Chapter Seven
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History prefers legends to man.
It prefers nobility to brutality,
soaring speeches to quiet deeds.
History remembers the battle but forgets the blood.
Whatever remembers of me if it remembers anything at all,
it shall only be a fraction of the truth.
For whatever else I am; a wife, a hunter, a goddess, I will always think of myself as a person in this world who struggled against darkness.
-Phoebe Artemis
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Artemis padded softly on the stony road as she finally stood in the front of the bank on which her letter had indicated. It had been five months ever since that ball where Artemis had recognized her feelings for her teacher. Five months of looking guiltily at her best friend who still smiled and acted as if it was no big dead. Artemis knew that Cassandra loved Percy and she fervently believed that the blonde girl deserved it. She is too good, too caring and too good a person to be denied even that one simple wish. However a tiny part of Artemis' brain screamed to her to rip the graceful girl to pieces and remove any competition.
The moon goddess sighed at the depressing memories. She knew that she is being stupid. She had sworn to be an eternal maiden and she knew deep inside her heart how much pain it would cause her if she broke her vow. Not only will she lose that domain but she would be ending her Hunt also and that would make her girls a free-for-all target for all males.
Not to mention that Percy was not a god and she is one. Zeus would never allow her to marry a mortal. She still remembered the last time some stupid demigod of Aphrodite sent her flowers at the step of her palace on Olympus and ran off not knowing that Artemis never spent time in her palace. His luck was even turned upside down as the flowers were discovered by Apollo and the sun god overprotective brother didn't wait on bringing it directly to their father who immediately hanged the demigod and put his dead body on the main street of Olympus as a warning to any possible suitors that even look at her.
Artemis sighed as she again focused on her main reason why she started this vampire hunting business to drown her new confused and conflicting emotions. She had been on many vampire huntings these past few months all their locations delivered to her by incognito letters sent by Percy. Long ago she had started this business to avenge her mother but for some reason, that thirst for vengeance is no longer that potent and Artemis in fact was glad that she is helping save people by secret. Pulling the small slip of paper inside her coatpocket, Artemis compared the name of the local bank to the latest one written on Percy's letter.
Dear Artemis,
Your deposit waits for you at the local bank of Dervish. Be warned, he disappears very fast,"
Percy
Artemis stuffed the paper back on her pocket and padded inside the bank labeled Dervish which had a closed sign on it. Opening the door softly, Artemis grinned as she realized that the bank was relatively empty other than the scuffling she heard inside. This would be easier than she thought. Last time she had tracked down a target, it had been a baker and he is in the middle of an afternoon lunch about to murder a young boy when Artemis' silver knife slit his throat from behind. She had to hide the fat body for three hours in a trash bin since many of his coworkers noticed his disappearance and began looking for him. It was one in the evening before Artemis felt secure enough to move his corpse to the forest where she buried her dead.
As it was now, Artemis removed the sword from her jacket, the silver blade lighting a bit at the fading light. She had learned her lesson now ever since her first Hunt. It is always handy to have a weapon ready in your hand in fighting vampires. Vampires are faster, stronger and have natural abilities to disappear. Only with mind and reactions working together will a person or god be able to match them.
Walking towards the sound, Artemis gently put one foot after another as she finally saw her target. He's not much judging by loos, just a plain old-looking normal guy that you would see usually on the street walking around. Right now he is currently turning his back at her as he fiddled with bank papers and notes from the lockers and Artemis thanked that her luck is holding. Maybe, just maybe. She could end this in one powerful blow.
Counting the distance towards them to no more than a few meters now, Artemis bit her lip as she judged the distance good enough and swung her sword in a powerful downward arc and she nearly tumbled at the lack of resistance and someone passing by her side. Looking widely around, Artemis swung her sword in a couple of two possible directions to make sure he isn't there.
"Great," muttered Artemis to herself as she kept her eyes and ears open for any sign of attack. So, Percy was right again about the disappearing part. Artemis knew that most vampires she fought can never hold an invisibility this long before. Still, Percy taught her how to deal with situations like this.
She is still wearing the suit she wore during her first hunt and Artemis mentally congratulated herself for thinking about how handy many pockets of a suit such as this can have. Her hand went to her right pocket and she clenched the handful of sand she had put there just in case she met a problem like this before. Artemis now made a mental not to trust her instincts for stuff like this even more than usual.
Clutching the handful of the sand, the moon goddess spread them in an arc on her right hearing them clatter uselessly on the floor. The theory is the little fact that even though vampires are invisible, that doesn't change the fact that they can't render themselves in gas form. The sand is supposed to cling to them and would identify their position. After all as Percy always said, its easier to fight an enemy you can see than what you can't see.
