Percy Jackson and the Curse of Lust

The first time I visited a Hunters' camp I was fourteen coming off one of the worst nights of my life. Since then I'd grown up. I fought side-by-side with these girls and their goddess with our lives on the line. I figured I'd earned their respect, or at least as much of it as a man ever could.

That — all of it — was the reason I was way more nervous this time than outside of Westover. A bad impression then might've burned bridges. Now, all it would take was one bit of bad luck and this curse could undo years of hard-won trust.

The silver tents still looked exactly the same. A big fire pit in the middle lay charred and empty. Falcons, hawks, and other birds of prey perched on canvas roofs and nearby branches, keeping watch. Artemis led me deftly through toward the furthest-back tent— just me.

The minute I stepped out of the car she took me away with a single command. I followed her, because pissing off the goddess I couldn't escape from seemed like an all around really bad idea, but it had made for the most awkward fifteen minute walk of my life.

Annabeth and the others were following with the Hunters. They probably weren't far behind, but wrangling the nymphs and their pet boy-toy cyclops had taken some time. Just because the nature spirits swore Larry couldn't hurt a fly, didn't mean the Hunters were ready to take their word for it.

Artemis brushed aside the canvas entrance to her tent and slipped inside. For half a second, I considered trying to run again. Then I followed her.

Although the outside hadn't changed, the interior was different. It still had animal pelts across the floor like carpets and trophies from big game — both ordinary and magical — mounted on the walls. The large desk I remembered was gone. Instead of one big brazier, the space was lit by four small ones, each in a different corner. Artemis walked to the center of the room and settled down.

"Sit."

I did as she asked, choosing a spot as far away as possible without making it seem like I was trying to escape. The pelts were coarse and soft at the same time.

I'd seen Artemis with a few different looks before. The first time I met her, she took the appearance like a little girl with bright auburn hair. When Kronos marched on Olympus, her hair had been almost black. It was like she told me years ago in this very tent: she could appear any way she wanted, all depending on her mood.

On this night she looked older than I'd ever seen her, probably around my own age. Her face had been cute before, in the way a little sister might be, but now without a preteen's chubbier cheeks it had transformed, looking every inch as beautiful as any goddess I'd ever met. She looked more like her brother, with high cheekbones and lightly tanned flawless skin and bright white teeth— except unlike the permanently-grinning Apollo, you only saw Artemis's teeth in brief flashes as she spoke or laughed, somehow making them even more enthralling.

"It has been some time since you set foot in our camp," Artemis observed.

It was almost small talk, which was the last thing I expected from the blunt goddess.

"I shouldn't be here," I warned her.

"True." Artemis nodded. "This is not a place for men. The last to see the inside of this tent and walk out on two legs was you. Do not worry. I've already made up my mind to allow the transgression. Begrudgingly, of course."

"No!"

Artemis raised a thin red eyebrow. "You wouldn't like to leave on two legs?"

"No," I backtracked again. "I just meant that's not the reason I shouldn't be here. Or… not the main reason. I just really, really shouldn't be this close to your Hunters right now."

"Because of the curse?"

Everything I planned to say died in a jumbled mess on the tip of my tongue. I ended up sitting there gaping at the goddess for an embarrassing amount of time.

"You know about the curse?" I said finally

She nodded.

"Then you know I shouldn't be here!"

"The opposite, actually." Her yellowish-silver eyes, so unique and striking, pierced me like arrows. "That is the reason you must be here."

A chill ran down my spine. Outside the tent I heard voices. The Hunters arrived, filling the camp with activity and life. I heard hunting knives being sharpened, wolves being fed, and above all, adoptive sisters talking to one another. I heard them laughing. And all I could wonder was how many the curse might claim before I got out of here.

The bonds these girls shared were based on their oath. They swore off men in favor of their goddess and the great hunt, outliving any mortal and finding a new family in return. If the curse got its fangs into them, they'd be forced to choose between their lives and their entire lifestyle. Either way they would lose everything.

"If you know about the curse," I said carefully, "and you still brought me here, then that means…"

"It has already struck," Artemis said matter-of-factly.

I took a deep breath, turning my head toward the roof of the tent and shutting my eyes.

"...Shit."

"Indeed," Artemis agreed.

