Last chapter before the big climax guys, the LAST ONE! Isn't it so exciting, to be this far now? Remember how shitty my writing was back in the first chapters? How lost I was, and now we are here and we are about to launch ourselves into the huge climax of the story.
Thank you to everyone, I am editing every chapter going up from 1, I've already done 1 and 2, and I am slowing continuing with the editing. There is just stuff like Atalanta being spelled Atlanta, and too many commas in sentences that need to be changed.
Thank you all for all the support, I am so sorry for the wait, I have been so busy and distracted. I went to Michigan to visit family for a week, and I went to Hilton for vacation with the other side of my family. I have watched a lot of TV series, been catching up with some of my favorite games. Soccer just started and school is starting soon, it is pretty crazy and busy and I am so sorry for taking so long to update.
Enjoy
XXX(())XXX
Rain poured down and lightning cracked down outside the window, shaking the Moon Mansion down to the foundation, clapping the building with the sound of the lightning, startling Percy and Artemis awake.
Artemis jolted in the bed at the thunderclap that pierced through their bedroom like a wrecking ball, and Percy just opened his eyes at the sound, slightly shaken from the shock wave that rattled the building.
Percy yawned and rolled onto his back, looking out at the window, and the rain pouring down the windowsill, the flashes coming from outside.
"Are you alright, Arty? It's quite a storm brewing out there."
Artemis shivered, she was cuddled up tightly to his side with his arm around her, both of them completely naked, he remembered their late-night love making last night very well, and she had been so willing, and submissive, he had had such a good time, time of his life... It was an incredibly pleasant thing to think about.
Arty purred, she was so comfortable that even though the lightning spooked her awake, her mind refused to believe that the notion of responding was something she needed to do.
But she did anyways... She wouldn't ignore him, or, after seeing how dominant he was with her last night, she didn't dare.
"I'm alright, Percy, especially here with you." She purred, cuddling in closer to him, trying and failing to not grind her curvy naked body against him. She knew that Percy was really good at controlling himself, but she was sure that he had a raging morning erection that he could, and probably would, rail her with if she... stimulated him too much, but that was surely her fate anyways, so it didn't really matter, it just served to communicate to him that she was more than willing if he was thinking about it, inviting him.
"Artemis... Did you have a good time last night? Or did you just put on a show so I wouldn't feel bad?"
Artemis opened her eyes and they went wide, that was a really dangerous question and she knew that if she didn't answer it perfectly Percy would never treat her the same way he did last night ever again.
"Percy, I had the time of my life last night, with you, don't feel bad about having fun, I loved it."
He had really taken it to heart when she told him to have his way with her, he had been even rougher and more dominant than he was when she invited him to her palace, and she had loved it so much... She had the time of her life. She just wished that Percy would feel that way too.
"Good, I loved it too, thank you."
She smiled warmly into his side, she was the happiest girl in the world, she was so blessed to be here... Tucked into the side of the man who changed her life forever, for the good.
XXX(())XXX
Atalanta is a huntress that does not spook easily, but when she heard the death lightning coming from outside she couldn't help but feel alarmed. She had heard lightning like that before, and she knew exactly what it meant.
XXX(())XXX
After another wonderful session of love making, Artemis and Percy got out of bed and got dressed, Artemis had to go scavenging for her clothes, mainly her bra which had been flung across the room. She didn't put it back on though, she got a more modest pair of clothes to put back on and she loved that she had Percy's eyes on her the entire time.
(A/N- I have been thinking recently about what I want Percy's armor to be, I can't decide for the life of me and I think what I am going to do is take a poll on my profile, here in the comments, and on my Discord out of like 3 or 4 modest light-medium sets from video games that I think he would look good in. If you have any suggestions, please please send them to me. I am gonna post my ideas on the Old Vows chat channel on my Discord, come by and check it out, I wanna hear your feedback.)
"Percy head on down to breakfast and say good morning to the hunter's, I'll be a bit I need to get ready."
