AN: Don't I just have the greatest streak when it comes to terrible chapters? Although all in all I think this one is a very strong contender for first spot.
Also it's like ridiculous levels of drama, especially at the start.
Percy
Gods, Reyna put me on edge.
Doesn't help that she and your brother are always together. It's like they're held together by some sort of invisible string. I groused to myself.
I was still fuming by the time I arrived at the willow tree, my thoughts clouded with uneasiness pertaining to the future.
For once I arrived before Artemis, and I took the opportunity to lean backwards against the tree, closing my eyes as I emptied my head of its thoughts, focusing only on the sounds around me, the birds chirping, the leaves rustling.
My eyes snapped open once again, feeling someone brushing against me as they sat down beside me.
'You seem tired.' Artemis commented.
She was wearing mortal clothes, a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, with plain white sneakers to boot.
I suddenly felt a lot more underdressed, still wearing my workout shorts and t-shirt back from my spar with Theo.
'I am.' I responded.
We lapsed into silence once again, my thoughts once again mildly preoccupied with strategies I would pitch at the next Legion command meeting.
Artemis fidgeted wordlessly with her hands, twisting them feverishly in her lap.
'I wanted to ask you something.' Artemis began.
I snapped out of my reverie, looking back over to Artemis.
'Did something happen?' I asked, starting to become a bit worried at her face, recognising the telltale signs of nervousness.
'Something like that.' Artemis responded.
She shifted her body so she was facing me, staring me straight in the eyes.
'Apollo visited me today.' She said.
I froze, my eyes widening by a fraction, but enough for Artemis to realise.
'What did he tell you?' I asked cautiously.
'He told me about your ability.' She confirmed.
'Shit.' I muttered, looking away.
'Perseus. Look at me.' Artemis said, taking my hand in her own.
Reluctantly, I faced her again.
Gods, Her eyes really were beautiful.
'I promise I'm not angry. Just worried for you.' Artemis smiled encouragingly.
I sighed deeply, unsure if I was truly prepared to explain this. 'I've only used it twice before. The latest with Apollo today, and the first time during the Legion's expeditions into the labyrinth during the second titan war.' I began.
'It wasn't a conscious decision, more a reaction. A hellhound had ambushed myself and Reyna. I couldn't think of any other way to stop it in that moment, it was already so close to her, I couldn't risk summoning water without hurting Reyna, so I just… Snapped, I guess. Lost control. It was horrifying. I've tried to bury it as well as I could since then.'
Artemis listened patiently, never interrupting me or reacting to anything I said, the same serene, yet pensive expression I had seen so many times before.
'You are ashamed of it?' She asked.
'Of course. That sort of power, it's unnatural. I don't know why I have it in the first place.' I responded immediately.
'You shouldn't try to repress it.' Artemis shook her head.
'It's just… Everybody who knew about this power up until now was so scared of me.' I grimaced. 'I'd always been feared, but seeing that terror in people's eyes, I'd never seen anything like it.'
Artemis leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss on my lips. 'They simply fear what they do not understand.'
'And you're okay with it?' I asked.
That was it, the question that scared me most of all.
Artemis pondered it, staring down at where her hand and mine were intertwined. 'Yes. If anything, it's comforting. I don't want anything to happen to you, and, well, we are at war.' She explained.
I gave her hand a comforting squeeze.
Artemis shot me an appreciative smile. 'Other people know about this?' She asked.
My face darkened, memories coming back to me. 'Yes. My squad, Reyna's and Jason's. They all witnessed it. All in all, around seventeen people.'
Artemis frowned. 'And they have all kept quiet about this? From what you've told me New Rome doesn't seem like the most tolerant of places.'
I sighed sadly. 'Only me, Reyna and Jason are still alive. None of the others even survived the trip out the labyrinth.'
'I'm sorry.'
'Don't be. I wasn't close to any of them.' There was no malice behind my words, but I wouldn't pretend I felt particularly sorry for any of them. They had simply… Been there.
'Reyna and Jason didn't tell anybody?'
'She wouldn't dare. Things were never the same after that day. She fears me, of what I might do, to her or other, with this power. Jason and I were close. He wouldn't betray me.' I explained bitterly.
Artemis made a face. 'Gods, she sounds like a terrible friend.'
'She was a good friend. Just mistrusting. Like you said, afraid of what she couldn't understand.' I explained resignedly.
Artemis leaned in again, this time kissing me for much longer. When we both finally broke apart for air, Artemis leaned her forehead against mine.
'They're idiots. All of them.'
I stared her straight in the eyes.
'There's no way you aren't even slightly scared.' I decided.
'Did Apollo tell you the full story? Of what happened? Because he was terrified. I could see it in his eyes. I doubt he ever felt that helpless in his life, completely immobilised like that.' I took a deep, shuddering breath. 'He had called a senate meeting, which none of us were aware of. When we were all there, well, all of New Rome's leadership conveniently gathered in one place by an unknown third party, I was suspicious. And then, this blinding light begins to shine in the middle of the chamber, and I assume it must be Gaia or one of her lackeys, ready to take us all out, throw New Rome into chaos.'
