Percy Jackson, The Moon Goddess's Man (Pertemis)

Chapter 9: Duels

Percy woke to Thalia dumping cold water on his head. Obviously, it woke him up and disappeared. "You seriously used water on a son of Poseidon Thalia." He deadpanned. She blushed. "I can see where the stupidity in your family comes from." Several of the hunters outside shouted, "OH!" The sky rumbled. Thalia glared at Percy. "Take that back or I will run you through with my spear." She threatened. Percy spread his arms. "Come at me cuz." Thalia was about to call down a bolt when, "Thalia i'd don't mind putting him in his place but do you mind after we had breakfast?" Artemis said. Thalia bowed and left, giving Percy the stink eye. Artemis eyed Percy. "Seems you have a duel next. I was going to ask you to duel Thalia but it seems that won't be necessary. Get our breakfast then go wash up and get ready for the duel." "Fine." Percy grumbled and threw the blanket off. Artemis' face went red as a tomato. Percy stood half dressed in his boxer shorts only. Artemis remembered her conversation with Diana yesterday.

(Back-track 12 hours, give or take a few more)
"What do you mean Perseus?" Artemis stuttered out. Diana gave a wryly half-smile. "You know what I mean Artemis. I don't mind. After all. He is powerful and handsome. And being stuck here for most of the Roman time doesn't mean I don't have the characteristics of one. Powerful men make good leaders..." a smirk grew on her face. "And lovers." Artemis blushed. "We're not having this conversation! I am a maiden goddess." Artemis protested. "You're right. That's why I will be remaining up here with my thoughts about Percy and how he looks like underneath while you stay down there with your hunters." Diana said and forcefully evicted Artemis back to her tent. Artemis gave a sigh of annoyance. I will have to put a check on her. Otherwise, I'll most probably won't be a maiden by the end of this month. Maybe week. She thought to herself.

(Now)
"Hello? Arty?" Percy said, snapping his fingers in front of her. She got out of her trance and blushed. "Sorry I was thinking of something." She said. Percy smirked. Artemis found that very endearing. "I've already summoned the breakfast for the hunters. I am going to wash up now." He left. I hurried over to the hunters.

<Diana>
I must say it was an annoyance when I found myself in front of Artemis. "What?" I hissed, obviously unhappy about being pulled out my thoughts of Percy. "Could you help get Percy? I need to help Thalia to get ready." She asked. I gave a glare. Then realized that since Percy was bathing I could see what's underneath his shirt. I happily skipped out of her tent, leaving a bewildered Artemis behind. I reached the stream and saw his clothes. "Percy!" I called. I looked around. The water bubbled, then Percy flew out and landed straight on me. His eyes showed he was confused on what he had hit, until they locked with my Sliver eyes.

<None>
Percy scrambled away from Diana, blushing furiously and pleading for her not to turn him into a jackalope. Diana was still in shock. Percy bent over Diana. "Art-wait wrong aspect. Lady Diana are you ok?" He asked. She shot up like a rocket, smashed her face and lips and against Percy's, then fell back down in pain. "Ow you idiot." She muttered. She could taste Percy's taste on her lips and that thrilled her. "Sorry lady Diana." He helped her up and she blushed. He had a very toned body and she felt her body heating up. "It's ok." She said and helped him up. She liked how her hand fitted so snugly in Percy's hand. "Percy, Artemis is waiting." Both of them walked back to the hunters. Just before they came into view, Diana turned to Percy. "Good luck." She said and kissed his cheek before she flashed away. Percy blinked surprise, touching his cheek. He cleared his head and went into the camp. Thalia was there, doing warm ups. He got his sword ready. "Ready to lose Percy?" Thalia smirked. Percy smirked back as a spear and javelin appeared on his back, a glowing blue circular shield appearing on his arm. "Aren't you talking to yourself Thalia?" He sassed back. There were a couple of "Oh Snap!" From the the hunters. She gritted her teeth. "Come at me then!" "Artemis you know the rules." She nodded. "No killing or maiming, only injuring. To win either disarm or force the opponent to yield. Which Thalia might have to do." She mumbled the last part, eyeing Percy's weapons. "Ready, start!" Artemis yelled and backed away. Thalia raised her hand and gathered her powers. A bolt of lightning struck Percy. When the glare faded, Percy was standing under a wall of water. "What the fuck?" Thalia yelled. Percy smiled. "Pure water is a poor conductor of electricity. Don't you know that Thalia?" Thalia raised her spear and Aegis and charged. Percy sidestepped the spear and spun, swinging his shield as hard as he could. Thalia flew back, a large dent in her shield. Thalia threw her shield to one shade and charged Percy directly. Percy simply threw her over his shoulder with her spear. The hunters stared at him. Percy dropped the spear to the ground and helped Thalia up.

