Percy POV
"Can I come in?" A voice asked, tapping the (if you could call it) door of my tent. For a moment, I hesitated, immediately running all the possible outcomes through my head. That was a skill I had picked up while being on the run.
Right now it was night. For the past week, we had all been training, and I was making sure to push everyone to their limits. While Jason, Leo, and those still adored by camp half blood trained the demigods, the rest of the Revenant went up against the gods, one by one. Of course. With a one v one, the Revenant stood no chance, being destroyed, but they put up a good fight, and I could see actual concentration in the gods eyes. Zeus surprised me the most. The god had so much wasted potential, which was quickly being unlocked. In less than a week, he had already beat Calypso, Nico, Piper, Leo, Hazel and Frank, without much difficulty. He wasn't exactly ready yet; Zeus was very brutal and arrogant, which was sometimes good, but was also lethal. Sometimes, he focused so much on power that his strategy went out the window. That was when Jason knocked him down.
Most of the time, I would oversee all the training, not battling much myself. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay like that: there were twelve gods to train, but only five revenant members. Some of the gods paired up instead… and that's where the issue started. You see, no one exactly wanted to fight with Artemis, especially the men. The women… well I'll leave that for now.
"Yeah, you called me boss," Nico said, panting heavily while trudging towards me. His shirt was plastered to chest with hot sweat. It seems like Demeter was really working him down to the bone, which was good.
"You see everyone," I said to Nico, still looking at the trainers and trainees. He nodded. "My question for you is, why aren't they fighting?" He looked at me quizzically.
"Percy, we are working them hard, and they're putting everything they've got into this training-" Gently, I tilted his head so he could look in the right place. "Oh her…" Artemis was kind of in her own world, walking around and just staring at everyone, like someone who feels out of place does.
"Boss, to be honest, no one wants to fight her, she doesn't want to fight anyone, and let's leave it at that-"
"The last thing I need is for her to do something foolish again, only this time when all of our lives are at stake." Nico looked annoyed.
"If you can be asked to train her, do it yourself, but none of the Revenant, and none of the gods want to train with her," he mumbled, walking back to wherever he was needed.
I groaned. This didn't put me in the best position, but I didn't have much of a choice.
"Artemis," I yelled while walking to her. "Get up, we have work to do." Waking up from her day dream, the goddess looked at me strangely, before giving a little nod and wandering off somewhere else.
"ARTEMIS!" I yelled, causing her to jump. "WE have work to do. Now come back here, I'm gonna need to see how good your raw fighting skills are. Pick a weapon and come to me now."
The camp was very quiet now after everyone had just heard me bellow. Everyone was looking between me and an obviously very flustered Artemis.
"What's happening," Calypso casually said, sauntering next to me. As if this could get worse.
"I'm just doing a bit of one on one training with Artemis for a bit," I carefully replied. She frowned at me.
"You don't give anyone else one-on-one training," she observed.
"Yes, because they don't need it."
"So you're saying Artemis is bad?" she asked. I cursed under my breath.
"Artemis hasn't got a partner to practise with, so I'm going to help her," I said with obvious irritation. I looked at Calypso, studying her face and trying to tell whether or not she was smirking inside.
"I'll train Artemis," she casually said, spinning her knife in her hand. I flared up inside. I love Calypso without an ounce of doubt, but no one has the right to talk like that, especially when it comes to battles.
"Umm, no you won't," I said firmly. Calypso looked as if I had slapped her, staring up at me.
"And why is that?" she asked.
"Because the two of you will beat each other to shreds of atoms, and I need both of you for the fight, so get your head out of the clouds Artemis, and Calypso stop questioning my decisions and go back to your training with Hera. Now unless anyone else has a quip to make, can I do what I originally came to do?" Grudgingly, everyone went back to their own training. Calypso turned around to walk back, but not before making sure I saw the venomous glare in her eye.
"Percy-Perseus, I know you're in there, I just want to talk a bit please." More tapping woke me out of my day dream. I knew she wasn't going away. I also knew that even though we didn't talk, Calypso wasn't happy with me, and whatever long awaited conversation we were about to help wasn't going to help the situation.
"Come in," I sighed, resting against my bed, eyes fixated at the tent's entrance.
