Of course, Hestia was right again. A walk had done wonders for his clouded mind. Exercise, for that matter, was a big component of that. Something about walking down the beautiful marbled streets with song and just seeing the sights was a timeless experience. No matter how many times he did it, it wasn't something he'd get tired of. It was just lucky that he'd stumbled into Apollo. Par for the course, the god insisted that the two of them go and do something, leading the two to one of the larger amphitheaters for a concert and a drink.

Of course, this had led to one drunk sun god while Percy chatted with one of the muses. Thankfully, Apollo had managed to make it home without passing out. And, more importantly, he'd had the wherewithal to flash Percy back to his home. Of course, he'd been a bit hesitant, but Apollo had demonstrated his competence, assumedly from having done it many times in the past. By the time Percy had gotten home, it was getting a bit darker. Probably around eight or nine if he had to guess. And, that meant that it was a perfect time for a swim.

As strange as it might have sounded, there was something almost better about being in the water when it was dark. Sure, there wasn't anyone around anyway, but it made everything feel a bit more secluded and private. He imagined that it was somewhere along the same lines as going for drives at night. There was just something about being alone in the dark, doing something you enjoyed that was magical. And as such, he'd stripped out of his clothes and into something to swim in in almost record time. From there, it'd been a very short jog to the surf line and then a matter of seconds until he was a hundred meters out in the bay.

From there, he swam until he was satisfied. At some point, he took to just floating around aimlessly, letting the current pull him around while he laid on his back. He was far enough out that the waves were little more than small bumps in otherwise smooth water, meaning that he could have feasibly slept there if he wanted. He wouldn't, but it was never a bad option for him. The small sliver of moonlight just barely illuminated the water around him, basking everything in a silvery glow that only just allowed him to see. It was honestly the perfect night to just laze around. It was certainly one of the warmer days of spring, not that it mattered since the water would keep him warm regardless.

He let himself bob up and down in the water, quietly entertaining himself by making the water lift him and slowly drop him down to the point where he was almost submerged as he kept his arms sprawled out. Who needed a water bed when you could have a bed made out of actual water?

"Having fun I take it?"

Percy would have cracked an eye open had he not known that voice so well, "Always am. Care to join me?"

"At this time?"

Percy grinned, even as he floated there with his eyes closed, "No better time."

The goddess hummed in interest and he could feel her just barely set down on the surface of the water, "Is that why I always seem to find you out here?"

"Something like that," Percy chuckled as he let the water push him so that he was standing level with the goddess in front of him, "Have a good vacation?"

Artemis spoke with her usual, serene tone, "I am not sure that I would call it a vacation."

Percy just shrugged, "Would it be better to call it a week-long nap?"

The goddess laughed softly as she regarded the son of the sea, "An apt enough description."

The young man smiled as her gaze returned to the horizon, "How much can you see or experience when you're not in control?"

She ran her hand across her forearm, "Perhaps I can explain it to you over a meal."

Percy's smile grew, "Sounds like a plan then. Meet you inside?"

The goddess shook her head with a smile and grabbed onto his shoulder, flashing the two inside. Percy stumbled a little but recovered quickly, quickly grabbing onto the counter to steady himself, "I'll never get used to that."

The goddess hummed as she watched the man begin to move around his kitchen, "Godly transport is not meant for everyone."

Percy chuckled as he ducked down to grab a pan from a cabinet, "Anything you're in the mood for?"

"I will eat whatever you make."

Percy glanced over his shoulder at the woman, "Really? No preferences?"

The goddess smiled serenely, "I am sure that whatever you think of will be wonderful."

"You're really not going to help me out here?"

She just laughed, shaking her head before giving a response, "Something warm and hearty."

"I can work with that," Percy spotted the pan he'd set on the stove earlier in the morning and moved towards one cabinet, "I'm thinking of some sort of meat stew or gravy with biscuits."

The huntress observed him with interest as he grabbed a few things from around the kitchen, "How may I help?"

