Pertemis: A Wolf’s Tale novel Chapter 22

Perseus’s point of view

Dizziness and that nausea still surrounded him, yet his vision had overwhelmed that blur and the first person he saw was her.

The memories struck him like electronic bolt when his mind swirled back into that future. He saw hers, her youth, of how she lived and....that future. The scene at the beach, it was magnified with twilight and stars. The whole universe drifted back to one, his heart lingered in unconsciousness was pulled to it that it triggered to burn. Butterflies swirled inside him at the scene. Never in his life he'd had experienced something like that. So beautiful and at that moment, Percy realised she was the one.

He believed it against all of his intuitions, his senses to stay alive, all the warnings he had heard. She was the one, the one that he would swear to protect, to live for and to die for. Perhaps it was his exhaustion that hallucinated him when it found out his crush for Artemis. Or maybe she came at the moment he needed her and now he was actually appreciating her. But he knew an addition, something more than just that appreciation or likeness made him to see that scene and discover that feeling. He knew she saw the same as it was visible in her silver eyes before she fell into unconsciousness.

For a moment he was panicked, all of his will was to make her wake. But after a while, he saw her back rise and fall, showing she was still alive. It was the treatment that she had spent too much of her energy.

Her head laid on his chest, that auburn hair ran smoothly down her back, some spread on the bed that reflected the light of the candles made her glow like the star in the room.

He studied her, he green eyes traced down her smooth jawline, that ethereal and flawless pale skin, those perfect nose and lips. It was that hidden silver eyes like two miniatured moons behind the skin, locked by the perfect eyelashes with her light pink cheeks that he hoped to reveal.

He took a trace of her hair, his thumb smooth rubbed it. Hour after hour he kept his glance to one person, sometimes he'd dare traced his index finger along her cheek or his palm lightly cared her face. She'd smile, or leaned her head onto his palm as his thumb traced circles on her cheek, and yet she didn't wake. It was that moment that he had hoped for nearly three thousand years. To be close to her, to care her cheek, to play with her hair and to whisper how much he liked her. The injury was worth it, it was worth it.

The thought of the attack came back. His head hurt when he tried to remember it, the person that had caused this. All he remembered was those sharp claws like dagger sticking onto his torso, that unspeakable pain and the blood leaking out. It turned into a nightmare that sweats rolled down his cheek, the room darkened. Whoever did that to him, he could take out the Hunt in just a day.

"Did I tell you that every male' finger that touches me will be chopped off?"

A familiar voice came that it pulled him out from that terrific memory. I glanced down to see her astonishing and exquisite silver eyes staring at him. He removed his hand from her cheek as she smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Artemis rose from her position and checked his temperature.

"Better than ever" he managed a grin. "But the wounds haven't fully healed though"

A new white T-shirt was wrapped on his body, still he feel the wounds aching whenever he stir.

"So that's why" she stood up and pulled a blanket up to his neck. "You must rest and won't be going anywhere until I'm sure that they're fully healed."

"Hey so not taking bath as well?" he frowned.

"Yes" she turned to him. "Punishment for running away."

He smiled at her. He missed the conversations, even though he would get bullied ever time. But he was glad that he could be with her again. There's no exciting life without Artemis after all.

As she was about to leave, he caught her hand that she came into a pause.

It was warm and soft, his lips trembled as he whispered.

"Thank you...for saving me"

Artemis just smiled at him, like the dazzling stars, so beautiful, so heart-taking.