Authors Note: I am seriously the worst. Left you guys hanging, again. I readily embrace the tomatoes and rocks, so deal your best shot *cricket chirps intensifies* or...not?
Chapter 30: The calm after the storm
"Brown eggs, brown eggs." Perseus muttered, rummaging through a carton of eggs. "Where are the brown eggs."
"I got the flour and oil. We need the eggs Perseus." Artemis called out from the kitchen.
"Give me a second!" Perseus yelled back, shifting some boxes aside. "A-ha! Found them." Perseus muttered to himself, rushing back to the kitchen. "Here you go Artemis, one pack of brown eggs to scramble."
"Thank you. Now, take this milk out for the hunters. And make sure the are all seated and that Arius doesn't hog all of the milk this time." Artemis said with a smirk, handing Perseus a pitcher. Perseus the walked towards the dining room, only to see it was empty. Setting the pitcher down, Perseus peeped inside the living room, only to find the hunters staring at a set of weapons mounted on a wall and whispering among themselves.
"Guys, your food is going to come out soon. What are you all doing here anyway." Perseus asked.
"Exploring." Phoebe replied. "Is this all your stuff?"
"Yep. They may look a bit worn out, but I kinda have an emotional attachment to this stuff." Perseus said with a chuckle. "Like this sword, while quite unbalanced for me, was my first ever weapon I held and used. Went with me through quite some grueling training. That is, until I broke the cross guard by whacking it on Ares's head. Gave me a bloody nose as a parting gift later on. Ah, those were the days." Perseus said, a wistful smile on his face. Whie the hunters looked at him funny.
"What about this shield?" Celyn asked.
"Got that as a gift from Athena. I still have fond memories of sitting on it and using it as a sled on the snowy areas of Greece."
"What is this supposed to be? A pole or something?" Arius asked.
"That's a javelin Arius." Ajax muttered.
"Aham. Perseus, didn't I ask you to make sure the hunters were seated?" Artemis asked, leaning against the doorway.
"Whoops." Perseus sheepishly replied. "We'll be there now. Come on guys, I'll tell you all about those orange arrows later on once you all finish breakfast." Perseus said, guiding the hunters out of the room. Soon enough, everyone was feasting on eggs and bread when Perseus asked the hunters a question.
"What did you guys do when I was not there? And Artemis, were you there with the hunters when Typhon struck?"
Artemis shook her head, looking ashamed. "No, I gave them the day off and Hecate called me over with no warning at all. We were immediately summoned to Olympus by the gods, so I couldn't take a detour in order to alert the hunters, and probably get them to safety. I'm really sorry about that."
Perseus nodded and then sighed. "It's alright, there was a lot that was probably happening. Thank the Fates for my mother though. She was the one who got you all out right?"
Ajax nodded. "It was like a few minutes after that big earthquake happened. We could see a storm approaching, and then a lady came out of a column of fire, saying that she was your mother and we had to get out of here now. I'm not sure where she took us though-"
"But she was awesome!" Arius said excitedly. "She gave us food, and something she called sleeping bags which were actually quite comfortable.
"Yeah, she was really sweet." Acantha said with a smile. "She gave a homey feeling, if that makes sense. We felt safe as well with her."
Perseus smiled. "That's my mother Hestia for you. She is the best. As for where you guys were first brought to, that was the Olympian throne room."
"That was the Olympian throne room?!" Clio yelled.
"I thought we decided we weren't going to break them." Artemis said.
"Not my fault that they are currently on an actual mind breaking location right now." Perseus said with a groan.
Later on, when Perseus had managed to get the hunters distracted with some playing marbles he found, he then joined Artemis in the kitchen, where she was inspecting one of the orange arrows.
"Can't believe you kept this." Artemis said, a small smile on her face. "I thought you wouldn't want a reminder of that day."
"Hey, we both were kids and did a stupid thing. But we learnt a lesson from that, which is why I don't mind keeping a reminder. Anyway, what really happened with your and the gods fight with Typhon? I mean, you guys didn't run away n first sight, right?" Perseus asked.
Artemis scoffed. "Of course not, though I still can't believe we actually ran. Father was right, we really did make a fool of ourselves. As for the fight, most of us managed to land a hit on whatever typhon was, while some were already paralyzed with fear. Then Typhon struck back. *sigh* Everything was ablur after that."
"Fire, lightning, poison, and heavy winds were everywhere. Within minutes, Typhon had more or less incapacitated all of us. I managed to get out at some point, and grabbed Apollo with me after I saw him topple out of his chariot. That's how I got that cut I mentioned before.
Perseus nodded, squeezing Artemis's shoulder. "I'm really glad you and the others were alright though in the end."
Artemis smiled. "Me too. Oh, and speaking of chariots, can you help me decide if I should take mine to Hephaestus for repairs, or If I can do my own repair work."
Perseus raised an eyebrow. "You will do your own repair work? Artemis, you can't even hit a hammer on a nail properly."
"Yes I can. I just need a... very big hammer. To cover the nail." Artemis muttered.
Perseus smirked. "I bet that won't be enough either."
"By the way Perseus, whatever happened exactly with you and the Ophiotaurus? You never really explained what happened." Artemis asked curiously.
