Chase had been on the road for some time, traveling and looking for his father. He'd been searching for his father ever since his mother's death a couple years back. He grinned to himself as he headed for the bar, comfortable in his leather jacket and jeans. He'd just turned twenty-five, and was out to celebrate. He wasn't one for sleeping around, usually, but something odd inside of him was saying tonight was the night to get a little rowdy. He had found the bar, which was located just a few miles off the main roads- and, well, in the middle of nowhere. His salt-and-pepper hair, mostly brown with flecks of blonde, was lightly tousled. His blue eyes were concealed behind dark aviators, too, and he looked rather rugged- like a biker.
Like his father.
The thought caused Chase to clutch the old, faded dog tags around his neck. Chase hadn't seen his father since he was ten, why worry about the old man now? He pushed the bar's door open and waltzed inside, still grinning. He shoved his hands inside his jean pockets and meandered over to an empty table, what should've been a table for two. Chase, however, was alone. He sat down, leaning back in his chair as he awaited service. The waiter who approached him was a tall blonde man with piercing blue eyes that looked a bit cold and questioning. He had tattoos up his arms and his hair was slightly spiked, like some rebel child's. "What can I get you?" The man asked, his voice slightly- and unusually- lilting, at least for a man of the stranger's stature.
"Uh, yeah." Chase nodded. "I'll have a bourbon- on the rocks,"
The blonde scribbled the order down on his notepad with a curt nod, "Anything else?"
"Uh, no," Chase said and offered a tentative smile. He wasn't much good with other people. The blonde nodded and meandered away, whistling. Chase leaned back against his chair again, tilting his chin up to look at the TV mounted on the far wall. His drink was left beside him on a coaster, the glass perspiring from the ice inside the glass cup. He brought the drink to his lips, but didn't pay much mind to his surroundings. Perhaps twenty minutes into the night, he was approached by a girl- but not just any girl. She was blonde and blue-eyed, perhaps the female version of Chase's waiter. She was much shorter than Chase, however, who was a little over six foot. The girl was, perhaps, 5'6". She was wearing a slim long-sleeved shirt which was pitch black and a pair of skinny jeans, and she wore shiny black combat boots for shoes.
"Mind if I sit here?" She asked, but didn't wait for him to give her an answer. Instead, she simply sat across from him. The smirk she wore, Chase had to admit, was cute. Her porcelain skin was the opposite of Chase's tan skin. Despite looking rather innocent and harmless, though a bit badass; Chase could tell this girl was a lot more dangerous than she let on.
Chase smiled, "Sure, why not? I'm Chase. Chase..."
"Chase what?" The girl grinned.
"Howlett. Chase Howlett. And who are you?"
The girl, Chase noticed, had taken his drink and was sipping out of it. "Artemis. You can call me Artemis,"
"Got a last name, or-?"
"Not one for you to hear," Artemis told him.
Chase was taken aback at first, but then decided he liked Artemis's gall. He grinned at her. "You busy tonight?"
Her skin was warm, her golden locks cascading down her shoulders.
His skin was sweaty, her light scratches dusting her back.
She was toned, for a girl, and stronger than Chase would've thought. What if she was a mutant, too? The thought made Chase think of his adamantium bone structure, somehow inherited from his father. The thought almost unleashed his claws, but he held himself back. Artemis's nails dug into his toned side, leaving more thin red marks on his skin. Her eyes were shut as they moved against one another, eliciting soft moans and the strain of the bed springs. For some reason the blonde waiter, who'd turned out to be Artemis's twin brother, had been a bit eager to let Chase take the girl into the back room to... what had the guy said? Deflower? Something like that. The waiter had muttered something about a prophecy to his sister, which Chase shouldn't of been able to hear, but had anyway. Artemis's legs twined around Chase's hips as she arched her back, her toned stomach pressing against his own. Their movements slowed, but they still moved as one, and reached their apex together.
Once finished, Chase rolled off of Artemis and lay on his back. Artemis sat up and stretched, her back popping. "That was fun," Artemis said simply.
"Yeah," Chase mumbled, "fun."
Artemis glanced at him. "You're okay, you know, for a guy."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chase shot at her, quirking an eyebrow. The smirk was back, then, and she was up to collect her close. "Wait, uh.. can I have your number?"
"Don't have one." Artemis said simply.
"How do I find you, then?" Chase asked, frowning.
"Don't worry," Artemis chuckled. "I'll find you."
Great, now the hot girl was creeping Chase out. He cleared his throat and sat up a bit, propping himself up on his elbows. "That's, uh, creepy."
"Sorry, didn't mean to sound ominous." Artemis yawned. "Sorry, that was also sarcasm. I'll be around, you'll see me if you look hard enough." She pulled her clothes on, giving Chase one last look. "Besides, I'll find you if I figure out if it worked or not."
"If.. what worked?" Chase frowned.
"I'll explain if it works." Artemis said before she departed.
It seemed like it had been forever since Chase had seen the girl, Artemis. He had never really paid much interest to girls before, not that that was a bad thing- he'd just been focused on more important matters. He really hadn't wanted to stick around, he wanted to be off and on his way- so he had left. Seven months had gone by, and he had doubted he'd ever see Artemis again. He was sure of it, actually, and had thought of it as little more than a one-night stand. He'd found a hotel in Vegas, two states away from that tiny bar, in the big city. He'd only stayed in Vegas so long because he had heard his father was somewhere around the vicinity. It was around noon, and Chase had not even woken up yet. What did wake him, however, was the persistent knocking on his hotel room door. He stood, yawning, and wandered toward the door unthinkingly. He was simply in his briefs. Chase, however, still leaned up and looked through the peephole. He saw the familiar golden locks and felt the weird twisting feeling in his stomach. He instantly went to open the door. "Artemis?!"
