Authors Note: ...Hey everyon- WHOA! (Dodges onslaught of tomatoes and rocks coming at me). I'm so, so, so sorry T_T. I didn't even give a warning about Wednesday and I left you guys hanging for a chapter. And now I'm putting out a late update. Man, I'm the worst sometimes. But yeah, more on that at the end of this chapter so...read on!
Chapter 25: Delphi isn't prepared for the official God team
The streets of Olympus were quite calm right now, the morning rush was just winding down as everyone made their way to their homes for lunch, or just buying a quick meal from the store. A group of nymphs were just settling down in the town square to eat when they got subjected by two bright flashes of light. Perseus and Artemis had suddenly flashed into Olympus, knocking down the group of nymphs as they clambered out of a fountain and made a mad dash towards the direction of the local infirmary.
"How can we forget about first-aid?! That's literally something that should have been on the top of our list from the beginning!" Perseus wondered out loud.
"Probably because we figured that maybe I, or even you, would heal the minor wounds without any problem. Though I am not used to removing arrows out of people's foot!" Artemis replied.
"Yeah, good thing we have some healing powers. Though it will be problematic if they only rely on us for treatment and not learn the basics themselves." Perseus said, the two of them soon reaching the infirmary. On going inside, they found Apollo of all people relaxing on the counter, and dissecting a hand.
"What in our father's name are you doing?!" Artemis incredulously asked.
"Checking out how the human nerves work." Apollo replied, engrossed in his work. He prodded the hand on the inside, and a finger started to move. He continued to prod and was soon able to make finger puppets. "Automatic hand, quite cool." Apollo muttered.
"That is literally disgusting. And don't you need a brain or something similar to work out the nerves?" Artemis asked. "And why are you even doing it here out of all the places?!"
"Not, when you have a god working on this." Apollo replied. "And I commissioned this place, I can do whatever I want to and wherever in this place." he said, showing a particular finger at Artemis. Perseus snorted while Artemis fumed, grabbed the hand and began whacking Apollo with it.
"Get your hand off me!" Apollo cried, glancing up for the first time and then ducking underneath the desk. He then realized who else had accompanied Artemis, and immediately brought himself up.
"Percy! Sooo, how is my best friend doing this fine afternoon?" Apollo asked with a grin.
Perseus raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine actually. Listen, we need at least-"
"Just fine? Come on, I bet you're on cloud nine, right?" Apollo said, leaning over. "But tell me, is there something I should know of? You know since I'm your best friend. And... Artemis'sbrotherbutthat'snotimportant." he said quickly.
"I didn't catch that last part really..." Perseus replied. "But is there something you should know from me?"
"Of course there is! Come on don't be coy. So, anything happened regarding you twooooo?" Apollo drawed out.
Perseus and Artemis glanced at each other, confused. "The...hunt happened, I guess?"
Apollo frowned. "I know that, I'm talking about yesterday. You know, when Artemis threw Aphrodite across the room and flashed away with you in tow to who knows where! I'm sure something had to have happened."
Both Perseus and Artemis had light blushes on their faces as they thought back to what happened yesterday. Apollo noticed the looks on their faces and pointed a finger at them.
"So something did happen. Come on, why am I being left in the dark. I-"
"Because that's being nosy and whatever concerns me and Artemis doesn't concern you entirely." Perseus said with a sigh, as he whacked Apollo on the head.
"OW! Great, now my sister has corrupted you, maybe this was a bad idea after all..." Apollo muttered.
"Oh hush you crybaby. Now listen, we need at least ten medical kits, and maybe more for our hunters. And, we need them by tonight." Artemis said.
Apollo just stared at the two gods, a look of confusion settling in his face. "Are you two sure nothing else happened? Like...anything? And don't try to bluff your way out, I'm the lie detector over here you know."
Perseus groaned. "Can you please give us the kits now Apollo?"
Apollo sighed. "Fine...but I'm on to you both. Anyway, what time are we meeting for the festival? It starts at seven by the way." Apollo said, hoping of the counter and gesturing for Perseus and Artemis to join him.
"Maybe...past eight? We plan to bring our hunters first, and then join you all later." Artemis replied.
"The hunters huh." Apollo said, slowly grinning. "You know, if you're hunters need some awesome training from the very own sun god, I'm always up for-"
"No thank you." Perseus and Artemis said together, making Apollo pout.
"Come on, you guys might need the extra help Perce and Arty. And I am an arch- EEEKKK!"
"Don't call me Perce."
"Don't call me Arty."
"Holy Zeus, she has corrupted you!" Apollo cried, massaging his ears. "I'm getting abused by you lovebirds over here." he muttered
"WHAT?!" Perseus and Artemis shouted together. "What did you just say?"
"I don't know, I don't think I say anything." Apollo said, a thoughtful look on his face. "Anyway, Hecate said she might come around eight-thirty, maybe later since she has some work to do. I'm coming with Hermes around that time though so we can meet up then."
"You're not taking Ourania with you? Kind of the perfect opportunity to go out." Perseus asked.
Apollo's face darkened a bit. "Me and Ourania...are on a bit of a break..." he said. "But it's nothing major really, just a... short break." Apollo said with a nervous chuckle.
"Oh..." Perseus said, glancing at Artemis who was looking at Apollo sadly.
"Hey, maybe the break will get you guys back together. Maybe even stronger." Artemis said, giving Apollo a hug. "And if you're hurting, you always have me, and mother..."
"Don't forget about your bro's, me and Hermes." Perseus said with a grin.
"But if you intentionally break her heart, your hunting meat to me." Artemis said with a warning tone. Apollo gulped and nodded quickly. Artemis smiled in return as she patted Apollo's shoulder. "Alright then, where are the kits?"
"Thank you, Lady Artemis and Lord Perseus, for bringing us to the festival. It really means a lot to us." Acantha said.
"Hmm, did you hear that Arius? I thought a heard a voice, but I'm pretty sure it was the wind." Perseus said. Arius was trying to not laugh loudly while Acantha glanced at Artemis who just shrugged in response.
"Um, thank you Lady Artemis and Perseus for taking us to the festival." Acantha said again, this time receiving a grin from Perseus.
"You're welcome. And come on, no 'lord' business. How hard is it to not add that in my name?" Perseus asked with a chuckle.
"How come you are cool with casual stuff but Lady Artemis is a bit formal?" Phoebe asked.
"Because according to Artemis, I'm soft to you mortals. Which is not a bad thing honestly, and also somewhat false. I can be downright mean you know." Perseus said, glaring at Artemis.
