Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson
LAST TIME:
'If there was ever a time to hug or pet her, it'd be now'. Vesta said with a voice full of adoration as I pushed her aside in my head. A loving smile then grew on my face as I prepared to answer her suddenly asked question as I stared at the confused goddess as her eyes almost appeared pitiful in a way.
""I love you.""
Suddenly a new voice joined my own as the words left my mouth causing both Artemis and I to jump a little bit. My heart only began to race faster at the sound of the voice as my worries and frustrations buried in my heart began to melt away. We both then turned to the sudden guest to the very cause of frustrations in all his 13 year old glory, drying his wet hair with a towel as Percy walked our way.
Artemis seemed to both grow relieved and a bit tense as Percy approached us, he continued to dry his hair a little before he stopped right beside me. Reaching out his hand to me I instantly took it in one of my own as I felt the goddesses eyes watch we both squeezed our hands 3 times each.
"Each squeeze is a word and those words are, I love you."
NOW:
THIRD PERSON POV:
"Can I get up yet?" Percy asked as Hestia stared at him as he let out a sigh of regret as he continued to kneel on the ground before her and Artemis. The second goddess seemed out of place a little as she stared at the two.
"Why didn't you IM me when you returned? We were worried sick! Artemis was ready to run back down there herself!" She said with a stern tone as Percy put on an embarrassed face and then looked up at Hestia to see an exasperated face. He then turned to see Artemis as her face had turned golden in embarrassment.
Artemis simply couldn't believe Hesita outed her so easily, her heart simply couldn't handle it. Especially after the two had said 'I love you' together, even if they were simply explaining the 3 squeezes it made her heart nearly jump out of her chest hearing those words. It was like they were telling her those words in that instant and Artemis found herself… not disliking the words. Her blush only continued to grow as she was lost in thought as Percy finally spoke.
"Well I had to return to using the Nest and met with Mom, Cammy, and Tracy. IM's don't work there… and I kind spaced out. I then used the exit near the empire state building, then came here as fast as I could. I then ran into another pantheon's goddess on the way up the elevator but when I finally got here I discovered the meeting was going on. So I decided to use the key you gave me to come here and shower while I waited." Percy said as Hestia and Artemis both seemed to freeze under the info he just dropped.
"Wait hold on, you met another pantheon's goddess?" Artemis asked in a serious tone, her embarrassed thoughts pushed aside for the moment.
"Yes I did, she said her name was Benzaiten the goddess of flow for the Buddhist and Shinto pantheons. She simply wanted to inform me that the other pantheons wanted to possibly hire me for jobs like a mercenary in the future. As well as to actually meet me." Percy said as Hestia and Artemis' faces hardened a bit as the room grew quiet.
"Did she do anything to you?" Hestia asked again as Percy shook his head as Hestia sighed in relief.
"We must tell the council, other pantheons aren't allowed to meet with him right now." Artemis said as Hestia seemed to think for a second before she nodded as the two goddess made a decision.
"So… am I not allowed to help them?" Percy asked as both goddesses turned to him..
"Not yet, we have other things to deal with right now. We don't need you overseas and out of reach." Hestia said as Artemis nodded in agreement, Percy just gave a small nod as well. He more or less figured that was the case.
"So… what now?" Percy asked as a fire lit in Hestia's eyes as she threw an intense stare at him.
"You're officially grounded! You broke the rules we spoke about and I will not have you running around while you are still injured and in your current state! Until you are back to 100% health you are to stay home even then you will still be grounded for a bit." Hestia said with a flame of passion as Percy stared at her in slight shock, yet he still nodded in the end. He needed a break and what better way than napping at home with the kids and Hestia?
"Artemis I hope you don't mind also keeping an eye on him while he rests at home if we are not there. Someone needs to keep him out of trouble even if he is doing nothing." Hestia said in an apologetic tone as Artemis paused for a bit as her flustered emotions returned to her. She could only give a nod in agreement as she appeared to try to hide her emotions.
Hestia couldn't help but notice that Artemis had been acting a bit different since she got back, even Hestia could tell the goddess was different even though she hid it well. Glancing at the semi-sad Percy she couldn't help but wonder what actually happened on the trip between the two of them.
"Percy did anything happen between you two?" Hestia couldn't help but ask as Percy blinked in surprise as Artemis' felt her heart begin to frantically race. She hadn't told Hestia that Percy had told her she was a soulmate candidate and basically confessed to her. If he told Hestia now Artemis felt like she was going to die from her heart racing, her inner thoughts only increased as her mind started to grow a bit dizzy from her overthinking.
"Artemis, are you okay?" Suddenly a voice snapped her out of her dizziness as Artemis blinked in confusion as she found two warm cinder eyes looking at her in concern. Just seeing them made her heart calm down as she tried to muster up the courage to talk to Hestia.
"I… Percy… He… well…" Artemis tried yet she couldn't find the words as Hestia's stare grew a bit more concerned as Artemis' face showed strain and embarrassment.
"I told her everything about her being a soulmate candidate." Percy's voice filled the room as Hestia realized why Artemis had been acting the way she had been. Then she realized what she had just done mere hours ago as her own face began to burn in embarrassment. The lap pillow and her rant about Percy all coming back to her in waves as her cheeks turned pure gold.
