Chapter 8

The Olympian never saw anything like it. Artemis, the perpetually maiden goddess of the hunt and the moon, was hopelessly in love. And not just with anyone, but with Percy Jackson, the demigod who had turned the divine world upside down more times than Zeus had been unfaithful this week (and that was saying a lot).

Artemis found herself in her lunar palace, surrounded by a thousand photographs of Percy. The walls, once adorned with hunting trophies, now resembled a shrine dedicated to the hero with green eyes. The goddess sighed, caressing a particularly adorable picture of Percy sleeping with a strand of drool at the corner of his lips.

"Oh, Percy," she murmured, "how have you managed to capture the heart of the huntress?"

A noise startled her. It was Thalia, her lieutenant, looking at her with a mix of amusement and concern.

"My lady," Thalia said, trying not to laugh, "don't you think this is a bit... excessive?"

Artemis straightened up, trying to appear dignified despite hugging a pillow with Percy's face on it.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Thalia," she replied with all the seriousness she could muster. "This is... a strategic study of our most valuable ally."

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "And the Percy-shaped pillow you cuddle with at night, is that 'strategic' too?"

Artemis blushed furiously. "It's... for practicing combat immobilization techniques."

"Sure," Thalia said, rolling her eyes. "And I suppose the sighs and 'Oh, Percy' we hear every night are part of some protection spell, right?"

The goddess opened her mouth to retort, but at that moment, her magical ring (a gift from Artemis to communicate with Percy) began to glow. Artemis practically leaped towards it, pushing Thalia in the process.

"Percy!" she exclaimed in a voice so high-pitched it would have made Aphrodite proud.

Percy's voice sounded worried on the other end. "Artemis, I need to see you. Something terrible has happened."

The goddess's heart froze. Had some brazen nymph tried to seduce HER Percy? Or worse, had he accepted another suicide mission?

"I'm on my way," she said, and with a snap of her fingers, she disappeared in a silver flash.

She appeared at Camp Half-Blood, where she found Percy pale and trembling. Before she could ask what was wrong, he hugged her tightly.

"Artemis," he said with a broken voice, "the hunters... Orion..."

He didn't need to say more. Artemis felt like the world was crumbling around her. Her hunters, her family...

The next moments were a blur of pain and tears. Percy held her as she cried, murmuring words of comfort. And it was in that moment, amidst tragedy, that Artemis realized something: she couldn't lose Percy. Not like she had lost her hunters.

"Percy," she said between sobs, "I need you to promise me something."

"Anything, Artemis," he replied, using the affectionate nickname she had given him.

"Promise me you'll never leave me. That you'll be with me always."

Percy looked into her eyes, understanding the weight of her words. "Artemis, I..."

"Promise!" she insisted, with an intensity bordering on madness. "Accept immortality. Stay with me forever."

Percy took her face in his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "I already have," he said softly. "The ceremony will be soon. I'll be with you always, my lunar goddess."

Artemis kissed him then, with a passion that would have made even Aphrodite blush. When they parted, a mischievous smile played on Percy's lips.

"You know," he said, "being immortal, I'll have plenty of time to practice those 'combat immobilization techniques' you love so much."

Artemis blushed furiously, remembering Thalia's comment. "How...?"

Percy laughed. "Thalia told me. She says your obsession with me is 'adorably disturbing.'"

The goddess growled, mentally vowing to turn her lieutenant into a jackalope the next time she saw her. But for now, she settled for embracing Percy, knowing they had eternity ahead of them.

And so, in a twist of fate that even the Fates couldn't have predicted, the hunter became the hunted, forever ensnared in the webs of love. But Artemis couldn't have been happier with her capture.

Percy's ascension ceremony to divinity was a spectacle the Olympian would remember for millennia. The throne room was packed with gods, demigods, and mythical creatures, all eager to witness the birth of a new god. Artemis, seated on her silver throne, couldn't take her eyes off Percy. He wore a sea-green tunic that accentuated his eyes, and the goddess had to restrain herself from jumping him right then and there.

"PERSEUS JACKSON!" Zeus's voice boomed, silencing the crowd. "You have proven your worth time and time again. Today, you will ascend beyond mere immortality. You will become one of us."

