Child of Time

Chapter Nineteen: Taken From the Stars

PERCY

When I asked Luke to give me a straight answer I didn't think he would kiss me. I got my answer though so I guess that's also fine. When he pulled away from me he rested his forehead against mine.

"I like you." I rolled my eyes at the son of Hermes.

"Yeah, I kind of got that, thanks for telling me."

"Shut up, Thief."

"Make me." I retort with a grin.

"Okay." He leans in again and captures my lips in another kiss.

A snap being sounded from behind us makes us pull away and glare at Thalia who's grinning like a madman and Annabeth who's smiling.

"It's about damn time." Thalia says loudly as she walks over to us. "Oh stop glaring. You have more time to do that later."

"Okay. Why are you here?" Thalia looks at Annabeth before turning back to us and shrugging.

"That guy you were with grumbled something about a goddess then left so we decided to come here only to see the two of you kissing."

"Well that's what happens when two people like each other after being forced to spill all their feelings." I tell the hunter and lean my head on Luke's shoulder. A smile graced my face until my head snaps back up. "Wait, what do you mean Ally said something about a goddess? Did he say anything else?"

"No, not that I-" She starts before she's interrupted by yelling.

"Thalia!" The voice of Zoë Nightshade causes me to search for the other hunter. "It's Lady Artemis. She's gone. We haven't seen her since she asked that Hades girl to join us."

Thalia looks at her with wide eyes before she turns to me and glares. "I'll be over there in a minute Zoë." The girl nods and runs back to the other man-hating girls.

Thalia storms up to me. "What the hell did you do Perseus?" She yells at me and I just glare right back at her.

"I told you before that my job is to get rid of all the gods with the exception of Hades, Hestia, Iris and others that are at least decent! Artemis is not one of the good guys." I retort back to her.

"But why her? She has done nothing wrong!"

"You're wrong. She has done wrong before but she hides it from you hunters so you stay with her. She hurts innocent people for no reason. She hurts young boys and girls who she doesn't allow into the hunt. So don't tell me that she's this saint because she's not. You knew this when you signed up." Luke and Annabeth share a worried look when they see the lightning crackling around Thalia's fingers and the clouds above were dark. Lightning was brightly scattering across the sky and rain was beating hard to the ground, the force field around camp not powerful enough to stop the storm. My golden eyes were shining brightly in the dark and me and Thalia were the only ones not caring about the storm around us.

"Don't say that about her. You know nothing! You don't run with her everyday and see what she's like on a daily bases, Perseus. You're just a traitor who wants to kill the gods so you can be all high and mighty."

"I don't care about power." I growl at her. "If I did then my powers wouldn't be locked in Tartarus right now and Olympus would already be gone! Why can't you just see what I see, Thalia? Haven't you wondered what happens to the boys she finds out in the wild and she just shoos away like they're flies? They die, Thals! When she finds them they are only skin and bones and she just turns them away. They barely make it far enough to get to safety before something kills them." I told her and something flashes into her eyes.