"Oh gods! A-Artemis I didn't mean to… I'm sorry, I wasn't trying anything I swear." Hesita said to Artemis in an embarrassed tone as her golden blush went from her neck to the top of her forehead. Artemis herself seemed frozen in her own world as Percy just sat in silence before the two as his curiosity grew. Did something happen between the two of them before he showed up?
Artemis seemed to snap out of her fluster as she looked at the equally embarrassed goddess across from her. Her jumbled thoughts straightened out at the tiniest as Hestia's adorable pleading tone made her heart flutter even more. Yet at the same time darker emotions like worry and self doubt began to grow inside her as they seemed to dredge themselves up with the positive ones.
'Gosh she is extra adorable when she is embarrassed' Diana said in her mind as Artemis' tried to block out her other half. Over the past week she had been thinking constantly about what was going on, her emotional state had been everywhere. Yet at the same time… she did manage to find small answers for herself along the way.
"I-It's fine Hestia, you didn't know I knew and besides it seemed like you needed it to calm down. I-I didn't mind." Artemis managed to say as her cheeks burned gold as her hands fiddled with one another. Her mind was a complete mess at this point as a wave of self criticism chastised her for giving Hestia a lap pillow and actually enjoying it. She couldn't help but clench her hands a little as she tried to shut up her thoughts.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner Percy? Ugh I'm so embarrassed, if I had known I wouldn't have used her lap as a pillow." Hestia said in a cute tone as Percy finally got the answer on what happened.
"I wanted to tell you when I got back. Also I promised Artemis I would give her time to think and I would respect any decision she came up with." Percy said as Hestia glanced at Artemis, glanced at the two
"He still won't stop quipping and complimenting me with corny lines though." Artemis said offhandedly as Percy as he was caught off guard by her words as he blushed, Hestia then frowned a bit as she turned to him.
"Percy, you just said you were going to wait for her decision." Hestia said in a soft tone as Percy seemed to sulk a little as he glanced at the silent Artemis.
"I care about her just as much as I do for you and Zoe. I know I promised but I can't help it. It is the only way I could think of to express my feelings towards her in a comfortable manner. I just… I just don't know what else to do without going over the top." Percy admitted with a tiny sigh as he glanced at the goddess, her silver eyes filled with turmoil as he continued to speak.
"Artemis… I think… I just… I just want you to be happy in the end, to be able to smile each and every day and to live without worries. Even if you can't accept my love for you I will try everything I can to help you live the life you want. My feelings I have for you have been around for years, since before I even knew what love was." Percy finally seemed to dump his emotions as Artemis' hands clenched at her shirt.
"What about you H-Hestia?" Artemis suddenly asked as Hestia froze as the sudden question was sent her way. Her cinder eyes then met silver ones as Hestia gave a small loving smile.
"I am the same, I simply cannot help but feel love for you in my heart. I want you to be happy, I don't want to force any of my emotions on you and make it feel like I am forcing you into this. Yet I cannot help but want you to be part of this, I want to…" Hestia embarrassment stopped her in her tracks as a golden blush covered her entire face. Clearly her thoughts were too much for her to handle at the moment as Artemis stared at her in silence.
"B-But why?" Artemis asked in a quivering voice, her emotions finally reaching their peak as her whole body shook in place. Her emotional barrier was no longer able to hold out as her normal rough approach to such topics was replaced with a timid and shy girl. Her silver eyes seemed on the edge of tears as Percy stared at her as he felt his heart ache a bit.
"Because we simply love you Artemis. It is overwhelming at times and we simply can't help but express it even if you didn't want us to. We wanted to show how much you mean to us, even if it was only being silly or stupid with you at times. Your smiles make our heart skip a beat. Your cheeky grins that makes us want to kiss you right then and there. Your frustrated attitude makes us worried for you. Everything about you matters to us, Artemis." Percy finally said as a blush crossed his face, even Hestia's blush grew a bit hearing his words.
Artemis's heart nearly jumped out her chest hearing those words as her mind seemed to finally break apart as her emotions were let loose. Suddenly crystal-like tears began to drip from her eyes, she tried to wipe them away but more continued to fall as she began to silently weep. Her godly form suddenly shifting as her adult form shifted to a 13 year old as her emotional distress seemed to change her
"A-Artemis!" Hestia and Percy said in a panic as Percy stood up and Hestia raised her hands up, yet the two of them couldn't do anything as they appeared frozen.
"I-I'm… I don't know! Why is everything so confusing!? I don't deserve such love from so many! I don't understand anything anymore! WHY AM I LIKE THIS!" Artemis yelled at herself as she started to let out small sobbing noises as Hestia felt a drop in her gut.
The hearth goddess had felt the same worries Artemis was feeling, yet hers was not nearly as intense as this. Percy then ever so slowly reached over and took her hands in his, Artemis didn't even try to fight him back as her sobbing face appeared in front of hers. A calm and concerned look appeared on Percy's face as he stared into her quivering silver eyes.
"Artemis… you deserve all the love in the world." A simple sentence left Percy's mouth as Artemis stared at him through teary eyes. Another set of hands reached over and held theirs as Hestia blinked away a few tears of her own. Artemis' silver eyes met cinder flames and a swirling galaxy as her lips began to quiver more.
"B-But…"
"Artemis, we love you for who you are and nothing more." Hestia spoke before Artemis could talk again as the goddess before her body shook yet again.
