Despite her initial fears of how her hunt would react, things were peaceful. To be fair, the announcement was barely two hours ago but even so she had expected at least one huntress to straight up attack Perseus by now. Though she had to admit she did understand their apprehension of doing so.
While she was fairly certain that the boy himself wasn't aware of it, he was radiating power. It was rolling off of him in waves and very clearly gave him the strongest aura in her hunt right now, one that dwarfed even some gods she knew. Sure, she could overwhelm him if she wished but none of her hunters could, not even Thalia. Add to that the fact that some of them had fought side by side with Perseus while others heard tales about him from Thalia and there was a level of instilled respect.
Just like her, her hunt most likely also remembered how protective her half-sister was of Perseus. When Chiara, one of her newer hunters, had been recruited around three years ago and had told everyone stories of how Perseus had betrayed and attacked the camp, Artemis had to wrestle Thalia off the young girl herself. Thalia had turned livid when the accusation was levelled while Chiara was insistent on not backing down, presumably influenced by her being a daughter of war.
It took Artemis the entire evening to finally explain that Perseus hadn't attacked camp and that the gods would have acted if he had done so. In hindsight, she had to admit that Thalia's anger was a much more effective repellent than her own. Something about her pure wrath was just more frightening than Artemis' own more calculated anger. She was sure any huntress that had been around three years ago still remembered that too.
So things stayed calm. Perseus set up his tent and most huntresses went their own way. Some did stick together to plan things but it was still much better than she'd expected. Adding to that, Poseidon had made sure that his son would have an enchanted tent that is easy to set up so Perseus had currently disappeared inside it.
He would have to join in on some chores from tomorrow onward but for today he just had free time. Which reminded her that she still needed to decide which chores he would do. While she wanted him to help her guide the new recruits since there were many of them right now, she also knew that they could very well feel uncomfortable around him so that was a no-go. It would be better if he just did chores that required less socialising and stayed out of their hunting activities for a while.
With that in mind, Artemis walked off to her own tent, signaling for her lieutenant to follow. They would need to plan tomorrow's hunt since it was the first time her newest three recruits would be on a hunt exclusively for monsters.
Percy wasn't sure how to feel right now. He had tried to ignore it but every second he was outside his tent he was on the receiving end of dirty looks and glares. He knew he wouldn't be welcome but this was a bit much. No one had attacked him but that was about it. So he sought out his tent as early as he could, eager to escape the unwanted attention he was getting.
Once inside, he felt the turmoil inside of him boil over. He was happy to have met Thalia again. No doubt about that. But at the same time everything else here was making him wish to be elsewhere. The reactions he had gotten were at best awkward and at worst outright hostile and he definitely wasn't looking forward to any more of it. And he wasn't even sure he could blame any of them either.
"And yet it was your choice to come here." Void's voice ripped him out of his thoughts, wide eyes suddenly spotting the god. He had taken a seat opposite of Percy's bed that the demigod had thrown himself into earlier and looked at him like his presence was the most normal thing ever. It was off-putting. It took Percy a good moment before he finally recovered from the shock. "What are you doing here?"
His voice was still loud and gave his surprise away just as much as his expression had earlier. "Visiting you, looking to give you advice, stuff like that. This is your tent, not like anyone else will barge in, right?" Percy couldn't argue with that, even if he somewhat expected Thalia to. At least if he kept her waiting. Still, with how secretive and unresponsive Void had been ever since his return to the US, Percy hadn't expected to see him now. "Sure, sure…"
He couldn't help the slight distaste in his voice as his less than great experience with the hunt came back into his mind. "Give it time, Percy. They were just told that their patron was forcefully engaged and that the only person they can reasonably blame is a man child with anger issues. They don't have any way to deal with their frustration so it boils over. Take your time and don't let them get to you, that's all this will take."
