A new purpose (pjo/ HoO fanfic)

Hogwarts 13

I ran and jumped straight into the lake. I sat at the bottom and closed my mind from the water life around me. I know I said it was fine but I did not think I would be reminded of my rough childhood and my time in Tartarus. Even though she left me, I don't hate Annabeth and I don't regret falling with her into Tartarus. It hurt like Hades knowing that I had given up so much for her and she just threw it away but in a way, I was glad. I had no strings anymore and I felt free.
I sat there, in a blank mind for a while and then I heard my name being called, muffled by the water. I pushed my self up and broke the surface of the water.
I came face to face with Artemis in her 17 year old form.

"I came to see if your alright" she said her voice filled with worry. I nodded my head, unable to trust my voice. She rusted her hand on my shoulder comfortingly and I gazed into her eyes. Those eyes showed so much worry and concern. I haven't had a look like that since I saw my Mum, but this look wasn't really motherly, it was like a concerned close friend.
"Yeah. I guess I didn't realise how much I would be revealing" I said, my voice barely a whisper. My green eyes connected with her silver ones. She pulled me into a tight hug and I cried into her shoulder while she played with the hair at the nape of my neck.

I never cried in front of people. The only person who's ever seen my cry was my mother. Not even Annabeth has seen me cry. Even when Gabe was torturing me, I wouldn't let myself cry. I was glad that the little 'story of my life' didn't show me crying. But why was I crying in front of Artemis? Was it because I didn't have to act strong in front of her? Or was it the fact she seemed to break through all my mental walls?
I inhaled her woodland, berry sent and started to calm down. I liked the way she comforted me. She didn't ask to talk about it, she just let me hold her.

Once my breathing was back to normal, and my tears stopped flowing I pulled back, but I didn't let go of her hand.
I silently led her back down to the very edge of the lake and pulled her down to sit next to me on the grass.
After a moment of silence, I whispered a sincere thankyou into her ear. "It was time I repaid the favour." She laughed slightly, looking at the moons reflection rippling on the black lake. I didn't know what she meant by that. I thought all the way back to when I comforted her in her tent during my last quest. She never told me why she was crying. I wasn't going to pester her. If Artemis wanted to tell me, she would have. I looked down at my hand, her fingers still locked in with mine. I was going to pull my hand away, not wanting to break any of her rules, but she squeezed my hand lightly.

When I was Artemis, I felt like I could be my self. I didn't have to have these walls up around me.
"You know. Your the only person alive to have ever seen my cry." I said. It was my turn to look straight ahead while she turned her head to look at me.
"You know. No one has ever seen me cry, apart from you." She whispered still looking at me.
I turned my head and looked right in her eyes. We were studying each other, slowly leaning forward. When our noses were close to touching, I looked down at her lips and back up her eyes, asking for her approval. She surprised me by closing the space between us.

To begin, it was small and uncertain. I didn't want to over step anymore boundaries than I was already over stepping. But then Artemis rapped her arm around my neck and I twisted my hand around her waist, feeling more confident. We kissed with more longing and certainty. I felt like a weight I didn't know I had been carrying, lifted.
I smiled into the kiss. Eventually, each of us pulled away, needing to breath.

I didn't know what to say. I intertwined our hands again and she didn't say no. I pulled our hands up and I kissed the back of her hand before letting them drop back down. I was happy with the silence but I wanted her to say something. Her eyebrows were furrowed in thought, her eyes looking down at our hands but they were shinning with happiness.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked her quietly.
"I was thinking about that kiss" she said and blushed a faint pink. "I don't know what to do. I have my hunters, in supposed to hate males. By somehow you broke my walls" she said, almost unintentionally quoting my earlier thoughts.
"Well Milady" I placed my hand under her chin and gently turned her head so she was looking at me. "I know this is complicated and is forbidden but I want to tell you something. I never admitted this to anyone before, not even myself." I said. I grabbed her attention and she turned her body round so she was facing me properly, without letting go of my hand. I took a deep breath, preparing my self for my speech.

