Chapter 19: Perfect Storm
Luna appeared at the entrance of the village with her head low and her demeanor even lower. Luna did not even realize the mob the stood angrily in front of her until Cam ran into her and cried for her. She ignored him and the mob surrounded her. They were enraged about something and Luna paid little to no attention to them.
"What did you do?!" Roy was the first, as always, to rant.
His wife followed, "That witch attacked us while you were away and all of the crops were destroyed!"
"She even destroyed the food and water source that you supplied us with yesterday." Heath said with distraught.
Vivian slapped Luna and screamed, "We should have killed you at the start!"
Luna held her hand to her cheek and rubbed the stinging spot and mumbled, "I should have never came." Her eyes filled with hate, "I should have let you all died." With her magic she forced Vivian backwards and she slammed into Van. Luna continued, "Is this what I get for coming here, a bunch of ungrateful people!"
"Luna," Matt soothed her, "Please forgive us. We're just a bit shaken."
"We're scared Luna," Angie added.
Luna breathed heavily and glanced all around her. The children hid behind Dakota who had the glare of a mother bear if Luna would have attacked them. Van comforted his wife and Michele and Roy formed tears. After seeing the pain in their eyes, Luna sighed and apologized to Vivian.
"Do you know when she'll attack again?" Vivian ignored her apology.
"No," Luna shook her head no and felt the weight on her shoulders grow heavy, "But if she does attack this village again, she'll be coming for me."
"What can we do to help?" Matt offered his support.
"Just prepare yourselves for a battle." Luna turned away from them and walked towards her farm.
As Luna walked slowly towards her farm, she was surrounded by five harvest sprites who all questioned her.
"What's going to happen Luna?" Neptune panicked.
Mars argued with Mercury on whether they were going to enter a battle, Saturn held Pluto who cried wildly, and Uranus pestered Luna with, "What did you do to Artemis!?"
Luna grimaced and squinted in pain, "You're all giving me a headache." She rubbed her temples and thought through the disturbances. When is she going to strike next? Luna entered the barn and trudged up the ladder towards her cot. She tried to sleep, but she was too restless with the sprites around her.
"Can't you all just be quiet!?" She snapped and the sprites silenced. It was nightfall now, and Luna still had no answers of when the witch would strike next.
"I wish Artemis was here," Uranus sighed,
"You mean that dope that was with her?" Mars snorted, "She can do much better without him!"
"But he could help her!" Neptune jumped in.
"What could he do? Mercury asked.
Pluto entered, "I sense that my brother is near." His brows furrowed as he added uneasily, "And he is not happy."
Luna gaped, "He can talk?"
Uranus ignored her, "What do you mean, Pluto?"
"Can you not feel him, Neptune?" Pluto asked his other brother.
He closed his eyes and focused on the surrounding auras, "He's close by."
"Oh dear," Saturn bit his lower lips, "That's not good."
"What's wrong?" Luna asked confused.
"Jupiter does not like to be rudely awaken." Saturn shivered, "I hope that he'll be kind to us."
"He's going to unleash a storm," Luna figured it out and laughed, "Ha! If he thinks I'm going to be weakened by a little bit of water then he has another thing coming towards her!"
"Luna, this could be very bad." Uranus explained, "Jupiter could unleash a hundred year storm."
"Uranus," Luna stood where loft doors once were in her barn, "Leave me."
"But what…?!" Uranus was cut off by a stern glare from Luna, he continued, "Come on everyone, let's leave Luna alone."
"What!?" Mars interjected, "What about our battle plan! What are we going to do!?"
Mercury understood that Luna was not kidding and that she wanted them to leave, "Come on Mars we can come up with our own plan." He ushered Mars towards the bottom level of the barn. Saturn took Pluto and Uranus followed close behind.
Before Neptune left, he reassured, "Whatever Artemis did to you, please forgive him, he's not a bad guy."
"It's okay Neptune," Luna gave a small smile, "I just want to think alone."
Neptune nodded and gave a quick hug to Luna before he fluttered off with the other Harvest Sprites. Luna was finally left alone to think of what that witch was going to do and when she was going to do it. Luna did not even want to think about Artemis, but the itching thought always came back to her. The rawness in his voice and the passion in his eye verified his words from earlier, but she did not want to believe him. She could not believe him.
"I've only been here for about a month or so," Luna slid down along the wooden beams and sat on the cold floor, "How could he even say such a thing?" Luna was beside herself and every thought reverted back to him. I hate him… Luna teared up and laid her head on her knees, How could he say such a thing to me?
A soft thump landed on the floor. The figure that landed never approached her, but said coldly, "You know exactly when she's going to attack."
"I see that you got out just fine." Luna snorted and did not even look at him.
Artemis leaned on the opposite beam, "You thought that weak spell could keep me away?"
Luna did not even have the energy to speak anymore, her heart was shattering into two, so she thought to him, I wish.
Artemis jumped, "What was that?"
What? Luna closed her eyes.
"Are you doing that?" Artemis looked at her with wide eyes.
Luna shot her head up at him and continued, You mean that you don't know how to do this?
"Should I know?" Artemis asked suspiciously.
Luna nodded and sighed, "Just focus your thoughts into a form of energy." She said her next words quietly, And emit them towards me.
He closed his eyes and thought hard, but his thoughts were unable to be sent into Luna's mind. "Maybe, I'm not strong enough." He shrugged.
"You have a marking?" Luna explained, "A mark that signifies your power?"
He understood and knew exactly what Luna was explaining, and Artemis pulled back his collar of his tunic, "It's a silver arrow."
Luna saw the lonesome arrow and her assumption was confirmed, "You're only half. You still have much more to learn." She sat up and turned her head towards the hillside, "The witch is going to reconnect her bond with you tomorrow, and when she does, she will most likely force you to fight me. If the witch puts you up against me tomorrow; fight, and show me everything you've got."
"I might be half," Artemis approached her, "But do not underestimate my strength." He grabbed her arm and faced Luna towards him, "If that thread is reconnected, run."
Luna snorted, "I've been waiting for this fight since the first day I've met you!" There was a loud rumble forming in the horizon. She poked Artemis hard with each word, "I will fight you." The wind howled and the rain began to fall. Luna's hair dampened as she took a step back towards the edge.
"What are you doing?" Artemis concerned and watched for every step.
"I'm the one who should not be underestimated, Artemis." Luna smirked and walked off the edge, but instead of falling, she floated, "She might have her magical stone, but I'm a dark horse, and I will hold nothing back against her," Luna concurred a spell to make her disappear and when she started to faint away, Luna's final words to Artemis were, "or you."
Written to "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry