Welcome back to Old Vows! It has been a century since I have updated, and I am sorry. As my announcement post said, I recently graduated high school, and if you've done that recently, you know how busy it can be with college planning.
I also have done some editing of the earlier Chapters. Ch3 is completely rewritten and 3K words longer than it was before. No more cringe sex scenes and I also edited/rewrote and combined Chapters 4 and 5. I admit, there are still one or two typos in that chapter, but it is whatever. Please consider leaving reviews because I lost reviews by combining those chapters. The reviews are locked to chapters, and since I deleted Chapter 5, I lost all of those reviews.
I hope you guys have been paying attention to the parallels and the foreshadowing going on in the story. This is probably the most intense of this little 3 part series, and this is the one that has the climax and the very suspenseful ending.
I just kept writing and writing this chapter, and I kept having to split it up, but I think that actually turned out to be the best for it. This chapter leaves off on a cliffhanger, but the next chapter, part 3, will be out shortly enough.
WARNING! This chapter contains light sexual references and themes as well as blood and gore.
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A few hours after the incident in the restaurant, Artemis and Percy arrive back at the Moon Mansion. They had an excellent day out in the city together. They went to three different lingerie and women's sleepwear stores, and Percy picked out multiple outfits for her in each one. Artemis, with pleasure, modeled each and every outfit that Percy picked out. She had wanted to treat him to something nice, and it is long overdue. They went to VS, and they went to Cirillas… The latter was very much to Artemis's dismay, and she could not stop blushing since they specialized in stuff other than lingerie as well. They went to a few other stores as well including an italian lingerie store that Artemis thought looked promising. They got so many jealous glances from the other men and women in the stores… The women were jealous of Artemis's blessings of curves and beauty as well as her man, and the men jealous of Percy for getting to sit back on the sofa while his girlfriend tries on and models each and every outfit by dancing on the spot. Regardless, Artemis was still pissed off as soon as she got back to the Moon Mansion, and not even Percy was safe from her wrath. You would think that after a full day of having a nice time with Percy… that she would be slow to anger.
…
The first thing Artemis did when they got back was talk to Thalia and Phoebe to get caught up on what happened when they were gone, and Artemis was not happy…
"What!?" Artemis shouts abruptly to her Lieutenant. Thalia is not phased, and she just folds her arms in response to her mistress's attitude. Phoebe just rolls her eyes.
Phoebe is standing right beside Thalia, and she looks equally unphased, maybe even more so. It could be Zeus himself that Phoebe is staring down intensively, and she still would not be phased. There is nothing that girl fears, and when Atalanta is around, she is even more confident. The two of them could conquer any obstacle thrown in their way, and they know it. Artemis is pissed off about Atalanta, and Phoebe is not happy about that. She does not take kindly to anyone talking bad about her baby sister.
"That's what happened. Atalanta is upstairs with Ray recovering from her injuries."
Artemis rolls her eyes and shakes her head.
"Go get Atalanta and her boyfriend and tell that huntress I want to speak to them right now…" She tells Phoebe sternly, and Phoebe nods her head as she turns around to go do as she is told. Artemis is in such a bad mood that she doesn't even think about the possibility of Phoebe interrupting the two lovebirds making love, but she doesn't care anyway.
"Yes, Artemis," Phoebe acknowledges with a smirk and turns back around to run upstairs.
"What?!" Artemis snaps when she turns around and sees Percy looking at her pensively with his arms crossed.
"I am just wondering why you are so upset with Atalanta when this could have been avoided," He tells her nonchalantly.
"Don't piss me off, Perseus," She warns. Some of the hunters who are there look completely dumbfounded. They can not believe that Artemis and Percy are about to fight. Every huntress knows never to question their mistress's authority or her judgment openly.
"Piss you off?" He gasps in astonishment, "This is your fault, Artemis."
The hunters who are watching this immediately look shocked. They can't believe that anyone would pick an argument with Artemis. They can't believe any member of the hunt would challenge her in front of everyone.
"I am not going to argue with you, Perseus. Go make yourself useful and tell Reyna the hunt will cover the damages done today." She tells him dismissively. She loves him, and even though she is pissed off, she has enough composure to give him a chance to back down.
Percy just shakes his head in disbelief.
"This is what you always do. You can't stand to face the truth, so you just get rid of it."
"The only thing I am getting rid of is one of the insubordinate young children who need a firm reminder of the rules." She says very hurriedly and condescendingly, "Go, Perseus, or you will be in big trouble." She finishes and points to the door.
Artemis might be being too harsh; she might be being a bitch, but for some reason today she is just off the rails. This deal with Atalanta, and how it really is all her fault, and she knows it, is making her lose her composure and snap at the people who love her the most.
She could have lashed out much more harshly at Percy, but she controlled herself as best as she could. Percy is right, but he is not in the right to challenge her openly in front of others.
Percy shakes his head and marches out the door in a dignified way that seems to also show how upset he is. He can't stand to be around her if she is not going to listen to him and be reasonable. He had put up with way too much of that from her, and he would much rather go do something else for a few hours and come back later tonight when she was more reasonable.
He knows that he should not have openly questioned her like that in front of everyone. It massively undermines his girlfriend if he does that, but he just could not help himself. It is not that he was trying to undermine her; it is that he was just so upset about how she irresponsibly did not go check on the hunters with Percy when he brought it up. Now Atalanta is injured. His best friend and confidant, the only one who loved him, defended him, and helped him no matter what from the very start… Atalanta has been his greatest ally in the hunt.
Nico, who Artemis had not even noticed was in the corner of the room, suddenly left and bolted out the door after Percy.
"Hey," Nico calls out as he runs up, "Percy."
Percy turns around in disbelief when he hears the familiar voice.
"Nico!?" Percy gasps with excitement.
"Yeah, Percy, it's me. Been a while? Hasn't it?"
Percy doesn't even respond. He just embraces his old friend in a big hug.
"Damn, it is so good to see you, Nico. Where have you been? How have you been doing?" He says with great enthusiasm as they release each other from the hug. It has been so long since he saw his friend.
"Yeah, I've been doing really well. I've been spending a lot of time down under with dad, and after I declined godhood with you after the war, I kinda just became the ambassador to the underworld. Dad has been loving giving me assignments and things to take care of."
Percy smiles. It is so good to see one of his best friends again after so long.
"What are you doing here then?"
Nico grins, "Oh, ya know, I heard the huntresses don't have a maiden vow anymore, so I came to try my luck."
"Wait, but after the war, I thought you and Rey-"
"Me and Reyna didn't work out, unfortunately," he interjects suddenly, "After her majesty became Supreme Mistress of Rome," he says with deep sarcasm, "She changed a little bit, and her highness didn't like that I had other duties in the underworld."
"That's too bad. You two seemed to be the perfect couple to me." Percy says with a long face.
"I know," he says softly, "I liked her a lot."
"Did you two just agree to break up?"
"No, no, she dumped me. She did it by Iris message too, so I felt pretty blindsided." Nico tells Percy with a straight face.
Percy crosses his arms in indignation.
"Gosh, Nico, I am so sorry. I know what it's like. Annabeth and I didn't break off clean either." He admits regrettably. He doesn't have fond memories of his time with the Athena-spawn, but he had moved on from that. Artemis is so much more fun than she ever was.
"None of that matters anymore." Percy says suddenly, "What are you doing here anyway? You know, for real."
Nico chuckles in the way he always used to laugh before Bianca died… The comparison instantly puts a grim look on Percy's face. He knows that some of the hunters still blame themselves for that, Phoebe especially. She never once forgave herself for anyone's life she could have saved.
"I have a message from Hades to deliver to your mistress."
Nico shakes his head.
"Sorry, Percy, I was specifically told to deliver it to Artemis herself and no one else." He says finally, "It would make your day even worse if I told you anyways."
Percy shrugs his arms. He doesn't really care. His girlfriend will tell him later… if he goes back today at all. Maybe he will just go stay at the Kingdom of the Sea for a while and hang out with Triton and his dad. The hunt is leaving for Olympus tomorrow anyway.
