AN:

Finally updating the story; sorry I couldn't do this much earlier. The chapter is over 18K words, so hopefully it slightly makes up for the long wait.

While preparing this chapter, I also edited chapter 24 and changed some stuff. I realized the previous chapter was a little 'all over the place.' There were a bunch of continuity issues, and the sentencing really needed some serious rework.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson and related stories.

Chapter 25: Acceptance

"What in the name of Hades is this place?" He whispered to himself, his mind still hazy from all the sleep, "And how'd I end up here?."

When Percy's eyes snapped open the next day, his first reaction to being awake was to question where he was.

Never in his life had the demigod woken up in a place so opulent before; the sheer extravagance on display there was almost mind-boggling. From the solid gold furniture to the massive chandeliers hanging overhead, it was clear that no efforts had been made to hide the owner's immense wealth.

"Is that—The Pleiades?" He spoke hesitantly, his eyes following the luminescent dots of light arranged above him in the shape of the easily recognizable Seven Sisters constellation.

The dazzling display of lights being witnessed by Percy proved to him the place wasn't just extravagant but also magical, because there were many more similar constellations floating right above him, which was not normal by any standards.

As Percy lay there in silence and confusion, he noted that a soft pillow was tucked underneath his head and a light blanket was covering him, keeping him warm and comfortable, which was something that only added to his confusion.

"Not gonna lie, this is kinda of cozy though." He had to admit, "But why do I feel like I am missing something big?"

Feeling like he needed to investigate a bit before getting too comfortable, Percy pulled the blankets close to his nose and took a few whiffs. "Artemis…" he announced.

Just to be sure he wasn't going crazy, he gave the blanket another whiff before nodding, "Yep. Checks out. Definitely Artemis."

"But it can't be—" he scratched his head. "This place looks nothing like her room. Unless… Unless it is."

It was then that Percy realized he hadn't moved at all. He was still in the same room from the night before, but for some reason, everything looked drastically different in the morning.

'No wonder everything smells of Artemis here', Percy thought to himself, because he had awoken on the goddess's massive bed in her palace on Olympus. It was, no doubt, a place that no man who valued his life would ever wish to find himself in, but for some reason, the demigod still felt rather safe there.

He did not remember how or when he had ended up on the Olympian's bed; in fact, his last memory of the previous day was sitting on a sofa and sharing a moment of closeness with Diana.

Percy felt his face warming up as more of those memories started to rush back to his mind.

Percy and Diana had been together, close—very close. If he shut his eyes, he could almost feel the sensation of the moon goddess's warm breath lingering on the back of his neck.

Feeling alarmed, he shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. "This is crazy."

He could only guess that at some point he must have dozed off and somehow ended up on the goddess's bed.

"This means—means I must have fallen asleep in her arms; oh shit, I've done a lot of dumb stuff, but this is bad; even by my standards, this is so very bad, she's going to kill me for this."

However, the rational part of his mind soon kicked in and reminded him that it would only have been a problem if he was there with Artemis; Diana was much more likely to have enjoyed the whole experience rather than be annoyed by it.

Drawing in on that emerging feeling of calmness, Percy was able to fight back his anxiety and think clearly again.

Deciding to explore his surroundings a bit more closely, he looked around and found the bed empty other than himself. To his relief, there was no goddess of the moon to be seen anywhere nearby, which meant he was safe, at least for then.

'She did say she had chariot duties today.' The demigod suddenly remembered, 'But she must be back by now'.

Pulling the sheets closer to him, he continued observing the beautiful room he found himself in.

And going by the looks alone, it was no surprise that Percy hadn't immediately known where he was.

The morning light gave Artemis's bedchamber a completely different look compared to the night. Parts of the palace that weren't fully visible under the moonlight came to life, while those that had looked the best under the soft glow of the moon suddenly didn't appear nearly as magical as before.

While both versions of the bedchamber were more beautiful than anything Percy had ever seen before, he personally preferred how everything had looked when the moon was out. Perhaps he was biased, he had to admit, as those days, anything involving the moon seemed more dear to him.

As much as the demigod wanted to stay there and appreciate the beautiful architecture of the palace like a wide-eyed child of Athena, knowing whose bed he was on and what could happen to a man found sleeping on it, he thought it best to not push his luck.

Yes, Diana might like him a lot, but she was still just as temperamental and dangerous as ever before.

Reluctantly pulling himself out of the comfortable bed, the demigod quickly freshened up and stumbled out of the room to find Diana, but it turned out to be more of a challenge than he had anticipated first, when he realized he had no idea where exactly to go.

Like most Olympian gods, Artemis's palace too was very large, almost the size of a small hill.

As Percy walked down the long and winding corridors of the massive palace in search of his fiancé, he found himself getting more and more lost the deeper he went in, as his path led him to parts of the building he had never seen before.

On his way, he crossed many strange rooms and artifacts, countless statues and paintings, courtyards and halls dating back to the ancient ages; he even found five separate kitchens, three fully stocked armories, seven gardens, and one complete arena, but still no sign of the goddess.

Feeling completely and hopelessly lost, Percy sighed deeply as he ran his hand through his hair. "Where are you, Diana?" He whispered, not expecting any response in return.

There was a light tap on Percy's shoulder. "Right behind you," came an amused voice from behind him.

"Whoa! " Percy's surprise almost sent him stumbling. He veered on his feet to come face to face with Diana, a mischievous glint in her eyes, her clear laughter echoing in the air.

"You! How did you appear out of nowhere?" Percy cried out, holding his hand to his heart.

"Out of nowhere?" Diana laughed, waving off his question like it didn't matter: "Don't be silly; I didn't appear out of nowhere, Percy."

"No?" he asked sceptically.

"Not at all." She shook her head.

"How then—"

"Well, if you must know, I was following you." She revealed enthusiastically before stepping closer to the demigod and taking his hand in hers.

"You were following me... all this time?" Percy asked in a more reserved tone, his eyes now fixed on the goddess's soft hands that were firmly holding onto his own.

He left his next question unasked: 'And you really think there's nothing wrong with that?'

Every day, he noticed more and more how natural it had become for her to initiate physical contact with him. Yet, for some reason, he still struggled to do the same, and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why.

"I was." She nodded, her deep eyes so sincere that Percy felt he could get lost in them.

"But—but I didn't even hear you coming." He shook his head.

"That's because I didn't want you to." She explained simply, not bothering to elaborate any further.

She was the eternal huntress, which made her the perfect predator. It was understood that if she wanted to be stealthy, there was no way her prey would ever hear her coming until it was too late.

Breaking off from her spell, Percy shook his head. "Diana, that's kinda creepy thing to do; didn't anyone ever tell you that?" He pointed out, before pausing and adding, "Although with you, I should expect such weird behavior at this point."

Letting go of his hand, Diana frowned. "That's a hurtful thing to say to your goddess! Let me reassure you, there's nothing 'weird' about what I did. As someone who cares about you deeply, I merely wanted to observe how aware you were of your surroundings."

"Oh?" Percy raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced but willing to play along. "So, I take it that my performance was a massive flop, then?" he asked.

Percy knew both Diana and Artemis would say anything to defend their actions; it was something that he found both annoying and endearing at the same time.

"Your assessment would be correct," Diana nodded, her head held up high. "Not only that, but you also demonstrated a shockingly poor sense of direction. I would have thought you would be more familiar with our palace by now, but somehow you still managed to get lost like a little child."

And then Percy made the mistake of trying to defend himself: "Come on now, how do you expect me to remember every single twist and turn in this crazy building? No offense, Diana, but whoever designed your palace really screwed you over because they clearly didn't know what they were doing. I mean, just look around; nothing makes sense!"

"Athena designed this palace, Percy." Diana supplied.

"Oh…" the demigod gulped, suddenly looking a bit pale. "Um..." Can you perhaps forget everything I just said and never repeat it before her?"

"Don't worry, Percy, I plan on keeping you for a bit longer; I can't have you murdered by my sister just yet…"

"Thanks."

"Oh, but I'm not done yet," the goddess raised a finger. "You see, the entire world has heard of your exploits, my treasured companion." She announced, slowly circling around the demigod as she made her case.

"You are the man who successfully navigated through the labyrinth of Daedalus; you on your own conquered the deep abyss of Tartarus; a simple palace should not be that difficult in comparison." She pointed out with sound logic.

"Maybe I didn't see the way because of how dark it was," Percy quickly supplied another reason. "You could use a few more lamps around here, you know? It's a safety hazard now."

"Nonsense! The hallways are well lit. Besides you were with me, I'm the goddess of the moon; I banish darkness, and just because the palace was built before your time doesn't mean it remains stuck in the dark ages," the goddess dismissed him. She was about to say something else when suddenly, she stopped and looked carefully at the demigod's face.

With a sly smile, she came even closer to Percy. "You're lying to me, aren't you Percy?" She asked, her head tilting off to one side as her smile broadened, "You're hiding something from me; you've got that same guilty look that you always do. Did I ever tell you that I find it incredibly attractive?"

"N—No, don't be silly; what could I possibly be hiding?" He tried to play it cool but failed miserably, being well aware of how well the Roman goddess was able to read his emotions. He also knew her last line had been intentionally placed there to throw him off, and unfortunately it was working just as intended.

"Now, why don't I believe you then?" Diana laughed as she leaned in even closer. "Tell me, Percy, a layout so simple, and yet you cannot remember the way; what could be your reason?"

"The hallways all look the same," Percy unsuccessfully tried to come up with more reasons to explain his plight.

Diana shook her head. "No, they don't; every single hallway is unique in its own way; the fact that you don't remember that means you have been paying even less attention than I had initially assumed; now tell me why."

"I—Well, maybe I wasn't paying attention to where we were going; maybe I was distracted!" He finally cried out the truth.

Diana raised an eyebrow again, "Distracted? Really?" She still sounded unconvinced. "What could possibly be so distracting?"

Percy did not answer; he just looked at her.

It took the goddess a second to understand what he meant, "Oh."

"Yeah…" he nodded uncomfortably. "This is not awkward at all."

"Am I really that distracting?"

"You've got no idea," he promised, his eyes still refusing to meet her.

"What about me is most distracting though?" She asked curiously, seemingly unbothered about the revelation.

"Other than everything you mean?" He blurted out before thinking clearly.

Realizing what he had just said, he quickly added. "Have you ever noticed the way you start to glow when you're really excited?"

"Oh that, yes, I'm afraid I cannot control it." She admitted with a frown before smiling brightly, "At least you seem to enjoy it. I can do it more often if you want. Only for you. All you need to do is keep me really happy all the time, but hey, we both know that you are getting quite adept at that, aren't you, Percy?"

