I can't write short chapters anymore. Incredibly important chapter ahead btw. Onto reviews.
Death Fury: Thank you!
Gonzalj: I do think that's important. She is always described as very mature, but even in canon there are instances of her defying the council when they threatened to kill Thalia and Percy, so it has some basis.
OkBoomer147: It's fine, it wasn't too eventful, but I understand what you mean. At any rate thank you!
pontus first god of the sea: Thanks!
Going back and forth across the United States was not a short journey, but with Apollo's assistance, it had worked out just enough. Marilla, who had revealed to be a descendant of Argentinian immigrants, had been amazed when meeting the pegasi and even more shocked when the three equines all started circling her, almost venerating the poor girl who had stood with widened eyes at the sight of that, undoubtedly hearing them chant inside her head. Thankfully, Apollo appeared right after with his Chariot which soon took the form of a bus, which was enough to make Thalia's face go from a normal tone to a sick shade of green, but she had accepted going into it, despite the flashbacks. Blackjack, Porkpie, and Guido had stayed behind, despite their wishes to stay around Marilla. It was doubtful that they could keep up with the Sun Chariot and there were more chances of Zeus apologizing for his deeds than there was for Apollo to let the pegasi into the bus.
Kelli had decided not to go with the group, which didn't make Artemis sad in any way, shape, or form. That thing would be the death of Percy, who was, at least, sleeping peacefully at the back of the bus, with Reyna, Thalia, and Marilla all next to him, the former two watching over a gagged and tied up Alabaster, who was also still unconscious. That left Artemis alone with Apollo at the front, the latter focused on driving, or in this case, piloting the bus.
"Father wasn't happy with you." Her brother said after what felt like hours of silence.
"I wouldn't have expected him to be." Artemis answered with sarcasm.
"Artemis, this isn't right." Apollo said, looking straight at her while he piloted. "This could cause serious problems for you."
The goddess scoffed. "Since when you are the responsible one, Apollo?"
"Since you decided to become the rebel child." Her twin answered, turning to the window again. "I guess I now have a grasp of how it felt for you when I was being rebellious."
"Trust me, it doesn't even compare." Artemis answered playfully, to soften the mood.
Instead of smiling along, Apollo looked at her again with concern. "Storming out of council meetings won't do you any favors."
At that, her grin faded from her face, replaced with an ever-growing scowl. "So what? Will he turn me into a mortal?"
"Artemis..." Apollo started.
"Apollo, I don't want to hear it!" She whispered-shouted, trying not to draw attention from the girls. She sighed. "May I be honest with you?"
The god nodded. "What kind of brother would I be if you couldn't even count on me?"
"Thank the Fates for that." Artemis half-joked, again trying to cheer herself up, but to not much avail. "I... I don't even know where to start."
"The beginning is usually ideal." Apollo suggested.
"Well, it began when I was kidnapped." She remembered the painful days when she was forced to stay holding the sky on her shoulders, and before that to watch Annabeth Chase dropping to the ground, almost dead from exhaustion, while the General provoked her, knowing she was helpless in that situation.
Apollo had gone still at the mention of the incident with Atlas. She remembered how worried he had been, to the point of secretly helping the quest members. "Zoë?"
"Yes." Artemis confirmed. While Apollo and her lieutenant had spent millennia being not exactly friendly to one another – of course, much in thanks to her brother's shameless flirting, he had been there for her to cry, after the council meeting, after the party. "And less than two years later, many of my girls followed her to Underworld after Manhattan."
Apollo swallowed. "But that wasn't the tipping point, was it?"
Artemis laughed humorlessly. "No. You know what happened in Puerto Rico. How I had to sit idle in Delos while... he..." She still wasn't comfortable mentioning Orion out loud, not entirely. "Slaughtered most of the Hunt. It was..." She felt her eyes watering slightly, but not enough for her voice to shake. "Difficult."
