Betrayal and Redemption

Chapter 25

These past two weeks having Percy in the Hunt had been amazing. Yes there were problem with the girls and insults had been given, but he never once retaliated he took it quietly. She could tell it hurt him what they said, some were quite hurtful; those girls had gotten extra chores. He acted as if he was fine, that he was invincible. His eyes held a playful spark, but behind that they were still broken, they were putting themselves back together, but he was still broken. Everything that had happened to him was to much, he would need time in a loving family. Hopefully they were giving that to him.

"Whats up Moonbeam?" She sat down beside him while he sharpened arrows. He didn't wear the outfit of the hunters, instead he wore a blue t-shirt and grey shorts. His muscles flexed in rhythm. She realized she was staring.

"Nothing i just came to see how you're doing." Why was she staring, she was a maiden goddess, she shouldn't feel like this.

"You didn't need me to do anything? You just came to talk?" He smirked at her and her heart fluttered.

"No isn't this what friends do? I'm not used to having friends outside the hunt." She confessed. Why did she do that?

"Well here i am. I'm your friend. So whats up, what do you want to talk about?"

She was going to talk to him about what she came for. She would not get distracted by how he smelled like the sea, or his muscles, or the way he smirked at her. Stop! You can't be thinking these things. "Percy i know you're not as ok as you seem. I see that everything they say hurts you a lot more then you let on. Percy it's ok to talk to me, you have been through a lot more then you should have been through. You've seen horrible things and i'm here for you." He stopped his work and tensed up. She saw the mental wall go up in his eyes.

"Well that was my last arrow. I bid you farewell Artemis." He hurried out of the tent. She sighed, she wanted to help him but he wouldn't let her. She would have to try again later. She picked up the arrow and studied it, it was the sharpest it had ever been, she was impressed.

When he didn't show for dinner she got worried. He had finished all his chores, but was nowhere to be seen. Thalia looked concerned, she hadn't seen him either. She set off to look for him.

She wandered through the forest around camp looking for any sign of where he could be. He could be anywhere, he could flame travel away she remembered. She reached out with her mind to try and find Percy. She found him, he had flame traveled away. She flashed to him. She was on a cliff overlooking the sea. He was there on the beach controlling the water.

She watched in awe as he pulled the water from the sea before turning it to ice, then he would heat it up and melt it before it turned into mist. He pulled water right from the air. It was amazing to watch. He hand caught fire and he made a small tornado in his palm before making one with water. He slowly combine them and they became one. Water twirled alongside fire and steam rose.

"Percy." She called out, his head whipped around and he looked ready to throw his tornado at her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you after you missed dinner."

"I wasn't hungry." She sighed and walked down to the beach and sat by him on the rocks. She took in the view, it was very beautiful. The moon was setting over the water which was still. It smelled like Percy.

"Percy you never miss dinner. Whats wrong?"

"Nothing, i'm perfectly fine." His mental wall was up. Why did he feel he need to have this wall up around her? She was determined to break it down.

"Percy do you think im dumb? I can tell it's not nothing. You know you can tell me anything, whats wrong?"

"I said i'm fine Artemis." His tone was harsh.

"Percy... you can't keep these feeling all bottled up. You need to let them out. I told you you can tell me anything and i mean it, that's what friends are for."

"It's hard to put into words that make it quick."

"Then don't make it quick, we can stay here as long as you need."

He sighed and nodded ."I just haven't felt right in a long time. Since the battle of the Labyrinth, watching my friends die. And some many more were killed in the final battle with Kronos. It's all my fault, i'm the reason they are dead. I lead them into battle, i gave them their positions, i should have been there to save them. Their blood is on my hands, they should have lived, they were all heroes. I would trade places with them in a heartbeat. And after Koios, before you and Hades rescued me i was dying and i knew it. I was ready to die i wanted to die, i was accepting my fate knowing that i did some good. I was excited to see all my friends that died, and my parents. I could have apologized for not saving them. I wanted to die, i stopped fighting back because i wanted to die. I don't deserve to live after all of my friends i lead to their deaths. I miss my parents so much, yes Hestia and Hera were great, but they could never replace that feeling."

"Percy none of these people blame you."

"No you don't understand being an immortal, my mother married an abusive man just to keep me safe. She had a low paying job and used all our money to make me happy. She tried her hardest to keep my safe. Everything she ever did was for me. Nothing will ever replace the feeling of coming home from a boarding school to have her waiting for me, the warm feeling you get from having your mother hug you. She made me feel safe and happy despite everything. I put her so much with the disappearing and the almost dying and the quests. She knew she would never be able to fully understand everything i went through, but she tried her hardest. Once she had found happiness with Paul they were killed and the murderer was never punished. Once i got away from camp i started to try and track him, but without any extreme powers i couldn't do anything. He killed my family and got away with it." He was crying now.

"Your right Percy i will never understand the pain you're going through because i never got the chance of a childhood, your might not have been great but you had someone who loved you. It will get better, this pain will only help you grown stronger. I will be there every step of the way. You will move past this." She continued to hold him against her chest. It made her heart race, she was holding Percy and she was enjoying it. She had always called him the perfect man hadn't she?

"Can we talk about something else?" He mental wall was down and she was very happy about it.

"Sure. How about you tell me about the tornado i saw you making?"

"Oh that. Well after i became a Champion of Hestia i got fire powers, and those increased when she adopted me."

"She adopted you?"

"Yeah thats why i call her Mom sometimes. I prefer to call Hestia, but she is my mom."

"That's very sweet."

"I was so happy when she adopted me, i felt like i had a chance of putting my family back together after i lost it."

"Percy i'm going to promise you something." He tilted his head and looked up at her. "You will never lose your family again, because i will always be here."

"That means a lot more to me then you think it would. Thank you Moonbeam."

"I mean it Percy."

"I know you do." They hadn't moved and she was very aware of her arms wrapped around him and his head on her chest. They sat looking over the ocean for a long time in a comfortable silence. "We should get back to camp before the Hunters think i tried something." She nodded and they flashed away, orange flames and silver light.

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A.N. Ok as you might have noticed i didn't post yesterday or the day before. The truth is I've had no motivation to write because of things going on in my personal life and just the thought of getting on my computer was daunting. So i didn't, i know that isn't right i made a plan and i should stick to it, but im not. Im getting rid of the posting schedule because it made writing seem less fun. I will still post as often as i can but it might not be as often and i might post multiple chapters at once. i really did like the schedule and might try it again but for now its gone.