Chapter 9: First to Know

Let's hope I write this one quick, since I have it all planned and it isn't just a filler chapter. Also, can we all go over to Page9900's profile on Wattpad and check out her new oneshot stories, cause they are pure gold. Also, shoutout to TheSonofTartarus on Wattpad.

Chapter 9: First to Know

Perses and Diana stared at the tv, mortified, and Percy and Artemis were shocked. The Greek goddess looked slightly sad, while the Roman felt her bottom lip quiver. "I... I'm pregnant?" She asked, and Phoebus nodded.

Perses gulped. "We didn't use protection... I'm so stupid." He chastised himself, but Diana put her hand on his arm, still staring at the screen. "We didn't exactly prepare. Oh gods, we're gonna be parents." She said, hypnotised by the small fuzzy blob on the screen.

Diana gulped. "But... but we're Roman gods. I'm probably gonna be asleep when this baby comes! How is Perses gonna be able to be there? Oh gods, I don't... I don't if I'm ready for this." She hyperventilated, and Perses quickly embraced her, calming the goddess down.

Percy and Artemis looked at each other, and a thought crossed Percy's mind. He led her aside and whispered in her ear, making Artemis' eyes widen. "Would that work?" She asked, and he shrugged. "I don't know, you're the experienced one." He reminded her.

Artemis returned to the gods and knelt down next to her other half. "Diana, Percy and I talked and... we'd like to ask if you and Perses wanted us to, uh, connect our mind-world things, so that even when you guys aren't in control, you can still be together." She said, and Percy came over as well, finishing for her. "That way Perses can also take care of you and the baby, and should it arrive while you guys are asleep, he can get you help." He told her.

Diana stared at the two of them with tears in her eyes, and Perses' jaw had dropped. "You... you'd do that? But... wouldn't that weaken you guys? Having to keep that link active and everything?" She asked, and Percy took her hand. "Diana, this baby is kinda ours too, and we want it to be safe and healthy. Trust me, it's worth it." He told her.

Surprising everyone in the room, Diana leapt up and embraced Percy, bringing the total count of men she's hugged to 3, or perhaps 2 1/2. The god in question stepped back a bit in shock, but quickly got over it and smiled, hugging back. Diana reached out her right arm and pulled Artemis to her feet, before dragging her into the hug as well. "Thank you... thank you so much." She said, holding back her tears, and Percy and Artemis rubbed her back soothingly.

Diana let go of them, and the two gods backed up a bit. "So what do we do now?" Perses asked, and Phoebus sighed. "Well, it'll be complicated with the whole isolation for 29/30 days every month, but I'm sure we can meet for a checkup every Pars Deorum. For now though, I guess just follow common sense for the first few weeks. Don't drink alcohol, don't get punched in the gut, and go easy on the nightly affairs." He ended with a sly smile and a wink, making Perses' eyes widen and Diana's face turn red both in embarrassment and anger.

Artemis cleared her throat, and the three gods turned to them. "Percy and I have errands to run, so I guess you guys can hang around in the real world today. When we get back we'll sort out these new living conditions for you guys." She told them, to the agreement of everyone.

Diana stood and walked over, before pulling Artemis close again. "Really, thank you. For everything." She whispered, making the Greek smile. "No problem, sister." She said, hugging back. "Take care of our son." She said, and Diana pulled back slightly. "Son?" She asked, and Artemis shrugged. "Just a hunch. 50/50 chance I'm right, anyway." She said, and the Roman laughed slightly.

When the two parted, Artemis returned to Percy. The two gods of heroes nodded at each other, before the Greeks exited the room and left the palace through the front doors. Artemis sighed, looking down the streets of Olympus. "Well, I guess we really do have a reason to visit your mother now, huh?" She joked, and Percy cracked a grin. "That we do, milady. But first, we should tell Selena she's gonna be a big sister." He advised. Artemis held out her elbow in a playful way. "Of course, my lord." She said, making fun of the way some demigods tended to refer to him.

Percy couldn't help but laugh as he linked arms with her and flashed them into his palace.

