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Percy had no problem admitting that he did not know what to do. Gods do not just fall over and start bleeding regular mortal blood. Nothing in the demigod handbook or even the introduction video back at camp handled such a situation.
Yet, Percy, like water, was great at going with the flow of things.
He stirred the pot of mac and cheese.
Artemis was passed out on his couch, a cool cloth on her forehead and a wrapping on her cut hand. She had been like that for over an hour now, and Percy had found himself getting hungry. So, that brought him to his mac and cheese.
Realistically, he only had to wait until Thalia arrived tomorrow, and she would likely have a better idea of what was happening or what to do. That or Thalia would be waiting till Artemis arrived at camp so she could make her statement and leave, but she would be waiting forever. And he still would have to deal with red-blooded Artemis himself until tomorrow.
If only he could find one of those three drachmas to call Thalia and get heads or tails of what was happening.
Percy pulled the cooked mac and cheese off the stove and onto his countertop. He pulled down a bowl and spoon, ready to eat, but he was interrupted by a low and miserable groan from his couch.
"Really? Now?" he mumbled under his breath as he quickly approached the living room. "Artemis, you, uh… good?"
The goddess only groaned with her eyes screwed shut. Her uncut hand came to her forehead, throwing the wet washcloth to the floor. Percy snatched it and properly threw it into the sink, slightly controlling the water in the cloth to maintain accuracy.
"Artemis?" he crouched to her side, careful not to be in her face.
"What happened to me?" she hissed between grimaces.
"I don't know. I was hoping you had an idea. That you were having episodes lately or the such…."
"Gods do not have episodes," she growled.
"Right. Do gods also bleed red?"
Her eyes snapped open and bore into his being. For a split moment, he thought he would be a fuzzy little creature or a deer. Then, she hissed, bringing her hands to rub at her eyes. However, she slowly pulled her hands away as the unbandaged hand gripped the wrappings that contained the other palm.
"What happened?" Artemis whispered, breathless, as she looked at the dried red blood. "What did you do to me?" She panicked.
He scooted back, hands in the air, "I didn't do anything. I don't have a clue what is going on. You just gasped and fell. Then, you cut your hand on the broken glass you were holding on the way down, and well, I did what I knew what to do." He gestured to her current bandaged state.
For a long moment, she did not respond as she stared at the mortal blood. With her almost-black eyes never breaking their focus, she slowly sat up. The blanket Percy had over her lower half was discarded as she placed her feet onto his rug. Perhaps it was the sensation of putting her feet on the ground or a moment of clarity; she broke her gaze to stare at his apartment.
"Where am I?"
"You came to me, remember? This is my place. A few hours ago, you flashed here, and we were talking about Calypso and all that."
"It is fuzzy." She rested her face into her palms.
"Look, you might've hit your head. You could be concussed?" he shrugged. "I'm not sure. I didn't pay attention in the first aid classes all that much since I could just step into the water."
"I feel… drained?" she mumbled from behind her hands as her elbows rested on her knees.
"Do you need to eat something? I made some mac and cheese."
The goddess glared up at him over the edges of her fingers.
"If you don't want it, just say so."
She groaned, "I'll try it. Maybe I just need a placebo."
Percy nodded, hiding his frown at losing his dinner, but if it helped to get her off his couch and out the door, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. He grabbed his dinner and brought it to the goddess.
Her nose winced as she first laid her eyes on the mac and cheese. "What is that?"
"Noodles and questionable cheese."
"I had thought it was something else."
"Look, it's not good for you in the slightest, so if you don't want it, I'll make the sacrifice and eat it for you."
"I do not need heroics from a man." She reached for the bowl, "Give me the food." She snatched it from him, the fork almost falling out in the velocity change. She stilled the fork and shoveled the cheesy noodles into her mouth.
"Pleh." She gagged. "This is foul and fake in every way."
"I said it wasn't good for you." Percy snatched the bowl away from her and took a bite. It tasted great.
"Do you have any real food?"
Percy shrugged as he glanced at his fridge, thinking about what was in there, "I think I got some eggs and a little bit of almond milk. Is almond milk real? Wait, it is a drink, not a food. So does that —"
"Perseus!" Artemis threw her hand into the air at him. "Silence. Your volume hurts my head."
"Sorry." Perseus frowned as he took another bite. "Let's just get back to the root of the situation, yeah?"
"Agreed."
"What can I do to help you feel better and be on your way?"
