Chapter 24: Meet Your Family

Now it's finally time for some Pertemis stuff. Again, I'm really sorry that last chapter was kinda rushed, but I'll try and make it up to you all by having the next few chapters just be Pertemis. Also, do you like Orion? I personally hate him, since I've read too many Pertemis stuff where he tried to rape Artemis, but in the myths he's actually an alright guy. Then I sometimes see Pertemis fanfics that portray Orion as Artemis' boyfriend or ex-boyfriend and it makes me mad because I kind of sympathize with him.

Chapter 24: Meet Your Family

Artemis P.O.V.

Orion pushed me forward, and I had to stabilize myself to stop from falling flat on my face. My hands were bound, but my feet were free so I could walk, which I had been doing for hours now. I glared at Orion, and he made to touch my face. "I'm sorry, Artemis. I'll make it up to you once this is done with." He said comfortingly.

I glared at him, and his calm and caring demeanor changed as he scowled. His hand raised in an aggressive way, and I flinched. His hand halted before he could strike me, and he whirled around. Selena squealed as he grabbed her by the arm forcefully and slapped her across the face.

I yelled, but it was muffled by the gag in my mouth. Orion turned to me, glaring. "We're almost there, so behave yourself." He scolded, and I shut my mouth. He pushed Selena in front of him, tightening his hold of the ropes around our necks, and we began walking again.

As we walked through the barren and rocky fields, my mind wandered to the night before. One of the worst nights of my life.

Selena and I were kneeling on the ground, our hands tied behind our backs and our 'leashes' tied to a pole in the ground. I tried calming down my hyperventilating daughter, but I couldn't really say anything thanks to the gag in my mouth.

Our kidnapper, Orion, walked over, holding a cooked rabbit's leg. "You girls hungry?" He asked, holding the rabbit leg out to us. Selena didn't answer, quivering from her spot beside me. I simply glared, and if I wasn't gagged, I would have spat on him. He scowled back, taking a bite of the leg, and then he smirked.

The smirk sent a cold chill down my spine.

"You know, I made a deal with my client. I'm gonna deliver the two of you to him, and he's gonna interrogate you for.... Whatever reason. I didn't ask. Then, he promised me that if I did this quickly and efficiently, then once he was finished with you... you'd be all mine." Orion told me, and both of our eyes widened in shock.

He inched closer. "Your bitch of a daughter will stay with him for him to do whatever he pleases with her, and the two of us will be able to be together, finally." He said, glaring at Selena. My daughter quivered, backing away as best as she could from the man. I was scared too, scared of what Orion would do.

He licked his lips, moving close enough that our bodies were pressed together, and I leaned away. Unfortunately, since I was kneeling, I couldn't exactly go far, and Orion pushed me onto the ground. Selena shouted at him through the gag as best she could, but my old hunting partner ignored her.

I set himself above me, and I struggled to move with my hands behind my back. Orion's hands moved from on either side of me to my body as he forced his mouth on mine. I squirmed underneath him, trying to stop him from laying his hands all over me, on my breasts, under my shirt, even drifting to my legs.

Tears spilled from my eyes as he violated me, and he suddenly stopped. He had a horrified look on his face, and he got up quickly. "I'm not supposed to touch you like that. Not until you've been interrogated." He said, standing up. I lay there on my side, tears leaking onto the ground as Selena looked down at me with sympathy and fear.

Orion grabbed my arm forcefully, pulling me back up on my knees and returning to the campfire. "We'll have plenty of time for that after my job is complete." He muttered to himself, though it was also slightly aimed at me. Selena and I looked at each other worriedly, and neither of us got a wink of sleep that night.

As I was pulled out of my horrible memories, I realised I was standing still, and I had only a second to take note of the fist headed for my face. I fell to the ground, wincing at the heavy blow Orion had dealt to my face. Selena screamed, and Orion shushed her.

He grabbed my hair, pulling me back up to my feet. "What did I tell you about ignoring me, Artemis? No stopping. Now, we're almost there, so you two need to behave yourself. If he finds out about last night, it'll be bad for all of us." He said, pushing the two of us forward again into a walk. As I looked up towards the dark gates, my eyes widened.

Erebus' kingdom.

As we approached, the gates opened, and we walked right through. We followed a similar path to the one the Olympians took to Erebus' palace, and we were let in by two monsters. I have to admit, the palace was lavish from the inside. It looked like your traditional gothic castle, somewhere a vampire would live, but it was actually warm and inhabitable.

The monsters led us through the palace, and I noticed the two monsters- some Dracaena- glaring at Orion with hate in their eyes. Their gazes softened as they looked upon us. I didn't pay it any mind, though. I briefly wondered who this person that wanted Selena and I was, but I quickly figured it out. Who else could it be? Although, I did wonder why he would make such a deal with Orion.

Perhaps it was true. Maybe my husband truly was too far gone.

We eventually reached two large doors and we stopped. The dracaena walked ahead and opened the doors for us, gesturing for the three of us to enter. Orion nudged us in, and we entered the large room.

