Page 54 of Arrogance
But I knew better, that foul play was involved, and this was no mere accident. I never made a mistake when it came to discus throwing. Yes, there were times when the distance of my throws varied, but never had I ever thrown the metal object off the field. So the fact that the discus flew into the audience not only was befuddling, but then add that it just so happened that my lover, Hyacinth, was the one who it hit made this whole scenario reek of inauthenticity.
Someone had caused my throw to go completely off the desired path. The only people capable of such an occult act were gods and goddesses. My suspicion further rose when I realized it was Hyacinth they were targeting. Only someone who lost their love could have wished for me to lose mine. So just who exactly was the one I should pinpoint the blame towards?
Based on my recent actions, I had no doubt of who the culprit was. Therefore, once I mourned the loss of Hyacinth, I returned to the island of Delos, barging into Artemis’ home without warning.
She was startled by my unwelcomed entrance. “And why are you here, of all places?”
I approached her. “You know exactly why I am here, Artemis. Surely, you’ve heard what happened to Hyacinth recently?”
“Yes. And I am so sorry to hear about your loss, brother. Yet, I must comment on the hypocrisy of this entire situation. You’ve received my sorrow for the loss of your lover, yet not once have you ever expressed your condolences to me about my loss of Orion,” Artemis irately stated.
“But are you really sorry, Artemis? I find it completely coincidental that I lose Hyacinth in this gruesome accident, just a few weeks after you lose Orion in a tragedy,” I aggressively replied.
“Of course, I’m sorry Apollo. I cannot stand to see you in pain. However, I am truly at a loss for words here. You honestly think I was the one behind Hyacinth’s death?”
“Yes. I do. If not you, then who else would have a reason to punish me in such a manner?” I asked her, curious to see if she could come up with other names.
But instead, she only shrugged. “I cannot say for sure, but I swear to you I was not involved in Hyacinth’s murder. I would never lie to you, Apollo.”
It took me a moment to regain my composure. I did sense the sincerity behind Artemis’ words. Maybe I was misguided in my thoughts and emotions. What if it really wasn’t her who made me kill Hyacinth? What if someone else was at work here that I’ve neglected to realize could have been the person who cursed me to accidentally commit murder on my lover?
Before I could even rationalize my logic out loud to Artemis, she had interrupted my train of thought. “I find it odd that you would suspect me of harming you, Apollo. What reason would I have to hurt you? Unless…”
“Unless what?” I interjected.
“Unless you did something to harm me? You face guilt over the turmoil you caused me, which would only make sense for you to think I found out about your misdeed and then came after your lover,” Artemis explained. And her reasoning was accurate.
I could no longer withhold anything from her. I fell to my knees, sobbing. Upset at myself for not only having Artemis kill Orion, but knowing that it could have impacted my loss of Hyacinth as well. “Yes. It was me, Artemis. All of it was me. I knew Orion was in the lake that day. I convinced you to fire your arrow at him, knowing very well it would lead to his death.”
The color in Artemis’ face shifted into a deep boiling red upon my confession.
“But please hear me out, sister. I did not force you to kill Orion on my own accord. I had no choice in the matter. Aphrodite gave me an ultimatum, just as you had. It was to either find a way to kill Orion or else she would go to Zeus and tell him of my indiscretion with Adonis on the Shrine of Delphi,” I confessed.
“Aphrodite!?” Artemis blurted out. “That whore made you do this!?”
I nodded. “Yes. I’m so sorry, Artemis. I had no choice in the matter. So, that is why I assumed you had a hand in killing Hyacinth. I figured you likely knew I was responsible for Orion’s death and therefore this was your retaliation. Your mark of revenge on me.”
“But it wasn’t me, Apollo. I honestly had nothing to do with Hyacinth’s death. And I’m not sure who has, but I can say for certain it was not me.”
“I believe you, Artemis…” was all I could hear myself say with such a downcast, still upset over the loss of Hyacinth. I had no answers. No way for me to avenge him without knowing who had made this elaborate plan to have him killed.
“But we will find out who did this, Apollo. Mark my words, whoever did this will pay. And I can also solemnly swear that I will find a way to seek out my own revenge on Aphrodite for her being involved in all of this. I’ll just have to wait for the optimal time, but when that moment comes, I will make sure I strike on it effortlessly.”
Chapter 28
Artemis
I still could not believe Apollo had lied to me. Yes, he was practically forced into executing the plan of having Orion killed. Also, he did receive a just punishment for his actions. He too fell victim to losing his own lover. So, I could not completely find fault in Apollo. More so, my aggression lied with Aphrodite. The bitch continued to wreak havoc on my life. There was no way I would be willing to turn a blind eye to her, especially not after she had destroyed the only man I ever loved.
But exactly how should I go about in harming her? Just what could I get away with that wouldn’t allow me to get my hands dirty in the process? I also needed to verify that whatever I chose to do to get my revenge on her, it could not go against any of my morals or beliefs. I would have to think on it carefully a little while longer, before I take immediate action against her.
Now, my thoughts were distracted by being on the hunt with theAnemoi, or wind gods. We trekked the Arima mountaintops, covered in the purest white snow on the hunt for wild bison and other large beasts that roamed the cliffs during this icy season.
The gusts were strong against our faces as we climbed. Each brisk wind that blew picked up tiny pieces of snow that struck our faces like thousands of tiny daggers. But we continued onward, our pace never wavering as we made the hike.
Boreas, the God of the north wind, led us up a steep slope. He was the eldest of the wind gods. His pale white beard was even longer than that of my father’s. Wings sprung forth from his back and he held a white conch shell in his hand as he ascended. Turning his head back to see that we weren’t able to keep up with him, he let out a deep-belly laugh. “You all are moving at a snail’s pace. We will surely lose daylight at this rate.”
Notus, God of the south wind, shivered fiercely. “We are not used to these extreme cold temperatures as you are, brother.” Being used to the hot summer winds, Notus must have been irritated with this climate, likely regretting his decision to join his brothers and me on this hunting expedition.
