A/N. Reviews.

"Damn. Things are getting good. Can't wait for the next chapter." -GokuBlackSSJR14

Thank you!

"Great chapter! Did not think he was gonna reunite with Annabeth like that, I thought there'd be more tears and shouting, I really expected percy to tell her then and there considering she just found him during his bachelor's party also is the wedding the next chapter or the chapter after that? I soo excited to hear his wedding speach!" -Sankarea396

Honestly, I had planned the Annabeth interaction differently. He was going to be at the bar with Artemis when he saw her, but then I changed Percy's bachelor party literally as I was writing the last chapter, and I decided to just add it there. The Wedding is this chapter.

"It would be easier to enjoy the ride if something happened. I get the need for setup, just becareful how long you spend drip feeding it." -jfrost22792

I completely understand. I stopped reading Daylilly because nothing was happening lmao. Stuff should start picking up from here, I hope.

"Good chapter. I think it'd be kinda amusing for Percy's title as King of Hell to be announced at the wedding, but at the same time I know it won't happen. I can't wait to see God's reaction to Percy's refusal as well." -JettShay

Yeah, I'm building up to the reveal. As for God's reaction, end of this chapter!

"Good chapter as always excited for more liked seeing hell again" -TheFiction101

Thank you! I like seeing Hell too, but the thing is, I have no idea what Percy is supposed to do there. Literally, in my outline I wrote, "Percy does hell things" and I wrote the outline like a year and a half ago, so I'm looking at it like, "What does that mean!" so yeah. If y'all have any ideas, feel free to share them.

Onto the chapter, it's a long one.

Chapter Twelve

Artemis sat in the bath, staring at the clear water in the tub. She had been done bathing for thirty minutes, but she couldn't bring herself to get out. Once she got out, she would have to face a day that she never thought would ever come.

She hated weddings. That much was obvious. Her desire to be single forever wasn't just about some aversion to men, although, who could blame her after she spent nine months in the womb with her brother, and then proceed to see the agony the birth had caused her mother. No, her reason for her hatred of weddings went deeper than that, it went to the very concept of what she represented.

The sound of footsteps on the marble flooring shook her from her musing. She turned to see her mother walk in. "Are you ready, dear?"

Artemis sighed and stood up. She stepped out of the tub and picked up a towel. "No. But it does not matter." She dried herself before wrapping the tower around her.

Leto looked at her with a mixture of sadness and joy. Joy that her only daughter was getting married, sad that said daughter didn't want to.

Artemis followed her mother out of the bathroom and down the hall. They turned into Artemis' bedroom. (Bedroom, ha! She rarely, if ever, slept in her palace. Any of the rooms could have been 'her' bedroom.) Inside the room were the Goddesses that had been at her Proaulia the previous night.

They were surrounding a dress. A wedding dress. Her wedding dress. It was a slim white dress with intertwining designs of silver flowing up the dress and sleeves. Around the waist was a line of studded moonstones. There were thin threads of gold lining the neckline. It was a beautiful dress. And she hated it.

She hated that it was beautiful.

Artemis removed the towel and slipped into the dress with the help of the Goddess.

"Does it fit well?" Aphrodite asked. There was a sense of care in her voice.

Artemis nodded. "Yes. It fits… perfectly."

Aphrodite smiled. "Good."

Leto clapped her hands. "It's time. Are you ready?"

Artemis sighed, before nodding. She stood up straighter and cracked her neck. "I am."

Aphrodite jumped. "Almost forgot!" She walked over to a bouquet of flowers in the corner. She picked them up and handed them to Artemis. "You need these."

Artemis took the flowers and instinctually smelt them.

"Come on. The wedding will start in a little bit. We need to get Artemis to the throne room before the offerings." Athena said. The Goddess of Wisdom was wearing a gray pencil dress, much to the surprise of Artemis.

Together, they walked out of the room, out of the palace, and led the bride to the throne room.

LINE BREAK

Percy's fingers tapped against his knee rapidly. He was already dressed in his suit and now he had nothing to do but wait. His father was nowhere to be found. He had left Percy alone to get dressed, and hadn't been back soon.

