Happy Bday, Percy!
"Well, here it is!" Atalanta announces as she opens the door to her bedroom. Ray reads the quote on her door as they pass by. The quote is inspiring and makes you truly look deep inside of you for the strength and drive that lies within the soul. Conquer the monsters in your head, and find the flame inside. Zoë must have been the greatest individual to ever walk the earth if these huntresses speak of her as some sort of Goddess.
"Will - will you tell me about Zoë?"
"You read the quote? That's the last thing Zoë said to me before she left to free Lady Artemis, before… before I never saw her again."
A swelling wells up in her heart, and a tear sheds from her eye as she remembers the final minutes she had with her mentor… with her best friend and the greatest huntress to ever live.
"To free Lady Artemis?"
Atalanta stops momentarily, then turns around to face him with an intrigued expression.
"Yes… You don't know about it? You never were told the story of how a new constellation suddenly appeared in the night sky to light the way in our darkest hours?"
"No… As you know, I've never really had a home, or friends, or parents, or anyone. Yes, I noticed the constellation, as I usually am able to see the sky when I am forced to sleep under a bush, but I never was told how it got there." Ray confesses, looking down at the floor. Atalanta's heart breaks, and she feels a pit in her stomach.
"Zoë Nightshade was the greatest huntress to ever live. She taught me everything I know, and she made the ultimate sacrifice to save us from Atlas and free Lady Artemis."
Atalanta extends a hand and gestures for Ray to lay down on the bed if he wishes. She turns around and opens the door to her walk-in closet. She takes a hanger with a modest navy blue negligee off of her hanger and walks out of the closet. She asks him if he would be so polite as to turn around for her.
He just smiles at her and sits down on her bed. He tries to use problem solving skills to determine which side of the bed looks most slept in to determine which side is hers, and picks the side that isn't hers, and so the one he chooses is the left side of the bed. The right also has a nightstand bustling with personal items that give it away.
He doesn't rearrange her pillows or blankets, nor does he lie down, nor does he do anything but lightly sit down on the edge. He has no intention of being disrespectful or bashful enough to sleep on the bed with her, so he instead intends to sleep on the floor, or maybe even on the recliner in the corner of the room if she is kind enough. He only sits down because she invited him to, and it would be disrespectful to refuse.
These are her chambers, and judging from the dozens of picture frames, many weapon racks and display cases, treasure troves, animal pelts, crowns and keepsakes… She values this place very dearly, and he won't dare touch anything she doesn't give him permission to. He was invited into the bedroom of the huntress that saved his life. He has every intention of being on his best behavior to make her never regret her decision. He won't try to seduce her either… At least not unless she shows him she wants it. The huntress obviously shows and harbors affection for him, so he knows she at least is fine with kissing, but he would never dare attempt to work his way up the bases until she shows interest in each progressive tier of the baseball field.
While Ray is near certain that Atalanta would never hurt him, at least near certain she won't threaten to or proceed to kill him, torture him, or castrate him… he has no intention of testing that inquiry or give her a reason to.
She tells him that he can now look without invading her privacy, he does look, and he is both impressed and aroused by her look. Ray had thought she looked really hot in the tight sports bra and training shorts… It had been a very impressive outfit to display both her curves and her muscles, but this is even better. It doesn't reveal her torso like her earlier outfit, and he can't see as much of her thick thighs, but it doesn't matter. It is a delicate and alluring piece made of intricate lace that adorns her curves with a subtle elegance. The deep blue hue complements her skin tone, and the nightdress reaches just above her knees, leaving her insanely sexy legs exposed in a way that is both modest and tantalizing. Unlike all the other huntresses who seriously hate being eyed up, Atalanta doesn't seem to mind at all. In fact, it seems that she loves it.
"Do you like it?" She asks him, not blushing.
"Very much so."
