Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Artemis stopped behind a tree, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. The monster she was hunting was worthy prey; she couldn’t remember the last time a hunt demanded this much of her. She heard a branch snap to her left and immediately whirled out of the way. A huge claw raked through the space where she had been a split second earlier, the tree shattering beneath the blow. Artemis grinned. Switching from her bow to her silver hunting knives, she charged the beast, its defiant roar echoing among the forested mountains.

The Hunters were scattered around the country, having been given two weeks leave by Artemis as she hunted her current prey alone. Monsters were starting to appear more and more frequently, and while the hunt was efficient as a group, Artemis knew more threats would be eliminated by splitting up for a short while.

What was more worrying than the monsters were the rumors of old enemies returning, whispers from monsters in the shadows about a new plan to eliminate the gods. Such schemes weren’t uncommon, but this one felt different. The Great Prophecy hung over Olympus like a shroud, shadowing every action the gods took with apprehension. Artemis knew it was only a matter of time before one of the Big Three broke their oath.

Apparently, the monsters did too.

Some time later, Artemis stood amidst the trees, covered with scratches and golden dust, victorious in her hunt once again. The moon shone brightly overhead. She grinned, the adrenaline from the hunt fueling her good mood. 

What to hunt next? she thought, cleaning her weapons with a glance. This was the biggest prey to show its face in the last month. My hunters are getting bored. As she wandered through the forest she came upon a clearing with a small lake. She stopped at the shore and watched the moon’s reflection, thinking.

I suppose I could ask for permission to take them to the old lands for a while, she mused. There’s certain to be something worthy of our time there. And if not, I could always –

Artemis narrowed her eyes as the lake rippled. She felt a sudden pull in her gut and a sense of – she wasn’t sure what she felt. Joy, grief, contentment, anger, all jumbled together. She grabbed her head and groaned as the sensation grew stronger. Suddenly, it stopped, leaving behind a feeling of great importance and a buzzing in the back of her head pointing towards… something.

She shook her head, hoping the feeling would pass like the others, but it didn’t. Frowning, Artemis focused on the buzzing. As a location came to her, her frown deepened. What does a random hospital in New York have to do with me? After a moment of deliberation, she gathered her thoughts and flashed to the location in her mind.

Artemis slunk through the halls of the hospital, using her hunting skills and a bit of the Mist to hide her presence from the mortals milling about. She was less confused about the buzzing leading her to the childbirth ward than why she was getting the feeling in the first place.

As she drew near to the room at the end of the hall, Artemis froze. Quickly hiding her godly power, she hid around a corner as a man in khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt exited the room she was about to enter accompanied by a woman cradling a child. An aura of power radiated from the man, and the smell of the sea wafted down the hall.

It can’t be, Artemis thought, eyes widening in surprise. She peeked another look as the couple passed her. It is! Leaving her hiding place, she followed the couple outside of the hospital. As they stopped to talk, Artemis snuck closer in curiosity.

“…I’ll be fine! You have things you need to take care of upstairs,” the woman said. Artemis raised an eyebrow at the emphasis she gave “upstairs”.

“But if you come with me I can protect you and him! Up here you’re in danger,” The man argued.

“I’d love to see your domain, but you know I can’t. I’ll find a way to make it by myself.”

“But –“

“No buts.” The woman smiled. “I’ll be alright, I promise.” They kissed briefly.

“Be safe, little one,” The man said to the child, leaning down to kiss its forehead. With one last, sad smile, the woman walked away, heading downtown, the man looking longingly after her. He sighed and was about to leave when Artemis impulsively spoke out.

“You know, Father will be furious with you.” The man whirled and Artemis found a trident at her throat. 

“What are you doing here?” he growled, sea-green eyes blazing with fury. Only a trained eye could detect the hint of fear also present in his glare.

“Honestly, Poseidon? I’m not sure myself.” 

The Lord of Seas blinked in confusion and lowered his weapon. “What do you mean, you don’t know?” 

Artemis grimaced and explained her story as best she could. “I don’t know why I felt this pull,” she finished. “I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

Poseidon stared into the distance, lost in thought. Seeming to come to a decision, he turned his focus back to her. “Well, assuming you’re not going to turn me in, I have a favor to ask.” Artemis raised her eyebrow, intrigued. “I can’t watch over Sally or our son myself, as that would attract a lot of unwanted attention, and since you appear to have some sort of connection with them…” he trailed off, looking at her hopefully.

“You want me to babysit them?” Artemis asked. She was unsure whether she should feel more affronted or honored.

Poseidon winced. “I wouldn’t phrase it quite like that, but essentially.”

Artemis thought for a moment. I can’t explain what this… thing is, and staying near these two might help me figure out what’s going on. It also puts Poseidon in my debt… She nodded and Poseidon relaxed, relief clear on his face. “What’s the boy’s name?” she asked, apprehension suddenly gripping her.

“Perseus. Perseus Jackson.”

Chapter Text

Artemis had been staking out the woman’s apartment for years now. She learned that her name was Sally, she worked in a sweets shop, and that she could see through the Mist, among a multitude of other, mundane facts. The boy attracted quite a few monsters over the years. Admittedly, it wasn’t any more than what was usual for a demigod his age, but the monsters that stalked the son of Poseidon were a bit tougher than what others attracted.

A few weeks had gone by without a monster attack, so Artemis had taken a couple of weeks to go on a hunt with her followers. Upon coming back, she had tracked the woman and her child to the park, where she currently sat hidden in a tree.

It had been decades since Artemis had spent so much time among mankind, and she was put off by their so called “development”. Gone were the days where humans had fought for survival in the wilderness. Now the closest people got to the wild was the zoo. Artemis decided she hated zoos.

Hissing from below pulled her out of her thoughts, and she looked down to see a dracanae creeping up on an unaware child who was poking around a bush. Not just any child , Artemis realized, Perseus. Who else would attract monsters in the middle of the day in a well populated location?  

Before the monster could get any closer to the child, Artemis dropped out of her tree in between it and her charge. It hissed in surprise before drawing a dagger and rushing the goddess. Artemis rolled her eyes and before the monster could realize what happened she slashed it with one of her hunting knives. As she wiped the monster dust off her knife, she felt a tap on her thigh. She turned to see the boy gazing up at her with awe.

“How do that?” he asked, pointing to where the dracanae used to be. She smiled at the boy’s enthusiasm.

“Lots of practice,” she answered. “Now let’s get you back to your mommy!” She stooped down to pick him up and started back towards the park clearing. Now this is something I never thought I’d be doing, even as the goddess of childbirth. As she broke the tree line, she recognized Sally running towards her.

“My Lady,” the woman said, surprised. She started to bow but the goddess waved her down.

“There’s no need for that,” Artemis said kindly. She set the boy down and pushed him towards his mother. “Off you go!” Perseus toddled back to his mom smiling like crazy.

“Mommy! Mommy! I explore trees an’ there’s a snake lady an’ she made it go poof!” he recounted excitedly, gesturing wildly the whole time. Sally smiled at him but glanced up at Artemis, concern evident in her gaze.

“Just a dracanae,” Artemis said dismissively. “I’ve defended him from worse.”

Sally froze at the admission. “You’ve been following us, milady?” she asked cautiously. Artemis saw no point in lying to her.

“Of course. I have for a while now.” She crouched as Perseus came back over to her, handing him a blunted arrow that he took in wonder. Artemis ruffled his hair and went to stand up when she noticed his stench. She wrinkled her nose and Sally grimaced.

“My apologies; I did not know we were being watched, so I did what I thought was necessary to protect my son,” Sally explained. Artemis raised an eyebrow at her, confused. The woman hung her head for a moment, then met her gaze defiantly. “His stepfather is a terrible mortal, but he is mortal enough to mask Perseus’ scent. I’ve dealt with worse, and I do not wish for my son to be forced to become a hero before his time.” Artemis stared at her for a moment before comprehending what the mortal meant. She clenched her fists in anger at the implications.

“Where is he?” Artemis asked, her voice dangerously calm. Sally shook her head.

“As much as I appreciate your concern, milady, I know better than to think you will be there at all times for Percy, and while I might suffer living with Gabe, I would suffer more if I wasn’t doing all that I could to protect him.” She sighed. “Forgive me for speaking with less than the respect I am sure you’re accustomed to; I really am quite grateful for your help, even if I was unaware of it.”

Artemis frowned at the woman during her explanation, but smiled at the mortal’s candidness. If she were still a young maiden I would be glad for her to join my hunt. Out loud, she replied, “If you had been aware of it, I would not have been worthy of my domain of hunting.”

Sally chuckled. “I suppose not.” A noise from the side drew the women’s attention. Perseus was pretending to fight a sapling on the edge of the woods, using the arrow as a makeshift sword. A fond smile played over Artemis’ lips as Sally rolled her eyes at the toddler’s antics and turned back to the goddess. “If I may ask, why are you protecting my son?”

Artemis thought for a moment before responding. “To be truthful, it started out of curiosity.” Seeing Sally’s intrigued look, she elaborated, explaining her story to the mortal.

Sally frowned. “I told Poseidon I would be fine.”

Artemis snorted in amusement. “You of all people should know that my uncle rarely listens to orders, no matter how well intended.” Sally sighed and scooped up Perseus as he waddled past her.

“I suppose you’re right.” She glanced at her watch and groaned. “We’re running late. Hopefully Gabe’s in a good mood for once. And no,” Sally continued noticing Artemis’ glare, “I don’t need you to kill him just yet.”

“Later, then,” Artemis grunted, dissatisfied with her choice. 

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Sally’s lips. “Perhaps.”

On a whim, Artemis snapped her fingers and summoned a bracelet with a moon charm on it and handed it to Perseus’ mother. “If you are ever in danger, tug the charm and I’ll come and assist you if I can.”

Sally smiled gratefully and bowed her head. “Thank you very much, milady.”

Artemis rolled her eyes at the formality and shooed the mortal away. As the pair drew out of sight, Artemis turned back to the tree line and started back to a secluded spot to flash back to her Hunt’s camp. The buzzing in her head telling her where the boy was felt warmer than usual, as if it was informing her of the child’s happiness with his adventure to the park. She smiled and continued on her way.

Artemis ground her teeth in frustration. The buzzing in her head – her awareness of one Perseus Jackson – had been going on for around six years now, ever since the boy had been born. At first, it was just positional, which as a huntress Artemis appreciated, but after her run in at the park the boy’s emotions sometimes bled over the link. It was maddening, especially since he would be going to school for the first time today. His excitement was almost as bad as his nerves, and Artemis had never wanted the stupid mental reminder gone more than now.

What made her job harder was that the protective methods she had been using weren’t really applicable now. When he had been young and confined to his mother’s side, she could just keep a small part of her awareness on their apartment watching for monsters. She couldn’t really do that for a mortal school because they attracted a lot of mythical attention; monsters liked hunting young demigods, satyrs from camp and older demigods tried to watch over the same, and the gods of course watched their own children and those of their rivals.

It was this dilemma and her promise to Poseidon that led to her standing just inside Perseus’ elementary school as a fellow child starting their first day at school feeling like an idiot. Why did I ever agree to protect this – this – boy ! I should have let father blast him , she grumbled to herself.

She watched as the boy finally arrived. Sally gave him a hug and shooed him towards the school. Artemis froze as their eyes met, feeling ashamed of her predicament. Sally just gave her a wane smile and mouthed ‘Good luck’. Artemis returned the smile weakly before walking up to the boy.

After a few moments of him not noticing her in his daze of exploring the room with his eyes, she got annoyed. “Hi!” She smirked as he jumped in surprise. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Percy,” he answered. “Who are you?”

Artemis’ thoughts raced for a moment as she thought up a name. “I’m Diana,” she replied. Thank you Romans for the second name that nobody remembers anymore .

