Chapter 7: Pax Romana

So I'm gonna try and get this chapter out as soon as possible. I've been concocting ideas for it for a few days now. Just to show you Perses and Diana's side of this. Also, I know there were lots of things wrong with the last chapter, I didn't really like it.

Chapter 7: Pax Romana

The goddess Diana opened her eyes to the real world for the first time in a month. The last time she'd been awake and not at the back of Artemis' mind hunting was when she'd been dead tired after taking the hunters to a shooting range for the day. Now she felt refreshed and ready to start the day.

Except for the painful throbbing thing her head was doing, and the fact that the real world was black and smelled like the ocean.

Diana looked up as she pulled her head away from the hard object, and as she recognized what it was her eyes widened. "WHAT THE FUCK!?" Diana screamed, not yelled, screamed. The object she was staring at jolted awake, as well as a form behind her. Diana turned around to see what that was, and nearly fainted with shock.

Perses and Venus looked at each other in confusion, and then down at Diana. Their eyes widened, and Perses fell out of his bed. "What the? WHAT THE PLUTO ARE YOU TWO DOING IN MY HOUSE?" He roared, and Diana shot back up. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, LAYING IN MY BED? I KNEW YOU WERE NOTHING BUT A WORTHLESS, FILTHY, M- what did you say?" She asked, her volume lowering significantly.

Perses glared at her. "I said, what are you doing in my house, bitch?" Diana took that moment to look around the room, and her heart sunk as it clicked in her head. This wasn't her room. Her room was clean, the walls were green, a glass chandelier was in the middle. This place had blue walls, normal lights, and was messy as shit.

Pride taking over, Diana glared at him. "What did you call me, pig?" She asked, only infuriating the god more. "I called you a bitch. What are you going to do about it?" He asked, and Diana lunged at him.

Two arms wrapped around her waist, halting her from flying at the god and giving him a piece of her mind. "Stop fighting!" Venus screamed, holding Diana close. "Stop! There has to be a logical reason for this all. Did any of your Greek personas say anything to you?" She asked, and Diana and Perses looked at each other.

"Artemis would never get with a man. Least of all would she end up in one's bed like a whore." She said spitefully to the son of Neptune, who glared right back. "Perseus is not one to stay chaste, but he knows boundaries. He would never dare deflower Artemis." He said pridefully, and Diana rolled her eyes. "Oh please, stop with that phoney 'honor' schtick. Perseus would much rather bend Artemis over a table and fuck her brains out than stick to his 'code'." She said.

Perses stood up and pointed a finger at her. "If you don't shut that mouth of yours, I'm gonna bend you over a table and beat you with your own broken bow like Juno did 3000 years ago, because that's befitting of a weak goddess like you." He threatened, and Diana stood up. "Bring it on, assho- wait, why am I in a dress?" She asked.

Venus looked at her back. "That looks like a wedding dress to me." She then gasped and covered her mouth. "You don't think..?" The Roman love goddess trailed off, leaving it for interpretation. The other gods both looked at her in disgust. "No! Artwmis would never get married. Even if she did, why would you be here?" She said with a hint of malice in her voice.

Venus frowned, and wiped a stray tear. "You didn't have to say it so mean." She said, somehow not sounding like a child with that statement. Diana sighed in slight disgust, crossing her arms and turning to Perses. "Do you mind?" She snapped, gesturing to herself and indicating she wanted to change.

Percy scoffed and walked over to the empty wine bottle, peering into it. "Oh, shut up. I'm a god too, dumbass. I know you can just snap your fingers and change." He said, and she 'hmph'd, before doing so and changing into her usual silver t-shirt and blue skinny jeans. "MERCURY!" She shouted.

The young god appeared in a flash, mock-saluting her upon arrival. "Yes, milady?" He asked annoyedly. Diana ignored his attitude and waved him off. "Ask our father if there's any particular reason Perses and I woke up together." She said, and Mercury raised an eyebrow, looking at the two of them and then Venus in the bed.

He then turned to Perses and winked. "Man, you scored good." He said, flashing out before Diana could throw something at him. To say the goddess was fuming at his comment would be an understatement. She was furious.

They waited for a while, during which Perses sat back down on his bed next to Venus, who played with his hair absentmindedly. She was one of the few women he still liked and could trust after what Perseus had been through.

Ten minutes later, Mercury returned, and he was laughing. "Okay, okay, get this. Zeus and Poseidon got in a fight over some woman, so Percy had a mental breakdown in front of the entire council because the Greeks got forced to sit there and listen to them again. Thanks to that, Zeus and Poseidon decided to marry two of their favorite children off to make peace. They chose Percy and Artemis." He said, giggling.

Diana's jaw dropped as she stared at the messenger god in shock. Venus and Perseus had also stopped and stared with wide eyes. Diana's mouth clenched shut, and she bit her lips tightly as she forced back tears. "Diana, are you okay?" Venus asked, but she was ignored.

Diana walked over to a wall with her arms crossed and angrily wiped away any tears that escaped. She was making a fool of herself, crying in front of a man who appeared to be her enemy and the two most talkative gods on Olympus. She breathed, but it came out shaky and now they all knew she was crying.

She fiercely held her eyes shut as she stood facing the wall, trying not to look at them. Then she was surprised to feel two strong arms reach around and hold her comfortingly as Perses hugged her. She felt like punching him, stabbing him, castrating him, anything. But she didn't. His hug was nice, it comforted her as it was meant to. She didn't hug back, but she didn't pull away either. They just stood there, Perses embracing her as she tried to dry up the tears.

"I don't understand why Artemis would be so calm about this. Not once did she come to me to complain, and she's even sleeping in his bed wearing a wedding dress! Has she forgotten our vow? Has she forgotten all that we have stood for in our 4000 years of life? I want to believe Perseus has bewitched her, but I know he's too stupid for anything like that." She mumbled into his chest while he rubbed her back soothingly.

"Of course he is. We're practically the same person." He joked, managing to harvest a light chuckle from her.

After Mercury flashed out silently, the door creaked open, and they all turned their heads to look. A small black-haired girl peeked her head in, grinning and bursting the door open when she saw them. "Dad!" She screamed, running to him.

