Chapter 9

Twenty years. Two decades of divine love had passed in the blink of an eye for the immortals Percy and Artemis. The goddess of the hunt vividly remembered every moment, every glance, every kiss. Her obsession with Percy had not diminished one bit; if anything, it had grown over time.

On a private beach, bathed in the silver light of the full moon, the couple celebrated their twentieth anniversary. Artemis had insisted on decorating the place herself, resulting in an eclectic mix of romantic and... well, slightly disturbing. Flower garlands intertwined with silver arrows, and scented candles shared space with small statues of Percy in various heroic poses.

"Um, Artemis," Percy said, looking around with a mix of amusement and concern, "is that a life-sized replica of me made of seashells?"

Artemis blushed furiously. "It's... conceptual art," she murmured, making a mental note to ask Poseidon to sink the evidence deep into the ocean later.

They sat on the sand, the sound of waves like background music to their romantic evening. Artemis rested her head on Percy's shoulder, inhaling deeply his scent of sea breeze. Part of her still couldn't believe that this demigod-now-god was hers. Hers to love, hers to protect... hers to keep away from any nymph or goddess who dared to look at him twice.

At midnight, Percy gently got up, leading Artemis towards the shore. The goddess smiled to herself, recognizing the signs. Her Percy was adorably predictable at times. She decided to play along, pretending confusion as he knelt before her.

With a fluid motion, Percy manipulated the water to form a small velvet box in his palm. Inside was a platinum ring with a crescent moon encircling a sapphire sword.

"Artemis," Percy began with a nervous smile, "I still remember the day I met you on Olympus. I never imagined we would come to this, but I'm grateful that we have. It was you who pulled me out of the Styx, your smile that kept me going as I fought against Kronos. Tartarus seemed much more bearable because my mission was to return to you. You are the moon that lights up my..."

Artemis couldn't hold back any longer and burst into giggles. "Enough, silly! It's so cheesy it embarrasses me," she said amidst laughter, her silver eyes shining with joy. "You did realize, right? That I already knew."

Percy smiled, standing up. "You're so predictable, Artemis. I saw this coming from miles away."

"Me? Predictable?" Artemis exclaimed with mock indignation. "Who was the one who prepared this proposal straight out of a catalog of romantic clichés?"

"Hey, I put a lot of effort into it," Percy defended himself. "I even practiced with Blackjack. Although he suggested I propose to you with a carrot instead of a ring."

Artemis rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. "Well, Mr. God of Predictability, you still haven't made the official question."

Percy cleared his throat dramatically. "Artemis, goddess of the moon, the hunt, and making my heart race every time I see you, would you do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my wife?"

The goddess pretended to consider it for a moment, enjoying the look of anxiety on Percy's face. Finally, with a wave of her hand, she made another ring appear, similar to Percy's but with a trident crossed with an arrow.

"I suppose I could consider it," she said with a mischievous smile, "but with one condition."

"Anything," Percy replied without hesitation.

"I also want to propose to you," Artemis declared. "Why should only men propose marriage?"

Percy blinked in surprise but then smiled broadly. "Go ahead, my lunar goddess. Surprise me."

Artemis took a deep breath, suddenly nervous despite already knowing the answer. "Percy Jackson, former troublesome demigod and current even more troublesome god, light of my eternity and occasional headache, would you grant me the honor of becoming my husband?"

"Hmm, I don't know," Percy said, feigning doubt. "Does it come with benefits? Divine dental insurance? Paid vacations in Elysium?"

Artemis playfully punched his arm. "It comes with an eternity of my love, you fool."

"In that case," Percy replied, taking her in his arms, "I accept with all my heart."

They kissed under the moonlight, the waves gently breaking at their feet. When they parted, Artemis looked at Percy with an intensity that would have scared any other being, mortal or immortal.

"My own," she whispered, her eyes shining with a mix of love and possessiveness. "Forever."

Percy, already accustomed to his beloved's slightly possessive outbursts, simply smiled and kissed her again. "YOURS FOREVER," he confirmed. "Until the stars fade and beyond."

Months later, the wedding day arrived. The original Parthenon in Greece had been transformed into the most spectacular stage that the mortal or immortal world had ever seen. Mist concealed the event from mortal eyes, while gods and demigods from around the world gathered to witness the union of the century.

Artemis, dressed in an ethereal gown that seemed woven with moonlight, walked towards the altar. Her eyes were fixed on Percy, ignoring the looks of awe and admiration from the guests. In her mind, there were only her and her future husband.

