Won't Say I'm in Love [Pertemis]

13- "We're Even"

Girl you can't deny it
Who you are is how you're feeling

Percy

Artemis eventually got over whatever happened at the creek, and we went back to being friendly.

We ran through the woods, shot apples out of trees, and hunted the greatest animals and monsters. We had become quite the team.

A few weeks later, I found myself out in the forest surrounded by monsters. I battled my way through tirelessly. I waved my hand, and a hellhound flew into a tree and vaporized. I slowed down time, stabbed a dracaena and watched as she disintegrated. I shot a Harpy out of the sky. When I thought I was finished, I capped Riptide and began walking back towards the hunters, only to be tackled by a ginormous Nemean Lion. It was about to make me monster chow, when an arrow whizzed past me, and flew into it's muzzle. It disintegrated, and blew away.

I turned breathlessly and looked at Artemis, who stood in the early morning light.

"You owe me," she said. She walked over and helped me up.

Another week or two later, when she was tangled up with some Hyborean giants, I threw my knife, hitting one in between the eyes, and shot another in the chink of his armor. Both of them vaporized into dust.

"We're even." I smirked.

We went along like that, competing in monster fighting and hunting. We were pretty even most of the time, though she always beat me in foot racing.

Artemis even stopped taunting me about being a man, which was quite unexpected.

A few times in the forest, I would catch her staring at me. Other times, I'd wonder up on her deep in thought.

Sometimes, maybe I'm just dreaming it, but she blushes when I compliment her. Sometimes, when I touch her, she lingers a few moments before pulling away.

I shouldn't read into it too much. She's a maiden goddess.

She often said, "I don't understand. Any other man would have made a move on my hunters by now."

"It's my job to protect the Hunt," I said.

Sometimes, our fingers brushed. I tried to push it all aside. I was in servitude to Artemis as her friend, and she's a maiden goddess.