Chapter 35: A Romantic Evening and Start of War

Artemis stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom scrutinizing the outfit she had on. She couldn't help but laugh at herself. In her millennia of life, never once had she worried about what she wore and now here she was searching for something perfect for the first date in her immortal life. She had been caught off guard when Percy suggested the idea but then again, Percy Jackson had a habit of surprising her; something that undoubtedly had drawn her to him when she first met him. Then when he took the weight off the sky off her shoulders so that she could fight and never mentioned it again, he had gained her respect, not a small feat for a man.

Then when instead of becoming a god, he chose to return the thrones of Hades and Hestia as well as pardoning the minor gods and freeing the peaceful Titans including her mother, her respect for him only continued to grow. After his disappearance she had been genuinely worried for him. Everything he thought he knew was ripped out from under him by the cursed daughter of Athena. Upon his return and their subsequent friendship, her feelings began to grow from friendship into something more. Something she had barely felt only one other time in her life and that had been an obvious mistake.

If she was sure of one thing, it was that letting go of her reservations about love when it came to Percy was no mistake. She couldn't think of a time in her life when she had been happier. Something about being around him made her feel complete. He also never stopped doing everything possible for her. Something that was both endearing and frustrating. He had managed to fight his way through Tartarus, a feat no other had accomplished, and not only save her half-sister and lieutenant but also rescue her best friend along with another huntress.

Artemis had felt like she had lost a piece of herself when he sacrificed himself to save her along with his friends at the end of the second Giant War. That feeling of being complete vanished the moment Percy had disappeared from the battlefield in Greece. Only for Percy to return when she needed him the most; always being there for her when she needed him, even when she didn't know it. She shuddered at the thought of what would have happened had she been captured by Prometheus and brought back to Nyx and Erebus.

But that was in the past, now Percy was back and once they finished this war it was Artemis' turn to make a sacrifice for Percy. She knew if she gave up her vow of maidenhood she would lose her hunters. Part of her oath was to have her immortal huntresses and if her vow was ever broken, the consequence had been the loss of her hunters. Not even her father could stop it from happening as she had chosen the terms of her oath and now had to live with the consequences.

Artemis knew that Percy would never allow her to make the sacrifice but despite how much it broke her heart to lose her girls, she wanted it as well. Millennia of being the goddess of childbirth and young girls had made her long for children of her own. Now she had finally found the perfect man that was the complete opposite of everything she despised in men, she knew it was time. When he said he would stay with her for eternity without her breaking her oath, she knew her decision was correct. She knew Percy would be upset but her hunters would understand or at least she prayed they would.

Artemis' thoughts continued racing through her mind as she continued scrutinizing her current outfit until she felt a pair of strong arms grab her and gently held her in place.

"You look beautiful." Percy whispered in her ear, causing a blush to crawl onto her face.

Artemis' eyes widened a bit when she looked at Percy, he was wearing a pair of slacks with a sea green button down shirt. His hair was still a mess but it only added to how handsome he looked.

"Shall we milady?" Percy asked as he offered her his arm.

Artemis smiled and nodded as she laced her arm through his. She had expected him to flash them to whatever restaurant they were eating at but instead Percy started walking towards the door of her palace.

"Where are we going Percy?" She asked confused.

Percy grinned, "A nice little Italian restaurant in the city."

"So what are we waiting for?" She asked still confused.

Percy rolled his eyes, "Like I said, tonight I am just a regular mortal man taking his beautiful girlfriend out for a nice dinner in the city. No teleporting, no powers, nothing. And I will blow half this city up if one single monster tries to disturb our date."

"So we're walking?" Artemis asked.

Percy nodded, "Until we get to my parking spot."

Artemis looked confused but Percy cut off her next question with a kiss. She smiled and nodded for him to lead the way.

Percy led them through Olympus and down the elevator and finally onto the streets of New York. It had been a warm summer day and the temperature had just begun to drop as the clock struck six, giving them a couple hours before they needed to pick up the hunters.

Percy led Artemis down the street for half a block until he stopped in front of a parked motorcycle. Artemis raised an eyebrow at him.

"Your chariot awaits milady?" Percy said with a smile.

