Forgive But Never Forget [A PERTEMIS STORY]

Chapter 12

Artemis POV

I woke up in the infirmary, as the sun was going down. I looked at the calendar that was usually next to every bed in the infirmary, only to find that it was still the same day. Because the infirmary isn't burning to the ground right now, I can safely assume that Python, along with the other monsters, had been defeated.

Groaning, I shook away my sleepiness and stood up, full of energy again. I rubbed my eyes and looked around: there were a couple of hunters injured, and another body on a bed at the end of the infirmary. I had hoped I wouldn't find anyone there.

You see, the infirmary was kind of ordered. The beds at the entrance were people who were slightly injured - I was over there. The further down you go, the more injured someone is. If there are people at the end, that means that they're dead, or are unrevivable.

My heart began pumping at high speeds, and I was afraid of who I might see. The closer I got, the more dread filled me. As I reached their bed, my heart stopped. There were two people.

One of them was a girl, the other was... a boy? I then recognized the two, and I felt like crying. The girl was Thalia, my lieutenant, and the boy was Percy. I checked his pulse. Nothing. Usually gods have really faint pulses if they're going to reform.

But if a god is fully dead, well, they have no pulses. Tears leaked out as the sudden thoughts hit me like a train going at high speeds.

My lieutenant, the second one I've had, just died. The one who was like a sister to me. And Percy... Oh, Percy. I already miss him so much. My heart aches for him, although my mind's telling me that he'll never come back.

Percy's POV

After the dreamless sleep, I arrived into some place I recognized. It was the entrance to the underworld. Charon looked up at his desk and looked at me, and chuckled.

"Kid, if you're goin' to lie about dyin' in a bathtub again, well, that ain't workin'."

I winced. I remembered what had happened. I can't believe that I could have ever fallen for Annabeth's fake friendship. I slowly shook my head.

"Nope. I don't even know why I'm here. I mean, do gods go to the underworld every time they die?"

Charon stared at me, confused. "Whatcha talkin' about, Kiddo? You ain't a god, are ya?"

"In fact, I recently became a god."

Charon's face immediately lit up at what I had said. He looked down at a piece of paper.

"Ah, yes. Perseus Jackson. I thought ya name was Percy?"

"Well, I don't really like my real name much, so I call myself Percy, but yeah, my name is in fact Perseus Jackson." I replied.

He nodded, but then his face turned grim and confused.

"Ya ain't supposed to be dead. Thanatos doesn't have your name on the list. Ya name is on the 'alive gods' list. I'm gonna send you to Hades, tell him the problem, and he'll solve it."

I then remembered something from the start of my very first quest: something Chiron had told me about.

"Aren't gods not allowed to trespass in other gods' territories? Wouldn't I be breaking an ancient law?" I asked.

He smiled. "That law just works for the Big Three. And also, since you're dead, you're now part of Hades' domain. You're safe."

I nodded. He gave me a thumbs up, and before I knew it, we were standing before Hades. Charon bowed.

"Lord Hades, we have a problem." Charon said.

Hades looked up from his throne in alarm. He looked at Charon, and then towards me. When he saw me, he looked confused.

"So that's what I felt earlier." Hades said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Hades started, "I always feel whenever there's a problem with the dead. That's what I felt earlier. You're not supposed to be dead, yet you are. I shall send you back."

I bowed to him, but said nothing else. I remembered what he had said to me on my first quest, 'Why should I want more people dead? It's just a lot more work for me.'

Hades snapped his fingers, and I felt myself flashing. Before I flashed away fully, I heard Charon saying,

"Sir, there has been another problem. A girl has died when she wasn't supposed to. Her name is-"

Before I could hear the girl's name, I had already flashed away. When I finally landed, I landed in a closed up space. It was...

My coffin. About a week after my burial.

Artemis POV

The doctors came in and took Thalia and Percy's bodies once the rest of the hunters were healed up, and placed them in coffins, and we held a burial for the both of them.

I had to speak in front of everyone, and talk about Percy and Thalia.

"We are gathered here today, to morn the hunt of my lieutenant, and our guardian. Thalia was like a sister to me, and all I could hope for is that she reaches Elysium. She shall also be able to walk among the stars, with Zoe.

As for Percy, he was a great person. He was the only one to achieve the trust of both Zoe and I, and I hope he reaches he land of the faded. I think you all already know by now, but Percy's aura has faded. I felt it.

Let us all hope for them to live a wonderful life in the afterlife."

I walked off stage, tears leaking down my face, wetting the top of my shirt. Why? Why did it have to be them? I let so many people die.

Zoe, Bianca, Thalia, all the hunters and amazons, and last of all... - and one of the most important - Percy.

My one true love. Gone.

I watched as they lowered the coffins into the ground, and the weather was clear and sunny, which I felt was a further insult to their deaths.

Atlanta POV

In case you didn't know, I'm Artemis' second in command. Now I'm her first in command, but I kind of feel like as though I was made to be just her second in command. Not her first. There's just too much pressure for me.

Thalia and I had been Artemis' support: people she could go to for help. But for an entire week, she wouldn't talk to anyone. She would go out to eat, then visit Percy and Thalia's graves, and then she would go back in her tent. Then in the afternoons, she would visit their graves again, then get back in her tent and it would repeat.

I just hope it gets better.