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SPRITE'S STORY WAS BRIGHT, fantastical, and entirely made up. Knowing this, Artemis still found herself immersed in the fictional world she was building, watching her projected illusions with just as much awe as the humans. From beside her, Sersi leaned in. "Amazing, isn't it?" She whispered.

"Yes..." Artemis breathed, nodding. The epic of Gilgamesh and his best friend Enkidu danced across the ceiling as Sprite verbally told the tale. And when she finished, she ended it in a wondrous display of golden fireworks. The people of Babylon clapped and cheered for Sprite as she soaked up their applause. "It always amazes me how she comes up with this stuff." Artemis chuckled.

Sersi nodded in agreement. "Me too. I can't wait to see the story she makes up for us," She nudged Artemis playfully.

"That would be quite the show," She laughed, softly shaking her head. And soon music had started to play and a dance circle had begun, with Kingo in the middle of it, of course. Artemis watched alongside Sersi in amusement. "Should we join them?" She looked to the woman in green.

A bright smile crossed Sersi's face. "I thought you'd never ask," She giggled and took Artemis's hand, pulling the two of them onto the dancefloor.

Artemis threw her head back in laughter as Sersi spun her around. "You're quite the dancer!" She chuckled as she faced Sersi once again. "Who's your teacher?"

Sersi did a little shimmy. "Would you believe I'm self-taught?"

Artemis place a dramatic hand over her heart and gasped. "No! Really?" She joked. "I would've never guessed!"

"You're too kind!" Sersi laughed as this time Artemis spun her around. They had gained the attention of a few of the humans and they eyed them amusingly as they too began dancing like the sisterly Eternals.

The women could not see, but they could equally feel the eyes of two very special people on them as they joined in dancing with the humans. And as the dancing slowed, they took the time to talk. "I see Ikaris has taken a liking to you..." Artemis's eyes flickered to the man in blue up above as he spoke to Ajak, looking back at Sersi just in time to see a rose pink blush paint her cheeks.

"I don't know what you mean," She chuckled, shaking her head. "Have you and Druig made it official yet? He can't seem to take his eyes off of you."

"Changing the subject, I see," Artemis scoffed playfully.

Sersi shrugged. "And what if I am? Your relationship with Druig is far more interesting than Ikaris and I."

"Is he boring?" Artemis leaned forward. "I bet he's boring. What does Ikaris even talk about besides battle strategy and Deviants?"

They both laughed. Sersi's face deepened in colour and she shook her head. "Lots of things, actually," She rubbed the back of her neck.

Artemis smiled widely and pulled her from the dance floor. "You really like him, don't you?"

Sersi looked up at her bashfully. "I think so..."

"Then go for it!" Artemis laughed. "Dance with him! Have some fun!"

Sersi shook her head with a soft laugh. "Not today. But maybe..." She sighed, smiling at Artemis. "What would I do without you?"

"Without me? You'd still be amazing, Sersi," Artemis placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'd just be down a wonderful friend." She smirked playfully.

Sersi laughed, tossing her head back. "Thank you, Art. I really appreciate it,"

Artemis shook her head. "It's the least I can do for you, Sers,"

"Now," Sersi took a step to the side. "What are you going to do about him?" She took Artemis's hand and spun her around, pointing her in the direction of Druig. He was talking to Makkari, his eyes flickering to Artemis every few seconds. He was trying not to look, but he was doing a terrible job.

"W-What about him?" Artemis coughed, clearing her throat as she suddenly became flustered.

Sersi raised a knowing brow. "It's not like you to avoid him. What happened?"

Artemis's face fell. She pulled Sersi into a private corner, away from Druig's line of vision. "Earlier today in the Domo...he nearly confessed to me. I nearly confessed to him."

"Then why didn't you?" Sersi tilted her head. "I don't think there's ever been two so perfect for each other in the entire world."

As the redness rose to Artemis's cheeks, she buried her face in her hands. Her words came out muffled. "I don't know! I got nervous!" She lifted her head back up and huffed. "He makes me nervous."

"You're never one for getting nervous," Sersi pointed out.

"I know!" Artemis exclaimed in annoyance. "I never get nervous. But whenever I'm around Druig, I can't seem to settle the butterflies in my stomach."

"That's called love, my dear Artemis," Sersi told her softly. "Deny it all you want."

Love. It was such a strong word and one that could mean many things. She loved Sersi, and Ajak, and Makkari, and all the other Eternals. That kind of love was easy for Artemis, it came naturally to her. She loved Druig the same, yet very different. She loved him the same way she loved all her family, but she also loved him more than that, the kind of love that scared her — the vulnerable, heart-aching, head-spinning, horrifying love. "I should talk to him," Artemis nodded.

"You should," Sersi agreed. She placed a gentle hand on Artemi's forearm, causing her to look into her eyes. "You are strong, Artemis. Don't forget that."

Artemis sighed deeply, trying to regain herself. "Thank you, Sersi," And giving her one last nod, Artemis was off, walking through the crowd with purpose. She ignored Kingo's call, never once taking her eyes off of Druig. She watched Makkari tap his shoulder and point at her before smiling and waving. "Hello," She greeted them both, trying her best to keep her breath from catching in her throat as Druig looked at her.

He smiled softly. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me, my lady," He bowed slightly.

