Chapter 2: It's Not Your Fault

So I will be continuing my stories, but I think I want to take it easy. I won't be pressuring myself into updating, I'll start focusing a lot more on school and I'll only work on something if I have a good idea for it. That way the stuff I put out won't be horseshit, I won't be dead tired and failing school and my mental health should improve. So, who knows, maybe if I get ideas I might update one of those practically abandoned stories like Viva La Vida or PJTO.

Chapter 2: It's Not Your Fault

Percy's P.O.V.

We flashed to the hunter's camp in Central Park in silence. Artemis was almost pale, and her fists were clenched so hard that I swear she was about to draw blood. I swallowed, noticing how parched my throat had become since Zeus declared that damning fate of mine.

I hadn't spoken, neither of us had spoken since Zeus' decision, not to each other or anyone else. Athena and Hestia had tried to comfort Artemis after the meeting was dismissed, but Artemis looked like she'd just witnessed murder, or seen a ghost. After five minutes of complete silence from her, the two goddesses told her to IM them if she wanted to talk and left.

I noted that she was shaking as we walked out from the bushes into the clearing where the hunters were camped, though I didn't know if she was angry. I checked my watch. It was 8:20pm. Selena should still be awake.

Sure enough, she was, but she was in her pyjamas. Actually, now that I got a closer look, those weren't her pyjamas. I'm guessing she borrowed one of the other hunters' clothes.

She was the first one to see us, and a big grin spread on her face. "Dad!" She yelled, running up and launching herself at me. I pulled her into a hug, needing comfort right now. She didn't sense the blue emotions on my face at first, choosing instead to ask. "Can I stay here tonight for a sleepover? You can come pick me up in the morning. Please?"

I looked at Artemis, who was still staring at the ground and shaking with an indiscernible expression. I turned my head back down to her and nodded. That night I'd most likely need either to go out and get blackout drunk or I'd need to cuddle up in bed with my daughter for comfort. I guess I'd settle with the former.

"If Lady Artemis approves, then sure. But first, there's something I need to talk to you about. Where are you sleeping?" I asked her, and she pointed to one of the tents near the campfire. I led her over there, and after making sure there wasn't a hunter sleeping inside, we entered. I led my daughter over to the bed and sat her down, before kneeling on one knee so I was about eye level.

I sighed, thinking over what I was going to say and how I was going to break it to her, before I looked her in the eye and asked her a question. "What do you think of Lady Artemis?" Selena's eyes brightened, and she smiled. "She's really nice! I like her. Why?" She asked, oblivious as to my expressions.

I bit my lip, before taking her right hand in both of mine. "Sweetie, we're gonna go through some changes, okay? Maybe good ones, maybe bad. In a few weeks or months, it might not just be you and me anymore." I said as calmly as I could, and her face contorted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

My mind was racing with all her possible reactions to this. She could be upset, angry, delighted, even more confused or everything in between. "Well, Lady Artemis and I might be hanging out a bit more often. You see, grandpa and uncle Zeus have decided that Lady Artemis and I... will marry." I said, waiting for her probably loud reaction with a cringe.

She looked confused. "Marry? I thought Artemis didn't like that stuff. I thought she only liked girls." She said, her brows furrowed. I chuckled to myself that my daughter thought Artemis was a lesbian. Trust me, she's not, I've already asked her that before. "No, she doesn't like anyone like that. But neither of us have a choice, grandpa said so." I told her.

She still looked confused. "Wait, so you guys don't want to get married? Why are you doing it, then?" She asked, not getting the point. I tussled her hair a bit. "You'll understand when you're older. Think of it like your dad tells you to eat your vegetables so you don't get fat and become monster food. My dad tells me I have to get married so him and Uncle Zeus don't fight anymore, okay?" I exampled, and she made a disgusted face. "I don't like vegetables."

I smiled a bit at that. "Just be glad I'm not making you get married to Jasper." She laughed, and scrunched her face up again. "Ew, Jasper's a baby." She said, and I kissed her forehead. "Yeah, don't date babies, kiddo. It's not good." I advised. Man, I'm doing good as a parent.