The Sun god was once more facing the window, looking into the passing clouds, but he was nervously biting his lip, clenching the wheel tightly. "And yet, it wasn't over."
"No, it wasn't" She agreed. "What father did to you was unreasonable. The number of times you almost died..."
"That was my fault." Apollo said with a grimace. Not because his pride was damaged, that had happened a long time ago. Instead, it was undoubtedly the guilt. Honestly, having to deal with all these people that blamed themselves for everything was tough. But she could see the reason for it. Sometimes, it had been Apollo's fault. But it still didn't justify their father's actions. "If I hadn't made that stupid oath, maybe I wouldn't have come so close to death. By Ouranos, I almost fell into Chaos itself just so Styx could prove a point." He gave off a nervous laugh. "Just... I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"You already said that before. I don't want your apologies, Apollo, because you learning a lesson was enough. And you need to stop feeling guilty for everything."
"Glad to know I didn't spend six months of my life almost dying for nothing." Apollo joked, flashing out a stupid smile, reminiscent of his pre-Lester times. Artemis could only roll her eyes.
"Whatever." The good mood was immediately swept away from her. "The truth is, I feel like I'm going through... what do mortals call it again?"
"A mid-life crisis?" Her brother suggested.
"I suppose so, maybe four thousand years is the immortal equivalent to forty. How can you go back to how it was before everything?" She said with exasperation.
"You can't." Apollo stated. "You must evolve. Adapt. Become something better amid the turbulence. Either that, or ignore your problems, I suppose, if you don't believe gods can change. But Artemis, what are you trying to say here?"
That made her freeze. "Can't I just vent away my frustrations?"
"I didn't say that. But we are still twins, you know. I feel like you want to say something more."
"I know you are the god of oracles, but this seems farfetched." Artemis said, crossing her arms.
Now it was her brother who did an eye-roll. "It's just an intuition. If you don't want to say it, it's fine..."
"Alright, no need to use that argument." She interrupted, looking back at the group in the back of the bus. Thalia was now laying over her seat, while Reyna was speaking to Marilla, undoubtedly about something regarding the Roman camp. "I just don't know how to express myself in this regard."
Apollo turned to her with a skeptical look. "You can take your time. We're still hours away from California."
"I think something that has happened in the past is happening again." She stated bluntly, still very unsure of how to say it.
This had clearly taken Apollo off guard, who once more fixated his light blue eyes on her. "And what does that mean, exactly?"
Artemis took a deep breath, trying to find composure within herself. "Running away is not working. I think I have feelings for a person."
The goddess had begun to grimace before she even finish talking, expecting an explosive reaction from her brother. Instead, what followed was dead silence for what felt like ages.
"Is it Percy?" Apollo spoke in a whisper, once more holding on tightly to the wheel. His voice wasn't threatening, thankfully, instead, it was neutral.
"Yes." Artemis admitted, feeling her stomach turning on itself. Slowly, Apollo turned his head towards her.
"Tell me," He started. "Do you believe it could be something deeper? Not just a one-time thing?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out." Artemis said with another humorless chuckle. "But every day I feel just as I have been with Orion in the past, only that-"
"Percy isn't like Orion." Apollo finished her line of thought.
"Exactly. Even if he is violent at times."
Her brother took a moment before speaking again. "But what about him? "Are these feelings mutual?"
"I believe so." Artemis said. "I'm no Aphrodite, but I've seen the way he looks at me sometimes. And he said in a letter before he went on the quest to save his sister that he wanted to speak to me about something. What could it be if not for this topic?"
Apollo once more munched on his lower lip. "You do realize the real problem with all of this. Your oath."
"Of course." Like she could forget it. "That is what's holding me back. For the most part." Artemis cleared her throat. "He is different. I feel like I could gain a lot from it. And I need... change, just like you had."
"Artemis..." Apollo started.
"Please, brother. I know you understand it." She said, leaning forward in her seat. "You managed to find peace within yourself, even if amid so much pain. I too wish for that. Something to make me find purpose again."
