The Moon's Shine (PJO)

Chapter 9

How did I get into this place?  Percy wondered as he fondly stroked the long, soft hair of the female that was using his chest as a pillow as she slept.

That woman was no other than Lady Artemis. Or, as he now called her—behind her back of course—"Arty."

He kind of deserved it. 

After all, he was the goddess' only male best friend.

It wasn't like he was trying to get on her good side, either. Ever since the unforgettable meeting with the Ceryneian Hind—now a month ago—Percy found himself wasting more and more time at Artemis' palace and growing attached to her free, childish personality. (Once again, he'd never told her this).

As it turned out, the cold, grouchy, and hateful facade she put up was specially customized for males. Once he got past that, however, he found her much more enjoyable to spend time with. She knew how to exactly cheer him up—not like he could be sad in her company in the first place.

Within two weeks, Percy had scored a humongous bedroom in the south wing of her palace. It was at least two acres from the goddess' bedroom—understandably, she couldn't fully let her guard down—but it still made slumber parties possible. 

Well . . . technically. If he ignored the distance.

Only, the acres made no difference when Lady Diana showed up.

The nights he had decided to stay over, Percy would often find himself waking up with a lithe body pressed up against him. He'd freaked out the first time, thinking that Lady Artemis had sleepwalked into his room and probably was going to kill him when she woke up, but Lady Diana just pinned him down until he calmed down, save for his red-hot face.

Percy couldn't help the shameful smile that appeared on his face when he thought about it. Sure, his moments with Lady Diana were super embarrassing, but he couldn't hide the fact that he kind of . . . liked it. Whenever Lady Diana intruded into his room, he found himself having better sleep—no nightmares, no . . . nothing.

A cold night breeze shot past them with a whistle. Artemis shivered in her sleep. 

A few hours earlier, the moon goddess had led him into her backyard, insisting that they finally needed to have a stargazing session. Percy had been more than a little reluctant; he hadn't stargazed even once, and he knew that Artemis would be furious at his lack of knowledge. After all, stars were one of her lesser-known domains. 

True to his prediction, only a few minutes after they'd made themselves comfortable on the grass—after the sun had set and the sky darkened—Artemis had started quizzing him on constellations. And when he answered her first ten questions wrong, she'd started scolding him. She scolded him so loudly, in fact, that Percy could notice the significant drop of sound when she finally fell asleep.

Another breeze glided over their still forms. This time, Percy also shivered. It was getting late, and both of them were wearing shorts and T-shirts. Maybe I should bring her inside.

Before he could move, though, Artemis wrapped her arms around Percy and pulled him into a side hug.

Immediately, even with the frigid temperature outside, Percy's face flushed. He'd been fine with Artemis using him as a pillow. That was a friend helping a friend. But now, it had changed. Their bodies were pressed together, and Percy felt pleasantly warm . . .

But Artemis would never do such a thing. Not even in her sleep. This was more like . . .

Percy's eyes—which had shut in subconsciously as he enjoyed the goddess' body heat—suddenly flew open, now filled with panic. How could he have forgotten?