Banished

25

Percy PoV

"Don't be ridiculous," I chided. "It went great."

"How can you be sure?" Artemis asked.

I gestured to the plate of blue cookies in her hands. "She wouldn't have given you those if she didn't like you."

She set down the plate and kissed my cheek. "They are some very good cookies."

I pulled her into a hug. "So, what are your thoughts on introducing me to your hunters today?"

"I think they'll like you," my girlfriend replied decidedly. "I had something else in mind for tonight, but introducing you to them shouldn't take too long."

Releasing her from the hug, I kissed the top of her head and took her hand. "Should I be wearing a cup for this?"

"I don't think it'll be necessary," she reasoned. "Even if something does happen, nectar and ambrosia could
probably fix it easily."

"That was in no way comforting," I stated.

We appeared at the edge of the hunters' camp. The girls all seemed to be gathered around a large campfire, discussing something.

Artemis kissed my cheek and released my hand.

She approached her hunters with me trailing behind.

"Girls", she greeted. "Since you're all sitting around chatting, I trust I'll find that everything is in perfect working order and there are no tasks left incomplete?"

A few hunters began scrambling to go complete their chores but were ordered to stop.

"Before you go finish the tasks you were slacking on, I would like you all to meet someone. Remember how I explained that I was seeing someone?" She asked.

I swallowed hard and gave a small wave.

Her hunters were now all giving their full attention to us.

"This is Percy," the goddess clarified. "He's my boyfriend."

Then the questions came all at once, loud and mashed together sounding like a completely different language.

"One at a time!" She ordered.

Thalia went first. "How long have you been dating?"

"Close to five months now," I replied. Of course, there were many more questions, some Artemis made sure I didn't answer, but it all became a bit of a blur.

The important thing to me was that they seemed to accept me as their sponsor's boyfriend.

I didn't even get shot by Phoebe this time, so I think she was starting to warm up to me.

We appeared back at her palace and she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What's bothering you?" I asked, seeing her concern.

Artemis let out a breath. "A meeting was just called and your presence was requested. They're probably going to send you off on some mission so they can try talking me into breaking up with you. You would think that they would know better
after my thousands of years of life, but they don't."

Changing location again, we appeared at the council room, which had been reverted back from the ballroom to its original form.

My girlfriend took her seat and I conjured a beanbag to sit by the hearth, which made Hestia crack a smile.

I sat quietly and waited for the Olympians to begin speaking.

Zeus cleared his throat. "Athena has brought to my attention a powerful and growing threat to our way of life. I will leave Athena to explain this threat."

The wisdom goddess cleared her throat. "Monsters are reforming with mutations that make them more powerful. After conducting extensive research using the items and dust monsters have dropped upon their destruction, I have determined that someone is down in Tartarus, adding these modifications to reforming monsters. If they find a way to allow Titans and Giants to reform and modify them, it could be the end of our era as we know it."