Percy POV
The blood pounded in my ears. My heart thudded in my chest. My hands shook. My feet tingled. My vision disfigured, as if I was looking through a fish-eye lens. I had to get away. I couldn't stay in this room. I couldn't look at her. There was too much of a risk. It's like I was stranded. The memory was still there.
"I can't...I can't breathe." I inhaled quickly, grabbing my chest while leaning against the throne.
Everyone's faces began blurring into one, face of fear. Voices echoed across me. Worried faces all around.
"What's going on?" My father asked as he watched me gasping like a fish out of water.
I sucked in another breath, and another, and another. Time began convulsing. How was it I was breathing but the air felt empty of oxygen? The walls were closing in on me. I had to sit. Too crowded. Too many people here taking my air. I need space. Calypso leaned in, whispering something. Nico snatched my hand and pushed a water bottle into it. Suddenly thirst overcame me. I was so, so thirsty and I drank it all. The cold liquid soothed my tight throat. Calming my rapid breathing. She was light headed. Dizzy.
Stumbling across, I began running to the door. Never have I felt so deprived of anything. I was a God. I was meant to be immortal. I was meant to control, not be controlled. But here I was. Breathing was still hard. Really hard. I threw the door open and ran out. The cool air pressed against my face, as I gulped the oxygen down with such desperation.
Artemis POV
He began convulsing in front of me. His body was shaking and he was clutching his throat, clawing at it.
"Someone do something!" Zeus ordered from his throne, standing up. Everyone else began standing concerningly. Calypso and Poseidon ran towards him.
"I can't breathe," he stuttered out in a raspy voice. He looked sick. Of me. Time began to dissolve. Everything I could see was freezing, and speeding up. It was almost as if the world was breaking apart. Everyone stared at Percy in fear. After moments of time disobeying its lord, the young God ran out of the room, gasping for air.
"I'm going after him," Calypso declared the second time began to settle. She turned on her heels and ran towards the golden door out of the throne room.
"No way!" Apollo yelled, flashing in front of the door. Calypso bit her lip, unsure of what to do.
"Apollo, please," she quietly pleaded. "Percy needs me to make sure he doesn't do something stupid." He shook his head.
"Percy just had a panic attack, and a serious one. The only cure is time for him to realise and accept what is happening.
"Apollo's right," Aphrodite said, flashing next to him. "Right now, his emotions for you and Artemis are conflicting. He needs time to set them out. But when this all ends, I can assure you there will only be one girl in his life." She said the last comment while staring into my eyes, emotionless. Defeated, Calypso trudged back. She sat on the base of Percy's throne, leaning her back towards it and curling up into a ball.
"Well, now that we've sorted that out," Apollo said, "we've all gotta talk."
"About what?" Zeus shrugged, kicking back on his throne.
"ABOUT THE FACT THAT I AM NOT LETTING PERCY NEAR ARTEMIS UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES!" Hades screamed so loud that Zeus jumped in his throne, along with a few others. "It is mine and Apollo's duty to protect him, and I will not volunteeringly lead him to Charon myself!"
"Well what do you want then? Should we try and talk to Styx about his oath, eh? Because I'm sure you remember how that went last time." Hades glared at me, then him.
"How about asking Artemis to revoke the oath?" Apollo suggested.
"We could," Father thought. "BUT SINCE WHEN HAS THE STYX REVOKED AN OATH!" He screamed, his face more red than Apollo had ever been.
"What about-"
"No."
"Or we could-"
"Doesn't comply."
Everyone sat in a depressive silence.
"How about making him and another person dual guardian's?" Hera suggested. Zeus shook his head.
"We could, but do you really want to take a chance with Percy's life like that?"
"Zeus is right," Poseidon mumbled, his head slumped in despair. "The only way is for him to protect Artemis and stay with her till death."
I sat frozen in my seat. Shock overcame me. On one side, I was over the top that Percy would be staying with me. On the other, fear was wrapping me around. What if he hated me and wouldn't speak to me? And of course, all the other Gods would be infuriated and blame every tiny drop of blood spilled on me.
"It's settled them," Zeus said. Apollo stared at the floor. Hades was mute in anger. "This meeting is adjourned. A word please, Artemis."
Slowly, all the members of the council flashed away, throwing me dirty looks. The members of the Revenant walked away, probably to find Perseus. They took Charlotte with them, empathetically rubbing her back and whispering jokes into her ears. Only Thalia stayed and waited for me.
"This is going to cause a lot of drama now, Artemis," Zeus said to me. "I don't want anything happening this time."
"I know, I know, I know," I said quickly.
"No! You don't, that's the issue. Because listen here Artemis. If something happens again, I won't be able to save you. Now, you're going to go back and tell all of your hunters what's going to happen tomorrow. Then, you will tidy the entire base and prepare for Percy. You're dangling on thin threads of wool, remember that Artemis. And if you fall, well I don't need to remind you that it's a long drop." My head stooped downwards as I gave a slight nod. Zeus rubbed my head.
"It will be alright in the end Artemis, don't worry," he whispered soothingly, and for a moment, I remembered the kind father I used to have when I was a young girl. When I liked men.