"This is what I always change into before bed… So, do you want me to tell you the story?" Atalanta asks finally, walking over to a display stand and summoning her sword into her hand. She places it onto the stand for display, giving a small unintelligible prayer. She then turns around and walks to her nightstand on the right side of the bed. She summons her daggers and places then gently onto the surface, then she summons her BOW and hangs it on a double hook above her bed. Atalanta has one of the best bows in the hunt, featuring multiple pulleys and a special bow string that makes no noise when fired.
(Think Banuk Poweshot Bow from Horizon Zero Dawn)
"Wow…" Ray starts, "You have quite the arsenal of high-quality weapons."
"Yes…" Atalanta agrees and lowers her eyes to the daggers before her, "Although I often find myself wishing I didn't… everday, in fact."
"Why is that?"
"Because these weapons belonged to my mentor, and when she died, she wished them to be passed onto me."
"So it's because you wish she was still here."
"Yes…"
They stay silent for a few moments. Atalanta deep in thought and looking down at the two Ethereal Silver weapons.
"I remember three young Demigods fighting a Manticore when we arrived… We weren't able to prevent one of them, a blond girl, from falling off a cliff and disappearing with the monster. The first time Artemis ever met the young demigod, and he told her about what happened with the Manticore, what it said. The Monster had mentioned something about a Great Stirring, so Artemis decided she had to go after the monster, both to free the demigod, and kill the monster… What an irony that the girl she set out to find turned out to be Percy's Ex-Girlfriend." Atalanta explains, finishing her explanation with a little giggle and shaking of her head as she grins wickedly. As she was speaking she had pulled the covers out from the bed and settled into the blankets, sitting upright against some shuffled-around pillows, making sure she sat in a way that made her perfect legs as prominent as possible, exposing almost all of her extremely strong, hazel thighs. Ray, as always and against Atalanta's efforts, tries not to stare.
"Come, Ray," She invites, gesturing to the left side of the bed, very close to her, "Join me, and make yourself comfortable."
"I don't want to impose." He tells her, slowly shaking his head from side to side
"Nonsense," Atalanta declares, "Come, settle in, I insist."
"Thank you, but… But would it be possible for me to get a shower beforehand, so I don't dirty your sheets?"
"You wouldn't be welcome in the hunter's wash room unless you wanna risk your life for a nice view, so you can use my bathroom if you want, but I only have women's shampoo."
"That is more than adequate, thank you."
"Do you have a change of clothes?" She asks him suddenly.
"No, I don't."
Atalanta raises an eyebrow as she begins to think.
"Hold on… Percy's clothes are still in the washroom from earlier." She says as she gets up from the bed.
His eyes widen, as he takes in what she said.
"I don't want to-"
"Impose, yeah yeah yeah… Percy would want you to use his clothes if you needed them. He's just like you, completely selfless. Now just stay here, don't touch that sword, or anything else that looks expensive or is on a display, and I'll be right back."
The Huntress doesn't put her normal clothes back on before she leaves, but then again these women are all maiden sisters in arms, so they probably consider public nudity, underwear and nightdresses in the hunt to be completely normal, not even worth a thought.
Ray struggles, but ultimately loses the battle against staring at her ass as she walks out the door.
Ray looks around her room while she is gone. He admires her impressive collection of items, and tries to guess where she accumulated them.
There are more pictures of Atalanta and Zoë than he could count, and many of them were from after a battle. There is one big picture on her nightstand that shows her, Zoë, and another woman he has never seen before, one who looks strikingly similar to Atalanta. Big brown eyes, long icy chocolate hair, much lighter skin tone than both of the other girls. Zoë looks Persian to him, and Atalanta is a more American looking girl, but this other woman looks Latina. He will have to ask her about the woman later.
He sees a few pictures with Atalanta hugging Natalie and Grace, especially one of them being taken at-
"Ground zero at 9/11," comes the huntress's voice from the doorway, she is holding a few clothes, just a shirt, shorts, and underwear, she tosses them to him. "Lady Artemis sent me on a mission to find two young women to bring to the hunt. Go take a shower and join me back in the bed when you are done, then I will finish the story. I have no desire to tell my 9/11 story again this year."
"You're an amazing person Atalanta, thank you."
To his surprise, she gives him a kiss.