Her face suddenly became very happy. "Does this mean Artemis will become my mommy?" She asked excitedly, and I frowned. I quickly pulled my daughter for a hug, then looked at her. "Uh, Lady Artemis isn't taking it as well as I am. After we're married, she might not want to hang out with us. So... don't get your hopes up, kid. I'm sorry." I apologized, and her face fell almost instantly. "Okay."

She looked back up at me. "So can I stay here the night?" She asked, presumably trying to change the subject. I smiled at her, and nodded. "Sure. I need to talk with Lady Artemis anyway, so I'll double check if it's okay. You ready for bed?" I asked, and she nodded.

I led her over to her bed and tucked her in, making sure to give her a goodnight kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Dad." She said quietly, staring up at me. I brought the covers up a bit closer to her neck, making sure she was warm. "I'll come pick you up after breakfast." I assured her, and after one more 'goodnight', I left the tent.

The camp was quiet, the only occupants awake being the older hunters who stood in small groups by the tents or around the dining area. As I passed, each and every one gave me hateful and spiteful glares, trying to pierce my soul and burn it, and by proxy, me.

I wandered through the campgrounds, not daring to ask anyone for the location of their mistress. I was also mindful of my footing, keeping sure to not misplace my step and fall into a spiked pit, or become ensnared into an animal trap and possibly lose my leg.

After managing to navigate my way through the tents and hunters, I came across the center, where a campfire burned brightly with thick wooden logs surrounding it. Artemis sat there, on the log facing west, with the rising moon shining bright behind her. She looked angry, a glare etched onto her face that I'm guessing had been there for hours.

Her silver eyes were locked on her hunting knife, which illuminated the same shade of silver as her irises as it twirled between her cold hands. As I stepped into the light of the fire, the knife halted, the tip of the blade pointed towards me. Artemis did not look up, nor did her glare cease. "What do you want?" She asked bitterly, obviously not wanting to have me in her presence.

I approached the fire, now feeling the heat on my face, and now being able to see smaller details clearer. "I wanted to talk. We need to talk." I said, breaking the silence. Artemis' eyes snapped up to me, and they failed to hold the warmth that they once held as we'd chat in McDonald's, or the time she'd once attempted and failed to teach me how to shoot. "What is there to talk about? We are to be married, our fathers shall no longer fight. There is nothing more to say." She proclaimed, looking back down to her knife.

My eyes followed hers, and I gazed over her hands. The backs of both were bleeding, with crimson line numerous on both. The result of poor blade handling, or an intended massacre? I locked eyes with her again, as she'd resumed her trick of flying the knife around in her hand with admirable speed.

"Your hands are bleeding." I noted, knowing that she already knew. She didn't avert her eyes from the blade to speak. "If I cared, I would have treated them already." She said moodily, making me frown. "Why are they bleeding?" I asked, sympathetic to her. I knew she was taking this hard, I myself knew the feeling, but I didn't think it would lead to this.

Her cold metallic eyes met mine again. "The thing about being a god, there come times when you have to stop and decide between killing yourself or everyone around you." She muttered poetically, making me stop, not knowing what to say to that.

I sat down beside her, triggering a heated glare from the goddess. I ignored this, doing my best not to feel threatened while I stared into the scorching flames burning in the center of the camp.

Artemis sighed, putting down the blade. "Is Selena in bed?" She asked, rubbing her eyes exhaustedly. I nodded. "Yeah. It's okay if she stays the night, right?" I made sure, and she nodded. "Yeah, she's a sweet kid. The hunters like her, and she's very polite." She complimented my daughter, making me beam slightly with pride.

Since I was now Selena-free for a night, I dug from my dimensional storage an item I often possessed on Selena-free nights. "I didn't know you smoked." Artemis said, looking over at the blunt in my hand. I chuckled. "Oh, no. I don't smoke, that stuff kills you. This is just weed, I find it makes my alone-nights more exciting." I told her, and she nodded, eyeing the blunt warily.

