by Kieran Scott
“Yes. You and Apollo pushed her and pushed her about Orion for a fortnight, and then, when she finally heard you, she took your side.” Harmonia gently tugged her hand away from Hephaestus and approached the twins. “She gave you what you wanted—a chance to spill Eros’s blood and win back Orion—and instead you make a pact for peace.”
Harmonia looked over her shoulder at me, calming me with her eyes. She was the queen’s mouthpiece right now. Hera was listening to every word. I knew Harmonia didn’t agree with anything she was being forced to say.
“Is that what she told you? That she gave me what I wanted?” Artemis spat. “What I wanted was Orion, and she gave me her word that as soon as I had him in my clutches, she would bring us back to Mount Olympus, but she lied.”
“What?” Apollo snapped.
“I had Orion in hand tonight,” Artemis told us, her nostrils flaring. “I called to Hera to bring us home.”
“You did what?” I demanded. “We made a pact!”
“I had to see him for myself. Witness this memory loss you spoke of and make sure it was true,” Artemis said, looking me up and down. “You would have done the same. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t.”
I clenched my teeth, seething, but unable to deny her words.
“But when I saw him, I realized I couldn’t just let him go, so I tried to take him home, but Hera forsook me.”
“Is he all right?” I demanded. “Did you hurt him?”
Artemis turned on me, her eyes on fire. “I would never hurt Orion. How dare you ask such a thing?”
“Was it not you who pierced his skull with an arrow?” I shot back.
I knew it was a low blow even as the words spilled from my mouth, but I was too angry, too upset, to stop myself.
“Because he tricked me!” Artemis cried, pointing at Apollo. “You know what that did to me! You know how I suffered!”
“Enough!” Apollo roared. “I will not hear this!” He lunged for me, the thirst for vengeance dripping from his tongue, but Harmonia lifted a hand, sending a lightning bolt zipping across the park, where it exploded at his feet. Artemis screamed. Somewhere nearby a car’s brakes squealed. In the commotion, Harmonia grabbed me and whispered in my ear.
“The queen doesn’t care which one of you dies, but she doesn’t intend to bring the other home,” she said furtively. “She’s forsaken you both, Eros, but one of you will die, and one will be banished. Please make sure it is you who lives. Please.”
“But she can’t do that,” I breathed. “Zeus will bring me home. Me and Orion.”
“Not if she has her way. And she is determined to have her way. Please don’t chance it, Eros. As much as it pains me to say it, you must kill Artemis. You must prepare yourself.”
As she released me, the thundering explosion caused by her outburst died off, but the frantic pounding of my heart had only just begun. It was either die or be banished forever. If I lived, I would never see my home again. Never match couples from my earthen window. Never get my powers back.
I staggered backward to the edge of the monument and sat on the cold, hard marble. Harmonia whipped around to face the twins.
“Come near my sister again in my presence and I will burn more than the toes of your shoes,” she said imperiously, staring down her nose at Apollo. “This fight is to be between Eros and Artemis.”
“I’ve never seen you resort to violence. Not once in our existence,” Apollo said, as the last of the smoke danced its way toward the stars. “I rather like it on you, Harmonia.”
Harmonia sniffed. “What say you, Artemis?”
“This is about Orion,” Artemis replied, the color high on her cheeks. “It’s about Orion’s heart. Eros was right. We can’t know whom he’ll choose until she matches her couple and restores his memory. I will not fight her until that happens. Tell the queen I will not be a pawn in her little game.”
“Artemis, sister, I beg of you,” Apollo countered. “Hera has set her demands. Just end her and get it over with!”
“The queen was quite serious about this,” Harmonia warned Artemis. “I would not test her.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Harmonia,” Artemis said, moseying casually over to me with her hands clasped behind her back. “The queen will have her blood. But on my timeline. Eros will restore Orion’s memory, she will watch him choose me, and then he will watch her die.”
And with that, Artemis turned, took her brother’s arm, and marched to the edge of the park. “Seven days, Eros! You have seven days.”
