Acceptance (Chapter 25)

Quote: "Sometimes, the right answers are the wrong choices. "

Ever have that feeling when your brain feels absolutely like a pile of mush?

After that fight, I collapsed. It was not nearly as tiring as Order, but it was like comparing being hit by a car and a train. I woke up inside a tent. It was the medical area. I slowly got up and noticed my clothing. I was still shirtless, and my pants had several cuts and tears. I was definitely stronger. Zoë tattoo on my shoulder was now golden, rather than its original onyx black color. It probably means I unlocked its true power. Usually I would be hesitant to receive new powers, but knowing this came from Zoë means a lot to me. My SPQR tattoo is also visible, I might have to visit the camp after I beat Gration and Python.

I walk out of the camp and yelp. Every Huntress and Artemis were outside talking, and when I walked out, I was attacked by 64 teenage girls who all jumped ontop of me, making a huge pile.

"Ah! What is happening?" I say as I was being squished.

The hunters started to laugh and Artemis walked up and smiled at me, making me puzzled.

"Whats with the creepy smile? " I ask.

Artemis rolls her eyes, and Thalia gets out from under the pile, and the girls slowly get off me. Too slowly. It didn't hurt, but I swear someone in that pile wore more perfume than Aphrodite, and thats saying something.

"Do you even know what you did?" Said Thalia.

"You defeated Heracles, using STRENGTH. You punched the guy who could break mountains with his hands!" Exclaimed someone in the crowd.

"Oh."

The crowd facepalms.

I stand up from the crowd, quickly summoning a shirt on my body to 'hide'.

"That was awkward. " I comment.

"Too awkward." Artemis inquires.

The crowd actually congratulates me, Heracles was heavily despised by the Hunters, and Artemis had some history with him. The older hunters had grudging respect for me, and the younger hunters had a look of admiration.

After about an hour of talking, the hunters headed to do their daily chores, and I started to walk, but was stopped by Artemis.

"Perseus, you have done something unimaginable. I don't know if you acknowledge what you did. You beat Heracles, the pure image that me and my hunters hate, but he was too powerful than any of us. You helped us, and fought him even though you were despised by us. The girls won't say it, but they accept you as part of the Hunt." She smiled.

"Uh, Thanks, I guess." I replied, slightly blushing.

"You have proven that you are a worthy male capable of using my blessing since Orion. With my blessing, you will be much more aware of your surroundings, and have unmached stealth. You also will be recognized as an ally of the Hunt." She informs me.

I hesitate to accept. "That would be nice, but do I have to?" I groaned.

She gave a smirk. "Yes. You were actually supposed to get it when you were first made guardian, but the girls and I were skeptical, but you have already shown you are worthy. You are not selfish, you protected us, you helped us you never tried to harm or take advantage of us. Do not let these qualities change, you are the only male I trust, and if you ever change that, you will regret it."

"Okay, but can I be the guardian without the blessing?" I ask.

"No."

"Dang it, fine." I grumble.

She laughs a bit and gives me her blessing. A grey orb is absorbed into my body, and in the first time in several millenia, Artemis blesses a male.

"So, now what?" I ask her. I had been out for about a day, and it was early morning.

"Not much, you can do as you like, but keep an eye out for Gration or Python." She shrugged.

"Alright." I replied and Artemis nodded and flashed somewhere else.

I went to the lake nearby and used my powers. It was nice to use my powers to do things most people thought were impossible. I made the water form an image of a Pegasus running across the water. Using my fire control, I also made an image of a certain hellhound running along with him. Trails of water and fire leaked behind the very intricate images. I smiled as I concentrated on the figures and I used my ice powers to freeze the water that was trailing behind the pegasus. Soon, the lake was littered with ice sculptures, and images running around.

I did this for about an hour, wasting time. I made an orb of fire and one of ice. I smashed the two orbs together, forming a ball of steam that flew into the air.