Perseus sighed. "Well...where should I even begin..."
"The Kraken? Gosh Perseus, you're really trying to live up to your job of slaying monsters. There won't be anything left for the upcoming heroes." Artemis said, shaking her head in amazement.
"Not really... . Plus, monsters can reform, it's not like I'm permanently ending them." Perseus said with a chuckle.
"Though I still can't believe they managed to trick my father into thinking the Ophiotaurus was out in the open. That's quite scary if you think about it, them tricking us gods." Artemis said.
"You're right. Heck, I'm pretty sure this was all a ploy to get me away from Typhon and helping you guys in the first place. And it's more evident from the latest lackey Tartarus used on me." Perseus muttered bitterly.
Artemis's eyes widened on hearing this. "Hold up, the Tartarus. And why does your tone sound so bitter at the end. It seems like you know this lackey."
Perseus scoffed. "Of course I knew him. It was my dear friend Mados. Unfortunately, he's gotten more annoying as well."
"That slimeball from Kichyros?! Di immortals." Artemis muttered, but then frowned. "Wait, why would Tartarus even try to separate you and even send your previous enemy to fight you? Was he trying to capture you or something?"
"Of course he was doing that Artemis. I took his hellfire for crying out loud." Perseus said with a sigh.
"...What do you mean by took his hellfire." Artemis asked slowly.
Perseus frowned a little as he stared at Artemis, only for his eyes to immediately widen. It was only now he just realized something. Artemis did not know anything about prime resources and its connections to Primordials. It was all supposed to be confidential material from the gods.
"Um...That was a guess?" Perseus said nervously. But his statement only made Artemis frown upon him more.
"Perseus, I can mostly tell when you're lying. And you are definitely doing it now." Artemis said slowly, leaning forward. "I'm going to ask again. What do you mean by 'Took his hellfire'?"
Perseus gulped as his eyes darted around nervously. He tried to come up with another explanation, only to fall short. He opened his mouth, only to close it again. Artemis's eyes were still pierced through him, and that was when Perseus made his decision. He was not going to try and hide anything from her now, especially since this may be crucial to know in the future.
"Okay, I'm going to tell you something really important about the inherent Greek world. But not now." Artemis opened her mouth to say something, but Perseus went on. "I'm definitely going to tell you soon, maybe today. Okay you know what, I'll tell you and the others now only." Perseus said nervously as he got up and started pacing around.
"The others?" Artemis questioned.
"Apollo and Hermes. Oh no, Hecate is going to skin me alive for this." Perseus said with a groan.
"Hecate knows about this?!" Artemis exclaimed. "Perseus, what exactly are you trying to hide from-"
"I swear, I was not trying to hide this. Hecate was the one who told me in the first place, and she promised me to not reveal anything. No one is really supposed to know this stuff at all, but I do because of reasons. I'm telling you Artemis; I was not trying to intentionally hide this from you at all." Perseus pleaded. Artemis was glaring at him right now, making Perseus squirm in his place. But then her gaze softened.
"Okay. I believe what you're saying right now. But...how bad is this that you can't tell me. We usually tell each other all this stuff." Artemis asked.
Perseus sighed. "It's not 'bad' per say. Heck, I don't even know what to make of this really. But the implications are quite limitless, honestly speaking."
"Let's just hope nothing major comes out of...whatever this may be." Artemis said, getting up. "Where are we going to meet?"
"Hecate's place. And I'll get my mom to watch over the hunters. But, Artemis?"
"Yeah?"
"You're not...mad are you at me." Perseus asked.
Artemis had a thoughtful look on her face. "Hmm. At least it wasn't something related to our relationship. But let's see how much you were keeping from me, and then I'll decide." she said with a wink, flashing away. Perseus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he slumped on a chair. Hopefully Hecate won't be too mad.
"I am very mad." Hecate said through gritted teeth.
"I couldn't keep this a secret any longer!" Perseus exclaimed. Hecate let out a low growl as she snapped her fingers, producing a gag out of thin air. She then flicked her wrist, making the gag wrap itself around Perseus's mouth.
"Now you stay quite while I clean up this mess." Hecate muttered. "Where did you say we were meeting again?"
"Mpphhff!"
"Hello dingy cave, we're back!" Apollo announced, soon followed by Hermes, Artemis, and Aphrodite for some reason.
Hecate's eyes bugged out. "Here?!" she whispered shouted at Perseus. "And what is she doing here?" Hecate asked, pointing at Aphrodite.
"You promised you will teach me some flashy magic. Now don't you dare go back on your promise." Aphrodite said with a pout.
Hecate rolled her eyes. "I didn't promise immediately after we came back to Greece! And why are we meeting in my place for crying out loud, don't none of you all have a place that's undetected from other gods?" she asked.
Hermes and Apollo glanced at each other and shrugged. "Not that we know of."
"Fantastic. Everyone, grab a cup. No not you Aphrodite, you're going back to wherever you live."
"No she's staying. She can probably give some input on the subject." Perseus said, gag in his hand.
All the gods stared at Perseus, and then at Aphrodite who glanced at them innocently. "She?!" They exclaimed.