My fingers dug ridges into the pelts at my sides. It didn't make any sense. We'd been so careful, tried so hard, but the hunters had been cursed this fast? Emily had been traveling with us for a week, and she was still perfectly fine. How did it choose? Where was the pattern? 

I wasn't ready to give up yet, though.

I opened my eyes and focused on Artemis. "You're a goddess. No, you're one of the strongest goddesses out there. Can't you just get rid of it?"

"If that were the case, we wouldn't have bothered searching for you," she said. 

A thought dawned on me.

"You were never here hunting Larry, were you."

"You mean that cyclops?" Artemis frowned. "We aren't concerned with small game. My Hunters have placed him and those nymphs in the next tent over. If he truly isn't a threat, we'll release him."

That was great news for my one-eyed half-brother, but it also confirmed the worst of my suspicions.

"You were here for me," I said.

"Yes."

"Because your hunters were already cursed."

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Three," Artemis said, and although it wasn't as bad as I feared, I still felt my heart sink. "Avery, Isa, and Brynn have been afflicted for days. I have held the symptoms at bay, but I cannot cure them."

"Great. So even you can't do anything."

Artemis shifted. She looked away, stroking the fox pelt beside her like it was a live animal. "Well, that is not completely true."

I didn't press her. I gave her time to go on at her own pace, and she did, although she paused for a good few seconds. 

"This curse was created by something as powerful as I. But while I cannot break it, I can… manipulate it, to a certain extent. I can—"

Just as the grand reveal was on her lips, we were interrupted. 

"BURY THAT THICK FUCKING BRANCH DEEP IN MY TRUNK!" a woman's voice screamed outside the tent.

Artemis and I paused, looking toward one of the walls. Deep rhythmic thumps vibrated the canvas. Artemis cleared her throat. For the first time, I got to see the proud goddess looking embarrassed.

"It's coming from another tent," she said.

"Let me guess. The one with Larry and the nymphs?" 

"…I believe so." 

"YOU'RE TEARING ME IN HALF! DON'T STOP!"

Artemis waved her hand and the shrieks of pleasures dimmed and disappeared, although her blush remained. 

"As I was in the process of saying, with my abilities, I believe I can transfer the curse between those in the Hunt. The sick girls, at least, can be spared." 

"But if it's in the hunt, someone will still have to choose, right? Three Hunters will lose their maidenhood or their lives."

"Not a Hunter, necessarily."

 "…What?" I asked. 

"Hunters are not the only members of the Hunt," she said. "There is one other."

I froze. Then I started to say something, then I froze again. I was pretty sure I knew what that meant. But I was worried that if I said it, I wouldn't walk out of here in one piece. 

"I can sleep with you in their place," Artemis said, speaking the words I'd been too frightened to imply. "If I offer my body, those girls can be spared."

There were a million things that flashed through my head right then, and I'd be lying if I said half of them weren't mental pictures of the beautiful goddess following through on that offer. 

"You would do that?" I asked.

"For my Hunters, I would do anything," Artemis swore. "They've earned it."

"I'm not doubting that you love them," I said quickly. "It's just, this is serious stuff we're talking about here. You're the goddess of chastity."

Artemis stood up. Maybe I should've been worried she was going to blast me, but just by the look on her face I could tell that wasn't going to happen. She started to pace, like a lion in a little cage. 

"When Gaia returned, I was useless. Useless! While I hid out on Delos for fear of my mind, my Hunters fought for me. I lost half of them to one of my oldest mistakes. At one time, you're right. There were lines I would not cross, even for their sake. I've seen now that I was foolish. They saved me with their lives on the line. I will never allow that to happen again, not while I'm capable of changing their fate."

Her pacing brought her close to me. She was right above me, and as she stood there her silver coat melted into motes of light. Underneath was a simple tight black shirt, with leather pants that gripped her frame. There was a different look in her eyes to any I'd seen before. It wasn't quite hesitation, but it wasn't anticipation, either. 

"Let us engage in sex," she announced.

Neither of us moved. We stared at each other, the air in the tent stifled and still. Eventually, Artemis frowned.

"Are you unwilling?" she asked, possibly a touch dangerously.

"It's not that," I said. "It's definitely not that. It's just, that isn't usually how people go about this."

"Is my state of dress a problem?" Artemis asked. "I will fix it."

