Hey fellas, it's me, ya boi, Bako, back at it again with the Pertemis brainrot. Yes, I know I have Moonlit Prayers, don't worry, it'll still be updated this week, but I couldn't get this idea out of my head for the past few months. Anyway, read the AN at the end too!
The lack of warmth that she had clung to throughout the night was absent as her eyes fluttered open. The smell of the sea lingered in the air as she sat up, clinging to the bedsheets to cover her frame. Auburn hair fell in curls, framing her face as her silver eyes drifted across the room. She expected to see Perseus somewhere in the room, groggily complaining about how he hates mornings while he made a cup of coffee for the both of them. However, he was completely gone, and with a quick look, she could see his shoes were missing, which meant he had left his cabin.
"Odd, but not unexpected." Considering their unique situation of hiding their current relationship, he wouldn't usually leave her alone in his cabin. Swinging her legs off the bed and wincing at the cold hardwood floors, she got up and started to get ready. Walking over to the private showers, she set up a searing hot bath and washed herself off, making sure she was ready for the day. Once she was finished with her bath she got dressed in a simple silver t-shirt and jeans, keeping it casual since there was no reason to dress in her hunting gear while at camp.
"So, how does this work…" The maiden goddess fiddled with the coffee maker, having never used one before considering she never drank coffee before dating Perseus. After getting frustrated with the device, and somehow burning herself once or twice, she gave up and snapped her fingers, letting the godly powers do their thing. After a second, a steaming mug of coffee was in her hands. As she took a sip, she heard a loud banging on the door and nearly dropped it all over her lap. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have time to react to the door opening.
"Percy! You've got mail!" She could recognize the daughter of Aphrodite from anywhere and was relatively shocked that the girl would just enter his cabin nearly unannounced. It irritated her, if only slightly. "Oh…uh, hello Lady Artemis..?" She squeaked out, clearly recognizing she was seeing something she probably shouldn't have.
"Piper." The autumn wind blew through the cabin as the two women stared at each other. Chills ran down Artemis's spine as she ran through scenarios in her head. She could turn the girl into an animal until they decided to go public with their relationship, however, she couldn't guarantee the girl's safety. Also, it would be rude to do that to a friend of Perseus's.
"I'll just, Uhm, place this here and forget I saw you, that okay? Cool." She placed a sealed envelope onto a nearby desk and slipped away before Artemis could say anything back. Deciding against following the girl and instead walking over to the envelope, she picked it up and flipped it over. Written in the script was Perseus's cabin number alongside Camp Half-Blood's address. However what truly concerned her was who the letter was addressed to.
"Yours truly..?" Artemis whispered to herself. It wasn't a thick envelope, maybe only a page or two at max, but the words she read made her sick to her stomach. It wasn't unlike him to receive fan mail, but this is the first time it's been something as, well, she couldn't even describe it. Deciding against her own morals, she flashed the letter into her own personal storage before going back to her coffee and sitting down.
It didn't take long for Perseus to return, maybe only a few minutes after the interaction with Piper. As he entered the room, Perseus smiled and walked over to the goddess.
"You know if you keep frowning, your face will stay that way permanently. Just ask Mr. D." Artemis fought the urge to smile, flicking her gaze away from her beloved and watching the campers outside the window start their morning routines. "What's got you upset Agrotera~" Now it was much easier to fight her smile as she glared at Perseus.
"Will you stop calling me that Perseus. I told you that name in confidence and now you're using it as a nickname." A small chuckle escaped the demigod's lips as he bent over and tried to give the goddess a kiss on the cheek. Expertly dodging him, he simply rolled his eyes and settled for an affectionate shoulder squeeze.
"Not until you stop calling me Perseus. I've told you many times already that I'd prefer to be called Percy. Or really anything other than my full name." Perseus grabbed the coffee maker and started to mess with the different parts, the metal clinking in the quiet cabin. "How did you manage to get this stuck in here….I knew I shouldn't have left you alone here in the morning…"
"Not my fault you refuse to let me make my own coffee." She sipped her drink with a smug look on her face as she watched him. His orange shirt slightly clung to his body, tiny droplets of water falling off his raven locks of hair. "Did you go for a swim?" Perseus nodded
"Yeah, I uh, needed to clear my mind. Sometimes I just have nightmares that I can't shake off, so I wanted to take a cold swim to help." As the coffee maker stirred to life, the sound and smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room. Artemis was now jealous of the fresh stuff that only he was going to get, so she emptied her cup and held it out expectantly.
Of course he couldn't resist her as he just rolled his eyes and filled her cup up, a delicate smile forming on the goddess's face. As he poured his own drink, he sat down next to her, taking a sip with a satisfied sigh.
