Moving On | Percy x Artemis

thirteen

A R T E M I S

It's been almost three days since I found Percy Jackson and I still have no clue what I am going to do with him. He has been silent and distant ever since our conversation at the campfire. I know I must leave and bring him back to Olympus, but something he said to me keeps spinning around in my head. 

"They're using you." 

The other gods have been using me for as long as I can remember, but what am I supposed to do about that? No matter how much I like to think I'm powerful I'm really just a weakling in their eyes. All I do is hunt and collect girls who also had their hearts broken by men. 

I am powerful, but not as powerful as the rest of them. Even my incorrigible brother flies the sun across the sky - he is needed. 

All I have wanted for so long is to be on the same level as the rest of them. 

"You can't seriously tell me you don't have more important things to do than look for a stray demigod?"

I shake my head angrily. I must not let this mere demigod affect me. I watch him from across the camp, one of my hunters is attempting to teach him how to shoot a bow. His dark hair is shaggy and in desperate need of a cut and he keeps pushing out of his sea coloured eyes. He looks almost like a minor god in this light, the afternoon sun highlighting the muscles under his t-shirt. A few of my hunters are watching on and I'm not sure I like the way their eyes follow his movements. 

Over the past few days he has clearly made an impact on my girls. They haven't accepted him exactly, he is still a boy after all. But they don't avoid him and some of the younger ones follow him around like he is a strange new toy. 

I should bring him back to Olympus. I should hand him over to the gods and never think about him again. And yet I put it off, I do not want to fight him right now and I know he will fight hard for his freedom. 

"We should leave soon." 

I look over at Thalia who has joined me at the edge of the camp. There is a slight frown on her face as she also looks over at Percy Jackson. 

"Yes," I say. How can I explain to her that I am angry at the gods? How can I admit that a tiny part of me wants to exactly what this boy did, run away and never come back. 

Thalia turns her bright eyes on me and raises one of her eyebrows. "So we'll leave tomorrow?" 

I know she wants answers. But at the moment I have none. 

"I don't know," I admit. 

And then as an afterthought, "Do you think the gods are using me to do all their dirty work?" 

Thalia looks a little surprised at my words. "I- I think they have been absolutely useless at tracking down Percy over the last two years and that you are the goddess of the hunt - the perfect candidate. And maybe I'm biased but I think this job is important, my lady. I think Percy needs to go home." 

I hadn't thought about how Thalia would feel about this whole thing. Of course she wants Percy to return to his friends, she is thinking about him and everyone back at the two camps.  I am only thinking of myself, as I find myself doing far too often. 

"Maybe the gods will be thankful, they might even reward you for returning Percy." Thalia doesn't sound like she believes what she's saying but I can tell she just really wants me to do this. 

I took this job for Thalia, I can finish it for her. 

"I am definitely not trying to defend the other gods, my lady. Especially not my father. I'm just trying to say that I think you will gain more respect by completing their request rather than disobeying it." 

When she is finally finished talking I nod slowly. "Of course you are right. I was being weak, thinking only of myself and not of the greater goal. If this boy is as powerful as you say he will be a great help to us all." 

Thalia looks relieved and I am glad to have pleased her. I will finish this as soon as possible and make the gods feel foolish for spending two years searching for a boy I found in a couple of months. 

I will delay no longer, I am a goddess after all, there is nothing Percy Jackson can do to stop me from taking him back. 

I walk over to him as he pulls back the string of the silver bow in his hands. He has good form but he was born to wield a sword, not a bow. Consequently the arrow barely scrapes the side of the tree he was attempting to hit. 

Allie, the small girl who's bow he is holding giggles and takes it from him. "You're still doing it wrong!" 

Percy gives her a tiny smile and tries to defend his terrible shooting, "Hey, it's only my first try! Give me a couple more days and I'll be a natural." 

I step forward, coming into both Allie and Percy's view. "I am afraid you do not have a couple more days, we leave tonight." 

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author's note

would any of you read a fan fic set after heroes of olympus about the demigods having a gap year sort of thing?
because i have two seperate fan fic ideas about gap years - one of them is a happy college au type of thing with all the canon ships from the books, and the other is really sad with thaluke / lukabeth? 

anyway thanks for reading and voting and commenting and i hope you are enjoying this story! 

xoxo