Artemis gave him a frown. "I do not know. I don't even know where to begin."
"Okay, so let us start with the first thing then. Why are you bleeding red?"
"I-I am unsure. I fear to admit what I think it is."
"Pfft." He bit into more food and pointed his silverware at the goddess. "You think you just turned mortal or something after we just talked about how much you detested such an idea?"
"Yes," she deadpanned. "That is what I feared and was avoiding speaking into truth."
"Shoot, my bad." He winced. "Uh, so uh… I don't know what to say?"
"I cannot feel my connection to the moon or my hunters," she whispered, head falling. "Someone has taken my powers and immortality."
"Zeus?"
"My Father would have made a show of it. No, this being took them by surprise."
"So, are you sure you lost your powers?" She gave him a glare. "Right. Stupid question. I'm sorry my mind is racing, and I don't like feeling useless to help someone."
"It's… alright. I am unsure, myself, of what can be done."
"I could drive you back to your hunters? They could help you do whatever needs to be done."
"Perhaps. I must admit, I still feel light-headed, though."
"Shit, if you are mortal, you might really have a concussion, then."
"I see…."
"Look, if that's true, I kinda need to hover-mom you and make sure you are fine for the night. You won't kill me for that, will you?"
"Do you truly fear me, Perseus?"
"Look, don't take this the wrong way, but the only person at camp that sang your praise was Grover and the nature spirits. If some of the things you did are true, I fear for my life just the same as any other sensible guy."
"Hmm." She paused, letting silence lapse over the living room. "What is a hover-mom?"
"Don't worry about it. I just need to keep an eye on you and make sure you remain responsive."
She sighed, "I suppose this is fine. There are worse men out there that could be my guardian for the night."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
When Artemis did not respond, Percy nodded to himself and walked away back towards the kitchen. He was unsure of how to really go forward with anything. Gods did not lose their immortality willy-nilly, and it just so happened before him…. If there was one thing Percy had learned to spot over the years of being a demigod, it was minotaur crap, and whatever plan fate had set in motion tonight was absolute minotaur crap.
He glanced at the mortal-bound goddess, who stared off into space. Someone or something had taken a piece of her identity and very being from her. How do you help someone come to terms with that?
"Perseus?" she glanced back to him.
"Yeah?"
"Can you contact Thalia?"
"I don't have any spare coins for an Iris."
Artemis sighed, ruffled into her outfit, and tossed him a drachma, "Say that her sister needs her, not Lady Artemis, but it is her sister. She will understand."
"Sure thing."
Percy placed his half-eaten food down as he went to his bathroom. He grabbed his Iris prism that Tyson had gifted him a year ago. A turn of the facet resulted in a spray mist with the passive use of water manipulation, and the bathroom light glinted at just the right angle. A faded rainbow formed, reflecting in the mirror.
"Oh, Iris, I need to talk to Thalia Grace in the Hunter's camp." Percy waited a moment, but the IM never connected. "Iris?" he prodded.
"I'm sorry, the person you are trying to call is busy and is not accepting calls at this time."
"Emergency overwrite, or something?" Percy tried. "It is important. She can sling arrows and listen at the same time."
"I'm sorry, Perseus. I am not allowed to establish this call."
"Not allowed?" Percy frowned.
"I cannot."
"Iris! Please, connect me now!"
"I really am sorry, Perseus. It seems she is unreachable at this moment."
"What does that even mean?" Percy threw his hands out to the side.
"Message will be terminated now," an automated voice spoke, sending Percy into a panic.
"Wait!" He tried to reach out and touch the message, but it was too late. The rainbow separated into a mist. The goddess had closed the line, and no matter how much mist floated in the air, he could not angle the Iris prism to create a new rainbow.
After a minute of trying, he gave up, almost breaking his sink when he slammed his fist against it.
"What the Hades is going on?" he mumbled to his reflection. "She could have at least given me the coin back."
He pushed away from the sink and left the bathroom to return to Artemis. Something was going on, and the Hunt was at the center of it.
"Artemis. Bad news." He entered his living room. The mortal goddess was on his balcony, crouched as she dragged her finger through the blood he had yet to clean up. "Artemis?"
She turned to him, her eyes dull. "Sorry. I believe reality is setting in. Did you talk to Thalia?"
"No. Iris did not allow my message to go through or something. She even kept your coin."
"That is…."
"Annoying?"
"I was going to say: unfortunate."