Perses let go of Diana and held out his arms, kneeling. "There's my little girl!" He said as Selena ran into his arms. Perses hugged her tight and stood up, resting the three year old on his hip as she now towered over the three of them. "How's my favourite praelia?" He asked, and she nodded happily. "Aunt Hestia and I had mac and cheese for dinner, then Aunt Vesta dropped me off just now." She said. Perses smiled. "It sounds like you had a fun night, bellator."

Selena then looked over to Diana. "Mommy!" She said, reaching out her arms. Diana froze up. Yes, she had met the child before, and knew the girl wasn't her daughter, but just hearing that word scared her for a second. For just a second it made her wonder how far Perseus and Artemis went, and if she did have a daughter she didn't know about. But that was impossible, it'd been less than a month. Still, it was strange the child was calling her mom. She was her future step mom, sure.

She gulped. "Why are you calling me that, child?" She asked, and Selena tilted her head like a confused dog. "What do you mean? You're my mom." She said. Percy cleared his throat, and she turned her head to him.

"Well, sweetie, we've talked about this. Every month, daddy and the other gods have their periods, and they forget a lot. Can you please remind me, Diana and Aunty Venus why you're calling her mommy?" He asked, and Selena nodded now that she understood.

"Well, daddy told me one night that he was getting married, but I don't get why. We saw Artemis, he was marrying her, and I called her mommy. She liked that, so I kept calling her that. Now, since you and mommy are gonna be married, she is gonna be my mommy." She said, and Perses nodded. Diana crossed her arms. "I knew Artemis wanted kids but I didn't think she'd adopt one. I thought that desire was satisfied with the hunters." She said.

Perses shrugged and put Selena down. "Hey, sweetie, what say we go out for some ice cream." He said, and Selena cheered. She looked at Diana. "Can you come, mommy?" She asked, and Diana smiled. "Okay, fine. I'll come for ice cream, but after that I've gotta go. Is that okay?" She asked, and the small girl nodded. "Yup!"

Diana looked up at Perses. "I'm just doing this for her." She warned, and he nodded. Venus clapped her hands from behind him. "So cute! Also, I just remembered that Aphrodite told me about all this. Must've slipped my mind." She said lazily, and the two other gods glared. Not wanting to get yelled at, the goddess of beauty flashed out, leaving the Romans and their daughter to themselves.

Selena grabbed both their hands, and since he knew where the place was, Perses took it upon himself to flash them. The three arrived a bustling city sometime in the afternoon, and Diana looked around. "Rome? So cliche." She remarked, and Perses' eyes narrowed slightly. "It's where the best ice cream is. Sad that it's really all Rome is anymore, thanks to... whoever." He trailed off. History wasn't his strong subject, and it's not like he was there to witness it.

Diana rolled her eyes. "Anyway, where is it?" She asked, and Perses pointed a thumb to a small shop off the side. "What do you want, bellator?" She asked Selena, and she thought for a moment. "Rocky Road." She said, and Perses smiled. "I almost forgot you were my daughter. And you?" He asked, looking towards Diana. She waved him off. "I'll just have Vanilla." She said, and both Selena and Perses blew a raspberry at how boring it was.

The Italian man serving the ice cream greeted Perses and Selena as friends, commenting on how big she'd gotten. Diana just stood awkwardly off to the side as they ordered, and the man noticed her. "Ah, is this one of your many cousins you've told me about, or has the semidio found himself a woman?" He asked in his thick accent.

Perses chuckled. "I'm afraid this is not my cousin, this is my fiance, Diana. She'll have vanilla." He said, and the man smiled at her. "You are a lucky man, Percy! She is quite the bella donna." He said, winking at the demigod-turned-god. They stood in line while the man made their ice creams, and when he finished Selena gave him some coins and thanked him, and the three left to eat their treats.

They ate their ice cream relatively quickly, and Diana stood up. "This was fun." She said, talking mainly to Selena. The girl smiled, ice cream all over her face. "Are you sure you can't stay?" She asked, and Diana shook her head. "I've got to go see the hunters. But I will see later on. I'm guessing you have dinner with Artemis?" She asked, and Selena nodded. "Sometimes. We eat with the hunters or at our house, or maybe we get pizza." She suggested, making Diana smile. "We'll see. Have fun." She said, nodding to Perses and flashing out.

Perses looked at his daughter and wiped her face with a napkin. "Gods, you're messy." He said, and Selena giggled as he shoved the napkin in her face. The two of them got up, and Perses flashed them out to spend a day at Disneyworld, a treat for her father being on his godly period.

Diana arrived at the hunters' camp with a silver flash, and she was immediately greeted by Phoebe and Atalanta. "Lady Diana, it's nice to see you again." Phoebe spoke for them, and Diana smiled. "It is good to see you, too. And you, Atalanta. How have you been?" She asked. This time Atalanta answered. "We've been great. The hunt has had one new member since you were last here, her name is Jane. Of course, there's been all the stuff about the betrothal..." She trailed off at the end, becoming awkward as Diana's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, I've been made aware of this engagement. It seems Artemis has grown close to Perseus, I woke up huddled into Perses this morning. It was... disturbing..." She said, crossing her arms as they continued walking. Phoebe and Atalanta cringed and looked at each other. "Yeah, Lady Artemis made Perseus sit with us at breakfast one morning, even though we didn't want him to." Atalanta said, and Phoebe interrupted. "But he did vow to never have sex with her or anyone else unless she consented, so we can count on Lady Artemis staying a maiden.

This shocked Diana, who came to a halt as the two eldest hunters continued. "The word of a man can hardly be trusted. Plus, I'm pretty sure he didn't even swear it on the Styx. If he really meant it, he would've done so." Atalanta countered, but Phoebe looked uncertain. "Atalanta, milady trusts Perseus. I'm not saying I do, but I think it's best if we act neutral to him, so not to incite Lady Artemis' wrath. This could be another Hippolytus if we're not careful." She said, and Atalanta paled.

