Page 47 of Poseidon's Trident
“Are you shielding us from view, Artemis?” I ask.
“I am. We can’t have the humans seeing me like this. I’m getting weaker, Beth, and it’s harder to hide my godly magic from them.” Artemis hangs her head.
“Fuck, that’s not good. The goddess of the moon and the hunt. What the fuck is going to happen next?” I throw my hands up in frustration.
“When did you lose your bow?” Jayden eyes the bow strapped to her back.
“This isn’t my item of power.” Artemis scoffs. “You think I hunt with the very thing that gives me strength?”
“Sorry, Artemis, I’m not having the greatest day with trust issues.” Jayden hangs his head.
“You four are going through some crazy changes from being gods touched. It’s going to be an adjustment.” Artemis waves him away.
“Do you know what the adjustment is?” I ask.
No one has been able to tell us what might happen to us now that we’re gods touched but with the aggression that Jayden and Greyson have been experiencing lately, it can’t be anything good.
“I don’t. I can’t find any account in our history of demigods being gods touched, only godlings and other creatures. Your human DNA is making things more difficult.” Artemis’ eyes are downcast.
“What about Greyson?” Raven asks. “He’s not human but he isn’t a god either. Why is he so aggressive in his change?”
“I don’t know,” Artemis says on a sigh. “One of my creations has never been gods touched before.”
“So we are basically just in a wait and see kind of situation.” I throw my hands up.
“You are, I’m sorry. You will need to be careful while you’re adjusting.” Artemis nods.
The nereid shuffles on her feet. “We need to go somewhere else. We have been here too long and the humans are getting anxious.”
“Yes, I know of a diner down the street where we can sit and have this discussion.” Artemis nods.
“Let’s go, then. We aren’t going to do ourselves any favors by letting the humans get suspicious.” I nod to the goddess.
We’ve been made by the humans in the past and I don’t have any intention of making this mission any harder than it needs to be. The Bellagio fountain and the problems it caused were bad enough. The stakes are much higher this time.
12
“We are shielded here. You can speak freely,” Artemis says as she sits at the table in the little diner we just walked into.
“I’m still wrapping my head around how they can blame Poseidon when Ares’ lack of power almost caused a nuclear war and demons escaped the underworld and feasted on humans when he lost his helm.” I sit in the chair Jayden pulls out for me.
“Only the trident can release the sea monsters from the deep. They think Poseidon has it still. Athena is pushing hard for war to stabilize the oceans before the academy and the world are destroyed.”
Could Athena be behind it all? Misdirection would be the best strategy when trying to take out the other gods. She is the goddess of war and wisdom after all.
“So she isn’t listening to the oracles or Apollo?” Adrian asks with a frown.
“Apollo has run off with a nymph to study poetry in Southeast Asia.” Artemis rolls her eyes.
“Gods, no more poetry,” I grumble.
“He’s the god of poetry; why would he need to study it?” I ask.
“He doesn’t. It’s an excuse to get out of war councils. He hates them. He thinks they’re boring and dull. Especially when no one will sing with him.” Artemis steeples her fingers in front of her.
Something is definitely not adding up. Apollo has given Artemis information for every mission before this one and he’s suddenly gone when Athena decides to shove the blame at Poseidon for everything that’s happened?
“What’s my dad saying about this?” Raven asks.
