A/N. Reviews!

"Happy birthday? also I cant wait for their romance to pick up! and the ending was cute... Percy's gonna be confused in the morning considering he's drunk" -Sankarea396

Thank you. Me too. Thanks! He isn't drunk though, the wine was turned into water for him.

"I really need a scene where they wake up in the bed in some funny way please man it would be so funny

Anyway amazing chapter cannot wait for more" -Bruv

I thought about it, but that wasn't really what I wanted. Thank you!

"Jut amazing keep up the great work" -Guest

Thank you, will do!

"Please have the wake up int the bed in the next chapter it could be pretty funny also it was very good chapter" -Bobb

Well, here! Thank you.

"Perfect chapter keep doing you bro" -You

Thanks man!

"Love the romance between artemis and percy its not just sun shine and flowers what makes it so much more fun to read tho hope there wont be any more stuff that goes as bad anyway keep the great work up" -Little wolf

Uhh, it's mostly smooth sailing from here, mostly. Thank you.

Onto the chapter!

Chapter Twenty-Three

Percy stirred slowly. He opened his eyes and quickly closed them a few times before opening them for real as he stared at the ceiling. The domed ceiling loomed overhead. He turned onto his side and found it harder than usual. The blanket was pulled tight in the other direction. He turned the other way, the way the blanket was tighter in, and had a mini heart attack. Lying in the bed next to him, snoring softly, was Artemis.

Percy stared at her, half of him trying to figure out why she was there, the other half enthralled by her. She looked so peaceful. A couple strands of hair were hanging in front of her hair.

The memories of the previous night slowly came back to him, ending the war within his brain. He had asked her to stay. Why? And why did she agree?

Percy's stomach rumbled. He groaned quietly and slowly got out of the bed, trying not to disturb Artemis. His feet hit the ground and he stood up. As soon as his body left the bed, Aremis shifted onto her other side, taking the blanket with her. Percy looked back as soon as he heard her move, scared that he had awoken her. When she didn't stir past that, he let out a breath.

He looked down and saw that he was only in his slacks and an undershirt. He looked back at Artemis. Did she undress him? If she did, why? This woman was confusing him. Unless… He shook his head, he couldn't go down that train of thought.

He quietly walked out of the room and went down the stairs. He entered the dining room and sat down at the table and picked out a waffle. He buttered it and poured some syrup, or rather, a lot of syrup on it, before digging in. As he ate, he noticed just how quiet the castle was. The only sound was him chewing.

He ate for a while, eventually pouring himself a glass of orange juice and finished that along with his waffle. He sat up and walked into the throne room. Mephistopheles was standing in his usual place beside the throne, scratch that, thrones. Percy's throne had been shifted to the left a couple of feet, with another matching throne next to it. The only difference was the wolf head carved into the stone of the backrest.

Mephistopheles bowed. "Hello, your majesty. How was your rest?"

Percy sat down on his throne. "It was good. How was the rest of the party?"

"It was good. Not much happened while you were gone."

Percy looked around the throne room. The tables of food were still there. "Is Mammon going to get those?"

Mephistopheles sighed. "I highly doubt it. He has never been one to clean up his own messes."

Percy stood up. "It's fine. It's my castle anyway."

"Do not trouble yourself, My Lord, I will have a servant do it."

"No, Mephistopheles, I will do it."

"Let me get some supplies. We will do it together, your majesty." Mephistopheles said, before leaving. He was only gone for a couple of minutes, and when he came back, he had a box of gloves and a box of trash bags. He handed the box of gloves to Percy, who got out a pair and handed them to his Royal Advisor, before grabbing a pair for himself and putting them on.

They walked to the tables and began to place the leftover food into the garbage bag. It wasn't a very long process, just tedious, as there was a lot of food. About halfway through, the shadows grew, and Nico emerged from them.

"Woah, what happened here?" He asked.

"We had a ball last night in honor of Moloch, our new prince of Pride." Percy said, still placing food in the garbage bag.

