Page 7 of Artemis’ Bow (Halfling Academy #5)

“ W e need to look through the book again,” I say.

Jayden stands and offers me a hand to help me up. I don’t need the help but I accept it anyway. He’s trying to be a gentleman and I love it, but the voice in the back of my mind is loud.

You’re gonna have to choose. Which will it be? The world or the man you love?

I shake off the horrible thought and follow Jayden and Raven out of the room and up the stairs to my floor. I place my hand on the door to unlock it and we file into the common room.

“I’m gonna get the book and also maybe the textbook from Cross’ class. Maybe it will have some useful information about where to find the other temples.” I rush into my bedroom.

I pull my history textbook from the drawer in my desk and head for the closet to get the book Cross loaned me—that by all rights shouldn’t exist—and the maps in case we find something.

There has to be something in the book, right? If there isn’t, then we are completely screwed. There will be no way to know if we are targeting the correct temple. Never-ending daytime will be the least of our worries if we’re thrown into an ice age.

“I got the books and the map just in case. Jayden, why don’t you scour the history book and I’ll look through this. We have to find something.”

“We will, Beth. We always do,” Jayden says.

His confidence should be comforting but that stupid voice in the back of my mind persists, reminding me of the choice I’d made on the island. Dread pools in my belly as I sit on the couch between Jayden and Raven and open the book.

Artemis is easy to find since the sections are arranged by power level and the moon goddess is high on the power scale.

Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and the moon.

She is one of three maiden goddesses who chose a life of celibacy.

That celibacy was called to attention repeatedly in ancient times, but the goddess remained pure.

It’s said that the hunter Orion was the only man who came close enough to the goddess to tempt her.

The god Apollo feared his sister would give in to temptation with Orion, so he devised a plan to force the goddess’ hand and she accidentally killed her love. Artemis begged her father to save him, so Zeus put the hunter in the sky as the constellation Orion.

“That’s awful,” I say, shaking my head.

“What is it?” Jayden asks. “Did you find something?”

“Artemis killed the man she loved because Apollo tricked her.”

“That fucker really needs an arrow in his head,” Raven grumbles.

“You woke up choosing violence today, huh?” Jayden chuckles.

He couldn’t possibly know how bad this story is affecting me. It’s eerily similar to a choice I had to make other than killing Jayden. She chose her vow over the man she loved and Apollo being the giant douche he is took the choice away from her. I would have murdered him if it had been me.

“Stop being an ass, Jayden,” Raven snarls at him.

I glance away, not wanting Jayden to see how badly this is affecting me. I’ve done my best not to show my feelings to him since we got back, but it’s getting harder to keep him at arm’s length.

“Sorry, Beth. I didn’t realize you were so upset about this. What’s going on?”

“Nothing, did you find anything on the other temples?” I clear my throat and change the subject.

“Nothing definitive but there was a sanctuary in Sparta and another temple near the coast of Attica. They could both be potential locations.” Jayden scrubs a hand over his face.

“I don’t think it would be in Sparta. They played that game already,” Raven says.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Ares’ temple was in Sparta. That’s where we got his item of power and the brainwashed students.”

“You don’t think they’ll use the same location twice?” Jayden asks.

“I wouldn’t. That would be tactically stupid. We cleared the monsters on that path already. It would be too easy on us.”

“You have a point. I don’t think Hera wants this to be easy on us. By now she knows we’re coming because we always do. We should cross Sparta off the list.” My shoulders slump.

“Hey, at least we’re narrowing down the locations.” Jayden squeezes my knee. “You heard Hermes; Artemis was loved by the ancient Greeks.”

“I don’t like this. Why can’t we find more information from this book?”

“Well, you haven’t finished reading the passage on Artemis yet, right?” Raven asks. “Maybe there is more and you’re just not there yet.”

“You’re right. I just don’t have a good feeling about this. I’m second-guessing myself and it sucks.” I sigh.

“Your gut is usually correct, but in this case, it won’t hurt to get all the facts,” Jayden says.

“Okay,” I grunt. “I’ll go back to the book.”

Jayden and Raven share a glance when they think I’m not paying attention, but I ignore it.

I’m off and have been for a while now. If I can’t get my act together before we have to set off on our next mission, what will happen along the way?