Selena had finished her movie by now, and was wandering around the house, looking for her parents. She walked through the large palace, searching every room, and soon she ended her manhunt by returning to the basement stairs, where she'd started. She scratched her head in confusion, before deciding that her parents had gone out, leaving her alone in the house.

As it dawned on her that she was home alone, Selena smirked, and headed for the kitchen. She grabbed one of the stools from the kitchen counter and dragged it over, proceeding to climb up onto it and try to balance herself. Once she gained a form of confidence, she reached for the uppermost cabinet, swinging open and looking inside.

As she looked around, her eyes found the item she was searching for. Her father's bag of chocolates. As she reached inside, Percy happened to walk through the door, and upon turning, saw his daughter attempting theft. "Oh no you don't." He said, walking over and sweeping her off the stool and into his arms before she could grab the treats.

"Oh come on!" Selena exclaimed as her father swung her around, before her annoyance turned into giggles of laughter as he threw her up and down. Artemis walked in too, and she smiled as she watched her stepdaughter and fiance play together.

Percy eventually had to slow down the swinging, and settled for holding his young daughter bridal style while she finished off her fits of laughter. When his daughter calmed down and Artemis had sat on the lazyboy, Percy set her down. "Okay, Selena, we're gonna have a talk, so why don't you go sit by mom." He said, and his daughter furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and worry, before moving over and sitting on Artemis' lap.

"Am I in trouble? I'm sorry for trying to steal your chocolates." She said truthfully, and Percy smiled, standing in front of her. "No, princess, you're not in trouble. In fact..." He said, walking over to the open cabinet and grabbing the chocolates. Selena's eyes lit up when she saw the bag, and he walked over and handed it to her. As kind as she was, she offered the first ones to her mother and father, who smiled and accepted.

As she munched down on some delectable chocolates, Percy knelt down in front of her. "Okay, Selena, you remember Diana and... well, other dad?" He asked, and she nodded. "Daddy 2." She reminded him, and he chuckled, accompanied by Artemis. "Well, Daddy 2 and Diana had some good news this morning. Diana is having a baby." He said, and Selena paused her eating.

She looked between the two of them, and thought. "Wait... does that mean mommy's having one?" She asked, still barely comprehensive of the whole Roman aspect thing. Artemis shook her head, grabbing another chocolate. "No, sweetheart, but since Diana is just another version of me, it will also be my child, as it will also be your father's." She told the girl, who froze and thought it over.

"Does that mean I get a brother or sister?" She asked, not understanding how families worked. Percy laughed slightly, and nodded. "Yes, darling. In a few months, you'll be a big sister." He told her, getting the little girl excited. "Really?" She asked, and Artemis nodded. "Really." She said with finality.

That sent Selena off the rails.

The little girl squealed, jumping off of Artemis' lap and into Percy's arms. The man made an 'oomph' sound as he was thrown backwards, and Selena hugged herself tightly to him as she squealed. "I'M GONNA BE A SISTER!" She yelled, nearly deafening Percy. Artemis was bent over, laughing at the god's misfortune, or at least until Percy grabbed her arm and dragged her to the floor with him.

The three rolled around on the floor together, laughing their asses off, and Selena, looking to cause trouble, grabbed a pillow from the pull-out couch that Percy had been laying on over a week ago to watch tv. Catching her father off guard, she smashed it onto his head with a loud thump. As he was stunned and confused, Artemis saw what happened and got on her knees, pointing and laughing as she clutched her stomach tight.

Not letting her get the satisfaction of laughing at him, Percy grabbed another one off the couch and hit Selena in the stomach, before uppercutting Artemis with it. Sprawled on her back, Artemis glared playfully, before grabbing the last pillow and hitting him in the side.

As Percy went for another hit, Selena whacked him in the butt, making him turn around, only to be struck down from behind. Under assumption it was a free for all, Artemis whacked Selena, who giggled madly as she fell to the ground.

This continued for a while, with no clear winner in sight. Every time Percy was about to overpower them with his superior strength, the two girls would team up to knock him down. Eventually, there was a winner, as Percy whacked Artemis so hard that the pillow fell right out of her hands and across the room. He cheered triumphantly, but was soon humbled when Selena smacked the pillow out of his hand and picked it up, dual-wielding. Percy attempted to beg for mercy, but was beaten into the ground by the relentless three year old.