Nico stared at him. "What?"

"We have a new Prince of Pride, Moloch. Last night, we threw him a ball."

"I know what you said, I'm just processing."

"I'm guessing you're here because it's Wednesday?"

"Yeah, that and well, I had something I wanted to ask you."

"Okay. Shoot."

Nico started to twist the ring on his finger. A nervous habit he had never kicked. "Well, uh, you know how Will and I are getting married, right?"

"Yeah?" Percy turned around. "Something didn't happen, did it?"

Nico shook his head. "No, no. In fact, we have the date." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a black envelope. In gold penmanship, the name Percy was written on the front. He held it out.

Percy took off the dirty gloves and tossed them into the garbage bag. He took the envelope. "Thanks man." He opened it and took out the invitation. It read, "You are cordially invited to the wedding of Nico di Angelo and Will Solace!" There was a picture of Nico in a black suit and Will in a white one. Below it was the address, The St. Regis in New York, as well as the time.

"You're allowed to bring a plus one, so if you want to bring Artemis, you can."

"I'll let her know."

"Okay. Now, uh, the thing I wanted to ask you." The Son of Hades began to twist his ring again.

"Right."

"I uh, wanted to know, if you would be my best man?"

Percy blinked. "Yeah, of course man. Why wouldn't I?"

Nico let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. It means a lot to me. I don't know who else I would pick."

"Any of the Seven?"

Nico shook his head. "Nah. I'm not really close to any of them. Will's making me invite them though."

"You excited?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'm kind of nervous."

Percy laughed. "You should have seen me when I was marrying Artemis. Whole bunch of nerves."

"Yeah, I believe it. That's different though. Will's not going to kill me if I make the wrong move, or say the wrong thing."

"Oh, I'm two for two, man. I've fucked up a few times, but I'm still not dead." Percy lowered his voice. "And I think, honestly man, I think I'm starting to like her. Like, like-like her."

"You are a grown ass man, saying 'like-like'. Really?"

"Look man, I didn't get to say any of this when I was a stupid teenager, let me say it when I'm grown."

Nico held up his hands. "Whatever man" He paused. "You didn't ever talk like that with Grover about Annabeth?"

Percy shook his head. "No. Grover already knew, apparently. Empathy link and all." he chuckled. "He once told me, after Annabeth and I got together, that I would keep him up late at night because I was thinking about her."

"Aww, you're a romantic." Nico said sarcastically.

"Fuck off." Percy said, stifling laughter.

Nico laughed. "Well, I should probably be getting back. Just wanted to let you know that it's Wednesday."

"Alright man, see you—"

"Percy?" Artemis walked into the throne room. Her hair was kind of messy, apparently not even she was immune to bed hair. She was wearing a simple shirt and shorts. "Oh, hello Nico."

"Lady Artemis." Nico bowed, before turning to Percy. "Were you planning on mentioning this? I thought you said no one was going to know."

"It's a long story. Basically, I fucked up too many times."

Artemis hummed. "Indeed you did." She walked over to her throne and ran her fingers along the armrest before sitting down. She leaned back and crossed her legs. She looked ethereal upon her throne, like she was made to sit upon one. Being a Goddess, she probably was. Percy had to force himself to look away.

Nico noticed and whispered to him, "Oh, shit, you're whipped."

Percy quickly smacked him. "Dude, shut up."

Nico chuckled. "Alright, I'm going to leave now. Nice to see you, Lady Artemis." He bowed to her. "You too, Percy. Do you no longer need me to tell you when it is Wednesday?"

"I don't think so." He turned to Artemis. "Do you feel like coming to get me every week, or do you prefer meeting in Central Park?"

Artemis seemed to think it over for a couple of moments before saying, "Relationships grow and change, and while I shall miss meeting in Central Park, it does make more sense for me to get you."

"So yes, thank you for doing that for me though. It meant a lot."

"Of course. Besides, you're paying it back by being my best man."