The girl looked up at him, an eyebrow quirked. The smirk was not on her face. "Hey, there, Chase." Her stomach was swollen, she looked tired. Her eyes were ringed with dark bags beneath them, but she somehow still radiated power.
Chase's groggy mind clicked a bit. "Wait, how'd you find me? Why are you here?"
"Sit," Artemis said softly. "I need to explain." So Chase sat at the table and Artemis across from him, just as they had seven months prior. "Chase, I'm pregnant."
"I can tell." Chase muttered, earning a kick to the shin from Artemis- who managed to deliver a rather painful blow to his leg. "Ouch!"
"Chase," Artemis continued, sucking in a deep breath, "you're a mortal. I know that, you know that. You're also a mutant. I know that, you know that."
"How do you know that?" Chase inquired, folding his arms over his burly chest.
"I know this because I'm not mortal." Artemis explained. "My brother, Apollo.. he has a knack for ruining lives. His oracle chose yours to ruin, along with mine." Artemis paused, rethinking her words. "Or, maybe.. not ruin. I wouldn't call this-" she gestured to her swollen stomach, "-a ruiner."
"Look, Artemis," Chase chuckled nervously, "I don't know what you want. I mean, obviously you wanted-"
"I didn't want anything." Artemis said lowly. "It was the prophecy's decision. I decided to act willingly."
"The prophecy?" Chase asked, though a bit hesitant.
"Yes, Chase." Artemis sighed, gently rubbing her globe of a belly. She opened her mouth and recited the rhyme quietly, as if afraid it would disturb the fetus within her:
"'On the Demon Days a child will be born to the mortal world
Spawn of the Moon and the metal man, her tale will unfurl
Trained by a warrior of earth
And bring forth the warrior's rebirth
Savior to the mutants and herald of pain
Thrust into the war man has made
And to end or preserve the world, will need the immortals' aid
To make the decision to preserve or raze'."
For a while, Chase was silent and confused. But eventually he spoke, his voice hesitant. "To preserve or raze what?"
"We don't know." Artemis said softly. She glanced at her hands, at her belly, and closed her eyes. "Gods, Chase, I don't know."
"So.. I.. you.. that's my baby?" Chase asked, unsure of what to say. Artemis already seemed tired and distressed.
"Yes, Chase, this is your daughter."
"Daughter? What makes you so sure?" Chase asked.
"My brother's foresight, and the prophecy refers to a female." Artemis rubbed her temple with her free hand.
"So, I'm going to be a father?" Chase asked, still stuck on the fact he was going to be a parent.
"Yes," Artemis said. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to throw this on you, but..."
"But?"
"But the law of my people requires I entrust the child to its.. her.. mortal parent. You, Chase."
"Wait, what?"
"If I had any other choice, Chase, I would keep her. I would keep my daughter-"
"Our daughter."
"-Our daughter." Artemis gave a tired nod. "But my father will not allow that."
"Your father?"
"Yes." Artemis murmured. "Zeus."
Another bit of information clicked in Chase's mind. "You're a goddess."
"Took you long enough to figure that out." Artemis muttered. "Yes, I'm a goddess. Look, Chase, I can't help you. I'm sorry. All I can tell you is that this baby is important. Without her, your world.. my world.. will fall. You need to trust me-"
Chase looked at her, incredulous. "Trust you? Artemis, all I've done is sleep with you-"
"And get me pregnant,"
Chase shot her a glare. "Look, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I don't know if I can do this. I'm not the domestic type."
"Neither am I, Chase. Don't you know who I am?"
"You're Artemis."
"Obviously." Artemis rolled her eyes. "Chase, I'm over five thousand years old and you're the first person I've slept with. You know why? Because the prophecy required me to. The child needed to be mine, because I am the Moon. My brother is the Sun. The point is, I'm doing what I am because I need to. Because in order to save our world, I need to. I did not want to have children, yet here I am- and you know what?"
"What?"
"I love the child already." She looked tired again. "Chase, I'm tired and I'm pregnant and I'm a goddess. I'm immortal. All I'm asking you to do is care for this child.. just until the time is right."
"Just until the time is right?" Chase asked.
Artemis sighed, "Yes, Chase... just until she is needed to go on her own. Please.. do this for me,"
Chase's gaze softened. He barely knew the female, he knew he should be mad. Yet.. he couldn't be. Perhaps it was her godly influence, or perhaps it was because he understood her motives. "I'll do it.. I'll do it,"
So there Chase sat, two months later, cradling the tiny bundle in his arms. The baby girl's eyes were a ghastly white, but Chase knew his baby wasn't blind because of the way her eyes tracked objects around the room- including her father's fingers. The beginnings of soft brown hair were growing from her tiny head. She looked tiny compared to her father, and indeed she was.
"Hi, baby," Chase cooed down to the girl, allowing her to grab onto his finger- her tiny fingers couldn't even come close to closing around his index finger. He chuckled softly as the baby began to chew on his knuckle, though he was still trying to figure out what to name her. Artemis had not given the baby a name, perhaps too heartbroken on the fact she had needed to give up her firstborn child and had not wanted to get attached. So Chase brainstormed the names, his brow furrowed, and settled upon a single name: his grandmother's name; or, well, a shortened variant. "Eliza," He said softly, smiling, "we'll call you Eliza."