"You don't know what Styx will come up with." He warned. Of course, Apollo would be very skeptical about the breaking of an oath after everything that has happened.
She took a deep breath. "What was the old punishment for us when an oath was broken?"
"Exile." Apollo answered in a heartbeat. "But that was when we were still in Greece. Now she seems just as much of a sadist as the Labyrinth itself."
"You know me enough to be more than aware I won't take any rash decisions." She tried to assure him. "If I can't take it anymore, I shall speak to her, perhaps even negotiate the terms."
In response, her brother simply sighed. "I do hope as much. I don't want you to also be on her bad side. Even if she can't punish you unless you accept it-"
"Others will face my punishment." The thought of Thalia immediately sprang up in her mind. "I won't let that happen. I won't run away from my deeds.
"I know, I couldn't do that either." Apollo turned to face the rearview of the bus. "I think he is awake.
Sure enough, when turning back on her seat, all the way to the end of the bus, a sleepy-looking Percy Jackson was talking to his sister, Reyna watching the interaction with a smirk.
"Go give him some attention." Apollo said. "It will be good for you to sort out your thoughts."
Artemis nodded. "Apollo, I..." She paused. "Thank you. For listening. I promise I won't give you too much of a migraine."
"You'd be just returning the favor." Her brother joked, once more grinning at her. With a final eye-roll, she walked away from the driver seat, striding towards the group at the back.
It had taken them a long time, but by sunset, they had arrived at the Wolf House, where Lupa herself had been waiting to greet them. Percy bowed in respect towards the wolf-goddess, who had trained him without his memories, despite knowing he was a Greek. She was one of the few deities that he recognized their authority and went along with it. Marilla had been pleased to meet Lupa, and immediately accepted training to get into Camp Jupiter, much to the Hunters' dismay, although Reyna seemed suspiciously fine with it. Apollo had volunteered to bring Alabaster to Olympus on their behalf, which Percy was more than thankful to.
Now, with the Sun God gone and Lupa on her way with Marilla, Reyna, Thalia, Artemis, and Percy were seated at the shore of a stream near Sonora, the two Hunters drinking different flavors of juice.
"I hate this so much." She said as she gulped down her lemonade.
"Why? It's better than that trash you drink often." Reyna commented with a smirk.
Thalia glared at her fellow Hunter. "Vodka helps my instincts. And I don't drink it often. Once a month at best."
"I wouldn't let her drink too much alcohol." Artemis explained to a puzzled Percy. "Not good in the long term, even with immortality."
"Could you imagine? Having such a baby face and being an alcoholic." He answered with a smirk towards Thalia, who in return redirected her glare.
"Says the guy that had a clean face until he was almost able to drink." His cousin answered with venom.
"Not anymore, though." Percy replied. Just recently, the first traces of a stubble started to appear around his mouth, and on his cheeks and neck. "If I'm basing myself off Poseidon, I think I will be fine on the beard department."
"Whatever, Kelp Head." Thalia tried to take another sip of the lemonade, grimacing as she drank it. "Where do you all want to go from here? Home?"
"That will take a long time with Percy here." Reyna pointed out. "We can go at faster than normal speeds, but he needs Blackjack to travel around."
Percy narrowed his eyes at the Roman. "Like you were any better before joining the Hunt. "
"You can't deny it." Reyna drank from her grape juice. "I was thinking we could go to Camp Jupiter. Since we are so close by."
"We could also wait for his ship to arrive to pick us up." Thalia suggested, nodding towards Percy.
"Uh, Thals..." The son of Poseidon scratched the back of his head. "I don't think the Romans will ever let another flying ship around New Rome again for at least a thousand years."
"Oh. Yeah, I forgot about that." The daughter of Zeus said.
"I surely haven't." Reyna stated. "And Percy is correct."
