The first thing he was aware of was the feeling of getting blown through a tree. The goddess in front of him was seething. He bit back a snarky remark and let his head hang in exhaustion as she stormed over to him, rearing her hand back again. He flinched,and she seemed to calm down, even if only just the tiniest bit. He didn't notice her take a quick step back, eyes wide. Rather than hit him again, she brought her hand up gently to his arms. The anger in her eyes and posture was present, though she fought to reign her emotion in as she crouched in front of him. And while she was able to stem the tides of her anger, nothing could stop her heart from throbbing painfully as she observed her friend.
Percy gave her a weak grin as he met her eyes through his unkempt mop of black hair. Artemis noted that his normally vibrant green eyes had taken a duller tone. She clicked her tongue as she observed the man in front of her.
"Perseus," Artemis wasn't quite glaring at him, but displeasure, among other things, was written across her face. His attempt at a witty remark died on his tongue as he let out a breath and braced for the lashing he was about to get.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled weakly. His arms stung worse than before. In fact, most of his body seemed rather worse for wear at the moment.
Artemis said nothing for a moment before turning to survey the area. Her gaze dropped to the son of Poseidon as she called her brother's name quietly. His head shot up as fast as his tired body would let him. It was a valiant attempt to protest but his outcry died on the spot as Artemis's head snapped down to him. He couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes as she stared at him. She still held one of his bleeding arms gingerly, not for fear of blood, rather as to not worsen the wounds. By her father's name, she would have liked to beat him a little more, but the gods knew it would do him no good.
A flash of golden light signaled the sun god's arrival. In normal sun god (but more specifically) Apollo fashion, he was quick to speak.
"Heya sis, what's-" he stopped mid sentence as his voice faltered slightly at the sight of the scene in front of him. Instantly, the jovial god was dressed in scrubs as he set about examining Percy. His eyes burned into Percy before he spoke again, "What happened?"
Percy opened his mouth to speak but Artemis beat him to it, "Perseus was ambushed by a group of monsters during his training session."
Apollo's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly as he surveyed the mess of a demigod in front of him but he said nothing. He looked back at the bloody mess in front of him and began treating the wounds. Luckily, most did not require much more than water to heal. Apollo had launched into a long-winded explanation about how Percy was his favorite patient since he didn't have to do much but his attempt at conversation died quickly since Artemis was seemingly fixated on the way Percy's wounds were healing and Percy was too tired to attempt to respond.
This was quickly rectified as Percy felt a bit of energy course through him, allowing him to just barely converse with his friend. A few things tugged at the back of his mind, but he ignored them as best as he could. Apollo certainly knew something was up, but thankfully he didn't ask anymore. What was more surprising was that Artemis had said nothing regarding the true nature of the situation.
He did question why she'd lied for him when she so obviously knew the truth. Not that he wasn't thankful of course but it was strange that the goddess would go to such measures to ensure his safety. Apollo rarely tended to patients outside of the Olympians or truly severe cases.
"You do know you can pray to us if you need help," Apollo cocked his head at the young man, "right?"
Percy grinned weakly, "It was a challenge."
Apollo rolled his eyes and snorted, "Right."
And with that, he was gone. No questions, no further comments, nothing. It was abnormal for the normally overbearing god to do such. Regardless, Percy was thankful. At least, up until the point where he realized that Apollo had left him alone with Artemis. He tried to find words but he faltered as he tried to speak. Artemis's eyes had not left him during his entire treatment process.
"Are you able to move?" Artemis's voice was hard. He cringed inwardly as he heard it but tried to respond anyway.
"I am, M'Lady."
Her eyes narrowed a bit, "Drop the formality Perseus, I tire of this."
He quickly fumbled out an apology before taking a breath, "Sorry."
She turned her gaze towards the sky for the first time in an hour, "Apollo was not lying when he said you could pray to us."
