Ch. 22
Percy woke up to a pressure on his chest. He opened his eyes and smiled at the mess of auburn hair spread out over his torso. Instead of moving he just leaned back and enjoyed the feeling of having Artemis sleeping peacefully on his chest. After another twenty minutes he felt her start to stir. Her eyes fluttered open revealing her silver orbs that looked like beautiful crescent moons. The sight brought a smile to Percy's face.
"Sleep well?" Percy asked softly.
Artemis smiled and nodded before she leaned up and kissed Percy softly.
"We need to get to the throne room. The Olympians will want a full recap of everything that happened with you and Thalia in Tartarus." Artemis said softly.
Percy nodded, "I will meet you outside in twenty minutes. I will just go over to palace to shower and change."
Artemis nodded and kissed Percy again before he disappeared into flames from her bedroom.
Artemis headed off to her bathroom to shower as she thought about everything that happened the night before. Percy had managed to get through Tartarus and save Thalia and somehow even walk out with two of her dead huntresses. Artemis couldn't help but smile when she thought about the return of her best friend Zoe. The most painful event of her long immortal life was now rectified by the man she loved.
Her thoughts drifted to the events in the throne room. She couldn't help but feel disappointed that Percy turned down a chance to be a god. She was worried that if he fell in battle he would be eternally stuck in that cursed river. Artemis shook her head; she would go to war against Styx if she had to in order to prevent that. At least now Percy was invulnerable and she was the only person who knew where his new Achilles' spot was.
She was a little surprised she had offered to break her vow for him, especially so quickly. When he showed her his one vulnerable spot she couldn't explain how much she loved the fact he trusted her with his very life and in turn his afterlife.
She didn't regret her decision. No, she was even more positive it was the right choice to offer to break her vow when he turned her down because he knew she wasn't really ready. She would break her vow for Percy, when the time was right, just like he said.
Artemis jumped out of the shower and dressed before she flashed herself into Percy's living room. A minute or two later, Percy walked out of his bathroom with only a towel around his waist. Artemis felt her cheeks redden as she looked Percy up and down.
Percy saw her eyes wandering over him and smirked, "Maybe you should take a picture, it will last longer."
Artemis' eyes widened and her face managed to turn even redder at his statement before she started to glare at him, "I don't need a picture. You already belong to me." Artemis said seriously.
Percy smiled before vanishing from his spot and reappearing a minute later right next to her fully clothed. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her softly, "You're right, I do."
Artemis couldn't help but smile at his words, "Alright, let's get going to the throne room. I want to get back to the ship to catch up with Zoe; we hardly had a chance to talk last night." Artemis said as she leaned up to kiss Percy, "Thank you for bringing her back. You have no idea how much it means to me to have her back."
Percy just smiled and headed for the door. As they walked through the streets of Olympus, many of the minor gods and nymphs were staring at Percy and whispering to each other as they walked by.
Percy looked at Artemis, "Why are they staring at me?"
Artemis rolled her eyes, "You jumped into Tartarus to save one of Zeus' daughters and then you actually managed to fight your way out and save her. They're shocked you're actually alive."
Percy nodded and looked ahead, trying to avoid all the looks he was getting as they made him uncomfortable.
As they continued to walk, Artemis asked a question that popped into her mind, "Did Styx simply let you leave the river freely after you agreed to your soul being bound to the river?"
Percy shuddered a bit and shook his head, "I wish but no. I had to go through the whole painful ordeal of almost dissolving into the river again."
Artemis nodded and looked thoughtful.
Percy smiled, "I don't think you need to ask who it was that grounded me the world this time, do you?"
Artemis looked at Percy before a warm smile appeared on her face. She laced her arm through his, drawing a raised eyebrow from Percy. Artemis simply shrugged making him smile in response.
When they reached the throne room doors, Artemis leaned over kissed Percy on the cheek before she slipped her arm out of his. They pushed the throne room doors open and were met with the gaping faces of the majority of the council. The only gods whose eyes weren't bugging out were Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and Hestia.