"So, may I show my suggestion?" He asked with a smile, getting up. With a nod from all three Hunters, he brought both of his hands to his mouth and gave off his best New York whistle. Not even ten seconds later, something large stepped out of the shadows, startling all the women.
"Gods, that thing is massive." Thalia stated as Percy was attacked with a flood of saliva by his hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary. Indeed, she was as large as ever.
"I know, girl, I know." Percy said to his oversized dog after she barked, almost as if she was protesting his absence.
"She does not sound pleased." Artemis commented with her arms folded.
Percy turned to the goddess. "Can you understand her?"
He received a nod in response. Mrs. O'Leary barked once more, an ear-piercing sound. "She said she likes the new look."
"At least someone appreciates it." Percy petted the giant mastiff on the head, receiving another lick in response.
"So, do we go to Camp Jupiter?" Thalia recalled Reyna's suggestion.
"While we would all like to visit Camp Jupiter, I'm afraid that won't be possible for me and him." Artemis said unexpectedly, causing all the demigods to become confused.
"Why's that, Milady?" Thalia inquired.
Artemis took a moment before answering. "I'm sorry, but I am not allowed to reveal the reason. The most I can let out is that I and Percy have been assigned with a small task on behalf of the Council."
"Can't we accompany you two?" Reyna asked.
Artemis shook her head. "No, even if I would prefer it. We should be going right now."
"And where are they going to?" Percy asked on behalf of Thalia and Reyna. Artemis gave him a weird look before turning to the Hunters.
"You are allowed to go to Camp Jupiter or to meet with the Hunt back in Long Island. After that, you may do whatever you wish until I return." Artemis said to the girls, who both nodded.
"Good luck with whatever it is." Reyna wished.
"Ditto."
"Don't you want a ride?" Percy pointed towards Mrs. O'Leary, who was now lying on the ground, observing them with her red orbs.
Reyna didn't seem to be all too comfortable with the idea.
"Are you really asking for us to shadow travel across the entire country?" The daughter of Bellona asked.
"Come on, it will be nice. More stable than with Nico."
Thalia looked at her fellow Hunter with a mischievous smirk. "Since I had to face flying, you need to face shadow travel. How is that not fair?"
In response, Reyna scoffed. "Unlike you, I don't have an undying fear of that, unlike you with heights.
In one swift move, the Roman got on top of the hellhound, soon followed by the daughter of Zeus.
"Much more comfortable than that boar, that's for sure," Thalia said to Percy.
"Always. See you two around." He gave a last wave before Mrs. O'Leary jumped into a shadow. Just after that, a realization came to his mind.
"Wait, how did she know where to go?" He asked in a slight panic to Artemis, who had a weird look on her face.
"I gave instructions to her telepathically." The goddess clarified.
Percy breathed in relief. "So, where do we go now?"
"Hold my hand." She replied, not answering his question. Percy refused to extend his arm.
"Just tell me what is going on." He once more pleaded, and Artemis seemed to untense, but her face still seemed uncomfortable, like she had a pebble on her shoe or something.
"We need to... talk." The emphasis on her voice wasn't lost on Percy's ears. Just now he remembered the letter.
"Oh." That was all he could muster.
"Yeah." Artemis said with a slight eye-roll. "Now, grab my hand?"
And grab her hand Percy did. The familiar blinding silver light pierced through his closed eyelids, and his surroundings became warm like fire, but as quickly as it started, it ended. Just as the demigod opened his eyes, his ears seemed to explode as the unmistakable sound of cars and people and the rest of the things present in a city all played at the same time, but he soon grew accustomed to it. They were now in an ugly alleyway, a much worse place compared to the beautiful woods of Sonora.
"Where are we?" Percy had been to a lot of big cities, but just his surroundings weren't enough to discern where they were. It didn't seem like Manhattan. It was too sunny, even if it was summer.
Artemis's face was considerably more relaxed, and she – just as graciously as ever – ran both hands through her face. "Los Angeles."
