Currently, Artemis was pretending to asleep. The situation that was unfolding was something that she didn't anticipate at all. After all, who would expect Ares to come out of nowhere and challenge Perseus to a fight.
Maybe thinking that he wouldn't show up was wishful thinking on her part.
With the amount of injuries he sustained and his "pride", it was almost inevitable for Ares to show up eventually, once he found out who it was.
And knowing his temperament, it would be a little unreasonable to ask Ares, not to show up for revenge.
It was more strange for Ares to show up now of all times.
It happened so long ago that she even forgot about the time where Perseus slammed him unconscious after he threw a javelin at her face.
She probably would've gotten a severe injury if not for Perseus.
That moment was where it all started.
That was when she probably fell in love.
Wait. No.
Love?
Love is a bit of an overstatement.
There's no way she could've possibly fell in love with that small interaction...
And there's definitely no way she was remembering what had happened with rose-tinted glasses at that very moment.
Of course not.
Artemis was a very rational person.
That time.. It was gratitude.
Yeah...
She only felt gratitude towards him for saving her, then.
Certainly. It was only gratitude.
Artemis wasn't the type of person to fall in love with someone after being saved.
If that was the case then she would've already fallen in love with someone already, which of course hadn't happened before him.
Although, being saved by him was both correct and incorrect at the same time.
Yes, he did stop the spear from impaling her, but Perseus was actually the one who dodged the attack, which was intended to hit him in the first place.
Which, if put in a different perspective, she could've interpret the whole thing being Perseus's fault because he dodged the spear, which put her directly into danger.
If he didn't dodge it and blocked it, which he could've done, then Artemis would've never been in danger in the first place.
If she looked at it like that, Artemis could blame everything on Perseus, and not Ares who threw the thing in the first place.
However, since he dodged, Perseus probably would've been doing that the entire fight, recalling the path of destruction. Ares, as repulsive as he was, had unmatched raw strength with the only two people that surpassed him being: Zeus and Hercules.
All brawn. No brains.
That "father " of hers had too many children.
With Ares's superhuman strength, it was a no-brainer to avoid it rather than unnecessarily take it head on. The only way Perseus would've been able to defeat Ares in hand-to-hand combat was with that extraordinary display of strength he used to knock him out. However, that seemed to be an emotional spur of the moment type of strength, and not something he could do on command.
And as much as she hated men back then, Artemis couldn't logically pin the blame on Perseus, without any retrospect, because it wasn't entirely his fault.
Perseus couldn't have known that she followed their tracks, and was right behind him when that happened.
Unless he knew the exact time that she would get back, and the fact that he knew that she would show up at that exact moment, it would've been completely impossible for him to know that.
If she looked at the entire set of events, one by one, the best explanation she could come up with was that it was a series of unfortunate coincidences.
The outcome of which, well, Artemis didn't particularly hate because it brought them together.
Her thoughts trailed to Perseus's bodily scent because she was still being held by him in a not-so-romanic carry. However, it felt like she was being pampered, which she wasn't exactly opposed to.
It had a different feel to her daily routine, not that having a man in her life was routine per say, but a slight change of pace from the new life that she was adapting to.
He made her feel as though she was a princess, and his top priority, which was distinctly different from the feeling that she got from her father.
Her father felt too overprotective. Too overbearing. Like she was a precious commodity to be store away for an indefinite amount of time.
Every time Zeus tried to do something, it reminded her of the feeling of being trapped in a cage like a domesticated bird. And she loathed that feeling.
Perseus made her feel free. He was like a blank sheet of paper. She could express anything in front of him, and she wasn't expected to act a certain way.
Artemis didn't have to be the role model in front of her hunters.
She didn't have to be that aloof and cold character that she was known for in the Greek world.
She wasn't the immature daughter that needed to be protected by her father.
In his eyes, she was just, Artemis.
T-T
Percy recognized the man in front of him.
His rugged appearance, dotted by scars along his entire body, was reminiscent of a lion that had one-to-many experiences with fighting to the death with his black hair wildly flapping in the wind, proudly displaying its mane-like majesty.
It was the same person that had almost- almost killed Artemis.
He unconsciously held her tighter to keep her close, knowing that she'd be safe right next to him. Her soft mounds pressed against his chest, but Percy was in no mood to pay any heed to it.
But, why did he show up in front of him?
What was his objective?
It had been so long that Percy couldn't find any motivation for the man to show up now of all times.
Was he here for Artemis, now that she was "vulnerable"?
Percy didn't know what to say to the familiar yet unfamiliar man, so all he could say was, "Hello."
Obviously, the man was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting a greeting, but he quickly recovered from his stupor, staring directly into Percy's eyes as if sizing him up.
