The Sea and The Moon

Chapter 2

A.N: I will be switching to first person because I find it a pain to write in third person for a long story. I apologize in advance for any slip-ups I have changing first to third person as well as tenses.

Artemis POV:

The war had cost too much. I had lost everything and now I was all alone. As I sat in the throne room after the war, I was barely paying attention and I only heard bits and pieces of what were being said. I was still wallowing in the pain of my losses and it would be a long time before that would change.

"Perseus Jackson!" Zeus boomed. I saw the boy move to stand in the middle of the room. He bowed to the council.

"You have been the greatest help in the war against our father and you shall be granted anything that you wish. Anything that is in our power to grant, you will have it. Even becoming an Olympian God if that is what you wish," My father continued. Everybody was stunned into silence. There was not a single person to have been offered such a huge prize for anything. Not to mention the fact that he seemed to have gained the respect of my father, which was an almost impossible for a demigod. Especially a son of Poseidon.

Perseus looked like he was contemplating his options, but seemed to make up his mind. I already knew his answer. No male would give up the chance for so much power. Not even Perseus. But when he gave his answer, I was more shocked than anybody else in the room.

"No," He said simply. Wait, did I hear that correctly. No? Why would he reject this offer. I have not known a single male to give up any amount of power no matter how small.

Apparently Zeus was almost shocked as I was because he had a look of disbelief on his face.

"No? Why would you turn down such a generous offer. We have never given anybody major godhood, let alone made them an Olympian."

"I do not want to become an Olympian, but I do have a wish. I ask that all of you remember and commemorate all of your fallen children. They have fought bravely and deserve a proper funeral. I also want for each and every one of you to swear that if there should be another war, you will not abandon your children to die, like you did today. If you had actually cared for them and joined the fight, then half of them would still be alive, standing in this same throne room, receiving the same gifts that we are now. Everyday, you must remember what they have given for Olympus and be grateful for it. I will be holding you to your oaths," Perseus said.

This was not what I had expected. He had not only turned down becoming an Olympian, but he had also given up his wish so that he could help the gods and their children. He did not want anything for himself. A small amount of respect wormed itself into my heart as I thought about the hero in front of me.

"Fine. We will swear to do as you have said and we will gather every single body so that they can have a proper burial," Zeus grudgingly agreed. He waved his hand, signaling that the meeting was over. I gave Perseus one last look of gratitude before I flashed away and onto the streets of Olympus. The gods were all happily dancing and yelling in victory.

I was in no mood for such celebration, however. There was no way that I could enjoy a party if I had nobody to party with. My hunters had always been the people who I could always have fun with. There was no denying that I would not be the same without them. It would not be easy to move on.

As I walked down the streets, I noticed a figure walking slowly with tears falling down his face. Looking closer, I noticed the unmistakable black messy hair and pure green eyes of Perseus Jackson.

I slowly walked up to him and placed my hand on his arm. He looked up at me and quickly bowed.

"Lady Artemis." I ignored him and started to let the words flow out of my mouth. I did not know exactly what I was saying. My mouth spoke on it's own and it seemed to take the words straight out of my heart.

"I know that you face the loss of your loved one and I know that it is not easy. I myself lost every single one of my hunters. The pain is something that takes time to recede, but will never truly disappear. You just need to learn to live with it," I said softly.

"It hurts so much. I don't think there's any way in Hades that I'll be able to live with this pain," He said as he started crying. I hated to admit it, but a small part of me hated seeing him this way. Even though he was a male, I had accepted that he was well worthy of at least some respect. There are very few males whom I have ever respected.

"It will get better. Trust me. And once it does, you will be glad that you let it go, you'll see," I said sincerely.

"Thank you, Lady Artemis. I just need some time to think about this. I hope you don't mind if I step away," He thanked me.

"I understand, Perseus. Just remember that this wasn't your fault and that there was nothing you could do to stop it," I reassured him.

He gave me a bow before walking off, his shoulders still slumped, but I could see that he had an air of confidence around him that had not been there before. I knew it would be a long road to recovery for both of him, but he was getting there.

As for me, I know that it will be very hard to recover as well, but I am a goddess. I have my duties and I cannot neglect them no matter what. The fact that my hunters would all be in Elysium gave me a little comfort, but it did not quell my grief. I wiped the single tear making it's way down my face. It was not accompanied by any other droplets, just like I was without my hunters.

I sighed and flashed away to preform my nightly duties. It would be a miserable next few months.

(End of Chapter 2)

A.N: For now, I'm going to keep the chapters shorter just because this is one of my first stories. As the story progresses the chapters will be longer. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to help me with ideas as I don't know how many I can produce myself.