"I didn't actually get ambushed though," Percy said jokingly. Artemis's gaze snapped back to him and he shrunk back a bit. This caused her to shift a bit and her eyes softened slightly.
"It does not matter if you are or aren't subject to an impromptu monster attack. You will pray to me before this happens again," her voice was stern, "Are we clear?"
He nodded meekly, "Clear."
She nodded and stood, "Good. Then you will accompany me."
He blinked, "Where are we going?"
She looked at him over her shoulder, "We have much to discuss."
"I don't want to take up you-," Her gaze was withering, causing any further protest to be silenced on the spot. He spoke again shortly, "Where are we going?"
She didn't answer.
Percy blinked the spots away as he tried to stop himself from stumbling. His body was far more tired than it looked and his mind wasn't much better off. Only the firm grip of the goddess beside him kept him steady as his legs threatened to give out beneath him. The blaring sounds of horns and angry drivers under them told him that they were somewhere with a lot of people. His vision returning only reaffirmed his suspicion. He knew the door in front of them quite well.
"Am I getting an intervention?" he asked jokingly. Artemis glanced at him as she knocked. He knew full well the door would be answered relatively soon, even despite the time. His mother always tended to be up at odd hours of the night writing and editing.
"We shall see," Artemis said stoically.
Percy couldn't help but grin, "Is this for the cookies?"
"We have more pressing matters to attend to," Artemis said before pausing and turning to him in full, "Though the thought did cross my mind."
Despite his predicament, Percy couldn't help but laugh but that was quickly cut off by the door swinging open and revealing his mother holding a mug of what he assumed to be coffee. Her eyes lit up as she saw her son but were quickly drawn to the goddess next to him. It was a little funny seeing her have to look up at Artemis.
"Lady Artemis," she said cordially before greeting her son by wrapping her arms around him, "Did something happen?"
Percy glanced at the huntress questioningly who ignored him and chose to respond in his place, "Perseus was ambushed by a group of monsters near his home so I thought it best to bring him somewhere safer."
Sally nodded and glanced in mild worry at her son but relaxed after giving him a long glance. She figured if he wasn't hurt, there wasn't much reason to worry, "I won't complain about seeing my son a bit more. We have plenty of food for both of you, but are you staying the night as well M'Lady? We have a guest room if you'd like."
Percy blinked at the thought. Sure, they'd spent most of the previous night talking but that was a bit different. Artemis though, as per usual, was on top of things and explained her plans. Percy found that the huntress could lie quite well and was doing so unabashedly, though he supposed it made sense. According to history, the goddess had always been a bit obstreperous. He chuckled at his use of a big word. Annabeth had used it to describe him on more than a few occasions so he naturally picked up the meaning.
He snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed both of the women staring at him. He grinned and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as his mother spoke again, "You weren't paying attention."
"Definitely not," Percy smiled, "What did I miss?"
Sally rolled her eyes, "You're staying here tonight."
Percy nodded, barely stopping himself from glancing at the goddess next to him, "Works for me."
"You don't exactly have a choice," Sally said. Artemis nodded at this as his mother continued, making idle talk about her day and making small inquiries about his. Artemis had taken the figurative back seat in this conversation and was trailing behind a little, though it seemed to be more out of respect than out of discomfort. It wasn't surprising to know that many of the gods, though especially the goddesses, respected his mother a great deal and they tried to be as respectful as possible. To do otherwise would mean having two very powerful enemies.
He tripped as he walked through the house, only to be grabbed by the goddess of the hunt who'd practically materialized next to him. He gave a sheepish smile to his mother as she stared at him in concern. Needless to say, it was out of character that he slipped or fell, especially just in their home, "Are you okay Percy?"
He brushed it off and fake yawned, "Yeah I'm alright. Just a bit tired."
He could feel Artemis's eyes boring holes through the back of his head as she brought him up. He'd expected her to yank him up, but she was almost uncharacteristically gentle. Surprising given the otherwise gruff act she'd been putting on. He couldn't stop the small smile that worked his way across his face.