"And now you're making it even more awkward," Percy said, taking a cautious step backwards.

Even though the entire world would agree that Diana was much less dangerous than her Greek counterpart, Percy was beginning to realize that it might not be entirely true in his case. Diana made absolutely zero attempts to hide how she felt about him, and it was both terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

"Should I talk about something else then?" Diana asked innocently, taking a step forward and reclaiming the already small distance between them. Soon the sly smile had once again made a return to her face. She took his hands and asked in mock innocence, "I trust you slept well, Percy."

Percy's face had once again gone red, like it often did around Diana. "It was—um, comfortable…" he tried to speak in a neutral tone but failed miserably.

"Oh, I should hope so," she grinned. "Considering where you fell asleep... I am glad you are finally comfortable enough in my arms to let sleep take hold of you; we should do it more often, you know."

"Diana— I am probably going to regret saying this, but it sounds an awful lot like you're flirting with me."

"Well, I am," the goddess accepted, surprising the demigod with her bold answer, "Was it not obvious from the start? In case you hadn't deduced as much already, I rather enjoy doing this to you."

"I— What?!"

"Why? Am I not permitted to flirt with the man I am supposed to marry?" The goddess laughed before putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder and following in a softer tone, "Do not worry, my dearest Percy, while you did spend the night in this palace of ours, I myself did not sleep here last night; I returned to my chariot duties as I had promised you before," she explained.

She then added, "I knew how uncomfortable it would make you if we both woke up in the same bed, and it has never been my intention to make you feel such a way."

Percy visibly relaxed as he heard that, though his face was still red because of how the goddess had chosen to address him.

"I am—" Diana was about to say something, but she stopped, with her grip over the demigod's hands tightening possessively. "Ah, that's rather unfortunate. It looks like she's here before time. And just when things were starting to get interesting too."

"Who is?" Percy frowned.

"I am." A cold voice came from the end of the long hallway.

The goddess Artemis gracefully gilded towards them, her strides quick and measured, like a powerful monarch strolling down her fortress.

Beams of ethereal moonlight were shooting off her pale skin as her long hair flowed with an otherworldly sheen. A strong breeze accompanied the moon goddess, carrying with it a hint of danger.

Before they could understand what was happening, she had pulled Diana away from Percy and placed herself between the two, blocking her Roman counterpart's view of the demigod.

"That will be all Diana," she nodded, barely affording the Roman goddess a second glance before turning towards Percy and addressing him in a much warmer tone, "Greetings Perseus, I trust you had a restful stay."

Because of how quickly everything had transpired, Percy could only nod in confusion as Diana shoved Artemis aside and growled in anger, "You cannot just dismiss me like that!"

Diana's eyes were now glowing threateningly, and her magic was pulsating in warning.

Percy instinctively took a cautious step backward. 'Ah shit— I don't want to get caught in this divine crossfire,' he cursed internally.

Artemis, seemingly uncaring of the danger, looked down at her Roman counterpart with contempt as she warned, "I would be mindful of your tone, Diana." She looked away and continued, "I extended you the courtesy of bringing Perseus to your doors, and yet you chose to take advantage of my trust."

"I was going to return him today; all I wanted was one day with him. Is that truly so much to ask?" Diana demanded.

Artemis did not answer her.

"You disrespect me, Artemis. I have done so much for this relationship, much more than you ever did. Tell me, Greek, what have you done other than push the man away?" Diana demanded, her rage now reaching the boiling point.

"In case your memory fails you today, allow me to remind you that I was the one who chose him!" Artemis finally snapped, "I chose him. It was my demand, and it was answered. Without me, neither of us would have him, so don't you dare think you have some greater claim."

Diana moved to counter her words but stopped midway, her eyes falling on the demigod she had come to care so much about.

Percy looked back at her and their eyes locked, and as he looked at her, in her eyes he could see her anger slowly fade away into something else.

"Fine, take him with you." She looked back at Artemis, her voice much more restrained than before. "I do not wish to do this before Percy; he deserves better than to see me at my worst. I should go now."

"Diana, wait!" Percy called, but Artemis held her hand up to silence him.

"Let her leave Perseus; it is for the best."

Diana gave the demigod one last lingering look before disappearing in a flash of silver.

It was safe to say that Percy felt confused and more than a little conflicted; a lot had happened in a very short time, and none of it made sense.

Once the Roman goddess was gone, Artemis turned to face Percy and said, "I believe it is only appropriate that I apologize for my behavior, Perseus. I hope you understand that our interactions can often feel like this battling of opposite personalities, because that is precisely what is happening."

Percy did not answer her; he instead continued to stare at the spot Diana had disappeared from. For some reason the demigod couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the Roman goddess.

"What is it?" Artemis questioned, picking up his discomfort, "Something seems to be bothering you still."

"It's just that—" Percy started but didn't continue. "Nevermind, on second thought, it's none of my business poking my nose in your matters," he added, thinking it was better to remain silent than get involved in the battle of gods.

"Don't do that," Artemis frowned disapprovingly. "Our matters are your matters now, and if it's about me or Diana, feel free to speak your mind. You deserve to have your opinion heard."

"I mean," Percy struggled, feeling trapped. "It's just that I had never seen Diana so happy before... You could have been a bit more forgiving."

"I see," Artemis noted, her voice not betraying her emotions. "Perhaps you believe I was too harsh on her?"

"A little bit," Percy admitted, feeling awkward taking a side but also feeling like he owed Diana that much. "Can't you let her mistakes slide for once?"

"And to what end, Perseus?" Artemis challenged, "You don't know her like I do; I've been giving her chances for eons, and somehow, after all this time, I still can't trust her completely."

"She just wanted to spend some time with me, that's all," Percy tried to make her understand.

"And I wanted the same thing!" Artemis shot back.

"Tell me, Perseus. I know you and I have not been able to form a bond as close as the one you share with Diana, but does it mean you have come to value her presence so much more than mine?"

"What? No! What are you talking about? No! You're both equally important to me; it's just that I—" Percy rushed to explain himself.

"It's just that what?" Artemis asked, prompting for him to finish his sentence.

"I didn't think you'd still want to be with me." He admitted, looking sheepish. "I mean, I knew you were happy to have found me and all, but once you left me with Diana, I thought you were off doing more important stuff."

"More important?"

"Yeah… you know, the hunt and stuff…" he tried to explain awkwardly, "moon duties and what not."

Artemis was looking at Percy like he had grown a second head. Stepping closer to him, the goddess asked, "Perseus, have I ever told you how insufferable I find you?"

"A couple of times, why?"

"Good, because I need you to remember that," she said before signing in frustration. "How do I explain this to you? You are beginning to test my patience these days. Now more than ever, I feel like I need to do something drastic to make you understand how I really feel about you."

Picking up his expression, she quickly added, "And no, by doing something drastic, I don't mean attacking you with my knives like some savage you imagine me to be."

"I—Wait what?."

"You are important to me, Perseus. Just as important as any of my huntresses, it's just that the nature of our relationship differs greatly," she confessed.

Percy did not know how to respond to that, so he remained silent, and to his relief, his expression alone must have said a great deal because the goddess looked satisfied enough with his reaction to not pursue the topic any further.

"Now, I must ask: Did you have the chance to take breakfast yet?" She asked, surprising Percy with her mundane question.

"I did not. I had just woken up…" he answered warily, not sure where the conversation was going from there; Artemis was not one to care about breakfasts and dinners after all.

"Excellent," Artemis smiled. "Then you will be pleased to know that Hestia is visiting us this morning; I hear she is excited to share her newest recipe with you."

"Really?" Percy asked, his face brightening up, "Aunt Hestia is coming?"

Artemis nodded with an amused smile. "Now that I think of it, it is not surprising that you both get along so well, seeing how your personalities are so very much alike."

"Ah, come on," Percy shook his head. "No one's like her; she's just the best."

Artemis chuckled and accepted his words, "While we wait, would you like to share with me how your day went with Diana?" The goddess asked as they both started walking.

The demigod looked uncomfortable again; a lot had happened between him and Diana the previous day, and he knew there was a good chance that Artemis wouldn't be happy with most of it.

"I thought you both had the same memories." He tried to subtly divert the topic.

"We do," Artemis said before frowning. "However, you'd find that Diana can be rather difficult at times; despite her age, she has a tendency for childish rebellion."

"Ah," Percy nodded, once again choosing to remain silent.

"You needn't fear crossing either of us, Perseus," Artemis explained, thinking the reason for the demigod's silence was his reluctance to say something bad about Diana.

"When it comes to you, especially as far as Diana is concerned, all is forgiven. But I think you know as much already..." she said, giving him a meaningful look.

She was right; Percy could be as clueless as a brick when it came to picking up signs from women, but Diana never relied on signs; she just told him what she felt, and she felt deeply about him.

They both entered a large, well-lit room with a swing in the center. Artemis sat down on the bench attached to the swing, and Percy joined her on it, having been with her long enough to know that he'd end up beside her no matter what.

The swing was just big enough for two people to sit closely together. A few months ago, Percy would have found the whole situation scandalous, but for some reason he didn't see anything wrong with it anymore.

"Will you allow me to hold your hand whilst we wait for Hestia, Perseus?" The goddess asked for his permission once they were both seated.

She looked extremely uncomfortable and more than a little embarrassed as she explained herself, "I know it's an odd request, but I am curious to learn what it would feel like, though you needn't do it if it makes you uncomfortable."

It took a demigod a good minute to confirm he hadn't misinterpreted her request, "Of course you can!" Percy nodded, really taken aback by her simple yet odd request, "You shouldn't even have to ask."

"It might seem strange to you to see me do this, and you might even question why I would seek something so against my nature…" Artemis started as she took his hand in hers.

"The fact is, holding hands might seem mundane to you, but to me it is a sensation that I have been deprived of for thousands upon thousands of years. The only person to hold my hand before you was my mother, and I was but a mere child then." She explained.

"Well… I guess you have me now," Percy replied, despite how embarrassing it was to say that out loud.

"You still guess?" Artemis asked, raising an eyebrow, though Percy could see that she was merely amused by his words.

"I must confess," she began. "I was initially reluctant to allow myself to become so close to you. But the more I am with you, the stronger my resolve becomes... I am never letting you go, Perseus Jackson; marriage or no marriage, you will remain mine."

Percy felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as his fiancé's bold declaration reminded him of something Apollo had warned him about. Artemis could be extremely possessive of the people she cared about. Usually this only applied to the hunt, but perhaps that list now also included him.

"I think you bring out the best in me." The goddess further added, losing some of her dangerous intensity, "And strange as it may sound, I want to hold onto that part of me."