“Cool!” Percy smiled at her. Artemis fought to contain her scowl at his excitement. “This should be fun!”

[a month or so later]

“I bet you don’t even know how to run!” the bully continued. Artemis fought the urge to roll her eyes at the impudent mortal boy. 

This is exactly why I despise males , she griped. Before she could argue, Perseus noticed the brewing fight and ran over to her.

“You know that’s not true, you meanie! She’s even faster than me!” He stomped his foot and Artemis felt his frustration.

“So? You’re slow too,” the bully snapped.

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not! ”

“Are too! You probably get slowed down by her cooties,” the bully sneered, pointing at Artemis dramatically. Perseus glared and tackled the boy. The teacher noticed immediately and ran over to pull them apart. 

“No fighting at school!” she scolded.

“He started it!” the bully said, pointing at the demigod and whimpering.

“Did not! You called me and Diana slow!”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

“Did –“

“Stop!” The teacher rubbed her temples, exasperated. “Both of you, go to a corner for time out!” The bully frowned as Perseus glared at him, then stomped to a corner. Artemis grimaced.

He already has a hero complex and he’s only a child. This will be a long, annoying promise to keep.

It was second grade. Artemis had been miserably trapped for three years watching over the sea god’s spawn and she was fed up with school. She had told her Hunters that she had a mission from Olympus that would take up much of her time during the days and they seemed to take it in stride, but constantly being away from her Hunt annoyed her to no end. It didn’t help that the boys she had to deal with on a daily basis would be noticed if they suddenly went missing, so she couldn’t chance turning any of them into jackalopes.

Most of the boys avoided her now, which she was okay with, but a lot of the girls were intimidated by her, too. She had been hoping to at least meet a new recruit or two for the Hunt but it was looking like she was stuck pretending to be a mortal for nothing.

Well, not quite for nothing. The sea spawn was still alive, so she was fulfilling her promise to Poseidon at least. He often gave her funny looks when she disappeared during the day to fight off monsters, but he never mentioned it. Artemis was confused as to why he wasn’t scared of her like the rest of the boys, but figured it was just because he was stubborn.

It was an average Friday when he looked up from the art project they were working on. “Are we friends?” he asked. Artemis jumped, startled by the question and the broken silence.

“Why’d you ask?” she responded slowly.

“Well,” he paused and scratched the back of his head nervously, “you don’t really talk to any other boys ‘cept for me sometimes, and you were the first person to talk to me, but sometimes you’re kinda mean.” His foot tapped erratically on the floor as he stared at her, waiting for a response. She could sense his apprehension.

“If I’m mean then why do you keep trying to be friends?” Artemis winced internally; she hadn’t meant to sound so annoyed. Percy just shrugged, though Artemis could tell he was unhappy.

“I just had a feeling we could be, I guess. I can go if you want me too.” He smiled sadly at her, then started to collect his markers when she didn’t immediately say anything.

“You can stay,” Artemis blurted out. Percy looked up at her, surprised. “I was just curious. Of course we’re friends.” She really wasn’t sure about that, but he really hadn’t done anything wrong… yet. Still , she reasoned, if “being his friend” makes it easier to defend him, then what choice do I really have?

Percy smiled brightly at her and set his stuff back down. “Cool! Now we both have one friend.” He turned back to his drawings, humming a song Artemis didn’t recognize. She blinked at him in surprise. 

I guess I haven’t really been trying to blend in very well the last couple years if even Perseus can tell I don’t have any “friends”, she thought to herself, slowly starting to work on her painting again. Although, I suppose I don’t have many friends in real life either. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and went back to her artwork, her mind wandering through thoughts of her unlikely friendship with one Perseus Jackson.

Chapter Text

As Percy looked around the aquarium with a look of uncertainty, Artemis decided she was getting really sick of getting in trouble with him all the time. The year prior had been the first time he had gotten in enough trouble to get himself expelled before the end of the year, and as she was supposed to protect him she had gotten herself expelled as well. With all of the trouble repelling monsters caused with the mortal’s view through the Mist, it wasn’t actually that hard, and she found herself following her charge to a new school yet again. 

Speaking of mortals, she was still Percy’s only friend. Artemis had been quite conflicted when she had realized the boy had started to become more than a job to her. So much so, in fact, that she had confided in Zoe about what she had actually been up to over the last few years. Poseidon had been furious to find out someone else knew about his son, and repeatedly reminding her uncle that Zoe had sworn on the Styx not to reveal him and that her lieutenant knew what it was like to live under the threat of Zeus’ suspicion had only somewhat calmed him down. 

Regardless, it had been nice to vent her frustrations to one of her oldest friends, and while Zoe held no trust towards the boy on principle, she had admitted that it was fine to be friends with a male if it came to it. Artemis was touched by her friend’s concern, and was more than a bit amused at the long list of conditions and doubts any such friendship should ‘clearly hinge upon’.

Artemis shook herself out of her musings as Percy leaned over to whisper in her ear, “I don’t like this place.” She rolled her eyes as she looked at him with crossed arms.

“I thought you loved the water and those that live in it?” The goddess raised an eyebrow and smirked as Percy spluttered and flushed as he tried to explain himself.

“I do like water, and fish are awesome, but…” He waved haphazardly towards the tanks surrounding the class as they traveled through the exhibits. “I don’t like that they’re all locked up and stuff.” He glared indignantly at her as she snorted in amusement. “What, you don’t like zoos! There’s barely any difference!”

“I suppose…” Artemis laughed at the pout on Percy’s face. “Alright, alright, zoos and aquariums are equally bad.”

“That’s what I thought,” Percy said proudly, flashing a grin towards her. Personally, Artemis thought Hermes would be proud of the trouble maker look it gave the son of the sea. “Now c’mon, we’re falling behind!” He grabbed her hand and raced towards the rest of the class who was indeed a good ways ahead of the pair.

I’ve smote so many males for less than this , Artemis mused to herself, and yet, all I can muster against this demigod’s actions is an eye-roll . I must be getting soft with all this time among humanity . She cast her gaze around the area they were now in. The tour guide had led them outdoors again onto a catwalk extending over a number of tanks. The other children muttered anxiously around her, and as she looked down she understood why. Percy was noticeably more excited than her to find out where they were.

“A giant shark tank?” he whispered excitedly. “Not that I’m happy that they’re stuck here, but they’re so cool!” Artemis merely hummed in response, the boy’s excitement bleeding across the mental link she had long gotten accustomed to. The sharks also seemed to sense his enthusiasm, as a few circled below him, butting their heads against the walkway.

Understandably, the rest of the class had edged further away from the activity.

“I bet they eat losers, that’s why they’re circling those two,” a girl from the class muttered to another that Artemis didn’t recognize. She felt Percy tense beside her as he studied the sharks below them and laid a hand on his arm. He relaxed under her touch, and she almost withdrew her hand again before – 

“Nah, he’s too ugly to eat. I bet they circle him cause he smells so bad,” the second girl replied. Artemis felt Percy’s irritation spike. The breeze shifted, cool, damp air tousling her hair. She glanced down to see the sharks swimming quickly away from the catwalk, the water churning underneath in their absence. As Artemis realized what was happening, she froze.

The boy is only ten! His powers shouldn’t manifest at all for another couple of years, much less be this developed! The rest of the class started to notice the strange activity below them and were muttering amongst themselves. The tour guide was trying to continue her speech above the activity but was being ignored by pretty much everyone. Artemis felt something click across the mental link, and suddenly the water rushed up and pulled everyone off the catwalk into the water.

Artemis’ thoughts raced as she tried to sort through the disorientation and screams of the class. Bubbles raced around her as she tumbled in the turbulent pool. Finally, she spotted Percy, curled up with his eyes screwed shut at the bottom of the tank. She tried to swim down to him but was blocked by one of the sharks in the tank. Looking around, she noticed that they were all circling around him, keeping anyone else from getting close to him. She was once again astounded by the boy’s connection with the sea. She had never seen creatures of the sea so protective of one of Poseidon’s children.

Poseidon! Artemis called out in her mind. I need to get to your son but I can’t get through the sharks. The Mist will only cover so much; I need to get him back to the surface. She felt a current billow through the water and the sharks moved to create a path for her. Sending out a thanks to her fellow Olympian, she grabbed Percy by the arm and started hauling him to the surface.

About halfway up, Percy opened his eyes and started flailing around. By the time they got back to the catwalk, Artemis had a half dozen bruises up her arms and torso. As they surfaced, Percy retched up a bunch of water, which confused Artemis. He had just been breathing fine underwater. He probably didn’t realize what he was doing , the goddess thought, so once he got himself under control he freaked out at being underwater.  

Satisfied with that conclusion, Artemis looked around to see the class in various, similar states around the area. More than a few angry glances were directed their way, though for what reason, she wasn’t sure. She turned back to Percy as he groaned.

“What… happened?” he asked, his breath heaving. Before Artemis could answer, one of their classmates stomped over to them.

“What happened? I’ll tell you what happened! You got us all dumped in the water with the sharks! We could have been eaten you idiots!” the girl screamed at them. She spun around and stomped back to her friends, water dripping everywhere off of her soaked clothes and hair. Artemis turned back to Percy who sat still, looking shocked.

“I don’t think we’re gonna be welcome back here,” Artemis said softly. Percy looked at her for a moment before hanging his head.

“My mom’s gonna kill me,” he groaned. Artemis rolled her eyes and smiled.

“C’mon, shark boy, let’s go.” She helped him to his feet and they plodded over to the teacher who looked not at all pleased with the two of them, wondering what mess they’d get into at their next school.

Chapter Text

 “So, Yancy Academy, huh?” Percy flushed and rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

“I mean, yeah, it shouldn’t be too bad, I guess,” he muttered. “Besides, no one else would take me.” Artemis felt a flash of pity for the boy, and started to say – well, she wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but it was going to help – when he smiled ruefully at her. “But hey, we’re at the beach! No sadness allowed, only fun.”

“That seems difficult to maintain,” she replied dryly. Percy sighed dramatically and flopped down on the towel.

“Well, when you constantly argue about everything…” he trailed off, smirking up at her. Artemis felt her emotions twist at the sight and frowned.

“Well, you’re just wrong about so many things,” she sniffed haughtily, turning her nose up in the air just as dramatically. Percy cackled in laughter at the sight. After a few seconds, her own grin broke out, chuckles rising to the surface. 

As the laughter died down, Percy’s gaze locked onto the ocean in the distance. The wind tousled his hair almost lovingly this close to the sea, his eyes reflecting the bright green of the waves. Just like every year they came out to the coast, she marveled at just how at home Percy looked here. Unlike previous years, however, her emotions churned.

It’s just guilt at having to leave, she thought to herself. I’ve been watching over him for so long that the idea of knowingly throwing him into our world feels like a betrayal. He looked up at her again and smiled softly, to which she returned her own unsure quirk of the lips. Percy looked at her, concerned, and sat up.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked.

Artemis shrugged. “It’s just gonna be weird not seeing you every day at school,” she replied. That’s not entirely untrue. I’ve gotten surprisingly comfortable with my mortal schedule.

Percy grimaced. “Yeah, it’s gonna suck.” He sighed. “But hey, at least we’ll still see each other outside of school. Best friend privileges and all that.” Artemis buried the guilt of that statement before it could show on her face and awkwardly nodded in agreement. The two sat in silence for a few more minutes before Percy stood up and stretched.

“I’m gonna hit the waves. You actually going to join me this time?” Percy asked with a smirk.

“Not a chance,” Artemis automatically replied. 

Percy shrugged. “Suit yourself.” The demigod started jogging down the beach to the surf, a broad smile growing at the sight of the waves. Again, Artemis felt her heart clench at the sight, the emotion conflicting with the joy she felt from her connection with the boy. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts before pulling out the book she brought and lost herself in the pages.

