Chapter Text
It was a good day for the hunt. After a few weeks following the trail of a wide group of monsters, they had finally managed to catch up to them and deal with the threat before they caused any problems for anyone (though if you asked most of the huntresses, they would answer that they did it for the thrill of the hunt, not because they wanted to protect the demigod camp). They were fairly close to Camp Half-Blood, and while Artemis told the hunters they could head there to rest after the successful hunt, most of them voiced (yelled) that they’d rather set up their tents and spend the night in the forest. Artemis didn’t really mind either way: at least she wouldn't have to hear the complaints from the campers about broken limbs or stray arrows (even if everyone involved knew the arrows had been shot on purpose). Boys , she thought while lightly shaking her head. They can’t even deal with a few harmless pranks.
At least it was a peaceful night. The moon shined softly, echoing her state of mind. Her father had been in a good mood for the past few months, no cloud preventing her from seeing the stars. She decided to take a stroll around. Warning her lieutenant Zoë, she weaved through the trees while small animals watched her, some approaching and running around her as she walked. She smiled a bit as she recalled how the most recent addition to the hunt, a ten-year old girl by the name of Chloe, had called her a “Disney princess, but one of the cool ones that beats the bad guys herself”. While being called princess is not something she would normally entertain, she had to admit that it warmed her heart.
She arrived at the beach soon enough. The place seemed mostly deserted, though she could see a cabin with the lights on in the distance. She admired the stars and the moon, while enjoying the mix of the scent of the sea and the forest . That’s why she preferred letting the moon chariot drive itself: she would never tire of spending her time in the wild, even if it was slowly disappearing because of the mortals. She couldn’t prevent a light growl from escaping her lips at the thought, but she tried to not think about it: she wanted to enjoy the calm for a bit longer. That is, until a few seconds later when a small sense of uneasiness clawed at her heart. Not like she was in danger… more like something of hers was. She was about to go back to her hunters, hoping they weren't under attack, but she froze when she noticed the waves hitting the shore stronger than before. A storm was brewing, and it didn’t seem to be her father who was causing it.
The sea kept getting more violent by the second, until a man appeared from between the waves, quickly approaching her. Artemis didn’t know what to think. There wasn’t any bad blood between her and her uncle (at least she didn’t think so). Even if her or one of her hunters had offended him, Poseidon wouldn’t harm her or the girls without a warning: he was one of the few gods, if not the only one, who the passage of time had changed for the better, letting go of most of his grudges and learning to control his temper. Still, she was weary: he clearly wasn’t in a good mood. If the state of the sea didn’t clue her in to it, the stormy expression in her uncle’s face was enough proof.
“Poseidon”, she said. She didn’t know whether to play it safe or not. She didn’t know why Poseidon was approaching her, but she was an Olympian goddess as well. He wouldn't see her cowering.
“Artemis”, he answered quickly, and the tone of his voice stopped her in her tracks. Now that he was closer, she noticed that not only was he showing anger: there was something desperate in his expression and his voice. “I-I need your help”
Perhaps for once in her immortal life, she didn’t know how to react. One of the Big Three, Poseidon himself, known for his power and his anger, was almost begging. What could he possibly need from her?
“If there’s something I can help you with without angering father, as long as I get something in return then we can talk”, and perhaps it was stupid or cruel, since she was taking advantage of her uncle’s emotional turmoil to get something in return, but that’s how immortal dealings were: a favor for a favor.
“And I’ll answer your demands within reason, but you must swear on the Styx not to tell anyone what I’m about to tell you. And for good measure, I swear on the Styx that what I’m about to ask you shall not bring any harm to you or your hunters”. Thunder boomed. Once again, Artemis was speechless. Her uncle was going all in without hesitation. She shifted her weight onto her other leg. Having Poseidon’s gratitude was something she couldn’t pass up. He clearly didn’t have time for more bartering, he was desperate. And he wasn't one to act like this for no reason. So, without having more time to ponder about her decision, she swore on the Styx and, as the thunder sealed the oath, she heard her uncle’s story as her uneasiness grew.
She wasn’t surprised by her uncle breaking the oath. However, he seemed regretful: her father only boasted as he talked about how her young daughter was surviving the monsters that came after her, to the displeasure of Hera and Hermes (since one of his sons was traveling with her and they were in constant danger). The monsters knew about her, Hades knew about her and everyone had ended up knowing about her, and Zeus didn’t even seem regretful of the fate that he had brought to Thalia. Men. Artemis had wanted to find her and offer her a place in the hunt, but she hadn't had the time.
