Page 117 of Artemis' Bow
“They came at them from the north, maybe over the other side of the ridge they were using for cover,” Greyson says, sniffing the air again.
We creep up the southern ridge of the hill on silent feet, crouched low so they won’t easily spot us. I peek my head over the side of the hill. It’s a shame that they were found out herebecause this is a sweet little lookout spot with a great view of the temple.
Monsters freely roam the grounds below. I scan the area until my gaze lands on Mia directing the rest of their team to patrol as she stands over Draven, Thad, and Adrian.
“I can see all the others except Olly. Where is he?” I whisper.
There are no monsters close by, but many would have ears almost as good as Greyson so I’m careful. We don’t want to alert them that we’re here until we’re ready.
“I don’t know,” Dax whispers back. “He was with them when we left. Maybe he got away.”
“They would be looking for him if he got away from them. They wouldn’t just let him go.” I shake my head.
“Where are they?” Mia screams from below. “Where are Jayden, those two bitches, Beth and Raven, and their fucking dog?”
Greyson snarls, “I’ll show her who’s the bitch and a dog here.”
“Hold back, Greyson. We don’t want to show our hand yet,” I say.
“I know they are here. Tell me where they are, now.”
Draven glares at her with defiance. “You’re a traitorous bitch and I’m not telling you shit.”
“You will talk. You will tell me everything once I set the monsters loose on you.” She grins evilly.
“You can do your worst, you ugly hag.” Thad spits at her.
“What the fuck are they doing?” I hiss. “Riling this psycho up is a bad fucking move.”
“They must have a plan. We need to come up with our own plan to help them and get Artemis out of that damned place.” Raven shakes her head.
Orion peeks over the side of the hill and tilts his head. “I feel her inside. She’s weak but I can sense where she is exactly.”
“Do you think you could get inside without getting fried by her magic?” I ask him.
“Artemis’ magic has never been able to hurt me. The only way she was ever able to hurt me was with the bow.” He hangs his head. “I will get in there and rescue my mate.”
“Mate?” I ask in confusion. “Do gods have mates?”
“No, but giants do. I’m hers for eternity even if she can never be mine.” Orion shrugs.
“That has got to be the most heartbreaking thing I have ever heard in my life,” I say.
Raven nods her agreement. “Fucking gods. Apollo is an asshole.”
“Apollo does as he must for the sake of this realm. Don’t be too quick to judge him. Can you imagine the burden it must put on a being’s soul to be forced to play the villain to protect the greater good?” Orion says.
“So, you think this is all an act? That he’s not as complicit in all of this as we originally thought?” I tilt my head to the side.
“He came to me before my battle with the scorpion. Before I was placed in the stars and told me there would come a day that his sister would need me, but it wouldn’t be in my lifetime. The only way to save everyone was to die by my mate’s hand and be placed in the stars as the constellation Orion.”
“He saw this coming millennia ago?” I gasp, transfixed by his story.
“The only way Zeus would even consider putting me in the sky is if Artemis herself begged for my life, riddled with grief and guilt. Apollo hated himself for what he’d become in order to save the realm from the queen and her minions.” Orion’s shoulders slump.
“That’s fucking tragic,” Raven says, barely audible.
“All right, no more bashing on Apollo,” Jayden says. “Even if he’s been a pain in our asses the last few months. It will all be for nothing if we don’t free Artemis.”