"Oh, uh," Percy glanced back at her in mild surprise, "you know you don't have to, yeah?"

"I am aware, but I would feel rather bad watching you work while I sat at the table."

"No reason to feel bad," Percy shrugged, grabbing an onion from his pantry, "It's my pleasure."

Artemis smiled softly at him but put her hair up nonetheless, "That may be true, but I have sat around for a week already. I have no interest in being still."

"Fair enough," Percy grinned, moving over so that he could grab a cutting board, "If you want to start, you could grab a few things out of the fridge for me."

"What do you have in mind?"

He leaned over a bit to turn a knob on an old radio-style speaker. Naturally, it'd been created by Hephaestus and could play just about anything he wanted, "Just whatever meat you wanted and some stock. Oh, and a handful of carrots. What do you want to listen to?"

She opened the fridge and rummaged through it a little, setting a few items on the counter as she called back over her shoulder, "Whatever you would like is fine. Does beef work?"

He clicked a few buttons on his speaker and music began to play as he moved back to cut up his onion, "Yeah that should be fine. If you want to heat up the pan and throw in a tablespoon worth of butter, that'd be great."

Artemis nodded as she placed a few of the desired items on the counter near him. A moment later, the pan was on the stove with the fire just barely licking the bottom of the cast iron. Percy could hear her moving around, likely in search of the butter which he happened to keep out in a dish. He quickly handed it to her and moved over to observe. Having finished prepping the onions, all that was left was to saute them and then mix in the meat and stock. After that, they'd add flour and milk and let everything thicken up nicely while he baked the other portion of their meal.

"Want to help me make biscuits really quickly?" Percy asked her as he dumped all of the onion into the hot pan. Artemis nodded, causing him to grin.

"How long do you need to leave everything in before adding the rest?" The goddess was already in motion, setting about the kitchen with practiced ease as she grabbed several items. Percy was quite happy to see that she'd managed to find a mixing bowl with ease and had already set about collecting some of the other necessary ingredients. Seemed like she was taking the lead on this one, not that he minded at all.

"Depends. What else do you need?" he asked, glancing around.

"I don't know where your eggs are and some cold butter if you have it."

Percy grinned as he made his way to the fridge, "How much do you think you'll need?"

"A stick will suffice," Artemis glanced at him with a smile as she began measuring out ingredients, "I am only eyeballing it as Apollo would say."

Percy chuckled, "I've got buttermilk if you'd rather use that instead of regular."

She didn't look up from her measuring as she responded, "That sounds good."

He quickly grabbed the necessary ingredients and made his way over to the goddess, setting each of the items in the cleared space next to her. She looked at him briefly with a smile before going back to humming as she worked while he made his way over to the stove to make sure everything was good on that end. It was.

All he really had to do was move everything around a little bit since the heat was so low and as soon as that was done, he moved back to help his friend. She requested that he crack a few eggs and cut up the cold butter into little chunks and he obliged happily. Every so often, he'd return to the stove to check on everything while Artemis rolled out her dough onto a floured surface and began cutting it into little discs. He'd laughed when he saw her doing it with a knife.

"You know I've got a cutter for that, right?"

The goddess looked at him, "I did not, but a knife is more than suitable."

He just smiled, "Bottom drawer to your left if you want it."

She glanced at the described location and quickly moved to grab it after a moment's hesitation, causing him to laugh again. She stared at him, idly spinning her knife in one hand, "You are lucky that I like you."

"Surprised I haven't been turned into an animal yet."

"There is still time for that," she moved back to work at cutting the dough.

He grinned as he moved back to his work, this time deciding that now was as good a time as any to add in the meat and stock. The onions had turned a beautiful golden brown and were just barely beginning to get even darker. Artemis briefly looked over as the meat began to sizzle loudly but quickly returned to her work. Coincidentally, as soon as the biscuits went into the oven, most of the gravy had been reduced down with extra milk and flour. All that was left was to set the table and their meal was ready.