"This is yours? I've never seen you on a motorcycle. Do you even have a driver's license?" Artemis asked as she looked at Percy surprised.

Percy chuckled, "Yes it's mine and you've never seen me on it because there isn't a lot of use for it when you can teleport wherever you want. And no I don't have a driver's license."

Artemis shook her head, "Wheen did you even get it? And why?"

Percy's eyes lost some of their mirth, "I bought it a little while after my Mom died. She and Paul made me their beneficiary of their life insurance policies. My mother always knew there was a chance she could die in a monster attack or something so she had a rather large policy. Between both policies, I got a little over three million dollars. I bought it in case I ever decided to try and live a mortal life."

Artemis' eyes widened, "I'm sorry Percy, I didn't mean to…." She began but Percy cut her off.

"It's okay Artemis. I've talked to my Mom and Paul since their deaths. They are happy together in Elysium and my Mom is happy I found a new mother in Hera." Percy said with a small smile.

Artemis smiled sadly back at him and nodded.

"How did you get into Elysium if you were still alive?" She asked.

Percy shrugged, "The same way I got into Tartarus when I took Luke, I snuck in. You underestimate the skills your blessing gives when it comes to stealth."

Artemis smiled at him before she got a little nervous, "Do you know how to drive this thing?" She asked cautiously.

Percy smirked, "Of course. Before I came out of hiding I used to ride a lot."

Artemis smirked back, "Any more surprises? I wasn't aware I was dating a millionaire."

Percy laughed, "You're not. I gave most of the money away."

"To who?" She asked shocked.

"I gave a million to the Oceana Charity and another million to the Wilderness Society. Then I gave all the rest except a couple hundred thousand to the National Partnership for Women and Families a few days before the Giant War. The rest is in an account I set up with both mine and Sophie's name on it should she ever need anything." He explained.

Artemis looked at her boyfriend in shock, "Why did you give it all away?"

Percy shrugged, "I didn't need it; I mean my mother is Queen of the Gods. Besides, it went places that needed it a lot more than I do. So I picked the ones that were most important to me, or the people I love."

Artemis stared at her boyfriend for a minute, "Do you ever do anything for yourself?"

Percy nodded, "Yes, I'm taking my girlfriend to dinner. That's a me present."

Artemis smiled, "I love you."

Percy returned her smile and he handed her a silver helmet, "I love you too."

Artemis raised an eyebrow at the helmet.

Percy shrugged, "I knew I'd take you out eventually so I picked one up, now get on."

Artemis slipped behind Percy and tightly wrapped her arms around him as he took off down the streets of New York. As she rode she could stop thinking how perfect Percy was. No one else, male or female, would give away millions of dollars just because they had it. She hugged him tighter as they rode until Percy finally pulled up beside a fancy Italian restaurant. Percy got off and offered his hand to Artemis as she got off the bike. Percy handed the key to a valet along with a hundred dollar bill. Artemis chuckled at the valet's look of shock and then glee.

They made their way up to maître d', "Reservations sir?" The man asked.

Percy nodded, "Perseus and Artemis Jackson."

Artemis blushed furiously but couldn't help but smile.

The man's eyes widened, "Right this way Mr. Jackson, we have your table waiting for you as you requested."

Artemis and Percy followed the man to their table which was slightly away from the rest as Percy had requested.

"Your waiter will be with you right away." The man said.

Percy smiled, "Thank you." He said as he slipped some cash in the man's hand.

Percy pulled out Artemis' seat for her before taking his seat across from her.

"Pulling out all the stops?" Artemis asked as she tried to contain her smirk.

Percy nodded, "Of course. It is your first date ever isn't it? I wouldn't be a very good boyfriend if I didn't try to make it as nice as possible."

"You didn't have to do any of this Percy." She told him.

"I know that Artemis. You would never ask for something like this but I wanted to. The battle will begin in a couple days and I want to enjoy every minute of peace we have left with you." Percy replied back seriously.

Artemis smiled, "Thank you Percy."

The couple ordered their meals and began to talk about anything that was on their minds until a teenage boy brought their food out. He put Percy's plate in front of him before turning to Artemis.

"And for the lovely lady." He said flirtatiously as he put down her plate.

