Chapter 4: Guilt

So I had the idea for this chapter so I decided to write it now (also thanks to Page9900's suggestion). Again, what kind of things do you wanna see happen in this story? I'm up for ideas. I hope you guys enjoy. I'm writing this at 1 in the morning while listening to Starset. Also, your guys' thoughts on this becoming a PercyxArtemisxAphrodite? Like they all love each other.

Chapter 4: Guilt

The love goddess Aphrodite sat in a coffee shop wearing a nice warm sweater and had a pair of mittens. Her sweater had a pink Hello Kitty on it, and she held a cup of coffee in both hands.

She was staring at the dreamy barista, a young man who looked to be barely legal. Not that legal ever mattered to Aphrodite. If their age wasn't on the clock it was fine with her. The teen noticed her staring, so she wiggled her fingers at him. She smiled goofily, and she winked as she took another sip of her coffee.

The door opened with a ring of the bell, and a young man walked in, walking up to the counter and ordering his coffee. When he made eye contact with her, he made his way across the room to sit down on the other side of her booth. The barista noticed this, and his face fell. To save this possible lay, she mouthed to him brother, hoping he would get the hint she wasn't dating this guy. The barista must have understood, and he brightened up almost immediately.

Percy noticed Aphrodite mouthing something to someone behind him, so he turned around to see the young barista staring in his direction giddily. He raised an eyebrow and turned back to the goddess. "You know that guy's like 16, right Aph?" He asked, and she sipped her coffee. "Where I come from, if he's thirteen he's a man. Anyway, hello to you too Percy." She said, smiling at him.

He smiled back. "Hey Aph. How've you been?" He asked, and Aphrodte filled with her fingers. "Oh, the usual. Dodging Hephaestus as much as possible. Flinging with Ares. Bugging Athena. Not much change." She said, and Percy laughed, before his face turned serious.

"I still think you should give Hephaestus a chance. He's a great guy. It's not his fault he's misshapen, it's Hera's. You should try looking at him for who he is as a person, not for what he looks like. Maybe then you can lose your status as Olympus' court thot. Besides, you never even gave him a chance to make it work, as soon as you were married you were off banging every guy except him. Imagine how he feels about that." Percy attempted.

Aphrodite scoffed. "I felt that way about you. You were off screwing the brains out of everyone except me after Annabeth dumped you. Not to mention my feelings for you, that was like 10 times worse than just being in the friendzone alone." She frowned, drawing smiley faces on her cup out of thin air.

Percy frowned. "Aph, that was different. We're friends, not to mention you're also married to a close friend. Doing you would be like me doing someone like Piper or Hazel or Calypso or Katie." He told her, and Aph had to pretend she knew more than half those people.

"Yeah, but you did do Calypso, when you were like 15. It was a good show." She smirked, winking at him, to which Percy's face paled. "And anyway, I'm sure you and my daughter had some form of relationship." She continued, and Percy cringed. "No! They were dating before I even met them. That goes against who I am as god of loyalty." He said, and Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Oh right, that." She said.

Percy heard his name being called, so he went up and paid. Aphrodite handed him a few bucks to pay for it, and in between them she had sandwiched a small slip of paper with her number on it. The guy noticed it, and grinned over at her.

Percy returned. "But anyways, you had me eventually, and that was fun. I'm just glad it didn't ruin our friendship." He said, and Aphrodite smiled at the memories. Percy continued. "Like I said, you should give Hephaestus a chance. If you saw who he was on the inside, you might find him the most attractive man you've ever met." He said.

Aphrodite sighed. "Percy, we've been over this. You are the most attractive man I've ever met. I still don't understand why we can't be together. We both like each other!" She said, sad. Percy also looked sad.

"Aph, you're right, we have been over this. I do find you attractive, one of if not the most beautiful woman I've ever met, equal to Artemis. I like you not just for your body, but for who you are. When we first started hanging out, I didn't expect to find the amazing woman I know today, but I did. I found a side that you never showed to anyone, not even Ares." Aphrodite smiled at him hopefully.

Percy sipped his cup. "But I know you. You sleep with guys because it brings you the biggest pleasure. It's who you are. My domains make it so I am incapable of betrayal or cheating, your domain makes it so you're practically malnourished without sex like 3 times a day." He said, and the goddess clasped his hands in her own.