"Dude, you don't mean Aphrodite, right?" Hermes asked.
"And what subject?" Apollo asked.
"Aphrodite, are you aware of the resources." Perseus asked. Aphrodite just shrugged in response. "Of course I do. Grandpa P told me everything I needed to know." she replied.
Hecate's eyes widened on hearing this. "Alright, she's definitely staying."
"What?! She knows about whatever this secret is as well?!" Artemis exclaimed.
"I still don't know what you guys are talking about." Apollo yelled.
"That's it. Everyone grasp a cup, and sit down now!" Hecate yelled, slamming a fist on the table. Within seconds, everyone had already complied.
"Thank you." Hecate breathed out. "Now, what I'm going to tell you is very, very confidential information. The likes of which shouldn't even be known to us gods at all. The only reason me and Perseus knew about this is because we were involved with it in some way. And the only reason you guys are knowing this stuff is because someone couldn't keep their big mouth shut."
"They had to know at some point. We all can't just be in the dark." Perseus said.
"What about me? How do I know." Aphrodite asked.
"Because whoever told you was an idiot." Hecate said with a glare. "As for what it is, two words: Prime Resources."
"What resources now?" Apollo asked.
"Prime resources are basically the pride and joy of primordials. Yes, the same primordials who were the very first beings to be created out of Chaos, and all that stuff." Hecate said with no inclination of stopping. Soon enough, everyone who didn't know about prime resources were well versed in it by now.
"So let me get this straight." Artemis said, bringing out a celestial bronze arrow. "This, is made of a prime resource?"
"Yes."
"What does this even do? Just kill monsters easily?" Hermes asked.
"Yep." Perseus said. "And it's nonmagnetic."
"Don't forget about that Mados guy. Dude had a prime resource as well, some magic ice wand? Must be really powerful if it managed to harm you Perseus." Hermes replied.
Perseus winced a bit. "I still have that damn scar. Wouldn't go away at all."
"So Percy over here, has some vambraces that can turn into any form of weapon, and also is made out of a prime resource from Nyx's realm." Apollo said. "But on top of that, he also wields a special kind of fire that once was Tartarus's prime resource, but now it isn't? …What the fuck?!"
"I'm confused with the latter part as well." Perseus said with a sigh. "Why me of all people."
"Don't be. It's an honor to have a prime resource in the first place. Maybe fate has seen something special in you since you're wielding not one, but two of these resources." Aphrodite replied.
"That somewhat makes me feel better. Even though you guys also wield a prime resource in a way, celestial bronze" Perseus pointed out.
"Yeah, but it's not as cool as umbra ore." Apollo said with a grin, but then frowned. "Is it called umbra ore, or nexus platinum?"
"The latter name was just a cover used by the Fates. Nothing to delve deep into." Hecate said simply.
"What can stygian iron do?" Hermes suddenly asked.
Hecate blinked. "The metal is like celestial bronze, but more inclined to be used by the demons of Erebus. And, shadows can be produced by them for ease of travel. For shadow beings of course."
"What about ailment stones? That's Pontus's, right?" Artemis asked.
"That I can answer. Yes, Pontus has ailment stones which can heal any sort of wound, disease, whatever you're hurting from physically. Some say that it can even sustain beings from fading, and can help with emotional rejuvenation as well. It's quite unique and wonderful, but because it doesn't have any damaging qualities, and it's not as exciting as a metal or a laser beam, it usually gets the short end of the stick. And puts Pontus like below average. But that never bothered our grandpa, right Percy?" Aphrodite said with a grin.
"Wait, 'our grandpa'?" Apollo asked.
"Oh...uh..." Perseus said, glancing at the stares he was receiving from his friends. "I may have been...talking...to Pontus at some point in time." he mumbled.
"You're in contact with Pontus?!" Hermes exclaimed. "Perce, my father is going to kill you."
"I'll probably be dead by then Hermes. You never know when you're going to tempt the Fates." Perseus muttered.
"Wait, what I don't understand is how Hecate can use hellfire too." Apollo said, pointing at the torches besides Hecate. "I thought only Percy could use it."
"Well, I have been 'blessed' by him to use it now, so yeah." Hecate replied. "Though I'm not sure why I could use them before that actually. I don't think I have done anything to warrant something important..."
"Would you guys find it weird if I told you I might know the reason, but I just can't even remember it even though it's at the tip of my tongue?" Perseus asked, receiving shrugs in response. "Now, do you guys have any more questions on prime resources, or no?"
"Not that I can think ." Artemis said, receiving nods from Apollo and Hermes.
"I still can't believe she knows something we don't. How is that even possible." Apollo said, nudging his head towards Aphrodite, who glared at him in return.
"I'm being educated thank you very much. That statement is going to be null in a few weeks." Aphrodite exclaimed.
"Alright then, since there are no questions to be answered...then get out my living quarters!"
"Yeesh, someone is cranky today." Apollo muttered, staring at the now shut door of Hecate's quarters.
"Probably that time of the month for her." Hermes quipped, making him and Apollo fall into giggles.
WHACK!
