The Silver Bow (Patreon)

Sunlight streamed through the leaves of the elm tree, glinting on the crimson petals of the rose tucked in Annabeth's golden hair.

“What are you looking at, Seaweed Brain?” Hints of pearly white teeth shone between Annabeth’s lips.

“You, Wise Girl.” Percy grinned from her lap. “You look beautiful.”

Heat crept up Annabeth’s cheeks, coloring them a faint crimson. “Shut up.”

“Just telling the truth.” Percy curled a strand of Annabeth’s blonde hair around his fingers.

Annabeth shifted, her gray eyes going back to the book in her hands.

“Why are you studying?” Percy pushed the book away. “The exams are ages away.”

“You never know when another prophecy or problem will come along.” Annabeth rolled her eyes before her gray eyes latched onto something in the distance. “Speaking of which…”

Percy turned his head, following Annabeth’s gaze.

An auburn-haired girl in a silver parka sat atop a branch on the tree in front of them, her legs dangling over the edge, brushing against the leaves of the lower branches. She leaped off the tree, landing on her feet the leaves around her feet barely moving.

Percy sat up and rose to his feet, Annabeth following his lead.

“Annabeth Chase, Perseus Jackson.” Artemis’ silver eyes sharpened as she prowled forward.

“Lady Artemis.” Percy dipped his head. “What do you gods need our help with today?”

“What makes you think that we need your help?” Artemis stared at Percy.

“Do you want the list alphabetically or chronologically?” Percy raised an eyebrow.

“Percy.” Annabeth elbowed him.

“No, he speaks the truth, doesn’t he?” Artemis’ eyes glinted like the edge of her arrows. “We do need heroes quite often. And so do I today.”

“Called it.” Percy gave Annabeth a smug smile before turning back to Artemis. “Now, how may we help you? Please don’t tell me you lost your bow or something.”

“I didn’t lose my bow, Perseus Jackson.”

“Thank the gods.” Percy breathed.

“Someone stole my bow.” Artemis said gravely.

“Oh dear.” Annabeth sighed while Percy took a deep breath clenching his fists.

“I am punching the next god to lose their weapon.” Percy told Annabeth.

Artemis’s eyes flashed with rage. “I beg your pardon, boy?”

“He is just frustrated that the gods keep losing their weapons all the time, Lady Artemis.” Annabeth stepped between them. “This is probably the fourth or fifth time we are going to go on a chase to find a godly weapon.”

“I didn’t lose mine.” Artemis huffed, folding her arms under her chest. “It was stolen.”

“That’s what they all say.” Percy told her. “You’re gods. Have better security for your own sake! I mean, Hermes and all, I can expect. But you?”

“Percy,” Annabeth kicked him in the shins.

“I will have you know that it was in my temple on Olympus, Perseus Jackson.” Artemis glowered at him. “I wasn’t careless. My temple was broken into and my bow stolen. My bow must be returned and the preparator caught!”

“Of course.” Percy sighed. “Where is the bow and who stole it?”

“It was Aura.” Artemis’s eyes darkened. “She is likely on the path of a misguided revenge scheme against me.”

“I am sorry, but who’s Aura?” Percy asked.

“A wind spirit or a minor wind goddess.” Annabeth replied. “She, well, said Lady Artemis was too womanly to be a maiden.”

“She called me a liar and a whore.” Artemis’ eyes glowed, the sky above turning gray. Crows cawed in the distance and dogs howled. “And now, despite being proven wrong in the divine court, she has stolen my bow. I demand retribution.”

“Set your hunt on her.” Percy glanced at the sky warily. “They love you to bits. Thalia will probably shock her into the next century.”

“I want this to go away quietly.” Artemis drew herself up. “And my huntress cannot know that my bow was stolen. Do it and you can have a reasonable favor to call from me anytime you need. How does that sound?”

“We will do it, Lady Artemis.” Annabeth shared a look with Percy. “Where is she?”

“She’s in Buffalo.” Artemis drew a silver compass from her pocket. “I tracked her to Red Jacket Riverfront Park. If you hurry, you'll find her there. My compass will help you determine her precise location. Retrieve my bow from the thief and pray to me, I will appear. By any means, it shouldn’t take you two long to do so.”

Artemis handed Annabeth the compass.