I could get us all killed, but I can’t seem to pull myself out of this slump.

Other men have attempted to steal Artemis’ virtue of chastity and failed.

The river god Alpheus is one such man. His love, on the other hand, was unrequited by the goddess.

This enraged the river god and he went ahead with plans to kidnap her.

The goddess saw the god coming and tricked him so he wouldn’t find her.

“I have a possible kidnapper but it’s a bit far-fetched that this river god has been pining for her for millennia.” I show them the passage about Alpheus.

“I’ve never even heard of that god before. He can’t be powerful enough to be able to kidnap and restrain even a weakened Artemis.” Raven shakes her head.

“Unless…” Jayden says. “He’s using her own power against her.”

“Do you think that is possible? How would he use her power against her, though?”

“The bow. He would have to have the bow to weaken her that much,” Raven says. “It might just be the perfect deception. The revelation of this as a possibility doesn’t matter much, however, if we don’t know where he’s taken her.”

“We have two possible locations. I haven’t found much in this history book about the temple near Attica and we crossed Sparta off the list entirely. We have some clues but nothing concrete.” Jayden snaps the book closed.

“We’ve got absolutely nothing useful. This sucks.” I flop back on the couch.

“It’s getting late, I think.” Jayden eyes the window and the sun shining outside with a grimace. “We need to rest. We never know when we’ll need to leave.”

Raven stands and shares a knowing glance with Jayden before walking out the door and closing it behind her.

“What’s really going on?” Jayden asks.

“Nothing. It’s just all the stuff with Artemis going missing and feeling defeated. We’re no closer to finding her or her bow.” I turn to the window.

The sun still shining through it only worsens my mood. The gods really don’t give a fuck who gets hurt in their petty arguments. Vindictive assholes throw a tantrum, and the humans and demigods are the ones who pay the price.

“That’s not it, and we both know it.” Jayden reaches for me.

I dodge his grip and his eyebrows arch. Something like hurt passes through his gaze so fast I almost miss it. The last thing I want to do is hurt him but that’s all I do lately. I don’t know how to be with him when my brain keeps telling me I’ll ultimately have to make a choice.

“Don’t, Jayden. I don’t want to talk about it.” I wrap my arms around my middle, turning away from him.

He’s going to be angry and hurt that I didn’t tell him. Will he think I don’t love him enough because I didn’t fail that test to be with the fake him? I thought it was Jayden, and I was completely gutted when he forced me to choose.

What will the real Jayden think of me once he knows?

“Beth, whatever it is, you can’t bottle it up like this. Did I do something wrong?” His shoulders are slumped as he turns me to face him.

“No, you didn’t. It’s all in my head. I just want it to stop.”

I grip my hair in both hands and slide down the wall, curling up to protect myself from his penetrating gaze, but it doesn’t stop the voice in my head.

He’ll never love you if he knows what you did. That choice didn’t matter. It was all fake. When the real choice comes, what will you do? Save the man or save the world?

“Beth, listen to me.” Jayden lifts me into his lap, cradling my body against his.

“I can’t choose again. I can’t.”

Jayden wipes away the wetness on my face with his thumb. I didn’t even realize I was crying until this second. My chest aches as the memories of that fucking island blast through me.

“What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense, baby.” He kisses my forehead.

“They can’t make me choose. It nearly broke me before,” I sob.

Jayden is mine, even though he hasn’t felt like it since the damn island. If I’m being honest, his choice on the island felt like a stab through the heart, just as much as I know he will feel if I tell him the truth of what happened in that damn test.

“Breathe for me, baby. I need you to breathe and tell me what happened. You’ve been off since we saved Poseidon. I know something happened.” He squeezes me to his chest.

“I can’t. You’ll hate me.” The words explode from me in a wail without my permission.

“Beth, I can’t hate you. That’s impossible,” he whispers. “Even when you thought I lied to you about Mia, no matter how many times you pushed me away, I couldn’t hate you.”

“I told you a bit about the island of the lotus eaters, but I have been having nightmares since I found out it was a stupid test. Everything feels like an omen of what’s to come. I can’t make that choice again, Jayden.” I grip his shirt in both fists.

“Tell me what’s going on. I want to know how to help.” He runs a hand up my back.