"It's the truth." Artemis simply replied.
"Don't forget brutal. I still find the sight of a disembodied guy nauseous." Celyn said with a shudder.
"Hehehe, sorry about that." Perseus sheepishly replied. "By the way, how's your leg feeling? Does it still hurt, do your bandages need replacing, are you able to-"
"I'm fine Perseus. T'is but a scratch." Celyn replied.
Clio raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you screaming at one point that your leg had been chopped off at one point?"
"I was...uh...delirious with pain!" Celyn shouted.
"Delirious enough to shout expletives that even had the gods gaping at you." Arius said with a chuckle.
"Alright everyone, we have finally reached Delphi. Now, we have some ground rules for you all to follow, so listen closely. We are going to stick as a group to explore whatever the festival has for us. Then, we will split up, I will take one group while Perseus will take another one to show some sights, depending on who wants to go where. We'll locate some landmarks to meetup in or switch and then we will regroup once again at the end for a final outing. How does that sound?" Artemis asked. "Oh and Perseus, you have to change out of your clothes."
Perseus wrinkled his nose. "What's wrong with my clothes? It's not like they are armed with gold and weapons."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "You're literally wearing armor under a long black coat. You're going to stick out in the crowd."
Perseus frowned. "The hunters are also going to stick out." he pointed out.
"No we won't, we look perfectly fine. And besides, we like our clothes as it is." Clio quickly replied.
Artemis hummed. "Perseus is right, you all will stick out." she said, snapping her fingers. The hunters' clothes shimmered, and were then replaced with a plain white chiton and tunic, with silver fastenings. Every one of them collectively groaned on seeing the change.
"And I was just starting to feel like a proper hunter." Ajax muttered.
Perseus sighed. "I guess if everyone is doing it..." Perseus's armor changed into a chiton as well, his boots being replaced with sandals.
"Perseus, the cloak comes out too. And put some disguise for your facial features. You're way too handsome for mortal standards." Artemis replied with a smirk.
"Oh, come on arrowhead, you're killing me over here!" Perseus cried, but nonetheless did what he was told. "There, better?"
"Gods no, you still look like a god. Maybe if you-"
"Can we please go now lady Artemis, we're bored here." Phoebe whined, cries of agreements soon following.
Artemis sighed. "I guess we shouldn't waste any time. Alright then everyone, move forward!"
After walking for a bit, the group soon reached the gates of Delphi. Even outside the city, there were people milling about, all of them chattering excitedly. And the city, the city was definitely decked out for something Apollo would have done. He would be proud.
Banners and streamers decked the entire city, all of them featuring symbols like the sun and lyre. But the most prominent one was something Perseus and Artemis didn't expect at all, immediately making them still.
"Snakes? Oh please don't tell me that's supposed to be the Python." Perseus cried, glancing everywhere. It seems to be that snake, or Python, was the main focus with everyone around. Snake skin, meat, and sacrifices were al made in honor of not just the Oracle, that was probably somewhere in the city, but to Apollo as well, and two 'saviors' as well for some reason.
"First time I'm hearing about these 'saviors'. Do you know anything about this Artemis?" Perseus asked her, only receiving a shrug in response.
"Welcome visitors! We are going to do a story for everyone, where we will regale the story of the saviors who saved the holy temple of our Oracle!" a priest announced loudly. Large drum sounds were soon heard as two figures jumped on a stage, where a large snake like puppet was floating about.
"Oh...my...gods." Artemis whispered, and then immediately bursted out laughing. "Percy, doesn't this scene look familiar to you?" she asked, pointing at the mock play.
"Uh, I don't recognize this..." Perseus said slowly.
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Reeealllyy. Come on, doesn't this look even a tiny bit familiar? Two people, with a bow and a sword, fighting against a humongous snake?"
Perseus blinked a couple of times and then began laughing. "You're joking, is that supposed to be us? Last I checked, I didn't have red hair at all."
"Wait, you two battled a huge snake at one point?" Clio asked.
"Yep, I think it was like a month ago but it felt like forever. The Python, that's what the monster called itself, was a real pain in the butt. Quite creepy as well." Perseus replied.
"And don't forget, the sole reason for your hatred for snakes." Artemis said, nudging Perseus playfully, making him groan. The group continued to watch the show, the gods chiming in time to time to give additional details to the hunters.
"Oh that definitely did not happen." Perseus shouted, as he watched a buff man with a gold rug on his head fight the snake puppet, and sing poetry. "Who made the script Apollo?" he said, glancing up.
"Shame, I really wanted to see how they would reenact my maneuver and the hellfire." Artemis muttered.
"Wait, so who slayed the monster? And what's hellfire?" Ajax asked.
"I did, though some of the details are a bit murky as to how. But I do know that hellfire had a part with it. As for what that is, I'll tell you guys later." Perseus replied.
The play was soon over, the crowd giving a standing ovation to buff gold rug, while the other two figures were ushered out quickly. Perseus and Artemis rolled their eyes at this as they also ushered the hunters out, promising the hunters a genuine story experience, from the people who experienced it themselves of course.
"And who knows." Artemis said with a grin. "If the Python ever comes out of Tartarus back here, we can give you guys a live reenactment of our fight. And who knows, you guys could probably join us in the fight as well."
"Baby steps Artemis, baby steps." Perseus said with a sigh as he watched the quickly paling faces of the hunters. "Today is only their first day you know."
Artemis blushed. "Sorry." she said quickly.
The group began to explore the city this time, taking in the sights and all that the festival had to offer. The temples looked like something a rainbow must have puked on, and Perseus spied a couple of temples under construction, probably for the new gods. Artemis then let out a happy sigh which confused Perseus, until he got a waft of something that made him sigh deeply as well.
"Venison..." Artemis muttered.
"Black currants..." Perseus said, already drooling.
"Guys look, cream buns!" Celyn said excitedly, pointing at a nearby stall. "Can we go and have some now please?"
"Yeah..." Perseus and Artemis said together.
"Huh, they must really like cream buns as well if they are already drooling." Celyn noted.
"I'm pretty sure it's not the cream buns." Ajax replied in a deadpanned voice.
After raiding two entire shops worth of cream buns, the group finally made its way to the main city temple, in order to sacrifice some food to the gods. "Some gods have a preference on what they like to be sacrificed, others not so much. I would suggest being a bit well versed when it comes to stuff like that. Just because you are friends with two gods doesn't mean you really are in the Olympians good books. And when in doubt, always sacrifice apples. We gods really like apples for some reason." Perseus explained.
On reaching the temple, they were greeted by a priest "Good evening, are you here to give some offerings?" the priest inquired.
