AN: Hey guys, I'm finally back after the longest absence I've ever taken. The past month of my life has consisted almost completely of finals and AP tests, leaving me with almost no time to continue any of my stories. I'm truly sorry for the long wait, and I can't thank all of you enough for your patience in waiting for this chapter. Now that things have calmed down with me, I'm sure updates will come quicker.

On a different subject, I want to express my gratitude for all the kind, supportive reviews I got after the last author's note I wrote. I got more than 100 reviews in response to everything I wrote, each review more supportive than the last. I was shocked, to say the least, at how many people really enjoyed this story and were willing to defend it. I know this sounds cheesy, but I mean it when I say your words meant the world to me. I've always had doubts about publishing my writing on the internet, so your reassurement had a tremendous impact on me. I can't even express how grateful I am towards each of you who sent me support.

Alright before I break down into emotions, here is the next chapter of the Son of Atlas.

Chapter 6

One week later...

Percy laid wide awake in his tent, unable to fall asleep. In his mind, he thought of all of his experiences during the past week as guardian. His time with the hunters was vastly different than what he expected when he originally agreed to the position during the council meeting. Instead of fighting terrifying monsters during hunting missions, he was stuck doing the hunters's pesky chores. Their painful, annoying pranks only added to Percy's torture, bringing him to the brink of insanity. But he knew he couldn't retaliate. Retaliating meant failing his duties as guardian and ruining his sister's time with her new family. He knew he was better off winning over the acceptance of the hunters peacefully with kindness. Still, an unsettling feeling of revenge and rage come over when he thought of the hunters, especially Myrine.

Disturbed by such thoughts, Percy got up and walked out of the tent to clear his head. It was completely dark outside expect for the faint glow of the moon, but Percy was used to the dark and could see perfectly fine. He walked around quietly, making sure not to disturb the hunters in their sleep. The night air was cold and refreshing, and the grass glowed lightly in the moonlight. The scene was peaceful and reminded Percy of his old home.

After walking for a while, Percy reached the archery range, a place that never failed to calm him down. He pulled out the bow that he always carried on his back and reached for an arrow. Percy set the arrow carefully in place just like he has done thousands of times before and released, relishing as the arrow hit its mark straight in the middle of the target. As Percy continued to hit bull's eye after bull's eye, his mind went completely blank and archery became his only thought.

Meanwhile, Artemis was also walking around, unable to sleep. Thoughts of guilt plagued her mind as she reflected her actions. She was not unaware of what her hunters were doing to Percy, who has done nothing wrong in return. It is true that she herself had not engaged in anything to harm Percy, but she still felt guilty for originally encouraging the hunters to drive him away. Artemis had always stood for justice during council meetings, and what she was allowing was the opposite of justice. With guilt in her heart, she looked up at the night sky and contemplated whether she should allow the hunters to continue to harm Percy.

Familiar sounds of arrows hitting a target shook Artemis out of her thoughts. Following the noise of the arrows, she found Percy at the archery range with a concentrated look on his face. Artemis was amazed as she watched Percy continuously shoot arrows with as much skill and grace as even her. Too focused on shooting arrows, Percy didn't even notice Artemis watching him off to the side until Artemis shot an arrow through one of Percy's and sliced it in two.

Shaken out of his concentration, Percy looked to the source of the arrow and saw Artemis with a stoic expression on her face. She wore a silky night gown that seemed to glow under the moonlight, and it took all of Percy's willpower to not stare. Quickly, Percy ran to her side and bowed before saying, "Lady Artemis, I hope I did not wake you."

Expecting a harsh comment about being up so late, Percy was surprised when Artemis said softly, "No, I was already awake. There has been something on my mind lately."

Percy noticed the troubled expression on her face. "What is it, my lady? How can I help?"

Artemis shook her head. "No, you would only further confuse me."

"Have I done something wrong? If I have, I'm truly sorry-"

"No, you idiot!" She yelled, angered by Percy's attempt to apologize when she was at fault. "It is me who must apologize. Throughout the past week, I have allowed and encouraged my hunters to torture you relentlessly, despite the fact that you have done nothing wrong. I stood by as they continued to sabotage you during your chores. I forgot about justice and let my prejudice get the best of me. The guilt of my actions has weighted on my shoulders for the past week. That is what troubles me."

Percy tried to calm Artemis down. "My lady, you have nothing to apologize for. I know Zues' decision to place me here was a difficult change for you, so it is only natural for you to try to drive me away-"

Not finished with her rant, Artemis cut Percy off again. "And then there's you." She said, pointing a finger into Percy's chest. "You have been nothing but respectful, kind, and polite the past week, basically everything that a male shouldn't be. Why can't you be like every other male and retaliate so that I don't have to feel guilty about harming you? Why do you have to treat me and the hunters with respect even when we've done so many things to you? You've broken everything that I've ever thought about men and I don't know how to act anymore. Why are you so different?"

Artemis finally finished her speech, looking down to the ground in shame. In her eyes, Percy saw how broken and confused she was inside. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Percy asked softly, "Lady Artemis, what happened to you to hate men so much?"

