Chapter 34
"Enjoying the show?" Artemis asked as silence came over the two of them. She was still playing with the stars but started to get bored. The fun of having another person here wasn't that great anymore and now she was back to being bored. "This is fun," she sarcastically stated.
"It was amazing actually. It's mind-blowing to see what your kind is truly capable of. I can see why the kings were so jealous of you. They have claimed to be the most powerful men in this world but then there's you," Alexander said honestly. Playing with the stars was something she did for fun, imagine what she could do out of anger. She kept proving why he didn't want Darius poking around in this forest.
"Well thank you for the compliment. It's about time a human sees that. Unless you are sucking up to me in hopes I'll release you? That's not going to work on me," she pointed her finger his way as she warned him.
"I didn't take you for the type to like fake compliments and I don't enjoy giving them out either. I truly meant it. Put a little faith in my words granted our relationship."
"Relationship? What relationship do we have?" Artemis didn't see their situation as them having a relationship. They were hardly even acquaintances in her eyes. "The brain damage is starting I see." She almost felt a little bad about it.
"Master and pet relationship?" Alexander held up his hand to show the invisible bracelet that allowed her to control him. She had referred to her followers as pets and now he was humoring her by referring to himself as one.
Artemis grimaced at the type of relationship he stated they had. Master and pet. She didn't like the way it rolled off of his tongue. It kind of gave a whole other meaning in her head. "Please don't ever say that's our relationship again. I prefer you referring to yourself as my victim."
"Victim of what? What kind of victim am I?" He asked in an attempt to annoy her.
"Kidnapping victim you fool. Have I been too kind to you? You're awfully calm when speaking to me and it's surprising that you are trying to annoy me. I've heard whispers of you fearing nothing but this is ridiculous. You have to seriously realize the position you are in. I am a dangerous person," she rolled over on her side to face him. It was smart of him to not try to fight or escape but Artemis couldn't come to terms with having such an obedient victim.
"Seriously? Do you want me to be kicking and screaming while begging for my life?" Shouldn't she be enjoying how calm he was?
"Preferably. I would hate to know you've been on a suicide mission all this time and I'm sort of helping you achieve that goal. That is the only thing to explain your calm behavior."
"Well, those whispers you heard were false. There are many things I am afraid of like death. I am afraid to lose my father. Afraid to see many of my comrades die when we go out to fight and afraid for the future of this kingdom." It was natural he would be afraid of many things. Those rumors she heard were meant to scare his opponents.
Because of his many victories, others thought he feared nothing and that he might not be human. However, he would love to welcome them to the sight of the many scars he had to bandage up and the nightmares of the men he killed pleading with him not to kill them over and over again.
"My life is now in your hands so I might as well get comfortable and make a joke here and there. My first time trying to woo a woman since I came back from the walls and looked where I ended up. I knew keeping to myself was always the better option. My advice for the day is always listening to your gut."
"You're a strange one," Artemis concluded.
"It's all about perspective. You just created a drawing using your finger and stars. You're the strange one."
"Maybe," Artemis agreed, sitting up from the ground. She looked out at the tree still bringing in the wishes. Her conversation with Alexander had helped her ignore the wishes but now it was time to get back to her duties. Everything was fine with the night sky and the tree was doing its job. The only thing left to do now was making sure no more humans wandered into the forest. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. Don't try to leave or the forest will kill you and don't go anywhere near the water."
It really was like she was talking to a pet. Should she tell him to stay as the humans did with their dogs? Artemis shook her head disagreeing with taking it that far. She got off the ground, dusted off her dress, and proceeded to walk into the forest. Even though she won't be beside him in these few hours this was her home and she'll know even the slightest step he takes anywhere.
"All alone," Alexander said, continuing to look up at the sky. The forest had the ability to make him miss the busy life in the palace. How on earth did Artemis put up with the silence for so long? There was nothing to do here or no one to speak with. She was all alone in this big forest area. Never would he have imagined feeling bad for a God.
Hearing a splash of water, Alexander pushed his body up to look at the lake and saw that one of the sirens was back. "I'm going to die here," he muttered, laying back down. At least he kept his promise to his father that he would not die out at war.