Artemis' Apprentice - The End of Olympus - Inspired By Rick Riordan - Book 1 - Chapter 6

Back to chapter page

Chapter 6

Selene

Now where was I?

Oh right. I'm standing in the middle of a clearing.

My father and Artemis were in front of me with a wolf-thing that was supposed to be a god, and I was staring at the face of some guy.

Great.

“Who- what,” the man stammered. I glared at him. “Mom!?”

I punched him in the face. “I am not your ‘mom’ I don't even know you!”

“Ouch,” the man rubbed his red nose. The rest of his features seemed to be like my fathers. He had dark brown hair and tannish skin, with sea green eyes.

I turned to face my dad, “So this is the doofus you won't let me see?”

“Hey!” the man pouted, “I didn’t even want to get involved in this!” The blonde girl picked him up and shot me a look. I shot it back at her.

My father rushed over beside the man, “Stop it right now” he seethed through clenched teeth and directed his gaze to the man, “You are ruining everything.”

The man looked down at his feet with guilt. I suddenly felt sorry for the man.

“Father,” I said quietly, “Why can't he see me?”

My father rubbed his forehead, then screamed, “I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!”

He pointed at me, “YOU NEED TO GO BACK HOME,” he pointed at the man, “AND YOU NEED TO TAKE YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS BACK TO YOUR SCHOOL!”

Geysers roared from a million cracks in the ground, spraying us all the face. Artemis ran up and gripped my father’s shoulders, “Calm. down.”

My father shook off his anger, “My apologies again.” He looked at the man, then at me, “I just have been on this manner for two stressful days and I need to return.”

He turned to the man, “I need you and your friends to line up so I can erase your memories.”

The group of three stood up and stood in a line, preparing to get brainwashed.

This isn’t right.

Free them.

“Father. Stop,” I said firmly. My father gazed at me, his eyes like stone.

“What now, Selene.”

“This isn’t right,” I protested, “Why can't they remember this?”

“Selene,” my father seethed, “Must we argue over everything?”

I looked at the man again. He gazed back at me. I could feel something pulling me to him, like the tide. His sea green eyes sparkled and his hair swayed in the wind. Something’s different about him. I can't let my father have him.

“We don't have to, father.” I walked up by the trio and stood in front of them, “We can agree that erasing someone’s memory is an injustice.”

My father sighed, “Selene, please. I need to. It will mess up the prophecy.”

“What prophecy?” the man behind me asked.

“Percy, it is none of your concern,” my father said firmly, “You have done enough for Olympus, I want you to go to school and be happy.”

The man, who apparently was named Percy, blushed with embarrassment, “Thank you father, but if something is wrong I want to help you. You are my dad after all.”

“Wait, what!?”

I turned to my dad, “He’s your son?!”

My father nodded, “I have a lot of different children. I guess he is your step-brother.”

Step-brother?

I turned to Percy who was looking unfazed by the situation.

Hello man. Were related. Why aren’t you going crazy!?

“You never told me you had more children!” I hissed, “What else aren’t you telling me?!”

“You have many, many step-siblings,” my father confessed, “Every demigod does.” He turned back to Percy.

“You really want to help,” he asked. Percy nodded.

“Fine,” my father sighed, “I will notify you're school that you will be on a special assignment.”

“Poseidon,” the blonde haired girl asked, “I would love to help, even though I know you're not the greatest fan of children of Athena.”

“Me too,” the other girl quickly chimed in, “I mean, we haven’t had an adventure in like, what, years?” My father exchanged a glance with Artemis. Artemis just shrugged her shoulders.

My father sighed, “I suppose you could.”

Percy smiled, “Thank you, father.” My father smiled slightly at the sight of his son's smile. Then he turned back to me.

“Selene,” he said, “I have been keeping things from you.”

I raised my eyebrow, “I'll make a deal with you.” My father listened eagerly.

“If you tell me, every secret you have been keeping from me, right here, right now, then I will return home.”

“Deal,” my father agreed.

“You must swear on the River Styx.”