Artemis rolled her eyes, "Yea thanks."

"You like quite beautiful tonight miss. Any chance this is your brother?" The guy asked. Artemis' eyes narrowed but before she could say anything the boy started screaming. Artemis' eyes widened when she saw the boy's pants had caught fire. She looked over at Percy who was smiling mischievously.

The boy tried swatting out the fire but it continued to burn away his pants until a stream of water extinguished the blaze. The boy's pants had almost completely burned away, leaving him standing in his tightey whities with a few charged pieces of pants hanging over them.

"If you're done embarrassing yourself, we'd like to eat our dinner." Percy said smirking.

The boy's face turned bright red as he sprinted towards the kitchen, drawing laughter from numerous other patrons in the restaurant.

Artemis looked at Percy trying to hold in her laughter, "A little jealous?"

Percy shrugged, "Hey I probably just saved him from becoming a Jackelope. I'll make sure to leave a special tip for some new pants."

Artemis laughed, "Aw, you know me so well Percy."

Percy smiled, "Well now that that's over, we can eat."

The rest of dinner went off without a hitch. Percy made sure to leave a tip with the manager for the boy. The manager tried to apologize for his waiter disturbing their dinner but Percy made sure no blame was placed on the kid.

Once they left the restaurant, Percy and Artemis decided to go for a walk. As they walked through the streets of New York, they laughed about the scene at the restaurant before Artemis started telling Percy stories of hunts she had been on over the years. Percy couldn't help but smile at the happy way she talked about her times with her hunters. He had already decided he would do whatever it took to ensure that she didn't lose her hunters even if it meant he could never have a family of his own. He knew she would try to refuse but he was starting to develop a plan to ensure no matter what, she wouldn't lose her hunters. Even if he would have to make some sacrifices to make sure of it.

Eventually they stopped walking around eight, knowing it was time to gather the hunters.

"What about your bike?" Artemis asked as she realized they left it at the restaurant.

"My mom had Hephaestus make some special modifications to it. It's already back in its parking spot." Percy replied.

Artemis nodded, "Thank you for tonight Percy, it was….. perfect."

Percy smiled, "I would do anything for you."

Artemis wrapped her arms around Percy's neck, "I know you would. I would for you as well." She said before her lips found their way onto his. Just like all the other times he and Artemis shared a passionate kiss, Percy felt like his entire body was on fire. He could think of nothing but the feel of her lips, so soft and warm, as they pressed against his. Of her tongue as it traced a path along his lips before he opened his mouth and met it with his own. The feelings he possessed when kissing this woman, this goddess who he loved more than life itself, was indescribable.

When they broke apart, Percy gently pressed his forehead against hers as they both tried to catch their breath from their long kiss.

"The hunters." Artemis said breathlessly.

Percy nodded as they both vanished into a flash of silver light.

Line Break

An intense feeling of déjà vu entered the consciousness of Percy Jackson as he watched via Iris Message the largest army he had ever seen draw closer and closer to the city of New York. Rough estimates of the army were of about ten thousand monsters that were currently in New Jersey and would soon make their way into New York City.

Nico and Reyna were commanding the combined Greek and Roman army of demigods that would defend the city. Unfortunately it only consisted of a little over three hundred demigods which was a fraction of the might of the enemy army.

Artemis and the hunters had found a few strategic positions where they could provide ranged combat support when the time came.

The Army of the Light was down to a little over six hundred soldiers who had been split into four battalions led by Percy, Jason, Luke or Clarisse. Each entrance into Manhattan would have to be defended by it was likely that they army would send the majority of its monsters across the George Washington Bridge, the location where Percy and his elite from the Army of the Light would make their stand. The rest of the soldiers would defend the other ways into the city while the demigods would support the soldiers in the other locations.

Despite the protests from Jason and his generals, Percy was determined to hold the bridge with only one hundred of his best soldiers. He knew what he was doing though. He and his men would use the narrow entrance to their advantage, making the numbers of the army useless unless they were able to break through the soldiers lines. It had worked for King Leonidas against the Persian Army so Percy knew it was a smart strategy. As long as they held the bridge, the monsters would have to split up and try to use other entrances where the defenders of Olympus had better numbers.