"Yep. Just give a couple of apples to the kids for the gods, and let them pick whatever else for their favorites. And you all don't worry about the price, it's on me and Ar...tema. Me and Artema." Perseus said.
"Really, Artema? What kind of cover name is that?" Artemis asked, glaring at Perseus though the mirthful look on her eyes betrayed her.
"It's a cover name. We can't go parading around, announcing that our names are you-know-who right?" Perseus replied.
Artemis nodded slowly. "Whatever you say...Perce."
"No shortening my name!" Perseus whined.
"Excuse me? May I remind you that you just shortened my name as well. Besides, it's only a cover name." Artemis said sweetly, a triumphant smirk on her face.
"I hate you." Perseus mumbled, the smell of apples immediately hitting him. Both he and Artemis had happy smiles on their faces, and definitely looked like they were going to melt right there only after the hunters had sacrificed a rather large piece of venison and a bunch of ripe black currants in their name.
"They look drunk!" Acantha said, giggling at the scene.
"Forget drunk, they are...whatever is worse than drunk." Arius said with a laugh.
"Are your parents alright?" the priest asked worriedly as he stared at the two gods.
"You think they are our parents?" Celyn asked. "I look nothing like them."
"Phoebe and Ajax do though. Kinda..." Clio replied.
"Mhhmm...hmpf! I'm alright, just got lost in my thoughts there." Perseus said with a chuckle. "Come on Artema, wake up. So sir, can we sacrifice some cream buns to Apollo? I'm sure he would like this stuff."
The priests eyes widened. "But those are our city's delicacy! We already have apples and some meat for the sun god. I think it will be best if you stick with what we have."
Perseus smirked. "With all due respect, Apollo does not have a particular food item he wants sacrificed, right?"
"Yes, but-"
"Which means, he is fine with anything sacrificed to him. As long as it's fresh of course."
"Yes, but-"
"Which also means, cream buns are qualified, right?"
"Yes, but-"
"Then I see no problem. Here you go, for Apollo." Perseus replied, chucking a bunch of the buns in the brazier. The buns continued to burn in them and suddenly, the orange flames turned a bright golden color, the smoke rising also matching the color of the flames as well. The priests eyes bugged out on seeing this as he immediately turned pale and took a wobbly step back.
"S-S-S-Sign...f-fr-from...s-sign..."
"I think you need to sit down." Perseus said, setting the priest down slowly. "Alright then, everyone is finished with sacrifices and what not? Good. Now we're going to be slitting of from here. Artemis, what are our meetup points?"
"Well for starters, this temple is one. Then we have the lane entrance for the prize-winning stalls as another. Then we finally have the amphitheater, where we will meet at the end to watch a concert. How does that sound?" Artemis asked. "Oh and Perseus, can I talk to you for a second."
"Yeah sure. Whoever wants to check out the booths, you all can go on. Those wanting to try out the archery contest, stay back." Perseus told the hunt, and then stepped aside with Artemis. "What's up?"
"I was wondering...should we try to get more recruits now as well? I feel we can maybe get some other hunters in this city."
Perseus raised an eyebrow on hearing this. "I'm not sure really. I mean, we can definitely get more, but I say we should stick with who we have now you know. Familiarize ourselves with them, learn something along the way, and maybe try to get a proper hold on the hunt. We literally did have to rush to Olympus because we forgot about medical kits." he said with a grin. "I'll say give it a month or two, and then we'll start looking for more recruits."
"Hmm, I agree with you on that. So, you want to take the first group t the stalls or the archery competition?"
"I'll take the stalls. Have fun out there, try not to kill any obnoxious idiots out there." Perseus said, giving Artemis a side hug. Soon enough, he, Clio and Arius were looking through all the different mock up games the citizens of Delphi have come up with. There was a stall where one had to throw hoops on poles, another stall where one had to throw small arrows on a board (darts, Perseus, not mini arrows) and a drinking competition. Perseus took one look at the crowd gathered, and immediately knew what he was going to do. He was definitely going to participate in the competition.
"Are you even sure this is a good idea?" Clio asked, wrinkling her nose at the potbellied participants lining up. "This seems like a bad idea; I don't think Lady Artemis would like you to do something like this. Though I'm not sure about that." she muttered. "Can't we please check out the drat boards?"
"Lady Artemis would probably join me, if it means putting stinky dumb men like these guys in their place." Perseus said with a grin. "And don't worry about me getting drunk and all. I have tasted mortal alcohol before, and it's nowhere compared to what we get 'upstairs'." he replied, pointing up. "Besides, I'll say it will take at least a hundred or so drinks for my body to even register I just had alcohol. And then we will check out whatever you guys want immediately after this, okay?"
Clio was definitely not worried by this, glancing at Arius to see his reaction. But to no surprise, he had already gone to the betting station to put some money in. That boy really was a happy go lucky, and impulsive, kid.
"Ai, looks like we have two new contestants against our reigning champions." the man behind the stall announced. "Ten drachmas to enter, last one to drop down wins. So, agree? Or not?"
"Definitely agree." Perseus said. "Get your best drinks out."
Twenty minutes later, Clio, Arius and the entire crowd stared gob smacked at Perseus, who had just finished his seventy-third cup, and was smiling at a contestant who had already fainted on his second cup. "Come on, that was barely anything. Is there anyone who can even beat fifteen? Or, seventy-four." Perseus stated, downing another cup.
"W-We're all out." the stall man whispered. "All out."
"All out? That's a real pity. But here, I think I may have gone a bit overboard." Perseus said with a nervous chuckle as he handed over a bag of hundred drachmas to the stall man. "In case you can't replenish your supplies."
"Woo-hoo! Eighty golden drachmas, Perseus you were killing it!" Arius cried, showing of the money to him and Clio, the latter facepalming.
"I don't whether to reprimand you for betting on me when you know I would win easily... or comment on your genius." Perseus said with ac huckle as he ruffled Arius's hair.
"Heyy, I'mmm tolking to youuu. Immm tolking tooo youuu... heyyy!" A man cried out, clearly drunk as he tried to push Perseus back, to no avail. "Youu, leaf...nott." the man said, as he started to prod Perseus's chest.
"Especial youuu boy!" the man snarled as he glared at Arius. "Youuu caaan't guhttt outtt." he slurred as he continued to prod Perseus's chest. "Payyy...or die!"
Perseus raised an eyebrow. "You can only say 'die' properly? That does not bode well."
