Something True

by Kieran Scott

  I let the arrow fly. It pierced the tree at the very center of its trunk. My aim was still true.

  Taking a deep breath, I unsheathed another arrow. I had less than twenty-four hours until we reached Artemis’s arbitrary deadline. Tonight Wallace had asked Darla to homecoming, and hopefully tomorrow, under the twinkling lights at the dance, they would seal their love. And the second Orion woke up from his Zeus-­induced stupor and chose me, I was going to be ready.

  Because there was no way I was going to let him go. That kiss tonight, the way he’d thrown himself out of that car for me, put his heart on the line in front of the entire school, it meant something to me. Wherever we were, whoever we were—whether goddess or human, mortal or immortal—we were meant to be together. Artemis could not win.

  I lifted my bow, stared down the sight line, and imagined Artemis standing before me. I let fly. Another direct hit.

  As I reached for the third arrow, someone very nearby clapped their hands. The noise was so loud in the thick of the night, it startled a few sleeping birds from their nest. I whirled around just as Artemis emerged from the trees. She wore skintight black pants and a black-and-gunmetal jacket, zipped to her chin, elongating her neck. Her brown hair was piled messily atop her head in a thick, haphazard bun.

  “Well, well, well. You’ve still got it.”

  I flung my quiver to the center of my back and inched toward the tree, keeping my bow behind me.

  “How did you find me?” I demanded, trying to keep her from getting a better look at the arrows still caught by the thick bark.

  “You think Goddess is the only place for me to keep an eye on you?” Artemis tilted her head. “I’ve been watching your house. I saw you sneak out. The stalker lifestyle seems to suit me.”

  She advanced on me slowly, a challenge and a question in her eyes. I knew she was wondering why I hadn’t drawn on her, and I tried to come up with some way, any way, to keep her from seeing the truth. If she knew I had these arrows, she’d know I’d gained an unfair advantage—that I could end her with one shot whether she were mortal or made Goddess again by Hera or anyone else. She’d know someone on the Mount was helping me. And worst of all, she’d know what to expect tomorrow night.

  I forced myself to stop my backpedaling and took a wide-legged stance between her and my oak tree. “I thought I had another day. You should know that, considering what a diligent timekeeper you’ve become.”

  Artemis lifted her slim but strong shoulders. “Just figured I’d check up on you. See how your latest match is coming along. It must be going well if you feel able to take time out to come here for target practice.”

  “It’s going very well,” I replied. “By tomorrow night, Orion will be back to his old self and able to make his choice.”

  Of course, the current Orion had already made his. Remembering tonight’s kiss again brought a blush to my cheeks. I hoped it was too dark for her to notice.

  “And then we fight,” Artemis said, the glee in her voice unmistakable.

  Quick as lightning, she darted to my right—my weaker side. I reached out to stop her, but my ribs clenched in pain and I caught only the fabric on the elbow of her jacket. Artemis grabbed one of the arrows from the tree trunk and held it up, clutched in one black-gloved hand. Her face went gray as ash.

  “This is a leaden arrow.” Her eyes flicked to my face. “One of your leaden arrows.”

  I said nothing. My body quaked as I quickly considered my options. Did I try to kill her now where she stood, or make a run for it? If I could only avoid her, only hold her off until Darla and Wallace sealed the deal, then there was still the possibility that Zeus would squire me and Orion home. That he would overrule Hera and save the day. There was still a flicker of hope.

  Artemis raised her fist to my face, the ends of the arrow seeming to waver in the dim moonlight. “How did you get these?” she roared, her spittle dotting my cheeks. “How?”

  Suddenly lights flicked across her face, and I heard a shout.

  “Stop right there!”

  A pair of flashlights bobbed toward us through the trees. I saw a flash of something, a gold badge, and heard the static of a radio.

  “It’s the police!” I hissed. “We have to run.”

  “I’m not afraid of them,” she spat back.

