Page 48 of Arrogance
When I returned to the island of Delos, I had no clue as to how I would plan Orion’s demise. I could not imagine being the one to directly kill him on the spot. It wasn’t in my nature to perform such heinous acts as a god. No. I needed to make his death seem like an accident. But exactly how would I go about in doing that?
I navigated the forests of Delos far and wide, as stealthily as I possibly could. I had no intent on making my presence known to Orion or Artemis just yet. It was important for me to assess the situation and see if I could take advantage of any opportunities that might aid me in my cause to make Orion’s murder as clean as possible.
As I carefully moved about, I finally became aware of a large presence in the lake many miles from Artemis’ abode. I hung on a high branch in an evergreen tree, observing the nude figure that was bathing in the water. Based on the masculine stature and the gorging muscles, I was easily able to tell it was Orion. I could not deny that he was an infatuating man. The sight of him and his enormous cock did cause a slight stir to my own. But I knew time was of the essence. The fact that he was alone and Artemis was nowhere to be found around him gave me the perfect scenario to stage a tragedy. Now, I just needed to find Artemis and perhaps I could end this once and for all.
While Orion continued to bathe in the lake, I was hopeful of quickly finding Artemis. I needed to get ahold of her before Orion would depart from the spot I saw him standing in. Much to my relief, Artemis was in her stone home, carving the hide off of a wild bear she must have hunted recently. I could smell the vile flesh from the creature, which sent a revolting rumble to my gut, making me nearly queasy. I had no idea how Artemis could stomach such a stench, but she must have become so used to it over the years that it no longer fazed her.
Her concentration never faltered from her craft, even as I entered the room. However, she knew of my lingering presence without even having to gaze over at me. “What brings you to Delos without notice, brother?”
Artemis sounded stern, showing no enthusiasm. It was a far cry from how she used to welcome me in the past, bouncing on her heels and toes whenever she greeted me after a long absence. But the Artemis I often experienced these days was one who was icy cold, acting as if anyone that approached her was a nuisance or a disturbance to her routines.
I understood that she was a lonesome goddess who preferred to be independent for the most part, but I was her twin brother. She could at least show an ounce of excitement by my visiting her. But I knew she would no longer act that way. Artemis’s values and beliefs were set in their ways. Her pride over them clouded her ability to be carefree and high-spirited as she once was.
“Just visiting you and mother. It’s been quite some time since I last came by,” I spoke with sincerity.
“Well, that’s very kind of you to stop in. However, I’m fairly busy at the moment and Orion has gone out on a hunting excursion on his own for a few hours,” she indifferently remarked.
This led me to believe that my sister was unaware of Orion actually being in the lake I saw him in. Perhaps this was the optimal time to strike while I had the opportunity. I needed to make the most of this situation.
“I don’t mind waiting around until his return. Perhaps all three of us can go hunting together later?” I suggested.
Artemis shook her head. “That sounds lovely and all, but I’m afraid I’ve already made other arrangements for this evening,” she revealed, shooting down my offer.
“Well, why don’t we at least have a friendly competition while I’m here now? It’s been a while since you and I competed against one another,” I attempted to persuade her with.
She raised a brow at me. “But we just competed against each other at my annual archery tournament,” Artemis reminded me.
“That may be true, but we have not tested our skills on one another in the wilderness for quite some time. I have not been able to evaluate your abilities in our natural settings in what seems like forever,” I stated.
Artemis gave a sigh, stopping her carving altogether. She dropped her knife on the nearby wooden table. “Fine. Let’s just get it over with quickly.”
Perfect. I knew Artemis could never turn down a skirmish, especially when it was one that related to her own event. Her pride could never allow her to go without stroking it at any given opportunity.
Chapter 24
Artemis
There was something peculiar about Apollo’s sudden competitiveness that made me skeptical. Usually, my brother’s unplanned appearance to Delos out of the blue was because he needed a favor of some sort. It had always been that way. However, here he was before me, simply wanting an archery match.
I wondered if he had something riding on this. Did he make some sort of bet with another god that he could defeat me in an archery competition in the forest? Perhaps he had lost a battle with another god and wanted to hone his skills by participating in a match with me. Or maybe I was just trying to read too far into this. He perhaps just wished to uphold our sibling rivalry when it came to hunting and using our bow and arrows. What if this was just meant to be a friendly competition, after all?
Apollo never gave me any reason to ever doubt him, nor his intentions before, so why should I start so now? “Fine. Let’s just get it over with quickly,” I replied.
I stood, tossed the animal’s hide to the floor, and rose from my crouched position. Moving across the room, I retrieved my gold bow and arrow.
Apollo led me outside and was already proceeding to head towards the western end of the island. “Where exactly are you taking us?” I inquired.
“There’s a lake on the western side of this island in the forest. A large rock is settled within the lake and sticks out of it. Let that serve as our target,” he suggested.
I don’t recall there ever being such a rock in this lake, but it was rare for me to explore the most western side of the island, since there was a limited amount of fauna over there for me to hunt.
Once we were at a great enough distance from the lake, Apollo raised his arm in front of me, to prevent me from stepping forward any further. “Let us shoot from here,” he stated.
I nodded. “Fair enough.” It was difficult for me to see that far ahead at the rock emerged from the lake. I was able to make out a structure definitely sticking out of it, which I assumed had to be what Apollo wanted to serve as our target. “Should we draw for who should fire first?” I recommended, but Apollo shook his head.
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll give you the advantage by having me shoot first,” he answered.
“Who says shooting last is more advantageous?” I challenged him, with a hint of amusement behind my voice.