"RAGHH!" the man shouted, drawing out a knife. Perseus merely sighed as he stepped forward, and flicked his finger just underneath the man's chin. The drunk man immediately crumpled like a heap on to the floor.
"Whoa." Arius said. "That was quick."
"You killed him!" Clio said, shocked.
"No I didn't!" Perseus said indignantly, bending down. "See, he has a pulse. He'll be fine. Sorry about that everyone. Arius, grab your money we're getting out of here."
"That was so cool! You just flicked your finger underneath, and BAM! He fell down! Was that a godly power, if not can you teach me pleaseee."
"Slow down Arius, I may be a god, but I can't keep up with over excited kids. And no, that wasn't a godly move. It's a simple trick, but quite effective."
"Awesome!" Arius whispered. Perseus was almost sure that he saw stars in Arius's eyes as he looked up at him.
Perseus then spent the next twenty minutes trying out every single stall with Arius and Clio. And was promptly banned from trying out any of the games after seeing his skill. But that didn't stop him from helping out the others when trying them out and in the end, Perseus had to bring all the goodies they had won to a deserted alley so he could send them back to their camp in secret.
Hat's rude, not allowing me to enter just because I'm cheating." Perseus muttered, making air quotes with his fingers. "I'm just using my natural talent, where's the harm in that?" Perseus asked the kids, who were trying not to laugh. "Come on, tell me, why would I cheat?"
"You technically did cheat with that drinking competition, since you are a god." Clio pointed out.
"Again, that was natural talent. Come on, let's see how Artemis and the rest are doing."
The trio made their way to the archery fields, where for some reason, a large, really large crowd had formed there. The closer they got to it, the louder the background noise started to grow. It got so bad that Perseus had to temporarily remove Arius and Clio's hearing, just so they wouldn't actually lose their hearing. And on seeing the scene in front of them, Perseus found the reason for all the commotion.
For standing in the center, Artemis stood tall and proud as she slowly decimated her competition to the ground. People everywhere, mostly the men, were shouting expletives at her as they tried to throw tomatoes and stones at her, which seemed to get repelled by an unnoticed barrier. Perseus narrowed his eyes at the crowd, but steadied himself. He'll let Apollo be the judge for them, though there won't be much of a judging situation as it would be raining arrows if Apollo ever gets wind of a something like this.
"And here I thought Artemis wouldn't do something like this." Clio said exasperatedly.
"Don't be such a grouch Clio, seriously it's a bit annoying." Arius replied.
"You know I can't hear you."
"What? I can't hear you know."
"Come on you two, I think I can see Acantha and the rest from here. Though I wonder why they are sitting so far off." Perseus said, heading towards the rest of the hunters. The remaining group quickly noticed the and waved them over, all of them bundled with shawls and another batch of cream buns.
"You guys seem to be addicted to those buns, what have they put in them? And shawls? It hardly gets cold in Greece, who would sell shawls." Perseus asked.
"Lady Artemis felt bad for the lady selling them, so she bought the entire stock. And she bought for everyone as well so please remove that frown Arius." Ajax replied.
"So, what prompted Artemis to go all, nuclear on everyone?" Perseus asked.
"Me actually." Celyn replied. "I wanted to take part in the competition, but I couldn't since I was a 'girl'. Artemis then challenged the best archers in the city, claiming they could easily win against a girl. And the rest is history."
"Perseus did something similar as well. But his was more...dumb." Clio replied.
"Hey! Mine was not dumb, it was...what's that word." Perseus muttered.
"Dumb?" Clio offered.
"Why, what was it?" Phoebe asked.
"It was a drinking competition." Perseus said, frowning when he saw the hunters double back with laughter. "Oh come on, is it that funny and bad?"
"Yes!" The hunters cried out together.
"Great, I'm already getting bullied by you guys. How nice." Perseus replied.
"The hunters are already bullying you? Why am I not surprised, you big softie." Artemis piped up from behind.
"Artemis! Have you finished troubling the poor mortals with your exceptional hunting skills?"
Artemis huffed. "I was barely even trying, seriously even Celyn would have definitely beaten most of the competition and I'm not even joking. What a joke they were. So, how was our outing, anything interesting happened?"
"Drinking competition." Acantha replied, making the hunters snort.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing, nothing interesting happened." Perseus said, glaring lightly at the hunters. "But I do think we should get out of here, the dirty looks the crowd is giving us is kind of getting on my nerves."
"Agreed. Let's catch another show and we'll get out of here." Artemis replied. The group managed avoid any commotions from others and had soon reached the amphitheater. It seemed like a play depicting the first titan war was happening right now, though there were a few problems.
"Since when did Kronos have horns? Did he always have horns?"
"Zeus, Poseidon and Hades were the only ones out there trying to defeat Kronos?! And Poseidon and Hades never got swallowed? What about the sisters, and the hundred handed ones, the Elder Cyclops..."
"And why is Poseidon using a sword? He has a trident, there's literally a statue of him just to the left of him holding a trident, why a sword?"
"Of course Zeus has to be the one on top, with Poseidon in the middle, and Hades down below when killing Kronos. Because that is exactly what had happened in the war. The people who made this do not know the stories at all."
"Who even made them. The Fox group? Well, the Fox group can go 'fox' themselves if you get my drift."
"This is going to be fun, watching Perseus and Lady Artemis correct Greek stuff." Acantha replied.
"As long as they don't go too overboard. I have a feeling they are going to blow up any second now." Ajax said nervously as he watched the faint glow forming around the two gods.
"Perseus, Artemis, we're a bit tired. And our feet are aching from standing up. Can we go back to our camp please?" Phoebe asked with a yawn.
"Hmm? Oh, uh, sure if everyone agrees to it. Though isn't it a bit early for you guys to leave? It's only like eight-thirty." Artemis replied.
"...Artemis." Perseus said.
"Yeah?"
"Aren't we supposed to drop them off by eight-thirty? Since we are meeting up with Apollo and the rest?"
"Ah...oops. Kind of forgot about that." Artemis said with a chuckle. "Alright then, looks like our outing is over for the day. Come on, let's get you all to camp."
"Now, I expect you all to sleep by nine. Because you all are going to wake up again early, which you all were supposed to this morning but that won't be the case since we are not going to oversleep. And I mean all of us so stop giggling. Don't worry about wild animals or monsters, we made sure to properly ward off the unwanted ones. No fighting please, and no using the tent poles as makeshift swords!" Artemis warned, receiving six shouts of affirmations. She then let out a sigh as she walked to Perseus, who had just gotten off an iris message with Hermes.