Idealistic. That was the one word Percy could think of to sum up the advice. Yet the certainty behind Void's words was odd, one he'd heard a few times before. It was almost like Void was making a promise rather than a suggestion and it was so weird that it calmed him down every time it happened. "How helpful, like I would have done anything else anyways…"
While his remark carried obvious sarcasm, there was no bite behind it. "Your welcome. At least you'll get to see your friends again soon. That reminds me, you should ask Artemis about how to approach the camps. They still have you banned."
"The Heracles thing? Do the gods know about that?" He had heard all about what went down in camp after he left so he wasn't really hurt by it anymore but it did somewhat annoy him that none of the gods bothered to fix the mess if they all knew about it. "They know it wasn't you, they don't know that it was Heracles though. And they felt like it would do more harm than good if they were to tell everyone and invoke guilt in them."
"So I just stay the scapegoat for an attack on camp?" Now he was definitely annoyed. Did the gods just write him off as dead then? Did they just decide that his life and legacy were jokes?
"Yes, you do. Your father tried to oppose it but it was turned down with some argument about not being able to contain the panic if they admit to the attacker being unknown. Now that you came back though, let the gods figure out how to clean this mess up. The camps can't exactly treat you badly if you are part of Artemis's entourage anyways so they'll have to let you in."
So he'd get more of the treatment he got from the hunters at both camps. How great. Maybe he should just not go to camp? But he wanted to see Chiron again and the old centaur never left the confines of Camp Half-Blood. Maybe he could ask to meet Chiron outside? Or did he really have to hope that Olympus would resolve things for him?
A cough from Void drew his attention away from his brooding. "How about focusing on more imminent stuff instead? Trust me, anything else is a waste of time." He seemed intent on changing the topic as he fixated Percy with his gaze, somehow having focus in it despite the distinct lack of pupils. "Right, you said I'd be told your masterplan after things settle down…"
To be fair, this did pull his attention away from camp. Just not to a more desirable topic. "Mhmm, exactly. Percy, where you need to go is a little more complicated but you will be given a quest soon. I'll try my best to make the prophecy as clear as possible but I have limited influence on those and apparently what I thought of has massive repercussions so I can't tell you directly. But I can explain the end goal to you. The place most overcharged with energy is the world's origin. For you Greeks, that's the giant chasm under the House Of Night. For Egyptians that's the sea of chaos and for Norse folk it's the lake Hvergelmir. The first two are hard to reach but if you can get to Hvergelmir, drink the lake's water and then have me assist you in absorbing its powers, then you'll grow to be as strong as you need to be. That was my idea."
Percy wanted to protest immediately but it died in his throat as he thought about it. He didn't really know what the sea of chaos was but it sounded imposing. And he couldn't go to the House Of Night because that required crossing the pit. It sounded terrible but he couldn't come up with anything better. "Your direct help will not be without a price, right?"
At this Void grinned and Percy could swear he saw pride pass through his eyes briefly. "No, but that price will be explained by the prophecy." He seemed unwilling to give up any more information on that. But Void seemed to want to end his visit now anyways as he got up and stretched. Did he even need to stretch? "Your cousin is on her way to get you right now so I'll be taking my leave. Oh and if you talk to Nyx later, one of my monikers is 'father of destruction' so use that as an alias."
With that Void disappeared from his tent, nothing left behind to suggest he'd ever been there at all. Couldn't he have a less weird moniker? Though Percy couldn't think of a single moniker that wasn't weird, so maybe it was just an unspoken rule that they had to be obscure. He didn't have time to contemplate it any longer though as his cousin knocked on his tent and he went to open it up.
Outside was indeed his cousin, still looking quite energetic despite the sun having set already and it being nighttime. She looked him over for a second, seemingly trying to assess how he felt. Percy knew that she noticed the clear hostility directed his way but had been unable to do anything about it and he guessed that she didn't like that feeling. Thalia had always hated feeling powerless after all. When she didn't notice any particular pain or discomfort in his features she pointed over her shoulders to Artemis' tent. "M'lady wants a word with you."