While Selena stood giggling and eating chocolates, the clear winner, Percy and Artemis were laying on the ground and panting. They lay next to each other, Artemis' arm basically brushing up against his, and they both simultaneously turned their heads to look at the other, still panting.

Artemis' eyes bore into his, and Percy took a good look at them. They were deep, and full of memory. They truly were the eyes of an immortal, of a goddess. "You let that little girl disarm you?" She teased, smirking, to which Percy returned the favor. "I still beat you, didn't I?" He reminded her, shutting her up.

The two lay there, staring into each other's eyes for a few seconds, before they both closed them and leaned closer. Percy's forehead came to rest against hers, and he could feel her breath on his mouth. Cautiously and hesitantly, Percy moved her mouth closer, and Artemis didn't back away. Taking this as permission granted, his lips connected with hers.

As cliche as it sounds, Artemis felt sparks fly when the son of Poseidon kissed her. It was her first kiss, and it felt strange. She felt tingly inside, and she smiled slightly and kissed back. Percy tentatively reached the hand to her back, and Artemis placed one on his shoulder. The two remained on the floor for half a minute, lips locked and arms around each other, before they heard the distinct sound of chocolate being crunched.

"You guys are gross." Selena commented, feasting on her treats and staring at them in slight disgust. The moment ruined, the gods disconnected, and Artemis smiled giddily and stared into his eyes. "That was my first kiss." She blushed, kind of embarrassed at how inexperienced she was. Percy smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, that was good for a first time. At least you didn't just press your face against mine and squeeze your eyes shut." He complimented, and the goddess blushed at such praise.

The two stood up, and Percy pulled Selena into a hug. "Wanna go see grandma and grandpa?" He asked, and she smiled, nodding rapidly. "Yup! Can I bring my chocolates?" She asked, and Percy nodded. "Only if you share them." He told her, to which she nodded.

The little girl ran off to get ready, and Percy finally flashed on a shirt (yes he's been shirtless that entire time) and some jeans. Artemis, realising she was still wearing Percy's hoodie and boxers, flashed on her usual attire, but Percy summoned his hoodie. "Keep it on, it looks good on you. Plus, the size makes you look cute." He winked, making Artemis blush. It was a minute after their first kiss and he was already flirting with her.

Selena charged downstairs a few minutes later, dressed and ready to go, and she held her dad's hand. Together, Percy flashed the three of them out to his mother's apartment.

They arrived in the hallway just outside, and Percy took the moment to wipe some chocolate off of his daughter's face. Once that was done, he looked at Artemis, still holding her hand. "You good?" He asked, and she nodded. "Yeah. Let's go." She confirmed, and he broke their hand-holding momentarily to knock on the door.

It took a few seconds, but eventually the door opened, and a man peeked his head out. "Percy?" Paul asked, opening the door fully. "Hi, grandpa. Chocolate?" Selena offered, holding out the bag. The man smiled, greeting her and accepting one of her treats. Percy smiled. "Hey Paul. Is mom home?" He asked, and Paul nodded, munching down on the chocolate.

He turned to Artemis, and noticed their linked hands. "Who's your friend?" He asked, and Artemis cleared her throat, trying to be as respectful as she could to the male Percy saw as a father-figure. "I'm Artemis, Percy's fiance." She informed him, and Paul stopped chewing.

"Sally! We have visitors!" He yelled, stepping aside to let them in. As they entered the apartment, they heard the sound of something metal being put down in the kitchen, before a woman walked in. When she saw the woman, Selena left her father's company. "Grandma!" She yelled, running to hug the middle-aged woman.

Sally Jackson smiled at the surprise and hugged back, lifting the small child up and resting her on her hip. "Hey! I didn't know you guys were coming around." She commented, accepting when Selena offered her a chocolate. "Actually, I just made cookies, let me get them. Have a seat!" She said, gesturing to the couch.