  “You should be. They’ve been looking for you two all week. If they lock you up, you’re going to miss the fun tomorrow night.”

  Artemis gave me one last livid look before dropping the arrow and taking off into the trees. I ran in the opposite direction, hoping to confuse the police, knowing I could probably outrun them. At first I heard at least one of them crashing through the underbrush after me, but then he cursed under his breath and the light went dead. I could only imagine he’d fallen, but I refused to look back. I sprinted until I reached a sidewalk, then lifted my cotton hood over my head and turned my steps toward home.

  It wasn’t until I reached our front porch that I bothered to breathe. Artemis now knew that I had a weapon that could take her and her brother out, even if they somehow regained their powers before our fight. The element of surprise was gone. She was going to come to our battle prepared.

  Suddenly the overhead light on the porch flicked on. The door opened, and there were my mother and Hephaestus.

  “What is it?” my mother asked. “What’s happened?”

  I sighed and trudged past them into the house. “We’re going to need a new plan.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  Darla

  “You okay?” Wallace asked me.

  I looked down at his hand, clasped around mine. He’d worn a dark-blue tie to match my blue dress, which was not only way prettier than the green, but far more comfortable. Especially with my one-inch black heels. When I stood up straight in them, Wallace and I saw exactly eye to eye.

  “I’m good,” I told him as Principal Peterson took the stage. My pulse raced convulsively, and there were parts of me sweating that really shouldn’t have been sweating, but otherwise, I was fine. “Except this crown is really starting to itch my head.”

  I reached up and dug my fingertips into my scalp. Wallace smirked.

  “Well, good thing you’re about to get a new one, then,” he said, knocking my shoulder with his.

  “Ha-ha.” I knocked him right back.

  The voting had been closed about a half hour earlier, and a few sophomores had scurried out with the vote box, giggling the whole way. Wallace had been invited to help tally the votes again this year but had declined, so that he could stay by my side. Thank God. Because if he hadn’t, I definitely would have peed in my Spanx by now.

  Suddenly the music died. Principal Peterson took the microphone off its stand and cleared his throat. Almost everyone turned to face the small stage, which was skirted by a dark-blue curtain. The blue, white, and silver balloon arch behind the principal had detached from the wall and was starting to peel forward slightly. A couple of the girls from the homecoming dance committee stood nearby, eyeing it warily.

  “Can I have your attention, please?” the principal said, tugging at his too-tight collar. “This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The announcement of this year’s Lake Carmody High School homecoming king and queen!”

  Mariah and Kenna brushed by behind us, both of them casting beady glances at our held hands. Neither of them said a word to me, but Mariah gave me a little smile when Kenna’s back was turned. I realized that I honestly had no idea who my friends were going to be on Monday morning, if I’d even have them, but right then I didn’t care. Wallace was my best friend and now, sort of my boyfriend. Who needed anyone else?

  “Hey, good luck.”

  I turned to find Charlie Cox, of all people, standing next to me with his arm around Katrina Ramos. She smiled shyly, looking ridiculously pretty in a dark-pink dress with a black lace overlay.

>   “I voted for you,” she said.

  My eyebrows shot up. “Really? Thanks. I love your dress.”

  “Yours, too,” she replied. “It’s the perfect color for the occasion.”

  Exactly.

  Principal Peterson opened the silver envelope and withdrew a white card. My grip on Wallace’s hand tightened.

  “Your homecoming king and queen are . . .”

  Darla Shayne. Say Darla Shayne, I begged silently.

  “Peter Marrott and Claudia Catalfo!”

  My chest deflated as the world erupted in applause. Just like that. All the work, all the hoping, all the drama—it came to nothing.

  “Wow,” Wallace said. “So much for my career in political polling.” He turned to me and took my hand. “I’m so sorry that I got your hopes up.”

  “It’s okay,” I said, and meant it. I mean, it sucked, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t suck for too long.