In a dark, empty space, a lone entity took form, nothing more than a shimmer of power in the vast expanse. Void was already waiting, watching Nyx take form in his domain. Just like Ananke, Nyx too was aware of everything going on with Tartarus as were all elder primordials. The world was at stake and their mother had gotten involved once more, immortals of varying strength were set to fade and all of existence was changing. And all of it was happening at the hands of Void and Chaos.
She knew the schemes they had set into motion, the plans they had laid out. Neither would break their rules, self-imposed as they may be but they didn't need to. They had their plans and contingencies and she knew her mother well enough to not doubt their effectiveness. She would just be playing her role and trust it to be enough. If it came down to it, she would still be able to protect her children even if things failed.
"He will ask to meet me soon, won't he?" She was here just to clarify things. The son of Poseidon was impressive, no doubt, but she didn't see him as quite enough to handle what was to come. Yet her grandfather and her mother thought differently, trusting in his capabilities and she would place her faith in that.
"He will. I have…accommodated your request too. Just lead the conversation to release your daughter from her service and them of their oaths." She knew that she was being somewhat petty, making the boy use monikers they had made up mere eons ago but she had to get back at him for his tourism stunt somehow. On the other hand she felt relieved that she could finally do something to aid her daughter, having watched her struggle for centuries while being unable to help her.
"Thank you. For all the years she has suffered, I hope she will finally have her freedom back now…" She had struggled to find ways to interfere with her children's fate for millenia, never having been quite as adept at manipulating events as her sister or mother. Maybe she should have asked them for advice earlier but she hadn't and Ananke had also made it clear that she influenced mortals far more than she did gods. She felt a slight pull in her domain, signalling that she'd have to go now.
As if he had felt her call as well, which he might have had given his status, Void opened his domain back up, letting her connect back to Chaos' creation and recall herself to her domain to greet her vessel and her newly named fiancee.
While Artemis hadn't been sure just how Perseus planned to erase her oath, calling a primordial definitely wasn't on her bingo card. She couldn't remember ever calling upon her patron, never even considering that she could take her guidance before. Nyx wasn't particularly known for her fondness of Olympus either. So she frankly didn't think that anything would come out of calling her. Perseus and her were on the moon chariot, closest to the primordials' domain as she sent out her prayer, pushing it into the depths of her domain and beyond.
What she hadn't expected was a quick response. Only moments after her call, the air around them froze and the night sky darkened as a much larger chariot appeared next to them, power rolling off of it. In it stood the tall, pale figure of Nyx, glaring down at them. Every part of her appearance was imposing, from her form to her chariot clad in the fabric of nightmares. For a moment Artemis was stunned and although she didn't dare take her eyes off the primordial goddess, she could tell that Perseus was too.
"What have you called me for, child? Surely not another round of tourism, is it?" She raised an eyebrow at the joke that completely went over Artemis' head. Perseus seemed to get it though as he coughed behind her, averting his eyes. He was stuttering a little before getting his composure back and forming a proper sentence. "I'm sorry for that one but the father of destruction asked me to contact you first so-"
At this point Artemis was lost. She hadn't known of any previous interaction between Perseus and Nyx and she also didn't know who the 'father of destruction' was. Frankly, it felt like she had been used to facilitate this meeting. She really hated it too. Yet she couldn't really speak up and let out her anger in front of Nyx and so she just observed. "Hmm, it certainly was an interesting excuse. No one before you even thought of pretending to be tourists in hell though it is a rather hard to believe lie. And just for your information, the standard moniker for us is the name of our domain."
This time she did glance at Perseus, seeing him face away from them and his hands covering his face. She was sure he would be bright red if not for the fact that he was immortal now. His entire posture gave away how embarrassed he was regardless though as her companion once again failed at forming any semblance of a coherent sentence. So she took over the conversation instead. "Lady Nyx, we came here to talk to your daughter Styx and to ask her to let go of my oath. Who is this father of destruction you speak of?"