“Okay.” Percy glanced at the silver needle that was pointing southwest. “Can you transport us there? It’ll be—”

Artemis snapped her fingers and the world shifted. Percy and Annabeth’s feet slammed into a grassy field.

Green grass and lush trees stretched all around, a faint breeze rustling through them. Percy could hear the churn of the river in the distance.

“...helpful.” Percy drawled. “She could’ve waited for me to complete the sentence.”

“Of course, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth looked at the compass, holding it in the flat of her palm. “Alright, we need a plan. What do we do once we find Aura?”

“I was thinking something along the lines of give us the bow or die.” Percy squinted looking for any flashes of godly presence. “I mean, most of our plans go down the drain in two seconds if not faster.”

“No plan survives contact with the enemy” Annabeth nodded. “If she is a wind spirit, we won’t have much problems. Minor goddess? That’s a different can of worms.”

“Do we have a cabin for her at the camp?” Percy asked.

“No. She was prideful of her virginity. She doesn’t have kids.” Annabeth’s face darkened. “Not willingly anyway.”

Percy flinched. “Right. Whatever her story is, we have to get that bow and hope she isn’t a goddess.”

“She must be a nymph,” Annabeth bit her lip. “She was in Artemis’ hunt at one point. And she couldn’t have stolen the bow directly if she was a goddess, Ancient Laws and all.”

“If she was her huntress, we should be wary of her arrows.” Percy slipped his hand into his pocket, drawing out his ballpoint pen. “Thankfully, I brought my shield.”

“Good.” Annabeth said. “Her being a wind nymph means she’ll be fast too. So if you get close, be wary. The compass is showing that she’s this way.”

“That’s toward the river.” Percy turned around. “I just know.”

“That’s good then. We have an advantage.” Annabeth strode forward, keeping the compass in front of her.

Grass crumpled under their feet as they jogged down a gentle slope, darting between trees till they arrived at the bank of the river.

The water gushed downward, frothing into white foam as it crashed against rocks. On the other side, dense trees stretched, faint birdsong rising above the churn of the water and the rustle of the leaves.

“She must be across.” Annabeth removed a gray-colored, sleek metallic click-pen from her pocket and clicked it.

A long, bone-white sword appeared in her hand, its jagged spikes glinting in the sunlight.

“I should’ve had Tyson enchant my shield too.” Annabeth spun her sword in her hand before looking at Percy. “What are you waiting for, Seaweed Brain?”

“Right.” Percy focused on the river, a faint tug forming in his gut. The water parted, revealing a rocky pathway for them to the other side. “Let’s go.”

Gravel crunched under their feet as they walked to the other side of the river, the water welling higher with each passing moment. As they climbed up, Percy released his hold and the water gushed back like it always had.

“She is very close.” Annabeth’s gray eyes gleamed as she stared at the moving needle of the compass. “And probably nearing.”

A silver blur caught Percy’s eyes and he moved, a silver arrow whistling past his ear. He flicked the cap of the Anaklusmos, the weight of the bronze sword settling in his hand.

The birdsong and the rustle of the leaves faded away. With a twist of his hand, he sliced a silver arrow, its halves falling at his feet.

“Come out, Aura!” He yelled. Beside him, Annabeth ducked under an arrow which sank into the river. “Stop hiding.”

A breeze blew through the area and a young girl appeared, a glowing silver bow clutched in her hand.

“Demigods,” She scowled, her eyes latching onto Percy. “Has Artemis fallen so far to employ boys in her service? Or has she finally chosen to reveal her true colors?”

Thunder boomed in the sky.

“Careful.” Percy spun his sword. “You’ve already pissed her enough. Why don’t you return the bow and we will let you go peacefully?”

“And you are arrogant enough to think that I am scared of you too.” She sneered. “You think—”

“Fought bigger, fought badder.” Percy rolled his eyes. “See, lady. You’re ruining my weekend. Let’s just call it a day where you give me the bow and you get out of here alive. Deal?”

In response, Aura fired another arrow at him. In a flash of bronze, the arrow split into two and fell at Percy’s feet.

“That’s not yours to use.” Percy told her.

Next to him, Annabeth had disappeared, undoubtedly under her invisibility cap.

‘I have to keep Aura busy.’ Percy charged forward, chopping another arrow with his sword.

Aura turned into a breeze as he neared, appearing near the river with a smirk. “You thought you could catch me, boy?”

