A/N. Reviews.

"Gods my phone broke 5 hrs before the first day of school... took a while to get it fixed but i got two new chapters to read! Ugh they're so cute together, im glad they made up tho him unknowingly got cut with the knife seems ominous. Introducing Artemis as his queen is gonna be chaotic... Cant wait for the nxt one!"-Sankarea396

I love them! The whole being cut thing was supposed to be a metaphor for trust that I kind of dumbed down lmao. Here you go!

"I do hope percy starts to get some cool abilities like the one from the tv show lucifer where he can make pepole tell thir deep desires idk its just cool when characters have powers that aren all just based on combat ability also i do have a form of dyslexia so i am very bad with letters and that is why some words are not rigth lol i mix the order up and stuff also can not wait for more to come :)" -Idk man

I mean, fire powers aren't inherently for combat. They are a useful tool, especially in the snow.

"I thought the dates were every Tuesday? Anyway, great chapter dude, looking forward to the next one." -snapg00

Nope, every wednesday, as mentioned in chapter 10 (chapter 11 if you count the prologue as chapter 1)

Onto the chapter!

Chapter Twenty-Two

Raphael gently touched the ground, his feet slightly sinking into the sand under his weight. His peacock-feathered wings folded behind him. His eyes scanned the ground around him. He had been here once, a long time ago, when he had buried Natan, or the man that had once been Natan, now the recently deceased Azazel.

Not much had changed about the desert in the millenia since his last visit. Despite this, he didn't know exactly where he had buried Azazel. He flicked his wrist, causing sand to fly back as if blown by a strong wind. Several cubic feet of sand was lifted from the ground, revealing a jagged rock underneath.

Raphael spread his wings and floated into the air, before dive bombing and smashing into the rock. He broke through and found himself in an empty chamber. Jagged rocks made up the bottom of the chamber. Broken chains lay along the jagged rocks. Natan had not been held in the chamber in a long while, that much was clear.

However, Raphael was not there for Natan, but rather, his brother. Or, again, rather the iron sword forged out of the iron in Calev's blood. Raphael touched down on the ground, watching as dust settled around him. He flapped his wings, disturbing the dust, blowing it all back into the air. With the dust lifted, he spotted the old sword in the corner. He grabbed it, and examined it.

It was just as he had left it, an iron greatsword, simple in design. There was no sign of the millenia the sword had spent unused. With the dust gone, the blade reflected the sunlight perfectly.

Raphael spread his wings and flew up, heading to Heaven, his mission complete.

LINE BREAK

Percy traced the fine line that stretched across his palm, before moving to the matching one on his fingers. He just showered, his hair still wet. Yet, despite the water flowing over his wound, it didn't fully heal it. It had stopped bleeding, but now, there was a fine white line in its place. He sighed, and stood up.

He got dressed and walked down the stairs and into his throne room. Mephistopheles was standing next to Percy's throne, as he usually was. Mephistopheles was nothing if not consistent. Percy liked that about him.

Percy sat down on his throne. Mephistopheles bowed. "Lord Perseus." The demon reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a knife identical to the last one he had given him. He offered it to Percy. "This was the last one in the vault."

"Thank you, Mephistopheles. I'll be sure to hang onto it." Percy took the knife and sheathed it on his thigh.

Mephistopheles frowned. "That is not what I meant. When I first got the other knife, there were three. That's the second one, and yet, it is the last one."

"So where'd the third one go?"

"I do not know. And that is what worries me. If a demon were to gain free access to the surface, the consequences would be disastrous."

Percy nodded. "I'll keep a lookout for any suspicious activity on the surface whenever I visit."

"And do be careful. Not many demons are even aware that these knives exist. Those that do…"

"I understand. Thank you, again."

"I live to serve." Mephistopheles said as he bowed. "Which reminds me, you must visit Rastr soon."

"What for?"

"He has your clothing for Moloch's ball. It is today."

Percy turned, his jaw dropped open. "It's today?"

Mephistopheles nodded. "The throne room will be decorated later, courtesy of Mammon and the Greed Ring."

"Fuck, I guess more time passed in Heaven than I thought. Thank you, Mephistopheles, I'll give him a visit. Which reminds me, I invited Artemis to the ball."

"Plan to introduce the Queen to the demons?"

Percy shook his head. "Not tonight. It's Moloch night, let him have it. Besides, I don't need another Pride Prince to be set against me. The last one was enough for me." He said, chuckling. "But we will need to get another throne in here soon."