"Damn! So he's not there," said Artemis to herself as she clutched another sand ignoring the place she had just scattered the first sands and focused on her left. Her thin lips curved into a thin smile as she noticed a nearby candle stand move on its own.
"Too arrogant and too careless," she thought to herself as she exactly pinpointed the invisible vampire's position. Again Percy was right in his boring lectures. Most vampires are too used killing humans easily becoming complacent and easy to kill for the hunters
In a split second, Artemis threw the sand on her hands too the direction of the vampire and she was rewarded by the sound of a yelp and then coughing. However the last part that pinpoints finally the vampire's position was the small molecules of sand hovering in the air. Judging by the way the sand molecules twirled, the vampire is still disoriented. Her grip tightening on her sword, Artemis charged with a two-handed overhead ready to cleave the vampire in two on one strike. However the moon goddess suddenly gulped as she noticed the vampire pass her body without warning and a sudden pain on her side alerted her that it passed her without warning. Artemis stumbled as she looked around looking for any sign and quandry of her prey, her side throbbed and she felt ichor coming out of the wound as she touched it. Its only a flesh wound but it hurts.
"Great! Percy was right that this idiot could disappear so fast," thought Artemis as she looked around the darking room of the bank.
Her eye caught a couple of molecules hovering in the air in front of the door and the moon goddess smirked. There is no way a vampire is going to escape, it is not in their nature to run away from humans thinking themselves the higher part of the pecking order. In a way they were right as long as they count the Hunters out of it.
"He must be making sure that I won't be able to escape through the door," thought the moon goddess and her lips curved upward as she heard a lock click on the front entrance of the bank.
"So predictable," thought Artemis as she whirled her sword. "Now how to kill him?" wondered the moon goddess. The easiest of course was just too charge with her sword which is a good idea. But Artemis wanted to test something else. Percy once told her that vampires can still die if you cut off their head without silver. Glancing at her back for a second, she smirked as a plan formed in her head. Twirling her weapon in her hands, Artemis repeated her two-handed overhead attack as before with a yell. She was not disappointed as the vampire charged beneath her guard to attack her exposed midsection. However the moon goddess did not let the sword go in a downward cleaving arc. Instead she dropped the sword from her hand that it fell in front of her.
The vampire expecting the sword to move in a downward cleave didn't expect the pommel coming from above without warning towards its head. There was a resounding clang that even Artemis winced at the impact as the vampire became visible with a cross-eyed look and a large bruise on its temple, its momentum still charging at Artemis though slower than before. The moon goddess merely sidestepped and the vampire blind and blurry from the head damage ran headfirst to the money shelves and with a loud crunch killed itself as it imbedded its neck halfway on the stony shelf. Its blood splattering the stone floor.
"Oh come on," whined Artemis seeing the pool of blood. It would take an hour at least to clean up. Picking up the sword on the floor, the moon goddess tiptoed to the dead vampire poking it twice with the sword. She sighed as it didn't flinch. Another Hunt successful. The next thing now was just to bury the blood-sucking fiend.
Dear Percy
There was more even of them than I ever thought to be hiding out there and posing as humans. Doctors, Pastors, Pharmacists, Blacksmiths. I've killed them all. It was more than any man can bear. Even I, a goddess are sickened by how much I've killed brutally. But I know I must kill and I will kill again.
Artemis.
Artemis sat leaning on the tree trunk as she wrote her next letter for Percy. In front of her are four mounds and another had a man lying on it holding his severed head. All of these mounds of course contained Artemis' kills. The last are the banker she had decapitated on the bank. The place was deep in the forest and Artemis doubted anyone would ever stumble on it.
She sighed as she glanced at the empty earth she had dug since she had been doing this vampire hunting. She had specifically readied that hole for Boagrius Barts the moment she killed him though she believed he doesn't deserve the burial mound at all. She had seen her mother's bloody form on the morning with severe bite necks that night when he raped her. It was one of Artemis' most painful memories. She sighed again, she can't help but wonder when would Percy send her the letter asking for Boagrius Barts' head. She had been following all his letters and don't mistake her, she felt good killing vampires and saving the simple folk. In fact it felt even fulfilling than her duties as an Olympian goddess. Still, she wished Percy would finally let her have her revenge.
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There was a clanking sound followed immediately by a snort of someone just waking up. Artemis tried to sniffle her giggles as Abraham looked in horror at the wasted tea scattered on the grass in front of him.
"Well you are very much interesting company Mr. Lincoln," Mary Todd says with a little pout on her lips as she chewed on her bun daintily,"
"I'm sorry Mary. I've been having hard nights," replied Abraham massaging his red-rimmed eyes.