Percy grinned. "You better be ready for your bachelor's party. It's gonna be great."

Nico groaned. "Oh Gods, what have I done?"

"You made a very wise decision."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Bye." He walked into the shadow of the pillar, and disappeared into the darkness. Percy chuckled, and turned back to the table, only to find it gone.

Mephistopheles had returned to his place beside the throne, now thrones. Percy walked up to his and sat down, letting out a breath.

"What did Nico come here for?" Artemis asked.

"He invited us to his and Will's wedding. He also wants me to be his best man."

"Hm. Did you agree?"

"I did, yes."

She nodded.

"He also informed me that it is Wednesday. I don't know what you want to do, since we kind of had a date night last night with the ball."

"Hm. I understand. We can skip tonight. I will spend it with my hunters."

"Okay. I hope you have fun."

"What will you do?"

Percy sighed. "I do not know. Probably just chill here. I don't really do much down here in all honesty. I'll find something."

LINE BREAK

"...And Thalia will go with me, to the southeast. Remember, we want to catch it alive. Blunt arrows and net traps only. Understood?" Artemis asked as she looked over her Hunters.

Nods all around before they broke off into their pairs and headed to their assigned areas. Thalia walked up to Artemis, her hands in her pocket, her bow slung over her back along with her quiver filled with blunt arrows. Her silver circlet shone in the setting sun.

"Ready?" The Hunting Goddess asked.

"Yep, let's go."

Artemis nodded and followed behind her lieutenant as they walked into the forest that surrounded their camp. As they walked through the trees, Thalia asked, "What's so special about this thing?"

"Well, for one, we do not even know if it really exists. There is not a single story about it, with only passing remarks to its existence in mortal texts. If we do find it out here, it will be history in the making."

"And what's it called?"

"A Hippalectryon."

"I'm not even going to try to pronounce that. What does it look like?"

"Were you not paying attention to the briefing?"

"No. I wasn't."

Artemis sighed. "It is a horse with wings, and the back legs are like a roosters. And it is yellow."

"A yellow horse." Thalia murmured. "Interesting."

They reached a clearing with tree branches overhead. In front of them was a ridge above a small cliff, one they could easily climb, as it was half Thalia's height. "I think this is a good place to set up." Artemis said. "We can wait along the ridge. We can set up a net here with some grass and hay."

The work was easy with Artemis doing most of it. She summoned a net and set it up with some bait. She hooked it over a large branch overhead, and hooked the other end to a tree root on the ridge. They climbed up and laid down, watching over the trap. Silence settled between them, only broken by the occasional chirping bird or slight gust of wind.

"So…" Thalia started, eyes set forward. "How was last night? With Percy?"

"It was fine."

"Just fine? You were gone for two days."

"Yes, Thalia. It was fine, and that is all. I am your Goddess and I will not be discussing this with you."

"Fine. But one thing. Percy is a good guy, and I'm glad you're giving him a chance. That's all."

Artemis felt a small smile grace her lips. "Yes, he is a good man."

Thalia turned to her and grinned. "What happened to 'There are no good men, only good prey'?"

"Times, and people change. To embrace the change is better than to let it pass you and be stuck in your old ways. Percy showed me that, and even showed that to other Gods I think."

"Not our father, surely."

"No, not him. I do not think he wants to change. It scares him, I think. He has not known much of anything other than what he knows now. It is why I believe he fears Poseidon so much. Our uncle can change like that," She snapped her fingers. "As easily as the ocean."

"Maybe that is why you are open to change. The moon changes every day, slowly, but after a week, you can see it."

"True, but it is not the same. The ocean is unpredictable, always changing, you never know what it is going to do next. But the moon, indeed it changes, but it is a cycle. A month later, and you are back where you started. I fear, for this reason, my change of heart is merely temporary. I hope not, but it may be, and in some time, I will be back to my old ways. The way of 'Good Prey'."

"I don't think you will. You are aware of your nature, and can change it. That's not something many mortals even know."

