A/N: Why, hello, you lovely people! Thank you for clicking on my little story.
This is the first Fanfiction I have ever written! Please be nice! And no cussing. NONE.
Cause cussing is bad.
Mostly.
Percy: Gods, hurry the darned up!
YOU DIDN'T.
Percy: I did.
OMG.
Percy: OM*G
SILENCE! (WHACK!)
So, yeah. Enjoy my story and make sure to leave reviews!
In the time of the height of Ancient Greece, there was a girl. A demigod girl, to be precise. The daughter of Poseidon. The citizens were in awe when a widow on the outskirts of Thebes announced that she was to bear a child of the sea, but when they saw the baby was a girl, the awe faded into contempt and boredom. It was only a girl, they thought. Not a hero, a girl. And those were the sensible ones.
Some got angry, angry that no Hero would bless their city, angry that the mother was spiteful enough to make a girl instead of a boy. Some got angry at Poseidon. Some thought the mother had lied. So the woman fled with her child, afraid to stay, afraid of the men.
Afraid for her daughter.
After hard traveling for countless days and nights, the exhausted woman reached her destination: the Mediterranean Sea. Desperate, and hopeful, the mother prayed to Poseidon for help. He heard her plea, and sent a sea breeze that swept the woman away to serve in Poseidon's court, yet he left the daughter on the surf.
But another god was watching. He saw the deserted child and his heart cracked, for he had been abandoned too, thought not quite in the same way. He took pity on the child, and lead a young couple from the nearby town to the beach. They saw the young girl and though her a gift from the gods, for the women could not get pregnant, yet the two had always wanted a daughter. They rushed over and picked up the baby, whom the couple decided to take in and raise as their own.
Five years later, while the girl was learning manners (for the child had none), pirates struck the seaside town. All the men who had not left the town earlier in the year to trade in Thebes were slaughtered, and many women and children were taken prisoner. The girl's adopted parents were killed before her eyes, with slashes to the throat, by the captain of the crew, a man named Argyros. The second most feared pirate of the day, outstripped only by Chrysaor.
He was known for many things, but the most known was his immense cruelty, especially towards women and children. The girl was taken captive by this man.
Before we continue, I should probably tell you the girl's name, for she did have one, and it's getting tiring to speak this way.
Her name was Persephone, after her adoptive mother's mother. But everyone called her Percy for short.
Percy was captive for ten years. Ten years with pirates who considered her life worthless, and beat her daily for their own twisted sense of pleasure. Ten years without contact with a kind soul, without a single happiness.
Ten years with men.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~August 16, ? B.F.E, Olympus~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Artemis sat upon her newly made throne for the first time and sucked in a deep breath. She could see everything! Well, everything in her domain at least. Thousands of images flashed before her eyes, Artemis's brain processing every one. Every wild animal was seen by her silver eyes in less than a minute. Then the images switched to girls.
Artemis recoiled in shock as several repeated images came up, each of a different girl in dire need of help. Ones that had prayed to her or that were demigods, she assumed. Artemis frowned. She would have to fix that to include every girl, no matter what heritage they came from.
As Artemis looked at the pictures, she noticed that the pictures were showing real time and not a freeze frame shot, almost like invisible paparazzi were following the girls around. Whatever paparazzi were. Artemis quickly realized that these girls were in awful situations. One was about to be burned at the stake. Artemis looked hard at the girl's face, and saw sadistic satisfaction behind the fear. No, thought Artemis. This one deserves no help from I.
The next pictures showed teenage girls in various states of mistreatment. Artemis's heart broke at the sight of them, and she was about to teleport to the first, but she noticed that one of the images was pulsing gently. She pulled it to the front, and gasped, rage making her eyes glow silver.
A girl lay shivering on the deck of a ship in the stern, trapped between the sea and something that obviously scared her. As Artemis watched, a whip flashed down from outside Artemis's view, carving a thin, red line in the girl's skin. She did not cry out in pain, merely flinched and pressed herself tighter to the wooden wall of the ship.