"But you can give that to me, Percy. You're all I need. After our night together I didn't sleep with another man for two whole weeks! An eternity with you and I'll never sleep with another man again." She said, and Percy shook his head. "No, you'll cheat on me anyway. Even if I allow it, I don't think I can deal with the idea that every time you come home, you're coming from another man's bed. I'm sorry." He said, and Aphrodite had tears in her eyes.

"But... but Percy... I can change... for you...." She pleaded, but Percy shook his head. It hurt him to have to do this to his best friend. "I'm sorry Aph. I'm getting married, we're best friends, and I can't fully trust that you'll remain faithful. It just can't be." He said, and Aphrodite wiped her eyes, replenishing the mascara once the tears were gone.

"Oh right, Artemis...." She said, staring out the window with an annoyed expression on her face. She was still upset that that prude took away her only chance with Percy. He would never cheat on his wife, therefore he could never be with her. Seriously, she'd been trying to set her up with guys for millennia, and now she comes and takes the one guy Aphrodite wants for herself.

Percy cleared his throat, trying to change the subject. "So, is Ares treating you well?" He asked, and Aphrodite grasped her coffee again. "You know him, he's territorial. He hasn't... he hasn't hit me in a long time, but he came close to it when he found out we slept together." She said, staring sadly into her cup.

Percy grasped his angrily. He had always hated how Ares treated her. He used her like a tool, his sexdoll. Then when she turned around and slept with another guy, which she was allowed to do since the two weren't dating, Ares would beat the guy to near death.

Thankfully Ares had never come after Percy, having learned his lesson that he couldn't beat a poorly trained twelve year old version of him.

"You should stay away from him. Nothing good can come out of your guys' relationship. It's unhealthy." He told her, and Aphrodite hummed in agreement. "Yeah, but... I don't know. What am I supposed to do? Go up to him and say hey, stop coming to my place like every day for sex, I don't like it? That's hardly gonna get through his thick head."

Percy nodded. "Exactly! Well, maybe the wording could be better. If he gives you trouble, just mind-message me. I have a feeling the guy's afraid of me." He said, and Aphrodite giggled.

"How's Selena?" She asked, resting her head on one hand as she thought of the girl who was practically a daughter to her. Percy smiled. "She's great. She gets along with the hunters really well. She's taken to calling Artemis 'mom' already, and she's learning archery right now." He said, and she smiled. "That's good. I'm proud of her for taking that up." She said truthfully.

In reality, Aphrodite was hurt that Artemis had become Selena's mother. She thought she and the daughter of Perseus had a closer bond than that. She told herself there was nothing she could do. Just as Percy could never be hers, Selena could never see her as a mother.

Percy hummed. "She's shaken up at the moment. We had an incident a few days ago." He said, and the goddess raised an eyebrow. "Which was?" She asked, and Percy cleared his throat.

"We were out hunting and we were returning to camp with our catch when Artemis was shot in the net with a tranq dart. I hid Selena and I behind a tree and we watched as a man came out and tried to rape Artemis. It turned out to be a celtic god of the forest, and I killed him. But still, the shock and fear she got from hding behind that tree with her mouth covered while someone hurt her mom really scared her." He said sadly.

Aphrodite pouted. "Aw, now I just wanna give her a hug. How is Artemis, anyway?" She asked absentmindedly. Percy smiled. "She's fine. It was just a tranq dart. The situation is... going well. Its gotten to the point where she doesn't dislike, and even allows things like hugging and holding hands. Marriage is gonna be hard on her." He said.

Aphrodite smirked. "You smashed?" She asked, and Percy choked on his coffee. "Wh- uh, no. No. We've slept together but-" He was cut off by Aphrodite. "You slept together? OMG this is great!" She exclaimed, actually excited that Artemis lost her virginity. Percy shushed her quickly. "No! No! We didn't sleep together, we just went to sleep in the same bed." He clarified, and the excitement in her eyes dwindled.

"Oh that's all? Well when are you gonna smash?" She asked, and Percy blushed. He muttered something under his breath. She raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?" She said, and Percy spoke up. "Never." He exclaimed, putting on a chill face.

Aphrodite looked at him with shock written on her face. "Wha- why? Oh, oh, no no no no. She is not seriously sticking to that whole eternal virgin thing, is she?" She asked, outraged. Percy swallowed and nodded, and Aphrodite put her head in her arms. "What the hell is wrong with her? She steals the most perfect man in the world and she's not even fucking him." She muttered.