"Didn't know you cared," he joked. It was at this point that he was smacked across the back of the head, sending him to the floor. Artemis's expression faltered for a moment. She certainly hadn't put that much force into it.
Percy groaned as he pushed himself up. Artemis offered a hand which he gladly took, "I deserved that."
His mother nodded in agreement, "I take it that Percy has been intentionally grating on your nerves?"
Artemis's head didn't quite snap to Sally, but the demigod noticed that she seemed slightly on edge as she responded, "No more so than usual."
"Give it some time," Sally shrugged as she led them to his room. Even after a few years, he still marveled at his mother's new residence. Another gift from Poseidon and surprisingly Zeus. It wasn't a multimillion dollar penthouse or anything, but it was far more than they could have afforded on their own and it had quite a decent amount of space, even by normal house standards.
Eventually, Sally pushed the door to his room open. It was almost exactly the way he left it, though he did notice a small note on his dresser. He wasn't looking forward to reading it given the handwriting but that was an issue for later. At the moment, he had other issues to deal with, such as the goddess staring at him from the doorway. At the moment, he had no mind for decorum or politeness and proceeded to flop onto his bed. He turned his head at the sound of the door shutting.
It hurt him a little to find that Artemis hadn't stuck around, though he supposed it made sense. It would be a little strange to be in his room alone. It was at this point that the stupidity of that thought hit him. If she could spend almost the entire night talking to him in his house, why was a room any different? Of course, part of him considered that it was slightly different to be sitting together in a bedroom as opposed to an office per se. Regardless of all of that, he couldn't ignore the way his heart hurt a little. She hadn't said a word before leaving. He sighed as he let his head fall back and lay on the pillow. He pulled his pillow onto his face and groaned.
Some quantity of time passed, though given the pillow on his head, he wasn't sure if it was fifteen minutes or three hours. Regardless, he was quite sure he wouldn't be able to sleep. It happened far more often than he'd like to admit. Normally, he'd do something but it seemed that he was currently on house arrest. Some part of him missed his secluded home by the ocean. At the moment, he'd like nothing more than to be outside in the forested area surrounding his home, even if only to look at the moon and stars.
He grabbed the pillow and tossed it somewhere off to his side. Given the way his neck cracked when he sat up, he was fairly certain he'd been laying there for quite a while. He glanced at the large set of windows and grinned. While he didn't have a door to the balcony, the large casement windows allowed him easy access. He found that being outside, even in the city, tended to be quite relaxing, so long as he was relatively isolated. While he had no qualms with others being around him, he certainly wasn't interested in large crowds at the moment. They just seemed to set him on edge.
The window swung open easily enough and he carefully hopped up onto the sill, making sure to avoid the planter boxes that were situated right outside. He wobbled slightly, throwing out an arm to steady himself so as to not dislodge any of the precious flowers that his mother was painstakingly growing. Sure, he could have used the door in the hall, but where was the fun in that? He gently set his foot down on the treated wood flooring and leaned over to one side in order to bring his other leg high over both the sill and planter box.
"Are doors not to your liking?"
Percy's head whipped to the seat next to him, causing him to lose his balance as his entire upper body pivoted to find a moon goddess lounging on a deck chair. As such, he fell straight on his ass, quickly followed by the rest of his body. He groaned as he pushed himself up. Artemis cocked her head before offering a hand which he gladly took.
"I thought you left?" Percy asked questioningly as he rubbed his head.
"For a moment to discuss something with Apollo," she spoke plainly, though he was certain that there was something on the huntress's mind.
"Not that I mind, but why come back?" Percy asked, making sure to choose his words carefully as not to misconstrue his intention.
She gave him a sidelong glance before turning back up to look at the moon, "To make sure your stupidity doesn't get the best of you once more."
Percy mustered a dry laugh, "But don't you have better things to do? More important things?"
"Such as?"