  Wallace pulled me into a hug as blue, silver, and white balloons rained down from the ceiling. People whooped and cheered, kicking the balloons around as Peter and Claudia ascended the few steps to the stage.

  “There’s always next year,” Wallace said in my ear.

  And I laughed as two tiny tears squeezed out. “You know, I really don’t think I want to go through this again.”

  Wallace pulled back. “Then we’ll run someone else’s campaign. Together. Because we really can’t let Veronica Vine win.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Please. Can we talk about anything else?”

  “How about how much I love you?”

  My heart burst into a million tiny pieces and then zipped back together again, pounding one hard, strong beat, like nothing I’d ever felt before.

  “You do?” I said.

  “I always have,” he told me matter-of-factly as a hundred ­people jostled around us to make room for the king and queen’s first dance. “I think I probably always will.”

  I looked him in the eye, my hand flat on the lapel of his jacket. “Wallace, I—”

  “You don’t have to say anything,” he said, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “I know it’s probably a serious shock.”

  “No. I mean, it is, but . . . what’s really shocking is . . . I love you, too.”

  And then, as the spotlight trailed Peter Marrott and Claudia Catalfo to the center of the dance floor, Wallace Bracken and I stood in the middle of the sea of nameless, faceless people and kissed for what felt like the very first time.

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  True

  “This is it! This is it! They’re going to kiss!”

  I grabbed Hephaestus’s shoulder, balling the black fabric of his suit jacket up in my hand. My bow and arrows were tucked safely into their case, which was hidden badly behind Hephaestus’s butt. Luckily, my mother was chaperoning the dance—the better to keep an eye on me and do whatever her mortal self could do to protect me—and since we’d come in with her, none of the other chaperones had asked him what it was sticking out a foot from each side of his chair.

  Slowly Darla leaned in to accept Wallace’s kiss, the lights swirling around them, the dancers moving to block them from my view. Aphrodite watched from the far side of the room, her hands clutched in front of her. So far, Artemis and Apollo had yet to make themselves known, but they would undoubtedly be here, and I knew that they would come prepared.

  “Where’s Orion?” Hephaestus asked.

  “I sent him to get us some snacks.”

  Orion smiled over at us from across the room, as if he knew we were talking about him. He looked unbelievably handsome in a dark gray suit, his brown hair freshly shorn.

  Finally Wallace and Darla’s lips touched, and then everything happened at once. Orion suddenly fainted, eliciting a scream from someone nearby, and the entire room went black.

  “What the—” Hephaestus said.

  A communal groan went up around the gym, and there were a few girls’ squeals as well. I had taken one step in Orion’s general direction when someone grabbed me from behind. I had barely a chance to gasp before I felt the ice-cold blade sinking into my side. Pain exploded into the depths of my stomach as I doubled over.

  “This is almost too easy,” Artemis growled in my ear.

  I screeched and reached back to grab her behind her head. With everything I had in me, I flung her over my shoulder onto her back, then yanked the blade from my side, dropping it with a shaking hand to the floor. Blood soaked my fingers, but I was still breathing, still here.

  “Hephaestus! My weapon!”

  The lights came on. Hephaestus was slumped forward in his chair, out cold. Apollo hovered over him. Both he and Artemis, on the floor in front of me, wore breastplates made of steel forged in the deepest caves of Mount Etna—the only material on Earth or in the heavens that could stop my leaden arrows. It was their blue-black color that gave them away. Someone was helping the twins, just as my father had helped me. But no matter. I was prepared for this.

  I yanked my case out in one swift motion and, before anyone could act, had the bow and arrow in my grasp. Apollo lunged for me, but instead of drawing on him, I raced across the room, where Orion was just pushing himself to his hands and knees. Girls scurried out of my way, boys grabbed their friends and darted into corners. Someone screamed as I loaded an arrow into the bridge and drew on Orion. He stood up and staggered back, his face white with shock.

  “Eros?” he said.