He looked over at the mirror and studied his appearance. He looked tired. And worried. His fingers kept tapping against his knee.

The door opened, and his father entered. Poseidon was dressed in a suit as well, although his was sea green, the same color as his, and Percy's, eyes. His beard was trimmed to perfection, with not a single gray hair in sight. His hair wasn't styled, still in its natural windswept look. "It's time. Are you ready?"

Percy sighed and stood up. "Not like I have a choice." He muttered. He patted his chest, making sure the paper with his vows was folded in his inner-breast pocket. He followed his father out of the room.

Poseidon led the groom to the throne room. As they entered the giant room, Percy had to admit, the Olympians knew how to decorate for a wedding. Blue and silver streamers were strewn across the air above them, coming to a point in the center of the ceiling. The thrones had been removed, (Percy didn't know they could even be removed) with the walls lined with tables. Name cards were placed at every seat.

More blue and silver streamers were wrapped around the pillars, with balloons attached to the streamers. The ceiling was still the night sky, constellations and all, but each constellation seemed to shine brighter.

A white carpet was rolled out to the back of the room, leading up to a white and gold archway. The archway had flowers growing on it. In the middle of the arch was a podium and a table. Seats were set up, facing the arch. It was a typical modern wedding venue.

At the entrance to the room was a poster board with a portrait of him and Artemis. It was an artistic rendition, since the portrayal of them was far from accurate. They hadn't hugged, much less kissed. In black cursive lettering, which was murder to his dyslexic brain, he finally made out: "Joining of Perseus Jackson and Phoebe Artemis".

"Huh." Percy said.

"What?" Poseidon asked.

"I didn't know Artemis was her last name."

His father shrugged. "My aunt was named Phoebe. Wonder if that has something to do with it."

Percy nodded. He followed the God to the end of the aisle, the arc. Poseidon turned around and faced his son. "Okay, Percy. When the wedding starts, Zeus will walk Artemis down, but before you say your vows, Hestia will walk a brazier down to you. You and Artemis will throw this into the fire as a sacrifice." Poseidon placed a golden drachma into Percy's hand. "Then you and her will say your vows, then Hera will ask a few questions, you say 'I do', then you both walk down, then we party. Straightforward?"

"I think so? It's similar to Mom's wedding when she married Paul. Y'know, without the dad walking her down, and the sacrifices."

"I remember. I remember you walked her down."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "You were at Mom and Paul's wedding?" I didn't see you."

"I was kind of there. I watched from Olympus. It broke my heart, and I thought it would be awkward if I was there."

"Yeah, it definitely would have been."

Poseidon sighed and looked his son up and down. A tear started to roll down his cheek as he grabbed Percy's shoulders and smiled. "My son. Getting married. I'm so proud of you."

"It's arranged."

"Still. It's a glorious moment. I remember when I married Amphitrite. I was so happy." Poseidon smiled again, his eyes cloudy as he reminisced.

"Yeah? That why you cheat on her?"

Poseidon's smile vanished. "Wow."

"I-I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

Poseidon sighed. "No, I… I deserved that." He was silent before saying, "I'm going to go sit down."

Percy sighed and looked around. A bunch of nymphs were sitting down already in the back rows. He guessed the front rows were reserved for Gods.

He tugged on the collar of his dress shirt, just as he felt sweat start to drip down his back. He didn't like all the people staring at him. He looked away from the crowd and tried to focus on the decorations around the throne hall.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long. After a few minutes, slow, soft music started to play, courtesy of nine nymphs with various instruments off to the side of the room, and Gods and nymphs started to rapidly fill the empty chairs. Percy couldn't help but scan the audience, see if he could recognize any familiar faces. He thought he saw Hades a couple of rows in, but he wasn't sure. Although, he didn't know anyone else who was that pale, besides Nico.

Hera entered the room, dressed in a blue and green dress that resembled the feathers of a peacock. She walked up to the podium on the altar and took her place as the officiant.