Percy and Artemis did so, while Selena walked around. Paul smiled. "So how have things been?" He asked casually, and Percy shrugged. "Well, as you can tell," He said, nodding to Artemis on his right. "It's been a busy week." Paul laughed, nervously looking at Artemis.

"So... are you like, that Artemis?" He asked tentatively, and Artemis' eyes widened. She didn't know Percy's stepfather knew about the Greek gods. She composed herself. "Yes, I am the goddess of the hunt, wilderness, chastity, moon, and childbirth." She informed him, and the middle aged man sat back a bit. "Cool." He said simply.

Thankfully, Sally entered with two plates of blue cookies, which she set down on the table. "So, how've you guys been. Oh, I'm so sorry, where are my manners? I'm Sally, and you are?" She asked, reaching out to shake her hand. Artemis took it, and was about to answer when Percy cleared his throat. "Mom, this is my fiance, Artemis, the goddess."

The woman was silent, which made Artemis nervous. What if she was disapproving of her? Artemis knew she shouldn't let the opinions of a mortal bother her, but damn near every god respected the mother of Percy Jackson. If she didn't like Artemis, there must be something wrong with the goddess.

"Your... fiance?" Sally asked through clenched teeth. Percy gulped, and nodded. "Yep. We got together last week." He said, which made Sally sound even more pissed off. "Last week? Last week and now you're engaged?" She asked, slightly ticked off.

Percy stuttered, not knowing what to say, but thankfully Artemis covered for him. She placed her hand on his arm, calming him. "What my fiance forgot to mention was that we weren't engaged last week, we were betrothed." She said, making the adults raise an eyebrow. "Betrothed?" Sally asked, holding back some anger.

Percy nodded. "Dad and Zeus got into a fight, so to achieve world peace they married off their favorite kids." He informed her, which set Sally off.

"THAT BASTARD!" She shouted, standing up in a rage. Scared, Percy scooped up around 6 cookies and called his daughter over. "Sweetie, go play somewhere else." He told her, dumping the cookies in her arms. She nodded, placing one of them in her mouth and running off down the hall.

Now that her granddaughter was out of the room, Sally grabbed a stool from the kitchen and threw it across the room. As the three other inhabitants of the room cringed at the noise, Sally proceeded to tear apart a good portion of the room. Not really wanting to have to pay to replace all the things she was breaking, Paul stood up and hugged her from behind, essentially restraining her. "Honey, H-Sally, calm down. Calm down, you're breaking everything." He said, and Sally gradually ceased her rage.

Now panting, she looked around at all the damage she had caused. "If I ever see that damned sea god again, he is dead!" She said, and Percy laughed while munching on a cookie. He offered one to Artemis, who accepted and tentatively took a bite.

As she chewed it up in her mouth, she felt a euphoria stir in her. "Mmm, this is delicious!" She complimented, relishing in the baked goods. To her, they tasted better than ambrosia. Sally heard her and smiled. "Thank you, Lady Artemis. I'm so sorry for what just happened, Poseidon infuriates me sometimes." She said, and Artemis chuckled. "You sound like Athena."

Sally and Paul sat back down and began to talk with them. "So, you guys got betrothed last week. How have things been?" She asked, and Percy answered. "It's been good. Selena's taken to calling Artemis mom, so we know she's cool with this. The hunt doesn't hate me too much anymore, so that's good. I actually forgot to tell Selena's school why she was absent, so I got in trouble for that. But other than that, nothing much has happened." He said, putting off the big news for now.

"And how has he been treating you, Lady Artemis? Has my son been good to you?" She turned to the goddess, who averted her eyes. "Percy has been amazing to me, Mrs Jackson. He's... he's just been so good. He helped out with the hunters when we were staying with them, he saved and carried me to safety after I was assaulted in the woods, and most importantly, he hasn't attempted to force himself on me or even pressured me to do you know what." She said, which brightened Sally's spirits. "At least I got one thing right when raising him." She remarked, earning a 'hey!' from Percy.