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To Atalanta's credit she did try hard not to think of Ray in the shower, and how glorious that must be. His hard, strong muscles flexing all down his back, the abs, his… Well, that's enough of that.
She lounges lazily in her bed waiting for him, long legs fully extended, crossed. Her hands clasped together resting just below her breasts. Thinking about her relationship with Ray, thinking of the war that claimed the life of one of her best friends.
She hears the door open, turning her head to the sound. She sees Ray walk out of the bathroom fully dressed.
"So? Feel better, Ray?"
"Much better," he replies with a smile, "Am I allowed to undress for bed too? Or will that be considered sexual harassment?" Ray asks with a drawl, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
Atalanta looks at him for a split second with a serious face to just make sure he is being serious and not joking with her, then she bursts into laughter.
"Oh gosh, Ray, you really are the best…" She wheezes, catching her breath before she goes on, "No, Ray, it won't be flipping sexual harassment, silly. Just make yourself at home, I want you to be more than comfortable."
He just shakes his head at the semantics then yanks his shirt up and over his head. He also unbuttons his shorts and lets them fall to the floor too.
Atalanta watches with great fascination and indulgent curiously.
By the gods… he is ripped. She thinks to herself as she starts to feel the tingling in her spine from the display.
Homelessness and banditry may not have done anything good for his self-esteem, or his public image, but GODS DAMN did it do him well in the gym. He doesn't have an 8 pack like Atalanta, and nowhere near as thick of thighs or legs, but he definitely has wider shoulders than her, and bigger ceps up one side and down the other… literally.
She quickly looks away with a blush as she processes all this in less than a few second, deciding that if Ray looks away from her out of respect and politeness, she should do the same.
Atalanta has a very large room, and an even more impressive bed, so there is plenty of room for them to both get comfy without Ray feeling like he's breaking her boundaries.
"Please continue your story, Atalanta?" He asks her politely, rustling around in the blankets and arranging the pillows.
"There are more pillows and blankets underneath the bed."
"Have company often?"
She blushes as she realizes that he is talking about other guys.
"Uhm… No, of course not, but Natalie and Grace, sometimes even Alissa, and often Phoebe sleeps over here. My big bedroom, and my powers are very coveted, especially on winter nights. I can control the climate here with my magic."
"That's amazing… I noticed that it is cooler here than the rest of the place."
"Yes, I pref-" She cuts off abruptly with an innocent smile, hoping that he wouldn't notice. She didn't want to tell him what she prefers because then he would never give any feedback of his own… "But please, tell me if you feel uncomfortable, and I can change it to your liking."
"I like it the way it is now." Ray says, as she expected.
Damn him and his selflessness…
They stay there in silence for a few moments, both of them silently undressing the other's thoughts as they stare into each other's eyes.
"So, do you want to hear the rest of the story?" She asks him softly as she rolls over onto her side.
"Absolutely, I love to hear your voice."
Atalanta rolls her eyes and she begins again where she left off.
"Well, when Artemis left we got picked up by Apollo and brought to camp half blood… That was really lame, he's always so dramatic, always trying to hit on us and-"
"I can't blame him-"
"Yip yip yip,hush now! Story time! So when we got there we were presented with a prophecy… Zoë, Bianca, Thalia, Percy and a Satyr named Grover left on a quest to free the goddess and Percy's girlfriend."
"I take it that the quest didn't go well?"
"In perspective it was successful… But at immense cost." She says softly, a tear appearing beneath her eyes. "Bianca died defending the others during the quest, and when they finally arrived at , where Atlas was holding Artemis, making her hold up the sky, Zoë had to fight the dragon Ladon. She defeated him, but she was poisoned from a bite wound, which she hid from her other quest mates."
"Why did she hide it?"
"The readiness to sacrifice one's life for the life of others is a quality of a true leader. Zoë knew that she had to go on, so she didn't let it stop her… But when they reached their destination, and found Artemis, she was guarded by Atlas."
"The Titan that was leading the army earlier this week?"
"Yes… Zoë's father."
