Welcome back to Under the Silver Moon

AS ALWAYS I DO NOT OWN PJO OR HoO

Ladies and Gentlemen Chapter 14

*Chapter 14: The Weight of Tomorrow*

The morning after was quiet, but it was a quiet that had a sense of tension to it, like the calm before a storm. Percy woke up on the soft grass beside the lake, the smell of pine and damp earth filling his senses as his eyes fluttered open to the dim, early light. The world was still wrapped in the embrace of dawn, and everything was peaceful for a fleeting moment—before the weight of yesterday's conversation began to sink back into his chest.

He stretched out, wincing as his muscles groaned in protest, the aftermath of a long night of unspoken words and heavy emotions. His hand instinctively reached for the spot beside him, but it was empty. Artemis was gone.

She had been gone for a while now, but her absence felt different this morning. The space she had occupied by his side last night had felt warm, a small but undeniable spark of connection between them. But now that warmth was gone, and all that remained was the heavy silence of a world that wasn't quite sure how to keep turning.

Percy sat up, his gaze drifting across the lake, watching the ripples in the water distort the reflected sky. The lake was calm, but the surface of his thoughts was anything but. Artemis had spoken so much last night—more than she had in days, weeks, maybe even years. He had felt the weight of her words, her fears, her doubts, and her endless burden. And still, he hadn't been able to give her the reassurance she needed, the one thing she was asking for: the assurance that he could handle being with her. That he could *hold on*.

He wasn't sure if he believed it, not entirely. The weight of being with Artemis, of loving someone who carried the centuries of the gods, was more than he could ever truly understand. But he *did* know what it was like to face something impossible and decide to keep moving forward anyway. To fight for something even when you weren't sure how it would end. He had made that choice for his friends, for his family, countless times. And he wasn't going to stop now.

But as the hours passed, that same silence stretched between them, widening into an emptiness that Percy couldn't ignore. Artemis hadn't returned. He hadn't seen her again since that night by the lake.

His stomach twisted with unease. She had been different after their conversation. More distant. As if the cracks that had formed between them had only deepened. And though they had shared a quiet, intimate moment under the stars, something told Percy that the real battle was only just beginning.

There were no easy answers when it came to gods. And no amount of promises could ever truly erase the weight of eternity from Artemis's heart. Her life wasn't the same as his—it never could be. So, he waited. And he worried.

By mid-afternoon, the stillness of the camp was broken by the sudden, urgent sound of feet pounding against the earth. Percy's eyes snapped up, his hand instinctively going for Riptide as he recognized the approaching figure.

It was Annabeth. She looked winded, her expression tense with concern.

"Percy!" she called out, her voice sharp with worry. "We've got trouble."

Percy stood up quickly, the tension in his body instantly returning. "What's happened?"

Annabeth stopped in front of him, her eyes flicking around nervously. "I don't know, but something's coming. We felt it—something dark. Something *powerful*. The gods are in an uproar, and the monsters… they're not just hunting. They're *gathering*. This feels different."

A chill ran down Percy's spine. He hadn't heard Annabeth speak like this since the days of their first big battles—before they truly understood how deep the mess with the gods could go. Something was stirring, something ancient. And it had nothing to do with the prophecy or the monsters they usually fought.

"Artemis hasn't been back," Percy said quietly, more to himself than to Annabeth. He felt his throat tighten at the thought of her, of her absence. It wasn't just the distance between them—it was the *danger*. The feeling in the air was heavy. Something was about to break.

Annabeth's gaze softened for a second, her voice quieter. "She's… she's with the Hunters. She'll be okay, Percy. You know Artemis can handle herself."

But even Annabeth's words didn't reach him. He knew Artemis was powerful—*dangerously* powerful. But there were some things no one could prepare for. And in the pit of his stomach, Percy knew that whatever was coming, it wasn't going to be something they could fight with strength alone.

It didn't take long before the calm was shattered completely.

A distant rumble of thunder echoed through the trees, though there wasn't a cloud in the sky. And then the ground beneath them started to shake, as if the very earth was responding to some unseen force.

The trees creaked and groaned, as if they, too, felt the tension building in the air. Percy's heart raced in his chest, and he couldn't help but think back to the feeling he'd had when they'd first faced the Titans—the way the world had trembled on the verge of something catastrophic.

But this wasn't the same.

He wasn't just fighting for the world anymore.

He was fighting for *her*.

"Annabeth!" Percy shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Where's the rest of the camp? Are they ready?"

Annabeth's face was grim. "They're getting ready. But I don't think we have much time. Whatever's coming… it's not going to be easy."

Before Percy could respond, a deafening roar echoed through the forest—a sound so guttural and twisted that it felt like the very trees themselves were trembling in fear.

And then they came.

Monsters—hundreds of them—swarmed through the woods. Huge, grotesque creatures with claws like steel, fangs like daggers, and eyes burning with unnatural malice. They poured from the shadows, a tide of chaos that seemed to blot out the light itself.

In the distance, Percy saw flashes of silver.

Artemis.

His heart skipped a beat at the sight of her, her silver cloak flashing like lightning as she moved through the battle, an arrow already notched in her bow. But even she seemed small against the oncoming onslaught. There were too many of them. The monster horde was relentless, pushing forward with an urgency that made Percy's blood run cold.

"Stay close!" Annabeth shouted as she grabbed Percy's arm, pulling him into action. "We've got to protect the camp! The monsters are after the demigods!"

Percy nodded, his mind racing. He couldn't let them get to Artemis. He couldn't let them *win*.

He plunged into the fray, Riptide flashing through the air. He fought with all his might, cutting down monsters one after another, but there were so many. The ground was a battlefield, a place of death and destruction, and even his water powers couldn't keep up with the sheer number of enemies that were piling on top of him.

As he fought, he caught glimpses of Artemis, her silver arrows cutting through the horde with deadly precision. But every time he thought he could reach her, another wave of monsters would push him back.

And then, in the midst of the chaos, it happened.

A monster—one he hadn't seen—lunged at him from the side. Percy barely had time to react before its claws sank deep into his shoulder, ripping through his armor. He grunted in pain, trying to fight back, but the creature was too strong. It tossed him aside like a ragdoll, and Percy crashed to the ground, his vision swimming.

Blood dripped down his side, and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer if he didn't get help.

He tried to call out, but his throat was dry, his voice barely more than a rasp. He could feel the coldness creeping in, the world fading around him.

Artemis...*

He reached for her, his hand trembling, but the monster was already on top of him again, bringing its claws down.

And then, just as it was about to strike, a silver arrow whizzed through the air, embedding itself deep into the monster's skull. It fell dead, collapsing onto Percy with a sickening thud.

A pair of familiar, steady hands pulled him from beneath the beast, lifting him into her arms.

"I told you," Artemis whispered, her voice fierce but filled with something else—something that sounded like fear, but also like relief. "I told you I wouldn't let you go."

Percy tried to smile, but it was hard. The pain was overwhelming, and his vision was already slipping.

"I'm not… going anywhere," he managed to say, though his words felt like they came from a different life. The world was spinning, and the weight of the battle—of everything—felt like too much to bear.

But as Artemis cradled him, her silver eyes fixed on his, he knew one thing for certain: No matter what tomorrow brought, they would face it together.

Even if the world tried to tear them apart.

Seems like the war is about to start, but who is it really against the rouge gods, or something more powerful or evil.

Almostimportant- Im glad you like it, and you are right Artemis would act like a hunter and wouldn't stop till Percy is hers forever.

Leave a review if you would like to Guess.

And as always thank you for reading,

Till next Time.