Unlike his father, Poseidon wanted to keep his son as safe as possible. His mother (and the way he talked about her, as a great woman he loved and not as a simple conquest, made her bite down any remark about men and vile acts towards women) had married a despicable man who, while hiding her son’s scent, had been more of a monster than any that could have come after him. She was in danger, and Poseidon wanted her to help her.
“And why can’t you do so?”, Artemis asked, irritated. Even if Poseidon was showing care for his child, he had still left a brave woman to a horrible fate.
“You know why. I can’t interfere with a mortal’s life without your father noticing. I can’t save her only for my child to be struck by lightning as soon as he walks outside. But you: you are a protector of both women and children. He will think nothing of it. Please, I beg you”
And Artemis really, really wanted to refuse. She was putting herself and her hunters in danger. She could incur in her father’s wrath by being aware of this boy’s existence and keeping quiet. And yet, Poseidon was right. She couldn’t walk away from a suffering child and woman. She now knew what the uneasiness from earlier was. Harm was being brought upon them, and she had the duty to help. She nodded and ran as fast as she could towards the cabin. The exchange hadn’t lasted more than a few minutes as conversations between gods were quick. And yet, each second was one second closer to her finding two corpses in the room.
With a powerful kick, she entered the cabin in her 20 year-old form. In less than a second, she surveyed the room. A man whose physical appearance was as hideous and the depths of his heart (if he even had one), armed with a broken beer bottle covered in blood. A boy no older than seven, beaten up and trembling with fear yet not moving away from the man's view, with his arms wide open in a protective gesture . Behind him, a bloodied body with too many cuts on her body and the other broken half of the bottle deep into her gut.
She wished she could turn the man into a horrible animal and let her hunters skin him while keeping him alive for as long as possible, yet her priority right now were the victims. She had to hope the Underworld's justice would get to him. Before the man was even able to gaze upon her, he was sent flying across the room from another kick before an arrow embedded itself into each of his limbs, one completely castrating him and the last one directly into his throat, pinning him to the wall. Before the boy could see the gruesome scene, she grabbed his hands and got on her knees, looking into his eyes. She was a protector of children no matter the gender, and she would make sure the child was safe.
“Hey. Don’t look behind you child. Keep your eyes on the door and warn me if anything comes, alright? I’m here to help”
Perhaps it was the millenia-old goddess, the silver-clad savior or the concerned woman that made the boy freeze and nod before even realizing what he agreed to. She quickly knelt next to the woman and put her hands on her chest as she closed her eyes. Not even a second later, tears were gathering in her eyes. Without the possibility of using ambrosia or nectar, her injuries were too many to heal easily. The previous beating had taken too much out of her, and the loss of blood was fatal. She was witnessing Sally Jackson’s last seconds.
“I’m sorry”, she muttered, hoping she could have saved the brave woman who had given everything for her son. She only caught the words that came out of her mouth because of her trained senses. She was certain that the boy wasn’t hearing his mother’s last words.
“I-It’s okay, L-Lady Artemis”. If it wasn’t because of the situation, she would have been surprised the mortal recognized her. “I-I know it’s the end... C-Can you pro-promise me something?”
Once again, Artemis found herself agreeing to something before knowing what was being asked of her. And yet, she didn’t care. This promise held more weight to her than the Styx oath she made minutes before.
“K-Keep him safe. H-He doesn’t deserve the fate that awaits him. P-Please”
“I-I can’t. He is a boy, there is no place for him in my hunt. I can’t protect him. His father will”
Instead of showing anger or disappointment, the woman laughed without humor, closing her eyes as she spoke.
“H-His father can’t protect him. E-Even in his father’s palace he will be a prisoner of his fate. Yet with you, h-he may grow into the hero he is fated to be. C-Change has to come one way or another, even for immortals, and I know with him, it will be for the better”
The boy had finally noticed Artemis speaking with his mother while the woman’s voice weakened. He knelt on the other side of the woman's voice and grasped her hand with tear tracks covering his cheeks while his entire body shook.
