LoSP Side Story Ch.16: Lessons with Love

A great, brown cloud of dust filled the air, the sand billowing around the arena like a great sandstorm. From within, the faint sounds of cracking and tearing echoed, followed by a frustrated groan that rang through the arena, cut off by a series of violent coughs.

Sweat beaded down Percy’s forehead, his eyes watering as he breathed in the swirling sands, giving way into coughs, waiting for the wind to die down.

As it cleared, Percy saw the dummies scattered across the room, wooden limbs and hands strewn around like a scene of carnage. With a scowl, he punched the arena floor, letting out a frustrated yell.

“What is it that you’re even trying to do?” A voice rang, and he whirled around to see Artemis perched high on one of the beams, watching him with amusement in her eyes. “Because, since the past twenty minutes, all I’ve seen you do is create a storm, cough violently, groan and growl when you see that all the dummies are destroyed— which should be a good thing as the purpose of dummies is to be destroyed.”

“Before I answer that, I’ve two questions.” Percy gave her a quizzical look, looking from the ground, back up to her. “One, how did you get all the way up there? That’s gotta be fifty feet off the ground, with nothing to climb up on. And two, why didn’t I notice or feel you? I should’ve sensed you immediately with what I’ve been doing.”

“I am a goddess.” She grinned, jumping off the high beam, somersaulting in mid-air before landing on her feet with the grace of a cat. “And two, well, I taught you how to conceal yourself. I can do it too, you know? I won’t make a good huntress if every monster knows when I am coming.”

“No, but I should’ve physically felt you.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I mean, like you, as a physical object, not just the power you would’ve exuded.” Percy flushed. “You know what I mean.”

Artemis let out a tinkling laugh, drifting toward him and putting her arms around his neck. “I know. But it is fun to see you blush. You look very cute.”

“Hmm, cute.”

“Yes, very.” Artemis pecked his lips, giving him a smile. “Now, answer my question. What are you trying to accomplish?”

Percy let out an explosive sigh. “Something Athena calls precision and control with my storm powers. She wants me to precisely direct the winds at a single target rather than let it just wreak destruction.”

“That sounds interesting. So, what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that it is a storm. You cannot direct a storm and tell it to only hit something in a specific direction. Or it wouldn’t be called a storm.” Percy huffed. “How am I supposed to direct something that can have no direction?”

“Till you came around, everyone thought the same about Earthquakes and Poseidon’s Earthshaker abilities. That they were a storm, but even worse. Yet you came up with a way to direct them.” Artemis said. “And these are winds. Winds can be controlled.”

“True. Unhelpful, but true.” Percy ran a hand through his hair. “But I cannot figure out a way to do it. I’ve been on it all morning.”

“What’d Athena say?”

“She told me to figure it out. Your powers, your job, she said.” Percy snorted. “And left me alone in the sand arena, saying that particles of sand might help me figure it out better. All they are is a nuisance!”

Percy kicked the sand, sending a little burst scattering across a dummy’s broken face before sighing.

“Reset!” He barked, and the dummies glowed golden, lifting off the ground, snapping back together, and repairing themselves. Percy watched as hands crawled back onto their respective bodies and dummies marched back into their places. “Guess I’ll just have to keep trying till I figure out a way to hit a single dummy with a storm without disturbing the rest.”

“You don’t need to hit a single dummy with a storm. You need to hit a single dummy with a gust of wind powerful enough to shatter it.”

“Without disturbing the other dummies,” Percy reminded. “And Athena set them pretty close together. A gust of wind would hit them all, at least in some measure.”

“Had you been using water, would a single drop have hit any of the other dummies?”

“Of course not.” Percy scoffed. “But that’s because it is water. Water is… can be shaped, unlike air. It is more…” he frowned. “Solid than air is in a way.”

“Yet Thalia does it.”

“She’s a daughter of Zeus. Her control over the winds is way superior to mine. It is her whole thing, along with the lightning.” Percy said. “And I would’ve asked her for help, but she’s still sleeping it out from what Athena put her through yesterday.”

“That’s true. But Percy, if you can control it, you can develop precision with it. Maybe not with the same ease or versatility as Thalia, but some amount of precision, yes.” Artemis’ voice turned dry. “And nevertheless, enough precision to at least hit the dummies situated in one direction rather than tearing apart the arena. Come, I will help you.”

“You can control winds?” Percy asked in surprise.

