Artemis Chapter 8: Aderes

Author's Note: Oh. My. God. Sixty six reviews! I'm SO happy!!! You have no idea! That and my story has 1226 hits! I'm super super happy! P.S. Call me crazy, but I hear Aderes' lines voiced by Jennifer Hale. Really, don't ask. I've just been playing too much KotOR.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I also don't own the Goldfinger reference. So STFU lawyers! Don't make me sic my dachshund on you!

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"You have trespassed into sacred territory, human. Now you die."

Raven's mind raced, as she strove to come up with an escape plan. Pretty soon the mystery woman would let go of her bowstring and that would be the end of her. Her powers were useless here. Naturally, Raven quickly came up with the second most viable solution: She thrust her arm back and elbowed her attacker in the stomach. The woman buckled, her arrow slicing a line down Raven's neck. Raven ran. She didn't stop running until she came to a small stream. She collapsed next to it and regained her breath. She washed her hands and face in the stream. The water wasn't frigid as she expected, but pleasantly cool. Who is that woman and why does she want to kill me?At least she's gone now.

Just then an arrow was shot into Raven's cloak, pinning her to the ground. She tried to free herself, but an arrow shot into the hood of her cape, and slammed her back. Within seconds, her arms were likewise pinned. The arrows were buried deep, the feathered ends just sticking up from the ground. Her attacker stepped out from the shadows, lit only by the moonlight around her.

She was tall, almost six feet in height. Her hair seemed to be made out of moonbeams, each strand glowing like fiery white wire. It cascaded down her back and fell around her shoulders. Her skin was very pale and gave off a light, silvery sheen. She looked no older than seventeen, although the worn and aged quality of her eyes disputed her youthful appearance. She stood with a great dignity, as if she was the sole undertaker of an important duty.

A brown leather quiver was slung across her back, filled completely with silver arrows fletched with white feathers. She was dressed in a short, sleeveless tan dress, which had thick gold embroidery along the edges. Her hands were clutching a silver longbow with golden leaves running along it's limbs. An arrow was at the ready, aimed at Raven's heart. The girl's steel grey eyes were dispassionate, and held no mercy towards Raven. She laughed, a high and cold sound. Cornered. I feel completely cornered.

"Running does no good, I think. This place is my home. I know it well. I know it well enough to know that you have entered Artemis' mind without permission. And it is my duty as her guardian to kill you before you do harm."

Suddenly Raven remembered Artemis' words: "Remember, you had my permission to enter." She must have anticipated this.

"Wait! I did have permission!"

The girl's eyes narrowed in mistrust but she lowered her bow out of curiosity's sake. "Did you now? And who, pray tell, gave you this permission? If I know Artemis, which I do, very well I might add; she would not trust someone to enter her mind. I will, however, listen to what you have to say. After all," she laughed, "I do not think you are going anywhere."

Raven regaled the entire story for the girl. She listened with an impassive, cautious face, much like Raven's own. When she was finished, the girl moved closer. She lowered her bow to Raven's face. This is the end, I suppose. Amazing. I helped prevent the apocalypse and this is how I die. She closed her eyes, waiting for the girl to let go of the bowstring. She did.

Hmm. I don't feel very dead. Raven opened her eyes. The arrow that was once aimed at Raven was buried in the ground a millimeter away from her cheek. She spared me. Why? The girl bent down and silently plucked the arrows from the ground and placed them in her quiver. She extended Raven a hand and pulled her up. "It would appear that I have misjudged you. For that, I apologize."

Raven stood up and faced the girl. "Uh, it's no problem," she said. She was still wary of the girl. After all, she couldn't use her powers, and this girl had an ample supply of sharp, pointy objects. Raven asked the girl a question that had been burning at the tip of her tongue for quite some time.

"Who are you?"

"Of course, proper introductions must be made. I am Aderes, the Maiden of the Silver Bow. I am Artemis' guardian spirit. I am her conscience, the one who guides her actions and learns from her experiences. I learn what she learns, I feel what she feels, and I will rejoin the beyond when she is dead."

"Can you help me look through her memories?"

"I could. The place that you seek is a ways away; we would have to walk a while."

Great. More hiking. Oh joy of joys.

They hiked for a long time under the blanket of pine trees. On one of their breaks, Raven looked up at the sky. It was incredibly realistic rendering, for a mind scape. Then she noticed that even though time passed quicker in the mind, the moon's position in the sky had not changed. It should be at least sunrise now. At least in here. But it has remained as dark as when I arrived.

Aderes saw what Raven was staring at. "The sky, it does not change. It is always night here."

Raven stared at her, mystified. "Why?"