Thalia glared at him and pulled him to one side. "Where did you learn how to fight like that? Better still, how did you get so strong." Percy looked to the ground. "After my...betrayal, after Nebular saved me, kept trying to find ways to kill myself." Percy whispered. Thalia's glare softened. "One day, after I tried to kill myself again by throwing myself out the airlock of her spaceship she sent me back in time to Sparta as a baby. I trained from the ground up as a Spartan before being brought back here as the army of 300 was defeated." Percy said. Thalia gave a sad smile, then pulled him into one of her rare bear hugs. Then she gave a sly grin. She spoke out loud, "Percy, you said you could beat Artemis, care to show?" Percy gave Thalia a wide eyed look. "Is that so?" Artemis said. She hopped down from her tree. Percy glared at Thalia, who had an "Innocent" face on her. "In that case, I challenge you to a duel Percy. This should be interesting." Percy gave a sigh and got up, his spear and javelin disappearing. A UZI used by modern mortal forces appeared on his belt. Several throwing knifes appeared on his arms. His shield dissipated from his arm. Artemis held her bow at the ready. Percy smirked as he dissolved into mist. Artemis' eyes shot up. She didn't remember Percy being able to Mist Travel, something only Poseidon and the most powerful of his children could do. She sensed someone behind and thrusted a dagger backwards. It clanged off Riptide. Artemis was forced to put away her bow as Percy strike at her with Riptide. With his continuous slashing and hacking she could not do much against him. If he said he had trained from the ground up as a Spartan in the old days she stands no chance against him at close range. As Percy slashed down Artemis blocked with her knifes. Both of them held that deadlock for awhile, Artemis straining to overpower Percy and Percy trying to do the same. Problem was Percy strength now rivaled a god's meaning Artemis could not simply just beat Percy by strength. Her eyes narrowed as she thought of an idea and grinned. Percy was shocked as she pushed her face forwards and pressed her lips to his softly. With Percy distracted Artemis kicked Percy in the chest and sent him flying. Artemis licked her lips. She liked the taste of Percy's lips and wondered if that was his first kiss with a goddess. It certainly was for her. Percy sat up, his chest hurting from the pain. Climbing to his feet, he saw Artemis aiming down an arrow at him. He drew his UZI as Artemis fired. He sent a burst of bullets from his UZI, deflecting the arrow away from him. Setting his UZI to single bullet mode Percy expertly shot every arrow out of the air. An arrow bounced off his belt, making Riptide fall off his belt. Percy cursed, it would be awhile before he got his sword back. Artemis and Percy both fired at each other. Percy stared at his sword. There was no way he could beat Artemis at long range fights. The only way was to go to her. Percy smirked, a plan forming in his head.

Artemis poked her head out only for a bullet to shoot past her head cutting some of her fringe. Growling she turned from behind the tree with her bow loaded to find Percy jumping for his sword. She loaded an arrow and shot at Percy, but the boy just turned with his sword in hand to deflect the arrow away from her. Percy cocked his hand back and threw the sword at Artemis as hard as he could. Artemis dropped her bow and put her knifes in an X as the flying sword bounced directly upwards. She looked just in time to see Percy dissolving into mist again. She spun around to see no one. She looked around suspiciously. Where was Percy? She noticed her shadow grow larger. She looked up. Percy was falling down on her, his sword held above his head like some dark avenging angel. She raised her knifes again into an X but couldn't do anything as Percy smashed down on the knifes, easily shattering the metal and slamming the ground in front of her and sending her flying backwards. Artemis rolled and rolled and rolled and finally slammed into a tree. She looked up in rage and grabbed her bow. Percy was out of ideas. An Apple lay on the floor. Percy kicked it up and hurled it like a baseball at Artemis. It bounced off her head and she finally slipped into unconsciousness