Artemis' Apprentice - The End of Olympus - Inspired By Rick Riordan - Book 1 - Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

Perseus Jackson

Everything went wrong from there.

Artemis whispered something to Poseidon, who now was looking in our direction. Selene turned the opposite way and stroked the wolf at her heels.

Poseidon pointed at the bush, “Come out” he commanded.

I sighed. Annabeth and Piper got up, they’re eyes wide with horror, “Will he smite us?” Piper shivered.

“He won't if i'm with you,” I tried to sound calm, but I had never angered my father before. Wouldn’t he be happy to see me? Piper nodded solemnly. I got up behind them.

Piper took the lead this time and stepped out of the shrub first.

“Hi,” she said. I could easily tell she was very embarrassed.

“Piper Mclean” Artemis spoke firmly, “Bring out the rest of the group.”

She nodded and turned as Annabeth stepped out of the thicket.

Poseidon moaned and put his head in his hands. Artemis sighed.

“Annabeth Chase” Poseidon lifted his head from his hands, “Daught of Athena.”

Artemis stopped him, “I can sense one more. Come out.”

My stomach churned with nausea as I carefully crept out of the bush. Poseidon’s wide eyes followed my movement as I stood next to the other two.

“Um,” I mumbled, “Hi, dad.”

Poseidon stood still, the color draining from his face. Artemis peered behind me, then looked at me again. Her eyes widened too.

“P-Percy,” my father stammered.

Artemis cut him off, “You three have crossed the Pomeranian line and have entered a restricted area. You will have to be returned back to you're school, stripped of you're memory of this moment.”

Artemis raised her hand towards us.

“Wait.”

We all turned our heads to see the noise.

“LOOK AWAY!” my father roared, his voice sounding like the violent sea during a thunderstorm. Before we could look we all instantly turned back to my dad.

“You three cannot be here,” Poseidon said sternly, “This is private godly business.”

“Father” I took one step forward, “What’s going on here?”

My father’s sea green eyes became hard like sandstone. That sent me the message: Don't test me.

Message well received dad.

Poseidon sighed, “Percy, I can not-” he rubbed his temples tiredly, “This matter will be resolved, but I need you to leave.”

“Father?”

Once again, the voice came from behind me. We all turned to look.

“Don't look” Poseidon hissed, “Or I will turn you into eels”

I was surprised to receive threats from my own father. Every other time I had met him he had been friendly and proud. This time, he looked tired and stressed, and unhappy to see me.

He actually looked frustrated that I was even there.

I turned back around to face the three gods.

“Who is he?”

The voice behind me was female. I was guessing it was Selene, the girl I had partly seen from the bush.

“He is,” Poseidon paused, trying to find the right words, “Another of my offspring.”

My heart sank like a rock. Describing it like that made me sound weak when I had defeated Kronos, several Titans, and Gaea.

Thanks dad.

“Wait,” Selene spoke from behind us, “You have other children?!”

"All gods do, Selene," Poseidon said.

"So, what are they doing here then?" she retorted.

“He snuck up on us with his friends,” Poseidon spoke calmly. He turned towards me.

“How much did you see?”

“Um,” I looked at my feet. My father had never been angry with me like this before, “About five minutes?”

“With all due respect, sir,” Annabeth spoke calmly, “But what is happening?”

Poseidon gazed at Annabeth like cold stone, “It is none of your concern, Annabeth Chase.”

Annabeth gulped and stepped back, preparing to be smited.

“Wait” I paused, “What about your father, Artemis? Isn’t Zeus involved in this?”

Poseidon shook his head.

“So Zeus isn't involved in this.”

Poseidon sighed, “The only reason I'm telling you all about this is that your memory will be erased anyway, so it won’t matter. Zeus does not know about this and I plan to keep it this way.”

Annabeth took a step forward, “Sir, I don't think my mother would approve of your method of secrecy-”

“You think I don't know that?!” Poseidon spat. A geyser exploded out of the ground behind him.

He rubbed his forehead, “My apologies,” he muttered, “I am just very tired of this accident and I need it to be resolved.”

“Am I you're accident?” Selene hissed, “Am I you're mistake?!”

The ground began to rumble. I tripped and fell flat on my face.

“Earthquake!” Piper cried and dropped to the ground.

Annabeth grabbed her and they tackled over each other.

“Selene,” Artemis said like a stone.

The ground slowly stopped rumbling. I got back up on my feet.

“Percy,” Poseidon sighed, “I need to send you back to you're school. You are not supposed to see-”

He was cut off by a horde of empousa that charged into the clearing.

I was tired of seeing these hideous creatures.

Part vampire. Part goat. They’re burning hair crackled and hissed.

“Ah,” the nearest one crackled with laughter, “What do we have here?”

“You dare show you're faces too the gods.” Artemis drew her bow, “What are your last words?”

I drew Riptide while Annabeth and Piper drew their weapons.

“Don't worry” the lead empousa chuckled, “We’re not going to hurt you.”