The room was full of people, 15 to be exact. Eight of them were a very similar uniform, with black clothes and grey masks covering their faces. Six of them were normal sized, while one was larger than the average human and one was huge. Another woman stood off to the side, and as we entered the room I recognised her as Nyx, primordial goddess of the Night. Holding her hand was a small brunette girl with bright green eyes clutching a teddy bear close as she looked at us curiously. She appeared no older than 8 or 9.

The other five were on raised steps, with the largest of them sitting on a large black throne at the top of the steps. I recognized all five of them. Percy and his children.

Great, I'd almost forgotten he had children without me. I forgot he cheated on me.

Perseus sat on his throne with one leg touching the ground and the other draped lazily over the armrest. He still had his armor and helmet on, so if you weren't at Olympus, you wouldn't have known it was him. He turned his head to us, and sat up slightly. "Orion, you've returned."

The hunter nodded, stepping aside so we were in full view of Perseus. "Yes, and I've brought them, as you requested." He said, holding out his hand gesturing to us. Selena and I squirmed slightly, feeling awkward as all 30 eyes in the room were on us.

Perseus stood up and descended the steps, walking over to us. I flinched as he towered over us, and he knelt down in front of Selena. My daughter- our daughter, didn't meet his gaze as the masked man looked over her. After a few seconds, he stood up and approached me.

I gulped as he looked down at me, his face and expression hidden from me. He reached out a hand, and I winced as the cold metal of his gauntlet touched my chin and turned my head in his direction gently. I briefly caught a glimpse of gold iris' shining through the helmet, similar to when Percy emerged from the fires of Mount Saint Helens.

"So, I assume you'll be done with the interrogation quickly, then I get my pay and her?" Orion said, clearing his throat and walking over to Percy expectantly. Perseus ignored him, turning my head so my left eye was visible, the eye that Orion had punched about ten minutes before.

"Orion... why does she have a black eye?" He asked, and I could faintly hear the malice and rage in his calm voice. Orion gulped and started sweating, trying to think up an excuse. "She... she tried to escape last night while I slept, and she tripped and the daughter and hit her eye on the pole I had tied their leashes to." He explained, fidgeting with his hands slightly from beside me.

Perseus looked over at him, an eerie aura of anger being emitted from him. "Orion, if her eye fell onto a steel pole, she wouldn't have an eye. Now, tell me what really happened before I get really mad." He said, drawing a large celestial bronze sword, which I immediately recognized as Riptide.

Orion didn't make that connection, and he began shaking. "Th-they were misbehaving, trying to escape, and-" He tried explaining, but Perseus interrupted him. "They? Did you strike my daughter too, Hunter?!" He shouted, and Orion quivered in fear. Then, his eyes widened. "Wait, your daughter?"

Perseus turned around and walked towards the steps. He reached the top as his children stood up, brandishing their respective weapons, and he turned his head to face the Hunter. "Yes Orion, my daughter." He said, taking off his helmet.

Orion gasped as he recognised Percy, and he dropped his bow in shock. "You... you're supposed to b-be dead!" He said, pointing at the man like he was seeing a ghost. Perseus smirked, turning around fully. "I like to think the same about you."

Gradually, the eight masked people in the room drew weapons too, the largest one going to block the door. Nyx brought the young girl close to her, shielding her eyes from what was about to happen. Orion backed up, being surrounded by everyone in the room.

"But- but, you promised! You said if I brought them here then Artemis would be mine! You promised!" He shouted, trying to weasel his way out of this situation. Perseus smirked, absentmindedly running his fingers along the celestial bronze blade. "Well, Orion, my conditions on that were that they came back unharmed. You broke that, so the deal's off. But, thanks for bringing them here anyway." He said, laughing at Orion's expense.

Orion turned to make a run for it, but stopped when he noticed the man blocking the door. "You can't do this. We had a deal!" He said, glaring at Percy with hate in his eyes. Perseus just shrugged. "Well, as I said, the deal's off, so you are no longer here on business. That means I can do whatever I want with you, and I would like to see you punished for hurting my wife and child. I'm sure my other children would like to assist with that."

All four of the teenagers held up their weapons threateningly, with the skinniest one nocking an arrow on his golden bow. My bow. Orion backed away from them, but was kicked forward onto the ground by one of the masked people. The masked woman said something afterwards, which I made out as "Serves you right, you bastard."

I gulped, remembering something my close friend Zoe had said after Orion's first death. "Serves him right, the bastard."

Orion was on his knees now, staring warily at the golden weapons. "Please, let me go. Those weapons will fade me!" He begged, and Percy laughed. "No shit Sherlock. Go get 'em, kids." He said, pointing at Orion. Like trained dogs, the four teens obeyed, running forward and taking care of Orion.

I cringed as I watched it unfold, and Nyx pressed the girl tighter into her dress. Even though I hated him with a passion, I couldn't help but feel bad for my former friend as the teens tore him apart. I looked over, and Selena watched the sight with wide eyes, probably realising that those were her siblings.

After he had faded, and his bloody and mangled body lay unmoving, Percy beckoned his children back to him. He gestured to us, and one of the masked figures came and removed our gags.