Eventually, Athena, Aphrodite, and Demeter entered and took their seats in the first row. Hera clasped her hands together. "We will now begin the wedding." She spoke. "Please rise for the bride."

The audience all stood and turned to the doors. They opened as Artemis and Zeus walked in. Zeus was wearing a tuxedo, which was a pleasant change from his usual pinstriped suit. Artemis had on a beautiful white dress with glittering stones and golden accents. Her auburn hair was in its usual braid, thrown over her shoulder.

They walked down the aisle and time seemed to slow down for Percy. He looked around to see if maybe Kronos had snuck into the wedding and was fucking with him, but no. He focused on Artemis and swallowed hard. She was intimidatingly pretty.

She noticed him looking at her and she smiled slightly. Her smile was weird though, almost like she was trying to convey, 'Can you believe this?'

When they reached him, Zeus muttered a couple of words to Artemis, before pressing something into her palm. She nodded, almost solemnly before Zeus sat down in his seat, next to his brothers. Percy guessed it was Hades that he had seen earlier, and he had moved up to the front row.

"You may sit." Hera told the audience. "If my sister will come forward for the sacrifices?"

The doors opened once more. Hestia stepped into the room, wearing an orange dress with hints of red and yellow resembling a flame. She carried a brazier that was way too big for any normal mortal child to possibly carry.

She walked down the aisle, the brazier alight. The nymphs on the edge of the rows were leaning away as she passed, nervous that the fire would light them ablaze. Which, in all honesty, would completely ruin the mood.

She reached the couple and set the brazier down. She let her hands rest, her right hand grasping her left wrist, as she waited.

"The bride and groom will now make sacrifices to appease the Gods, to bless their marriage. If they will now do that." Hera said.

Percy and Artemis threw the gold coins into the fire. They disappeared as soon as they touched the flames. Golden flecks showered in the flames for a second before disappearing.

All of the Gods in the room seemed to sit, or in the case of Artemis and Hera, stand up straighter. Hera clasped her hands together. She smiled and began her speech as Hestia picked up the brazier and took it out of the throne room, before coming back in and discreetly taking her seat in the front row.. "Welcome, everybody! We are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of Percy and Artemis in my realm of godly matrimony."

The audience clapped.

"What more could I say about the two? I don't think either of these two ever saw this in their cards. Not Percy, when he first found out he was a demigod, nearly ten years ago, nor did Artemis when she swore to be a maiden for eternity. Just goes to show how no one knows what the future has in store for us."

Hera took a deep breath. "Marriage is more than just saying vows in front of a crowd. Marriage is a lifetime commitment to you, your partner, and the life you decide to lead together. Part of marriage is finding happiness, happiness in each other, happiness in the experiences you have. Part of marriage is flexibility. After all, you have to make compromises, which requires being flexible. Rarely will things ever go the way you wanted. Remember that love can prevail, and even flourish, in times of turmoil."

Artemis raised an eyebrow, as she looked at Percy. She looked like she was trying to hold in laughter. "What love?" She mouthed.

Percy smiled and shrugged subtly.

In the front row, Zeus turned to Poseidon and whispered, "They look so happy together."

Poseidon looked at his brother with a disbelieving look on his face. "If that's what you see." He whispered back.

Hera continued, "Today, as these two are joined in marriage, know that the future before you is unknown to anyone but the Fates. Today, you both entered as individuals, and you will leave as husband and wife. As you are bound together, so will your lives intertwine. You are embarking on a great journey, of which we all know you will prevail."

Hera turned to Percy. "If the groom will now say his vows?"

Percy breathed out and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a folded piece of paper, before unfolding it. He glanced up at Artemis, before looking back down. He shifted on his feet as he opened his mouth. "I, uh, I had a, a hard time writing my vows. After all, what do you say? Usually it would be—" he squinted at the paper, trying to make out the words he had written. "What do you say to someone who you didn't want to marry, and didn't want to marry you?