Percy stepped forward, looking a mix of nervous and determined that Artemis found absolutely adorable. For a moment, their eyes met, and she gave him an encouraging smile that clearly said, "If you mess this up, I'll turn you into a deer."

Zeus began the ritual, and a blinding light enveloped Percy. Artemis held her breath, her knuckles white from gripping the arms of her throne. When the light dissipated, Percy was on his knees, panting. But something had changed. An aura of power emanated from him, and when he looked up, his eyes shone with a new intensity.

The Fates appeared then, their ancient voices echoing in the hall:

"Hail, Percy Jackson, God of Loyalty, Courage, Heroes, Fencing, and Tides. Bearer of the minor domains of Time, Earth, and Hunt. The fifteenth Olympian."

A stunned silence followed the proclamation, broken only by Artemis's excited squeal, which she immediately covered her mouth, embarrassed. Aphrodite winked at her, clearly amused.

Percy stood up, slightly staggering. A new throne appeared in the hall, a deep ocean green adorned with waves and crossed swords. Right next to Artemis's, the goddess noted with satisfaction.

"Well," Percy said, breaking the silence, "this is... cool. Does anyone have an instruction manual for being a god? No? Okay, I'll improvise."

Nervous laughter filled the room. Zeus looked like he was about to strike someone with lightning, probably Percy, for his irreverence. But before he could do so, Poseidon intervened.

"My son, do you have something to announce?"

Percy nodded, taking a deep breath. He looked at Artemis, who suddenly seemed like she wanted to meld with her throne.

"Yes," Percy said. "I've been dating Artemis, goddess of the moon."

Chaos ensued. Aphrodite squealed with excitement, Ares spit out his drink, Athena seemed to be calculating the odds of this being an elaborate joke, and Apollo... well, Apollo seemed to be composing a haiku on the subject.

Artemis, red as a supernova, stood up and walked over to Percy. She took his hand, intertwining their fingers.

"It's true," she confirmed, her voice barely a whisper. Then, gaining confidence, she added, "And if anyone has a problem with that, they can come discuss it with my arrows."

Percy looked at her with adoration. "My fierce lunar goddess," he murmured.

Zeus looked like he was about to have an aneurysm, but a long time ago he had accepted the relationship between those two, but because of his pride he had to continue being dramatic. His eyes shone like lightning and he exclaimed out loud. "But... but... the oath! To reject male company!"

Artemis sighed inwardly and could only face her father. The only thing she could do was shrug and respond, "I changed my mind. It turns out eternity is a long time to be alone."

Hera wasn't surprised after Artemis had threatened her some time ago; it was no secret that Artemis was tangled with Poseidon's son. She was the first to recover from the shock. With a smile that didn't bode well, she said, "Well, I suppose this deserves a celebration. How about an engagement party?"

Artemis and Percy looked at each other, not ready yet. Well, Percy wasn't ready; he was only 19. Artemis, on the other hand, for the first time thought Hera wasn't so bad. She felt like shouting at the top of her lungs, "I ACCEPT TO MARRY YOU, PERCY JACKSON." "Um... we...", Percy began.

But it was too late. Dionysus, excited about the prospect of a party, snapped his fingers. In an instant, the solemn throne room transformed into the most extravagant disco the Olympus had ever seen.

"LET'S CELEBRATE!" Apollo shouted, jumping from his throne. "My little sister finally found love! This calls for a party!"

As Apollo began reciting what promised to be the most embarrassing poem in history, Percy pulled Artemis onto the dance floor.

"Do you know how to dance?" Artemis asked nervously.

Percy smiled. "I have no idea. But hey, we have eternity to learn, right?"

And so, while the gods celebrated around them, Artemis and Percy swayed awkwardly on the dance floor, lost in each other's eyes. The huntress had been caught, yes, but she had never felt so free.

"By the way," Percy whispered in her ear, "can I keep the pillow with my face on it? I think I look pretty good on it."

Artemis playfully punched him, but couldn't help but smile. Eternity with this adorable idiot promised to be an interesting adventure.

Author's note...

I want to make it clear that this fanfic is a remake of a one-shot originally written by "serendipitous". I'm not claiming the idea as my own; I just found it interesting and decided to rewrite it for fun. I am not receiving any type of financial benefit. In my version, I went deeper into the plot and tried to cover the gaps in the original as best as possible, as well as making Artemis more obsessive.