"Mr. Speed keeping you on your toes then?" asked the girl.
"You have no idea,"
Artemis giggled with Cassandra beside her. Truth be told, it was not because Mr. Speed is demanding too much. The man may be a bit bossy sometimes but he never outworked any of them. No, the only problem is Abraham's too gentlemanly attitude that he ket on insisting on standing up on. He had almost taken all of Cassandra's and Artemis' jobs and have shooed the girls away saying that such heavy work was not suited for such beautiful dainty maidens. Artemis had to be dragged by Cassandra to their bedroom to stop the fuming goddess on decorating Abraham as a splat on the wall due to his comment. Artemis guessed of course that is an insult at first but after Cassandra's long explanation that it is nothing but politeness, Artemis caved in.
Thus the new regime had begun without their boss' slightest idea. Abraham had taken over almost of the work of the store while Cassandra focused on making better tasty meals. Artemis on the other hand took the counter job and inventory of the front items. It proved to be both a blessing and a curse. A blessing due to her new feeling of self-fulfillmentm, Artemis now enjoyed working proficiently and a curse to any stupid enough to hit at the beautiful goddess asking her out. That usually ended with the man flying out of the main door holding his manhood protectively.
The downside however of their arrangement was Abraham getting tired more than his co-workers and he sometimes overworked himself that gave him the sleeping habits of sleeping randomly during mornings.
It had been two months now ever since that last vampire hunt and Artemis took the time to enjoy the surroundings around her today. Speed is a churchly fellow and he shop closed every Sunday leaving the day as a day to rest and recuperate for both Artemis and Cassandra. For Abraham however, it was a day which he can spend more time with his love interest. Artemis may not be a believer of the Christian idea of faith but she believed that there is a Creator who made everything. After all, Chaos created the gods and Primordials but there is always someone who is above him. Mortal religion on her opinion is just an excuse for mortals to wage war with one another. Still, Artemis won't argue with Speed on his choice of Faith and she rather enjoyed the sunday breaks they have.
Like today, they are spending their time sitting on a park. Abraham had invited them on his date with Mary this time. Artemis and Cassandra both refused of course at first. Bringing two girls on a date with another girl is the complete recipe for trouble. They breathed a sigh of relief when the overexcited young man disappear. However that sigh turned back to horror when he went back and this time followed by the Senator's daughter, purposely dragging the two beautiful women with them.
This somehow proved to be a bad idea since nearly every male was pining after them. Artemis didn't blame them, her best friend was criminally gorgeous no matter what dress you put her in and Artemis even saw one riding a bicycle crash to the side of the bridge as he was too busy gawking at Cassandra. The girl's blonde hair was shining on the sunlight and Artemis wondered how thick Percy really is having missed someone that beautiful pining over him. What Artemis didn't know that she also is one of the main reasons why people gawk, her silver hair let down was comparable to a waterfall of steel and she missed a couple of civil guards accidentally hitting people with their guns on the head as they stalked a few feet after her.
"Thinking again Artemis?" asked Cassandra beside her bringing the moon goddess to the present as she looked at her best friend. She is right now lying on her back watching the sky while Cassandra, ever the formal one are sitting cross-legged at the grass, her white gown spread over her knees.
"How did you-?"
"Know that you are thinking again?" finished the girl handing her a small cup of coffee. "You and Percy had a lot of common than you even know,"
"Really?" said Artemis taking the cup from her.
"Yes," nodded the blonde girl. "He always tend to brood when some reports came in. I always remind him of course that if he continued with all that brooding that he is doing. He'll completely adopt the wrinkles on his face now,"
Artemis laughed a bit at that as she drank her coffee. "Somehow I can't imagine Percy looking old," she said. "He always was serious and unemotional like a block of ice,"
"He may. But after all he's been through it would be completely understandable," replied Cassandra before looking at her with a mischievous smile. "Though I might say Artemis, you've been talking a lot about Percy ever since we came from that ball. Don't tell me you are interested in him are you?"
Artemis went red at the positive accusation. "No, I'm not!" she frantically denied and lied. "I'm the maiden goddess. Of course I won't be interested in a boy,"
"Girls then?" Artemis stiffened as she felt Cassandra's smooth hands touching her sides edging ever upper to the bottom of her breasts.
"Cassandra," Artemis let off the soft breath she is holding making Cassandra pout before her hands left. However Artemis stiffened even more as she felt the blonde's breath tickle her ears and add with a whisper. "But if you are ever interested, I am available you know," the moon goddess nearly fainted as Cassandra bit her lower ear like a cat. However her shy mood was broken as the blonde girl laughed without warning.
