Artemis stretched and groaned with displeasure. Her back was sore for some reason. She attempted to roll over onto her stomach, only to have her face hit something smooth and hard. She quickly sat up, water swashing over the sides of the bathtub that she was lying in. For a few moments she was confused, scared even, the building completely foreign to her.
Then the previous night came crashing back down on her. Her family, the werewolves, Rebekah, everything. She whimpered and tears filled her eyes as she remembered her family being slaughtered like animals. Her mother, always so gentle and loving. Her father, strong and filled with laughter. Her aunt, uncle, and cousins.
Her entire world.
Anger settled into her veins like angry eels, anxious to be released on those who dared cross her. She had always favored her mother's gentle nature, rarely shouting or lashing out. But what she witnessed last night changed her, hardened her. The added power from her fallen kin bubbled inside of her. It was almost too much; Artemis could feel herself barely being able to keep it in check. It was going to take a lot of practice in order to fully control it.
With a growl her stomach made itself known. Artemis realized that she was absolutely ravenous and knew she needed to leave the water to find some food. In the blink of an eye, her shiny tail (that had been hanging out of the tub) transformed into legs. The magic it cost to make the transformation lessened the burden on her considerably and she breathed in relief. With a 'pop' she pulled the drain on the tub and climbed out.
She frowned as her feet hit the floor of the bathroom, the tiles slippery under her feet. Being indoors was going to take a lot of getting used to, she supposed. There were big, fluffy towels folded on the edge of the sink and she used one to dry herself. After hanging the towel up to dry, she ventured out of the bathroom.
The soft carpet of the bedroom that Rebekah had given her the previous night felt incredible under her toes. If she wasn't on a mission to find food, she would have sank down onto the floor and laid in the sunlight pouring through the windows. In the center of the room, the bed was a mess from her attempt at sleeping in it. After a couple of hours of tossing in every direction, the mermaid had ended up where she was most comfortable: the water.
The hall was quiet as she stepped out of the bedroom, and she wondered if the vampires would all be sleeping. As she slowly inched down the hallway voices began to filter up to her ears. She followed them hesitantly, hoping they led to food and not trouble. When she heard Rebekah's voice join the conversation she relaxed and quickened her pace.
The three people whom she'd met the previous night-Rebekah, Klaus and the red-headed witch-were seated around a table in the large kitchen. Joining them was a rather handsome dark-haired vampire who had to be the infamous Elijah. Her knowledge of the outside world may have been limited, but Artemis did know about the 'who's who' in the supernatural world.
When she walked into the kitchen all heads turned to look at her. She noted their different expressions with confusion. Rebekah and Elijah both looked surprised, while the witch scowled. Klaus, on the other hand, smirked and freely swept his eyes over her body.
"What?" she asked, eyebrows furrowed.
Rebekah cleared her throat and stood. "Perhaps we should get you some clothes, darling," she said, gesturing to the mermaid's lack of garments.
Artemis wrinkled her nose. She wasn't sure if she'd enjoy being trapped in fabric all day. "Why?"
"Yes, dear sister. Why should she have to put clothes on if she doesn't want to?" Klaus asked mischievously. Clearly the witch beside him didn't approve because she shot him a scornful look.
Rebekah rolled her eyes at her brother. "If you'd like to leave the house at all, you'll need to wear clothes. Humans have this thing about being naked in public."
"Oh," Artemis said simply. "May I please have something to eat first? I'm starving."
Rebekah showed Artemis the refrigerator and pantry, and after the mermaid had chosen a plate full of fruit to snack on they seated themselves back at the table. It was quiet while she ate for a few moments, the vampires and witch allowing her some peace before bombarding her with questions.
"Oh! I haven't introduced you to our brother, Elijah," Rebekah said suddenly, breaking the silence.
"It's nice to meet you," Artemis greeted him between grapes, her cheeks beginning to resemble those of a chipmunk.
"The pleasure is mine," he replied with a small smile, his voice matching his persona entirely: composed.
"I see they skipped table etiquette in the swamp," the witch spoke up, laughing at Artemis's expense.