"Alright babe, don't take too long, we need to get going." He told her and started for the door but she stopped him.
"Percy... come back here." She told him and put a hand on her hip, which made her look really hot, even better than she already was in that sexy bra and panties she was standing in.
He sighed and walked back over to her, putting a gentle hand on her cheek.
"Forgetting something?" She asked him in her beautiful voice that always made his heart flutter. He smiled and kissed her hard and loving, making her whine against his lips, he put his right hand on her back and his left on her side just under her breast, cupping it from the very bottom. She hadn't always loved it, but a week or so ago she realized that she loves his hands on her. Percy was not really tall, and Artemis was about average for a goddess, she wasn't substantially shorter than him, in fact they were almost the same height... So he didn't have to lean down very much to kiss her. Emphasizing even more that they are equals.
She purred and looped her arm around his neck, she had sometime else to say to him.
"Perrrrrrrcy," she cooed, "I'm always here for you," she purred to him, and leaned up to whisper into his ear, "For anything." She moaned the last part, and when she pulled away, he could see that she had a very noticeable but light golden tinge to her cheeks, blushing. She knew that if he took that the way she wanted him to, well, he wouldn't go hungry. She wanted him to know that she is always here for him, to talk, or to take the pain away, wherever that pain may come from. If someone hurts him, she welcomes him to come talk to her, especially if that someone is one of her hunters, Percy is a person that talks through things... And if he is in the mood to talk, or not, she welcomes him to bend her over the bed too, one thing she knows about Percy is that he loves to fuck, and it always makes him feel much better. Percy is the kind of man every girl wants, confident, strong, and gentle... And he was also the type of man that could get all the women he could ever want, Arty didn't have enough fingers to count the number of goddesses on Olympus she knew would eagerly hop in bed with him... But he was all hers, and he was the kind of man that would never cheat.
"Thank you, Arty, same as I." He told her, and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled and let go of him, and he did too, she gave him a playful smile and did a sensual twirl for him as he walked out of the room to go to breakfast and meet with the other hunters.
XXX(())XXX
There were a lot of stairs in the Moon Mansion, the carpet was blue with embroidery and patterns stitched into it, the stairs spiraled down 3 times so when you look up from the bottom you see quite a few spirals of stairs and quite the view as well. He passed Thalia on his way down, but he didn't think anything of it, she looked completely inconspicuous so he had just greeted her good morning and she returned the gesture. He stopped shortly after though, at one of the rooms that were set on the stairs and not in a hallway, the door was wide open and the inside of the door read, "Remember that the only things that matter in this world, the only thing to worry about is the sister to your right and to your left, and the goddess that leads us to victory. Home is where the hunt is, if thee never forgets that, thou too will never be forgotten- Zoë Nightshade." It was a quote, from the fallen Lieutenant, and it made him wonder how little she would have approved of the way the hunters have been acting recently, to him and each other.
Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
"Come in sister, door is open."
He smiled and walked in the room, this girl was one of only eight mortals amongst the hunters, she was not a demigod... and her story was one of the most hectic of any of them. During the dark ages her mother died shortly after she gave birth to her. She never really knew her mother, since she died so early but she did know her father, who turned into a bitter drunk and blamed her mother's death on her. He treated her like trash, and most nights she slept in the shed out in the back of their home, but it wasn't a home to her, it was a nightmare she couldn't wake up from. One day she left home for the day and ran into an old man, he was very nice to her and he just happened to be a retired town watch, a sharpshooter to be exact. She spent days talking with him when she could come, he had no children and his wife had died just the year before, he was lonely and she was a child that wanted to learn as much as she could from her elders.
