All Rights Belong to Rick Riordan
Found You
(Percy)
You know can tell when your life is a chaotic mess most of the time. When a stroll through threw a dark ancient forest on a concealed storm-surrounded island, is the closest you can consider to be to a pleasant night out. If anything, it was nice to have this opportunity to relax as I walked hand in hand with the radiant silver goddess beside me.
Of course, as we aimlessly walked around the island, we had become aware of more than just what type of trees we were walking amongst. Unfortunately for our tail, despite how quietly and concealed they were, neither Harmony or I needed to see or hear them to know they were there.
Besides it was not as if we were making it hard for whatever monster was following us. Two beings with multiple sets of glowing silver and gold wings were not exactly inconspicuous. But the fact that it had enough sense to hang back and not attack immediately was proof that it was more intelligent that ninety-nine percent of the others out there.
But still we were not here to deal with whatever monsters this island called home. If they left us alone then we were quite content to do likewise. We were only here out of curiosity after stumbling upon the island by accident. Considering how well the island had been hidden, there was thought to be very little chance of Delia being involved with it.
'I will say though, I am quite impressed with them. To follow the pair of us for more than an hour without giving themselves away is quite the feat. Were it not for the ability to sense all life around me, I would likely not actually be aware of them normally.' Harmony told me mentally.
'To hear that coming from the literal goddess of Hunting, I guess that is actually quite impressive.' I retorted smiling towards her.
"So why is it that you are not capable of moving like that, mister so-called Titan of the Hunt?" She said normally turning her face to look at me though her eyes were focused upwards and to her far right seemingly looking at the tree canopy above.
After a few seconds however she focused back on me, our pursuer obviously hiding from view again.
"Well?" She asked me with a wry smile as I nervously shuffled my feet. The truth was I still basically neglected that entire domain of mine. Apart from the detection sense it provided I used very little of that particular group of powers. Then again, I had been rather focused on other things for the last few months. Like not getting blown to pieces by an angry soon-to-be father-in-law for starters.
I mean even if you looked behind us at the path we had walked. There was a clear trail where I had walked as I had a habit of scuffing my boots on the floor, meanwhile there was almost no trace the goddess had passed through. Despite the fact that she too was likewise sporting half a ton of radiant silver wings, rendering that usual particular excuse of mine null and void.
"Well, its uh-, yeah I got nothing." I conceded fairly quickly. I was not someone who did things from the shadows, that was something that Annabeth and the goddess specialised in. I was much more of a fan of getting up in someone's face and then usually breaking it.
"Well, if I can suck it up and deal with that ridiculous tail, then surely you can at least learn to pick your feet up while you walk." Harmony admonished playfully as I felt my face redden in embarrassment.
"I think the tail makes you look cute." I retorted causing the goddess to roll her mismatched eyes.
"What doesn't make me look cute to you?" She asked with amusement.
"That's hardly fair! I mean have you looked in a mirror recently? The only time you don't look cute is when you just look downright sexy." I complained weakly as the goddess puffed up her chest.
"Keep talking like that and I might develop an ego." She whispered sultrily into my ear.
"If you keep talking like that, I might end up giving our stalker a view of more than they were expecting." I responded back causing the goddess to smile.
'You just need to say the word and I will freeze this whole damned island, or do you perhaps want them to see?' She teased her face unmoving as I suddenly found myself like a deer in the headlights.
"I don't think this is the time or the place. Let's just continue having a look around first" I said at last killing the mood as the goddess let out a huff of exasperation.
Leading Harmony by the hand, we resumed our meandering journey through the forest.
Eventually though the trees began to spread out allowing more light to reach the forest floor. As a result, our pursuer was forced to distance themselves from us, now that they were no longer able to move through the tree canopy as easily. However, even now I could sense that they were still there right on the periphery of what I could detect.
Up ahead of us the sound of the raging sea could once again be heard signalling that we were close to the cliffs again. Though on the opposite side of the island this time.
Unexpectedly Harmony came to halt causing her hand to slip out of mine as I took several more steps.
"Harmony?" I asked turning back towards her, her face frowning as she pondered something.
"I am missing something here..." She fretted in annoyance raising her hand to her chin, her left foot tapping on the ground.
"Well, we could always try asking our illusive friend?" I suggested with a shrug.
"Why would a monster be willing to answer questions, besides what could they possibly know about a missing Hunter from thousands of years ago?" She argued pessimistically.
"With respect Harmony aren't monsters basically immortal? Some of them are thousands of years old after all. So, who is to say they don't know anything, besides what are we losing by asking? We are on a hidden island in the middle of a storm cell. They must know something even if it doesn't involve Delia." I told her watching as she slowly pondered my words waiting for a response.
Instead, I simply watched as she disappeared into light.
Suddenly two hundred yards away, a flock of birds were scattered from their perches as a scuffle broke out amongst them. A giant silver winged being tackling and restraining another large figure.
"You know we could have probably just asked them nicely." I said sighing before striding forward and spreading my wings and taking flight towards where my Fiancée had just kidnapped a new 'friend'.
"Unhand me, interloper." Harmony's hostage shouted in what I guessed was ancient Greek judging by the fact it seemed to auto translate in my mind. Now I didn't want to point out that I called it that they could be very old but that was a bloody good hint that I right.
Of course, as right as I totally was, I had no point to gloat in the matter as I instead focused on the strange figure pinned down by and partially coiled around the Super powerful goddess.
Now I had never met or fought a Lamia before, but I knew what they were from playing video games. But even then, I was surprised to see the twenty-foot-long tan-scaled snake girl in front of me. Luckily for me I had gotten somewhat used to sight of naked goddesses, so the topless monster girl in front of me was not even registering on my radar.