"So," Nico says after a few moments, "where are you off to now, Percy?"
"I have to go talk to Reyna. Artemis told me to, so I have to go, and then we'll see where I decide to go. I might go back tonight, or maybe I will stay with Dad or Hestia."
"Do you want my advice?"
"Of course, Nico." Percy tells him kindly.
"You should just go back to her tonight. I think the best thing you could do is apologize and move on with her. It's better to let the wound start healing than to leave it festering." He says with confidence and remorse. It is obvious by his tone that Nico truly believes he is giving the best advice, and he is.
Percy waits for a short duration before answering, "OK, Nico, friends always give the best advice." Percy tells him with an ample amount of compassion.
With the day coming to a close, they spend quite a lot of time catching up as they both march off into the city to go visit Reyna.
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Atalanta and Ray slept like logs for a few hours, resting from the day. Atalanta resting from the battle and the recovery of her injury, and Ray from the loss of his blood and the toll of the battle. They spoke with each other softly after they woke up, but they were disrupted when a familiar face poked its neck into their bedroom.
"Atalanta? Are you and your boyfriend decent?" She calls with her eyes closed, and after Atalanta rolls her eyes, she answers in affirmation.
"Lady Artemis wants to speak with you immediately… and your boyfriend," Phoebe tells them with conviction, and the two of them look at each other in panic.
Ray slowly removes his arm from around Atalanta. His hands had been resting on her stomach while he semi-spooned her from behind, and he can't help but think about the possibility of there being a large bump there one day. He would never dare bring that up to her, however, except maybe if they get married… he can't imagine that a huntress, even Atalanta, would almost ever take well to the idea of being impregnated. She would probably make him sleep on the floor, at the very least, if he brought that up.
When Ray takes his arms off from around her, she shits up in the bed. "Are you OK, Ray?" She asks kindly, and he just looks at her with obvious worry as he starts to put on his clothes. She crosses her arms under her breasts, and Ray doesn't even notice, so she knows he is worried.
"No, Lanty, I'm not." He tells her honestly, and she is momentarily taken aback by the nickname, but she blushes with an eye roll. She just can't get over how cute it is when he comes up with nicknames for her… despite how disrespectful it is in hindsight.
She knows how scared he is of their mistress, Artemis. She knows how he must be feeling, and she knows that he needs her to support him more than ever. She gets up off the bed and walks over to her walk-in closet. She grabs a full hunter's outfit and begins to put it on.
They don't spend any more time dallying around since Atalanta knows exactly how patient Artemis is when she is upset, or more precisely, that she is anything but patient. Atalanta has one thing she needs to say to him before they go downstairs, however, and she stops him right in front of her bedroom door before they go out.
"Now, listen, boy." She starts confidently, crossing her arms and staring him down with a penetrating and serious gaze. She is shorter than him, so it is cuter than it is intimidating. "I am extremely nice to you in contrast to the other hunters, but do not ever mistake that sincerity for tolerance, and I will not tolerate you making a fool out of me in front of our mistress. You will stand behind me, silent unless spoken to, and be the epitome of good behavior and respect like you always are around the other hunters. I swear to all the gods, Ray, I am serious. Do you understand?"
Atalanta is really sweet… But in an instance, she can change to being the most serious of them all. Ray's eyes widen, and he instantly gets serious himself as well. Whenever she calls him "Boy," he knows that he better get serious because she sure as hell is too. She sometimes likes to tease him playfully by calling him "boy," but he knows when she is serious about it like she is right now
"I absolutely understand, Miss Atalanta, I will not let you down." He promises with a deep bow of his head. This would be the absolute worst time ever to call her "My Little Huntress," so he hopes that calling her Miss will make up for calling her "Lanty" earlier. Atalanta values respect and authority, so Ray hopes she will appreciate the title.
Her green eyes are just… so unsettling. They glow, especially in the dim lighting of her bedroom, because of the late hour, and they pulse with her heartbeat, which is more sped-up than usual Ray notices. He isn't necessarily scared of her, because why would he? But she is very serious and even a little bit domineering when she wants to be, and he did witness her single-handedly kill somewhere around 8 different combatants by herself today.
"Good," she tells him kindly, and they walk out the door together. Atalanta is still light on her wounded leg, but Ray never needed to help her on their way down the stairs even though he was ready to catch her should she need it.
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They find Artemis waiting for them when they reach the bottom of the stairs. She does not look happy, and all of the remaining hunters, other than Percy, for some odd reason, are standing or sitting in the room in a large, encompassing circle surrounding them. This is going to make Ray very uneasy.
Ray could not look more nervous if he tried, and Atalanta can't help but feel rather bad for him. He didn't do anything wrong, and, in fact, he should be exonerated for what he has done today, but instead, Artemis is needlessly terrifying him.
"I can't believe you…" She finally says, stomping up to them. She looks over to Ray and nods with her head over to the side. He understands her message and goes to wait over on the side, which happens to be right next to Phoebe, who, also, does not look happy. Now that you mention it, no one here looks happy.
"I've never been more disappointed in you, Atalanta." Artemis scolds her. She seems to be somewhere in the middle of outraged and very disappointed, and somehow, it's like the worst of both worlds.
"How could you be so irresponsible with Ray's life that you would gamble it away so carelessly? How could you risk his life for your own pride? Did you think he would be impressed that you can stand outnumbered and win? Well, he obviously isn't impressed by that, because if not for Phoebe stepping in, Ray would be dead, and you would be wishing you were…"
Artemis turns to look at Ray, and he doesn't really return her gaze with anything other than an expression of momentary shock, but she knows exactly what he is thinking. She turns away and slowly looks back to Atalanta, who is starting to look ashamed.
"You stupid girl. You're too blinded by your pride that you don't see how lucky you truly are. Maybe you do, maybe you don't, it obviously doesn't matter to you either way because you seem to think that your man is replaceable. Well, Atalanta, he isn't. Ray might just be the sweetest, kindest and most respectful young man I have ever met, and while I have been extremely impressed by how well you have cultivated a relationship with him further in less than a week than I ever managed to do with Percy in two years, I see that you don't fully understand the value of him." She stops, looks over to Ray, and then she looks back. "He doesn't need you to try and impress him; you saved his life. He thinks the entire world of you, and he would do anything for you."
Artemis stops talking for a short while as she just looks at Atalanta. The Elder Huntress does not meet her mistress's gaze, but she fully understands what is going on in Artemis's mind.
"I am actually very impressed with you that you have made the progress with Ray that you have in such a short time. I did not accomplish in almost two years even a fraction of what you have accomplished in less than a week." Artemis praises her optimistically, "But everyone has their bad moments, and you have shown that you are no different. Go to bed, Atalanta," She commands with a gesture upstairs, "Ray can stay down here and eat dinner with us, if he chooses, but you need to go and think about what you have done and the way that you are going to make it right. Now, go, huntress." She says dismissively, and Atalanta, of course, obeys without hesitation; however, she does look back at Ray, and she sees that he gives her a warm smile.
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It was not long after Atalanta went upstairs that Artemis came over and spoke to Ray.
"I truly apologize for the careless actions of my Huntress today, Ray. What happened today is unacceptable, especially since you are our guest. I am sorry." Lady Artemis tells him sincerely with a bow of her head.
Ray looks surprised that she would actually be kind to him. He has always been so nervous about the goddess, but she is pleased with him.
"I have no regrets, Lady Artemis."
"I am extremely impressed by your courage and bravery. You are exactly the type of man that we desire to see in the world. Atalanta is lucky to have you." She tells him sincerely. Artemis knows the value of having a good man, and Atalanta has no idea just how lucky she is. It is all Artemis can do to keep her relationship with Percy on the road without hitting any speed bumps, and Atalanta manages to snag a man who doesn't even think she did anything wrong! It seems that Ray had one of the best days he has had in a while, and he thinks even more highly of Atalanta now than he did when he woke up with her.
"I prefer to think that I am the one who is lucky to have her."
Most of the hunters are starting to warm up to Ray being around, and he definitely earned a few approving smiles when he said that.