"E-Even Zoe?" A quivering voice asked as Percy felt a small grin grace his lips.
"Especially Zoe, her love for you is even deeper and older than Hestia's and mine." Percy said as the tiny hands in his squeezed the tiniest amount.
"T-Then can you promise me something?" Artemis managed to get out as her hands trembled in theirs her
"Absolutely." Hestia and Percy said at the same time and with such confidence it made Artemis feel her own confidence grow.
"Can you please… never stop l-loving me? I-I d-don't wanna ex-experience pain like that ever a-again, my h-heart won't b-be able to handle it." Her trembling lips barely managed to lay out her sentence as Hestia and Percy felt a pull in their gut at her words. They had no clue what Artemis was talking about, both of them felt their guts twist a bit. What happened to Artemis to make her ask such a thing?
"I promise you this Artemis, for as long as I exist my love for you will never extinguish." Percy said in the softest and most caring voice he could make.
"I swear on my existence. My love for you will exist so long as my flame burns." Hestia whispered as her own body seemed to shake at the mention of Artemis' hidden past.
Once their words left their mouths Artemis felt their sincerity and pure emotion behind them that it caused her to finally break into violent sobs. It only took a second before the goddess was wrapped up in a hug as she began to violently sob into their arms. Her own hands gripping at their clothes so tightly it was like she was afraid they would disappear from her very grip. At the same time Hestia and Percy felt something deep down inside them link them together.
LINEBREAK:
"Thank you." Artemis said as she gently blew her nose into a tissue and then dabbed up some of her tears. Percy and Hestia did the same as the two of them had started to cry during the hug as well. Artemis couldn't help but glance at the two as a look of concern covered their faces as they looked at her.
"I-I promise to tell… when I'm ready." Artemis said as the two nodded in understanding, they both expected as much. Artemis couldn't help but stare at the two as she felt a part of the weight she had been carrying for years lift the tiniest amount.
"Also… thank you for loving me." Artemis said in a tiny voice as Hestia and Percy couldn't help but smile. Seeing their smiles Artemis couldn't help but blush as she turned her head away from them as Percy couldn't help but grin a little.
"Thank you for loving us." Percy said as Artemis' blush slowly spread from her face to her ears as her head remained turned away. Yet at the same time a tiny giddy smile couldn't help but work its way onto her lips as a long lost sense of happiness overcame her.
"Percy quit teasing her, let her settle down first." Hestia chastised him as Percy raised his arms in defense as Artemis shot Hestia a grateful look as the hearth goddess gave her a sweet smile.
"S-So what now? D-Do we kiss or something?" Artemis suddenly asked in a timid voice as Hestia blinked in surprise at her question. Even Percy did the same as Artemis' embarrassment returned as she felt their stares.
"D-Do you want us to kiss you?" Hestia asked with a light blush as Artemis' face intensified.
"I-I… M-Maybe… D-Don't people normally kiss when they start a relationship!? T-That is what I have heard the hunters say at least!" Artemis said in a slight panic as Percy couldn't help but glance at Hestia a little. Percy didn't know what it was but some gods just lacked the most basic knowledge about things.
"Not necessarily, Hestia and I took months to kiss after we started dating." Percy said as Hestia blushed a bit, she couldn't help but reach over and pinch him a bit as Percy winced a bit but didn't make a sound.
"R-Really?" Artemis asked as Hestia nodded a bit as she let Percy free of her grasp.
"H-How about something simple then, like hand holding." Hestia suggested as Percy once again glanced at her yet again as Hestia had to hold back from elbowing him in the side.
"H-Hand holding? T-That sounds nice actually…" Artemis said as her eyes couldn't help but look at their hands as she felt her heart beat increase.
"L-later though, I would like to calm down first." Artemis said as both of them nodded. Yet the two of them still couldn't help but feel a bit giddy in their hearts as the auburn haired goddess made an adorable expression.
"So how did you get out of the underworld anyways?" Artemis suddenly asked him with a bit of curiosity and seriousness as Percy blinked in surprise. She clearly wanted to change the topic at the moment but he couldn't help but cough and rub the back of his head at the thought of how he got out of hell.
"Yes, how did you end up doing it?" Hestia asked as Percy looked at her and then Artemis as he sighed a little and blushed.
"I ended up trading him a secret for my freedom." He said as the two looked at him in surprise, they honestly didn't seem to expect that, knowing Hades it sounded like a viable option though.
"What did you tell him? It must have been a good secret to let you walk away. Was it about you being Chaos's son?" Hestia as curiosity flooded her voice as she asked him.
"I told him you and I are in a relationship." Percy said as Hestia's eyes went as wide and Artemis' jaw dropped in surprise. Both goddesses were stunned by the information as Percy awkwardly smiled.
"You w-what?" Hestia said as her cheeks started to blush golden as her embarrassment began to grow.
"Well-." Percy stopped as a sharp sting in his gut came out of nowhere as he winced in pain. He tried to find the cause as he sensed himself as his face instantly paled, his soulmate connection with Zoe was going crazy. Hestia and Artemis also winced in pain as they felt the same thing as him.
"Something is wrong with Zoe, we need to go now." Percy said as the two goddess nodded in unison as the three began to move in unison
LINEBREAK:
TIME: Right as Percy shows up at Hestia's place
Zoë POV:
*Achoo*
"Gazoontite. Catching a cold?"
