Percy Jackson, the Son of Olympus: The Lightning Thief

| Chapter XXII || Confessions |

*April 26 XXXX*

*Artemis' Point of View*

***

The next morning, I woke up and stretched, climbing out of bed. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I waved my hand, causing the curtains to open, letting sunlight into my room. Dragging myself to the bathroom, I got ready for the day.

After I was finished, I left my room, walking down the stairs to the living room. I was greeted by my hunters. They all turned to me at the same time, as if they had rehearsed it. All at once, they smiled and ran towards me, tackling me in a group hug.

"Dog pile!" Phoebe screamed, and all of the hunters jumped on me, knocking me to the floor.

"Oof!" I grunted under the weight of twenty or so girls. "Girls!" I exclaimed though I was laughing at the sight of them. They are all so loyal and so caring.

When they all finally got off, we sat on the couches. Lyra was holding a newspaper. She was physically the youngest, only nine years old, and her brown hair was almost always in a braid. "Did you hear? Percy's been found!" she said, holding up the newspaper.

"Yeah, I heard," I told them.

They all grinned. "And you went to go see him, right?" Rebecca asked. She had bright red hair that just barely brushed her shoulders, and freckles dotted her nose.

My eyes widened, and a deep blush spread across my cheeks. "Well...of course! He's my best friend!" I stuttered.

Their grins grew larger. "Are you sure that he just a friend?" Lyra asked, her brown eyes twinkling.

"Yes! Yes, he's just a friend!" I protested.

"Oh, come on milady. We aren't blind. It's so obvious that you like Percy! And don't worry. He's the perfect man for you. He's like a brother to us," Stacy—our strategist—said. She was a daughter of Athena and looked like all of the others: blonde hair and stormy gray eyes. The one thing different about her, though, were the streaks of brown in her hair that she got from her father.

My face flushed an even deeper red. "But...but my oath! I can't fall in love! How would it be fair to all of the maidens I have rejected or falling in love?" I cried.

My hunters all gathered around me. "It's okay milady. We know you mean well, but those hunters all fell for men who had flaws. It's been centuries, but Percy is the one and only male that is worthy of any maiden. He's better than all of the others. And it's obvious that he likes you too. You two are perfect for each other!" Rebecca exclaimed happily.

"You-you think so?" I asked timidly. I felt like such a hypocrite.

They all nodded.

I gave a small smile. "Okay. Do you think I should tell him?" I asked.

Once again, they nodded.

Filled with a new determination, I stood. I turned, giving my hunters one last glance, before teleporting to camp. I reappeared in the middle of the cabins, where Hestia was tending to the large hearth. When she saw me, she smiled. "Here to visit Percy, are we?" she asked. Her smile then changed to a knowing smirk－the same smirk that had graced the faces of my hunters.

I blushed deeply but nodded.

"Go get him," she encouraged.

"But how would I know if he likes me back?" I asked her, now worried.

"You'll know because he's the one that doesn't stop smiling from the moment he sees you," she said, reassuring me. Her sly smirk suddenly turned into a comforting smile.