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Chapter Thirty Seven: Waking Up To A Different Kind Of Surprise

Point of View: Artemis Jackson

I wake up with my head on Percy's chest and my arm slung over his midsection. I look up to find him awake and just laying there, his arm over his eyes, but they are still visible, and staring at the ceiling. I immediately know what he is feeling because it radiates off of him. He's upset but happy.

"Upset because I woke up with my jumbled up emotions in that setting and happy because of you. And before you ask, yes, you did speak aloud." He startles me. He seems to notice. "Sorry." He apologizes and I smile.

"It's okay. I understand and it's not like it's your fault." I tell him and he smiles a little bit, but it doesn't stay for but a few seconds before it disappears. "You feel different to me."

He bursts out laughing and it catches me completely off guard. I am not used to him being so interactive with his feelings. Definitely different. "Tell me, Artemis, why would we feel different to each other?Hmm?" He kisses me lightly and then chuckles. "Perhaps the act last night?" Then he rolls out of bed and I stare. I didn't look while we were...yeah.

He laughs as he hears my thoughts and looks over his shoulder, smiling brightly. I turn red and get up. He doesn't even look embarrassed and moves to the dresser by the wall. "Why aren't you red like I am?"

"Because nudity isn't something that bothers me and besides, I don't stare. I could I suppose, but I don't feel like making a habit of it. It's not really my thing." He tells her with an amused smile on his face.

"So I'm not good enough to stare at?" I ask hurt.

He's towering over me in the next half a second. "There is only one woman that I care to look at. I don't have to stare because I'll be with her forever. I have all the chances in the world and all the time a man could ask for to be with her." He cups my face and leans down so our lips ghost over each other when either of us speaks. "You are perfect in my eyes. There is no being lovelier than my Moon. And I am married to you. I will stay with you forever and my life would be forfeit without you. You make me whole Artemis, staring has nothing to do with it. With one glance I know you are mesmerizing to my gaze. I don't need to stare to see that. You stare because you were so used to seeing my scars, not my unmarked body." He presses his lips against mine and pulls away after a few seconds. "Besides, you should get dressed. I am going to take you somewhere before we have to return to the world." He laughs and gets dressed.

I follow his example and put on my clothes. "Why didn't you just summon your clothes on your form?"

"Why didn't you?" He counters and laughs. "I just felt like being normal for once." He winks and then I am in his arms as he flashes away with me.

We are under water in a cavern that shines beautifully with the corals of light. There's a blanket and a basket for a picnic and several melodies are playing naturally from the way the water rushes over different plant life and then swirls into it as it goes away, only to come back again. I brighten at the little place. "It's beautiful." I say breathlessly.

He just smiles and continues towards the blanket. He sets me down gently and then sits down beside me. He empties the basket in front of us. "It's a breakfast picnic. I didn't give you the third paper that appeared in my hands from Hestia. Hera sent me a blue one, but you'll see when it happens."

I giggle and his eyes sparkle at seeing me so happy. He pours me some sparkling apple cider and then pours himself some. He looks a little distant and absentminded though...

We sit there and eat, talk, and play games that don't require moving. He sings for me along with the melodies, songs he knows because of the sea teaching him and those that are in his blood. We end up just sitting there and when it's quiet, I find him looking down at me thoughtfully. I just lean into him and he looks at the cave wall brooding. He sighs and puts his head on top of mine as he keeps us up with his arms.

This causes me to look up at him. "Are you okay? Is is your soul again?"

He shakes his head but remains silent. After a while, he sighs again and looks down at me. "Artemis, do you feel any difference in your aura like I do?"

"Well of course, our souls have changed because of-" I start in some confusion at why he's asking me that question. He should know.

"No. Listen to me, I am talking about you and you alone. Your presence, do you sense anything different about yourself?" He rephrases and I look at him weirdly, raising an eyebrow.

I concentrate on my soul and shake my head. "No, not really. Why?"

Point of View: Perseus Jackson

I sense several little strands of life entwined with Artemis's. They are so familiar, yet I cannot figure out why. I know it is the Fates blocking me. Something they won't let me know just yet. But I am positive what it is that makes her different.

I sigh and move my free hand to her abdomen. "Artemis, my Moon, you are with child." I tell her slowly.

Point of View: Artemis Jackson

My eyes widen and now I know I feel different. Really different. I just dismissed it as what I did last night with Percy.

"Several children, actually. They are too close together for me to tell, but I am sure there is more than one, maybe two." He continues.

"Percy?" I whisper.

"Yes?" He asks cautiously.

But I don't answer, not for a few minutes and he starts to worry. "How many are there?" I ask.

"Um..." He looks like he's focusing and intelligence passes through his eyes. "Artemis..." He shakes his head.

"Tell me." I command with tears in my eyes.

His hands move over me, trying to reassure me. Then he just takes my hands in his. He looks into my eyes and I freeze at the number he tells me. "Nine." He whispers. "There are nine little lights connected to your soul."

When I don't speak, he saddens and then says something I know I'll regret if I don't tell him what I want. What I truly want. "You don't have to have them. I understand if you don't want that many children. We can try again for just one child. If you do not want to have so many, you do not have to go through with it." He starts to get up and I pull him back down and kiss him passionately.

This surprises him. "I want to have them, I just didn't realize there were so many. I have wanted to have children of my own for a long time now, but hearing it is very different than wanting it. Knowing about it, it just shocked me. I want your children, Percy. I always will."

