Chapter 25: A mother's Bragging Rights

[Sally/Demeter's POV:]

"To think the man hating Goddess would fall in love with my son!" Was I enjoying this a little too much? Maybe, but hades if I'll miss out on this. Sorry brother, it's a habit since your name just fit curses so well.

"I-In love? Me? With a m-male? Not a chance! I am a maiden Goddess afterall! I'd never fall for a disgusting male! Not even Percy.." oh I'm going to enjoy every second of this.

"Well that is not what my grandbabies over there think. During one of my stories Aria 'slipped up' and called you and Percy; 'mom and dad' " that was the story of the time Percy accidentally gave himself a water wedgie, Aria had said her mum and Dad had done before this to a clear sighted mortal male they had met along their travels. He had wolf whistled, one of the hunters naturally angering their very protective Guardian.

"Wait Aria called me mom?!? Are you sure?!? Did you record it?!? Please Tell me you recorded it!!" never in my years have I seen Artemis so excitable about anything other than a hunt, or castration even then I think this takes the cake.

"Woah there man-hater-lover, I don't have the habit of randomly recording people nor demigods saying mom and dad. Goddess of agriculture not TV" Her disappointment was plastered all over her face to the point she ignored my little dig. I guess being a maiden Goddess meant she never got the chance to experience the feeling of being a mother, sure she had her hunt but that was a more sisterly bond than anything. A few seconds later she noticed her reactions and started trying to justify herself. Keyword 'trying'.

"I err- fine! I just see Aria and Coral as my daughters. It has nothing to do With Per- I mean that man.. boy.. male" sure and Percy hates blue cookies.

"Is that so? Whatever you say, niece, so why are you hiding in a tree?" I mean I was in a bush, but I was changing my appearance. She was just in a tree. That's creepy right?

"I was kinda following you, because Athena and I thought you were acting.. Odd which you are" It was so weird seeing her act so timid in front of me, even weirder knowing I had power over her as her potential mother-in-law. If this was pre-Sally me I'd be Profiting off this faster than you could say Persephone. I wonder if she is getting enough sunlight right now? Oh holy hera I forgot to send her some fruits! She must be starving.. I'll sort that out later before Hades feeds her any more of that cursed underworld fruit.

"Athena hmm? I'll have to pay her a visit later if she thinks she can stalk her aunt like that!" Artemis Grimaced at my tone, probably feeling for her half sister as she should. I plan to make it known I don't appreciate stalkers in my immortal mortal life if this means the gig is up.

Before I could say anything else I heard Aria ask for the toilet which was in our direction, the question is do I let them find out who I am? Maybe even go pro team Pertemis and give her a push.. Hmm I'll decide at home.

"Oh hey Grandma… Sally? And Mum!?- Artemis!... Er what are you doing here.. together?" oh I know Artemis heard that one. Her face says it all. I am so going to enjoy rubbing this in her face.

[Artemis POV:]

SHE CALLED ME MUM!! Hey you don't fall in love with a guy for almost 5 years and not desire his children to see you as their mother. They're my babies Percy or no Percy. Preferably with a Percy. Apollo better have recorded that if he was watching which he better not be. After taking a few seconds to recompose myself, I looked towards Sally- I mean Demeter I mean.. Hades I already have a migraine from this.

"Haha, I can see the confusion on you a mile away Artemis, Just call me Sally" Demeter always was quite intuitive. I guess that comes with the whole mother nature thing. Or is that Gaea? They overlap way too much.. I wonder if the kids know about her yet.

"Do they-" and before I could finish my sentence..

"NO! Errr.. They don't sell that here.. Shall we head on home? I can bake us all some of them!" ah so they don't know.. I wonder what she is gonna bake? One of those famous blue cookies Percy always told me about?

"Very well, I'm curious about your famous baking" I played along for the sake of not angering the one that controls more than 70% of the environment I live in. I am so not going to enjoy this..

"I still need the toilet" stated Aria. yess escape chance.

"Artemis, could you take her?" dammit.

[Percy's POV:]

So I'm in a bit of a bind right now. I've a praetor, petrifying snake lady and spider milf with her spiderlings trying to dress me up In a woolly wolf tailored jumper. Send help.

"THIS IS ABUSE! CALL THE RSPCA!" I yelled in agony. I. Hate. Clothes. I have fur for a reason.

"Oh c'mon it's not that bad. Plus your fur coat might not be enough for Alaska" dammit even Anna is on their side!

"I honestly rather freeze into a porcupine, be kinda funny actually" they didn't get my joke..

"Who's the RSPA?" Figures the giant snake wouldn't know what animal rescue is.

"RSPCA, and they're a mortal group that defends against animal abuse. Mostly." Can always trust on Reyna to be factual even when chasing a wolf around a spider filled factory trying to dress it. I should probably start focusing on where I'm going before I hit a wa-

Ouch.

I would say I should've seen that one coming but can't because I wasn't looking which is why I hit the wall… why am I analysing why I hit a wall?