She asked him to teach her how to fight, and how to use a bow. She wanted to be just like him, she wanted to be a sharpshooter just like him. He taught her how to use a sword, he was getting up there in age but he still knew how to use a sword, and he was a good teacher to her. But nothing good can last, and one day her father-not-a-father found out about her little adventures with the old man and tried to kill her, he had always hated her guts and this just gave him a reason to get rid of her, but she knew how to fight back now because of the old town guard. Her father was a drunk that was fat and old, an old fat abusive man, she killed him and finally got her life's revenge from him. He hated her because that he had really loved his wife, believe it or not before she came along he had been a fit man that was sober and loving to his wife, her mother. But he blamed her for his death, and so he hated her more than anything in the world, and that is what made him want to kill her, and try to. He may have been a good man, but he did not do well with kids and his hatred for her was a devil conceived appendage that grabbed hold of him and never let go. She killed him and when she did she was horrified at herself, she always wanted to fight back but never could do it, she knew that she couldn't, she didn't have anyone to save her and she was all on her own, with no one. Now she had her life back, but unfortunately for her the towns watch didn't want her to have her life back, they put her on trial and she was sentenced to death for the homicide of her father.
She was sentenced to be hung for the killing of her father, it was a crime of the highest degree to kill ones parent, she was considered to be the vilest of young girls in the eyes of the gods. Little did she know that the real gods were looking after her, for when she killed her father it had been in the light of the moon, and the merciful moon goddess was looking after her. The night before she was set to be executed, that night she was rescued from behind those bars by the hunters of Artemis, three hooded figures who sneaked into the jailhouse in the dead of night... Zoë, Atalanta, and Phoebe saved her from that cell, saved her from being hung, but it was Artemis who had come to save her, sent her hunters to rescue her, and so she was eternally loyal and devoted to the goddess of the hunt.
Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
"Come in sister, the door is open." Came the voice of the girl inside, which was funny because the door was obviously already open. Catlin is a good hunter, deathly loyal to her mistress, but she was sassy. If she ever used her gift of unequaled beauty and got a man, the first thing he would do is spank that sass out of her. Girls that talk back are bad girls, even Arty knows that. He is always nice to Arty, but even he doesn't put up with any sassiness. Artemis is a good girl and she doesn't talk back or sass him very often, but as she learns more and more, she gets more and more confident, and that is where the sass comes from... And when she does, he always just gives her a sharp smack on the ass, and even though she enjoys that, she always starts behaving. He loves his girlfriend, and the two of them play a lot of fun games in the bedroom, they have really helped Artemis to ease into this life, and this is one of them. Arty is a really playful girl, and he was very surprised that she was.
"Good morning Caitlin, I hope I'm not disturbing you?"
"Oh, it's you Percy, good morning, you are not disturbing me. I was just about to head down to breakfast."
"I was too but decided to stop in, we haven't spoken to each other in a while."
She looked at him with the same eyes that Phoebe used to look at him with shortly after she finally accepted him, like she had something to confess and didn't know if she should say it or just carry on. Caitlin was an older hunter, she was over a thousand years old, and that made her a senior hunter... The war with the titans and the war with Gaia had killed off many hunters, but the war with the titans killed off more senior and Elder hunters than any other, and by seniority she was a senior. It was really sad to think about... Only Phoebe, the oldest hunter alive, even older than Zoë when she was still with them, and Atalanta, Zoë's apprentice were the only two ancient hunters remaining, Phoebe being well over three thousand years old, and Atalanta being just over.
"Percy, I really want to talk to you about something, something I should have told you a while ago." She told him, looking at him with those beautiful green eyes of hers, you could get lost in those pools of green, but they were shining back at him with sympathy and remorse. She patted the bed next to her and sat down on it, he accepted her offer and came and sat down next to her. One of the first things he noticed when he sat down was that she wasn't putting any pressure on her right leg, her leg was in a brace to heal from it being severely broken not too long ago when she was thrown against a tree by a cyclops. She had ventured out in the middle of the night one night to have some alone time and got into a fight with a cyclops, it was very stupid and Atalanta told her that while she was putting on the brace.
"What is it, Katy?" He asked her, calling her by her nickname. Artemis had given him a history lesson about each of her hunters, she told him that Katy was a nickname given to her by Zoë shortly after she adopted the name Caitlin because that her former name, Hela, brought too many bad memories. But that doesn't mean that sometimes when she takes a jump in the pool, that he doesn't ask her if she had a helluva good dip.