"I must be lucky then, because you can be pretty damn scary when you're not at your best." Percy joked, trying to calm his nerves through humor when nothing else would work.

"Is that so? Nevertheless, I am glad that's the case," Artemis nodded. "Here I was thinking I had gone too soft on you."

"Oh, you definitely have," Percy laughed, feeling less nervous now. "But I think I like the change."

"Good," she nodded, feeling content with remaining silent.

There was a silence between them that lasted for a few minutes and was only interrupted when Percy spoke up to say something that he had been meaning to say for some time.

"You know, it's been a while since I visited camp half blood, and—I was thinking if I could maybe pay them a visit today. I saw Blackjack outside your palace so—"

"I'll take you." Artemis interrupted his ramblings.

"Oh, but you don't have to; I'm sure you'll have something more important to do." Percy tried to reassure her.

"Again with these senseless assumptions," Artemis looked annoyed. "I'd be enraged now were it someone other than you testing my patience today."

That was not the way the Greek goddess would usually behave around him.

Seeing his disbelief, the goddess added, "You do make it quite difficult for a person to not like you, Perseus," Artemis admitted.

She then said something really unexpected, which caught the demigod completely off guard: "It used to escape me before, but I think I can finally understand what the daughter of Athena used to see in you."

As always, mention of Annabeth seemed to put a damper on Percy's spirits as he was painfully reminded of everything that was forcefully taken away from him not that long ago.

"Um… Yeah…"

"You still harbor feelings for the girl?" Artemis asked in a neutral tone, although the underlying warning behind her voice was not lost to the demigod.

And then it clicked for Percy, "Wait... You're not taking me to camp half blood because of that bogus reason you just gave me, are you? You're coming with me so that you can keep an eye on me. Is this because you know she'll be there?"

"Answer my question, demigod." The goddess ordered, the warning behind her voice becoming apparent now.

Percy knew he had every right to feel frustrated, but he also knew that feeling frustrated wasn't going to help either of them.

He couldn't avoid her question forever, which put him in a very dangerous position as wrong answers could have dire consequences not only for him but also for the woman he used to love.

"Fine, have it your way then," Percy finally relented. "Annabeth's one of the most important people in my life, and I care about her deeply. But I also care about Nico, Grover, and all my friends. That's what Annabeth is to me now—a friend. Am I sad about how things ended? Yeah, of course I am. But you can't expect me to just forget everything overnight, can you?"

Looking away, Artemis whispered, "If you anticipate those feelings becoming a problem in the future, I am sure a permanent lapse in those memories can be arranged."

"There won't be any problems," Percy said through gritted teeth. "I told you, I care about Annabeth, and that's not going to change anytime soon. But that doesn't mean I'd ever betray you. Say whatever you want to Artemis, but I will NOT sit here and let you question my integrity—not after everything I've done to prove the kind of man I am."

Artemis looked at Percy again, her gaze unwavering. It was clear she was not going to back down. "I would not dare question your integrity. It would be foolish to suspect you when you're incapable of deceit; it goes against your very nature."

"But for everyone's sake, I hope this relationship of yours remains the way it is. You know very well who I am, so you must also know that I am not a merciful goddess, Perseus Jackson; I never was and I never will be."

"Why don't you get it? I won't be a problem. I even swore an oath for you, Artemis; what more can I possibly do?"

"It is not you that I am concerned about Perseus," she revealed.

Then Percy understood what she meant, and he felt horror rise within him. Artemis was talking about Annabeth. "She wouldn't—" he promised, "She knows better."

"I certainly hope so," the Olympian warned.

A dangerous look flashed on her face as she turned to look away. "I am not oblivious to the fact that something happened between you and Diana yesterday," she revealed, sending a chill down Percy's spine. "I contend with it only because I am Diana, and Diana is me. But curse my name if I let a mere mortal get in my way too."

"Artemis—"

"Do not test me today," she warned. "I might not know what happened yesterday, but I could certainly feel it."

Before Percy could say something else, she spoke up again: "I know that in your eyes I am always second to Diana, and as much as I hate it, perhaps it is of my own doing, but I will not be second to a mortal; I will not allow it."

"You're not second to anyone!"

"Who are you trying to fool, Perseus? Myself of your own self? You care about Diana far more than you care about me; I can see it in your eyes, plain as day."

"This—This is all utter nonsense!" Percy tried to defend himself.

"Is it though? You should see yourself when you talk to her," she said, shaking her head. "Your face lights up with joy whenever you're with her. I should know—I often see you through her eyes."

Percy shook his head at her words as the absurdity of the situation dawned on him.

And then, for the second time that day, he finally understood what was really happening there.

"I get it now," he said, shaking his head as realization hit him. "This was never about Annabeth and me, was it? It never has been. You know for a fact that I can't betray you. All of this anger—everything—it's about Diana, right from the start, isn't it?"

"Artemis… Be honest with me, am I missing something, or are you really jealous of your own self?"

"And what if I am?!" She challenged, her eyes glowing menacingly. "I am known to be jealous and spiteful; I'm sure you've read the myths. Does this really surprise you that I feel my blood boil every time I see you smile at her and not at me?"

"Oh Artemis…" Percy sighed, suddenly feeling his anger fade away and be replaced by a pang of sympathy for the lonely goddess.

She looked at him, meeting his eyes again.

"I hate this Perseus…" She confessed, "I hate myself even more for pushing you away, and I hate that no matter how much I try, I can't fix us."

Despite her anger, a lone tear made its way down the goddess's eyes.

This time Percy did not carefully calculate his next move like he always did around Artemis; instead, he threw all caution into the wind and pulled his hand free of the goddess's grip.

Moving ever so gently, he let his hand rub against the goddess's cheek to wipe off her tear. "Artemis… You don't need to fix anything. You just need to let yourself feel," he said as he let his hand linger for a moment before pulling it away.

Artemis shut her eyes close and leaned in closer to Percy.

"Maybe we should talk about something else if this bothers you; what do you think?" He asked. Knowing that their previous line of conversation would go nowhere good.

Artemis looked at him again; her gaze had finally softened. "If that is what you want. What do you wish to talk about Perseus?"

"I don't know, do you watch movies?" He asked, choosing the first thing to come to his mind.

"No." She shook her head. "However, I do occasionally read books."

"You really don't watch movies?!" Percy was surprised. "Well, we've got to fix that!"

"Zoë used to love watching these movies," Artemis recalled with a faint smile. "She always tried to persuade me and her sisters to watch them with her." Artemis answered, her voice suddenly faint as she looked away, "I thought they were a waste of time. Now I wish I had said yes…"

Percy hadn't foreseen their conversation taking such a painful turn, nor had he imagined witnessing the powerful goddess before him display a rare moment of vulnerability. "Artemis? Are you alright?" he asked gently.

"I don't know Perseus... Am I?" She questioned back, locking her eyes with his. The demigod could see that she was still holding back tears… He had never seen her like that before.

"This is so embarrassing. I don't know what's happening to me today," the goddess confessed. "My emotions are all over the place…"

"You miss her, don't you?" He whispered softly.

"Every second of every day." Artemis answered, "I miss everyone of my huntresses, and I have lost too many of them."

Percy could sense the pain starting to overwhelm her, and for some reason he wanted nothing more than to hug her tightly and tell her she'll be alright. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" he instead asked, though he doubted anything he could do would make any difference.

"Your presence helps already," Artemis confessed, surprising the demigod with her answer, "The memories haunt me most when I am alone... I also feel it when I'm with the hunt; when I look at my sisters, I can't help but see all the missing faces. Perhaps that's what happens when you lead the same life for thousands of years."

Turning towards the demigod, she explained, "The pain was beginning to get unbearable, but that's when you entered my life, and ever since then I've been feeling much better. I love the huntresses like my own daughters, but you give me something new to live for. It feels like a fresh start, a chance to begin a different life, perhaps even a better life."

"Artemis…"

"Don't you understand? That's why I can't lose you, Perseus." She pulled him closer to herself. "I fear I might just set the world on fire if you're stolen from me too."

"Or take away the moon…" Percy whispered, remembering just how far the goddess was willing to go to get him back.

"Yes," she chuckled. "Or take away the moon," she repeated.

For a few minutes there was silence between them, occasionally interrupted by the chirping of birds.

"I—" Percy started, gathering his courage to say what he wanted to say. "I used to think that our engagement was the worst thing to ever happen to me. But I was wrong."

Artemis looked up, her expression cautious yet hopeful.

"Now I'm just a simple demigod, and I can't hope to understand a being as complex as you. But I do know one thing for certain... You are a good person, Artemis." He said, "And I hope you know that too."

"How can you say that? After everything I have done to hurt you," she whispered.

"Because in your own strange way, you have done a lot more, trying to make it right."

"Perseus?" Artemis asked, her eye locked onto him now. There was an intensity behind her silver orbs that felt magnetic to the demigod.

"Yes Artemis?"

"You remember when I said I wanted to do something drastic?"

"I do."

"I think I am about to do it now." She closed her eyes.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Unfortunately, that day, Percy would not get to find out what she had meant by 'drastic', because the very next second, there was a brilliant flash of orange and a figure emerged from it.

Percy and Artemis both let go of each other's hands and looked up to see Hestia standing there with a warm smile on her ageless face.

Although that smile slowly changed into a frown as the goddess noticed the flustered look on Artemis's face and how close the two had been sitting, "Oh no... I feel like I interrupted something important."

But Percy did not let her dwell on that. As soon as he had recovered from the initial surprise, he rushed forward to greet his favorite goddess with a warm hug.

Laughing, Hestia hugged him back and whispered, "It's good to see you, Percy, and it makes me so happy to see you here with Artemis."

Letting go of Percy, the goddess of the hearth then made her way towards an embarrassed-looking Artemis and whispered so that only she could hear her. "I apologize for the intrusion, my dear Artemis. I feel like I couldn't have chosen a more terrible time to arrive."

"Don't apologize," the goddess of the moon requested, her face still red. "We were just holding hands, that's all."

Hestia smiled knowingly and gently lifted the younger goddess's face. "There's no shame in showing affection, dear child," she explained.

No one other than Percy himself had ever seen Artemis showing any kind of affection at all, so it was not surprising that being seen by Hestia affected her like that.

"Of course, I was just surprised, that's all." Artemis tried to explain herself.

Hestia laughed and nodded. "I wouldn't lie; I had hoped to catch you by surprise, but I regret I didn't arrive a second later."

Artemis's face, which had already been pink, turned a slightly deeper shade of crimson as she nodded hastily, refusing to meet Hestia's eyes.