"Damian you OK?" Bah I've hit my head on things harder.. I think. Will have to ask Old me when I remember him.

"Yeah I'm OK.. and wearing a dam Jumper.. How in the Juno did you even do that so fast?" I literally only blinked.

"I trained against fast traps in case of another.. Athenian spawn is incident" Ah. Makes sense I guess. Got to admit this does feel rather cosy somehow, but of course, never gonna openly admit it.

"See? It's comfortable right? I made it using fake fur woven into my very own silk wool blessed to keep you forever comfortable" never in my short memory of life would I expect to hear Arachne speak like a 2000s teleshopping advertisement. Well almost she had the tone at least.

"Fine I'll wear it when we get to Alaska and not a second sooner!" I don't care how comfortable it is. I will rip it to shreds someday Mate my words.

The clothes had been picked, tailored and sorted faster than we were able to actually pick them, so we then relocated back to her living space for the night and sat around the warm comfort of a fireplace. We'd agreed to bring her with us so we might as well get used to the idea of sleeping in the same space as her.

"So, Damian I realise I don't actually know all that much about you. What was you like before you came to camp?" Oh wolf shit.

"Be-before camp?" Please tell me she meant something else, anything! Please universe just this one thing and I'll.. I'll stop saying puns for a whole minute!

"Yes, what were you like back then?" Thanks for nothing you useless universe! Water you good for! I hope you can sea why I am angry at this disGrace you have given me. Heh I have no Idea why I thought that last one was a pun but it blue my mind.. Whale I'm offishally done now. Yup Percsea still got it.

Pun revenge aside I need a response.. one that doesn't reveal I'm Percy, memoryless or able to turn human. I just prefer it this way. I'll just make something up. Hmmm I'm a wolf right? I can just make something up about having a pack or something.

"Hmm I guess I can" and I began spinning a weirdly familiar tale. "I used to be an Alpha of my own pack, the previous Alpha was a Luna-Wolf by the name of Karla, she was part of my mother pack for many years before I was even born, yet we never met for most of my years as a pup and maturation cycles. She was my rival for a while as my mother pack consisted of only Luna-Wolves and up till then I was only a beta wolf at the time with no accomplishments and hidden from the world to prevent misunderstandings before I could defend mine and my mothers honour. Back to Karla, she was always proud of her status as Alpha yet I could tell she never truly liked it and after years of gaining their acceptance she pushed the role of Alpha onto me. As for the rest of my pack it consisted of 4 other Luna-wolves. There was Anya, the daughter of Lycaon that couldn't transform from her wolf side, she was the pup of the pack even though she was technically older than me. She held an eternal innocence you just couldn't help the urge to protect. I remember the time I almost killed a stray wolf pack for releasing courting pheromones around her. I did castrate them though and leave them furless in the middle of a lake" I took a pause to see how my oddly specific story was going.. But apparently my protectiveness made even Arachne squirm a little in discomfort.

"Remind me never to piss you off wolf" stated Medusa.

"Sure" was all the reply I gave before I continued.

"It wasn't like he didn't deserve it! It was the third time I'd seen the wolf and it's pack near my charge, despite the obvious territory markings I left for them. Anya had made it more than clear that she was not interested so I made sure they weren't able to be interested, especially their Alpha who had initiated the courting attempts. I made sure he was unfit to lead further. Anyway it was that event that led to Karla forcing the title onto an unwilling me. It was only then I started to get to know the pack much more, I became closer with the triplets Bell, lotus and Rose the only mortal wolves of our admittedly smaller pack. I became their.. Anch- Big brother of sorts teaching them many things I had learned from my mother" I suddenly felt a chill and wave of depression wash over me but no cause in sight or mind I could notice. Also why did I go into so much detail??? This is supposed to be a lie, how the Hades am I gonna remember all that?

"Damian, are you ok?" asked Anna I honestly don't know the answer to that.

"I guess I just got a little homesick is all" A lie that didn't feel like a lie.

"You said Luna-Wolves alot.. What are they?" asked Reyna.

"A Luna-Wolf is what we call a high status she-wolf. Though my pack decided we didn't like the term she-wolf plus we didn't want to feel superior or inferior to each other. We did need an Alpha though for effective coordination and err I can't seem to remember the other reason." I have no idea why I'm making life harder for myself.

"I thought that wolves don't have alphas and stuff like that in the wild?" asked an curious Anna. it's true they only found that behaviour in captive wolves..

"Well packs work differently for wolves in the divine world. We have more intelligence and formed packs usually based on strength and loyalty rather than family like normal wolves so we adopted the alpha system for hierarchy" heh take that – I can be smart when I want to be.

"Wow, you actually sound smart… that wall must have done more damage than I thought.." Oh I am so slobbering her face while she sleeps. Sleep with one eye open Reyna.

"Yeah, Karla made sure to drill it into me for years after I became alpha. Same as the story of the wolf king. Claiming it was part of culture I as a wolf should know. They all looked at me curiously..

"The wolf king?" Oh great, now I have to make up a legend.