Diana wasn't really listening. She knew the story of Hippolytus, male hunter killed by Aphrodite, Artemis gets pissed and makes Asclepius resurrect him which pisses off Zeus so he kills the god. But she had other things on her mind, like the vow Perseus made to Artemis. Could it be possible that Artemis would stay virgin? Would the Hero of Olympus really keep to his oath of chastity?

As the two hunters bickered, Diana held her hands up. "Excuse me, I need to think." She said, walking off into the forest staring at the ground. She ventured out into the trees, far from the campsite. She walked until she could not hear any animals save for the birds and she could not see any people save for her own reflection in the water.

Diana sat down by a stream, leaning against a tall tree and wrapping her arms around her knees. She found the forest calm, being the goddess of the wilderness. It was the same sort of calm that the ocean might present to Poseidon, or a logfire might bestow upon Hestia. She felt like she could think when she was in the forest, so that's what she did.

She thought about Perseus' vow, and what this marriage meant for her. She would be married to Perses, he would become her husband and Selena her daughter-by-law. She wondered how that made her feel. Selena was nice, there was no doubt about it, but was she ready for kids? Of course Artemis was, that was no secret to Diana, but could she present herself as a mother to the Jackson girl?

Then there was Perses. She found him attractive, who didn't? She had never whored herself out of him like goddesses such as Venus, but she did find him to be pleasing to the eyes. She didn't know about Perseus, but Perses looked perfect. A broad and strong body, a charming smile, smooth jawline, alluring eyes, and the way he held himself made her swoon slightly on the inside.

He was a reluctant hero. A man who exerted so much power that monsters and titans alike feared his very name. His word alone could unite and command both the Roman and Greeks to fight alongside each other against a common enemy. He was a mere demigod who slew beasts and faded immortals, one who then evolved into so much more. He became the patron god of demigods, the hero of heroes.

Yet throughout all that, he wanted none of that. All the chaos and bloodshed was merely a fight for survival, because he had bonds and relationships to fight for. His command of the united demigods was not for the glory of it, of becoming the first Caesar of the demigods, but to save them. He knew the only way they would survive was if they worked together and fought hard for that survival, so he did it.

And after all that was over and the dust had settled, the 6 brave heroes who had fought alongside him yet had not done nearly as much had accepted godhood, but he did not want it. He did not wish to be bestowed the titles and power he truly deserved, but he took it anyway. Only to be with his friends.

That was true power to Diana. It was not measured by the amount of heads severed from their necks by a man's blade. It was not measured by how much of a population would bend the knee to one man. True power could only be determined on whether or not the beholder deserves it. None deserved their power more than Perses. None.

She found that she wasn't as opposed to the idea of marrying Perses as she might've been 2000 years ago. He was attractive, powerful, kind (when he wasn't pissed at her for 'breaking into his house'), loyal, and he was probably the only straight man in the world who would offer to stay chaste after they got married if it made her happy.

Then she wondered if she wanted that. It brought her back to the question of children. Did she ever want to bring a child into this world, a god or goddess of the next generation? She did not know. For now, it was all she could do to try and sate herself and love Selena.

Of course, the prospect of children brought her to the prospect of sex. Would Perses remain chaste? Artemis had no doubt about that one. He was the god of loyalty, physically incapable of breaking a vow. Did she want them to remain chaste, though? Did she truly want to carry on with the eternal maiden vow for the rest of eternity? It was a question she was not questioning for the first time. She had had doubts before, but never solely because of a man.

Diana thought for a moment, but she could not come up with an answer. She liked being a maiden, she was free from being held down by a man, but now that was going out the window. She was getting married. At many points, the maidenhood brought on more trouble than it was worth. She was the highest priority for Olympus' rapists, since her maidenhood was considered a trophy waiting to be collected. She had held them off for many millennia, but can anything truly last forever?

The immortal problem. Nothing can possibly last forever. Everything gets swallowed up by the impossibility of eternity. That was a problem Olympus had faced time and time again.

Realising that she did not know the answer to her question, Diana left it alone. She decided the answer would come to her when it wanted to. For now, she could sit in peace.

The goddess turned her head, seeing a large elk standing on the rise staring over at her. Upon catching sight of his lady, the elk gracefully bowed his head in respect, raising it when the goddess smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. They stood staring at each other for a moment before the elk caught sight of something and ran off.

Diana turned her head, seeing Perses standing in the water of the stream. He must have used his powers as a water deity to appear there, otherwise she would have heard his footsteps or seen his flash.

The god of heroes looked down at her blankly. "Are you alright, Lady Diana?" He asked kindly, and she nodded, sitting up straight. "Yes, Perses. And please, don't call me 'Lady'. We are... friends." She hesitated for a moment, but said it.

The edges of his lips curled up, one slightly more so it was very vaguely a smirk. "I'm sorry for being so mad at you this morning. I was confused, and to be fair, your anger wasn't helping." He said.

Diana turned her head, looking downstream. "I was confused as well, which likely contributed to my anger. I.... Didn't expect to wake up in the arms of a male." She said, making Perses chuckle. "Nor did I expect to wake up cuddling the very goddess who would kill me for doing so." He said. Perses then looked at the tree and back to her. "May I sit?" He asked, and Diana nodded.

Since it was right on the bank, Perses sat down in the stream, leaning back against the trunk 90 degrees to Artemis' right. The current was ever so slightly pushing him to the left, but it wasn't like the water would push him over. He brought his knees up out of the water, rolling his sleeves up and resting his arms on them. "I left Selena with Thalia. The hunters said they're having steak and salad for dinner." He told her.

Diana hummed, glad to finally be able to dine with her hunters. It was hard being a Roman god, only being able to stretch your legs at least one day every month. But that was the way they worked. The Flame of the West currently favored the Greeks, it hadn't favored Rome since the Fall of Constantinople 500 years before. Ever since, every time the Flame moved it would be the Greeks still in power. Though that's likely what they deserved after over 1600 years of dominance. Perhaps she had to wait another 1100 years until Artemis would go to rest, and Diana would once again be able to hunt to her heart's content.

"What are you thinking about?" Perses asked, and Diana considered whether or not she wanted to talk. Then she decided she would, she wanted to get on her future husband's good side hopefully before their wedding. "The Flame of the West, and how long it's been since Rome dominated." She admitted, and Percy hummed in acknowledgement.