A week before Percy started school, Artemis figured she should finally tell him that she wouldn’t be around any longer. She had caught Percy giving her funny looks a few times in the last few weeks when the guilt had been eating her up from the inside. As oblivious as he could be sometimes, she knew the demigod was actually pretty good at reading people, so she had tried to hide her emotions a bit better around him.

This particular day found her knocking on the door to his apartment. He didn’t know she was coming, so she expected the shock on his face when he opened the door for her. What she didn’t expect was for him to slam the door in her face. She stared at the door bewildered before her irritation caught up with her. No mortal dare shut a door in her face.

“Perseus Jackson you open this door right now!” she yelled. The door cracked open and Percy met eyes with her frantically.

“Shut up!” he hissed. “You’ll wake him up if you keep yelling like that!” The fear in his eyes was evident, and the goddess could feel his muted terror through the link.

What could possibly be scaring him so bad in his own apartment? she wondered. “What?” she asked out loud, quieter this time. Percy glanced nervously behind him for a few moments before sighing and opening the door for her.

“Watch your step,” he whispered to her as she stepped through the entry, and she paused in disgust as she looked around her friend’s living conditions. Empty beer bottles lay strewn around the apartment, food wrappers and take out boxes stacked haphazardly in the corners and on the tables. The apartment reeked of cigars, moldy pizza, and dirty clothes, and Artemis had to restrain herself from gagging. As Percy gingerly stepped around her, he grabbed her hand and pulled her with him through the mess. Once again, Artemis marveled at just how comfortable she was with him doing things she would destroy other men for doing, especially once she realized he was leading her to his room.

As Percy left her for a moment to nervously check on whatever was bothering him, she glanced around his room in pity. While it was clear he slept in the room, it couldn’t really be qualified as his. Boxes, magazines, and various other clutter was piled around the room in the most inconvenient way, and knowing Percy like she did, she doubted the obviously lewd materials were his.

Percy stepped back into the room a moment later and quietly shut the door, heaving a great sigh as he did. He looked up and met her gaze, eyes swimming with shame. Artemis flinched at the raw emotion leaking from him.

“There’s a reason I always meet you somewhere else, y’know,” he said bitterly.

“I just wanted to surprise you-“

“Well you did,” he interrupted. “Congrats.”

Artemis glared at him. “Look, I get it, you’re mad at me, but if you wanted me to leave you wouldn’t have let me in in the first place, so save the snark for someone else.” Percy winced.

“Sorry, I just…” he trailed off and gestured vaguely around.

“It’s fine.” Artemis looked around. “Is it safe to sit on the bed, or…?”

Percy blushed. “My bed’s safe, I promise.” Artemis felt herself flush at the wording, but sat down anyways, scooching over to give her friend room to sit as well. Once they were situated, he turned to face her. “So, what’s up that you came all the way over here for?”

“I, uh…” Artemis internally cursed herself for her hesitation. You’ve been alive for like four thousand years, and this one demigod makes you stutter?! Get a grip! You’re a goddess for Chaos’ sake! She shook her head to clear her thoughts and sighed. “Nothing good,” she admitted.

“Why, what’s wrong?” Percy asked, his voice full of concern. Artemis felt her heart twist as she realized he was concerned for her , without even knowing anything about what she was going to say.

If all men were like this, maybe I wouldn’t have needed to make my oath, she mused. Once she realized what she thought, her mind went blank with shock. What am I even saying? Maiden. Goddess. Doing a mission because you want Poseidon in your debt. That’s it.

She couldn’t convince herself that was the only reason.

“I’m moving,” she blurted out. Percy froze. Artemis felt a rush of guilt and kept talking as if she could force the feeling out of her with her words alone. “My parents got in a fight and so my mom’s moving and I’m going with her because my dad can be really awful sometimes and I can’t live with him and I just found out a couple weeks ago and I’ve been meaning to tell you but it never seemed like the right time and-“ 

Her rambling was cut off as Percy hugged her tightly. She sat there frozen for a moment before returning the hug. She felt Percy’s turmoil across the link and felt his tears stain her shoulder where his face was pressed. Artemis blushed deeply at their closeness but didn’t push him away. She wasn’t sure why she was so bothered and yet so comfortable at the same time.

Eventually Percy pulled himself together and pulled away from her, wiping his face to dry the remaining tears. “Sorry about your shirt,” he apologized roughly. Artemis shrugged noncommittedly and let him recover for another moment.

“I get it,” he said softly. “If my mom ever finally divorced Gabe, I’d be out of here in a heartbeat.” He frowned at the door and sighed. “I just don’t understand why she stays with him.”

After a moment, Artemis took his hand, ignoring the unsettled feeling in her gut. “I’m sure she has a good reason,” she murmured. 

“I guess.” He started at their clasped hands for a minute before looking back up at her. “I didn’t ever want you coming over because I didn’t want you to meet him,” he admitted. “I was – am – worried that Gabe will be as mean to you as he is to us. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Artemis felt a rush of affection for the boy. “You’re really good, you know that?” Percy gave her a puzzled look and she grinned at him. He quirked an unsure smile at her in return before they both froze at the sound of movement from the living room.

“Crap!” Percy’s eyes were blown wide in panic. “We have to hide you; he’d notice if I tried to sneak you out now.” His gaze flitted around the room, searching for possible hiding locations. The heavy footsteps got closer and Percy grit his teeth. Artemis felt determination flow from him, along with what she could only define as protectiveness towards herself. As the door swung open, she willed the Mist around her and disappeared from mortal sight.

Gabe frowned into the room drunkenly before his gaze locked onto Percy. The scent of rotten garlic filled the room and Artemis could see Percy refrain from gagging. “Thought I heard ‘nother voice,” the mortal slurred.

“Just talking to myself,” Percy mumbled. A second later a smack echoed in the room as Percy’s head snapped to the side from the force of the blow, the demigod gasping in pain.

“Didn’t ask you,” Gabe snarled. He made a spectacle out of looking around the room without actually moving from the door frame that was currently supporting his weight, not seeing through Artemis’ illusion. Satisfied with his search, he glared at Percy again. “Talkin’ to yourself’s weird. Stoppit.” The door slammed shut as he left and Percy flinched, still holding his now very red cheek. 

Artemis let go of the Mist around her and shimmered back into view before Percy could notice and held the boy as he cried again in her arms. When she left later that night, she promised him she wouldn’t tell anyone and that she wouldn’t treat him any differently. His smile almost made up for her inability to destroy Gabe.

Almost.

It was the day Percy was leaving for Yancy. Artemis was waiting outside the apartment with Sally as Percy finished shoving the last of his stuff into a suitcase upstairs. If anyone asked, she hadn’t cried that morning.

“Percy tells me that you’re moving away,” Sally stated. “Does this mean I should be expecting him to get in more trouble than usual this year?”

Artemis knew the woman was asking a deeper question, so she answered in kind. “Probably.” She ignored Sally’s hitch in breath. “I know of one of the students there. He’s familiar with one of the teachers that will likely cover some of Percy’s classes this year, so hopefully he’ll help Percy stay out of trouble.”

“I see…” Sally murmured. “Well, I’m glad he’s had you these last few years. He’s a lot happier when you’re around.” Artemis glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, but the woman’s face revealed nothing of her thoughts.

Percy chose that moment to tumble out of the door, tripping and accidently throwing his suitcase at Artemis. She caught the baggage and lowered it, glaring playfully at the demigod who stood there blushing and trying to stammer out an apology.

“Percy, we don’t throw things at people,” Sally scolded him mockingly.

“Mom!” Percy groaned.

“Yeah, Percy,” Artemis chimed in. “I might get the wrong impression of you if you keep hurling luggage at me.” Percy blushed again and Artemis laughed, tossing his suitcase back at him.

“Okay, okay, Pick-On-Percy time is over,” he grumbled, shoving his stuff in the backseat of the car. As he turned around, he glanced at the apartment and sighed. “It’s not a great place, but it’s still home.”

Sally wrapped him in a hug. “I’ll see you again before you know it,” she consoled him.

“Just don’t let it be because you blew something up again,” Artemis chimed in, laughing at the way Percy pouted at her around his mom’s embrace.

“That was one time and you got in trouble for it too!” he argued.

“That’s beside the point!”

“Kids!” Sally exclaimed, exasperated. “If you’re going to keep arguing I’m going to wait in the car.”

“Go ahead Sally, I’ll make sure he doesn’t run off,” Artemis volunteered. Sally gave her one last look before nodding and stepping around to start the car. As her door closed, Artemis turned back to Percy who opened his arms for a hug. She walked into his embrace, ignoring her (admittedly small) instinct to blast the demigod for daring to touch her.

“I’m gonna miss you,” he whispered, his breath tickling her ear.

“I know,” she replied.

“Make sure you write to me after you move so I know where to send all of my letters for you.”

“Of course.” Artemis ignored the fluttering in her stomach.

As they pulled apart to go their separate ways, something in Artemis broke, and she leaned back in and planted a kiss on Percy’s cheek. “Seriously though, be careful,” she murmured, then pulled back. Percy looked at her, shocked, before a huge grin split his deep red face.

He was still grinning as the car pulled away a moment later, and Artemis pondered what possibly could have possessed her to do what she did. She sighed and tried to ignore her buzzing link with the demigod she had done her best to protect all these years.

Good luck, she thought to him and prepared to return to her hunt, her mission complete. She knew the satyr would end up calling in Chiron, and from there the Camp would take care of the boy. The equal parts relief and sadness were unsettling to her, and she knew it would take a few days back with her girls before she could put the emotions behind her.

As she flashed away, she could have sworn she heard Percy reply, Goodbye, Diana.

Chapter Text

Artemis’ eyes snapped open. Thunder boomed overhead, lighting flashing through the deep black sky. The rain was heavy enough to weigh down the tent, though it didn’t soak through due to the enchantments placed upon the fabric. Panic clawed at her chest, a cold sweat leaving a sheen on her skin as she sat bolt upright. She struggled to catch her breath as she took stock of her emotions. After a few moments, she recognized the terror as coming from Percy across their link, and she immediately grew worried.

“Iris, I need a one way view of Perseus Jackson, now .” The messenger goddess seemed to notice the tension in her tone and complied, a misty image of a road coming into focus. Artemis recognized the path as the one right before the demigod camp and assumed that some event had forced Sally’s hand. As she watched, she noticed the lumbering shape chasing after them. The Minotaur, she realized. Hades must be furious.

Lighting flashed in the IM and the car flipped off of the road, a jagged hole torn through the top of the vehicle. Artemis felt a flash of anger at her father’s actions, but she knew that he would be paranoid in dealing with a child of one of her uncles. As the goddess watched, she saw Percy pull a satyr out of the car, his mom following quickly behind him. Soon after they got out of range, the car exploded. She felt guilty amusement briefly come from Percy and realized that it must have been his step-father’s vehicle. 

The mortals struggled to make it up the same hill that her demigod sister failed to climb all those years ago, the Minotaur gaining on them as it followed their scent through the storm. Percy did his best to keep the unconscious satyr out of the way as he and his mom maneuvered around the beast until it caught hold of the mortal woman. Artemis grew angry as she watched Sally dissolve into gold sparks, knowing that Hades had probably taken her as a bargaining chip against the demigod. She felt her anger rebound through the link and Percy yelled at the beast, successfully drawing its attention to himself. She noticed a flash of silver on his wrist and recognized the bracelet that she gave to Sally all those years ago.

Percy didn’t seem to think about needing help, assuming he knew what the charm would do, and instead taunted the beast into charging into Thalia’s pine, vaulting over it and snapping off one of its horns. The display of strength and agility astounded the goddess, and she grew more impressed as the demigod dispatched the creature with the grace of a trained warrior before dragging the satyr over the boundary line. Artemis waved her hand through the image and let the message dissolve, content to know that Percy was safe, at least for the moment. 

