And if you feel you're sinking, I will jump right over
Into cold, cold water for you
And although time may take us into different places
I will still be patient with you
-----------------------------------------------------
5 years later
Percy POV
Sitting beside the campfire always brought about flashbacks. The last 5 years were great. Being with my sisters and best friend was all I could wish for. Artemis and I did everything together, from hunting to sleeping to eating to training. I was many times tempted to confess to her but decided against it. She was a maiden goddess and definitely wouldn't break her oath for me. Moreover, I could lose the only person I called my friend, not to mention my best friend. So I buried those feelings and was content on being friends.
I started thinking about my first month in the Hunt. We would share stories by the campfire at night and boy, did they love my cooking? We bonded like that and I am happy to say I became a brother to all the huntresses. I helped them train with close-range weapons and improve their archery, which they reluctantly agreed to, seeing I was better than Artemis. And no I was not bragging, I was threatened into accepting the fact by someone (read 'Apollo'). Then there was the time they discovered I could play the flute and thank gods that only one person knew I could sing as well.
FLASHBACK
"Percy!" Zoe called out as I was sharpening arrows. "Percy, we are going to bathe in the nearby lake. It's been a long time since we took a bath in a lake together. So guard the campsite till we come back, will you? We won't be long. We will return in an hour at most" she explained. "Sure sister" I replied, looking at her and nodding before going back to the work in my hands.
Once I finished, I came out of the armory tent and saw that it was noon and the hunters and were gone only maybe 15 minutes. So after a drink of water, I decided to take out and play my flute. I didn't like additional attention hence I hadn't told the Hunt about my music skills and didn't mention the flute. Seeing that this was the first time I was by myself in the 4 weeks I was with the Hunt, I found a shady tree near to the camp, sat down, and started playing my flute.
BIG mistake. Now here is a compliment I was threatened with later~ I was very good with a flute, maybe even better than Apollo. Playing the flute since I was 4, I loved playing it. It always cleared my head and calmed my mind. Soon I lost myself playing it. I closed my eyes and put my soul into the instrument. I didn't realize how long I played but when I opened my eyes, the whole Hunt was standing, surrounding me with their jaws open, water still trickling down their hair after their bath.
They had looks of pure ecstasy and surprise. Artemis had a strange look in her eyes which I couldn't figure out. After another minute of silence, it was Artemis who spoke. "Wow" she said in a mesmerized tone. I chuckled at their surprise. They continued to stand there until I cleared my thought, which jolted them out of their trance.
"Brother you could give Apollo a run for his money. But I am hurt, you could have told us" Zoe said, obviously hurt. Artemis had a similar look of betrayal. Immense guilt immediately took hold. I could never see my loved ones in pain.
"I am sorry. I just didn't want more attention. I will play whenever you want me to, okay?" I said, trying to make up. The Hunt nodded happily and went away, all except Artemis. She still looked hurt. That night, Artemis didn't stay by the campfire after dinner, where we would talk together. She went straight into her tent, without a word. I noticed and excused myself for the night as I went to the tent we shared.
As I entered, she just gave me a betrayed look and went back to reading the book she held in her hand. "Missy, I am really sorry. I should have told you. I know I promised to have no secrets between us. Please forgive me this time" I apologized, approaching her and sitting beside her in another chair. She put her book down and looked at me angrily. "And what guarantee do I have that you won't keep things to yourself in the future?" she asked angrily. "I promise Missy. Okay here's a thing. I can also sing. I will sing to you as long as you don't tell the hunters. I don't want any more attention" I reasoned.
She looked at me skeptically, before nodding. "I hope you don't do this in the future. Now sing to me. That is the only way I'll forgive you" she said the last part mischievously. "Of course Missy" I said smiling as she closed her eyes and leaned back on the chair she was sitting on.
So I sang to her what my mother taught me when I was 6. It was my favorite song, a mixture of Sanskrit and Greek. It always made me fall asleep when my mother sang to me. After 5 minutes of singing, I stopped, panting. I was waiting for a remark before I realized Artemis was already asleep, a smile adorning her face. Gods, she is gorgeous, I thought. I gently picked her up and moved towards the bed. I blushed hard when she snuggled in my arms and buried her face in my chest, mumbling something about being very comfortable, all the while being fast asleep. I slowly tucked her in, making sure not to wake her up, and I myself got in beside her. As soon as I laid down, Artemis scooted closer and snuggled up into my side, mumbling 'warm'. Blushing like a ripe tomato, I went to sleep too.
PRESENT
Thinking about it still made me blush. Now ever since we defeated the whole legion of 500 strong monsters, the Minotaur and the Manticore, word among the monsters spread quickly and they steered clear off the Hunt. However, we still found some stragglers which used to be great practice material for my blood control. Speaking of practice, it reminded me of the time I trained with every elder god and goddess.
FLASHBACK
About a month after becoming the Protector of the Hunt, I decided it was time to start training with the Olympians. Seeing that monster attacks were almost nil, I decided that I would train full time. I decided that training with the Olympians would be in the order of the oldest to the youngest elder gods, starting with Hestia and ending with Zeus.
So early the next day, I told Artemis my plan and approached the campfire where I prayed for Aunt Hestia. A flash of flames marked her arrival. "Perseus, why did you pray to me?" asked an amused hearth goddess. "Aunt Hestia, I have decided to start my training for the prophecy. I have decided to train with Olympians in the order they were born in, starting with you and ending with Lord Zeus" I said calmly. She looked immensely sad when I mentioned the prophecy but beamed with pride when I mentioned why I chose her to be my first mentor.