"How about you answer a few questions for me?" Harmony responded as the two finally seemed to reach a stalemate in their struggle. With some of her length dedicated to being wrapped around the tree the pair were currently on, she simply had not enough tail to properly subdue the goddess above the waist. As a result, a now wingless Harmony had one hand around the right wrist of her victim pinning it and a rudimentary knife to the side and the other just below her neck. I suspected that was likely due to the rather dangerous looking pair of fangs the girl had likely being venomous.
Rather than respond the Lamia simply seemed to hiss angrily to her demand.
"Harmony, this is her island. So, can we at least try to be civil?" I asked sitting on the next branch across from them. Without meaning to I swiftly realised that I too had spoken in Ancient Greek as a result of listening to those two.
For an uncomfortable twenty seconds the pair were both unmoving and silent before both of their heads turned towards me. Before suddenly I was the one being hissed at by the monster.
"Woah there, wait a second I am trying to help you." I said holding my hands up apprehensively.
"Ignore him, now listen to me. I am going to release you, if you try and fight us... you die. If you try and 'run' away... you die. If you answer my questions, you can slither back to whatever hole you call home, and I won't paint this island with a nice coating of golden dust. Now if you would kindly unwrap yourself from my legs... before I do it for you." Harmony threatened eyes seemingly glowing even as she sat back and released her hands from the Lamia's wrist and throat.
Looking nervously between me and the goddess the monster's coils seemed to slowly relax. For the next minute I watched in silent amazement as the snake girl unwound herself from around my fiancée and the tree, realising just how long her scaly body actually was. Whilst above the waist she was normal sized for a girl, the scaly appendage below that was easily longer than twenty feet. Now I had experience with a tail albeit whilst underwater only, but that only added a few inches to my overall height. I couldn't even imagine having one that was seven times longer than the rest of my body.
Still, that was beside the point as I watched Harmony finally extract herself from the glaring monster who eventually towered over the pair of us at around nine feet. In her hand she still clutched her knife but despite Harmony being within easy distance and facing away. She wisely decided to not do anything.
"What do you want from me, trespassers?" She demanded looking at Harmony who simply stretched her arms out before sitting down with her legs over the tree branch before slowly turning towards her at last.
"What is this place?" Harmony asked, all the while a silver knife appeared in her right hand, and she began to clean under her nails without even looking. Now I had gotten long used to this action by Artemis in particular so it didn't faze me. But our new friend eyed the silvered bronze knife nervously.
"This place? The island is my home." She said simply after some initial confusion with what Harmony was asking due to the informal way she asked. Of course, the simple answer merely obtained an eyeroll from the goddess.
"What she meant is, do you know why this island is hidden by magic and the storm raging around it?" I asked and once again finding myself being glared at by the Lamia whose yellow slitted eyes appeared to narrow from the sides unsettlingly.
It was strange to think but she appeared to show more open hostility to me whilst trying to help her, than to the goddess who had attacked and threatened her.
"Hidden? I do not understand? The storm has always been there." She said eventually once Harmony nodded her head as if telling her to answer the question.
'What gives, I didn't do anything to upset her unlike you.' I asked Harmony in exasperation.
'Lamia are an all-female species; they see men as nothing but tools for procreation... and meals.' Harmony replied and suddenly I remembered why they were called monsters by mortals in the first place. By now I was used to being seen as the monster BY them due to my penchant for collecting trophies from them.
"So, you are not aware that this island is hidden from all viewing unless you are basically on it." Harmony clarified.
"I have only left the island a few times in my life. I navigated by the stars to the edge of the storm and then under the waves where possible. It is not a journey I am fond of making." She explained with a shudder.
"So then why did you do it?" Harmony inquired thankfully so that I didn't have to.
"To feed."
"Do you mean on mortals?" I asked curiously only for her lip to curl presenting me with a view of two extremely long poisonous fangs.
"Percy shut up and leave this to me. Ignore him please." Harmony said sweetly after shooting me a look.
"The island provides a lot for me, but some years are leaner than others. Forest fires can occur and destroy food supplies and kill animals. It can take a few years for them to go back to normal. If I eat the survivors, then no more will be born. As a result, I must leave and seek food elsewhere or else starve myself."
'Huh a sensible monster, who knew?' I mentally muttered.
"So, you are alone on the island? Apart from the animals and plants I mean." Harmony asked and for a second the Lamia's eyes opened wider than usual and the muscles in her knife wielding arm seemed to clench visibly.
"Until today when the pair of you interlopers fell from the sky." She said after an all too long pause
'Good answer, but I smell bullshit. She is hiding something.' I told Harmony who using the hand away from the Lamia's sight signalled for me to hold my tongue.
"Even so there must have been some that washed up on the shores, I find it hard to believe that this island alone would not have had its fair share of shipwrecks over the years."
"None living since at least I hatched many winters ago. The sea is cruel and merciless. As I said navigating the storm is not pleasant." The Lamia explained.
"But then why do you risk the journey and keep coming back? You have already admitted that you are quite capable of surviving on other islands when the need arises. Now I understand the fact that you must think of this place as your birthplace and compared to my own... It is a lot nicer. But there has to be something else that brings you back here." Harmony questioned eyes narrowing on the snake-girl.
"This is... It is my home." She nervously snapped back after a moment pondering.
"You said you hatched here, so where is your mother?" Harmony said smiling knowingly. I guess it was a fairly stupid question to ask about her father, considering her species.
"...She is dead." Came the inevitable reply.
"How? She should be immortal just as you clearly are." Harmony pointed out tightening the net the poor girl was now ensnared in.
"..."