"What's it like, being the ones in power?" He asked, and Diana knew what he meant. Perses was technically the youngest god, having agreed to and been turned into a god after his friends. He had never seen a Pax Romana, a Roman Peace. Diana had been there for the entirety of Rome's rule. She had awoken with the wolf cubs Romulus and Remus, as had the other Roman gods, for Chaos knew something big would come of these two descendants of Aeneas and Aphrodite.

Diana had watched as Romulus struck his brother's head with the stone of betrayal, and she had watched the Ottoman invaders storm the Byzantines in their own capital, the result of a worn-out civilization's mistakes. She had been there for the birth and fall of an Empire. Rome was not what it once was. It was the world, and now it was an antique. Diana knew Artemis felt the same about Greece. She was born and raised in Greece, it was her home. Then after years of internal conflict between the gods and their alternate aspects, the Romans took Korinth and Diana took control.

She smiled softly and stared up through the trees, where Apollo's chariot could be seen racing through the sky. Unlike his Greek form, the Roman Apollo, or Phoebus as most called him, did not turn his chariot into a car of some sorts, he merely decorated it to be more to his liking.

"Do you have a home, Perses?" She asked, and he thought for a moment. He could probably say Olympus, but that had always been more of an observation. In truth, Perses had not been alive long enough to claim anything as his home. He was only 4, to be fair, retaining the demigod Percy Jackson's memories and skills. But Perses the Roman God had not settled down. He had his palace and daughter, but how could a palace be a home. Then he thought of his mortal life, and one place stuck in his mind.

"My mother used to take me to a cabin up in Montauk, to get us away from my abusive step-father. When he died and my mother remarried, my new step-father bought the cabin as a gift, and it became their secondary house whenever they had a chance to get away. But I never found our Manhattan apartment to be home. It was always that cabin. It was there that my fondest memories of family came from. That is my home." He said.

Diana raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would have said Camp Half-Blood or Jupiter." She said in confusion, but he shook his head. "I have so many friends there, but those most important to me are never there. They are either on Olympus or Camp Jupiter. I can't stay there for too long, either. The Poseidon cabin gets lonely." He said, turning his head and looking wistfully downstream.

Diana sighed. "Well then, Perses. Imagine this. Imagine you were born in that cabin. That was where it all began, and that is where you grew up. You were raised there into an adult, young and carefree. Imagine seeing history play out at that cabin. The chaos and bloodshed of battle on the fields nearby, the fall of your country as you know it and the reconstruction of it into something better, again and again it rebuilds."

"So close that cabin comes to burning down, and each time it prospers. And then one day it happens. The wood rots, the floorboards creak, and the roof collapses. After so many years, you haven't the strength to rebuild it. It is too far gone. So you sit down. You sit on the hill outside your destroyed cabin and you look at the sunset. As you stare at the red glow of Phoebus' descent, you can't bring yourself to cry, nor to be angry. You can only be happy that at least it was here. And then you close your eyes, basking in the beauty of your home as you remembered it, not as the rotten wood makes it out to be." She finished, looking down.

Perses swallowed, not expecting such a deep talk from Diana. "Was Rome as great as they say it was?" He asked, and Diana looked up again. Phoebus was descending, a day had vanished in what had felt like a few minutes of thinking. She smiled, remembering the glorious buildings of her city, the women praying for her blessings and happy lives, the children's laughter as they ran through the street. "It was, and it was beautiful." She said.

Diana then turned her head to Perses. "You wait, Perses. Someday when America falls, the Flame will shift, and maybe Fate might favor Rome. Then you will find your Empire, and as you remember it's rise, it's fall, and everything in between that made it special, you'll know you have found your home." She said, staring at the red glow through the trees.

The two of them sat in silence for a while, taking in the conversation that had just occurred. Perses did have something else on his mind too, and he turned his head slightly to look at the elder goddess. "What do you think about... all this? Like our marriage and stuff." He said, and Diana bit her lip. She had been pondering that question all afternoon, and she still had no answer.

"I have no idea, Perses. I'm clueless on all of it. Whether I want to be near you, whether I want kids, to lose my virginity, or even whether or not I should just bail and move to the Land Beyond the Gods. I... I will figure it out soon enough." Perses nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.

As Phoebus' star faded below the horizon, Perses stood up, stepping out of the stream and drying himself. "I'm going to head back." He said, and the goddess nodded. "I should come too." She said, and Perses held out his hand to help her up. She took it gratefully, and they began to walk back to the hunter's camp.

About halfway there, Diana was thinking seriously about this marriage. Artemis appeared to be trying hard to make it work...

Catching the god off guard, Diana grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side, pushing him against a tree. Before he could cry out in pain or yell at her or say anything, Diana smashed her lips onto his.

Perses was shocked, not moving a muscle and just staring at Diana's face as she tried her hardest to pretend what she was doing was normal. As her lips ground against his, the feeling in his body returned and he carefully put his hands on her hips. When she didn't protest, he began to kiss back, essentially taking over so it wasn't her awkward lip-pressing.

He placed a hand on the back of her head, deepening the kiss. She realised what he was doing and pushed against him, trying to make it more intimate. As his tongue pressed against her lips, she shut them tight because the idea of his tongue in her mouth was gross. Then she remembered that was just a passionate way of kissing, something the French did, so she bid him entry.

They made out against the tree for a while, before Perses pulled away and looked at her strangely. "What was that for?" He asked, making the huntress blush. "I wanted to see what it felt like. Plus, I thought maybe kissing you would make us fall in love so the marriage could work." She said, thinking her logic was sound.

Perses stood there, dumbstruck for a moment before he burst out into laughter. Diana glared at him, stepping out of his embrace. "What's so funny?" She asked, and Perses composed himself. "Nothing, I just forgot how inexperienced with romance you are. Kissing doesn't make people fall in love, there's a lot more to it. Things like hand holding and kissing and sex are all a part of love, and most couples do those things, but they're not mandatory to be in love." He said.

Diana nodded, still confused as to how her plan didn't work. She had barely been able to comprehend that she'd had her first kiss, and it was a rough make-out session against a tree. Gods, she was moving fast.