Percy awaited her, radiant in his dark blue suit that matched the nighttime sea. By his side, Apollo, the best man, struggled to contain his tears (and failed miserably).

Hera, in her role as goddess of marriage, officiated the ceremony. "Percy Jackson, do you take Phoebe Artemis as your wife?"

"I do," Percy replied without hesitation, his green eyes shining with love.

"Phoebe Artemis, do you take Percy Jackson as your husband?"

Artemis smiled, a smile that was both sweet and slightly threatening. "I do. He is mine and no one else's."

There were some nervous giggles among the audience, but no one dared to comment. Everyone knew... how intense Artemis's love could be.

"By the power vested in me," Hera declared, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss."

Percy and Artemis melted into a passionate kiss, while cheers and applause erupted around them. Silver flower petals rained down on them, and in the sky, the constellations seemed to dance with joy.

When they finally parted, Artemis looked around with an expression of happiness mixed with a hint of madness. "If any nymph or goddess tries to approach my Percy," she murmured to herself, "they will know the true meaning of 'eternal hunt'."

Percy, hearing her, could only laugh and kiss her again. "I love you, my crazy and beautiful moon goddess," he whispered against her lips.

The wedding reception was a spectacle worthy of the gods. Olympus itself seemed to have descended to Earth for the occasion. Dionysus, excited to have an excuse for an epic party, had exceeded all expectations with a banquet that rivaled feasts of antiquity.

Artemis and Percy danced in the center of the floor, oblivious to everything around them. The goddess of the hunt had a look of absolute adoration in her eyes, mixed with a gleam of possessiveness that made nearby guests instinctively step back.

"You know," Percy murmured in his wife's ear, "I think I saw a nymph looking at me a moment ago."

Artemis's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Where?" she asked, her hand subtly sliding to where she would normally carry her bow.

Percy chuckled softly. "I was kidding, Artemis. Just wanted to see your reaction."

Artemis tapped his chest lightly. "Don't play with that, Percy Jackson. You know I'm capable of turning half the party into jackalopes if I think they're flirting with you."

"I know, I know," Percy said, kissing her forehead. "And while I appreciate your... enthusiasm for protecting our love, I think we should keep the jackalopes transformations to a minimum today. We don't want Hera getting mad because her perfect party turns into a zoo."

At that moment, Apollo approached the couple, a smile threatening to split his face in two.

"Sis!" he exclaimed, embracing Artemis and lifting her off the ground. "Someone finally managed to catch you!"

Artemis squirmed in her brother's embrace. "Put me down, glowing idiot. And I've told you a thousand times I'm the older one."

Apollo released her, laughing. "Whatever you say, whatever you say. Percy," he said, turning to his new brother-in-law, "officially welcome to the family. Though I must warn you, if you ever break my sister's heart, I'm afraid I'll have to smite you with the sun."

Percy nervously swallowed, but Artemis intervened before he could respond.

"If anyone's going to smite anyone here, it'll be me," she said, linking her arm protectively with Percy's. "And it'll be anyone who tries to come between us."

Apollo raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Just remember to invite me when you decide to have little godlings running around. Uncle Apollo has plenty of archery and poetry lessons to offer."

As Apollo walked away, Percy raised an eyebrow at Artemis. "Little godlings?"

Artemis blushed furiously. "I... well... I mean... someday, maybe..."

Percy gently kissed her, cutting off her stammering. "We have eternity to think about that, my love. For now, how about we escape this party and start our honeymoon?"

Artemis's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Thought you'd never ask."

With a snap of his fingers, the couple disappeared in a flash of silver and sea-green light, leaving behind a party in full swing and a bunch of gods and demigods speculating on where the newlyweds would spend their honeymoon.

They reappeared on a deserted island, a tropical paradise that Percy had created especially for the occasion. The full moon reflected off the crystal-clear waters, and a gentle sea breeze carried the scent of exotic flowers.

"It's perfect," Artemis sighed, looking around in wonder.

Percy took her in his arms, gazing at her adoringly. "You're perfect," he said before kissing her passionately.

As they lost themselves in their love under the starry sky, both knew that this was just the beginning of their eternity together. An eternity filled with adventures, laughter, perhaps some occasional divine jealousy, and a love so strong that not even Chaos could challenge it.

And if occasionally Artemis had to remind the world that Percy was hers and hers alone, well... that just made things more interesting. But hey, what would love be without a little madness?.

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.