"Hermes plans to bring some Olympian alcohol with him so brace yourself. And for a second, you sounded a lot like my mom with you instructing the hunters. Which is really weird honestly." Perseus said with a chuckle.
Artemis raised an eyebrow on hearing this. "Are you saying you find the idea of me being a mother weird Perseus?" she asked.
Perseus's eyes widened. "No, of course not! I just didn't expect to see that side in you just now. But honestly, I think you would make a pretty cool mom."
"Thanks Perseus. That...thanks." Artemis replied. "Though I'm not sure if you would make a great father."
Perseus was shocked. "W-Why?!"
"Because you would either be super immature, or just dumb. Drinking competition, are you serious?" Artemis asked with a laugh.
"I just wanted to mess with some mortals, why is this one thing going somewhere else." Perseus groaned.
Artemis winked "Get used to it then, because I'm sure it's going to be brought up for a long time." she said. "Want to flash together?"
"Yeah sure." Perseus replied, taking hold of Artemis's arm. The two soon flashed back into Delphi, just a bit away from the city gates. They once again made their way into the city, this time steering away from the amphitheater. Delphi had already gotten a bad reputation from Perseus and Artemis, no need to increase it further.
"Finally! Someone I know has arrived at last." Hecate called out to the two gods. "You guys had fun here?"
"It was alright, nothing to special. Though the main sacrifices haven't started yet." Perseus replied, eyeing the bag Hecate was carrying. "What do you have in their?"
"More tea for us sober gods. And your vambraces of course. Mother gave them to me for delivery." Hecate replied, handing the bag over. "You should have seen mother's face. She was almost convinced that the Olympian gods have 'corrupted' you, since you returned the braces back. Not that she already thinks that, but it pretty much got amplified."
"Oh my precious little weapons!" Perseus cooed as he slipped the braces on. "Not only is it hellfire proof, but everything proof! Give my thanks to...Nyx, for this." Perseus replied, but then frowned. "What does that even mean, me being corrupted?"
Hecate shrugged. "I don't know, it all started when she found you were being called 'Perseus'. She was wondering why the Olympians didn't find her own hand-picked name better."
"Lykofós is still my name, I just don't use it often. Just like Artemis doesn't use Phoebe along with her name." Perseus noted, as he switched between weapons."
"Perseus you're in public for crying out loud, stop showing off!" Artemis hissed, shoving Perseus's arms down.
"Percy! Arty! You guys came!" Apollo shouted, running towards them, Hermes just behind him. He grabbed the two gods and began spinning them around. "And here I was convinced you two were going to bail on me!"
"Ahem, I'm here to you know." Hecate huffed.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah you are. What's up?"
"Put us down now Apollo or I'll kick you where the sun doesn't shine! And believe me, I am right at its vicinity!" Artemis yelled.
"Yeesh, loosen up a bit sis." Apollo muttered, setting the two down. "We're here to have fun, there's no need to be so uptight."
"You know what would make her not so uptight? This." Hermes said, showing of a bottle. "Olympus's finest fermented yeast. Aged, for three hundred and forty-eight years. Also mixed with oranges to give the much-needed tang."
"No way, that rumored to be the serving drink for everyone for the one-year anniversary party after the first titan war. It even made Hestia drunk!" Hecate said excitedly.
"Which almost resulted in her not functioning properly, and almost being violated by a dumb garden god. There is no way you guys are having this, not under my watch." Perseus said seriously.
"Says the one who did a drinking competition with the mortals." Artemis said in a sing-song voice.
"Okay that...is becoming way too old arrowhead, and you guys dare ask for more information!" Perseus shouted at Apollo and Hermes, their mouths immediately shutting. "How did you even manage to get the bottle out of the vault in the first place?!"
"Ahem, you do realize you're asking the god of thievery, right?" Hermes replied with a grin.
"Enough chit-chat, I want to see the city please!" Hecate whined. "Percy, Artemis. You two, lead! Show us what Delphi has to offer since you've already been here. Hermes, you find a nice place for us to stop in. Apollo, you direct the mortals elsewhere. Meanwhile I, will prepare some tea for us to drink."
"As much as I like tea...we can't have only that! Come on Perce, spare us a glass at least." Hermes begged, Apollo soon joining in. The begging continued while the group tried to roam around. In the end, Perseus handed over the bottle to Hermes, with some strict warnings, and then ran into the crowd, leaving behind four confused gods. However, Perseus came back a few minutes later, though his clothes were a bit ruffled...and bloody.
"There was a kidnapping that was about to happen." Perseus said simply, removing the blood stains of his clothes. "So, shall we continue?"
"It seems like the festival has reached an all-time high. There is definitely going to be some form of trouble that's going to brew, sooner or later." Hecate stated.
"I'm guessing sooner." Apollo commented as he watched Perseus let out a groan.
"Where were all these idiots when I first came in huh? Stupid...pieces of shit." Perseus muttered as he once again left the group. This time, he took a bit longer to come back, leaving the rest to their own devices.
"But tell me, what's wrong with the amphitheater? I mean...i did personally fund it.." Apollo asked Artemis.
"Believe me, you don't want to see the stuff they have put up so far." Artemis said, rolling her eyes. "Unless...you have something do with whatever is showcased?" she asked.
Apollo looked confused. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Good, otherwise me and Perseus would have pulverized you, and then complain to father on inaccuracies and fraudulent events." Artemis replied with a smirk.
"Finally, Percy is back. Now we can...um guys?" Hecate said with a frown. "Who is that lady that is practically hanging on Perseus's arm?"
"Huh?!" the rest said together, looking at the direction where Perseus was coming from. And immediately groaned on seeing who it was.
"What is she doing here?!" Apollo cried, as he watched Aphrodite talk animatedly with Perseus, who looked like he was going to make a run for it.
"Oh my gods! You guys are here as well!" Aphrodite squealed. "I can't believe it, my first outing with friends."
"Um, I'm sorry but I'm sure if you're my friend. Since I don't know who you are..." Hecate replied.
"Oh honey, I must say, I really like your hairdo. As for who am I, I am Aphrodite, the newest Olympian goddess."
"And the newest pain in my butt." Perseus muttered.
Hecate's eyes widened. "You're Aphrodite?! Wow, they weren't joking when they told me you were the goddess of love and beauty. And I can see why..."
"You're telling me the drooling mortals and Hermes were not enough?" Artemis incredulously asked.
"I still want the answer for my question!" Apollo shouted.
