13. Horrible confessions

Third-person POV

The Hunters woke up to an unusual circumstance. Whenever the Hunters would get up at around six in the morning, they would be greeted with the smell of dew and a cool morning breeze. The soft sunlight would barely penetrate the comfortable shelter of their tent. Now, the immortal teenage girls could smell what suspiciously smelled like bacon.

Artemis was up long before everyone else, like she usually did when she woke up an hour before her Hunters. When she had exited her tent, she was met with an extraordinary sight.

Her newest member, the twenty-one-year-old male she had invited into the Hunt, was up earlier than her. And he was cooking breakfast.

Artemis approached the kitchen tent silently. Normally, the Hunters would have to make their own breakfast if they wanted to eat. Occasionally, one person would cook for everyone for the day. What Artemis didn't expect was Percy to cook breakfast for her Hunters.

Artemis watched as Percy placed another batch of eggs onto a plate. She was amazed by his skill. He was flipping the eggs and bacon on the frying pan expertly, like he had been doing it for his whole life. Artemis felt herself drool at the sight of all the delicious-looking food, which slightly embarrassed her.

After getting over the fact that the Hero of Olympus can cook, Artemis spoke up, startling Percy. 'I didn't know you could cook.'

Artemis stifled a laugh when she saw Percy jump. He cursed when the pancakes he was in the middle of flipping splatted on the floor.

Percy turned around and playfully scowled at the goddess, 'Don't do that, Lady Artemis. You scared me.'

Something about the way he said it broke something inside Artemis. She couldn't help herself.

Percy watched confused as Artemis started rolling on the floor laughing. He didn't know whether it was what he said or if it was the four half-cooked pancakes on the floor.

When Artemis finally calmed down (which took far too long), Percy had already picked up the pancakes he dropped and started cooking another batch. 

'Do you need anything, Lady Artemis?' Percy asked politely.

Artemis nodded, 'I was going to ask what you were doing up so early.'

'Didn't sleep,' Percy responded casually 'I figured making breakfast would be a good way to pass the time.'

Artemis' eyes widened, 'You didn't sleep?'

Percy shrugged, 'Couldn't, didn't. Same thing.'

Artemis was skeptical but dropped the subject. She looked over to the plates of food on the counter and saw that they were wrapped up in aluminum foil, most likely to keep the food warm. 

'When are your Hunters going to be up?' Percy asked.

'In about an hour or so.' came the reply.

Percy nodded and placed the pan into the sink. Water emerged from the tap and covered all the used dishes before it started...vibrating?

Artemis watched in awe as Percy demonstrated his power by cleaning the dishes. The last time she had seen the infamous water powers at work was at the battle in Athens, and before that when the Olympians were fighting Typhoon. She wondered how powerful Percy had become since she had last seen him.

Percy willed the now dirty water out of the tent and coated the dishes with another layer of water, double cleaning the kitchen utensils. This time, Artemis watched as Percy willed the water to do spirals on the plates and pans. It was truly mesmerizing.

Percy stood there uncomfortably. Artemis was staring at him doing the dishes for the past five minutes. Had she never seen anyone do the dishes before?

Oh right, he was using his powers.

He smirked evilly when an idea came upon him. It might get him killed but it would be so worth it. 

As Artemis was transfixed on the self-cleaning dishes, she was suddenly snapped back into reality by a stream of ice-cold water hitting her right in the face.

She slowly turned to face Percy, who was busy trying his best not to laugh.

The keyword being 'trying'.

Percy's laughter rang all around the kitchen tent. No matter what he tried, he just couldn't stop himself. The expression on Artemis' face was priceless. 

Artemis found herself shocked. A male had just doused her with water and was laughing at her. Was he not afraid of her, like the rest of the male population? Instead of being angry, Artemis found this amusing, but she still wasn't going to let him get away with it.

'I'm going to kill you.' Artemis said menacingly. She wasn't actually going to kill him but it was fun to scare people.

Percy's laughter stopped instantly and his face paled. He watched fearfully as Artemis reached to her thigh and pulled out her hunting knife.

'Milady, we can talk about this.' Percy said nervously.

'No we cannot,' Artemis replied coldly 'Run.'

Percy didn't need to be told twice. He rushed out of the tent with Artemis straight on his tail screaming death threats.

Percy weaved in and out of trees, running around tents and ducking under low-hanging branches, all in hopes of preventing Artemis from catching him. 

Hunters started coming out of their tents, having being waken up from the constant 'I'll kill you!' and 'We can talk about this!'. Thalia rushed out of her tent, thinking that they were being attacked, but was met with the sight of her cousin being chased by her mistress.

'Thalia, help me!' Percy shouted as he ran past her.

'Sorry, Kelp Head,' Thalia said smiling as she moved aside to let Artemis pass 'This one's all you.'

The two were running around for a while before Percy tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground. Artemis jumped on top of him and pinned him down to the ground with her hunting knife on Percy's neck. 

The Hunters weren't even paying them any attention. They were going about their daily activities as if Artemis killing a male in their camp was normal, which it probably was.