"Why did you seem weird back in Sonora?"
"It is difficult for me to maintain my Greek form while so close to a sacred Roman place." She explained. "And I don't wish for you to deal with Diana now. Although she does appreciate you, she is fonder of violence."
Percy felt a slight shiver as they walked out of the alley and into a crowded street. "I never understood how any of the godly personalities worked, honestly."
"Don't make me have a headache now, Percy." Artemis asked, as she looked around the street. "This way." She started walking forward and he followed her closely. Only a couple of minutes later, they stopped at a very nice house. Judging by where they were, it wouldn't surprise Percy if they could reach Santa Monica on foot.
"I didn't know you owned a place in LA." Percy noted as the goddess scrambled for some keys in her right pocket. "Is this the quest you talked about?"
"It's not mine. It's Apollo's." She said as the door was unlocked. "And I might have told them a lie." Artemis stepped inside, with Percy following her a second later, still a bit dumbstruck by her revelation. They were greeted by an airy living room, with two grey couches and a big flat-screen television.
"It doesn't seem like the type of place Apollo would own." Percy said as he threw himself into the couch.
"I know, but it fits." Artemis once more gave him a weird look. "When was the last time you showered?"
Percy frowned. "Like, an actual shower? I mostly used to bathe in like, lakes or something. I guess my last shower was almost two years ago when I stayed in a hotel after receiving a bounty from a guy for killing a Cyclops."
"Why don't you go take a shower while I prepare dinner for us?" Artemis suggested.
"You can cook?" Percy asked without much thought. "I mean, don't get me wrong, but you seem to live the wild lifestyle so much, you know. I wouldn't be surprised if you neglected these aspects of life."
Thankfully, Artemis was only amused, not offended. "Yes, Percy, I know how to use a stove. Now go, I think there are some fresh clothes in the bathroom if Apollo followed my instructions."
"Sure thing, milady." He answered with a smile, getting up from the couch.
In truth, Percy appreciated the hot water that fell on his body for more than half an hour. He had to admit, the luxuries of modern life were addicting, compared to bathing in lakes and rivers. He had been tempted to use the bathtub, but that was probably a bit too much. After dressing up with a white t-shirt and a comfortable pair of pants, he got out of the bathroom, wearing sandals that fitted him. The clothes felt nice since he had opted for the same outfit for at least eighteen months, washing it often, yes, but still. While Percy had wanted to shave his growing stubble that in his opinion didn't suit him too well, or at least not yet, he didn't find a razor to do it.
When he exited the bathroom, the smell of fried chicken immediately got to his nostrils, making him salivate at the thought of it. When he got into the kitchen, he found Artemis with her short hair now tied up, just as she dropped spaghetti into a metal colander.
"Doing great, huh?" He asked. When Artemis turned to face him, she stopped abruptly.
"Wow." She smiled casually. "How different can a person look after one hot shower."
Percy rolled his eyes. "Stop bragging." He approached the stove, noticing the tomato sauce bubbling up. "It smells so good."
"Thank you." Artemis walked to the other side of the kitchen, unplugging an air fryer just as it dinged. She pulled the compartment, revealing the already prepared chicken, which smelled just as nicely as the sauce, which the goddess soon after turned off, dropping the spaghetti into the pan and mixing it.
"You know, now that I think about it, couldn't you just have conjured the food?" Percy inquired, remembering when Hera had made sandwiches and lemonade magically appear inside the Labyrinth.
"Well, yes, but what's the fun in that?" Artemis responded. She proceeded to grab a fork from a drawer, and tasted the pasta. "Perfect."
"Can't wait to eat that myself." Percy said. "Where do you keep the plates?"
"There." Artemis pointed to the second drawer, the one just below the cutlery one. Percy grabbed two plates and of course a fork and knife from the first drawer. They both served themselves and walked to the small square-shaped table, sitting in opposite chairs, facing each other at the table.