"Ohhh...you are so gullible Artemis,"
The moon goddess can't help the growl that escape her lips. "I'll get you for that!" as she stood up and began chasing the blonde girl who nimbly danced away.
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"I never expected girls to be playing like five year olds you know," muttered Mary as she wiped the forehead of the girl laying in front of her with a small cloth.
"I didn't expect that Artemis would actually do that," moaned Cassandra making Artemis wince as Abraham's girlfriend cleaned the rag she is using with water.
"I'm sorry already alright. Just drop it Cassie," said the moon goddess looking at the knocked out form of her best friend. She may have accidentally thrown mud poop and it hit Cassandra's long hair during one of their childish run in behavior when Artemis found out that catching the blonde girl proved to be a little more than impossible. As it was, it was really over the board and Cassandra demanded that they wash it out of her ended up without question much to everyone's chagrin. Abraham had excused himself on some emergency and Artemis was sure that Mary would give him a good tongue lashing the moment he came back.
"It smells!" whined Cassandra
"It should be. Its poop!" replied Artemis trying hard not to gag as she helped Mary wash the girl's hair back to normal without letting the dirty substance cling to the owner's skin.
"It smells really bad!"
"Did you expect it not to be?"
"I love my hair!"
"It's obvious," replied Artemis dryly thinking normally how she would never agree to a menial task like this.
"Hey Cass," Artemis finally spoke up after a few moments of silent treatment from the grumbling girl. Finally Artemis remembered something that she really wanted to talk about with the girl.
"Hmm!"
"Can you tell me about Percy's family?" asked Artemis and she was surprised as the girl look at her with blinking eyes. Artemis cringed, she knew that Cassandra loved Percy and her being interested on the same man made for awkward situations like this. The girl may not be hostile about the idea but she isn't exactly very welcoming about it either. By unspoken agreement, they left it for Percy to choose who he will.
"Why?" her reply asked.
"Who is this Percy she is asking?" asked an interested Mary.
"Just her date on the ball," replied Cassandra for her with a smirk that made Artemis red. Leave it to the girl who loved teasing her every time.
"Ahh, so he is that handsome young man whom I saw Artemis was very clingy at," nodded Mary and Artemis can't help but blurt out her own defense.
"I'm not clingy!"
"Sure you're not," smirked Cassandra and Mary making Artemis groan at the disbelief on their faces,
"Are you going to tell me or not?" Artemis asked finally at the smirking blonde.
"Fine, what do you want to know?"
Artemis gulped as she aligned her thoughts to what she remembered about Percy during their first meeting. "I remembered he was rich,"
Cassandra scoffed at her remark. "Rich would be lightly putting it Artemis. The family name of Jackson controlled nearly all the lands west of Jersualem to the Oasis of the Bassilicus. But let's start at the beginning," she sighed making herself comfortable on the ground. Mary beside her who was cleaning her hair leaned in a bit to listen.
"As you already know Artemis, Percy's original name isn't Percy but Perseus," she began.
"Wait, that's Greek isn't it," interjected Artemis.
"Yes that's Greek and stop interrupting," said Cassandra with a small scowl. "Now this is not my place to be telling about it, you need to ask Percy more if you want to know. But Percy was in fact not the full blooded son of Arcturus Jackson. He is what you may called only taken in. Baron Arcuturus and Kerrigan never had a child of their own that time and during one of Arcturus' coastal patrols, he managed to find a Christian ship that sailed from Messina shipwrecked near the shores of the main road to Jerusalem. Percy as a baby floating in a makeshift basket was the only that survived. And of course as you know, all stories go, Arcturus took him in," Cassandra looked at them for a moment before continuing.
"You had to understand, the times before are not like the times today. Arcturus was a baron in service to the King of Jerusalem and a mighty one at that. He had his own small stronghold and commanded nearly six hundred families to take care of it. Percy was the only son despite adopted and much had to be expected from him to take up if his dad ever died," Cassandra actually smiled as she reminisced her thoughts. "The two of them are so different I heard from the other people. Arcturus may not be cruel but he's not kind either. Percy on the other hand was the people's champion and was the pride of the Baron at the same time. He was always successful that even the muslims feared him. When he took the oath to become part of the Order of the Teutonic Knights, I heard tha the entire barony celebrated his induction. Word spread that even the feared Arcturus Jackson was jumping up from house to house waking people up and scaring half of them to their wits end after spreading the word that his son is now a part of the knight order," Cassandra laughed a bit at that. "It was funny in fact, the king was even surprised that the ever stoic general of the Western marches after being marched to jail for drinking too much and causing much havoc on the pilgrim roads,"
"So what happened then?" asked Artemis now engrossed in the story.
