fucking nothing and it's your whole fucking fault. I hate you, I FUCKING HATE YOU!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face as she yelled at her shocked brother.
"I-listen here, Arty-"
"DON'T FUCKING CALL ME ARTY, YOU FUCKING USELESS BALL OF HOT GAS! YOU USED A LIFE-A GIRL'S LIFE, MY LOVER'S LIFE AS A BARGAINING CHIP ON YOUR GAME, AND YOU EXPECT ME TO LAUGH IT OFF!? FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU AND EVERY MALE IN THIS WORLD, YOU'RE JUST A VILE, USELESS, SELFISH PIG OF A HUMAN! I FUCKING HATE YOU! I FUCKING HATE YOU, YOU VILE, DISGUSTING PIG! YOU-YOU DICKHEAD!"
"Artemis-"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! LEAVE! LEAVE AND DON'T FUCKING COME BACK, LEAVE!" She screamed, letting loose another wave of power that threw Apollo back. Her hunters stumbled, but otherwise most of them regained their footing…her brother though landed on his butt with a thud.
Not even this comedic scene could break her rage.
Stunned, Apollo scrambled up and took a few steps back, before rage and sorrow filled his expression. Turning away, he silently flashed away in a small golden flash.
She collapsed on the ground and cried.
— — — convenient time skip moment — — —
"Milady, someone's here to see you." Thalia said, her voice muffled through the fabric that made up the tent walls.
"Tell them to go away." She croaked, her voice raw and filled with pain after hours of screaming and crying. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes puffy and red, her cheeks stained with tear tracks, and her uniform wrinkly.
Her tent interior was no better. Pictures of her and her brother were tossed everywhere, frames broken, glass shattered. Some of them were half burnt, and her neatly arranged memorabilia were strewn all over the place.
This much destruction, and the ever-growing wedge in her heart remained.
"Milady, it's Aphrodite. She's here to help-"
"Tell that good for nothing airhead to go away. It's her who caused this in the first place." She said bitterly, sniffing. A frustrated sigh could be heard, before Thalia stomped away and a new presence took her place.
"Artemis, honey. I know it hurts, your heartbreak was so painful it could be felt from here. Just let me help."
Probably Aphrodite. She sniffed, wiping away stray tears. "I don't care, go away."
"Honey, please. I might have a solution-"
She immediately leapt off the bed, unzipped the tent flap, and dragged the slightly frightened goddess into the tent before zipping the flap up. Crossing over to her bed, she sat down with a huff and glared at the love goddess. "Well?"
"Um…Are you calm now?"
"I am. Now speak." She glared at the love goddess, spitting her words out with venom.
Aphrodite sighed. "Artemis, you're not calm by any means…"
She glared at the other goddess some more.
"Fine. I know it's painful and hard. I could feel your heartbreak on Olympus, it nearly crushed me for a moment due to how overwhelmed I felt. But, you're not here for sympathy, so I'll get this straight and drop a hint. True love burns like a fire that can never be put out. No matter what you do to suppress it, it will burn brighter and brighter. It's not in my interest to manipulate love, but what I feel from you and Persia is true and pure. You…you should honor your promise to your brother, but eventually you will be reunited against his wishes. Love will triumph above all."
"The problem is…I don't even know if I can break the news to her," she said, sniffling again as fresh tears threatened to fall.
"You must. At least, make an effort. But know this, Artemis. I'm born from the genitals of the primordial of the sky and the sea…which makes me a primordial goddess myself. If you truly cannot break the news to her, or if you cannot stand her seeing hurt, I will stand by your side. Know that you have my back. Now go, and honor your promise to your brother."
"He is no brother of mine," she spat with venom.
"He is your brother, no matter what. He did, really, do it for your interest…but your father, Zeus, might have also played a part in suggesting that idea to him. Your father knows that he cannot stand seeing his sister being hurt, and implanted the thoughts that you and Persia being together will come back to bite you. He simply mistook your father's twisted words for the truth. Don't blame him."
"My…father, had a part to play in this?"
"Yes. His ego does not allow him to let his children be with the spawn of his rivals. Hestia and Poseidon rival him in power, and Poseidon has challenged him for his throne before. He knows this will make you angry, and hurt, which is why he asked Apollo to do the deed."