"That is why Atalanta is so lucky to have you. Humility is an exceptionally rare trait, and one that you will find in all of my best Huntresses. Thank you for being so brave today. We don't often find good men, and you are certainly one of the best."
"Thank you, Lady Artemis."
She smiles warmly at him, and he realizes that Artemis is much different than what he once thought she would be like. The entire hunt is different than he imagined them being. They stay there in silence for a few moments, and then Artemis speaks again.
"Tell me Ray… Do you love Atalanta?"
Ray didn't expect that Artemis would turn this into a full-blown life coaching session, and he doesn't know how he feels about it.
"I love her more than I have ever loved anyone. I don't know what I would do without her," He says honestly. Ray loves Atalanta more than anything and anyone in the entire world. She is more of a goddess to Ray than Artemis is.
"Do you think you could live without her? If you could be with her forever, would you?"
Ray is momentarily hesitant standing there with an unbelieving expression as he lets his mind take him to places where he would surely never be able to go.
"She saved my life; I obviously can't live without her. I would be the luckiest man in the world to be able to be with her forever." He says honestly.
Artemis smiles. She has had a good and bad day, and her mood has changed more times than she could count, but she is happy to make Ray's day a lot better.
"Well, I am very happy to hear that you want to be with Atalanta so much. I know that she feels the same way that you do." She says kindly, and after a pause she begins again, "In this dark time of war, the Hunt needs to be stronger than it ever has been before. Because of your heroic deeds, I will give you a gift." She tells him, and Ray looks hopeful, "I know that you are not the most wealthy individual, so I will offer you 750 drachma to start a new, quality life…" She tells him confidently, and to say that some of the huntresses were exasperated is putting it lightly. Artemis allows her huntresses an allowance, but it is not large, and to get 750 drachma saved up you would have to be in the hunt for a very long time.
Ray tries not to look disappointed. That is not what he had hoped Artemis would offer him.
"Thank you-"
"Or," she interrupts him, "I could give you what Atalanta has been trying to get me to give you, and that is to let you tag along with the hunt on our adventures. While you won't be a full member, you will be treated, considered, trained and equipped like one. I did not originally approve of you courting my Huntress, but if you accept, you may continue to do so."
She knows for certain that he will choose the latter option, and it is because she knows, for sure, Ray wants to continue being with Atalanta.
Ray could not look any more happy than he does right now. Artemis knows which one he is going to choose, but she just wants to make this as dramatic as possible. Artemis did not like Ray in the beginning, but he has more than proved that he is a good man.
"I- I don't know what to say… Thank you, Lady Artemis. I graciously accept. I wish to come with you all, but I want to be with Atalanta most of all."
"You are very welcome, Ray. I admit, I did not like you one bit when you first started coming here. It even crossed my mind once that Atalanta should not have wasted her time saving you, but now I realize I was dreadfully wrong; I am sorry for ever doubting you. You are a good man." Artemis tells him kindly, "We can work out the details tomorrow, but for now, you are welcome to join us for dinner. Thalia is not our best cook, but it can not be that bad… I hope."
Some of the hunters giggle when she says that, and Ray can't help but also smile as he remembers what Atalanta said about it this morning. Ray can't help but feel like he should be celebrating with his girlfriend instead, however. Artemis, and Phoebe, both see his hesitation.
"Atalanta won't be upset with you if you eat dinner without her. She doesn't even care that she won't get dinner. It is something we all practice, but Zoë taught her to be religious in believing that nature will provide, and when it doesn't, you must fast."
"For how long?"
Artemis smiles and considers him with an approving glance.
"Until nature provides once again."
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Atalanta seldom gets in trouble, or at least she hasn't gotten in trouble in a long while, so that is why Artemis decided to travel up to Atalanta's bedroom to check in on her.
"Well, I must say, you've always been the Prom queen of the Hunt, but I've never seen you wear something that revealing." Artemis mocks teasingly, and Atalanta, who was sitting elegantly, legs crossed and scribbling on a sheet of paper at her desk, is momentarily startled, but then looks back at her patron with an embarrassed expression.
"Well, I think it is fitting to dress according to what I am doing, waiting for Ray." She explains with girlish giddiness. Ray is starting to bring out the fun side of Atalanta. Ever since Zoe died, she has been calm, reserved, and serious, but it is obvious to see how Ray is changing her.
Atalanta has always been a reserved and rather nerdy Huntress who only really gets opened up around the other Elder Huntresses or her closest friends. Around everyone else, she is a much more serious, confident and administrative member of the hunt. Being the daughter of the most prominent Sorceress goddess, she devotes herself to studying, training, and practicing above everything else.
She found a more revealing and fancier pair of undergarments than even what she had worn before when she slept with Ray earlier. She has no idea where or when she bought this outfit; in fact, she must have been drunk after She and Phoebe got into the wine late at night the last time they were here. She was not so drunk that she bought something that didn't fit, but the lacey garments are the definition of form fitting. She looks great, and the top shows more than enough of her cleavage to expose the bite mark Ray left earlier. She has always been a woman who enjoys showing skin, and this is right up her alley.
Artemis's own expression drops a little when she hears Atalanta say that.
"Oh, Atalanta, I know how you feel all too well." She says as she walks into Atalanta's bedroom and stands beside her desk. She knows exactly how she feels because she has been in the same position as she is… waiting for her man to come back. It makes her feel horrible when she has to sleep alone knowing that Percy left because of her.
"Wow, Atalanta, I guess I don't need to ask how it has been going with Ray since he bit you on the breast."
Atalanta blushes and covers the mark with her hand. It is odd to be having these types of personal discussions. To be honest, Atalanta had never been Artemis's favorite amongst the Elders, so they are not as close as some might think, but they have started to become closer after Zoe died. They sit there in silence for a few moments before Artemis speaks again.
"Are you wearing that to try and get him to seduce you?"
Atalanta blushes at that question, and she nods ever so slightly in affirmation.
"Good. Ray is a good man. You had better not ever tease him."
Atalanta looks up to her mistress and nods with understanding. She has tried very hard not to tease him, but sometimes she feels like she is. Artemis would probably tell her that she needs to just tell Ray what she wants instead of waiting for him to build up her confidence.
"Well, I am happy to see that you two are getting along, because I have decided that you won't be coming with us to Olympus tomorrow." Artemis tells her definitely as she crosses her arms. Atalanta looks up at her with shock and dumbfoundedness.
"What? Why!?"
Artemis stands back up again from her place, leaning against the wall, and walks over to Atalanta's stands where she has some of her memories of Zoë.
"Because you are going to clean up the mess you made in the city and with Ray. Gods know how much Reyna will appreciate me leaving two members of the hunt to help rebuild her precious restaurant…" She trails off.
Atalanta looks confused and disappointed for a few moments, and then she realizes that something doesn't quite add up.
"2 members of the hunt? Is Phoebe going to stay with me, too?" Atalanta asks inquisitively. Artemis can be mysterious at times.
"No, Phoebe won't be staying here; in fact, other than you, none of the huntresses will." Artemis states firmly as she looks through the photos and trinkets of Atalanta and Zoe.
Atalanta is momentarily confused. She doesn't quite understand what Artemis is talking about, but her face quickly lights up the moment she realizes what Artemis might be talking about.
"Ray?! You let Ray join the hunt!?" She asks with excitement.
"No, not officially; at least, not as a member, but he will have the same training and be treated the same as one." The goddess says as she walks back over to Atalanta.
"Thank you, Lady Artemis." Atalanta says graciously, giving her mistress a big smile.
"Ray is a good man, and I believe that you two deserve the opportunity to be together. Ray can earn his full membership if he learns quickly, treats you well, and matures responsibly. I expect you to treat him extremely well and to guide him as he learns our ways. I hope that you prove to be a better lover than I have ever been for Percy, but you won't have to try much to achieve that goal."
"I will do my very best to cultivate Ray and my relationship with him. Thank you for giving us this opportunity."
"I know you will," she says optimistically and then glances over to see what Atalanta had been scribbling before she entered, "Well, I came up here tonight for multiple reasons, and the final reason is to give you these," Artemis says dramatically, and she offers two small bottles to the Elder Huntress. One bottle is red, and the other bottle is blue.