"So I… uh…" He squinted again at the paper before muttering, "Why did I write this, I can't fucking read." He crumpled up the paper and threw it behind him. "Look." He said, looking at Artemis. "Neither of us wanted this. But, you decided to take a risk, and I decided to take it with you. Whether this ends up with us happy and together, or avoiding each other like the plague—" There were mutters of 'Hated that period' among the crowd. "My promise to you is, that no matter what happens, I will try my best to be the husband you deserve. And, yeah." He nodded. "I think that's about it."

"Very moving." Hera said, not one tear shed, despite the hand she placed over her heart. She turned to Artemis. "And now the bride will share her vows."

A slip of paper appeared in the Moon Goddess's hands. She cleared her throat and began. "I remember when I swore to never marry, so long ago. I, like all of us gods, are supposed to represent nature and humanity. I am supposed to represent self sufficient, and independent women. And I, a freshly born Goddess, decided that meant that I did not, in fact, I should not, get married. And for a while, I was right.

"But times change, and I have been unwilling to change with them." Her lips quivered as she admitted a fault, a rarity for her, for Gods in general. "Maybe being married does not take away parts of who I am. And so, I am looking forward to this marriage optimistically. And therein lies my vow. I vow to try my best to make this marriage happy for both of us, as this marriage is a chance to show that being wedded does not define someone, trapping them into a box."

She and Percy turned to Hera. "Beautiful vows, you two." The words were as ingenuine as synthetic leather. The Marriage Goddess turned to the crowd. "Would the ring bearer please come forward with the rings?"

A winged man flew down from above and landed in front of them. Percy didn't know the God personally, but Nico had told him all about him. His encounter with Cupid, God of love, affection, and desire. In his hands was a pillow made of vicuña wool, with two simplistic silver wedding bands lying on it.

He kneeled before the couple, presenting the bands. His long black hair shrouded his face as he looked down at the ground. Percy and Artemis each picked up a ring at the behest of Hera.

Hera looked at the Son of Poseidon. "Do you, Perseus, take Phoebe Artemis to be your lawfully wedded wife, for the rest of eternity?"

Percy hesitated. "Eternity is kind of a long time, no? I mean, what if I die, what then? Or what if we decide to get divorced?"

Hera smiled sickly sweet. "Divorce doesn't exist here. Why do you think I'm still married?"

"Well… Artemis was talking about change, so… uh, maybe you guys could implement a divorce system."

Hera looked like she was restraining herself from decking Percy. "We will get right on that." She said through gritted teeth, her false smile never wavering. "Now, do you take Phoebe Artemis as your lawfully wedded wife, for the rest of eternity?"

Percy turned to Artemis and looked her in the eyes, before sighing and saying, "I do," almost silently.

No one moved. Not Hera. Not the audience. Not Artemis, nor Percy. Finally, hera broke out of it and nudged Artemis. "Give him the ring." She muttered.

"Oh." Artemis muttered quietly. She slowly grasped Percy's left hand and slid the band in his ring finger, before letting go of his hand.

"Do you, Artemis, take Perseus Jackson as your lawfully wedded husband, for the rest of eternity?"

Artemis hesitated for even longer than Percy had, before saying, "I do not know, eternity is kind of a long time."

Hera took a deep breath in before clenching her fists. She closed her eyes and breathed out.

Finally, Artemis relented and said, "I do."

Percy slid the ring onto the Goddess' finger.

"With the rings exchanged, and with the power invested in me through the Three Fates, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Percy glanced at Artemis before turning to Hera. "Do we have to?"

Hera glared at the demigod. "Yes."

Percy turned back to Artemis. "Please don't kill me." He whispered, before leaning in and giving her a quick peck on the lips. He immediately pulled back, before turning away, his cheeks burning.

The audience was cheering so loud, Percy felt like his ear drums were about to blow. He swore he could feel blood leaking out of his ear canal.

The next few minutes were a blur as the throne room was cleared out. In the center was an empty space for dancing. Surrounding it were a bunch of tables. The altar was removed and replaced with a table reserved for Percy and Artemis. However, they didn't get to sit, as they had to have their first dance.

