Searching For Serenity

Chapter 10

Artemis
Near Indianola, Illinois
We were nearing our destination, we had been walking for a couple days. We put up our overnight camp at night, and Percy was still having to have one of the hunters help with his tent. Mostly Thalia would help him, some of the younger ones had begun taking to him, and I was impressed by how well he handled the little ones. I can definitely see why he'd been such a leader within the camp and during the Titan and Giant wars.
He was hard to read, if you were a passerby and you met him you'd think he was troublemaking idiot and you'd be right, but what you didn't see was his humility, loyalty, and stupid, yet charming humor. He was full of surprises and not only a great hero, but a great man.
Even the first time I said it to him after I released Zoë into the stars was hard for me to accept. I'm so used to hating males and only seeing the bad side of them that I've come to hate, but Percy has broken my mold and I've come to terms within myself that Percy is a man like I'd never met.
We'd had many awkward interactions and it's like we're both scared of what the other thinks and I know this, but what if I'm wrong? No, I've accepted my growing feelings for him but I will not pursue them. I've been trying to keep this subject clear of mind, but then I see Percy interacting with my hunters, who normally try to gut any male that looks at them, and he slips right back in. It's frustrating, but I'm steeling myself until I have the facts. I've been trying to avoid unnecessary interactions with him, hoping to avoid more awkward situations before I know what is going on.
How do I know he would even be over Annabeth by now? All of Olympus had seen them, and there was no breaking that love. I'm pretty sure the sword that remains at his side is Annabeth's, so clearly he hasn't forgotten and probably never will, but has he moved on?
Maybe a trip to Aphrodite's palace will help me get some answers, I thought with a shudder.

Percy
Thalia has been trying to help me increase my navigating skills. I'd had classes at camp and experience on quests, but I was nowhere close to being as skilled as the hunters, but I was starting to get it. From what I could tell we were less than a days hike from our location. I've tried accounting for Artemis's apparent manipulation of distance, but it seems to be at whatever pace she wants.
If that's the case, then I'm gonna be a little annoyed, we've walked seventy three hours within four days and I'm fucking tired of walking. To top if off, I've started chores and surprise, surprise, I'd been selected for doing dishes and laundry for the first two days.
Why did the girls each need to change their uniform twice a day? Hell if I know, but they did and washing two pairs of clothes for each of thirty eight people was hell. I think Artemis had some sympathy for me as she came up and relieved me from a single basket out of the fourteen on both days. It may not have been much, but it was something. Though I did notice she always took that basket that included her uniforms, and I'm starting to think she just didn't want me to wash her under garments. Understandable, I wouldn't want her to be hand scrubbing my fruit of the looms either.
Me and Artemis haven't had much interaction, it seemed if I was just a normal hunter, even with half of them still hating me. Lately their 'small' pranks had been building up and I get the feeling the mastermind of a good portion of them was my dear old cousin Thalia. Yep, much love. I absolutely love stepping out of my tent into a pitfall trap or being 'accidentally' shot in the ass with an arrow. After removing the third shaft from my ass cheek I was pretty a much a pro at healing arrow wounds.
Dr. Jackson, arrow wound expert, specializing in ass cheeks, I thought sarcastically, Yeah, that's going on the resume.
Luckily after that time Artemis had pulled aside Keegan and Thalia, my seemingly apparent attacker and the mastermind. Apparently Keegan was more than happy to let loose an arrow in my direction after what happened when I first entered camp and Thalia was more than happy to help.
The unfortunately placed arrows had come to a halt but the other pranks had continued, Artemis not seeming to care as there was not enough bodily injury to warrant her interference. I'd even heard her giggle while I was trying to climb out of the damn mud hole they put in front of my tent.
She definitely had a lot about her that wasn't common knowledge, some the hunt probably doesn't know or at least fully. I've come to care about her more and more, even accepting my feelings, but trying not to act on them. I don't want to make anything weird because I think me and the goddess might have a connection.
I keep asking myself if I'm just imagining it or if it's really there. I think she feels sorry for me and maybe trying to repay me for saving her life, but there's something else and that's what is bothering me. I'm not sure what it is, I think I have a good idea but I'm not willing to test my theory.
Like yeah, I'm not gonna walk up to the infamous man hating goddess and try to plant on a kiss on her. It would do it's job in letting me know how she felt, but there's a high probability it ends with a knife to my throat or even in it either way it goes. Not gonna happen. I've resigned from doing anything and am content, for the most part, in letting her make the first move, if there's one to be made. Still it's hard to keep the what ifs and what could bes out of my mind. During our walk, I catch myself lingering my gaze over Artemis, taking in her beauty. There had been a couple times where we'd lock eyes before breaking it and turning away, both blushing.
Besides the pranks and the chores the trip hasn't been too bad, some of the girls have even warmed up to me, especially after I started giving food to the girls who were nice to me, even when I woke up on time. Izzy, was my favorite, she was a little twelve year old Aphrodite girl. She would even come up and hold my hand while we were walking. I'd even sneak her snacks on the long walk. We didn't use the dining tent when it wasn't too cold, instead sitting around a central campfire. My place around the fire had been cemented in between Izzy and Thalia. At first Izzy was under the scrutiny of the rest of the hunters for having a crush on me, which she vehemently denied, saying I was like her brother and that how I viewed her, as a little sister.
I was at first worried about how I would be treated, but now I'm starting to get a good feeling about my current situation. I think I would eventually get even the older hunters to drop their preconceptions about me. I can tolerate their pranks as long as they don't overstep and try to work with me on our seeming permanent arrangement.
My 'protection,' hasn't been needed nearly at all. Turns out even a hellhound can tell it's probably not a good idea to run headlong into a group of thirty seven armed warriors and a goddess.
I turned to look at Artemis walking behind the group, like a protective mother, which she pretty much was. I had known her and the hunters were close, but what I didn't know was how much Artemis genuinely cared for each individual hunter. None were replaceable and each held a spot in her heart. She really was special.
I kept walking on, in my own thoughts, hoping to reach the park before dark.