Percy sighed as he realized no one else knew he had made it out of Tartarus. He looked up and smiled at his parents and Zeus before quickly making his way to Hestia's throne. When he reached her, she shrunk down to human size and pulled him into a warm hug.
"I knew you would make it Percy." Hestia said softly.
Percy smiled and kissed his patron softly on the cheek. Hestia's smile grew as she grew back to her godly height and sat in her throne.
"As you can see, Perseus was successful in rescuing Thalia from Tartarus and also at sealing the doors of death. Now that the doors are sealed, we must decide on our next action. We need to prepare the demigods for the journey to Greece." Zeus announced to the council.
Most of the Olympians were still staring at Percy in shock still while Poseidon, Hestia, Hera, Zeus and Artemis were looking at him with pride.
"I have a dozen warships ready to sail the demigods over to Greece. They're smaller versions of the Argo II." Hephaestus grunted from his throne.
Zeus nodded and looked at Percy, "I assume the quest will be sailing for Greece now that the doors of death are sealed?" He asked.
Percy nodded, "Where will I be going Lord Zeus?"
Zeus seemed to ponder the question, "Well the plan has been for you to accompany the demigods on their journey to Greece. Do you wish to do something else?"
Percy nodded, "I would like to stay with the quest along with the hunters if you would allow me to."
"And what of the tension between the Greeks and Romans?" Zeus asked.
"When I left for Rome, the demigods had put aside their differences for the sake of our survival in the war. Without that pesky auger around to rile up the Romans, I don't see any issues arising." Percy answered.
Zeus looked thoughtful before looking at Hera who gave him a nod.
"Very well Perseus. You may join your friends on the quest along with the hunters. It will be better to have more fighters around should they run into any trouble." Zeus replied.
Everyone murmured their agreement within the council.
"Anyone have anything else?" Zeus asked.
"I want to know how the little punk managed to get out of Tartarus alive." Ares grunted earning him a number of glares.
Zeus looked at Percy to see if he wanted to answer. Percy nodded and stood up. He gave an account of his exploits in Tartarus taking care to leave out the parts about Zoe and Bianca and his deal with Styx. When he finished, most gods were looking at him with shock again except Hermes who stood from his throne and shrunk down to human size.
He walked over to Percy with a tear falling from his eye, "Did my son really save you?"
Percy nodded sadly, "Yes he did. He sacrificed his freedom to save me and Thalia. He's a great friend. I talked to Lord Zeus and he said he will do everything he can to get him out of Tartarus once the war is over."
Hermes smiled and pulled Percy into a hug, "Thank you for helping to clear my son's name."
Percy smiled, "He will forgive you Hermes. He just felt abandoned at the time. He has changed now, for the better."
Hermes smiled at Percy gratefully before returning to his throne with a small smile on his face.
"Well I think that's about everything we need to cover for today. Council dismissed for now, but prepare yourselves for war. When the demigods reach Greece, we will be fighting for the survival of Olympus and western civilization." Zeus bellowed before vanishing in a bolt of lightning. The rest of the council followed suit until it was only Percy, Artemis, Hera, and Hestia.
Hera pulled Percy into a hug along while whispering some motherly words about being safe. Percy smiled at her concern as he hugged her before she vanished from the throne room.
Hestia made her way over to Percy and Artemis with a smirk plastered on her face.
"Well you two are looking very happy today." She teased causing both to blush a bit.
Hestia chuckled before she grabbed Percy's hand and place a ring in it.
Percy raised an eyebrow at his patron.
Hestia smiled, "If you twist it, it will transform into an almost identical bow to the other one I gave you. I think you're friend has grown rather attached to the one you gave her." Hestia explained.
Percy's eyes widened but Hestia just rolled her eyes, "Please Percy, you are my first and only champion; I am always keeping an eye on you. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your two friends. You will have to fight for them after the war though, as I know most of the council will think they need to return to their afterlife."
Percy's eyes narrowed, "They aren't going anywhere." He growled.
Hestia smiled, "That is why you are the only champion I have and will ever have; such loyalty to your friends and family. You make me very proud Perseus." Hestia said before kissing him softly on the forehead and vanishing into flames.