"I don't know how." Percy whispered to Artemis.

She raised an eyebrow. "You don't know how to dance?"

He shook his head. "No."

"You have never danced underneath the moonlight?"

"No?"

Artemis sighed quietly. "I'll lead, just follow."

Music was playing in the background as they took their places on the dance floor. However, he couldn't focus on it as she took his hand. They slowly started to sway to the rhythm of whatever it was the Nine Muses were playing, and all Percy could focus on was how close she was to him. The scent of pine filled his nose.

"Did you see Hera's face when I repeated what you said?" Artemis asked, a grin playing on her lips.

"Yes! She was so going to kill us. I mean, she looked pissed!"

"Yeah, but she deserved it though. Fuckin' bitch."

"I'm mortal and can die, so I'm gonna keep my mouth shut."

Artemis chuckled. "Oh yeah? Well what if I kill you, hm?"

Percy grinned. "That would suck. I quite like being alive."

Artemis laughed.

While they got lost in their conversation and dance, Poseidon noticed a crumpled ball of paper near his table. Percy's wedding vows. Curiosity gripping him, he got up and walked over to it, and picked it up. He unfolded it and started to laugh. Written on the paper in messy handwriting was:

Hard time writing vows. Make it up. Make comment about can't read, and crumple paper. Wing it.

Poseidon crumpled the paper back up and with a flash of light, the paper vanished from his hand.

When the couple's first dance out of the way, the reception properly started. Some Gods and nymphs swarmed the dance floor, while others started to get food from the tables lining the walls.

In the fray, Artemis spotted Hades getting food. His plate was full of fruit. Just fruit. A lot of different fruit, in small amounts. Strawberries, cherries, pineapple, oranges, pears, blueberries, and lemons. She waited for him to sit down at his table before approaching him and sitting across from him. "Uncle Hades." She greeted him.

He looked up at her as he bit into a strawberry. Juice was starting to drip down from his lip, which, paired with his dark hair and pale skin, made it seem like he was a vampire who had just sucked down a fresh Capri-Human.

"Artemis." He nodded curtly. "Congratulations. Although, I don't think you are very happy about this."

She waved it off. "I heard that some souls had escaped the Underworld, and I wanted to offer my help in hunting them down."

Hades regarded her with a blank expression before leaning forward and placing his hands on the table. "Are you insinuating that I am not capable of doing my job?"

"What? No. No, I'm not doing that, not at all."

He raised an eyebrow. "Then why do you say that souls have escaped my realm?"

"Because they have?" She looked confused. "Your son told me—"

Hades started to laugh. "I don't know what my son told you, niece, but no souls have escaped my realm. Not for a long time. In fact, security has been at the best it has ever been, ever."

"But Nico told me Percy was helping hunt down escaped souls. He had to leave a date early to do so."

Hades grinned. "I'm sorry to say, but he's lying."

Artemis stood up. "Thank you." She hesitated. "And I am sorry for insinuating you were bad at your job."

She looked around for Percy, and saw that he was in the middle of a conversation with Apollo. She sat back down in her seat, before rubbing her eyes and trying to sort through the information that she had just learned. Two possibilities seemed to appear. One-Percy was lying, and Nico was covering for him. Two-Hades was lying.

Both seemed equally possible. On one hand, Nico was close to Percy and seemed to be willing to lie. But what would Percy be hiding? While, yes, he did have a right to privacy, after all, she would say that they were friends at best, but whatever it was had interrupted a date, so it had to have been something big.

On the other hand, Hades was a God. And Gods never liked to admit that something was wrong with their domain. Fates knows that she wouldn't tell anyone if something was wrong with her domain, especially if it was as big as dead souls entering the world of the living. But then, if Hades was tight lipped about it, why would Nico know? Oh, but Nico practically lives in the Underworld so of course he'd know what happens down there. And he certainly isn't as secretive as his father, which would explain why he gave up information so easily.

She needed more information.