Atalanta looks momentarily confused, and then she asks Artemis what the bottles are for.
"You are a Sorceress, are you not? Read the enchantment and find out," she says sarcastically, and Atalanta just rolls her eyes as she takes the bottles. After a few moments, Atalanta turns red in the cheeks. She does that quite often nowadays.
She looks up to Artemis, and the only thing she says is:
"Really?"
"Yes, really. You are enough of a pain in my ass as it is. The last thing I need is to have a bunch of little Atalanta's running around. I expect you to drink the red one now, and after the war, you decide when you wish to drink the blue one. I would hope you consult Ray, for his opinion, as well. I've never forced you or the other hunters to do anything I wouldn't do, and Percy and I are also waiting until after the war."
Atalanta removes the cork off of the red bottle and downs the entire thing. She can't describe the flavor as anything other than rain water. She had expected it to taste exactly like nectar, but it's quite obvious that the bottle didn't have a drop of it. She doesn't feel any different either, and if she hadn't read the enchantment on the bottle, she would have said Artemis just gave her tap water from the kitchen.
They did not spend any more time on the subject than was absolutely necessary, and after Atalanta stashed the blue bottle in the drawer of her desk, Artemis moved on with their discussions.
"Is that the medical inventory?" She asks abruptly, pointing to the paper that Atalanta had been scribbling on.
"Yes, it is. I finished with it moments before you came up, and I was just signing it when you came in."
"I can take it down to Phoebe for you. She still has not finished hers." She says, and Atalanta hands the sheet of paper to her. All of the Elder Huntresses have tasks they must complete whenever they leave a certain location, and Atalanta's is to document medical items used and expenses billed from the duration of their stay. Atalanta thanks her graciously for offering to take it, and Artemis nods her head.
"I have not done well with my relationship with Percy, but if you ever want advice, I am always happy to tell you what I know."
Atalanta smiles at her happily, and Artemis takes her leave.
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Dinner was actually not that bad. One of the hunters decided to help Thalia cook, and what that meant was that she made sure the food was not raw and the salt was not forgotten. Ray got to sit very close to the head of the table, right next to Phoebe. The way it always works is that Thalia is to the right of Artemis with the 3rd eldest next to Thalia on her right side; likewise, the left side of Artemis is always the eldest and 2nd eldest, which Atalanta was not there, so Artemis told him to take the spot next to Phoebe where Atalanta would have been. He got to have a lot of good conversations with the hunters, but he is definitely looking forward to going up to see his girlfriend for the night. His fingers long for the touch of her soft, caramel skin. He would have rather spent the evening with Atalanta, but he couldn't possibly refuse an offer from Lady Artemis.
After dinner, Ray was not quite sure what he should do… Lady Artemis has been extremely welcoming and kind, but she went to go help the younger hunters and Alissa go clean up from dinner. He was surprised to see a goddess doing the work, but, of course, he didn't say that.
He decided that he was going to try and slip out to go spend the rest of the night with Atalanta, and he was on his way to go do this when he spotted Phoebe sitting on the couch furiously scribbling on a notepad. He decided that he wanted to go bug her.
"What are you working on?"
Phoebe looks up at him with a look that is not quite paying attention to him. She seems to be deep in thought.
"What?" She says eventually. She hadn't heard a word he said.
He repeats what he originally said to her, and this time, she responds.
"Oh, this?" She hesitantly says, "You spend all your time with Atalanta, so I can't believe you don't know, but the Elders are responsible for documenting and inventorying the "groceries." You could say. Atalanta is in charge of the medical supplies, and I am in charge of the food and utilities."
Ray gives her a thoughtful expression, and then he replies.
"Are you almost done?"
"Yes, boy, I am. I actually just finished before you approached me, but I need to go to the store."
Ray raises his eyebrows. It is almost completely dark outside, and this huntress wants to go to the store? On her own?
"Well…" He drawls, "I could help you out…" He says hesitantly, "But… You gotta help me in exchange."
Phoebe just rolls her eyes as she looks back down at her notepad.
"OK, fine. You're dressed enough. Come on, let's go to the store." She says suddenly as she gets up from the couch.
Phoebe does not hesitate or delay on anything; he's noticed.
Ray is momentarily surprised, but he quickly follows her as she is already walking out the door. He doesn't know what he thinks of spending the evening with Phoebe, but at least he will get to learn something.
§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§
Taking a grocery shopping trip with Phoebe might not have been the best idea…. They are friends, sort of, but she is still a very demanding woman. She is the exact opposite of Atalanta in every way personality wise. It is a miracle that the two are the closest pair in the entire hunt, probably in the entire pantheon, but they are.
The grocery store in New Rome is very generic. It looks about like a Giant Eagle or a Kroger. They walk in the front door, Ray following behind Phoebe, and she instructs him to grab a cart and follow her.
"Why do I have to push the cart?"
She turns around and looks at him as if she can't believe he would complain.
"Because you offered to trade me a favor for a favor, if I remember correctly, and because I'll talk good to Atalanta about you the next time I see her if you help me."
Ray looks at her for a few moments and then smiles to himself as if he is satisfied with that answer. She beckons for him to follow her, and he does.
They take a good hour walking around the store gathering items for the Moon Mansion, and the whole time, Ray strikes up a conversation with the Elder Huntress.
"So, Phoebe, how did you join the hunt?"
She looks back at him over her shoulder as she is sifting through the spices, and if looks could kill, he'd be vaporized.
"Why do you want to know? Hasn't Atalanta already told you?"
"It's generally a good idea not to ask your girlfriend about other girls, hence why I don't. "
Phoebe just rolls her eyes, as usual.
"Well, it was a very long time ago." She says as she begins to sift through the copious amounts of different spice bottles on the shelves, "it was quite similar to how Atalanta joined, actually."
"Atalanta said her village got wiped out, but the Hunt found her as one of the only survivors."
Phoebe nods, "That's right. She was hit pretty hard, and the sound of fighting drew us to the village. We managed to save quite a number of people, and Atalanta was only one of three huntresses we recruited that day."
"So, you were also saved by the Hunt, then?" He asks her, finally.
She takes a few more moments to sift through the spice jars and bottles, and she finally grabs the two that she needed to get. When she puts them in the cart, she says:
"I am not interested in sharing my story. Ask Atalanta when you see her tonight," she says definitively, and for the brief moment she locks eye contact with her, he can see that she is not comfortable speaking about it with someone whom she has only known for a week. Phoebe might have snapped at him for asking her that, but he is part of the hunt now, and she will treat him as such.
"I've gotten the impression that you and Atalanta aren't too fond of Thalia. Why is that?"
She stops and whips around to face him, placing her hands on her hips.
"What is this? Twenty questions? You're wasting all your small-talk on me instead of saving it for Atalanta under the sheets, so if I didn't know better, I would think you're trying to hit on me."
He grins at her mischievously and comments sarcastically.
"I have standards, Phoebe."
She turns back around with a dramatic eye roll, and he can't help but laugh.
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Phoebe and Ray had a boring expedition into the city. They spent about 3 hours shopping. She was very nice to him, and she seemed to be starting to accept him more and more. If he didn't know better, he might even think she likes him.
When they got back to the Moon Mansion there were zero huntresses still awake. Not even Artemis was there when they got back. Percy has been absent tonight, so she must have sent him off to take care of an errand for her and then came back when Phoebe and Ray were gone.
Little did Ray know that was not the case.
"So, Ray, you said you wanted a favor from me, so what is it?" She demands once they unloaded all of the groceries, "they" meaning Ray.
He looks at her thoughtfully for a few moments.
"You know Atalanta extremely well, and I don't really feel comfortable enough with anyone else to ask this-"
"Oh, stars," she interrupts him as she goes to sit down on the couch, "This oughta be good." She says and crosses her legs with intrigue.
"I want to ask if there is any advice you could give me to help me to be better for her."
Phoebe raises her eyebrow slightly, and she contemplates what he is asking of her.