"No… my nose is itchy for some reason." I said while rubbing my nose a little as I furrowed my brows a little as Chiron looked at me curiously.
"Perhaps someone is talking about you?" He suggested as the tingle slowly faded away yet something inside me told me that it simply wasn't that. I could feel a pulse deep inside me, the same when I met Hestia and Percy. Whatever was happening had to do with the river of love and yet I had no idea what was going on.
"That isn't it, I feel drama is unfolding." I said after sniffing a few times as the tingle finally dissipated. I was met with only silence as I looked over to find Chiron slightly stunned as he stared at me and blinked a few times.
"What?" I asked as he set down a few papers and then stared at me for a second before he began to grin.
"Oh nothing, it is just surprising to hear those words come out of your mouth. You just sound like a daughter of Aphrodite." He chuckled as I felt my face freeze up, my lip began to twitch as Chiron continued to grin.
"Mommy what does he mean?" Zora asked me as she looked up from a coloring book that had very crude crayon drawings of sea creatures on it.
"Aphrodite?" Ryder asked in turn as he stopped drawing in his own book that was full of very well drawn dinosaurs. Both of their curious eyes bore holes into mine as I nervously smiled, sometimes I felt their curiosity would be the end of me.
"Chiron is just joking around. He meant nothing by it… right?" I said, throwing a smile towards Chiron who shrunk a bit as he put on a nervous smile himself.
"A-Absolutely, I was just playing around! N-Now I think all the paperwork has been handled and Zora and Ryder are officially enrolled in school again. Like I said before, this school has plenty of other demigods and clear sighted mortals from all age groups attending. The Principal is an old demigod from Camp Half Blood so there is no need to worry." Chiron said, handing me a copy of the paperwork as I let out a sigh of relief.
"Again thank you Chiron, I don't know why we didn't come to you in the first place about their education." I said as Chiron gave me a smile in return as he looked at Zora and Ryder.
"That is nothing to worry about, this private school has only been up and running for a year. So it is no surprise you haven't heard of it. It was one of the children of Athena that Percy saved that had the idea. He is the principle I spoke of." Chiron said as I blinked in surprise, Percy interacted with so many demigods of different ages it had hard to keep track of them all.
"Still thank you for helping me out with all this paperwork, I am still having a hard time getting used to it all after being in the hunt so long." I said as I glanced at the terrifying stack of paperwork that Chiron and I had to go through for Zora and Ryder to get into their school properly.
"You can blame corporate America for that. Besides this allows for select people to get into the school, it is a private one after all. The school is supposed to be one of the more elite ones as well based on who the principal hired." Chiron added as he took the paperwork and put it away.
"An elite private school… I don't know why but it makes me want to brag about it to other moms at the park." A smirk slowly appeared on my lips as I thought of the idea, they always bragged about their children and other things like new cars and such.
"It seems your nice mom facade is slipping Miss. Daybloom." A voice said as I turned to see Mr. D sipping on a diet coke as he lounged on the couch not too far away. I felt my face twitch a bit as I stared at the god before me but then a smile graced my lips as I stared at him.
"2 out of 10. Too lame and unoriginal, be better." I said as Mr. D choked on his drink and spewed out what he had in his mouth as I turned back to slightly grinning Chiron.
"I couldn't agree more with you there, his nicknames are just atrocious these days. Now, I must be off and deliver these papers. Zora, Ryder, it was good seeing you both again, hopefully next time I will have some better snacks prepared. If your mother allows you to have them that is." Chiron said with a wink as Zora and Ryder's eyes lit up as both of them immediately looked at me with expectations.
"Only if you two are on your best behavior." I said as they immediately nodded rapidly as if their life depended on it. I could only roll my eyes a little at their antics. Hestia and I had recently cut down the amount of sweets they were allowed to have, so they were a bit starved for them.
"Good, now let's get out of here you two. Percy should be coming home tonight and I was planning on making some venison burgers with extra gravy." I said as the shine in their eyes only increased more and more as Ryder even began to drool and Zora's teeth began to change into her shark ones. Looks like they inherited my stomach- I MEAN Percy's stomach! With that the two of them quickly gathered their things in their little backpacks before we were on the move.
"Hey…." Before I could fully leave the big house a voice stopped me in my tracks as I turned to see Mr. D staring at me.
"What's up?" I couldn't help but ask as the god slowly sat up and pulled a small envelope out of his leopard print shirt and tossed it my way. I snatched it out of the air as I looked down at the purple envelope with a wax stamp of some grapes on it as I raised an eyebrow.
"It's for Sarah, she hasn't been accepting my IM's since Artemis's incident. I was hoping you could deliver this to her, I would owe you a favor." He said as his hands played with themselves in nervousness as the face of a curly black hair demigoddess who took care of the farms in our new permanent camp came to mind. Ever since it was established deep in Yellowstone she had been the one in charge of them.
"I will see what I can do, no guarantees she will respond though. Also I'll keep the favor for later." I said after a few seconds as I looked at the stuck up and annoying god who suddenly appeared to look like a nervous father for the first time. He gave me a nod of understanding as I put the letter away, with that we were off as Zora and Ryder each took one of my hands.
