The Lion Boy

The Lion Boy Part 5

Thalia POV

The memorial had been pretty amazing. Percy and I refused to go in the cemetery, because neither of us trusted Hades. Not. A. Bit. As we had been traveling with the kids, it was pretty amazing to see how well they had learned to take care of themselves. I assumed both Luke and I had adopted the feline way they held themselves. I couldn't tell. We had walked halfway there, Dynatos and Axi's way of helping us train. The kids were still bitter about learning they had biked hundreds of miles for nothing. The leg muscles were still appreciated though. A hydra came around while we were there, and Percy got ticked off. He didn't appreciate monsters ruining the tranquility of the memorial. The shallow pool of water they had there, was more than enough to battle it.
He also made the rest of us lemonade to relax with as we watched him, like the battle was some sort of show. His confidence was admirable, and a little unnerving.
Afterwards, Dynatos and Axi teleported us to the beach, which would have been a very long walk. Once we got there monsters seemed to know better than to attack a Son of Poseidon and his friends near the ocean.
We stayed there for awhile. It was wonderful. We occasionally hiked to the H.E.B nearby, or as Luke pronounced it Heeb, to get toiletries and such. With two seven year old master pick pockets, plus a Son of Hermes, we never had too many problems paying. Percy helped us go for swims all the time, and I suppose he convinced Poseidon I was okay to let in the ocean, because we never had any problems. The portuguese man o wars were always a little... salty to me, (pun intended) but hey, what can you do?
Hestia visited a lot, and Poseidon visited a few times as well. It was nice having a family, especially one with gods who loved you and helped you out all the time. Truthfully, Poseidon was starting to become the father figure that none of us but Percy had ever had. (He had apologized for leaving Percy shortly after Percy ran away) Things were really, really, good. It was the type of good that washed away all the bad stuff that happened in your past. It was a type of home.
The kids had learned to trust us, and us them. Luke and I valued their opinions just as much as we did each other. Dynatos and Axi always had good advice to. It was really fun when we managed to convince them to swim with us. I swear, they were like fretful mothers. They didn't really mind the water, unlike most cats, but they always stayed on the beach. Percy told us they were keeping watch. The house itself we lived in was really nice as well. Dynatos, Axi, and surprisingly Annabeth, all made us clean it regularly, so it was always nice smelling. I was proud of our little ragtag group, we had managed to run our lives pretty darn successfully. The house itself was a light sea green, the color of Percy's eyes. The shutters and lining was white. Inside was very white, airy, and open. It was impossible to feel confined. Modern furniture gave the place a hip edgy feel. All the appliances were new, and each of us had queen size beds of our own. Except for Percy and Annabeth, who shared out of habit. There was huge book shelves for Annabeth, a little drawing studio for Percy, and everything else you could imagine.
There was even a training room, stocked with various weapons and an seemingly endless supply of dummies. Even Percy, who had until very recently, been a horrendous archer, could shoot well. In fact, there wasn't a weapon in the room any of us were bad at. We were a force to be reckoned with.
One day while we were playing on the beach, a group of girls showed up. At first I figured they were just a cluster of friends coming down for a swim. Then I noticed the matching silver parkas, bow and arrows, and that the lead girl was no more than twelve years old. I looked over my shoulder to see if Percy knew who the heck they were, and saw him and Annabeth on the sand, heads bowed and on one knee. I walked over and followed their lead, Luke did the same, even though we still didn't have a clue about their identities. I assumed Percy had told Annabeth, considering they were practically joined at the hip. Happens when you travel together for a few months. I was fairly certain Luke and I were the same way. The twelve year old arched an eyebrow.
"Rise children. You know who we are?" I did as she said, and as I examined her more closely, I noticed her eyes gleamed a vibrant silver. Percy answered for us,
"Yes Lady Artemis. My father and patrons have told me much about you and your hunters." For once his tone was respectful, and there wasn't a hint of sarcasm in it. I leaned over,
"Mind explaining Perce? Rhea hasn't quite gotten around to telling us." He smiled at me,
"This is Lady Artemis. She is the maiden goddess of the hunt, moon, and archery. The rest of the woman with her are her hunters, part of her group that travel with her and hunt with her. All of them have sworn off the company of men, and several of them are thousands of years old." His eyes filled with utmost respect and awe. He turned to face the girl directly behind Artemis.
"Zoe Nightshade." He bowed. The hunter's hands went to their bows. Another girl opened her mouth,
"How do you know her name? Boy." Percy dropped Riptide on the ground as a sign of surrender, and motioned for us to do the same with our weapons.