"The funny thing is that despite the talk about Lamia's eating their mate afterwards. They are actually not able to reproduce as a species with the exception of their progenitor, that obviously being your mother. Likewise, it is interesting to note, I have personally overseen her slaying at least twice occasions over the last two thousand years. Now taking into account your size, you are clearly a lot older than your half-sisters I met on those occasions. So let me ask you again. How did your mother die?" The goddess asked giving off a chilling aura to even me. Now I wasn't sure, considering she was half-reptile if she was cold-blooded or not, but the Lamia paled noticeably.
I mean it was certainly one way of telling someone that they stood no chance. By the way I killed your more powerful mother multiple times, you think you stand a chance?
"Please! I know not the details. I had yet to hatch at that time she was slain." The now clearly terrified Lamia exclaimed attempting to back away from the goddess, but her body remained frozen in place as Harmony's eye glowed golden.
"See now we are getting there. Last question then what became of whomever killed Lamia? To know that she was slain rather than simply being absent implies knowledge of what happened after." Harmony said smugly rising to her feet and looking up at the frozen monster.
"They were wounded in the fight and eventually died from their injuries."
"Describe them."
"This was thousands of winters ago; I was newly born at the time, and they were heavily injured. I do not remember." The monster explained calmly and rationally before being released at last as Harmony sighed.
"Come on then we are leaving." She said turning towards me.
"You don't think it could have been D-." I asked before being cut off by a glare.
"Thank you for your time, sorry for the inconvenience we have caused you. We will be leaving now," She added turning back towards the stunned Lamia girl.
"..."
'Let's get down from here and walk towards the cliffs. I want to check something.' Harmony told me before jumping down the fifty feet to the forest floor below. Likewise extending my wings, I glided down beside her without another word to the Lamia.
(Harmony)
"You think it was Delia who killed Lamia?" Percy whispered to me as we slowly walked away.
"Yes. The timing matches up pretty well with after Lamia was driven out of Nubia. There were then reports of men going missing across the Aegean for a few months. During this point is when Delia went missing. A short while later the disappearances stopped, and Lamia was not seen for another six hundred years near to Constantinople. That girl is not Lamia's first child as Hera destroyed them all in her rage, but I would guess she is one if not the oldest of her kind."
"So, you think she died here then after as she said?"
"No, I think that was a lie. On top of the evidence at Delos that suggests she still lives. Someone taught that girl to track that well." I told him conscious even now of the Lamia still 'tailing' us, likely to make sure we did leave.
"So why didn't you make her swear on the Styx?" Percy suggested.
"Because that is the easy route, besides if she lied and died as a result, I would not actually get any answers. No, I want her to provide the proof herself.
'Artemis, Great Lady of the Forest, Beautiful Wild Protector of Virgins and Women. Guide my shot to rid this place of tresp-' A voice said in my head in prayer.
"Called it." I said smugly before turning around and looking directly towards the admittedly well concealed Lamia just as she released an arrow directly at me. Tipping my head to the left, the shaft flew passed my face even as I drew my own bow and released it towards the tree she had been occupying. My arrow shattering the trunk and causing what was left of it to hurtle towards the ground.
Slinging the bow back over my shoulder, with a sighing Percy in tow I walked towards what remained of the trees canopy now lying on the ground. A dazed but seemingly unhurt Lamia still ensnared amongst it all.
Finding the human end of the monster at the second attempt I found myself looking down at the bewildered face of the girl as she lay somewhat pinned down.
"As flattering as it is, it is never a good idea to seek the blessing of the person you are attempting to murder." I told her squatting down in front of her.
"Lady Artemis?" The dazed monster deduced after a few seconds.
"Amongst other names, yes. So now you know who I am, why don't you start being honest with me. Very few monsters would choose to invoke my name at any time except during their death throes. You are probably the first to actually invoke it seeking a blessing. But that raises a question that conflicts with your earlier statement. Who could possibly have taught you such a thing in the first place?"
"But you are with a man-oww." The confused girl queried before being bonked on the head by my knuckle.
"Less worrying about what is going on with me and more answering my questions. Where is Delia?" I asked bluntly this time.
"I do not-."
"Let me make this clear to you. I am the goddess of the Hunt, with or without your help I will find the truth. The only reason I never found her was because I was unaware of this island's existence. If need be, I will rip this island apart to the sea floor until I find what I am looking for. For far too long I have not known the truth of what happened to my... friend." I threatened emotionally.
'Harmony, you need to calm down.' Percy suggested and quickly looking at my own hand I realised that I was glowing fiercely silver. Only a hairline away from assuming my divine form and vaporising the poor terrified girl regardless of what she said in response.
"Listen I know you don't like me, a lot of people don't. But you need to understand we don't want to hurt you; Lady Artemis just wants to learn the truth of what happened here. The Fates must have deemed it for us to discover this place at long last. Once we are done here, we promise we will leave you alone and never return if that is what it takes for you to trust us." Percy said stepping beside me and putting his hand on my shoulder.
For the next few seconds, the scene was silent as the Lamia silently digested his words all the while her slitted eyes were seemingly focusing on his hand resting on my shoulder.
"You will not take mother from me?" She said at last slowly and sadly.
"Your mother is dea." I began to say only to get tapped on own head by the Titan Lord.
'I think she is saying that Delia is her mother figure, not her actual mother.' Percy suggested.
'That's insane-oh.' I said at last looking between the two of them repeatedly as pieces clicked into place. I hated it when he understood things faster than I did, he was meant to be the idiot hero after all. He was meant to be the brawn to my beauty and brains... wait I am more powerful now... fuck.
Cursing my own seaweed brain. Suddenly things made sense about the skills she had exhibited, the fact she had made a prayer to me directly. Even the likely reason she always returned to this island. Just as Delia and her sisters had played a small part in raising me in my infanthood, could she perhaps have done the same to the girl in front of me?
