This is basically fluff, but it's nice fluff, so enjoy :). I am reeeally busy now, so it's getting increasingly difficult to update! Please bear with me, and thank you all for reading and reviewing! :)

The alarm went off at 9:30 am, the shrill ringing echoing throughout the manor that sleepy morning. Artemis pushed his duvet down almost robotically, swinging his legs off the bed. Drowsy, he staggered to his en suite and turned on the cold water. He splashed the water over his face before turning it off and looking up to stare at his dripping reflection.

Today's the day, he thought.

He turned on the shower, undressed and got in, letting the hot water run down his back, plastering his hair to his head.

Today denotes the beginning of a new Artemis, strong as the sister of the Greek god Apollo.

Artemis got out of the shower, dried himself, wrapped a towel around his waist and headed back to his room. He opened his wardrobe and scrutinised its contents: his precious Armani suits still took up the centre - and majority - of the wardrobe, but now there was also an abundance of casual clothing. He ran his slender fingers across the clothes, hesitating at the suits before stopping at a plaid shirt and jeans and pulling them out.

Holly does not exist anymore.

He got changed, standing in front of his full-length mirror which balanced on two clawed, brass feet.

You have feelings for Minerva.

Artemis studied his reflection thoughtfully, and he rolled his sleeves as an afterthought.

Enjoy yourself.

A mere fifteen minutes after waking up, Artemis was already out the door. If he had stopped to wonder about it, he would have remembered the hours he had spent in front of the mirror, trying on different combinations of clothes so long ago at his party, just before he was to meet Holly for a borderline date.

That cherished memory, the one thing that had kept Artemis up for so many nights and going for so many months, was banished from his mind with the clang of the front door.

"Warm Bodies," called Minerva, holding up two tickets. "I bought tickets to watch Warm Bodies."

Artemis found himself staring at her. She was wearing a figure-hugging, black-and-white dress that he found both fascinating and rather uncomfortable to look at. Young men looked her up and down appreciatively as she walked over to him.

They are positively ogling.

But Artemis didn't feel anything more than the tiniest twinge of irritation. What was wrong with him? Shouldn't he be leaping with jealousy, taking Minerva in his arms to show she was him, if he was interested in her?

You are just fatigued from all the recent goings-on, he thought. Of course you are interested in her. He took a ticket from her, barely listening to his greeting as he mulled over his predicament. She is tall, beautiful, blonde, extremely intelligent and incredibly ambitious. It would be wrong to think of her in any other way.

He looked at the ticket off-handedly before doing a double-take and staring at it.

"Warm Bodies?" he said. He felt his old attitude return. "Really, Minerva, I would never have thought that you of all people would want to watch a film directed at such a young, immature demographic."

Minerva looked peeved for a second before relaxing and giggling. "Oh, Arty," she said, and Artemis felt himself bristling at the pet name. "I think you seem to forget that I am a female. I enjoy these things, even if I am a genius."

Artemis brought his attitude back under control, reminding himself that he was to be a different Artemis from now on. A successfully 'teenage' and flirtatious one, he hoped.

"Of course," he said. "I'm sorry to be so impudent, Minerva." No. Stop. Small words. "I mean –"

"Are you going to buy me something to eat?" said Minerva. "Or are we going to stand around like time-wasting loiterers as the film starts?"

Artemis scowled inwardly and strode over to the food counter.

"What would you like?" he asked Minerva. She gave him a sweet smile.

"Popcorn," she said. "The largest kind."

Artemis paid and they headed into the cinema. They found themselves seated at the back, and the movie had just started. Artemis, who had honestly never been to a cinema before, found himself strangely transfixed by the enormous screen.

By the time they were halfway into the movie, Artemis wondered if he was going to fall asleep. A zombie falling in love and changing back into a human? How was this even remotely possible in any way?

He leaned in to Minerva. "This makes no sense whatsoever," he muttered. "That man is literally a rotting corpse. His heart has ceased to beat long ago, and after a day all of his organs will have decayed and deteriorated. His brain is dead; he cannot think. How is it possible that –"

"Artemis," interrupted Minerva, never removing her eyes from the screen, "Shut up."

Artemis shut up. He leant back in his seat and pretended to watch, although in reality he was just staring blankly at the screen as his brain worked. He had to do something – didn't all dates have something happen in dimly lit cinemas?

Orion…I cannot believe I am doing this, but…I need your help.

Oh, so you finally want my valiant presence? Although you aren't really a damsel in distress, I suppose I'll still help. The girl is very pretty, by the way, and I really can't see why you have no feelings towards her.

Artemis experimented with some more colloquial language. Shut up.

He let the awful being he had suppressed for so long surface, wondering fervently whether he would regret this. But he was clearly not going to get over Holly by sitting like a rag doll at his first chance of a successful date.

He watched in dread as his arm twitched.

No. Not that. Please not that.

Orion lifted his arm and placed it around Minerva's shoulders. She jumped and looked at him, genuinely surprised, before giving a rather unnerving grin.

"Arty," she said softly. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Don't call me Arty.

Orion leaned in close, Artemis clutching at his face in despair. He almost couldn't bring himself to listen to what was said next. "You are like a princess to me."

No! Nononono–

Minerva smirked and shrugged his arm off. "Thank you, gallant knight," she said.

Completely missing the sarcasm, Orion puffed his chest out in pride. "May I hold your hand?"

"No, I need it to eat," she replied, and Orion deflated a little.

That's enough. Withdraw, good soldier.

Curiously abiding, Orion vanished and Artemis had control over himself once again. He swore to not speak or move an inch until the end of the movie, and tried to pretend he did not see Minerva stealing glances and smirks his way.

"How was it?"

The two left the cinema, Artemis throwing the partially eaten popcorn box in the bin.

"The screen size was quite impressive, roughly 600 by 900 inches, wouldn't you think? But the resolution was very disappointing; HD-DVDs are so much more –"

"I meant the movie," said Minerva, rolling her eyes. Artemis hit himself mentally; he was really quite an awful date.

"It – it was fantastic," he said, and felt blood rush to his face as he remembered Orion's daring acts. Minerva looked at him.

"Really?"

"…Very much so."

"Well, for me it was quite a disappointment," said Minerva matter-of-factly. "Really, it's the kind of thing that could only ever look good on paper. I should have seen it earlier."

Artemis didn't know what to say to this, so he found himself calling on Orion again.

Please.

"And also," she continued, "You are really quite endearing when you blush."

Artemis blinked. "I – I wasn't blushing." Good. Do not speak formally, whatever happens. Do not. Do not –

He felt Orion struggling to surface once more and at once had misgivings. His sub-conscious could just make everything worse.

No. I didn't mean it. Stay back. Stay back.

"My beautiful lady, would you like to have dinner with me? The night is still young."

No.