Before my brain caught up, she hauled her shirt off. There was no bra underneath. Her breasts were big enough to grab, but small enough not to get in the way of movement. She pushed her pants down a moment later. And then the goddess in front of me was completely naked. There was no seductiveness in the way she stripped, but that didn't matter when your body was this hot. I felt my cock rising.

"This is not a show," she said impatiently.

It was right about then it settled in for me this was really happening. I stood up. Even though her body was about my age, I was almost a foot taller than her. I pulled my shirt over my head. I unbuttoned my pants. I pushed them down to my ankles, my boxers following a moment later, and I stepped out of both. 

Artemis stared unabashedly at my half-erect cock. She reached out and poked it with one finger. When it bounced up and down she pulled her hand back quickly, before reaching out and giving it another poke.

"Fascinating," she said.

She continued to prod and flick my manhood while I just kind of stood there. After a minute, she looked at me.

"Isn't it supposed to get harder?" she asked.

"Well, you have to do things to get it that way," I explained.

"Things like what?"

"I mean…" Feeling unbelievably awkward, I grabbed my shaft and slid my hand back and forth a few times, jerking off in front of the goddess. "Something like this usually works pretty well."

"Very well," Artemis said. "I will do that."

She knocked my hand out of the way and grabbed my cock with both of her own. She pushed and pulled almost like she was stabbing a sword. Even the warmth and silkiness of her delicate hands wasn't enough to salvage the sensation.

"Not like that," I said. "You're supposed to use one hand."

Artemis frowned. She let go with her left hand, but continued making the same motion with the other one.

"Hold it the other way. So that your pinky is toward my body."

Again, she listened dutifully. And again, it wasn't enough.

I kept coaching her (go faster, grip lighter, get closer to the tip). Every instruction helped, but there was only so much they could do. The pink tip of Artemis's tongue poked from the corner of her mouth. She was focusing so hard that whatever magic she worked to soundproof the tent disappeared.

Yowls and meaty slaps echoed into the tent from next door. The wails of the nymphs were too much for my stubborn cock. It hardened completely in seconds.

"Success!" Artemis said.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that it was the noises from next door.

After the initial rush, she seemed to notice the cries herself. The nymphs were screaming their voice boxes out, sounding like a cross between howler monkeys and cats in heat.

Artemis stared at the wall of the tent. I thought she was pondering telling her Hunters to stop them, but instead she said, "Does it really feel that good?"

"Excuse me? You mean sex?"

"Yes," she said. "I've never heard that kind of pleasure before."

I coughed. "I mean, yeah, it feels good. Not everybody sounds like those nymphs, though. That's a little bit extra."

"So I won't make noises like that?"

Artemis looked earnestly at me as she asked it. She didn't mean it as a joke or an insult. It was an honest, genuine question.

"Probably not," I said. "But it's possible."

"I see." Artemis nodded. "Let us find out then."

Before I could react she gave my cock a tug with all her strength. I yelped, and like any guy would, moved forward reflexively to keep from pulling a muscle in the worst place possible. I fell past her onto the pelt-covered floor, exactly like she wanted.

I landed on my back, and she knelt above me a moment later. She really was beautiful, with her cool eyes and fiery hair. I don't know if it was because she was a goddess, but I could've sworn she looked better when you were looking up at her.

"This part I know!" she said excitedly. "Now the penis goes into my vagina many times."

And she dropped her hips resoundingly against mine. 

Her face twisted. One eye closed halfway while the other one shut completely. Her lips peeled back, showing off those pearly teeth. Even her nose scrunched up.

"Women subject themselves to this by choice?" she gasped. "It's like I've taken an arrow to the loins!"

I winced. "That's only the first time. I was going to warn you."

"Then why did you not?"

"I didn't expect you to just slam straight down! Usually, girls take it a little slower."

"Excuses," Artemis said. But at the same time, she began to move her hips. Though it started small, soon she was rising up and down me as the pain faded.

Her hands pressed onto my pecs to support her, while her knees were tight to my hips. The fur behind my back felt strangely perfect, its coarse embrace both comfortable and stimulatingly scratchy. Artemis's movements were amateurish. But she was unbelievably tight, more so than any girl I'd ever been inside of. It was like her entire body was one lithe muscle, gripping my cock with then sole intention of squeezing it dry.

"Mm," she groaned as she rose and fell. "Mm. Mmm!"