"I swear on the Styx that I will render no further harm onto you or any other occupant of this island is you would please lead me to her." I told her even as thunder boomed in the sky. Not that I was particularly bothered about what that silly river goddess could do to me in retaliation.
"Fine I will take you there but first... I need a little help." The girl added seemingly embarrassed by her predicament of being pinned partially under the tree.
"With what?" I asked with a smile as from her perspective after suddenly being frozen in time the truncated tree was suddenly restored to its prior condition. Thankfully trees were made out of sterner things than mortals which meant they could survive having the top blown off them most of the time without too many problems. Not that it was good to let a dryad see you doing such things.
"Are you sure you are Artemis? I did not know you could do strange things like this. Also you have wings, this was never told to me." The Lamia said straightening up freed from her imprisonment, easily towering over the pair of us divines by at least a foot and a half.
"They are all recent things I have gained, you would not have learned of them."
"I see... this one is he your servant? A slave would not dare to touch you so casually." She asked looking down on Percy ironically considering he was normally used to looking down on girls. Though to be fair he was doing an admirable job not looking at her breasts considering they were practically level with his face.
"He is Percy Jackson, Titan Lord of Time, Tides, Constellations, Light and the Hunt." I explained as she wrinkled her nose at him.
"Never heard of him." She said dismissively probably the first time someone had ever done that after hearing that resume.
"...He is also my consort and husband-to-be." I added causing her to recoil in shock as she looked from him to me and back.
"Hi." He commented back nervously as the poor girl looked like her brain had just been fried by the previous revelation. I think I would hold back on the pregnancy revelation for a while.
"Come now girl, we will discuss the rest when you take us to our destination." I told her after waiting a minute or so for eyes to finally focus on the pair of us.
"Mother must hear of thisssss." She agreed still clearly surprised enough that she ended up subconsciously slurring her S at the end of the sentence. Though she still had enough sense to turn about and begin to lead the way.
Giving the uncoiling mass of the Lamia time to unravel we began to walk after her as she led us back into the island's interior. Watching her move on the forest floor it was easy to see that she was not deft at moving down here as she was in the trees. Though she was largely silent her overall bulk meant she could not help leaving a trail through the brush. That or she was just not even attempting to, perhaps a bit of both.
"Didn't think I would ever see you wrestle a monster." Percy joked as we walked.
"Why? I cant let you have all the fun everytime. Besides it is not exactly the first time I have straddled a monster snake today, is it?" I remarked back turning towards him whilst grinning as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I walked into that one." He said at last with a chuckle.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, sometimes you even walk into something completely impossible and hidden. After all isn't that why we are here? Now come on then let's end this mystery. I have waited far too long for answers.
(Perseus)
With nowhere else needing me pressingly or well that I was aware of. I had elected to stay on the island with Thalia and the others for the evening. Afterall, someone had to do my erstwhile counterpart's actual 'job' once in a while. Besides with the three elder hunters off on their own search, it left Thalia to hold the fort.
"Hey, where's Harmony?" The obnoxious daughter of Ares shouted across the campfire at me causing me to look up from the concealed box cutter knife I was fiddling with.
"How exactly am I supposed to know anything about what that crazy goddess does?" I responded even as I couldn't help but subconsciously raise an eye towards the moon in the clear sky above. Call me paranoid but it was a legit fear of what she could do to me, especially now.
With Artemis I was worried about getting my balls bashed with bricks, but I at least could fight back. Harmony I suspected could do so much worse and it was abundantly clear there would be no chance of resisting.
"Aren't you supposed to be Titan of the Hunt as well?" She mocked annoyingly, even if she had a point to be fair.
"And shouldn't you be able to win a fight once in a while as the daughter of the god of War! Against anyone who is not a literal child?" I countered causing the girl to start to hiss like a kettle.
"Look I don't know a lot about what is happening with Art-Harmony or whatever she wants to call herself currently. She turned up in front of me and knocked me out for two weeks and then I woke up at last it was on this crappy island. I know as much as you do about this search for Delia or whatever the hell is going on currently. Besides she is flying around with the literal personification of dumb luck, he will probably stumble onto the truth by accident, I'm sure." I explained stretching my arms out above my head.
"Pretty sure Tyche would take offence to that!" Erika shouted out playfully.
"I am pretty sure she knows this idiot is blessed with good fortune." Thalia said laughing whilst leaning back in just such a way that the others couldn't see her holding Reyna's hand.
It was almost impossible to miss the younger daughter of Zeus now. Even now that she was back in her full hunter regalia compared to the bikini from earlier, there was no way of hiding the physical changes she had undergone. Yet despite everything that had happened earlier I could not say anything about her in anything but friendly and polite terms.
I mean I knew she was absolutely stunning compared to the vast majority of women. Yet I held no form of lust for the girl. Whether this was that goddess's fault of being in another league herself, my own still slightly fractured nature, respect towards her relationship with Reyna or perhaps just because I saw her as an annoying sister, I wasn't sure.
"I have had my own fair share of bad luck as well Pinecone Face." I said bitterly even as I felt something arrive that sent a shiver down my back.
"That's because you are an idiot, no matter what." A voice said from behind me that I really didn't want to hear, even as they wrapped their arms around my neck.
"Oh, great you're back." I said bitterly even as I tried to slip free of the nuisance's grasp.
"Says the one who slept the last few weeks whilst I was busy getting kidnapped, tortured and forced to crawl out of the underworld on my hands and knees." Lust complained soppily even whilst nuzzling her face against mine.