"I never apologized for the way I treated you back then, before we all accepted you. I was cruel and mean and I'm truly sorry for the way I treated you, Percy."
He looked at her with those eyes that said he was thinking, he had been very receptive and open when Phoebe had apologized to him, and finally accepted him... But that was after she landed in Atalanta's lap in the medical tent, after ambushing him.
"I accept your apology, Katy, I was hurt by the mean things you did to me... But I forgive you and I hope we can be friends?"
The frown on her face flipped it self upside down and she flung her arms around him in a hug, he chuckled and hugged her back. One at a time he has gained the trust of every hunter, even the biggest haters, like Phoebe and Caitlin. Every hunter is part of this family, and he is too and they have accepted that.
XXX(())XXX
Thalia sighed as she walked past Percy on the stairs, usually he stops and starts a conversation with her, but this time he thankfully didn't. She had a delivery to make to their Mistress, and she had an idea that it was something special for the two of them, or more specifically for him that whoever sent Artemis this little pink box probably didn't want Percy to see before It was time. Thalia is like a sister to Percy, she did everything she could to make sure that the mean things Phoebe and a few others did to Percy, didn't happen... But she obviously failed in that, and she considered that to be her first and biggest failure as Lieutenant. But she could make up for that now by doing everything she could to help Percy, whether that be herding the hunters away so that be could grope Artemis on his lap, or giving her little hints about ways she could make his life a paradise.
Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
XXX(())XXX
Artemis ran the brush through her hair standing there in front of the mirror in the bathroom, she just got out of the shower, she needed to clean up pretty badly after the fucking she received last night. She loved it but she was so worn out she couldn't even walk after he was done with her, and he didn't get done with her for a while. He hadn't really even broken a sweat, and she didn't know if that meant he just had really good stamina or if he was going easy on her. The latter scared her to her core, but it also got her turned on thinking of just how rough he could be with her if he went all out, and she would love to find out for herself, maybe she would tonight...
She hadn't done any shaving since Aphrodite did it for her, so she did that, would have been smarter to do that before she poured her heart out to him and got railed harder than she he has ever railed her before... but you can't win em all.
She was interrupted from her erotic thoughts when she heard loud knocking on the door, again.
"Go to breakfast! Leave me alone!"
Thalia sighed and looked around making sure there were no hunters around, and then she knocked on the door again.
"Artemis, it's important, open the door."
Arty groaned loudly and practically threw the hairbrush down on the sink, why did this always happen to her? Heavens forbid she could actually just do her pathetic grooming routine in peace.
She tried to be friendly in the way she swung open the door, but it kind of came out the wrong way and she looked like some kind of angry mother. She immediately blushed when she opened the door, she had so much going through her mind and almost all of it had to do with Percy, and Thalia was not the best person to be around when she was horny for Percy. She might as well be signing her own humiliation, the last time Thalia knocked on her door being a prime example. Unfortunately for Artemis she barely learned from her last mistake and came to the door in just a T-shirt that said blessed with more than enough context to back it up, that she threw on after her shower, and her blue panties.
It took Thalia exactly two seconds, two seconds to come up with the most inappropriate thing to say in that moment looking down at her long, lightly tanned, freshly shaven legs that would make any man drool.
"Damn Artemis, you waiting for someone?" Thalia mocked with a huge smirk on her face.
Arty blushed bright gold, her cheeks illuminated the door way with how hard she blushed... If she were to be honest, she did secretly hope that he would have come back up to their room, but she knew that was very unlikely. She never wore any more than she was right now at the most, in their bedroom.
"That's what I thought... Now, another package came for you." She said and handed Artemis the small box.
"Hmm, thank you, Thalia, now go to breakfast, git." She shooed, and Thalia stuck her tongue out at her and left down the stairs, Artemis just chuckled and shut the door. She loved her new Lieutenant, offering the position to Thalia was her best decision of the last three years right up until she gave herself to Percy. You could say that the best decision was accepting him into the hunt, but giving herself to him is when she truly accepted him, all of him.