Percy turned to Jason, "We have a day before we need to get into position. Go be with Piper for the rest of the day. This could be our last day of peace for a while so don't waste it."

Jason nodded, "Alright Perce, I'll meet you in Aether's throne room tomorrow morning." He said before vanishing from their shared palace in the White City.

Percy ran a hand through his long jet black hair as he pushed the thoughts of the coming battle out of his mind. There was no use in stressing over the inevitable now. Now was the time to spend some time with his family and girlfriend. He let out a sigh before teleporting himself to Artemis' palace. When he arrived, the hunters and Artemis all smiled at him. Percy returned the smile and found the little sea green eyed girl he was looking for. He glanced at Artemis earning a nod of understanding before he put a hand on Sophie's shoulder and flashed out of the palace.

They reappeared on the same cliff where Artemis had first kissed Percy. Sophie looked around confused.

"Why are we here Percy?" She asked.

Percy shrugged, "I like this place and I wanted a little time to talk to you alone."

Sophie nodded, "Okay what did you want to talk to me about?"

Percy walked to the edge of the cliff and sat down motioning for Sophie to join him. She did, looking at her brother expectantly.

Percy smiled at her, "So how have you liked being in the hunters over the years?"

Sophie smiled shyly, "It feels right. I never got a chance to thank you bringing me to Lady Artemis before you vanished but I really love being in the hunt."

Percy smiled, "Good. I had a feeling you would. Any idea when you're going to take the oath and stop aging?"

Sophie shrugged, "I don't know, I was thinking in another few years. I don't want to be nine years old for eternity. Chloe said she wanted to wait until she was fourteen and I thought I might do that too."

Percy nodded, "That makes sense, I was wondering when Chloe was going to take it. I see you two have become close."

"Yea. At first I thought she was a little too hyper for me but I've grown used to it. She is probably my best friend in the hunters." Sophie replied.

Percy put an arm around his little sister, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you the past four years but I hope you know how much I missed you."

Sophie leaned into her brother a bit, "I missed you too Percy, I missed my big brother a lot."

Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, "I meant to give this to you before the last war but I have a bank account in the city. It's in both our names so you can use it whenever you want; I set it up for you."

Sophie gave her brother a strange look, "Why?"

Percy smiled, "You're my little sis. I need to make sure you're always taken care of. I wanted to make sure I gave this to you in case something happens when the battle starts. There is more money than you should ever need but it's yours for whatever you want."

Sophie looked at Percy worriedly, "I thought you were fully immortal now? You can't die, can you?"

Percy smiled and shook his head, "There are always a way to kill someone, mortal or immortal. But if I do die, I should come back after a few decades. I just wanted to make sure I gave this to you in case something did happen."

Sophie looked at her brother sadly. She stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Please don't die on me Percy. I don't want to lose my big brother again."

Percy smiled and kissed her forehead softly, "I'm not going anywhere but I needed to make sure you were taken care of just in case. Now, why don't we work on your water powers for a little while, we have four years of missed training to make up for."

Sophie smiled happily and nodded.

Line Break

Percy stood in front of his one hundred soldiers spread out in lines five soldiers deep across the George Washington Bridge as the rumble of monsters on the move could be felt under their feet. Percy looked into the eyes of the soldiers under his command, searching for some sign of doubt or fear but only found a fiery determination burning in the eyes of each and every one of them. Seeing their confidence steeled his nerves and erased any traces of doubt in his mind. He looked above to the right seeing half a dozen hunters perched on the top of the bridge. Zoe looked back down at him when their eyes locked and gave him a nod of encouragement before turning her attention back to the Bianca and the four younger hunters that were under her command.

Percy slowly began to pace back and forth in front of his soldiers and the rumbling slowly grew louder the closer the monsters got. The monsters came into view at the other end of the bridge.

"I know every one of you has heard the story of the legendary three hundred Spartans that held off an army of thousands of Persians. Today, we are those Spartans. Today, no monster gets through our lines. Today, not a single Warrior of Aether dies. Those Spartans have been remembered for eons and today is our opportunity to join them. Immortality is within our grasp; NOW IS OUR TIME TO GO OUT AND TAKE IT!" Percy bellowed.