"Well, I was supposed to be with Hephaestus. My husband." Aphrodite scoffed at the last word. "But believe it or not, he left! Said he was not used to ladies and needed some air!" she huffed. "Good riddance I say, though I'm disappointed. My husband can't even show verbal affection dammit. So, me being sad, I decided to go see my brother. So, I asked your mother." Aphrodite said, pointing at Perseus. "And she told me that you would be with your friends down in Delphi. And well, here I am!"
"...I need the bottle." Apollo muttered, grabbing the it from Hermes's hands, and took a quick swig.
"Brother? Perseus? If anyone should be his sibling, it should be me. Since im related to him...in a way." Hecate replied.
Aphrodite huffed in response. "Oh please, I'm related to Perseus. In a way. But still related!"
Hecate raised an eyebrow. "Oh really...how?"
"Confidential."
"You two, stop fighting now!" Perseus yelled, coming in between. "Aphrodite, can you please go back to Olympus. If you want to hang out later, we can but not today. Today is for me and my friends, so can please at least respect that?" Perseus asked.
Aphrodite frowned, and then opened her mouth, only to close it again. "Fine..." Aphrodite mumbled, glancing up. But as soon as she did, she glanced over Perseus's shoulder, and her eyes immediately lit up. "Can you come ith me for a second Percy?"
Perseus sighed. "And will you leave then?"
"Yeah, yeah, I will. Just come here for a second." Aphrodite said, pulling Perseus aside. "Okay. That redhead...that's Artemis isn't it."
Perseus raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. What about it?"
"Have you gone on an outing with her before, especially here today? I was told you were here before the other gods showed up."
"No, we didn't really have time for a hangout together. We were a bit pre occupied with our hunters." Perseus replied.
Aphrodite then smirked. "Then do it." she said simply.
"Huh?'
"Do it! Go and take her out to explore the city, or the forest, or wherever. This is the perfect opportunity for you to hang out with her...and maybe do some stuff."
"Wait a minute...are you trying to tell me that I should aske Artemis...on a date? Now?!"
"Not 'now' 'now'. When you get the perfect opportunity to slip away, then! You may not get this chance again."
"But...why are you even helping me? You just met me, and Artemis, like yesterday. Plus, she threw you halfway across the room when you jumped into my arms!" Perseus exclaimed.
Aphrodite sighed. "Because you and Artemis wee the first two people I have sensed so far, to have romantic feelings for each other. And because of that, I want to see you two get together. Like honestly, I'm surprised it hasn't happened before, like what? You two are perfect for each other, and I'm saying this as not just the goddess of love, but as your sister. Which, I hope you accept...but that doesn't matter!"
Perseus was rendered speechless on hearing Aphrodite's rant. Though one sentence stuck out to him. "Wait just a second. You said 'Two people I have sensed so far, to have romantic feelings for each other'. Are you saying that...Artemis actually has feelings for me? The romantic kind? Are you really sure?" Perseus asked, with an almost pleading look in his eyes.
Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. "Duh, goddess of love over here you know. Like I said, I may not know virtually everything, believe me I'm trying hard not to drag you around and aske you what every single thing is. But I know love, I can feel it everywhere. And you and Artemis, I don't think I've felt something that strong before."
"...Wow. I...I don't what to say. Artemis actually likes me." Perseus whispered.
"Now you realized? Wow, I pity the people who probably had to watch you go back and forth." Aphrodite said with a chuckle. "Now go, I want to see my one true pairing come into fruition. And if you need help with distraction so you two can slip away, I'm the perfect candidate for one."
"Maybe, but I think we'll manage. But can you please go back home now." Perseus said.
Aphrodite smiled. "Yeah, yeah, I know." she said, as she started to walk away.
"Aphrodite?" Perseus called out, making her turn. "Thank you so much."
Aphrodite smirked. "No problem little brother. Now go."
Perseus cocked his head to the side. "I'm the little brother? That's preposterous, I could have been born before you."
"Go!" Aphrodite laughed. "And we will ask Grandpa P on who's older so don't hurt your brain."
Perseus shook his head fondly as he made his way back to his friends, who all sighed in relief when they saw him with one goddess less 9though Hermes was slightly disappointed). They made their way to the concessions stand, where they all too a swig from the Olympian bottle (after much convincing). The group made their way to the Archery grounds where it was Apollo's turn to decimate the competition. Artemis opted to see some supposed magical trinkets with Hecate, in order to not get recognized.
"That...was awesome!" Apollo shouted as he swayed around, taking another swig from the bottle. "Maybe I should do another round...*hic*!"
"Apollo, go easy on the bottle. We don't know how long it will take before it will screw us over, and that thing is strong." Perseus warned.
"Eh...I'll be fine." Apollo muttered, sniffing the air. "I can smell oranges; can you guys smell oranges?"
"Um...no?" Perseus said, glancing at Hermes who just shrugged. "I can smell peaches though, but that's from the shared offering to the gods."
"Offering huh... . That's it, I want to see *hic* offerings!" Apollo shouted out like a little kid.
"Um, I was thinking of...you know what? Fine, I'll take you to see the offerings. But don't expect me to be there." Perseus said, thinking this would be the perfect opportunity to slip away.
"You will be there; Percy always will be there." Apollo said, as he broke out into a song. "Oranges are not colored orange, but tangerines are..."
Perseus sighed as he dragged Apollo to his temple, wondering where Artemis was. His question was soon answered when Artemis and Hecate both popped into view, both of them tossing back and forth a small crystal ball.
"What is that supposed to be, a ball you keep something inside?" Hermes asked.
"I don't even know what it is either, and this is supposed to be magic based." Hestia said with a laugh. "Shopkeeper said it's used to tell the future. I call bull."
"I can see the Fates using it though. Imagine, three old hooded ladies, surrounding a crystal ball and spouting out your horrible future.' Artemis chimed in.
"Future...is not now! But...offerings *hic* is!" Apollo yelled out, taking another swig from the bottle, which prompted Perseus to finally take it away.
"Keep this Hecate, and don't let the idiot touch it. Meanwhile, I'm heading out to get some cream buns. Artemis, you want to join me?" Perseus asked, silently hoping she would say yes.
Artemis's eyes lit up. "Of course! I mean...yeah sure, I'm okay with it." Artemis mumbled.
"What am I supposed to do with these idiots then?" Hecate complained, eliciting an indignant 'Hey!' from Hermes, and a 'True' from Apollo.
"Apollo wants to visit his temple, so take him there. And please make sure he doesn't fall headfirst into the brazier. Come on Artemis." Perseus replied, trying very hard not to grab Artemis's hands and flash the two of them off to somewhere quieter. "Quiet...Artemis would like that" Perseus thought as he and Artemis made their way downtown.