She grabbed my hand and flashed us to her palace gardens on Olympus. For the whole day, I learnt to manipulate fire and to heal wounds using the hearth. Being a child of the sea, manipulating fire was not easy at all. By the time I finished my training for the day, I was tired to the core. As soon as Hestia flashed me back to the camp, I trudged to the dining tent, ate my fill, and collapsed onto the bed Artemis and I shared, falling asleep almost instantly. By the way, I was out of commission the next day due to me being totally spent.
Over the course of the next 4 months, I would train with Hestia for 3 days a week and managed to master my control over fire. I learnt that emotions were what controlled the intensity of the flame I wielded, ranging from a soft yellow flame to greek fire. She also taught me to light up my blade during a fight without causing the sword to melt. Now, I could heal even a god to a great extent before breaking a sweat using the power from the hearth. Over time, Hestia was so impressed by my control over her elements that she even blessed me such that I could summon some quantities of food. At the end of my training, I promised Hestia that I would visit her from time to time, which I did, Artemis accompanying me sometimes.
In the next 5 years, I trained with all the elder Olympians. Each had grown a special bond with me. The closest bonds were with Hades and Hera. Hades was my favorite elder Olympian. While training we developed a very strong parent-child-like bond. He helped me immensely with my sword fighting and over time, unlocked all his powers on me, meaning I had all the powers of a demigod child of Hades; shadow travel, control over the dead, summoning precious metal and even sensing when someone died. I hated power but seeing that Hades had literally told me that he would be honored if I accepted his blessing, I could not refuse.
Demeter was actually quite sweet if you got past her 'love till death' relation with cereals. Sword being her weapon of choice, she helped me improve even more than what Hades had done. Then there were practice sessions for plant and flora control. The coolest part was using blades of grass as literal blades. But those left me so exhausted that I couldn't move a muscle the next day. It took me 5 months to master Demeter's blessing. She had adopted the role of being the 'fun aunt' for me and would regularly spoil me with various gifts that were absolutely unnecessary. When I completed my training with her, she made me promise that I would regularly eat cereal and never throw away my greens.
Training with Hera was more of hanging out and less of actual training. Initially, she was a bit cold since I was still a demigod/primordial and she resented all demigods. As time progressed, she started opening up and soon we were sharing each other's stories. I even managed to convince her that demigods deserved a chance and it was not their fault that their parents had cheated. Hera spent 3 months training me with mind-reading powers and telepathic communication with the desired deity. She also trained me to fight with hunting knives, which Artemis helped improve later, and gifted me 2 twin hunting knives made with Olympian iron and infused with silver and stygian iron. By the end of our training, she became a mother figure in my life, especially after she learnt that my mother had died when I was young. She was actually one of the gods whom I visited regularly even after my training.
When I asked my father to train me, instead of taking me to Olympus like the others, he just dragged me to Atlantis. When I set foot in the ocean, it seemed that it recognized itself in me. The ocean merrily gurgled around me and almost started shouting how happy it was to find me. Also, I could sense each and every corner of the seas. Nothing in the ocean seemed out of bounds for me. Once I arrived at Atlantis, my eyes popped out of their sockets. My father just chuckled as I took in all the sights I could while being escorted to my father's palace. The city itself was a brilliant shade of sea green and aquamarine.
As I entered the throne room of Atlantis with my father, Lady Amphitrite and Triton were furious since they thought I was another product of my father's cheating. But that changed as soon as I told them about me being the last born of Pontus and not a bastard child and flashed my eyes to their normal, trident state. I returned after sightseeing for the day but trained with my father for the next 6 months.
He taught me how to mist travel, something I already had but had not discovered. He taught me to wield a trident with superior skill along with superior level water manipulation, something even his strongest demigod children couldn't do. Summoning earthquakes came naturally to me hence it just needed honing instead of full-on practice. When my training finished, he gifted me a trident of my own, a birthday gift for all the birthdays he missed, named Studwrath. It was an exact replica of his own, made with Atlantean Platinum, available only for the nobility of the ocean, and modified to wield lightning, fire, and moonlight too. The best part was that it would shrink into a lucky charm the size of an apple.
The most difficult training was with Zeus. Though he tried his best, eventually he had to admit he was not a very good teacher. He would get very frustrated easily and would push me to such limits that I even blacked out right inside the arena quite a few times due to overuse of energy. But never the less, he improved my lightning control to the best of my limits, meaning I was almost the best lightning user after Zeus himself. I could easily summon a lightning bolt big enough to make a decent crater on even rough grounds. Even though Zeus took the longest time at 8 months, I had to admit it was worth it.
After training, I was sent on different missions from time to time. The gods were restricted by the Ancient laws but I was not. Hence, I was sent wherever the gods thought intervention was necessary but they themselves couldn't participate. The most notable was defusing a war between Athens and Rome.
PRESENT
As I was thinking about my training, I didn't even notice Artemis coming and sitting beside me by the campfire. It was only after she cleared her throat that I noticed her. "Earth to Percy! What were you thinking?" Artemis asked as I snapped out of my thoughts. "Noting much Missy. Just the training I had with the gods" I sighed. "Go to sleep Percy. I will keep watch. Remember you are to take your place on Olympus tomorrow" she said and I groaned but went to bed.
