Um…Hi…Whats poppin….Im alive LOL
Without further ado, Enjoy the very very delayed chapter, I'll talk to yall after :)
Chapter 10
(Artemis pov)
I don't like this. It has been a month since we almost lost to Gaia, and Perseus and Bryan have been training nonstop. Now, I have been training daily as well, but the way they have been pushing themselves is bothering me. I understand training, but they have been doing duels every day and actually hurting each other. Their mindset has been that since they're on Olympus and they can get healed by Apollo, they can fight until they nearly are dead and then get healed, just to go and do it again. There's so much wrong with what they do, but what can I do about it? They are just stubborn boys, of course.
I walked into the training grounds and instantly got blown back into a wall by a blast of power. Damn, I groaned as I rubbed my back, looking up to see Perseus and Bryan locked into a fight. Perseus was being pushed into the ground by Bryan's gravity, Bryan was glowing with a purple aura as he pushed his brother into the ground. Perseus was trying to walk through it, and each of his failed steps shook the training ground, as he pushed his leg up, only for it to be thrown back down violently by Bryan. The ground cracked under the pressure, as Perseus' muscles strained against Bryan's will. Both brothers had ichor running down their bodies, their shirts were torn and their cuts were glowing gold as they forced themselves to push their abilities past their boundaries of strength.
This cannot continue, it is not good for them. I was about to separate them, but Perseus started glowing golden. He formed a time barrier around himself and surrounded himself in hellfire, the purple glow pushing against the time barrier, the pressure slowly increasing, forming a bomb of hellfire ready to explode outward. I realized what was about to happen, and I started to run back, trying to cover myself, as Perseus removed the time barrier and the explosion of hellfire threw me through the entrance of the training ground once again. 'Damn you, Perseus' I thought to myself as I groaned into the ground, slowly picking myself up, rubbing my slight burns. These stupid boys are going to destroy all of Olympus one day.
I ran back in, to find that the explosion had broken the gravity hold Bryan had on Perseus, and the two brothers were back to fighting each other with their weapons, the sound of blades hitting each other loud as they fought at a pace that was nearly impossible to follow, their movements a blur as they sparred. I watched as Perseus missed a swing with his sword, leaving an opening, and Bryan's spear cut through Perseus's chest. Golden ichor splashed out from the wound, and Perseus fell back, wincing and breathing heavily as he clutched his chest. Bryan pressed his spear to Perseus' neck, officially ending the spar.
"Good fight man," Perseus wheezed, as Bryan lifted him back to his feet, also breathing heavily.
"You alright?" Bryan asked, looking over the large wound on Perseus' chest with a bit of guilt, "Sorry for that one,"
"Nah man," Perseus wheezed, "You're good. It was a good hit. I'll be fine, sorry about that burn," He pointed, gesturing toward the hellfire burn covering Bryan's arm.
Bryan laughed lightly, and both brothers turned toward the entrance and froze when they saw me, fear and a little guilt etched across their features as they stood like deer in headlights.
"Uh…hi Artemis," Bryan said lightly, clutching a cut across his arm. "How long have you been here?"
"Long enough," I replied coldly, my face no doubt relaying my annoyance and worry at the level of punishment both brothers were inflicting on one another. "You guys are so stupid."
I knew that this had to stop, and I didn't know how to stop it. These stubborn boys don't listen to anyone, the only person who can get to them is -. I froze. That was it, I had to get them to their mother. I turned to leave the training arena, and I paused, turning back to them. "Come with me," I said to the two brothers, who had fallen silent behind me.
I must have sounded even angrier than I thought, because neither brother argued or joked as they normally would have, and followed me quietly, shuffling their feet across the sand of the training arena. I could hear their occasional groans as they rubbed the cuts covering their bodies, the number of cuts probably ranged in the hundreds, and the pain was probably nearly unbearable as they walked with me toward the palace of their mother. Serves them right for being such idiots. As Hestia's palace came into view, the brothers realized where we were headed, and both froze in place.
"Arty, please, our mom doesn't know we've been sparring like this, and we don't want to worry her," Perseus quietly begged.