My tent was actually very classy. It was certainly spacious, probably with some enchantments to make it much bigger than it looked from the outside. The inside was a silver grey colour, with gold etched around. On the left was a bookcase half full with books. Some were classics that we used to read at Camp Half Blood, and others were half empty, which still came in use when I wanted to jot an idea down or whatever. The bed was right next to the bookshelf, with only a little narrow area to walk through. I must give credit where credit is due, because that bed is one of the softest things I have ever felt. Seriously, it is duluxurious. In the right corner of my tent was a little bathroom, nothing fancy, a small desk next to it, and a little bit of me space for whenever I wanted it. Honestly, I think Hestia had gone and pressured Artemis before I came to ensure my wellbeing was good and all that stuff, because I'd seen Charlotte's tent and I'd been in her bed, and it didn't even come close to how good mine was. To be honest though, there was no need for it, because I wasn't going to leave any time soon, especially in the middle of a full fledged war.
Artemis quickly slipped into my tent, zipping it up behind her. Immediately I noticed she wasn't wearing her usual hunter clothing, but a sleeveless, white, almost dress that stretched to her ankles. She was in her eighteen year old form, and her hair was in a plait, similar to mine, but longer. I, on the other hand, was laying in bed in some jogging bottoms and a shirt one size too small for me that made my arms look unnaturally massive.
Our eyes locked.
"Hello Artemis," I said carefully.
"Hi," she replied quickly, moving towards me. The young goddess sat down on my bed, just in front of me. I raised an eyebrow, but decided against saying anything for now.
"What's up then," I asked, sighing. I might as well get this done with as soon as I can.
"Umm, I just want to say thanks for what you did at training today with me," she started, talking quietly and looking down at the floor. Maybe she was just intrigued with my plain flooring? "Normally I would go with Aphrodite, but one of your soldier's was already training with her. I haven't exactly been able to have much training for the past while, and without a bow, I am fairly rusty." I nodded.
"That's all good Artemis, but we both know this is something you could've said during dinner, or any other time I've gone out of my tent, so what are you really here to say?" She opened her mouth, before closing it and thinking about what to say.
"You know what." I studied her expression.
"You came to talk about Calypso, didn't you?" It was more of a statement than a question, to which Artemis almost sheepishly nodded. I sighed. This conversation had past safe waters and was now steering towards the deep, shark infested ones.
"I did what was best for the war and the survival of the Greek empire, nothing personal."
"But you stood up for me, even when there was no reason, and I appreciate that."
"I'm sure you are, and I would love to see you show your appreciation by letting me get some rest. Tomorrow is another long day for me… And you of course." It sounded good in my head, but I feel like I was just being outright rude after having said that.
"That brings me to my third point, or rather question…" Artemis slowly said. I looked at her. Even after everything, she was still asking me for more and more.
"What is it?" I asked with a twinge of annoyance.
"I was wondering- well hoping- that you might be up to give me a little more one to one training, just while everyone else sleeps." I threw my hands up in the air.
"Just for a little bit," she added, but I didn't need to heat any more.
"Listen Artemis, I train you, I train Zeus, Poseidon, every single member of the council you're part of, the one you all think gives you VIP privileges. I am battered, bruised and bleeding. The little rest I get is purely for sleep, so that I don't look or fight like a zombie in battle. Training is for when I'm at the arena. If you want to take a hunter or two and rattle your bones for hours, then be my guest, but don't drag me into this. Now if you don't have something else to say, I wanna go and get some sleep." Irritated, I pulled my blanket up, turning my head, and shutting my eyes. I expected Artemis to take this as a sign to let me be, not continue talking.
"Perseus, the last thing I need is to be the person that causes Olympus to fail," she softly said. "I've already missed a week of training, watching everyone else's skills soar above mine. I can't even use a sword without nearly killing myself five times. Everyone already despises me, and I need someone who can train me properly. The best of the best. All I'm asking is just for you to help me use a sword a bit better, and to rely less on my powers. Please Perseus…"
My heart was pounding in my chest, partly out of rage and irritation, and partly because I knew what I was just about to do. Sitting up, I stretched my legs, flexed my fingers and glared at the goddess.