The next day, I woke up to a bucket of cold water on my face and a laughing Artemis. Silently vowing to get back at her later, I got up, changed, and had breakfast. After an uneventful breakfast, Artemis and I flashed/mist traveled respectively to Olympus. Demeter and Hestia were already present and seeing us, Demeter called the council. As the god started discussing their respective tasks completed that month, I tuned myself out. As the Protector of Artemis, I had already accompanied her to enough meetings to know that these were very boring.
Once they had finished discussing, Zeus beckoned me forward. I looked towards Artemis, who gave me an encouraging nod. I stood up from Artemis's side and bowed to Zeus once I reached the center of the throne room.
"Perseus Achilles, adopted son of Poseidon, last born of Pontus, you have completed training with the Olympians. Now it is time for you to claim the position bestowed upon you. Rise Perseus, Honorary Olympian, and claim your throne on the council" Zeus said with a commanding tone. As I walked over to my human-sized throne among the 14 gargantuan thrones of the full-time Olympians, I saw that dad and Hestia were looking at me with pride-filled eyes. I smiled warmly at them as I sat on my throne.
Now the throne had been there, between Zeus and Hera, since the first day I had arrived on Olympus and had been declared an Honorary Olympian. But I had to train first and then only would I be granted the position officially which was now, 5 years later. As soon as I sat down, the throne shifted and turned moon-white with red, green, and sky-blue accents to show my inherited powers. I groaned aloud when a pure white laurel appeared on my head. Seriously, I mean, why? The crown and throne did exactly what I hated, showing off my power. The Olympians laughed at my discomfort since they all knew my nature by that time.
So when Zeus dismissed the council, I was the first one off my throne, grateful that the ordeal of showing off had finally ended. But before anyone could flash away, the least expected thing happened.
"Perseus, stay back. I have something to talk to you about. Privately" Aphrodite said sternly as she got off her throne. Now Aphrodite has a bad reputation for going after every man she lays her eyes on and hence would face backlash for such action. But this time it was very different. Instead of the usual seductive tone and forced sweet smile, her voice was steely and full of determination. Seeing her such, everyone agreed. My father smiled at me before flashing away and so did the rest of the council except Artemis. She gave me a 'stay safe' look before she flashed away.
Now I was downright nervous. Talking with the love goddess was not safe for one's health especially when alone. She had a very gorgeous hourglass figure with luscious curves and long, wavy brown hair. Her eyes kaleidoscopic mixture of pink, green, brown, blue, and red. She just approached me, grabbed my shoulder, and flashed me to a garden somewhere on Olympus. She found a spot of her choice and sat down, motioning me to join her. As nervous as I was, I obediently did what she asked me to do. After a minute of nervous silence, Aphrodite finally spoke.
"Perseus do you know what my curse as the love goddess is? I am eternally cursed to lust for every man I lay my eyes on. You being a man were no exception. But over the course of these times, my views on your being changed" she said. I looked at her surprised. She noticed my expression and just smirked.
"Do you know who my father is, Perseus?" she asked. "Ouranos, right?" I said, replying to her question. "Exactly. And who is your actual father?" She asked again. "It is Pontus. Wait, that makes us cousins" I said, realizing my own discovery. "Damn right. So after being confused for a long time, I figured something out. This is the first time anything like this actually happened to me. What I initially thought was lust towards you turned out to be brotherly love" she said slowly. My eyes widened at what she meant. But she seemed to know what I was thinking.
"Yes Perseus. What I mean is, should you accept, I want to adopt you as my brother and bestow part of my blessing that will help you out there" she said with a knowing smile. I was dumbstruck. Happiness overwhelmed me. Though I lost my sister that fateful day, it lead me to have many new sisters, especially Zoe and now Aphrodite. To answer her recent question, I tackled her with a hug and said "Sure sister. Why would I ever reject your idea to adopt me?"; still feeling elated.
She grinned at me before she stood up. She concentrated godly energy into her hands and shot it into my heart, which stung a little but was otherwise fine. She gasped a little but then started giggling uncontrollably. "Oh Percy, I don't think you will mind me calling you that. I warn you to not go in front of other girls you know" she said. I was very confused until she rolled her eyes and summoned a mirror. And that was the moment I turned into a narcissist. Just kidding. But I had to admit I looked handsome. I gained a couple of inches while my physique became leaner without me losing any muscle. My face became very defined with higher cheekbones and a very set nose. My eyes had specks of pink in them along with specks of black and my natural emerald sea-green.
"Percy, now you have the power to feel the emotions of the one you concentrate on. You can charmspeak to an extent. I do have more powers but they are not useful for you. Now I am also going to train you for the next 4 months" she said commandingly. "Thank you, Lady Aphrodite. But no offense, I have heard that fighting is not your forte and the prophecy asked me to train with the elder Olympians, right?" I asked cautiously. This caution however did not prevent the smack I got upside the head.
"For Olympus's Percy, I am your sister. Don't freaking call me lady. As for your question, you should know that being the last born of Ouranos, I am the eldest Olympian. I was born even before Hestia. Just because I joined Olympus later doesn't mean I was born later. And while I choose not to fight, I can happily tell that I am much more proficient with a sword than maybe even Kronos" she explained, smiling at my wide-eyed face. Seeing that I still didn't believe her, she sighed and stood up, motioning me to do the same and take a few steps back.
