Artemis POV
I groaned as I opened my eyes, trying to blink away the haze that clouded my vision. My mouth was dry and my head throbbed painfully. As I tried to sit up, a sharp pain shot through my arms, and I rubbed them hard, quickly realising they had been messed up pretty bad. One arm was practically painted gold in ichor. I strained against the bonds, but they held firm. My eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, and I saw that I was surrounded by walls of a dark, oppressive shade that seemed to swallow up the light. The walls were stained with golden ichor and crimson blood, as if the room itself was eager to absorb the life force of those who entered it. As I took in my surroundings, I felt a shiver run down my spine. It was a small room, perhaps ten metres by ten metres, and it felt devoid of life. The air was thick with the scent of death, and I wondered how long I had been there. I tried to recall how I ended up in this place, but my memories were jumbled and fragmented, like pieces of a puzzle that didn't quite fit together. I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my mind.
Suddenly, it hit me like a bolt of Zeus's lightning. The battle. The fight that we had accidentally walked into against Gone and his army. The memories came flooding back, and I could feel my heart racing in my chest. I remembered the blood and the chaos, the screams and the shouts. I remembered Perseus lying on the ground, with the edge of a sword at his throat. And then, I remembered how I had flashed him away and allowed myself to be taken. I couldn't help but feel conflicted about the boy, or man, or whatever I would decide to call him. Was it love that made me save him, or was it the guilt of everything I had put him through? At any rate, I doubted that I'd have the chance to find out for quite a while, unless I managed to miraculously get out of this room. And no, I couldn't just flash out. My powers seemed to be unresponsive to me, most likely courtesy of the celestial bronze anklet bracelet. It was a clever trap, and whoever had put me here knew how to keep me contained.
As I sat there, contemplating life and all the mistakes I'd made in the millenia, the door opened with a creak, and a man walked in. He was tall and imposing, with a regal air that spoke of power and authority. He looked at me with cold, piercing eyes, and I could feel his gaze strip away my defences. He knew who I was, and what I was capable of, and he seemed to relish the power that he had over me. I glared at him, trying to muster some semblance of defiance, but I knew that I was trapped. Besides, it's pretty hard to look tough when you're locked in some basement in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no plan. Even if your sister is Athena, it didn't guarantee you'd be as smart, or even close to how smart she was. The man walked towards me, and I could feel his breath on my face as he leaned in close, something I wish never to witness again. He spoke, his voice low and menacing, and I could feel my heart beating faster in my chest.
"Artemis," he said. "It's nice to have the pleasure of your company. I squinted at him, trying to place where I'd seen him before. His voice was familiar, but with clothes as dark as his, obscuring his pace, I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice hoarse. For a moment, the man seemed confused, stepping back, before giving a chuckle.
"You must never have seen me like this before, but perhaps if I quickly changed my clothes, you'd recognise your best friend a bit more easily." Snapping his fingers, the man's clothes quickly transformed until he looked strikingly familiar to the person I had just been fighting.
"Gone," I muttered, glaring at the man. He grinned.
"Very good. I see your memory isn't completely gone." He circled me, eyes roving over my body. "I must admit, you're even more beautiful this close up than I remember. Percy doesn't know what he's been missing out on, although it is a tough decision between you and Calypso." I fought down the urge to shudder as he touched my arm, his grip tight and possessive.
"Let me go!" I yelled, jerking my arm away faster than Hemera moves at the crack of dawn. He shook his head, mocking sadness.
"I'm afraid I can't do that dear. You see, you're much too valuable to me, so much that I even gave you a private cell block! Now, you can deny it as much as you want, and so can Perseus, but the truth is, he needs to find you. Whether that's out of love or his own guilt, I have no clue, but he'll come. Finding you is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, only the haystack is the Earth, Heavens and Underworld. Believe me, you're not being found. Anyway, as I was saying, yes, Perseus will soon enough come searching for you, despite it being hopeless. Only then, when Olympus's defences are so low they reach Tartarus will I strike!" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
"How can Olympus move their defences down to Tartarus?" I asked, causing him to facepalm.
"It's a metaphor, idiot! It just means Olympus will be defenceless with the entire Revenant searching for you. Then, they will witness their true bane. It's not Kronos or Gaia. The true bane of Olympus is me, Gone!" He stood proudly, before looking down, as if he was forgetting something.
"I suppose there always is the chance I'm wrong and Percy just doesn't care about you," he continued, grinning. "If that's the case, then number one I feel sorry for you, my moon goddess. Love is such a fickle, delicate and painful thing. Number two, I will make sure you never see the light of Hemera again, and you can quote me on that. I can be a lot of fun, especially if those torture weapons I ordered come on time. Honestly, Hermes is rubbish at delivering on time."
I gritted my teeth, hands balled into fists. I knew I had to get out of here and warn the Olympians. If Percy searches for me, then truly all hope is lost. The question is, how could I escape when my powers were useless and I was trapped in this windowless room with no way out. The man seemed to read my thoughts, his smirk growing wider.
"Don't bother trying to escape, Artemis. There's no way out, and even if there was, do you really think you can beat my guards in this state?" He leaned in closer, his breath hot on my face. I spat at him, causing him to recoil in a bit of a shock, which he quickly laughed off, turning around to exit the door.
"Sit back and enjoy the accommodations Milady," he mocked. "After all, I have a feeling you're going to be here for a very long time. Just think about what Perseus is doing. He's probably laughing all about you with his actual girlfriend Calypso. You know, the one that doesn't attempt to kill him five times a day."
Percy POV
"I'm not changing my mind!" I said through gritted teeth, glaring at my girlfriend.
"Why can't I come!" she yelled, frustrated. I sighed, exchanging a glance with Nico who was obviously trying not to laugh at the interaction.