"You never answered my question." Artemis felt herself stiffen before she fixed herself. How he was so noticeably perceptive one moment and completely dense the other she would never know.
"Piper came by and saw me here." She could feel Perseus look over to her, her godly senses hearing his heart start to race. "I'm sure we can trust her but…it's unnerving." She also didn't mention the letter she had snagged from the girl in question, wondering if she should bring it up to him. Even though she wanted to, she mentally shook her head. It was her job to dispose of letters of admiration towards her lover.
"Yeah, we can definitely trust her. I don't think she would have anyone to tell anyway. She's become a bit of a recluse ever since she and Jason broke up." Artemis nodded silently, her eyes closed as the sun started to make its way into the cabin, the light reflecting off of the marble pillars and various mirrors. A horn blew in the distance as it signaled for the campers to make way for breakfast. Perseus downed his coffee and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before standing up. "We should head out before anyone notices. I'll talk to you later okay? We can train in the woods tonight or something."
Once again he knew how to bring a smile onto her face as she nodded, standing up as well and flashing her cup away.
"Sounds like a good idea Perseus."
"I'll meet you there at sunset Agrotera~"
And they both set out into their respective routines as the day trudged onwards.
The steady thrum of Perseus's heartbeat hummed in the goddess's ear as she rested her head on his chest. It hadn't taken long for him to fall asleep, especially after their training in the forest had thoroughly worn them both out. Once she was certain he was asleep through monitoring his breathing and his heart rate, she quietly slipped out from underneath his arm. Making her way out onto the back porch, she sat down on one of the many hammocks that lined the area.
The rippling surface of the water and the bright crescent moon above the lake set a tranquil scene as she flicked her wrist, materializing the letter from wherever she stored it. A part of her felt guilty for hiding the letter from Perseus, but she also considered the possibility of shutting this girl down herself, since she knew Perseus wouldn't be able to do it himself. Flashing her favorite dagger into her hand, she cut the envelope open, plucking the letter out and letting the loose paper fall to her side. As she got comfortable in the hammock, stretching her legs, she started reading.
"Dear Percy, how are you doing now? I know it's been a long time since you'd heard from me if you'd even want to listen. But, I want to know how you've been." Immediately alarm bells started ringing as her eyes widened, and her heart started to race. Has he met this girl before? Did he have a relationship after Annabeth that she wasn't aware of? Hungrily, she went back to the letter, needing to know more.
"I guess I should start asking questions now. How are you doing? I bet it's better than I am right now. I would hope anyway. I'm uh, not in a great place right now, and I was told that writing this letter could help me sort everything out. Did it get any better? Do you still hate me? Or were you able to move on?" Confusion was written clearly on Artemis's face as she read the letter. Who could this have been? She was desperate to know and would've gone to wake up Perseus herself if she didn't remember that she wasn't supposed to have the letter in the first place.
"Did you ever find someone else to love? I know you promised you wouldn't ever find someone else after her, but time could change, and you could be in a happy relationship now. Ten years is a long time after all." Only now did she recognize that there were many erased words and water stains on the pages, and she realized the person who was writing this was probably another demigod.
"I won't hate you if you did. It's in your nature, after all, to love with all your heart. But…" Whoever the author was, they must've taken some time to pause, as the type of pen ink was noticeably different from the previous words.
"I know it may be depressing to re-read this after all this time, but I guess I'm not really doing it for you. Well, that's kind of silly to say. But I'm doing it for me. I remember back in school, my punishments would be to write phrases a hundred times so that we wouldn't forget them." If she had been in school, she was definitely around Perseus's age.
"There's been one that's stuck with me recently. My therapist told me about it, and it's helped, just a little bit anyway. He's also the one who recommended I write this letter. Anyway…" Artemis's heart was thudding in her chest, her mind racing through the different demigods Perseus was acquainted with. Unfortunately, that was nearly all of them. Maybe it was Piper? She did just break up with her long-time boyfriend, so it wouldn't be impossible. It would explain her flustered appearance before, and why she just barged in without warning.
"You're worth the fight. You're worth the time. You're worth the pain." It was the only line in the letter that was written perfectly, a testament to the writer's practice.
"Anyway, I'm sorry for rambling on. I just ask you one thing, please, for me, please don't hate me forever." She tried to imagine someone Perseus would hate, but none of them would write him a letter. Especially one as intimate as this one. Looking down, she saw there was only one line left, and her breath caught in her throat as she whispered the words.