As we made our way through the camp I could feel dozens of eyes linger on us as I paid them no mind, I had long gotten used to the looks that were directed my way. Ever since my immortality had been put on pause to let me reach 22 years of age physically, I had been attracting far more looks than ever before. Even when I took Zora and Ryder to the park men would try to hit on me, thankfully I had learned to control my temper a little better.
Only the persistent ones got a broken bone or two, if Hestia was with me and something happened to either of us the consequences for those men were much worse. Let's just say the spontaneous combustion of items owned by them was very frequent, all while my lovely little flames kept a simple smile on her face. I didn't know what it was but seeing her get all protective over me and the children but it made me want to kiss her on the spot.
Maybe when Hestia and Percy had kids… just imagining the little angels that were bound to come from them made me giddy. Holding them with Hestia and Percy right after they were born, helping them as they rapidly grew up like Zora and Ryder, and watching all their precious moments as our family.
I couldn't help but wonder if Artemis was going to be part of the harem by then, my heart raced at the thought of my silver eyed goddess. Imagining kissing her soft lips for the first time or going on our first date. Soon scandalous ideas or nightly activities involving her filled my mind, her soft body up against mine… her hot gasps for air… IT IS STILL DAY TIME! I shouldn't be imagining such things! I shook my head rapidly as I could feel Ryder and Zora give me curious stares.
As I calmed myself down a little a thought made itself known in my head, if Artemis were to join she would more than likely also have children with Percy. The thought alone made me happy yet part of me… wanted something as well. An impossible idea regarding Hestia and Artemis entered my mind as I felt a small sourness enter my stomach. Why was my mind like this, it was so full of love that it wanted something that it simply couldn't happen.
"Oh? Didn't expect to see anyone up here this late." A voice broke me from my thoughts as I suddenly realized I had made it all the way to Thalia's tree. I had been so wrapped up in my imagination that I completely missed the fact I had traveled so far. I then turned to the voice as I met a familiar face as I couldn't help but let my lips purse a little.
"Luke, it has been a minute hasn't it?" I said as I stared at the blonde haired son of Hermes leaning up against Thalia's tree. His facial scar somehow appeared much paler than usual giving him an almost evil look, his blue eyes appearing sapped of emotion as he stared at me. I could already tell something was off about him, I didn't need my hunters intuition to sense that.
"Indeed it has, what brings you to camp? Also hello to you two." Luke said with a smile that reeked of fakeness as I felt my lips pursed even harder. Zora and Ryder seemed to sense it as well as they both hid behind me a little as they peeked at him. Luke's face twitched a bit seeing their reaction to him as he reached up and rubbed his head a bit.
"I was just filling out some paperwork with Chiron is all."
"Oh? Sounds like fun, what kind of paperwork?"
"I don't see how that is any of your business."
"Fierce as always, I thought you would have changed a bit after having some kids but you're just as cold to men as always." Luke said in a flat tone as he returned to his position on the tree.
*Gritting teeth*
"Men deserve the treatment they receive by the actions they take, also if you ever say that again there will be consequences." I said through gritted teeth in the nicest tone I could muster, so many parts of me wanted to simply kick his ass right now. I had to force myself to hold back because Zora and Ryder were with me and I couldn't risk having them get hurt.
Seeing as this conversation was going nowhere I grabbed their hands and began walking away again as I ignored Luke. I took a few steps forward and a faint scent drifted into my nose that sent a tingle down my entire back, a sense of danger seemed to course through me at just the faintest whiff of the scent.
"Smells bad." Ryder said suddenly as he tugged on my hand a few times as I felt my body freeze a little.
"It does?" Zora asked, taking a big sniff of air but she didn't seem to find anything as she put on a confused face as she continued to smell the air. I could only gently take another sniff of air as the scent entered my nose once again, I knew this scent all too well. I had dealt with it tens of thousands and if not hundreds of thousands of times. It was poison and a very strong one at that, as realization dawned on me a greater sense of danger spread in my body as I began to ever so slowly turn back to Luke.
"What? Wanna chastise me some more?" He asked with a sigh as I narrowed my eyes at him as I felt my gut telling me something was wrong. His figure that was still leaning up against Thalia's tree, was seemingly out of place. Why was he even here in the first place?
"Luke… why is there such a foul stench of poison surrounding you?" I asked him point blank as Luke put on a confused face, something in his eyes glimmered as my sense of danger started to rise and my body grew tense..
"What are you talking about? Poison? I don't smell anything." He said in a confused tone as he sniffed the air himself as his eyebrows furrowed a bit, then began to sniff the air and move away from the tree as my senses began to flare with every step he took.
"Ryder, take your sister and run to the big house, grab the wine god." I said as Luke's face changed to a sneer of anger instantly as my words left my mouth.
He didn't hesitate to reach for the sword on his side as he unsheathed it in a second and charged me. But compared to Ryder's reaction he was slow, in a single second two things happened as Ryder ran towards Zora and picked her up in one fell swoop and Luke charged towards us. Zora gave out a cry of surprise as Ryder moved as fast as he could, due to his immense physical abilities a small dust cloud was actually left in his wake. I could only thank the safety training we had both of them go through after Zora had charged in head first to help Percy on that day.
"Oh no you don't!" Luke roared as he unsheathed his blade and charged right towards Ryder and Zora. Before he could take another step towards them I was already right before him, with two silver flashes my earrings transformed into my two silver daggers. Each cutting through the air with deadly precision, these two were the very same daggers that Percy had forged for me years ago.