"Don't call me Arty," I snapped, more harshly than I intended, "And besides, why would you intentionally do something that would worry your mother? Then you want to hide it? Some gods of loyalty you are." My annoyance was reaching a peak as I continued to lead them to their mother. Part of me almost found it funny, that these powerful gods who may be the best fighters on Olympus were scared of facing their mother like toddlers who just broke something in the house. Of course, nothing about the situation was actually humorous at all.
"Why are you so mad at us, Arty," Perseus whispered, grabbing my shoulder lightly, turning me towards him.
Seeing the ichor covering both their bodies and the countless cuts across their arms, faces, and chests, my anger rose again. Truthfully, I wasn't sure why I was as angry as I was at that moment; all I knew was that I was about to snap. I roughly pushed Perseus' arm off my shoulder.
"Because, you insufferable dimwit, you two keep pushing yourselves too far. Every day I…-we see you guys killing each other, you take no breaks and keep fighting all day, and by the time the day ends, you are both so tired you instantly fall asleep. You really think that nearly killing yourselves is the best way for you to get stronger?" I snapped, as a guilty look took over both of their faces
"We almost lo-" Bryan started, but I interrupted him.
"I don't care that we almost lost. We have to get stronger but this is not the way to do it, I don't understand why you keep hurting each other so badly. You guys are forcing Apollo to heal you both, and that leaves him exhausted as well, having to apply magic to all of your injuries every day. And not only that, but Bryan, you've been completely neglecting Athena, who mind you, is worried out of her mind for you, but you just don't have time for her because you're so busy being an idiot male." I practically yelled
Looking back, I don't know why I got so heated. Perhaps it was a byproduct of my frustration with my own failure against Gaia, maybe the stress of the incoming war clouded my judgment, or perhaps I was just worried about my best friends who kept hurting each other. I do not know, but I know that when Perseus opened his mouth to answer, I snapped further.
"No, don't say anything Perseus, you're so stupid. I'd thought that after all this time you'd make some thought-out decisions, but it looks like just like before with Lupis, you're acting like every other male out there by just doing whatever you think is right without actually thinking. I can't believe I thought you learned from your mistakes." I blurted out, and immediately regretted my words as Perseus' eyes hardened at the mention of the…incident, that I swore to never bring up again. He looked down, guilt radiating from his very figure, while Bryan glared at me, his eyes glowing with a purple hue.
"What did you just say?" he growled, power and anger radiating from his aura as I instantly backtracked my statement.
"...I'm sorry...I wasn't thinking," I muttered, looking away from the now angry Bryan.
"I'm sure you weren't Artemis" he spat, his hands closed in shaking fists, "you always have been prejudiced, assuming the worst of us men, not once giving us the benefit of doubt. Even Percy isn't safe from it, and he's supposed to be your best friend. You complain about us hurting each other, but you didn't hesitate to hurt him more just now than we've been hurting each other. You're a hypocrite."
I was about to defend myself, my pride wounded by his words, but as I opened my mouth, Perseus turned and walked away from us, ichor dripping from his wounds. Bryan and I watched him leave, and Bryan sighed, his anger vanquished at the sight of his brother walking away, his head down.
"You're gonna have to apologize to Percy, you know how he feels about the Lupis incident and how much he hates himself for it. As much as you can say we're failing as gods of loyalty we still are just that, Gods of loyalty. Perseus' loyalty to us and you are unmatched, and because of that, when we hurt him, he hurts a lot more. Especially you." Bryan said, then walked away.
Especially me? I thought, but decided it didn't matter. I completely forgot that I was going to take them to Hestia, and I forgot my anger at their actions, as I stood there thinking about his words and the ones that I had spat at Percy. I felt guilt run through my veins, and I flashed myself back to my palace, tears slowly leaving my eyes.
Meanwhile, the 3 fates sat together, watching over the gods' altercation with solemn faces. Their fingers weave the threads of fate, and in particular, the red and silver threads of Perseus and Artemis.
"We warned them that their fatal flaws would be targeted and used against them, and it turns out that just by fighting them once, Gaia achieved just that," Clotho murmured.
"These Olympians are so volatile, they fight over everything," Atropos said, shaking her head, "They act like children."
"If they do not solve these meaningless problems soon, all of Olympus may fall," Lachesis finished, as the fates continued to weave in silence.