As Percy brought the spaghetti to his mouth, he felt the explosion of flavors in his mouth as he ate. "By Poseidon." He said after he finished munching. "How does it taste like that?"
Artemis smiled warmly at him. "I might have put a slight amount of wine into it. It's usually better for meat, but it seems to work just well for pasta too."
"You're being awfully humble. This is perfection." They continued to eat in silence for a few minutes, the entire meal having a divine taste, the chicken also tasted perfectly. Do gods naturally have better cooking skills? At least a benefit to keep in mind if he got offered immortality once again.
Artemis finished her plate quite quickly, with Percy still halfway there. "Tell me, Percy, what did you want to talk about?"
Even with his mouth full and his mind distracted by the taste of the spaghetti, Percy's heart started beating faster. He swallowed. "Well, that was something I thought it should be sorted personally."
"And here we are, alone." Artemis said, pushing her plate away. Her voice and face were completely neutral, not revealing any emotions whatsoever.
"Yeah." Percy out of nowhere didn't feel like eating anymore but kept his spaghetti close by. "Fuck. I..." He paused, looking straight into the goddess's eyes, regretting ever writing those words on the napkin. "We've been hanging out for a while, right?"
"Yes, that is correct." Artemis responded, still not giving any hints of what she was potentially feeling.
"Well..." Another pause, as Percy nervously chuckled. "Look, I really don't want to ruin the friendship we've built. I don't want you to see me as a stinky male that wants to take advantage of you because we grew to become friends. But Artemis, I like you. I really like you. Everything about you. I don't know any other way to put this."
Now, Percy had thought of possible outcomes if he ever managed to get this far. Most of them involved her being incredibly offended and potentially murdering him on the spot in the most brutal ways ever imagined.
However, if possible, the silence that followed was even more agonizing than if he had his limbs torn apart from his body and his head decapitated with a hunting knife.
After what felt like hours, Artemis opened her mouth, only to close it right after. The goddess sighed, revealing how tired she seemed to be. Her features were dripping with exhaustion. After rubbing her face in a non-gracious way compared to before, she raised her head again, staring right into Percy's eyes.
"I feel the same."
Those four words were enough to make Percy's jaw drop to the ground, and for his mind to furiously find out if he had heard that correctly. This simply couldn't be true. Right?
"You... What?"
Artemis extended her arm on the table, squeezing Percy's hand. The contact felt like an electric shock, but he didn't react to it. At least not externally. "I feel the same. I have been running away from my feelings for a long time, thanks to who I am. To what I am. To what I chose myself to be. But I cannot lie to you, or myself, I do have feelings for you. You truly enchanted me with just who you are."
While Percy was in the clouds with what he was hearing, he calmed himself, trying to find how to form a cohesive sentence. He closed his mouth which was still agape. "You... Well, I know you are a goddess and all. Of course, you're going to be perfect in terms of appearance," He smiled as Artemis herself finally showed a sign of positive emotion, a small but noticeable smirk. "But you're are just... so down to Earth. You just seem to understand what I need, you truly helped heal wounds that were still open. These weeks with you were just incredible, I can't describe it in any way other than that. At the very least I have feeling other than that. At the very least I have feelings for you, but maybe... maybe there's even more to it." He purposefully chose to put it vaguely, carefully selecting what words should be used.
"I can say that you've done the same to me, in a way." She answered right away, her eyes acquiring a dreamy look to them.
"What do you mean?" Percy asked, feeling his heart clench in expectation.
"I've already told you about how I am familiar with guilt and grief from recent years," Artemis started. "But this has... destroyed any hope of continuing things as it was. I genuinely do not want to go back to it, because it can't ever be the same way again, after everything that has happened. These weeks have been a breath of fresh air, and I do not want them to end anytime soon."
Percy shifted in his seat. "But you have your oath. You need to sway off the company of men at all costs. How can that be bypassed?"