"Her father!?" He gasps.
"Mhm, she was one of the Hesperides long long ago, but that is unimportant. Zoë was obviously the most powerful of all the people that went on that quest, and as she battled Atlas, Percy took the sky for Artemis so that she could defeat Atlas… But it was not in time to save my mentor. She fought bravely, and ultimately she perished. The poison made it much harder to fight. She died for the greater good. Artemis put her in the stars where she always longed to be. With her final breath she spoke of the stars." Atalanta finishes, staring up at the huntress constellation through the window on the ceiling. The whole Moon Mansion is just one big enchantment… Not only is it much more massive inside than it looks outside, but there are 3 more floors above her bedroom, and she still has a window on the ceiling that leads outside.
Zoë… I am so sorry. Is this… Do you approve of my choice in men? Do you approve of him?
The constellation flashes twice before her eyes.
"Your mentor sounds like a natural born leader, and a great warrior."
Ray rolls onto his side and gives her a bright smile.
"She was… and so much more." Atalanta whispers, gazing up at the constellation with a grievous smile on her luscious lips.
"So, how did you become her apprentice?"
"That is a tale for another time, right now… I think it's time to go to sleep, don't you think?"
"Yes, but first…" He says, and raises the blankets right next to him, "Why don't you come here?" He asks in a sweet seductive voice, and in the ever so softest tone he adds, "Little huntress?"
Atalanta smirks, "What was that I heard?"
"Nothing, come here."
"Nuh uh, what did you say?" She insists, smirking and inching closer to him, but not settling into the space in his arms until he tells her.
"I didn't call you anything. You must be hearing things."
"Yeah, I heard a soft whisper of a nickname. What did you say, Ray?" She purrs, sitting up in the bed with a smirk.
"I called you My Little Huntress." He admits, smiling to her with a sweetness that makes her heart melt.
Atalanta smiles at him, and she does accept his invitation to settle into his arms.
"That's cute, Ray… But I don't know if you forgot how I effortlessly emerged victorious from our duel, but I'm not so little."
"But do you like it?"
Atalanta cuddles into the crook of his arm, resting her head on his shoulder.
In a sweet, soft voice she mutters:
"Maybe… We'll see."
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A few hours later
Moonlight floods Artemis's bedroom as she lies there sleeping peacefully on the left side of the bed facing away from Percy, illuminating her skin in bathing rays of light. Auburn hair cascading around the pillow. The moon goddess is always flooded with rays of moonlight at night, and especially when they make love. They made quite a lot of it before they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.
Percy isn't as blessed as his girlfriend, and the rays of moonlight don't help him stay asleep.
He wakes up and slips out of bed without alerting his girlfriend. She is sleeping like a rock. The mental and emotional toll on her poor soul from constantly worrying about whether or not Percy would come back, or if he would hate her even if he did… Especially since on top of everything he went to Atlantis to cool down of all places… The only people that live there are people that hate her guts, it didn't give her a warm cozy feeling.
It all made her really tired, and drained. Then umpteen rounds of sex today on top of that really put her into sleep deprivation, even for a goddess, but not that she is complaining, of course!
He gets out of bed to go to the restroom, and he sits on the edge of their bed for a while when he comes back.
He gazes at his sleeping beauty admiring her, and he briefly begins to ponder about waking her or not… Briefly, as he realizes that that would definitely be selfish, and very taking advantage of her.
He begins to think about all the things in the past week that have made him guilty, or make him feel bad.
I left for three days without any warning or goodbye, leaving her all alone and worrying…
I left the hunters alone for three days…
I made her really upset yesterday with my stupid disregard for respect.
She threatened to leave if I don't start treating her better…
Three hunters died because I couldn't protect them…
All these thoughts swirl in his head perpetuating a downward spiral of regret in his heart.
"It's not wise to dwell on the past, Percy."
I know it's not, but I just can't stop… wait
Suddenly he turns around and looks at Artemis, who he didn't even hear roll over in the bed.
She's laying on her side looking up to him with a concerned look.
"Hey, Arty…" He says softly.