Artemis stopped eating a strawberry mid-bite, glancing around the table to see that all eyes were on her. Suddenly self-conscious, she returned the fruit to her plate and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Sorry," she said, afraid that she somehow insulted them by behaving poorly.
"Don't be sorry," Rebekah said instantly, placing her hand on top of the mermaid's own.
"I think it's refreshing to be around someone who doesn't have a stick jammed up her rear," Klaus added, his eyes sending the witch a dangerous message.
The tension in the room was palpable until the red-head stood from her seat and stormed out of the dining room. Once she left Artemis felt free to finish her food and even tried the cup of tea offered to her by Elijah. She found that the warm drink soothed her throat and helped to wake her up.
"So, let's get on with it then," Klaus stood and motioned for his brother to join him.
"Get on with what?" Rebekah asked warily.
"We've decided it would help our image with the community to host a ball tonight," Elijah explained. "Needless to say, some of us haven't been putting in as much effort as others."
"I've been preoccupied recovering from the betrayal of my sister," Klaus defended himself, a hand over his heart in mock pain.
"You've been preoccupied with the witch in your bedroom," Elijah corrected.
"She's helping me work through the pain," Klaus added with a smirk.
Artemis wrinkled her nose at the thought of Klaus and the witch-whose name was still unknown to her-doing things. "She has a bad energy," she mentioned casually from her seat, causing the vampires to turn and look at her.
"Who does, love?" Rebekah asked.
"The witch," Artemis replied, standing from her seat to place her dirty dish in the sink she'd seen Rebekah using earlier. When she turned around she found Klaus inches from her, making her jump.
"What do you mean 'bad energy'?" he asked lowly, placing his hands on the counter on either side of her, boxing her in place.
Artemis bit her lip nervously. She didn't enjoy making people upset; it wasn't in her naturally peaceful nature. But she also didn't want her hosts falling victim to someone with evil intentions.
"I can feel it coming off her, imprinted on her magic. I think she has an ulterior motive to being here."
"How could you possibly know that?" Elijah questioned curiously while Klaus weighed her words.
Artemis shrugged. "It's a mermaid thing, I guess. We can usually get a read on other supernatural creatures, sense their aura. But ever since last night everything is so amplified. It must be..."
"Must be what?" Klaus asked, his eyes locking back on hers dangerously.
"I-I didn't tell you last night, Rebekah," she started, looking over Klaus's head at the female Original. "When a mermaid dies, their power is absorbed by their remaining clan members. I'm the last living member so I absorbed..." She gestured with her hands to show a large amount.
"All of it," Klaus finished, his eyes sparkling with both delight and something much darker.
"Alright Nik, you've got that scary look on your face. Time for us to go," Rebekah nudged her brother out of the way and pulled Artemis out of the kitchen.
When they entered Rebekah's bedroom the vampire immediately walked into her massive closet, flicking though the clothes she had until she found a simple, but pretty, long dress. "Try this on," she said as she pushed the garment into Artemis's hands.
Awkwardly slipping the dress over her head, Artemis shimmied it down her body until it was situated properly. It was surprisingly comfortable and not as constricting as she thought it would be. There was a mirror in the bedroom and the mermaid looked at herself, hands smoothing down the fabric of the dress. It was a light blue color that complemented her skin and light hair nicely. The top was just tight enough to keep her breasts in place without being squished.
"These should be comfortable," Rebekah re-emerged from the closet with a pair of sandals. She placed them on the floor and Artemis slipped her feet into them and took a few tentative steps around the room.
"Where are we going?" Artemis asked as they left the compound. The male Originals were nowhere to be seen-probably off to make final arrangements for the ball that evening-and there were people all over the courtyard cleaning and getting things set up.
"We are going shopping," Rebekah answered with a grin, sliding into the driver's seat of her flashy car. Artemis followed suit, buckling her seat belt just in time for the car to lurch forward and onto the street.
"And then we'll try to find the wolves who got away last night?" Artemis asked, hoping to bring justice to those who destroyed her family.
"If my brothers are throwing a ball tonight they've undoubtedly invited the wolves to attend. We'll see what information we can get out of them." Rebekah reached over and squeezed Artemis's hand. "I promise we'll find them and make them pay."