Free Artemis the Brave by Suzanne Williams, Joan Holub Page B

chided.
    “You know that’s not it. It was that arrow!” Artemis protested. “It was trained by a really, really bad archer.”
    Halfway down the line, Orion stepped up to take his turn. His form was terrible. He had no skill. Yet when he released his arrow, it flew straight and true to pierce the end of Apollo’s, in the bull’s-eye.
    “Ye gods! He split my arrow right down the middle!” said Apollo. “You’re the only archer good enough to do that.”
    Now that the first round was over, the all-clear signal was given and everyone went to retrieve their arrows from the targets. After picking hers up, Artemis looked at it closely. Something wasn’t quite right. She scratched at the shaft with her fingernail. It wasn’t metal—it was wood! The glittery gold was just a coating! And it was the exact same color as Orion’s shimmer spray.
    Understanding struck her like a bolt of Zeus’s lightning. That hissing sound she’d heard as she’d sat under the tree that day in the Forest of the Beasts—Orion must have been spraying his wooden arrows with his GodBod! Then, later, he’d put them into her quiver and kept hers for himself.
    Orion passed her, carrying the arrows he’d shot and retrieved. A fresh, flowery smell trailed in his wake. Perfume. The same perfume Persephone had used on her birthday arrows. So it was true. Orion had stolen her silver arrows! The ones she’d spent hours training during target practice with Apollo. No wonder Orion was doing so well! If he kept her arrows that day in the forest, he must’ve used them to try out for the part of Eros, too. So that was how he’d beat out Dionysus for the lead role in the play!
    Artemis’s chest felt so tight she could hardly breathe. Orion had cheated to steal the part from Dionysus. He’d taken advantage of her and tricked her. He didn’t care about her at all. In fact, he didn’t care about anyone but himself . As long as he was the star of the show, he was happy. Her friends had been right. But Orion wasn’t just an egomaniac, he was a mega-mean-egomaniac!
    She blinked back tears. Why had she ever liked him? “I’m sorry,” she said to Apollo, once she’d gotten her feelings under control. “It’s my fault we’re losing.”
    Apollo shook his head, but there was no time for discussion. As the second round began, the same thing happened—Apollo hit another bull’s-eye, while Artemis’s arrow failed to reach its target. When Orion’s turn came, his shot was a bull’s-eye, but slightly off center this time. His bad aim was messing up the training she’d given her arrows.
    “I hate to admit it, but the guy’s pretty good,” said Apollo.
    “No. He’s cheating. With my arrows,” Artemis insisted. Since Orion had no teammate, he got two shots. As he nocked a second arrow, preparing to shoot again, she elbowed Apollo. “Watch this. If his arrows are mine, they’ll obey me, not him.” The minute Orion released an arrow, she murmured:
Silver arrow, true and fine.
Bean that boy in his behind!
    Since the arrow was hers, it did her bidding. Making a loop in midair, it reversed direction and zoomed back to nick Orion in the rear.
    “Ow! Ow!” Orion exclaimed, holding on to his seat with both hands and jumping around. “Somebody help! I need medical attention. And a new toga!”
    Artemis rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” she called out.
    “Yeah, save it for the stage,” yelled Apollo, crossing his arms. “Our arrows are magic. They might sting a little, but everyone knows you’re not really hurt. Including you.”
    Orion did not answer. However, his acting was good enough to stop the contest for a while as others gathered around him in sympathy. In the stands, the other goddessgirls waved Artemis over.
    “What just happened?” Persephone asked when she reached them.
    “Orion shot himself in the place that hurts him most,” Artemis replied.
    “His rear?” asked Athena.
    Artemis grinned. “His ego