"Come back to bed, Percy."
"Not tired," he lies.
"The past is a place to learn from, not to live in."
Dam… That hits hard.
He stares into her eyes, and then turns away.
"I have not been my best self lately, and I feel really bad about it."
Artemis sighs with heavy grief and gets up from the covers to sit next to Percy. She isn't nude. She decided to slip into a comfortable and supportive bra with matching panties before they fell asleep.
"What is this really about, Percy?" Artemis asks softly.
"Ever since I became a God I feel like I've just been on a downward trend… Leaving you for 3 days, treating you wrong, failing to protect the hunters…"
"Percy, we all make mistakes, and the hunters were not your fault."
"I've always had one job, to protect the hunters, and I failed that triple."
"There was nothing you could have done about it, Percy. You're not ever going to be able to save everyone, no matter how hard you try. Dwelling on that failure will only weaken your ability to prevent the next." She says to him, resting a hand on his shoulder to be as supportive as she possible can.
They stay there in silence for a few seconds before she picks it back up.
"What do you hate so much about being a god?" She asks in a surprised voice, as if she couldn't believe he doesn't like it after all the advantages it gives him in the bedroom.
"I-" He looks away, "I never wanted or asked to be a god, and it was just kind of forced on me, and it's not that I'm getting bored of you or that I don't appreciate our connection. It's just that this fantasy I had, you know every demigod has it, but it only became a reality for me… I was a lowly demigod who managed to get a goddess to fall in love with me, and she is the goddess of the hunt on top of it!... But it feels different now. I'm a god too, and it's like I've lost that fantasy... that dream that almost proved to me how worthy I was for you. I wasn't your equal: I was your underling, and yet you still gave me a chance and let me prove my love to you. Now that I'm a god…" He cuts off, but it's obvious that he doesn't have to say anything else to finish his point. The dots have already been connected for her.
She stares at him with a great deal of surprise and admonition, then she falls back onto the bed. She reaches her arms up above her head, smiling.
"Wow, Percy, I-I," she falters with a breath caught in her throat, "I don't even know what to say."
Percy snickers with a mischievous smile, the one that he is so renowned for.
"I am pretty good at leaving you speechless, aren't I?"
She moans into the air with a big smile on her face as she remembers all the times that he has left her speechless.
"Gods, Percy… You have no idea just how right you are."
She knows the gravity of what he told her, and how much it excites her is beyond bounds. She stays there motionless on the bed for a few moments before she then gets up to lay back down on the bed, under the covers just barely. Percy rolls over and begins to trace a finger down the contour of her breasts.
"I know I have treated you horribly in the past, and I have sins that could never be forgiven, but it does make me weak in the knees to know that you still find it to be such a blessing to be with me." Artemis tells him, before he could get things going too far down the road with his touch… Those fingers override her mind, and his lips are a drug.
"I've forgiven you for everything, Arty. I love you, and that will never change."
Artemis has many secrets that she still has not even shared with Percy, and she knows that they won't stay that way forever. She wants to cultivate a relationship, an unbreakable one, with Percy, and she prays that those secrets will stay in the past… That they won't make her lose him.
When he realizes that Artemis doesn't intend to continue their conversation any further he turns his tracing into kneading, and then he locks his lips with his girlfriend. She mewls and whines into the kisses from the groping and kneading, hoping that he will take it further and further. She wants him to take her, but above all, what she wants and hopes for is that she did a good job soothing his mind, his worries, and his heartbreaks.
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Happy Birthday, Percy, I hope you liked your Bday chapter!
Sorry again guys for the short update, I didn't realize that today was Percy's birthday until like a week ago, so while I did have a massive start on the story only like 3 days after I updated, this was not the full extent of what I wanted to give you guys. My point is, I had to rush.
Shoutout to eessaamaster1 for everything he has done to help me. He helped a lot with Atalanta's outfit, getting My Little huntress right, and he also helped me a ton with Percy's confession to Artemis about his goddess fetish, lmao.
Please consider leaving a review if you are kind enough, and everyone have a great day!