Aderes flexed her hand upwards, toward the stars. "Night was when Artemis was born, at the exact moment the moon was highest in the sky. Because of this, she has always shared a special connection with the moon and the night sky. Terra was born at sunrise. So her mind is likely the opposite."

"Oh," Raven replied. Weird.

"We are here."

Raven looked around. She saw nothing of interest. "And where is here?"

Aderes reached out and plucked a large branch from their path, exposing an area Raven had not yet seen.

"Here is here, Raven."

"Wow."

Raven could not say anything else, because words could not describe what she saw. I will, however, do my best to elaborate. The entire expanse was an enormous lake fed by a sparkling, pure waterfall. Gentle ripples gathered where the waterfall met the lake's surface, before gracefully fading away into nothingness. Whistling reeds accompanied the lake's shores, and Raven could hear the gentle croaking of bullfrogs. "This lake is the embodiment of her mind. Her thoughts are the water that keeps this waterfall flowing, always mixing and melding her hopes and dreams, and- her fears. For the most part, her mind is clear, as is her purpose in life. But occasionally," she pointed to a small stream of brownish sludge-like water," her 'bad thoughts' get in the way of things. If you had been here earlier, that little stream had practically taken over the entire lake. It's a miracle she contained herself long enough for the stream to shrink again."

Raven looked around at the lake. "This is amazing," she murmured.

"Would you like to take a closer look?" Raven nodded.

Aderes and Raven walked to the very edge of the lake. Raven knelt down and brushed her fingers against the water. The water was cool and almost made Raven want to jump in the lake. Aderes knelt down next to her and dipped one of her arrows in the water.

Almost immediately, small glassy black orbs rose up from the surface, glowing with an inner silver light. Shadows and moving shapes swirled around inside them. Raven sat, transfixed by the orbs. Aderes only said, "You must know." Immediately the orbs swirled faster around the air, trailing glowing lines in their wake. They were glowing closer to Raven's hand. Before she could cry out, one sank into Raven's skin and her vision started to shift.

--Flashback( Well, one of Artemis' memories, but regardless)--

Raven looked around. She was somewhere in a desert city. Her fair skin was already starting to bake in the dry heat. Merchants hawked their wares to locals and tourists alike. Children ran amuck in the streets. "Give me some red shoes, because I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore," Raven mumbled. She looked off into the distance. She saw pyramids. Egypt then. I'm in Egypt. In Artemis' memory.

It looked like she was in an outdoor cafe. Thick purple and orange awnings obscured the harsh desert sun and instead let small beams of sunlight in through the gaps. A well dressed, middle-aged Egyptian man sat at a table in front of her reading a newspaper and periodically checking his watch. His golden rings clinked together as he drummed his hand on the table. He must be waiting for Artemis.

"Wait a minute. I just dropped out of the sky, and this means nothing to these people?" Duh. This is a memory. They're trapped in a pocket of time. They won't notice me or anything I do. This is Artemis' memory. So where is she?

As if on cue, Artemis stepped through Raven and sat down silently at the table. The man's newspaper was blocking his face and he didn't notice. "What, I don't get an 'excuse me'?" Raven asked. Artemis said nothing. Raven didn't think she would. This Artemis looked younger, maybe by a year. She had also traded her almost all-black attire for light-colored desert garb. Faint wisps of her black hair hung around her face. The rest of her head was hidden by a tan hood. She hadn't given up her swords, though. Raven could see them clinking under a loose fold of cloth.

"Hello, Haseem."

The man nearly jumped out of his seat. "By Allah, Moonchild, don't do that again!" he cried in thickly accented English.

Artemis smiled. "Oh, but it's fun." She noticed the newspaper he was reading. "Any mention of the foiled robbery yesterday? Normally, I'd read about it myself, but I have absolutely no idea how to read Arabic."

The man turned the paper towards her so she could see the mug shots of three men. "The notorious cat burglar Faisil Mahmood and his two accomplices were found yesterday in famed gold bullion tycoon, Auric Goldfinger's, home. Heh, interesting name. The men, their arms and legs tied, confessed to counts of breaking and entering, conspiracy, and premeditated murder. They also spoke of a young teenage girl who was responsible for their capture. According to the thief lord, Mahmood, the girl could "bend the air and create fire from her fingertips". The girl's physical description is, as of yet, unknown. Police are discounting this 'girl' for lack of evidence. All three men are facing trial and most likely the death penalty. This capture has ended a reign of plundering lasting almost five years," Haseem finished. He winked at Artemis. "All in a day's work, eh, Moonchild?"

"All in a night's pay," she corrected him. 'You put a reward on their heads, and I want it."

