Page 31 of Artemis

“You don’t have to decide right now,” Artemis said. “And if you decide to try it and don’t like it, you can stop immediately.”

“Okay.”

They got cotton candy before waiting in line for the ferris wheel. The pink and blue ball of spun sugar was almost bigger than Alexander’s head.

Alexander gasped when the ferris wheel started moving, lifting them higher and higher in the air, letting them see far into the horizon. The wheel stopped with them at the top for a long time, and he held tightly to Artemis’s hand.

“Are you okay?” she asked, concerned.

“I’m trying to do what Lee said,” he replied. “But I can’t make my fingers let go.”

“What did Lee tell you to do?”

“He told me that when I feel scared, I should put my fingertips together until I’m calm. And then I’m supposed to look for something that’s special. But Mom,” his big gray eyes looked up at her, “I don’t want to look around! It’s too high!”

“That is really good advice,” Artemis said, liking Lee even more. “Why don’t I hold your hands while you put your fingertips together? Let’s start with that one, okay?”

Alexander had done it three times before the ferris wheel started again with a jerk, making him shriek.

Artemis held him firmly by the wrists. “The bar is in place. We’re not going anywhere, okay?”

The trust in his eyes shook her to her core. “Next time, we should invite Lee. He can fly. Then if I fall, he can catch me.”

“That’s a good idea. Although, you know, I’m not completely helpless,” Artemis said with a grin. The moon had risen, and although the sun was still low in the sky, she could still access her powers. She grabbed a thread of moonbeam, invisible to humans, but she could feel it, and fashioned it into a miniature staircase on the palm of her hand. She showed it to Alexander, who touched it gently with one finger. “If you fell, I would make a slide, much bigger than this, that would bring you down to the pier with a swish!”

“Swish!” Alexander repeated excitedly. “Can we do that?”

“It’s for emergencies only. Using that much power would completely drain me. Your life is worth it. For fun, it is not.” She booped his nose. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mom.”

“So, I wanted to ask you...” she trailed off awkwardly.

Alexander looked up at her, confused.

“What’s your favorite color?” she blurted out.

“Green! What’s yours?” Alexander replied happily.

Artemis opened and closed her mouth a few times, not expecting the obvious question. “Pink, I guess.”

“Pink like your lipstick!” Alexander said, reaching up and pressing one finger to her lips.

She kissed it and he pulled back, giggling. “What’s your favorite thing to do at Maddie’s?”

“I like to listen to stories that Hestia reads to us. And paint! And play outside.”

Artemis waited a moment to see if he’d add anything else to the list. “What kind of stories?”

“Sometimes they’re fairy stories, or princesses, or animals. I like the animal ones best. Do you like stories?”

“I do. I like the ones you tell me about your day.”

“But those aren’t stories,” Alexander scoffed. “Those are real!”

“Stories about real life are called non-fiction, and they’re still stories,” Artemis said. “The made up ones are called fiction.”

“Oh.”

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