Chapter 1: I Met Her

Just a side story. I'm not gonna update this much, really only when I'm suffering from writer's block on my other story, The Dark Lord. This story isn't gonna be too complicated, just a Pertemis love story. Might have my own spin on the Titanomachy or Gigantomachy. Anyways, I'm trying to figure out what to write for the next chapter, so while I figure that out, I'll write this.

Chapter 1: I Met Her

Percy's P.O.V.

It was a time of war. My father, Poseidon, was battling his father, the Titan king Kronos, along with his brothers Zeus and Hades. I was wandering through the forest, doing my part in the war by eliminating powerful monsters that would aid the titans.

Okay, let's back up. My name's Perseus, the godling son of Poseidon and Athena, two of the Olympians. I was born thanks to an affair between the two, and raised by my father in secret underwater. When I turned 12 he released me into the wild, saying he could no longer care for me with the war raging on.

He told me that it was time for my trial, every god had to go through it. Of course, dad and his siblings didn't. Zeus decided that them surviving Kronos' stomach for years was good enough. Basically, I had to prove my worth to become a god, and then I would be taken to Olympus and made one.

If you ask me, I think I've done enough to gain godhood. I've sailed far and wide, travelled to almost every island in Greece, fought almost every monster there is, and yet I still hadn't been brought to Olympus. This is bullcrap. I'm getting tired. Anyways, that was four years ago and now I'm 16.

After travelling for weeks by boat from the Greek mainland, more specifically in Attica, I came across an island I was unfamiliar with, that shouldn't be here. I checked my map. Yep, this shouldn't be here. Mykonos was a few days away. So… where am I, then?

When I stepped onto the shore, I felt a presence break the mist. My eyes narrowed. This island had a godly presence to it. I should probably investigate. I walked towards the forest, intent on figuring out the secret of this island.

The island wasn't too large. Probably bigger than Mykonos, but smaller than Crete. The forest was beautiful, I saw many wild animals roaming carefree. Deer, wolves, foxes and even a bear were just some of the creatures I encountered on my walk.

Of course, it couldn't just be a normal paradise island. I just had to encounter a monster. After I'd been walking for maybe half an hour, I heard a roar coming from not too far away. Knowing it was some kind of monster, I drew my sword and sprinted in that direction, hoping that some mortal wasn't being gutted alive.

When I arrived, my jaw dropped. A teenage girl about my age was fighting a particularly large cyclops, and she was doing quite well. I stood admiring her skill as she slashed at the creature with her twin daggers, occasionally moving back and taking well-aimed shots at it with a bow.

Shaking myself out of my admirational stupor, I decided to hurry up the fight and help her. I gripped my sword and charge the beast, jumping up on it's back. The beast roared in anger, and started trying to grab me, so I repeatedly stabbed different parts of his back with my sword, Riptide.

I looked over at the girl, and she was standing still, staring up at me in shock. I grinned at her, still stabbing, but soon my smile vanished. The cyclops, panicking, started running around, and one of the courses he took was directly aimed for her. I shouted at her to move, and she turned around and ran.

While running, she was looking to make sure the cyclops wasn't headed that way too, which it wasn't, but that meant she didn't see where she was going. The girl ran right off into a ditch. I cursed, and suddenly felt pissed at the cyclops.

I held Riptide between my teeth and climbed up the cyclops, coming to a sitting position on its shoulders. I saw a fist coming up to hit me, but before it could make contact, I drove the sword right into its brain. The hand ceased movement and slumped, and quickly the cyclops' body fell to the ground and disintegrated, leaving only a basic cyclops loincloth as a trophy.

I didn't bother collecting it, since I'd come across so many already. Plus, I had more pressing matters on my mind, like the girl who may or may not be dead in a ditch because of me. I ran over and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that she was still moving.

I slid down, careful not to hurt myself, and moved to see if she was alright. When I approached her, the girl rapidly crawled away from me, fear evident in her eyes. "Hey, hey, I'm not gonna hurt you." I said, approaching her more slowly.

Still, the girl scrambled backwards, and her outstretched leg went over a rock, making her scream out in pain. The girl clutched her ankle with tears in her eyes, squinting hard as if she was in pain. I came closer, my hands up gesturing that I wasn't a threat.

She was on the verge of tears as she looked at me, her lip quivering. I knelt down, softly grabbing her ankle. She was almost hyperventilating, and I tried calming her. As I checked her ankle for damage, I tried making conversation.

"So, what's your name?" I asked. She didn't answer at first, and I looked up at her. "I won't hurt you. I promise." I said, and she looked me in the eye. "Promise?" I nodded, holding a fist to my heart. "I promise."

She looked unsure for a second, biting her lip, then said quietly. "A-Artemis. My name's Artemis." She said nervously. I smiled. "That's a pretty name. Where are you from?" I asked casually, honestly just trying to find out what the heck she was doing out in the middle of the forest fighting a cyclops. She definitely wasn't mortal. A fellow godling, maybe?

