Percy Jackson - Bane of Tartarus

Chapter 19

Artemis's POV

Orion is my bane and fighting him is supposed to be hard for me but fighting him in Tartarus was a new level of difficulty. I feel like Tartarus was somehow leeching my strength, my reflexes were getting slower while he was fast, faster than before. I was tired and losing my battle when Perseus' pet drakon intervened. It started spitting poison and attempted to crush the foul giant with its claws. Although he was able to dodge most of its attack, it did a very good job of giving me time to catch my breath and regain my strength.

Before I could jump into the fight again, I saw Perseus standing beside me. He defeated Perses alone and without a scratch! I know he has fought titans and giants before but he always had help, moreover this is Tartarus. Before I could ask him anything he opened his mouth first.

"Lady Artemis, What's the plan?" He asked.

"Your monster is hogging my battle. Call it before I kill it." I said without looking at him. It was not that I was not grateful about him and his monster helping me but he is male and if I have learnt one thing over the millennia is that his sex needs their ego to be kept in check or they get boastful, arrogant and disrespectful very quickly.

To my warning he just nodded and yelled, "Achilles! Heel!" He started laughing after that. We are in a battle with a giant in Tartarus, not just any giant the giant born to oppose me and this insolent idiot thinks it's time to make stupid jokes. I can only wonder how he managed to win two wars for Olympus and what Chaos sees in him because all I see is dumb and dumber rolled into one. I raised an eyebrow at him to shut him up which worked and then we charged at the giant.

After we managed to disarm him (literally) and the boy stabbed his sword in the giants gut it was my turn. I walked up to him and put my foot on his only wrist, "Stay dead longer this time" I said as I plunged my knife in his heart.

"One day Artemis. One day you will bear my child", he yelled as he burst into my favorite kind of dust. As if monster, I still have difficulty believing that I called him friend once. The fight was over and it looked like I could actually have a chance of escaping Tartarus now just then something happened that left me shocked to say the least. A part of the giant's life force was absorbed by the boy and it healed quite a few of his wounds. Although this power was going to be instrumental in our escape, I did not like it as no demigod has or should have this amount of power. I needed to ask him about it or better yet I could just read his thoughts.

I started to poke and prod his mind trying to read his thoughts which I must say was very easy. Male brain has always been so easy to read, such simple-minded creatures. His head was a mess, multiple thoughts just running around like rats in a sewer. Although I was unable to find the answer to my question, I noticed someone who was appearing quite a number of thoughts, it was that Athena spawn Annabeth. I saw Apollo and Thalia in his memories. I felt bad for the boy but then I looked at his current thoughts, it was immediately replaced with annoyance. He must have realized that I was reading his thoughts because just then he started shouting, "I'm sorry, Lady Artemis. Please don't kill me. I have people waiting for me up there", in his mind.

I sighed and decided to interrogate him once we were out of the pit. I sheathed my knives and pondered on what to do next. I did not have a sense of direction and I wasn't ready for another confrontation just yet. So I decided to ask my rescuer if he had any plans for our escape.

"Now that we have defeated my captors, do you know which way are the gates? I do not wish to spend more time here than I absolutely need to."

"Yes lady Artemis, I know where the gates are but we need to rest first before we go." Although I didn't like the idea, the boy was right. I had to rest and Tartarus will only weaken me if we keep walking, besides I had to make some new arrows.