I noticed a small crowd staring at the images, so I decided to entertain them by making more. After about an hour, I finished, and I grinned at the look on their faces. I was walking through camp when someone flashed infront of me.

"Hi Hestia." I greeted her.

"Hello Perseus." She smiled warmly. She was in her 30-ish year old form and had that mother-ly aura around her. She truly was one of my favorite Olympian, probably my favorite.

"Do you need anything?" I asked her.

"No, but I need to talk with you privately." She said sternl, her warm smile became a more worried one. See, this is what I liked about Hestia, she didn't visit you because she wanted to force you to do something, she visited because she actually cares about people.

"Sure." I agreed and we flashed to her private palace. Her palace was a huge place, it was colored orange and brown. Inside was a huge fire, which was the hearth. She did have servants, every god had one, and they all usually tended to the hearth when she was out.

She gestured me to go into a room and I went in, and she came in too. Inside was a guest bedroom, basically a comfy hotel room.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked as I sat on a chair.

Hestia frowned. "The Gods are starting to plot against you." She said sadly, as if she were ashamed.

"Why?" I asked confused.

"I don't know, but I will not allow them to rid of my Champion. Just....be careful around them, Perseus." She warned me.

"Okay, I understand, but what do you suppose I do?" I asked.

"Try to lay low for a while, you have beaten Heracles in strength, you have basically matched Athena in intellect, and you don't lack far from being faster than Hermes. My family is wary of you, so you shouldn't show your full potential, because if they choose to, they will make the first move against you." She stated sadly.

I saw this coming, I mean, some gods still hate me, or are scared of me. Hestia was right, I should't show off, at least until after Gration and Python are gone.

Hestia and I spoke for a bit, and she advised me to be cautious around some gods. Gods such as Poseiden, Apollo, Hades, Artemis, Herself, Hermes, Hepheastus were all gods who I can trust. She warned me to be careful around anyone else. She was worried that I would be killed by someone in the family.

She was the closest thing I have to a mother. She cared about how I was doing, she helped me when I needed it.

After we finished, she said goodbye and I flashed back to the hunt where I saw Artemis. She was in her 25-ish year old form with hunter's clothing, as well as silver linings on her clothes. She had a dark tan and auburn hair. She looked like she could judo-throw a bear if she wanted to, and she probably could.

"Hey Artemis, do you guys, you know, hunt?" I asked curiously. I mean, I had seen some animal hides or such, but I have never really seen any of the hunters go hunting.

She thought for a moment. "Well, we don't hunt nearly as often because back then, animals were plentiful and we needed their hides and meat. Now, animals are already heavily hunted by mortals, and we can access clothes and food much easier." She explained.

"Oh, that makes sense. Anyway, should I do anything?" I asked, bored.

"Yes, the girls need help getting firewood to use for the fire at the center. Thalia and a group are currently in the forests chopping down trees. You should probably help them." She suggested, pointing to the forest.

"Sure thing." I replied as I started running to the area.

When I made it far enough, I saw Thalia, as well as some other girls who were using iron axes to chop down trees.

"You guys need some help?" I offered.

Thalia turned and wiped some sweat from her forehead, and sighed in relief when she saw me.

"Oh thank gods, this is way too difficult." She complained. She and the others were all tired and were sweating like water falls.

I grabbed an axe and walked over to a tree. I struck the tree pretty hard, expecting the tree to fall.

Whack!

"Oops." I said as a broken axe lay in my hand. The axe head was dislocated from the handle, and the tree still stood straight.

"Seriously Percy? You know how hard those things are to make?" scolded Thalia.

"You mean this?" I said as I fixed the axe by re-attaching the axehead in one pop!

"I hate you." She gritted through her teeth.

"I know." I grinned as I handed them the axe.

"I got this." I said as I created discs of water, with sharp edges. Did you know that when water is going at a fast speed, it can cut through steel? I didn't either, until I tried it. I willed the discs to fly extremely fast to the tree, cutting the once-tall tree into a pile of cut firewood, ready to be thrown in the fire.