"Stupid. Immature. Delinquents." Artemis muttered under her breath, walking away from Apollo and Hermes, who were now sprawled on the ground, and clutching their heads in agony. Aphrodite tiptoed over to them and gave a little kick to each of them, while Perseus merely sighed and walked away.
"So, when are you going to announce it?" Aphrodite whispered to Perseus.
"Announce what?"
"You and Artemis's new relationship status. As if you can hide that from me." Aphrodite said with a smile.
Perseus raised an eyebrow. "How did you know- love goddess, right. I don't know, definitely soon."
"Oooh, I definitely can't wait!" Aphrodite squealed, making Artemis turn around. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked.
"Your love lifeeee" Aphrodite said out loud, making Artemis blush in response. 'Oh, I can feel the love oozing, it's quite heavy. Not to mention, I'm getting signals that the two of you would really like to mate-"
"I think that's enough talk about us, tell us about your love life Aphrodite!" Perseus said quickly, leading Aphrodite quickly out of the hallway.
"Hmm, my love life. I don't know...I actually don't know honestly." Aphrodite replied, a weird look flashing across her face. "I mean, I'm married, but I have yet to have a proper conversation with my 'husband'. And I don't even know what to feel about this whole marriage situation. Like, I'm married, awesome! But I'm married to someone I barely know, and I probably saw for a total of one hour in my entire life, if I bunch up minutes and seconds. Is that normal, am I normal for all this to happen to me? I can't even fathom how...how..."
"Easy there Aphrodite, take a breath." Perseus said soothingly. "Calm down, just stop talking, and breathe with me. Almost went off for a while right now.
"Not to mention, you're glowing right now." Artemis noted.
"Hm oh, I'm sorry." Aphrodite mumbled. "Oh what am I doing, spilling my woes out to you guys. I'm here interested in you two, not the other way around. Sooo, what are you guys planning to do today?"
"First I'll be sending my chariot for repairs to Hephaestus. You want to join us? Maybe you can talk to him while you're at it." Artemis replied.
Aphrodite pursued her lips as her eyes darted around nervously. "I don't...you know what. I've been pushing this off for quite long now. Yes, I will meet Hephaestus today itself!"
"Great and we'll be there to diffuse the situation if it goes out of control so let's go." Perseus said. Moments later, the trio had arrived just outside Hephaestus's forge in Lemnos. The noise activity was much louder than usual as they waked in. They soon found Hephaestus sitting in the center of the forge, furiously working on a chariot with peacock designs while some other men were running around left and right and handing Hephaestus various parts.
"Who has entered now? Just leave your chariot, weapons or anything else with your name on a slip. And then immediately leave the premises please." Hephaestus droned out.
"Hey Hephaestus, it's us, Perseus and Artemis. And someone else as well. Are you free to talk right now?" Perseus asked.
"Perseus? It has been a while, but as you can see, I'm quite..." Hephaestus said, trailing his sentence as he glanced up, his eyes immediately trained on Aphrodite.
"Aphrodite! You're, uh, what are you...hi?"
"What is this black liquid? Dark chocolate milk?" Aphrodite said, taking a small lick. "Hmm, very bitter."
Hephaestus blinked. "Uh...that's oil."
"No way this is oil. Oil is more yellowish golden in color." Aphrodite said with a laugh.
"It's a different kind of oil sis." Perseus said with a sigh.
"It is? Ugh, why do some things have the same name as others. It's so confusing!"
"Um, how are you doing now Aphrodite?" Hephaestus nervously asked.
"Was I not alright before or something? Because I have been completely fine my entire life." Aphrodite said coolly.
"Oh...uh...would you like to come sometime with me then, somewhere. I would like to-"
"Can't, I'm going to be quite busy this week. Have to announce to the world that I am a new goddess and Olympian officially. Then I have to find some symbols, a city to patron, and so on. Not to mention, I'm learning some basic magic from Hecate as well."
"Oh, I see." Hephaestus said, looking a bit dejected. "I guess some other time then."
"Mhm." Aphrodite mused; her attention trained on some earrings. Hephaestus sighed and them lumbered away to the other side of the room.
"Are you really that busy, or were you making that stuff up?" Artemis asked pointedly.
"I am busy! The life of a god is hectic let me tell you. Oh, what I will give to go back to aimlessly floating around in the sea." Aphrodite said with a heavy sigh.
"Not much I feel." Perseus said. Hephaestus then returned back, heaving a hammer behind him.
"Alright, who needs repair work?" Hephaestus said, spitting in his hands.
"Me. My chariot has been busted from the fight with Typhon. I don't think the damage is too bad though." Artemis said, snapping her fingers. A silver flash of light emerged in front of her, soon revealing Artemis's chariot. Or what was left of it.
"Huh, you got the moon theme going on quite well Artemis. The chariot is in the shape of a crescent moon." Perseus said with a grin, as he stared at the chariot. It looked like a single large circular pillar had fully gone through the chariot from the top, leaving the crescent shape. The entire thing was covered with some kind of red dust, similar to rust. "What happened to those horses attached to the chariot?"
"They died. And shut up. So, what do you think?" Artemis asked Hephaestus.
"What do I think? Well for one...the damage is too much! I think I have to build you a new one from scratch!" Hephaestus exclaimed.
