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"Percy, my daughter, are you absolutely sure about this? Once the choice is made, there is no going back."
"Didn't you break the pact with Zeus and Hades for my mom?"
"That is entirely different-!"
Percy laughed. "It's not that different. No more prophecies, no more fearing for my life every time I leave camp..."
Then the brunette sighed as she diverted her eyes from her father, sneaking a glance at her. "Besides, it's not like I'll be alone."
Maybe she just wanted to come visit this place, or maybe she wanted to share how special this place was with Artemis. Both were good reasons. And whatever reasons, now that they were here, Percy knew there would be no going back.
All the flirting, the stolen glances, the letters, the surprise visits, and her inevitable choice to join the Hunt once Kronos was dealt with, all led to here. This moment. Standing by the goddess of the Hunt, hands intertwined, sitting in the sand upon the beach of Montauk, the cabin not too far away. Was this what it was like for her mother and Poseidon, her father? At peace with no worries in the world?
Artemis sighed, content, against the demigod's shoulder. "Never in a thousand years did I think something like this would come to pass, you know."
"What do you mean?" Percy asked, confused.
"All of this," the goddess replied. "Spending time with a significant other. I always was of the mind that it wasn't something I wanted given who I am, and what I represent. At least, not since..."
She doesn't have to say it. Percy knows the myth, rather the events, of Artemis, Apollo, and Orion. Chiron had taught it to her and his other students when he had posed as Mr. Brunner. At the time she'd thought it only a myth. Not anymore.
"Well," Artemis continued. "Let us continue to hope that my brother never finds out about us."
That drew a small chuckle from Percy who leaned her head against the goddess' shoulder. "We'll be fine. Apollo is the god of the Sun, sure, but-"
A flick of her hand, and a sizable wave forms. And in an instant, Percy wills it to subside and takes care to make sure she nor Artemis get wet. The last thing she wants right now is to drench someone so effortlessly beautiful, someone more beautiful than Aphrodite, in salt water.
Okay, maybe that'd piss Aphrodite off, but at least to Percy, it's true. Between her and Artemis there's no contest. Anyway.
"If he gets too hot, I'll drench him to cool him off a bit."
Artemis sighed. "Your confidence astounds me, Persephone Jackson..."
Then, she tilted her head upwards and planted a kiss on the demigod's lips. "But it is not unwelcome. Though the same cannot be said for your humor."
"You love my humor, don't even!" Percy scoffed playfully. And hey, Artemis didn't deny it.
The goddess stood to her full height, or at least the full height of the form she spent most of her time in, and pulled Percy up with her. "Now, I'm curious to see this movie series you were excited to start. Shall we?"
Percy's eyes lit up. "Ooooh man, I haven't seen the Terminator movies yet, but I heard from my friend Rachel that the first three are amazing and I started thinking to myself, once everything was over, me and Artemis could..."
And so the demigod love of Artemis trails on and on as they walk hand in hand back to the cabin, and like all the other times she's been around Percy, she can't help but relax.