I shut my eyes, reliving the feeling of clamping down on the liquid in and around Apollo's body. 'I couldn't fight whatever monster Gaia had sent, so I used the only thing I knew might be able to neutralise something that powerful without killing everybody in the room. By the time I recognised who it was, it was too late.'
Artemis placed a hand on my cheek. 'It was the only thing you could do, Perseus. You are only human. You can't always protect everybody, and definitely not the way you want to.' She smiled wryly. 'And for what it's worth, I'm not scared of you. Remember, I've seen you hunt. Nothing you could do could ever make me fear you after watching you trip over the same root three times in a row.'
I smiled openly at her words, remembering how she had been doubled over in laughter, and being so happy to see her smile that I didn't ever mind the small collection of bruises I had gained from falling over so much.
This time, I leaned forward, capturing her lips in mine with a newfound passion.
Gods, she really was too good for me.
I may have been a mortal, but somehow I'd had an incredible stroke of luck, and I would make the most of it, while it lasted.
A soft crack emanated from the willow tree, and I glanced around, seeing a small bird flying away from the tree.
Somehow, during the makeout, we had somehow ended up with Artemis lying beside me in the grass, pressed up against my side while I had brought an arm around her shoulders, her head resting on my cheat, head angled upwards while mine dipped down, never breaking apart except for the briefest of moments, and I dreaded the moment when we would finally have to break apart again.
Yes, she was a goddess, and maybe there was no possible happy ending for this, but I'd be damned if I didn't make the most of it while it lasted.
I stared down at her, taking in her hair, her eyes, her face, her lips, her laugh, her voice, feeling so completely at ease.
After all, I reasoned, how could I ever love anybody else after her?
XIXI
Percy
I yawned discreetly, checking my watch.
I cursed myself for not asking Artemis what time she and her hunters would be arriving today, as I waited around with the entourage prepared to welcome our new allies to New Rome.
'I can't believe it. Greek gods. Real. Greek. Gods.' Leila was practically jumping up and down in excitement, to my left, where she stood next to Michael Kahale.
'They're exactly like our gods.' Michael deadpanned. 'Literally. Just ours are named after little rocks in the sky.'
Leila rolled her eyes. 'Seriously? You're not even a tiny bit excited to make contact with a different pantheon? Imagine how interesting it will be.'
Michael shrugged. 'We'll see.' Was all he said.
The Caldecott tunnel was as dark and foreboding as it always had been, still as dank and abandoned as always.
It had been decided that if the hunters were coming to New Rome, this was the most likely entrance to be used, although runners and scouts had been placed on lookout all around the city, and the entire legion was readily mustered for the welcome, to put our military might on display for the first true envoy of the Greek world.
Reyna stepped forward in front of the rest of us, turning to face the entourage.
'Alright team, remember, we're accommodating our allies during a time of war. That means I want the utmost respect and best behaviour out of all of you. Especially the men.' She cast a few cursory glances into the crowd at a couple of guys I recognised as fairly well known troublemakers within some of the higher circles of New Roman aristocracy. 'I assume I don't need to explain why?'
A few grumbles were heard from the crowd.
Reyna walked back to where Theo and I stood at the centre of the group.
Theseus gave a thumbs up, to which she smiled, before turning to me. 'Please don't aggravate the goddess.' Was all she said.
'Aww. I'm touched Reyna, truly. I didn't know you cared so much.' I said mockingly.
The sharp cry of a horn was suddenly heard from within the tunnel, and the entourage around me straightened up instinctively, ready to welcome our new allies.
'Ugh, I'm not ready for this.' Theo muttered from beside me, adjusting his toga so that it covered as much as possible. 'Just my luck today would be so cold. The fog is not helping the humidity.'
I smirked. 'What, scared of the man-hating goddess?'
'I mean, yeah. I've only met her like twice before, but she's terrifying. She once almost turned me into a jackalope for questioning a decision she made, and trying to help a girl who was going to join her group, and she's got an intensity behind her I didn't expect from a twelve year old.' Theo explained. 'You should be careful with what you say, she and her group are pretty harsh, and they won't hesitate to try and humiliate you for being a guy.'
I had to bite my tongue to avoid laughing, thinking back to some of my earlier interactions with Artemis, before what he said truly registered.
'Wait, did you say a twelve-year-old?'
At that moment, a silver glint caught my eye, and I glanced back to the Caldecott tunnel to see figures beginning to emerge from the fog.
Bows and quivers sticking out from behind their backs made them easy to recognise as they began to emerge from the fog, their features only barely visible.
But I only had eyes for one person as my eyes searched through the crowd, scanning the faces until I finally found the one I was looking for.
Eventually I found her, finding her similarly looking through all the faces, before finally stopping on mine, shooting me a miniscule smile before resuming her stoic façade, as she strode forward, flanked by the rest of her hunters as she came to stop before myself, Theseus and Reyna beside him.