Once I did, she grinned before asking, "Percy being a demiprimordial, I get you can survive a god's true form right?" I confirmed just as she started glowing. I quickly let out my aura to survive her true form. As soon as my aura settled around me, Aphrodite burst into her true form. It was truly remarkable. Her brown hair elongated up to her waist while her eyes turned a beautiful shade of reddish pink. Her face became more regal and royal than even Hera. She now stood at 6'1, shorter than me by just an inch. Then she did what made me rethink why I said she couldn't fight.
She summoned her battle armor and weapon. At that moment I realized that it was not just her clothes and beauty products that were top class. Her armor and weapon were perhaps the best. Now people usually link Aphrodite with pink. Though somewhat true, it didn't apply to her right now.
Her armor was pitch black with two pink strips running from top to bottom and a white dove on her chest. The armor covered her whole body, including her legs and till her elbows along with a black helm with a pink accent on her head. Her sword was a masterpiece in itself. It was a beautiful longsword with a pitch-black blade and bright pink hilt. The word 'νυχτικό' was etched across the black blade in white. Nightpearl was the name of the sword.
"Do you still doubt my fighting abilities, Percy?" asked a smirking Aphrodite. But before I could reply, she continued "Oh wait, I almost forgot about these. Pardon me, you know it has been a long time I last fought." She then raised her hand and from nowhere a large number of rose petals surrounded her, swirling like a tornado.
"Percy, do one thing, pick up a big rock and throw it towards me" she said grinning like a mad(wo)man. I hesitantly picked a rock and threw it. I gasped loudly because the rock was cut like a piece of butter because of the rose petals. These petal blades were even sharper than Demeter's grass blades.
"So Percy this is what I am going to teach in the coming months. But I must warn you, neither my swordplay training nor my rose blade training is going to be easy. It is going to be very taxing, do you still want to continue?" she asked. I was about to answer but I felt someone trying to enter my mind, kind of like knocking on my mind's door.
Percy are you alright? It has been 3 hours since you left. To be honest I don't trust that woman asked a worried Artemis as I let the voice in my mind. Using my new powers over emotions, I felt worry and jealousy in her voice. I was very curious why she was jealous.
I am perfectly fine Missy. As strange as it sounds, Aphrodite is going to train me starting today. And no, nothing that way, she is training me in combat. So don't expect me before dinner I told her. She agreed but I was pretty sure she was still uncertain about it.
"...Percy!" Aphrodite was snapping her fingers in front of my face, back into her regular form. "Oh, ya I was talking to Artemis via MM. Told her I wouldn't be back before dinner" I said. "So you wanna start training right now. Good. Now take out Riptide and take your stance" she said as she took her own stance and came towards me.
After about 1 hour of fighting, I realized something, though it was easier to deal heavy attacks by holding Riptide with both hands, I needed something to dual wield for endurance fights. Aphrodite was seriously skilled too. She seemed to have no flaws and also seemed to hold back against me. She realized my predicament and signaled me to stop for a moment.
"I get that you need to dual wield for long fights right?" she asked looking at me. "Yes, I guess I am more comfortable with dual-wielding" I said. She thought for some time before she looked at me with a look of approval. She came closer until she was in front of me and raised her hand. She concentrated on it and in a flash, a dagger appeared in her hand. It was a celestial bronze product with an intricately worked hilt and a razor-sharp edge.
"Here take this, it is named κατοπτρισ or 'Katoptris', it is a very special dagger Percy. I am only giving you this since you are my brother, take care of this weapon. Now take a stance again" she said, handing me the dagger. I took Katoptris in an icepick grip and held Riptide diagonally with my left hand.
We fought for the next 3 hours till the sun went down. By the end, I was reduced to a mess of sweat and fatigue. I had never been exhausted like this, not even with Hestia. With the last of my strength, I flashed back to my tent, only to appear right in front of Artemis who was reading a book. She screamed like a baby and jumped a few feet in the air. She pulled out her knife before realizing it was me.
"What the f-- Percy what happened to your looks. And is that pink in your eyes? I want to know now" she said, glaring at me, though a faint blush was visible on her cheeks. "Well, Aphrodite adopted me as her brother and blessed me. I am very tired and hence I will skip dinner. Good night, because I am going to sleep, like right now" I said. She just scrunched her nose. "You smell Percy, either you wash yourself or find another place to sleep tonight because I am not sharing a bed with someone that smelly" she declared. I dragged myself to the shower and reappeared 10 minutes later, only to ignore Artemis and jump right into the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
For the next 2 months, I trained with Aphrodite 3 times a week. She trained me with a sword to almost the level where I could face her at her full capacity. She also trained me with charmspeaking. But the most notable development was my use of the rose blades. Though I couldn't hold the petals for more than 10 minutes, it was still very potent. Then one day I remembered something Zoe told me which I had forgotten. Focus your energy on Riptide, she had said.
"Sister, I am going to try something new with Riptide okay? Please watch because this is the first time I am trying this and may go wrong" I told her while I took out Riptide. She nodded and just stepped away into the sidelines. I released my aura and focused it on Riptide. My aura started to cover Riptide like Moonlit, but halfway through, the sword started hissing and before I could react I was blown backward and Riptide skittered away.
"You alright Percy?" Aphrodite asked, concerned. I got up and nodded before picking up Riptide and trying again. I tried about 10 times over the course of 3 hours but each time, I was blasted away. Then I realized something. I had been forcing my aura on it. I was to enhance its own aura, not force my aura on it.
I got up again and gripped Riptide tightly. I closed my eyes and started feeling for the energy inside the sword. I concentrated until I found it, I could feel it like a sea green flame. I started feeding it my own energy and it grew bigger. As I forced more energy into it, the sword shifted and groaned in my hand. I opened my eyes only when Aphrodite gasped. What I saw was beyond extraordinary.