Selena was the first to speak, managing to choke out. "Dad?" Percy smiled warmly as the figure cut her bonds. "Hey Sweetheart." When her hands were freed, she ran forward, not hearing my protests, and she engulfed Percy in a hug.

"You're really here." She said in disbelief, holding herself close to him. He nodded, leaning down and kissing her forehead. After about a minute, she released him, and looked at her father in curiosity. "How are you here? You died in the war. The gods said so." She said in confusion.

Percy just smiled and kissed her forehead again. "The gods got a lot of things wrong." His eyes wandered to the corpse in the middle of the room. "Did he hurt you?" He asked sympathetically. Selena didn't answer at first, but then she nodded. "He slapped me a few times. Mom got it worse though." She said, and his attention was suddenly on me.

"Artemis!" He ran down towards me, and I had no time to object before he swept me in a tight hug. "Are you alright? What did he do to you?" He asked, checking my eye over for any hidden damage. I didn't answer, nor did I even look at him. Selena answered for me.

"He touched her, and hit her. He didn't get any further than kissing and groping." She explained, and he looked at me with sadness. "I'm sorry, Moonbeam. But he's gone now, he can't do that ever again." He consoled me.

I couldn't handle it, and I fell into his arms, crying my heart out into his chest. He soothed me, rubbing my back and kissing the top of my head like he did with Selena. Then, I was reminded of another fact.

I broke the hug, and my face turned to one of rage as I slapped him hard across the face. He winced, touching his burning cheek in pain. "Ow, what was that for?!" He asked, looking at me with hurt in his eyes. "How could you cheat on me!" I screamed, gesturing to his four children who stood staring at us with wide eyes.

"What? I didn't- Oh, I see why you're confused. Let me explain." He said, launching into a whole explanation about what has happened since I last saw him. "You see, I thought I died, but then Nyx's monsters rescued me, and she took care of me for a few months. Afterwards, I began to resent Olympus, and I'm now plotting to destroy Olympians, or rather the Olympians. I already got Olympus itself." He said, chuckling to himself as I glared at him.

"Anyways, Nyx helped me with this, and we recruited eight generals to be my advisors and closest allies in this conquest." He said, gesturing to the masked people. Percy whistled, and all of them removed their masks. I gaped at them all as their faces

became recognisable.

Luke Castellan, Ethan Nakamura, Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf, Damasen, Iapetus, Bianca di Angelo and Zoe Nightshade.

At the last two, tears formed in my eyes, and I leapt forward to embrace them. "But... how?" I asked, sobbing into Zoe's shirt. My best friend smiled down at me. "Percy rescued us all from our respective resting places, and Nyx called in a favour to get me taken out of the sky." She explained, and I gasped as I remembered the night the Huntress had disappeared from the constellations.

Percy cleared his throat, and I turned back to him. He gestured back to the four teenagers. "Well, thanks to me killing Gaea, I have some Primordial power, and one of those is creating life from scratch. Using this power, I made four children, without having sex with someone, and based them withour DNA." He said, and my eyes widened as I looked at the four teens.

"Wait, so..." I asked, trailing off. Percy nodded, grinning like a fool. "Yep, they're your children." He said, stepping aside so I could see them all. Black hair, green eyes, auburn hair, silver eyes, tanned skin, all of them had only features that were prominent in either Percy or I, and as I looked longer, the more blatantly obvious it became.

I was a mother again.

I stepped forward slowly, and so did the only girl. It was the one we had been questioning only a day ago, with the silver-dyed streak in her hair. We met each other at the bottom of the steps, and I swallowed what little saliva I had. I couldn't manage to get any words out, but she could. "Hi mom." She said awkwardly. Then I pulled her in for a tight hug.

Soon, I felt more arms wrap around me, and then more, and soon I was in a group hug with my new children. I'll admit, I cried tears of joy a bit. "I have sons." I murmured, wrapping my arms as best as I could around them. They smiled, hugging me back equally as tight.

As we broke apart, Percy walked up beside me, and I smiled at him as all anger was forgotten. "Artemis, meet your children. "Larissa, Calix, Achilles and Urion." He said, and then grunted as a force hit his leg.

I looked, and the girl with the teddy was hugging him while looking up at me curiously. Percy laughed, picking her up and spinning her around. "And of course our adoptive daughter, Sapphire." He said, and the young girl waved at me while smiling awkwardly.

I chuckled, waving back with tears in my eyes as I looked over my family. My husband and my children.

The family I never even knew I had.

Yay, they're back together! I'll put a lemon in the next chapter, between Larissa and Urion- I mean Percy and Artemis. It was a joke guys, Larissa and Urion aren't really together. As I said, the next few chapters are just gonna be Pertemis, with little to do with the actual plot. Thought I'd reward you for like 12 straight chapters of a Pertemis story without any Pertemis.

Thank you for sticking with me, guys. I know it can get frustrating, but I want this to have an actual plot and story. Also, go check out @Fanofthehunt on Wattpad, since he/she are pretty much my greatest influence in Pertemis. I absolutely love their stories, and you should go and support them.

Word Count: 3250