"I dunno," Percy paused, "I'd think driving the moon around is kind of a full time thing."
"I can be in multiple places at once, Perseus."
He blinked before nodding slowly, "Well yeah but even still?"
The goddess sighed as she turned to stare at him, "Your mother was right."
He couldn't help but smile, "Typically is but you'll have to be specific."
"You are insufferable," Artemis's voice was even but her posture was comfortable to the point of relaxation, "I am here because you have done something monumentally stupid and I, for one, will not stand to let it happen again."
Percy shrugged, "Wasn't the first time."
He could practically hear her head snap towards him and he could certainly feel the glare he was getting, even with his head bowed. He winced as he prepared to be berated. Instead, the goddess just sighed, "Regardless, it will be the last while you are under my watch, it will not happen again."
Percy snickered, "How long would that be?"
Artemis leaned back into the deck chair and closed her eyes, "For the rest of your gods'-damned life if need be."
His mind faltered for a moment, unable to come up with a witty response, "Uh thanks."
"For?"
"Just, uh," he stumbled over his words, "You know?"
He could tell that Artemis would be rolling her eyes if they were open, "I do not."
He sighed, "Even if they're empty words, they're nice to hear."
"I care not for hollow words or empty rhetoric," Artemis shifted slightly as she spoke. Percy was drawn to the cars moving below them, causing him not to notice her pause, "Understand that you hurt those close to you when you act so foolishly."
He tilted his head back a little, letting himself fall into the chair a bit more. He hardly noticed his fingers picking at the frayed edge of the armrest as he spoke, his voice forlorn "Yeah. I get it."
"But it's not that simple sometimes," Artemis finished, leaving him to feel slightly awkward, "I am not here to judge you, understand that. You will do what you will do, and that is your choice. All I ask is that you think about those who care about you."
"Yeah," he couldn't help but feel that his singular response rang a little hollow.
"Enough of this unhappiness, I'm sure you have many things you'd rather talk about."
Percy looked up a bit, thankful for the change in topic. Of course, that didn't mean he knew what he wanted to talk about, "Uh, I know you like deer, but do you like any other animals?"
She opened an eye in mild interest before responding, "I did not quite expect such a question, but I find most to be acceptable."
"But like what specifically?" Percy pressed lightly.
"I am fond of snakes," Artemis said casually, tracing a circle on her arm.
"I thought snakes were more Apollo's thing," Percy cocked his head.
"He prefers foxes to snakes, but he does indeed like them. Besides," she said, "you only asked what I liked."
Percy shrugged, "And your tree is a cypress?"
She nodded at this, "It is."
"Do you like other trees?"
She didn't quite sound exasperated, but he imagined he was annoying her at least a little, "I tend to be quite partial to nature in general. Animals, plants, rivers, forests, all of them are nature."
"But between animals and plants, which do you prefer?"
"They are interchangeable."
"You mean like sloths?" Percy asked. Artemis blinked.
"Sloths?" Artemis asked, articulating slowly in disbelief.
"Yeah you know, they act like plants because they don't move a lot and they're super slow but they eat plants."
Artemis shook her head, "I meant more so that both animals and plants are inextricably linked and are important components of nature."
"But you do like sloths?"
She sighed, "Yes, Perseus. I do like sloths."
"That's cool," Percy nodded sagely, "Never seen one."
Artemis groaned.
Hey so ending note, how have you guys been? It's been a while and I haven't gotten as much done as I'd like but I do have the next six(ish) chapters done. That should roughly double the length of this story but it has been three and half months. Uni is a bitch but I'm on break now so I've been writing pretty consistently. Anyway, I want to ask you guys what you'd like to see. I'm always open to suggestions but given the slow pacing of the story, I've always got time to add stuff in and throw in new chapters in the middle of what I've written. Just let me know if there's something you'd like to read. I'm not saying it'll make it in, but I'm interested in hearing about it and will try to add it if I feel that it flows with the story.