"It will be done."

Percy rose from his seat. "Thank you, Mephistopheles. I'm going to go to Rastr."

"Have fun, My Lord."

"Thank you, Mephistopheles." Percy walked out of the room, and halfway up the staircase, before opening the door to Rastr's tailoring room. He walked in and looked around. Clothes were hung on racks, mannequins were in the corner. There was a desk in the other corner, with a stack of papers and a measuring tape laying on top of it. Rastr was nowhere to be seen.

There was a door in the middle of the back wall. Percy walked over to it and opened it. The room was a supply room, with rolls of fabric lined across the walls. A table was in the middle of the room. Once again, Rastr was nowhere to be found.

Percy approached the table. Laying on top of it was a suit, layed out so as to not create any creases. The shirt was red, the tie black, which matched the slacks, and jacket. A simple suit, but one that suited the King of Hell. There was a post it note on the top. Scrawled in black penmanship were the words, "Lord Perseus's Outfit for Moloch's Ball".

Percy left the outfit on the table and walked out of the room. He walked down the stairs and into the throne room, where Mephistopheles was talking to a demon wearing a hard hat. "-Another throne?"

"I understand that, but what kind of throne? Made of what? I need to know these things." The demon noticed Percy and bowed. Mephistopheles turned around and bowed as well upon seeing Percy. "I am glad you are here, Lord. We were just discussing the installation of the throne for the Queen. What were you thinking in terms of the throne? Such as colors, materials, any extra features?"

Percy bit his lip. "I was thinking it would just be like mine. I didn't know you could customize it. Um, she likes silver, and animals. You know what, she'll be at the party, you could just ask her then."

The demon bowed. "As you say, My Lord." He rose from his bow, before turning and walking away.

"That was fast. Your meeting with Rastr." Mephistopheles said.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you know where he is? He wasn't in his office."

Mephistopheles frowned. "He should have been there. I saw him just the other day."

"A missing demon, a missing knife, you don't think…" Percy trailed.

"But why would he leave? He had everything here."

"I don't know, I'm not Rastr."

Mephistopheles sighed. "Well, did he leave behind your clothing for tonight?"

"I'm pretty sure he did. There was a sticky note on a pile of clothes with my name written on it."

"I am pretty sure that is yours then, My Lord."

"Well, I didn't want to assume, okay? I'll go get it and put it on."

LINE BREAK

"What are you wearing?" Artemis asked as she answered the iris-message. She had her arms crossed, and her bow slung over her back.

"Something my tailor made. It's for tonight, the ball."

"That's tonight? You just left not too long ago."

Percy sighed. "Time flows differently Hell. I forgot about it too, if I'm being honest. I was informed almost as soon as I got back."

Artemis sighed. "I will be there in a second." She frowned. "Where are you?"

"Central Park, there's a secluded lake near our bench. I'll wait there for you."

"I will be there in a moment. I must inform Thalia of my leaving." She swiped her hand through the iris message, ending it. Percy stood up and walked out of the foliage, and onto the sidewalk. He followed it to the bench before sitting down. He didn't have to wait long before Artemis strolled up in a simple black dress."

Percy stood up. "You look… pretty."

Artemis stared at him blankly. "You look… pretty too?"

Percy chucked.

"Why did you come here? I have a knife, I could have gone to Hell myself."

"I don't think I can physically summon Fleecy down there. And if I can, I don't want her to know, cause she could tell Iris, and Iris could let anyone know. And you know my feelings on that."

"Who is Fleecy?"

"You don't know Fleecy? She's the cloud nymph that works with Iris? Manages the Iris Messages?"

Artemis slowly shook her head. "I have never even heard of her."

"Wow."

"If you gave your knife to me, how did you get here?"

Percy unsheathed his new knife. "We have a couple." He leaned in. "Which reminds me, there's apparently one missing, and we think the tailor stole it."

"The tailor who made… that?"

Percy nodded. "When I went to get this from him, he was missing."

"Could he just be somewhere else in Hell?"

Percy sighed. "I guess. I'll ask around tonight, see if anyone has any information."

Artemis nodded. "Shall we go?"

Percy opened a rift, exposing his castle on the other side. He gestured to the rift. Artemis bowed her head and stepped through, Percy following after her, the rift closing behind him. Artemis wrinkled her nose. "It smells awful here. I did not notice last time."

"Is it sulfur?"

She nodded.

"You get used to it. I've been nose blind to the stuff since Tartarus. Thank the Gods. Only good thing to ever come out of there."