Even though Thalia was by my side, when Zeus flashed away, I felt more alone than I had felt in a long time.
"We have to tell the hunters some things," I whispered.
Turning to my side, I hid the lone tear that slipped down my cheek.
Percy POV
I stopped running halfway down the stairs. Sinking to my knees, I began inhaling as much oxygen as I could. It made no sense: I was a God. How could I need to breathe? Tentatively, I raised my hand to my chest, feeling my heart rate. It was soaring. I was no Apollo, but already I could feel that it was exceeding 200BPM. I rubbed my temples, sucking in more air, and slowly calming down.
How could this happen? We did every single thing to prevent this, and still, she comes biting me back. Even AWOL, I still went to help her. For what? That stupid oath. I don't want to be Artemis's guardian again. The last time, it nearly cost me my life. Nico and Calypso had done everything to bring me back, but even then, I won't be normal, will I? Artemis cursed my eyes, and that will never get better, no matter what I do. Anger began surging through me again, but began dying down slowly. As I pulled myself up and rested on the handrail, all the anger was replaced with dark, murky depression, sinking into my veins. I took another gulp of air in, rubbing my eyes. It finally sunk in that, no matter what I tried to do, there was no escape. I was at another dead end. My oath was binding till death. I squeezed my eyes.
From behind me, I heard the door being thrown open, followed by rapid footsteps down the stairs. The marble made amazing echoing sounds. They almost soothed me.
First came Calypso, a fierce look on her face. She ran towards me, and hugged me so tight that for a moment, I felt tranquil. One hand still on the handrail, I squeezed her back, rubbing my face on her shoulder. Nico came next, giving me a no-homo hug, which I returned. He wouldn't let go.
"Nico…" I wheezed out.
"Shut up," he said. Right after, every single member of the Revenant pulled me in. A group hug, I thought to myself. Normally, I would have some quirky comment, but this time, I just felt hollow. Empty.
"Let's get back to Apollo's," Jason sighed, patting my back. Instantly, I had half the Revenant grabbing me by numerous limbs, lifting me up.
"I'm not dead," I muttered. That got a slight giggle out of them.
Still leaning, I began walking down the stairs, one by one, echo by echo. My friends were patient; they waited for me without any irritance. As I looked up, many were crowding outside their house, watching the Lord of Time pathetically walk down the stairs like a mortal, unable to flash. Not even the breath-taking view of Olympus managed to lift my spirits.
Artemis POV
I had a poker face as I walked across the camp. My head was held high, despite my emotions at war within me. I smiled at the hunters and continued towards the main pavilion. There, I said loudly, "Hunters, we need to arrange a meeting now!"
They assembled minutes later. Each face stared at me in curiosity. I did a quick check, and wasn't shocked when Charlotte wasn't there. She was probably watching from far away. I couldn't find it in me to get annoyed.
"Milady?" Thalia asked. "What's the meeting about?" I took a deep breath, forcing my head up.
"Hunters, despite the previous event, Zeus has decided to appoint us a new…"
"Yes…" Thaila beckoned me to continue. I sighed.
"A new guardian."
The roar was expected. The sound of screams and shouts and yells could be heard from Olympus. I rubbed my head. The only thing I was sure Percy had done since returning was creating fights within me and absolutely destroying my head.
"Everyone QUITE!" a voice yelled. Running footsteps and Charlotte appeared, looking like a mess. Her hair was frizzy and sprawled everywhere; she was shooting glares like knives at me. The pavilion shut up, looking at her. As I knew all too well, Charlotte hated the attention, and for a moment, she faltered, a feared look passing her eyes, but it was only for a split second. She held her head up high and fixed her stare on me.
"Who is the new guardian?" she asked, venom still fresh in her voice. For the first time, I looked down, unsure how I would tell her. Charlotte didn't like to play this cat and mouse game. She cut straight to the chase.
"Answer me!" she demanded, after seconds of silence had passed.
"It-It's Perseus Jackson," I mumbled. Thalia raised her hand to her mouth, and the other hunters were frozen. Whether it was by fear or shock, I didn't know. The tension in the air was suffocating me, and I was scared to look at Charlotte's face.
"If, ANYONE, dare to even lay a finger on him, I swear they will instantaneously die," Charlotte stuttered hollowly, before storming back to her tent. Everyone stood frozen, staring at one another, Charlotte's threat still hanging around us in the air. Individually, the rest of them left, until only me and Thalia were left. She was the one person who knew me. She was the one person who knew why I was scared and filled to the brim with joy at the same time.
"What are you going to do Milady?" Thalia asked me once no one could hear us. I gritted my teeth, fixing my hunting clothes.
"I'm going to show him why they call me Lady Artemis, and why all the men fear me. Then, I'm going to show him why Calypso deserves to go to hell. Finally, I'm going to do whatever it takes to fix my respect." She nodded.
"Be careful, Milady. Perseus is not the same, timid man who you nearly killed." Clenching my fists, I turned around and went into my tent.
Tomorrow will either be a good day, or a bad day, and I don't know which one I would rather it be.