Anger replaced her otherwise sad features.
"How-how dare he-"
"Artemis. Don't rage at your father yet. The time for retribution will come, trust me, but for now…honor your promise. No matter what you do, I will back you, and she will understand too."
Shakily, Artemis nodded and got up from the bed. "Wh-why did you tell me this though…?"
"Because you deserve to know, Artemis. I will not stand idly by and watch one of the most powerful loves I have ever felt in the entirety of my existence simply fall apart due to that king's meddling and needless ego protection schemes."
Nodding, she unzipped the tent flap and stepped out, Aphrodite following behind.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
(This viewpoint switch will be short)
Unbeknownst to Artemis, Aphrodite was already timing every second to see how long she could last without Persia.
A day? Two days? Three?
No matter how long, they were fated to get back together. As a primordial, she was above fate, and could faintly see the traces of meddling around both lesser beings.
Huh, so the fates are trying to get them together to prevent their removal…how pathetic.
As she followed Artemis towards the medical tent though, she felt a nearby heart throb in pain a she felt the all-too familiar sense of heartbreak.
Interesting…someone ELSE is also interested in Persia.
I wonder if it's her original 'fated' soulmate…?
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Thalia sat on her bead, slightly numb.
She knew she was selfish of thinking such…thoughts, of having such imaginations.
Still, she had clung onto hope that she had a chance.
When she realized she was even more attracted to Percy when he was reincarnated into Persia, she was tempted to speak to her mistress and leave the hunt. Percy-now Persia, of course, was as oblivious and dense as ever…okay, maybe less dense when it came to Artemis.
But Persia definitely didn't notice her glances and subtle gestures towards her.
When she finally noticed something going on between Artemis and Persia (which wasn't that long), she had been crushed. She had been given another chance, and this time she missed it again.
After all, Percy was the main reason for her to join the hunt anyway.
When she woke up, under 'her' pine tree, the first things she saw were the leaves, the sky…and a pair of caring sea green eyes.
She was instantly smitten.
Of course, she had held onto hope that Percy would have feelings for her too. Yet, as she watched his interactions with Annabeth, they seemed…close. Closer than friends, certainly closer than rivals.
She began to lose hope back then.
When she saw how distraught Percy was after 'losing' Annabeth to the manticore, she knew she stood no chance. Whatever feelings Percy had for Annabeth was definitely greater than those for hers. And then, she got into an argument with him at the creek, argued some more on the quest, and finally reached mount Othrys.
She was certain that he didn't love her back.
Still, there was that small sliver of hope…
And then she watched as Annabeth hugged him as she cried into his shirt, and she saw the same caring look he gave her when she awoke.
She joined the hunters after that.
When she heard that Percy and Annabeth had split after she awoke from her short coma, she was more than elated…until she understood the reasonings.
Her hopes were crushed once more. And then mercilessly curbstomped when Percy's body was brought back, lifeless.
And just hours ago, she had held onto hope that Persia was done with Artemis. After all, she'd gone for almost a week without seeing her after they fell through. Maybe, just maybe, she had a chance?
Of course, her luck sucked and fate hated her, so she naturally discovered that Artemis had very, very deep-rooted feelings for the girl…and the goddess was going to make up for her mistakes in every way.
Which meant she stood no chance yet again.
But how was she supposed to cope with this? How was she supposed to even live with this information?
How many more heartbreaks was she going to suffer through?
"Art thou alright?" The old English jolted her out of her thoughts, and she watched as her bunk mate, Zoë, entered her tent. As a former Lieutenant of Artemis, she did technically have privileges to the tent.
"Nothing." Thalia said, looking away as she hid the pain in her eyes.
She'd take this secret to the grave.
Damn you, Aphrodite.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Artemis' Heart pounded as she stepped into the medical tent.
Glancing behind her, she noticed Aphrodite giving her an encouraging smile, as if to say 'I'll support you'. Walking forwards on shaky legs, she was shocked to see the majority of the hunt crowded around Persia's limp body.
Surprisingly, Thalia and Zoë were nowhere to be seen.
