Page 11 of Arrogance
“And what sort of idea is that?” I asked with curiosity.
“Come. Follow me. Let us go to the beach, and I will show you,” my brother recommended.
He and I walked ahead of each other, side by side as the Thriae travelled behind us, grunting and heaving the entire time. Clearly, they had other arrangements with Apollo for today and this excursion was not on their itinerary.
I could tell Apollo was becoming frustrated with their unnecessary noises coming from behind us. The disdained expression on his face said it all. He stopped in his tracks and then turned around to face them. “I could actually use a few favors from you three.”
Each of them slightly bowed their heads. “Anything for you, master,” Kleodora affirmed.
“I need you to gather a few materials for me in the nearby forest. I need an animal with a firm, white hide… alive. I also need several pieces of wood and a few stalks from the field. Bring them down to the beach, which is where we will be.”
They each seemed confused by his odd request. Even I had no idea what Apollo was intending to do with all of these supplies. But nevertheless, I was completely intrigued, trying to put the pieces together in my head.
“Yes. We will make haste,” Melaina stated. “Come, Kleodora. Come, Corycia.” And with that, the Thriae were now out of our hairs for the time being, much to my relief.
Apollo then eyed me. “We’ll also need to make a quick trip to my shelter. I need to grab my bow and arrow, as well.”
I nodded. “There is no rush. After all, we have all the time in the world.”
Eventually we arrived at the beach, but had to wait on the Thriae to bring the materials Apollo asked for them to collect. After several hours I was now becoming impatient with their incompetence. I could have easily acquired everything Apollo asked in just a matter of minutes, yet it took the three of them several hours to get everything.
In the distance, I could finally make out their fluttering wings coming closer to us, moving at a slow pace, struggling to bring everything with them across the sands of the beach, which was without water. I’m not sure what one would call sands on the edge of a cliff leading into thin air. After all, Delos was a floating island. There was no water surrounding the entire land. The only water here was located at a few ponds, lakes, and rivers scattered across the island.
“It’s about time!” I exclaimed, annoyed that I could have gotten many tasks done while we waited this long for them.
Melaina dragged a white goat from behind her. “Well, it was difficult to find a white animal. But here you go.” She flung the animal forward, towards Apollo. Within seconds, Apollo pulled out his carving knife and swiped it across the animal’s neck in a clean sweep. Blood drained into a massive puddle all in the small hole in the sand he scooped out earlier, while we waited for the Thriae.
We all stood, mesmerized as he carved the hide of the goat off and then made intricate cuts with which he made a giant circle out of it. He then dipped his hand into the warm blood from the goat and drew various sized concentric circles on the hide. It was an odd pattern I was not quite used to, which I could only describe as white and red circular stripes.
“Perfect! Now, we just need to attach this to the stump of a tree, and then stand it up at an angle,” Apollo stated.
I was still perplexed by this creation of his and what it could be used for. After the five of us set up the manipulated hide as he suggested, he then carried the contraption to the far end of the beach, at a great distance away from us.
“Let’s play a game, Artemis!” he enthusiastically stated.
“A game!? Right now?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes. Let’s see who the better shooter is. Me or you? We will both shoot our arrows from the same distance. We will then see which of us has the better accuracy in hitting as close to the center of the circle as possible.”
I grinned, rather liking this sort of challenge he offered. “Sure. But be warned, I will not go easy on you,” I declared. Even the Thriae were whispering and excited over this competitive form of entertainment they would be witnessing us take part in.
I pulled my bow from my back and steadied my arrow along its string. Hearing the Thriae making side comments caused me to give them a dirty glare, with which they instantly shushed themselves, taking the hint. I needed absolute silence in order to concentrate. When I felt the tranquility in my limbs reach their peak and my aim seemed flawless, I released the arrow, able to see that the tip of the arrow struck not quite at the very center of the target, but in the small white circle that surrounded it.
Soon, it was Apollo’s turn. He positioned himself in his hunter’s stance, just like I had. When he fired, his arrow hit right in the middle of the target. My mouth dropped, realizing his shot was far better than my own.
He swayed his golden hair back with his hand, flexing his body into a cocky position. “I’m pretty sure that makes me the better hunter,” he scoffed.
The Thriae clapped and had sly smirks on their faces, likely proud that he bested me in this competition. I could not believe Apollo had beaten me. I was the Goddess of the hunt, after all. How could I allow my brother to beat me at my own specialty?
My face began to turn red. I was agitated by the entire situation. “That’s not fair. You have a better bow and arrow than me, hand given to you by our father,” I found myself saying. “That’s the only reason you won. Otherwise, if we were on equal playing fields, I would have easily conquered this.”
Apollo shook his head, raising his hands in the air as if he gave up on trying to argue with me. “Whatever you say, sister. Anyway, it was just a friendly game. A game that needs a name. So, let’s call this gamearchery. Those who play this game can be known asarchers. How does that sound?”
I simply nodded, still irritated by the outcome of the competition. It only made me more resentful of my brother. Once again, he had another advantage over me. This time with the quality of his weaponry, which was my primary excuse for my performance. It would be one of the many complaints I took up with the King of the Gods in the very near future.
The time to depart Delos and visit my father had arrived. He sent his chariot down to fetch and bring me to his palace on Mount Olympus. I could not believe my eyes when I first stepped foot in the place. The floors and walls were made of the finest white material I had ever seen in my entire life. Not quite marble, but something even more exquisite than I was used to.
His maidens escorted me to his private throne room, which consisted of two gigantic seats, that extended so high, it was hard to even make out where the top of the thrones had ended. One for him, and I presumed the other for his wife, Hera. However, it was only Zeus present on his throne. Hera was absent.