"Milady. You have always been one of my favourite goddesses. When I was younger, Mum would tell me about your adventures and how you were independent and strong. I always liked how your 'fairy tales' worked" I started using my free hand to put air quotes around the words fairytales. "You never played the damsel in distress. I learned how you saved princesses from the wrong princes or saving young ladies from nasty men." I continued, never breaking contact with her eyes.
"Mums goal was to raise me as a gentle men. She tort me to never disrespect women or take them for granted.
When I was 11, just before I came to camp, my mum and I were at the super market and i saw a boy, older than me, yelling at a young girl. I watched as he raised his hand to slap her but I stopped him. I didn't start a fight or anything, but I told him it was wrong and he apologised and he helped the girl find her parents. After the little encounter my mum told me, and I quote: 'You will be a man that even Lady Artemis would approve of'. I helped old ladies with their shopping bags and I helped little girls reach the higher shelves in the store. I wanted to make you proud, even when I didn't know you were alive" I chuckled as I finished my tale and looked down at her hand and started to play with her fingers before I looked back up at her eyes. "So Lady Artemis? Do you approve of me? Did I make you proud?" I asked. She just laughed her melodic laugh and nodded her head.
"Well Percy Jackson, I did kinda say that back in the hall." She laughed and I pulled into a sideways hug. She rested her head into my shoulder. I hadn't finished my little confession yet.
"When I met you when I was 13, I instantly liked you. You were just like in my mums stories: strong and independent. When Annabeth was pulled off the cliff, I panicked for her but when I found out that you were trapped under the sky, my heart sunk slightly. Then I took the sky for you. Annabeth always told the stories like I took it from her but took it from you, because I didn't want you to suffer. There's was also the fact that little 13 year old me couldn't fight a Titan and win." I laughed at the memory and she smiled into the distance. "I didn't see you again for a while." I continued scrunching my eyes brows slightly. "But then during the second Titan war, you left your hunters in my hands, I just couldn't let you down. I had to win. I was battling for my home but also your approval. I always told myself no, you were off limits so I tried to fall In love with Annabeth and over the years I did" Artemis let out a low growl at her name. "But then when I saw your face when I came running to the gods after the betrayal, I saw worry and sympathy, my dormant feelings came rushing back" I realise how much of a huge confession I was making.
"Artemis, I want to be with you. I need you to know that when I fight in the upcoming war, I am fighting for my life. On my last quest, I didn't care what happened to me, I had nothing to come back to. Now I do. So I will fight so much harder because I have something to fight for." I looked down at her hands again.

"Percy, you are the only man to ever gain my full trust. I promise, I'm going to find a way for this to work. I'll even talk to Aphrodite. Please come home to me." She said with such sincerity and her eyes were desperate. I could say no to her. I leaned down and kissed her nose lightly.
"Percy, I volunteered to come out and check on you but we've been for about an hour and half, we should probably get back" she started. I nodded me head and I helped her up.
"Percy, I really, really like you. I don't know how you managed to break through my walls but for now we would have to keep this secret." She began to say. I understood why this had to be a secret but it was still saddening. "I promise, as soon as I get back to Olympus, I was look through the ancient laws to find away to break my oath. I want to be with you Percy. I really do." And she kissed me sweetly and then we started to walk back up to the castle.

Some Pertemis fluff for you! I know there wasn't a lot of action and the story didn't move forward but I thought it was important to start bringing in their relationship.
I have a massive school concert tomorrow. I'm helping set up, I'm in the band, the dance company, the choir, I'm also dancing a duet and singing a solo. I don't think I'll have anytime to write the next chapter because that's 8 acts! I'll be doing sound checks and I have to wear a different outfit for each act so a lot of changes.
If I don't post tomorrow, I'll post double Sunday. I'll start the next chapter tonight anyway to try and get it up for tomorrow but no promises. Sorry this is out so late.
Wish me luck for tomorrow!
Xx