"Well, I never expected that you would come seeking my advice to help you with Atalanta…" She says with honesty, "You want my advice on how you can seduce her, you mean. You are telling me that you want me to help you seduce my baby sister?" Phoebe counters with mock surprise.
Ray momentarily feels a bit of hesitation and an onset of regret for asking her to help him after all. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea. Then, she suddenly puts his worries to rest.
"Since you helped me with my shopping, I will help you."
Ray tries not to make a scene of sighing in relief.
"What do you know?"
Phoebe stares up at him for a few moments rubbing her hands together.
"I know just about everything that goes through Atalanta's head. We talk all the time, and she's told me a lot about what she thinks of you and the things she thinks you could improve on."
Ray doesn't like the sound of that, and Phoebe can tell because he looks concerned.
"That list is not exhaustingly extensive, but I don't sugarcoat anything, so I will just say this. Atalanta wants you to be more assertive. I see how you are with her, and she has told me the same thing. You act sweet and subservient to her and, in all honesty, like a beta. She wants you to be dominant with her. Atalanta has always told me how she wants to court a good, confident man that leads the relationship and is dominant with her in private. If you can do that, you'll be cooking with gas."
Ray appears dumbfounded as he stands there looking down at her on the couch.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Phoebe observes with a smile. As he begins to get to know her more and more, he has begun to see her as less and less of a mean, man-hating huntress and more of his girlfriend's hot, older sister that wants to see him rail her young sister and put her in place so she will stop being a pain in the ass.
"I've just never thought that I was being too nice to Atalanta." He says and slowly sits down on the couch beside Phoebe.
"You're not too nice, necessarily. She doesn't want you to be mean, at all, that's for sure. She just wants you to take more of an assertive role in your relationship."
Ray glances over at her, and he nods his head in understanding.
"I've been wanting to do that and haven't-"
"obviously" she teases.
"-I thought Atalanta wanted me to be as sweet as I possibly could with her. I suppose I only had the confidence to do that since I didn't dare treat the woman who saved my life any differently."
Phoebe laughs with wicked amusement.
"You are a good man. I'd say you're even better than Percy is."
"I haven't ever spoken with him."
Phoebe gets up from the couch and walks over to the cabinet. She opens it and reaches to the very top shelf to pull out a bottle of wine. She grabs two glasses and pops the cork out with a cork-remover, pours the glasses six tenths of the way full and returns to Ray, and offers him one of the glasses. He hesitantly accepts because he knows that Atalanta might not approve of him drinking without her, but it would be rude to decline an offering from the Hunt's Eldest Huntress.
"He is a good man. I did not think highly of him and oftentimes made his life hard for him in the beginning, but I came to respect him. He is very good friends with Atalanta, and he is Artemis's lover."
Ray sits down on the couch right beside her after he accepts the wine glass from her.
"You should head to bed, Ray. Atalanta is probably feeling pretty lonely by now," she teases.
Ray chuckles at her, but he agrees with her. He gets back up from the couch and turns to face her to beckon her goodnight.
"Thank you for all of the help, Phoebe. I will see you in the morning. Good night."
As he begins to turn around and head back upstairs, she calls for him to wait, and she gets up from the couch to walk over to him. She tells him she has something to tell him, and she whispers in his ear a final piece of advice.
Ray raises his eyebrows at her, and he thinks quietly to himself that the wine got to her already.
"Isn't that against the rules?" Ray points out to her, meaning the wine she is sipping.
Phoebe laughs lightly with amusement, and she grabs the bottle from the stand to fill her glass back up. She replies to him once she sits back down with a sigh.
"I am the Eldest Huntress, Ray; I am nearly four thousand years old; I couldn't care less about the rules. Atalanta and I would be on our second bottle by now…" She pauses to look down at her glass, "Well, if we didn't decide to switch to something stronger altogether." She says sarcastically with a mischievous smile.
Ray laughs with appallment at this huntress. To him, she is just something else. He beckons her goodnight, and she smiles at him and returns the gesture.
§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§
So, this is what you all have been waiting for. I was going over this specific scene over and over every single day in my head, so I hope it is a little better written than my usual writing… story-wise, anyway. I always seem to make Ray x Atalanta scenes cringe, and I hate it, so I hope this one is better. Enjoy.
I will, from this point on, post all Ray x Atalanta intimacy in a separate chapter. That includes what I had in the chapter before this one. That content is now in my new "Old Vows Deleted Scenes" book.
Atalanta shivers as she steps out of the tub. The cooler air of the bathroom is not very nice to her extra sensitive skin. One of the side effects to being a daughter of magic. It's not her fatal flaw; in fact, it can be quite nice. When she is sunbathing or getting a massage it is particularly nice, or when Ray bites her…
She grabs the towel and pats herself down gently. She then walks over to the rack and puts on one of her bathrobes and ties it loosely in front of her.
Ray has left her waiting so long that she decided to just take a long, soaking bath to renew and moisturize her skin with bath pearls. She has been trying to keep her skin soft and smooth for Ray. Lady Artemis uses a ton of moisturizers and bath fillers and treatments to make her skin perfect for Percy, and she has given a lot of them to Atalanta.
It wasn't a risk to take a bath anyway, since if Ray finally came back, she would love for him to catch her in the tub. She would have thought that a young man like him would have tried to seduce her already or, at least, undress her, but he hadn't tried either. She had thought he would have tried it, for sure, last night; nevertheless, his hands hadn't even come close to the clasp of her bra.
Atalanta goes over to her mirror and picks up her hairdryer. Not every huntress gets the opportunity to use a hairdryer, and they certainly don't have any in the hunters' communal washroom. She very much dislikes having wet hair, and being able to dry it with the dryer is a blessing.
She takes very good care of her long, wavy, dirty blonde hair, and she has done so even more religiously since she began hosting a handsome, young man in her bedroom. He loves to comb his hands through her long locks; in fact, that's exactly how he lulled her to sleep the other night. She loves his hands on her, and she, admittedly, takes advantage of his eagerness to give her massages. His skills in giving her a scalp massage always make any thought and essence of stress, resistance, and bad mood fade away like suds in the tub exposed to the cool air. She loves him, and his skills as a masseuse make her want to be his wife.
It takes her a good 5 to 10 minutes to finish drying her hair. Once she is finished drying her hair, she puts the dryer down and begins to brush her hair. From her understanding, brushing her hair after drying it is a better way to go about it.
"Atalanta?" She hears from the doorway of the bathroom, and her face instantly lights up.
"Ray!" She exclaims and wraps her arms around his neck, and he pulls her in for a deep, passionate kiss. Their lips move sensually in perfect sync. They are so thankful to be back together. His hands immediately place themselves on her sides.
"Welcome to the hunt, Ray. This is my dream come true."
"Thank you for lobbying Artemis to offer it to me. I was starting to feel a pit in my stomach due to the realization you would be leaving tomorrow and that I would never have seen you again."
It is unbecoming of a Huntress, especially an Elder, to cry, but she has a tear in her eye when their lips come together.
"We will always be together, Ray. I will never leave you." Atalanta pleads to him with the sweetest and most loving look she has ever given him.
"And I will never give you a reason to leave."
"I know."
They kiss passionately, and it leads into a make-out session that lasts for a few lustful moments.
"I missed chatting with you at dinner," she tells him suddenly.
"I did, too, Atalanta." He confesses. Phoebe and Alisssa were no replacement for his girlfriend at the dinner table. Phoebe seems to be warming up to the idea of him being there, but Alissa is definitely not. She tolerates him at best and wishes he would stop sleeping with her mentor and leave, at worst.
They stay there for what feels like a blink of an eye. They can never get enough of each other.
"I love this robe," Ray tells her, and he runs his hands up and down her sides to feel the fabric. It's very soft and not very thick.
"Thank you. I love these robes. They're so soft." She says with giddy, girlish enthusiasm as she steps back. "Where have you been? It's been so long…"
Ray looks down at her with concern.
"I'm sorry, Atalanta. I wanted to come back much sooner, but Phoebe asked me to help her grocery shop." Ray tells her honestly, and he places his hands on her sides again gently.