(Percy POV)
After Apollo healed me, and gave me another lecture about how mine and Bryan's training wasn't good for us, 'You'd think they'd give up eventually? Guess not.' I grumbled to myself as I went back to my palace, plopping down on my bed and groaning, my entire body aching as Apollo's magic healed me slowly. Midnight ran up to me, resting his head on my chest as I lay there, silently staring at the ceiling above my bed.
"Hey bud, you okay?" I whispered, rubbing his forehead affectionately, as he warbled in response.
'I'm great boss, the question is, are you okay? You don't look or sound good.' he responded in my mind, lifting his neck from my chest to tilt his head at me. His black fur brushed against me as his bright blue eyes bored into me.
I sighed, I didn't know anymore. I thought I was okay, but the more I think about it the more I don't think I am. Then again, is anyone really okay right now? There's a war coming up where we have to fight 3 primordials. You don't have to be a battle genius to know that those are bad odds.
"I don't know bud, everyone seems to think that me and Bryan are pushing each other too far, but they don't understand how powerless Gaia made us feel," I said, "Forget the fact that she's only 1 out of 3 primordials that we're going to have to fight. Add to that the…things going on with us right now and it isn't the best,"
My hands rubbed his forehead absentmindedly, as I tried not to think about everything going on at the moment, while Midnight continued to question my solemn mood.
'What about Lady Artemis? She was there with you when you fought Gaia, what does she think?' Midnight asked, rubbing against my hand as he sat on my bed.
I winced, trying not to think about Artemis' reaction to this whole thing. Remembering her snapping at me an hour ago still felt fresh in my heart and made me feel horrible. I want to crawl into a hole and disappear, maybe that'd be easier.
"She doesn't like it. She got mad at me today, I don't know why she got so angry but she did…she said some things that hurt pretty bad too." I whispered, "Add that to everything else, and that's why I'm, well, fucked right now,"
Midnight, bless his soul, understood and said nothing, just licked my face, and we went back to laying in silence next to me. I didn't want to think about what Artemis said, but now it was back at the forefront of my mind. Admittedly, Midnight, my sacred wolf, being next to me didn't particularly help me avoid my memories. The incident, which I still think is one of my worst mistakes ever, and the thing we swore never to bring up ever again, was now brought up again against me in an argument. Mortals talk a lot about not trusting people for this exact reason, because mortals betray each other's loyalty all the time. I'm a god of loyalty, and I feel all of it, so maybe it'd be better for me to not trust anyone so easily anymore.
I suppose it's my fatal flaw again, my attachment to those around me not allowing me to distance myself, not letting myself stop every one of their words from hurting me deeper than a battle wound ever could. Or maybe it's because deep down I care for Artemis more than I should, and anything she says gets amplified hundreds of times in my heart. Constantly reliving her words, her angry expression, and her cold demeanor, it all takes me back to the day I made my worst mistake ever.
(start flashback)
I was walking through the forest near Camp Half-blood when I heard the sounds of a scuffle in the forest. Intrigued, I decided that I would see what it was. I ran towards the sound, and my eyes opened wide in shock as I saw Artemis fighting against a pack of wolves. She was running around, jumping off of the trunks of trees, shooting arrows into the wolves, after which the wolves would disappear.
As she eliminated the last wolf, she stopped, putting her bow away and pulling out her dagger. A larger wolf stepped out of the shadows, it had white fur and blue eyes, it stood about 5 feet tall on its shoulder, and it looked about 10 feet from nose to tail. It squared off with Artemis, like a predator circling its prey, it stalked Artemis. I stayed hidden and quiet, not wanting to mess with this creature unless I really had to…Artemis doesn't appreciate people stealing her kills…I've done it before, didn't end that great. So I sat and watched. The wolf finally made its move, jumping towards Artemis with extreme speed as she barely dodged.
'Whoa,' I thought, watching the wolf move. 'That's not normal'
As I continued to watch, the wolf continued to move faster and faster, leaving Artemis reeling trying to avoid its attacks further. This wolf certainly wasn't any ordinary feline. It was far too powerful to be any normal monster. I started to get worried, as Artemis stumbled against the speed of the wolf. She made a wild swing with her dagger, and instantly I saw her mistake. The swing had left her side completely exposed, and the wolf saw this too. It swung its claws directly at her side. I couldn't sit and do nothing as I saw this.