"Hmm. What about you, Thalia? Are you aware of your own nature?"

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, I only joined you because I was about to turn sixteen. Kronos had already tempted me with power, and I wasn't sure I could turn it down the next time, with my fatal flaw and all. So I joined you, took myself off of the chess board."

"And left the prophecy on Percy's shoulders."

"Yeah." Thalia said quietly. "I never did apologize to him for that. A massive burden, and I just left it to him."

"Well, all is well now, and I am sure he doesn't hold it against you." Artemis stilled and held her hand up to stifle whatever words were about to exit Thalia's mouth. "Something is coming." She said quietly, before frowning. "Something I do not recognize."

They got as close to the ground as they could, peering over the edge of the ridge, waiting for whatever was coming. It took a few minutes, a few minutes of held breaths and building tension. The sound of crunching grass and an occasional snapping twig began to reach their ears.

The sound grew closer before a yellow horse strode into the clearing. A horse with wings, and with the hind legs of a rooster. It was small, just a foal it seemed.

"Is that?" Thalia asked quietly.

"I think it is." Artemis whispered back. "This is incredible."

The Hippalectryon made its way to the net, but stopped just short of it, standing near the edge. It sniffed the rope and snorted. The Hippalectryon seemed to be of a skittish sort, which was probably the reason no one really knew of its existence. However, it also seemed to be a curious sort as well, as it tapped a hood along the edge. When nothing happened, it deemed it safe, but still cautious, slowly walked towards the middle of the net. He brought his head down and started to eat the grass and hay mixture Artemis had set out.

Artemis slowly rose. Thalia started to do the same, but Artemis raised a hand, stopping her. "If he starts to leave, spring the net." She whispered. Thalia nodded and lowered herself back down. Artemis quietly dropped down the ridge, landing silently on the ground. The Hippalectryon continued to eat, unaware of the Goddess of the Hunt.

Artemis slowly made her way across the clearing, slowly approaching the Hippalectryon. She didn't want to spook it. She hoped the creature would understand both her status as Goddess of the Wild, and her intentions, that she didn't want to bring harm to him.

The Hippalectryon looked up and finally noticed Artemis. He froze, as did Artemis. They stared at each other, unmoving, stuck in a game of who would make the first move. As it would turn out, the winner would be neither of them, as Thalia was the one who moved, pulling the rope, triggering the net. The net sprung up into the air and tied itself into a knot at the top. The Hippalectryon struggled against the rope, but found no release and eventually stopped.

Artemis swiftly made her way over to the net and reached out a calming hand to the Hippalectryon. Her palm met the snout of the creature through the net. The Hippalectryon nuzzled against her palm and snorted quietly. Artemis motioned with her other hand for Thalia to drop the net. The net slowly fell, as to not hurt the animal, a moment later.

The Hippalectryon stood on its legs. It stared at Artemis or a second, before turning around and bolting in the direction it had gone. Artemis watched the Hippalectryon leave and smiled. She was satisfied with the interaction, the knowledge that she had met the creature that had evaded her for so long, the knowledge that it actually existed, she was ecstatic.

The sound of leaves crunching behind her made her turn around. Thalia was walking up to her. "That was interesting." She commented.

"Indeed, Thalia, indeed." Artemis said. "Come on, let's return back to camp and inform the Hunters."

A/N. Sorry this chapter took so long. College is kicking my ass (why are textbooks so fucking expensive?). Also, I finished Elden Ring and its DLC. (Whoever designed the final boss of the DLC, I hope both sides of your pillow are warm for the rest of your life.)

Part of the reason this chapter took so long, is that I really only had the conversation between Nico and Percy planned. I didn't know where to go from there. The next plot point is Nico and Will's wedding, but there needs to be some filler between then and now. So I think the next chapter is gonna be a date, some more Pertemis fluff, then the chapter after that will be Nico and Will's wedding, and also more Pertemis fluff.

Thoughts?