Percy, far too excited about meeting his aunt and completely oblivious to what he'd just missed by mere seconds, tugged at Hestia's hand and said, "You won't believe this—I think I'm really close to becoming a god! I can do actual magic now, stuff way beyond my demigod abilities."

Hestia laughed, "Yes, I've heard about that from someone."

"I was even able to teleport," he added with the same enthusiasm.

"That is excellent news," Hestia nodded approvingly. "And that also means you no longer have an excuse to not visit me more often."

"But I don't know how exactly to do it; I've only been able to teleport by accident so far," the demigod frowned.

"Is that so?" Hestia looked thoughtful. "Perhaps you should allow Artemis to teach you? You've got all the help you could ever need, right in her."

Artemis looked up and nodded. "You already know this, Perseus. I will help you with whatever you want; all you need to do is ask."

Percy acknowledged her, "We'll get the chance to do it; it's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon, now that the thing in Nentis is done."

Hestia's smile faltered as the demigod brought up the Titan-Town. "I realize I never got to thank you for what you did there, Percy," she started. "Mother Rhea told me how you saved her, how you took the attack that was meant for her."

"Wait, you know about the Titans?" Percy asked, surprised. He had thought that only him and Artemis were in on the secret.

"Very little," Hestia admitted, "I have tried to seperate myself from my mother's plans as much as I can. I decided that the less I knew, the better it would be for everyone. I knew some Titans were gathering under the leadership of my mother, but I never suspected they were hidden away in Nentis."

Percy shook his head. "You shouldn't have to thank me either way; she's my grandmother; of course I would protect her."

A sad smile graced the goddess's lips as she nodded. "Yes, of course you would…" And then she explained, "Percy, like any child, I too love my mother with all my heart... There is no way I can repay you for what you did."

Percy sighed, immediately picking up on her tone, "Why do I sense a 'but' coming?"

"But even though I love her dearly, I can't be at peace knowing you still sacrifice yourself for others, even if it's for my own mother."

"But—"

"No, Percy," she shook her head. "I know you better than most. When I look at you, I see a man who's lost too much and who thinks his only purpose in life is to protect others. You're more than that. You have so much more to live for."

"I know, I know," Percy sighed, looking down in resignation. "And I'm working on it; trust me, I am. But it's just so—you won't understand."

"Then try us, Perseus," Artemis challenged.

"Look," Percy shook his head. "Most demigods live to what? Their twenties?" He asked, "Artemis, I've lived, I've fought, and I've won; I have done everything a person like me is supposed to do, and so much more," he tried to explain.

"What are you trying to say?" The goddess asked impatiently.

"What I'm trying to say is that I knew what was coming for me; my days here on Earth are numbered," he explained.

"You will take that back!" Artemis stood up, her face flashing with rage.

"Be realistic, Artemis! Demigods don't live long, and it's even worse for me. More than two-thirds of the divine world still wants me dead: every single monster out there, the Titans, Nyx, Gaea, Tartarus, even Zeus, and half of Olympus for a while. Name an immortal, and there's a good chance they've wanted me dead at some point," he cried.

"So what?" Artemis challenged.

"So what?" Percy cried, "So everything, Artemis! I was supposed to live a short and volatile life before inevitably kicking the bucket, so that's what my brain got wired for. I throw myself at every danger because what difference does it make? What would it do? Buy me a couple more years? Who cares?"

An angry red glow enveloped Artemis's slender figure as an overwhelming surge of magic pressed down on Percy, nearly crushing him under its weight. "I care," she declared, her voice crackling with power. "You are not dying, Perseus; you and I will live forever.

Percy looked up at her, his eyes filled with defeat. "How long are we going to pretend that we don't remember Apollo's prophecy? He didn't leave much to interpretation, did he? I cannot outrun destiny, Artemis; I have tried before and always failed."

"I too have heard this prophecy that you speak of," Hestia interrupted them. "Apollo shared it with me a few moons ago. If there's anything I've learned in this incredibly long life of mine, it's to never take prophecies at face value."

"You believe he will survive?" Artemis turned towards Hestia and asked pleadingly, almost as if Hestia's words of reassurance were the only thing holding her from completely breaking down.

"I cannot say for certain if he will, but my heart asks me to not lose hope just yet," Hestia answered. "Apollo may see the future, but I see the present, and things have changed since either of us last met Percy; there is a force inside him now that cannot be extinguished so easily."

"But then, what do my brother's visions mean?" Artemis questioned.

"I— I do not know. Protect him, Artemis; that's all I can say. I would not lie to you; if you lose him now, he will be gone forever, but given time, he will become what he is meant to be."

"Protect him—protect him?" Percy cried, "Don't encourage her; I've already had it difficult enough!"

But the damage had already been done; a determined look took over Artemis's face as she no doubt started preparing plans for keeping him safe.

"Artemis—" Percy started but stopped; he knew nothing he could say would ever change her mind.

"I see I've made things difficult for you, Percy," Hestia realized. "But I suppose it's a small price to pay for keeping you alive…"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

An hour had passed since Hestia had shown up to meet Percy and Artemis, and while the goddess was busy cooking, the couple were seated in the dining room waiting for the eldest Olympian to come with their breakfast.

"Are you still angry at me?" Artemis asked softly.

"No," the demigod shook his head. "How can I be angry at you when all you want to do is keep me alive?"

"I had feared you would be much less understanding," Artemis confessed, looking relieved he wasn't mad at her.

"I came to the realization that it would take us absolutely nowhere," Percy mumbled as he got up and began pacing around the room.

"You are right, it won't." Artemis seemed to agree with him.

"What do you think she's making?" Percy asked, changing the subject. It was no secret that the demigod loved his aunt's cooking.

"I don't know, but it smells delicious." Artemis informed him. While looking and acting much more composed than her fiancé, the goddess of the moon too was clearly looking forward to tasting whatever Hestia was making.

Percy frowned. "You're telling me you can smell what she's making all the way from here?" He asked. The kitchen, while adjacent to the room, was still a good distance away from where they were sitting because of the sheer size of the palace.

"Now don't be jealous, Perseus; in time you'll be able to do it too," Artemis said, smiling as she patted the demigod on his shoulder.

Suddenly Artemis stopped, a concerned look crossing her face.

"You alright?" Percy asked, recognizing her expression.

"It appears we might be hosting another guest today. I do not know why, but Hera waits for us outside the palace." The goddess revealed, looking visibly upset as she was faced with the unexpected intrusion.

"Hera?" Percy asked, surprised. "Did you invite her?"

"Of course I didn't, Perseus." Artemis frowned. "I wanted to give you a perfect day today; that's why I requested Hestia to join us. Why would I invite Hera of all people?"

"Right…" Percy accepted. "So are you letting her in?"

"I have little choice in this matter. As much as I wanted this morning to be about us and Hestia, I cannot very well refuse her entry. She is the queen after all," the goddess explained.

"I see… So how does this work then? I guess it does not involve you walking all the way to the other side of your palace and physically opening the front doors to let her in." The demigod guessed; he was one of those people who believed that the gods could be really lazy despite having virtually unlimited endurance.

"It does not," Artemis agreed, looking amused. "I can simply let her know that she is welcomed, and then she will find us herself."

"So like telepathy?" Percy asked, suddenly sitting up straight and looking much more interested in the conversation than he was before.

Artemis laughed, "I suppose it is something like that."

"Artemis, you've got to teach me that!" Percy demanded, almost jumping in excitement at the thought of being able to communicate telepathically.

"I assure you that I will." Artemis promised, laughing once more. "But before that, we must address our queenly problem. I shudder to think what that woman wants from us this time."

With that, the goddess closed her eyes and whispered something that Percy could not make out.

A moment later, a flash lit up the dining room as they were joined by none other than the Queen of Olympus, looking as regal as ever.

"Took you long enough to let me in," Hera commented sourly before looking around in distaste as she observed the room they were in. "How uninspiring…"

"I must say, Artemis, I never really understood your fascination with this simpler way of decoration. I would have expected more opulence from someone of your stature, but then again, you did spend most of your life in a jungle."

'This looks simple to her?' Percy wondered, 'If a place this crazy is simple for her, I can't imagine what luxury must mean in her dictionary.'

"This is a home sister; it is supposed to be simple," came a voice from across the dining room.

Standing there, holding a tray in her hand was Hestia.

"Ah... Hestia, do come in, sister. I sensed your presence here along with young Perseus and, of course, Artemis herself." Turning back to the goddess of the moon, she added, "A welcome change, I must admit... I understand that the only other guests this palace sees are your herd of self-important huntresses."

Shaking her head, Artemis asked in a tired voice, "What do you want, Hera?"

The queen raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, "That's all? Will you not jump in to defend your precious girls this time? Interesting…"

"I happen to be in a good mood today, so can we please get this moving?" Artemis said with irritation clearly present in her voice.

"That's more like it." Hera smiled. "It's also curious that you would say something like that. If I may ask, What's the reason for your good mood?"

Artemis looked at Hera with a tired face. "Where is this going?"

"I think you know exactly where this is going." Hera answered smugly, "I am here to find out how things are going between you and young Perseus here."

Smiling slyly, the goddess added, "After all, it was quite a performance you put for us on Olympus that day. Threatening to take away the very moon? If I didn't know better, I would start to think you were beginning to fall for Poseidon's spawn."

"A little respect wouldn't hurt, Hera. The 'Poseidon spawn, as you put it, is the only reason you still wear a crown," Artemis said, steel in her voice. The goddess could forgive many things, but disrespecting her consort was no longer something she would tolerate.

Hera raised an eyebrow again. "My my, such protectiveness..." Shaking her head, she said, "I'm almost convinced that the mighty and fearsome Artemis has actually grown to like a man." She taunted, fully expecting a swift retort.

Hera waited for a response, but to her surprise, none came.

"Well?" The Queen asked exasperatedly, "You want to say something? Offer a correction or perhaps even a new perspective?"

"Not particularly, no," Artemis replied, shrugging lightly.

The goddess looked taken aback by her response. "How very fascinating," she whispered to herself, looking in deep thought.

"Well, now that you are here, sister, you should join us for breakfast, but before we begin, you know my table rules: everyone must be on their best behavior," Hestia announced as she came forward and placed her tray on the dining table.

"I mean not to offend you, sister, but your rules are childish." Hera wrinkled her nose.

However, her eyes couldn't help but take a small peek at the delicious food waiting for her on the table. "But as much as I hate having to comply with them, I cannot very well say no to your cooking."

"I know you can't," Hestia responded with mirth, unbothered by her sister's behavior.

"Well, it would be rude and quite unbecoming of a queen to say no," Hera said, her eyes now fully fixed on the food. "So I accept your gracious invitation."

A few minutes later, all four of them were seated on the table and enjoying the food Hestia had prepared.