  Dear Gods, he knew me. My heart nearly exploded as I longed to throw myself into his arms. To kiss him with all the longing and despair and hope I’d felt for these last weeks of exile. But I couldn’t do it. I had to stay strong. My fingers, slippery with blood, shook as I held the arrow fast between them.

  “Eros! What are you doing?” Artemis cried, running up behind me.

  “Everyone just calm down.” The vice principal, Ms. Austin, walked over with her hands raised, wearing a brown dress that did nothing for her square frame. My mother was right behind her, her blue eyes sharp. “True, put down the weapon.”

  “I see you’ve protected yourself, Artemis,” I said, blood gushing from my wound. “Unfortunately for you, I’ve come up with a new plan. Orion, I need you to look at Artemis.”

  “But—but you’re hurt,” he said, staring at the bloodstain that was rapidly growing across the front of my white dress.

  “Just look at her!” I growled, even as my side convulsed with pain.

  It took obvious effort for him to tear his eyes off me and look at her. She stood next to me, shaking from head to toe.

  “If I prick Orion with this arrow while he gazes upon you, Artemis, he will be poisoned against you for all time.”

  “But you’ll kill him!” she protested.

  I shook my head. “All it takes to breed hatred is a flesh wound. I don’t have to kill him to make him loathe you.”

  She took a step toward me and I inched the arrow toward his shoulder, gritting my teeth. “One false move and I’ll do it. I swear.”

  Artemis froze.

  “You need to choose, Orion,” I said. “Do you love her, or do you love me?”

  Apollo raced toward me with a growl of rage.

  “Apollo, no!” My mother moved to intercept him, but he shoved her out of the way and into the wall of gaping students. Two guys grabbed her before she could hit the floor, and her face was red with anger.

  “Stop where you are, Apollo!” I cried. “If I cut him with this, she will never get her answer.”

  “Like I care,” Apollo replied.

  He lunged for me, but Artemis turned around and kneed him in the groin so hard, he doubled over and fell at her feet. A few guys gasped, and some startled shouts echoed through the room.

  “Choose, Orion,” Artemis said. “It’s time for you to choose.”

  My love drew himself up. His
shoulders were thrown back, his chin raised in that haughty way I knew so well. He looked Artemis directly in the eye, and his expression softened. My heart skipped a beat and my fingers twitched. I’d lost him. I never would have thought it possible, but I’d lost him.

  “I’m sorry, Artemis, but I love Eros,” he said.

  My heart overflowed and I took a step forward, but at that moment Artemis let out a battle cry like no other and launched herself off her feet. I turned to face her, hoping to get one arrow off and at least hit her in the leg, but I had let my guard down for that brief moment and I was too late. She tackled me to the ground, and my fingers slipped from the bow. My side tore in two as I watched the arrow arc feebly through the air, heading right for Orion’s chest.

  There were screeches, screams, gasps. People scattered. There was a clatter as something large fell to the gym floor.

  And then the arrow stopped. It froze in midair. Artemis and I sat up together as the world went silent. I shoved myself to my feet. Every soul in the room except for me, Orion, Artemis, Apollo, and Aphrodite was as still as ice. I glanced at Hephaestus, who remained unconscious, and was gratified to see that he was breathing.

  “What in the name of Zeus?” Orion stepped forward and touched the pad of one finger to the tip of the frozen arrow. Then he waved his hand in front of the vice principal’s face, her mouth open in an arrested scream.

  “What’s happening?” Apollo groaned, pushing himself to his knees.

  I glanced down at him. “I don’t know.”

  It was then that Zeus, Hera, Ares, and Harmonia whirled into the gym, taking out half the balloon arrangements and sending glitter splattering against the frozen faces of a hundred unsuspecting mortals. Harmonia fell to her knees in front of Hephaestus while the three upper gods walked down the aisle I had created with my bow-wielding run.

  Ares stepped up next to me and ran his hand over my wound, healing it and clearing the blood away. “Are you quite well, my daughter?”