The girls and Thalia all glared at me with jealousy. I smiled as I made the discs and sent them around the forest. In under 2 minutes, part of the forest was gone, and firewood was littered everywhere.

"Percy! You destroyed the forest you seaweed brain!" Thalia shouted in my face.

I laughed as she didn't know I controlled ALL elements, including plants. I easily willed and in a matter of seconds, the forest was now full of young trees that will soon grow again into large trees.

Thalia stared at me. "You know what? Im not even mad, I am just happy I don't have to chop those trees anymore. Thanks Percy." She relaxed.

"No problem, Thals." I said. The other girls walked off with the firewood, and Thalia grabbed some as well. I used my wind powers to carry stacks of firewood, much to Thalia's dismay. Me and the girls walked to camp, me with stacks of wood floating near me. I recieved many stares and grinned.

We arrived at the center and put all the stacks into a large pile so we can throw it in the fire if it gets too low.

"So, what now?" I asked Thalia as the others wandered off.

"I guess just relax. You did our jobs that would usually take us hours at a time to do, so we have tons of free time to do hobbies." She explained.

"I kinda expected more from being the 'Guardian of the Hunt'" I mumbled.

"Well, you just happen to be so powerful that we don't have anything that is too exciting for you." She replied.

"Eh, I'll just have to find something to do. See ya sparky!" I said and quickly flashed somewhere else before Thalia could respond.

I was at the lake again, and this time, I just sat and stared at the water. I know, odd, but I enjoy the calmness and serenity of water flowing. Its relaxing in a werid way. After about 5 minutes, I started to smell something. Something very potent. Something very perfume-y.

I turned around to see....

"Aphrodite?" I asked, puzzled to why she would be here.

"Yes, it is me." She said and she appeared in a pink cloud that happened to smell like every perfume mixed together. She was in her 20 year old form, and she was the pure definition of beauty. She basically looked like everything you wanted. She was basically whatever you wanted her to be.

"Why are you here?" I asked. I didn't hate her, she did help and vote for me before Tartarus. But I know she usually didn't visit people unless love was involved.

"I am here to help your relationship status!" She exclaimed.

I shook my head "Not really looking for one, plus I am in the Hunt at the moment." I told her.

She frowned. "Why not? I can barely believe the Hero of Olympus three times over is still a virgin! And he even wants to stay one!" She scolded.

I blushed deeply. "Well, I am waiting for the right person, I don't want to just have a bunch of children. Plus, I do want to stay loyal to Zoë." I added.

"Loyal? For how long? You can't avoid love. There is always war, but love conquers all. Did you know Artemis loved Orion? Or that most of her hunters have all fallen for a man at one point, only to have it ripped away. Athena has fallen in love with many mortals, see? Basically, everyone falls at one point. Even Hestia fell in love. " she explained.

My head perked up at Hestia. "What do you mean Hestia fell in love?" I asked.

"It is a long and forgotten story, so long ago that it is extinct from mortals and demigods alike. After Kronos was killed, Hestia and her siblings were released, and her being the eldest child, she was the first into the outside world. She met a man named Iodaeus, who was a good man. The two fell in love and lived happily for over several years until Iodaeus was killed by a Coeus, Titan of intellect. She swore to never fall in love again, to stay faithful for all eternity. She is still a maiden. That is why she is the motherly figure, she never did have children, so she treats those who she knows are good as her children, including you." She said sadly, her makeup all messed up.

I was shocked at this information. I always wondered why Hestia seemed so different from her siblings, she was so much more caring than any of them.

"So, what does that mean?" I questioned.

"It means everyone falls in love. I know about those dreams you had, they were so adorable! I also know that you avoided all of them, meaning that you could either fall for anyone or you could fall in love for a very long time." She explained.