"Meet me at the dining pavilion in five minutes," I muttered. "If you're one second late, don't bother coming. With a gleam in her eye, Artemis quickly ran out of my tent, probably to dress into more appropriate battle gear. The only reason I'm bothering is firstly, being a guardian is so much easier if the god can actually fight. Also, I need all the Olympians to be trained down to their bones. Finally, the whole everyone hating Artemis thing is mostly my fault, regardless what my therapist says about it being fair, and I figured she kinda deserves some help at this point. There's no other reason, I told myself confidently, quickly slipping into my assassin suit and sliding out of my tent.
The cool breeze felt nice on my skin, especially after being stuck in that tent. Despite Hestia's talk, I still haven't got an air conditioner, and that room gets stuffy really quick.
Artemis was already waiting for me. She was pacing across the pavilion, fiddling with her knife. When she saw me, she clumsily dropped it, before bending over and quickly stowing it away, trying not to look flustered.
"Hold my hand," I muttered, extending my arm towards her. She looked at me hesitantly.
"What am I gonna do?" I asked, exasperated. "Rape Atalanta?" She shook her head, before grabbing me. Her hand was surprisingly soft for a goddess of hunting.
"Where are we-"
The goddess never finished, because by the time she blinked, we weren't in the hunt's camp anymore, but in a palace full of my buried memories.
Camp Half Blood.
The place was eerily quiet as the two of us creeped across it. Almost all the campers were asleep at 2AM. I kept thinking how I should've been asleep and was for some reason compromising my rest for playtime with Artemis. The goddess was trailing behind me, keeping to herself. I just kept walking towards the training grounds, debating on what the best way to train her was. Each of the Revenant had been through some sort of training with me. Calypso and Nico had done the most, one of the reasons why Nico was at the top of the chain in command. I'd seen this beast boy plough through swarms of monsters like putty. With Nico, the training tactic had been to make him feel so close to victory, then at the last second take it all away. Boy, it made him so angry, but it also made him train harder and harder. For others like Leo, you needed to drive them to and past exhaustion, to the point where they were shaking. I know it sounds brutal, but no one ever complained. Besides, the results were by far worth it. Now I just needed to figure out what to do with Artemis.
"So how much practice do you have with swords and stuff like that?" I asked her once we reached the training grounds. She thought for a moment.
"Not a lot. I only use knives, and even that's rare. The last time I touched a sword must've been… when Phoebe got lost in Alaska."
"A date would be helpful," I snarked.
"Probably sometime in the mid 1870s?" Internally, I facepalmed. Just your average day training a goddess who hasn't touched a sword for the last 100 years. No biggie.
"Alright, so the first thing you gotta nail down is your stance," I reached down and gave her one of the spare swords laying around on the floor. Artemis held it upright, which was a start I guess.
"Okay, so stance is everything," I began. "It tells your opponent exactly how well you know your weapon, and how confident you are. Your first move will also depend on your stance. If you stand with the sword in front of your face, it screams that you aren't ready and you're already preparing to block. Push your body out, stand firmly, right leg in front, and especially for beginners, have the sword raised and pointed towards your opponent. Also, swords are very different from daggers, so remember that and don't treat it like one." There's nothing worse than an incompetant god tarnishing a sword's reputation by treating it like a knife. Artemis nodded and began getting into a stance. It was a little sloppy, but once I helped and moved her arms a little higher, spreading her legs a little more further apart, she looked ready.
"Now what?" she asked. I sighed, going to stand in front of her.
"Now we fight." She raised an eyebrow at me.
"You don't have a weapon." I shook my head.
"Not yet."
From the inside of my robes, I pulled out a pen, quickly uncapping it, it sprung out into a full weapon.
"I have riptide…" I shut myself up quickly when I realised that Riptide was still lost.
"Sorry," I mumbled. "I'm still used to using a sword over a staff." Artemis nodded. It might've just been me, but I could swear I just saw a trace of guilt on her face. I shook the feeling aside and continued.
Chucking my staff to the side, I went to the sidelines and picked up a sword. It was a little on the heavy side, but it would be good enough for a little bit of sparring, so long as nothing serious happened, which I highly doubted would.
"Okay, give me your best shot," I said, standing in my stance. It wasn't a battle stance, just a simple blocking stance where I would be able to block whatever Artemis threw at me. The goddess looked at me uncertainly, not making a move.