I held it across to her. "You want some? I have more." I offered, and she shook her head. "No, drugs has never been my thing. I've seen what it does to people." She refused, and I retracted my hand a bit, before holding it out again. "Oh this stuff doesn't harm you, it's weed. It just makes you feel happy for a few hours. Try some." I nudged, trying not to be so pressuring.

She eyed it for a moment, before gently taking it out of my hand and holding one end to the fire. When it started to blaze, she placed the filter to her lips and inhaled, probably too deeply for a first time. Artemis started coughing immediately, and I chuckled as I dug out another blunt and a bottle of Jack Daniels.

She tried again, and this time managed to properly inhale some without coughing it back out. Her eyes immediately brightened, and she smiled slightly as she brought it away from her mouth. "Damn, that actually felt good that time." She noted, and I laughed. I held out the bottle of whiskey. "You want some?" I offered.

Artemis shrugged, and took the bottle out of my hand before downing a good few gulps. "Thanks." She said, wiping her mouth and handing the bottle back to me. The goddess went back to her blunt, and I sipped the alcohol.

"So how you feeling? Like really?" I asked, turning my head to look at her. She shrugged, and sighed deeply. "I don't know. I really don't fucking know." She said, putting her head in her hands, then continued. "I've been a maiden all my life, and now I'm getting married and I fucking hate it." She complained.

Then she lifted her head up. "But at the same time, it's you. My only male friend in 3000 years, and the only one I consider to be better than the rest of his gender. Aw, shit. If it was anyone else like, gods forbid, Ares, I'd probably be raped on my wedding night. They'd probably even take advantage of it and force my hunters into being their concubines or something." She said, clenching her fists tighter than I've ever seen.

Suddenly, they relaxed, and she took another hit. "But... it's you. The guy who shares his fries with me at McDonalds without expecting me to suck his dick in return. The father of the sweetest, most polite little girl I've ever met. You're legitimately one of my best friends, and if I really have to get married and probably lose my virginity to end some petty fights, you're the only one I'd want it to be with." She finished, taking the bottle from my hand and taking another swig.

I sat there in silence, kind of stunned for a good few moments. I decided to pipe up with my comforting reassurance. "Artemis, I'm not gonna force you to do anything. After the marriage, I'll understand if you never want to speak to me again. I understand you don't wanna have sex, so I won't make you. I swear it on the Styx." I told her, making her look up at me in utter shock.

"Really? You'll let me stay a maiden?" She asked, a small amount of tears pooling in her eyes. I nodded, swallowing loudly. Artemis shocked me next by launching into a hug, making sure to keep her hand holding the blunt away from me. Her head buried into my chest, and for the first few seconds I just sat there awkwardly. Then I slowly wrapped my arms around her and hugged her back.

She pulled away shyly, and took the whiskey from my hands. I let her keep it, and summoned myself one. She gulped some down, and sighed. "What's Selena think of all this?" She asked, and I smiled, remembering that my daughter was fine with it, maybe even happy.

"She's, uh... she's happy. She couldn't quite figure out why we were being forced to marry, but she likes the idea of you becoming part of our family. She's... always wanted a mom. The closest thing she's ever had was her grandma. I told her not to get her hopes up..." I muttered, looking down sadly.

Artemis frowned at me, then looked at her feet. We were silent, the sound of the crackling fire torching it's way through the wood being the only noise you could hear. We sat there for a long time, thinking our own thoughts, enjoying each other's company, and contemplating the future. Artemis closed her eyes for a moment, then looked up at the moon. "It's almost midnight. The hunters have all gone to bed." She noted, turning her head to look at me.

I drank some more, feeling a little buzz from both the high and the alcohol. "You know, I never thought this would how my life would go. I thought I'd be dead at age 16. Instead, here I am a god, not far from being married to the one goddess you're not supposed to marry, apart from Hestia and Athena. I have a kid, and I'm a single dad. Here I am drinking and smoking weed with Artemis, the virgin man-hating goddess who is also one of my best friends and my fiance. How did I end up going from a dyslexic 12 year old to this?" I asked, gesturing to all of myself.