"Milady!" Phoebe said, catching the attention of the majority of the hunt to swing their heads to look at their mistress. "I-we're glad you're here. Persia's coming along nicely, and she'll wake soon…"
Trailing off, Phoebe looked away as the unspoken message was passed from the hunters to her.
And you'll have to break the news to her.
Most of the hunters looked away or looked down, saddened, while Artemis' heart twisted painfully as she glanced at the peaceful face of Persia.
"I-I know." She said, stammering as her words were caught in her throat. "I-I….I can't though…she's s-so peaceful, so innocent looking….I can't hurt her." A tear slid down her cheek. "I can't."
"We know, Milady." One of the older hunters spoke up. "We know. And…as much as we regret hurting her before, we have to do it again…your brother cannot be denied. He'll always get what he wants. The most we can do is to help h-her."
She was silent as she took this information in. "So…you aren't mad at her? You don't bear animosity towards her?"
"We did once," another spoke up, "but her separation from you…we saw how much it hurts you. And how much it hurt her. We're not exactly elated, but if you're happy and she's happy, we're happy too."
"I-thank you, my sisters…but…"
"We know you have to, Milady." One of the younger hunters, Tracy, a daughter of Aphrodite, said, understanding the unspoken words that were on her mind. "She loves you back. I can feel it. She'll understand if you explain to her."
She smiled gratefully at her hunters, happy tears glinting in her eyes. "I-I don't know what to say…I love you all, you are the best sisters-in-arms that I could have asked for. Thank you, thank you all for being by my side at times like these…"
Her senses stirred, and she flicked her gaze over to Persia as she noticed her breathing pattern becoming irregular.
She's waking.
Immediately, she rushed to Persia's side as she stared at her smooth features, her smattering of freckles on her cheeks and across her nose moving slightly as she took in deep breaths. Her eyes fluttered open and her gaze wandered a bit, before the Sea green and Crimson eyes she knew so well locked gazes with her silver orbs.
"Persia," she breathed out, and the next instant she was all over her bonded love, hugging her tightly, breathing in her intoxicating scent as tears of joy slid down her cheeks, "you're okay. You're okay, you're back."
"Yes, Arty," Persia said, tears welling at the corners of her eyes, "I'm back."
She didn't know it just yet, but her reaction had just wiped every doubt from Persia's mind.
The overwhelming love that emanated from her was felt by even Persia…who was a dense and oblivious girl at heart.
She hugged the demigoddess tighter in response as tears of joy continued to flow.
"A-arty," Persia said, jolting her back out from her little cuddling session, "too-tight-"
She blushed madly as she realized she was hugging Persia way too tightly. Mumbling a bunch of "sorry"s, she let go as she looked away, her face tinged red with embarrassment while she wiped away stray tears.
"Don't be, moonbeam." Persia said, making her face turn even more red at the affectionate nickname-since when could she come up with such names?
The hunt quietly snickered amongst themselves as they watched her interactions with Persia. They snickered even harder when she pouted.
"Aw, c'mon moony, don't pout. You look too cute." Persia said, before gasping and slapping a hand over her mouth and glancing at the hunt in panic. In response, the hunt collectively gasped before laughter broke out amongst them.
"What was that again, love?"
Persia's eyes widened to the side of dinner plates as she attempted to leave, panic etched across her features as the hunt crowded together and advanced on her. "Wait, no, no, please Artemis!"
And then one of the hunters cracked a smile and began laughing. Hard.
Soon, half of the hunters were rolling on the ground laughing while others were holding their stomachs. Even she was snickering slightly as she watched Persia's face turn from horror to mild confusion.
"Wait, are-aren't you guys…you know, mad at me for…making your mistress fall in love?" Persia asked, confusion etched into her features. In response, the hunters laughed even harder. "M-mad at you? Of course not! Not when your mistress declared her love for you in front of all of us!" Phoebe said between laughs.
Persia looked at her, certain she heard wrong. "Um…Artemis, did you do that?"
She nodded, not trusting herself to meet Persia's eyes, knowing what was to come next-
Immediately, she was engulfed in a hug from Persia, who had somehow gotten off the bed and hugged her so tightly she felt her ribs might break.
"Persia! Can't-breathe!" She wheezed, before realizing that her parka was turning wet.
Persia was crying into her parka.