"Hurry up," I muttered, rolling my hand. Artemis sighed, before diving into a lunge. I parried it easily, and internally groaned. We had work to do.
"How was that?" she asked.
"It was okay, but there's definitely room for improvement," I carefully said. "Look," I said, demonstrating what she had done. I threw my sword forward with one hand, retracting it quickly. Even Artemis was looking unimpressed.
"You need to use two hands first. It increases control and thrusting power. Try it." The goddess tried jabbing again, this time with two hands. Her eyes gleamed when she saw the results. It wasn't even close to what the Revenant were capable of doing, but for a goddess who barely knows what a sword it, it was an A*.
"Okay, good. Now, try again, but this time put your whole body into the strike." She scrunched her eyebrows, and looked at me confused. I sighed, demonstrating again.
"When I jab, I jab with my body as well. I lunge forwards, pushing my entire upper body forward, almost in sync with the strike. Your body and weapon should almost be one." The goddess looked up at me. It seemed to be a lot to take in, and we were only on lunges. This was going to be a long night…
…And a long night it was. Once she had mastered lunges, we immediately moved onto slashes, then parries, jabs, riposte, beats and chops. By the time she perfected passata sotos, I was shivering with sleep.
"So how am I doing?" she asked me eagerly. I shrugged.
"I'd be better," I grunted. Truth be told, I'm surprised she managed to learn how to parry properly, let alone complete a full riposte-passata soto combo. She gave me a little glare, before asking, "so when can I verse you properly, no training?" For a moment, I didn't even hear. I guess sleep deficiency does that to you.
"Believe me when I say you do not want to verse me." She looked at me.
"Why not." I sighed.
"Artemis, I annihilated the entire Revenant. Now, unless you're saying your skills are better than the Revenant combined after 5 hours of training, and with a sloppy riposte, we're not fighting." She glared at me, as I turned away from her, fiddling with the hem of my robe.
"How do I improve without you letting me properly practise," she snapped." I dropped the sword, turning to face her now.
"Okay Artemis, let's fight," I said in a quiet voice, a meticulous smile in my head." She looked hesitant at me.
"Don't you need the sword?" she asked. I shrugged.
"I don't need anything more than my hands when I'm with you."
Cautiously, the goddess branded her weapon, eyes on me. Intently, I watched her, before as quick as a wolf, she pounced with a passata soto. I was gleeful inside at just how accurately I predicted her move. Sidestepping, I grabbed her hand, twisting the blade away from her. It clattered onto the floor, and as it did, I pulled her close to me. We grappled for a while until I seized both her arms and pushed her against a tree. Leaning closely in, I whispered into her ear, "And that's why you don't fight me." Letting go of her, I snickered as she walked to grab her fallen sword, giving me the most murderous of looks.
"Don't feel bad Artemis, you lasted longer than Piper did when I first gave her a sword."
"I thought she used a knife," the goddess muttered.
"Well she does, but that didn't stop me from giving her a little extra training, and some extra mocking of course. I had to find some way to keep training in a fun way."
The heavy sound of footsteps made both of us look up quickly. Within seconds, I had grabbed a sword and was pointing it up, in my stance. I felt relieved when I saw it was only Calypso, the Revenant and some Gods. However, Calypso's face alone was scaring me. She was looking at me, with big eyes, almost as if she was on the verge of crying. Other gods also had trouble faces.
"Calypso, I need to train with Artemis as well-"
"Percy, I love you," Calypso blunted out midway through my sentence. This put me off. Even though we were close, she had never said that before.
"Is everything alright?" I asked, taking a step towards her.
"They're here, and it was more than we were expecting," she left out with a little sigh.
"You were e Nico and Jason's grave faces confirmed what she was saying.
"Well then we'll hit them so hard that they'll fly to Tartarus before you can say, 'I'm awesome, which I am of course.'" Nico merely shook his head.
"This isn't a battle, it's suicide," Calypso said, shuddering. My face went dark and grave. Finally, it was time to truly put the skills of the Olympians to the test for the first time. Whipping my staff out, I looked up at the petrified faces of fear all looking up to me.
"Who's ready for starters?"
It's been some time, but I've got a nice surprise for you all! I decided to make a discord server for everyone to join. If you want to help and have a say in this story, join the server! The code for the server is wqZJt894kN