*CLANG*
"Shit!" I found myself actually being actually pushed back from our clash as my feet slid across the grass as Luke's face continued to sneer. Yet, I held my ground as I pushed back against him and then unleashed a kick right at his groin. He barely managed to jump backwards and dodge it by a mere inch as a look of seriousness grew on his face. His sword once again struck towards me as I dodged to the side and unleashed another kick right at him.
In a split second he tossed his sword to his other hand and as my leg met his side with a solid thud, as it did he managed to catch my leg with his free hand. The blow still sent a shockwave through his body as he let out a pained grunt as he continued to hold onto my leg and keep me restrained. I tried to yank my leg back yet his iron grip did not budge, he didn't hesitate as he raised up his sword and brought it down right down on my leg. Seeing the blow coming my body moved, I kicked backwards with my free leg that was on the ground as I forced us both to fall backwards.
Luke's serious face twisted a bit as his iron grip was too tight to simply let me go, he was pulled with me towards the ground as his balance was thrown off. His strike towards my legs halted nearly immediately as he fell, he barely managed to angle the blade so the tip slammed into the ground to keep him standing. The same time my back hit the ground so did his blade as my free leg had already curled up against my chest as I kicked right towards Luke's face. He tried to twist out of the way but he was far too slow as my foot met his face.
*Boom!*
The force of the kick had nearly every ounce of power I could muster as Luke was thrown backwards. The kick was so powerful it actually instantly shook me free of his grip and sent his body arching through the air. By that time I managed to reverse somersault to get to my feet Luke had finally managed to slam into the ground. Taking a second I glanced in the direction Ryder ran to find him already more than a dozen yards away as a wave of relief washed over me. His outstanding physical abilities made it possible for his 5 year old body to move so quickly while carrying his sister.
"FUCK!" A shout came from Luke as I raised both my daggers and turned back to him. As he got up he revealed a face of pure anger as a steady stream of blood flowed down his now broken nose. I simply smirked at the sight as Luke wiped some blood away only for more to replace it as he slowly stood up. His glare drilled holes into me as I readied himself once again, yet he didn't move this time as we both stood still.
"Give up Luke, you can't defeat me, you may be strong but you're nothing in my eyes." I said as Luke's bloody teeth gritted against one another as he gripped his blade a bit harder. Still he didn't move as his face of anger turned into a grin that was only accentuated by the blood on his teeth.
"I'm going to gut like the pig you are, I wanna see your little boy toy's face when he sees your corpse in such disarray. Besides what kind of hunter spreads her legs for a man anyways? Are all you hunters such an easy lay? I should have maybe put a bit more effort in, maybe I could have fucked a few." He said in a mocking tone as he spit out a mouthful of blood, I could feel my whole body begin to shake as the anger in me grew.
"Shut your mouth pig, before I shut it for you!" I roared at him as he simply snorted at my words as I tried to calm myself. I remembered Hestia's advice as I somehow managed to keep my cool. I just closed my eyes for a second and then opened them as I focused on Luke as my gaze on him hardened, he could only frown a bit after seeing his provocation didn't work.
"Seems you are not as stupid as I first thought, just a bit above Ares." Luke said as he raised his blade once again and got ready to attack as I narrowed my eyes at him. So many parts of me wanted to cut him down right now and end him but that wouldn't solve anything. I needed to capture this little bitch and figure out what was going on. Remembering exactly what started the fight, I glanced at Thalia's tree to find a startling sight.
The place Luke stood in front of was now wide open revealing a deep gash in the tree leaking a poisonous blue and purple liquid that turned the very bark around the cut gray and lifeless. My mind instantly connected the dots as I turned back to Luke and readied myself.
"It was you, you're the traitor. I heard a monster got into camp and killed a few demigods, was that all your doing? Why are you betraying Olympus!?" I questioned him as he showed me a disgusting smile and began to laugh as I felt the anger in me swell once again.
"HAHA! You ask me why I betray Olympus? Have you ever seen what the gods have done? They treat us demigods like nothing but tools! Half the demigods I have grown to know don't even know who their godly parents are! Most die without ever knowing! The gods are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites! They expect us to worship them even though all they do is sit on their comfy thrones and fucking argue with each other!" Luke screamed at me as a lightly tinted golden aura began to slowly spread from him as my eyes widened.
"That fucking lightning bolt bastard is the worst of them all though… wasn't your goddess also a victim of his hypocrisy recently?" Luke said in a cold tone as I felt my heart jump a bit from his words, my mind finding the image of Artemis in her terrible state as I felt a new anger well in me. Seeing this Luke smirked a bit as he twirled his sword a few times as he took a step towards me only for me to step back.
"Aren't you angry?" He asked me as he took another step towards me as I backed away again as I raised both my knives, in a second they transformed into my gauntlets, the roaring lion on their fronts seemingly hungry for blood. I needed to capture Luke and what better way to knock his lights out with a solid punch?
"Shut your mouth, you know nothing of my feelings!" I yelled at him as I felt my face contort in anger as Luke stopped walking towards me as he put on an almost sad face.
"You care so little for your goddess that you don't even wish revenge for her? How cruel of you and here I thought you hunters were all loyal." He said with a sigh as I felt my anger finally boil over.