Percy initially hadn't realized that they'd both finished up at the same time. It was only when Artemis had practically appeared beside him -leaning up on the balls of her feet to look over his shoulder- that he'd noticed that she'd already thrown everything into the oven to bake. He'd nearly jumped out of his skin causing the huntress to laugh quite a bit. He'd grumbled good-naturedly for a minute before going back to getting plates out. Naturally, the huntress was quick to summon something for them to drink. Interestingly, the goddess had summoned a pair of bottles for the both of them. It looked like a darker beer of some sort.

Shortly after, their food was done with Percy having pulled the gravy off of the stove a few minutes prior to pulling their bread out so that it could thicken up. After a final butter baste for the biscuits, everything was quickly set down on the table and Percy went about filling up both of their plates, making sure to serve the goddess fully before beginning on his own plate.

"I am more than capable," Artemis's voice was gentle as she observed her friend.

Percy acknowledged this with a smile, "Yeah I know, but you're still a guest."

"Do you not think that it is a little excessive to serve me?"

He shot her a snarky grin, "You are a literal goddess and technical princess by mortal standards."

"They are hardly the same."

Percy shrugged as he finally moved on to his own plate, "Then you'll have to settle with the fact that I like doing it."

Artemis just rolled her eyes, but it was obvious that she was playing. Percy, as per usual, moved to sacrifice a few things, tossing in something for his dad, Hestia, and Artemis just as a joke. He could feel the goddess's eyes jump to him, even with his back to her, "Something wrong?"

He turned around to see the goddess with a strange expression on her face. It seemed like a mix of confusion and gratitude, maybe a bit of interest sprinkled in, "You always sacrifice a little food, even when we are together."

'Definitely interested then,' Percy thought before responding, "Yeah. Started as a little joke, but you look pleased whenever it happens so I just continued to."

The goddess cocked her head, "It is not that I don't appreciate it, more that it is confusing."

"How so?"

She thought for a moment, "You will understand better when you become a fully-fledged god yourself. If I recall, the common sentiment is that we gods like the smell of burnt food, but it is more accurate to say that we feel a rush of energy with every offering. Consider that whatever is sacrificed disappears if it is accepted. There is no time for it to burn, rather it's just turned into energy that is then transferred to us. Normally that'd be fine, but given your close proximity, it feels like the energy is flowing directly from you to myself rather than just being a sacrifice."

Percy considered this for a moment, "Is it weird that I'm thinking about it like it's feeding someone?"

"Pardon?" The goddess looked confused before she considered it herself. In some strange way, it made sense, even if only just barely, "That is… one way to look at it."

Percy chuckled as he cut a bit of biscuit and dunked it in gravy, "So it is weird?"

"You are a weird person," the goddess replied easily, taking a bite of her food. She hummed appreciatively, "This is good."

"Good job us," Percy agreed, taking a moment to try his beer. As expected, it was a great pairing, even if it wasn't his drink of choice. He chuckled as he recalled his drunken friend from earlier, "I've been meaning to ask you something."

She turned to look at him as she took another bite. Percy continued, "Why can you handle your liquor so much better than Apollo?"

The goddess wiped her mouth with her napkin and moved to grab another serving. Percy, ever observant, quickly plucked the serving utensils out of her hand and moved to serve her again with a cheeky grin. The goddess rolled her eyes, but a small smile played across her face regardless, "I could not say. And you have hardly seen me have more than a few drinks."

He shrugged, "It takes all of three beers for Apollo to go downhill and I've seen you throw back at least that many of your little cocktails in less time."

"There's some skill to it."

"Is there?" The young man cocked his head as he leaned back into his seat, "You'll have to teach me."

Artemis smiled, "Tonight then."

Percy grinned, "I know you were cooped up for a week, but I didn't really think this would be what we'd be doing on a Monday night."

"I fail to see how the day of the week makes any difference."

He shrugged, "Maybe not for the gods but I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't be a great look if we were mortal."