Artemis blinked. "You can't do that!" she exclaimed. "this is the moon chariot, it's one of a kind!'"
"Technically, there's two of them out there so..." Perseus muttered.
"Maybe I can try something around." Hephaestus said, giving a light kick to the chariot. The wheel immediately fell off, resulting in the chariot to fall on the ground, and break into many pieces.
"M-My...my...m-my." Artemis stammered out.
"I'll try to implement this wood and metal into the new model if that makes you feel better." Hephaestus said quickly. "It will still be your chariot...technically speaking?"
"I heard that before, from Athena." Perseus replied. "Is an object still the same object, even after you slowly replace a piece of it?"
Aphrodite tilted her head to the side. "Wouldn't it be a new item if everything is replaced? Not the same base product?" she asked.
Perseus nodded his head slowly. "But if we can restore the pieces-"
"My chariot is destroyed over here, and your reaction is spouting out philosophical statements?!" Artemis cried out.
Perseus and Aphrodite had sheepish expressions on their faces as they rubbed the back of their necks. "Sorry." they said together.
"Wait." Aphrodite said, glancing at Perseus with a full-blown grin on her face. "We have twin speak!"
"Fates help me." Perseus said with a sigh.
"Were the hunters well behaved?"
"Oh, they were just perfect. You have a group of very well-behaved children under you two." Hestia said with a smile.
"Reeeeaallyyy?" Perseus and Artemis said together, glancing at the hunters, who were wolfing down their sandwiches ravenously. Only to start politely eating them when Hestia turned around, giving them a smile.
"They seem really hungry. What did they do today?" Artemis asked.
"Oh, just running around the backyard and trying out those spare dummies of Perseus. The hay one's darling, I would never let them touch those harmful automatons." Hestia said, on seeing Perseus open his mouth.
"That's actually great you guys. I'm happy to see you guys take your training seriously as well." Perseus replied.
"Well, we have to be prepared." Celyn said. "Since we are fighting for Olympus. No storm giants will dare mess with the Hunters of the Twilight Moon!" she yelled, with cheers soon followed by the hunters.
Perseus shook his head fondly. "As much as I find that admirable, I'm not going to pit you guys on a storm giant, especially one like typhon. I wonder if it's too early to move on to hunters..." he mused.
"As long as they are very weak, and very stupid, we will be fine." Arius said, receiving a few laughs.
"Well Arius, you will be happy o know that some monsters are like that." Artemis said, a wicked grin on her face. "Until they smell blood or godly scent, and then become snarling ravaging beasts."
"...Oh." Arius said with a gulp.
"Don't scare the poor kids Artemis, they are quite young to be dealing with monsters anyway. I believe sixteen is an appropriate age" Hestia replied.
Perseus covered his mouth as he tried to stifle his laugh. "Mom, they are only partially immortal. They are never going to age."
"Oh yes, I knew that." Hestia said quickly. "But still quite young, didn't they start like weeks ago? And make sure they get their nutrition, very important."
"Mom, you inner Demeter is channeling out. And relax we got this." Perseus said, leading Hestia out.
"And don't forget to shower them with love and affection, but also know when they could draw the line. Parenting is hard of course, believe me, I know. So, when taking care of chil-"
"Okay mom, bye! See you in a long time." Perseus said loudly, taking Hestia outside. A chorus of goodbyes came from the hunters while Artemis was struggling to not fall on the floor and laugh out loudly.
"You- Hestia-" Artemis said in between chuckles.
"That advice could very well apply to you as well arrowhead." Perseus said.
"Your mother is really cool Percy. Defenitely what I expected." Acantha said.
"Good thing she wasn't a grumpy old woman like some priests thought." Ajax replied.
Perseus raised an eyebrow. "My mother a grumpy old woman. Alright, who said that I have some talking to do."
"You mean intimidating, but sadly that's not for the agenda today." Artemis said, slipping her fingers with Perseus's. "Remember my dead chariot horses?"
"Uh...yeah? I mean, I don't know whether I should be nonchalant or feel sorry since you were never really a fan of them." Perseus asked.
Artemis shrugged. "Neither was I. but, I feel this is the perfect time to get my replacement ready. And I definitely know who I want to pick that is worthy enough to carry my new chariot."
"Your hunting dogs? That would be cool to see. Flying dogs pulling the moon chariot." Perseus said with a grin.
Artemis sighed. "Not my hunting dogs ash for brains. I was thinking of using deer for the chariot. And one of those deer, a hind, will be roaming a certain area of Ceryneia right now if I'm not mistaken- stop laughing!"
"Oh, this is going to be fun!" Perseus laughed. "Yep, I'm definitely going to join you on this."
Artemis narrowed her eyes. "You're not going to mess this up, are you?"
"I would never mess up anything you're going to do, even if it's for a silly little prank. Don't worry, I promise I will help you catch the hind this time around. And I will make sure it won't go through anther shadow again."
Artemis smiled. "Great then." she said, leaning up t give a small kiss on Perseus's cheek. "What about you guys, do you want to come along as well?' Artemis asked, turning around, only to find the female hunters making 'aww' noises, and Arius gagging.