"Aunt Hestia, these are absolutely amazing." Percy commented as he tucked in.

"Only a few times in my life have I tasted something so good, and every other time was also your cooking." Artemis complimented.

Then both Percy and Artemis turned to look at Hera expectantly.

Feeling the attention settle on her, Hera looked up. "What?"

"Nothing to say?" Percy asked, "Did you not like her cooking, your highness?" He added, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't be foolish, insolent demigod; of course I like it." Hera scoffed.

"That is not a polite way to speak, sister." Hestia lightly reprimanded the goddess of marriage, causing the demigod to snicker and for Artemis to smile at him.

"You also, Percy," Hestia added, "best behavior, remember?"

Percy looked down and mumbled a quick apology.

"I think it's time I asked a few questions," Hera decided, setting aside her cutlery and focusing on the demigod before looking towards Hestia and adding, "Of course, with your permission, dear sister."

"As long as everyone keeps it respectful," the goddess requested.

Shrugging, Hera accepted, "We all have our own definitions of being respectful, so I suppose I will have to follow my own."

"Tell me, Perseus," she said, looking towards the demigod. "What do you like the most about Artemis? That is, if you found anything to like at all."

"That's an easy one," Percy nodded, ignoring the thinly veiled jab at his fiancée. "She cares—not just about me, but about everyone who has ever earned her trust. Empathy... it's something I rarely see in gods," he added, looking squarely at Hera.

Hera fixed the demigod with an unreadable gaze before seemingly accepting his response. "Rather brief, but I suppose that will have to suffice for now."

Turning towards Artemis, the goddess repeated her question, "And you girl, what do you like the most about Perseus?"

Artemis glared at her, "First you shall address me properly."

"I will do no such thing. Now answer my question, huntress." Hera ordered, unphased.

After glaring at the goddess for a long moment, Artemis finally spoke. "What draws me most to him is his selflessness, though at times it also frustrates me the most. Despite his immense strength, his actions are always guided by compassion and kindness—it is something I could benefit from learning too."

"Fair," Hera nodded. "Do you both trust each other?"

"I trust him with my life," Artemis said without a hint of hesitation present in her voice.

"That's easy to say; you're immortal." Percy was quick to joke.

"Life is more than just surviving Perseus," Artemis explained, turning towards Percy as her gaze softened. "It is the culmination of everything we were, everything we are, and everything we ever will be. I cannot change who I was, but who I am and who I will become shall always include you. Forever."

"I think I have heard enough," Hera suddenly announced, smiling for the first time. "You surprised me, Artemis, and in a good way."

"I know I was not the one you wanted answers from," Hestia spoke up unexpectedly. "But the hearth has never been stronger in his home."

"Then I realize I have wasted everyone's time…" the goddess admitted as she got up and straightened her clothes. "I shall not intrude upon your morning any longer. May the fates continue to favor you both."

"Hera, wait." Artemis called. "Do you remember that day on Olympus when you said that one day I would thank you for what you did to us?" she asked.

"What of it?" The goddess questioned, curious.

Taking Percy's hand in her own, Artemis said, "Thank you."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Camp Half Blood. I still can't believe so much has changed in so little time. Percy whispered to himself as he stood at the outskirts of the demigod heaven with Artemis and Thalia on either side of him.

"How does it feel to be back?" the goddess questioned. Being immortal, Artemis did not perceive the passing of time the same way humans did. What could be considered a lifetime in human terms was but a blink of an eye in her endless existence.

"Bittersweet? Nostalgic? A bunch of other big words? I don't really know to tell the truth…" Percy trailed off.

"I can try to describe it... It's as if everyone I knew and loved moved on while I'm still stuck in the past." There was a longing in the demigod's voice that his fiancée recognized well.

"Does it seem as though things remain vaguely familiar, yet altered just enough to feel entirely new?" She offered.

Percy looked at her, "I suppose… Yes," he nodded, feeling surprised that she could describe it so precisely. "That's exactly what it feels like."

Artemis looked at Percy. "I am sorry you have to feel that way…" she said softly, "I have learned that it's futile to cling to the past when one can live in the present. But if the burden feels too heavy to lift alone, please remember that I am here for you, whenever you need me."

Neither of them noticed Thalia's eyes going wide as she observed their heartfelt interaction.

The girl had been Artemis's lieutenant for years, and never before had she witnessed her goddess act that way; it was almost like she had become a completely different person.

Thalia had a lot that she wanted to say, but she chose to remain silent, not wanting to intrude upon their moment. It was rare for Percy and Artemis to get along so well, and the young huntress didn't want to stand in the way of progress.

Smiling at Artemis, Percy shook his head. "Easier said than done, Artemis, but thank you…"

Taking a deep breath, the demigod started walking towards the camp, with Artemis and Thalia choosing to follow him closely and let him take the lead.

As Percy entered the camp's view, he noticed some eyes starting to turn towards them.

These were people who were wandering outside the borders of Camp Half Blood.

Vaguely familiar faces mixed with faces he could never forget lit up in recognition as they realized who he was.

Some of the newer faces, belonging to demigods whom he had never seen before, turned towards Artemis and expressed a different emotion altogether. They lowered their heads in respect, recognizing the powerful Olympian in their midst.

Feeling like she was drawing too much attention to herself, Artemis chose to stop at the threshold of the camp, along with Thalia. "You should go ahead; we'll wait here," she instructed, explaining, "I don't want to scare away your friends."

Percy nodded in gratitude and continued onwards alone.

Just like in New Rome, a crowd started to gather around the demigod as hushed whispering and excited chatter filled the air.

Old demigods pointed and waved while never ones stared at Percy reverently as they learned from older campers that he was the legendary hero they all dreamt of becoming.

"Perry Johnson," a voice interrupted the demigod's silent obsession.

The crowd parted to reveal an old and familiar face that Percy didn't particularly care for.

"Mr. Dinosaur," Percy responded, holding back a cheeky smile as he intentionally butchered the god's name. "Where's Chiron?"

"Why do you care?" The Olympian replied, gritting his teeth at the blatant disrespect, "What brings you here, demigod?"

"Don't really know that yet; I suppose there might be a number of reasons." He shrugged, "Why don't you go find Chiron for me?"

"You can find him yourself—"

"I can… But it's your camp." Percy interrupted him, "Come now; I'm even asking nicely."

The campers shuffled in nervousness as they waited for Dionysus's next move.

A demigod challenging an Olympian usually ended very badly for the person with less ichor in their veins.

But Percy Jackson was no mere demigod, and he certainly wasn't the kid who had stumbled upon the divine world clueless of its existence many years ago. Percy was a legendary hero and a seasoned veteran who could go toe to toe with any Olympian and likely emerge victorious.

"Very well," the god grudgingly conceded, "but my eyes are on you, demigod; you know you don't belong here."

"Sure, sure," Percy chuckled. "These days I can't seem to belong anywhere; see you later, Mr. D..."

The god glared at Percy one last time before turning around and walking away. He was well aware that he could no longer pose a real threat to the demigod. Percy had grown far too much in strength for him to be able to overpower the demigod.

And then there was also the fact that Artemis would obliterate him if he so much as dared touch her betrothed.

"Percy! You batshit crazy man, picking a fight with an Olympian the moment you enter the camp, it's the most you thing you could have done." Grover Underwood burst out from the crowd and pulled the demigod into a tight hug. "I missed you, man.

"Man, it's so good to hear your voice again," Percy said, hugging Grover back. "And don't sweat, Mr. D; he's totally harmless. Plus, I brought my own Olympian just in case things get dicey," he added. "And trust me, mine could wipe the floor with him."

Letting go of Percy, the satyr asked, "Man, what are you on about?"

Turning to look back towards the entrance of the camp, Percy inclined his head towards where Artemis and Thalia stood, silently observing them.

Grover's eyes went wide in shock. "Holy shit—Lady Artemis came with you? Oh gods, can you introduce me to her? Wait, what am I saying? Are you even cool with her?"

Percy laughed at his friend's excitement. "Only a satyr would get pumped about meeting the goddess of the moon. Most people freak out when they see her."

Percy was proven correct immediately. After he pointed out his fiancée, most people noticed the Olympian goddess standing at their camp entrance for the first time and scrambled to pay proper respect, fearing they might inadvertently invite her wrath.

"Look at them," Percy laughed, shaking his head in mirth.

"Can you blame them? She's supposed to be really scary, right?" Grover asked in a hushed whisper, afraid the goddess might be able to hear him even from that far away. "How do you live with her? Does Thalia help keep you safe?"

"Thalia doesn't have to do anything like that," Percy reassured him. "And honestly, living with Lady Artemis is way safer than you'd think. I don't know, G-man, I've kinda started to enjoy her company. She's really misunderstood."

Grover smiled, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders when he learned his friend wasn't completely miserable. "Hey, I'm glad to hear that," he patted him on his shoulder, "Just in case you had forgotten, we Satyrs have been saying that for like forever; it's you demigods who fear her so much."

"And for a good reason," came a voice from behind the Satyr; it was Conner Stoll.

"Percy, come here, man," the son of Hermes said as he greeted the demigod with a firm handshake.

"Hey, surprised to see you here; I thought you left?" Percy asked, happy to see his old friend again.

"What can I say? Turns out demigods have really bad shelf life outside the camp. I figured I was safer here than risking my head outside. It has been interesting here, Percy; the only part that stinks is that Travis is no longer here…" the Stoll brother answered.

"Really? Where'd he go?" Percy asked.

"University," the son of Hermes answered with a shrug, "Who wants to be a demigod forever?"

"Not me," Percy resonated.

"Easy for you to say, you're becoming an Olympian!" Grover exclaimed.

"Yeah about that. When are you becoming a god again? It would be pretty wicked to be friends with an Olympian." Connor looked excited at the prospect. "Imagine the bragging rights..."

Percy just chuckled in response and looked around a bit, hoping to put on a display for his friends. Spotting a tree log on the ground, he focused all his energy on it and gestured up with his hand.

Grover and Connor stood wide-eyed, along with many more demigods who were closely observing them, as the log rose up from the ground and gently floated for a second or two before lowering down.

"Wait, so you ARE a god?!" Conner cried out.

"Not yet," Percy said, shaking his head. "But I'm getting there. Every day, I'm picking up more of this god stuff. This particular trick? I forced Lady Diana to teach it to me."

"Grover's right, you're crazy, Percy," Connor shook his head in disbelief, "A man forcing Lady Diana to do anything... Mad world we live in."

"Diana's actually pretty damn amazing," Percy admitted, his face lighting up with an involuntary smile as he thought about the lively goddess he was growing more and more fond of with every passing day.