I jumped out, blasting fire straight at the wolf, violently knocking it off of Artemis, and I pulled my sword out, jumping toward the wolf.
"What the…Perseus NO!" Artemis screamed, but I didn't process her words, stabbing my sword straight through the heart of the wolf.
"PERSEUS!" Artemis screamed, jumping towards me, and throwing me off the wolf. "APOLLO" she called, tears starting to drop from her eyes.
Her brother appeared, and instantly dropped down, teleporting himself and the wolf away with a solemn look on his face. I was on the floor on the side, wheezing from her hit which knocked the wind out of me.
"PERSEUS WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" she screamed at me.
"...wha…It was about to kill you, I'm sorry for stealing your kill I wanted to help you," I argued confused at her outburst
"No, Perseus, it wasn't going to kill me, do you not know who that wolf was?" she hissed
"Uh….no?" I said, cluelessly. Part of me knew something was wrong, because Artemis wouldn't be reacting so violently if I hadn't screwed up somehow.
"It was my sacred wolf, Lupis, an ancestor of the goddess Lupa," she growled
Oh shit…I realized my mistake quickly. "Wait but then what was going on just now…" I started asking, my heart beating roughly in my chest as I processed what was going on.
"A training session you imbecile, I was practicing my close combat against Lupis because she actually can overpower me, and she has the unpredictable nature of monsters. It's the best way for me to train. Now, because of you, she might die. You better hope that Apollo can heal her." she snapped
I stared in shock, her words burning my soul. Guilt flooded through every ounce of my being. I had harmed Artemis' sacred wolf, who was trying to train with her, and I am the reason she may die. I had no words, what could I have even said? Artemis violently wiped her tears away, and flashed away, leaving me alone, still staring at nothing in shock, trying to process what I'd done.
(end flashback,)
The next day I found out that Lupis didn't make it, that my stab wound to her heart was untreatable. I have never felt worse than I felt that day. Midnight, my sacred wolf, was so important to me, I don't know how I would feel if he died. I tried to apologize to Artemis, I may have said "I'm sorry" a million times, but my words were worthless. She didn't speak to me for a month and was cold to me the entire month after that, keeping our interactions to a bare minimum. Really when I think about it, I may have gotten lucky because goddesses can keep grudges for far longer than Artemis did. I guess our friendship helped her see things from my point of view better, and I thought she'd forgiven me by now, but apparently not. Guilt still floods through me every time I think about it, even 500 years later, maybe it's because of my loyalty. I guess I have to live with what I've done for the rest of time, because you don't just get to forget about a mistake like that, when you do it to your best friend.
(Hestia POV)
Olympus has been in full war preparation mode, ever since Bryan, Perseus, and Artemis fought against Gaia, everyone has been on high alert, making sure we are ready for an attack at any time. That has been mirrored in Camp Half-blood, the demigods were also preparing for battle. Through all of this, I've been the most worried about my children. They want to act like they haven't been affected by their battle, but as their mother, and as the goddess of the hearth, I can see through them every single time they say something, I just hadn't prodded them, until now.
It first started with me finding ichor at the foot of my palace, right after I could've sworn I felt Perseus and Bryan's presence outside. Then when Athena came over for dinner one day and mentioned that she hadn't been able to spend time with Bryan because he was always training. That was certainly not expected, because if he was okay, he'd make sure to spend time with Athena no matter what, and avoiding her isn't like my son. The last straw for me was when Artemis came to me and told me I needed to talk to my sons. She didn't tell me why and said that it was their job to tell me what had been going on. Not that I didn't have my own suspicions, but their words just gave me all the more motivation to find out what was going on with them. I wouldn't take no for an answer.
So when they finally came to eat dinner with me for the first time a week later, I knew I had to have a conversation with them. We sat around the table, Perseus and Bryan eating their steak, but not with the same energy they usually have. Their moods were subdued, and they were quiet, not cracking jokes as they usually would.
