Page 53 of Artemis' Bow
“Let’s go see what the big reveal is,” Jayden says, pulling me along with him.
We enter the garden in the bright sunlight, and I grimace. I’m really starting to hate the feel of the sun constantly on my skin.
“Okay, everyone, step back and brace yourselves. This is going to be fun.” Orpheus claps excitedly. “Jayden, press down on the rune on the side.”
Jayden glances at me warily but shrugs and presses his finger to the rune on the side. A clicking sound fills the silence. The ground rumbles as giant paws land on the grass in front of Jayden and a huge tongue lolls from one of the monstrous heads before it licks all the way up Jayden’s face, leaving drool dripping onto his shirt.
“Ugh, Cerberus, what have I told you about that?” Jayden wipes his face with his sleeve.
“Spot,” I yell. “What are you doing here?”
I scratch the left head behind the ear and he practically purrs.
“I don’t have any human leg bones to throw for you.” Raven holds her hands up in surrender.
Greyson and Thad both turn their gazes on her in a mix of horror and confusion.
Greyson asks, “Do we want to know?”
“Probably not.” I wrap my arms around Spot’s neck, hugging the lovable goof.
His other head bumps my arms to get me to show him some love too and I chuckle. Jayden is still trying to get the slobber off his face as the third head nudges him repeatedly in the gut.
“He wants to play.” Orpheus laughs.
“We don’t have time to play,” Jayden says.
“Hades sent him to help us?” I ask as I scratch the middle head under his fuzzy chin.
“He did. The hellhound seems fond of both of you. When he isn’t acting like a lapdog, he’s also a ferocious warrior in his own right,” he says. “Hades said what you’re doing is too important not to assist in any way he can.”
“But how can we take him with us? He can’t like being in that tiny capsule for very long.” I chew my lip.
“He knows what he needs to do. He’s the most intelligent beast I’ve ever met,” Orpheus says.
“Spot, do you want to come help us save Artemis?” I ask him.
All three heads nod in unison. The head closest to me headbutts me in the stomach a little too hard. All the air whooshes from my lungs and I bend at the waist, holding my stomach.
“Cerberus, don’t be so rough with her,” Jayden scolds.
Spot whimpers, nuzzling my face gently this time. “It’s okay, buddy. I just wasn’t expecting that.”
“You understand you’ll have to stay in this until we need your help, right, Cerberus?” Jayden holds up the capsule.
Spot whines but nods that he understands. He is extremely intelligent for a beast and knows that he would attract too much attention in the human world, which could be very bad for all of us. The only way he can come with us is disguised and the best way to do that is the capsule Jayden is holding.
A big rubber ball appears in Orpheus’ hand a second before he chucks it directly at Jayden’s head.
“You bastard,” Jayden yells as he snatches it from the air.
The ball is like a beacon and all three heads turn to Jayden as Cerberus launches at him.
Jayden sidesteps but Spot has three heads, so no matter which way he dodges, there’s a head there to greet him and try to snatch the ball from him.
“Greyson, catch,” Jayden yells and throws the ball.
“Fuck that. I want no part of that insanity.” Greyson moves out of the path of the ball, and it bounces in the grass ten feet away from him.