"There's nothing to fear about her," Percy said confidently, then paused and corrected himself. "Well, for me at least... She still isn't a fan of men, and, yeah, she's probably still terrifying to everyone else."

"Speaking of people she might not like," Grover interrupted in a more serious tone, "You know Annabeth is here, right?"

"Yeah, I heard..." Percy grimaced, "Look, Grover, you've got to help me keep her away from Artemis, alright?"

"Why?" The satyr asked innocently.

"What do you mean 'why'? Because he doesn't want her to be blasted out of existence, that's why." Connor shook his head.

"I wouldn't exactly put it like that, but…Yes,…" Percy accepted.

"You're attracting quite a crowd, Percy," Conner noted as he looked around with mild fascination.

True to the demigod's words, scores of young heroes had now surrounded Percy and were all whispering and conversing excitedly.

Grover lightly nudged his friend and whispered, "Say something."

"What? Why should I?" Percy whispered back, his urgency clear in his voice.

"Because they aren't going to let you go... Until you do."

"Right…" Percy nodded shakily, "But I hate speeches."

"We know, but just do it, man," Grover said, nudging him again. "You can't be the most famous demigod to ever live and disappear for months only to return and not give a speech.".

Nervously stepping forward, Percy stepped onto a conveniently placed wooden crate so that he had a nice view of the camp. Clearing his voice, he announced, "Um... Hi everyone… I guess it's good to be back."

The assembled crowd of heroes roared in response, clapping and cheering for the Savior of Olympus.

Forcing the look of enthusiasm to remain on his face, Percy subtly glanced back at his friends and whispered, "What now? Why aren't they going away? What should I do?"

"Keep talking!" Grover explained hurriedly, "And don't worry, they'll cheer and clap no matter what you say."

"Really?" Percy asked sceptically.

"Of course they would; you're our biggest celebrity!"

Still skeptical of the claim, Percy decided to put the theory to the test: "Um… Mount Everest?"

The demigod could see that most of the people gathered there were a bit confused by his decision to suddenly namedrop the highest mountain peak in the world, but they still clapped and cheered regardless.

Turning back towards his friends, Percy whispered, "Holy shit! You were right, G."

Feeling a sudden boost of confidence, Percy continued, "I'm sure word's already gotten around, so you probably have some idea why I was missing for so long."

"There was a war between your father and Lord Zeus!" Someone shouted from the crowd.

"That's right, there was, and it was pretty ugly," Percy nodded, then added, "Thanks to the rest of the Olympians actually doing their job for once, this camp was mostly shielded from what was happening outside. But not everyone was so lucky… As someone who was more or less in the center of it, let me tell you—it was bad."

"You should have stayed with us!" Someone else said, and many nodded in agreement. Percy had disappointed a lot of people with his sudden disappearance; that much was clear even then.

"I wish I could have," Percy sighed, "But if I did, I might as well have painted a big fat target on this camp… I would have brought the wrath of Zeus upon us all, and I could not let that happen. So I did the only thing I could do to help you: leave..."

"But the war's over now! Come back!"

"It is, yes," Percy acknowledged softly. "But I have other obligations now... It used to be that this camp was my only home in this world, but I have one more home now, with someone I care about a lot. Lady Artemis."

And then there was silence.

The young hero could see the fear his fiancée's name brought on the faces of the demigods present.

"I know the news of my marriage worries you," he said. "But she has been nothing but kind to me so far. Yes, sometimes she can be a bit much, but she'd never let anything or anyone harm me."

The demigod could see that despite his best efforts, the crowd still remained largely skeptical of his claims.

"Moving on…" Percy said awkwardly, realizing that he should have known his soon-to-be wife had firmly established herself as one of the most dangerous deities out there, and no amount of praise would change the campers' minds about her.

"Despite how much things have changed around here, I think I'll be visiting more often now. I mean, I have been away for so long that I don't even know any of the newer demigods. I need to fix that."

At this, the newer demigods cheered in excitement while the older ones clapped politely.

As Percy saw the young faces scattered throughout the crowd hanging onto every word that came out of his mouth, he felt something start to stir within him.

The demigod could see how much his words mattered to the campers, and he could also understand how much he could help them just by being there.

"Listen…" Percy said, slowly starting to slip back into the role of the great hero he used to be. "I know things are getting difficult again," he confessed. "And they will get worse, much worse... But it does not mean there is no hope."

The crowd grew silent once more.

"The world is—Well... Messed up," he said. "We keep getting screwed over, don't we? One war ends only for a bigger one to arrive soon after; it's unfair as hades, I know." Percy paused, "But despite all of this, somehow we always always pull through." No matter how much the odds are stacked against our favor, we always find a way to win."

"This time… This time it would be more difficult; I won't lie to you, but hey, when has it ever been easy?"

"Will you fight with us, Percy?" A voice asked from the crowd. It was a young boy who looked 11-13.

"What is your name, friend?" Percy asked.

"I'm Jeremy, sir, Jeremy Hanson, son of Hypnos," the boy answered nervously, fidgeting under all the attention he was suddenly receiving.

"Come on, Jeremy, just call me Percy," the demigod said. "My journey started here too, just like yours is about to. Everything I am, everything I've become, I owe to this camp. So believe me when I say this: You are my family, and I would never abandon you."

With most of Percy's thoughts drowned out by the deafening cheer around him, only one thing stood out: "Artemis is gonna be so pissed at me."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

When the speech was over and the crowd had left, Percy was finally alone with his friends again.

But they were not alone for long, as from a distance, the demigod spotted his old mentor and teacher, the centaur Chiron, galloping towards them.

"You've become quite a celebrity, Percy," the trainer of heroes commented as he approached the three with a wide smile.

Rubbing his head in embarrassment, the demigod nodded, "Yeah, I didn't really expect this kind of reception, to be honest."

"How have you been, my young friend?" Chiron asked, his voice kind as ever as he came to a stop before the three demigods.

"Everything's going swimmingly so far," he admitted. "Not saying there were no challenges, as there were definitely a few hiccups on the way, but I am happy."

"That—That is more than I could have asked for," Chiron said, lowering his head. "I must confess, I did not expect you to fare so well in Lady Artemis's presence."

"None of us did," Connor added. "She's supposed to hate men, isn't she?"

"But you wouldn't be Percy Jackson if you didn't do the impossible, would you Perce?" Grover patted his friend again.

"How did I end up becoming so popular anyway?" Percy wondered aloud.

"Your engagement to Lady Artemis made you the talk of the town again," Chiron explained as he started galloping alongside them.

"Probably because everybody loves a martyr…" Grover quipped.

"True," Connor nodded. "It's been one of the most high-profile dramas Hermes TV has ever aired; the thing didn't exist in the times of the Trojan War, you know?"

He further explained, "People are going crazy about it. The goddess of the moon, Artemis: the maiden who has hated men for thousands of years, marrying the greatest hero of Olympus: a demigod. This kind of thing sells."

"Not that people ever really got a chance to forget you," Grover pointed out, "You'd be surprised to learn how much the world has come to love you after the two wars."

"I suppose it does make sense," Percy nodded in understanding. "Still feels weird as hades though."

"Speaking of your uncle, I thought of letting Nico know you are here; he would be disappointed if he missed your visit, especially with how rare they have become."

"About that…" Percy looked down apologetically, "I know I should have come sooner, but things just became super complicated and I couldn't."

Chiron laughed off the apology. "Trust me, Percy, no one thinks less of you because of your absence. Everyone knows what happened. I can't imagine everything you've been through. The fact that you've made it this far—"

"People keep assuming that I've been miserable all this time, but I am fine, Chiron," Percy interrupted him, feeling a sudden urge to defend Artemis. "I think… After a very long time, I am happy, and even hopeful for some reason."

"Strange of you to say that, considering who you've been with." He noted.

"She's not what people make her out to be…" Percy spoke softly, "They call her cruel and heartless, but I think she's wonderful and kind... I guess Connor was right; it's a crazy world we live in."

There was an unreadable expression in the centaur's eyes. "You never cease to amaze me, Percy," he finally said, "for it appears you might have done the impossible again."

Percy was about to ask what he meant when, from the corner of his eyes, he noticed the shadows pooling on the ground and becoming larger.

"That has to be my cousin," he commented, his attention fully focused on the shadows.

A dark figure rose from the ground and solidified into a pale-looking young man with brown hair partially covering his eyes. "Percy?" he whispered, taking a cautious step towards the group.

"Nico," Percy greeted his friend with a broad smile, "it's been a while."

Nico's lips twisted ever so slightly into a smile as he walked up to his cousin, "So you managed to survive Lady Artemis? I'm impressed."

"Well, there is still enough time for her to badly mess me up." Percy laughed.

"Come here, you goofball," the son of Hades said as he pulled his cousin into a short but warm hug.

"Where have you been all this time?" He asked, before shaking his head and changing his question, "Actually screw that; tell me how you have been."

"Better than you'd expect," Percy promised. "As I was telling Chiron before you came, I'm just sorry I couldn't visit more often."

Nico didn't seem to mind it either. "Last time we saw you, you were only here for two hours. I hope you're planning to stay longer this time."

"Well, that really depends on what she has to say about that, doesn't it?" Percy said, discreetly pointing towards where Artemis was waiting with Thalia.

Nico glanced at the goddess of the moon standing far in the distance, his eyes widening for a moment before he quickly turned his attention back to Percy.

"She came with you?" Nico looked surprised and more than a little concerned. It appeared even the son of Hades was wary of the moon goddess's reputation. "What is she, keeping an eye on you or something?"

"I don't know... Maybe?" Percy scratched his head. "I mean, she could also be doing this out of the goodness of her heart; it's hard to tell what she's thinking sometimes."

"You think she's here because of A—"

"Annabeth, yeah…" Percy completed his sentence, "Again, that's something I strongly suspect but have no way of proving it yet." He paused, "Because sometimes she can genuinely be the most caring person in the world, while other times she reminds me why so many people hate her or fear her…"

"So what, now you expect me to believe that she doesn't occasionally use you as target practice?" Nico joked.

"Believe it or not, I think she might have let go of some of her hate for us men," Percy confessed.

"You're joking right?" Nico asked, not believing a word Percy was saying. "What is this, a fatal flaw thing? You're too loyal to admit that she tortures you every day."

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Man, she really has built a reputation, hasn't she?"

"You think?"

"Fine, since you're refusing to believe me, I am going to call her here and prove it myself." Percy decided.

"Percy, don't you dare!"

"Art—" before Percy could call her, Nico lunged forward and clasped the demigod's mouth shut.

"Are you crazy? You're gonna get us killed!" He whispered furiously, "Fine, I believe everything you just said; just don't call her here!"