If the situation with Sally isn’t resolved by the end of this hunt, she thought to herself as she lay back down, I’m going to have words with my uncle .

Artemis was laughing at a tale one of her younger hunters was spinning when her brother flashed in. Her girls scowled at the god and she felt her good mood evaporate.

“Hey little sis! You never call, you never write-“

“Be quiet, Apollo. I am not interested in your childish escapades,” Artemis interrupted. Apollo waved his hand as if waving away her concerns.

“I’m so glad to hear you missed me, too,” Apollo quipped, ignoring her expression. “Look, you really need to see the latest episode of Hephaestus’ show; it was a real riot! I haven’t had so much fun since the summer I-“

“Why on our great grandmother would I care about watching Aphrodite and Ares getting caught for the three hundredth time this century?” Artemis crossed her arms and stared her brother down.

“That’s just it!” he replied enthusiastically. “Some demigods accidentally sprung the trap this time! I’m telling you, Poseidon’s kid has a real knack for-“

“Poseidon’s kid?” she interrupted again. Apollo frowned at her.

“Would you stop interrupting me?” he asked. “It’s really hard to tell you stuff when you keep talking over me.” Artemis waved him on impatiently. “Okay, so, apparently Ares offered them a ride west in exchange for them returning his shield. They’re on a bit of a time crunch with the whole ‘dad versus our uncle’ thing, so they agreed. Turns out his stuff was in the middle of one of our brother’s contraptions, so the kid and another demigod, I think she’s one of Athena’s, ended up having to fight off a bunch of mechanical spiders and blast their way through some Tunnel of Love ride to escape. It was awesome!”

Artemis felt some foreign emotion crawl through her at Apollo’s description of the event. “Sounds absolutely riveting,” she said drily. Apollo pouted at her lack of response.

“Fine, I get it, I’ll leave,” he heaved dramatically. When no one reacted, he sighed and flashed away. 

Artemis turned back to her hunters. Before she could ask where their story left off, one of them spoke up. “Why’d you actually let him talk?” 

Artemis froze for a split second. She locked eyes with Zoe across the group, who merely raised an eyebrow at her. Do I tell them that I know Percy already? I know Zoe understands, but the rest of this group would probably react violently. She thought for a split second more before deciding that she had gotten too close to the son of Sea God if her interest in him caught the attention of her hunters.

“It involved the demigod who could potentially decide the fate of Olympus,” she answered. “As I am invested in our survival, I should get to know the kind of boy we’re being forced to depend on.” The hunters nodded at her words, and she mentally breathed a sigh of relief. As the young huntress continued her story, Artemis debated with herself.

I spent too much time posing as a mortal, she decided. I’m letting that façade affect myself. He may be tolerable now, but the glory of going on a quest and his powers will go to his head. Better to cut ties now. She ignored the small guilty voice in the back of her head and turned her attention back to her hunt.

Artemis soon lost track of time with her hunters and was surprised to realize it was already the summer solstice. Hopefully the sea spawn had succeeded in retrieving her father’s bolt; Artemis wasn’t anxious to go to war with another Olympian, or war at all for that matter.

The biannual solstice meeting went well enough. Zeus and Poseidon argued about the latter’s son, Hephaestus sulked at Aphrodite and Ares’ flirting, Athena argued with Poseidon when Zeus was arguing with Hera, et cetera, et cetera. If Artemis could have gotten away with it, she would have skipped this meeting like most of the rest of the council’s meetings, but the solstice was supposedly too important to miss. For once, Artemis was jealous of Hades, who only had to show up to one meeting a year.

“Brother, my son approaches with your prized bolt. I trust we will be avoiding a civil war?” Poseidon finally rumbled from his throne. Artemis’ attention jerked back towards her father as he frowned in thought.

“Yes, I suppose so,” the king of the gods replied. Artemis was annoyed at the reluctance in his tone.

“Then I see no need to overwhelm the boy with the whole council. The two of us will likely intimidate him enough.” Zeus nodded his head in agreement and waved a hand at the rest of the council. Most flashed away instantly, anxious to return to whatever day to day mischief they normally got involved with. Some, like Apollo, looked like they wanted to stay, but flashed out after a stern glance from the two sons of Kronos. 

Artemis was quick to leave, relieved at being able to avoid the sea spawn she was trying to forget. She, however, simply walked out of the throne room, shrinking down to a more human size as she went. As much as she was ready to return to her hunt, she couldn’t ignore her confused emotions over what to do about the demigod. She knew she should forget about him; after all, he was a male, and as good as he might have been when she was with him, he would surely fall into the same state as all the rest. At the same time, if she did continue to show favor towards him, it may keep him on the straight and narrow. But paying attention to him would draw the suspicion of her hunters, not to mention Apollo. She growled in frustration, muttering to herself as she wandered around Olympus.

Artemis was so lost in her thoughts she almost ran into someone coming up from the opposite direction. She spun out of the way at the last second, amused at the way the other party flinched. She opened her mouth to apologize but froze when her silver eyes met sea green she was well acquainted with. In a split second, she aged herself up a couple of years from her normal look, now regretting the fact that she had taken her usual form in her dealings with the demigod. She definitely did not wish to be recognized by him.

Perseus, however, seemed just as distracted as she was, and showed no signs of recognition. He muttered out an apology over almost running her over, hefting a gaudy looking backpack higher onto his shoulder as he did. Artemis once again noticed her symbol flash on his arm, dangling from the bracelet she had given his mother. 

Without thinking, she grabbed his arm and pulled it straight, examining the bracelet more closely for a moment before the demigod wrenched his arm free of her grip. “What the Hades?” he asked, his voice sounding annoyed but his emotions more along the lines of confusion and nervousness. Artemis locked eyes with him and unconsciously let her power flare out just a little.

“You wear a symbol of Artemis,” she stated in a neutral voice. Perseus blinked in confusion and looked down at his bracelet.

“What, this?” he asked, raising his wrist. Artemis nodded and the demigod’s brow furrowed. “Mom gave it to me, said it would help protect me,” he said almost to himself. He shook his head and returned his attention to her. “I suppose I shouldn’t be wearing it, then. Since I’m a dude and all. Hopefully she’ll accept an apology and a cry of ignorance with an offering tonight without blasting me.”

Artemis held back a rueful smile and quirked an eyebrow at the boy. “You are assuming that Lord Zeus does not simply blast you before then.” Perseus blanched at her before shaking his head in disagreement.

“I went to all of this trouble to return his fancy sparkler – I mean, Master Bolt. He’ll wait at least another day or two before trying anything, I think,” he quipped back. Artemis chuckled briefly.

“Good luck, then, demigod.” She nodded farewell and continued on her way, internally cursing herself over interacting with the boy at all. She was trying to forget him, for Chaos’ sake, and here she was literally running into him! She cursed whatever higher deity was screwing with her immortal life. Her cursing continued as she felt a wave of emotions roll over her from her link with the demigod, too irritable to focus on figuring out how the boy was feeling.

“Oh, forget it!” She kicked at a rock on the path and glared as it rolled away from her. “If I never agreed to help Poseidon, I wouldn’t even be in this mess! The boy can go mess up his life by himself, and to Tartarus with that blasted bracelet! It’s not like he’ll ever use it anyways.” She focused her energy and flashed away to rejoin her hunt, determined to dig out any influence the sea spawn may have had on her.

Chapter Text

“It is here,” Zoe murmured. Artemis could hear the whispers between her hunters among the trees, quiet enough that few deities even would catch the noise. She was proud of her girls, no matter how long they had been with her. They all were like family. A big, all female family capable of sneaking through Olympus itself and strong enough to conquer fell beasts.

“Yes,” Artemis responded softly. She held up her hand in a closed fist, the hunt immediately hushing and blending into the trees. They had been tracking a monster along the Appalachians for a couple of weeks now. The goddess had her suspicions on what it might be, but she was content to let Zoe take point on this trip. They had finally caught up to the creature that had evaded them for longer than most on the outskirts of a small town in Maine. A small castle loomed over the woods, the snow on its parapets glinting in the dying sunlight.

“Lieutenant,” one of the younger hunters whispered from the front of the group, “these tracks… they almost remind me of the Nemean Lion, but that can’t be right.”

“Thou art correct, the Lion dislikes the cold,” Zoe agreed. The huntress studied the tracks the younger girl pointed out for a moment before huffing in disapproval. “My Lady, doth thou expect us to muddle about until we fall upon this beast?”

Artemis chuckled. “Having a bit of difficulty identifying this one?” Her lieutenant spared her an annoyed look before turning back to the tracks. While the print did appear like a large lion paw, the weight was pressed into the snow unevenly, and the amount of drift obscured much of the finer details that once were visible. Still, Artemis knew that Zoe would eventually put together the pieces.

Sure enough, a few moments later her friend sprang to her feet, startling the younger hunter who discovered the tracks. “A manticore?” Zoe hissed. Immediately the whispers started back up, and Artemis felt a nervous energy fill her hunt.

Nodding at her second in command, Artemis schooled her face. “Indeed,” she replied, “and you have done a fine job trailing it this far north.”

“Just because one may follow a bear does not mean one can best it, My Lady,” Zoe groused. “This company is large, yes, but many lack experience.”

“What better way to learn than to throw them in the fire?” Artemis raised an eyebrow in challenge at her friend’s offended look. “They have plenty of your sister-in-arms to guide them, and I am a goddess and your patron. Have you no faith in me?”

“Thou knowest what is meant,” Zoe said sourly. “It is hard enough trying to keep up with the changes in this infernal language without thy liberal use of sarcasm.”

Artemis merely shrugged. “When in Rome…” Zoe sighed and the whispers in the back of the group died down some, the hunters rechecking their equipment before the battle to come. Artemis nodded and Zoe raised her hand, giving the command to move forward. The hunt bled through the forest, the snow soft underfoot and the dusk hiding the gleam of their arrows. As they drew close to the target of their pursuit, the sounds of fighting reached their ears.

Following the silent commands of the lieutenant, the hunt fan out along the tree line as they come upon the clearing. Artemis sees a small party of half-bloods engaged with the manticore, and losing fast. A helicopter hovers over the ocean past the cliff, its searchlight starkly lighting the clearing. Artemis looks back at her hunt and nods. From the midst of the group, the call of their hunting horns rings out. The sound cuts through the deadening snow. The demigods in the clearing look around in confusion, while the manticore froze in fear.

“Engage,” Artemis commanded. Zoe lifted her bow and fired a single arrow into the clearing, where it struck the manticore in the shoulder. It responded with a volley of spikes, which her hunt was quick to knock out of the air. As one of the demigods tried to join back in the fight, the hunt moved into the clearing, bows at the ready.

“Permission to kill, My Lady?” Zoe asked her, eyes locked onto their prey.

“This is not fair!” the manticore yelled. Artemis thought it odd that the beast spoke with a French accent, but it was unimportant in the grand scheme of things. “Direct interference! It is against the ancient laws!”

“Not so,” Artemis countered, stepping forward as she spoke. The eyes of everyone in the clearing were on her. She knew some of it was because of her godly presence, but some of it was likely because she currently appeared about fourteen, one of the oldest in her group. Artemis’ expression darkened as she eyed the monster. “The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere, and you, foul creature, are a wild beast.” She glanced at her second in command. “Zoe, permission granted.”

As with most things involving half-bloods, everything went wrong at this point. Before the hunt could attack, the manticore lunged at the demigods on the ground. The girl with the knife charged the beast as the hunt fired, much to the dismay of her male companion, and the monster escaped with the girl as his prisoner.

Great, Artemis thought sourly. Just what I want to deal with right now. Her internal grumblings were interrupted by the crackling of gunfire, and she looked up to see the helicopter aiming at her hunt. Her temper flared and she scowled at the machine.