Percy stayed absolutely still underneath Artemis. He could feel the cold metal resting against his skin. One slip and he would be gone. 

The sight was rather funny. A twelve-year-old girl sitting on the chest of a grown man. It looked like they were father and daughter.

'Lady Artemis,' Percy said carefully 'Can I eat breakfast now?'

Artemis removed her knife from his neck and shrugged, 'Sure. I'm hungry as well. Let's see how good your cooking is.'

Percy let out a sigh of relief as he walked back with Artemis to the dining area of the Hunters' camp. He hoped he had made enough food for the Hunters. He had seen them eat at camp and it was slightly horrifying. 

Percy found the Hunters sitting around the wooden table, seemingly waiting for food. He looked around but he couldn't seem to find Thalia.

'Where's Thalia?' Percy voiced his concern.

'She went to make breakfast.' Lyra said. She didn't mind having Percy in their camp. She found him really respectful the first time she met him.

Percy smirked. They had no idea he had already made food. Thalia was in for a surprise.

A few minutes later, Thalia returned with plates in her arms and a surprised look on her face. The Hunters went wide-eyed as they saw heaping plates filled with crispy bacon, assorted types of fried eggs and stacks upon stacks of pancakes.

'That was quick, Thalia.' Atalanta remarked. 

Thalia placed down the plates and shook her head, 'I didn't make these.'

Percy and Artemis hid their smiles as the Hunters looked around confused, trying to figure out who made breakfast.

Thalia had already guessed who made the amazing-smelling food, 'It was you, wasn't it Percy?'

Percy's face went red and he nodded.

Thalia's face morphed into a huge grin, 'This is amazing! I didn't know you could cook! The food looks so good!'

Percy's face went even redder as the Hunters muttered their agreements. The food looked really appetizing.

'Well, what are you girls waiting for?' Artemis said as she sat down at the head of the table 'Eat up!'

The Hunters excitedly dug into the still-steaming food. After the first bite, the Hunters all grinned and began eating faster, digging into the plates of food like piranhas. Even Artemis was eating faster than usual. The Hunters' hunting skills are exceptional but they couldn't cook for two drachmas.

Percy sat on the edge of the table eating his own portion. He was happy that the Hunters enjoyed his food. That was part of why people cook, anyway. For people to enjoy it. Judging by the nearly-empty plates on the table, the Hunters really enjoyed his cooking.

'This is heaven, Perce,' Thalia exclaimed with her mouth full of pancakes 'These are the best pancakes I have ever eaten!' 

Percy chuckled shyly, 'It would have been better if you guys have blue food dye.'

Thalia nodded in understanding and continued eating. The rest of the Hunters and Artemis were confused but seeing as how they weren't getting any explanations, they ignored it.

'Where did you learn to cook like that, Kelp Head?' Thalia asked the number one question on the Hunters' minds.

Percy blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, 'My mum taught me when I was little. I kind of learned some more myself when I was in Alaska.'

'That's awesome!' the childish side of Thalia showing for a brief moment 'Why are you embarrassed then? Your cooking is really good.'

The red on Percy's face darkened, 'I...uh, I don't know?'

A young Hunter noticed the scar on Percy's face stood out more now that he was blushing. Without thinking whether it was a bad question or not, she asked, 'How did you get that scar?'

Percy smiled at the young girl, 'It's a long story.'

Artemis leaned forward on her chair, 'We have time.' Truthfully, she also wanted to know how he got that scar.

The demigod looked around to see all the Hunters looking at him expectantly. Realizing that he had no way out of the situation, he sighed.

'I fought a really large lizard.' he finally said.

'A drakon?' Thalia asked with her eyebrows raised. It was not easy to kill a drakon solo. The only person she knew who did was Clarisse.

Percy winced, 'Uh, not exactly.'

'Does this monster have a name?' Atalanta asked. She and everyone else wanted to know what monster gave the hero that scar.

Artemis scrunched her eyebrows in concentration. Something about a huge lizard her brother once talked to her about. She struggled to remember what monster Apollo had talked about since it had been millennia ago but when she finally did, she gasped.

'Oh my gods,' Artemis murmured, making everyone go silent 'You didn't.'

'Unfortunately, I did.' Percy muttered.

'He did what?' Thalia asked her mistress with a questioning look.

'The giant lizard he talked about is Python,' Artemis said disbelievingly 'The one that nearly killed Apollo ages ago.'

All the Hunters looked at Percy in shock, making him uncomfortable.

'It was no big deal,' Percy said, trying to get the attention off of him 'It was two years ago anyway. Don't worry about it.'

Realization hit Artemis like a truck, 'Of course!' She shouted out, causing the nearest Hunters to jump in surprise at the sudden outburst.

'Girls, remember two years ago where all communication and prophetic knowledge were cut off from us?' when the Hunters nodded, she continued 'Back in ancient times, the Oracle of Delphi was under Python's control. Only when Apollo killed him did we start to get any prophetic insight.'

Most of the Hunters had started to catch on and were staring at Percy with wide eyes.