Perses stepped out from against the tree, and took her hand. "Come on, let's get some dinner." He said, leading the dazed goddess to the hunters' camp.

When they arrived, many people raised an eyebrow at Perses and Diana's linked hands, and some even narrowed their eyes at the god, but none mentioned it. Selena approached them, seeing their joined hands, and smiled before engulfing them in a hug

Perses smiled and hugged back with his free arm, while Diana managed to let her lips curl upwards slightly as she patted Selena on the head. The girl retracted, and they all walked over to the dining tent.

Dinner was nice, steak and salad as Perses and Thalia had said. Artemis liked hers rare, to the point of being nearly raw. Perses and Selena both had theirs medium rare, just warm and juicy enough for the two Jackson's.

Perses helped with the dishes, letting Selena go off and play with the other young hunters. Diana supervised the little ones, making sure they didn't do anything stupid like jump off a cliff during their little game.

An hour later, long after Perses was done with the chores, he returned to his fiance and daughter, the latter of which was now tired and sitting in Diana's lap. He smiled, approaching the two. "Someone looks about ready to go to bed." He suggested, and surprisingly, Selena didn't protest. She held out her arms as Perses picked her up and sat her on his hip, and he looked at Diana. "We're gonna head back to my place. You wanna come?" He asked, and figuring she had nothing better to do, Diana nodded.

The three, or two since one was a demigod, flashed out, Perses granting Diana permission to enter his home. He would have to change the security of his house at some point, if Diana would be able to come and go as she pleased. They dropped into his bedroom, and he looked at Diana. Selena was practically asleep in Perses' arms, her head rested in his neck.

"I'm just gonna tuck her in, I'll be right back." He assured her, and the goddess just nodded. Perses disappeared, and Diana took a moment to look around the room. It wasn't messy, but various items were scattered around. As she inspected further, she realised many of them were trophies, mementos he'd collected over his years.

One set of items intrugued her in particular. It was a few monster trophies, but each one showed just how strong Perses really was. Firstly, there was the Nemean Lion's pelt, which had been returned to Percy as a reward for his whole saving the world thing and as a gift for becoming a god. Poseidon gave it to the Greek demigod in the hopes that it would protect him, but it seemed Perses and Perseus never wore it, just left it gathering dust off to the side.

Next to that was a small knife, made of what looked to be a dragon's tooth. As she got closer, she recognized the sharp object, bringing a triumphant smile to her face. The claw of Lykaon, her enemy, had been fashioned into a make-shift dagger, something she didn't know Perses was capable of.

There were two familiar sandals on the floor, wings sprouting from the sides. She noted that they were not Mercury's, and she briefly wondered if they belonged to the son of Hermes who betrayed Olympus during the Second Titan War. Perhaps Percy Jackson took them as a spoil of war.

Finally, two blade sat crossed on the table, sheathed and tied shut, and by the curve of the blade, she immediately recognised them. Scimitars, and only one monster had scimitars like that, Kampê. She stepped back a bit, knowing those blades. They were coated with poisons which could kill even immortals, not quite fade them, but still send them to reform for a long time. Diana did not feel like a trip to Tartarus.

"They are my trophies. Reminders of some of my greatest conquests." The strong god walked up behind her, and she stood to the side, letting him stand next to her. "I guess they all cover a different aspect of my strength. I, or rather Perseus, killed Lykaon after two of Lupa's cubs were killed and Artemis was on a hunt. After days of close encounters, I finally snuck up and slit his throat."

"I got the Lion pelt through... cunning, I guess? He was the Nemean Lion, indestructible, so I resorted to a plan that had a 2% chance of working and I threw food into his mouth, after which your old lieutenant Zoe killed it. The winged sandals were a gift from my then-friend Luke, but they were cursed to try and send me to Tartarus. Hecate managed to uncurse them, so now they are usable. I honestly couldn't tell you what category of strength those went under." He admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"And finally, Kampê's scimitars. Usually monsters aren't too much of a challenge as a god, but that one..." He sighed shakily. "I don't think I'll ever get over what she put me through. She is... maybe the only monster I truly fear. But, through either sheer luck or an incredible feat of strength, I managed to cut one of her hands off, and then her head." He said.

Diana could not believe it, there was a reason Kampê was the most feared monster after Typhon. Gods had tried time and time again to kill her, but few ever succeeded. Tartarus has a tendency for sapping your strength.

Diana looked at the set of trophies. "What do you intend to do with it? It seems like a waste to have it sitting here for eternity." She said, and Perses smiled. "I was hoping that one day, should Selena ever be in trouble, or perhaps should she ever become the child of a 'great prophecy', she could pray to me, and these items would protect. Flight, invulnerability, poison that can kill immortals, and a knife capable of tracking any prey." He said.

Diana's eyes widened at that part, she did not know his claws could do that. Next time he was in town, Diana would have to pay Lykaon a visit.

The two of them sat on the bed, and Perses turned on the tv. Some mortal show she was not interested in played, and they sat staring at the screen absentmindedly. Halfway through the episode, Diana's mind started racing again, and she came to the memory of her and Perses kissing.

It had felt good, she just realised that. It felt really good. Diana had never kissed someone on the lips, and when Perses kissed back he did it with passion. She loved the feel of his lips on his, the way their mouths opened and moved together. Deep down, she knew she wanted to feel that again. Not only that, bjt ever deeper she knew she wanted more, but she was not sure just how far she wanted to go.

She looked over at him, he was watching the tv screen blankly. She moved her eyes down to the blanket,and considered for a moment. So many thoughts raced through her mind, she wasn't even sure it was her thinking these things. Some of the thoughts were outlandish, completely unlike anything she'd ever thought before.

As she looked at his face, his sharp jawline, prominent Roman cheeklines, his sparkling sea-green eyes, she blushed. As she looked at his arms and chest, large but not overly, just enough to squeeze and rest her head on, likely firm to the touch, she felt a strange feeling in her stomach. As she thought about all the incredible feats and deeds he had accomplished, her eyes wandered downwards, and a completely new feeling entered her nether regions.