One hundred soldiers slammed their shields into the ground in approval before their lines tightened and shields locked together in a flawless phalanx formation.

The first wave of monsters crashed into the warrior's shields only to bounce off harmlessly.

"HOLD!" Percy bellowed.

A second wave hit the wall of shields, ending up with the same result and the first. The shields of the phalanx shifted slightly as a row of gleaming celestial bronze spears sprung out of the phalanx and impaled the staggering monsters before they vanished behind their shields again just in time to fend off another charge from the monster army.

Silver arrows rained down on the monsters from above the bridge, cutting down monsters before they could reach the warriors' phalanx. Zoe watched her friend in pure awe. She knew he was the world's greatest hero but now he was commanding a battalion of soldiers like he had spent his entire life in an army. She did make a note to tease him later for stealing the idea and some of his speech from that mortal movie she had seen. Regardless, she watched the way his soldiers responded to his words, finding strength and courage beyond their normal limits at the words of their commander. Even her own strength seemed to respond to Percy's leadership, not that she would admit it to him.

Percy stood in the middle of the front line of the phalanx, surrounded by his brothers in arms as they held their ground under the relentless charges of the monsters. Percy knew it was only a matter of time until the enemy understood that he and his soldiers would not give an inch to their army and they would have to try something else.

For another ten minutes, monsters fell by the dozens as they failed time and time again to break through the warriors' lines. Finally the onslaught came to a halt.

"Hold!" Percy ordered before lowering the shield of the soldier to his right and peering across the bridge. A few dozen Laistrygonian Giants had made their way to the front of the monsters in an effort to break through the phalanx using brute strength. Percy grinned as he had planned for this to happen.

Zoe watched in fear as at least forty Laistrygonian Giants charged towards Percy's warriors. She began firing arrows as fast as she could but it did little to slow the charging giants. When the giants were less than twenty yards away, she heard Percy bark an order.

"Archers, now!" He bellowed as the front two lines of the phalanx dropped to their stomachs. The third line of soldiers was on a knee with arrows notched while the fourth line stood with their own bows loaded.

"FIRE!" Percy ordered.

A wave of arrows flew across the bridge, stopping the Laistrygonians in their tracks. The closest giant made it within ten yards of the warriors before an arrow pierced its throat.

Just as the last giant was cut down, a volley of arrows flew from the army of monsters and towards the soldier.

"LOCK SHIELDS!" Percy screamed.

The soldiers snapped their shields together, instantly forming a barrier of shields around their whole unit. Arrows rained down on their small unit but bounced harmlessly off their still locked shields. After a couple of minutes the last few arrows clanged off their shields and Percy slowly peeked his head out of their phalanx. He saw a figure in pitch black armor standing in from of the army of monsters berating the monsters for failing to break through the phalanx.

Percy stepped out of the phalanx grinning, "What's wrong Wise Girl, getting out maneuvered by a lowly little son of Poseidon?" He yelled across the bridge.

He could Annabeth's face redden in rage as he slipped back into the phalanx but not before she began barking orders to a group of monsters. Percy watched as at least fifty Empousai stepped forward with bows. But this time they aimed for the tops of the bridge where the hunters were perched. Before the arrows could be released, Percy flashed up to the hunters and flashed them off their perch and behind his soldiers. The arrows flew harmlessly through unoccupied spots at the top of the bridge. Annabeth's frustrated scream could be heard clearly where Percy stood with the hunters.

Zoe and Percy chuckled at Annabeth's anger as they waited for the next attack. Percy wasn't that surprised that it didn't come. Zoe looked confused causing Percy to chuckle.

"She is waiting for night when she her army will be at its strongest." Percy explained.

Zoe's eyes widened in realization, "Isn't that going to be a problem?"

Percy shrugged and winked at Zoe causing her to roll her eyes.

They waited for another hour until the sun had set and the only light illuminating the bridge were the lights that hovered overhead. Percy put the hunters in the middle of the phalanx where they could shoot from cover. The rumbles of footsteps alerted the army of the next assault. As the army neared, a second group of monsters charged out of a shadow fifty yards behind the phalanx and charged, trapping Percy and his soldiers in the middle.