"Th-thank you, Thank y-you…I l-love you t-too, Arty…"
Her heart twisted so hard from Persia's reaction she felt like it would break. Here she was, creating false hope for Persia once again as she was about to break her heart…
Should she do it?
Should she even give in to her father's will?
Did Apollo even come up with the idea of dissuading their relationship himself…?
Putting her arms round the sobbing demigoddess, she murmured sweet nothingness into her ears as she hugged her back, drawing small circles on her back while burying her nose in the raven locks of her love.
Deep in her thoughts, she didn't see a tiara-wearing girl dressed in black punk-like aesthetics quietly back away from the tent entrance.
How could she ruin this perfect, beautiful girl?
Simple. She couldn't.
But she had a promise to keep…even though she regretted even swearing it.
For all she knew, Persia's fate could've…
Wait.
Persia was literally fated to die near camp half-blood.
Where were they when she was rescued?
New rome.
She nearly screamed out loud in frustration-she didn't have to swear the oath. She didn't even have to do anything…
Persia wouldn't have even died if she willed it to.
Tears began forming again. This time, they were tears of sadness as her mood saddened.
The hunt, seemingly catching onto their mistress' mood swing, grew somber and quiet.
Soon, only Persia's quiet sniffles could be heard in the medical tent. "I-I'm sorry, moonbeam, for ruining your parka. Do you want me to wash it…?"
Grimaces were seen behind persia. Those who were in her field of view tried to keep a straight face.
"What's wrong?"
She tried to shake her head, but tears were threatening to fall if she even moved. She opened her mouth to try and speak, but nothing came out.
She must've looked like a fish.
"Persia…" Atlanta spoke up, "it's about how you survived."
Persia narrowed her eyes slightly. "Explain."
Atlanta's voice chose to fail its owner then and there, so a younger hunter took up the explanation. "Um…well, when we found you, you were so badly wounded. There was so much blood, and you were dying…"
She broke off as Naomi took over the explanation. "Uh, basically, you were almost dead, Artemis had to call her brother here and he was a dickhead that wanted you out of the picture. She…well, Apollo forced her to swear to stay away from you so that you could live. He…he doesn't approve of this. If Milady didn't…you'd be dead by now. Only godly intervention could've saved you."
Persia was silent, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her fist tightly. She watched in concern as her love hit her lip so hard, droplets of blood were forming. Tears welled in Persia's eyes, shining and glistening, yet she could see that Persia was refusing to let them fall.
Even now, she was acting tough to presumably make her feel better.
"Persia…"
"I understand."
Two words. Two words shattered her heart into a million pieces. She watched as Persia lowered her head, letting her bangs cover her face. She watched as a tiny trickle of blood ran between Persia's fingertips and dripped onto the tent floor.
"Persia, please-"
"I said I understand…Art-Lady Artemis." She could tell that it took effort for Persia to say her name with a title.
It served to only stomp on the fragments of her broken heart.
Tears welled in her own eyes as she desperately willed them to not fall. "Persia, I'm sorry-"
"It's not your fault." Persia's quiet words cut through the tense atmosphere of the tent. "It's not your fault," she repeated, her voice wavering, "it is mine and mine alone. I shouldn't have done it. I should-" she broke off in sniffles, "I should have stayed alive. Or died and went into Asphodel. It's my fault I'm causing this."
Red-rimmed eyes stared at Persia as many of the hunters watched a pained girl shoulder the blame and struggled forwards with the immense heartbreak.
"It's my fault."
She desperately wanted to scream, it isn't!
The only sounds she could produce were pained whimpers.
"I'm sorry Milady."
With that, Persia turned away, head lowered, fists clenched as she stepped past Aphrodite and out into the morning sun.
Raising her head, Persia glared at the morning sun.
She swore she saw glistening tear tracks on her love's face as Persia shot the most vile glare she could at Apollo.
Nothing would make up for this loss now.
Nearby, a young hunter broke down in tears. Many soon followed. Persia was still standing there, glaring at the sun as her slim, lithe body shook. The morning rays clearly showed her neck veins bulging, and tiny droplets of blood were dripping from her clenched fists as Persia glared at Apollo.