"Like Miss Lady Hestia said, we're children over here. We don't want to see kissy stuff." Arius joked, and then received several whacks on his head. "Ow! Ajax, help a brother out please!"
Ajax smiled. "I think I'll stay in the sidelines this time."
"Artemis, I am truly sorry. I can never kiss you now, because our hunter said so. Please forgive me." Perseus said solemnly.
Artemis shrugged. "Alright then, I don't mind. But then no hugs and hand holding as well." she said, walking away with a smirk on her face. Perseus quizzically looked at the hunters who shrugged in response and then back at Artemis's retreating figure.
"Oh who am I kidding. Artemis, wait up!" Perseus cried out, rushing forward. The hunters shook their head is exasperation as they got off the table to join their leaders for what may be a really interesting hunt.
"No way, this place is still standing. The winds were really heavy." Celyn said in awe as she stared at their relatively untouched camp.
"Well, there were protections set up." Acantha said. "Oh, thank the gods, my bow is still here."
"You're welcome." Perseus said with a smirk. "But yeah, I agree with Celyn. Didn't expect to see this place quite untouched. Except for that one lopsided tent, wait is that mine?"
"Okay hunters, pay attention now. We are going to an area called Ceryneia to capture some deer. So we're going to need your expertise on traps. There is one specific hind which I want to capture separately, unless Perseus wants to join me. We will be leaving in ten minutes, so grab what you need and meet us at the campfire. Got it?" Artemis said. A bunch of affirmations later, Artemis joined Perseus at the campfire, where he was testing out his arrow case.
"You're going to join me in my solo hunt?" Artemis asked.
"Of course arrowhead. We're going to make it full circle." Perseus said with a grin. "So do you need my powers, or just pure skill?"
"Let's go with skill." Artemis said, and then smirked. "Unless yuu can't keep up with me ash head."
"Is that a challenge I smell." Perseus said, also smirking. Before Artemis could say anything, a distant boom was heard somewhere, making the birds fly everywhere.
"What is happening now." Perseus muttered. A few moments later, a bunch of nymphs, both dryads and naiads emerged from the forest into the clearing with sight fear in their eyes.
"Milord and Milady. Thank the gods you are here. There is some kind of monster that appeared in the lake and is terrorizing the naiads right now. It looks quite powerful; we really need your help in sending it away." A dryad cried out.
Artemis frowned. "A monster in the lake? That's weird, I never sensed one before."
"Well whatever it is, it decided to rear its head today." Perseus said with a sigh, forming a spear. "You go on ahead with the nymphs, I'll join you with the hunters soon."
Artemis nodded, leaving with the nymphs. Perseus then soon explained the situation to the hunters, who were excited in the prospect of fighting their first monster (not that Perseus would let them, probably. And demon bunnies were not counted) The group soon reached the lake, where Perseus saw a swarm of naiads with sticks, trying to hit a black creature. There were even dryads standing on the edge, throwing rocks at the creature as well.
"The monster is not a 'monster' per say." Artemis said, joining Perseus. "But it definitely does not look like a normal sea creature, especially a sea creature in the middle of a freshwater-"
"Those markings..." Perseus mumbled, interrupting Artemis. Suddenly, Perseus's eyes immediately widened, and he dashed towards the bank of the lake.
"Umbra?!"
"Hey, no pulling my flipper you water demons! Wait, was that Perseus?"
"No way, it is you Umbra!" Perseus said with a laugh. "I missed you girl, I totally forgot about you with all the...oh."
"You forgot about me?!" Umbra cried out. "After everything I did for you? Unbelievable!"
"Did that black shark just talk. Woah." Clio said with awe.
"Do you know that shark Percy?" Phoebe asked.
"That's not a shark Phoebe and Clio, that's an Orca." Perseus said quickly. "Hey, uh, Naiads! Stop hitting her, the big fish. No throwing stones either."
"But, that's a monster." a naiad said nervously. "I've never seen anything like this in a lake before."
Perseus sighed. "That's because they aren't usually found in lakes, but I know her. She's completely harmless."
"Yeah, you tell them Perseus. I just came here nicely and then these idiots came after me with their sticks. Hey, no poking!" Umbra called out. It was a bit of a long process, but Perseus and Artemis managed to convince the nymphs that Umbra was harmless ("It has teeth!" the nymphs cried out) after all the nymphs had gone away, Artemis turned to Perseus and raised an eyebrow.
"So, when did you meet this...Umbra?"
"That's its name. And I may have glossed over the fact that there was a magical orca made by Nyx." Perseus said with a chuckle.
"Oh, you have now glossed over me. What am I, fish fry?" Umbra whined.
"I'm really sorry about that girl, believe me there was literally a lot going on and you kind of slipped off my mind." Perseus said regrettably. "It won't happen again."
"Hmm, give me some of those fishies out there and I will look the other way." Umbra said with a toothy smile.
Perseus grinned. "That's a deal. Alright, introductions time. Umbra, this is Artemis and or hunters. Artemis and hunters, this is Umbra, my new animal companion."
"You already got an animal companion? No fair." Artemis said, pouting. He hunters meanwhile slowly approached the orca, their expressions mixed with awe and apprehension.
"I have never seen a sea creature so beautiful before." Ajax whispered. "It truly looks out of this world."