"Get off me before I take you back down there and cut off your limbs above the elbows and knees. So you cannot crawl your way out." I threatened ineffectively even as I watched the group in front of us watching the situation with amusement. Thankfully one being had moved in an effort to help me disappearing into the shadows.
"Why are you always so mean to meeee-?" Lust complained only to be silenced as Nemea's mouth suddenly enclosed around her entire head.
To give the lioness credit she managed to subdue the other aspect without injuring 'her' despite how easy it would have likely been to just bite through her. Still whilst Lust was busy trying to and eventually did extract herself from Nemea's jaw, I took the opportunity to stand up and face the newcomer. Despite not seeing the other fragmented aspect in a couple weeks it was still surprising to see exactly how much she resembled Artemis's normal form.
Not the unnaturally beautiful form that Harmony possessed. The blackened version of the Hunter's apparel albeit with a number of tears through her tights revealing pale smooth skin matched well with her black hair.
"I would ask to what we owe the pleasure, but there is nothing pleas-. You know what I am not giving you the chance to make that comeback. What do you want?" I said bluntly, the sad thing was as we came from the same origin if I knew where that was going to go, she sure as hell did as well.
"Am I not allowed to come and visit?" She asked with a playful tone and a sultry smile, not seemingly bothered by the traces of lioness saliva currently lingering in her hair.
"No!" I said quickly and bluntly. Rapidly realising something terrible.
Unlike with Thalia or even Harmony, I was able to look at the attractive figure of the person in front of me and have lewd thoughts flash through my mind. I mean apart from her hair and eye colour she was a dead ringer for the Greek goddess after all... Yeah that had to be the reason nothing incestual...or was it self-cestual?
Attempting to scrub that thought from my mind I decided to mostly focus on the lioness behind her. Who unfortunately seemed to realise that she was not needed any longer in dealing with Lust and shadow travelled back amongst her doting group of admiring hunters.
"Just shut up and follow me." I said bitterly walking away from the group. It was not difficult to hear the snickering of the girls there. Thalia at least didn't seem to be laughing as I walked past, perhaps as some form of camaraderie after the 'incident' from earlier.
Making my way out of the camp area and heading west towards the nearest bit of coastline. My other senses meant at least I didn't have to look towards Lust to know that she was following me.
"You know you didn't need to take me to a romantic spot." She called out causing me to stop, sigh and turn around and face her.
"Why do you act like that? I know it is an act as much as anyone else. If you were really so interested on doing freaky shit, you have had every opportunity." I asked wearily.
"Because it amuses me, why else are you an arrogant, headstrong idiot who wants to cause fights?" She countered putting her hands on her hip even as I bit my tongue unable to find an argument against her.
"Exactly. However, there is one difference between the pair of us that should affect the way we act with others. Do you know what it is?" She questioned seriously this time.
"What. You trying to tell me you actually care about how people see you. They all see you as a freak who wants to weird shit with me."
"Wow, projecting much?" She said sarcastically causing me to look up from her chest I had subconsciously ended up focusing on.
"The difference is I know I am living on borrowed time. Everything about me is fake or belongs to someone else. My body, my memories, my powers even my name and soul belonged to others. Whether that is Percy, Artemis, you or a whore who died more than two millennia ago, nothing about me is real. Yet despite all of this I have ideas, wishes and desires that I know I will realistically never get to experience..." She explained seemingly sincerely.
"Your point." I interrupted bluntly causing the young women to sigh.
"My point you insufferable moron! Is that you have everything I could ever want laid out in front of you. A future, the possibility of respect from others, a chance at a family, the opportunity to fuck that goddess until she screams... Yet. You. Do. Nothing! You sulk around as much as possible trying to avoid doing anything to attract attention. You are a damned sheep that just follows instructions whilst thinking that the idea was yours in the first place. The only thing that changes is who is leading you. Percy, the goddesses, Chrysaor, you desperately seek meaning from anyone you can." She lectured not giving me a chance to respond before continuing.
"You see me as nothing but a sex-starved deviant who you consider freakish and repulsive. Yet even now you can't help but look at me because I am the same as your ideal of beauty in almost every way. Much as you would never admit to me or the goddess. The truth is though I am not the embodiment of Lust any more than you were ever really prideful. You knew from the start that you were always going to be playing second fiddle to him, we all knew it from the very beginning. However perhaps the truth is rather than Lust I am really an aspect of desire. I seek to gain things no matter how fleeting I may hold what I obtain... That is what you are missing now from making you complete again, not just a pair of damned wings." She said tearfully as a single pair of wings sprouted behind her, subconsciously I summoned my own and sure enough I still possessed one set fewer than my counterpart.
For perhaps the first time that did not involve a naked Harmony I was actually speechless as I stared at my remaining fragment having a breakdown. The thing was, I suspected she was right all along. I took everything for granted from the very beginning. Once I realised after what happened with Wrath that I was dominant fragment, I stopped caring about the others almost immediately as anything but a problem to be dealt with.
For the most part the others were all so pathetic in what they would do that it was easy enough to believe. But in reality they were all not so different from me at all. They lived according to their base instincts and flaws with one single exception. From the very beginning Lust was seemingly one step ahead of me when it came to proceeding with resolving the situation we had found ourselves in. She had probably found the only way to peaceably deal with Wrath without him trying to kill Artemis or getting himself and us killed in the effort.
Sure she had given off the illusion that she was a hedonistic pervert who wanted to sleep with all of us. But I think now that was actually a survival instinct, she wanted to push the rest of us or rather me away. Just now she had mentioned that her soul was not even her own. Sure all of us had been a result of the eidolon attack on Percy and by extension us/me at the time. But before they were angry spirits they too had once been people with homes and dreams albeit not what anyone would have called member of a model society before Artemis chose to wipe them all out.