"Yours truly,
Percy Jackson"
Her breath caught in her throat as she realized what she had read. She wondered what he would think when he found out she had read the letter without him. How maybe he would leave her. How she would become someone he'd hate.
"You know it's technically a federal crime to open someone else's mail. Though, I doubt Olympian goddesses care about mortal laws." Her heart sank as she whipped around, her flashing silver eyes meeting his emerald green. Her mouth opened and closed multiple times.
"Percy, I'm-" She didn't even realize this was the first time she had called him by his preferred nickname, as she was too scared for what he'd do.
"Artemis, it's alright." He held a soft smile as he walked over and sat down next to her. Creaks echoed against the surface of the lake as the hammock swung back and forth. Normally, he would've tried to slip his hand into hers or to inch closer and sneak a peck on the cheek. However, this time he was quiet and still, his eyes focused on an imaginary point in the distance. "Will had told me to write the letter. He said it would help me understand my own feelings back then. I thought it was stupid…"
Artemis didn't know what to say, so she kept quiet, silently staring at his cheek.
"I think I went through thirty different variations of that letter, trying to figure out what I would say to my future self. I'm honestly not even that satisfied with what I did end up writing." Artemis scrunched her eyebrows together, trying to decipher the demigod's emotions. Normally he was an open book, but now he was just a cryptic letter, made of cut-out magazine letters.
"Then.." Artemis started
"Why did I do it anyway? Because maybe in the end, I knew you would end up reading it. Well, maybe not you specifically, but someone immensely important to me." Artemis felt her face flush gold as he turned his gaze towards her. There was nothing but warmth and love in his eyes, and she couldn't stop herself from wrapping her arms around the demigod's neck and pulling him into a kiss. She felt him tense up for just a moment, before leaning into it. She wasn't known for giving out affection, as she wasn't used to dating in any sense of the word, which is why she dodged Perseus's advances, but right now she felt the need to give him something. Every moment before this felt like she was in a dream, and now she had woken up, a euphoric feeling filling her soul as she felt complete with him by her side. Her heart hurt as she pulled away from the need for air.
"You're worth the fight Percy. You're worth the time, you're worth the pain of holding up the sky just to meet you. I love you, Percy." Her eyes flicked away, shyness and anxiety worming their way through her heart as she awaited his response. For a moment, it was like time stood still, and then he smiled, tears pooling in his eyes as he buried his face into her neck, his breath tickling her. She had known Perseus for being a strong hero, someone who could stand up to anything, but right now he was just Percy. A lone son of Poseidon who had been dealt a bad hand by the fates. As he hugged her tight, she gently wrapped her own hands around his body, gently rubbing circles in his back.
"I-I-I love you too…" She had to smile as he responded with sniffles and hiccups. Gently, she scratched his back, and he was like putty in her hands.
After some time he eventually pulled away, and they both stared out into the distance, her body snuggled up to him as she bathed in his warmth. A single question crept its way into her mind, and she decided now was the best time to ask it.
"Hey Percy, can I ask you something?" She turned to face him, trying to make it clear that she meant no harm in her question.
"Of course. What's up?" He must've either not picked up on it or just ignored it all together as he watched her intently.
"Am I your second choice?" In reality, she really didn't mean any harm in the question. And even if he had said yes, she would be hurt, but she wouldn't be mad. Artemis had expected him to panic, maybe to spout out some lies about how he felt about her, but instead, he gave a small, sad smile.
"I…I don't like thinking about that Artemis. If she was still here, we wouldn't be together. We would have remained simply goddess and demigod. Two members of the Greek world who had nothing to do with each other." As he spoke, she knew of his answer before he even said it "I always felt guilty, thinking that of you. But," and her heart stopped, watching as a slow smile spread across his face, "I don't see you as that anymore. Instead of my second choice. I see you as my second chance. To take swims in the ocean once more, to love the little things that bring so much joy, to appreciate the color blue again." Tears didn't fall this time as he stated his thoughts, and Artemis was genuinely star-struck with the man before her.
"Can I ask something else?" Percy nodded, gently squeezing her hand as he pulled her closer. "Can we visit her grave today? I want to give thanks for everything she's done for you, and to gain her blessing." At this Percy simply smiled and nodded, the gentle caress of his hand steadying her rapid heartbeats.
"I think she would like that. Be sure to bring something architecture-related." They both let out a small chuckle as they cuddled together, their eyes focused on the horizon as they waited for Apollo to cross the horizon, not giving a damn about who sees them.
A little wholesome, and a little sad, but in all positive. I recommend reading through this again but listening to the inspiration of this chapter, Your's Truly by Sadbois. Anyway, I'll see ya'll in Chapter 13 of Moonlit!