"Let us hope it happens soon, or I will give you the knife back because I will not be visiting." She said, chuckling.

Percy laughed. "We'll see."

They walked together up the stairs. Halfway up, Artemis asked, "Why did you not just have us appear in the castle."

"I felt like it would be weird if we just showed up in the middle of it. Being royalty is mostly about appearances."

"Pot, meet kettle."

They reached the large, open doors, where Mephistopheles was standing off to the side, greeting every guest as they entered. When he saw Percy and Artemis he bowed. "My Lord. My Lady."

"Mephistopheles." Percy nodded back.

"Hello." Artemis said, raising a hand in simple greeting.

"How many demons are here?"

"The entirety of Hell is welcome to come. Of course, not everyone decided to, but there are a good amount here, mainly those of a, ah, higher society. The Princes have made an appearance. I figured you would want to be informed of that."

"Thank you, Mephistopheles."

The Royal Advisor bowed once more. "Enjoy your evening, My Lord." He bowed to Artemis. "You as well, My Lady."

They passed through the doors. The throne room was technically decorated. It looked like every expense had been spared. There were tables lining the walls with food on them and that was it. Nothing else had been altered about the throne room. A couple of eyes were on them, but none approached.

Artemis tensed up next to him. He offered his arm, something he had seen in movies. Artemis glanced at it and hesitated, before taking it. She relaxed slightly. Her chin was raised as she said lowly, "I never cared for formal parties."

"Then why did you agree to come?" Percy asked, his voice as equally quiet as hers had been. As they spoke, they made their way through the room.

"Because you asked."

They approached the table with food on it. There were many types of game, cut into tiny pieces, small enough to be eaten in a single bite. There was a toothpick in each one for easy access as well to not dirty the fingers. There were also a bunch of different fruits, also impaled on toothpicks. However, when it came to beverages, there was only a single kind of wine laid out in glasses.

They unlinked their arms. Artemis picked up a piece of game, what kind he didn't know. She pulled the meat off of the toothpick with her fingers before eating it. After she swallowed, she used the toothpick to pick something out from her teeth. She reached out and grabbed a napkin before wiping her fingers on it. In a second the napkin disappeared.

Upon looking at the food, Percy's stomach rumbled. He wasn't sure when the last time he ate was. It had to have been before the fight with Azazel, which was supposed to have been a week ago, but because of the difference in passing time between Hell, Heaven, and Earth, it only felt like a couple of hours at most. He reached out and picked up a piece of meat and ate it, using his teeth to pull it off of the toothpick.

Artemis picked up a wine glass, the red liquid sloshing inside the cup. She turned to Percy. "Are you thirsty? The meat is a little dry."

"I'll be fine."

The liquid in her cup slowly became clear before she offered it to him.

"It's fine Artemis. Besides, I don't—"

"I know you do not drink, Percy, it is water."

Percy took the cup and slowly gave it a drink.

"Lord Perseus." Asmodeus said from behind him.

Percy coughed as he jolted in surprise. Some of the water came from his nose. Artemis had to stifle a laugh beside him. He turned around. "Prince Asmodeus." The Prince was dressed in a white dress shirt with the collar unbuttoned, with a purple suit jacket over it. He was using a simple black cane with a gold tip.

Asmodeus turned to Artemis. "Is this?"

Percy turned to Artemis. "Artemis, this is Asmodeus, Prince of the Pride Ring." He turned to the Prince. "Asmodeus, this is Artemis, your Queen."

Asmodeus bowed his head. "Ah, my apologies, your majesty."

"How are you enjoying the ball, Asmodeus?" Percy asked.

"Well, it has only just begun, hasn't it? But, I am enjoying myself."

"Have any of your subjects decided to come?"

"Oh, no. This is not their scene. Half of my subjects never leave their homes, constantly masturbating."

Artemis wrinkled her nose and frowned.

"Although, Aeshma is here." Asmodeus continued. "She wants to talk to you."

"I'll be on the lookout for her." Percy put the glass down on the table behind him. "You wouldn't happen to know where Rastr is, would you?"

"Pardon, who?"

"Rastr. Tailor who lives in my castle. He looks like a spider that stands on two legs. He was missing when I went to visit him earlier."

"I can't say that I have seen the fellow. Perhaps one of the other Princes would be of more help."

"I intend to ask. Thank you."

Asmodeus bowed. "Enjoy your evening, your majesty." He said, before turning and walking away.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Please do, your majesty."