Riptide had changed its shape. It was no longer the sword my sister had given me. It was even more beautiful than before. The blade had elongated even more as it now stood at 4 and a half feet. The hilt had grown two extra points and had spread even more. The crescent moon pommel stayed the same as did the stone powering the sword and the Omega sign. Surprisingly, Riptide had not gained weight from the modifications. The sword now had a new name. Now it was Riptide άπειρος or Riptide Infinity. If it was beautiful before, it was completely badass now. I grinned at the changes as Aphrodite smiled at me.
(Cool sword, right? HEHE)
TIME SKIP (5 weeks)
Ever since I unlocked the Infinity part of Riptide, Aphrodite increased the degree of my training even more. I realized that I had to change Riptide into Infinity every time I took the sword out and would change back into its normal state as I changed it back into a brooch and it used a great deal of my power hence, only to be used in times of utter need. Now to the outside world, Aphrodite may be a delicate love goddess but to me, she was a slave driver. I could see why she had fallen for the War God even though she was married to Hephaestus. She would train me to my limits and each training day, I would return sweating and smelling like a skunk, much to the displeasure of Artemis.
It was just another day, me training with the rose blades as Aphrodite coached me on, until I spontaneously started bleeding from the side of my head as dizziness and pain spread through me. Soon after I felt like someone stabbed my hands together since I started bleeding through the palms of both my hands. I suddenly felt Artemis's feeling of danger through the bond we shared.
Aphrodite rushed to my side as my knees buckled. "What happened Percy? Why did you spontaneously start bleeding....oh gods it is Artemis, isn't it?" she asked me, concerned, before answering her own question. I gritted my teeth and managed to stand up. "Aphrodite, go to Olympus and report the attack on Artemis and I believe the Hunt too. I will go rescue them" I said as she nodded and we both flashed/mist-traveled away.
As I arrived back at camp, I saw the Hunters being overwhelmed by cyclops, telkhines, and hell hounds. Zoe was fighting 2 cyclops on her own as the others were trying to hold on to their own fight. I realized with fear and dread that Artemis was nowhere to be seen. Seeing that the injury to my head and palms were already sapping my strength, I decided to end the fight quickly and focus on finding Artemis.
I drew Moonlit and started firing volley after volley of fire and water-electric arrows at the monsters. As soon as I joined the fight, the hunters battled with renewed vigor. When I got close enough, I ditched using my bow and drew the hunting knives Hera gifted me. I released my aura and charged at the monsters, cutting down viciously anything that was not a huntress as I made my way over to Zoe. In a matter of minutes, the tides changed as hunters were winning.
"Zoe, where is Artemis?" I asked as I killed a cyclops. Her eyes widened when she saw my wounds. "I don't know brother. We were napping as Artemis took the watch, but she too had fallen asleep while leaning on a tree. We woke to a short scream and Artemis was missing. Before anyone could look for her, monsters ambushed us. And looking at your wounds, she must have been captured" she said solemnly. I was about to respond when I felt a stinging sensation on my cheek. Zoe gasped as my cheek turned red on its own and we both realized something. Someone had slapped Artemis. Now I was beyond angry. I willed my armor on as I brought down lightning. Water shot up from fissures that I opened with my earthquakes, drowning any monster that touched the water.
"Sisters lay down on the ground and whatever you do, do not open your eyes until I say so" I say in a voice so urgent that none argued. Making sure that all hunters were lying flat, I released my whole energy in my aura, disintegrating every monster in the clearing. "It is okay to look now" I breathed out as I gasped for air. The hunters looked at me, shocked, as I leaned on a nearby tree, panting. Releasing my true aura was very tiring, not to mention I was injured.
I was about to ask how the hunters were but stopped because I felt fear. Not mine but Artemis's. It was sheer terror that overwhelmed even me through our shared bond. Then I heard it and it made my blood run cold. Percy help me. Please help. Percy. Artemis was saying this over and over. I could feel her cry as it brought tears of my own.
TRIGGER WARNING
"Sister I am going to Artemis. Keep the Infirmary ready" I said as I shadow traveled to approximately where I could feel Artemis's emotions. But as soon as I reappeared, I could no longer feel where Artemis was. I started panicking. I ran towards the direction where the last connection had come from. As I ran another mile, I sensed a tug in the gut as I felt her emotions again. But instead of feeling happy, I started hyperventilating.
Artemis was sending big SOS signals through the bond. I could practically feel the fear and helplessness roll off her in waves. As I concentrated harder on her emotions to get her location I just burst into tears from the emotions she displayed. I felt a shiver run along my body and realized in horror that it was from Artemis. She was naked. I just ran faster. I would never let anything happen to her, not till I still breathe. I winced in pain and almost fell down as I felt someone pinch my breast very hard...Oh Hades...someone was groping Artemis and she was helpless. That was the last straw. Not only had someone taken her clothes away but had humiliated her. In my anger, I shadow traveled to the exact location. I appeared behind a tree but could see everything conspiring in the clearing.
The clearing was small and I could see a small group of cyclops standing with their backs to me, laughing at what was happening at the center, where a man with black hair was standing. There was a big tripod structure at the center, devoid of canvas, perfect for hanging something, which exactly what was being done. Artemis was hanging there as the monsters laughed at her. The man in question was no doubt the one who had hurt and groped Artemis.