"I SAID SHUT UP! YOU KNOW NOTHING!" I yelled at him as I rushed at him as the ground broke apart beneath me I kicked off the ground so hard. Luke's eye remained on me and then struck towards me as fast as he could. His blade flew through the air with deadly accuracy as I punched towards the blade.
*CLANG*
A shudder of air erupted from our clash as we were forced into a deadlock as we both gritted our teeth as we struggled. With a push both of us were flung back a bit before we striked again, our strikes meeting one another in a flurry of sparks and waves of pressure. Each of my strikes moved like the wind yet Luke was somehow able to keep up, even if it seemed like I was able to find a gap. I even started to add kicks in and even then it wasn't enough as Lukes guard remained unbroken.
Each of my fists moved like a silver streak in the air, the lions on each fist ready to meet flesh and bone and rip it apart in an instant. His bronze blade was like a viper itself as it flew through the air deflecting or blocking each blow. When I would kick he would dodge the strike or meet it with his own kick and even meet me with a counter attack. Sometimes he would even find a chance to directly attack me as I was forced to dodge or get blown back.
I had to admit Luke was strong, stronger than any normal demigod I had ever faced. He was on the same level of Tracy for his genius with a blade, he probably even surpassed Percy in simple bladework by a long shot. My close quarters combat that I had only recently been training in was simply not up to par with his raw talent and I realized that, knowing this was going nowhere I decided to go all out.
"Don't die boy!" I roared as my aura began to flare as I focused for a second as I felt something unlock inside me. Instantly a wave of pure power rushed into me as my tattoos began to appear on my skin. In only a second I was fully powered up as I felt invincible and a gray aura flooded from me, it seemed to choke out the air around us itself as Luke's eyes widened immensely. He instantly went on defense as he jumped back as I threw a punch right at him.
*BOOM!!!!*
My punch landed right on Luke's blade as it caused the air to ripple and the ground underneath me to break apart, yet he was not sent flying backward like he should have been. My fist somehow didn't even actually reach Luke as it stopped only half an inch away, I felt a sense of danger then flooded my mind as I retreated only for my body to suddenly feel extremely sluggish. I barely had time to raise my gauntlet up and deflect the bronze sword aimed right at my neck as I was flung backwards.
"That was a close one, thank god he was nice enough to give me this." Luke said as sweat poured down his face, quickly wiping it away he reached into his shirt pulling out what appeared to be a quartz stone that had a cloud of gold in it. A small crack in the quartz slowly let out the golden aura as my eyes widened, something inside me screamed at me to run. That very part of me was the hesperide in me, being a nymph of the sunset had a few perks to it and that was knowing when the sun was going to set. Whatever this stuff was it was making my time slow down and I could feel every second of it.
"Kronos." I said in shock as Luke blinked in surprise as he raised up his blade and quickly walked towards me. I moved as fast as I could yet I still was barely able to stand in time to block another strike towards me as I pushed my power even more. Even then it only made me a bit faster as I started to defend against more strikes, even then I could feel my power draining quickly as I tried to find a way out.
"Seems you know too much now, I was going to simply capture you but now that isn't an option." Luke said as he glanced down at the rock to find nearly half of the aura was already gone as he frowned. He only started to speed up his strikes as I was forced to dodge and block more and more. Yet I was still so slow as his blade found my flesh more and more as blood began to slowly drip down my body as I panted in exhaustion. It felt like I had been using my power for nearly half an hour as I continued to push myself over my limit.
Sweat and blood ran down my body as I felt an overwhelming sense of death rush over me. My life started to flash past my eyes as I ate another strike to my side as I let out a cry of pain. A second later a foot slammed into my chest as I was kicked back several feet as I rolled on the ground like a rag doll. I gasped for air to find the wind knocked out of me, only after a few seconds was I finally able to breath. Yet through all the pain all I could think about were the ones I cared about, all their faces flashing before me as tears started to drip down from my eyes as I slowly sat up from the ground.
My injuries seemed to burn in pain as poison from his blade worked its way into my system. I began to feel my aura weakening as my tattoos began to fade ever so slowly. I could barely even sit properly as I held my side as blood slowly seeped through my fingers. My eyes only found Luke as his eyes seemed to swirl with madness as he finally stopped in front of me as he raised his blade and put it right against my chest.
"No hard feelings." Luke said as I sneered at him and spat at him. My bloody spit fell on his face as he slowly reached up and wiped his face clean. His expression stayed emotionless as he looked down at me.
"What? Expecting me to beg for you to spare me? Go fuck yourself." I said as his body seemed to shake a bit as he swung back his arm and then striked down at me. I simply closed my eyes as I felt fresh tears run down my face.
'I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye. I love you all.'
*CLANG*
'Clang?'
"GRAB HER!" A screamed as my eyes snapped open in surprise as I saw a small boy standing before me as his blade blocked Luke's sword from slashing down on me. In the next second I felt two pairs of hands grab me and drag me back as I blinked a few more times in surprise. Before I realized it I was more than a dozen feet away from the fight between Luke the boy. Their swords clashing in a storm of sparks as I could only stare as my mind tried to catch up.
"Grover, I need Ambrosia!" A familiar voice yelled as I turned to see Annabeth kneeling beside me as the Satyr quickly went through a bag and pulled out a chunk of the godly food.
"Wha-." Before I could speak the chunk of the divine food was forced into my mouth as Annabeth put on a serious face.