"So…when will you both come clean to me about what you've been doing?" I stated simply, staring at them
The effect was instantaneous. Perseus coughed, almost choking on his bite of steak, and Bryan stared straight at his food, refusing to look up. That was all the proof I needed, something was definitely wrong. The question is, what.
"I asked you both a question, I expect an answer," I said again, slightly more forcefully
Neither of my sons answered originally, but eventually after some silence Perseus spoke up. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mom," he said, taking another bite of food, refusing to meet my eyes. I looked at Bryan, who still hadn't looked away from his food.
"Yeah Mom, nothing is going on," he said simply, taking a sip of water
Yeah right, like I'd believe that. I raised an eyebrow at them, which I'm sure they could feel even if they didn't look at me. "Don't lie to me," I said, tapping my fingers on the table, waiting for an answer.
Both of them were silent for another minute, as I continued to stare at them, and Perseus finally sighed. He put down his fork and knife, and leaned his chair back, staring at the ceiling chandelier, rubbing his hands together.
"Nothing is wrong mom, and we aren't doing anything crazy, we just almost lost to Gaia and we need to get stronger so we don't lose when we have to fight three primordials," he said, his eyes not leaving the lights above us.
"Then why has Athena told me that Bryan has not spent time with her since that day you all fought Gaia?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Bryan while saying this, "Wouldn't you spend more time with her with an impending war? And why has Artemis told me that you have something to tell me, that she couldn't tell me herself? I could see it on her face, she was angry with both of you about something, and I want to know what it is."
At this, I could see Perseus and Bryan's cheeks turn slightly gold.
"It's nothing, they are all just overreacting about our training," Perseus said, and I did not accept this answer from him.
"Bryan. You haven't said a word. Why have you been ignoring Athena, and why is Artemis upset with you both?" I pressed
"We're training, Mom," Bryan said, "nothing else,"
"And what does this training include?" I further questioned
"Sparring, power training, fighting against shades, the regular," Bryan answered, his hands tightly holding his silverware as he stared at his plate.
"If that were the case, why are your friends so worried about both of you?" I asked again, "And please, do not lie to me, I am your mother. I expect both of you to be honest with me at all times."
Perseus and Bryan seemed to have a mental conversation at this, and I felt a flicker of hope that maybe I had gotten to them. In truth, my own worry had ascended slowly as this conversation carried on. I knew something was going on, but with my sons adamant that nothing was going on at all, there had to be something further, something they didn't want me to know. What that could be, I don't know. My worry suddenly became too much for me, and tears started to leak from my eyes.
"Mother…why are you crying," Perseus instantly said, lifting his hand to wipe my face.
"Do you not trust me, Perseus? Bryan? Have I done something that would wound your faith in me to love you and care for you both? No matter what? Do you no longer trust me?" I whispered.
Immediately both of them stood, wrapping me in their arms, as I continued to cry, the stress from the last few weeks overwhelming me. I am the embodiment of hope, but the thought of my sons not being safe, of hiding things from me, was too much for even me to handle. I wiped my eyes, sniffling to myself. What has gotten into me, I'm supposed to be the most level headed Olympian, and yet ever since this war started I've been just as volatile as the rest of them.
"Mom, the only reason everyone is so worried about us is that we've been training harder than we used to," Bryan stated, "We have healers here on Olympus, and if we don't push ourselves then how else can we get more powerful?"
"What do you mean healers?" I instantly caught on, pressing the topic.
Perseus sighed, continuing to rub my back. "We've been doing daily spars that don't end at first blood, so we've gotten some scratches during the fights, I still don't think it's that big of a deal,"
"What counts as some scratches," I pressed further, "why would you need a healer for that, please stop lying to me."
Bryan and Perseus released their hold on me, and sat in front of me, looking up at me. I felt a sudden pang of nostalgia, as my grown boys sat in front of me the way they used to when they were younger. The reminder of the old days, before the wars, before the constant fear for their safety, it left be blindsided. Bryan shifted uncomfortably in front of me, before starting to speak. "Okay fine Mom, we've been going until we get injured. I know it's a bit far but there's no other way for us to get stronger," he said, refusing to meet my eyes.
