Hey! Chapter 8, I think this is. Bwaha. I can't even remember!
ShadowMagicks- Uhmmm... This says it all. Bwaha. And... there's another cliffhanger. Sorry. Can't help myself.
aperfectattitude- Is this... soon? I don't know, I tried last night and something went wrong.
me, obviously- Love your username, by the way... :) Actually, Arty is MINE! Nah, kidding. Now if someone made a million Artys, the world would be so much more peaceful. Sorry if this chapter is also short. It looks longer in Word.
miroku- that's what you said last time... you know, I should do that. Instead of making long reviews... awesome update soon. That's it. Thanks. :)
Disclaimer: I love and own Chrysanthene. I also own Ariane, who is crucial to the plot here. The mistake, anyway. I don't own anyone else, unfortunately. Oh, by the way. If I post the story of Ariane and Artemis... It'll clear up a lot of things. :)
"Keep me? As what?"
Chrysanthene suddenly realized how that must have sounded. "Umm… Not that I'm a fan of you… I'm not one of those people who scream and throw themselves at people…"
Artemis looked considerably relieved. Maybe he thought she had changed her mind. She hadn't.
"I'm going to keep you as a hostage." Oh good, he got worried again. I so love myself. My plans are INGENIOUS! "You see, a lot of people care about you."
"Not Butler," the boy said miserably. She smiled. He was utterly convinced.
"Not Butler," she agreed. "But there are still others. Like your parents, and Holly definitely cares about you. Did you know she's been visiting every night for four years just to see if I've let go?"
"No." Artemis felt terrible. Maybe things would have turned out better if he had declined. Maybe he could have told Mulch to tunnel in and free Holly. Then maybe he would have had four years of memories. Maybe now he wouldn't be kept as a hostage. Maybe now Holly wouldn't be possessed and have a few minutes of nothing, if she was lucky.
"Anyway, she cares about you. I'm sure Foaly does, a little. You are, after all, the only one who understands and listens to his lectures. Root wouldn't have wanted you in this position. He did, after all, want you to be saved. I possessed him for a minute there in the chute, just for a bit. He cared about you. Mulch certainly does, after that note when you were thirteen. Unstoppable, now that's a nice adjective for the two of you."
"We could have been unstoppable. Four wasted years, all because of you."
"Yes, all because of me. Aren't I great?"
He obviously didn't think so.
"Okay. You don't think so. But I am. I really am. Anyway, about the hostage part. I know people care about you. I don't know. Perhaps even Holly cared about you during the siege when you were twelve. Brilliant work, by the way. Okay, let me look… Aha, here we are. Right… Okay, she cared a little bit about you, but it was mostly about Juliet. Innocent, you know."
"Innocent…" he mumbled. It was strange how incoherent a genius could get if he were afraid. Chrysanthene bet that he was just as afraid as when he was in the Temple of Artemis. That was absolute fear. She liked the fact that she could bring that out in him.
"Yes, innocent. Anyway, you're the instrument. I can blackmail them. Or I could just ransom. Any way I want to go, I win."
"Blackmail…?"
"And answering your unasked question…"
"Which is…?"
"What would I do if you declined?"
"Yes," he suddenly snapped back into reality, looking more hopeful. "What would you do if I declined?"
"Blackmail you, of course."
His face was stubborn. "Go ahead and tell everyone. Tell everyone, you will see. I will not allow you to keep me a hostage."
"Okay then," she said happily. He would give in later.
She rushed to the window and, to her delight, found a tiny little house on the meadow. "Kind of defeats the purpose of having a nice meadow. Maybe that person just got here and is one of those squatter people," she muttered. Then she shouted at the top of her lungs.
"HEY EVERYONE! WAKE UP!"
She could see lights being turned on and she could hear faint groans and grumbles. "I'M CALLING HERE FROM THE FOWL RESIDENCE! DID YOU KNOW, ARTEMIS FOWL THE SECOND ACTUALLY-"
Artemis's eyes widened as he realized exactly which of his secrets she was planning to shout to the world. He rushed over and clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Eshalubbwi-" she said, her voice muffled by the hand. She wrenched it from her mouth and continued. "Ariane."
"Unfortunately, Chrysanthene," Artemis said. "You weren't able to shout to the world. And besides, no one really knows Ariane."
She glared at him. "Yes they do. Ariane Lane, perhaps one of the strangest girls in Ireland. I took control of you then, actually. Strangest thing, really. I sort of felt the real you coming out. So maybe that's why you like her. You actually blushed! I wouldn't have."
It was the look of dawning comprehension upon his features that made her realize her rather large mistake.
Ariane Lane! I like her, you know. She's like me. A little... moody. And the physical features are the same. If I post the story, it'll be called... um... anyway, it's a number. And I'll tell you if that's it. It should be either Seven or Eight. Or it could be Six. Bwaha, I don't know, I haven't written it yet. But if I do, I'll post it.
I won't be like some people who ask the readers to hit the little go button next to Submit Review. I won't. I'll be polite.