Artemis sighed and walked over to her desk, the same desk that she opened the last package on. She read the top of the small box, and she groaned, not again. Arty took her letter opener and opened the package, she slid out the contents and looked down at the slip of paper that fell out onto the desktop. Ignoring it for a second, she took out the contents of the box and set it down on the table, four balms of chapstick, and two of lipstick. She sat down and put her head in her hand, unfolded the letter and read it.
Dear Artemis,
I wish I would have remembered to give this to you when you left yesterday but it slipped my mind and I could kick myself for it. This was hastily put together so I am going to be as brief as possible, I woke up this morning and like usual I thought of the highlights of the previous day when I first open my eyes. So I remembered what you said you were going to do for Percy...
Lip balm is something that every girl should use, especially a girl like you with no experience, and no skill. No man prefers to have chapped lips on his cock, and every man's heart melts for soft, juicy, hot red lips. I went to the goddesses store here on Olympus this morning and got you the best blowjob lip balm and hot red lipstick I could find.
Use the Chapstick after every meal, when you wake up, about an hour before you go to bed and especially before you please him. Make sure that for the latter you spread it across your lips good by rubbing your lips together, that will make it soak in and give your lips a soft glossy texture, absolutely perfect for him. But other than that time, let it soak into your lips naturally and slowly, don't smudge it. Your kisses will feel more tender to him too, silky and soft, if he notices it on you, which he will, just tell him something lovey dovey...
Look Artemis, I know that the war is on our doorstep, and you may not have many more sensual moments with him left, so do your best to please him and give him the time of his life while you still can. My door is always open if you want or need any more tips, I'm only going to give you one tip about the lipstick because I know that if I do anymore you won't use it at all because it's "slutty" and "for whores"... But don't dismiss it so easily, my one tip is that it is perfect for entertainment... and marking.
PS: If you want help or instruction on how to properly apply it come by my palace for a few, the art is all in the strokes, but you know that:)
- Aphrodite, Goddess of Love
Artemis moaned loudly into the air and leaned back in her chair thinking of how hot it would be to see Percy walk around with her lip print in hot velvet on his neck. She thought of how much of a mark she would leave on him if she bit his neck with it on, no girl would ever flirt with him when she saw the mark on his neck, he was hers.
She read the letter again and then folded it up, she put one of each on her nightstand and then she took the box and the letter and flashed to her palace bedroom. She opened the nightstand drawer and put the box in, then slipped the piece of paper on top unorganized... She stopped and looked at the shackles that she had left in there and bit her lip, she wasn't ready for that, and she told herself she would save it for her wedding night, or as a peace offering if she... she doesn't need to think like that.
She payed her respects to the Zoë memorial on her way out, while she was mourning her fallen Lieutenant, she wondered what the demititaness would have said if she knew all that Artemis did last night. Percy absolutely had his way with her, they did everything you could imagine or at least certainly more than Artemis could have ever imagined. They made rough and gentle love, she took his cock down her throat and he spanked her, she was on the top and the bottom... They had so much fun, and after two and a half hours they were both more than satisfied, but what Artemis truly cared about was that Percy absolutely had the time of his life. Figuratively, at the end of the day she wanted him to fuck her for his own enjoyment, and he certainly enjoyed himself... and that is why Artemis knew Zoë would approve, for the same reason she knew she approved of her giving up her virginity for him, because he deserved it. She couldn't see the constellation during the day, but she knew Zoë was up there looking down smiling.