"Perseus? Aren't the cream bun shops at the other side of this district?" Artemis asked.
"Yep. But I, uh, wanted to be with you for some time. Just the two of us. If that is alright with you." Perseus nervously replied.
Artemis smiled softly as she shook her head fondly. "Of course ash brain. I wouldn't say no, well not to you that is." she replied.
Perseus grinned. "Awesome. I was wondering if you want to go out of the city. Maybe a walk on the beach?"
"The beach sounds lovely."
"Alright then. Let's go." Perseus said, as the two began to make their way to their destination. However, they were soon interrupted by a burly guy, who was staring daggers at Artemis.
"Girl." the man spat the word with disgust. "I don't know what cheap trick you pulled to make my best archers look incompetent, but I'm not going to let you off so easily."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Do I know you? And what thing am I even bound to that you're on to me?"
"Don't you dare test my patience filth. Or else I'll make sure to use you as a target practice for my men."
Artemis snorted. "Your incompetent men you mean? Good luck even trying to get a hold off me."
"Why you-" The man growled, stomping forward. "Whoa there, either you have tunnel vision, or you were just blatantly ignoring me." Perseus said, stepping forward in order to stop the man.
"You stay out of my way if you know what's best for you!" the man shouted. "Or else I will take that-"
"You call her anything negative, and I will personally make sure to rearrange your dental work." Perseus growled, his eyes flashing momentarily.
"What the hell does dental work mean? Now, you step aside from the whore and better get ou-" but the burly man wasn't able to finish his sentence as he immediately crumpled on to the floor. He immediately screamed as he clutched his mouth and felt something hard go down his throat. The man immediately began to crawl away, but wasn't able to get far as he felt a shove from his backside, and fell face first into the ground.
"That was really quick, when you punched this idiot. I almost didn't see it." Artemis commented, as she watched Perseus wipe the blood off his knuckles. "And I could have handled him myself."
"I know, I know. But I just wanted to..uh...butt in? Like, I...uh..." Perseus said, only to fumble around with his words.
Artemis sighed, but nonetheless had a bright smile on her face. "Don't worry, I found it sweet that you would stand up for me. Thanks a lot Perseus." Artemis replied, squeezing Perseus's hand. "Shall we continue our walk?"
"Yeah, yeah we should. Hopefully no more unnecessary interruptions will happen." Perseus said.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Hecate watched with a mix of amusement and exasperation at Apollo, who was arguing vehemently with the high priest on the type of sacrifices made under his name.
"Oranges? Raw. Peaches? Raw. Apples? Raw. Everything, is bloody raw!" Apollo cried.
"B-But, they are ripe! The apples aren't even green-"
"You donkey! I can see that the apples aren't green. The point is, they are still raw!"
"How do you even know they are raw..."
"How?! I'm a god, you dull creature! And I will not tolerate any form of-"
"Okay Polo, that's enough now. Calm down, you have to calm down." Hecate whispered shouted.
"But Hecate. Everything is raw!" Apollo whined.
"What about this? Is this raw?" Hecate asked, shoving the Olympian bottle under Apollo's face.
"Hmm, that's not raw. That's yummy. Can I have some."
"If you promise to behave." Hecate said through gritted teeth. "I'm so sorry Perseus." she thought.
"Yay! I'll behave." Apollo said, grabbing the bottle. "You know, gods should have yummy food too. Not raw food."
Hecate frowned. "What do you me- Apollo no!"
"To the Gods!" Apollo shouted, dumping most of the contents into the brazier. The fire turned a brilliant blue color, as the sky began to rumble as well.
"You fool! You put it for all the gods! Now they will wonder where such a drink was acquired and Zeus will definitely realize his bottle will be missing. And he's going to kill all of us!"
"Relax, he has a lot. He wouldn't notice *hic*" Apollo slurred out.
Hecate sighed. "Why am I even friends with you. Hermes, grab one side of him. We're taking him away from potential destruction. And you mister." Hecate said, snapping her fingers in front of the high priest, who immediately slumped down and fell asleep. "Will hopefully chalk this interaction up for a high fever dream."
"Where is Percy and Artemis anyway? They are taking so damn long." Hermes asked.
"I don't know, he said he wanted some buns, and then he just disappears with Artemis! Why would he...ohhh."
"What 'ohhh'?" Hermes asked.
Hecate grinned. "Let's just say, if I'm correct, then our two friends are probably out there, taking advantage of their alone time."
"Ohh, I got it now. Sneaky those two, but smart. Sneaky but smart."
"Who's sneaky? Is it our new pet?" Apollo muttered. "I won't it to be a bull then."
"I think that's enough for today. We should probably head out." Hecate said, she and Hermes dragging Apollo out of the city. But they had to pass by the amphitheater in order to head out, where a rerun of the python show was happening again."
"And the mighty Apollo is triumphant once again! And now, he will show his sign to the world, where he will prove to everyone that he is always out there!" the narrator cried out.
"Huh?" Apollo said, blinking a couple of times. "They need my sign *hic*. They need to know I'm out there."
"What? No, that's not what they meant, it's just some play-"
"They need my sign. I can't just ignore my people." Apollo cried out, summoning his bow. "Here's your sign Delphi!"
"Apollo, you put that down this instant- wait nonononono. Put that arrow down, I said put that-"
"NO!" Hecate and Hermes shouted together as they witnessed Apollo launch a gold arrow into the sky. As Hecate and Hermes watched the arrow whizz high up into the air, she desperately wished that all this would not trace back to her, lest she face the wrath of Zeus.
Meanwhile, Perseus and Artemis had finally arrived at the beach. Luckily, there seemed to be no mortals around so Artemis and Perseus were virtually free to do anything low-key. Perseus sighed as he felt the land breeze hit him, sighing contently as he let the wind whip around him. He watched as Artemis removed her ponytail and sandals, as she took a tentative step into the water.
"You afraid or something?" Perseus asked, joining her.
"Well...there is this myth."
"Myth?!"
"Yes, myth. And the myth is that children of Zeus aren't really allowed to touch the sea, since it's Poseidon's domain and all. Same thing for the opposite."
Perseus scoffed. "That's definitely a bunch of crap. How can a child of Poseidon be able to reach the sky, if the child can't even fly? That's not fair since a child of Zeus can definitely access the sea. Plus, this is Poseidon. He wouldn't care...probably.
"I'm taking you down with me if I get blown up into smithereens." Artemis said, as she took a step into the water. She waited for a few minutes and then moved forward into the sea.
