Page 43 of Arrogance
“Who is that?” I asked Aphrodite.
The strange man was a little too close to Apollo for my comfort. A spark of jealousy ran up my spine at the sight of the two standing side by side. But this momentary insecurity went away when I learned who he truly was.
“Him? That’s Orion, Artemis’ hunting partner. Rumor has it that there is more to their relationship than they let on. It’s time to see for ourselves,” she whispered as we approached their group.
Our close steps behind them caused Artemis, Apollo, and Orion to pause their conversation and give us their attention. “Congratulations on another phenomenal win!” Aphrodite enthusiastically exclaimed.
“Yes. Congratulations,” I added to her praise.
“Why thank you both,” Artemis graciously stated.
Orion stood, just observing us, not uttering a single word. Apollo’s head turned to the side. He couldn’t even look at me.
The coward!
I wanted to scream. To yell at him to be an actual god and look me in the eyes. Instead, he was no better than all of these mortals in the crowd around us. But I couldn’t find my own courage to address him. And so, just as he was doing, I found myself sauntering into the background as well.
“I see you have a new companion with you I have yet to meet,” Aphrodite nodded her head towards Orion as she stated this.
Artemis let out a barely noticeable grunt, but I was able to pick up on it. “Yes. This is Orion, my hunting partner. Orion, this is Aphrodite and Adonis.”
“A pleasure…” Aphrodite replied.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Orion said in a very deep tone.
“So, I see you associate yourself only with the best hunters in the world,” Aphrodite commented, now diverting her attention back to Artemis.
“Yes. That does seem to be the case, doesn’t it?” Artemis commented.
“For the most part. But if you really spent your time with the best archer, you would have Adonis accompany you,” Aphrodite added with a coy smirk on her face.
My eyes widened as she stated this. She was baiting Artemis, and I wondered how the Goddess of the hunt would respond to this blatant attack against her pride.
“You think Adonis is the better hunter!?” Artemis threw her hand over her mouth and began to laugh, almost uncontrollably.
“I am better than you,” I heard myself chime in. “You lost fair and square to me when we last faced off. Do you not recall?”
A hush fell over our group when I said this. I even garnered a glance from Apollo, finally. Artemis held a disgruntled look on her face. “That was years ago. Where are your skills at now? I have yet to see you compete since then.”
I shrugged. “That doesn’t matter. The fact of the matter is that I beat you and you can never say the same about me.” Now it was I who was the one testing Artemis.
She took one step closer to me, irate as ever. “You’re a fool for saying such a thing. And I suggest you watch who you are speaking to with that tone. Aphrodite may have taught you how to be crass with that mouth of yours, but do not forget that I am a goddess and you are nothing more than a pathetic mortal. Show some respect,” she seethed, delivering that last sentence out between her grinding teeth.
Aphrodite stepped forward, so that she was now standing in front of me, blocking my line of view directly with Artemis. “Or else what!?” Aphrodite placed her hands on her hips. “What will you do? You won’t lay a finger on him.”
Artemis twisted her neck back to glance at Orion and Apollo, who still maintained their silence. She shook her head, likely disappointed that they were not speaking up and defending her. “Hmph. I will not put up with this asinine behavior. This is beneath me,” she stated as her last remark to us, before taking off and fleeing from the stadium.
I eyed Apollo one last time, irritated by his lack of emotion and for not acknowledging my presence. “Let’s go, Aphrodite. This event was a total bore. I don’t think I can commit myself to have to endure this mediocre tournament again.” I spoke with such disdain that I hoped it triggered Apollo to assume I was no longer interested in him.
Aphrodite collected my hand, and we turned our backs to Orion and Apollo, walking off. Once we were at a far enough distance so that no one was able to overhear us, Aphrodite finally spoke up. “Now, didn’t that make you feel good?”
“I would be lying if I said no,” I admitted.
“You managed to ruffle the feathers of a goddess. And Apollo looked as though he wanted to cry,” she stated.
“Yes. It made me feel a sense of accomplishment by making her run off like that. And I think I’m starting to finally get over Apollo. At least I know I can handle and control myself whenever we cross paths again,” I explained.
Aphrodite had her arm wrapped around me as we strolled. Her hand on my back slowly lowered, so that she grabbed my ass. “I say we celebrate for getting under their skin like that. What do you say?” She winked at me.