"If you have the strength to talk then you can chew." She said in a fierce as her equally fierce eyes looked down at me, I could only obey the small demigoddess and chew as I felt a wave of relief wash over me nearly instantly. Yet as I finished chewing the first piece another was forced into my mouth by her.
"LUKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" A voice roared in the distance as I turned to watch the black hair child who looked slightly similar to Percy attack Luke. Clearly Luke was already exhausted from our bout and the aura in the stone finally ended as I felt my time finally stop being slowed down. Yet another wave of relief washed over me as I felt my internal clock readjust to the proper time. At the same time Annabeth and Grover both started to address the worst of my wounds as they tried to stop the bleeding.
"DON'T STOP ME NICK!" Luke roared angrily as his blue eyes glared past him and towards me. I could see the madness in him grow as his prey escaped his hands, just then a glint of bronze flashed in front of him driving him back as my eyes widened a bit. Instantly I felt a long lost connection reappear as I felt my gut tug a bit as it was telling me to go retrieve it this instant.
"R-Riptide?" I whispered in awe as I saw the sword seemingly vibrate a bit from my whisper. It was like nothing else in the world even existed in that moment as I laid eyes on the part of myself I gave away so long ago.
"Hey! Lay down! You're still in no condition to move!" A voice reached my ears as Annabeth chastised me. Yet I didn't care as I forced myself to stand even against her better wishes. The pain from my body was only partly numbed by the ambrosia and the remnants of the poison in me. Even though my side had barely stopped bleeding, I still felt the aches and pains even through the ultimate painkiller ambrosia. I could only agree with her, I was in no condition to move.
"What are you doing you idiot! If you get hurt anymore Percy is going to…!" Annabeth yelled at me as she bared my path, yet she stopped as I stared down at the demigoddess and met her eyes. Grover could only stand to the side as he seemed worried about her as if I would do something to her.. Annabeth's only face showed worry and a hint of fierceness now that almost made her seem like an angry puppy, something in me suddenly wanted to pet her head full of princess curls yet I resisted… for the moment.
"That boy Nick isn't going to win, he needs help until others arrive." I said as Annabeth blinked in surprise as she turned to see Nick actually being beaten back by a furious Luke. His own wounds quickly grew as Annabeth put on a panicked face as I walked past her.
"Zoë! Just wait! At least let me help!" Annabeth yelled at me as she pulled out a dagger and a baseball cap as she got ready to fight, I glanced at her down at her as I noticed her body seemed to shake a bit as she stared at Luke.
"Are you sure you can actually fight against Luke?" I asked Annabeth as she froze, her whole body seemed to shake even more at my words. I knew a bit about Annabeth and her relationship with Luke, as I watched her body shake I suddenly saw myself in her. The time with Hercules those many millennia ago, I gave a soft sigh as I reached forward and ruffled her hair a bit.
"Leave this to me, wise girl." I said as Annabeth instantly shot me a look that I couldn't see moved forwards and took a deep breath. My focus returned to me as I my eye landed on Riptide as it was blown back yet again as Nick blocked another strike from Luke.
"Hey bitch boy!" I yelled as Luke froze in place as his face slowly turned towards me as I simply raised up my hand and flipped him off. I swore I could see a vein bulge on his forehead in anger as I smirked at him.
"Why don't you fight someone your own size?" My provocation worked instantly as he let out a roar of furry and rushed past Nick and directly towards me. In a mere moment he was already a dozen feet from me as I simply raised up my hand and felt a pull from my gut. Before Nick knew what was happening Riptide hummed in delight and jerked out of his hand, it then flew through the air right towards me. Luke seemed to sense something was going on as he rolled out of the way just in time for Riptide to flash right beside him as it nearly impaled him.
"Do you really think a sword will help you!?" Luke yelled at me as I caught Riptide as I felt a pulse shoot through my body as I couldn't help but let out a groan of satisfaction. The instant it landed in my hand I felt the part I had severed from myself so long ago finally returned, for the first time in a long time I felt whole. My entire being was finally together as all the pain in my body and worries in my mind washed away. It was just like getting a soft and tender hug from Percy and Hestia that ended with a soft and loving kiss. My emotions soared as a brilliant smile appeared on my face.
"Sword?" I questioned as I looked down at Riptide, a memory of me losing Riptide to Heracles all those years ago appeared in my head. I could only grip its handle harder as I felt a rage begin to build up in me, even riptide seemed to vibrate angrily along with me as my eyes landed on Luke.
"Riptide is not a sword, this form is a twisted image Heracles cast on it. Let me show you its true form." I said as my gray aura once again burst from my body.
A/N: Well I hope you all enjoyed the chapter because I know I sure did! Got in some beautiful Artemis romance and some action as well! I hope you all enjoy my little twist with Riptide and Zoe! It was her weapon after all so why not have it be extra special to her? Regardless I hope you all enjoyed it and I will not apologize about the cliffhanger hehe. Leave a review if you are awesome, or simply don't if you're not awesome… hehe.
E/N: Heracles is greek, Hercules is roman Nuts. Come on rookie mistakes! All nitpicking aside, damn good chapter. Can not wait for the next one! Like he said, review! Boost our limited egos (I mean we write fanfiction, clearly our egos are dead in the water).
Also, discord.gg/wttJDs62Dy for our discord server!