“I’m a goddess,” Artemis answered. “And a daughter of Zeus. Of course, I can control the winds. But even if I couldn’t, I could still teach you. It is not about the ability or the medium, you see?”

“What?”

“Okay, close your eyes. I will guide you through it.” Artemis moved behind me. “Come on. I want to go out with you later too, so we don’t have all day.”

“We’re going out?”

“Yes. You’ve been training enough, and we need some quality time alone.”

“We’re alone right now.”

“Yeah, not in the way I want it.” Artemis pressed her body against Percy’s, pushing his left hand up toward the dummies in front of him, tugging the other back. “Now, close your eyes.”

With a tentative look at her, Percy closed his eyes, feeling her body press against him, her warmth tingling over his back. 

“Concentrate on my voice and do as I say,” Artemis whispered. “Imagine that you’re underwater. In the sea, with nothing but water all around you. Feel, Percy. Feel the currents. Feel the tide.”

Percy floated into the wave of her words, feeling the world around him drift away.

“Take hold of the current, Percy. Take hold of it and feel it swirl around you.” She said, and he did, feeling his clothes ruffle. “Now direct it down your hand, pushing it as hard as you can that way.”

Her hand moved with his, and Percy heard a swoosh, followed by the cracking and splintering of wood.

“Now open your eyes.” He felt Artemis’ warmth drift away, and his eyes fluttered open. In front of him, only three dummies lay broken— The two at the sides were cracked, while the middle one was absolutely shattered. “See?”

“I directed the wind. Just like the shockwave.” Percy breathed, turning around to see Artemis. “I did it.” He grabbed her by the waist, and she shrieked in surprise as Percy spun her around, holding her tight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been at this all morning, and you taught it to me in ten minutes.”

“You’re welcome.” She shrugged, blowing away a strand of her askew auburn hair, which had come loose. “Honestly, it is how you can best control a power which is not totally yours. Or more appropriately, the prime being of you. For you, it is the sea. Relate to it. Think of it. Sink into it and you will get it down. Anything down.”

“Wait, really?”

“You’re a part of the sea and the sea is a part of you, Percy. Just like every demigod and god is a part of something.” She smiled. “And someone of your power could even do divine magic if you learn to control the sea within you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like the privacy ward we gods erect. I imagine it as the quiet and the stealth the hunt needs before imposing my will on it. You’ve to do the same.” Artemis said. “You can do something similar and accomplish a lot of other things. Try the privacy ward. Imagine and try.”

“Well, here goes nothing.” Percy nodded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

He let the calm of the waves wash over him, feeling the waves rise and ebb, breathing in the salty gale of the sea. ‘Let no one hear or see me.’

He snapped his fingers, pushing the tide out, and opened his eyes to see mist curve around him, sticking to his body like a coat. Artemis looked at him through it, blinking owlishly before snapping her fingers.

The mist around Percy disappeared, and he let out a sigh. “I manipulated the mist, didn’t I?”

“You cloaked yourself with magic— something akin to a camouflage, I suppose. It wasn’t perfectly done, but it would’ve happened in a couple of tries. Still, not what you intended.” Artemis said, biting her lip. “I think I need to show you how I do it. Then maybe you can get an idea too.”

“It would help.” Percy nodded. 

Artemis closed her eyes, closing the distance between them and placing her lips against his.

Percy, instead of melting into the kiss, found himself pulled into a forest, the world stilling around him. He looked down to see a bow gripped in his thin, silver-sleeved hands as he crouched low in the undergrowth, breathing in the hunt.

The wind around him stilled as his eyes focused on the deer that drank water from a flowing stream, unaware of his presence.

Good. He wanted to keep it that way. Unaware of his presence and not alerted by the slightest of sounds.

To keep the deer away so that it wouldn’t know what he was doing.

Around him, not a leaf moved, the wind absolutely still, and the forest, silent.

Percy was suddenly pulled out, his eyes snapping open as Artemis broke the kiss, meeting his eyes. “That help?”

“I don’t know. But I loved the manner of delivery.” Percy grinned. “Out of curiosity, not that I’m complaining, was the kiss necessary to pull me into the vision?”

A little smirk tugged at Artemis’ lips. “I didn’t see any harm in doing it that way for you. Now, you try it. Maybe I’ll give you more if you get it done in the next few minutes and go out with me for a little us time.”

“Right, right, of course.” Percy’s grin broadened as he closed his eyes. “Focusing.” 

Taking a deep breath, he banished the thoughts of Artemis from his mind for a moment, centering himself. Raising his hand, he tugged at his powers, feeling the ocean within him. 