The air quickly began to thicken with heavy tension as the blood red-eyed man silently looked at him with a slightly arrogant expression.
If Percy remembered correctly, last time, the man attacked him the moment he saw him with a crazed look in his eyes like a wild dog.
This time, however, he didn't instantly leap into combat, but was analyzing him.
The man glanced at his waist, where his sword rested in its scabbard, and made a grabbing motion with his hand, summoning a beam of light between his hand.
It morphed and dimmed to reveal a basic sword. Just a ordinary longsword that could be found anywhere.
Despite that, Percy didn't underestimate his opponent's chosen weapon. There must've been a reason for him to choose that particular weapon when he used a spear previously.
"You. And I, are going to fight," he said slowly while pointing his weapon at Percy.
It pointed at Artemis then at the ground, as if to tell him to put her down, confirming that he was there for Percy and not Artemis, giving Percy some level of relief.
Percy gave the man a nod, indicating that he understood his intentions.
He went to set Artemis down on a tree, a fair distance away, but her arms were clasped around his neck, not wanting to let go.
"Artemis... I'll be right back," he whispered to the "sleeping" Artemis.
She didn't seem to be inclined to let go, seemingly unconvinced.
She resolved to stay asleep, which he didn't particularly want to point out and cause unnecessary friction between them. Anyways, Artemis was bad at pretending to be sleeping, which he found rather endearing, seeing that she was worried for him. So, he let her be, even though he knew that she was only pretending.
But, how could he make her let go?
Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind.
"Artemis," he coaxed, "I promise, I'll be back soon."
He gave her a light tap on the lips as if sealing his words in stone. And after a moment of internal debate, only then, did she let go, allowing her body to lean back on a tree.
A light smile decorated his face, slightly amused, before his visage turned serious as he faced his new foe.
Placing his hand on the handle of his sword, the blade raked against its sheathe, creating a metallic sliding sound as the black blade of his sword revealed itself.
The man looked lax with a stance that seemed full of openings, however, Percy knew that he made the first move that he would be playing into the enemy's hand. It was only a rouse to get him to attack first. They had fought before, and Percy knew that the man in front if him was anything but defenseless.
"Are you scared?" the man taunted.
Percy, who had already experienced a plethora of verbal harassment, knew how to counter mental tactics such as these. If you already know how to counter them, it might even backfire on the person who said it, causing them to get annoyed from a lack of reaction.
As if proving him right, the man clicked his tongue and began walking in a circular motion as if they were on the perimeter of a circle to which Percy mirrored, keeping an equal distance between them.
The man launched himself like an arrow at Percy with his sword trailing behind him.
Percy stood his ground awaiting for the moment to strike.
It might've seemed foolish to take the hit head-on since Percy was already aware of his strength beforehand, however, a sword fight implied the fact that they swords must clash at least once.
And, it had to be said that the first exchange was the most important.
This was especially the case for master-level swordsmen.
The first exchange or exchanges, lower level swordsmen usually require more than one strike to gauge their opponent, was known as the probing stage.
Because, one exchange could give so much information.
And the more exchanges you have, the more you could understand the enemy and their tendencies so that you could make adaptations to your own swordplay because not every swordsman is the same, therefore every fight could not be approached the same way.
The exception to that "rule" was if you were overwhelmingly stronger than your opponent. In that case, it didn't matter how you took the fight.
Of course, it was not good to underestimate your enemy, but it was exceedingly difficult to fight someone several times stronger than you.
The man slammed his foot into the ground, winding up his strike.
Clang!
Their swords met with heavy animosity. Even though Percy was prepared for it, he was still forced backwards two steps.
As expected, he was indeed powerful.
From the last time they fought, it didn't look like his strength hadn't diminished at all, although Percy also noticed that it didn't seem to improve either, which was a good sign for Percy.
Since then, Percy had continuously trained, increasing his strength precisely for a fight like this.
A smirk appeared on his face, ignoring the numbing sensation in his hand from the initial clash.
Glaring at him through their locked swords, the man's eyes wanted nothing more than to tear through him, emitting a low growl like a feral animal, while Percy gave the man a big smile as he met the man's gaze, waiting for his next move.
"We don't have to fight-"
"What kind of bullshit is that?"
Clang, Clang! Clang!
After that first strike, the man launched a torrent of strikes at his vitals, each of them one being lethal if they were to ever land, however, Percy solidly defended them, matching the man's rhythm.
"Your sword craves blood, I can feel it!" The man laughed, swinging his sword with increasing intensity.
Although Percy had been building his strength, it wasn't enough to completely block the man's strike, making him inch backwards with every strike. He was simply too powerful.