XXX(())XXX
The Moon Mansion is a very large, well, mansion. The staircase spirals three times up the huge shaft of space that is the middle of the building, there are 7 hallways with 15 rooms in each hallway making for roughly a capacity of roughly 200 guests excluding the single rooms and the master bedroom at the top, or without including how many people could sleep on the many sofas down below. There has never been even a third of that capacity inside of these walls, but the building is very impressive in size. The kitchen and dining room are also massive, which is accurate because that in Rome unlike on Camp Half-Blood, the hunters have to cook breakfast for themselves. The hunt is only 26 strong when counting just the hunters, the wars' have severely cut their numbers and the new huntresses have just not been coming in, only 2 in the last 2 years. The hunters are of course girls, and since Artemis insists on a healthy diet, they don't eat much but it is still a very large operation to feed that many.
Arty and Percy decided that he wouldn't use his GrubHub powers from Hestia unless he really needed to, or they couldn't feed themselves, which right now they could so Alissa and Phoebe were in the kitchen making a very large serving of eggs, bacon, and toast. The way they did it and were almost forced to do it was that it is like one of those shitty ass DoubleTree hotels, the food is set up in catering pans, this way the hunters can all get their share and no one bitches because there is none left like that one time... The pans are enchanted so that the food will always be exceptionally hot so no one will ever have to eat cold food.
There is no real way that they have to sit at the table, places are not assigned and you can sit wherever. Thalia always sits with Artemis and Phoebe does too, Atalanta does as well but Natalie, Grace, and Alissa also sit with her and then the rest just fill in. The Eldest hunters almost always sit closest to Artemis, and of course the Lieutenant. Taylor is not wanted at the table but she is still an Elder and attended breakfast, she certainly is not going to get any breakfast when Alissa is the one who cooked it so she is going hungry.
Something that anyone on the outside would question about the hunt, is whether or not they sacrifice to the gods... The answer to that is everyone always sets a small portion aside, and then if there are leftovers that no one ate, it is distributed amongst the hunters and they all take a portion of it and throw it in the fireplace at the center of the room or into the campfire. Most of them always sacrifice it to Artemis, but lately they have been doing it to Percy as well.
After everyone sat down and started eating and talking amongst themselves, Artemis leaned over and whispered in Percy's ear, he nodded to her and she stood up. His girlfriend didn't even need to clear her throat, or do anything, every hunter immediately went silent, stopped eating and looked to their Mistress.
"What is the hunter's oath?" Artemis asked in her commanding voice, looking out at her followers.
"I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. Turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the hunt."
"Very good, it's been something I have been giving great thought to, the new hunter's oath. That old nonsense is the old hunt, emphasizing the error and evil habits of our old selves. It's long since overdue, stand up, put your hand over your heart, and repeat after me-"
Every hunter stood up and did as she instructed, some more eager than others, Atalanta, and to a lesser degree, Natalie, Grace and Alissa had slight blushes on their cheeks... They knew that the new oath would abdicate the obligation to remain chaste.
"I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis-"
"I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis-"
"Swear to protect and defend my sisters, and any and all allies of the hunt."
"Swear to protect and defend my sisters, and any and all allies of the hunt."
"Vow to obey, follow and respect our Guardian, and join the eternal hunt."
"Vow to obey, follow and respect our Guardian, and join the eternal hunt."
In perfect unison they chanted the new oath, turning to each other and hugging their sister to the left and right when they finished. Percy looked up at Artemis with that look that said, "I don't deserve that, but thank you" and she looked back at him with the look that said, "You absolutely deserve it."
"Thank you, My Lady." Atalanta said to her once she sat back down, and Artemis respectfully nodded her head to her, "You're welcome Atalanta, I trust you to do the right thing." She instructed, and the huntress bowed her head in gratitude, the sisters and Alissa also bowed their head. As soon as Artemis sat back down and got done with her exchange with Atalanta, Percy immediately pulled her into a deep kiss, and she just melted into it.
XXX(())XXX
After breakfast most of the hunter's went up to brush their teeth and do whatever the needed to do last minute to get ready for the day. Some had beauty routines for the morning, because some of them were taking the permission to intimate with men a lot better than others... meaning they wanted to. Artemis of course had to put some rules up though, they couldn't go overboard with makeup or wear anything other than the hunters garb. Artemis follows those rules too, Percy doesn't even like her to wear makeup.