She didn't sound like the yowling nymphs in our ears. Artemis's voice came out quietly and high-pitched. The noises were dainty, and cute. I wanted to grab her hips and hold her body, but I held back. She should be the one to set the pace… especially since she could turn me to dust or worse if I crossed any lines I shouldn't have.

So I satisfied myself with looking. I took in the way her small breasts bounced wildly. I looked at her stomach, tight with core muscles and only the slightest bits of fat. Auburn muff decorated her crotch. Every time my cock filled her, another cute moan would escape her lips.

"My body feels strange, Perseus!"

Artemis's eyes were wide. She looked confused, or maybe even worried, but her body wasn't stopping.

"It's warm between my legs!" she said. "Like a flood! and it is coming as swift as a stag! What… What… Ah!"

For the first time, the goddess Artemis came.

I could feel it in the way her walls brushed my cock. The way she was riding didn't get any more skilled, but the thought that I was her first, after thousands of years alive, tipped me over the edge.

My own wave of pleasure ripped through me, and I came inside of her, just like the curse demanded. That was what Lou said was the proper treatment. 

But…

Artemis wasn't taking on the curse for one person. There were three Hunters affected. I wondered if that meant what I thought it did.

The goddess had gone still. She was leaning forward, red hair hanging messily around her head as she supported herself against my chest. I only saw glimpses of her eyes through the auburn curtain. Even with that much, I could tell. She wasn't done. 

"Two to go, right?" I asked.

Artemis nodded weakly. But even a minute later she hadn't started moving again, sitting stunned and flushed instead. At that point I decided that if this was the way I died, it would be worth it.

My hands grabbed Artemis's hips, noticing the way she straightened and yelped at the contact. I rolled us over so that it was her back against the animal skins. Her hands were still on my chest, but instead of supporting her they were fondling my muscles. Her hair fanned out behind her, giving me a perfect view of her face as she gaped at me in shock.

I brought my hips down.

The pain of her first time was gone by now. And unlike when she'd been on top, there weren't any amateurish movements to get in our way. I plunged into her with all the rhythm and technique I'd built up over my life.

Outside, all four of the nymphs were screaming. From what I could piece together, one was on Larry's cock, another had his tongue inside her, and the last two were getting fisted by his enormous hands. I guess that explained the shiny oil all over him. It was lube.

But despite all the noise, I barely noticed the sounds filtering in, fixated on something much closer. Artemis moaned every time our bodies clapped together. I covered her smaller body almost completely, which didn't stop her legs from wrapping reflexively around my hips. Her mouth was stuck open. Those silver eyes, always so alert, were cloudy with pleasure.

I basked in the warmth of her body. I noticed another orgasm hit her lower body, then a third. But above all, I couldn't get enough of the way she was looking at me. In that moment all she cared about was me, and that I keep making her feel this good.

There's only so long a guy can hold himself back in a situation like that. I came for a second time. Which, of course, didn't mean we were finished yet.

I rolled Artemis around onto her stomach, drawing a squawk from her. She had an amazing ass, the kind you only worked your way up to after a thousand years of sprinting swiftly over the roughest terrain nature had to offer. Her back was narrow and slight. I planted my hands on either side of her shoulders and continued thrusting away.

Clapping filled the tent louder than ever as I smacked repeatedly against her perfect, athletic ass. The pale skin on her backside turned pink thrust-by-thrust. Artemis's cute squeaks slowly changed, becoming deeper and more guttural.

I don't know how long we went at it for, just that it was long enough for the air in the tent to turn humid. Even though the braziers in the corners weren't burning any higher, the temperature had risen by multiple degrees. Our bodies were red where they'd repeatedly collided. At some point Artemis stopped making noise entirely, but her hands had grabbed my wrists, holding on and urging me forward.

When I finally came again, I was spent. I slumped down, catching my breath on top of the goddess, cock still embedded in her gooey insides. We'd even outlasted the nymph-omaniacs next door. In fact, it was completely silent outside. I wondered how late it was.

Knowing I wasn't going to stay conscious much longer, I tried to roll off of Artemis, so that I'd pass out on my back on the floor. But when I started to, her grip on my wrists tightened.

"Huh?" I said.

She didn't say anything. But she held on so tight that I couldn't have rolled away even if I was fresh and full of energy. So we stayed like that, there on the floor, breathing hard and run ragged, until I couldn't hang on anymore and drifted finally to sleep.