Chapter 2:
"Ah…. Lady Artemis, can you please not kill me?" asked Rin, not realizing he was speaking ancient greek. His hands were in the air as he looked at the goddess.
Artemis looked at Rin closely as if observing something mythical, which is her case would be… well her. She held the arrow still, "who are you boy? And why do you call me Lady Artemis?"
"Well that is your name right?" asked a very confused Percy.
"I mean you stupid boy, why do you call me Lady, who are you?"
"Ah…. it's me Lady Artemis, Rin? You know, that guy who held up the sky for you so that you can kick Atlas's ass? That guy?"
"What are you talking about boy? I have never held up the sky or even seen you in my life."
'Wait what?How can she not remember that? How can anyone not remember that? The only way that's possible is if…. oh no,' Rin then asked a question that he hoped was wrong to ask, "Lady Artemis, what is the year?"
Artemis still held up her bow, but her hold on it eased up from the strange question, "this is the age of rebellion boy, the gods and titan fight now, how do you not know about this?"
'I am so screwed,' thought Rin, then he began thinking about what all he knew of this time period. Zeus had released his fellow gods and all were fighting against Kronos and the titans. Zeus also in this time had Artemis and Apollo with Leto, Ares and Hephaestus with Hera, Hermes and Athena would be born only later in the battle.
"Look Lady Artemis, I know this seemed strange, but I ask that you listen to me, please?" asked Rin.
Artemis looked at this strange boy in front of her, his clothing and choice of colour intrigued her, also it was the first time a boy had ever given so much of respect, 'is this a trick of some sort?' she asked herself, but she was curious about what this man had to offer, she slowly put her bow down and nodded for him to continue.
Rin sighed in relief, he put his hands down and explained, "you see this all began when Kronos-"
The moment Kronos's name came out of his mouth Artemis jumped on his with her hunting knife drawn, she pushed Rin to the ground, her knife on his throat before he could blink.
"So you are Kronos's man are you?!" she dug the knife deeper into his throat drawing a thin line of blood.
"What?! NO! No I hate that guy, he tried to kill me, like several times! Please I swear!" Rin said aloud quickly hoping to keep his head. Artemis looked at him, she came closer to Rin, their noses just inches apart, and she looked into his eyes. Sea green met silver, and for a moment Rin felt his cheeks heat up.
Artemis slowly got up again, she sheathed her knife and held out an arm for Rin to grab. After she pulled him up and dusted him, Rin began his story.
"Alright, now first the difficult part, you see I'm from…. well I'm from the future." Rin said holding his breath, he looked at Artemis and she looked calm and not very surprised at this fact.
"Go on boy," she said after a moment of silence.
"Forgive me my lady, but why aren't you.. well shocked?"
"It is a common occurrence here to see people from the past or the future. After all when you fight with the god of time, who has mastered sending army's through time itself you tend to adapt. Now continue."
Rin whistled at that, Kronos was pretty powerful now, good thing that he never got to full power in the present day. "Alright well you see, i'm from…. well if I was to guess 3000+ years in the future. Yeah that's about right."
At that Artemis's eyes did pop open, "I see, and tell me in this future did we win this war?"
"Yes, yes you did my Lady."
"Is that why you call me Lady?"
Rin nodded, "yup, you are the goddess of the hunt, childbirth, forest animals, fertility, and chastity. The maiden goddess."
"The maiden goddess? Who me?" asked Artemis in shock, "but how? Tell me..."
"Rin, my name is Rin Merlin."
"Rin, well tell me Rin am I still a maiden in the future?" when Rin nodded Artemis did something Rin thought she never would have done, "What the fuck?!"
"Do you mean to tell me I am a 3000 year old virgin?! What the hades?!"
That was not what Rin was expecting, "ah, my Lady are you alright?"
Artemis snapped at Rin, "do not call me My Lady! I hate that, it makes me sound so old! Call me Artemis."
That really did not seem normal to Rin, "ah ... okay? Are you sure you're…. well Artemis? You seem very different."