Perhaps some significant portion of that wandering soul had latched onto me and was using this opportunity to live its best life, no matter how brief it might be. Yet from the beginning I had not cared and simply seeked to snuff them out as quickly as possible in an effort to be complete again. Yet until just now I had never even realised what I was really missing until she outright spelled it out to me.
I had no sense of desire. All I did was follow others orders or suggestions because I had the power to do so, or otherwise hid away from trouble if I did not. The closest I actually for desiring something naturally was actually looking at her and that was what I was lambasting her for when she was merely acting out the part. She looked like the women of my dreams. She was the key to my own fractured nature and the only one who knew the truth from the beginning about my insecurities.
Yet if she wanted to live... why tell me any of this? It seemed counterproductive to explain my own shortcomings and faults.
"What do you get out this, Lus-."
"My name is Lilith." The teary figure said cutting me off mid-word.
"Even so Lilith, what exactly does this accomplish for you? I thought you said you had personal desires and things you want to do?" I questioned sincerely using her chosen name this time. It meant nothing to me but if that was what she wanted then so be it. The closest I came to know anything of it was some VHS anime I had got from Blockbusters years ago. The one with giant robots fighting monsters and some kid jerking off to a coma patient. The humans had another one of their own monsters locked in the basement that was called Lilith or something like that.
"Because as much as I want to be my own person, I am still you. To see myself looking so downright pathetic hurts way more than any injury that I might obtain. You have accepted the fact that you will always be inferior to Percy and in all likelihood you are probably correct, you burned a lot of bridges really damned quickly with how you acted. He gets results because people underestimate him, you turn up acting like Billy Big Bollocks and sure you get everyones attention but they are thinking what an asshole." She explained with a sigh shaking her head.
"Think about it the only reason we are out of Chrono's fun cage is because of the bonds he built up with others. People wanted to rescue him, you or rather we were just collateral. Do you really think the other Titan's or even the gods would have made an effort to rescue you with the way you act?"
"I defeated Chronos."
"Technically yes you did. Skipping over a few bits though aren't you. The fact he was so focused on Athena and Percy, Artemis repeatedly doing her hole 'rods from god' thing bringing his casino down on his head. The hunters, even Wrath chipped in. You got the win because Chronos was insane and in pain as he was didn't even think you were important enough to deal with, which is a trait you inherited from Percy." She countered as I clenched my teeth hard as she demolished the only real feat I had considered 'mine'.
"Anything else you want to criticise?" I shot back bitterly. Annoyingly I had nothing to come back at her with, everything I knew about her was part of an act that she had played up from the very beginning. I knew absolutely nothing about what she had done over the last few weeks, whilst I had been unconscious and treated like living luggage.
"Yeah, you need to get laid." She said simply whilst looking at her slender fingers and nails causing me to blink repeatedly with my mouth open.
"You what?" I said at last.
"You heard me, stop acting like the damned third wheel in this relationship and trying to fuck it up. News flash you are the fourth member in this teen romance as much as everyone seems to argue over it. You need to balance it out for poor Percy. As much as you try and fight those feelings, you will never win. You lost the moment I resolved the issue with Wrath. Percy's inherited love for them will always overcome whatever lingering resentment you have against Artemis. Having been painfully mauled and even disembowelled by her as a damned big cat just to test the point I can confirm it is a pointless exercise."
"You just told me that I had already burnt those bridges!" I complained.
"Yeah and I also know that Harmony is probably going to be needing a surrogate dick once she finally breaks Percy's, the poor bastard. Honestly the shit I have seen over the last few weeks, she doesn't even try to hide it. Hades the first time I saw her she was literally standing in the middle of a Baghdad market wearing her birthday suit just to spite me. So shut up, man up and try and fuck the goddess. You never know it might get some of that pent up anger out of your system... or she will humiliate you so badly that you will regret it. After all, you are still technically a virgin, right?" She teased as I turned red. The statement instantly distracting me from wondering what the hell she was doing in Baghdad in the first place.
"Shut up! Besides look who is talking." I shouted back whining.
"Well technically I am an exact copy of Artemis after the whole conception thing took place so not really. You are welcome to check if you want." Lilith teased briefly returning to her past self even as the temptation ran strong in me.
"...I'll pass. You know you never answered the question. About what you are getting out of this?" I said changing the subject quickly.
"Who knows. I only came here on a whim in the first place and yet ended up spilling the beans. Perhaps the Fates are trying to correct a mistake in the system if that is what I am. A loose thread in a ball of yarn so to speak." She said with half-hearted smile as she shrugged, her wings finally folding away as she did so.
"Well not today their not." I said firmly.
"Huh?"
"You said I need to sort my shit out and change. Stop thinking about only myself. So I am, I am thinking about the myself that is you... Baby steps." I said proudly placing my hands on my hips as Lilith slowly face-palmed before the sound of quiet laughter could be heard.
"You're an idiot."
"No. We are an idiot. You want food? I am starving." I asked smiling.
"I'm a lady you knew we have delicate... Fuck this charade I am starving, why what you got?" She demanded cutting all pretenses as her stomach groaned mid-sentence.
"Come on let's go back to camp. You can tell me for what in Hades reason you were in Baghdad of all places for." I said walking over and wrapping an arm around her neck and shoulder.
"Have you ever seen a kidnapper get kidnapped?" She said though it was more a statement than a question. She had my memories, she knew I didn't after all.
"I can already see where this is going. Let me guess Harmony." I said rolling my eyes.
"She blew a hole into the Underworld whilst drunk as a skunk, it was wild..." Lilith teased as we began to walk.