Percy looked toward Artemis who was beaming at him, "Let's go back to the ship."
Percy shook his head, "Can we stop by Camp Half Blood?"
"Sure but why?" Artemis asked confused.
"I want to try to pick up a new recruit for the hunt." Percy said smiling.
Artemis looked confused before she smiled, "She is a little young but if she joins I can give her my blessing but not the partial immortality until she reaches an age she wants to stop aging."
Percy's smiled grew as he grabbed Artemis' hand and pulled her into a kiss. When their lips touched, they vanished into flames and reappeared in the Poseidon cabin at camp.
A girlish scream caused them to jump apart. Percy looked to find a terrified Sophie staring at them in shock. Percy smiled at his little sister.
"Gods Percy, you almost gave me a heart attack." Sophie complained.
Percy chuckled, "I just wanted to come see my favorite little sister."
Sophie looked at him skeptically, "I'm your only sister. Dad only has two demigod kids."
Percy rolled his eyes, "Then that makes you my favorite now doesn't it."
Sophie rolled her eyes at him.
"We came to ask you a few questions sis." Percy said carefully.
Sophie nodded.
"Do you like being at camp?" He asked.
Sophie looked down, "No." She answered quietly.
Percy smiled at Artemis who nodded. She knelt down next to Sophie, "Would you like to join my hunters Sophie? You would get to live with me and all my hunters who would be your new family. When you get older, you would get to be partially immortal like your brother."
Sophie's eyes widened. She looked at Percy and then back to Artemis, "Does this mean I won't see Percy?"
Percy smiled at her question while Artemis chuckled. She leaned closer to Sophie's ear, "Don't tell anyone outside the hunters, but Percy is my boyfriend."
Sophie's jaw dropped as she looked between her brother and Artemis in disbelief, "Everyone said you're a maiden goddess Lady Artemis."
Artemis chuckled, "I am but your brother is very special and I fell in love with him."
Sophie stared at Percy in shock before turning back to Artemis smiling shyly, "I want to join Lady Artemis."
Percy and Artemis both grinned. Artemis had her recite the pledge before she touched her shoulder making her glow silver for a bit.
Percy snatched Sophie up before holding his hand out to Artemis who took it and teleported them all onto the Argo II.
"I need to go find Thalia and find out what we missed." Artemis said as she let go of Percy's hand. Before she left, she snapped her fingers, transforming Sophie's outfit into a huntress uniform.
Chloe came running toward Percy but stopped short when she saw Sophie in a huntress uniform.
"You joined the hunt?" Chloe asked excitedly.
Sophie nodded shyly causing Percy to chuckle. Percy put his mouth to her ear, "Don't worry about Chloe. She is really nice, just has a lot of energy. I promise you guys will be good friends soon."
Sophie looked at her brother and nodded. Percy was about to put her down but Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Thank you Percy, I've never really had a family before." She said gratefully.
Percy smiled and set her down, "Why don't you have your new sister Chloe introduce you to some of your new sisters. Tonight, I will help you with some more of your powers."
Sophie' eyes lit up and she nodded happily. She turned to Chloe who grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the stairs of the ship. Percy chuckled at the thought of those two together; maybe they could even each other out a bit.
Percy looked toward the front of the ship where he saw Zoe standing, firing arrows at random targets they passed as the ship soared through the air. Percy walked up behind her and chuckled, "Well this gives me a feeling of déjà vu."
Zoe stopped shooting and raised an eyebrow.
"Well last time you were picking off billboards from an automaton, but the idea is the same." Percy said with a smile.
Zoe smiled, "I almost forgot about that. It seems like so long ago now."
Percy shrugged, "Well you did spend some time being dead in between. I guess it would seem like a lifetime."
Zoe stared at Percy for a minute before starting to laugh, "I guess that does make it a lifetime ago, doesn't it?"
"So what's on your mind Zoe? You seem a little distracted." Percy asked softly.
Zoe stared out into the sky as the ship flew for a minute before shrugging, "It's just nice to be back with the hunters, the only real family I ever had. I just don't know how long it will last."