She looked at the ground. "I don't want to say." She said, and I nodded. I didn't want to push her and lose what little trust she had in me. I ran my thumb over the swelling, and she whimpered in pain. "Looks like you fractured your ankle. I'm gonna have to bandage it up." I told her, and she nodded.

I shed my armor and pulled off my shirt, and smiled as her face turned gold with embarrassment. So she is a godling then. She's not a full goddess yet, otherwise I'd be able to detect the power.

I tore up the tunic so that it was just one big piece of cloth, and looked her in the eyes. "Now, to bandage it up, I'm going to have to touch it, okay? When I do so, you're probably gonna feel a little pain." I warned her, and she nodded.

I went to bandage it up, before she stopped me. "How badly is it going to hurt?" She asked, and wanting to calm her, I gave the same response a healer would give a child. "You're a big girl, so however bad it is, you can handle it." I told her, and she nodded, leaning back on her hands.

I grabbed a rock and removed her sandal, all the while she cringed in slight discomfort. I gently placed her heel on the rock so her leg was off the ground, then set to work on bandaging it up. My shirt was long enough to go around it a few times, and I wrapped it around her ankle and the middle of her foot.

I brushed up against the outside of her ankle, and she hissed in pain. "Hey, don't look at it. Look at the trees, or the wildlife that walks by. This island is beautiful." I told her, trying to get her to take her mind off the injury. She did so, her eyes darting to everything that wasn't her ankle.

Her eyes came to stop on something, and I looked over. A deer stood alone, staring at us from the treeline. I smiled. "She's a pretty one." I noted, and Artemis nodded in response. "She is. Probably one of the most beautiful I've ever seen." She said, and I smiled, glad she wasn't focused on the pain anymore.

Eventually, I'd run out of shirt, and tied it so it would hold until it was healed and she could take it off.

The deer ran off, and Artemis' eyes returned to the splint. Her face brightened, and she looked at me with gratitude. "Thank you! That feels so much better. Will I be able to walk?" She asked. I shook my head. "Not for a few days, but after that you can find something to use as a crutch, maybe fashion one out of sticks." I recommended.

She nodded, but then cursed under her breath. I tilted my head in confusion. "I live on the other side of the island, and now I can't get home." She said, and like the man of good will that I am, I offered. "I can take you." Her face became uneasy. "I don't know. Where do your allegiances lie on the war?" She asked, and I raised an eyebrow.

I hadn't expected her to bring up something like that. "What are yours?" I countered, and she glared. "I asked you first. Are you with the Titans or the Gods?" She pressed. I thought for a moment, but then decided to be honest. What was she going to do? Attack me? Not like she'd be able to do much if I said I was a Titan supporter. "I side with my father, Poseidon. So by proxy I'm with the Olympians." I said.

She visibly relaxed. "Good. I'm a daughter of Zeus, though my mother is a Titan. Don't worry, she's not a Kronos fan, since she's the daughter of Phoebe, one of the more peaceful Titans." Artemis explained. I nodded, and then looked up at the sky. The sun would set soon. "Shall we get going then?" I asked.

She nodded, and let me pick her up bridal style, careful not to hurt her foot. She pointed north. "Our home is that way. It's hard to miss, just a hut in a clearing big enough for three." She said, and I tilted my head like a dog. "Three?" I questioned.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. I have a younger twin brother named Apollo. He doesn't join me on my hunts, which is good. He's not the most tolerable person ever." She complained, and I smiled.

I walked off into that general direction, careful not to hit her foot on any bushes or low hanging branches. "So Artemis, tell me about yourself." I said, trying to make conversation. Artemis glared at me and crossed her arms. "I've told you enough for a stranger, now how about you? I don't even know your name yet." She said.

I smiled at her fierceness. She certainly wasn't one you wanted to mess with. When she wasn't crippled anyway.

"Well, where do I start? My name's Percy, short for Perseus. I'm a son of Poseidon and another goddess, making me a godling. I've been going through my trial for the past four years, travelling around, helping mortals and killing monsters. A simple life, but I don't mind." I said, and Artemis scoffed. "Simple, my ass."

"Anyways, Poseidon raised me for the first 12 years of my life, then kicked me out and told me it was time for my trial, and here I am now, still apparently not worthy of godhood." I complained, and Artemis laughed. "Maybe you're doing it wrong," She suggested.

I looked at her dumbfounded. "Are you suggesting that I've been wasting the last four years of my life? I resent that." I told her, making the godling laugh. "No, I mean maybe you're supposed to go to Olympus yourself. They've got better things to do then watch you all day." She said. I thought about it, and perhaps she was right. Who knows?

