Ares frowned at me. “We already have, he is going to meet us here in five days.”
I smiled. “Good.”
Achilles frowned at me, Ares’ and his looks remarkably similar, making me a fool for not noticing the relation sooner. “What are you planning?” Ares asked me.
I sat down beside Ares and sipped on the water Koda had given me. “Nothing. So, between now and when Victor comes, are we going to work on my plan?”
Ares and Achilles looked at me and then at each other.
With only four days to save as many humans as possible, I felt rushed. How was I going to keep the humans safe? How many could I truly save?
It was far away from our current location, but I knew the first place I had to go. “I want to leave in twenty minutes. Please don’t argue with me. Please just get ready and come with me,” I said to the three men in the room. Ares and Achilles watched me with worried expressions, but said nothing. Finally, both men stood up and began preparing to leave.
I sat on the bed and felt my nerves growing. There were so many things happening that it felt as though my nerves had been flayed open. My hands shook softly as I thought about talking to a group of humans and trying to convince them to listen to me.
“It’ll be alright, Darlin’,” Koda said as he rubbed his hands up and down my arms. “I think what you’re doing is great.”
“Is anyone else trying to save humans?” I asked as I leaned back against him, letting his touch and smell calm me.
Koda continued to rub my arms as he talked. “Everyone is allowed humans as slaves. The humans report to the camps and say, ‘I’m Koda’s slave’ and they’re kept alive and fed until we claim them. Those of us with a lot more power and thus a lot more slaves decide on a brand and for those humans we want as slaves, we brand them. So, we say the humans are our slaves, but when everything is said and done we let them go free. There aren’t many of us who will let them go free.”
That was how I would keep them free. I’d convince the humans to use Ares’ brand and say they were his slaves. It wasn’t the best plan, but it was a start.
“We’re ready,” Ares said from beside me.
I turned and found him dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. It was strange to see sweatpants strained to the point of breaking around his leg muscles. Every boy at my high school had been practically swimming in their sweatpants.
“What?” Ares asked as he looked at his clothes.
I shook my head. “Nothing, just comparing you to boys at my school and finding I’m extremely lucky.”
Ares held his hand out, and I took it, standing up from the bed and walking into the circle of his arms. “I love you, Artemis.”
“I love you too, Ares.” His body was radiating more heat than normal and it felt good to be held by him. I pulled out of his arms reluctantly and turned to smile at Achilles. “I guess it’s harder for Sidhe men to wear shirts.”
Achilles smiled. “I could wear a shirt, but I prefer not to destroy clothes when releasing my wings.”
Slowly, I walked to him and wrapped my arms around him. His body was stiff at first, but after a moment he relaxed and hugged me back. “I’m not used to this connection yet, but I’ve learned from being with Ares that it’s better to give in and touch you then deal with the itching skin and irritation.”
Achilles kissed the top of my head and whispered, “Thank you.”
I pulled out of his arms and turned to face all three men. “I know you probably don’t agree with what I’m doing, or at least are worried about my safety, but I have to do this or I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
Ares smiled. “We understand, Artemis.”
Achilles cleared his throat and said, “Hephaestus, I require your assistance.”
Two seconds later someone knocked on the door and then a man with forearms the size of my waist walked into the room. “You summoned me, Prince?”
Achilles stepped forward. “Artemis and Ares need a brand for selecting their human slaves. I’d appreciate your assistance in this matter.”
Hephaestus looked at Ares and smiled. “Hello, Ares.”
Ares smiled. “Hello, Hephaestus. You’re looking well.”
Hephaestus walked closer to me and then dropped to one knee and bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you, Princess Artemis.”
“Please, just call me Artemis.”
He stood up and looked from me to Ares. “You want something simple or something dramatic?” he asked Ares.
Ares smiled. “Simple, if possible, yet still able to be easily recognizable from any others.”
Hephaestus nodded. “Be back in fifteen minutes.”
He walked out of our room through the giant hole in our wall and disappeared down the hallway.
Ares tugged me towards the table and pointed at the fruits and cheeses. “You need to eat anyways, so you might as well do it while he is making our brand.”
I gave in and sat down, piling my plate high with food and then consuming the entire thing before Hephaestus came back.
Hephaestus held a cloth-wrapped bundle in his hands and smiled at us. “You didn’t give me much time to work on it, but I hope you like it.” He placed the bundle on the table before me and slowly unrolled the cloth. I pushed aside my empty plate and watched eagerly for the reveal.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but the short, one-foot brand with a crescent moon and starburst was not it. It was beautiful. I said as much, which earned me a big smile from Hephaestus.
I stroked the moon and starburst brand and Ares said, “The moon and star are very fitting for us. I couldn’t have picked a better design. We need you to make twenty replicas as soon as possible please.”
Hephaestus laughed. “I should have known. Give me ten minutes to make them.”
After Hephaestus left again, I turned to Achilles. “Can he really make twenty of these in ten minutes?”
Achilles nodded. “His greatest feat was making Ares five hundred swords in one hour.”
That made my mouth drop. Five hundred swords in one hour? How is that humanly…. well there is the answer. Humans could never do such a thing, which is why they used to worship the Sidhe.