Percy looked at her questioningly.
Zoe sighed, "The gods will want Bianca and I to return to the Underworld once they find out we're alive."
Percy put a hand on her arm, "That's not going to happen Zoe. Artemis and I already talked about it. The only way they're taking this second chance away from you and Bianca is over my dead body and that would start a war on Olympus. You are here for good, I promise." Percy said in deadly serious tone.
Zoe eyes widened, "Why do you care so much about us? I know we're friends but you've risked your life multiple times for us just in the past couple days alone."
Percy's eyes narrowed, "Because of exactly what you said, you're my friends. I don't let people mess with my friends and family. Without my friends, I have nothing. Friends and family are the best part of being alive; something that is worth dying for."
Zoe stared at Percy for a minute before she stepped up to Percy and kissed him softly on the cheek. She stepped back smiling, "Thank you Percy."
Percy just smiled in response.
Zoe smiled back before she handed Percy his bow, "Sorry, I forgot I was still using this. It's the best I've ever used."
Percy grinned and pushed it back into her hands, "Then it's yours."
Zoe's eyes widened and she shook her head, "I can't take your bow; it was a gift from your patron."
Percy pulled out his pen and uncapped it, "If I'm going to use your sword then it's only right if you have a weapon of mine to use as well. It's not as good as Anaklusmos but it's the best I have."
Zoe shook her head, "But now you won't have a bow."
Percy smirked and twisted his ring, a black bow with the symbol of Hestia appeared in his hand.
"Yea, Hestia gave me a new bow to replace the one I gave you." Percy said with a smile.
Zoe smiled, "Well I see your patron takes good care of you. It's nice you can carry it so easily."
Percy nodded and closed his eyes, sending a silent prayer to Hestia. He felt a warm feeling enter his body and opened his eyes. Zoe's bow shrunk down to a small silver ring.
Percy grinned, "Yea she's pretty amazing. She's good to my friends too."
Zoe looked at the ring in shock before she put in on her finger and twisted it. The bow appeared in her hand. She twisted it back and the bow disappeared again.
Zoe grinned at Percy, "Thank you Percy. When we land, I'm putting your archery skills to the test."
Percy smiled, "You're on Zoe."
Zoe looked behind Percy and smiled, "I'm going to go check on Phoebe; I need to make sure she isn't trying to kill that flirtatious Leo kid again." She said before walking past Percy. Percy turned around and came face to face with Artemis.
"How do you manage to get everyone to like you? Zoe was the coldest huntress I've ever had around men but she's the same way around you as she is me." She asked smiling.
Before he could answer she stepped forward and kissed him. She pulled back laid her head on his shoulder contentedly.
"Nico said we have a little over a day before we reach the original Mount Olympus but we are going to go slow to give the demigods time to catch up so it will be a two day journey before we land." Artemis said softly.
Percy wrapped his arms around her and nodded, "Good, then I have plenty of time to catch up with my friends and spend time with a certain goddess I've grown rather fond of."
Artemis smiled and kissed his cheek before grabbing his hand and dragged him towards the stairs to find the rest of the hunters and demigods.
Line Break
The quest continued traveling for the remainder of the day, taking their time to sail in a wide arc toward the original Mount Olympus. Percy spent his time catching up with his friends including those in the hunt and those in the quest. Percy couldn't stop himself from smirking when he saw Nico and Reyna when they interacted. It was obvious the two liked each other but neither was going to admit it. Percy was happy to see his sister Sophie get accepted into the hunt and even started to come out of her shy little shell a bit; of course the constant prodding from Chloe to speak up gave her little choice on the matter.
Percy was sitting at the back of ship with his back propped up against the back side of the ship as darkness began to creep into the late afternoon sky. Artemis sat next to Percy propped up against a beam with her legs laying perpendicular across his. They talked about the war as well as the hunt. Percy listened with a smile as she told him stories of past hunts she had been on over the centuries. They sat there for a couple hours until night had taken over the sky completely. Apollo was taking care of Artemis' duties driving the moon while she was with the quest so they were able to enjoy to moon coming across the sky while they talked.