Deciding to have a bit of fun and play a little prank on Percy, Artemis turned on her acting skills and her face darkened. "Although, not too long before we came here, he beat me." She told them, and Paul and Sally's eyes widened. As the Jackson woman's eyes lit up in flames and she prepared to tear Percy a new one, he choked on his cookies and yelped. "It was a pillow fight!" He assured his mother, who then looked to Artemis for confirmation.

Artemis couldn't hold it together anymore, and burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't joke about that, but it was worth it to see Percy scared." She apologised, and Paul laughed a bit while Sally smiled. Percy rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, playfully glaring at her from the corner of his eye. Sally turned to Artemis. "Oh, and Lady Artemis, please, call me Sally. Mrs Jackson makes me sound old." She commented, and Artemis thanked her. "Please, drop the 'lady' part of my name then."

Percy then cleared his throat and sat up. "I guess we should probably tell you the big news." He said, and Artemis sat up when she realised what this was. Sally and Paul raised an eyebrow and looked at each other in confusion. "I thought that was the big news? That you guys were engaged?" Paul asked, and Percy shook his head.

Artemis gently linked hands with him as the god struggled to find the confidence and words needed. When he felt her warm hand in his, he gave her a side glance and a smile, before sitting up again. "Mom, Paul, you guys are gonna be grandparents again." He smiled, but that was before Sally launched herself across the table and slapped him.

Artemis and Paul's eyes widened as Percy clutched his face in pain. "Ow! Mom, what was that for?" He exclaimed, and Sally glared at him. "I thought I raised you better than this! How could you get someone pregnant before marrying them!?" She scolded him, and Percy looked at her incredulously, before understanding why she was confused.

Artemis explained it for her. "Mrs- Sally, it's not Percy's fault. I don't know if you know this, but yesterday was the monthly Pars Deorum, or Party of the Gods, or Roman Festival, whatever you want to call it. It's the day our Roman aspects gain control for a day to stretch their legs and socialize. Well, it seems our Roman forms Perses and Diana did a little too much socializing, and now she's pregnant. So, I'm not pregant, and Percy didn't have sex with me. Although, since our Roman aspects are, well... us, the baby is ours too, but it will gain a Greek form and that will be our child." She informed her.

Sally sat back in confusion and rubbed her temples. "So... Percy didn't knock you up, but you're still having a baby?" She asked, and the young couple nodded. "It's just Artemis other half is giving birth to it, so it'll be Roman by birth but it will get a Greek form that will be our child, despite Artemis not carrying it." He explained, and she nodded.

Sally put her head in her hands, taking deep breaths. "Jesus, my son's getting married and having another kid." She then lifted her head. "We better be at the wedding, and I want to see it as soon as possible after it comes." She said, and Percy smirked. "I'm sure we can arrange transports for you and Paul, and once Diana lets go of it and allows us to hold it, we'll let you see it." He promised, and his mother smiled.

The four continued to chat amiably, with Sally and Paul getting to know Artemis better, and even giving her their blessing to marry Percy. Eventually, Paul stood up. "Well, I guess I'll go tell Selena she can come back in." He said, and they nodded, not paying it any mind as he walked off.

While Sally chatted with Percy and Artemis, they did not expect to hear Paul shouting for them to come as quickly as they could, but unfortunately, that's exactly what they heard. Fearing the worst, Percy jumped up and sprinted down the hall, Artemis and Sally hot on his tail. Percy barged into the room, nearly pushing over Paul in the doorway, and what he saw shocked him.

"Mom, did you put drugs in those cookies?" He asked, and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before the two women entered the room. As their jaws dropped, Paul backed up a bit. "This is some Shining stuff." He commented, and Artemis' eyes were wide. "Oh gods." Sally stepped past Paul. "Selena?" She asked hesitantly.

Why were the four so frightened, you may ask? Well, standing in the middle of the room were two Selena's, nearly identical to each other, sharing their chocolates and staring at them.

Imma leave you on a cliffhanger. What do you think happened? I think it's fairly obvious, but leave further theories and solutions in the comments/reviews. Also, what US state is your favorite? What TV show has the best theme song? What is your favorite One Direction song? Please answer these questions.

Word Count: 4134