She was shaken out of her thoughts by Percy sitting down next to her. "You okay?" He asked, worry evident in his eyes.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. What did my brother want?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "'Don't hurt my sister or I'll come for you.' I had to remind him that you'd kill me first."

Artemis rolled her eyes too. "Good."

"He did share something interesting though."

"What?"

"He thought Zeus had arranged the marriage. Which is why he hadn't really done anything to fight it."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "He thought Zeus arranged this?"

"Yeah, apparently your father told all of Olympus it was his idea. 'To repair Olympus's broken family'."

"That sounds like Dad." Artemis muttered. "Can not let anyone know that someone other than him made a decision."

"Yeah."

Artemis turned to him. "Hey, the Hunt is having a feast tonight, I think you should come."

Percy's eyes widened. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I don't think your Hunters will be… welcoming."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "You'll be fine."

LINE BREAK

"I never knew your name was actually Phoebe." Percy said, warming himself by the fire. Snow was falling in the forest Artemis' hunters were camping in and Percy's suit didn't do much to keep out the chilly air, nor the howling wind.

The feast had gone off with no problems. Artemis had changed into her normal clothes, they ate, and now, the Hunters had gone to sleep, leaving the newlyweds by the campfire.

"It was my grandmother's name. My mom's mom. She gave Apollo and I her name." She scratched her neck. "I prefer my last name. More… original, I guess."

Percy nodded and moved closer to the fire. Artemis noticed and stood up. "Come. I have a gift for you."

Percy looked up at her. "You don't have to—"

She narrowed her eyes, shutting him up. He stood up and followed her. He fell behind her, on account of the snow and wind pelting him in the face. She led him to her tent and entered. He finally reached it and entered.

Immediately, he felt warmer. She had a brazier in the middle of the tent. Pillows and blankets covered the entirety of the floor. Animal pets covered the walls. In the corner was a desk. Artemis was next to it, picking up something. She walked over to him and handed it to him.

It was a piece of leather with two straps attached. "It is a sheath." She said, "I saw that you kept a knife in your pocket. That is dangerous. You can stab yourself while running. So, I made you a sheath."

"Artemis…" Percy said, taking it. "Thank you."

He took the knife out of his pocket, but before he could slide it into the sheath, Artemis asked to see it.

Percy hesitated, before handing it over.

Artemis gingerly ran a finger along the jagged edge, drawing golden ichor. "It is strange. This steel is nothing I have ever seen before. Nor is the leather on the handle. Where did you get it?"

Percy froze as he tried to think of a believable lie. "Uh, Tatarus. When I was down there with Annabeth. I found it."

"Interesting." She continued to examine the knife. She ran her fingers over the weird etchings, written in some language she didn't know.

She handed the knife back to Percy, who slid it into the sheath. He held the leather in his hands, trying to decide where it went.

"Hang it on your belt loop." Artemis advised. "I noticed you wear jeans a lot, so you should be able to wear it all the time.

He threaded the leather strap through his belt loop on his right side, and buttoned the sheath to the strap. He gave it a hard tug and found that the leather held. He drew the knife from the sheath before sheathing it again. "Artemis… I don't know what to say. I feel bad, I didn't get you anything."

"Do not worry about it." She waved him off.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Percy, anything I want, I can have with a snap of my fingers. Really, do not worry about it." She walked over to the brazier and sat down in front of it.

"I know, but I still feel bad." He said, looking around the room. On the desk, where Artemis had retrieved the sheath, were the flowers he had gotten her last week. They were healthy, and placed in a vase. He walked over to them. "You kept them?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Why would I not?"

"I don't know. Just didn't expect it, I guess." He walked over to the brazier and sat across from Artemis. They sat in silence, listening to the flickering of the flames.

Artemis broke the silence a few minutes later. "Your fatal flaw is loyalty, no?"

"That's what they say."

She tilted her head. "You don't think so?"

Percy rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know. It's complicated."

"Talk it out. We have time."