Then they dipped down the hill and were gone. I bent forward, my head between my knees, and heaved in air. Harmonia’s hands came down on my shoulders, and she crouched in front of me.
“Don’t worry, Eros,” she said. “Everything will be well. You have our father’s blood in you.”
I lifted my head to meet her eyes. She nodded ever so slightly, and my heart fluttered with hope. She was telling me to call on my father. To ask him to teach me how to fight.
“You are right, Harmonia,” I said. “Perhaps all is not lost.”
Together we rose to our feet, and Harmonia took Hephaestus’s hand again. He brought it to his lips and kissed it. She smiled, but gently tugged her fingers away.
“There’s something else you should know.” Harmonia faced us as a doomed man might face his firing squad, chin lifted, but with fear in her eyes.
“Harmonia, what is it?” I asked.
“It’s my fault,” she said. “My fault that any of this happened. That our father found you and Orion in Maine, that he threatened Orion’s life and you were forced to make the pact that got you banished here. It’s all my fault, Eros, and I’m so sorry.”
Harmonia bent her head forward and covered her face with her milky-white hands. Hephaestus and I exchanged an alarmed look. I hardly knew what to think.
“Your fault? How can that be?” Hephaestus asked finally.
“She’s been spying on us,” Harmonia said, her voice cracking. “The queen told me she’s known for years that we’ve been communicating. She’s listened in on every conversation we’ve had through our mirror since the turn of the century.”
Hephaestus blanched. I could practically see his mind reeling, recalling what had been said, imagining the secrets and promises he and Harmonia had told and made. Private things. Personal things. The queen had heard every word.
“I kept your secret for months, Eros. I did,” Harmonia told me, her eyes pleading. “But one night a few weeks ago I slipped and ended up telling Hephaestus where you and Orion were. The queen told the king, and he told Father. I’m so very sorry. If it weren’t for me, you and Orion might be in Maine to this day, content in your love.”
My palms were clammy as I stared at my sister. But even though she painted a pretty picture, I knew it wasn’t true. I reached for her hand and squeezed.
“This is not your fault, Harmonia,” I said. “You had no idea you were being watched. And if it wasn’t for the mirror, we would have been found out some other way. Or Orion would have given in to the wanderlust he was starting to feel and struck out on his own.”
“No. Never. Not without you,” Harmonia told me.
I smiled. “Okay, maybe not without me. But I can’t imagine we’d still be in our little paradise now. Or at least not for long. Things change. The world changes. We know that better than anyone.”
“So you forgive me?” she asked.
“There’s nothing to forgive.”
Harmonia and I hugged for a long, long time. It was so good just to be near her again, I didn’t want to let go. But eventually, Hephaestus cleared his throat. Harmonia laughed and took his hand.
“Look at the three of us, together again,” she said. “Just like old times.”
I smirked. “Yes, but I think it’s time I leave you two alone.”
“You needn’t go, E
ros,” Harmonia said.
But I slipped away from her. As hard as it was to leave her, I knew that she and Hephaestus needed this.
“I’m sure you only have a short while to visit,” I said. “What kind of love goddess would I be if I didn’t leave you to it?”
Hephaestus shot me a grateful glance as I turned around and walked away. My knees shook beneath me and my heart felt about ready to give out, but I somehow kept moving. As soon as I was out of sight of my sister and her love, however, I lowered myself down on the nearest step.
Yes, it was a shock to know that Harmonia’s loose lips had been instrumental in getting me banished, but what was done, was done. It was none of my concern. What mattered was that the queen wanted me dead. Me or Artemis. Apparently it didn’t matter to her which. And when the queen wanted someone dead, she generally got her way.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
True
I stood in the center of Goddess Cupcakes on Sunday afternoon, staring into space as I dumped ceramic plates into a plastic bin. Ever since last night’s meeting with Harmonia, all I could think about was home, and what it meant to me. As I lay awake in the middle of the night, craving that feeling of security and comfort so acutely, I realized that my mind’s eye was not filled with images of my chambers inside my mother’s house, not of my earthen window. Not even Harmonia. When I thought of home, I saw only Orion. I saw our house in Maine, the small bedchamber, the rolling hills outside the windows. I saw him. His smile, his hands, his eyes, his hair. Home was Orion. Orion was home.