"Well, orcas don't look like this actually." Perseus said with a chuckle. "But Umbra here is special."
"Nice to meet you all, official. Perseus here talked about you guys, especially the woman Artemis." Umbra said with a wink.
"Umbra." Perseus warned. "By the way, how did you even get here anyway. Not to mention, this is a freshwater lake, you're a sea creature. How are you surviving under these conditions?"
"I'm a magical sea creature Perseus, created by Nyx herself. I can breathe anywhere, water based that is. But I don't think I can do muddy water; it might make me sick. Oh and hot water, I don't want to be a breathing baked fish. As for how I got here, once again, made by Nyx. I have shadow travel powers, that's how I got to you so easily in the first place."
"Wait Nyx created you?" Artemis said, glancing at Perseus. "Does that mean Umbra is your sibling in a way?"
"Thank you Artemis, for that mental picture." Perseus muttered. "Poseidon has a horse for son. I have a fish as a sister. This is totally not weird at all."
"Wait, if Umbra is your sibling in a way, and Lady Artemis said that the primordial Nyx created her...how is Nyx related to you?!" Arius asked, looking very confused.
"Long story short, I'm Nyx's birth child, Hestia is my adopted mother." Perseus replied.
"What can you do Umbra?" Acantha asked.
"Well for starters, I can swim really fast. I know everything on aquatic life. And, I have this sweet synergy beam I can fire off at bad guys." Umbra said. "Am I a cool Umbra, or what?"
"Cool." the hunters whispered, making Perseus chuckle. "Okay guys, if you all remember, we have a hunt to go to. You guys can talk to Umbra later if you all want, we still have the entire day."
"Do you need this fish's expertise?" Umbra asked nonchalantly.
"Sorry girl, but we're going to be n land for this. Maybe next time we'll do a water-based hunt." Perseus said.
"Aww...fine. But you don't you dare forget me next time." Umbra called out, rushing into the water and then came out of it again, while doing a backflip.
"Show off." Perseus muttered, shaking his head fondly. "Alright everyone, close your eyes we're going to flash you guys out of here." Perseus said, holding his hands out. After everyone had held hands, the group flashed away from Arcadia, landing right in the middle of the forest area of Ceryneia. The hunters looked a bit queasy as they wobbled around trying to keep their lunch in.
"Ah, I should have mentioned there would be some flashing sickness since the distance is quite large." Perseus said with an embarrassed chuckle.
"Okay, we have reached our destination. All we need to do is ask around if any suspicious activity occurred like a month ago, resulting in a mysterious hind to-"
"Oh, my, GODS! Are you lady Artemis and lord Perseus?" A voice shouted from above. The two glanced up to find a dryad hanging of a branch and grinning at them. The dryad then let go of the branch, and landed on the ground with her feet out.
"Um, yeah? How may we help you." Perseus asked.
"I just want to say, I heard so much about you two, that I'm already a big fan." the dryad said with a giggle. "The name is Britomartis, and I want to join the hunters of the Twilight Moon.
Perseus and Artemis's eyes widened on hearing this. "You want to join the hunters?" Artemis asked, glancing momentarily at the hunters who were staring at Britomartis with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Yep. I mean, immortality and no dumb god trying to chase me around? Count me in!"
"It's partial immortality, which you already have actually since your life force is tied to a tree." Perseus pointed out. "And you have to learn hunting skills and other types of melee combat. This isn't some getaway ticket to avoid marriage or anything like that, this would be a safe haven, and you would have a responsibility to protect Olympus when the time comes. Are you up for it?"
Britomartis's happy demeanor immediately faded as she thought about all this. "Oh...I didn't think of that." she mumbled, her eyes hardening. "But I still want to join, I'm bored being a nymph in some random monster. And I know one hunting aspect, making traps. That is helpful right?"
Artemis perked upon hearing this. "You know how to make and set traps?" she asked, receiving a nod in return. "Hmm, I may have a job for you."
"Lady Artemis, don't tell me we have to work with her." Phoebe asked, looking a bit dejected.
"Well, I can't turn down someone wanting to be a hunter. Think of this as your test Britomartis. If you succeed, we will know you are serious about this and accept having you in the hunt. If you don't...well there is a next time I guess."
"I won't let you down. So, what is it we're going to hunt." Britomartis said.
"Capture, not hunt. I know this may sound weird and farfetched, but have you heard of some deer popping out of a shadow or something. Or do you know how many deer herds are out here in Ceryneia." Perseus asked.
"Well, here's the thing, deer in Ceryneia are scarce. So when someone sees something peculiar, they make sure to spread it. Yes, I have heard of a deer popping out of the blue from some shadow, and I think it was last seen mixing with the only herd in this forest. So you guys are in luck."
That's great then. Well then Britomartis, this is what we want you to do..."
"Will this work?" Perseus whispered to Artemis.
"The trap she showed me was very well crafted. I haven't seen a net of this high level of craftsmanship before, maybe this will work."
"You're ready to strike?"
"Always ready Perseus."
HOOT HOOT! HOOT HOOT!
"That's the signal. Shall we Artemis?'