Artemis kept her head down. In her head, she remembered the reason why she had never trusted men. She had never told anyone the reason before because it still pained her to even think about it. She was about to tell Percy to mind his own business and forgot about it, but something in his voice made her feel comfortable sharing. Slowly, she began to say, "A long time ago, when I was only a child goddess, I lived with Apollo and my mother Leto on the island Delos. My brother and I were as close as siblings could be since we only had each other. We would do everything together; nothing would separate us apart. On the day that we both turned eighteen, my father Zeus came down to the island to bring us to Olympus to become full Olympians. My mother shed many tears and we hesitated to go at first, but my mother convinced us to go and not let this opportunity pass us by."

Artemis paused for a bit, and Percy nodded his head encouragingly. "It's okay if you can't finish the rest of the story," Percy said soothingly. "You don't have to tell me."

Artemis shook her head. "No ... it's okay. I might as well finish." She took a shaky breath. "My brother was introduced to the council first. I watched as the Fates deemed him the god of light, healing, poetry, and music with pride. Afterwards, there was a huge party, and Zeus announced that I would join the council the next day. When I asked Apollo if he would come support me, he rolled his eyes and told me he wouldn't miss it for the world. Relieved, I went to bed early knowing that Apollo wouldn't let me down. But when I entered the throne room the next morning, Apollo was nowhere to be seen. The council meeting started without him, and he never showed up. By the end, I was more worried than angry since I thought that Apollo might have been injured or unconscious. As soon as the meeting ended, I rushed out to find him. Using my godly senses, I eventually found him in a house, in bed with a mortal woman. My heart shattered as I realized that Apollo hadn't been in any danger; he had simply found sex more important than attending his sister's introduction into becoming an Olympian. Apollo noticed me, but I just stormed out and didn't let him explain. I haven't been close to him ever since that day, and I forbid myself from ever allowing another male to get close to me again."

Artemis finished, feeling oddly relieved after finally revealing her story. "Maybe, I overreacted, "she added, still feeling a little bit of pain.

Percy shook his head furiously. "No way. Apollo doesn't deserve your attention, much less your forgiveness," Percy said furiously. The thought of someone hurting Artemis's trust like that angered him greatly. "I swear, the next time I see that idiot, I'll kick his ass before personally throwing him into Tartarus."

Artemis laughed a nice, sparking laugh that Percy thought was the most beautiful sound he ever heard. Artemis felt an unfamiliar feeling erupt in her stomach at the thought of someone willing go to such an extent to defend her. "I'd like to see that," Artemis said, still smiling.

Percy and Artemis sat together in comfortable silence, just staring up at the sky. Suddenly, Percy broke the silence. "I never answered you when you asked my why I'm so different."

Artemis nodded encouragingly, curious of Percy's answer. "There was a time, before the Titan War, that I loved and respected both of my parents, including my father," Percy revealed, surprising Artemis greatly. "Atlas symbolized everything that I hoped to be. He was powerful, cunning, and widely respected for his battle plans among the Titans. Atlas expected a lot out of me as his only son, and I tried to impress him in any way I could. My mother, on the other hand, was the kindest person I knew. She always treated me and my sisters with kindness, and I loved her with all my heart. For the longest time, I was fully content with my family and respected all of them. When the Titan War came, my entire family, except my mother, planned to follow Atlas on the side of the Titans. My mother suspected evil in Kronos's heart and refused to fight on his side. When Atlas heard of this, he beat her harshly. Zoë and I found our mother on the ground with bruises all over her face. After she told us what happened, Zoë wanted to find Atlas and kill him for what he did. Knowing that Atlas would destroy her in a fight, I convinced her to calm down and take care of our mother while I handled the situation. I was furious and all respect for my father was lost. I sneaked out and found the gods, determined to make Atlas pay for what he did. In the end, I finally got my revenge and was able to banish him under the sky."

"What happened to your mother? Why is she living under Poseidon's realm now?" Artemis asked, intrigued by Percy's backstory.

Percy replied, "After the war, I went back to see my mother. She had fully recovered from her bruises, but she flinched when she saw me. Although she tried to deny it, I knew that she was afraid of me now. I looked too similar to my father, so she was always reminded of Atlas when she looked at me. Unable to bear to see the broken look in her eyes, I asked Poseidon to look after her for me. He was confused because he always thought I was close to my mother but agreed in the end. From that point on, I vowed to myself that I would never be like my father. I told myself that I would always treat women with respect and never break them like my father did to my mother. I guess that's why I'm so different and never act out against the hunters."

Artemis took his hand and smiled at him in reassurance. Although she made a promise long ago that she wouldn't allow another man to grow close to her, maybe Percy would be an exception.

AN: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Their backstories will be really important throughout the story, especially Artemis's. I know nothing in Greek mythology suggests that Apollo betrayed Artemis's trust, but if Disney can make Hercules Hera's son, then I think I can tweak Artemis's life a little bit. That backstory will be further developed, so don't judge Apollo too quickly. Also, I hope you guys don't think that Artemis was out of character in this chapter. I know that Artemis and Percy's friendship seems really rushed, but I didn't want to continue to make Artemis seem so heartless and cold. If you read the Percy Jackson books, you would know that she really values justice and even defended Percy at the council meeting. I think it is realistic that she would feel guilty about encouraging the hunters to torture Percy.

Anyway, thanks for your support and I'll see you guys later.