The goddess hummed as she took a swig of her drink, "I admit that it is not what I had envisioned for our night, but I see no reason to be concerned."

"Not like I have anywhere to be tomorrow so it works for me. And can you even get hungover?"

"Not off of mortal spirits."

"So what would it take then?"

"A strong product of Dionysus. Mortal alcohol may affect some of the gods, but our bodies burn it off all at once after some period of time."

"Remind me to not let Apollo anywhere near that stuff when we're out then. I'd hate to deal with him when he's hungover. His drunken spells are enough for me."

Artemis laughed, "Seconded."

Percy took a quick sip from his bottle, "I thought I was going to get torn in two when he offered to get me home."

"You trusted my brother enough for that?"

Percy shrugged, leaning back a little, "I was surprised myself."

Artemis tapped her fork against her plate gently, "What were you doing on Olympus anyway?"

"I got bored after Aphrodite visited and went to hang out with Hestia."

Artemis looked confused for a moment before looking interested, "Explain."

Percy finished off the last of his drink, "I wasn't really doing anything earlier and I was bored and I figured that Hestia would enjoy the company. We just gardened for a while then she made food. Then she sent me out for a walk and I ran into Apollo and we hung out for an hour or something and then I got sent home."

Artemis hummed in mild interest, "And what of Aphrodite?"

"She stopped by to badger me about becoming a god and apparently tell me that I was like a nephew to her. Had breakfast together since she just sort of dropped in."

"You are not far off from being her actual nephew," Artemis commented but Percy was quick to shut that down.

"Let's not talk about Greek family trees," Percy shuddered, "I'm not nearly drunk enough for that."

"You are not drunk."

"Exactly," Percy grinned, standing up with his plate in hand, "We should get on that."

The goddess cocked her head in interest, "You are quite energetic tonight."

He quickly moved to take her plate as the goddess watched him bounce around, "I get like that sometimes."

"I have noticed," she said easily, standing up herself. She made her way towards the living room, "If I may start the fire?"

"Treat it like your home," Percy called over his shoulder as he moved to start on the dishes, "Wood's in here if there isn't any in already."

There was, allowing the huntress to get a small rolling flame going with ease. Percy was still busy with the dishes while the goddess observed the room. Other than a few blankets, everything seemed to be more or less the way she liked it, and that meant that her work was done. This, in turn, led her back to the kitchen where she practically materialized next to the son of the sea. He nearly slammed his head into the cabinet above him as he jumped, but was appreciative regardless as she took to helping him out with putting everything away.

"I can do it," Percy said as he washed a knife.

"Consider it my way of paying you back."

"You know there's no need for that."

"But I want to," she replied simply, "And you will accept that."

Percy's eyes flicked to her as he watched her move around. She seemed to almost glide around the kitchen, "As you wish, My Lady."

He would have done a mock bow but that would have involved almost putting his head in the sink, "You do not use Diana's title, yet you use mine?"

Percy glanced over his shoulder to find the goddess staring at him with mild interest, "Only the one time."

"But you did," Artemis countered, "I've told you to drop the formality."

Percy rolled his shoulders a little as he hefted his cast iron skillet. It was often the last item that he took care of, "And I've declined."

"Why?"

"Because I like messing with you," Percy responded easily but the moon goddess was certain she detected something else in his voice.

"There is more," she said expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

Unfortunately, he just smiled, "I'm not going to tell you all of my secrets tonight."

The goddess rolled her eyes, "And what if I demanded that you do?"

"Then I might. You wouldn't do that though." He turned off the water and moved to find a towel to dry the pan.

"Wouldn't I?"

Percy wet a paper towel with some oil and began coating the metal, turning to look at Artemis as he did. His voice was firm with conviction, "You wouldn't."

The goddess looked at him curiously, "You are certainly sure of yourself."

He shook his head though, "Not of myself, of you. You're not that kind of person."

Her look shifted slightly, "And what if I just ordered you to?"