"Straight to business, I see. Yes well," He slid a fat envelope across the table, "Business is business."

Artemis took the envelope and counted the U.S. currency within. Once she was satisfied, she pocketed the envelope. "Indeed it is."

"You do good work, Moonchild. Perhaps you would like to join the organization full time."

Artemis smiled. "A bounty hunter's life is a fun one, I must admit. But I have other business, Haseem. Business that has inevitably led me out of this fair country. I leave today."

Raven gaped at Artemis. Bounty hunter?!? Well it did explain how she got money for her large globe-spanning trek. Up until then, Raven thought that the lack of funds was a potential hole in her story. Now it seems she was proven wrong.

"Still chasing that elusive Slade, Moonchild? He must be a crafty one to escape you for so long, heh?"

Artemis' eyes narrowed. "Crafty, indeed."

Haseem leaned in closer to the table. "I hear whispers of this man from my many informants. He is as fast as an Egyptian asp, and just as deadly. You must tread carefully. But you are a good girl. You are an even better bounty hunter."

He withdrew two small boxes from the chest pocket of his tan suit. "I wish to give you these. The first box has something to get you where you need to be, and what's in the second box will protect you when you get there."

Artemis opened the first box. It contained a set of keys and directions to a motorcycle garage along with a copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Artemis gasped. "Thank you Haseem."

He smiled. "You're welcome, Moonchild."

Artemis opened the second box. A snake ring and an ankh necklace rolled out into her outstretched hand. Artemis smiled widely, slipping the ring on her finger.

Haseem looked at her, smiling as he saw the grinning girl. "That ring was my grandmother's, you mind it well."

Artemis smiled. "I will, Haseem. My ferry leaves in a few hours. I have to get ready."

"Where are you disappearing to, Moonchild?"

"America. I have unfinished business with an old friend."

"That friend best watch their step. I know that look in your eyes. May Allah smile on you and your ventures, Moonchild. I know I will hear word of your exploits. And the next time you are in Egypt, remember to look for old Haseem, eh?"

"I will Haseem." She stood up and started to walk away. "I'll be back Haseem! You won't get rid of me this easily!" she called over her shoulder.

Raven watched as the man fold up his newspaper and saw Artemis leave. "Farewell, Moonchild. Until we meet again."

--End Memory--

Haseem and the rest of the landscape surrounding Raven dripped down like oil in front of her eyes. She was lifted into the air soundlessly, as waves and patches of color swirled around with nauseating patterns. Raven felt as though she was being spun into space. When will this end? With that, Raven fell rather unceremoniously into a different memory in Artemis' mind.

--More Memories(Yay memories!)--

Raven lifted herself from the hard, rocky ground. She was in some sort of cave. Her back was tired and sore and she didn't have the power to heal it. But soon she forgot all of that with what she saw next. Slade was fighting Artemis. And Artemis was losing. Very badly. This must be before we met. At the, Sanctuary, I think it was called. This must have been the day that Artemis' people died. She wasn't lying, she really is telling the truth. I was- wrong?

Raven flinched when she saw Artemis being flung against a rocky wall. She wished there was something she could do, but this fight was in the past. All she could do is watch. She followed the battle throughout the cave. Artemis was cornered by Slade. He said something quietly. She could barely make out the words : "Don't need another apprentice".

A girl stepped forward and stood next to Slade. Her auburn hair shone from the indigo fireball she had wrapped around her hand, and her grey eyes were brimming with malice. Raven guessed that this was Atalanta. Artemis and Atalanta exchanged words, and Artemis futilely tried to turn Atalanta away from Slade. Raven's eyes narrowed. Slade had turned yet another person away from their friends with promises of power and inciting jealousy. Slade ordered Atalanta to kill Artemis. It seemed that she complied, and Artemis fell to the floor, her clothing singed and burned. Her face was ashy, and her arms and legs were bruised beyond belief. Slade and Atalanta turned and left. Blue fire licked across the ground, leaving sooty lines.

Time seemed to fast forward. The sky, which was tinged with purple and orange quickly changed to almost black. Artemis stirred. She got to her feet, and cringed in pain. Her shirt sleeve was charred and ashy, and some of it fell off all together. One pant sleeve was eight inches shorter than the other. Her legs were sooty and bruised. A half-melted water bottle slid out of her jacket pocket, sloshing water onto the ground. Her arms were puffy, red, and bloody from her elbows to her fingertips, and she tried her best not to move them. Instead, she shoved her hands into the bottle, wincing in pain. Raven looked on curiously. What is she doing? The water in the bottle glowed a light blue, bringing her hands back to normal, the skin unblemished. She's healing herself. After aminute or sothe water in the bottle ran out, leaving the wounds on Artemis' forearms untreated. She looked around desperately before finding a small mud puddle near her foot. She lifted a small stream out of the puddle and wrapped it around both her arms. Suddenly, the water, which was glowing a gentle blue, darkened to a murky brown. Artemis' eyes widened in horror as she realized her mistake. "Dirty water," she murmured. "No!" Artemis cried out in pain and fell again, as the smell of blackening flesh filled the air. Raven then understood why Artemis never took off her armbands. "Now I know," she whispered.