Artemis was in a bad condition. Her hands were pinned together with a black arrow stabbed and passing right through both her palms, explaining the wound on my palms too. She was hanging there with celestial bronze chains bound around her with her arms over her head, rendering her godly powers useless. And she was stark naked. That bastard of a man had ripped her clothes and undergarments apart, exposing her bare chest and lower body. Even in this situation, I had to admit her body was gorgeous, with a healthy chest and full hips and luscious curves. Her eyes were shut tightly as if trying to reduce her sense of being humiliated. One side of her head was bleeding and tears poured in torrents. She had been gagged so she couldn't call for help. But when I saw the big bruise turning blue on her bust where the rascal had touched her, I lost my cool. That was when the man turned around and started unbuckling his pants. Orion. I recognized him instantly. "Won't you love to lose what you held close to yourself" he taunted her, as the monsters laughed harder. She started whimpering and gave up on what was going to happen.
I saw nothing but red. I stepped into the clearing and stomped my foot causing the earth to rumble and all the beings touching the earth to fall down. "Let. Her. Go" I growled slowly. The monsters' heads snapped towards and they charged at me. Orion started laughing, ignoring me as he drew ever closer to Artemis, his pants down. I growled at the sight and brought down lightning on the cyclops, killing them instantly.
This was enough to gain his attention. As Orion saw my features he recognized me. Instead of attacking me he just laughed some more. "Oh, there is my lightning-wielding little brother. Do you not want to have some quality time with Artemis here" he chuckled darkly, stroking Artemis's cheek. Her eyes flew open, helpless to the touch until she looked at me. Her eyes pleaded with me to help. Her condition made my heart break but it quickly turned into anger. "Last chance. Let her go" I said with a deathly calm edge to my voice.
"Foolish boy, I was made immortal by Tartarus, I can not die. But what are you gonna do? You will watch helplessly as I have my way with her" he said evilly. I just drew Moonlit and fired an electric arrow towards him. He growled as he jumped away from its trajectory, pulling up his pants as he does so. "You fool, you cannot beat me. Now you die" he said as he drew pure black hunting knives and ran at me. Anger fuelling me, I took out Katoptris and Riptide and watched it as it shifted into Riptide Infinity. His confidence faltered a bit but he still ran up to meet my strike. Within a minute, he was down on the ground, Katoptris pinning his left hand while Infinity did the same to his right. The gods' training had paid off.
"Now you will feel pain" I growled as Artemis watched on, still hanging from the stand, naked. I punched his temple hard, creating an audible crack as ichor rushed out of his temple. I drew Moonlit and fired 8 electric arrows each into his palms. He screamed in agony until his throat was hoarse. Pulling my hunting knives, I laughed maniacally and rid him of his rapist assets. He wailed loudly and almost lost consciousness. Then I just willed the ichor that had poured out of him to rise, superheated it and forced it down his throat and anus. His screams racked the surroundings but this what you would get for attempting to rape Artemis.
I looked at Artemis to see in her eyes that she was broken, she had been traumatized. Orion deserved what he got and even more. But before I could deal the finishing blow, the ground beneath him cracked open, swallowing Orion whole. "You will pay Perseus. One day, you will be forced to see someone close to you get tortured the same way and worse. Mark my words, I will be back and will torture your precious people the same way right in front of you until you lose your sanity" he said in a pained voice before the hole closed.
Though his words pierced my heart, I paid no attention to it as I ran towards Artemis. I slashed Riptide through the celestial bronze chains but it did nothing. I tried many times but failed. I started crying, not able to see Artemis in this condition. That was when I took out Katoptris. I slashed the 'special' dagger through the chains and it cut through like the chains were clay. Before she fell to the ground, I caught her, not caring that I was holding a naked maiden goddess bridal style. She cried in pain as the arrow moved a bit when it grazed my shoulder, a similar pain that I felt within a second. I quickly laid her down and took the gag out. She tried to say something, but before she could, she screamed as I pulled the arrow out without prior warning since I knew it would hurt, not that I didn't know because I felt the same pain too.
Using Demeter's blessing, I willed the grass to form a dress for Artemis to cover her naked body. Once I was finished with the dress I put it on her myself since she was in no condition to do it and she too didn't protest at all as I clothed her even though she was fully naked in front of a male, surprising me because she was too broken too even protest. As soon as she was fully dressed, Artemis just grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. She sobbed her heart out into my chest as I patted her back. Tears fell from my eyes too, seeing her condition. She was clutching me like I was would disappear anytime. I could never imagine the strong-headed, independent Goddess of the moon in such a broken condition.
"It's alright Missy. He can't do anything now. He is gone. I will never let anything happen to you" I said soothingly as she clutched me tighter, still crying. "H-he was t-trying to r-rape me..." Artemis shakily said as she burst into a fresh round of tears. "If you d-didn't show up, I w-would have l-lost m-my virginity. I w-was so h-helpless Percy. I c-could only watch as h-he tore away my c-clothes and p-pinched and groped m-my breasts. I-It hurt P-Percy, i-it hurt very bad as h-he tainted my c-chest with h-his touch. He h-humiliated m-me. H-he would h-have had his w-way if not f-for you. T-thank you P-Percy" she said sobbing into my chest, my shirt was fully wet with her tears. I shuddered at what would have actually happened if I were to arrive even a few minutes later.