Some of the hunters didn't go up, a few stayed to clear off the table and put away the tools and pans and such. Percy and Artemis went up as well because even though Artemis had done her routine, Percy hadn't. Arty usually told him that he couldn't kiss her unless he at least brushed his teeth first in the morning, but she supposed that since she didn't this morning, that that was one of those bitchy girl traits she ditched last night.
"You didn't have to put that in the oath, I don't want to force these girls to be nice to me..." He told her when she closed the door to their bedroom.
"Percy, they already are nice to you, there is no excuse for any of them or any hunter in the future to treat you with anything but respect, and adding that to the oath was invasive... but it was something that I wanted to do..." She stopped and walked up to him, putting her hands on his chest, "I never meant to upset you, Percy, I'm sorry." She purred to him and kissed his neck, sensually and passionately.
"I'm not upset, I just think you could have put something different in the oath instead." He told her, running a hand through her hair.
"I never did enough to ensure that these girls treated you the way that you deserved to be treated, and maybe this was also not the best way to handle it, this war is going to cost us a lot of good hunters. When we rebuild, the new recruits need to know that this is a new Era in the hunt, everyone does, some of the hunters see you as my equal, Percy... There is no excuse for anyone treating you with anything but respect."
"We won't lose any if I can do anything about it."
"You're one man, Percy, it's impossible for you to be the guardian for every single one of these girls. Please promise me you won't beat yourself up if we do lose someone." Artemis said softly, she knew him and she knew thay he would not take it well when they did lose a hunter to this war.
"I promise, but of course I will do my best to make sure that never happens."
"That is all we ask of you, Percy."
XXX(())XXX
As they walked down the stairs together to gather back with the hunters, as they walked past the last hallway Percy noticed that the second door was open...
"I'll catch up with you shortly, there is someone I should talk to."
"Just don't keep me waiting, Percy."
The first thing he noticed as he walked up to the door was the writing on the poster, like most of the hunters have, it read It's your reflection looking back to pull you down, Atalanta, that's good! Be your greatest enemy, huntress, and then defeat your greatest enemy. But thou cannot defeat this enemy with a bow, It's the monster in your head you have to conquer!" - Zoë Nightshade. He could fill out an encouragement book with the quotes that were on these girls doors, not all of them were from Zoë, some were from Artemis and some were from passed hunters... Some even from Atalanta herself. The room to his right belonged to Alissa, she had the first room in the hallway, her door said "If Artemis asked me to follow her to the doors of death, I'd be the first one to kick them open." - Atalanta Amani.
Percy didn't knock, he just leaned up against the doorway. Atalanta was sitting on her bed polishing her daggers. Long, twin, slightly curved, silver, purple sapphire hilted daggers. They were something else, Percy had seen what the standard hunter's daggers were and these were far more wicked and fancier.
"You really take good care of those, not even Arty takes that good of care of hers, why is that?" Percy asked her from the doorway, her room was large and heavily decorated. She had many posters and pictures, framed items, most all having something to do with either her late mentor, or from 9/11.
"Percy! Come in, please." She greeted, acting as if she had not seen him there before he spoke. There must be something very important about those daggers to have her that much in thought to not have noticed him in the doorway. He came in and she warmly invited him to sit next to her on her bed.
Atalanta is always so nice to him; she always treats him with the utmost respect. She was the first hunter to accept him, she was his closest friend for the longest time when he first came to the hunt because she liked him. She would stay with him and even help him with all the chores that Artemis gave him, she didn't have to, but she did it because that she saw him as a brother and she thought it was wrong the way that the other hunters and even Artemis had treated him. His job has always been to protect them, but when he first came here he could barely count on one hand the number of hunters he would be happy to lay down his life for, and she was on it.