"Calypso, this is something dangerous, tough, and deadly," I began, my tone firm. "I don't want to risk your life in retrieving a moon goddess. Plus you hate her guts so why would I ever let you tag along-"
"If it's dangerous, that's all the more reason to bring me along," she retorted smartly, her voice rising in confidence. "The more the merrier, and don't act like you don't need all the help you can get."
I couldn't argue with her logic, but I couldn't let her come with us either.
"I do," I replied, "but I also need some people here, guarding Olympus. You know what Gone's like. He'll lead us on a mad goose chase, and then strike back when we don't even expect it. All it takes is one well prepared attack, and we're done." Calypso made a noise of frustration.
"Nico's coming," she pointed out. Internally, I sighed. I was wondering when she'd bring up Nico.
"That's because I need someone to watch my back," I explained, hoping she would just understand and let it be.
"I can watch your back," Calypso insisted. "Besides, Nico is better off defending Olympus. Everyone knows he's the strongest out of all of us, second to only you, partly because you spent ages teaching him."
"Calypso," I said firmly, locking eyes with her. "I get that you wanna come with us, but it's too dangerous, end of story. Even I couldn't beat Gone with raw power, so how can you think you'll have a chance?" Her eyes flashed with anger, and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I can handle danger," she spat, choosing to ignore my statement about losing to Gone. "I've been through my fair share of it, Percy, and I'm not going to sit around while you and Nico run off on some suicide mission." After this, lowering her voice to a whisper, she said, "Do you know how scared I was when Nico told me what happened in that battle?"
"Calypso!" I growled, my eyes flickering gold again. "You, Frank, Jason and Leo are all guarding the gates of Olympus, and are to do so until I either die or return, preferably the latter!" For a moment, Calypso just stared at me, her eyes glowering. That moment turned into a minute.
"Percy, I think she's frozen," Nico gently spoke, his voice low. I sighed, before taking a deep breath and unfreezing her. Almost as soon as she could move, Calypso opened her mouth to argue again, but Nico stepped forward, his expression serious.
"Percy's right," he said. "We need people here to protect Olympus, and you're the best candidate for the job." At this, Calypso didn't have a response, simply glaring at me, before suddenly squeezing me in a hug. Then, she stepped back, and slapped me across the face. I was surprised to say the least, stumbling backwards, my cheek stinging from the impact.
"You better come back safely," she growled, before storming off.
"Women, Nico sighed, before nudging me with a grin. "Am I right about what?"
"What about them, Nico?" a voice said. I watched Nico spin around in fear, looking wide eyed at Hazel and Piper.
"Oh, nothing, I was just talking about how amazing they are!" The two girls smirked, before turning to me.
"Okay Percy, what's the game plan?" Jason asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. I rubbed my temples, my brain still fried from arguing with Calypso. Honestly I would not recommend that to anyone.
"Jason, Leo, Frank and Hazel, all of you are in charge of holding down the fort," I ordered. "Under no circumstances is anyone to enter. If someone you've never seen before makes an appearance, mercilessly obliterate them, the same way I obliterate all of you in chess-"
"-Yeah right, in your dream," Jason muttered under his breath, something I didn't miss.
"Would you like me to remind you what happens when you try playing the Caro Kann against me?" I asked, my eyes twinkling with amusement. Jason groaned loudly.
"Oh gods, please not the fantasy." I grinned, slapping him on the back.
"Alright, in all seriousness, I have high hopes for you four," I said, pointing at the guardians of Olympus. Then, I softened my voice. "Do me a favour and make sure Calypso doesn't want to skewer my guts when I come back please." At this, everyone smirked.
"Is Percy, the God of Time, really scared of Calypso?" Leo teased. I shut him up quickly with a glare, causing everyone to laugh.
"Wait a second," Piper interjected, her eyebrows furrowed. "If Leo, Frank, Jason, Calypso and Hazel are holding down Olympus, and you and Nico are going to find the moon goddess, what the Hades am I doing?
"Good question," I said, stroking my imaginary beard. "You're coming with us!" Everyone seemed stunned for a moment, looking at me as if to double check I was sane.
"So let me get this straight," Leo began. "You're taking Piper, but leaving Calypso?" I nodded.
"Pretty much. Her charm speak is going to come into use, and she's a better fighter in one on ones over crowds of enemies." Leo slowly nodded his head, as if I had a valid point.
"Just don't tell Calypso," I hissed, getting another ripple of laughter from the Revenant.
"When do we leave?" Piper asked.
"Now," I said firmly. "With every second we delay, not only is Artemis at more risk of being sent to Tartarus to reform, but the gates of Olympus are also in increasing danger." Piper took this opportunity to give her boyfriend an extremely long and uncomfortable for everyone else kiss. When she finished, I glared at her, as if to say, are you done yet? Then, I gave Hazel a quick hug and the rest of the boys a firm handshake.
"We'll try and get back in the next two days, but you know what it's like with Gone," I said Jason nodded.
"So no promises?"
"No promises, I agreed."
"Very well, I wish you all the best of luck," Frank said. He was trying to hide it for Jason's sake, but it was obvious he was ecstatic that he and Hazel were together.
"Goodbye, my fellow soldiers," I said, waving to them, before turning around and marching out of Olympus.
"I do hope you have a plan, yes?" Piper said nervously. I nodded.
"Care to inform us?" Nico asked. Oh how eager they were to hear the plan, and how unenthusiastic they were to make the plans.
"We're going to meet a good friend of mine." Piper didn't seem to understand what I was saying, but Nico did, going wide eyes.
"You mean-"
"Yep!" I said confidently. "We're going back to the Underworld."
Little bit short, but hope it was still enjoyable. Got some wild chapters coming up soon!