'Since Rachael lost connection to the Spirit of Delphi, I assume that Python had control of Delphi again, didn't he?' 

The slight change in Percy's facial features confirmed Artemis' theory, 'So you fought Python for control of the Spirit of Delphi.' Artemis looked at the demigod in respect and awe 'And you won.'

Percy threw his arms in the air, 'I don't even get why he's named Python. He isn't even a snake!'

'You killed Python?' Thalia asked her cousin incredulously.

'I was just there,' Percy decided it was best to lie 'I was there helping Apollo.'

Artemis looked at Percy shocked. Not because he fought Python and lived, but because she caught the lie and how he was refusing recognition in defeating one of the worst monsters to ever exist.

'You're lying,' Artemis couldn't help herself 'Apollo was at Olympus when the Spirit of Delphi returned to Rachael. You killed him yourself.'

If the Hunters could get more surprised, they did. Here they were, eating breakfast with a man, and that wasn't even the most surprising bit. That very same man had just lied about killing Python, a monster that almost killed Apollo, who was an Olympian. 

It seems that Thalia did not exaggerate his humbleness.

'Damn, Perce,' Thalia said shaking her head while smiling 'Did not expect that. How did you kill him?'

Percy's face instantly darkened, making Thalia wonder what she said.

'I swore to myself that I wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary,' Percy said coldly 'I tried fighting him normally and that was how I got this scar.' he said pointing to his face.

'Use what?' Thalia asked concerned. She had never seen Percy like this before, so...disturbed. So...scared.

Percy took a deep breath, 'My powers.'

Atalanta spoke up confused, 'So you drowned him?'

'I wish I did.' Percy said softly.

Now everyone was confused. If he didn't drown Python, then what powers was he talking about?

'Was it the same power you used when you saved us from the monsters?' Thalia guessed.

The lack of answer from her cousin made Thalia a little uneasy. She didn't know how to react. Her cousin had the power to cause almost 300 monsters to simultaneously combust, and there was no doubt that he used that power to kill Python as well. Thalia was really glad that she was on Percy's side.

Thalia moved so that she was sitting next to Percy, 'How did you do it?' seeing the look on Percy's face she looked at him sternly 'And don't lie to me.'

Percy looked into his cousin's eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't find it in himself to lie to her. So he decided to tell her the truth, even if it meant she would never see him the same again.

Percy closed his eyes, 'I controlled them,' he said slowly.

'I-I controlled the water in their blood,' he continued 'And...I willed it to expand.'

When Percy opened his eyes, he saw something that broke his heart. Thalia was looking at him in absolute horror. 

Percy was reminded of the time in Tartarus, where he had controlled the poison of Akhlys at the edge of the Pit. It was the first time he had truly lost himself to the other side of him, the dark side. The side he never wanted to talk about. He had gotten a lot better at keeping that side of him in check whenever he used this certain power but seeing Thalia's face reminded him of Annabeth's, when she had looked at him with fear for the first time. 

Percy looked around the table to see all of the Hunters mirroring Thalia's expression. The closer ones even leaning away from him slightly, but Percy could still see it. The only person not looking at him in fear was Artemis, and that both confused him and unsettled him.

Artemis looked at the demigod in understanding. She knew what it was like to have a dark side. How could she not? She was a goddess. She had been alive for millennia and she had fell victim to the dark side of herself many times before. Artemis had enjoyed killing Queen Niobe's daughters far too much when she had insulted her mother, Leto.

Artemis looked at her Hunters and sighed. Now they were afraid of someone they shouldn't be afraid of. Artemis understood though. All people with power has a dark side, but only a truly powerful person could keep that side in check. By the looks of things, Percy Jackson was one of those truly powerful people. But her Hunters didn't get that. All they see is the monster inside of him. 

Artemis couldn't help but wonder whether Poseidon has this power. Of course, he did. Percy was his son, so he must have gotten his powers from his father. Instead of being scared, Artemis was confused. She had never seen Poseidon use this power before, not once in all her years of life. Hearing from Percy, if Poseidon had the power, then the fight with Typhoon and the giants would have been easily won.

The question was, why didn't he use it?

The group sat there in stunned silence for a long time before Percy sighed and stood up, startling the Hunters. 

Now they were scared of him, Percy thought to himself. He wasn't surprised. They should be scared of him. He was a monster. 

'Milady.' he said respectfully and bowed to Artemis before turning around and walking away. 

Artemis thought about going to talk to him but decided otherwise. He needed time and that was something she could give him. The thing was whether her Hunters would change their opinion over time.

Whether they would still think their hero was truly a monster.

A/N: Sooooooo, yeah.

Before I say anything, just to let you know I have not read Trials of Apollo: The Tower of Nero so I have no idea what Python is supposed to be. I just find it amusing to make Python not a snake, but still a reptile.

So, the knowledge of Percy's dark side is finally out in the open. How would the Hunters act around him now?

Thank you guys so much for the support you are giving me to write this story. I hope you all enjoy it.

See you next time.

~Sacai2005