I looked away from them, curbing my emotions at this proclamation. My children now believe they are so powerless in the face of our enemy that they would injure each other to try and get stronger. They are desperate. Everything made sense to me now. Why they didn't want me to know what their training entailed, why Artemis seemed so upset about it, why Athena was being ignored, why they were always so tired to the point where they stopped coming to eat with me, and why they slept so much. It made me angry, worried, and upset, and the fireplace in the living room grew to 6 feet tall, reflecting my own emotions.
"Mother, please calm yourself," Perseus whispered, rubbing my hand as he rested his head on my lap, "we're okay I promise."
As I sat there, still staring at the wall, I took some deep breaths to calm myself. I wouldn't allow this to continue. My children will not be this violent with each other when the world is as violent as it is. "No, you two promise me that you will stop pushing yourselves so far. Train normally, and you will get stronger, no more fighting until you are almost dead. Promise me, both of you," I scolded, my voice revealing my desperation for them to stop what they were doing.
"Mother please," Bryan started, squeezing my hand slightly, but I stopped him right there, not letting his pleading continue.
"No I will not accept anything but this from both of you, promise me," I begged. "You can train, but you will push yourselves to the brink of death no further."
There was a moment of silence, before both of them hung their heads, and their voices quietly raised above the crackle of the fireplace. "...we promise," they both echoed, and I smiled softly, a small tear of relief leaving my eye.
(Bryan POV)
The next day, it was back to the training grounds for me and Percy. Our promise to Mother stopped us from training as we had been, but we fully intended to keep getting stronger. Getting beat so easily as we were by Gaia was humiliating, and not an experience that I would like to relive. We cannot be unprepared moving forward, or we will have bigger problems, like the future of Olympus, at stake.
I prepared some new training drills for us, including a fast-paced decision-making training. One of us would stand in the middle of the training ground, and the other would spawn shades in a random direction and we would have to eliminate them as fast as possible. Right now Percy was using his sword, and he was in the middle of his match. Something was wrong though, his reaction time was down from what it usually was, and he was being sloppy. Were the shades any more powerful, he probably would have been hit by them, because his sloppy technique was leaving him open to counterattacks. I stopped summoning the shades, fully intending to figure out what was going on with my brother.
"Percy…are you good?" I asked
He turned to me, looking more tired than I'd seen from him in a long time. "I'm fine, why," he questioned, "Is something wrong?"
"That's what I want to ask you," I continued, "You're fighting weird, it's not like you. You're distracted and I want to know why."
"I'm not distracted man," he groaned, pressing his palms to his eyes, and he looked like he needed to rest, which mind you, he probably did.
"You are," I said, but I didn't press it further, and I took my position in the center of the training ground. I pulled out my daggers and focused on my connection with both. Percy started summoning the shades, and I flew around, shredding them as fast as possible. Suddenly the shades stopped spawning, much quicker than they should have. I looked at Percy, who had frozen momentarily, staring at the entrance of the grounds, where just like a week ago, Artemis stood.
Oh, that explains a lot actually, I realized as I stared at the hurt expression on Percy's face. His being distracted, unhappy, and not fighting the same, he must still be thinking about what she said to him. It still annoys me every time I think about it. Percy is a god of loyalty just like me, so being reminded of something like that had to have hurt him deeper than anything else could. Add to that the fact that he has a fairly obvious crush on Artemis, and she was the one who said it to him…it must be hurting a lot worse.
"Hey Bryan, Perseus," she greeted, walking up to me, a sad look in her eyes, and I could tell she had been dealing with her own guilt the whole time, which didn't surprise me at all. Artemis, despite being one of the most prideful goddesses on Olympus, cared deeply for the people around her, and the idea of hurting Perseus had to be eating at her.
Percy's face just hardened at her words, and he turned away and sat down on the bleachers, seemingly very interested in the designs on his sword. More specifically, he purposely sat facing a different direction than Artemis stood.
"Hey Artemis," I greeted apologetically, seeing the pained expression on her face as she gazed toward Percy's back. She sighed and turned back to me,
"Do you mind if I train with you two?" she asked quietly.
