Artemis snorted. "I've tried that. It's an advertising gimmick," he said with a wave of his hand.

"What she wants, most likely, is to break you," he continued, on a more serious note. "If she's dredging up events from your past and threatening to hurt your current friends here, then her only goal could be tormenting you until you can't feel anymore. If that makes any sense."

Artemis frowned at his plate and rolled the grape around thoughtfully. "A spider without legs is helpless to a predator. She's trying to cut off your legs."