The Rule of Succession

Chapter Twenty-Seven

A/N. Reviews!

"OMFG DID HE JUST SAY I LOVE YOU?! AND DID HE MEAN IT?! but like i thought they were in the kinda dating stage? I know Artemis has some attraction to Percy but I don't think shes there yet tho... and as for Percy he def likes her but im not sure about love yet tho" -Sankarea396

So, kinda? The moon genuinely looked beautiful, and he kinda forgot about the japanese meaning. But subconsciously...

"Man japan with the no sun is just so funny cus no one even cares cus of the mist" -Guest

I mean, I did say that life continued as normal.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Hermes, God of Messengers, found himself in the woods, searching for Artemis' camp. He had a message for her, one from their father. He sped through the forest. His winged shoes made him faster than any other God, the fastest God to ever live. He quickly found the camp and appeared at the edge. He could have showed up in the middle of the camp, but he'd rather not end up with his ass full of arrows.

He slowly made his way through the camp. Many hunters gave him weird looks, but he ignored them. They had done this song and dance before, and would probably do so for many years to come, as long as he had messages to deliver. He approached the largest tent and entered it. He hoped she wasn't naked, or maybe he did. The view would be well worth the ass full of arrows.

She was not, in fact, naked. She was sitting on her pile of blankets, restringing her bow. Next to her was a stuffed deer. She looked up and wrinkled her nose. "What are you doing here?"

"Can't I just drop by?"

"No." She said, going back to restringing her bow. Her thin fingers worked along the end of the bow perfectly. She finished and gently tugged the string, feeling the tension, but avoiding dry firing. It was something she had gotten really good at in her millenia of practicing archery. Satisfied she placed the bow next to her and looked up at Hermes. She raised an eyebrow, still waiting for him to explain his being there.

"Zeus has called a meeting." Hermes said, finally.

"Hera has finally stopped yelling at him." Artemis asked. It was less a question, and more a statement.

Hermes looked around. "Yeah, I guess." he said off-handedly. "By the way, you might want to bring Percy. I heard he's on the agenda." he noticed the photo strip on her desk. "Where is your husband, anyways. I tried to find him before coming here, but could only find old trails."

Artemis shrugged. "Am I supposed to know where my husband is every moment of our lives?"

"Right. Forgot, you don't need no man."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "I will fetch him. Tell our father I will be there soon." She picked up her bow and stood up. She slung the bow over her back. Hermes stood there, staring at her. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to leave?"

"I want to know where Percy is."

"Why? It is not like the two of you are close."

"You're very defensive, Artemis. Are you... Are you actually into him?"

She walked over to the quiver propped up against the wall and picked it up. "I do not see how it is any of your business. How I feel about my husband is my business, and mine alone." She slung the quiver over her back. "Now, I believe I asked you to leave. I will not ask you again."

Hermes raised his hands in an "I surrender" fashion. "No need to get so pressed, I'm leaving." He disappeared in a flash of bright light, leaving Artemis alone in her tent. She let out a breath. Her suspicions were growing stronger. She was even more sure that Hermes had a crush on her. And that worried her. Hermes was clever, after all, he had tricked Apollo when he was just a baby. If he put that cleverness towards revenge on her or Percy, it surely wouldn't be fun.