Hey everyone! I did manage to get this chapter done! It was going to be longer, but I decided to cut it into 3 as opposed to one HUGE one. I hope that's all okay with you! =P Anyhow! I'm going to post this now and let you all enjoy it, and get back to writing more and enjoying the last... 16 hours before my surgery tomorrow. =P Hope you all enjoy!

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Artemis looked in the mirror, straightening his blood red tie. It had been a long day, and he was really not interested in going down to dinner with his family. It was to be the first, as they said, family dinner they had had while in Flint. Artemis was admittedly suspicious of this, as family dinners were not something his parents forced upon him very often, and usually when they did, it involved them scolding him about one thing or another. The boy was certainly anticipating a verbal lashing from his parents for who only knew what.

After taking a deep breath, Artemis stepped out of his room and started to make his way down towards the dining room. Before he even hit the staircase, he could hear voices talking in the foyer. He couldn't quite make them out from the distance he was at but when he finally reached the top of the stairs, he could tell who they were. He looked down into the room below him and saw Butler talking with someone he would've never expected to see while he was in Flint.

Standing just inside the doorway was girl with curly blonde hair. She was wearing a pair of glasses, and was dressed formally as well. Her slight French accent was enough to give away who she was almost instantly. The girl talking aimlessly away to his bodyguard was Minerva Paradizo, someone Artemis was honestly not sure if he wanted to see again.

The last time Artemis had seen the girl, it had been shortly before he had been sent spiraling through time, bringing him three years into the future. Artemis rolled his eyes at the thought. He certainly didn't want to remember the havoc that adventure had caused. He hadn't spoken to Minerva since before the trip through time, although Butler had kept in contact with her and often borrowed books to read from her. Artemis wasn't sure how he should approach this situation.

The boy walked hesitantly down the stairs towards his bodyguard and estranged acquaintance. Minerva noticed him first since she was facing the staircase, and a smile stretched across her face. "Well, well. So you are alive. For a while there I thought Butler might've been pulling my leg," she greeted.

Artemis resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the jibe. "Believe me. I'm very much alive, and have been for quite a while." Artemis found himself mentally irritated at himself for adding the last bit to his response. Minerva certainly didn't need to know about his sort of death about a year or so ago. Though part of him thought that Butler already had told her.

"That's not what I heard," she retorted, something Artemis was afraid of.

He faked a smile before turning to Butler. "May I have a word with you in private?" he asked. Artemis shocked himself with how dark his voice sounded. He knew he wasn't exactly thrilled about what was occurring, but he certainly didn't think he was that irritated.

Butler nodded, unsure of where Artemis was going with this. Artemis led his bodyguard down a nearby hall, pulling him into a nearby room. Artemis cracked the door, hoping it would be enough to muffle his voice from prying ears. "What is she doing here?" he asked blatantly.

"Your mother invited her for dinner," Butler admitted. "She err... thinks you're seeing Minerva."

Artemis' jaw dropped, something that had never happened before. He swore his mother could be so daft sometimes; he often wondered where he had picked up his intelligence. Judging by his parents, it certainly wasn't them. "You have got to be kidding me. I haven't spoken to Minerva in years. Why would she just assume that this is the girl I've been, as she thinks, talking to?"

Butler shrugged. "I thought you told her about Diana?"

"I did!" Artemis hissed. "And she jumped off the deep end there too. Why is she so persistent about girls right now? Does she not realize I have enough to be worried about without adding females into the mix?" He sighed angrily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This is ridiculous. Truly ridiculous. How does my mother even know about Minerva?"

Butler hesitated to answer Artemis' question, and that alone spoke wonders to Artemis. The boy knew right away his manservant was behind it. "I sort of told her, sir," Butler finally answered, not looking Artemis in the eyes.

"I'm not even going to ask why. In fact, I don't want to know," Artemis attempted to shake it off. "I'm just going to have to break the news to mother that I'm not interested in Minerva."

Butler was puzzled by that statement. "Not interested? Why ever not?"

"Butler, I don't feel like I need to explain myself to you in this situation," Artemis answered. "Now just trust my judgment and let's go have dinner."

Artemis stepped out of the room, not even waiting for Butler to follow. The boy walked back into the foyer, where Minerva still stood with a confused look on her face. Artemis calmed himself a bit before speaking again, "I presume you're here for dinner?"

Minerva nodded. "Your mother invited me."

"So I've heard," Artemis answered through slightly clenched teeth. "Follow me."

He turned on his heel and started to head towards the dining room, where he found the rest of his family sitting around the large mahogany table. Artemis took his seat next to his younger brother, Myles, who fondly patted his shoulder. The twins were roughly five now, and definitely a handful at times. Artemis was certainly glad he hadn't had to play babysitter to them yet while on this vacation. Artemis said not a word as Minerva took the empty seat next to him. This was going to be a truly long dinner, and someone's feelings were bound to get hurt.

Artemis sat perfectly still, resting his hands on the table in front of him, giving his parents a very goaded look. They were going to learn really quickly that Artemis would be calling the shots when it came to his love life. Once Butler took his seat on the other side of the table, dinner started without incidence. All was calm for a moment, but once everyone started eating, the snowball effect began.

"Artemis, you don't look very happy this evening. Is something the matter?" Artemis Senior inquired; a bad idea, as it turned out.

Artemis set down his fork, gently dabbing his mouth with a napkin before speaking. "Well, father, I would love to know why all of a sudden you and mother have been interfering in my romantic interests?" he asked, his voice dripping with venom.

"Your romantic interests? I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about," Senior replied.

Artemis sighed angrily. "I was informed that mother invited Minerva here for dinner, assuming that I had some romantic inclinations towards her, when I absolutely do not," he went on. He watched Minerva's reaction out of the corner of his eyes, and was not displeased when she said nothing and kept eating. "I'm afraid that right now I want to focus on my studies and not girls, like mother keeps hinting at. So please... let's refrain from having another incident like this from happening."

"But what about Diana?" his mother questioned. "Is she just some girl too?"

What about Diana? That wasn't a question he wanted to have to answer right now. He certainly didn't know what to say about that one, but he didn't want to let his mother know that. "She's a good friend, that's all," he eventually answered.

"Right," Butler muttered between bites. "And I can fly."

Artemis shot his bodyguard a pointed look, but said nothing. Artemis was starting to think his manservant knew more than he was letting onto, and that fact alone was enough to make him not want to press the issue any more right now.

"Girls are icky!" Myles added aptly, giving his parents a disgusted look.

"Yea, they have cooties!" Beckett, Myles' twin, agreed.

Artemis couldn't help but chuckle lightly at their statements. Sometimes it was nice having baby brothers who could divert the attention off of him, especially on this topic. Artemis knew there was only so much that his parents would bring up with the twins around, and for now, they played the role of his escape route.

Everyone resumed eating, like nothing had transpired, although an awkward vibe lingered through the air. Artemis had finally finished his dinner, not that he had eaten much of it. He wasn't as hungry as he thought he was, and admittedly still had a majority of his food still on his plate, untouched. Artemis had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he wasn't sure what to think of it. Something wasn't quite right.

All of his feelings would be confirmed when his phone went off.