--End Memory--

The area surrounding Raven dissolved once again in a shimmering array of light and color. When her vision settled, she saw she was sitting once again at the shores of the lake Aderes had taken her to. Aderes was sitting on a nearby rock, one of the black orbs swirling around her outstretched hand. If she noticed Raven standing next to her, she said nothing. She sent the little orb back into the lake with a flick of her hand. "Memories are powerful things, are they not, Raven? They hold so much for some people, and yet so little for others. Hopefully you learned something."

"How did you-"

"This is my realm. I can do what I want."

Raven said nothing for a few minutes. She was still mulling over the memories she had just seen. "How did that thing in the cave, how did that happen to her?"

"Healing is a tricky practice. Artemis is still a novice in that particular art. When you heal, the water must be pure and clean, or the water will actually reverse the healing process. Artemis, in her haste to treat her injuries, drew her water from a mud puddle. She was lucky to escape alive. A good thing too, for I would have died with her. "

"Can you take me back to the outside world?"

"I can." She pointed to the rocky precipice that the waterfall was streaming from. "Do you see that?"

Raven nodded.

"You need to go to the top of that rock, and jump off."

Raven gaped at her, as would any right-thinking person. "Let me get this straight. You want me to climb to the top of a twelve foot rock, and jump off? That tends to cause a minor case of deadness."

Aderes laughed. "You aren't jumping off the rock into a black void, genius. You're jumping into the deepest part of the lake, the heart of her mind. It isn't my fault that that's the only way to leave her mind. I only guard this realm. I didn't create it."

Raven swallowed. Now that she knew the truth, she would have preferred the black void. She did not like water, and she was pretty sure water's feeling was mutual. "How deep is the lake?"

Raven saw the barest hint of a smirk on Aderes' lips. "Deep enough."

Raven crossed her arms. "I'm serious, you know."

"As was I." Aderes paused for a moment. "You aren't afraid are you?"

Raven was aghast. At least, she tried to look aghast. "Me? Afraid? Never. I don't do fear." She thought of the last time she tried to deny an emotion. "Alright. Maybe a little. But it's nothing I can't handle."

"So you are leaving, then?"

"Yeah. This place is great and all, but I'd like to go home."

"Well give Artemis my regards." She curtsied, her arrows threatening to spill from her quiver. "May the Force be with you."

Raven lifted an eyebrow at that. "What?"

Aderes smiled. "Just go. Farewell, Raven, perhaps our paths will cross again."

"Good bye, Aderes."

Raven climbed up the rock on her own. It was an arduous task, as it seemed the hand and footholds changed every few minutes. It was almost like Artemis' mind wouldn't let her leave. When she finally reached the top, she made the mistake of looking down. The lake seemed ready to swallow her up in its inky depths. The space between the lake and the rock seemed to stretch and lengthen. Raven took a deep breath and put a foot over the rock into the air. It stayed there for about a millisecond before she placed it back on the rock. Come on. You've never been afraid of heights before. But then again, I had the benefit of my powers.

"Do you need any help?"

Raven whipped around and nearly lost her footing on the rock. Aderes was standing behind

her. "You need to stop doing that," said Raven.

Aderes smiled. "But it's fun. Now, do you need help or not?"

Raven frowned. "I should be able to do this myself. But-"

"You can't take the first step," finished Aderes.

Raven nodded. Aderes stepped closer. "What are you doing?" asked Raven.

"I'm helping you take the first step." Without another word, Aderes reached out and pushed Raven off the ledge. Raven tumbled down feet-first. She could hear Aderes shout "You're welcome!" If I wasn't falling backwards off a ledge, I would- Raven hit the water hard, and that stopped her expletive-laden thought. her back and legs were numb from striking the water. Without being able to move them, she sank quickly through the water. Before she went under, she managed a small breath, and then sank into the lake.

