He was still humming and whistling random notes when he was scrubbing out the batter bowl, becoming aware that he was no longer alone in the kitchen.
He looked over his shoulder, and saw Artie stride up. He gave his second-favorite goddess a big smile. "Hi Artie!" he greeted, pulling his hands out of the soapy water, and drying them off.
"Harry," Artie said back. Was it Harry's imagination or did she sound apprehensive?
Harry studied it for a few moments. He then went to his cupboard, took out a chunk of raw ambrosia, and cut off a small piece. Grinding it into a fine powder, he folded it into the batter.
He tasted it again. "Good, good," he muttered to himself. Taking out a baking tray, he measured dollops of the batter onto the plate, before sprinkling chocolate chips on top and sliding it into the oven.
After the cookies finished baking, and letting them cool, he tasted one. It was gooey and chocolate-y, and he contemplated having a second.
Knowing himself, Harry stopped himself. If he didn't, he'd eat all of them.
Whistling randomly to himself, Harry dolloped the remaining batter onto a new tray, sprinkled the last of the chocolate chips on top, and set them to bake. He'd seriously misjudged the amount of batter he made, and so he'd turned out a lot more cookies than he had expected.
After his second batch cooled, he tried one of them. They were slightly more set, his timing must have been a bit off. They were more firm, but just as chocolate-y as the first batch. The minuscule amount of Ambrosia powder really brought out the flavors of the cookie.
He'd have to talk with Hestia about this, he wondered why her recipe didn't include the ambrosia to really kick up the flavor. There must be a reason for it.
Harry put the cooled cookies into a Tupperware container to keep them fresh, and set out to clean the utensils he had used making the cookies. Harry swallowed. "I was worried," he said. "You get really angry sometimes, and I don't want you getting angry. You're still my friend, after all."
Artie was still studying him; her intense silver-grey eyes seemingly string into his very soul. Harry didn't like it much when she stared at hard at him. Her gaze felt heavy.
"Oh?" she finally said.
Harry nodded, drying off the utensils he had just finished rinsing. "Yup. You're awesome, you teach me loads of things, and I like you. So you're my friend. Even if I know I probably
His hands now dry, he turned and gave her a hug. She tensed for a moment, and then hugged him back.
Releasing the goddess, Harry turned back to his sink. "I'm just finishing up the dishes, Artie. I spent a bit more time baking than I expected."
Artie approached. "You were baking?" she asked in confirmation.
Harry nodded enthusiastically. " Yup. It's a surprise." Suddenly, he flipped around, and extended a hand. "So don't touch!" he admonished as the Goddess of the Hunt had been about to open the Tupperware container. For a moment, she looked guilty, before seemingly realizing that she was the goddess and he was the mortal.
Drawing herself up, she was about to reply, when Harry turned back to his dishes. "I'll tell Hestia. And then you won't get any."
Artie froze in indecision, then sighed. "It rankles that a boy is daring to give me orders," she said angrily.
Harry smiled at her over his shoulder. "I'm just asking nicely, Artie. I spent a lot of effort on those, and they're a surprise."
The Goddess of the Hunt eyed him, and Harry felt a bead of sweat pearl down his forehead. Artie could get really angry over the strangest things, and Harry worried that he had done something silly. Maybe he should have just given her the cookies? But then he wouldn't have any for Miss Zoë, who was going to be his new teacher. Hestia had recommended the cookies for her specifically, hadn't she?
"Fine," Artie finally said; her tone was rather cool, Harry thought, but he'd take it. "It's a rare man who dares tell me what to do, and doesn't feel worried about it when I voice my displeasure." "My offer to turn you into a girl still stands," Artie said, grinning. Harry relaxed. Grinning Artie was Friendly Artie. He liked Friendly Artie.
Harry smiled back. "Only if you let me turn back into a boy if I don't like it," he replied.
The Goddess of the Hunt shook her head. "Come on," she said, and started to walk out. Harry grinned, raced to get his box of cookies and his notebook, and finally followed her. Once again, he got to ride in her chariot with those cool golden deer.
They remained silent for the trip, and Harry enjoyed the time flying through the sky, gazing at the ground below.
am not your friend." He looked up from his drying. "Do you want me to keep that quiet in public?"
Artie's gaze seemed to intensify, if that were even possible. "What is it you're asking?" she demanded, a current in her voice that sounded dangerous.
Harry swallowed, and focused on his drying so he didn't have to look at the angrily staring Goddess of the Hunt. "I-I mean," the boy started stammering, then collected himself. "You may not want people to know we get along. So you may want to act like we don't know each other in public."
Artie was quiet, and for the first time, Harry realized why Hestia had called her Artemis instead of Artie in that huge meeting room. Artie was his friend who taught him things. Artemis was the goddess who hated boys and wanted nothing to do with him. He'd have to keep the two separate.
"No," she finally said. "No, I do not need you to keep quiet about our arrangement. There is no need for… discretion. We have a perfectly normal teacher-student relationship. There is no need to hide that fact."
She approached. Harry wasn't watching her, but he felther coming closer. "It is most unusual that you would consider me a friend, especially after recent events."
Harry hesitated, not sure what to say. "You're awesome, Artie," Harry said. "And you're a really good teacher. And I like you. Well – mostly. I don't like it when you get angry at me. But you know what I mean."
Artie studied him closer, and then nodded. "I would not get angry at you if you didn't say stupid boy things."
Harry offered her a tentative smile, looking at her for the first time in a while. "Sorry?" "Thanks, Artie," Harry said, finally climbing out of the chariot himself. "I won't let you down. Hestia told me a bit about what Miss Zoë is like, so I'm sure I'll like her."