Abandoned- a pertemis story Ψ ☑️

Now it Begins. Chapter 30

Hmmm. How long has it been since we last saw each other?
Not long?
Mmkay.
Well this chapter is dedicated to AlexusAP for letting me use her OC and for the feedback she has offered me. Without it my writing skills would be subpar at best.
I'm sure your all very excited so I'll just let you move on.
Don't cry too much, Kay? -Internet Head

ΨPercyΨ
Artemis and I walked through the forest. We hadn't seen each other in months, even though it hadn't really been.
We didn't get to talk about what happened before all of this and it was burning me up inside.
I wasn't going to ask anything though.
Artemis slowly intertwined her fingers with mine as we walked slowly through the forest.
I squeezed her hand and she squeezed it right back.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked her, holding up our hands.
Her eyes were hard, that flash of scary scary silver within them "I'm never not sure about us."
I smiled "That's a lie."
She nodded "maybe a little one."
We continued to walk until we reached a door imbedded in a hillside.
We investigated it until Carmen and Alexus managed to find us.
"What's that?" Carmen asked, looking like he was trying to ignore how close the two were.
I gave him a sly look "we don't really know. We haven't tried to open it either."
He shook his head, embarrassed "we're all here now. Let's do it."
Together Carmen and I managed to pry open the door which led to a staircase that descended into the dark depths.
We looked at each other "you first."
Carmen shook his head "Nah, you first."
I shook my head in retaliation "you've got the fire, you go first."
Alexus sighed and started down the steps "boys." She muttered.
Carmen went down after her, lighting up the dark with his hand as fire engulfed it.
We kept walking until we came to a thin and rusty iron door.
Carmen stepped forward and pushed it open, brandishing one scythe as he held his hand high.
The room was fairly cramped, despite its height.
It was dark and damp and cold.
Directly in front of us, just under a massive TV screen, was a girl chained to the wall.
Her hair was vibrant red and her clothes were raggedy.
She looked beaten and not in good shape.
Carmen gasped and ran over to her "Ruby!"
I followed him "you mean creator of the Web Labyrinth Ruby?"
He nodded as he checked her out, healing cuts and bruises along her collar bone and jaw "yes. I don't know what she's doing here though... she lives in Oregon..."
Ruby lifted her head weakly and furrowed her brow, eyes closed "Hmm. Your voice sounds familiar... Wolf?" Her voice was raspy, like she hadn't gotten a drink of water in ages.
Carmen huffed a little at the nickname but kept doing what he was doing "yes, it's Wolf. Are you okay?"
She ignored his question "oh good... I need a friend right about now. Speaking of friends, who are yours? Who's with you?"
Carmen stopped what he was doing "they're right in front of you, Ruby... can't you see them?"
Ruby shook her head and opened her eyes, lifting her head so we could see her face better.
I grimaced as Carmen huffed angrily. Artemis covered her mouth and Alexus looked a little sick.
Her eyes were milk white and the area around them was burned and scarred.
It was ugly a festering, a new and fresh wound.
"They-they did this to you?" Carmen asked incredulously.
Ruby nodded slowly "they took a torch and stuffed it in my eyes. It's much more fun than it sounds."
"Why would they do this to you? You gave them your most powerful Mist Creation." I asked, trying not to stare too hard at her wound.
Ruby let out a hoarse laugh "gave them? Oh no, you've got it wrong! They captured me and took it. I would have never sold it to someone so-so terrible!"
Carmen and I shared a look "let's cut her down." I suggested.
As we started towards her chains the TV screen blinked to life.
"Now that's not nice to say." Said a voice, clearly male.
We moved backwards, looking up at the screen.
The TV showed a man, maybe a little older than me, with bright blonde hair and striking blue eyes. He wore a red rose patterned vest over a white dress shirt, a black tie tucked into the vest.
His hands were steepled on the oak desk in front of him clad in black leather gloves.
The background was vague and didn't give any clue as to where he was.
It was a blurry and indistinct window that Overlooked what might have been a city at night.
The man smiled, showing rows of absolutely perfect pearly white teeth "now, dear Ruby, you can't say that about your employer."
Ruby began to quake, looking terrified.
"Who are you? Carmen?" I turned to look at him.
He was staring at the screen just as I had been, looking confused but on guard.
The man turned his icy blue eyes on me "oh hello there Percy! My condolences on Annabeth by the way, so sad what happened to her." He said, feigning sadness.