I knew what she was really doing. This was her attempt to try and find a way to apologize to Percy. Artemis, bless her heart, was not very good at expressing her emotions, and neither is Percy. Add to that the fact that they both can be hard headed, especially when they are upset, it can make issues like this very hard to resolve. Never let it be said that Percy, for all of his loyalty and caring, wasn't a stubborn motherfucker.
As for Artemis' plan? I don't know if it'll work, but I have to hope it will because without Artemis and Percy on the same page, our chances of winning the war are painfully low, seeing as we all need to work together to beat our enemy.
Artemis stood in the middle after I explained the rules to her, and she started her training. As she ran through the shades, I noticed Percy watching her from the side of his eye, a pained look in his eyes. When she finished her training, Artemis also glanced in his direction, sighing when she saw that he was still turned away. I walked up to her, putting my hand on her shoulder.
"You should go talk to him…I don't think he's going to ignore you," I said, gesturing towards Percy.
"Maybe," Artemis replied, her voice lacking its usual confidence. "But I don't know…I haven't talked to him since…that day, and I'm scared of what will happen,"
"You guys fixed your problems after the incident happened, and that is way behind you now. I guarantee he's more hurt because he thinks you haven't forgiven him." I said
"Is he an idiot?" Artemis asked quietly, laughing to herself, "Well, I guess he is but still. It happened 500 years ago, and it was an honest mistake, of course I've forgiven him."
"Well then?" I asked, gesturing toward him once again, "Go talk to him," I started to leave the training grounds, as Artemis started walking toward my brother, who had yet to turn back towards her.
(Artemis POV)
I walked up to Perseus, admittedly more nervous than I hoped I'd be. 'Get a grip, Artemis, this is Perseus we're talking about. He's been your best friend since you were born' I thought to myself, as I stopped a few feet away from him. Perseus turned to look at me, then sighed and turned away. He didn't say anything, so I started for us both.
"Perseus…"
"Go away Artemis," Perseus whispered, the pain in his voice evident. "Please, I don't need to hear this right now,"
"Why are you still avoiding me, Perseus?" I questioned, not wanting to antagonize him further, "I understand that I messed up, and I'd like to apologize, but you don't seem to even want to talk to me,"
"I don't want to hear some lecture about how I'm avoiding you, or something stupid like that. I get what you said and I understood the point, and now I'm leaving you alone. I'd appreciate it if you'd do the same." he said simply, twirling a throwing knife in his hand as he spoke, still facing away from me.
"What gave you the idea that I want you to leave me alone?" I muttered, getting admittedly tired of his stubborn antics.
"I don't know, maybe the fact that you snapped at me and told me I'm just like every other boy out there, you're an eternal maiden and a man-hater Artemis. Behave like it and leave me alone." he finished, his voice full of hurt as he flashed out of the training arena, leaving me alone.
Man-hater? That was a new one, from Perseus. We all knew about the myths the mortals had spread about me hating all men, or that my hunters hunt men in my free time, but Perseus also knows that I dislike that notion. I certainly preach that women are not inferior to men, but I am no misandrist. I hunt vile men who do things to hurt women, and leave the rest of the men to their own lives.
Perseus knows I don't like being called a man-hater, and yet, that is what he called me. Curse this boy and his stubborn ass emotions, I sighed. I know I hurt him, and that I cannot blame anyone but myself for this predicament, but it still annoyed me how cold he was being to me. How will I get this stubborn boy to forgive me?
So…Yeah im back…been what…2.5 years? 3? Damn. Anyway…recently came back to this story for no real reason, read it for the first time since the last time I updated, and got motivated to keep writing. I have an idea of where I actually want this to go, and I plan on sticking with it. However, I sadly cannot promise any consistent updates…All I can promise is I wont make you all wait 3 years for another update. I will write when I can, but I am so busy that I cannot promise weekly updates. I'll do my best to get these out for you in a timely manner though. I can hopefully get the next chapter up in a couple weeks..thats the plan anyway.
I'm excited to be back and hopefully finish this story properly. I cannot apologize enough for going awol for 3 years, especially after promising a finish to the story, but I do plan on sticking with it this time. I won't abandon this story without finishing it, that much I can promise.
Hope yall enjoyed this 6,000 word chapter…longest I've ever written. Leave a review with any feedback yall might have for me…and hopefully I'll see you all soon.
Peace :)