"Shh Missy, the only thing that matters is you are all right. I am never letting you go out of my sight ever again. No one will ever touch you without your permission, otherwise, they will meet Riptide. You'll never be alone. I'll go everywhere and anywhere you go" I said trying to calm her down. Eventually, after 10 minutes, she had cried herself to sleep in my embrace. She looked so fragile and vulnerable that I swore to myself that I would do everything I could to prevent a relapse of this situation. I hugged her tighter and let the hearth flow through both of us, healing our shared wounds.
It was already evening and the sun had set. I picked her up bridal style, where she snuggled up against my chest and sighed in comfort, and shadow traveled right beside the campfire. The hunters jumped apart seeing their mistress in such a condition. They looked at me, concerned and worried, but wisely waited and kept their mouths shut.
"She needs rest, I healed her wounds but she is traumatized. It was Orion who kidnapped her and almost raped her when I reached but he had already touched her with his filthy hands" I said solemnly, scowling at the last part. The Hunt gasped collectively but nodded to the prospect of letting her rest. Aphrodite, I have successfully rescued Artemis, but she was groped and almost raped and is very traumatized. Let her rest today and we will come to the council tomorrow. I MMed her as I carried Artemis to our tent and received an affirmative response.
I gently laid her down on the bed and tucked her in. But as soon as she left my arms, her face contorted into one of fear and helplessness. She started twisting and turning. I quickly started shaking her in an attempt to wake her. As soon as she woke up, her eyes wavered until she saw me. She launched herself at me and started crying again. "I am very scared Percy. I am not able to forget what happened. I feel dirty, tainted. Please stay near me. That is the only time I feel safe" she pleaded as tears slid down her face.
I was shocked but quickly climbed into bed, Artemis still clinging onto me. "No you are not scared Missy. You are not tainted or dirty. Your soul is too mighty and pure to get tainted by the touch of a mudblood" I said and held her close until she stopped crying. "Percy?" she asked in a small voice. "Yes Missy" I asked putting strands of loose hair behind her ears. "Please don't let go. I can't sleep otherwise" she said, digging her face into my neck. "I am never letting you go Missy. I will do everything to keep you safe and happy. I will hold you till you can sleep, alright? Now go to sleep" I said, kissing her forehead. She smiled as she closed her eyes, making my heart flutter. I didn't need to confess my feelings, as long as she smiles, I am satisfied.
In the middle of the night, I woke up to screaming. Artemis, no doubt as having nightmares about what happened earlier. She was screaming into my neck as tears fell from her eyes. I embraced her tighter as I caressed her cheek. "Missy, wake up. It is just a nightmare. He can't hurt you. I am right here" I softly spoke right next to her ear. She jolted awake and seeing me next to herself, she smiled in relief and wrapped her hands around me tighter until she was on top of me, not snuggling with her head on my chest, her whole body was on top of mine.
We both blushed at our position but I was surprised when she did nothing but stayed there, blushing harder as she buried her face in my chest, still staying on top of me. "Percy, can you sing me a song? It helps me sleep and hopefully not have any more nightmares" she said from my chest. I obliged and sang her a Greek lullaby. Within minutes, she was fast asleep once again. I contemplated setting her down to my side instead of her being on top of me since it was giving me quite the arousal ( I was still a hormonal teenager, duh!) but I couldn't. She was sleeping on my body like it was the most comfortable bed ever made and I didn't have the heart to deny her that feeling of comfort, so I just swallowed my arousal and let her sleep on top of me as I closed my own eyes and went to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up to Artemis holding me in a vice grip, still lying on top of me, head buried in my chest, legs wrapped around me. We were to report yesterday's incident to the council. I gently shook Artemis but she did not wake. So I just wiggled out of her grip, stood up, washed and changed, and came back to see Artemis still sleeping. So I did something I learnt over the last 5 years. "Missy look! A deer" I yelled. In an instant, she was out of bed and finding no deer, started glaring at me. "Sorry Missy. We have to report to the Council what happened yesterday" I said, smiling at her sadly.
She froze as last day's memories started flashing back to her. She paled and looked down. "I-I can't Percy. I can barely keep myself from breaking down, how am I going to recount it to the council?" she asked in a broken voice. Sensing her tension, I closed the distance between us and wrapped her in a hug. She was surprised but returned the hug.
"I will be there Missy. Did you honestly believe I would leave you on your own? We are in this together. I will help you with it, don't worry" I said, pulling back and tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear. She looked at me gratefully before softly kissing my cheek. "You are the best Percy. Thank you for yesterday and thank you for helping me today" she said smiling.
As she was washing up and changing in the tent, I recounted the incident to the Hunt and told them to never bring the topic up in front of Artemis since she was very scarred from it. Two hours later, Artemis and I found ourselves in an empty throne room. She raised her bow to call a meeting but faltered. I realized instantly what made her falter. It would be a long time before she would be fully healed from the trauma. "Go and sit at the foot of your throne Missy, I will call the meeting and join. I won't ever leave your side" I told her. She nodded and went to her throne, but instead of growing to her godly height, she sat cross-legged in front of her throne in her human size.
This was the first time I would call a meeting. Though this was new to me, Hera had already explained the basics. It was quite simple, I just had to use my symbol of power while focusing on something to summon a meeting. I pondered over choosing between Riptide and Moonlit, settling for Moonlit after a minute. Standing at the center of the throne room, I summoned Moonlit and closed my eyes, imagining a power to call a meeting. I opened my eyes and gasped at the arrow that had appeared to call the council. It was a moon arrow but was crackling and pulsing with lightning. Surrounding it was a beautiful but contrasting helix of water and fire, sizzling and splashing at the same time. All in all, it was a hybrid of all my elements. I aimed it up and fired. The arrow went up a few feet before it broke into a million pieces of raining petals made purely of a golden-greenish light, signaling the meeting.