After another half an hour of walking and chatting, we reached a small clearing where there was a wooden cabin. It looked very cosy, that is until a guy came out pointing a bow at me. "Who are you? State your business!" He shouted, and Artemis put up her hands in a surrender motion.

"Apollo! It's me, Artemis. Don't shoot." She told him, and the guy, Apollo, lowered his bow. "Artemis? Why are being carried around by a shirtless guy?" He asked, confused out of his mind. Artemis blushed, suddenly realising she was pressed up against my abs. I'll admit, she was cute when she blushed. "This is Percy, he's a friend. I got hurt fighting a cyclops, and he patched me up." She said, pointing to the splint.

Apollo's eyes widened, and he looked towards the door. "Mom! Artemis is injured!" He yelled, and woman came sprinting out. "Sweetheart are you o- who are you?" She asked, noticing the shirtless man holding her daughter. I smiled, and Apollo walked up next to her. "This is Percy, he helped Artemis when she got hurt." He said.

The woman smiled. "Thank you, dear. I am Leto, their mother. Please, bring her inside so I can get a better look at it, it's pretty dark out." She said. It hadn't even occurred to me that the sun had gone down. I was so invested in my conversation with Artemis that I was oblivious to the outside world.

I followed Leto inside, Apollo bringing up the rear and closing the door. Leto brought me to the corner of the hut with all the bedding, and had me lay Artemis down on a bed gently. Artemis hissed as her ankle touched the ground but didn't say anything.

Leto knelt down, inspecting the splint I'd made for Artemis. "This seems pretty good. You're a healer?" She asked, and I shrugged. "I've helped a lot of mortals, a lot have been injured. I just sort of picked it up." I said humbly.

Leto nodded and stood up. "Well, then you should just rest, Artemis. We'll try to get you walking with support in a few days but it won't be healed for up to two months." She said, and Artemis groaned. "Two months? So what am I supposed to do, just lie here?" She asked.

Leto smiled. "Well, you have me, your brother and your new friend here to keep you company." Then she turned to me. "You will be staying, won't you, Percy?" She asked. I stood, silent, wondering for a moment. It would be good to have a break. "Um, yeah, sure. I need to rest my legs anyway. I've been at sea for a while." I said.

Leto clapped her hands. "Wonderful. I'll go serve up dinner. I made some rabbit stew out of the backup meat since you hadn't arrived yet with any food, Artemis." She said and rushed over to the fire on the other side of the room. Above it was a pot and chimney, and Leto grabbed four bowls and filled them all with rabbit stew. She returned and handed them to us, Artemis having to sit up and lean against the wall.

I must say, it was absolutely delicious. I didn't know anyone could make rabbit taste so good, but Leto managed to pull it off, and I meal in only a few minutes. I complimented Leto on the stew and she laughed, thanking me. "So Percy, where are you from?" She asked.

"Well, I'm the son of Poseidon and another goddess, and I've been a drifter for about four years now. When I was twelve, dad kicked me out so I could begin my trial, and I've been travelling, killing monsters and helping mortals as much as i could ever since." I briefly said, and Leto nodded, shocked at my parentage.

Artemis stopped sipping on her stew. "Wait, you never said who your mom was? Which goddess is it?" She asked, and I bit my lip. "Promise you all won't tell anyone?" I asked, and they all nodded. Apollo scoffed. "Of course. There's no one to tell for miles!" He stated.

I sighed. "Well, its Athena, Olympian goddess of wisdom." I said, making them all gasp. "But how? I thought she was a maiden goddess?" Leto said, and I nodded. "She was."

"But that means… ew, uncle and niece sex." Apollo said, making us all cringe. "Yeah, I try not to think about that part." I told them. We continued to talk for a few more hours until the moon was almost directly above us in the sky and Leto clapped her hands. "Alright, I think its time we all went to sleep. Percy, I'll get a bed set up for you." She said, walking off. Apollo groaned and slid into his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

I looked over at Artemis as she lay down in a more comfier position. "You alright?" I asked, and she nodded, blushing. Again, it was cute. "Yeah, thanks for what you did today. You didn't have to." She said, and I laughed. "Nonsense. If I didn't do that, I would've lived my life believing you were dead, and that thought would've eaten away at me. I said.

She smiled. "Well anyway, thank you Percy." She said. I smiled. "You're welcome Artemis. Sweet dreams." I said as Leto finished setting up my bed. I hopped under the covers, relishing the feeling of being in a bed again, and closed my eyes.

"Goodnight you three." Leto said, and we all replied with. "'Night mom", "Goodnight mom" and "Goodnight Leto."

Hey Percy, I think I made some good friends today. I hope this turns out well.

Sincerely, Percy.

Okay, just a little test chapter for this story. Like I said, I won't be updating this story too much, just whenever I get writers block on my other story. Review and tell me how you liked it.

Word Count: 3082