“Mortals are not allowed to witness my hunt,” she seethed. She thrust out her hand and pulled on her powers. The moon overhead flared brightly. The helicopter exploded, transformed and replaced by a flock of ravens. Artemis’ anger ebbed, and she let down her hand, instead turning her gaze to the demigods her hunt had rescued. She froze as her eyes met the boy’s.

She knew that shade of green.

The rest of her hunt didn’t notice her panic, instead beginning to clear the area and inspect the half-bloods. Zoe stopped short of the girl with the spear and frowned. “You,” she grit out, tone colored with annoyance.

“Zoe Nightshade. Perfect timing, as usual.” The girl’s voice trembled with barely controlled anger. Zoe, however, had already moved her gaze to the others. 

“Four half-bloods and a satyr, My Lady,” she reported. 

Artemis blinked and tried to school her raging emotions. “Some of Chiron’s campers, I see.” Only Zoe noticed the miniscule waver in her tone, the uncertainty in her words. Her lieutenant glanced at her quickly before the boy spoke up.

“Annabeth! You have to let us save her!” Percy cried. Artemis met his gaze again, trying desperately to maintain her calm façade. She could feel his emotions roiling, the link she had suppressed for so long coming back in full force. Artemis had forgotten how strongly her friend felt about everything.

Artemis reached out her senses past the cliff, reaffirming that the monster had vanished elsewhere with the girl. “I’m sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help,” she replied. Some of her hunters held the son of Poseidon back as he struggled towards the cliff. “You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs,” she said dryly.

“Let me go!” he yelled back. “Who do you think you are?” Zoe stepped forward to strike him.

“No!” Zoe looked back at her in confusion. “I sense no disrespect, Zoe. He is simply distraught.” Her lieutenant’s eyes widened marginally in understanding. Artemis felt a strange sense of melancholy as she continued, turning towards Percy. “He does not understand. I am Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt.”

“Uh… okay?” Percy responded. Artemis felt herself smile slightly. It had been years since she had seen him, and he still was the same old clueless boy. Of course, the satyr freaked out, and the boy and girl who were obviously siblings were confused. Sorting things out would take a while, she could tell.

She was talking with the girl, Bianca, in her tent soon after when she felt Percy’s emotions start to boil over again. There was guilt, confusion, and currently a lot of anger growing. She held up a hand to pause Bianca’s account of what had happened and turned to Zoe.

“Could you bring Percy here? As someone who understands a bit more about our world, he may have picked up on some things Bianca may have missed.” Zoe gave her a scandalized look.

“You wish to bring a male into your tent? Have you taken leave of your senses?”

Artemis frowned at her friend. “I am a goddess and your patron, and I will take whichever actions I wish. Bring him here.” Zoe humphed and stormed out of the tent. Bianca looked at Artemis in confusion.

“I don’t understand. What’s the big deal?” she asked. Artemis sighed and rubbed her temples.

“Many of my hunters are here because of terrible experiences with men. They do not trust any boy. To bring one here, to what amounts to my temple among the hunt…” Bianca nodded.

“I think I get that. I suppose I’d be a bit wary, too.” The two sat in comfortable silence until Zoe returned with the demigod. They situated themselves on the floor across from Artemis, Zoe glaring at Percy as if he was single handedly trying to seduce every girl in the hunt.

Eventually, Artemis’ questions and Percy’s explanations added up to a conclusion she had hoped to be untrue. Against Zoe’s protests, she swore to track down the threat to her home. “I will find this creature, and I shall bring it back to Olympus by the winter solstice. It will be all the proof I need to convince my family of the danger we are all in.”

“You know what the monster is?” Percy asked, curious. Artemis tightened her grip on her bow, fighting the urge to grin playfully at him and ruffle his hair like she did when they would do their homework together and he would ask dumb questions. His expression was always so innocent, his curiosity brimming to the surface.

“Let us pray that I am wrong,” she responded gravely.

Percy frowned. “Can goddesses pray?”

This time Artemis couldn’t stop the smile from growing. Her eyes sparkled in amusement as she met Percy’s gaze. She had missed him more than she realized, and as mad at herself as she knew she would be later, she couldn’t help but think herself stupid for trying to cut him out of her life.

She announced her wish that Percy and his friends help the hunters get to Camp while she hunted the monster she hoped had not returned. Zoe argued, of course, but backed off under Artemis’ stern look. Bianca joined her hunt, and she could feel Percy deflate as he realized the siblings would be separated. Artemis ordered Zoe to start breaking down camp, and as her second in command left with Bianca, she reaffixed her gaze on Percy.

“My brother will arrive soon. He will take you to your Camp,” she said. “As much as he annoys me, he has his moments where he is helpful.” Percy shrugged halfheartedly.

“If you say so.” He looked around her tent again before snapping his eyes back to hers. “I assume since you haven’t smitten – smited? Smote?” He frowned at nothing for a moment as he thought, then shook his head. “Since you haven’t blown me up yet, you don’t care that I have this?”

Artemis studied the bracelet on his wrist once again. It looked as new as the day she had gifted it to Sally all those years ago. She looked back up. “You have done nothing to warrant my anger as of yet, Percy. Your mother gave that to you in good faith, and so I will extend that faith to you until such a time as it is underserved.”

Percy blinked and slowly withdrew his arm. “Thanks… I think,” he responded. He stood up and turned to leave, but paused. Artemis raised an eyebrow at him as he turned back to face her. “Are you sure we haven’t met before?”

Artemis kept a blank face as she panicked on the inside. “Are you saying you find my presence not worth remembering?” Percy blushed and shook his head.

“No, that’s not- look, you remind me a lot of an old friend. I haven’t seen her for… well, since I got thrown into this crazy life. I’ve tried to find her before, but…” He shrugged sadly. Artemis felt more than a bit of guilt at the expression.

“Does your friend have a name?” she asked. Percy looked at her suspiciously.

“Her name is Diana.”

“I have no girls of that name in my hunt,” Artemis said, “but if I should find her… I will pass along a message on your behalf.”

Percy froze in surprise. “You’d do that for me?” he asked. His tone was equal tones wariness and gratefulness. Artemis merely nodded, lest she promise something else she had not intended. Percy stared into space as he thought. “I guess… just let her know that I miss her. She was pretty much my only friend growing up, and with all the crap I’ve gone through, there’s been plenty of times I would have liked her support.” He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “She always used to help me through the hard stuff. She never talked much about her home life, but with how she handled learning about mine, hers couldn’t’ve been much better.”

Percy shrugged, bowed lightly, and left her tent. She stared at the entrance after he left, burying herself in guilt.

Chapter Text

Artemis seethed under the weight of the sky, angry at being taken unawares by the Titan and his forces. She obviously hadn’t existed during the first Titanomachy, and had been inundated with comments degrading the titans over the millennia. She knew to take her father’s bragging with a grain of salt, but apparently she had absorbed more than she thought. Idly, she wondered if she could get away with just letting go of the sky, but she discarded the idea quickly. While the impact would take out a significant part of the titans’ forces, the mortal lives lost would be far too numerous. She groaned under Atlas’ burden, arms and legs aching and her joints cracking with the effort.

How am I to escape? She thought bitterly. I doubt Father will let Apollo abandon his duties to come rescue me, and there’s no way he’d come himself. Too busy denying any of this is actually happening. She groaned again as her back shuddered and spasmed. She clenched her jaw and screwed her eyes shut. She knew Atlas hadn’t left any guards (why would he when she couldn’t move?), but she still didn’t want to verbally admit how much pain she was in.

Trying to distract herself, she cast about her mind, searching for a hint or connection to the outside. Sometimes, she could reach Apollo, but her bond with her twin was silent. She could feel enough from her hunt to know everyone was alive, but nothing more specific. As she tentatively reached within herself towards her bond with Percy, she flinched. His emotions were erratic and powerful, shifting between intense anger, wariness, and confusion. As she focused on him, a scene grew clear before her gaze.

Artemis found herself sitting across from Aphrodite in a limousine. It took her a moment to realize she was seeing things from Percy’s point of view, and once she did, she felt his blush as deeply as her own. At first glance, Aphrodite looked remarkably like Artemis herself. As the love goddess’ form shifted under her – Percy’s – gaze, Artemis sat in shock. His first sight of Aphrodite and she looks like me ? After another moment of shock, she shoved the thought to the side, desperate to know what reason Percy possibly could have for meeting with the other goddess.

“Well then, why are you on this quest?” she asked, dabbing at her perfect make-up in the mirror she had compelled the demigod to hold.

“Artemis has been captured!” Percy responded determinedly. Artemis felt a rush of affection towards her friend. Aphrodite, however, just scoffed.

“Oh, Artemis. Please , talk about a hopeless case. I mean, if they were going to kidnap a goddess, she should be breathtakingly beautiful, don’t you think? I pity the poor dears who have to imprison Artemis. Bo-ring!”

“She’s is beautiful!” Percy responded hotly. Artemis felt him tense as Aphrodite snapped her gaze on him directly, cheek flaming hot. “And, uh, she was chasing a super important monster!”

Aphrodite simply stared at him, not commenting when he lowered the mirror. The bracelet on his wrist shifted as the mirror settled on his lap. Aphrodite noticed and her eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you follow her? She hates boys! A shame, really.”

Percy shifted uncomfortably. “Follow? No. She gave the bracelet to my mom, though she did let me keep it when we ran into them rescuing Bianca and Nico.”

“She let a man keep her symbol?” she asked, eyes flashing with an unknown emotion.

“Er – yeah? I guess?”

“Interesting…” The love goddess thought for a moment before sitting back in her seat. “Tell me, Perseus, who do I look like to you?”

“What?” Percy asked, confused. Artemis felt herself freeze in panic at what the question might reveal.

“Who do I look like?” Aphrodite asked again. Percy studied her for a minute.

“Honestly, mostly like Diana, my best friend, though I can see bits of Annabeth and… uh… some old celebrity crushes…” he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck nervously at Aphrodite’s expression.

“And here I thought I was helping you get to the Athenian,” the love goddess murmured.

“Helping?”

“You think the poisoned t-shirt the Stolls gave Phoebe was an accident? Blackjack finding you, sneaking out of camp, just happy coincidences?”

“ You did that?”

“Of course! A quest just by Hunters would have been boring. Find a monster, save the eternal maiden, blah blah blah. Much more exciting with a romantic subplot.”

“Uh… I don’t know about –“

“I didn’t expect this , though. I expected a crush on your friend, but also this Diana?” Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. Artemis knew this wouldn’t end well. She’d have to prepare for the questions sure to come her way. “Perhaps this quest will lead to more entertainment than I thought.”

“Shouldn’t you be more worried about – “

“Anyways, off you go! Go rescue the girls, fight the bad guys, all that jazz. Oh, and be careful in my husband’s junk. He’s awfully paranoid with his old projects.”

“Wait! How should we – “ Percy was cut off as Ares opened the door and pulled him out of the limo. 

Artemis felt herself drifting away from the scene, and soon found herself back in her own mind, thoughts reeling and body aching. The fact that Percy saw her in Aphrodite meant that, on some level, he was attracted to her. As much as she hated men, she knew Percy. She knew that if he was interested in her, it wasn’t lust.

The thought scared her.

“My Lady!”

Artemis’ head snapped up at the call, her gaze struggling to focus on the sight of her lieutenant running towards her. The goddess was drenched in sweat, every muscle in her body screaming as she fought to keep Ouranos and Gaia from crashing together.

“Stop!” She forced her parched throat to cooperate, struggling to get the word out. Her tongue felt thick, and she could feel the scratches of dehydration on her vocal chords. “It is a trap. You must leave now.”