She was trying her best to be respectful in spite of how vexing it was for her to be out of the loop right now. "That doesn't concern you, young goddess. His identity will be revealed in due time and it is not my place to hasten the process. All that happened was simply my way to get back at your fiance for our previous encounter. As for my daughter, what is the offer you make in return for her favor?"
Nyx now had her eyes fixed on Artemis, pinning her down. While she sounded nonchalant, there was an edge to her words that Artemis didn't want to ever provoke. So in a quick change of plans she decided to not haggle with Nyx either. "We can promise her Olympian aid at cleaning her waters and protecting them."
She originally intended to start slow, offer a simple favor from her in return but that would be a slight to Nyx that she wasn't sure the primordial would allow. So she immediately went for an offer that she was sure the river goddess would appreciate and desire even if it meant involving her uncles. What she didn't expect however was for Nyx to shake her head. "That's not enough. If you want your oath released then you will have to give her back the freedom you took from her."
Of course it couldn't just be easy. She could have predicted this to be Nyx's request too. But she couldn't fulfill it. She didn't have the right to release Styx from her bound to Olympus. "I can't-" Before she could even get the sentence out, Perseus grabbed her arm, his eyes still fixed on Nyx and effectively stopped her in her tracks. He didn't even know what this was about but he seemed intent on interfering. Instead of saying something though, he just looked at Nyx, alerting Artemis to the intimidating aura that came off the primordial.
"You should choose wisely, Artemis." Something about Nyx saying her name made her shiver as if the goddess was cursing her instead. "If your oath remains then you will watch your hunt and your world burn under Tartarus' wrath, powerless to change your fate. Are you willing to pay that price?"
She didn't raise her voice but somehow Nyx still conveyed the message in a much more fearsome and definitive way than she would've liked. So much for negotiating actively. She was halfway positive that Nyx would just curse her or take away her domain if she refused to take the deal. Was this even considered a negotiation at all?
"What's the point of keeping her locked now anyways? The titan war has already ended." Perseus spoke up beside her, seeming to agree with Nyx. "And it's not like you owe Zeus any kindness." He was almost projecting at this point and unfortunately she couldn't even argue. Her father had landed her in this mess together with the Olympian council. But still, to release a potential enemy over this was excessive, childish even. Yet she had called Nyx already, had started this already. She couldn't back out anymore.
"Fine, I will in the name of Olympus release the goddess Styx from her binding by my authority as a member of the Olympian council." A small sliver of her power spiralled down, disappearing in the darkness below. She didn't feel any different but something told her that didn't matter. Nyx's eyes had changed too, now much less threatening than before. She was even managing a small smile. "Good choice, Artemis. You are now free from any oath you swore on my daughter's name and may the future be kind to you both." This time her name didn't feel nearly as intimidating.
Without even waiting for their response, the sky lost its darkened hue as the primordial disappeared together with her chariot, leaving her and Perseus behind. Perseus who had somehow been less surprised by the situation than she had been. Who had introduced himself in the name of a deity that she didn't know but was identified as a primordial by Nyx. And who had also pushed for the release of Styx that he somehow knew about. She had been tricked.
Her eyes snapped onto him, a cold glare in them. "You will explain yourself, boy." A cool poison was laced in her tone, her skin glowing in her anger. And if it took the whole night, she would get the answers she needed out of him.
That's the next chapter done. Honestly, I don't know whether the changes in perspective were good or bad this chapter so I would really appreciate some feedback. Other than that I have some things planned that were set up in this chapter. That's also what the moniker was for btw.
I tried to leave some things open while closing on the entire topic of Artemis and her oath. The reason why Void gave no clear directions is because I'm trying to get a prophecy done because they can be used to convince the council which Void's word can't do. That said it did feel a little unnatural to have him be secretive but I couldn't find a way around that.
As said before, I'd appreciate any feedback and I'll see y'all soon.
-M