Percy sighed. "I don't know. I guess, well, Athena said my fatal flaw is loyalty, but I don't think I've really faced a situation where I would give up the world for a friend. When I was twelve, I left my mom in the Underworld so I could return your Father's lightning bolt. I let Grover go on his deadly Pan search with no problem. I mean, I was worried, of course I was, but I didn't go on some world ending quest to stop him. You remember when Annabeth got taken? Back when we first met? I wanted to throw myself off that cliff, but I didn't—"

"Because my hunters held you down, if I remember correctly."

He nodded. "Yeah, but I wasn't going to jump. I begged you to let us search. And then, I let Grover and Tyson go off in the Labyrinth by themselves to go find Pan. Artemis, I let Beckendorf kill himself to destroy the Princess Andromeda! That's not fucking nothing, he died!" He took a deep breath in. "I mean, I let Annabeth, who was my girlfriend at the time, go off on her own to find Athena's fucking statue. I mean, if I'm supposed to destroy the world to protect my friends, then I should've ended it ten times over. Unless, maybe, I'm just a bad friend."

"Hm."

"That's not all though. I've found that usually fatal flaws are usually modeled after a characteristic of their father, right? I mean, Annabeth has Athena's pride, Nico has Hades's grudges, and Thalia has Zeus' lust for power. My father isn't known for loyalty, he's known for his temper. So what if…" he didn't finish.

"Your temper is your downfall?" Artemis finished.

"Yeah." Percy said quietly."When I was in Tartarus, Annabeth and I ran into Alchys. She tricked us, and I… I was so angry…" Percy rubbed his face before speaking, his voice breaking, "I almost drowned her, Artemis. In her own poison. It… I keep wondering, if something like that were to happen again, would I stop? And, could I, could I live with myself if I didn't?

"Annabeth won't admit it, but I know. She was scared of me after that." He sighed and looked down. "I don't know."

"Well, I would say, considering you are worried about this, I think that makes you a good person. And even good people get angry sometimes.

Percy glanced up at her. "I guess." He stared into the fire.

Artemis felt awkward. She didn't know what to say. What could she say, what words wouldn't ring hollow?

"Maybe I'm just wrong." He said. "Maybe I just have a good grasp on my flaw, always have, before I even knew it was my flaw."

He let out a deep breath and fell backwards, lying on the blankets and rugs that covered the floor. His eyes suddenly felt heavy, and his body weak. All his energy was gone. "I'm exhausted."

"Do you want me to take you home?" Artemis asked, softly.

His eyes flicked over to her, though, he couldn't see her from where he was laying, and with the brazier blocking her. "You know what, sure. Thank you."

Artemis stood up and walked over to him. She picked him up and carried him bridal style. Percy yawned and closed his eyes. She looked down at him before shaking her head and smiling.

With his eyes closed, they disappeared in a bright flash.

They reappeared in his bedroom. She looked around and frowned. It was really small. If she spread her arms, she could touch both walls at the same time. A bed took up most of the room. She laid him down on it and threw a blanket over him.

She opened the window and stepped out onto the fire escape. As soon as she did, she heard Percy's bedroom door open. She flashed away before someone saw her.

A shame, she just missed Sally Jackson, Mother of Percy Jackson.

LINE BREAK

Gabriel entered the Primum Mobile, where his Father—The Father—sat on his throne. "Gabriel, my son. What news do you bring?"

"I have found the identity of Hell's new warden. It is a pagan."

Yahweh stroked his long beard. "Interesting. Of what origin?'

"Greek, as far as I could tell. He reeked of the sea."

"Poseidon?"

Gabriel shook his head. "No. This new warden, he's mortal."

Yahweh frowned. "And has he agreed to help us?"

"No Lord, he refused. Said that if should Hell and Heaven clash, it wouldn't be under his stewardship."

"You said he is mortal."

"Yes."

"That… that is good, then."

"It is?"

Yahweh stood up. "I want you to go back."

"And meet with the Greek?"

"No. I want you to meet with the scapegoat. Tell him to rid the throne of its' king and take the throne. We can use him, and if he's in the position of Hell, we can achieve true paradise, when it is time."

Gabriel bowed low. "Your will be done, my Lord."