In terms of strength, Percy was at a disadvantage. If the battle continued like this, it would only be a matter of time before he lost.
It was impossible to be on the defensive forever.
"Blood might be a bit too gruesome. Don't you think?"
Percy launched an offensive of his own, successfully weaving in a feint, allowing him to land a solid punch on the man's side.
"Good one," he said, spitting at him.
"But, you'll have to do better than that."
He pounced aggressively, stabbing at Percy's throat.
The tip of his sword was about to reach Percy's neck, however, a strong kick interrupted him, forcing Ares back an inch away.
"Very cocky," a nasty grin grew on his face as he added, "For a brat."
"Let's see how you handle this!"
The man thrusted his sword again, which Percy found strange because at this distance it couldn't possibly reach him no matter which way he looked at it.
But, there was no way he just did that for fun. There must've been a reason why he did that, so he made a move to deflect the attack.
His premonition was soon proven correct as his sword quickly morphed into a spear, which was aimed directly at his head.
Percy, who was expecting something, narrowly dodged it as his sword swatted the spear away.
Now, it was difficult for Percy to approach him since his weapon had a significantly shorter range than spear, forcing him at a distance.
No matter how many times he tried to get close, the man skillfully halted his advance, yet simultaneously keeping him in striking range of his spear.
Yes, it was frustrating, but what could he realistically do?
Grabbing his spear was foolish, the man was much stronger than him. The man would simply yank Percy towards him, and make him lose balance. Percy needed to find a way to gap close to prevent him from out-ranging, AND find a way to out duel him when he switches back to his sword.
It was very difficult, since there was already a small number of opportunities to take advantage of.
And even if he did manage to land a blow, it did not do as much damage as he would've hoped.
Percy would have to take a risk.
He didn't know if it would work, however, he had to try nonetheless.
Throughout the entire fight, Percy didn't use his powers the entire time, hoping to find an opportune time to make a powerful blow.
Although he got a few hits in, there wasn't a time, where it felt like the right time use his final move.
And now, he had to forcibly make such a opportunity happen now, because he was running out of stamina.
Percy had been conserving energy the whole time, but this guy was a real monster.
His stamina seemed endless, compared to his.
So, Percy had to finish this fight quick because the more time it took the more disadvantageous it would be for him.
Alright.
Let's do this.
This time, he was going to feint the feint, pretend that he was going for the same move, which will get predicted, after which he will be forced to retreat. Then, lure him into a mud puddle that he prepared beforehand, allowing him to deal a good blow.
Percy initiated with one of the same movements from before. The one where he successfully pulled off a feint.
As expected, his feint did not acquire the same results as last time, and the man countered by bashing the rear end of his spear against his shoulder, knocking him to the ground.
His plan did not go exactly as planned, and the retaliation was harsher than he imagined. But, Percy figured that he could still make it work somehow.
He would have to make the mud pool under him like quicksand and get his lower half stuck.
Why did Percy choose now of all times and not earlier?
Well, the man would be more on guard against a person at full strength rather than one that was weak and vulnerable like he was now.
Percy was banking on the fact that he would underestimate his opponent now that he had "no" strength to fight back.
Percy staggered to his feet with the taste of iron in his mouth. The man slowly walking towards him, taking his sweet time.
His strength was quickly draining by the second.
He couldn't do it yet.
The man had to be right in front of him.
Closer.
Closer.
Now!
"What the-"
With the last once of strength in his body, Percy quickly added water to the ground to make mud, then he used that same water in the ground to drag him in.
Then the next step was to remove all the water, so that it solidified around him, which was much harder that he expected because he had to do all of this in the span of two seconds.
And thankfully, two seconds was all he needed to pull it off.
"You bastard. Let me out right now!"
"You f#*&!"
"I'm going to *#%-"
The man hurled obscenities at him when he found out that he couldn't get out no matter how much he tried.
As entertaining as it was to watch him struggle, Percy was completely exhausted, mentally and physically.
Reminded by something, his hand reached into his pocket, and he took somehing out.
A vial of moonwater.
During the fight, he didn't have enough time to drink some, but now he had plenty of time.
Percy also just forgot about it, but that was besides the point.
Popping open the cap, he put a single drop on his tongue, replenishing his energy.
"Hoo... That was too close."
It was only then that he noticed the amount of sweat, sticking to his body. When he smelled the odor that came from his body, his nose crinkled in disgust.
Quickly cleaning himself, he felt as good as new.
Now, where was she?
Looking around for Artemis, he found her in the same exact position that he left her in.
"Thank goodness."
Looking up at the sky, Percy scooped her into his arms, and continued his journey back to camp.
'We should make it back before nightfall,' he thought to himself.