Artemis cracked a smile, and took another puff. "You know, Percy, I always wanted to have kids. It was always one of my biggest wishes, to have a son or daughter of my own that I could nurture and love and raise as my own. The only reason I don't have as many children as Zeus or Poseidon is because to have one involves... you know, sex and pregnancy. Two things I could never imagine myself going through." She told me, still smiling.

The auburn haired goddess took another sip. "But, now that I'm getting married to you, by law I'll get a daughter. You can assure Selena that I'll be there for her, and that I'll provide her with all that a mother can give. Who knows, maybe in time you and I can come to love each other, and I'll decide that I've been a maiden for too long." She suggested, smirking over at me.

I blushed, realising what she meant by that, and I looked away. I had a smile though, not just because Selena's wish came true, but because Artemis suggested that the idea of us, the Hero of Olympus and the Maiden Goddess, truly falling in love was actually possible. The idea made me happy, that maybe, just maybe, this marriage could turn out alright, given some time.

"One thing though." She said, putting her bottle down next to her. "I wanna know how many women you've been with. Not just relationships, but how many women have you slept with too." She asked, throwing me for a loop. "I, uh, I-I don't know? I've, ah, ahem, I've been with a few." I said, not being able to remember off the top of my head exactly how many.

Artemis smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Any I'd know? I need to know who exactly I need to be steering you away from." She teased, making me blush again. I mumbled under my breath, just loud and comprehensible enough for her to understand. "I've, uh, I've been with a few demigods, and a couple of goddesses." I told her, which sounded more like a confession of sin than a brag.

Artemis' jaw dropped, certainly not an answer she was expecting. "Goddesses? I kind of expected demigods, but goddesses too? Who were they?" She asked. I cleared my throat, many memories flooding back to me.

"Well, uh, there was Annabeth, of course. We had sex a few times. I didn't lose my virginity to her though. No, an Aphrodite camper I was good friends with took that when I was 13. Uh, when I was 15, me and my friend Rachel had sex in an empty classroom right before we were attacked by Empousa. I had sex with the Roman Praetor Reyna twice when I had amnesia. Along with all that, there were a few campers from both camps that I spent nights with after Annabeth and I broke up." I told her, making her eyes widen and she recognized some of those people.

I cleared my throat. "Yeah, after Annabeth broke up with me, I slept with quite a lot of people, trying to get over it. Hell, it's been four years, I can't remember them all. A lot of mortals, lots of demigods like I said, nature spirits, and a few titans and goddesses." I finished, making her raise an eyebrow again. I realised then how filthy I was. I'd fucked dozens of people in my lifetime, and I can remember a time when I told myself I wouldn't have sex until after marriage.

"Who were the goddesses and titans?" She asked, and I could sense a red emotion inside of her, maybe anger? "Well, uh, I remember I went to free Calypso from Ogygia, and we ended up in bed. Hecate and I spent a night together. Me, Nemesis and Eris had a threesome one time. Of course, Aphrodite volunteered, so I had sex with her too. I- oh god, I also banged my half-sister Rhode. I also think I did Hebe, but I was too drunk to remember." I finished, and Artemis looked at me in shock.

"So you sleep around?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed in slight anger. I gulped, and put my hands up in a reassuring gesture. "No! Yes? Trust me, Artemis. None of them wanted anything more than sex. It was just some flings, I swear." I said, hoping she wouldn't obliterate me.

Artemis turned back facing forward, looking down at her hands. Her blunt had run out by down, and there was a funky smell in the air. "I hope this works out, Percy." She said, picking up her bottle of whiskey and finishing it. I smiled, doing the same with mine. "So do I, Artemis."

We stood up, and I stretched my arms. "Alright, I'm gonna head back to my palace. I'll come by in the morning to pick Selena up." I informed her, and she shook her head. "No you're not." She said bluntly. I was kinda taken aback by that, thinking that she was kidnapping my child. "What?"

She crossed her arms. "We are to be married, fated to spend the rest of eternity together. We'd better get used to it. You're sleeping with me tonight, but not like that. Try anything and we won't have anymore Selena's running around." She threatened, making me gulp.

"Yes, ma'am." I said, following her into her tent.

Finally, I finished this chapter. I don't have much to say here. I'm tired. Goodnight.

Word Count: 3563