Chapter Text
Chapter 5
Olympus
A thunderous roar, like the bellow of an enraged lion, echoed through Olympus. Crystal goblets, brimming with celestial nectar, vibrated so intensely that some wobbled and spilled their amber contents onto the gleaming golden tables, creating a river of golden liquid that flowed across the floor of the hall.
Zeus, the king of the gods, rose from his throne with such force that the majestic golden chair wobbled and creaked, as if protesting the fury of its august occupant. His face, flushed like dusk, reflected an uncontainable anger, a storm about to burst.
"HOW?!", he roared in a thunderous voice, shaking the walls of the throne room. " "That brat dares to challenge me like that?!"
Apollo, God of the sun and music, stood by his side, his forehead sweating and his eyes as nervous as a cornered fawn. Despite the terror that his father's fury inspired in him, he hastened to respond:
"Father, calm down," he pleaded with a trembling voice. "Artemis is only..."
Zeus glared at him with a piercing gaze, cutting off his words. "ONLY DISHONORING OUR FAMILY!", he roared, his voice echoing through the hall like an echo of divine wrath. "And you!", he snapped at the sun god, pointing at him with an accusatory finger, "I forbid you from protecting her from her punishment!"
Apollo, feeling Zeus' fury like a burning fire that threatened to consume him, lowered his head in submission. "I hope that fate can be altered," he murmured in a barely audible voice, a thread of resignation in his tone.
Hera, with a glacial gaze that would make Hades himself tremble, intervened in the heated argument: "Zeus, please, let us consider acting with caution in this matter. If we punish Artemis too severely, she could..."
"Could what?!", Zeus interrupted her with a contemptuous tone, his voice echoing like thunder in the throne room. "Run away? Rebel? Don't make me laugh, Hera! That insolent brat doesn't have the courage to defy my authority."
Hera, unfazed by her husband's arrogant attitude, continued her argument: "It's not just about Artemis. That boy Jackson, that... that..." -she searched for the right words, her gaze filled with a mixture of fury and distrust- "that demigod has defied fate on more occasions than I can count. He has saved Olympus twice, has killed more immortals than any other mortal in history, and is, without a doubt, the greatest hero our pantheon has ever known. Moreover, as a mere mortal, he descended into Tartarus and returned sane, without going mad.
He has emerged victorious against our father Cronos and later Gaia. In the last war, he fought tirelessly while we, in our thrones, watched. If you decide to attack him recklessly, Poseidon will not stand idly by while you murder his favorite son."
At that precise moment, a familiar figure crossed the threshold of the throne room: Hermes, the messenger god, with his carefree gait and a mischievous smile adorning his face. An aura of mystery surrounded him, intensifying the tension that already hung in the air.
In a playful tone, Hermes announced: "I bring news, oh, gods of Olympus, news that you will love, I am sure."
Zeus, his face flushed with anger and his eyes blazing like lightning, turned to Hermes with a voice that thundered through the throne room: "Speak at once, insolent messenger! We have no time for your trivial games!"
Hermes, without losing his composure, bowed to Zeus with an exaggerated bow and began to speak: "Artemis has... kidnapped... Jackson... and they have disappeared." With each word he uttered, the tension in the throne room intensified like a storm about to burst.
Camp Half-Blood: A Bittersweet Breakfast
At Camp Half-Blood, the first rays of the rising sun filtered through the leaves of the trees, creating a mosaic of light and shadow on the forest floor. In the dining hall, campers sat around the tables, enjoying a lively breakfast filled with laughter and appetizing aromas.
However, at a secluded table, Percy and Nico conversed in low voices, their faces serious and their eyes filled with a mixture of concern and confusion.
Percy, his voice barely a whisper, murmured: "Even though I saw it with my own eyes, I can't believe it. Luna is Artemis... the goddess of the hunt."
Nico, his gaze fixed on his plate, nodded solemnly. "It's crazy. And the worst part is that we don't know what's going to happen now. Artemis has a complicated history with men, and we can't predict how she'll react when she finds out that..."
Percy, frustrated by the uncertainty, pounded the table with his fist. "I can't let this end like this!", he exclaimed. "I have to talk to her, explain that..."
"Percy, be careful!", Nico interrupted him. "We don't know how Artemis will react. She must still be very confused. She's a goddess, and we can't forget that, even if she said she wanted to continue her relationship with you."
Percy and Nico looked into each other's eyes, a chill running down their spines. A presentiment that something unexpected, something dangerous, was about to happen. The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife. A sepulchral silence reigned in the dining hall, only broken by the sound of the campers' agitated breathing.
Suddenly, a bright silver light burst into the dining hall, enveloping Percy in a halo of celestial energy. The campers stood stunned, watching with a mixture of surprise and fear as Percy was lifted off the ground, his feet detaching from the table and his body levitating in the air.
Nico, his eyes wide with disbelief, watched as the silver light intensified and then, in the blink of an eye, Percy disappeared, leaving only a trail of silver mist that dissipated into the air.
Silence seized the dining hall. The campers looked at each other, unsure of what to say or do. Nico, feeling a mixture of fear and anger, stood up from the table and walked to where Percy had been sitting.