Yesterday’s kiss had done nothing but solidify that fact for me. I didn’t care whether I had to be mortal, whether I had to live out my days on this rock. As long as I was with Orion, everything would be okay.
“Tick-tock, Eros,” Artemis whispered as I passed blindly by her table. “I don’t know whether to root for you or against you.”
“Then why don’t you try shutting your mouth?” I suggested, dumping a coffee mug into the bin with a clatter.
My nemesis had been sitting at one of the corner tables since opening, sipping the same tea and tapping at her wrist every time our eyes met. Like she was doing right now as I turned my back on her.
I wondered what she’d do to me if she ever found out about Orion’s and my lip-lock yesterday. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be pretty. And speaking of which, where was Orion? What was he thinking? Last night I’d been hoping against hope that he’d call, or better yet show up at my house and tell me he’d realized his mistake. That he wanted me. That he loved me. That he’d broken up with Darla—which would conveniently leave her free to be with Wallace. But thanks to Artemis and whatever bizarre scene had played out between the two of them, he’d probably spent the night in his bedroom, hiding under the covers.
My hand shook, and I dropped a plate back onto a table with a clatter. The two girls sitting there stared at me as if I’d offended them somehow. I took a deep breath. As long as I was stuck at work, there was nothing I could do to help Wallace and Darla along, and clearly I needed to distract myself from thinking about Orion. But how?
I picked up the plate and carefully placed it into my bin. It was a gorgeous, sunny fall day, and everyone in Lake Carmody had flooded downtown, hitting the shops and restaurants and parks hard and heavy. I had never seen Goddess Cupcakes so packed. Everywhere I looked, there were singletons just waiting to find a match. Slowly I smiled. Perhaps it was time to have a bit of fun.
Keegan Traylor had come in a few minutes earlier and now sat at the big window table with three of his friends. He was a jerk, but that didn’t mean his friends didn’t deserve to find love. I saw Josie Morrissey and two of her girlfriends about to snag the table nearest the bathroom and jumped into action.
“Oh, no, no, no. You girls don’t want to sit here,” I said, picking up Josie’s plate and its contents—a PB&J cupcake—and balancing the bin against my hip.
“Why not?” Josie snapped.
Another special one. Maybe she and Keegan would hit it off. They both had hearts as black as tar.
“See that pipe right there?” I glanced at the ceiling. “Plumber says it could go at any time. He’s coming to fix it tonight, but I wouldn’t hedge my bets.”
The three girls took a large step back. I pretended to ponder the crowded restaurant, like I didn’t know exactly where to put them.
“Hey! What about that table?” I said, gesturing with the plate. “I’m sure those guys wouldn’t mind sharing.”
Josie’s eyes lit up at the sight of the four St. Joe’s varsity jackets. She applied some lip gloss, tossed her hair back, and led the charge. I bet my father would like her.
“Hey, guys.” She leaned into the table, and every one of them checked out her tight shirt. “Have room for a few more?”
“Only if they all look like you,” Keegan said, shoving a friend over.
Seriously, it was like shooting oversexed fish in a barrel. I placed Josie’s plate on the table and left them to it. Maybe Josie’s sweet-looking blond friend and the cute buzz-cut kid in the corner would hit it off.
“Excuse me? Are there any tables free?”
One of the English teachers from school stood nearby with a cup of coffee and a salted caramel cupcake, a novel tucked under her arm. She was pretty—about forty—with jet-black hair, an artistic sense of style, and no wedding band.
Artemis tapped her wrist. I heaved an impatient sigh and tried to ignore my timekeeper. Mr. Carlson, the school librarian, was sitting at a table near the wall with his daughter, Zadie, both of them engrossed in their own reading.