Then she looked up as something dawned on her. "Wait, if you can't cheat on her, but you also can't bang her, then..." She trailed off, putting the pieces together. Percy finished it for her. "I will be chaste for eternity." He said, and Aphrodite went slack-jawed.

"What the fuck is wrong with her!?" She glared, and Percy cringed at her tone. "Aph, its fine, it really is, I-"

"No! Its not fucking okay Percy! You're going to waste! She's pushing her virgin agenda onto you! Its not even just a personal thing. Do you know how weak she'll be making Olympus through this? You are the head of the next generation, Percy. Your children will be insanely powerful, but thanks to her you're not gonna have any children and Olympus will slowly deteriorate!" She almost shrieked, and Percy shushed her desperately.

"Aph, it's fine. I'm voluntarily doing it." He said, but she wasn't done. "Not only that, but she steals the man I love and then has the audacity to blue-balls him for eternity?! This is fucking outrageous! I have half a mind to tie her down and shove-" she was silenced by Percy slamming his fist down on the table.

The barista looked over at then worriedly, but stayed out of it. Percy glared at Aphrodite. "I don't appreciate my fiance being threatened in such a way." He said pointedly, but Aphrodite was unphased. "Do you wanna do it?" She asked.

Percy's eyes widened. "What?" He asked, and Aphrodite stared at him knowingly. "Do you really wanna remain chaste for eternity? To never feel the touch of a woman again?" She asked, and Percy immediately knew the answer.

He shakily pulled his hand towards himself from on the table and shook his head. "No. No, I don't. I am a god. I want to breed and have lots of kids, not just Selena. I want to feel the pleasure you get from sex. I don't want to give that up. I know I sound like a pig, but when I'm reminded of my situation, it just makes me even more desperate." He admitted.

Aphrodite looked at him sadly. "Just tell her that." She advised, but Percy shook his head. "It's not as simple as that, Aph. She's a maiden goddess. She'd never permit me to sleep with other women, but she'd never give up her own maidenhood to me. I don't want to do this, but if I speak up, I'm scared of what she'll do. I... I'm scared that she'll hurt me, or ostracize me."

He looked at his cooling coffee. "I... I don't know how to say no... I'm scared to say no." He admitted.

He took a huge swig of his drink. "It's not even the no-sex that gets me. It's the fact that I can't say no that's messing with me. When she said she didn't like the idea of sex, I just vowed away my right to lust. Sure, maybe I could go without sex if I was a virgin like the hunters, but I've had sex, and I fucking enjoy it. It's one of the best feelings I've ever had, and I'm just giving it away. For what?! Because I'm scared!" He admitted, on the verge of having a mental breakdown.

Aphrodite couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and moved across to sit beside him, before taking him into her arms. Percy shook in her arms. "I like her Aph, I really do. I think it can work, but I'm so scared, and all the fucking stress is getting to me." He said, pulling her closer.

Aphrodite stroked his hair. "Tell her how you feel, Percy. Tell her that you don't want to remain chaste, and that she should at least permit you to sleep with other women. She owes you that, at least." She said, and Percy shook. "But what if she gets mad? What if she hurts me?" He asked.

Aphrodite kissed the top of his head. "I will be watching. If she lashes out, I will be there to protect you. I know you could never bring yourself to hurt or fight back against her, but I will fight her in your place. I will protect you, Percy." She soothed, and he calmed in her arms.

In the next booth over, staring at the wall, Artemis pondered over what she'd heard with a guilty expression. She'd come here to make sure Percy didn't cheat on her with Aphrodite, having finished her training with Selena a while ago, but during her eavesdropping she had heard many things she wished she never had.

She flashed out of the booth, alerting both Percy and Aphrodite that someone had been there, but they didn't care too much. She flashed up to Olympus, specifically to one of the gardens of Demeter. She sat down on a wooden bench, where she had a clear view off of Olympus and to the skies beyond.

She thought about all she had heard, and she felt extremely guilty. Aphrodite was right, she had pushed her ideals onto Percy without even fully considering how he felt. When she made the decision, she was thinking of him as just another man, but things had changed over the past few days. She realised Percy was so much more than that. He was loyal, kind, strong, polite, and he was likely the only man she would ever bring herself with respect.

