The Queen's Champion

Date Night

Ch. 35

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.