Hola, long time no see. Sorry for the wait, I've been tied up in…stuff. Nothing much to say so…here it goes.

Chapter 12

Twisted, Dizzy, Tango

He went through it in his mind, again.

Aisling there's something I have to tell you…Aisling I was feeling…

Aisling…

"Hey." Artemis jerked his head around. Thalia was standing directly behind him, smiling…strangely.

"What's up?" she asked, casually. Artemis wondered if she honestly wanted to know, or if she wanted to know the details of…of what happened last night surely. Surely Aisling told her.

He replied moodily, "The ceiling." Thalia snorted, looking down at her feet then back at Artemis, searching for words that weren't there. The young boy closed his locker and began walking off, ignoring Thalia completely.

"Hey," she said again, jogging up next to him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," he replied, acidly, avoiding her. He could feel his heart growing colder, reluctant, pushing away like the winter still over a plain. Thalia kept up, though she wasn't smiling anymore. Annoyance took over.

"Why are you so upset? Don't take it out on me! Why aren't you talking? Artemis?"

Artemis had enough. He turned swiftly, and said at the same speed, "Listen, Thalia. I thank you for your…concern. But I assure you; I'm quite fine without your bobbling shadowing. So, if you'd please…" and he waved his hand, as if shooshing the maid. Thalia bristled, visibly.

"Listen," she snapped. "I haven't done anything to you, alright? So the moody leave me alone boy act is getting old. Stop it."

Artemis sighed. "I haven't any time for this, Thalia."

"Well you have time for this," Thalia said. "So just listen. Aisling says she loves you. And she wants you to meet her outside for lunch. So I suggest you stick that cold hearted defense up your sorry…" Her sentence never finished though, because she saw a look in Artemis's eyes. Realization.

"She never said that," he said. Thalia realized her subtle lie had been caught. She tried to open her mouth, but Artemis was gone.

Possibly, forever.

Aisling caught the note in her hand, without even looking. It had become second nature considering the good luck that, since her and Callie's name were back to back, they sat across or in front of each other in every class. She glanced up, checking to make sure Mrs. Keene was busy, and then unfolded the note, slowly.

Hey,

Are you planning on breaking up with Artemis? Thalia said you guys seemed tense.

Aisling scowled, and for the first time, crumbled the note in her hands and didn't reply. How could Thalia have done that? Gone behind her back, and talked to Callie? Then another thought struck her. What if she had gone to Artemis? Aisling sighed deeply. Could, for once, people stay out of her life, and stop telling her how to live? She looked out the window, and started breathing jaggedly, on the verge of tears. Mrs. Keene's lecture was lost in the mucked up thoughts of her head, pounding itself until she felt the mental and physical pain of it all.

Against them all, though, this thought stood out.

It was too much to hope for, anyway.

Aries watched the chaos within rip apart the teens, and…scowled. Usually this kind of torment amused her, but this…this was just wrong. And it had nothing to do with Artemis loving Aisling. At had something to do with love itself. She turned on Cupid.

"This is wrong," she said. "Voodoo's powers are tearing them apart!"

"Too bad," Cupid said, swirling the olive in his martini glass. Aries gritted her teeth. From the mini bar, several glasses of Champaign broke.

"You're not playing fair," she shouted, practically. "This was Artemis's game and your game alone. I should have never agreed to work with you!"

Cupid stood up, abruptly. "You can't change the fact that you're in this now, unless you want all of Haven to know your little secret? I didn't think so. You're helpless, Aries. And so is Artemis. I'm in control here, and there's nothing you can do." The destructive goddess's flared.

"You really shouldn't say that," she said. "Especially to me."

"And what could you possibly do?" Valentino asked.

Aries smiled, which was answer enough.

"You're an idiot." Really, it was all Callie could say to Thalia. The young girl looked down at her feet, ashamed.

"I thought it would help," she muttered, sadly.

Callie sighed. "Well…it didn't. It hasn't. All we can hope for now is that…nothing else will interfere."

"I doubt it," Thalia mumbled. Callie lifted her head, and Thalia did too. Aisling was walking towards them, mad. Furious.

"Sis I---"

"Stay out of it," Aisling said in warning calm. "Stay out of it Thalia or I swear to God I'll…" Thalia looked at her sister. She was somehow overwhelmed, sad and…defeated. Lonely.

"Aisling I…" But the older sister wouldn't hear a word of it. She walked off, confused and betrayed.

Callie rubbed her head. "Nice."

Artemis sat next to her, without saying a word. Strange, he thought. Under the live oak, when really, this is where it all happened. Or, where I think I won Aisling's heart. Did I? He looked over at her. She hadn't said a word, just stared in the distance. It was so awkward…so foreign. Artemis cleared his throat, but thought of nothing to say.

Aisling looked at him. "You don't really love me, do you?"

It was the last thing Artemis expected her to say. He tried to look into her eyes, but it was hard. Somehow, saying yes would sound like he was betraying her. And he didn't want to betray her.

Isn't that what love is? Not wanting to hurt the ones you care about, most?

"It's ok," she said, standing. "I understand."

"You didn't give me the chance to answer," Artemis said in know it all tones. Like his old, true self.

Aisling looked at him, questionably. Artemis picked himself up and, mimicking his father, stroked Aisling's cheek with his thumb. Aisling looked down, not in disgust, but in embarrassment.

"So?" She asked, taking a step closer.

The warning signs went off in Artemis's head again, louder. "I think we ought to give it a try," he said. Aisling nodded, and smiled sheepishly.

And from the corner, a certain love fairy watched with bemusement, a smile twitching on his lips.

"Let the fun begin," he said.

All right, sorry for the shortness. It's late. Spanish quiz tomorrow.

Loves,

Wandering Mind