"I told you, my patrons and father, but mostly my patrons, have explained it to me." Artemis raised an eyebrow.
"Who exactly are your patrons?" He smiled.
"Mother Rhea and Lady Hestia." She gestured for her hunters to relax.
"Very well. Who is your father? And who are your parents?" She asked the rest of us.
"Poseidon."
"Athena."
"Hermes."
"Zeus." Just then the lions woke up from their nap. They tensed at the hunters and crossed protectively in front of us, using their bodies as a barrier. Artemis pulled out her bow,
"Why do you have the lions?" She trained her arrow on Axi. Zoe pointed hers at Dynatos.
"They protect us. They are a gift of sorts from Rhea and Hestia." He explained. His tone was surprisingly calm for somebody whose pets were in serious danger of death, but then again, Percy was full of surprises.
"Their names?" Artemis asked.
"The black one is Dynatós, the white one is Axioprepí̱s. But we call him Axi."
"And your names as well?"
"Thalia."
"Luke."
"Annabeth."
"Percy." Annabeth elbowed him and he sighed exasperatedly.
"Perseus." He mumbled. Luke chuckled, and Percy gave one of his astoundingly terrifying glares to him. One of the things he picked up from the lions I suppose.
"Now what are two children of the big three doing here, much less living?" Was her next question. Her hand twitched slightly and now two arrows were aimed at Percy and I, and I knew from Rheas teaching, those two arrows would NOT miss.
"Just traveling." Percy continued calmly.
"After a rather unfortunate incident in New Mexico we've been trying to get away, and figured the beach was a good place to do so." Artemis's eyes widened.
"Was that earthquake in New Mexico yours? Poseidons been dodging questions about it for months." Percy nodded and smiled sheepishly.
"A pervert was staring at Annabeth, it was before we met these two," He motioned to us, "And I didn't like it." Although he was being his cute little seven year old self at the beginning of the sentence, by the end his voice was a fierce feline growl. It was honestly a little scary. Artemis smiled at him, and lowered her bow.
"Very well. I appreciate your actions. You are the type of male this world is lacking." He beamed.
"Just doing as my patrons taught me milady." He blushed.
"My hunters and I will be camping on the beach tonight. I apologize for the harsh introduction we gave you." Percy looked horrified.
"You can't stay on the beach! Come to our house with us, you can crash there for the night." His tone was demanding. It clearly conveyed, 'don't even try to say no', and was a bit strange coming from one so young. Artemis and her hunters smiled.
"Alright. Would you like to show us where it is?" He smiled and took her hand, I chuckled when I saw the scowl on Annabeth's face. Somebody had a crush.
Percy skipped happily down the beach. One of the lead girls fell in step with me, she was the one Percy addressed by her full name. Zoe.
"The young one certainly seems to be wise beyond his years." She commented as we walked. I smiled,
"Yeah. Annabeth and him get a lot more say in the group than your average seven year olds." I laughed a little at that, Percy certainly was something.
A little walk later we arrived at the house. Percy let go of Artemis's hand and pulled out his key. He unlocked the door and held it open for the girls. Once everybody was inside Artemis walked over to me,
"That was quite a walk. How are they able to go that far?" She asked. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion in response.
"That wasn't very far. What are you talking about?" She looked at me with wide eyes.
"That was over two miles dear."
"Oh. Thats our favorite spot. We have races to see who can get there the fastest all the time. Luke usually wins." She looks at me incredulously.
"How far do you travel?" I shrugged.
"I dunno, Percy came from New England and worked his way here from there. He met Annabeth in Utah and she came from California. Luke came from New England as well. Connecticut I think. Not sure. I came from California." Artemis shook her head a little and chuckled.
"I admit, I have respect for your group. And Percy, is quite the gentleman." I smiled.
"He tries. He hates the idea of being rude, and detests it when he is on accident. One of the things Rhea and Hestia drilled into him; be respectful to those who deserve it." I looked up and saw Percy asking Annabeth if she was hungry. Annabeth smiled and said she was,
"I'll take macaroni and cheese with provolone and Monterey Jack cheese. Shell noodles for pasta, and a thin layer of crushed cheese-it's on top would be a plus." Percy nodded, smiled, and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. He stared hard at the counter top, and a second later, a steaming plate of gourmet looking Mac and Cheese was sitting in front of Annabeth, just as she had requested it to be made.
"I want apple juice to drink please." She said, and Percy delivered on that as well.
The hunters stared at Percy and then swarmed him, putting in their orders. Percy filled each, and happiness ensued. After dinner, the four of us shared a bed, and the hunters slept everywhere else. Today was a good day.

A/N: OH MY GOSH 647 FRACKALACKIN VIEWS. AHHHHHH. I LOVE YOU GUYS! Thanks for the comments, and the votes as well! You guys are amazing! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was fun bringing the hunters into it. I remind you of Mardi Gras. Crap will go down there,
Your Favorite Demigod,
Isa Rivers