*Lemon*

"Perses." She said, not even meaning to, and the god in question turned to her. Without warning, she pulled his head to hers and locked lips with him for the second time. Once again, Perses was shocked for a moment, but he quickly melted into it, holding her and kissing back with just as much eagerness.

Diana moaned softly as Perses' tongue gently pressed against her lips, and as she opened her mouth the creature inside his mouth entered and began to assert dominance. Not one to be challenged so easily, Diana used her tongue to try and wrestle back against him. The two gods danced together with their mouths on the bed, and Diana reached up to hold his cheek.

Realising the position they were in was quite awkward -sitting facing forward with their necks and 90 degree angles, Diana managed to maneuver herself on top of him so her legs were on either side of his and she sat right on his manhood. Diana blushed as she felt the object through his pants, breaking the kiss and looking down.

Realising he'd been caught getting aroused, Perses blushed too. "Can you really blame me?" He asked, gesturing at her position. Diana wondered briefly if she was more offended and disgusted or complimented and proud that she had aroused him, but to not make this weird she decided on the latter.

As she pulled him in for another kiss, Perses wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, so close that their bodies were pressed up against each other. She was now taller than him, which was a first, and she leaned down to passionately make out with her fiance. As they kissed, she realised how much she enjoyed this. The feel of his tongue in her mouth, his hands on her body, his manhood pressing against her...

Her eyes widened as she thought such dirty thoughts, but in the heat of the moment, she didn't care. Why should she even stick to the eternal maiden vow? What was the point anymore? The reasoning behind the vow in the first place was to stop Jupiter from marrying her off, but now she was being married anyway! It felt so good to be this intimate, if she wasn't held down by her vow she could have this kind of pleasure and more practically whenever she wanted. Besides, Artemis and Perseus were remaining chaste, so she can stick to the vow that was originally her idea. And, if Artemis truly did want kids of her own, any kids of Diana's would technically be hers too, since it would be a godling and have a Greek counterpart. As she thought it all over in her head, she realised how much of a no-brainer this was. It was a win-win!

"Perses..." Diana moaned as the god unlatched himself from her mouth, before hooking his lips onto her jawline and just above her neck. She tugged on his hair gently, indicating she wanted more, and that was when Perses went for her neck. For possibly the first time ever, Diana cried out in ecstasy, relishing in the feeling of Perses sinking his teeth into her neck.

As he moved his lips back up to her mouth, Diana tore off his shirt with one powerful tug, and then began unbuttoning her own red flannel jacket. With her fiance shirtless, she took a moment to admire his smooth, strong chest. She had never paid attention to the physical forms of males like this before, but as she traced her finger lightly over his tanned eight-pack, she felt like she was going to drool. They were firm, and felt like he had been chiseled out of marble. Her fingers came up and ran across his chest, and she felt like a teenage girl looking at her celebrity crush.

His finger brushed her cheek, and her eyes moved to meet his. His eyes were not on her body like hers had been on his, the god's hands were groping and feeling her like she expected, he was just admiring her face, stroking her cheek and staring into her eyes. "I never noticed how beautiful you were, before." He admitted, and Diana blushed. She didn't know how to take a compliment like that, so she just ran her eyes across his godly face. She was the one to speak next. "I never really looked at you before, but now that I have... gods, I'm sorry, I've never felt these things before." She apologized, looking away.

Perses smiled, grabbing her face. As she turned to look at him again, he went in for another kiss, and she immediately returned the favor. This one wasn't heated or steamy, however. This one felt like a scene straight out of a Disney movie to her. Their lips moved in sync, their tongues remained docile, and their eyes closed as they pulled each other closer.

Diana leaned back, and grabbed the bottom of her white tank top, before pulling it over her head. Perses' eyes widened as her concealed breasts bounced free, and he looked at her. "Diana, what are you doing?" He asked. Diana looked at him dreamily, pressing her body up against him. "Touch me. Feel me. Please Perses, I want to feel your hands on my body." She whispered sexily.

Hesitantly, Perses brought his hands up and placed them on her breasts, feeling the untouched globes for the first time. They were soft, and not large like Venus'. They weren't non-existent either, just firm and bouncy enough for him to take pleasure in it. Diana moaned as she felt the contact, and he squeezed gently.

The goddess reached behind her back, fiddling with the clip on her bra. Before he could tell what was going on, the item of clothing fell and her naked breasts were revealed to him. His jaw dropped, and she moaned when his hands made contact with her nipples. As his thumbs lightly grazed over the small bumps, pleasure coursed throughout Artemis' body, and she threw her head back to moan.

"Suck on them," she demanded. "Suck on my tits, Perses." She said, and Perses seemed unsure. "Diana, don't you think this is going a bit fast?" He asked, wanting to make sure she was consciously making these decisions. She grabbed the back of his head and pressed it against her right breast, where Perses gave up and began to suckle.

She bit her lip. "Artemis wants to stay a virgin, that's fine by me. I'm finally going to see what Venus has been raving about all these years." She said finally as Perses reached up a hand to stroke her other nipple.

After a few minutes of this, Perses pulled his head away and looked her in the eyes. "Diana, have you ever orgasmed?" He asked, and she became intrigued. "No, but I've heard it feels good. Why?" She asked, hoping this was headed where she wanted it to.

Perses smirked. "May I be the first one to bring you such a pleasure, milady?" He asked, grabbing the waist of her jeans and waiting for permission. Diana thought it over, again wondering if she wanted to go this far. Then she remembered her thoughts from before, and nodded. "Are you going to... put it in me?" She asked, and he shook his head as she carefully tugged her jeans down her waist.

As he pulled her jeans off, he grabbed her panties and looked up again, asking once more for permission. She looked him in the eyes, searching for any hints of malice or ill-intent. When she couldn't find any, she nodded, and he tugged the black underwear down her legs and off of her.

Before she could ask what happened next, Perses grabbed both of her smooth legs and put them on his shoulders. "Here's what I want you to do. Sit back, and try to hold it in as long as you can. That just makes the release all the more enjoyable." He said, and she nodded in understanding.