Reyna stepped forward, confident with a speech she had undoubtedly probably already committed to memory.
'Greetings, Lady Artemis, New Rome extends its most heartfelt welcome to yourself and your hunters. I am Praetor Reyna, daughter of Bellona.' She bowed slightly, as the rest of the party did the same, dropping their eyes to the ground reverently.
I also followed through with the motion, painfully aware of the eyes of the hunters on myself and the rest of the group.
'This is-' Reyna made to continue, gesturing towards Theo, before Artemis interrupted her.
'Theseus Jackson.' She stated with a monotone voice. 'Hero of Olympus. We have already been acquainted.'
Theo wasn't lying when he said he knew her. I mused.
Theo bowed again, out of respect or fear, I didn't know.
Perhaps both.
'M'lady.' He said.
Artemis turned to me. Reyna had seemingly given up with decorum at this point, as she made no effort to try and introduce me.
'And you are?' Artemis prompted with a raised eyebrow.
'Praetor Jackson, son of Neptune, Perditor of the first cohort.' I answered. Both of us know this was a farce, but I wouldn't miss the opportunity to make a, if not good, at least imposing first impression on her hunters.
'The destroyer? How very dramatic.' Artemis commented carelessly. She turned back to Reyna. 'Girl, will you show my hunters where they will be staying? We have travelled far to arrive here, and they need somewhere to store their equipment.'
Reyna froze for a second, confusion written all over her face.
'Yes, we have a handler who can show them-' Reyna began, only to be cut off once again by Artemis.
'My girls deserve only the best attention. You shall do just fine.' She motioned to a girl to her right with spiky black hair and a silver tiara in her hair. She had a death to barbie t-shirt on, with a distinct alt girl vibe. I felt tense as I laid eyes on her, a sense of unease permeating in my chest.
'This is my lieutenant, Thalia. I expect you to also show her where my hunters can train, as well as other needs.' Artemis said haughtily, leaving no room for discussion.
Reyna had no other choice but to simply nod, shooting me a look which distinctly said don't fuck this up.
I felt more than saw Theo tense beside me, and I realised absent-mindedly that he was glaring daggers at Artemis when she wasn't looking.
I was rather confused throughout these strange interactions, noticing that Artemis was much more callous towards the rest of my people in public.
Theo wasn't kidding when he said she was hardcore. I mused.
It did confuse me, however, as I didn't recall Artemis ever treating me this coldly, even at the beginning of our quest.
Once Reyna had left with the newly-identified Thalia and the rest of the hunters, Artemis turned back to me.
'Well, Perditor, I understand you are to show me your city now?'
As I led Artemis and the rest of the entourage away, Larry's whispered words summed up what I assumed were all the present's thoughts.
'What the shit just happened?'
AN:
I honestly wasn't expecting to finish another chapter so soon, but her we are.
My life is still as fucked as before, so yeah, I have that going for me, but I'm still writing and I'm hoping to pump out as many chapters as possible before the next school year starts.
Reviews:
fugy: I laughed so hard when I first read this, I didn't think anybody would catch on to that quite so soon, so congrats. Hope it was all up to scratch.
7MOONS: Hey bud, how's it going? Things are alright over on my end. FInally got back into writing, so starting to do better, thanks for asking.
Happy to hear that I'm writing Artemis's emotions well, you're right, definitely what I was going for, especially trying to show the contrast between what Percy thinks of himself, as well as Artemis, compared to Reyna, who's known him longer. None are strictly accurate, but that's the beauty of perspective. It allows for more three-dimensional characters, in my opinion. I'm pretty proud I was able to pull it off somewhat.
So, when you say painting percy as ruthless killer and someone who plays with other people's emotions, I assume you're referring to what Reyna mentioned to Theo. So, here's the thing. Percy isn't a bad person, per say. But, nonetheless, there is still some truth to what Reyna is saying. Percy is ignorant. He can be very cold and callous to his friends at times, very isolated. The point I tried to make with his squad's mortality rate is that he still functions pretty normally as a person despite all this bloodshed, which arguably is his fault. Even he himself says it in this chapter. He regrets that they died, but he didn't particularly care. So uhhhhh yeah. Wow really got a bit carried away there lol.
So, about the trident. Percy lied. He plain lied. Okay, well now that I think about it, he doesn't technically lie, but it's lying by omission, so same thing. He doesn't have a patron, and doesn't know who gave him the trident. I already know who did, and have it all planned out, and I promise you it's not Chaos. She's definitely not making an appearance in this fic, even if I'm held at gunpoint, I can promise you that much.
Also, just because I'm paranoid, you are reading this, right? I mainly write these for me, because, well, I enjoy responding to people who take the time out of their day to interact with me, regardless of whether they actually read it or not, but you actually consistently ask questions and review, so I just wanted to make sure you're actually getting my answers.
And that's about it folks.
See yous soon hopefully.
Slán, Murph.