Perhaps... perhaps things didn't need to be exactly as either of us expected things having to turn out. Sure I was a flawed individual currently, but then again wasn't I always? The person known as Perseus Jackson had always had a strong minded girl at his side, ready to kick his ass and tell him what to do. Whether that was Annabeth or the goddess the time spent with them was always a lot more productive than the time without. 'My' time on Orthrys after the first's death was massively unproductive compared to what I had accomplished since joining the Hunt. With the single exception of my gamerscore climbing rapidly.
After my earlier actions and words, it would likely be some time before I could convince the goddess to trust me either way. If what Lilith had said was true as her being my missing sense of desire was true, then perhaps all I had to do was keep her close. After all does it count as being told what to do if it is still your own idea. Just from the slightly more functional brain in a different body?
(Thalia)
Now if any of us Hunters had the pair of them returning almost amicably to the campfire, they would have gained a substantial amount of time with no chores over the next few weeks.
However, sure enough the pair of them arrived actually smiling and sitting down next to each other amongst us all.
"Ok what gives, why are you both smiling its creepy?" I asked only to get eyed up by the female one who raised an eyebrow.
"What size bra you wearing now?" She asked curiously and just like that demolishing any further questioning I might have. Instead I blushed crimson instantly and pulled my knees up to my chest.
Right, I had forgotten she had no inhibitions towards anything sexual.
"Really?" Perseus asked his counterpart.
"What? They're huge. You saying that none of you are curious?" She asked looking around the assembled hunters who thankfully didn't say anything.
"No one asked you..." Tania began to say only to be focused on by the goddesses's doppelganger who smiled sinisterly at her.
"Oh no." Perseus muttered as what may have been the most brutal verbal beatdown I had and would ever see ensued over the next hour and half. Which considering Tania attempted to leave after five and instead found herself frozen in place and forced to listen as every flaw she had ever exhibited was nitpicked by the Titan fragment with pinpoint precision. After ten minutes it was clear that she was clearly using Percy's memories from months ago that suggested he had been holding his tongue for a very long time in an effort to be nice. Then again he was also secretly having a relationship with the goddess at the time so he was deliberately not trying to be antagonistic then.
"... So going back to my original point. No one cares what size underwear you have Tania because barrels don't wear bras they have little metal bands that go round them and try to hold them in their ideal shape. Something it is clearly failing at. I think I realised why you left Camp-Half Blood, no one wanted to hang out with Clarisse and her half-sister Cask." She said at last leaving a lot of wide-eyed spectators and one absolutely horrified hunter who could move at last as the fragments eyes lost their golden colour.
"You...You..." A tearful Tania stuttered out.
"I suggest you go to bed, because unlike that waistband I can go on further." Lust said smiling serenely. A feat that was easy to do considering she was identical to Artemis. Sure enough the daughter of Ares sprinted away wordlessly towards her tent as every eye shifted back to the other figure who had suddenly obtained a cheeseburger from a discarded plate on the floor.
In fairness I had seen Artemis eat when she wasn't bothered with formality. What we watched was not any different to that as she basically inhaled the damned burger in less than a minute.
"Don't you think that was a little harsh?" Reyna suggested almost meekly as two pairs of golden eyes shifted towards the pair of us.
"Why? Not like she can run away, we are on a damned island with no cover, no animals and no humans. In fairness it would have been quite the feat if she ran away and found anything." She said shrugging even as another burger appeared on the plate only to be snatched away by Perseus himself who stuffed it in his own mouth as his counterpart glared at him.
"Do you seriously think that being in your mouth would stop me?" She challenged as he took a bite out of it before swallowing it almost unchewed and going for another.
Now the logical amonst us would have said forget it and just summon another one like a normal person. However this was someone who had aspects of both Percy Jackson and Artemis, a mix that could best be described as 'chaotic'.
So as I watched her tear half the burger out away from his mouth and instigating a complete food fight amongst the rest of us. Of which the real winner was inevitably going to be Nemea by the following morning. Thinking of that mix of traits, I couldn't help but think back to that dream I had a few nights ago.
Mostly the young girl who I now suspected to be called Arianna. I had realised I had no idea what to expect from a naturally born (goddess?). Sure I had met people who had become immortals whether that be Percy or even my little brother Jason. But the last true biological divine was born centuries ago. If anything it was strange considering how many demigods were born each year there was not also several dozen new gods every few years as well.
Back to the point though. Despite whatever was happening in that situation with the gods, the Titans even the condition of the goddess herself. The feeling I got from that little girl saying three sentences was far more impactful on me. Myths were full of infant gods doing crazy things, Hermes stealing Apollo's cows, Artemis helping Leto give birth to Apollo despite them being literal twins. What on earth would a child of those two be capable of? Let alone two of them?
Dodging a chicken nugget that was about to collide with my face. I pushed those thoughts aside as I instead was forced to play the grown up and get this back under control. The last thing I wanted was to explain this to Harmony.
"Right that's enough. Everyone bed!" I shouted rising to my feet only to get hit with another nugget straight on the forehead causing me to turn towards the perpetrators.
"Seriously Seaweed Brains." I said causing Perseus to stuff the one he was preparing to throw in his mouth instead.
"Come on. Last one in their tent gets an extra lap in the morn-" I threatened only to be interupted as another piece of processed poultry bounced of my neck and fell down inside my collar and between my breasts.
Taking a deep breath I watched as Perseus high-fived his counterpart on her precision.
"Congratulations you are more accurate with a chicken nugget than a bow." I commented even as I shuddered at the sensation of the food being where it shouldn't be.
"Well yeah obviously, one is a weapon of war and the other is a stupid stick with some string tied to both ends." Perseus said proudly.