She smiled and handed him the daggers. They were gorgeous, pure silver as far as he could see, 9 inches long and curved almost like a Katana, but coming to a sharp point. There was braiding engraved into the blade, weaving down the length of the blade and branching out at the end. The handle was also incredible, imperial gold and celestial bronze weaved together to form an excellent grip that looked very good. On the hilt sat a large diamond shaped purple sapphire that you could get lost looking into... and that's when he realized. Images flashing through his mind, silver flashes, a glowing purple light, and a pretty girl getting thrown against a wall and two twin silver daggers dropping to the ground beside her.
"Wait, these are-"
"Zoe's, yes they are, and they are made of the same silver that your sword is made of, Ethereal Silver. But it also is infused with regular silver, the same as the other hunters. They were forged by the cyclops at the Great forge, specially designed for a demititaness of strength. They look big on me but that is a good reminder of the shoes I can't fill, Percy."
"Atalanta... Don't talk like that, it's nonsense, you are a wonderful huntress and you are the greatest legacy that Zoë ever could have asked for."
She looked up at him with a warm smile, and asked, "You really think so?"
"Absolutely."
She smiled even warmer and kissed him on the cheek, then wrapped her arms around him in a gracious hug. They stayed like that for a few seconds and then he asked, "So how did you get them?"
"As Zoe's apprentice she trained me from the moment she took me under her wing leadership, bravery, and selflessness, whether I was a good student or not..." She looked down, "But as her apprentice she left me two of the most precious things in her life, beside the hunt. These beautiful and powerful daggers, and... and the Tiara."
Percy gasped, "What!?"
"Yeah, she did. I'm surprised Thalia or Lady Artemis didn't tell you, or anyone for that matter... But when Zoë died she passed the Tiara onto me."
"Well what happened? Why aren't you Lieutenant now?"
"Because I could not fill her shoes, I was devastated at losing my mentor, I felt that I was completely lost without her. I couldn't do it, she taught me how to be the best Lieutenant the hunt has ever had, she told me I would be better than even her... Everytime I thought about that it made me break down in tears, how was I ever supposed to fill her shoes in the first place? How was I supposed to just move on and take her place? How was I supposed to have confidence and strength to think I could ever do a better job than my mentor when the soil was still settling on her grave? I couldn't do it, I broke down every day, everyone supported me but I couldn't do it, I gave the Tiara, figuratively back to Artemis and Thalia replaced me shortly after the war." She explained, a stray tear rolling down the perfect skin of her cheeks.
"That is one of the saddest things I have ever heard. I am truly sorry about Zoë, Atalanta. I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth, your destiny is to carry her legacy, and use it to be a far greater huntress than Zoë could have ever have dreamed to be. She made you her apprentice because she knew that as well as I do, she saw the greatness in you and did everything she could to help you realize your destiny." He told her, wrapping and arm around her and she started sobbing into his chest.
"Y-you really think so?"
"No, I don't." He said to her, and she pulled away from him, looking up at him with a confused look in her eyes that even through the tears he could read, "Thanks a lot."
"Because there is a huge difference between thinking, and knowing, and I know how great you will be." He said, a fiery passion lighting up in his eyes and he knew, at that moment, that he helped this incredible huntress realize her destiny, and follow it.
XXX(())XXX
I know, quite dramatic ending, and this isn't the chapter that I said it was going to be. No battle, no climax, just more filler talking, right?
Yeah, but this is meant to get you excited for what is to come, think of it as a huge inspirational chapter for our characters.
I also needed to get this out because I have been stressing so much with the 3 month wait time I have forced on all of you, I am so sorry. I need to focus in order to get next chapter right, my betas and I are going to be working very hard to light this can of gasoline in the next chapter without burning ourselves.
Stay tuned, and know that I love each and every one of you for sticking with me. I know it has been rough, and I can only hope that I have entertained you all and not bored you through possibly one of the longest build ups of any story.
My Discord is in my bio and in almost every chapter, come join me on there, people on Disc get to hear updates on the story and participate in helping me with ideas. Thank you so much to my Betas G0dzilla, AKMQ, and PercyAU.
Have a great day everyone, and see you all next time.