Hey guys! Wrote this chapter all yesterday. Didn't exactly plan on the end to be like it was, but hey. I know I think better like that too, so I figured it might help poor Arty too. And I hope you all enjoy. From here on out, this story is about to get pretty serious. No more fun and games. It's about to get ugly in the next chapter. That much I promise. Anyhow... here's chapter 12! =)
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Artemis shut his bedroom door, locking the door behind him. He immediately began shrugging his jacket off, hoping it would help him stop sweating like he was. He collapsed backwards onto the bed, doing all he could to catch his breath. For whatever reason, the confusion that was coursing through him was causing him far more distress than it ever should.
He had just arrived home from the dinner he had with Diana. The whole course of events that happened was still fresh in his mind, and he was admittedly in disbelief. He for all intents and purposes had called her beautiful. It was the truth, no doubt, but Artemis had never intended to say it. Especially not out loud. Artemis wasn't sure what saying it meant. Was he just acknowledging that Diana was beautiful? Or was he saying that he thought she was? Or even that he found her attractive enough to consider a relationship with her? Artemis hadn't been this confused about a girl in his entire life, even more so than the whole Minerva thing a few years back.
Artemis ran a hand across his forehead, pushing some of his hair back in the process. He was going to drive himself crazy if he didn't just forget about the whole thing, not that he wasn't already legally insane anyways. He closed his eyes, trying to make himself to calm down. It wasn't even that big of a deal, really. Artemis didn't know why all of a sudden he was making a mountain out of a molehill. It wasn't like him; but at the same time it wasn't like him to call a girl pretty.
Because you're not yourself right now, a voice in the back of his head told him. You've been letting this girl intrude on your every thought, her name and face always present everywhere you go, everything you do. She's taking control over your life little by little, making you forget who you are, what your purpose is. You can't let her do this anymore Artemis.
But part of Artemis didn't want to remove Diana from his thoughts. Even though he had just met the girl, he had felt a connection with her. She wasn't like the rest of them; most girls Artemis had seen in recent times were more concerned about gossiping and the like, and Diana hadn't brought up anything like that. Yes, she had relationship drama, but Artemis was nearly certain every relationship had its drama.
Like right now for example, another voice in his head hissed. You probably just confused her by saying that in the first place. The girl just got out of a two year relationship. Smart move, Fowl. Telling her that she's beautiful? The last thing Diana needs is you mucking up her thoughts.
Artemis sighed, trying to get the voices inside his head to shut up. They were just going to keep battling each other until one gave up, and he was not in the mood to be fighting with his own brain. He had spent enough time his life fighting with himself, and Artemis was not going to add to it right now. What happened had happened, and that was the end of it. So he slipped up and said something embarrassing and confusing? Artemis would just have to get over it, and that's exactly what he planned on doing.
He sat up once again, just in time to feel his phone go off in his pocket. Artemis reached into his pocket, pulling his cell phone from his pocket and answering it in one swift motion. "Hello?"
"Well good evening, Mud Boy," Holly's voice teased him from the other line. "What's going on? You're not busy are you?"
"Of course not. Am I ever busy, Holly?" Artemis sighed, hoping that she didn't already know about the dinner with Diana. The last thing he wanted right now was Holly ridiculing him.
"You would be surprised," Holly answered, sounding like she knew something. "But anyways, I have something important to tell you. And it's not good news."
Artemis felt his heart sink. Holly never called to tell him good news. It was always bad news. He silently wondered what kind of trouble they were going to get in this time. "And what's that?"
"Well, I guess it's not that bad. I just think that it could pose a problem in the near future," Holly elaborated a bit. Artemis cleared his throat, clearly annoyed with Holly beating around the bush like she was. This caused her to just spit it out. "Spiro's out of jail, as is his henchman."
Artemis released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "I thought he was supposed to be locked up longer? He wasn't in there very long."
"We realize that Artemis, but for whatever reason, that isn't the case," Holly went on. "I don't think he's up to anything, but I thought I would give you the heads up. I don't want you to be caught off guard. Spiro is a tricky individual, that's for sure."
"Believe me; I haven't forgotten that," Artemis sighed.
"Just be careful Arty," Holly said quietly. "I don't want to have another sticky situation on our hands. We've been doing so well with the whole no incidents thing. I would hate to break the streak now."
"Yea, me too," Artemis breathed out, once again finding himself falling backwards onto his bed. All he needed was Spiro trying to kill him again. Artemis found his problems just piling on top of each other. Apparently someone thought he would be able to handle them all; Artemis wasn't sure if this time he would be able to balance everything so nicely like he had done in the past.
"How'd your date go?" Holly asked, abruptly changing the topic.
"It wasn't a date, Holly," Artemis hissed. "It was merely a dinner with a friend."
"So a date?" Holly asked.
"No," Artemis replied snappily. Why did everyone think they went on a date? Was it illegal to go to dinner as friends these days? "And at any rate, it went just fine."
Holly giggled lightly on the other end. "Just fine, Arty?"
Artemis remembered why he hated people calling him 'Arty.' It made him feel like a child again. They only person who got away with it was his mother. And Diana, his mind added silently. "Yes, Holly. It was just fine," Artemis eventually added. "Nothing happened. We just conversed for a while, ate dinner, and I took her home. And besides... how did you know I went out?"
"I have my sources," Holly responded. She didn't say anything for a few minutes. "I know what happened. I know what was said. And I think you've been making huge strides in making friends with her. If not something more."
Artemis rolled his eyes. "If you say so Holly. I'm not trying to be anything more than polite. Diana needs someone who actually listens and can give her reasonable advice, something her friends obviously cannot give her."
Holly laughed out loud. Artemis could practically see her rolling about the Operations Booth's floor, laughing hysterically. "And you think that you're going to help this poor girl? Oh I feel bad for her more and more all the time. I wish her luck in dealing with you."
"She actually enjoys my company. Why else would she call me before the rest of her friends when her boyfriend broke up with her?" Artemis asked, feeling himself tense up at the thought of what happened to Diana. He still wanted to get Brent back for that whole mess.
"Oh, I can think of a few reasons," Holly answered, "but I'll leave those for you to ponder." When Artemis said nothing in response, Holly continued, "But I won't bug you any longer, Mud Boy. I'm sure you have a lot to think about."
"Alright Holly. Talk to you later," Artemis concluded, terminating the call. He tossed his phone down, sighing once again. He swore if it wasn't Butler giving him a hard time, it was Holly. Between the two of them, Artemis was at his wits end. He thought he was just being a good person. Isn't that what they wanted him to be?
Even though he was utterly confused by the whole Diana situation, Artemis was admittedly a bit concerned by Spiro getting out of prison. The megalomaniac would surely be out to get him again; Artemis just didn't know when or how. That certainly put a damper on his plans to release the C Cube like planned. If he still wanted to do that, he knew he was going to have to do as soon as possible. The boy took a deep breath, once again in an effort to calm his nerves. Artemis was usually a calm, collected individual, and as of recent he was finding that it was hard to remain that way with all this stuff going on.
Artemis sat back up, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He needed to find a way to relax before his mind imploded. Artemis stood up and made his way into the small bathroom attached to his room. Before he even did anything else, he started up the shower. The boy was hoping that perhaps a warm shower would help him relax, and forget about everything that was dancing around his mind.
The raven-haired boy quickly undressed and stepped into the hot water. Artemis let the hot water pound against his forehead. Normally this wouldn't work, but Artemis found his troubles seemingly melting away. He couldn't care less about Spiro being let out of prison and the possible threat on his life that situation could bring. While that problem slipped from his mind, the one remained about Diana.
The girl puzzled him, something he hated to admit. He didn't know why he found her crossing his every thought; he had hardly been able to think without her popping up somehow. Artemis just didn't understand why this was happening to him, especially now of all times. He was in another country, and it was likely that after this vacation he would never see her again. The Irish boy couldn't quite fathom the reasons why he was so at ease with her, why he was so willing to spend time with her, why he felt rage when someone hurt her. It was an unusual feeling, one Artemis was unfamiliar with. He wasn't sure how to deal with it, how to react. Artemis supposed at this point all he could do is guess and roll with it. If this was a new experience, he would have to learn how to handle it. Perhaps Diana will actually teach me something, Artemis thought.
Artemis sighed, turning away from the jet of water, allowing it to hit his back. The boy then decided that he wouldn't worry about the situation for now. Answers would come to him eventually, and unfortunately, Artemis was sure the answers he sought all came from the same blasted source: puberty. The thought made him roll his eyes, and Artemis instantly became mad at himself. There was no need for his hormones to be acting up now of all times. He shook the thoughts once again. For now, all he wanted to do was bathe and go to sleep, in hopes that the whole confusion would just pass in time.