Percy smiled softly as he finished coating the pan, "You know you wouldn't have to."

A brief flash of contentment flashed across her face before quickly being replaced with her usual, regal look, "I suppose I do."

"Good," the young man said happily before clapping his hands together, "Now, on to more pressing matters."

"Such as?" the goddess raised an eyebrow in interest.

"What are we watching tonight?" Percy's eyes gleamed with mirth.

The goddess smiled at the happy look on his face, "I recall being the person to choose last."

Percy clicked his tongue, "That was Diana. Doesn't count."

"Diana and I are one and the same," Artemis replied easily.

"Then do you both share feelings and thoughts?"

"Occasionally," Artemis said simply, "We only really differ in our deliveries. Often, we feel the same way or think the same thing. We only respond slightly differently."

Percy smirked, "So would Diana also happen to have a big secret that she's hiding?"

The goddess rolled her eyes, "There is no secret."

Percy cocked his head in interest, "But you said-"

Artemis chuckled, cutting him off, "I said nothing. You came to that conclusion on your own."

Percy groaned, "Seriously? I thought it was going to be some big fun game and you're telling me you're not actually hiding anything? What was the point of me keeping an eye on her then anyway?"

The goddess smiled, "I hope you don't intend to find out every little detail about me in just one night."

The son of the sea rubbed his temple, "You're totally getting back at me."

"I am."

Another groan, "Guess I deserve that."

"So long as you're aware," Artemis replied easily, dragging the man towards the living room. He noted the pleasant warmth emanating from the fireplace and easily flopped down onto the floor, letting his back rest against the couch while bundling himself up in a blanket. It wasn't a cold night by any means, but his current setup was quite comfortable. Artemis was quick to join him, pulling a bit of the large throw blanket towards herself. In turn, Percy saddled up a little so that the two could effectively share.

"Going back to that thing," Percy let his head rest against the couch, "what do you want to watch?"

"If I recall, it is your turn to choose."

He rubbed his nose, instead choosing to respond by clicking a few buttons on the remote. Soon enough, he'd settled on one of his favorites in recent times. It wasn't exactly obscure, but it hadn't gotten as much attention as he thought it should have. Artemis agreed, having been forced to watch the movie since Apollo had apparently been obsessed with it. She could certainly understand why Percy liked it, given that he seemed to live by many of the same life lessons.

With both of them having seen it, it also meant that they could talk without worrying about bothering the other. Conversation came as easily as ever, if not more so given the goddess's pent-up energy. She wasn't hyper by any means, but she certainly seemed more energetic than usual. It was endearing in a way. At some point during one of their scattered conversations, the moon goddess had summoned them a few items to snack on as well as stuff to drink. He noted that it wasn't their usual drink of choice. It was good, though he wasn't sure if he preferred it over their normal drink. Both had a fruity note, though this one was definitely sweeter, even though it was followed by a heavy citrus flavor, "Where'd you pick up making these?"

"Apollo," Artemis replied simply, "He was obsessed with trying all sorts of new things for a while. As he said, mortals loved a man who can make drinks."

"So why'd you start?"

The goddess shrugged, "Boredom."

Percy chuckled, "Are you sure it wasn't because you wanted to show off?"

The goddess swatted his arm, "I will not deny it."

Percy laughed, letting his back lean against the armrest of the couch so that his entire body was facing the moon goddess. She regarded him curiously but matched his actions so that the two were sitting facing each other, both huddled beneath the one blanket. He paused as she turned to him, "I was thinking about going on a trip."

"Entailing?"

"Not sure yet," he scratched at his cheek, "Just like a road trip or something. Always wanted to and I sort of figured it might be one of my last chances to just do whatever."

"Why?"

"I, uh," Percy ran a hand through his hair, "Well I figured I'd accept the whole godhood thing."

Artemis's smile was radiant before suddenly dying down a little, "Perseus, you must understand that nobody can force you into this if you don't want to."