My father looked down at his feet, “I don't need to promise the Styx. You are my daughter, I will tell you everything.” I could hear the plead in his voice. I could hear how dearly he loved me. I harshly ignored it.

"No,” I hissed, "You must swear on the River Styx."

"Fine," my father muttered, "I swear by the River Styx to tell you everything I've been keeping from you."

“You all better get comfy,” my father sighed as we all sat down on the wet grass.

I was shocked about how much my father was keeping in.

He confessed about the prophecy and its lines. He confessed about why he had kept me at home and how he had never wanted me to leave.

“It said you would turn and watch Olympus burn,” he confessed, “I didn’t want that to happen, so I tried to change your fate.”

He confessed about the blood moon, three weeks away where he and Artemis had interpreted that I would become even more powerful.

“Hold it,” the man named Percy raised his hand, “Demigods don't get stronger on certain dates. They get stronger from there parentage.”

“Well, that's not entirely true,” the blonde hair girl chimed in, “Demigods can get more powerful from things that occur, like how you swam in the river Styx and got the Achilles heel.”

“Stop burning my battles,” Percy muttered. Annabeth laughed, “Shut up, seaweed brain.”

I looked at my dad who rolled his eyes.

“I'm confused,” the other girl sighed, “So she gets more powerful on the whole ‘blood moon’, and we don't?”

Percy and the blonde haired girl stopped flirting and came back to the situation.

“Yea,” the blonde hair girl agreed, “That isn’t what’s supposed to happen.”

“Look,” my father rubbed his temples, “Selene isn’t a demigod.”

“We know that,” Percy replied, “We learned about it in school. She’s the Greek goddess of the moon.”

“I'm not talking about the goddess,” my father huffed, “I'm talking about this Selene.”

He pointed at me and everyone stared at me.

“So she’s a minor god?” Annabeth asked. I suddenly felt weird with all this attention on me. I stroked Jinx for comfort and he barked playfully as a response.

“Just let me explain,” my father spoke sharply, probably tired of one question after another. The blonde hair girl backed down. “Selene’s mother is human-,” my father said.

“Wait,” I cut him off. “I have a mom!?”

The trio stared at me blankly. “Everyone has a mom,” Percy said flatly.

“You never told me!” I pointed at my father, “I’ve never even met her!” The trio glanced from me to my father.

“Wait,” the other girl asked, “You weren’t raised by you're mom?”

I shook my head. “Then who raised you-” Percy’s voice was cut off as he gazed to my dad. “Oh.” I could hear a twinge of jealousy in his voice.

“I didn’t raise her,” my father gazed at Percy, obviously trying to make him feel better, “I stopped by once in a while, as I did with you.”

“You stayed with me for a week,” I spat. My father shot me a withering look.

“She was raised by Artemis and some dryads,” my father finished. All three of them stared at me.

“Why would you have a demigod raised by a goddess?” the blonde girl asked, obviously bewildered by the idea.

“Because she isn’t a demigod,” my father said darkly. He gazed at me, followed by the gaze of the other three. I realized suddenly that Artemis was leaning against a tree in the back of the clearing, and I was thankful for her not joining the situation.

“Can you all stop staring,” I muttered.

“What is she then,” Percy replied, suddenly wary of me. The blonde hair girl shot me a disgusted look. Whoever she was, I didn’t like her. They all stared at me once again like I was there guinea pig, some great new discovery. It reminded me of my horrible injustice back at home.

“Can you all stop talking about me!?” I hissed. The earth rumbled under me.

“Selene,” Artemis said calmly from behind me.

I took a deep breath, “Sorry.”

They all looked at me, their eyes as wide as a cyclops, (who has one huge eye. I should know, I've fought and killed many).

“Thank you, for the demonstration, Selene,” my father said firmly, “Any questions?”

The trio all stared at me, speechless, but shook their heads.

“Great,” my father got up, “Now, let us return.”

He snapped his fingers and I was immediately enveloped in a huge wave. It twirled around me, soaking my hair and my clothes. I felt myself being sucked in from under my feet, like a large whirlpool.

I watched as I fell through darkness.