Percy rolled his eyes. "No one listens to me pleas for them to call me by my name. I've long since stopped bothering."

"I listened, Percy."

He smiled. "Thank you."

"Who's Aeshma?"

"She's a succubus I rescued from Azazel's castle. He was abusing her."

They turned away from the table to see a band setting up on stage, in front of Percy's throne. They seemed to be mortals, dressed in fine suits. Chains hung from their hands and necks, bolted to the ground. One had a banjo, another a harmonica, and another a bass guitar. They began to warm up, the sound filling the room.

A demon walked up to them, breaking the pair's attention from the band. "The Queen, I presume?"

Percy recognized the demon from earlier, the one arguing with Mephistopheles. Artemis nodded to his question.

"If I may, I have some questions regarding the installation of your throne, this won't take but a moment."

Artemis waved for Percy to go on. He nodded and started to walk away, the sound of the demon's voice asking questions about what material the throne was to be made of fading away behind him.

He felt a hand tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Aeshma, wearing a low cut red dress. She bowed before him. "My Lord. I wanted to thank you for rescuing me, and to… repay you." She gently grabbed the fabric covering her breasts and began to pull it back, before Percy quickly stopped her, his cheeks burning red.

"There is no need. You are welcome, and I am glad you are safe."

"Are you… are you sure? Are you worried I am traumatized from Azazel, I assure you, I am—"

"I am sure, Aeshma. Please, enjoy the party." Percy said, before turning around and walking away. He spotted Mammon and Beelzebub standing along the wall, the pair making an odd sight.

Percy walked up to them, catching them in the middle of their conversation. "-Will sing your ballad."

Beelzebub made a buzzing sound in response.

"It's the only song they play well." Mammon's eyes shifted to Percy as he walked up. The Prince of Greed bowed, while Beelzebub bowed his head as best he could, being a fly and all. "Lord Perseus, how are you enjoying the party? What do you think of the decorations? We spared every expense."

"You can definitely tell. Hey, you two wouldn't happen to know where Rastr went, would you?"

"Who?'

"The spider demon tailor that lived in the castle."

"I don't even know the dude." Mammon turned to Beelzebub. "Do you Belbz?"Beelzebub made a buzzing noise, and Mammon turned back to Percy. "There you have it."

"I can't understand him. What did he say?"

"He said he also doesn't know who you are talking about. Did this Rastr ever leave the castle?"

"I don't know." Percy said. "Shit. Okay, thank you both. Enjoy the party."

"You as well, Your Majesty."

Beelzebub made another buzzing noise, seemingly in agreement.

Percy turned away. The more Princes he talked to, the more likely it was that Rastr left to the surface. He sighed.

"You okay?" Artemis asked as she walked up to him.

"Yeah. No one has information on Rastr."

"I am sorry."

"Why, it's not your fault."

Through the crowd, Percy saw the demon the ball was for, Moloch. He was making his way through the crowd, coming towards the King and Queen. He reached them and bowed before Percy. "Lord Perseus."

"Prince Moloch. How are you enjoying the party?"

"It is definitely a party. Who is this?" He asked, gesturing at Artemis.

"This is Artemis, the Queen."

Moloch bowed to her. "My apologies, your majesty. I should have bowed."

She waved her hand. "You did not know, and I am not one for formalities, much like my… husband."

"Was there something you wanted, Moloch?"

"Yes. I wanted to know if you would speak to the guests."

"I'm talking to them, yes."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "He means a speech, Percy. He wants you to give a speech to them."

"Oh. Yeah, okay, I'll do that then." He turned to Moloch. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to know a spider demon named Rastr?"

"Can't say I have, sorry."

Percy sighed. "Thank you. I'll go give that speech now."

Moloch nodded and walked away, leaving Percy and Artemis on their own. As Percy began to walk to the table with the wine, Artemis said, as she followed him, "I thought that was a minotaur for a minute there."

Percy chuckled. "I did too, when I first met him. If it wasn't for the fact that the Minotaur is a lot more muscular, I might've fought him." They reached the table and he grabbed a wine glass. He offered it to Artemis. "Could you?"

The wine in the glass turned into clear water. "Thank you. Wish me luck."

"You will do good. That speech you gave at our wedding was good. I heard a rumor you made it up on the spot?"

"For the most part, yeah. I just couldn't figure out what to say." He walked up onto the stage, where the band was still warming up, and held the glass up. He unsheathed his knife as the attendants began to quiet themselves, their curiosity drawing their attention to the stage. He tapped the glass with the knife, quieting the rest of the partygoers, the dings ringing through the hall.

