Page 104 of Artemis' Bow
“I don’t know. Will we even be able to get inside?” I ask. “There was always someone who was a child of the last fourgods. Artemis doesn’t have any children, so how are we going to get in so we can rescue her?”
“Shit, I hadn’t thought of that,” Raven says.
“How did I not think of this sooner?” I ask.
“Well, none of us did so it isn’t crazy that you didn’t,” Jayden says.
“Maybe if I call Chiron to update him on what’s happened with the third team, he will have an idea of how we get into the temple too.” I reach into my bag for the conch shell. “Chiron, headmaster, Halfling Academy.”
Moments go by before the mist appears and the centaur looks down on me with a sword in his hand. “Beth, is this an emergency? I’m training.”
“It is. It’s about the other teams,” I say, dreading this conversation.
“I don’t know anything about how they’re doing. They haven’t checked in and I honestly expected Zeke’s team back already.”
“What? How? They went in the opposite direction from you.” Chiron’s tail swishes back and forth angrily.
“Dax’s team found us and to be honest, they saved our asses. We were done for with three major monsters and a horde of lizard demons and surrounded by phoenix fire. They helped with the major beasts and the lizard demons disappeared because they knew they would lose.”
“How did they know where to find you and when?” Chiron asks.
“That’s not the important part, Chiron,” I say with a sigh.
“What is the important part, then?”
“They were attacked on their way to Chicago and lost their map. It was the other team who attacked them, Chiron. They’re being mind-controlled. Well, all except Mia; she’s just a psycho bitch and a traitor.” I blow out a breath.
“How did this happen?” Chiron rubs his forehead.
“My best guess is that when Mia didn’t get her way, she sent a prohibited Iris message asking for help from our enemies.” I shrug.
“This is terrible news. I greatly miscalculated in sending that girl with a team.” Chiron hangs his head.
“I’m not going to tell you I told you so because this isn’t the point of this conversation.”
“What do you need from me, young one?” Chiron places a fist over his heart.
“Dax and his team are with us. Somehow, Olly had a vision they needed to help us and stick with us until the end. That’s not one of his gifts, but we have no idea where the other team might be. If they return to the academy, they need to be detained so we can attempt to remove the mind-control from the three affected and I can punch Mia in the face.”
“That’s not the only reason to detain her, Chiron.” Jayden squeezes my thigh.
“Nope, just a bonus. If she’s helping the enemy, she could be revealing secrets that we want kept hidden, like who doesn’t want to fight and how the enemy can use that against us.”
“That is perfectly reasonable. Well, except the punching her in the face part.” He glares at me.
“Oh no,” Raven interjects from the back seat. “That is more than reasonable. You have no idea how many times over she deserves that.”
“I mean, you don’t lie.” I point at her, then my nose.
Raven giggles as the ancient centaur rolls his eyes at me.
“Enough. I get the picture. Is there something else that you need to speak to me about?” Chiron says, annoyed.
“Yes, actually, we never thought about the fact that none of us are direct descendants of Artemis. How are we supposed to get into her temple?” I ask.
“The closest thing Artemis has to a descendant are her hunters,” Chiron muses. “Have you met them?”
“Yes, unfortunately,” I grumble.