He responded with his own weak smile, "It's not that I don't want to per se. Just that I didn't think I was ready. I still don't, but apparently it's something people want to get done sooner than later."

Artemis blinked, "This is true. Who told you this though?"

"Aphrodite when she was here this morning. And I know," he paused, "I think it'll be an interesting change."

"But is it what you want?" she stressed, leaning in a little.

He just smiled softly, "Yeah. I think it is. I just had to get over myself."

"You still do," Artemis was quick to lighten the mood.

"Hey," he cried out indignantly, falling back in mock outrage, "I'm having an emotional moment over here."

The goddess hummed in amusement, "Tell me more of this trip you have in mind."

Percy shifted so that he was sitting up a bit more, arm resting against the backrest, "I already told you I was thinking about going on a road trip right?"

"You did."

He nodded as he sat in thought for a moment, "Honestly, I haven't thought about all the details yet. But I know I just want to just drive around the country and do whatever for a while. You know, take a bit to relax and just explore."

"That sounds like something that you would enjoy," Artemis agreed, "Is there any particular time frame that you are looking at?"

He nodded, "Within the next two weeks probably. I know there's that big party for Olympus so I'll probably go after that."

She nodded in interest, "And where are you interested in going?"

He shrugged, "I thought I might go coast to coast or something."

Artemis hummed as she considered the logistics of it all, "You mean to say that you are not sure."

He grinned. She did have a way of knowing what he was thinking, "Yeah basically."

The moon goddess leaned back against the armrests, stretching a little as she did, "I imagine you know how to read a map, yes?"

Percy nodded in confusion, "Yeah, why?"

"I am not eager to hunt you down again if you get lost," the moon goddess closed her eyes as she stretched her arms out behind her head. Percy started saying something but he ended up mumbling unintelligibly, causing the goddess to crack open an eye to look at the young man, "You are mumbling."

She watched as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I was wondering if you'd want to come with me? Like maybe just tag along with me or like just to visit the big places. Or you could be there the entire time if you wanted, but then sleeping would be weird and you're probably too busy with the hunt and all that and you probably wouldn't have time to do all that since it'd be a long trip but it'd be great if you and we could figure out the whole sleep thing pretty easily but I do-"

"You're rambling, Perseus," Artemis cut him off before smiling. He tried to fumble out an apology, causing her smile to grow, "I would happily join you."

Percy blinked a few times, "Really?"

"I would not say so if I did not," Artemis replied easily.

He practically started hopping around before reigning himself in, "What would we do about sleeping arrangements then? I was sort of just planning on sleeping in my truck bed, or maybe finding a hotel if it was raining."

"There is no reason that that will not work," Artemis rolled her eyes playfully before focusing in on something, "You said truck bed?"

Percy looked surprised for a second before launching into an explanation, "Oh yeah. My truck. I have an old one from the eighties that my dad restored for me. It was supposed to be a big birthday gift for when I turned twenty-one but Hermes accidentally let it slip. I've had it since last August."

"And where do you keep it?" Artemis asked curiously.

"It's in the back in the small shed/garage thingy where I keep all my outdoors stuff," Percy gestured back towards his garden area, "Hades actually came up with the idea since he saw I was just keeping it outside."

Artemis looked interested, "That would explain why I have never seen it then."

Percy tilted his head, "Want to?"

In short, it'd fit him perfectly. It was an older model with a lot of work done on it. Single cabin of course, with standard bedding and a host of features designed by the master smiths in Poseidon's forges. Most of the interior had kept its classic styling, retrofitted with a modern sound system and special storage that sat under the seats. Naturally, there was a small enchantment on them that allowed them to provide more space, even if it wasn't much. The seats themselves were the classic single bench-style seat, trimmed with brown club leather and white contrast stitching to provide extra comfort. The dash was more or less the same, having a simplified gauge cluster and a retro-styled Hephaestus radio all trimmed in black to nicely accentuate the otherwise brown interior.

