"I did my best."
"You're worthless!"
Ash didn't hear anything else, but he felt like someone had just slammed him against the floor. Every part of his body ached and he had to know why. Getting out of bed, he manifested his clothes on his body before he stalked across the floor and flung the large gold doors open with his thoughts.
Deimos had Artemis pinned to the floor by her throat. "You ever-"
He didn't get a chance to finish his threat before Ash picked him up and tossed him wide. Deimos hit the wall, then the floor. He sprang to his feet, braced for attack until he realized who he was facing.
His lips and nose bleeding, Deimos wiped at his face.
Ash gave him a cold, emotionless stare. "You should leave now. Really."
Deimos spat blood on the white marble floor. His gaze went to Artemis, who was now sitting where Deimos had left her. For once she wasn't looking arrogant. "If you want the bastard dead, Artemis, you should send your pet after him."
Normally Ash would have let such a comment pass without issue. But today it just struck him the wrong way. He threw his hands out and brought Deimos straight into his grip.
"I'm so in the mood to kick someone's ass for no good reason. Glad you dropped by." He kneed Deimos in the stomach, and just when he was going to punch him, Deimos vanished.
"Oh c'mon," Ash said out loud. "Was it something I said?"
As expected, Deimos stayed quiet. One word would have allowed Ash to follow him to his haven and finish it.
Bastard.
Still not appeased, he went to Artemis, who hadn't moved from her spot on the floor. How very strange for her. He clenched his teeth as he saw her throat was red from Deimos's attack and her cheeks were pinkened by anger.
"You all right?" he asked.
"Like you care," she spat in a snit. "You'd just as soon hurt me, too."
He bit back a sarcastic comment of agreement as he saw the pain in her eyes. Even though they'd had a less than idyllic relationship, it wasn't in him to kick her when she was down and hurting. He'd been hurt enough in his life to never want to deal that to someone else.
He sat down beside her on the floor and pulled his knees up to his chest. "So what happened?"
Her sullen pout would have made a toddler proud. "Nothing."
He drew a ragged breath as he saw where this was heading. She wanted to talk, but she was going to make him drag every word out. Lovely. Just how he wanted to spend his time here. Then again, given what she normally did to pass time with him, this was an improvement. "C'mon, Artie. I know better. You sent Deimos after Sin, didn't you?"
Her pout increased before she sniffed. "What choice did I have? You wouldn't do anything."
Would she never grow up? Just once, he'd like to deal with an adult... "I can't while I'm here. You know that. You refused to give me a break to go talk to him."
"You wouldn't do anything even if you weren't here."
Probably true.
She sniffed again and gave him a sideways glare. "No one cares what happens to me."
"Don't, Artemis," he said between clenched teeth. "I don't play that pity game and you know it. If you want Daddy to baby you, he's in the big hall up the hill."
The anger returned to her eyes. "Why do you stay with me if you feel that way?"
Funny, he asked himself that every day. "You know why."
She sidestepped his comment. "You hate me, don't you?"
Sometimes. No, most times. But he felt her current vulnerability and for some reason he could never fathom, he had a need to soothe her. Yeah, he was one sick sonofabitch. "No, Artie, I don't."