That's the worst part.
Calypso POV
Walking down the hallway, I had a moment to finally react to what had happened. Percy, the man who I liked, was going to guard Artemis and her man-hating hunters, who he used to crush on, and who had attempted to assassinate him. I didn't know which was worse. My head spun. After Ogygia, there's nothing I can hold to my name. My home, my flowers, my clothes: I lost them all. All that remained was Nico, Leo and Perseus. They were the only proper living connections I had to my home. I-I just can't lose them. If Perseus goes to live with Artemis, what's the point in even living…
I stopped near the end of the corridor, just opposite mine and Perseus' room. My nerves uneased, I took a surge of oxygen in, before quietly rapping the door twice. I only had to wait a couple of seconds before a girlish voice said, "come in!". I hesitated for a moment. Was this really such a good idea? If it wasn't, this was the last time I would have to back out. I sighed. Our whole relationship was at stake now. At this point, I didn't really care what was a good idea and what wasn't. I just needed a fix.
Piper was lying down on the bed, her legs in the air, reading a magazine. She was wearing a black skirt with matching leggings, and a pink T-shirt that hugged her figure. Her blonde hair was tied back in a neat pony, and despite wearing no makeup, her face looked perfect.
"Oh, hi Calypso," she smiled, looking up from her magazine at me. "Come sit with me!" She patted the area of the bed next to her. I nervously walked towards her and sat down.
"Sorry about my outfit," she almost apologetically said. "Jason just absolutely loves leggings. It drives him crazy. You should see the way he acts when we're alone. lol."
"Where is Jason?" I asked, curious as to why they weren't together like they usually were every time I saw them. Piper shut her magazine, throwing it to her desk before sitting up, pursing her lips.
"To be honest, I told him to go away." I stared at her, baffled.
"And-Why would you do that?" She smirked at me.
"I actually expected you to come here," she said. "I wanted to make sure that you and I would have the utmost privacy during our little meeting." I glared at her, a little irritated by her set up. Piper only saw that as a sign to continue.
"So, Calypso, what brings you here?" she asked, still smirking but trying to conceal it. I looked glumly at her.
"Well why don't you tell me, seeing as you already knew I would come." She looked hard at me, before shrugging.
"I guess I do owe you a slight explanation. You've come to me because you want to know who Perseus truly loves and whether or not you still have a long term chance with him. Then, you want relationship advice on how to bring Percy closer to you. Finally, you're gonna ask me for a potion to force Percy to hate Artemis. Does that sound right?" I stared at her, mouth open. There was no way she could've guessed all of that, right? Piper just couldn't stop smirking at my shock.
"Well, should we start then?"
"Tell me what you're afraid of and what you want me to do," she smiled. I glared.
"The last time Percy guarded the hunt, he nearly fell for Artemis. She fell for him and he was so close to dying. When Nico brought him to me, I could feel his soul trying to break out of his body. I could hear it… He's never fully recovered from that, and I don't want it to happen again, Piper. I need to make Percy love me and only me. I don't want him to even look at other girls. I-I know I sound really overprotective, but it's only because he's going to the hunt." Piper looked thoughtfully at me, before abruptly sitting up.
"I will personally guarantee that Percy loves you, and will love you till the end, Caly," she said to me. This time, I smiled.
"Come with me," she said, grabbing my hand and leading me towards the bathroom.
Percy POV
The door creaked open. I didn't have to look to know it was Calypso. I turned my body to face the other side of the room, away from the door. I loved Calypso, but I had a feeling that whatever she was going to tell me wasn't going to improve my mood. I just felt hollow. Space was what I needed.
Silently, Calypso slid into the bed next to me. She pulled Apollo's blanket over the two of us. Calypso began moving around the bed. She kept tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable in the god's bed. Eventually, she settled for leaning against my shoulder. Her hair was all in my face and I could feel her warm breath tickling my neck. Her legs were also tangled between mine, heating me up.
"Hi Percy," she purred sexily into my ear, giving me tingles all along my arms and down my back. "I've missed you." I turned my head to face her, and was met with a kiss.
"Do you wanna do anything?" she asked him. "You know, before you leave for the hunt."
"No thanks, Percy," she smiled, cuddling up next to me. "I just want to spend what few hours we have left with you in this bed. Together." I pulled my love towards me, but I couldn't block out what she had just said.
After today, I will be travelling to the hunt. There, I would spend the remainder of my days. Till death would we part.
I hate the Styx. I hated the Gods more for forcing me to swear upon her name. My oath as Artemis' guardian is permanently bound by the most ancient of laws. If Artemis or any of the hunt were to be harmed while I was alive, my life was as good as buried six feet down.
I have too many horrific memories from the hunt that I don't want to relive. But I'm going to have to now. I sighed, looking at the sleeping beauty next to me. My horrors can wait. For now, I just want to spend what few hours I have left with her in this bed. Together. I pulled our blanket closer so that it covered our entire bodies, and rested my head on the pillow. If I managed to survive the hunt and what they had done to me as a demigod, surely I could manage it as the Lord of Time, right?
I mean just how wrong could I be…?