And despite the older styling of the inside, the engine was anything but with an updated engine for extra power, modernized parts for reliability, and a few enchantments to help everything run smoothly without worry. And with that came a few more upgrades, this time to other parts of the car. Poseidon had adjusted the suspension, throwing on a new pair of coils to keep the ride smooth while keeping it stiff enough to handle any trails his son could dream of. Naturally, he'd added all-terrain tires but that was a given. It seemed that the old sea god hadn't spared any expense for his son.

Oh, and it was blue. Because of course it was. The glossy midnight blue brought the look together, keeping everything classy while giving it that old sense of personality and freedom. To conclude, Artemis thought it fit Perseus down to a tee. Now, all he needed was something to throw in the back and it'd be perfect, but she was going to cover that for him.

Percy bounced around like a puppy as he tried showing her every little detail, something that she found to be quite adorable. It'd taken him a minute to move it out of the garage since he had a few tools and stuff sitting in front of it, but as soon as he'd gotten it started, it ran like a dream. He was positively beside himself as he hopped out.

He was almost giddy as he finished his tour. She couldn't help but smile at his obvious joy. It was good to see him having a good time. "Want to drive it?"

"Where would we take it?"

Percy thought for a moment as he made his way over to the passenger side, "There's a road about two minutes west and nobody ever drives on it."

Artemis smiled, "Why do you not want to drive?"

"Can't," Percy chirped, "No drinking and driving for me and since you can't get drunk, you're the choice."

"I see that you have this planned out."

"First time for everything right?"

The goddess smiled at that, choosing to get in on the driver's side, "I trust that you will guide me."

"Loyal navigator, at your service," Percy saluted before adding something as an afterthought, "Though I'd probably do better if we were on the water."

"I would rather not get lost."

"We won't," Percy chirped.

They did.

Hey mates! Hope you're all doing well. Had a ton of fun writing this chapter. Not much going on, but it is setting up the next few which in turn are going to progress the story. Anyway, fun to write. Hope it's fun to read. I've got the next five-ish chapters written and they're all getting revised. I'm thinking I might split one of them up into two chapters though since it's ten thousand words or so long and that's quite a bit to read in one sitting. On another note, hoping that you guys don't mind the ending. It's a bit of a niche thing, but something that I really enjoy and definitely something that I could see my iteration of Percy doing. I tried not to overdo it on details, but still give enough for people to have a similar idea to my own.

Before I forget though, I joined a discord thingy. The Emerald Library. It's pretty cool, tons of authors, readers, and all sorts of people. I got set up with my own little channel, so if you guys would like to join and talk to me, I'll leave the invite here. I'll probably have an easier time responding there than in messaging so I'd probably be more active. If you do join, feel free to shoot me a message through DM or through the channel. Invite is discord. gg/elibrary. Join or don't, up to you guys but I'd love to have you.

On to the fun stuff. Thank you all again for your continued support. Means a lot to me so thank you all for that. Makes this so much more fulfilling and it helps me through feedback and all that. On to reviews though! To Sawgrass: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying. To TheFiction101: Thanks! And I agree, definitely going to have to flesh that one out a bit more. I've got a plan for it coming up that should explore that relationship more. To BoyFromAngels: Always good to hear from you! Hope you're having a great day, and I'm super happy to hear that you enjoy my style. I've been trying to branch out in this sense, so this is one of my first dialogue heavy stories but I think it's going pretty well. And neither can I. Have a lot of fun in mind for that. On the topic of that story, it was a fun read. Definitely one that I enjoyed and took some inspiration from. To Capital9810: Yeah it definitely is. Honestly, I was struggling to finish that chapter and I just sort of tacked it on as a transitional thing. In an upcoming chapter, it'll be explored more and I'm hoping it'll be enjoyable. To lycnt: Glad you enjoyed! Had a ton of fun writing it. And about the other stories, that's a possibility. I'll see how I feel after this story is done and I'll get back to you on that one!

As always, hope you're all doing well and have a great time. Hope you enjoy!