'Besides I am sure you can have Reyna get it out for you... using only her teeth.' He added mentally as I bit my tongue.
'Son-of-a-bitch... Sorry Sally.' I cursed mentally before apologising to the poor woman.
"Bed now!" I said turning towards the others and for the first time I was grateful that Phoebe and Atlanta were not here. Those two would not have let me live this down for a long time.
"Goodnight." The two Titan fragments said in synchrony as I walked away and left them to whatever they were going to do and Nemea hoovering up her unexpected meal.
"So do you need a hand getting that out?" I heard whispered into my ear playfully just as I lifted the fabric door to our tent open.
"Hmm- seems like it could be a two person job, it is quite far in there." I whispered back even as I grabbed Reyna's collar and dragged her inside.
(Percy)
After what seemed like we had traversed back across the entire length of the island following the snake-girl we finally arrived at what seemed to be an ancient sinkhole. Were it not for the smooth worn stone that led downwards into the islands interior I would have suspected this was possibly a trap. Instead though it seemed that the wear on the rocks was as a result of our guide hauling herself across them time and time again. The absence of moss reinforcing the point that she must come here often for it not to build up in this moist environment.
See, I do know and can do hunter stuff.
Well that and I was pretty sure she knew that if she tried anything peculiar, Harmony would turn her into a literal handbag. Sure she had sworn an oath not to hurt her if she led us to destination. But oaths only have consequences if the person punishing has the balls to actually try and enforce a punishment. Even the River of Hate was not that stupid and blind to see how foolish that would be.
Yet even as we approached the slope downwards watching the serpentine girl move downwards with familiarity, I watched as Harmony's paces became shorter before ultimately pausing at the top.
"You okay?" I asked stopping and turning towards her.
"Not really. How am I supposed to deal with someone I abandonned to their fate so long ago?" She asked with uncharacteristic hesitation in her voice.
"Same way I do. Don't think just react with whatever feels natural given the circumstances." I proposed taking her closest hand.
"Remember you are not alone." I said reassuringly before taking a step and leading her downwards towards the end of this longest hunt.
(Harmony)
The sinkhole was not particularly deep about forty feet or so but it broke through into a limestone cavern that existed below the forest above. Despite our guide seemingly knowing where she was going in the darkness, Percy chose to summon his wings as a source of light.
I could have done the same but considering I already glowed in the dark anyway and I was standing next to him it was pointless. Besides it may create questions from our target if she saw me with them, there was already any number of differences in my appearance between the little girl Delia knew and the woman I was now. Hades when she went missing I was not even goddess of the Moon!
Still there was one thing I realised as we spelunked through the caves. I knew why I had never found her and it was not just the island entirely. Eventually I could have found this island and her by simply criss–crossing the Aegean and island hopping, eventually I would have worked out that there was something hidden. However her being underground like this hid her from me to a much greater extent. I was a goddess of nature not a divine mole.
But surely Delia knew that, so why remain down here where I would never find her?
Still I didn't get long to ponder that point and it was not due to the particularly large drop of water that fell on my head from a stalagtite above. Thankfully it just ran off me due to the water domain but it was still enough of a distraction.
Up ahead of us I detected another lifeform.
One which belonged to someone I had longed to find for oh so long, yet now that I was here, I wasn't so sure I wanted to contact her.
Was it better to remember someone beloved that you had lost as they were?
Or to learn what they become in the time you were separated?
Didn't that also go both ways? what would the nymph who had known me since my very first days think of the woman I had become?
'Relax and take one thing at a time. Do you want me to come with you or do you want to do this on your own?' Percy asked me.
Nodding to him silently I took the lead and walked towards the newcomers presence.
Our guide meanwhile herself had stopped perhaps unsure of what to do herself at this point.
Walking beside the Lamia I placed a hand against her scaly side, the touch a simple suggestion for her to leave this to me.
Finally after more than two and a half thousand years of searching all that separated us was twenty feet and a rock wall.
With one final deep breath to calm my nerves I stepped forward around the corner and looked towards the pale figure that lay on a pile of pelts collected over many decades if not hundreds of years.
"I knew you would find me eventually, Milady." A raspy voice called out weakly as I smiled faintly at her words.
"You didn't make it easy for me. My faithful Lieutenant." I said trying not to sound sombre as I regarded the disfigured girl in front of me.
AN. Early Christmas update for you, this time from the ever-wonderful Japan (Now that they finally let me back in the country, YAAAAY, took two fucking years thanks to Covid) I was going to wait until Christmas Day but that meant carrying a laptop whilst travelling the country over the next week.
So at last, the hide and seek champion has been found. Obviously, the last sentence gives a hint as to why she never made herself known, she may have survived the crap that Hera threw her way, but the Fates still found another shit stick to beat her poor ass with. Now despite everything Harmony may want, Delia will not be re-joining the Hunt. She knows that the world that she remembers is long gone and she has no place in it, she would make Titan's Curse Zoe look modern and with the times. Now that is not to say our new Lamia friend would be any better, but she has no intentions of trying to blend in with Humanity as much as a twenty-five-foot snake girl can possibly blend in with anything. However, that is a matter for the next chapter.
'Perseus' and Lilith are co-operating for the time being as he tries to actually think of others and not just himself. Even if they are the same person technically. One day they will need to resolve the status quo but he needs to grow up a bit first. If he is lucky a nice goddess might come knocking and help him out with that problem he has got still.
Now as you have worked out, I deliberately avoided asking the Lamia's name because I haven't decided on it to be honest. So, any final recommendations that I get over the next week before I get back to Tokyo will be happily accepted.
Once again after nine years of this story I once again want to thank each and every one of you who have stuck this story out over the last almost decade and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.