"It can't, not easily." She sighed. "Trust me, Percy, you have captivated me." She caressed the back of his hand lovingly, sending a shiver from his arm all to his spine. "I'm weighing all my options right now. I just do not know how to proceed. I am... afraid. There are things not even godhood can solve."
"I know." He answered, relishing in the small physical contact. "But are you sure these are actually... romantic feelings?" His ears heated up a bit as he spoke.
"I believe so, on my part." Artemis opened his hand and caressed his palm. "Is it that unbelievable, that someone could fall for you?"
"I'm not saying that. It's just... Unreal" Percy groaned. "Since we're at it, can I be honest?"
"You know I value truthfulness."
"Okay." Percy took a deep breath. "I really want to kiss you. I don't even know for how long, but I have." Now he felt his entire face heating up as blood concentrated in it.
He still prepared for the eventuality that she might get offended and lash out, but it never happened. Artemis herself seemed to have her cheeks tinted a faint tone of gold for a moment. "I... I think I want that as well."
"I mean, can you even kiss someone? Does that even count?" Percy asked with curiosity, but his thoughts were interrupted when she got up from her chair and walked around the table until reaching him. With her face so close, Percy felt breathless. Her skin was perfect, perfectly smooth with no imperfections. Her scent was addicting, smelling like nature itself. Her features were strong but attractive, although they had a hint of softness in them. But above all of that, he could live on those silver eyes that were staring at him with so much care, so much affection.
"Even if this doesn't work out if we are forced to stay away from each other..." Artemis said in a voice no louder than a whisper. "I at least want to know how it feels."
All that Percy managed to do was give her a small nod in agreement, and it was then and there that the world stopped for the two. Their lips connected in one move, who took the initiative, they may never know, but it was probably both. They held each other with passion, pulling the other closer, both with their eyelids closed, relishing in the deep trance they were now in. For Percy, this felt like heaven itself, his mind couldn't compare this to other kisses, because that wasn't important now, all it mattered was demigod and goddess, connected in an exchange of affection. At that moment, he wasn't Percy Jackson, he simply existed. It felt like pure magic.
It took them a significant while, but it was Percy who broke the kiss off, gasping for air that had become scarce after several minutes with their lips locked. Their faces were still so close, both leaning on the other's foreheads.
"I really don't know what to say. After good." Percy blurted out, still in a trance thanks to the goddess.
"The silence is enough for comfort." Artemis assured him, caressing his chin. After a while she adjusted her posture, still looking at him with affection, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"What now?" He asked as they held their hands together.
"I..." Artemis paused, clearly thinking. "I might just have an idea."
"I admire you for being able to come up with something. I feel like my brain has been turned into pudding."
The Goddess of the Moon smiled at him, and by the gods how much he was missing those lips of her. "Please, I wouldn't lose my composure because of a kiss." She said in a playful voice. "Now, there's a person that might give me some advice. I'm not on the best terms with her, but she might just hear me out."
Percy nodded, thinking he knew who this was. "Good luck. And whatever happens, I won't be angry at you or anything."
"I know, Percy." She leaned forward a planted a small peck on his cheek. "Don't burn down the house while I'm away."
"I will try not to." He said with a smile, with Artemis grinning herself in response. The Olympian started glowing, and Percy wisely closed his eyes. Moments after, he was left alone in the house.
Before him, his meal had already grown cold. But he felt hope. Maybe, just maybe, the Fates would be a little bit kinder to him.
Perhaps.
You're now very angry or giddy with delight, but I hope you understand how I handled Artemis's character, it has been generally building up to this. And now, despite what I did in the April Fools chapter, Percy will not die immediately because of a simple kiss. What happens after this is another story, but for that, you will have to wait another week or two. I apologize to the people who are following "Shadow Lady: Take Two" for the lack of updates, I've been too focused on this, but I can confirm to you all that we're reaching the end. Hope that you liked it, but if you didn't, please no doxxing or death threats. Have a good day!