He stares at me and then smiles warmly as tears slide down his face. I wipe them off and he catches my hand, shaking his head. "Let them fall. They are not for sadness, but for joy. If I am going to cry, it's going to be because I am happy, not because I am upset." He keeps my hand pressed to his face. "Thank you." He whispers and it makes me grin. "You don't know how this makes me feel." He tells me. He gathers me to his form and hums songs to me, it makes me even more ecstatic.

"I think I know how you feel, Perseus." I tell him and rest my head on his chest.

"Ready for the next stop?" He asks me after awhile.

I nod. "You bet."

He chuckles and flashes away with me again. We land on a beach somewhere on an island, that much I can tell. He sets me on my feet. "The only thing inhabiting this island are a select few rare game that revive as soon as you kill it and the hunt begins again. So, it's a hunting game for the last day of our honeymoon. Everybody else is either...well, knowing some of the others and then the rest are probably discussing terms or whatever. Who knows? But, Hera thought this would make us happy an-mmm!"

I cut him off by pulling his head down to my level and kissing him. "Of course this will make us happy. Hunting is fun, even after all this time. Do you enjoy it?"

He grins as he looks over me. "I love hunting, especially when it's with you."

I smirk. "What about against me?"

He chuckles. "You'd win. Even if I did admit to being superior than you, and I never will because I highly doubt it, I would let you win for you to be happy. It makes you feel good and that's all I want."

I scowl. "Why would you let me win if you could beat me?"

"I just told you, my Moon. I just like seeing you overjoyed. That's how you are whenever you hunt and even more so if you win a hunting contest. I love seeing you excited, it makes my day." He tells me and looks up at the sky smiling before looking back down at me.

"And that makes you happy?" I ask unsure.

He kisses my cheek. "More than happy. It's a chain reaction. And not only for me and you, but for others as well. Our sisters, my Companions, my guardian, his Companions, my Protector, my Tenders, and basically anything that likes seeing me happy that likes seeing Nico happy that likes seeing...I'm just going to stop there. It's a bond thing. So, I'll put it this way. When you are happy, nearly everyone you love is happy and in turn everyone they love is happy."

I giggle. "So, if you make me happy, then a lot of others are going to be happy as well?"

"Potentially." He answers with a huge smile.

"Are we going to hunt?" I ask.

He gestures for the forest. "You start."

I grin and take off, him following right behind me without trouble. We dart through the forest and by time the sun is setting, we've hunted down so many different species and had so much fun. He surprises me though when he playfully pushes me into a river with a waterfall. He laughs and disappears.

"Hey!" I yell indignantly.

I hear his laughter and I know he is shaking with it. Then I feel arms around my form. I know I turn dry when I stop feeling soaked. "Relax, my Moon. I am never mischievous as you put it. Or a troublemaker. Doesn't that also mean I am not normally playful? I thought you would like to see my childlike side for once and it's not really childish. Let's call it my loose side." I look up to see a kind smile on a playful expression. I stick my tongue out at him. "You can't even get me back in water, it does absolutely nothing." He taunts.

I sigh and feel him laughing, but he's gone again. His voice sounds far away when he speaks, "I am a different kind of beast you know. Would you enjoy hunting me?"

I giggle and take off after the sound of his voice. "I would love to play this game. Let's see if you make better sport than the others."

He booms with laughter as he gets farther away from me. I frown at his speed. "The speed of wolves and werewolves are nearly unparalleled. not to mention I can shift to increase my speed or just focus on the ability in my human form." I hear him after a little while. "Evasion and illusion. Very annoying, good thing I have them and am better at it than most. Magic and cloaking is even more fun. I have learned from you for long enough and now that I share your domain,I can cover my trail just as easily as you can. But you are still better at it."

I stop as I feel his aura in two different places at once. I stiffen as I feel a hand on my shoulder. It runs down my arm and then his lips press against my cheek. I turn to swipe at him, but he's gone and sprinting again. I hear him chuckle and I huff in annoyance.

"What's the matter Artemis? Can't catch your own Guardian?" He taunts me.

After a matter of three hours and forty-four minutes, I tackle him to the ground and pin him there. He laughs breathlessly. "Caught me. I'm yours."

"A magnificent prize." I giggle.

I am flashed to the beach and am in the same position. I look down at him and he smiles. He seems relaxed and I smile. He's normally always tense, whether you can tell or not.

"Did you enjoy your past couple of days?" He asks out of the blue, his eyes are closed, my weight not even bothering him.

I smile and just lay down on top of him. He opens his eyes to smile at me and then closes them again. "I loved them. What about you?"

"There is one thing that is missing from it all." He whispers and I raise an eyebrow.

"What's that?" I ask curiously.

He grins and then looks at me with happiness, but I know he's being serious. "Are you happy? Truly happy? I need to know."

This catches me by surprise and then I smile warmly. "We wouldn't be here if I wasn't happy. And I'd say I am far past happy."

He smiles and I know he is more relaxed now. "Good."

I touch his face and he blinks his eyes open to look at me with soft eyes. Eyes I never get to see. No cracks, no pain, no tension, no hatred, no resentment, just...happiness and love and trust and peace. I lay my head on his chest again and he wraps his arms around my waist. After awhile, I kiss him and I don't stop. And we continue where we left off the night before...

Tell me what you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See ya next chappie, my lovely readers! ;), hope you're happy.