Ares sat down in a large chair and waved me over. I came over and sat down on his lap, sighing happily as he wrapped his arms around me. These little moments of relaxation with him were my favorite. Ares put his lips against my ear and began whispering too low for anyone else to hear. “You look so beautiful and smell so good. No woman on this earth can compare to you.” Ares kissed my cheek and then nuzzled behind my ear, making me shiver. “I love you and hate the moments when we’re separated. If it were up to me, I’d take you to the most remote place on earth so that we could be completely alone all the time.”
I giggled and shook my head. “As long as it’s not anywhere too hot or too cold.”
Ares laughed. “But if it’s cold it gives me an excuse to cuddle with you more.”
I turned and nuzzled his ear with my nose, inhaling his scent. “I do like the sound of that.”
Hephaestus came back with a wooden box in his arms and smiled at us. “Here you go. Twenty brands.”
Ares stood, putting me back on the seat before taking the box and bowing to him. “Thank you.”
Hephaestus bowed and smiled at Ares. “Anything for an old friend. Of course, you’ll let me know if any battles are coming up with need of my skills?”
Ares laughed. “You’ll be the first one I contact.”
Hephaestus said goodbye and left.
Ares picked up the brands and asked, “So, where to first?”
“Where I was raised,” I answered quickly.
Ares picked my hand up and kissed the back of it. “Alright, let’s go.”
We started to walk towards the door when it was flung open and Hera stepped through. “Good, I caught you before you left.”
Ares and I looked at each other and then at her. “How’d you know we were leaving?” I asked suspic
iously.
Hera waved her hand dismissively. “I’m Queen for a reason, dear. Now, I may not agree fully with what you’re doing, but I’ll agree to help.”
Achilles walked forward and asked, “Help how?”
She smiled sweetly at him. “You shouldn’t be so suspicious of your own mother. Of course, I did train you to be weary of everyone so I suppose that’s my fault.” She stood still a moment, thinking and then waved her hand dismissively. “Anyways, I’ll travel with you so that we can teleport and get to every place faster.”
She had to have another motive, but being able to teleport would make things much easier. “Alright,” I said.
She clapped her hands together. “Wonderful. Alright, everyone join hands.”
After forming a circle, Hera put her hands on Achilles and me who were on either side of her and she whispered, “Don’t throw up on me.” The world turned black and then we started spinning out of control. I gripped Ares’ hand hard as I fought the nausea. The world came back into focus, and we stood outside the bar in the town I’d been raised in.
I pulled my hands free of everyone and looked around at the town. All of the houses were dark and the only light came from the bar. Where was everyone? It was night time, but it wasn’t late enough that everyone should be in bed.
I heard shouting and arguments from inside the bar and turned to Ares and the rest of our group. “Ares, you come with me, but everyone else, please go wait in the trees. I’ll bring them out here.”
Ares handed the box of brands to Koda, picked up my hand and together we walked to the bar door. I stopped in front of it and took a deep breath. It was now or never. I pushed open the door and found the entire town inside, crammed together as they argued. All eyes turned to me and everyone stopped talking.
Billy’s mouth dropped open as he looked at the vines on my skin and the purple in my hair and my purple eyes.
I straightened my back and looked at each pair of eyes. “You all know about the killings going on around the world. I’ve come to save as many of you as I can.”
Skankzilla, my old arch nemesis, put her hands on her hips and glared at me. “And how are you going to save us?”
I smiled at her and said, “Everyone outside. I’ll prove to you that I’m capable of much more than you think I am.” I turned and Ares and I walked out of the bar, letting them all follow us. I knew they would follow because, well, what else would they do? I stopped when I reached a big enough open area that they could all gather and see me without being too close. I trusted most of them, but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t freak out and try to hurt me.
Ares released my hand and took a couple steps away from me to give him more room to maneuver if he needed to stop any of them from coming after me. I could feel Koda and Achilles behind us in the trees, waiting. Everyone finally gathered near me in the clearing, murmuring nervously to each other. I took a deep breath and said, “You’re going to be given a couple options by those coming, but I’m here to give you another option. Freedom.”
People looked at each other in shock and then Billy asked, “What do you mean?”
I looked at Ares and he nodded. I turned back to the group and said, “We’ve been kept in the dark for centuries about the existence of preternaturals. Now, the preternaturals are taking the world back, taking control. Millions of humans have already been killed as you’ve seen from the news reports. The mist is vampires and the wolves are werewolves.”
The group began murmuring loudly and then Glen, the oldest man in our town, stepped forward. “How do we know you’re telling the truth? And if you are, what do you want from us?”
“I’ll prove to you that preternaturals exist and all I want is for you to trust me and do what I say.” I turned to the trees and said, “Come out. I don’t really think we need all of us, but it’ll be better to show them that it’s not just me who’s different.”
Koda, Achilles and Hera came forward, standing just behind me. I closed my eyes and focused on the flame within me that was my source of power. I opened my eyes and knew my body was glowing.
I dimmed the light so that they could see me as I pulled my wings from my back. The crowd gasped in shock and everyone took a step back. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t harm you.”