Mr. Carlson was not sporting a wedding ring either.
“We’re pretty jammed today, but it looks like there’s an empty seat at Mr. Carlson’s table,” I said, lifting my chin.
The woman hesitated. “I couldn’t interrupt him and his daughter.”
“They don’t exactly look like they’re in the midst of a tense discussion.” I laughed lightly. Or at least I tried to. With Artemis’s eyes on me, everything seemed to be coming out strained. “Follow me.”
I moved sideways through the tight space between occupied chairs and stepped over someone’s tuba case on my way to the Carlsons’ table. The teacher took the longer route, sticking to the outskirts of the café and watching me with a sort of nervous anticipation.
“Hi, Mr. Carlson?” I said.
He looked up from his book and smiled. Man had an awesome smile. His dozens of long black braids fell free over his shoulders, unlike at school, when he wore them back in a ponytail, and he was wearing a polo shirt and jeans, rather than his usual button-down and tie. The shirt totally showed off his arms, and I saw the edge of a dark tattoo peeking out from under one sleeve.
“True,” he said pleasantly. “How are you today?”
“I’m fine, thanks. Listen . . . the place is pretty busy, and I noticed you have an extra chair at your table. Would you mind if . . .”
I looked over at the teacher, who had just arrived at my side, clutching her book tightly to her side.
“It’s Ms. Day. Amelia,” she said, tilting her head apologetically. “Hello, Maurice,” she said to Mr. Carlson. “I don’t want to interrupt. . . .”
“Oh, hi, Amelia.” Mr. Carlson sat up straight. “You need a seat? Of course! Please, join us!”
“Thanks.” Amelia’s smile practically glowed. “That’s very kind of you.”
“Hi, Ms. Day!” Zadie said enthusiastically. She was wearing a white dress with short sleeves that made her look younger than her fourteen years, and her many Hello Kitty bracelets slid down her arm as she reached for her iced tea.
Amelia shot me a grateful look as she placed her cup and plate on the table. “Thank you, True.”
“Anytime,” I said as they settled in, looking like the perfect erudite family. “You guys let me know if you need anything.”
I glanced around, making sure not to look directly at Artemis so I could maintain this cautiously optimistic feeling brewing inside me. Maybe being permanently banished to Earth wouldn’t be so awful. Not if I could help people find happiness.
Then the door to the shop opened, and in stepped Orion. The sight of him after our encounter yesterday took my breath away. He was wearing a dark-blue sweater with a thick white stripe across the chest, and his glossy hair was freshly washed and brushed back from his strong cheekbones. As he walked toward me, Artemis’s body went rigid, her eyes wide, like a dog who’d just spotted a bone. I gave her a warning look, and she didn’t move. Luckily, Orion didn’t notice her.
When Orion’s eyes met mine, I saw the pain and hesitation there. He spotted Darla’s friends—Veronica and the two other girls they were always with—sitting at the center of the room. Time seemed to stop as he stood there, considering. Then, finally, as if he couldn’t fight it, he approached. I reached up to touch my hair self-consciously. What was he was going to say? That he was in love with Darla? That he was in love with me? I wondered, I wondered, I wondered. And then, he was there.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” I replied.
“Listen, about yesterday . . .”
My heart filled my throat. “Yeah?”
Orion glanced behind him at Veronica and her cohorts. They blatantly stared him down. I could hardly breathe, and he was stalling. Artemis was still as stone. The silver arrow around my neck burned a hole in my skin.
“You were right,” Orion said, lowering his voice. His gaze darted to my chest, to the spot where the arrow was tucked beneath my sweater. “I do have feelings for you.”
My heart caught. This was it! He loved me! He was going to break up with Darla so we could be together.
“But I don’t know where they came from,” he continued under his breath. “I’ve been having all these . . . I don’t even know what they are. Daydreams? Flashbacks?” He laughed sarcastically. “No. They can’t be flashbacks. I didn’t know you until a couple weeks ago.”