Chapter 17

Artemis

Olympus was bustling with nymphs and minor gods scrambling around. I quickly arrived to the throne room and summoned the council.

“Daughter, why did you summon us?” My father asked me. Typical of him to be dramatic. We took our seats in our thrones as I started to speak.

“Well, I have decided to inform Poseidon that his son has gotten injured.” I spoke, waiting for my uncle’s wrath. Instead, I got a worried tone.

“Is he okay? What happened?” Poseidon asked in a hurried tone.

“He is now in his tent and resting. He asked me if he could go hunting.” I started explaining. “I agreed, thinking of improving his wilderness skills. I told the wolves to follow him just in case if something happened though. After a while, I heard a shout of pain and then my wolf called me. I soon found Percy with his leg broken and a huge cut that was bleeding a lot. Apparently, he got caught in a bear trap.” I finished, not sure if I wanted to say that my hunters probably caused this. I decided not to in the end. I wasn’t even totally sure if they were the ones that did it. I would be watching them more carefully now though.

Poseidon nodded with acceptance. “Do you know who could have possibly set that trap?” Poseidon asked me. “Percy is typically a careful person unless if someone slid in under him so that he couldn’t stop himself from stepping in the trap.”

His statement made me nervous.

“I don’t know, Poseidon.” I told him. I saw my brother raise an eyebrow at me. He knew that I was lying but he didn’t say anything. I was for once grateful.

“Okay. If that is it, then council dismissed.” Zeus said and disappeared in a flash of lightning. I then teleported myself to the hunters’ camp.

After looking up into the sky, I saw that it was about lunch time. Striding through camp, I found Percy by the small lake. I asked him why he wasn’t at lunch and he replied that he didn’t have an appetite. That conversation formed into an argument which I won.

After lunch, I the girls went off to train and have fun. They had already completed their chores. Percy went to his tent doing who knows what.

As soon as a few hours past the sun were close to the western horizon and it became dinner time. I found the hunters and Percy already in the dining area, waiting for me. Percy was sitting at the base of a tree without a plate in front of him. I expected this much. 

I gave him a questioning look. He shook his head. Then I turned my attention to the hunters, asking them what they wanted for dinner. The agreed on grilled cheese sandwiches. Before I could say anything, the food appeared on the table. I assumed it was Percy that did that. I took my plate and offered it to Percy. He refused, saying that he wasn’t hungry and that I had to eat. This conversation turned out to be another argument. I won this one too. Percy seemed to be in deep thought for a second and then I heard some shouts. The younger girls were asking Percy to join them. I smiled and I saw that Percy had a faint smile on his face like me as he got up from his position from under the tree and went to join them.

After dinner, I saw Percy head towards the arena. I urged the girls to go and watch. I knew that Percy was an excellent swordsman, even for a boy. After a few grumbles and groans, I got the girls to come with me.

The hunters and I gasped in shock to see that he was fighting the robots. And he wasn’t fighting one but five. Thalia could barely take on one and the rest of the hunters couldn’t defeat one yet. My hunters and I watched as he took each on down. The method that he used for the last two machines was strange, yet affective.

After he was finished training, I expected Percy to just leave the arena as a mess, being the boy he was but I was wrong. He cleaned it up and it looked the way it was before.

My girls weren’t that good with swords…They should get some practice with close combat weaponry. Percy was really good in that area. I considered my thought for a few moments.

“Girls, I think that Percy should teach you in swords and close combat in general.” I suggested to them.

“No way, my lady!” Phoebe disagreed immediately. “We don’t need to be taught by that boy! We are doing fine.”

“Phoebe, it is better to be safe than sorry.” I stated. She didn’t argue with that statement. “I know that you girls will not like this but please, put some effort in learning.” The younger girls looked excited to be taught by Percy. The older girls except for Thalia, had resigned looks on their faces but didn’t protest. It was now dark and nearly night time by now. Soon, I would have to drive the moon across the sky like my brother drives the sun.

“I am going to a council meeting tomorrow.” I announced, just remembering. “And it’s time to go to bed now, girls.” I told them and they all went off to their own tents to prepare for bed without a question.