"Looks like the myth is debunked. And the two f us won't be blown into smithereens." Perseus said, joining Artemis on the surf. The two continued to move forward until the water completely submerged their feet. Perseus wondered if Poseidon was able to sense them out here, when he felt water splash on to his face.
"Hey, no fa- ow ow ow. Gods, seawater burns." Perseus cried.
"Does it?" Artemis asked, splashing some on her face as well. "Di immortals, oh it tastes horrible!"
"Dammit arrowhead, now you're dead!" Perseus shouted as he began to chase Artemis, a bit blindly. Artemis was in the same situation as well as she tried to avoid Perseus. Soon enough, the two were running through the sea, as they tried not to fall over crabs and rocks jutting out of the ground.
"I'm going to catch you, and then I'm going to throw you into the sea. Completely!" Perseus shouted.
"You're too slow to catch me!" Artemis shouted back, as she tried to splash more water on to him. Perseus managed block it this time and then grabbed Artemis by the waist and lifted her up, over his shoulder. Artemis squealed and then began to punch Perseus on his back repeatedly.
"Put me down you idiot! Night arrowhead, ash-for-brains, tendril idiot! Don't you dare throw me into the water, don't you dare!"
"I'll probably throw you here only if you continue to hit me." Perseus said with a laugh as he began to spin around slowly. "Percyyy! Don't!" Artemis cried out, as she began to laugh out loud. Perseus grinned in response as he gently set her down on her feet, the riptide almost sweeping them off their feet.
"Well will you look at that? Poseidon is trying to bring us down so he can blow us into smithereens. Great going Artemis."
"That's supposed to be my line, don't go taking that everywhere." Artemis said, shaking her head.
"Hey Artemis?"
"Yeah."
"Where do you see yourself? In like the future."
"The future?" Artemis echoed. "Why would you be thinking about the future?"
Perseus shrugged. "Crystal balls have now intrigued me. And I'm just...curious."
Artemis hummed in acknowledgement. "Well, I hope to be a very respectable goddess one day. Have some cities under me. Expand the hunters, make them something worthy to be written down in books. Most of all, I want to be close with my family and friends. My mother, Apollo, and so many others. But most importantly...you. I would definitely want you by my side, whenever in the future, and no matter what." Artemis whispered, staring directly into Perseus's eyes. "You being by my side, is all I can ever ask for."
Perseus smiled softly. "I feel the same way. And I know that will be the case. Because I'm not going to do something stupid that's going to, well, mess up or anything like that."
Artemis smirked. "You better not, otherwise my arrow isn't the only one going up your arse.
Perseus chuckled. "I'll be sure to remember that."
Artemis nodded as she began to sway gently. "Perseus, do you want to dance?"
"With no music?" Perseus asked softly.
"We don't need music." Artemis replied, tone equally soft. "Just...follow my lead."
"Well, we do have our own spotlight." Perseus said, glancing at the moon. "Is it just me, or is it much brighter than yesterdays?"
"Is it?" Artemis asked, as she clasped her hands around Perseus's neck.
"Yeah. I wonder why..." Perseus murmured as he too clasped his hands around Artemis's waist. The two began to gently move on the water, their eye cotact not faltering even once.
"But, seriously. Do I...really have that, you know?" Perseus asked, wincing a bit.
Artemis playfully rolled her eyes. "Yes, now please keep quiet, I want to hum a song."
"I thought no music." Perseus replied, resting his chin on top of Artemis's head.
"Hmm, mhhmmh, hmmm." Artemis hummed as she rested her head on Perseus's shoulder. The background noise from the nearby festival, and the crashing of waves were all drowned out as the deities danced under the moonlight. The two continued their dance for a while, until Artemis moved her head back, as she gazed into Perseus's eyes."
"Percy..." she whispered softly.
"Yeah..."
Artemis didn't say anything as she slowly leaned forward, her eyes slowly closing. Perseus felt his brain slow down for a second as his gut took over, making him lean down. Both of them could almost feel each other's breath, their hearts rhythmically thumping as they leaned closer to each other, their lips-
BANG!
A loud noise echoed throughout the whole city, startling Perseus and Artemis as they almost fell into the water. They immediately closed their eyes when they felta bright flash of light illuminate in front of them.
"What in Tartarus is going on!" Artemis shouted.
Perseus slowly cracked an eye open, only to see a blazing golden ball of fire above Delphi. The light illuminating from it was so bright, that it practically made the sky look like it was morning. Perseus winced and then immediately shut his eyes again.
"I think some light source has been created, which may explain the sudden brightness. Though it's only affecting Delphi." Perseus told Artemis, who nodded.
Slowly, but gradually, the surrounding light faded as the glowing ball diminished in size. Soon enough, the sky was dark enough as it was before, with Perseus and Artemis slowly opening their eyes.
"Ow, I think I'm seeing stuff which I definitely shouldn't be seeing." Artemis muttered.
"Everything is looking green. And blurry, and with...weird spots?" Perseus noted, blinking his eyes slowly. "It's getting better now."
"What eve was that? It just happened so fast." Artemis muttered.
"Yeah, but I think we should check it out. Someone unfriendly god may have done it, just to scare the locals."
Artemis sighed. "Yeah, we should check it out." she muttered, staring longingly at the surf.
"And if that 'unfriendly' god turns out to be Apollo, then he is definitely going to be thrown headfirst into Tartarus." Perseus and Artemis thought together, as they trudged back to the city.
...Yep. I'm officially, the worst. I'm not running, throw your tomatoes, and rocks, or impale me with your pitchforks because I deserve it! Awesome Pertemis scene happening...BAM! Gone, reduced to ashes smh. But let me tell you, I was this close to just make them makeout in the water. Like damn. But no, I'm evil, and I hate it (HELP ME).
But, other than that, I'm sure you guys must be wondering about Wednesday. And it's update. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I had officially come across my first writer's block! Yeah, I know. 7K+, twice in a week update author finally crashed. And it sucked let me tell you, it SUCKED. But I don't want to put up another rant so I just have this to say. For the time being, I may look into uploading a chap once a week. Just to see how it goes. If I get my moxie back, then twice updates will return. But for now, I may have to stick with one update. I know it's going to be weird, expecting only one chapter a week now instead of two, but just bera with me for a couple of weeks. It may happen, it may not, it's a wait game.
Other than that, not much to say. Plot will definitely start to pick up soon, as well as our main pairing. If this and the previous chapter wasn't any indication, then let's just say, we're all aboard the Pertemis ship, sailing into the sunset. And it's going to be one heck of a ride ;). I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, sorry for ghosting you all, and I will see you guys in the next update. Bye!...\/