On the floor, next to the empty chair, Nico found only one thing: a small silver arrow, its tip glistening in the light of the rising sun.
A chill ran down Nico's spine. A chill that was not only from the cool breeze of the forest, but from a presentiment that took hold of him. He remembered how he had lost his sister Bianca in Artemis' hunt. After so many years, he still held a grudge against the goddess. He did not want to lose his friend Percy to the whim of a capricious goddess.
Without a second thought, Nico stood up from the table and headed to a secluded part of the camp, where the sunlight did not penetrate with such intensity. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his inner self, beginning to pray to his father, Hades.
His voice, full of concern, echoed loudly in the place.
"Father, I beg you to hear my request," Nico began, his voice resonating in the darkness of the secluded place where he stood. "My friend Percy, the one who bravely returned your helmet and your throne, has been kidnapped by Artemis for no apparent reason. I implore your protection for him, for his fate now lies in the hands of the gods."
A sepulchral silence followed Nico's words, filling the air with palpable tension. Then, a deep and resonant voice filtered into the young demigod's mind, enveloping him with a feeling of serenity and power.
"I will do it, my son," Hades' voice echoed, full of authority and compassion. "Percy Jackson is under my protection. I will not allow any god to harm him. I owe him that after all he has done for me."
Nico was overwhelmed by the confirmation of his father's protection. A mixture of relief and gratitude filled his heart. With a trembling voice, he barely managed to articulate a few simple words:
"Thank you, father."
In Another Place
Artemis had taken Percy to a forest near a cliff lashed by the waves of the sea. She sat on a rock, her face pale as the moon and her eyes clouded with confusion and a storm of emotions. The breeze ruffled her reddish hair, tangling the strands like a reflection of her own inner turmoil.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps alerted her. Looking up, she found Percy approaching her cautiously, his green eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and concern.
"Artemis," Percy said, his voice soft and full of a tenderness that contrasted with the turbulent beauty of the landscape around them. "We need to talk."
Artemis, without looking him in the eye, replied in a broken tone: "There is nothing to talk about. You are mine," a mischievous smile played on her lips, a smile that did not reach her eyes.
"It wasn't the first time Luna said something like that and I could only surrender...", Percy was looking for the right words to express the tangle of feelings that flooded him. "I love you and I will tell you a thousand times more, Artemis. And I know you love me too, even if you don't have your memories completely yet.
Artemis got up from the rock and walked towards Percy. She stroked his cheek with a tenderness that only the Moon could reflect in her gaze. "Oh, my sweet demigod," she whispered, her voice barely a whisper in the sea breeze.
Artemis watched the morning sun peek over the horizon. It looked exactly the same as when she was with Athena and Aphrodite, the only difference being Percy's black leather jacket that he clung to to protect her from the morning chill. The two were sitting on the beach, only inches apart.
"This place is incredible, Percy," Artemis exclaimed. She looked down to see the reflection of the night sky in the sea, a mirror that reflected the uncertainty and confusion that clouded her heart.
An unexpected roar echoed from Percy's stomach, breaking the silence, and taking both by surprise. "Sorry, but I didn't finish breakfast in the rush to get out," he apologized, blushing slightly.
Artemis couldn't help but laugh. She took out a picnic basket full of sandwiches, something they both used to do on their walks in the woods when she was Luna. The familiarity of the gesture filled her with a strange nostalgia, as if a veil had been lifted and she could see a past that was not hers.
"How much can you remember?" Percy asked, looking at her with a mixture of curiosity and concern. She didn't look like Luna at that moment, but she acted almost exactly like her.
"Remember what?" Artemis replied, raising an eyebrow in a gesture that was familiar to him.
Inside Artemis, there are fragmented memories, fleeting images that she cannot connect. It's as if my mind is divided in two, one part that remembers everything I lived as Luna and another that only remembers my life as a goddess. It's very confusing.
Percy, without looking away from her silver eyes, which shone with an intensity that captivated him, replied with a trembling voice: "Nothing...
"Really what?", Artemis demanded, leaning her head on Percy's shoulder. A gesture that reminded the goddess of the hunt of the trust and complicity they shared as Luna and Percy.
"Let me do this," Percy replied with a mischievous smile, and began to tickle her in the spots he knew would make her laugh. Artemis burst out laughing, trying to pull away, but the tickling was too strong.
"Percy, stop!", she managed to interject between laughs. Then she remembered. That's how their first date ended. Under a beautiful sky and a calm sea. Just enjoying their time together. She finally realized that Percy had stopped tickling her and was now holding her close, with a look full of tenderness and understanding.
So they spent the hours, talking about anything that came to mind. Even Percy didn't mind that Artemis had kidnapped him, as the company and conversation were more than enough for him.
As the sun rose in the sky, Artemis realized that it didn't matter if she remembered everything or not.
A moment that was etched in her heart, a memory that not even time could erase.
At that precise moment, a thunderous roar echoed through the forest, shaking the leaves and the waves of the sea. Thunder rumbled in the sky, and inexplicably, Percy and Artemis found themselves on Olympus, transported from the beach to the throne room in the blink of an eye.
This story will be continued