"People change you stupid boy."
"Well that's good, you still dislike males that's normal."
"I do not dislike males boy, I simply dislike their lack of common sense. Now tell me Rin do I have a child? Or a husband, or even a boyfriend?"
Rin just gave her a blank look, "ah, no, you're the goddess of chastity remember? Staying away from the opposite sex is kind of your thing."
Artemis sighed, "I guess Apollo was right, I'm never going to get a boyfriend."
"You want a boyfriend?" asked Rin gobsmacked.
"Of course you fool, which 15 year old girl doesn't? And especially at times like this when one could die at any point?"
Rin was silent, he really did not know what to say, hell Artemis, the man hating goddess wanted… a BOYFRIEND?!
"Come with me Rin, if you are indeed an enemy of Kronos you are my ally, and you still have to finish your story."
Rin followed Artemis as she leads him down a trail, the trees seemed to spread out less and less and soon enough they reached a giant tree which seemed to be 50 foot tall and its trunk was several feet wide. It's branches were covered in vines and were spread out in all directions, the leaves on them rustled with the breeze filling the forest with the sound of chirping birds.
Artemis climbed the trunk and went into the hole that was there preset in between the roots of the tree. When Rin entered the seeming dark hole, he slipped and down he went, it kind of reminded him of the amusement park rides he went to, you know the one with water slides.
The slide ended in a clearing which looked like an underground camp site. There was a fire pit in the center and a bed in the corner made out of several deer roof was made out of rock, and there were several small holes there to let the air flow out. Artemis was in one corner, she took of arrows and bow, but kept her knife on her.
Rin took a seat next to the fire place, and Artemis sat opposite him.
"Continue your story Rin, tell me how did you get here?"
And so Rin told her that he was a son of Poseidon, although it was difficult explaining what a human was to her, about Kronos rising up, about the battle of Olympus and how he ended up here. He didn't tell her anything else about the future though, not where Olympus was, or what happened to the god after they won their battle against the titans, even though Artemis asked him several times.
At the end of the story, "that is quite a story Rin, even though you gave me no details," said Artemis while she gave Rin the stink eye, "but I suppose it was for the best."
Rin nodded, "so tell me, what's the situation here? How is the war going for you guys?"
Artemis's face got dark at that, "not that well I'm afraid. Kronos is constantly sending attacks from the future or the past, and when we defeat them he simply send them back to their original time to rest. Once he sent the same army from three different times all together to attack us, we won, but at a price."
"What happened?" but the moment Rin asked that he knew it was the wrong question.
"My mother Leto gave herself up so that my brother and I could escape," she sunk her head lower.
"My apologies."
"She died protecting who she loved, for her that was a good death." After a moment of silence for her mother Artemis continued, "Rin tell me, do you know how the gods defeated the titans?"
Rin nodded to her, "yes it was your dad's idea actually, he fr-"
"-no, don't tell me, you may tell my father tomorrow, but no one else, it is too dangerous. For now you may sleep here, but tomorrow we will go to my father and you can tell him the plan there."
Rin nodded, he looked to the corner opposite to the bed and went there, he laid down and tried to get some rest, but then Artemis spook up, "Rin why are you sitting in one corner?"
"I thought you would not like it if I slept close to you my Lady."
"Stop call me Lady, I have not earned that title yet, and you should sleep here next to the fire, it gets cold at night ."
Rin nodded and moved next to the fire, he closed his eyes to rest and think of his day, but once again he was interrupted, "tell me Rin, do I really have that much hate towards males?"
Rin looked at her, it was a strange question considering who was asking it. "You just don't trust them Artemis, you don't hate all of them, heck you think I'm a pretty okay guy."
Artemis smiled at that, she got up and lied in her bed, she soon drifted to sleep, and that left him to think what he was going to do. Technically it was his birthday today, his 16th. And now he found himself 3000 years in the past with a man-not hating goddess. It was a strange birthday indeed.