“No, but I can do this.” Percy clenched his fist and the river behind her rose, the water slamming into her back.

Aura went sprawling onto the ground, the water splashing around her. Aura spluttered, spitting out mud as she rose to her feet. Dirt clung to her face and clothes and muddy water dripped down her face, her knuckles whitening against the silver bow.

Over her shoulder, Percy saw a stone rise into the air. Another silver arrow flashed past his ear, piercing into the trunk of the tree behind him.

“Give up.” Percy said. “Drop the bow.”

“Never.” Aura spat. “I will—”

The stone slammed into the back of her head with an audible crack.

Aura fell to the ground, her face sinking into the mud. The stone landed beside her and Annabeth appeared, her cap clutched in her hand.

“That was easy.” She nudged Aura with her foot. Bending down, she pulled the bow from her grasp, blowing her blonde hair out of her face. “She didn’t notice me disappearing.”

She stepped over Aura.

“Let’s pray to—” Percy stopped as he saw Aura twitch. “Annabeth!”

The daughter of Athena whirled around, bringing the bow up. Annabeth stumbled as Aura crashed into her, but she held tightly onto the bow when Aura tried to wrench from her hands.

“That bow is mine now.” Aura’s eyes flickered with anger, her hair rising like a halo around her head as the wind buffeted around her.

Percy charged forward as Aura pulled the bow out of Annabeth’s grasp, sending her stumbling to the ground. The riptide sparked against the bow as Percy slashed at her.

Aura growled, moving a few feet away in a breeze of wind.  She swayed on her feet as she appeared next to the river.

“Put the bow down.” Percy told her. “You’re injured. If you don’t give up, I will drown you now.”

Aura’s eyes flicked to the water.

“If I cannot have the bow—” She blinked, slurring. “No one can.”

She chucked the bow into the river before collapsing to her knees, clutching the back of her head.

“Her adrenaline wore off.” Annabeth dusted her clothes. “And the blow knocked out the common sense in her brain.”

Percy took a deep breath, concentrating on the river. A second later, Artemis’s bow shot out of the water and Percy caught it in his hands.

“No,” Aura coughed, barely holding herself up.

“Lady Artemis, we have your bow.” Annabeth looked up to the sky. “Please come and get it.”

A flash of silver lit up the riverside and Artemis appeared, looking around. She beamed as her eyes landed on her bow. A moment later, the smile turned to a scowl as she saw Aura kneeling by the river bank.

Aura glared balefully at her from the ground.

“Many thanks for your service, heroes.” She plucked the bow from Percy’s hands and turned to Aura.

Artemis’s eyes glowed and thunder rumbled in the sky.

“Aura.” Artemis raised her bow. “Stealing a god’s symbol of power is an unforgivable sin. And this has not been your first offense against the gods. For your crimes, I, Artemis, Goddess of the moon, maidens, and the hunt, sentence you to death.”

“Whoa—” Percy raised his hands just as a silver arrow pierced through Aura’s neck.

A wind ripped through the clearing as the nymph gurgled and slumped to the ground.

“You killed her.” Percy watched Aura’s body turn to dust, leaving behind a small sapling.

“It was her punishment for her crimes and far more merciful than she deserved.” Artemis’ bow disappeared. “I could’ve punished her for eternity, forcing her to atone for her sins, reliving her worst moments again and again till there was nothing left of her. This was my mercy, Perseus Jackson.”

“You still killed a downed, defenseless enemy.” Annabeth said. “Labeling it as mercy…”

“My actions are not for you to question.” Artemis glanced up at the sun. “I thank you for your help, heroes. Have a good day.”

In a flash of silver, Annabeth and Percy found themselves back in Central Park.

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AND… DONE! Hope you all liked the story!

For the sake of clarification, Aura was a wind spirit/Nymph in this story and not a titaness/ minor goddess.

I also made Artemis more… godlier for the lack of a better word in this story. She doesn’t work like humans do. She is a goddess, plain and simple. As giving as the loveliest springs and as harsh as the frostiest winters.

Also, this story is a stand-alone short piece. This is NOT a part of my fic, The Legend of the Son of Poseidon. I hope that was understood.

A huge thank you to Mughil and Anax for betaing this chapter!

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Stay Happy! Stay Safe! Keep Smiling! Keep Reading!

HPfanfictioner66