"It was great," she shrugged. "Percy was next in line to take over as Baron for his father. The people loved him and even King Baybars II managed once to talk to him. He is the pride of the Teutonic Knights, exactly what their Order aspire to be. Many people look up to the Order and unto him...including me. I once saw them riding on Jerusalem with his men at arms. They looked so regal, so otherworldly with their white capes and beautiful armor. To be truthful, I might say that I once believed that knights are sacred warriors from Heaven sent by God to protect those of us that are weakened by poverty at those times,"
Artemis can't help but scoff. "What a load of dung. The Crusades are nothing more than an excuse to conquer lands and to bring back gold and much wealth for the lazy politicians,"
Cassandra merely smiled ruefully. "Yes, that's a shame. And Percy recognized it too and so did Arcturus, and later so did the Order of the Teutonic Knights. You should have heard Percy say: First I thought we fight for God. Then I know that we are fighting for land and property. Then later I understood that we are fighting for no more than gold and Italy becomes rich as the Savior intended,"
"Doom and gloom stuff that is," said Mary.
"It is," nodded Cassandra but it is true. "When Guy became the new king of Jerusalem, things turned for worse. The Western front became suddenly a safe haven for Jews and Muslims from Jerusalem since the new king is on the warpath on genocide killing Muslims and Jews being the fanatic he was. When he ordered Saladin's sister executed, many knew that it is the beginning of the end. Percy marched with Arcturus and the rest of the Teutonic Knights and the Western wardens and there as you know it already on history suffered their deaths after the defeat at Saladin's hand. Only Percy and the small company of knights escape to rescue whatever survivors they can and head off to find their destiny. The rest you need to ask Percy. It's not my place to tell,"
Cassandra sighed in front of her and Artemis leaned back looking at the ripples of the water. So much had happened to Percy and Artemis understood why he is cold and silent. However who is he really? Cassandra said he's only adopted. Who is his real father?
Artemis' musing was cut off as Mary suddenly piped from the side making her presence known. "What you just said, its only a story right?" she asked.
Cassandra and Artemis merely looked at one another before responding with a silent nod of understanding between them before looking at the Senator's Daughter.
"Of course it is, don't tell me you believed someone from that time would still be alive today," scoffed Artemis in what she hoped was a joking voice.
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It's official, Artemis hated vampires with muscles rather than vampires that can go invisible. Her next target was simply a blacksmith at the edge of town. She had anticipated a clean kill since Percy's letter simply said "He knows the one you killed on the bank," . What Artemis didn't expect was that the moment she got near enough to chop his head clean off was the vampire actually stabbing her hand with an iron poker.
That was the first time Artemis screamed. The hot metal went past her palm and if that wasn't hurtful enough, she was easily manhandled by the vampire as it clutched her coat and shoved her straight at the furnace in front of her. Being lighter than the huge blacksmith, Artemis nearly took a vacation to Tartatus at worst or had her face burned off at best (which she did not exactly prefer for romantic interests). As it was she barely managed to use her feet to stop her body being shoved to the fire.
However she can't stop the yelp as the large meaty hands of the vampire suddenly went to her rear and squeezed her cheeks which are being firmly formed through the pants she is wearing. Creator, Percy was right about vampires killing and torturing maidens. Unfortunately that lust can be used as a weapon and a distraction.
Artemis felt that the hand holding her neck to the fire lessened due to lack of concentration as the one in her rear tightened. Ignoring the molestation of her body for a moment, Artemis put her entire strength on her right foot and knees to push against the wall that it drove her backward against the vampire. She was rewarded by the vampire's surprised growl before it was followed by a thud and a loud grunt. Smirking to herself, Artemis turned around grabbing the disoriented blood sucking fiend on the scruff of his apron before shoving him headstraight to the anvil. His dying screams echoed on the night as Artemis fanned the anvil even more.
5 minutes later
Another hunt successful. Artemis thought as she looked around at the seven graves that littered the forest floor. She had come a long way, still Artemis felt resentment to Percy as she look at the empty one she reserved for her mother's murderer. She sighed as she shouldered her shovel and begin to walk away. Next time she and Percy meet, she would demand that she kill Boagrius Barts.
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1 hour later two civil guards accidentally stumbled upon the seven graves
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HIYA2X READERS. ANOTHER CHAPTER IS DONE. HIHIHIHI ANYWAY THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS. SORRY IF THIS AUTHOR NOTE IS SHORT. ILL UPDATE IT NEXT TIME, VERY BUSY AT THE MOMENT. PLEASE REVIEW THANK YOU.