She had essentially pressured him into giving up something he liked, how was it any different from just cutting off his manhood? Sure, he offered to do it, but as she just heard, he clearly didn't want to. Now she was at a loss.

Not to mention what Aphrodite had said. She had never heard the love goddess admit such things before, and with such emotion! Perhaps Aphrodite did really have feelings for or even love Percy, but they couldn't be together. Why? Because of her, because of Artemis.

Aphrodite had even offered to stay faithful, and somehow, deep down, Artemis believed her. You could never trust the love goddess with something like that, but something about the way she said just made Artemis reconsider that. If Aphrodite was truly willing to give up sex blitzkrieg, maybe she really did love Percy, and Artemis hated the thought that she was the one getting in the way of love, that she was preventing Aphrodite and Percy from being happy.

Artemis sat there for a few hours, lost in her thoughts. As the sun went down, she flashed back to her tent, shocking Percy a little bit. She was about to speak, but she noticed the small body on his chest. He put a finger over his lips, then whispered to her. "She was tired."

She bit her lip and looked to the side. "Can we talk somewhere private?" She asked, and he nodded. "My palace is empty. I'll leave her here." He told her, and Artemis nodded. Percy grasped her shoulder, since she could only flash into his palace with his permission, and they disappeared.

They appeared in Percy's room, and the two of them sat on the bed. "So, what did you wanna talk about?" He asked, and Artemis looked down shamefully. "Percy, are you scared of me?" She asked, and Percy's eyes widened. "What?" He asked, and she looked at him.

"I... I heard your conversation with Aphrodite and... I'm sorry. I didn't fully take into consideration how you felt and what you wanted. I just decided what I would do and didn't let us try to mediate, I just pressured you into going with my plan." She said, and Percy shook his head. "No, Artemis, I decided to go chaste. I did it of my own free will." He tried, but Artemis didn't listen.

"But you wouldn't have if you weren't getting married to me. If- If you were getting married to Aphrodite or someone you would be happy!" She said, and Percy frowned. "So you heard that part too, huh?" Artemis nodded, and Percy sighed.

"I told you how Aph and I slept together, but what I didn't tell you is that we weren't just fuckbuddies. We became close, and Aph gained feelings for me. I think I also grew to like her, but I refused any relationship with her. She was my friend, and I wasn't sure she would refrain from breaking my heart. I didn't want to take that risk. I still don't." He admitted, and Artemis stared at her hands.

"So you like her?" She asked, slightly hurt. Percy sighed. "Yes. I do like her. Do I love her, I don't know, and I never will. But... that's in the past. You and I are gonna get married, and hopefully we will come to love each other." He said finally, and the two of them sat there in silence.

After a few minutes, Artemis opened her eyes, glossy with tears. "Percy, I'm sorry. I feel so guilty. I want this marriage to work, I don't want us to be unhappy. If we need to sex to be happy, I... I will give up my maidenhood to you, and only you." She spoke.

Percy's jaw dropped, and they were silent for a moment, then Percy's face turned sad, and he dropped down to one knee on the floor. He knelt in front of her, and took her hand. "Artemis, I promise you, I will never take your maidenhood unless you truly want it. As god of loyalty, I swear on the Styx never to sleep with Artemis until she wholeheartedly desires it, and I beseech the Fates to bestow upon me the power to recognize such desire should the day ever come." He vowed, and Artemis was on the verge of crying.

She launched forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her head into his neck. "Thank you, Percy. Thank you." She repeated, and Percy smiled. "It's no problem Artemis. Just doing my part as the god of loyalty, I would never hurt you." He promised, and she smiled into his neck. "Thank you."

They sat there for a while, hugging on the floor, before Percy came up with an idea. "You wanna watch a movie?" He asked, and Artemis chuckled, before parting from the hug. "Yes, that would be nice." She decided, and they stood up. The two of them got onto the bed and utilised Percy's Netflix subscription, waiting for the inevitable IM from Thalia saying that Selena had woken up and wanted them.

So I wrote that pretty quickly. Like 24 hours. I hope you enjoyed that Pertemis at the end. No, I'm not making Percy selfish and having him take her virginity even though she doesn't really want to. Again, I ask you if I should make Aphrodite join the relationship. I got 2 saying yes and 2 saying no so far. Also, any ideas for what should happen in this story? I need content! How did you like this chapter?

Word Count: 3686