Zoe, of course, ignored her, crying and tugging at the chains binding her. Before the huntress could even start to find a way to free her, the booming voice of Atlas cut through the air. “Ah, how touching.” As Zoe whirled around to focus on her father, Artemis squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hoist the sky just a little higher, just enough for even a fraction of a second’s relief. It didn’t help. Her spine felt like it was fusing together, and her ears rung from the ichor rushing through them. She finally stopped her extra efforts, panting with exhaustion.

“How is my little traitor?” she heard as the ringing subsided. “I will enjoy killing you.”

“Do not respond,” Artemis groaned out. “Do not challenge him.” Her calf clenched up and she panicked for a moment as she felt the sky slip, her knee slamming into the ground beneath her as she shifted her balance so as to not be crushed. She whimpered slightly under her breath against the pain, hearing but not really comprehending Percy defending Zoe. After a few moments, her thoughts cleared again, enough for her to hear Atlas’ offer to Zoe.

“No! Do not offer Zoe! I forbid you.” She felt Atlas draw near, forcing her eyes open enough to bite at the titan as he tried to brush his hand against her face. The action took more effort than she anticipated, though she would do so again in a heartbeat. She focused inwards, breathing as slowly and deeply as possible to try to gather just a bit more strength. Artemis watched as the brave, foolish heroes attacked. Her half-sister seemed to be holding her own just fine against the traitorous demigod. Percy, of course, went straight for the titan general, with Zoe acting as back-up. Artemis’ heart clenched in fear at the sight, equally worried for her oldest friend and her newest.

Percy soon ended up sprawled on the ground in front of her, his sword knocked away by Atlas’ strike. Artemis could see the walls of the palace solidifying around them, dark stone rebuilding itself into a terrible fortress. As the demigod opened his eyes and looked at her, she let her concern wash over her.

“Run, boy,” she rasped. “You must run!” 

Atlas slowly made his way towards them, javelin hefted onto his shoulder. Sadistic glee glowed in the titan’s eyes as he lifted his weapon over Percy. “Die, little hero.”

“No!” Zoe yelled. Artemis watched her draw her bow, firing a dozen arrows in the space of a couple seconds. An impressive show, especially given it was to save a male. Atlas yelled in pain as the arrows sunk into the flesh under his arm, turning to glare at his daughter.

Percy heaved himself to his feet while Atlas was distracted, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his sword. Zoe’s sword . “The sky. Give it to me.”

“No, boy,” Artemis retorted. She blinked sweat out of her eyes as it rolled down her face. “You don’t know what you’re asking. It will crush you!”

“Annabeth took it!”

“She barely survived. She had the spirit of a true huntress. You will not last so long.” She felt panic rising within her as she felt Percy’s determination.

“I’ll die anyways. Give me the weight of the sky!” He slashed with his sword, cleaving the chains holding her into pieces. Despite her mental pleading, he put away his sword and kneeled next to her, bracing himself against the towering clouds. For one brief, eternal moment, the sky seemed to be lighter as they shared the burden.

As Artemis stepped out from under the sky, every bone in her body seemed to crack with relief. Muscles, sore with misuse, twinged angrily as she stretched. She shook her arms out for a moment, letting herself absorb energy from the moon gleaming down on her. She saw Zoe flit around the battlefield, sinking arrows into chinks in her father’s armor. She glanced beside her to see Percy’s face contorted in agony. Rage flowed through her, and she growled under her breath as she summoned her hunting knives and turned towards Atlas.

“For endangering these two… you will pay.” She shot forward at her enemy, silver wisps of energy trailing her. Atlas laughed madly as he swung around to strike at her. She spun around the javelin’s point, slashing at Atlas’ leg before turning into a falcon and shooting upwards. She clawed at that titan’s face as she wheeled about in the air, diving madly to dodge another swipe and landing as a tiger.

Artemis continued her attacks like this, moving nimbly around Atlas and striking when and where she could. Switching forms came as second nature to her, a skill for battle she had honed millennia ago, and it helped to keep the titan off balance. Zoe added her deadly arrows to the mix when she could, but they were little more than annoyances to Atlas.

After one such hit, as Atlas turned to heave a stone at his daughter, Artemis winced and stumbled as she felt Percy’s pain flash across their link for a moment. Artemis knew that leaving him there for much longer would kill him. She thought quickly, searching her mind for a strategy to lure Atlas back towards his prison. I’ll have to trick him somehow – he’s stronger than me, so brute force isn’t going to work. He’s also desperate to stay free, so he’ll have to let his guard down before anything has a chance of succeeding.

Arriving at a plan, she grimaced and danced back out of range as Atlas swung at her. He’ll have to think he’s won , she decided. I just have to get him closer.

Upon luring Atlas close enough to the point where the sky meets the earth, Artemis braced herself. She had avoided any serious hits so far, but she’d have to take one point blank to make this look convincing. Get ready, she spoke in Percy’s mind. She held back an amused grin at his incoherent response. She was about to give warning to Zoe as well when Atlas swiped at her legs, sweeping her off her feet. She landed heavily on her back before the sky, the air knocked out of her lungs. As Atlas quickly brought his weapon up for a killing blow, Zoe jumped in the way.

“No!” she yelled, shooting an arrow straight into Atlas’ forehead. The point sunk deep, golden ichor flowing around the shaft which stuck out like a malformed horn. Atlas roared, enraged, and backhanded Zoe across the mountain top. She crashed against a boulder on the edge of the clearing with a sickening crunch, and Artemis felt her heart stop. Already she could feel her lieutenant’s life fading, and the grief paralyzed her for a moment.

“The first blood in a new war,” Atlas gloated, and stabbed downwards. Quick as thought, Artemis twisted out of the way. As the spear tip dug into the ground, Artemis grabbed the haft of the weapon and heaved. Atlas flew over her with a shout of surprise. As he crashed into Percy, the demigod let go, rolling out of the way and letting the sky slam back down.

Artemis paused only long enough to check that Percy was alive before sprinting over to where Zoe lay, sprawled across the broken rocks of Mount Orthys. “Oh Zoe…” she murmured. Bruising welts crawled up the back of her legs and arms, dark purple splotches on her skin. Artemis brushed aside some tattered cloth to see a bite in Zoe’s side, purple and green and bleeding slowly around the shreds of skin. Artemis’ heart lurched at the sight. A bite from Ladon alone she might be able to heal with her brother’s help, but along with the injuries from her father…

“My – my lady,” Zoe coughed out. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

“I’m here, old friend,” Artemis replied. Tears leaked down her cheeks. She knew deep down that this wasn’t something she could fix.

“I’m sorry. I thought – thought I could help thee.” She coughed again, groaning at the pain.

“I should have warned you,” Artemis said guiltily.

Zoe shook her head, struggling to breathe. “You did thy - thy best. You always - have.” Artemis held Zoe’s head in her lap, gripping her hand tightly. “Are they –“ she broke off, coughing too hard to continue. “Are they safe?”

“For the moment.”

“And – and Perseus?” Artemis looked at her oldest friend curiously.

“He will recover.” The goddess paused for a moment. “He carries your sword.”

“Yes,” Zoe whispered. She stiffened for a moment, then fell back to trembling. “It burns, Artemis.” Artemis kissed her forehead, crying freely now. She heard Percy call for her and looked up to see the son of Poseidon leading the daughters of Zeus and Athena towards her. She saw the look of horror on his face as he caught sight of Zoe.

“The wound was poisoned,” she explained bitterly.

“Atlas poisoned her?” he asked, confused. Artemis shook her head.

“No. Not Atlas.” She motioned to the wound in Zoe’s side. Percy turned green and flinched at the sight. The girls looked away, not able to bear the sight.

“The stars,” Zoe murmured. “I cannot see them.” Artemis’ heart clenched, grief overwhelming her. She knew that they needed to leave. She could feel the army of monsters climbing towards them. She couldn’t move.

Buzzing filled her ears, and she looked up to see a man in an old plane swoop overhead, firing into the ranks of the monster army. “Get away from my daughter!” the pilot yelled. Monsters scattered as the bullets struck, disintegrating those that moved too slow.

“Dad?!” the Athenian yelled in disbelief.

“Run!” The plane buzzed by, sweeping around for another pass. The strange sight gave Artemis just enough focus to shove her overcharged emotions to the side, enough for her to regain her bearings.

“A brave man,” she admitted grudgingly. “Come. We must get Zoe away from here.” She grabbed her hunting horn off of her belt, raising it to her lips and blowing a clear, pure note that seemed to echo across the mountaintop. After a few moments of focus, her chariot came into view, landing next to the group. Artemis shifted her grip to lift Zoe, then blinked in surprise as Percy moved to help. The two of them managed to load the huntress into the chariot without too much jostling. As Artemis grabbed the reins and the chariot sprang into the air, she heard Percy whisper in awe.

“Like Santa Claus’ sleigh.” Artemis looked back at him and grinned at the sight. He was looking off towards the ground, holding Zoe still against the motions of their flight without thinking about it.

“Indeed, young half-blood,” she answered. His gaze snapped back to her, surprised. “And where do you think that legend came from?” She turned around before the gaping son of Poseidon could read the mischief in her eyes. As Annabeth’s father aligned his plane behind them and Atlas’ yells echoed across the sky, she felt herself slide back into sorrow. Their procession moved through the air like a funeral march as she mourned her oldest friend’s final minutes.

Chapter Text

As the sun slipped below the horizon, Artemis guided her chariot to land at Crissy Field. She vaguely registered the young girl – Annabeth – running towards her father, who had landed as near to them as possible. Percy followed, eyes roaming around looking for potential threats. Thalia, however, stayed and helped the goddess unload Zoe onto the ground. The huntress moaned in pain as she settled, a shiver wracking her body.

“I’m sorry… my Lady.” Zoe’s words were interrupted by a deep cough. Thalia caught Artemis’ eye and called out to the other two demigods as the huntress fought for her breath. Artemis fought back her tears as her oldest friend shivered violently, the silvery glow of her blessing fading fast.

“Can’t you heal her with magic?” Percy asked her. “I mean… you’re a goddess.” Bitterness welled up in her at the confusion in his tone. There were a great many things she would have done differently in her millennia of existence if the ancient laws didn’t limit her interaction with the mortal realm. She turned to look at Percy.

“Life is a fragile thing, Percy. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do.” She looked back at Zoe. “But I can try.”

As she reached out her hand to Zoe’s injured side, her lieutenant grabbed her wrist, stopping her. Artemis looked into her eyes and saw the tumult of emotions. Pain, grief, sorrow, yes, but also pride, love, relief. She realized in that moment that Zoe knew it was her time and that she had accepted her fate.

“Have I… served thee well?” Zoe asked softly.

“With great honor,” Artemis replied in kind. She felt her breath catch in her throat and tears well up in her eyes. “The finest of my lieutenants.” Zoe relaxed at the warmth and pride in Artemis’ tone.

“Rest. At last.” Zoe’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment, before she opened them again with great effort.

“I can try to heal the poison, my brave one,” Artemis offered one last time. She knew deep inside that Zoe would refuse, but for her oldest friend she offered anyway. Zoe gave a slight shake of her head. With a shaky breath, she turned to Thalia and took her hand as Artemis took a moment to fight back her raging sorrow.

“I am sorry we argued. We could have been sisters.” Thalia blinked hard to keep her own tears at bay.

“It’s my fault. You were right about Luke, about heroes, men – about everything.”

“Perhaps not all men,” Zoe murmured. She looked at Percy and smiled sadly. Artemis felt his sorrow wash up against her own under Zoe’s gaze. “Do you still have the sword, Percy?” Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen, placing it almost reverently in her hand. Zoe took a shuddering breath as her fingers curled around the blade, her aura flaring briefly. The pen seemed to glow in tandem with her before they both faded back to normal.