"You know what is going on?"
She stood back to her full height and turned away from him. Her head tilted back as she looked up at the moon, "I have an idea, Perseus. I have a horrible idea."
:P LINE BREAK d:
"So, you have to go on a quest?"
"A journey of self-discovery, yes."
"And you'll find your powers on the other side?"
"Yes, Perseus. I believe this to be a test by Father. He was not pleased with me nor my brother after the Earth Mother."
"Did Apollo get punished?"
"I am unsure. Perhaps we are both mortals together but apart."
"And Thalia being busy?"
"Fate has not allowed us external help. I lost my powers in your presence, so it must mean our fates are intertwined for this journey."
"I was hoping you wouldn't say that."
"And for what reason would that be?"
"I don't believe in Fate. I can't accept the idea that things are predetermined and that I cannot choose a better option."
"Naïve and a poor choice of words. They will now make you believe for that very statement."
"Yeah, I know. I just jinxed myself." He sighed dramatically. "Look, Artemis, I'm not like the other demigods. I stepped away from the swords and shields. I can drive you to camp, and you can try this quest with someone who has been keeping up with their footwork. You can go and choose someone better than me to help you. I think Jason would be fine, but then I think Piper has to tag along. But you'll be fine."
"No. I refuse." Artemis met his gaze. "Fate struck here"— she pointed at her feet –"in this apartment. The one time I go to visit a male, they enact their will. You are important to my future. Whether this is my father's actions or another, at the end of the day, the journey starts with you."
Percy rolled his eyes, "How about I just drive you out to your hunters, then? Maybe that is my role in your quest. I'm fine choosing to be the chauffeur to allies. Didn't they have to ride some eagles in Lord of the Rings?" he rambled. "Think of me as your eagle, but you know, with a car or a boat. Whichever you prefer, really."
Artemis narrowed her eyes, "Are you cowering out of a quest, boy?"
"Yeah. Basically," he told her, and whatever attitude she was preparing to hit him with fell away as she faltered. "Look, she was going to tell you tonight, but since you won't be able to flash back to her, Thalia was leaving the Hunt tonight. Once she arrives tomorrow, she and I plan on going on a fun little trip to detox from our current lives. We'll drop you off wherever you want, but I have plans. And a quest isn't one of them."
She just stared at him.
He waited for her to respond, but no words came from her distant, silverless eyes.
"Artemis?" he waved his hand in front of her face. "Artemis?"
"She was going to leave…" she whispered and stumbled back to his couch.
"What? I didn't hear what you whispered."
"Thalia. You said she was leaving the Hunt. Tonight?"
"Yes. Look, this is more of her story to tell you than mine, so how about we just wait till tomorrow comes, and then you and her can hash out what needs to happen. Then, we can worry about your quest."
"She is leaving me?"
"Artemis? Are you okay?"
"I should have told her how important she was to the hunt."
"I mean, you still could. She'll be here tomorrow. Sooner than later, based on how she drives."
"We both know Thalia Grace. Once her mind is set, it is set."
"True," Percy admitted. "Look, Artemis." She turned to him, crestfallen. "A lot of crap just happened, and there is a lot we don't know about what is happening. Before you rush off to try and solve what's happening, let's just take a few hours to regroup and settle. Alright?"
He searched her eyes. A few hours ago, he would've said the moon was staring back at him, but instead, it was only black, like the night sky.
Artemis nodded, unsure but not knowing a better solution.
Percy carefully laid a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at his offending hand, but she did not react beyond it.
"Artemis, I am sorry this happened to you. Goddess or mortal, having something a part of you, integral to your being stolen, isn't right. I'll do what I can to help you start on the journey back to being you. I promise."
She turned back to him, her eyes watering, and nodded.
"I know the world feels like it is crumbling right now. I've been there. Just give me a night, give yourself a night, and we will approach this in the morning, okay?"
"Okay," she whispered weakly.
"Alright." He reached for the blankets he had initially assembled for Thalia and later used earlier for Artemis. "Just close your eyes for a bit. It will be fine in the morning."
Percy pushed her back onto the couch. She limply settled back, and he pulled the blankets over her. She was in a form of shock with possibly a concussion. Her divinity and powers had been robbed from her, and she believed herself to be at the start of a quest. Maybe this was Fate prying back into his life after everything he had done, but it didn't mean it had to be his responsibility.
After all, if he chose to help, to do what was right, it only ever backfired….
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-Manke