"We shall Perseus. Stay by my side!" Artemis shouted, jumping forward.
"Always." Perseus said with a grin, running to keep up with her.
The two godly hunters rushed forward with an outwardly grace, reaching slowly to their destination. Perseus used his godly vision to see where the hunters were. Sure enough, the entire group were launching arrows at the herd of deer, making sure to lead them straight to their trap. Perseus then launched himself forward, firing an arrow at a rope that was connected to the trapping mechanism, setting it into motion. Artemis had perched herself on a tree branch, her bow trained on the ground, where the next step in the plan was set. The herd of deer suddenly broke out into the clearing, the main hind from Delos that Artemis had been vehemently after at the lead. Artemis then let go of the arrow, and Perseus watched as it whizzed ahead, hitting a small makeshift lever, the trap sprung, the net lifetd off the ground as it went on to catch the herd. But before the trap could fully capture them, the Delo hind immediately stopped in its place, just centimeters away from the trap. Perseus and Artemis watched with their mouth agape as they watched the hind once again evade their trap, the hind now snorting everywhere as it bounded slowly ahead.
"That is one resilient and stubborn deer." Perseus muttered, dropping down. The hunters and Britomartis had already rushed by then, their eyes widening on seeing the hind which Artemis had pointed out to them earlier, not even remotely in the net.
"No wonder lady Artemis never caught it until then, because it's too darn smart." Britomartis muttered.
Artemis had then dropped down o the ground, her eyes trained on the hind. The hid snorted a bit. Brandishing its hons. Artemis tilted her head to the side as she stared down at the hind. The hind then stood straight, it's eyes also on Artemis. Slowly, the hind approached Artemis until it was just next to her. It then bowed its head down, making Artemis smile as she petted the top of the hind's head.
"We have come to an understanding." she announced. "I have decided to not to capture this hind. In fact, she will have my blessings."
"...What?!" Everyone cried out together.
"B-B-But th-that's the, that's the-" Perseus spluttered out.
"For an animal to evade my every move, something like that has to be rewarded." Artemis said simply. Her palms glowed a bright silver, the same glow now enveloping the hind. Everyone watched in amazement as the hinds' fur turned a solid gold in color and lustier, as well as the horns which now shone with a metallic sheen.
"Be free in the wild, like you always wanted to be." Artemis said, holding her arms back. The now golden hind gave one final bow, and it then bounded out back into the forest, soon disappearing from sight.
"That Artemis...was one of the most confusing things I have witnessed in my entire life." Perseus replied.
"I am so sorry lady Artemis for not being able to catch the ne deer you were after." Britomartis said dejectedly. "Your mission was a waste."
"Well, it wasn't like this was a total waste. I have my riders as you can see." Artemis said with a grin, gesturing to the captured deer. "And honestly speaking, I probably would have released that hind anyway if I captured it. Oh, which reminds me, that hind is now my new animal companion!"
"Congratulations." Perseus said with a smile. "At least you have a companion that's not related to you."
"I know right? And now, for the next part of our agenda. A hunting game. I know you guys didn't get to really shine because me and Perseus were supervising Britomartis, but now the next one hour is going to be dedicated to you guys hunting down our dinner. Hunter with the best shot and game will have that meat all for themselves. So are you guys in?" Artemis asked, receiving cheers from the hunters.
"Oh this is definitely my time to shine, you guys better watch out." Celyn grinned.
"You know, I could win this one again." Arius said with a smirk.
"I honestly beg to differ." Ajax replied.
"Let's agree to disagree then." Phoebe said.
"You guys, this is a friendly competition." Acantha said, but then sighed. "You know what, maybe some competition isn't too bad."
"Oh no, she's joined the dark side!" Clio yelled out, making everyone laugh.
"I was actually going to say what Acantha said, but oh well." Perseus said with a shrug. "Go run off you guys." Perseus said, ushering them into the forest. "You two are staying back?"
"Yes, someone needs to get this bunch down look after the kids, make sure they don't get into any trouble. And tele communicate if you need help," Artemis replied, handing over a knife to Britomartis.
"Yes ma'am." Perseus said with a grin, bounding off into the forest, as he felt a sense of calmness in him. Only this was one was after a storm. ...Or was it...
Man, is it actually chapter 30? To think I've actually come this far, never would have expected that at all. Okay, so I have an announcement to make. I've kinda hit a bit of a roadblock, which was a reason why I hit this delay in uploads. I still plan to update shenanigans in like 24 hours time...so yeah. So because of the roadblock, I have to now try and get a detailed summary on what I'm going to write. While I know what to put down, I just don't know how detailed it's going to be. Will this affect future updates, definitely not. But I think I should stick with a weekly Saturday update for the time being, until I get things in check. We're kinda reaching a sense of finality if you guys haven't guessed already, but this fic is far from over. I still have so much to write and what not. It's going to be awesome (hopefully XD)
And yes, Britomartis is the next hunter to join the ranks. She is a canon mythological character as well, and I'm sure people who read ToA are familiar with her. Me, not really no. Like I mentioned before, never read ToA so forgive me if some things are different than the one in those books, other than that, thank you guys so much for supporting my fic, and I will see you guys soon. Bye!...\/