“You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson,” Zoe continued. “You are nothing like… like Heracles. I am honored that you carry my sword. Diana… would be proud of the man you have become.” She spasmed again as she lay on the ground. Artemis was shocked that the two had become so close as to share their stories, and as shocked that Zoe’s last comment was spoken with what felt like approval. Percy’s own bittersweet pride echoed in her mind as he gently reclaimed the pen – which Artemis realized was Anaklusmos in disguise – from Zoe’s hand.

“Stars,” the huntress whispered. “I can see the stars again, my Lady.”

Artemis felt a tear trickle down her face as she caressed Zoe’s cheek in final comfort. “Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight.”

“Stars…” Zoe breathed out. Her gaze locked on the depths of space above her, and she lay still and cold. Artemis choked back a sob as she felt her blessing drain away and reached out before her friend’s spirit could be taken to the underworld. With an ancient, whispered phrase, she cupped Zoe’s essence in her hand. As the body shimmered away, Artemis stood on shaky legs and turned to the sky. Another, final blessing and a long breath, and Zoe joined the stars, forever to watch over her Lady and the world she died to protect.

“Let the world honor you, my Huntress,” she spoke. “Live forever in the stars.” She stood in silent, despondent vigil for a moment, feeling more than hearing the demigods shift nervously behind her.

I really hope she can hold it together while we’re here. The silver flickering makes me nervous. Percy’s thoughts echoed in her head. Artemis glanced down to see that she was, indeed, barely holding on to her current form. She took a deep breath and focused on pushing her power out into her domains. The last thing she wanted to do was vaporize the demigods behind her by accidentally shifting into her divine form.

“I must go to Olympus immediately. I will not be able to take you, but I will send help,” Artemis said regretfully. She turned to Annabeth and lay a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “You are brave beyond measure, my girl. You will do what is right.” Annabeth smiled shakily at the praise. Artemis then looked to Thalia. She wasn’t sure what to make of her mortal sister. Headstrong and passionate, yet not sure where her own heart lies, often not deciding until the last moment.

It reminded her of Zoe when they first met. Artemis fought down her melancholy and met Thalia’s gaze as she finally looked up. Artemis saw the pain of betrayal in the demigod’s eyes, coupled with the desire to make up for her former friend’s failings. No, Artemis realized, old lover. Even Percy would not carry that much secondhand guilt over a mere friend’s actions. Her gaze softened and she nodded slightly before turning to Percy.

On the one hand, part of her wanted to take the opportunity to put conscious distance between them. To slight the boy, put him in his place, lash out against the one who was starting to confuse her feelings more often than not. 

But she knew that she couldn’t bring herself to do so. She felt his triumphs and sorrows as surely as he did, she had seen him work to overcome his past, and she felt and saw the depth of care he had for her, though he had yet to discover she was the Diana from his childhood. If she distanced herself now, it would lead to disastrous results if and when he found her out. She cared too much for him and his friendship to do that to him. Besides, she thought, if Zoe approved, then it must be alright and I am clearly overthinking this.

“You did well,” she said out loud. “For a man.” She smirked internally at his flash of indignation before he thought about her word choice and calmed down to embarrassed pride. With one last nod to him and his companions, she mounted her chariot again. As she began gathering her energy and focusing on her destination, she glanced one last time at Percy. His hair writhed in the wind, gaze averted towards the ground to avoid being vaporized, standing strong despite the weight of this last adventure. She noticed a lock of grey hair on his head, likely from his holding the sky. With a rush of affection, she was gone.

Artemis materialized in the courtyard in front of her temple on Olympus. Leaping out of her chariot, she quickly made her way to the throne room, changing her clothes to be slightly more formal and much less damaged and growing to her godly height. Upon reaching the hall, she threw open the doors and entered. Everyone else was already in attendance, and had been giving their attention to the report of a satyr until her arrival, when they all turned to look at her. The satyr jumped as the doors boomed open, turning around so quickly as to almost fall over and kneeling towards her. In a large bubble of seawater swam the Ophiotaurus, seemingly unconcerned with its surroundings.

“I am returned, Father,” she stated formally. “The heroes were successful in their quest, despite their losses. Atlas is once again imprisoned under the sky, and I am free again.”

“It is good to see you well, Daughter,” Zeus rumbled. He nodded softly at her, then returned his gaze to the satyr. “Now, Grover, continue your report.”

As Grover haltingly restarted his recounting of the quest, Artemis made her way to her throne. She smiled lightly at Apollo’s relieved look. She was sure he had probably helped the heroes in some way, but who was she to rat out her brother? Annoying as he may be sometimes, they were still fairly close.

Sitting upon her throne, she closed her eyes and felt the rush of her domains roll through her. For an instant, she could feel every animal in the woods, every maiden’s hopes and dreams, every place the moonlight touched and even the moon itself. With a slight involuntary shiver, she reopened her eyes and took stock of the room. As usual, Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Hera, Hephaestus were the ones actively paying attention, while Dionysus, Apollo, and Aphrodite at least appeared as though they weren’t. What was new was that Aphrodite’s attention was focused on her . Artemis did her best to pay attention, but Aphrodite’s constant gaze was disconcerting. In what seemed like no time, the doors opened to admit Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia. 

“Welcome, heroes,” Artemis greeted them. She could feel at least Percy’s anxiety under the gaze of the twelve Olympians. 

“Mooo!” Percy’s gaze shifted over to the Ophiotaurus, watching it for a moment with a look of surprised amusement before shifting to look at Grover kneeling before Zeus’ throne.

“You made it!” the satyr called, lurching towards the demigods before freezing and glancing back towards Zeus. The king of Olympus nodded, his focus on his demigod daughter. Artemis noticed Hera’s scowl. While she agreed with her father’s wife in principle, she found that taking out anger on a demigod or mortal for the actions of another immortal rarely ended well.

“Percy, Bessie and I made it! But you have to convince them! They can’t do it!” Grover exclaimed in a rush.

“Do what?” Percy asked.

“Heroes,” Artemis interrupted before the discussion could be too derailed. She slid off of her throne, shrinking again to mortal height. She felt Aphrodite’s eyes burning into her back at the sight of her slightly older mortal form. She did her best to ignore the feeling. “The Council has been informed of your deeds. They know that Mount Orthys is rising in the west. They know of Atlas’ attempt at freedom, and the gathering armies of Kronos. We have voted to act.”

She forced herself not to frown at the grumbles from some of her fellow Olympians at the statement. She felt her frustration echoed from Percy and pushed forward, describing what they would be doing on behalf of the war effort. “And as for you, my heroes…” She turned her back to the demigods and faced the Council. “These half-bloods have done Olympus a great service. Would any here deny that?”

She met each of the other gods’ eyes as she looked around the room. Her brother and Hermes in particular looked supportive of the heroes, while it seemed Ares would rather try for round two against Percy. Artemis bristled inside at Aphrodite’s coy smile towards the son of Poseidon, recognizing it as an attempt to unbalance her but unable to completely ignore it. After a moment, her brother cleared his throat.

“I gotta say, these kids did okay,” he spoke dramatically. Artemis withheld a groan. “ Heroes win laurels -“

“Um, yes, first class,” Hermes interjected. Artemis grinned a little at Apollo’s pout. “All in favor of not disintegrating them?” At that, her smile melted away, quickly followed by anger at the arguments that built after the statement. The conflicting pride and resigned, disappointed sorrow that washed over her mental link pushed her over the edge.

“I will not have them punished, I will have them rewarded!” she exclaimed. “If we destroy heroes who do us a great favor then we are no better than the Titans. If this is Olympian justice I will have none of it!”

“Calm down, sis,” Apollo replied. “Jeez, you need to lighten up.”

“Don’t blow me off on this matter!” Artemis practically snarled. “They deserve more than simply not being destroyed for our convenience.” Apollo held his hands up placatingly as wary glances were shared among the others.

“Perhaps,” Zeus deflected, “but the monster at least must be destroyed. On that, can we agree?” As the Council nodded in approval, she felt Percy’s realization.

“Wait, you want to destroy Bessie? Why?” Artemis turned and quirked an eyebrow at him. Poseidon leaned back in his throne even as he held his son’s gaze. The corner of his mouth quirked in amusement.

“You named the Ophiotaurus Bessie?” he asked. Percy blushed at the amusement in his father’s tone. Poseidon shook his head before his mood sobered. He leaned forward. “Son, the monster’s power is considerable. If the Titans were to steal it, or-“

“You can’t!” Percy insisted. The tension in the room rose as it registered in everyone’s mind that this demigod just interrupted an Olympian. He turned to look straight at Zeus as he continued his argument. “Controlling prophecies never works, you know that. Besides, Bess- er, the Ophiotaurus is innocent. Killing something like that… it’s just as wrong as Kronos eating his kids because of something they might do.” Artemis marveled at her friend’s audacity, which deepened as Zeus shifted in his throne, a thoughtful frown on his face. Percy held his gaze, eyes full of determination.

“And how can we be sure one of you will not be tempted to betray us? After all, my daughter turned sixteen on the morrow, and you yourself in little over a year. Should Kronos tempt one of you, the power released against us would be catastrophic.” Zeus rumbled. Percy’s eyes narrowed at the challenge.

“Have we not proven our loyalty to our parents yet?” he shot back. “If I were untrustworthy, I would have kept your bolt and Hades’ helm two years ago, not returned them without thought of reward.”

Mutters erupted around the council as Zeus frown deepened and Hades scowled. I didn’t realize Hades lost his symbol as well, Artemis thought. She ignored the pride that fluttered in her chest. I’m sure he isn’t happy for that to be common knowledge.

“I dislike relying on trusting a hero,” Zeus stated irritably. Then he sighed. “I suppose you have proven yourself so far. Do not make me regret this leniency.” More whispers broke out among the amazed Olympians. Artemis, too, was amazed, but thought quickly on how to keep her father’s paranoia down. With a sinking feeling, she realized her only option at the moment.

“Speaking of trusted heroes,” she changed topics, “I must have a new lieutenant. My faithful companion,” - and here her voice broke – “Zoe Nightshade, has passed into the stars. Before I pick her successor, I must speak with you, father.” Zeus beckoned her forward and leaned down as she drew near.

“What is it, daughter?” he whispered.

“I would select your demigod daughter, Thalia, as my new lieutenant,” she replied slowly. As his questioning look, she continued. “Not only will it remove her from the prophecy should she accept, but I believe she could use the company, and she would fit in well with my hunt.”

Zeus considered for a moment before nodding. “Very well. I shall not dissuade her, but it is her choice.” Artemis nodded in agreement before turning back to the demigods.

“I shall have a new lieutenant, if she will accept it.” She met eyes with her mortal half-sister. “Thalia, daughter of Zeus. Will you join the Hunt?” She felt the surprise of the Council, heavy as the silence that followed her question. Thalia too looked surprised, though she did not break eye contact with the goddess. After a moment, her expression set in determination.

“I will,” she answered. “The prophecy will not be mine. I shall stand with my sister Artemis. Kronos will not tempt me again.” Thalia stepped forward and kneeled before Artemis. “I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men…”

As Artemis accepted the oath, a heaviness filled her heart. She knew this was the right thing to do, but so soon after losing her most trusted confidant and friend, her decision was soaked in guilt. The tiara she summoned and lay upon her sister’s brow felt heavier than it had in thousands of years.

With that potential issue solved, the debate over the keeping of the Ophiotaurus recommenced. Her father and Poseidon finally agreed on the monster being kept on Olympus, in a tank designed by Hephaestus and her uncle. With that final decision, Zeus ended the meeting, dismissing the heroes and gods to begin celebrating the success of the quest.

As Artemis meandered through the crowds in Olympus’ courtyard, she was suddenly accosted by Aphrodite. She tensed and cursed her lack of attention to her surroundings. 

“Aphrodite,” she greeted her coolly.

