▌𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 ━︎━︎ 𝐈 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫 ▌

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐀 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐋 from her lips as she started to wake up. Artemis frowned as she looked around at the unfamiliar place. She sat up, looking at the blanket that covered her body. She removed the blanket, standing up and almost falling in the process. She quickly caught her balance. Artemis narrowed her eyes on the set of clothes that were there, next to a bathroom. She entered, looking around before noticing the sticky note on the mirror, claiming for her to take as long as a shower as she wanted. And she did. She got undressed from the gown she had been placed in, smiling in delight as the water hit her skin. It wasn't necessarily hot, but it wasn't cold either and it felt amazing against her skin.

When she got out, she dried herself off with a towel placed there and then put on the clothing that had been laid out for her. It was a pair of jeans, and plain white top. She brushed through her hair, letting it air dry before she slipped on some socks and opened the door. There were people going back and forth, some laughing, some showing their powers to others. Where was she?

Her eyes then landed on a woman with green hair, cocking her head slightly. She was familiar. Lorna turned away from Marcos and John, her eyes watching Artemis as the girl looked around the facility that was thriving with a few mutants they had found and rescued. The two men followed Lorna's eyeline, noticing the redhead that was utterly confused.

"I don't know whether or not to approach her." Lorna mumbled towards the two. "I don't want to scare her."

"Just explain to her where she is. I'm going to go wake Aph." John told the green haired woman who nodded her head in response, watching as he walked away.

Lorna carefully made her way towards Artemis. The young girl turned her head and noticed Lorna approaching her, making her take a step back, swallowing thockly. Lorna held out her hands, showing Artemis that she meant no harm. "Artemis? I'm Lorna. I-"

"You're one of my mother's friends." Artemis finished. Lorna sent her a gentle smile, nodding her head. "Where am I? Is this another hallucination-"

"No, not a hallucination. I promise." Lorna quickly told her. "You're at the Mutant Underground. A place where all mutants are welcomed and can live as they are."

"My mom, did you find her? Did you get her-?" Artemis quickly asked.

"We did." Lorna nodded. "She's still asleep. While we're waiting for her, would you like something to eat?"

Artemis was surprised at this. She had only been captive for two, almost three weeks, and she completely forgot what it had meant to be free. Maybe that's because it was her father that had caused the damage to her, she wasn't sure. But, as she looked at Lorna, she gave her a shy smile. "Yes, please."

"Come on. Let's go pick you out something."

"Y-you're letting me pick?" Artemis quizzed. Lorna nodded her head. "Sorry. I know I'm acting like I've been captive for months on end. I'm just a little. . ."

"Completely understandable." Lorna assured, nodding her head at the redhead. She remembered what it was like to be held captive. She had been placed in a mental hospital. She knew what it was like, to a certain extent. Lorna started to walk forward, nodding for Artemis to follow her, leading the teenager to the kitchen, and allowing her to pick something to eat.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

John walked down the hallway until he made it to Aphrodite's room. He knocked on the door and stood there waiting until he heard her say to come in. He opened the door, spotting the girl standing in her bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror.

"Hey, Artemis is awake." John informed the woman. She nodded.

"Alright. Thanks for letting me know." Aphrodite answered him, her eyes never leaving the mirror. She let out a soft sigh, brushing her fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes, her thoughts racing a hundred miles per hour. She didn't even realize John was still standing there until he spoke.

"You alright?"

Aphrodite opened her eyes, turning her head to look at him as she nodded her head, sending him a small smile. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"What's on your mind?"

Aphrodite walked over to her bed, sitting down on it and looking at the pictures that were situated on her dresser. She bit her lip, shaking her head. "I'm not going to be able to look at her without feeling guilt. I'm the reason that she was taken. I couldn't protect her. I hadn't even realized that my husband wasn't my husband that night. God, I'm so stupid."

John sat down beside the girl. "Hey, look at me." She did as told, her blue eyes meeting his dark ones. "Do not blame yourself for what happened that night. I don't care how many excuses you come up with to try and prove to me that it was your fault, because I'm always going to have the same response. It was not your fault. Do not feel guilty for what happened."

"I couldn't even recognize that my husband wasn't my husband, John. How am I-" She bit her lip, shaking her head as she felt her eyes gloss with tears. "I killed him. I went into that room, and when he showed me what it was that really happened, I snapped his neck. I killed her father."

"Before you start talking yourself into believing something that isn't your fault," John quickly cut her off, "why don't you go and see her? She's with Lorna right now, probably eating something while she waits for you."

Aphrodite looked at him, scoffing slightly in amusement at herself. "It's funny. These past few weeks, I've been nonstop searching for her, and now that she's here, I can't even face her."

"You can. You're just scared to." John assured her. He stood up from her bed holding out a hand to her. She glanced up at him, watching as he gave her a small nod before she placed her hand into his own, allowing him to pull her up off the bed and walk out of the room. The two walked down the hallway, Aphrodite stopping when she saw her daughter sitting there with Lorna, having a conversation with the woman as she ate.

"Maybe I should wait till she's done eating," Aphrodite tried, going to turn on her heel only for John to stop her and turn her back towards her daughter.

"Go." John nodded. "I'll be here the whole time. Not that you'll need me whatsoever."

Aphrodite glanced at him before sighing and walking forward. John followed her, keeping a distance, but staying there just in case she tried to come up with another excuse not to face her child. Lorna glanced up, watching Aphrodite, and noticing the nervous look on her face. Lorna gave the woman a reassuring smile from afar before she turned her head to look at Artemis.

"I think someone's here to see you." Lorna told the girl. Artemis looked up from the food she had just finished, wiping her mouth with a napkin as she glanced at Lorna. Lorna nodded her head forward, making the girl turn her head. Artemis caught her mother's eyes and she froze.

"Mom." She spoke to herself. And when she finally managed to get it through her head that her mother was standing a few feet away from her, she got up so quickly that the chair she had been previously sitting on fell to the ground. She ran towards her mother, before jumping and landing in her arms. Aphrodite caught her, hugging her tightly and not wanting to let her go. "Mom?"

"Hey, babygirl." She softly whispered. Artemis placed her head into Aphrodite's neck whilst Aphrosite held her close, closing her eyes to keep herself from crying tears of joy. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." Artemis whispered back. Aphrodite smiled at this and turned her head to give her child a kiss on the side of the head. John and Lorna exchanged a look from across the room, giving each other a small smile as they watched the woman who had been so closed off and determined for this one mission, find the person she had looked for. A genuine smile was covering Aphrodite's face, something that wasn't even close to the smiles that she had been showing. The dimmed down smiles that were missing a light to them. But now, her smile was blinding, and was filled with light. Something the two wished they could have found much sooner than they had. Nonetheless they had found Artemis, and Aphrodite was finally happy once more.