The Vanishing Hero

Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Wedding Blessings and Proposal

3RD PERSON POV

After that first date, life settled into quite the fine little routine for the Guardian and his lover. They were tasked with hunting the remnants of Tartarus' forces after Percy had defeated him and they recruited heavily along the way to replace their losses. Hera and Hestia along with Apollo helped to point out any girls that were in need of recruitment along the way. Percy was still merciless with the men he rescued them from, but as soon as he softened for the girls and acted fatherly to them, it melted Artemis' heart and she secretly wondered what it'd be like to have her own.

Estelle had already called Artemis her big sister, but after Percy and Artemis actually spelled their feelings out for one another, it was taken to an entirely new degree. Whenever the Hunt had some semblance of downtime, Estelle was always with Artemis telling her the embarrassing memories she had of Percy mostly. Artemis taught her how to braid her hair (albeit the most normal thing she did) as well as how to track animals and skin them after hunting. She was much quieter through the forest than her brother was when he was her age.

Thalia had grown even closer to Percy and Artemis and reluctantly watched the little ones when Percy and Artemis would have date nights. That was the biggest change to the Hunt: so long as the girls would remain loyal to one man and he to her, they could stay in the Hunt and it certainly didn't stop Artemis and Percy from intimidating the daylights out of said men in question. The option was there, but not many of the girls took it; the damage done to them was near irreparable.

Speaking of the dates that Percy and Artemis go on, they weren't overly extravagant. That was never what either of them liked. Typically, the two lovers would go hunting with Percy tracking while Artemis would take the shots. Percy would use Hestia's abilities and cook for the two of them in a picnic style in the forest or on the beach or in the forest near the beach. They talked about their pasts and futures, the Hunt, and the sheer craziness they were dating.

They would also spar whenever they could as they found nothing more thrilling than facing their partner - both in life and on the battlefield - in combat. Percy would use his abilities to summon an ice arm for those occasions or when the hunting monsters got particularly messy. He got his katana replaced, thanks to Hestia, and recovered his ax after the fight. He was offered Tartarus' sword but he insisted they melt it down into something else; he didn't need any more weapons..

~Timeskip: 1.5 Years after Tartarus~

PERCY POV

'I can't believe I'm actually doing this right now. This has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever done!' I berated myself internally as I paced the Throne Room floor waiting for the King of the Gods to show up.

"Relax, Cousin. You're going to be fine. I gave you my blessing," Apollo said to me and I stopped pacing to look at him. "You're right. You're right. I got this," I said before the panic settled back in and I resumed pacing.

A loud clap of thunder resounded in the room and I swallowed thickly. "Yes, Nephew. Why have you asked me to meet you?" Zeus asked and I turned to look at Apollo for reassurance but the bastard flashed out when his dad got there! "Useless coward," I grumbled and Zeus cleared his throat.

"Well... I uhh... I have a question for you, Lord Zeus," I said and he motioned for me to go on. I took a deep breath. "I... would like to ask for Artemis' hand in marriage, My Lord," I said shakily, but as strongly as I could manage. Zeus was quiet for a long time before he spoke up again. "And you believe she would accept this offer?" he asked and I hesitated.

"I am not entirely sure, Uncle. All I know is it would avoid a lot of trouble from you if I asked you beforehand and the choice is truly entirely hers... but I love her with everything I am and regardless, I will continue to do so until my end," I told him truthfully and he was silent again.