“Artemis,” the goddess of love replied. Artemis shivered at the uncharacteristically serious tone. “We need to talk.”

“Talk of what?” Artemis replied, feigning disinterest as best she could. “I’m unaware of my Hunt causing your machinations any disruptions.”

Aphrodite gave her an unamused look. “Perseus saw you in me and I want to know why.”

Artemis felt her heart speed up and struggled to keep up her façade. She raised a lazy eyebrow. “Oh? An odd choice indeed, since I assume he knows what I stand for.”

“By Chaos, give me a straight answer on this!” Aphrodite hissed under her breath. Artemis, stunned, allowed the other goddess to pull her to an empty corner without resistance. “He wears your symbol, sees you in me as his primary concept of beauty, and has a suspiciously missing childhood friend named Diana of all things! What are you playing at?”

“I promised Poseidon I’d ensure he survived to make it to camp!” she admitted in a rush. “I found out about his birth pretty much as it happened and struck a deal. A favor from one of my uncles could be a serious boon. I watched over him during his early years in school posing as a classmate as it was the easiest way to avoid the suspicion of the other Olympians.”

Aphrodite stared at her, searching, before letting out a tired sigh. She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples, clearly stymied. “By the Styx, this complicates things.” She took a deep, slow breath before opening her eyes again. “How did you detect him? I know you’re a goddess of childbirth, but I doubt you attuned your senses specifically for noticing children of our King and his brothers.”

Artemis frowned, casting back for those increasingly distant memories. “I felt… some jumble of strong emotions. They came out of nowhere. Thankfully after I finished my hunt, as I was incapacitated for some moments. Then, just a pull in the back of my mind.” Artemis shrugged. “Make of that what you will.”

Aphrodite gaped at her. After a minute of this, Artemis shrunk in on herself, uncomfortable. The other goddess must have noticed, for she blinked and shook her head to clear it. “Artemis,” she said ominously, “I’m not sure what this means but I have some ideas. None of them are particularly good, as they’ll mean many difficulties in the future should any of them be right.”

“That’s not comforting,” Artemis interrupted, shaken. Aphrodite leveled her with a small glare.

“My point , grandniece, is that should I be right, you will need my help.” Artemis did not rebuff her, too unnerved by Aphrodite’s reminder of the love goddess’ origins. “Continue as you think best, but remember I will be there when you need my aid. What this could mean… it’s too important to make light of.” Artemis merely nodded mutely. Aphrodite took a deep breath and forced a smile onto her face. “Now, let’s go rejoin the festivities. No need to be so serious tonight, after all!” With a dainty wave, Aphrodite weaved through the crowds back to the heart of the celebration, leaving Artemis’ mind reeling as she leaned against the wall.

Chapter Text

Artemis was listening to Thalia’s debriefing on their latest hunt when she felt Percy’s emotions spike. She held up a hand to halt her new lieutenant’s speech and closed her eyes to better focus. Anger, confusion, panic , all blended together and blared across the link. Artemis took a deep breath. She knew Percy was on a quest, and this wasn’t the first time his emotions had peaked. It was probably just another fight. He’ll be fine.

“…my Lady?” Thalia asked hesitantly. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, of course,” Artemis answered slowly. “Please cont-“ Her speech cut off with a gasp as she felt a tug on the link, a charm attached to her own bracelet glowing brightly.

“What’s going on?” Thalia asked nervously, fingers playing with the mace canister that was really her spear. Artemis didn’t bother responding, ripping the charm off and tossing it into the air in front of her. Immediately a screen of moonlight shimmered into view, quickly resolving into a scene of Percy fighting three grown men – no, one man with three bodies.

“Geryon,” Artemis practically growled. She noticed the holes and gashes in all three of his shirts and knew that Percy had tried to kill the monster unsuccessfully. The demigod was currently dodging swipes from two twin swords as he gripped the charm she had given his mother so long ago. A broken bow lay on the floor a dozen feet to his right, cleanly cut into thirds. Artemis could hear his mental prayer through the projection.

“ Please, Artemis. Just one shot, please.” She peeked into his mind for a gist of his plan before holding out her hand and pulsing some of her power through the makeshift screen. Percy’s charm grew into a silver bow in an instant, an arrow of moonlight already nocked. Geryon flinched backwards, astonished, and Percy made his move. With three quick steps he leaped to the side, releasing the arrow as all three of the monster’s chests aligned. Artemis again reached out with her powers and ensured the arrow flew true, striking each heart in succession before splashing against the wall on the other side of the corrupt rancher. Geryon weakly dropped his swords and stared at Percy.

“You can’t shoot. Why would she help? They told me you couldn’t…” He turned green, eyes rolling into the back of his head as he dissolved into sand. Percy stared at the dust pile for a moment before shuddering and looking at the bow in his hands. He tentatively loosened his grip, and Artemis released her power, allowing the weapon to shrink back into the original charm.

The projection faded as Percy left the room. Artemis’ charm fell to the floor, no longer glowing. She released a deep breath and sat heavily on the floor, her own adrenaline fading.

“What the Hades was that?!” Thalia exclaimed. Artemis’ eyes snapped to her new lieutenant and the demigod flinched and bowed her head. “My apologies.”

Artemis stared at her half-sister intently. If the other hunters find out about this, it will not end well. By the Styx, if anyone else finds out it won’t end well. “Swear by the Styx you won’t tell anyone what you witnessed without my leave.” 

Thalia looked back up, confused. “My Lady?”

“Swear it!” Artemis practically growled.

“Okay, okay! I swear on the Styx not to reveal what happened today to anyone without your permission.” Thunder rumbled to confirm the oath. Artemis groaned at the fearful look on Thalia’s face and buried her head in her hands. After a moment, she sighed and laid back to stare at the ceiling.

“You may as well sit so I can explain,” Artemis said. Her huntress cautiously sat, crossing her legs is such a way as to be able to spring up at a moment’s notice. Artemis grimaced. “First of all, I apologize for my… aggressive reaction. You did nothing wrong.”

Thalia nodded and relaxed a bit more. “You’re forgiven, of course. Um… why exactly did my cousin pray to you of all gods? No offense,” she rushed out nervously, “it’s just that you don’t really like guys very much and while you were nice to him last winter that’s still a very quick turnaround to earn your favor and-“ She clamped her mouth shut as Artemis wearily waved a hand at her. “Sorry.”

Artemis sighed once more before beginning her story. “I’ve been watching over him since he was born. It wasn’t a planned thing by any stretch of the imagination; I was hunting by myself when I was hit with an intense wave of emotions and an almost physical pull towards New York. Turns out he had just been born, and when I confronted Poseidon after they left the hospital, he requested I watch over him since he couldn’t. A favor from one of my uncles is a huge boon, so I of course accepted. The years until he got to camp were the most involved; now I can usually just follow the gossip or the link to make sure he’s alive.”

Thalia frowned. “So you just helped to keep your promise to Poseidon?”

“Yes. No?” Artemis shook her head. “I’m not sure anymore.” Thalia looked at her askance before her eyes alit in realization.

“You were nice to him last winter because you already knew him,” she guessed, then frowned again. “But he didn’t seem to recognize you.”

“He wouldn’t,” Artemis responded. “I disguised myself as a mortal girl when he was growing up. He’d never interacted with me as Artemis until Maine.”

Thalia blinked in surprise. “You went through elementary school just to watch over him? That’s dedication.” Artemis flushed slightly and shot Thalia a look. The demigod grinned unrepentantly. “So, how was my cousin when he was little; was he annoying then, too?”

Artemis shrugged. “Not as much as most, no. Curious, yes, and sometimes a bit hyper, but not annoying. With his home-“ she cut herself off. “Never mind, that’s personal. Suffice it to say, he’s always tried to be a hero.” After a few moments of silence, Artemis looked over to see Thalia seething. She sat up, concerned. “What is it?”

“You’re telling me Percy was abused ?!” the demigod hissed. Artemis flinched at the venom in her voice. “I thought Sally was-“

“Sally would never!” Artemis interrupted. “That charm was hers, originally. I would never bestow my favor on someone who would act that way!”

“Then who was it?” Thalia asked angrily.

“…it was his stepfather,” Artemis admitted after a moment. “ Gabe . He was offensively mortal, the worst kind of man, but he covered Percy’s demigod scent. Sally didn’t know I was watching over them so she did what she could to protect her son.” She narrowed her eyes at Thalia. “Don’t you ever even think about letting him know you know. I spent almost decade with him before I found out, and even then it wasn’t by his choice.”

Thalia scoffed. “As an abused kid myself, I know he won’t want anyone to know. It’s hard not to feel like everyone will see you differently, as weak.” She glared at the floor, and Artemis gave her a moment to recollect herself. 

Suddenly, Thalia looked up with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “So…” she started, “you were childhood friends with Percy?”

“Yes?” Artemis answered hesitantly.

“And he’s told you things he’s never told anyone, and you probably did the same.” It was more a statement than a question.

“I suppose,” Artemis hedged.

“And you’ve felt linked to him his whole life? This one male who seems to be turning out acceptable by your standards?” Thalia was grinning by now.

“What are you getting at?” Artemis asked gruffly.

“Well, it sounds to me like it might be a little more than friendship.” Thalia grinned at the gob-smacked look on Artemis’ face. The goddess flushed as her lieutenant laughed. “By the gods, I think I’m right!”

“Shut up!” Artemis hissed, embarrassed. “It is not! Bad enough I’m friends with him; if Apollo found out…” she shuddered.

“Whatever you say, my lady,” Thalia teased, clearly not believing her. Artemis groaned and buried her face in her hands.

“Bad enough Aphrodite thinks there’s something going on,” she muttered. Thalia perked up, and Artemis cursed herself for not keeping that thought inside.

“Aphrodite ships you two?” she asked gleefully. “This is better than I thought!”

“How is that better?” Artemis whined. Whined! Like a child! What’s wrong with me?

“Are you saying you don’t want it to work out?” Thalia asked, her tone genuine.

Artemis thought for a moment. She had never really taken stock of her jumbled mess of feelings, always pushing it to the side. Now that she did…

Thalia frowned as Artemis paled. “My lady? Are you alright?”

“No!” Artemis spat out, panicked. “No, I’m not alright! How did I not recognize…?”

“Wait,” Thalia asked, “you do actually have feeling for him? Cause if you do, that’s great and I support that, but I wasn’t honestly expecting…” she trailed off awkwardly.

“Well, it’s not like I can do anything about it, now can I?” Artemis asked bitterly. “Goddess of maidens? And besides, I thought he was falling for that Athenian friend of yours.”

“Annabeth?” Thalia blinked. “Err… I don’t actually know. They seemed close last winter, but I don’t know if it was relationship close or siblings close.” She shook her head. “As for that second point, isn’t Apollo the god of… um, I’m not sure there’s a term for it in English…” she muttered. “Boys who haven’t… um… you know?” The demigod blushed. “Cause he certainly isn’t one himself.”

Artemis thought for a moment before nodding. “A fair point,” she admitted, “but there are too many other obstacles at the moment. Between the hunt, my brother’s and father’s likely reactions, the fact that Percy still doesn’t know I’m his friend Diana…” she sighed. “This is why I was better off not realizing my feelings.”

The two sat in companionable silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Artemis reached out and reclaimed her charm from where it still lay on the floor, reattaching it to her bracelet absent-mindedly. A breeze suddenly filled the tent, the smell of barbeque filling the tent as Artemis felt a boost to her powers. Thanks, Percy’s voice echoed through her mind as she realized he had made a sacrifice to her, I couldn’t have done that without your help. I owe you one . Artemis smiled softly.

“Well,” Thalia said, “I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.” She stood up and stretched. “I’ve got your back no matter what. Both of you.” With a slight bow, the demigod left the tent, leaving Artemis to her conflicted thoughts.