"Persia," she managed to croak out, "I'm sorry. I-I can't make this up for you, the best I can do is make you my lieutenant-"
"Don't, please-Milady, please." Persia replied, her voice shaky and vundernable. Oh, how she wished to rush out there and hug her, cuddle her, tell her everything would be alright as they basked in the warm glow of her brother's chariot.
She couldn't.
She cursed herself, cursed at her brother, cursed at her father. Mostly herself though, for falling into this trap her brother had sprung, and which her father concocted.
She somehow managed to step out of the tent and stand behind Persia. The hunt followed.
"Persia." She managed to say with more confidence, "You're a leader. A warrior. You deserve to be a lieutenant. After all this suffering, after your selfless sacrifices…at least, be comfortable as you live here without chores. At least…at least you can say that you're a proud lieutenant of mine. Please."
A choked sound came out of Persia's mouth.
Without another word, Persia walked towards the lieutenant's tent, opened the flap with her bloody fingers and stepped inside, zipping it shut.
A whimper escaped her throat. And then a sob. The pent-up tears finally escaped her eyes, cascading down as she let her sadness and anger out of her system.
Even in the distance, her pained wails and cries could be heard as she cried her heart out over the immense pain she felt over her heartbreak.
Aphrodite nearly fainted behind her as she tried to comfort the hysterical goddess.
And within the lieutenant's tent, Persia was busy bawling her eyes out, Thalia hugging her and comforting her as Persia cried into her shoulder.
Even on Olympus, the pain of both heartbreaks were strong enough to affect the gods for a few moments.
She didn't care, however. All she knew was pain.
Pain.
Pain and anger.
She fell to her knees as she wept, ragged cries escaping her throat as her shattered heart broke even further.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Apollo squirmed uncomfortably in his place as his sister's emotions and feelings smashed into his mind, her pained wails and screams clear as day even to him as he rode high in the sky.
He was seriously doubting his father's motives to separate the two inseparable lovers.
He was slowly growing annoyed at himself up for even buying into the idea that 'a Poseidon spawn would break his sister's heart'. In the end, she didn't. His actions did it.
He was beating himself up for taking advantage of his sister's momentary vulnerability and using it against her to get what he wanted.
Now, he regretted everything he did as he watched his sister cry and sob, unable to handle the pain.
The pain that he caused.
He was going to have a chat with his father later.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Thalia felt sorry for her cousin, staying at her bedside as she finally cried herself to sleep.
Tear tracks ran down Persia's beautiful features. She gently wiped them away.
She couldn't help but feel sorry for her cousin and mistress. They had both been through so much in the last few years. Her mistress lost a good handful of her most eldest companions during the titan war, and she had lost Zoë for quite a while as well.
Meanwhile, her cousin was no better, having been through a war, watching countless people die and get wounded all while placing the blame on herself, and finally being framed and exiled from her home.
And now they had both lost each other just after they reunited and confessed to each other.
Still, a small part of her felt happy. Rejuvenated, even.
This is wrong, stop it! She screamed at herself mentally, but at the same time she couldn't suppress it.
Persia was, once again, single.
Was this another chance at love?
Was this another chance to cure her heartbreak?
Was this a path to a new future for her and Persia?
She knew that the fates didn't like her. After all, she was born.
Still, that stubborn little sliver of hope clung on, refusing to let go, as it began to ignite and burn brightly once more.
She knew it would probably end in disaster again.
But there was hope. No matter how insignificant it was, there was hope.
And she refused to let go.
Looking down at the sleeping Persia, she admired her cousin's features. Her cute freckles that spread across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, her sun-kissed skin, her cute nose, her full, soft and luscious lips, her wavy raven locks…
She looked so at peace, after suffering so much…
Tucking a strand of hair behind Persia's ear, she bent down and kissed her lightly on the forehead.
"I love you, Persia Hallie Jackson."
"Even if you don't love me back."
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
A/N: huzzah, one new chapter.
I wrote half of this on my planespotting trip yesterday (it's again, 1am. I write emotional scenes better when I'm half dead, okay)
So…for now, it's just gonna be emotional development for our poor persia and Artemis, as well as Thalia and maybe Apollo until we reach the end of this arc…and then true fun begins as we step into HOO territory.