Artemis was telling Percy about the events of the first Giant War when Percy suddenly shot to his feet.
"What's wrong Percy?" Asked a startled Artemis
Percy pointed to the sky. Artemis looked the direction he was pointing and gasped.
Artemis grabbed Percy and flashed to the controls of the ship, "We're under attack. There are a flock of Stymphalian Birds and Gryphons heading for the ship." Percy announced loudly.
"Land this ship while we try to hold them off." Artemis added quickly.
Leo quickly nodded and began to prepare the ship for descent. The hunters already had their bows out as the waited for the birds to come into view. Percy and Artemis turned in the direction of the birds and began firing arrows into the still far away flock. Several hundred yards away, the shrieks of dying monsters drew the attention of the rest of the hunters. The hunters began firing arrows into the huge flock of flying monsters. The ship was slowly descending but there was no chance they could reach the ground before the monsters destroyed the ship.
There were hundreds of monsters and the hunters simply couldn't take enough out in time. Percy and Artemis were side by side firing arrows into the flock when Percy jumped up to the railing of the ship. Percy's bow disappeared and he sent a wave of fire into the flock of Gryphons causing them to shriek in agony as they were burned alive. Even with Percy holding them back with waves of fire. The Stymphalian Birds reached the ship and began to tear holes in the side of the ship using their celestial bronze beaks. A Gryphon snuck behind Percy before snatching him by the shoulders with its talons.
"Percy!" Artemis screamed when she saw her boyfriend carried off into the sky by the Gryphon.
Percy was lifted off the ship and carried into the air. The ship was only fifty feet off the ground but the Gryphon quickly shot up several hundred feet into the night sky.
Percy's body caught fire causing the monster it shriek in pain and release him. Percy began free falling from the sky. He looked down at the birds wreaking havoc on the ship. Percy was about to flash back onto the ship when he felt himself roughly land on the back of something. Percy looked down in shock once he recovered.
"Blackjack?" Percy asked in shock.
"Need a hand boss?" Blackjack replied with a bit of anger in his tone as his words reached Percy's mind.
"Yes, thanks buddy. I promise I'll explain where I've been when we get rid of those monsters." Percy said back when he noticed the anger in Blackjack's tone.
Blackjack didn't reply but just shot down toward the flock of monsters attacking the now badly damaged Argo II. Percy's bow appeared in his hand as he began picking off birds from Blackjack's back. When they got closer, Percy sent a huge wave of fire at the side of the ship, killing off a large chunk of the Stymphalian Birds.
The ship landed roughly, tossing the occupants all over the ship. Percy continued to pick off Gryphons while sending fireballs at the Stymphalian Birds until the few remaining monsters flew off in retreat. Blackjack landed a few dozen yards from the ship where Percy quickly walked to the head of his old friend where he looked at him sadly.
"I'm sorry for disappearing on you buddy. I needed to get away from everything for a while." Percy said sadly.
Blackjack neighed in anger in response to Percy's explanation. Percy clapped his hands, summoning a handful of sugar cubes which Blackjack grudgingly ate from his hand.
"I'm really sorry Blackjack. I found out Annabeth killed my parents after the war so I ran away for a while before I killed someone." Percy explained bitterly.
Blackjack looked up from his sugar cubes, "It's alright boss. But you better not leave me behind again unless you want a hoof up your ass."
Percy chuckled, "You got a deal buddy." Blackjack returned to the sugar cubes with his resentment toward Percy gone.
"How did you know where I was anyway?" Percy asked confused.
"The other Pegasus at camp said you were in Greece. I flew over since I figured you'd need some help to not get yourself killed boss." Blackjack replied in between sugar cubes.
Percy chuckled and petted his old friend's mane, "Thanks buddy, you saved me back there."
"Someone's got to be around to keep you alive boss." Blackjack answered sarcastically.
The hunters and demigods made their way off the damaged ship and over to Percy. Percy turned to his friends before his eyes widened. Two giants stood a hundred yards behind his friends with an army of monsters behind them.