Suddenly, a ring of empousa emerged from the bushes surrounding us in every direction. Poseidon stomped on the ground and his trident flew up into his hand. He pointed at the lead empousa.

“You dare challenge the wrath of the Sea?!” he said, his voice dangerously low.

“Hmph.” the empousa looked around, “I don't see any water, do you?”

“Nope,” another empousa agreed.

Poseidon scowled, “I am so sick of this-”

He flew his trident into the ground and water burst up everywhere. I felt a rush of energy as it hit me.

“Selene!” Artemis shouted over the waves, “Practice move 2073!”

2073?

I was surprised when the water around me started spinning. Annabeth and Piper were pushed next to me.

“What’s happening?” Piper shouted, her hair and outfit soaking wet. Annabeth’s long blonde hair was slicked to her forehead.

The water formed a funnel, leaving us three in the middle of a whirlpool. Screams of empousa filled the air.

I quickly motioned the water to shoot us out. The water underneath us sank and then exploded upward like a spring.

We landed on the ground a few feet away from the battle. I stared up in awe as a giant whirled pool made out of the water Poseidon had summoned was churning about 15 meters high. The empousa flailed wildly and scrambled back away from the tsunami.

I quickly got back on my feet and grabbed Riptide. I turned around just as an empousa was charging for me, her hungry gaze eyed me like a piece of chicken.

I thrust the butt of Riptide into her gut, sending her awkwardly falling back into her group before she dissolved into dust.

The nearest empousa turned in my direction and bellowed in rage.

“You have killed our beloved sister” one hissed, “Now, we will feast on the blood of the sea!”

They charged as one hoard. Annabeth quickly got up and unsheathed her dagger. Piper did the same on the other side of me.

We fought, side by side. The empousa were persistent and didn’t stop coming. I stabbed Riptide into the nearest empousa. Annabeth sliced one’s head off, quickly and cleanly.

Now that is the proper way to kill something.

The white wolf was running around on the outside of the whirlpool, slashing through the nearest empousa like toys.

“Stop!”

The whirlpool instantly broke apart and sank into the ground. I stopped fighting the nearest empousa and looked back at my father. All the empousa also stopped fighting and looked too.

“Thank you” the lead empousa hissed at my father, “You see, we come in peace.”

I raised my eyebrow. The empousa continued.

“We have come to warn you” the empousa snarled, “Our master is coming, and he desires the girl.”

Poseidon’s face clenched with anger.

“You will not have my daughter” he bellowed, “And if you try, you would be fighting the gods.”

Jealousy hit me harder now. Was this girl really more important than me to my father? I shook it off and turned back to the empousa.

“It's only the two of you” the empousa noted. Lupa barked at the empousa and flashed her teeth.

The empousa waved her hand tiredly, “Yes, yes and the puppy too.”

“We are immortal,” Artemis said coldly, “Ichor runs through our veins.”

“True, true” the empousa pondered this, “But we also have a god on our side.”

Poseidon raised his eyebrows, “We could defeat any minor god you threw at us.”

The empousa raised her head and laughed. All the remaining empousa laughed as well. It sounded like a million pieces of glass breaking.

The lead empousa wiped tears from her eye, “Yes, yes, my apologies. Of course, you could defeat a minor god,” she snickered, “But could you defeat one of the Olympians?”

My heart stopped momentarily. An Olympian?!

“You mean, one of the twelve gods is working with you” I spat.

The lead empousa smiled, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

I turned to look back at my father. His face had gone ghostly pale. Artemis eyes were wide with horror.

“One of the twelve gods would never work with you” she hissed and drew her bow.

The empousa shrugged, “I don't care if you shoot me, but are you positive about your claim?”

Artemis tightened her grip on her bow and drew the string.

“We have done what we came here for,” the empousa sighed, “Come, let us leave these “gods” to process the information.”

The empousa shrieked with laughter and turned to follow the main empousa as they faded back into the woods.

I turned back towards Poseidon who was sighing angrily.

“I wish I could ask who is working against us” he snarled, “But if I did, I would have to explain what I'm doing here.”

Artemis looked deep in thought, “Perhaps the demigods could help us?”

Poseidon shook his head, “I have to erase their memory. They’ll mess up the prophecy.”

I stared at my dad warily, “What prophecy?”

He shook his head, “It is none of your concern.”

“Father,” Selene asked from behind me, “Why can't he see me?”

Poseidon shook his head again, “I can't-”

“You think I'm ugly, don't you?!”

The earth shook violently. Cracks snaked across the ground.

“I don't!” Poseidon pleaded, “I just can't-”

“I'm not listening to you anymore!” Selene shrieked. I felt a cold hand touch my shoulder and whirl me around.

“NO!” Poseidon bellowed.

It was too late. Selene twirled me around and grabbed me by the shoulders. Her hands were cold and moist. She grabbed my chin and hoisted up my gaze. I looked up to see the face of Sally Jackson.