Anyway, With Apollo absolutely ruining things with his 'lil' sis, Persia being revived and confessing to Artemis only to find out she and Artemis have been forcefully separated to save her life, and Thalia suffering heartbreak after heartbreak, where will we go from here?
Aren't you for the next chapter now? (You better be, Jkjk)
Almost forgot, Reviews!
Side note: thanks so much for responding positively to this story lads and lasses! I'm not the best guy at expressing emotions/writing emotions so feedback is highly appreciated.
Regardless…
DevilishSlipper: Thanks lad, glad you're liking this so far! Development's not gonna stop since…well, I did say Persia and Artemis were going to get back together at some point. :grins: Thalia's gonna be so sad now I realize what I've written…which could be even better.
Sh4d0wz: thanks for yet another long review!No Greeks mingling with the Romans for now, but since Persia is in the hunt and they travel literally everywhere, and I think they're the only group that knows the existence of both camps at once (older members do anyway). It's safe to say that Persia's memory won't be altered, but of course this will lead into the SoN arc…anyway, glad that you're taking the removal of Zoë from the relationship nicely. For me, if they had a pre-existing relationship (I've seen very, very nice fics about them) it'd be fine, but alas they don't, not in this fic at least…so yeah. As much as I like Perzoe, this isn't happening here.
Now some more bad news-chaos will have a role in this story. Not your average chaos who comes and recruits persia into the chaos army though, no. She'll have a role similar to you and me-well, me mostly, gently nudging events into a certain direction without interfering. A good example would be 'choosing' Persia to be either the reason for existence of the current Greek pantheon, or the end of it (implied in the prophecy so no spoilers). But of course, she'll mainly act as an observer and maybe occasionally walk the fates over the head with a stick.
I intentionally wrote Zeus to be an asshat in this fic. He's the king of gods and he does have moments where he shines (I'll plan those out for later), but his ego is too big for his own good, maybe even blindsiding him in this fic. Since I did say 'In glory or shame will Olympus stand, shall be decided by the eldest god's hand', you get where I'm going with this. (Ik Zeus is the youngest out of the original six, but prophecies have double meanings. Shush.)
Also, you'll easily find out I can disappoint in more ways than one lol, maybe I invent poor plot holes, maybe I stick common tropes into this story, in fact, I can twist it completely off the hinges by making Persia a child of chaos who happens to be the first primordial and being to even exist and is husband to end or order or something like that. Of course, I love you all so I won't do it-we have enough Chaos shit fics out there anyway…and I just realized I did include chaos in this fic. Damn.
In all seriousness though-if things don't work out the way I'm hoping them to IRL, I might have to disappoint…but I still have about 23 days before everything can go to shit. So…hopefully I'll be partway into the SoN arc before something happens. And hopefully nothing happens…but life is life so no guarantees.
Plus, I hope you liked what I did with Apollo and Artemis. Don't worry, they won't end their sibling relationship with my current plot. Though Apollo, Artemis, Persia and Thalia are gonna be in a massive downer mood for quite a while.
Anyway, hopefully that answered everything to your review. I just realized I wrote ANOTHER long ass response :-: oof.
Ryan Fowler: Thanks man, glad you're loving this so far. Hopefully I won't disappoint!
CommanderDuck14: not one sided perlia the whole way, of course, that'll make me sad. Tbh, your review was the one that made me write the short AN at the top-it's not my intention to turn Perlia shippers away, but I'm hoping this can add more depth to the plot, and make this proceed like a normal relationship (I mean they are written as soulmates but soulmates don't have to do the love at first sight thingy). I don't find it realistic that Persia can fall in love with Artemis but then also has the hots for Thalia-it'd cause Artemis to break it off and in turn Persia may lash out at Thalia/ she'll feel like a rebound and then refuse to love. Which will be a great tragedy…I love angst, but not to this level.
Anyway, I'm rambling again, but I'd also like to see your one sided perlia story. Sounds interesting.
And that's all for reviews (for now). Just a reminder, I'm in the emerald library discord under the user Fat corona cat, if you're interested in reaching out/chatting with me while I write, feel free to do so. Also, no responses on whether I should get my own channel in said server or not, so I'll presume you guys don't want it until someone says otherwise.
For now, I'll begin fleshing out details in chapter 12 before I write. Ade!