Chapter Text
The Shrouded Forest didn't scare Percy Jackson anymore. When you’ve spent your formative years being chased by things that shouldn't exist, a few sentient trees and some cursed mist felt like a light hike.
Besides, he had the best protection in the world walking three paces ahead of him.
Artemis moved through the undergrowth like a ghost made of starlight. She wasn't in her usual twelve-year-old guise tonight; she’d opted for a form closer to Percy’s age, her auburn hair braided back with silver wire and her hunting leathers blending seamlessly into the shadows.
"You’re thinking again, Perseus," she said, not turning around. "I can hear the gears grinding from here. It’s distracting the local fauna."
Percy grinned, stepping over a gnarled root that tried to hitch a ride on his ankle. "Hard not to think when I'm watching the most dangerous woman in the universe track a Drakon. It’s an intimidating look for a Friday night, Arty."
She paused, pivoting on one heel to fix him with a look that would have turned a lesser hero to ice. But the corner of her mouth quirked—a tiny tell that only he was allowed to see. "We discussed the nicknames, Seaweed Brain. And this isn't a 'Friday night.' The days are irrelevant in the face of the Hunt."
"Sure, sure," Percy said, closing the gap between them. He reached out, his fingers brushing against hers. "But you’re wearing the earrings I got you. The ones made of sea glass? Kind of feels like a date move to me."
Artemis looked down at her hand, then back up at him. She didn't pull away. Instead, she laced her fingers through his, her skin cool and steadying. "They help with my... aquatic navigation. It was a tactical choice."
"Liar," Percy whispered.
"Perhaps," she conceded, her voice dropping to a melodic hum.
They stood there for a moment, a pocket of stillness in a forest that wanted to eat them. It was a strange balance—the son of the sea and the goddess of the moon. On paper, it was a disaster. In practice, it was the only time Percy felt like he didn't have to carry the weight of the sky. With her, he wasn't just a prophecy or a tool of the gods. He was just Percy.
A low, vibrating hiss echoed through the trees, snapping them back to the task at hand. The air suddenly turned thick with the smell of sulfur and rotting vegetation.
"The Maeonian Drakon," Artemis whispered, her romantic softness vanishing instantly into the sharp focus of a predator. "It’s been terrorizing the dryads in this sector for weeks. It’s old, Percy. Its scales are reinforced with the silt of the Acheron."
"So, the usual 'stab it until it stops moving' plan is out?"
"It requires precision," she said, drawing a silver shaft from her quiver. "I will take the eyes to blind it. You need to get underneath. The soft tissue near the throat is its only vulnerability."
Percy uncapped Riptide. The celestial bronze glowed with a warm, rhythmic light, casting long shadows against the silver radiance emanating from Artemis. "Underneath the giant, fire-breathing, poisonous lizard. My favorite spot. You really know how to treat a guy."
"Don't die," she said, and before he could respond, she vanished into the canopy above.
Percy didn't waste time. He lunged forward as the Drakon burst through a wall of ancient oaks. It was a nightmare of green scales and yellow eyes, sixty feet of pure, distilled malice. It opened its maw, a gout of acidic green fire erupting toward him.
Percy didn't retreat. He felt the moisture in the humid forest air, the dampness of the moss, the hidden streams running beneath the earth. He pulled on that sensation, summoning a localized downpour that hissed against the Drakon's flames, creating a massive curtain of steam.
Under the cover of the vapor, Percy moved. He was a blur of motion, sliding through the mud, Riptide held ready.
Above, a silver streak whistled through the air.
Thwack.
The Drakon roared—a sound that shook the very marrow of Percy’s bones—as one of Artemis’s arrows found its mark, blossoming like a silver flower in the creature's left eye.
Thwack.
The second eye followed a heartbeat later. The beast began to thrash blindly, its massive tail leveling trees like they were toothpicks.
Percy reached the beast's chest, the heat radiating from its scales enough to singe his eyebrows. He saw the patch of pale, translucent skin Artemis had mentioned. It pulsed with a sickly rhythm.
"Sorry, big guy," Percy muttered.
He drove Riptide upward with every ounce of demigod strength he possessed. The blade sank in to the hilt. The Drakon stiffened, a final, gurgling hiss escaping its throat, before it dissolved into a massive pile of shimmering yellow dust.
Percy sat back in the dirt, breathing hard, covered in a mix of mud, soot, and monster remains. "Nailed it," he wheezed.
A pair of silver boots landed softly in the dust next to him. Artemis looked down at him, her bow already dissolved back into her silver bracelet. She looked entirely too pristine for someone who had just taken down a legendary monster.
"You're a mess," she observed, though her eyes were warm.
"I'm your mess," Percy corrected, holding up a hand.
Artemis sighed, a sound like wind through pine needles, and took his hand, pulling him to his feet. She didn't let go once he was standing. Instead, she pulled him closer, using a corner of her cloak to wipe a smudge of soot from his cheek.
"You fought well," she murmured. "The sea is... turbulent tonight."
"It’s just happy to be here," Percy said, his voice softening. He reached up, tucking a loose strand of auburn hair behind her ear. "So, now that the 'hunt' part is over... do we get to do the 'date' part? I packed some of those blue cookies my mom made. And I know a spot by the creek where the moon looks spectacular."
Artemis leaned her forehead against his. In the silence of the Shrouded Forest, the boundaries between mortal and divine seemed to blur until they didn't matter at all.
"A creek and stolen cookies," the goddess whispered, a genuine smile finally breaking across her face. "Truly, Jackson, your charms are terrifying. Lead the way."
As they walked toward the sound of rushing water, hand in hand, the forest didn't seem so dark anymore. The moon hung low and bright, casting a silver path for them to follow—a goddess and her hero, just taking a night off from saving the world.