DownPour

Go For Broke

"How do you feel about Percy being within our ranks?" Thalia asked the day before the said boy was supposed to arrive.

"He's a respectable male," Artemis said. "Any reason you ask?"

"Oh, nothing," Thalia said, a smirk on her face. "Just that I think you like him."

"I do," Artemis said. "He's a good man."

"No, no, not like that," Thalia sighed. "I think you're infatuated with him."

"What? Of course not!" Artemis looked horrified. "He's still a man, no matter how good."

"Yeah, sure," Thalia rolled her eyes. "I'll make a bet with you. If you aren't in love with him by the time he returns back to camp, I'll pay you fifty drachmas."

"Fifty?" Artemis said. "You'd bet that much?"

"That's how confident I am," Thalia smirked. "Do you accept?"

"Of course," Artemis said incredulously. "How hard could it be?"

/.\

That goddamned daughter of Zeus.

Really, how could she know she was falling for him? Love was a foreign feeling to her. She just thought it was their growing friendship, not growing affections. When it hit her, the first thing she did was curse her lieutenant for knowing the signs too well and then herself for being blind to her own feelings.

He'd been with them for the past month as they moved and Artemis had got on wonderfully with him. They would have a casual conversation when on the move and Artemis had gotten to know him very well.

She would spot Thalia grinning at her from across the campfires and knew something was up but didn't connect it until now. Really, it was sad at how oblivious she had been to all this.

She noticed Thalia strolling up from the side, that same grin on her face. "So, how're you holding up?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just wondering about you and Percy," Thalia said innocently. "You two seem to be getting close."

"He is a good friend," Artemis said. "Nothing more." Yet.

"Oh, but are you sure you don't want him to be more?" Thalia smirked.

"Completely sure," Artemis replied. Thalia just smirked and held out her hand. Artemis, not one to go back on her word, grumbled and summoned a bag of fifty drachmas to give to her.

Thalia may be a good lieutenant, but she sure was irritating.

Sorry, I've been focusing on the original story I'm planning on writing and instead of typing up one-shots I just wrote out the entire plot of the story. I'll make up those other two at some point.