Power of Artemis

Poor Father Kieran

I call klaus getting to the hideout.

"Klaus where are you?" I ask getting close to the door that had Marcel and his 'army' inside.

"I'm in a bit of a situation here, love." He tells me and I hear a scream in the background.

"Somebody sent a suicide bomber out to the Bayou this morning." I tell him still pissed off at what happened.

"What? Where are you?" He asks.

"I'm in the city now. I'm fine. I figured an attack like that must have been Marcel. He's hated the wolves for years, and after that stunt he pulled with the witches... So, I tracked him down. Thought you might like to help kick his ass for trying to blow us to kingdom come." I tell him.

"Would you get him out of here now, please? Make sure he remembers nothing. [to Me] Hey, listen. I assure you, once I am finished here, you will have my undivided attention. In the meantime, please stay out of trouble." He exclaims.

"You don't have to worry. Elijah is with me." I lie to him. I barge into Marcel's new apartment. Marcel seems to be expecting me.

"Come on in. Have a seat. I'd offer you a drink, but..." He gestures to my baby bump.

"Sweet pad." I exclaim.

"Oh, it's just temporary. Friend hooked me up. Believe it or not, I still got a few of those kicking around. I need friends to keep me informed, to warn me when someone is coming looking to blame me for things that I didn't do. [He smiles] For the record, you didn't have to work Diego like that. You and I are long overdue for a chat." He says.

"You want to talk? Talk." I say crossing my arms.

"Tough girl. You're a lot like your dad in that way. [i stare at him] Oh, yeah. I knew him. I knew your whole family. In fact, if you knew them like I did, you'd know just how many enemies they have. Back in the nineties, it was the Crescent wolves who took over the city. Or, tried to. They lived to throw down, and they were good at it, too. They didn't care who they killed as long as they got more power." Marcel informs me.

"So the Crescent curse was your way of stopping them? How heroic." I say sarcastically.

"It was either that or kill them all, and I'm not big on indiscriminate slaughter. See, I have this thing about kids." Marcel says.

"So I've heard." I roll my eyes.

"Oh, you did more than hear about it, Artemis Labonair. You're living proof." He smirks.

"How long have you known who I am?" I ask him.

"I saw how interested you were in those Crescents. After Hayley's little family reunion out at the old plantation house, I started to put two and two together." He exclaims.

"Tell me something, Marcel. Did you kill my parents?" I ask him.

"There was in-fighting among the wolves. Your folks were laying low. Somebody turned on them. I honestly don't know who. I got there afterwards, found you in your crib." He tells me.

"Give me one good reason why I should believe anything that you have to say." I exclaim narrowing my eyes at him.

"Believe whatever you want, but you were the last Labonair. I mean, could've been a lot of leverage for our side, but instead, I took you to Father Kieran." Marcel pulls out a duffle bag and hands it to me.

"What's that?" I ask him.

"Money, mostly. Stuff you need to start over someplace safe. Whatever happened in the Bayou, I'm not your guy. But, the way things are going? Eventually, I might have to be. " he exclaims.

"So this is your grand plan? Get me out of town, and Klaus and Elijah follow closely behind?" I ask him.

"I can't say that wouldn't be a positive side effect." He shrugs.

"So why don't you leave? Follow your own advice?" I ask.

"I was born here, Artemis." He tells me.

"So was I." I get up and go to leave. Before I walk out the door, Marcel stops me.

"Guy on the bike? The bomber? Word is, he had a gambling problem. Owed money to the casinos--more importantly, to the humans who run them. And Artemis? When things get bad, remember, I tried to get you clear of it again." He tells me.

"They are counting on our doubts. That's right! Yeah! They are counting on our fears! That's right! Right!" Oliver shouts as I walk up to Elijah with Hayley next to me.

"You stayed." Hayley exclaims.

"Come morning, they will know that we are not cowards." Oliver says.

"What's going on? What is he doing?" I ask him.

"We are not afraid!" He shouts.

"He's making a move for power in the wake of tragedy. He's not alone. There was another attack after you left." Elijah tells us.

"What?" Hayley and I say in unison. Hayley and I rush into the shack, where Jackson is sitting with Eve's dead body, devastated.

"Your friend Jackson will need your help. They will want vengeance. Blood for blood. And, unfortunately, in troubled times, people do not look for the best. But rather the loudest." Elijah says in a weird voiceover thingy or it was just in my head.

"Hey! Hey!" I hear Oliver scream.Hayley cries and kisses Eve's hand before pulling me outside of the shack. Outside, we find Oliver continuing to rile up the rest of the wolves.

"Look, I know where I'm going. If any of you want to follow, hey, that's up to you. That's up to you!" Oliver yells. A couple days later it was father Kieran's wake and I walk in and join klaus and Elijah at the table and sit down between the two brothers.

"I will warn you, Artemis, Niklaus is in a spectacularly foul mood today." Elijah tells me and I roll my eyes.

"Sod off." He tells Elijah.

"What's the deal with these moonlight rings? Oliver's trying to set a revolution every five seconds. People are scared, angry, and frankly, I'm tired of stalling." I tell him.

"It's a day of peace, Artemis. Try and enjoy it. And, in the meantime, with all manner of unknown enemies conspiring against our family, you'll move back in with us. " he tells me and I roll my eyes.

"Awesome! Then, we can do that thing where you lock me in the tower, I escape, there's drama, and then you two both realize I'm very capable of looking after myself." I say sarcastically.

"The rings are in progress. I will live up to my word. We will find and punish whoever launched the attack on the Bayou, and you will return to the compound for your own safety! [ i sigh and roll my eyes] But, right now-- [He grabs his bottle of scotch]-- I'm gonna finish this bottle --[He opens the bottle]-- and the next, in the hopes of drowning the demon who has chosen today to haunt me. [He looks up at the ceiling before chugging right from the bottle] Cheers, Mikael. Impeccable, Freudian timing." Nik exclaims.

"Elaborate." Elijah says stunned. I look at Elijah and Klaus in concern.

"Have you dreamt of our father?" Elijah asks klaus in concern.

"Go ahead, have a good laugh." He glares at his older brother.

"I can assure you there is no piece of this that I find even remotely amusing, Niklaus. Especially considering I've been dreaming of him, too." Elijah says rolling his eyes.

"What?" Klaus asks him.

If you are also seeing him...[He stops mid-thought when he notices Genevieve enter Rousseau's. She catches his eye, and smiles] Perhaps our elusive, unknown enemy is orchestrating a further attack?" Elijah says brainstorming.

"Well, then. What better way to punctuate a day of peace than by killing someone?"  Klaus says looking at her. He and Eiljah continue to look at Genevieve as he smiles and waves at her.