“M-Mom, y-you’ll get b-better, r-right? W-We can return here n-next year w-without Smelly G-Gabe a-and…”
Her mother spent the last of her strength in dragging her son’s hand to her face before softly kissing his palm.
“M-My sweet, sweet boy. P-Please, remember that you can still have a family. I love you so so much”
“Mom, please! Mom!”
As the woman’s gaze slowly lost the last life it had, Artemis put her arms around the boy as he cried on her shoulder. No one, young or old, male or female, should see their mother go like this. Artemis closed Sally’s eyes with her fingers and promised to come back to give her proper burial as soon as the boy was safe.
She pondered on what to do. Bringing a boy to the hunt… even if he was still innocent and the world hadn’t tainted him yet, her hunters wouldn’t like it. He wouldn’t be accepted, and there was no telling how it could end. And yet, was there another choice? She had made a promise to a concerned woman during her last breaths, and she couldn’t dishonor that.
She could bring him to camp… but there was no telling what could happen to him. He would bring a lot of monsters because of his scent, her father would notice soon and try to get him killed. She couldn’t leave the boy alone knowing he might be heading towards his death. And perhaps… she had a few selfish reasons as well.
If anything happened to Thalia, the Great Prophecy would fall on this boy’s shoulders. Other gods would argue that killing the boy would be the smart option, but she had learned enough from her brother to know that trying to delay a prophecy would only make things worse. If she left him alone or brought him to camp, he would grow resentful of the gods. Artemis wasn’t blind: as the Olympian who spent most of her time with mortals she cared about, she knew better than anyone the mistakes the gods made. Mistakes she couldn't fix herself, mistakes the others were too proud to see or care about.
Even if he wouldn’t be the hero of the prophecy, she recalled Sally’s words. Change would come no matter what. This boy had suffered at the hands of a despicable man and seen his mother die because of him. He was young, lost and needed a family. She had made a lot of mistakes in the past, but there was one that she still failed to solve: the hatred her hunters felt towards men. Contrary to popular belief, she didn’t strictly hate every single male: she mostly felt indifferent towards them. But her hunters, especially the older ones, despised the other gender. She didn’t fault them for it: each of them had suffered under the hands of men. They were safe and happier now, but they could never get past their pain. She had seen some of them harm innocent males and boys, in camp or in the wilderness, and she never moved to prevent it or punished them for it. While she understood their way of seeing things... Perhaps a boy, hurt by the world in the same manner as them, could get them to see the world in a different light.
She had a lot of blood in her hands as well. As a goddess, she was excessively proud and made as many mistakes as any other. Cursing innocent women that were tricked by her own family or transforming men into animals and hunting them for fun simply for looking towards her hunters. Perhaps if a young boy joined them as family, she could change the views of her hunters and repent for her past mistakes, while also ensuring he would become the best man possible, having Poseidon owe her a great debt and fulfilling the last wish of one of the most brave women in the world.
Not without her fair share of doubts, and the memory of another son of Poseidon who had once joined the hunt and let her down coming to the surface, she looked into the boy’s green eyes through his tears.
“What is your name, boy?”, she asked softly as he tried to clean his face with his own shirt.
“P-Percy, miss”, and she was glad the boy was looking into her eyes and not towards his mother’s unmoving body.
“I am sorry I couldn’t do more, Percy, but that vile man will not touch you ever again. For now, let me bring you to safety, and I’ll come later to deal with anything else, alright?”. She stretched her hand towards him. The last thing she would do was frighten him further.
He nodded lightly and grabbed her hand, standing up with her help. Both of them headed outside and soon were making their way towards the forest. Artemis noticed Poseidon looking at them sadly from the distance. She looked back towards Percy and noticed him looking at her as if he wanted to say something, the flow of tears never stopping, and she dipped her head, encouraging him.
“T-Thanks for t-trying to help mom… W-What’s your name?”
“Artemis”
“Like the goddess of the moon?”. A small smile showed on her lips.
“Exactly like her. Do you know of her?”. The boy nodded, smiling sadly yet without being able to prevent soft sobs from escaping his throat.
“M-Mom told me a lot of stories. S-She said she always helps those in need, like you helped me”
Artemis sighed softly and tried to pat his head. She hardly ever interacted with boys as young as him and she wasn't one for physical affection, but she would try to comfort him.
“I’m sure you will help a lot of people someday as well, Percy”