Atalanta tilts her head to the side with curiosity.
"Oh?" She inquires, "What did you talk about?"
How does she know they spoke at all?
"How do you know we spoke at all?"
She smiles and crosses her arms. Atalanta's lips suddenly twist into that teenage smile she always seems to wear when she is having some fun.
"Because you have that look in your eyes that tells me you learned something today." She points out nonchalantly. He knows that she can read him like a book. All her thousands of years of experience dealing with people on top of the fact she can use spells. It is hard to keep things from her.
He brings a hand up to her cheek and rubs it with his thumb while his other rests just below her ribs.
"I missed you today." He whispers softly to her.
She giggled lightly in response to that comment.
"Ohhhhhhh," she says with a dramatic widening of her eyes, "I know. You can't go twenty minutes without putting your hands on me."
"It's not my fault you're so irresistible."
"That's so sweet, Ray." She purrs, and they kiss again ever so softly. "Why don't you settle into bed, and I will finish styling my hair and getting dressed."
He thinks that is a good idea, but she is completely nude under her bathrobe, and he intended to at least make a single play, so he grabs the robe at her hips on both sides and hikes it up abruptly for just a second. She gasps because it almost completely exposes her hips, and she is completely nude underneath.
"You are so naughty! Go lay down!"
He can't help but chuckle at her reaction, and he goes to lay down on the bed.
§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§
Ray didn't necessarily want Atalanta to get dressed. She looked great in that robe, and he would have liked to pick her up by the thighs and bring her over to the bed like that. Maybe he would slowly untie the knots holding it together and gently reveal the heavenly curves underneath.
She did not do that, however, but what she did put on and walk out of the bathroom with was perfect. She had slipped on a fancier and showier bra than even the one she had before; in addition, she is wearing some form-fitting sweat pants that he once saw her wear to the gym. They don't bag on her legs hardly at all, and instead, they hug her form excellently.
When she knows that his eyes are on her, she tells him what she has been wanting to tell him all night.
"I never got the chance to properly thank you properly for what you did today. I am extremely pleased. You are an extraordinary young man, far better than I deserve. Thank you so much for what you did, and I am so sorry I let you down. My mistress is absolutely right; I gambled your life because of my pride, and if Nico and Phoebe hadn't arrived… you would be dead, and I would be wishing I was."
She crosses her arms just underneath her breasts to push them together. He appreciates the display.
"There is no need to thank me, Atalanta. It was my honor to fight with you. Here in Rome, they said I was too young to fight, too much of a loser, but today I got to fight alongside an Elder Huntress… one who loves me. You saved my life simply because it was the right thing to do. I owe you a debt I could never repay. Fighting alongside you was the right thing to do."
He watches her, with interest, as she walks over to the bed. She lays down right next to him, and he wraps his arm around her.
"So what did you talk about with Phoebe?" The Elder Huntress finally asks after they spent a few moments in silence with her just compulsively tracing her finger along his chest muscles. She asked him once how he felt about his girlfriend having an 8-pack and him not having one… He made no comment about it, but she could tell on his face how he thought about it.
"We did not really talk about anything. Every time I asked her about something, she just told me to go ask you about when I saw you tonight."
He feels Atalanta chuckle, and that is when he realizes that she had expected that answer.
"So, what was the first thing you asked her that she told you to ask me about instead?"
Why does he feel as if he did something wrong?
"I asked her how she joined the hunt."
Atalanta immediately groans audibly.
"What?" He questions her with defensiveness.
"That is not the right thing to ask Phoebe… Like, at all. I would never have recommended asking her about that. I am sorry that I didn't tell you not to."
"She was slightly defensive about it now that you mention it. Why? What happened?"
Atalanta remains silent for a few moments as she contemplates how to respond to that… how to respond to his question.
"Well, Ray, you brought up a dark thing," Atalanta tells him with dread in her voice. She has lost the happy smile she was wearing a moment ago. "The first thing I will tell you is that there is a reason why Phoebe hates or, I suppose, has a deep disdain rooted in distrust for the male species, and it's no accident."
"She told me that how she joined was similar to how you joined."
"Well, that is definitely not true. We were both saved, like I am sure you said, but the situations were much different."
"You were both saved, but from different situations, so how was it different, then?" He asks her seriously with a bit more attitude than he had intended.
Ignoring his tone she responds: "Well, I really don't want to go into it too deeply because of how upsetting it is, but Phoebe had to watch as her sister was raped and brutally beaten to death. Phoebe would have suffered the same fate had the Hunt not rescued her."
Atalanta makes sure that she does not look up into her man's eyes. Thinking about this topic always makes her upset, and she doesn't want to accidentally snap at Ray. He worships her like a goddess, and if she ever turned on him… gods, he would not take it well.
"Gods, Atalanta. That is horrible," Ray tells her with an incredulous expression.
"Yes, it is. Phoebe has a distrust and hatred for men that she will never grow out of due to that childhood trauma. Do not ever make the mistake of confusing her tolerance of you with trust."
Ray stares up through the window in Atalanta's ceiling which somehow shows the stars. They are on the 2nd floor with 3 more above them, but somehow there is a sun window in the ceiling? The constellation of the Huntress is shining down at them with bright illumination. He wishes he could have met the huntress for himself.
"What else did you ask her?" Atalanta suddenly inquires.
"Why do you Elders seem to dislike Thalia so much?"
Atalanta immediately bursts out, giggling.
"Oh, gods, Ray. That is a good one. Why do we dislike Thalia so much? Well, she didn't do shit to earn her position. That is why. She joined the hunters for her own selfishness to prevent being dragged into a prophecy." Atalanta tells him bitterly. He can tell that she is very passionate about this topic.
"I didn't know that -"
"And just a few days before she joined, she had been arguing with Zoë and cursing the hunters. She doesn't deserve to be a huntress, and she doesn't deserve to be lieutenant. She never liked Zoë, and she was more than eager to take advantage of her death."
As she was ranting, he could feel a breeze start to pick up in the bedroom. He starts to realize that her magic is surging along with her anger.
"You should be Lieutenant." Ray tells her with confidence.
She looks up with appreciation in her bright green eyes at that comment.
"I was Lieutenant for a short time after Zoë died, but I didn't want to fill those shoes… Now though? I bet I could do better than Thalia, and I certainly deserve it more than she does."
Ray thinks it over for a few seconds.
"Can't you challenge her for it?"
Atalanta sits up on her knees to look down at him with an appalled expression.
"What!? That's not how it works!"
Ray crosses his own arms to challenge Atalanta's defensive body language.
"Why not?"
"Because you never raise your hand against a fellow hunter!" She yells with exasperation, and then after a few seconds, she lowers her voice, "Besides… I don't know if I could beat Thalia in a one-on-one."
"What do you mean?"
Atalanta has decided that she can't stand talking about these things for any longer without some alcohol. He watches her, with interest, walk over to her cabinet and pull out a bottle of wine and two glasses. When she returns, she answers his questions as she pours their glasses. He doesn't even question her about whether or not they should be drinking because he already knows the answer.
"Because Thalia is a daughter of Lord Zeus, the King of the gods. It was less than a month ago that Phoebe was defeated by Percy when he was still a demigod."
Ray sits up in the bed to lean back against the headboard to not accidentally spill his wine. She joins him, as well, on her side of the bed.
"I've seen you fight. Thalia would not stand a chance."
Atalanta tilts her head to the side in thought while she takes a sip nervously.
"This is a dangerous conversation. I do not interact with Thalia." Atalanta states, "Neither do I wish to." She finishes in a much softer tone than she began. That is effectively the end of that topic. He knows she wishes them not to talk about that anymore. He can tell that she has obviously had these thoughts before and that they make her fearful.
She seems to be lost in thought, maybe somewhere dark.
"Is there anything that you are scared of? Atalanta?"
The question shakes her from her train of thought violently. Thankfully, she didn't spill her wine. He had been holding out hope that a drop would have landed on her bright white bra.
