My Mom's Artemis

Untitled Part 2

I had been hunting the Minotaur for days now on my own and had left the hunt behind because this was too dangerous for them. For some reason the beast was moving very fast, we had gone all the way to Montauk Beach.

I had my own ideas about why we were here because the beast never really moved this fast. It was hunting something! And by now I could smell it. Even though we were on the beach there was a small but powerful aura nearby. One that belonged here. On the beach, near the water. A son of Poseidon! He broke his oath? Zeus will be very angry! But he is just a child, Zeus wouldn't harm him. Would he! 

Then again, I had heard rumours…about… Maria Di Angelo. 

I cleared the tree line and saw the beast. Not wanting to pull the fight out more than needed I embedded five arrows in his head and he exploded into dust. I rushed over to where he had been facing to see whether there were any spoils. But instead I found a woman. Half of her body crushed. Large cuts from the monsters axe covering her body. She was dying. Beyond even my brothers help. 

She had a child; no less than a year old all of a sudden he sat up on his own and lifted is hands up. I wondered what he was doing until he threw a wall of water at me that made me hit the deck. I heard a whoosh and a thud as the water connected with something that had been behind me. 

I tuned and saw a hellhound's crushed body on the floor and was dumbfounded at the child's power to say the least, but then I remembered his mother and turned towards her as she whispered 

"L-L-Lady Artemis, P-Please keep my son safe. I know he is male, but he is only a child. Help him p-please. Raise him to be kind and honourable and not the stereotype you despise, P-please! It's his first birthday today" I was touched by her words somehow and looked over at the child sleeping in the sand. 

For some unknown reason I had felt empty lately like I needed someone else in my life. At first I thought it meant a lover. But now I know the fates had led me to this child. I picked the little boy up and put him on my hip which felt natural as he clung onto my top for safety and nuzzled my neck trying to get comfy to sleep again. 

"I Lady Artemis, Goddess of Childbirth the Hunt and the Moon hereby swear to raise your child as my own on the River Styx." And with one last smile she heaved a sigh and Sally Jackson, as her name-tag on her work uniform said, was no more. 

I looked at the baby and noticed he was wearing a snap-suit with dolphins and fish on them and in the back of his neck it said in red 'Perseus' I had never liked that name and decided to change it to just Percy instead. 

I chose to take a walk with the child to by supplies for him. Gods always had an unlimited supply of money so it was no problem to buy all the things I would need for Percy. When I was done I checked out and took the trolley to the back of the shop. I flashed it away to my tent in my camp where the huntresses were right now before looking back at the boy still on my hip and seeing him clutching something is his hand. I pried his tiny hand open and took the dolphin toy from his vice like grip. It had an inscription on it that read 

'When the darkness comes at night my dear

Know the sun will come again

it's never dark for too long my love,

Happiness always wins in the end' 

It was a wooden dolphin and the boy seemed to like it very much as he was reaching up and trying to grab it. I gave it back to him and flashed back to my tent. This startled the child and I knew flashing wasn't very smooth for demigods and the child started to cry. 

I put him on my lap and bounced him up and down cooing to him until he stopped crying but it was too late and my two oldest hunters had woken up and curiously come to see what was making the screeching sound.