“What are you?” Skankzilla asked.
“I’m half werewolf and half Sidhe, or fairy as you call us.”
“Werewolf?” Billy asked. “You don’t look like a wolf.”
His tone was mocking, as if he expected me to be lying about it. He could see me glowing with wings out of my back, but he still doubted I could be a werewolf. Had I been that dense?
Yes. Yes I had.
Ares said, “Artemis is telling the truth. She and I are the only mixed bloods. The only half werewolf, half Sidhe.” He pulled his shirt off and I glared at Skankzilla who all but trampled those in front of her to get a better look. Ares kept his sweatpants on and took a half-shift. Koda came to stand beside Ares and changed into his wolf form.
A woman in the back screamed and I released my powers, letting my wings retract and said, “Don’t be frightened. Ares and Koda won’t harm anyone. They’re simply showing you the forms we can take. As you can see, werewolves do exist.”
Ares reverted back to his human form and shook his body like a dog flinging water off.
“In a short amount of time, a group of preternaturals, the vampires and wolves, will come to this town. They will give you the options of death, becoming one of them or becoming slaves,” I continued.
I took one of the brands from the box Koda was holding and set it on the ground in front of me. “If you don’t want to be turned, if you want to stay free, use this brand and they’ll know you are Prince Ares of the Werewolves’ slaves.”
“How does us being your slave make us free?” Glen asked.
“Because I won’t keep you as slaves. When things have cooled off we will let you go and you’ll all be free,” Ares said as he took my hand.
I looked at Billy and said, “Please. You have to listen to me. I lived with you all thinking I was human like you. What I’ve seen since then has changed me, but I’m still your friend. Please, do what I’m asking.”
Hera put her hands on us and Koda and Achilles put their hands on her. “Heed Artemis’ advice, humans.”
I’d wanted to say more, but Hera had probably been right to make us leave. Though I would have liked to talk to some of the people in town whom I knew would listen to reason.
The nausea vanished and I opened my eyes to find us in a large plaza filled with people. I stood up on top of a table and yelled to get everyone’s attention. “Listen to me! Everyone!”
We traveled from place to place, only sparing an hour or so to nap once in a while. Once we went to the last places left in America, we returned to Europe.
I stood in the Coliseum and raised my hands and wings up. “They’re coming and there is only one way to stay free.” Achilles translated for me as I spoke. “Choose to be our slaves and we will grant you freedom once everything is settled. If you agree, just use this brand on your arm and you will be spared.”
Each time I finished my speech Hera teleported us out. It was great for time, but it also made our point to the humans that we really were telling the truth. We weren’t human and we had powers they thought were reserved for fairytales and movies.
I looked up at our new location and blinked in shock. Russia. Since fully gaining my Sidhe powers, the cold didn’t bother me as much anymore so I ignored the cold and looked at the beautiful snow. I walked around and looked at the buildings in awe. It was night time and there weren’t many humans out so I couldn’t make my speech now. “Maybe we should wait until tomorrow?” I suggested.
Ares rubbed his thumb across my knuckles. “Tomorrow is our last day.”
I leaned against him, exhausted from the traveling and lack of sleep. “I know.”
Ares led us through the streets and to an older building. After talkin
g with the security guard for a moment, he let us in. Ares took us the top floor where a large penthouse took up the entire floor. I looked at Ares and he smiled. “I have a few buildings around the world. This is one of mine.”
“You own this?”
He nodded.
I walked around and looked at the elaborate decorations and the set up. It was gorgeous and everything looked expensive. Even the light fixtures seemed to be made out of gold and jewels. I walked to the master bedroom and stared at the bed that seemed to be three king sized mattresses put together. The bed took up the entire room and I jumped up on to it as soon as I entered. The comforter was filled with down feathers and the mattress was like lying on clouds.
Ares hopped up on the bed beside me and kissed my cheek. “We should get some food before we go to sleep.”
I nodded and sighed happily. “I think this is the most comfortable bed I’ve ever laid on.”
Koda laughed. “It better be! Ares spent a lot to have this bed made.”
Hera cleared her throat to get our attention. “There’s a café just down the street that stays open late.”
Ares helped me climb out of the bed and we all walked back out of the building and to the café. We all sat in a booth and I looked around at the faces of those with me and couldn’t help laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Koda asked.
“Here we are in the human world, sitting in a café with the Queen of the Light Court of the Sidhe, the Prince of the Werewolves, the Prince of the Sidhe and, well, me and you. It’s just funny to me that after so many years of being human now I’m sitting here with all of you and it feels like its no big deal.”
Ares slipped his arm around my waist. “You’re adjusting, which is good. If you weren’t adjusting that would be bad. Though, I do see your point and it is somewhat funny.”
My mood sobered and I asked, “Do you think anyone will listen to me?”
Achilles whispered, “It’s their decision now, Artemis. Even if they don’t believe you now, when the others come to capture them, they’ll know you were telling the truth. You’re doing the right thing in giving them a choice. Not many of the preternaturals would give the humans a choice.”
Artemis Lupine- The Complete Series Page 41