Percy imagined the solitude of the waves, with nothing but the sea in all directions, before snapping his fingers sharply.

A breeze ruffled through the room, carrying the salty gale of the ocean, and he opened his eyes to see Artemis’ beaming face.

“You did it, Percy. A privacy ward.” She looked around before closing the distance between them and pressing her lips to his, pulling him into a kiss.

Percy wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss as Artemis hooked hers around his neck. A few moments later, they broke apart, smiling against each other’s lips, their foreheads touching together.

“You know? We should have more lessons like these. I love your teaching style.” Percy grinned and Artemis leaned back, cocking her eyebrow.

“Is that all you love?”

“Well, the kisses don’t hurt.” Percy pulled her closer, leaning closer to her ear. “And well, loving you is what makes the lessons worthwhile.”

“I do too,” Artemis whispered, before smiling as her eyes sparkled with slight mischief. “But now that you can do it, we have places to be.”

“Sure,” Percy said. “Let’s just inform—”

Artemis snapped her fingers, a silver card appearing in her hand. On it, in a neat script, it read:

I.O.U Percy Jackson

With a flick of her fingers, the card flew across the room and struck against the forehead of a wooden dummy.

“That ought to be enough. Close your eyes.” 

As he did, Percy felt the world tear away, as his body was pulled through a vortex of power, before his feet hit the ground, the sound of a small stream reaching his ears. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a forest, still wrapped in Artemis’ embrace, the cold air filling his lungs.

“We’re on a hunt?” Percy asked. “We ought to go on a proper date. One with a nice dinner, or, you know? The beach or someplace we can actually relax.”

“A hunt is relaxing. Freeing. Why do you think that both the mortal and the divine world adopted the hunt as a game too?” Artemis asked. “And sure, we can do the restaurants and the nice food. But… will we ever actually have fun being on a normal date?”

“We won’t know until we try,” I suggested. “And I would argue that the beach could be a balance of both. I could take you underwater, too. Show you the beauty under the ocean.”

“I would like that too.” Artemis smiled. “We can go there tomorrow, then?”

“Err,” Percy hesitated, his smile fading. “I mean, the sea is kind of at war right now. My dad advised me not to venture into the deep sea alone unless necessary. Apparently, the old rulers of the sea, you know who, have it out for me. We would be ambushed, he thinks. And getting an Olympian alongside me will be a double treat for them.”

“And double trouble,” Artemis murmured. “And it would probably make the most unique date in history.”

Percy shrugged, a smirk forming on his lips. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That we purposefully go out in the sea for a date, hoping that we will be ambushed?” Artemis mirrored Percy’s smirk. “No, that would be reckless. But… kinda our thing too. Going into situations, falling into unexpected trouble, and fighting our way out. Mind you, it is more you than me for the unexpected trouble part, but yes.” 

“You, my dear, chase the worst monsters and fight them for a living.” Percy snorted. “And what can I say? The Titans don’t attack me without serious backup. Why do you think I’m having to prepare for a hunt for them, instead of facing them like a normal hero?”

“Fair.” She laughed. “You know? We could hunt sea monsters a little like we were doing when we first met. It’d be a lot of fun. And both our favorite things combined in one.”

“We could do that. We could get a nice yacht and relax and have fun hunting sea monsters— most of whom are humongous and would be a fair bit of challenge.”

“That’s true.” Artemis grinned. “Next date?”

“I thought we were going to be ambushed by Titans and then fight our way out.”

“The date after that, then.” She pecked him on his lips. “Should we get on this one now?” 

“We shall. What’re we hunting?”

“Mooses.”

“Fair enough. Lead the way, my lady.”

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AND… DONE! Hope you all liked the story!

So, yes, it is a cute story idea that came to me, during a conversation on discord. Special shoutout to Moose in this chapter, by the way, who is being hunted by Artemis as we speak. :D

I do not have much to say. The next update will be Black Dawn, whose writing is underway already. 

I’ve planned out a fair bit of plot ahead for the story, alongside a few vital parts of the story in the past couple of days, which has been fun and I continue to do so as we speak.

I’ll be posting a poll too to decide which story to release for the public and which story’s additional chapter will you guys get. (I’ll probably decide the latter, choosing between LoSP and GotSIS as per the last poll.)

A huge thank you to Zaby and Tulayb for betaing this chapter!

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Stay Happy! Stay Safe! Keep Smiling! Keep Reading!

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