"Torture, Rape, being burned alive… I've seen all three in my lifetime. Some people say that when you come face to face with your fears, they stop being so scary, but I find that it only shows you that you have no idea how bad it really is. Those people don't know what true fear is." She says ominously with a glance over her shoulder at him. He catches a glimpse of her eyes, and they are pulsing an entirely different shade of green than they were a few moments ago.
For the entire time he has known Atalanta, he has only ever seen her sip her wine, but she downs a third of her glass after she says that. This huntress shows him her most vulnerable side late at night like this. To everyone, she is a strong huntress who does not back down from anything, but she lets her hair down when she is alone with him.
"What else do you have on your mind, Ray?" Atalanta asks him all of a sudden after a short silence. She swings her legs over the bed and refills her glass from the bottle on the nightstand.
When she settles back onto the bed with a full glass, he asks her another question.
"I'd like to take you to dinner tomorrow, on Olympus."
Atalanta looks over to him with a sorrowful expression.
"Ray," She starts in a low, sorrowful tone, "We aren't going to Olympus tomorrow."
Ray feels a pit in his stomach when he hears that.
"What- Why?"
"Because Lady Artemis wishes us to stay here in New Rome and participate in the reconstruction of The Roman Table… The building that was destroyed today during our fight." Atalanta explains with an off-handed, mocking tone. It is obvious that this Elder Huntress does not agree with the ruling of her mistress, but she does not have a choice. Ray is disappointed that he won't get to see Olympus tomorrow, but he also cannot help but think of how he will be completely alone, with a beautiful woman, in a massive Mansion all week long.
"We'll have fun, Ray," She reassures and gives him a loving kiss on the cheek. The kind of kiss that promises more. Then she tucks herself into the crook of his arm as well.
"What kinda fun?" Ray teases her with a smile. He knows exactly what he would be interested in doing for a week for fun.
"Maybe tomorrow we'll go spend some time in the hottub. Perhaps I'll wear a bikini for you…" She proposes softly. They finally begin to drift off to sleep in each other's arms, but after such a long pause that almost made the topic go away, she adds with a nonchalant but thoughtful and mischievous tone:
"Or maybe I'll go nude."
All alternate pairings, like Ray and Atalanta, will have their intimacy scenes posted in my 'Old Vows Deleted Scenes' book.
There is no deleted scene for this chapter.
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Percy may have been upset with his girlfriend, but she gave him instructions, and he did as she told him because disobeying the goddess of the hunt, his mistress, after he already made her extremely angry, would not win him any brownie points. He already was assuming that she would be extremely upset with him when he got back, and he deserved it. He really messed up… Breaking their relationship dynamic like that and openly challenging her in front of the huntresses, for all to see, was pure sin.
Percy spent roughly three hours away from the Moon Mansion. He didn't really go anywhere except for the errand he ran for Artemis, so the rest of the time he spent chatting with his friends in the city. He had wanted to go speak with Hestia, or Calypso, but decided against it after some consideration. He decided that he needed to go back to his girlfriend, and he flashed himself into their bedroom in the Moon Mansion. He didn't know whether he would find her there or not, and it turned out to be not.
I wonder where she went. He ponders to himself as he looks around their bedroom. One thing he notices is the Moonlace plant on the windowsill, and he smiles to himself as he remembers about Calypso. Just as he was about to give up and lay down to go to bed, he noticed a folded piece of parchment on the nightstand of Percy's side of the bed.
The note is not fancy, and it is angrily scribbled onto a torn-out piece of notebook paper.
Perseus,
I am extremely displeased with you, but even more so, I am disappointed. You have broken the one rule that absolutely can not be broken in our relationship under any circumstances, and because of that, there will be consequences.
I will give you two options:
A: You can spend the night there in the Moon Mansion tonight, on your own, and then accompany Atalanta and Ray in Rome on their assignment for the next week. After the week, you may then join us in Olympus afterward, and when you do so, you will be forgiven. She has the details if you choose this.
Or
B: You can come and join me in our bedroom, in my palace, and play a game with me.
You can not change your choice once you make it if you choose the first option. Choose wisely.
Sincerely,
Your goddess
Damn is the first thought that went through Percy's head. He hadn't quite realized how much trouble he would be in until now…
Artemis is absolutely right. He challenged her out in public, and that is absolutely violating the basic rule that Artemis set for him. Percy obeys her and followers her in public, and in turn, she obeys and submits to him when they are alone. That is the dynamic that they have practiced for weeks, and it's proven now that their relationship works perfectly when they follow that system. To break the system is to sin against the other.
Well… He thinks to himself hesitantly, shit.
What kind of game could she possibly want to play? There is way more to that than just a "game." Artemis is usually not hard to read, but he can't possibly imagine what she has in mind. He can't possibly choose the other option. Can he? What is Atalanta doing staying in Rome? Why?
He has no interest in spending a week away from his girlfriend, so he grabs the letter that Artemis left and flashes himself to her palace on Olympus.
It is sure to be a captivating experience.
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Much later on in the night, after everyone has long fallen asleep, a strange being enters the Moon Mansion by phasing through the front door. It wears a long, transient, black shawl that makes the creature nearly invisible in the dim light. It wears this over top of a padded, all-black, light armor meant to increase movement and flexibility in tight spaces and combat. It wears long, black, padded leggings that reach all the way to its metal boots that do not make any sound as it walks. Its face is completely shadowed by the hood that it wears, but there is an aura of fear that surrounds it. Looking into the blackness under that hood is… chilling.
The creature slowly continues through the Moon Manion, and it takes exceptional care not to wake the huntress sleeping soundly on the sofa. It is imperceptible to the human senses, and that is why the huntress has not already sensed its presence. The demon might have tried to silently kill the sleeping huntress, but the creature also recognizes who it is and decides that it is not worth the risk. The master would be exceptionally angry if the mission was not carried out.
The master had told the demon that the location of the target was on the second floor in the second room on the right. That is where it goes. It is almost completely imperceptible as it slowly moves through the halls with stealth like a Hym from Witcher 3. Jumping from one wall to another, the shadow of the figure moves through the mansion, up the stairs, and into the first hallway.
As the entity approaches the door of the room that contains its target, it pulls a small tablet out from a pocket and crushes it in its twisted palm. The effect will be instantaneous, and it will not be disturbed as it indulges in this sweet pleasure. It phases through the door like it was not even there. Briefly, it feels another disturbance in the air. The demon does not have a mind of its own. It is programmed to carry out an assignment, once given, until the assignment is completed or the demon no longer lives, whichever happens first. That is the reason that it does not realize the significance of the feeling. It continues into the bedroom, and it lunges at the bed with incredible speed; however, suddenly, the woman lying on the far side of the bed leaps up and blasts the demon into the far wall.
It screams in frustration, rage filling it to the core and driving it to a new hunger for violence and evil.
"Ray!"
The young man bolts awake faster than lightning. The demon leaps at Atalanta, who grabs the daggers off of her nightstand and dodges directly to her left of the attack. Suddenly, two black daggers appear in the twisted hands of the monster, and they lock into an intense hand-to-hand exchange. It is just like something out of an Avengers movie, and after the monster takes two vertical, seventy-five-degree slashes at Atalanta's head that she ducks under, she jumps up in a spiral and delivers a devastating kick to the chest of the demon. It flies back into the wall, and Atalanta uses the opportunity to back up and create some distance. She looks over to Ray to make sure he is safe, and that is when the demon thing lunges at her again. She barely manages to leap out of the way. She is having a hard time seeing it, and it is super fast. She grabs the sword off the stand and is nearly decapitated from a sudden swing of a jet-black sword. She tries not to let her heart rate increase. She will not let herself get scared.
She parries four consecutive blows and ducks under a final swing toward her head. She spins around and dodges out of the way of another slash from her left. She parries a downward strike, which gives her an opening, and thrusts her sword through the demon's heart just like Darth Maul, but… But it does not do anything. The sword pierces its chest like a spear through water, and the Demon disappears.
It phases behind her with lightning speed, and Atalanta was too late to realize it. As she spun to the side to avoid the attack that she knew would be coming, she was too late, and the demon's blade dug itself into the skin below her ribs.