The Roman goddess barely had any time to react before Perses leaned down and began to probe her core with his tongue. Diana gasped, almost to the point of crying out, and she clenched as hard as she could even though she felt like she was seconds away from coming.

Perses began to lick all around her folds, stimulating her lower lips with his tongue. He practiced every trick he knew, trying to remember all the best places to hit. Gently, he tried to move his tongue deeper, but when she whimpered, he decided to hold off.

Perses sat up, making the goddess shift so he was giving her a reverse-piggyback while she leaned against the headboard. Diana tugged at his black hair in pure bliss as her fiance worked his magic on her. "P-Perses. I, I think it's... oh gods..." She shivered, pushing his face further into her vagina.

Taking this as his cue to finish off, Perses began to utilize all his best techniques to make her first time the most enjoyable. He was incredibly hard at this point, and he felt the slight dampness of pre-cum soaking through his underwear and onto his jeans.

Diana gasped for air as she became lost in the world of pleasure. While she felt her release coming, Perses licked and lightly probed the best he could to get her to orgasm. As her legs became shaky on his shoulders, Diana knew she couldn't hold it anymore. She clenched the fistfuls of his hair in her grasp as her gates flooded.

Diana had never felt such physical pleasure in her life before that moment, and she felt like her soul had left her body when she exhaled shakily and tipped her head back to moan. Perses, his face being covered in juices, began to eagerly lap it all up like a puppy. The extra licks only served to pleasure Diana even more, and she noticed that she had begun to grind her pelvis against his face, trying to gain even more pleasure.

Perses shifted them so she was directly on top of him, and his head was positioned like he was drinking out of a cup. As Perses felt the last of her juices leave her body and enter his mouth, he carefully lowered her down to sit on her knees in front of him. "You taste like nectar." He noted, before kissing her passionately. Diana could not help herself, and she licked every side of Perses' mouth, trying to see if he was telling the truth. As she finally caught a good taste of herself, she backed away. "You weren't exaggerating." She smirked.

As she looked down, she saw the massive bulge in her pants and bit her lip, wondering whether she should repress her urges. Deciding to throw that out the window, she grabbed it lightly, only to feel it was surprisingly firm, even through his jeans. "Wow, are they all this big?" She asked, and Perses blushed. "Not according to Venus." He said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

As she rubbed her thumb over it, she noticed a wet patch soaking through. "Did you orgasm too?" She asked, and he shook his head. "No, that's pre-cum, like a warning that I'm aroused, I guess. Like the erection didn't make that obvious." He explained, and she smirked. She wasn't dumb, and she knee things about sex. "Say, would it help if I were to... stimulate you? Would that make you feel the same pleasure I did, as a thank you?" She asked, and Perses was flabbergasted.

Knowing he would tell her something like 'no, that's degrading', or 'I don't want to rush you', Diana took initiative. As Perses backed up to lean against the headboard, she began to unzip his jeans. The goddess pulled down his underwear and her breath hitched as the throbbing manhood popped free from its imprisonment.

Curiously, she reached out and wrapped her hand around it, making Percy moan. "Diana, you don't..." He trailed off, moaning as she gently began to rub up and down. She had seen sex before, she knew what she was supposed to do to stimulate him. This was her first time trying it practically, however, so her form wasn't perfect.

She squeezed a little bit too hard, and when Percy's face clenched in pain, she quickly figured out that she was not supposed to do that. As the goddess of the hunt gave the hero a stellar handjob, she remembered the second stage of this pleasuring act. "Diana, you really don't have to do this." Perses managed to say as she leaned down. Her mouth was right above his head, and her warm breath sent pleasure coursing through his body.

Her eyes met his, and she smiled. "Think of this as a thank you." She said, before descending and taking him into her mouth. Perses threw his head back as the pleasure overwhelmed him, and he lost himself in the feel of Diana's lips around his cock. Hoping she was doing it right, Diana began to suck it like she would a popsicle, and suong what limited information she'd gathered from a porn one time, started moving her head up and down.

She must have been doing good, because Perses was behaving like he'd taken a syringe full of nectar and overdosed. He desperately grabbed the back of her head, gently pushing up and down so not to choke or hurt her. Diana managed to keep up, and was soon moving naturally as if this was her job.

Perses, already thorougjly aroused from eating her out, could not last long, and decided not to make things torturous for himself by holding it in. "Diana, I-I'm gonna cum." He warned her, and the goddess froze. She wondered for a moment what she was supposed to do here, and remembered that she couldn't get pregnant by swallowing it. So, she continued as if he hadn't said anything.

When her surprisingly amazing head bobbing became too much, Perses grabbed her hair and released his load into her mouth and down her throat. Since she didn't want to get the bed messy and deep down she knew she wanted a good taste, Diana stopped and let the cum flow, swallowing a large portion of it, while a few drops managed to escape her mouth.

When he finished, Diana raised her head and leaned in for a kiss. Deciding he didn't want a taste of his own jizz, he stopped her, before using his powers as a water deity to summon a glass-worth in the air, which she promptly swallowed.

The two made out of a while, now naked on the bed, before Diana grabbed his hardening member again. She pressed it against her maidenhood, which made Perses jump to action. "No! Diana, that would break your hymen and your virginity would disappear." He warned, and she shrugged. "I thought about it today, and maybe it's time I gave up that vow. It causes more trouble than it's worth. Besides, I'm getting married, what's the point?" She told him.

He stuttered, shocked that she was even considering this. "But, wouldn't that break Artemis' hymen too?" He asked, and she shook her head. "We are two different bodies. Your wounds don't afflict Perseus. My body is separate from Artemis', my virginity separate to hers." She explained, ans he nodded. As she moved his cock back into place, he forced her to look at him. "Diana, are you sure you want to do this? There's no coming back." He warned.

Diana smiled, happy that he was actually considering her feelings about all this. With any other male, their desires would have taken over by now, and they would have taken her anyway. But not him. "Yes, Perses. I am sure. If anyone's going to take my maidenhood, I want it to be you." She assured him, and he smiled.

Perses positioned himself at Diana's entrance, before carefully sliding his cock into her maidenhood. Diana gasped out in pain as she struggled to adjust to her lover's size. She was a 4000 year old virgin, after all. She hissed in pain, grabbing his shoulder tightly "Do it." She commanded, and Perses obeyed. With one hard and deep thrust, Perses sheathed himself inside her, breaking her barrier and claiming her virginity.