The redness immediately returned to Artemis's face, filling it with colour. "Of course not," She kept her voice soft, for fear of it breaking. "Um...Druig, perhaps we could talk outside..." She looked to Makkari and smiled apologetically. "In private?"

"Oh!" Makkari's eyes widened devilishly. She nodded quickly and was gone before either of them could blink.

Druig chuckled, a deep sound that resonated in Artemis's brain. She made sure to commit the laughter to memory. She turned to see him holding out his hand. "Shall we?" He asked softly. She could see it on his face, he was worried she'd reject his advances, as she mistakingly did so on the Domo.

"Yes," Artemis nodded, slowly taking his hand. She watched as their fingers connected. It sent a rush of electricity up her spine and she involuntarily shivered. It felt right walking hand in hand with Druig underneath the dancing lights of the night sky, the stars seemingly brighter than ever. They walked in silence, leaving the celebration behind them, taking slow strides towards the Hanging Gardens.

"About earlier," Druig began. He kept his eyes forward, but his grip on Artemis's hand tightened ever so slightly. "I'm sorry if I...overstepped."

"What?" Artemis stopped walking. They had just reached the Hanging Gardens. Druig looked down at her, raising a brow. "You didn't overstep at all!"

"Really?" He tilted his head, sounding genuinely surprised. "You were...uncomfortable, were you not?"

Artemis paused. "I...was. But not because of what you think!"

"And what do I think?" Druig leaned forward, lowering his voice. Damn, there were those butterflies again.

"Uh..." Artemis gulped. The closer he was to her, the cloudier her mind became. She couldn't think straight, and so she took a step back. "You, Druig, think I have no interest in you," She spoke slowly, making sure to get all her words out.

"Is that so?" He asked softly.

"Yes," Artemis nodded. "But the truth is..." She took a deep breath. Saying it out loud to him would make it real, and oh, how she wanted it to be real. "I adore you."

She watched as his eyes widened. He genuinely wasn't expecting her to say that, it was written all over his face. "Me?" All his suave and swagger dropped, replaced with big, hopeful eyes.

Artemis melted. "Yes," She breathed, nodding quickly. "You, Druig! Who else?" She softly giggled.

Druig's face heated up, turning a soft crimson. "Well...that makes this much easier,"

"What..?" Artemis trailed off as he turned to fully face her, taking only two steps to be chest-to-chest. She could feel his quiet breaths on her face and all she could see was him and those sea-blue eyes, all-encompassing and full of love — love for her. His unoccupied hand moved slowly up towards her cheek. Artemis could still see that he was hesitant, so as he came closer, she met him halfway, leaning her cheek in, allowing him to cup her face.

That electricity returned, leaving a pleasant tingle along Artemis's body, all stemming from Druig's delicate touch. He leaned down ever so slightly and Artemis allowed her eyes to close as their foreheads connected. Her whole body was electric and pure energy flowed through her veins as she and Druig connected. "I'm going to kiss you now," He whispered. Artemis opened her eyes to meet his close gaze. "Is that alright?"

"Please," She sighed, nodding.

A cheeky grin spread across his face. "As you wish, my lady," Dipping his head, he paused just before their lips connected. His breaths were short and excited. He chuckled softly, sending a wave of excitement through Artemis. "You don't know how long I've waited to do this."

Artemis chuckled herself. "I think I do," Once again, she met him halfway. Angling her head up, she moved forward, pressing her lips to his.

Fireworks exploded and Artemis felt herself melt against him. It felt right, their lips interlocked so perfectly. Druig let out a small noise in surprise, but as soon as he came to realize that she was kissing him, it didn't take long for him to dive in. He held her close, the hand that once held her own now wrapping around her waist, bringing her flush against him as his other hand methodically stroked her cheek. Their lips moved in synch, a perfect duet.

Druig hummed happily as he deepened the kiss, dipping Artemis. Never once did she feel like he would drop her or lose his grip. She was safe and content in his arms and she never wanted to leave them. "Druig..." She softly moaned against his lips. He responded by tightening his hand around her waist. Artemis wanted more, so much more. He could feel her eagerness, and who was he not to oblige?

Druig pulled back, arms staying securely around her as he stared into her lovely brown eyes, forever lost in her beauty. "I say we take this somewhere away from prying eyes."

Artemis nodded woozily, still high on the drug that was his lips. "Yes please,"

The look in her eyes solidified it for Druig. He quickly let go of her face and swept his other arm under her feet, lifting Artemis into his arms as he practically ran back to the Domo. Artemis threw her head back in joyful laugher as he rushed them through the starship's halls, trying to find a private room. Once he did, he carefully brought Artemis back down to the floor and shut the door behind him. He turned around, still entranced with the woman's lust-filled eyes, just as much as she was with his. "Are we doing this?" He asked excitedly, already starting to unbutton his shirt as he walked towards her.

"Gods yes," Artemis breathed, sliding the straps of her dress from her shoulders, letting it fall down her body, piling in a heap at her feet.

AUTHORS NOTE
aaaaaaand fade to black! I am not as bold as miss Chloe Zhao to put in a s*x scene :) THIS IS THE CLOSEST I CAN GET RN. anyway, I'm super happy with how this chapter turned out! I LOVED writing for Artemis and Sersi because in my eyes their kind of like sisters! But I hope you liked the second chapter and thank you for nearly 2K reads!!