"I don't really want a relationship at the moment, I will consider it later on, but now is not the greatest time." I told her.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Percy, you are the savior of Olympus, we cannot have you not paired with someone! I will find someone for you to fall with, you will love it!" She used charmspeak to try and convince me, but I think Artemis's blessing countered it.

"Aphrodite, I don't want a relationship now. I am a Guardian for the hunt currently." I said calmly.

She looked like an idea sprung in her head. "Oh fine. But don't expect me to lay back." She said and flashed out.

Great, now I have the goddess of love on my tail. I sighed to myself as I noticed it was about late afternoon, so I went back to the camp. I flashed to my house that I moved to be literally inside the camp. My house was in viewing distance from the camp, so they could get me anytime. All I had to do was put my house into it's enchanted form, which was a small wooden triangle, and I plopped it on the spot it is on now.

I was walking around my house and saw BlackJack and Mrs.O'Leary sleeping on the floor, as well as hundreds of half-eaten foods. Looks like they both were completely wasted. I chuckled slightly as I went back into my room.

I needed a new weapon. Bane no longer existed, as it was shattered by Heracles. The sword I used throughout the pit, against Kronos and Order, was gone. I sighed as I now couldn't use dual swords as my sacred weapon since I no longer had dual swords. I could make another, and I probably will. I will have to ask Hepheastus later on. For now, Riptide is perfectly fine. Bane wasn't enchanted like Riptide, so it was not 'rare'. Bane was just a very well-crafted stygian iron sword, not very special thankfully.

But it was also an SMG, which I missed greatly. It was good for giving people quick and painless deaths. Also, it was cool.

Maybe I should start using other weapons, I have used dual swords for over 100 years, and while it is my best weapon to use, it only one weapon. I should wait until I find a good weapon to replace Bane with.

So my arsenal at the moment is Riptide, which is a sword and shield, a classic. I also have my bare hands, but those are a last resort.

I will get on that later. Maybe use that favor Hepheastus owes me. Well, whatever, Riptide is a great weapon, and I can survive with it for a while.

Something that has been bugging me is Law and the traitor. A day doesn't go by when I don't think about the prophecy. Many have decided that the prophecy was false due to desperation, but people such as gods, Chiron, me, and some other smart demigods are suspicious. Prophecies are never false. They always hold double meanings, Chiron once told me. Law is an enigma, he wasn't a demigod, monster or god/titan. Apollo couldn't attack him, so Law had to have been below a god. No blood or wires, or even ichor. When his head was cut off, his neck was simply just skin, as if he were made out of clay. Gaea could have made Law from dirt, but I doubt she has the skill to make someone as skilled as Law.

He didn't even leave any dust, his body simply disappeared. Maybe someone took the body, but then Apollo would have seen it.

My brain hurts as I try to list out possibilities, and there are many explanations, but only one truth. Then there is also the traitor, who I am guessing Jack or Annabeth is. But then the prophecy said 'traitor' not 'traitors' so it has to have been one person. Who could it be? It could be a demigod, or even a god. I doubt it is a god, since every single one of them would have been found by Apollo, since he always knows the truth.

It has to be a demigod, but I barely know anybody at camp. Barely any of my original friends still are alive, only Rachel, Chiron, Grover, The Seven, Annabeth and Jack, and maybe a few new faces are the only ones I actually recognize. Some of the new kids are decent, others are just brats.

However, I doubt any of them would be a traitor, nearly none of them have the skill to fight, much less hide from people such as me, Chiron, etc. Silena was a spy, but after she was killed, Chiron took spies extremely serious, and he literally could find a spy in under a minute.

This is frustrating, because now I am not going to sleep at night, knowing some traitor is running around.Chaos and Apollo both warned me of a coming disaster.

Who can I trust?

Author's note: I made up the story of Hestia and Iodaeus (eye-oh-day-us).

Also, the story has reached 2.5k reads, which is amazing, I made this story thinking it would get like 5 reads. Lol.

I don't have an update schedule, I update when I have a chapter done, which is semi-often. On average, I will post every 2 or 3 days.