Chapter 3: Make Yourself at Home

"Artemis would you be so kind as to show our guest around and take her to her room, which is the green guest room. I need to talk to your father." His mother smiled in his dads' direction.

"Uh, disgusting. Could you possiblely maintain yourselves until we leave…Follow me Zinnia."

"Artemis," his father scowled, "that is no way to treat a lady. Surely I have taught you better."

Yes he had, but honestly, she wasn't his girlfriend. So why should he treat her any differently than he treated anyone else. The things he did for the People.

"Sorry father." Artemis extended a hand to Zinnia. She smiled and gently put her hand in his. "Right this way."

"Oh you have such adorable parents. They seem to really love each other," Zinnia said happily.

"Yes, they've been that why since I got father back. I mean they were always in love but since I brought him home they never leave each other."

"Do you think you'll be like that one day?"

"Married yes, but hopefully not so love sick. Really , I haven't ever thought about it. I guess the fact that I was never aground very many girls didn't help the matter. Honestly though I have just never found myself caring about things like girls and mushy love letters."

"Oh…" Zinnia looked away with a disappointed expression.

Artemis found her behavior strange. Or were all girls this way. As he had said he had never really been around many before. It wasn't exactly something you could research. The only girls he had ever been close to were Holly and Juliet. And as far as girls went, they were more butch -for lack of better word- than girl.

"How about your parents?" he found himself asking without realizing it.

"Not as lovey-dovey as yours but they do care for one another. Love isn't really a big thing among my people. They basically marry whoever they think will take care of them best."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's either that or an arranged marriage."

"Your people still do that?"

"Yes."

Artemis couldn't conceive having to marry someone he didn't even really know. So few civilizations in his "world" still did that. His attention then changed to his hand.

For some reason his right hand was just a slight bit warmer that his left. He looked down and found he was still holding Zinnias hand, rather tightly. He casually pulled away as they turned down the hall. He didn't want to send the wrong impression. It was bad enough having his parents think she was his girlfriend and he didn't want her to slip into that illusion.

He looked at her. Her face still showed the same disappointment, if not an increased amount. He was glad when they finally came to the room that was to be hers.

"This is your room," he said as he pushed the door open. "My mothers' favorite of the six guest bedrooms."

"It's lovely. She must have put a great deal of time into decorating it."

"Well her and a very nicely paid interior decorator."

"Oh…well it's still gorgeous."

"By the way you have your own bathroom and a fairly large closet, which will be filled upon Butlers return."

"It's great. Thank you," she paused looking around the new room. Artemis watched her as she examined the chest and dresser, as she studied the wall paper, and as she tested the softness of the bed, by playfully falling backwards and bouncing. She sat up after a minute or two and looked at Artemis, who was standing stiffly in the doorway. "You're kind of insecure aren't you?" she asked with a sly smile on her face. She looked very pleased with herself.

"Why would you say that?'"

"I don't really know. I just have a sort of sixth sense when it comes to people's emotions and personalities," she said lazily eyeing his very mature stance and slightly laughing to herself. "And you have this insecurity about you. I mean you are very calm and collected and you are always in charge, but I think you're kind of…putting up a front, if you will. You have to make things perfect so that you feel safe. And honestly how much real world experience do you have? It's kind of obvious that you've never had a girlfriend."

Artemis was dumb founded. When exactly was it when he had stepped out of his house and into a psychiatrist's office?

"You have a strange way of showing that you're grateful," he said rather grumpily.

"I apologize if I came off as rude. I was merely…making an observation."

Yeah, right. What was this girl up too? First Holly goes gallivanting off to see whoever it is who is living with her and now he had to put up with a girl who was proving herself to be rather arrogant. Clever, but exceptionally arrogant. She eerily reminded him of himself, but she seemed less worried about things.

"It's perfectly fine, but just so you know I am not as insecure as you think I am and sixth sense or no, I highly doubt you are qualified to make such assumptions. I have a psychologist already."

"Whatever you say…." she teased while rolling her eyes and laying back down on the bed.

For some reason, Zinnias careless tone bothered Artemis. Even though he had heard, the same lecture from a dozen different psychologists Zinnias words bothered him. How was it that she was able to get under his skin? Was it just because she had caught him off guard? Or was it because usually he was the one playing the mind games?

"Anyways," he began in a sad attempt to change the subject, "my room is right down the hall. If you need anything, just come and ask. Butler should be back shortly and he will have you clothes and things like that. There's a TV and if you like to read the library is next to my room feel free to go in there whenever you like. That's about it though. I would say you could use the pool but that doesn't strike me as the best idea."

"Actually as long as it's not salt water I should be just fine," she slightly smiled at Artemis, but he could sense that her mind was elsewhere.

"Well then, if that's all I really am quite tired and I can finish showing you everything in the morning," Artemis was far from sleepy. He actually felt rather wired, but for one thing he didn't feel like having someone probing at him and something about this entire ordeal struck him as odd.

Why was it that now, after all these years, that the "exiles" where becoming a threat? And something about that story just didn't settle right with him. He was anxious to get to his computer. He was sure that if anyone knew the truth it would be Foaly. So all he needed was to find the right site. Foaly had all of information about almost every species on the net somewhere-the Peoples internet of course.

"Okay. I guess I'll see you in the morning then?"

Artemis simply nodded before turning and walking out the door. What was it about that girl?

He crept quietly down the hallway for no reason at all. Well maybe the fact that he didn't want to hear his mother talk about his new "girlfriend" had something to do with it. He wasn't at all surprised though when he found Butler waiting for him in his room.

"So how was everything?" Butler asked from his chair in front of the security screen.

"Fine."

Butler nodded and turned back to the monitor.

"I was just getting ready to take her things to her."

"Tell me Butler, does something about all of this seem strange to you?"

"Yes, as a matter-of-fact it does. I don't buy the war story. There is something going on in that place but…I don't think that's it."

Artemis sat down at his computer desk and began searching the web for anything about a war in Atlantis. His search proved fruitless, as he had expected. As far as he could tell, the two groups were at peace. Strange he thought to himself as he started the search up again, this time looking for anything about a sea witch.

He found a link to a site about the story and after the page had loaded up and Artemis read the first few paragraphs he knew it was Foalys' site. The centaur had an undistinguishable way of putting things.

Everything fit Zinnias' account of the events, except the end. Artemis was quickly tangled in the swirl of words that filled his head. Surely, this wasn't the real story. Maybe Foaly had been wrong this time, because according to him, the sea Witchs' story was far more complicated than what Zinnia had said.

Not only had there had been two princes -one was good and one bad- but the witch had had a daughter.

The bad son had tried to win the Witchs' affection but she ended up falling in love with the good bother and on the day of the Witchs' and the good brothers' wedding the other brother had tried to kill him. The kings had then banished him from Atlantis.

The couple had lived in happily, until one day the good prince and his young son went missing. Vanished with only a letter let behind. It said:

My injustice will now be rectified. And as I have been banished, so shall be he. From this day forth he and his son will forever be doomed to live the life of mud men. And her daughter will one day bring back the kingdom to its rightful air.

Well, Artemis thought as he replayed the story over in his head. He didn't know which story was less believable.