The Lost Lover of Artemis (Pertemis)

Intruder of the Sacred Lake

Third Pov

The next day Percy woke up feeling more refreshed than he had in long while. He looked out of the window and saw that the sun was already up. He slowly got out of his bed and walked out of his room. He looked around the little hut to find either Leto or Rhea but frowned when he couldn't. He exited the hut and decided to go and search for his aunt and grandmother.

Percy looked around as he walked out and smiled seeing the island he grew up on. The forest, the weather, and the sky everything seemed to be the same as all those years before. He slowly walked into the forest, humming a tune as he enjoyed the feeling of a slight breeze against his skin. Soon, the number and thickness of trees started to increase as he went further and further into the woods. Percy saw squirrels and bunnies poking their heads out of tree trunks and burrows to see what the disturbance is, only to dive back into where they came from when they saw him. 'If Artemis was with him, these animals would have rushed to her to show their affection for their goddess' he thought.

That thought brought a smile to his face. He and Artemis had hunted in these forests many times. He had to come back here again with Artemis so that he could wander around in these mesmerizing woodlands with his girlfriend again, just like the old times. And thinking about his girlfriend, he was planning to change Artemis's status as his girlfriend soon. He was planning to propose after all the problems with the camp were sorted out, which he hoped would be soon.

As he wandered around the forest lost in thought and his initial goal of finding his grandmother and aunt forgotten, he came across a wall-like structure that had an arch as an entrance. He didn't seem to remember this structure being here before. Curiously, Percy peeked in to see a teal blue lake with crystal clear water. He immediately recognized it as Artemis's favorite spring. This is where they used to bathe when they were at Delos. 

Percy decided that taking a bath would be a good idea since he is already near the spring. He hadn't been to a water body for the past couple of days and his skin was already starting to itch because of it. It also had the advantage of speeding up the healing and energizing his almost healed body.

Percy was walking towards the arch when someone suddenly interrupted him." Halt boy, you shall not pass" A couple of nymphs appeared in front of him and shouted at him.  They were wearing the normal hunter garbs and had bows slung over their shoulder." Who are you all and why am I not allowed to pass?" Percy asked confused. "This is the sacred spring of lady Artemis and we are the guardians of this spring. Males are not allowed to enter here. Turn back and return to where ever you came from or face the wrath of Artemis." One of the nymphs replied. "Sorry,  no can do. You can do whatever you want about it, I don't care." He replied and continued his walk.

The next second both the nymphs loaded their bows and fired at him, but to their surprise, Percy quickly turned around and caught both the arrows. " You see, I haven't been to any water body for the last two days and I don't like being away from water for so long. The only thing you will ever achieve by firing those arrows at me will be to make me angry. I don't want to hurt you both, so why don't you go back to where ever you came from and leave me to my business?" Percy asked them in a cold tone as he increased his age to early twenties and released his aura a bit.

The nymphs now were terrified of the show of power from Perseus. They have never seen someone who could catch flying arrows with their bare hands. Not even the hunters of Artemis could pull such a stunt off. This along with the fact that the boy in front of them suddenly grew into his early twenties and released a powerful aura meant that he is a god. "Are..are you a god?" One of them asked. "Yes I am, now leave me alone," Percy ordered them. "Bu.... But we can't allow you to enter. This is the sacred bathe of lady Artemis. Males are forbidden from entering here." The other nymph stuttered out. "Oh don't worry, I am sure Artemis wouldn't mind me taking a dip in this lake. Now get out of my sight or you shall face my wrath" Percy replied to them angrily. These nymphs were starting to piss him off.

One of the nymphs tried to retort but the other one stopped her and whispered something to her. Both of them then nodded to each other and then disappeared in a puff. 'Finally, I thought they were going to stay there forever' Percy muttered as he walked towards the lake. He walked in through the archway and saw that square walls were built around the lake similar to a fort. ' Probably to prevent anyone from peeking' He thought as he slowly stepped into the beautiful lake. He removed all the bandages and clothing from his body sans his boxers and dived into the lake. He sighed in contempt as he relished the feeling of cold water touching his skin and the energy the water gave him.' Definitely coming back here again with Artemis', Percy decided as he continued to swim.

Artemis was not having the best of her days. Percy has been missing for the past five days and she had no idea where he was. She even feared whether the men of Oceanus had captured him, but soon put that thought aside. 'Poseidon would have known if something like that happen' She thought, reassuring herself. That is when she heard the nymphs she had assigned to guard her sacred spring at Delos praying to her. "Milady, someone is intruding into your sacred baths. We tried to stop him, but he is a god and we couldn't do much against him. Please come quickly before he defiles your sacred lake." She heard them praying. This immediately angered her. Intruding in another god's sacred lands without permission was a huge disrespect. She was already nervous and frustrated due to Percy's disappearance, now this immortal has graciously presented her with an opportunity to vent. 'He is gonna be crying for his mommy when she is done with him.' Artemis thought darkly.

She quickly informed her hunters of the situation and flashed to Delos. Some of her hunters wanted to come with her, but she was sure she could handle the situation alone. When she arrived near the lake at Delos, she was met with Nila and Laya the nymphs who guarded her sacred spring. "Lady Artemis" Both of them bowed as they saw the goddess. "What happened here ?" Artemis asked for more details and the nymphs told her about what had occurred. "We warned him multiple times milady, but he disregarded it. We have also never seen him before." They told her. " Did he behave inappropriately toward you?" Artemis asked. "No milady." They replied. "Doesn't matter, he will be punished for his insolence". Artemis announced as she walked towards the lake with her symbol of power drawn.

Artemis stormed towards the lake in full huntress mode." Who dares to enter my sacred springs and defile it with your filthy presence." She yelled as she saw a semi-naked male floating on the water. Suddenly the figure submerged under the water as if he was surprised by her, but quickly emerged up and smirked at her.

'What the Fuck?' She thought as she recognized the head poking out of the water and smirking at her. It was none other than her missing boyfriend.

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AN: Sorry for the late update. I was really busy due to some personal stuff.

Any way, hope you all like the chapter.  

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