My Mafia Princess

THIRTEEN | Artemis

I smile.

She isn't wrong.

"What—"

"Shut up. I already prefer her over you."

I hold back a laugh.

She looks back at me, "Let's get one thing straight. If any of these dickheads or anyone pisses you off, come to me and I'll sort them out. Okay?"

I nod, feeling comfortable with her already.

"What! We don't annoy her!" Ares objects.

"Maybe you do. Maybe you don't. But you annoy me."

Domenico sighs, "You never stop causing chaos do you?"

She grins, "I'm not causing anything."

"Yes. You are."

"How? I only just got here?"

"Okay stop. Artemis stop trying to turn our sister on us. We were here first," Dante says.

Artemis shakes her head, "I'm not trying anything actually." I tilt my head at her. I can't exactly grasp what it is about her that makes me like her. "Anyways I stole a box of Uno from the staff room. Who wants to play?"

Oh, now I know why I like her.

✩ ✩ ✩

"That's my girl!" Artemis exclaims, holding her hand up to high-five me. Grinning, I high-five her.

Ares groans, "That's it. I'm done playing Uno. She always wins. It's not fair."

"I know. It's impossible to beat her," Domenico agrees.

Dante drops his cards on the table and glares at me, "She's cheating. I don't know how but she is."

Artemis glares at them, "You three need to stop acting like sore losers. She won fair and square."

I lean back, feeling amused. It's so funny to watch their confidence slip away. Domenico keeps to himself a lot so it's even more entertaining when I watch his mask slip.

"Whatever. We ain't playing anymore."

I nod, "Yeah it's getting boring."

Ares scoffs, "You find winning boring?"

"Yeah? You guys are so bad at this game that winning is just nothing now."

Ares shakes his head in disbelief, "I honestly can't believe you."

I glance at Artemis who's glaring at Ares.

"Watch how you speak to her," she warns.

Ares leans forward, "Don't get me started on you Artemis. I thought we were friends but the second, you see my sister you don't like me anymore!"

I hold a hand over my mouth so I don't laugh.

Artemis rolls her eyes, "Don't act like such a baby. Nothing has changed. You're still my friend."

"If so, tell her to let me win at least once!"

Artemis faces me, and I can see her trying to hold back her laughter as well.
She coughs before speaking, "Um hey Athena."

I look away and then look back at her and burst out laughing. I quickly try to mask it with a cough. I compose myself and face her, "Hi Artemis."

"I think it would be nice of you to let Ares win in Uno."

I nod, "Okay. I can do that."

She faces Ares, "There. Done. Happy?"

Ares looks in between us, clearly unsatisfied, "No. I'm not happy."