"Hell-Dwellers," Percy began. "We recently suffered a betrayal that cut deep. The Prince of Pride, Azazel was working with Heaven." At the mention of the Silver City, many demons growled, many of them having fallen from grace. "I know, it was a deep cut. But with Azazel now gone, dispatched by my hand, we can put this betrayal behind us. The first step to do this is to crown a new Prince, and my demons, am I happy to announce Moloch for the job. I have every faith he will be a better Prince than Azazel ever was, and may he lead the Pride Ring into a new glorious future. To Moloch!" He lifted his glass to his lips and took a drink.

"To Moloch!" The sentiment echoed through the crowd, as gallons of wine were consumed in agreement. The demons that were close to Moloch congratulated him, which he accepted with humility.

Percy walked down the steps, to Artemis, who was clapping softly. "Very nice."

"Was it? I didn't feel great about it. Always hated public speaking."

"They seem to have enjoyed it." She gestured around. The demons had gone back to what they were doing before, talking, eating, and whatnot.

The band finally began to play some music. Many demons took to the center and began to dance. They were in the center, surrounded by dancing demons. Percy glanced at Artemis, before stretching out his hand. "May I have this dance, Goddess?"

Artemis tilted her head, much like a wolf, before she accepted his hand. It was all she could do to hide the way her spine shivered when he said 'goddess' the way he did. "You may. Do you need me to lead again?"

"Please."

Artemis took his right hand and placed it on her waist. She took his other hand into hers and held it out. She put her left hand on his shoulders. Together, they started to rock back and forth to the beat. She smiled at him, not that he saw, he was too busy looking down to make sure that he wasn't stepping on her feet.

She squeezed his hand, causing him to look up. "Relax, Percy." She said softly. "You are doing great."

The rhythm became more natural as Artemis led them. "Think you can twirl?"

"We can try."

Artemis took a step back and held his right arm up with her left. She guided him through the turning, before she grabbed his free hand, bringing them back to their starting position. "How was that?" She asked.

"It was good. I didn't mess up, did I?"

"No, Percy, you did not mess up."

They continued to dance for a while, enjoying each other's company. A little while later, Percy yawned.

"Tired?" Artemis asked.

Percy nodded as he finished his yawn. "I haven't slept in a while."

Artemis stopped dancing. "Come on. Let's get you to sleep. Do you have a room here?"

He nodded once more. His eyes were starting to droop, exhaustion finally catching up to him. After defeating Azazel, going to Heaven, walking with Artemis, and finally, the ball, he needed rest. His body was crashing. The fact that it went as long as it did was a testament to his will.

Artemis led him through the crowd as Percy gave her directions. She saw Mephistopheles near the doorway Percy told her to go through.

"Lady Artemis." He bowed.

"Mephistopheles." She nodded back. "Percy is tired, I am taking him to his room."

Mephistopheles stepped aside. "Of course. I wish him well. Do you know where his room is?"

"He's leading me."

Mephistopheles took a glance at Percy before saying, "It's at the top of the stairs over there." He gestured to the spiral staircase across the room. "Can't miss it."

"Thank you, Mephistopheles."

Percy slumped against her, his eyes closed now. She shifted her arm to wrap around his shoulders, holding him up. She sighed before swinging her other arm under his legs and picking him up. It wasn't the first time she carried him to a bed.

She walked up the stairs, past a closed door, and up to the top. Had she not have been a goddess, she would have been tired by the time she reached the top. She opened the door, and entered his room. It was large and mostly empty, a stark difference from his room at his mom's apartment.

She carried him to the bed and laid him down on the mattress. She glanced at his shoes and decided to take them off. She pulled the dress shoes off and placed them at the foot of the bed.

Percy shifted in the bed. "Artemis?" He muttered almost incoherently.

"Yes?"

"Are… you… are you leaving?"

"Do you want me to?"

"...no."

"Then I will not leave you."

She walked around the side of the bed before glancing at Percy. It could not have been comfortable in that suit. She snapped her fingers, leaving him in an undershirt and slacks. She changed her own outfit to something simple as well. She sighed, before getting into the bed. Percy shifted beside her, radiating warmth.

They both had good dreams that night.

A/N. Sorry this chapter took so long. My birthday was monday, I'm now 19, so I'm fucking old. I also got Elden Ring, and man, that game is fucking hard.

Thoughts?