I joined Artemis, sitting cross-legged right beside her as one by one, all the gods flashed in with a look of awe and confusion on their faces. "Who called the meeting? I knew it was a sign to call a meeting but I have never seen it before" Zeus called out. "It was me, uncle" I said from my position beside Artemis. He raised an eyebrow seeing how we were sitting at the foot of Artemis's throne instead of our own thrones. I just gave the Olympians a 'do not question' look and solemnly said, "We are here to discuss yesterday's events. I guess Aphrodite has already conveyed my message?" Zeus nodded and took his throne, followed by other Olympians.
Artemis started breathing heavily as Zeus spoke out, "Daughter tell me what happened yesterday?" I put a comforting hand on her shoulder as she took a shaky breath and started her part of the story. "In the afternoon, we were napping in a shady clearing while I kept watch when Perseus was training with Aphrodite. We were settled peacefully until we were ambushed. Someone snuck up behind me like a coward and hit my head, making me lose consciousness. When I woke up, I was chained up and hanging from a stand, with my hands over my head. A throbbing pain in my palms made me realize my captor had stabbed an arrow through my palms to pin my hands. T-then the m-man c-came and tore away m-my clothes. H-he groped m-me and tried to r-r-rape me....." she explained, shakily starting, stuttering at the end, and finally breaking into tears at the mention of rape. I immediately pulled her in a hug where she dug her face into my neck and hung on to me like her lifeline.
Several gods were showing horrified looks and all but ignored me hugging Artemis. "WHAT!!?? WHO DARE TOUCH MY DAUGHTER?" bellowed Zeus, his knuckles turning purple from holding the Master Bolt too tightly. I raised a hand to tell them to keep quiet as I gently rocked Artemis as she cried on my shoulder. Suddenly all eyes were on were on me comforting Artemis. Many eyebrows were raised but all kept quiet seeing that I was actually able to comfort Artemis after her harrowing experience. I waited for some time as Artemis cried herself to sleep in my arms, before presenting my view.
"He has returned Lord Zeus" I said looking at him. "The man who attempted rape on Artemis was Orion." Gasps were heard all around the room. "H...how is that possible? He was killed" Apollo stuttered out. "Tartarus. He made Orion immortal and now he is back. His motive is to support the enemy in the upcoming war and to hurt Artemis. I was training with Aphrodite when I started bleeding spontaneously from my head and from both my palms. I quickly realized it was from our bond and told Aphrodite. I flashed to the Hunt's camp and saw they were overwhelmed with monsters but Artemis was missing. I quickly helped the Hunt decimate the monsters and started looking for Artemis. I was a little late because that bastard had already groped Artemis but thankfully was yet to touch her lower body. When I arrived, Orion was trying to force himself on her. I made quick work of him and even castrated him. But Artemis was already traumatized by the fact that someone had managed to touch her sacred body without permission. Though I don't think Orion is coming back anytime soon, it would be very helpful to not bring up this incident in front of Artemis as she is very fragile emotionally at this moment" I explained and requested.
Apollo and Zeus were seething and the other Olympians were very angry but managed to keep quiet after hearing that I had arrived at the right moment and prevented anything from happening. After some time of other discussions, the meeting was dismissed but Apollo and Zeus stayed back. Apollo was the first to approach us. He came and sat before us and smiled sadly at his sister who was sleeping in my arms. "Thank you Perseus, for looking after my sister. I am forever grateful to you. I think you are the only one who can release the trauma she got from yesterday. Keep her in sight, will you? Protect her forever like you did yesterday" he told me as I nodded, before kissing his sister's forehead and flashing away.
"Perseus, my nephew. I am grateful to you for saving my daughter. Now that your training is complete, always stick by my daughter's side. Make sure this situation is prevented from happening again. Take care of her and yourself" Zeus said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder before he too flashed away.
I sighed and gingerly picked Artemis up and mist traveled to our tent. Once there, I tucked her in the bed even though it was 11 in the morning. I then stepped out of the tent and headed to the training arena, where all the hunters were gathered. There I would explain what happened to their mistress and tell them not to disturb her sleep since it was quite necessary for her. She needed rest for her recovery. After what happened yesterday, she would take a lot of time to recover mentally and emotionally. But she wouldn't be alone in her path of recovery, I would be there for her all the time, I would cater to her every need, and I would do everything to make her smile; this I promised to myself.
A/N: Way to go! It's a wrap for this chapter!
The Mr. Carried-Away in me awakened again and voila, here is a 9000+ word chapter.
Sorry for the late update. You see, I had some important personal matters to attend to. But Idk how, I still managed to ooze out my longest chapter to date.
Sorry for the Mature Scenes. You see they were written by a perverted friend of mine😭 after I lost a bet to him😭😭😭. I am sorry again but you may see them in the future again (Godamn I lost a BIG bet). To those who are not comfortable with these trigger-worthy scenes and are just skipping, don't fret bcoz I will summarize what happened some way or the other and will make sure to give warnings before the scenes happen.
Well, I included some more Pertemis fluff in this chapter and will continue to do so coz you know, "HAIL PERTEMIS!!"
Hope you found this chapter worthy. Keep reading, keep upvoting, stay safe. (FU Corona)
Ciao
-KK42069
9567 words (excluding bold font)