Nico let go of Percy's mouth only when the demigod nodded to accept his conditions.

Catching his breath, Percy nodded. "I suppose I'm glad we could come to an understanding."

"Yeah.. And you know what? Why don't we go and sit somewhere? OH SHIT! SHE'S COMING HERE!" Nico cried, somehow turning even paler than he usually was, as he noticed that Artemis and Thalia were suddenly walking toward the group.

"I have nothing to do with this." Percy raised his hands in defense before anyone could put the blame on him.

Percy's friends and Chiron all lowered their heads in respect as Artemis came to a stop before them.

To Percy, Artemis looked nothing like the woman he had grown used to seeing every day; instead, she appeared much more regal, like the formidable goddess she was supposed to be.

"Welcome to Camp Half Blood, my Lady Artemis; we are honored by your presence." Chiron welcomed her respectfully.

"Thank you, Chiron." Artemis nodded carefully regarding the ancient centaur before speaking again. "Before setting out for this place, I had heard whispers of strange monsters appearing at the borders of your camp. Tell me, is there any truth to these rumors?" The goddess's tone was formal, and her gaze was emotionless.

Chiron looked up. "I am afraid there is some truth to that; while I haven't witnessed these monsters myself, people I trust with these matters have seen and reported them to me."

"That is most concerning…" The goddess looked thoughtful; she turned towards Percy, and her expression softened. Gone was her cold gaze, as it was replaced by a warm look that did little to hide her fondness of the demigod.

"Perseus…" Rather than the authoritative tone, this time there was tenderness behind her voice that shocked Percy's friends, but not the son of Poseidon himself. "Would you like to stay here today, or do you want us to return to where we were before I took us to our palace?" she asked.

She was talking about the library of ages, Percy realized. Rhea and the rest of the friendly Titans were still waiting for them there.

"I am staying until tomorrow; are you ok with it?" Percy asked, recalling Nico's words from just moments ago. He rarely got a chance to meet his friends, and he wanted to make the most of his time there.

"Of course you can stay," Artemis smiled. She turned towards the centaur, and just like that, she was back to her usual emotionless self. "Chiron, I have decided that I will also be staying here until tomorrow. I wish to talk with the campers who claim to have seen these new monsters you speak of; be sure to gather them when I ask."

"Of course, my lady," Chiron nodded. "And I will have your cabin prepared for your stay right away."

Chiron then looked at Percy and added, "Same with your father's cabin, Percy, it would be made ready for you."

"That won't be necessary," Artemis stopped the trainer of heroes, placing a hand on her fiancé's shoulder. "Perseus stays with me."

"As you command, Lady of the Hunt." Chiron accepted without another word. If he was surprised by her decision to permit a man inside her cabin, he hid it well.

The same couldn't be said about Percy's friends, though, who all wore varying looks of shock on their faces.

Artemis didn't seem to mind their surprised looks, as she turned towards Percy and said, "Thalia and I will give you some time to catch up with your friends, but I request that you return before dark."

"Of course, I'll see you in a bit then." Percy nodded.

As she turned to leave, the goddess's eyes lingered on Nico for a moment, "You look frail, son of Hades. You should eat more often."

Without ushering another word, the goddess turned around and left.

"I'll talk to you both once I get the cabin sorted," Thalia promised as she turned to follow Artemis too.

"Sure, see you then." Percy nodded.

When Artemis was out of hearing range, Nico turned towards Percy and cursed in anger, "What's their problem with me?! These crazy Olympian goddesses! Hera said the exact same thing to me the last time you visited."

"I remember that…" Percy scratched his head thoughtfully, he could clearly recall Hera commenting something along the lines of Hades not feeding his son properly.

"Percy, be honest with me, do I really look that frail?" Nico sought reassurance from his friend, suddenly sounding self-conscious. "I mean, it can't be a coincidence, can it? That they both would say the exact same thing?"

"I don't know Nico," Percy shrugged. "Personally, you look the same to me, perhaps a bit paler than usual."

"You look the same to me as well, Nico," Chiron chimed in, trying to be helpful.

"Right?" Nico shook his head. "I knew I wasn't going crazy. I think they're the ones going crazy or something," he decided, before quickly looking at Percy and adding, "No offense, of course."

"None taken," Percy smiled.

"So… What now?" Grover asked.

"Nico, why don't you show Percy around the camp? A lot has changed since he's been away," Chiron suggested.

Then he called out, "And Grover, find Annabeth before Lady Artemis finds her. Tell her to come see me immediately."

"I'll come with ya," Connor said, looking at Grover.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"So you're telling me that there's Camp Jupiter on the other side of this portal?" Percy asked, gesturing animatedly as he stood before a large metallic archway situated deep within the camp.

"There sure is," Nico answered confidently.

"You're pulling my leg, aren't you? This stupid thing isn't even working, besides, Zeus would never make things so easy for us." Percy made his suspicions known.

"That's because you've got to turn it on, dummy," Nico said, shaking his head. "And you're right about the second part—Zeus hasn't made it easy. You wouldn't believe the amount of red tape you have to cut through to get this thing running."

"What do you mean?" Percy asked, "What's stopping me from turning it on and asking Reyna to come over?"

"You mean besides Lady Artemis's apparent dislike of your former love interests? Maybe the law." Nico explained.

"That was unnecessary—you know what? Nevermind," Percy shook his head.

"Look, the point is that you need a bunch of permissions to get this thing running. And at the end of it all, you still need to get the permit approved by Mr. D, which is never happening."

"Then what use is this stupid thing if it never works?" Percy scoffed as he kicked the base of the archway.

"DON'T DAMAGE IT! Just leave it alone—it is used on special occasions and for training." Nico explained quickly, eyeing the spot Percy had kicked with a worried expression, only continuing when he found no visible scuffs or marks. "Sometimes the hunt uses it to get across camps too."

"So there is no other way to get this thing running?" Percy asked, feeling let down.

"I mean, short of getting an Olympian to write you a permission, not much you can do." Nico admitted.

Looking thoughtful, Percy suggested, "I am sure I can convince Artemis to write me permission, but... I am only here for a single night, so maybe another time."

"Still feels weird, man." Nico looked uncomfortable with what he was saying, "You and Artemis..."

"What about it?"

"Everything! Even the way she talked to you," Nico explained, "I've never heard her speak like that; it felt wrong…"

Percy hummed thoughtfully, "She has changed, perhaps for the better."

"Does it make sense though? How can she change so much? In spite of everything?" Nido didn't look ready to accept it so easily.

"Everyone can change, Nico; you can change; I can change; perhaps even the goddess of the moon can change."

"It's not that simple, Percy," the son of Hades shook his head. "Gods don't change so fast; can you even comprehend how impossibly old your Artemis is? Do you really believe that she would become a completely different person in less than a year?"

"I don't know Nico," Percy sighed. "Maybe this is who she really was all along; maybe her real self was just hidden behind all that hatred."

"I hope you're right Percy," Nico wished, "Just be careful with her, you're not a god yet, and she's dangerous. I feel like you might be playing with fire here."

"Percy?" A voice interrupted their conversation.

"Grover," Percy looked up to see that his Satyr friend was back.

"Percy, there's someone you should meet now…" his friend explained.

The demigod nodded in understanding, "Annabeth?" He asked, his voice wavering as he spoke.

"She's waiting for you in Chiron's cabin, she's alone. Just talk to her… about anything. The past few years have not been easy on her."

Percy could only nod in acknowledgement as he found his legs carrying him towards the main camp automatically.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Grover asked Nico once Percy was gone.

"No Grover," the son of Hades shook his head, "They'll get better, but they'll never be alright."

As Percy stood outside Chiron's cabin, he found himself hesitating, 'How do I face her after everything?' he wondered.

'Be brave,' he reminded himself and entered the room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Percy?"

'Hey wise girl' he wanted to say, but he knew it would hurt too much.

"Annabeth," Percy forced himself to smile.

The daughter of Athena got up and walked towards Percy, and for a moment he froze.

"I—" Percy struggled to speak, before somehow gathering enough strength to voice his words "I am sorry…" he finally whispered, his eyes downcast.

He knew he had nothing to apologise for, but he hoped Annabeth would understand what he really wanted to say, he hoped she would understand everything his heart was saying which could not be expressed in words.

"I know," she nodded, her eyes glistening in the moonlight. "I am too…"

"But we were wonderful, right?" Percy asked, his voice shakier than before, "It might have ended too soon, but while it lasted, it was the most amazing thing ever."

"We were the very best," Annabeth laughed, though her pain was clearly visible. "And no one even came close," she shook her head.

"We can never have that again, Annabeth; you understand that, right?" Percy asked, feeling as if every moment he spent with her, a knife dug deeper into his heart.

"Of course I understand Percy," Annabeth said.

Tears were openly flowing through her eyes now as she added, "I have to accept that I can't be the most important person in your life anymore, and it hurts; it hurts so much, but perhaps it hurts because I know it's the right thing to do."

"Maybe in another life then?" Percy wondered.

"Oh, you silly man, if only that could be true, because I would have never let you go in our next life…" She shook her head,

"But you are going to live forever, remember?" she reminded him.

"I— I forgot," Percy admitted, suddenly feeling a lot worse as her words struck him unexpectedly.

"Of course you did," Annabeth laughed, and this time it was genuine laughter. "Who else would forget that they are becoming a god?"

She looked at him and smiled, wiping away her tears. "But you were right, seaweed brain, it might not have ended the way we wanted it to, but I don't regret what we had, not for a single second, even if it kills me to let you go now."

"I don't regret it either," Percy smiled back at her, "And you'll always be my friend." Annabeth Chase."

"I— I don't know if I should ask this, but... Does she treat you well, Percy?" She asked, clearly talking about Artemis.

"She does," Percy answered.

"And what is it like?" She wondered, "Being married to a goddess."

"It's— Strange…" He tried to find the words to describe his experience: "Feels like constantly walking on eggshells sometimes, I mean... She's Artemis."

"That she is, which makes her very dangerous, doesn't it?" the daughter of Athena reminded him.

"Oh yeah, totally," he agreed. "Artemis… She's powerful and dangerous; she can be vengeful and unforgiving, but most importantly, she can be kind and amazing."

Annabeth did not say anything this time, instead, her eyes were fixed on the ground.

"You know, your eyes light up the same way when you talk about her, just like they used to when you were with me," Annabeth said with a bittersweet smile. "I didn't think it would hurt this much."

It looked like the girl could not take it anymore as she said, "It's getting late, Percy; I should go now…"

Annabeth hurried past the demigod toward the cabin door but stopped, turned back, and quickly wrapped Percy in a tight hug.