Diana screamed, which most certainly would have woken Selena had their room not been soundproof. She grasped his shoulders tightly as her thin body leaned against his lean and muscular one, trying to get herself used to the huge object probing her inner core.

Perses saw tears brimming her clenched eyelids, and he wiped them away. "It's okay, the pain will go away." He said, preparing to continue. With slow and long thrusts, in order to let her adjust, he began to pull her up and down on top of him. Diana felt her insides expanding, and she let out slight grunts every time he thrust into her, trying to hold in screams of pleasure and pain.

The clapping sound of flesh against flesh every second or so rang out through the room, and in order to stabilize herself, Diana had to put her hands against the wall and lean on them. She stopped him, now confident she could move on her own. His hands remained on her hips, however, and she began to pull herself up and down.

It's just like pull ups, it's just like pull ups, she thought, trying to distract herself from the immense pain her first time was greeting her in. Soon the pain numbed slightly, and as her folds loosened slightly she could now bounce up and down onto his cock smoothly.

Now that the pain wasn't on her mind, the pleasure took over. "Oh-oh, shit, ah, P-Perses, ah fuck." She moaned and hissed as she bounced up and down on top of him. Deciding to help her, Perses began to use his hands to pull her up and down again, and soon she was riding him like a pro.

"Ah, yes Perses! Give- Give it to me! Ah fuck yes! Right there! Right there, baby! Yessss!" She drew out the S like a snake, closing her eyes and looking up. Perses grunted, burying his head in her neck. "Fuck! I didn't know it could be this tight. It feels so fucking good." He complimented her, and she smiled as she bounced some more.

Diana slowed to a halt, severely disappointing Perses. "I don't think I could do this again tonight. Do you wanna, uh, move around?" She asked, not knowing the proper terminology. Perses smirked. "Switch up positions? Sure. There's one I'm particularly fond of, might suit you as goddess of wildlife." He said, and she let him lead the way.

Perses pulled out, making Diana whimper just from the contact of his head to her lips during the exit. He got up on his knees and gently turned her around, managing to direct her on her hands and knees facing away from him. "This one's called doggy style." He said, grabbing his still-erect cock and gently pushing back into Diana's wetness.

She gasped in pleasure, and adjusted herself so she was on her elbows with her ass sticking in the air as Perses pounded away at her backside. She found this position really arousing, though she didn't know if that was normal. Something about being fucked like an animal really turned the goddess on, and it felt like ten times the pleasure she was feeling before.

Her eyes rolled upwards as she struggled to breathe through the pleasure. Getting into it, Perses raised a hand and brought it down sharply on her ass, making her yelp a bit as she had been spanked. "W-what was th-that?" She asked, struggling to get the words out due to the pounding. Perses smirked, grasping both cheeks and winking at her. "From me, take it as a compliment. From anyone else it's assault." He said, and she nodded, chuckling slightly.

She began to pant as his thrusts became heavier, and Diana felt like a dog at this point. She tried to use what dirty talk she knew. "Yes, Perses! Fuck me, fuck me please! Harder, baby, give it to me hard! I wanna feel you in meee." She moaned during the sentence with every clap of Percy's pelvis against her ass.

Perses grunted, holding it in as best as he could. Diana had orgasmed about five times since they began having sex, but he'd managed to last this long. Though her tightness mixed with the sight of her resting her head sideways on the ground with her ass up for him may change that soon.

Diana was pushing back against him, moaning as he ran her into the ground. The old her would've thought this new Diana a slut, but she enjoyed this way too much to care one fucking bit.

Suddenly Perses had a familiar feeling. "Diana, I'm gonna cum. Where do you want it?" He asked, and they both struggled to say anything through the moaning. "Iz8, me, p-please. I don't care ab-bout pregnancy. Just... do... it... fuck!" She screamed and moaned, and Perses squeezed her ass cheeks tight.

As Diana prepared to be flooded, she was unprepared when Perses grabbed her and turn her over onto her back, somehow managing to stay inside her. Now she was underneath him, and her legs instinctively wrapped around his back, pulling her lover close.

His hands rested on either side of her body and her arms stretched up above her head, just shy of the headboard. As they stared into each other eyes, Perses thrust as hard and fast as he could into the goddess. It didn't take long before Perses came, his seed flooding her insides and making her cry out in ecstasy as the hot liquid filled her up.

Perses kept thrusting, making sure to get it all out, before he eventually unplugged himself from her hole. Diana lay there, her chest rising and falling as she took in what had just happened. She lost her virginity, and it felt fucking great. She didn't care what anybody thought, she decided. Diana would never forget this night nor the pleasure she felt.

Perses lay down next to her, pulling his lover in for a heated kiss. She smiled as she played with his hair, while his hands wrapped around her back and pulled her tightly to him. They lay there for a good while, kissing each other passionately and relishing in the feel of one another's naked form on their own.

Eventually, Diana pulled away and looked at the alarm clock. "It's 11:30. We have half an hour left." She told him, and he nodded, pulling the blankets up to their necks. "Then we'd better get to sleep before Perseus and Artemis come back and see what happened." He told her. Diana nodded, and surprisingly affectionately, she cuddled up to her fiance.

"Perses." She said, and he hummed in acknowledgement of her calling. "Thank you for making my first time so... amazing." She said truthfully, and he leaned up to kiss her on the forehead. "You're welcome. Goodnight, Diana. I'll see you in a month. Then we'll have a whole week to be together." He said, and the goddess in question kissed him again.

"I can't wait. Goodnight, my love." She whispered, bringing a smile to Perses' face. They fell asleep in each other's arms, and as the clock struck midnight, their naked forms changed to that of a sleeping Percy and Artemis, who slept soundly through the night.

Holy moly that was a long chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed the Roman special. I'd like to personally thank MGMT for helping me write this chapter. I have a plan for the next chapter, so that shouldn't take too long. See ya guys, have fun. Also, please leave suggestions for future chapters.

Word Count: 10,706