He had an accent, British I thought, and he sounded prim and proper. And like a villain.
A total villain.
"Don't you just say her name like that!" I growled at him, my grip tightening on my sword.
The man looked surprised and he raised his hands in an I surrender gesture "oh my. Your being extremely rude right now. What did I do to deserve this?"
"I don't know but it was probably something." Carmen snipped at him.
He sighed "alright. So maybe I did betray the gods and start gathering as many monsters and as much divine sludge as I could. And maybe I rallied the monsters together under one banner for my purposes and killed Annabeth with them. And, just maybe, I whispered into -what was his name again?- Dave's ear and manipulated him into doing whatever I wanted." The man smiled innocently at us "there we go. Are we alright now?"
By this time I was quaking with anger "you what!?"
He looked surprised "dear me, you must be deaf. I betrayed the gods, rallied the monsters, killed Annabeth, and twisted a young boys soul so he would make everybody betray you."
I took a deep breath, trying to put down my anger "and why did you do this?"
The man laughed "oh! Why? Why you ask?" He chortled "well it's simple really. I hate the gods. I hate hate hate them. They think us mortals are below them, that they can look down on us like cockroaches. I want to show them just exactly what a mortal can do."
We looked around at each other, skeptical and wary of this man.
"How are you going to do that?" Carmen asked slowly.
The man looked down at him "I said I rallied the monsters, right? Well I took some of them and used a little mortal science and voila! Man made monsters. Those snakes you fought in that Mall? I call them Slithertons. See? Because skeletons and snakes slithering- oh never mind. I made Dragontooth warriors out of steel and Celestial Bronze and Etherial Silver. I've done things no other mortal has accomplished! And the gods are none the wiser."
Artemis and I shared a fearful look.
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" I asked.
The man's cold gaze turned on me "I am Celestem Aiyeel and you, Percy Jackson, are the scariest piece on the chessboard. I want to take you off of it."
—
A few hours later Artemis, Alexus, Ruby, Chiron and I sat down at the Pavilion.
Well, Chiron stood, but you know what I mean.
"I can't thank you enough for all of this... cleaning up the camp." He told me, looking wearily at the forest where Dave had been based.
"It's Camp. I couldn't just let it stay like that." I explained.
I looked around at the two girls I'd been traveling with "any news on Carmen, Nico, and Thalia?"
Artemis looked me in the eye "Nico and Thalia are on their way. Carmen..."
Alexus stepped in "Carmen still hasn't returned."
I cursed to myself in Greek.
He ran off as soon as that guy stopped talking to us! He just took off saying he was going to find him! Ugh, sometimes he's a real pain in my butt!
I sighed "Artemis, care to go for a walk?"
She nodded and stood up.
I looked at Alexus "when Nico and Thalia get here just tell them where we are and the situation. Please take care of Ruby."
Alexus looked worried, fidgety and occupied with other thoughts "oh... yes of course..."
—
Artemis and I walked along the beach talking about how, in the beginning, I had no clue what to do.
Artemis laughed her musical laugh "you fell over chairs."
I rolled my eyes "yeah, okay, that's fair. But you didn't trust me at all back then."
She bumped shoulders with me "no, I didn't. I trust you now though, Is that good enough for you?"
I thought about it "I guess so."
She gave me a small smile "having the Goddess of the Hunt sleep next to you and trust you that much is only worth an 'I guess so'?"
I flushed, remembering when she did that. I had hoped she'd forgotten "well what am I supposed to say!? I feel like one of your hunters would kill me if I said I enjoyed sleeping with their Goddess."
She debated on that "hmmm. Maybe. I hope you know that you make one wrong move I will kill you, only hope for the world or not." She was deadly serious.
I laughed nervously "I get it."
We walked for a bit more until I took both of Artemis's hands in mine.
I looked at her and sighed a little "I know I shouldn't feel this way about you... your the goddess of chastity and all... and you swore off men..."
Artemis raised an eyebrow "yes, and?"
"I, um... I uh... I have really intense feelings for you and I'd understand that if, once your a goddess again, you turn me into a jackalope." I said, wincing at my own words.
The goddess gave me a small smile and leaned in, whispering into my ear.
"You should be more afraid of the fact that when I'm a goddess I can make you mine for all eternity."
I flushed deeply "what!?"
Artemis only smirked and walked on without me.
"What does that mean! Come back!" I chased after her.
This girl... if I didn't know any better, I'd think she was meant to be mortal.