"I'll miss you, seaweed brain, and I'll love you forever, even if you can't love me back," she whispered into his ear before quickly letting go of him and leaving.

Percy stood fixed in the room for a few minutes, unable to speak or move, feeling broken and lost.

Finally, after a few minutes, Percy too emerged from the cabin and found his cousin waiting for him outside.

"You okay there?" Nico asked sympathetically.

"I—I just didn't expect this to affect me so much."

"Why not?"

"Because I am happy with Artemis, with Diana." Percy sighed, "I know you don't believe me, but I feel things when I'm with her—real things! Why does it still hurt so much then?"

Nico held Percy by his shoulder. "Perce... Just because you're happy doesn't mean you can't hurt, and just because you have Artemis doesn't mean you can't miss Annabeth."

"But—"

"It's okay to feel sad, even if you're moving on."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

An hour after his heartfelt conversation with Annabeth, Percy found himself walking towards Artemis's cabin in silence.

The sun had almost set by then, and several lanterns were illuminating the silvery exterior of the structure that stood before him.

"Hey Percy!" He heard Thalia call his name.

Percy turned towards the voice and spotted his cousin jogging towards him from the direction of the mess halls.

"Wait up!" she cried.

"Thals…" Percy greeted the daughter of Zeus as she caught up to him.

"You going back to the cabin, cuz?" She asked as they both resumed their stroll towards cabin eight.

"Your Lady wanted to see me before sunset, so yeah."

"Good, I'm coming too," the girl nodded.

"Done terrorizing the campers already, Thals?" Percy snorted.

"For today, yes," Thalia answered semi-seriously, "Scaring away the newer ones was especially fun."

"You're a menace, pinecone face."

"Never said I wasn't."

On their way to the cabin, Percy received several strange looks from his fellow demigods. This was to be expected, as he was walking into the one place at Camp Half-Blood where no man was ever allowed to enter.

But Percy ignored the looks and didn't think twice about what he was doing. By now, he was completely comfortable around Artemis, and the things that would've freaked him out before barely fazed him anymore.

"Never thought I'd see the day I walk into this palace with a guy," Thalia chuckled.

"Stranger things have happened," Percy pointed out.

"Nah, I think this is pretty much the ceiling of strangeness." Thalia quietly disagreed as she reached forward and held the door open for Percy. "After you, kelpy."

"Well, I'll be damned," the demigod whispered as he entered and stood at the inner porch of the cabin, looking around with unmasked fascination.

"Take it all in; very few people get to see this place." Thalia commented from beside him.

Percy was well aware of the fact that he was perhaps the first male to ever step foot inside Artemis's cabin, and he also knew just how big of a deal that really was.

The cabin itself was nothing like he had expected it to be. He had always imagined it would reflect the goddess's domain of the hunt, but in reality, it was far more aligned with her connection to the moon.

The interior of the cabin was almost entirely made up of marble and silver, making every surface extremely reflective, almost painfully so.

"What do you do? Wear sunglasses inside here? It is so bright." Percy commented, squinting his eyes.

"I'm used to it now," Thalia shrugged. "It would get better once I dim the lights."

"Right… Where do I go now?" Percy asked.

"Lady Artemis's room is at the end of the cabin; she's probably waiting for you there." Thalia answered before shaking her head, "Still can't get my head around how weird all of this is… You and my lady being a thing...

"Nico said the same thing," Percy chuckled. "Sometimes even I can't wrap my mind around this. It's all like a fever dream that doesn't end."

As they walked deeper into the cabin, Percy noted that there were several sleeping bunks placed along the walls for the huntresses and separated from them, an area for Artemis's personal quarter.

"Well, this is where I spend the night," Thalia said, yawning as she jumped onto one of the many empty beds. "No fancy quarters for me, kelpy, but you enjoy your time with your goddess."

"Bet you won't be this snarky in front of her." The son of Poseidon challenged her.

"No shit, I won't; I don't have a death wish." Thalia boisterously replied, "Besides, it's not like I'm saying something outrageous."

"What are you on about?"

"I dunno Perce," Thalia said mutedly, "Somehow you've broken our mistress, she used to hate men, and suddenly she's all lovey-dovey with you."

Signing Percy walked up to Thalia and pushed her aside, taking a seat on the edge of her bed where he'd made some space for himself. "Come on, Thals; you say it like it makes any sense to me. Artemis was scary when I thought she hated me, but she has become even more terrifying now that I know she likes me."

"You're right to be terrified," Thalia agreed. "Our lady can be... Intense, especially when it's something she's passionate about."

"Tell me about it, you know I had to spend half the day trying to calm Artemis just because she felt Diana and I were getting 'too close'"

"Where you, though?" Thalia questioned, a hint of curiosity on her face.

"What?"

"Getting too close? Lady Diana and you?" The girl elaborated.

"Maybe…" Percy answered evasively.

"You totally were, weren't you?" Thalia accused, looking scandalized. "Don't lie to me, I remember how she was with you yesterday; gods know what must have happened between you two once she took you to her palace."

"Nothing 'happened', Thalia." Percy tried to quiet her. "All we did was talk."

"Can imagine what type of talking that must have been," Thalia snorted, clearly not buying his explanation. "Tell me, Percy, I get what Lady Diana feels, but you never told me how you feel about her."

"What do you mean how I feel?"

"Well, do you like her?"

Percy sighed, "Look, Thals, you're like the one person other than Nico whom I can trust completely, so I will be honest with you. I think 'like' might be too weak a word at this point."

"Shut up!" The girl's eyes widened as she jumped up from her bed. "You're messing with me right now."

But Percy looked dead serious. "No, Thalia, I really am not."

"You're a complete nutjob, you know that, right?"

"I can understand where that's coming from…"

"Does Annabeth know? You met her just before coming here, right? I get the feeling she would have figured it out." The daughter of Zeus guessed.

"She did." Percy confirmed soberly. He was still sad after how things had ended for them.

"Poor Annabeth," Thalia said, her face downcast. "I hate seeing her hurt."

"I do too…" Percy admitted, "But it's out of our hands now."

"You never should have agreed to marry my lady." Thalia suddenly said, looking both sad and cross at the same time.

Percy raised an eyebrow at that. "I will once again remind you that your father was trying his best to have me married to you instead, so maybe just rethink that wish this time."

"Crap, I had forgotten." The girl suddenly looked sick. "Yeah, this is it for today; you shouldn't keep Lady Artemis waiting." she said and pushed Percy off her bed.

"See you tomorrow, Thals," Percy chuckled as he started walking away.

"Before you go kelp head, Nico and I are going monster hunting tomorrow. Are you coming?" the girl asked.

"What time?"

"Five in the morning, but we leave at four thirty."

"I'll be there," the son of Poseidon promised.

Walking past the bunks, Percy crossed a few rooms to reach a beautifully decorated alcove.

Eye-catching pottery and marble statues lined the path leading up to Artemis's chamber. Percy followed the statues until he was standing right outside the door that connected to his fiancé's room.

Knocking, he waited for Artemis's permission before finally entering the room.

Once inside, he observed that the silver theme continued for the most part, except for a few pieces of wooden furniture here and there.

But Percy did not get much time to look around as the goddess of the moon was waiting for him near a fireplace, sitting on a chair, her back towards the entrance.

"Come, sit with me, Perseus…" She invited him.

Percy did what she asked him to do.

"I know you were with the daughter of Athena," she finally said, her eyes fixed at the crackling flame.

Percy did not respond, choosing to remain silent.

"Did you tell her that you cannot be together?" The goddess questioned, still not looking towards Percy.

"I did," Percy nodded. "Not that she needed to be told; she knows what we had is over."

"You say that now, but why then do I feel like your heart still aches for her?" Artemis questioned.

"Probably because it does…" he admitted truthfully.

"And what am I supposed to make of that?"

"My advice would be to make nothing out of it, but we both know you're not gonna do that." Percy replied, sounding mildly annoyed.

"No, I am not, so make me understand why I shouldn't be angry right now."

"Well, one good reason is that you quite frankly do not have the right to be angry." Percy replied sternly.

"You Olympians think so little of us, thinking you can jump in and mess with our lives. Because who cares if innocent people get hurt? We're just mortals after all; we barely matter to you gods."

Artemis looked up, her face showing concern for the demigod. "Something is bothering you deeply, isn't it?" She asked, her previous anger forgotten.

"Annabeth is heartbroken," Percy whispered, "and it's my fault."

"How so?"

"I failed her," he said, crestfallen. "I could not defend our relationship from Zeus and Athena; I surrendered without a fight. I have never felt like a bigger coward."

"Zeus would have killed your precious Annabeth if you hadn't backed away. You saved her life." Artemis reassured him.

"Doesn't make her any less sad." Percy mumbled.

"Yes. But it does make her less dead," Artemis reminded him, before sighing deeply.

"I was being inconsiderate again, wasn't I? Forgive me... Of course, you're sad about what happened to her. That's what loyalty is all about, isn't it?"

"I guess…" Percy's shoulders slumped. "Annabeth is my friend, being the cause of her pain makes me feel dirty…"

He then looked into Artemis's eyes and said, "I don't understand why she hasn't moved on; I made her promise me that she'll find someone else."

"I can understand her struggle," Artemis admitted. "You're a remarkable individual, Perseus; it would be impossible to replace you."

Percy chuckled, "Trust me, I'm not that special."

"Yes, you are," Artemis vocally disagreed. "You're a gem amongst men."

"Why do you care about me anyway?" Percy suddenly asked, "After we're married, you can just ignore me for the rest of eternity, and I'd still be loyal to you. Why bother at all?"

Artemis laughed, shaking her head, "Do you think this is still about Hera's scheming? No, Perseus, this is far more than that now. Didn't Diana tell you this? Take away the magic forcing us to be together, and I'd still see this through."

"She said she would; I had no idea you would too." Percy admitted in a small voice.

"Diana spent a lot of time getting closer to you, while all this time I kept pushing you away. Perhaps I need to change that." Artemis suggested.

"By spending more time with me?" Percy asked.

"Yes, and I'm going to make good use of this time," she nodded.

"Good use?"

"Yes Perseus… But to do that, I need something from you first. Will you give it to me?"

"Sure, I guess," the demigod spoke hesitantly, not sure what he was getting into.

"Very well then, I want you to take me on a date."

-End of Chapter-

A/N:

Now that the chapter is done and dusted, I think it's time for me to explain my unannounced absence.

I was in a pretty dark place mentally, and that kept me from doing anything I enjoy.

I'm much better now, and I'm also writing again.

Getting back to writing has actually been really helpful to me, so thank you for giving me a platform where I can express myself and thank you for being so patient with me.

Until next time

Bye