The girl was quite pretty, with long, jet black hair, a light frame, tanned skin, and sea-green eyes with a rim of black around the edges. Yet those beautiful eyes were shadowed by pain, and even worse, acceptance and fear. Great fear that darkened the mood if one looked into them. It was going to take weeks of whacking Apollo to cheer Artemis up.
Artemis noticed the girl was wearing barely more than a rag, and she could hear men's voices. Her eyes widened once she realized their intent. A meaty hand reached for the girl and closed around her wrist. She cried out and was yanked out of view.
Percy was yanked to her feet and grabbed by Abraxas and Medeas, Argyros's right-and-left hand men. She knew what was about to happen to her, she was only surprised it hadn't happened sooner. She was a beautiful 15 year-old girl, it was inevitable.
Percy didn't struggle. She knew that if she did, it would be a thousand times worse.
"Pardon me boys," a feminine voice sounded from behind the pirates. Percy turned her head to look and saw a woman draped in silver fabric holding a long black bow, glowing with a silver aura, on the deck of the ship. A sadistic smile adorned her pale face. The woman took a step forwards and held up her bow. "I think you need to let her go. Now."
Medeas smirked. "Oh yeah," he taunted. "And what's a little girl gonna do about it? Whack me with a stick?" Medeas never was very bright. He started to laugh at his own nonexistent wit, but stopped when an arrow shaft appeared out of his chest. "Ouch'" he whimpered, then fell down dead. Abraxas seemed to have disappeared, but a small rabbit with stag horns hopped about frantically in his place.
Percy cowered against the deck as the glowing woman ran to her side. "Oh, my," a soft voice came out of the woman's mouth. "I should have drawn out their deaths." Percy looked up to see a look of concern on the goddess's - for that what was she surely was - face.
"Who are you?" Percy asked quietly. "Why did you save me?"
The woman smiled gently. "I am Artemis. Goddess of the Hunt, Wild Animals, and Young Girls and Maidens. And the Moon." Percy quickly went to bow, put Artemis put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "No need for that. You've been through enough without having to grovel at my feet."
Percy looked at Artemis with awe and admiration. Then fear and uncertainty replaced it. "What will happen to me now, my lady? Where will I go?"
Artemis thought for a minute. "Well, you have a family, I assume?" Percy shook her head.
"Dead, my lady."
"Any friends?"
"No, my lady."
"Any relations to anyone at all?"
"I've spent ten years on this ship. I don't even remember what land feels like, my lady."
Artemis stamped her foot in frustration, causing a small town a mile away's population to be replaced with deer. "Stop calling me 'my lady'! Just Artemis is fine."
A hint of humor appeared in Percy's eyes. "Very well, Just Artemis, if that is what you wish."
Artemis glared at Percy. Then her eyes lit up with an idea. She smiled. "I may have a solution to your predicament." The glare returned. "But you have to call me Artemis."
Percy nodded. "Very well, Artemis."
The moon goddess grinned. "Good. Now, I've had an idea floating around in my brain for a while. Well," Artemis amended. "Since I was born, and that wasn't very long ago. I was actually going to ask my father about it tonight."
Percy tilted her head to the side. "What is it, my la-Artemis?" Percy asked, catching herself on the forbidden title.
"Well, boys are gross - that's why I became an eternal maiden - and I thought, if I wanted to be an eternal maiden, maybe other girls wanted to as well!"
Percy looked confused. "So how does this relate to me?" Artemis stared at Percy. "Um… Why are you staring at me?"
Artemis sighed and shook her head. "Would you like to be the first member of my group?"
Percy's eyes widened. She nodded vigorously, "Yes! Of course!"
Artemis looked at Percy doubtfully. "You realize the promise you have to make in full? This means no boys - ever."
"Why would I ever want a boy?" Percy asked, jerking her head at Medeas's body. "They're vile, disgusting, abusive, and cruel. I would gladly spend an eternity without them a thousand times over."
Artemis smiled. "Good. Resolve like that would be perfect in my first Huntress."
"Your first and last Huntress, my lady."
Artemis looked shocked at the promise Percy was making, then nodded, too touched for words. "You'd better come to Olympus with me."
Artemis grabbed Percy's shoulder and the duo disappeared with a flash of silver light.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Be sure to review!
~Starpath12