Drowning in the Siren's Song

Chapter 35

White light surrounded her, prominent at her hands, blinding him for a few seconds. He was completely caught off guard as Artemis flicked her hands and the same shiny thing appeared around his left wrist. He felt his hand grow hot immediately after it settled there, too bright to make out its form. As the light faded, a simple leather band with a single stone bead resembling the full moon clung snuggly around his wrist, not uncomfortable.

"There's not much I can do for you, but this contains a bit of my own power. It will be able to shield you against any force, but only two times. I've also made it so that it can replace your bandages so that Keria can land comfortably." She smirked. 

At her words, he automatically thought of the weary covering around her forearm and voila! It morphed into a thick, but flexible, gauntlet-shaped thing which went from his wrist to right below his elbow. It was perfect for Keria who prided herself on her dagger-ended talons.

Before Percy could respond or express himself, she snapped her fingers and whirled towards him, a suspiciously excited sparkle in her eyes. "It's a symbol for honorary members of the hunt."
"Since when??" Percy asked, incredulous. 

"Since now." Zoe chipped in, going along with Artemis perfectly. She was surprised, but at the same time, she wasn't. Percy was already part of the group, she just gave him a name now. Artemis smiled widely as if agreeing with her thoughts, swinging an arm around Zoe.

"What do you say? Good idea, right?" She nudged Zoe, letting Percy stumble over his words in surprised frustration. Zoe seemed to be amused by his reaction as she loudly agreed with Artemis.

Artemis turned slightly serious but didn't loose her grin. "It's not much, but it'll protect you- at least from Keria." She chuckled softly.

Not much?? Percy shook his head.

"But will it be alright, milady? What about... them?" Zoe pointed a subtle finger upwards, darting her eyes here and there as if there were gods spying on them. Artemis chuckled at the action, patting her on the head and messing up her proper hairdo. "M'lady!" She complained.

Percy was just about to say the same thing. It was not often God's shared their own power, and even when they did, it was a huge event which naturally led to attention from unwanted sources.

"It'll be fine. They can't interfere with my affairs that easily." She reassured her while Zoe tidied up her hair with hairpins which glitter when she moved. He'd seen Zoe with messy hair when they were fighting, but he'd never really seen Zoe with open hair before.

Her hair was longer than he though and reached her waist, curling slightly after being pressed in braids and buns the whole time. It was such a small detail, but seeing her comfortable with him made him feel wholesome. 

"Thank you." He whispered, meaning to say in his head. He blushed slightly when they looked at him, their sharp senses picking up his words. 

"Wait." Zoe walked over to him, reaching up and plucking a hairclip from her dark hair and placed it in his hands. 

Was she telling him to grow his hair...?

Looking closely, it was different from the plain clips he'd seen and used from Correy. It was small and bronze, with tiny deep blue gems studded at one end. 

She placed her hands on the clip in his hand as closed her eyes, focusing with a slight frown. A blue similar to the gems on the clip escaped from their hands, coming from the clip which now felt warm. 

He watched in fascination, not knowing what she was doing but letting her focus anyways. He glanced over to Artemis, who to his surprise, was watching Zoe with a raised eyebrow, attentive and maybe slightly taken aback. He didn't what Zoe was doing, but now he knew that it was a big deal. 

She released his hands, and what lay in his hands was no longer a hairclip but a small bronze ring with blue jewels shaped like leaves. She gingerly picked it up and pushed it on his right hand, letting it settle at the base of his index finger.

"Imagine a sword in your hand." She said, stepping back, beads of sweat dotting her forehead. 

Percy was confused, but did as she instructed, imagining a familiar sword, the type he'd held many times during practice spars. But unlike a simple sword, what he saw was a grand celestial bronze sword which seemed to fit perfectly in his hand. It was double-edged sword which tapered at the end and had a lovely grip of leather with a hilt studded with blue gems like the ones on the ring. 

"Anaklusmos." She called it fondly, "Riptide." She watched him admire the weapon with satisfaction. "It contains my essence from when I was a Hesperide. This is my gift to you."

"No! I can't take this... Are you sure, Zoe?" At his question, she inclined her head, giving him an answer through her lashes. "Thank you..." His eyes reflected the gems light, making them look more blue than green. 

Percy was still in awe, holding the only sword which felt right in his hands. The balance was immaculate but it was a bit heavy, but he knew that when he grew up, nothing would be able to compare to it. 

"Imagine it back in its ring form and it'll turn back. It also has the power imbued in it which will make it come back to you even if it gets lost." Zoe explained, making him even more aware how truly great her gift was.

"You just had to show me up, huh?" Artemis called out, bringing attention to herself. "Oh no, milady, not at all." Zoe replied, sneaking in a wink which was clearly visible to Artemis herself. 

"Anyways," Zoe brought Percy in a headlock, clasping his neck tightly. "You're officially my brother now, 'honorary member'."

He wasn't sure whether it was the emotional baggage getting to him or her loose hair tickling him, but he burst out in chuckles, joining Artemis and Zoe in loud hearty laughter.