The water was cold, and oppressive. It felt like it was crushing her from all sides. She struggled to open her eyes. She was falling rather rapidly through the water, faster than she would in the real world. The faint bluish light from the surface was growing dimmer and dimmer, as the water surrounding Raven became progressively darker. Air was being sucked out of her lungs quicker then she could blink. Soon she felt starved, and completely drained. I can't take much more of this. Either I'm going to leave this place, or I'm going to die here. She could see a white light that was growing brighter. She seemed to be gravitating towards it. Hmm. I'm going into the light. I wonder how many times that has been used before.Any second now, the water pressure and my lack of air will kill me. What a cheery thought.Three... She closed her eyes. Two... Her body tightened. One...

"Raven! Raven, are you okay?" It was Artemis.

She opened her eyes slowly. "Do I look okay to you?" After all, she was sopping wet and half hanging off her bed. Artemis was standing over her concerned. She grabbed Raven's hand and pulled her to her feet. Raven tilted her head to the side and shook water out of her ear. She also lifted up a book a few times with her powers to make sure she still had them. "Raven? You're soaking! Here, uh, hold on to something."

Raven gripped the edge of her bedspread tentatively. "What are-". Raven was surrounded by a whirling cyclone of air. Her firm grip on her bedspread kept her from being swept away. A few minutes later, the cyclone ended. Raven looked herself over. She was completely dry. She looked over at Artemis. "Jet dry," she said, "Comes in handy."

"Thanks."

Artemis plopped down on Raven's bed. "So how was your little sojourn into my mind?"

Raven sat down next to her. "It was very interesting," she said, "Moonchild the bounty hunter, huh? Interesting occupation for a fourteen year old."

Artemis shrugged. "What can I say? I needed money, desperately. I had a job at a coffee house for about a day or two, until Haseem saw me training. He offered me a better job, one that paid more. So, Moonchild the Bounty Hunter was born."

"I see. Tell me, did you know that there's a girl with a bow and arrow living inside your head?"

Artemis stared at her. "What?"

Raven explained Aderes and her purpose inside her mind. "Oh, my guardian. Mother told me that every Elemental was born with one. They are the part of us that gives our power over the Elements. Because of this, they are always well-guarded, so no one may enter an Elemental's mind and kill them. Doing so would take away our power," Artemis said, "But it seems mine can take of herself."

Raven rubbed the back of her neck, and looked at the holes in her cloak and leotard. The cuts where the arrows scraped her were just beginning to heal over. "No kidding."

Artemis re-adjusted herself on the bed. "What did you see? Can you trust me?"

Raven sighed. "I can't not. Not when the truth is right in front of me. It goes against everything I've been taught."

Artemis smiled. "Is that a yes?"

Raven nodded.

"Thank you."

"Can I ask you something, Artemis?"

"What?"

Raven gestured to her arms. "Do they hurt?"

Artemis rubbed one of her armbands self-consciously. "All the time."

Raven bit her lip. "I don't understand. Why don't you just try healing again?"

"It isn't that easy; I wish it was. They're too damaged for healing. It would be foolish for anyone to try," she said bitterly.

"So does this make us friends?"

"That's entirely up to you Raven. You know I'm not a liar, so the decision is up to you."

Raven thought for a second. "How did you know you could trust us?"

"My mother always told me 'The pillars that stand together last longer than the ones that stand alone' Simply put, you can't get through life on your own. I needed friends. You saved me, took me in, and gave me a home. What better people are there to trust?"

Raven thought about when she had first left Azarath. She was cold and alone, and barely made it through the days. Being with the Titans changed that. It gave her a place to stay, and for the first time in her life, she could declare that she had friends. "I guess you're right," she said. It was silent for a few minutes.

Artemis stood up. "My statement still stands. But right now, I'm a bit tired. Kahmet probably wants food by now anyway. Good night Raven. Good night, Lenore." Lenore let out a gentle caw in response. Artemis walked out the door, letting it swish behind her.

You did nothing wrong in not calling her your friend. She hasn't earned it yet anyway. "I don't know Rae-Rae. She seemed kinda nice." Shut up, Happy. Nobody asked you.

End

I dunno. Not so happy with the way I ended this chapter. But Happy reminds me of one of my friends that I was just talking to, so I had to slip her in. Plus I'm tired, and am in need of my coffee. Mmm, coffee.. And I had to put in "May the Force be with you". What can I say? I'm a Star Wars geek, and damn proud of it. I liked writing Aderes. For those that wondered, her name means "Protector" in Greek. I thought it was fitting. Yes, I am well aware of my rambling. So I'll cut it short: REVIEW AND MY DACHSHUND WON'T KEEELLLL YOOOUUUUU!! (Pulls a Darth Vader) You underestimate the power of the dachshund! (Add weird breathing noises.) Hehe. Good night folks!

-Artemis out.