She tries to ignore the pain, but it burns the exact same as the blade her soft skin tasted earlier today. She ducks under a vertical swing of the blade and parries another after taking a half spiral spin, but in the split-second opening, the monster blasts her with its own magic, and Atalanta is sent flying into the opposite wall.
The demon rips a shelf off of her cupboard, spilling precious artifacts and pictures onto the floor, and throws it like a frisbee at her. Atalanta, who requires more than a little of her own medicine to be put down, slides underneath it and, with a spiral, blasts the monster again with a blast of air that is so powerful it sends it smashing through the window and down into the street below.
It makes a chilling sound as it falls out of the window, and Atalanta slowly gets up from the bedroom floor panting. The cut on her side is bleeding, and she got cut in a few places from the picture frames that had been on the wall she smashed. Precious images of Atalanta, Zoe, Phoebe, and a woman who looks Latina and is quite similar to Atalanta. Those picture frames are priceless, and she is so angry that they were smashed. Artemis might be able to restore them later… if there is a later.
She overcomes the pain and gets up from the floor. She runs over to the liquor cabinet, grabs some ambrosia, and devours it. She can't eat much because she is only the demigoddess of a minor goddess, but it makes her feel much better, and it stops the bleeding of the wound on her side.
She walks over to the window and looks down to see the demon down there pacing in circles, watching the window sill.
"Ray," She suddenly blurts as she ties her hair back behind her head.
"What the hell was that?!" He yells at her with a voice that is completely different than the one she knows. She realizes, with a chilling terror, that Ray is terrified.
"I don't know. I have never seen anything like it. Listen to me. You have to go find Phoebe and tell her what is happening. Artemis is off on Olympus, and I feel evil in the air. We are on our own."
"But-" He tries out of confusion, but she interrupts him.
"Go! Ray!"
He looks at her with deep concern, but she smiles at him and tells him that she will be alright. With a very heavy heart, Ray runs off out into the hallway.
Atalanta looks back at the doorway where her boyfriend had just left. She turns around and grabs a tee from the wardrobe. As soon as she puts it on, Atalanta dives out the window.
She uses a blast of air to soften her fall and lands on her feet after rolling. She immediately looks at the monster pacing back and forth, and to her unsettling surprise, it is looking right at her with the black hole where its face should be under that hood. She feels cold fear shoot through her spine. She knows she is looking right into its eyes, and it chills her down to her core.
"Who are you?"
While Atalanta readies herself in a defensive stance and begins to slowly pace around, the demon does not move at all. Neither does it answer the question.
"What do you want? Who sent you?"
Suddenly, Atalanta can see its face when it opens its contorted mouth to display serrated rows of teeth. The sound it makes is a shrill scream, and it launches itself at Atalanta.
She only barely has enough time to duck under a wicked swing of the jet-black blade that the monster seems to be able to conjure at will. Atalanta summons her own sword and immediately is driven on the defensive. The monster is one of the quickest opponents Atalanta has ever faced, but it's not as quick as Phoebe, who she trains with all of the time.
Atalanta parries a blow meant for her head, ducks underneath the arm, and slashes upward through the armpit of the monster with the sword. This time, the silver does not pass through the monster. The silver cuts straight through its flesh this time and delivers a long cut that would have severed the axillary artery, but human anatomy apparently does not apply on a non-human demon from the depths of hell. There was no armor where Atalanta attacked, and she realizes now that the flesh is vulnerable to attacks while the armor is completely impervious. She immediately follows up that counterattack by summoning a dagger to her right hand and slashing the monster across the cheek.
To her surprise, it howls in pain at the cut on its cheek. She can not see the wound, but she knows that the flesh in and around the cut is sizzling. Now she has a strategy for defeating this thing, but will it save her?
Come on, Ray, where are you?
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Ray runs through the Moon Mansion faster than he ever has before. He flew down the stairs as fast as he could and rushed over to the couch where Phoebe was sleeping. He might have worried about whether or not she was dressed or whether or not she had drunk herself to sleep, but he couldn't care less because his girlfriend is outside fighting for her life and they both almost lost theirs.
"Phoebe!" He says frantically and grabs onto her shoulder to shake her awake.
"Phoebe! Wake up! It's Atalanta!" He screams at her again, but she doesn't wake.
Ray gasps as his spine is assaulted with an ice-cold realization. His fingers shoot to her neck to check her pulse, and thankfully, it is still there.
"Phoebe! Why won't you wake up!?" He screams and shakes her again. He gives it everything he has, but the Huntress does not wake up. He turns around and runs back up the stairs to try and find a Huntress that will wake up.
What is happening? Is this all just a nightmare?
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Five minutes later, Atalanta realizes that she has bitten off just a little more than she could chew. She has had centuries of practice fighting against fast, agile, dagger-wielding opponents through her countless duels with Phoebe. This is about the same level of difficulty. She will not give up, and she will come out on top even if it costs her her life.
They have been battling for what seems like only a few seconds, but in reality, it has been nearly ten minutes. Atalanta is starting to feel winded after so long of intense, non-stop fighting. Whatever her opponent is, it is not human, and it is not losing any stamina. Atalanta has never seen anything like it before.
Wielding Zoë's daggers reverse grip in both of her hands, she ducks under a vertical cut and then feints to the side to dodge a jab. She counters by slicing the monster across the face and delivering another spin and kick to its chest making it stumble over hitting the ground.
That seems to piss it off because it immediately hops back up and throws one of its daggers at Atalanta. It slings it with such force that Atalanta only manages to dodge out of the way by mere milliseconds. It severs a few of the strands of her hair as it passes.
Suddenly, the monster leaps at her, but it disappears into the air as it jumps. It reappears behind Atalanta from the shadows, and she has no time to evade. It grabs her and throws her across the street. She hits the ground hard and rolls three times. She hits her head pretty hard when she hits the ground, and there are numerous cuts and bruises caused by the rocks on the road, but Atalanta does not let it bother her. She gets back up and parries a vertical slash from the monster's sword. She ducks under another and, gathering all of her strength, drives her sword through the calve of her opponent between the two plates.
It howls in pain with an inhuman and deathly voice. It wildly swings its black blade at Atalanta's head in desperation, but she dodges it, and then the demon kicks Atalanta's legs out from under her.
She hits the ground hard, but she quickly recovers and narrowly avoids another wild downward strike. She lunges forward and drives one of her Ethereal silver daggers into the heart of the monster. It makes such a loud, shrill yell that Atalanta's ears start to ring.
The monster's hood falls off, and Atalanta can see a twisted, eyeless face with no ears and a twisted, bloated set of lips that are much larger than any normal human. Its mouth is open as it screams so loud the entire city must hear it. Before Atalanta has the chance to admire its contorted face, its face starts to melt into goo as it shrieks. The huntress is incredibly surprised by this. She momentarily lets her guard down and lets go of it. Just as the monster falls to the ground and turns to dust, its twisted hand lunges forward and thrusts one of its daggers deep into Atalanta's side.
The pain shoots through Atalanta like wildfire, and the Huntress's dagger falls from her lifeless hand as she falls over, her entire world fading to black. Just before her body hits the pavement, red sparks fly from her hand straight into the sky and shoot across the horizon.
The monster's corpse crumbles into ashes from the inside out, starting at the wound from Atalanta's dagger as the Huntress's blood soaks the pavement.
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A/N- I am not going to even say a word. Have fun with this cliffhanger, LOL.
I hope you all have pieced together that The Commander last chapter and the Demon this chapter are the two minions that Erebus dispatched a few chapters ago. Did anyone figure that out?
I will not make any promises that I will end up not keeping about the timeframe of the next chapter, but I already have 4.5K words on it. The next chapter will just be a scene or two along with a lemon scene (Pertemis). It should not take me too long to get it done.
Some updates about my personal life- I am attending Capital University in the fall to begin pursuing my BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), and I am officially living with my Dad now! I finally got free from my abusive mother, and I am so much happier now. My life is looking up, guys!
Don't forget to check out my Discord. The link is always in my bio. Take care, and I look forward to seeing you soon!