Divergent Path

A Ridiculously Eventful Awards Ceremony

Chapter 26: A Ridiculously Eventful Awards Ceremony

Artemis and Percy found themselves in the empty hospital room they had disappeared from. It felt a little dimmer without the sun god's presence to brighten the room. Percy turned to face the trident that hadn't moved from its place against the doorframe, still calling to him. He grimaced while Artemis squeezed his shoulder.

"The weapon is yours to carry now," she said reassuringly.

Before Percy could respond, the pair picked up on the sounds of shuffling and chatter close by.

"The demigods must have arrived in the plaza. That means we should already be in the throne room," Artemis said, turning on her heel.

Percy caught her wrist and she turned back towards him.

"I know we said we'd surprise everyone, and that it should be at the right time, but does that mean you'll have to take off the ring?" he asked, his voice straining.

The goddess smiled warmly at the sentiment.

"Logically, I should," she started, goading a frown out of her fiancé, "but I have already grown far too attached. I may just have to keep my hands out of sight."

Percy grinned as Artemis kissed his cheek and vanished in a silver flash. He turned back to the trident, taking a deep breath as he reached out to claim the symbol.

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The goddess of the hunt appeared on her throne, quickly noticing that only the Sea God's seat remained empty. Across from her, Apollo grinned and waved obnoxiously, taking every opportunity to irritate his more stoic twin. To his shock, Artemis beamed back.

'What's got her in such a good mood?' Apollo thought to himself as she quickly turned away.

The goddess looked to her right, eyes wide when she found Aphrodite staring at her. Unknown to Artemis, the goddess of love had instinctively perked up the moment Artemis had appeared in the throne room. Aphrodite looked at the silver-eyed goddess questioningly, silently trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

Artemis shrunk a bit into her throne before turning to her left, veering away from the love goddess. She had no escape, however, because she then found herself caught in Hera's keen gaze.

'She is the goddess of marriage; of course Hera would have felt something. How could I not have seen this coming?' Artemis mentally berated herself before averting her eyes from the Olympian Queen.

The goddess of the moon settled on staring at the only empty throne, thinking about how hard Percy would be laughing if he were watching the scenario unfold. Artemis twirled her thumbs, sinking her hands deeper between her thighs as she hid her ring from the scrutinizing eyes of the conjugal goddesses. None of the other Olympians seemed to notice, chattering aimlessly amongst each other.

The throne room silenced as shadows coalesced in front of the central hearth, and Percy appeared, firmly grasping his trident. Before anyone else could react, Hestia had already bounded from her throne and wrapped her son in a hug. Percy melted into her embrace, shutting his eyes and hugging her back just as tightly.

To his shock, light applause from around the room reached his ears. Artemis looked around, equally surprised at the Olympians' seated ovation. Apollo, of course, added his own flair and threw in a whistle.

"I missed you so much, mom," Percy said in a muffled voice.

"I missed you too, my son," she replied through her quiet tears.

As he and Hestia separated, Percy looked down and his eyes bugged out of his head at how far away the floor seemed. He realized he had subconsciously grown to his godly height when entering the throne room. The new Olympian quickly adjusted to his newfound stature, standing up straight at 25 feet tall. Hestia's eyes shone as she looked up at her son, nudging him towards the empty throne.