Page 180 of Blood of Olympus

Lykos pivoted, sprinting back towards the rows of restless warriors. To their credit, they did not flinch at the sight of a giant wolf running at them — though, some closed their eyes — but Lykos changed direction at the last second. Huffs of relief were audible as we passed, which was vaguely amusing — running up the line of them instead. He darted all the way to the left-most flank, where Artemis, Apollo, and the other archers waited for the order to strike.

Before he’d even had time to fully stop, I’d leapt off his back, landed in a crouch by his paws, then ran the rest of the way over to the questioning Olympians.

Artemis took one look at my face, at my eyes that struggled to hold to hers, and her expression slackened. “Tell me.”

My lips parted, but no words tumbled out. How does one tell a mother that her daughter would die if she didn’t surrender to her most powerful, most hated enemy?

“Tell me,” she repeated, softer, as the rim of her midnight coloured eyes filled with tears.

I held out Phobos’ gift, inexplicably captivated by the way the sunlight reflected the silver bead’s arrow symbol across my palm.

The goddess snatched the braid out of my hand, clutching it tightly to her chest. “Explain,” she rasped.

“They have her.” Artemis' expression fractured as I continued, “Kronos and Hyperion and whoever else they have hiding in that army of theirs. They have Diana. And they say they’ll kill her unless you surrender to them. Swear your allegiance to them.”

“No,” she gasped. Apollo caught her as her knees buckled, lowering them both to the ground.

Velira landed just behind Lykos, stirring up the earthen field, and Nyssa departed almost as quickly as I had.

“Go,” was all she said.

“I have already sworn my oaths,” Artemis murmured. “To you.”

“I seem to recall you leaving a small amount of wiggle room in that oath,” Nyssa said, pointedly raising one ebony brow above the line of red silk tied across her face.

“Only if I did not believe you were acting in the best interests of the realms. How can I deny that? You would willingly die for them… for us all.”

“There was a little more to it than that, Lady Huntress.”

Artemis’ brow puckered as she tried and failed to remember her exact wording. Nyssa saved her the effort. “You swore your allegiance on the condition that you believed me to be acting on the best interests of the realms and your people.” Her expression softened. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but Diana is your people — and by me choosing to continue fighting this fight, it puts her at risk.”

“Therefore, not in her best interest,” Artemis whispered. Hope dawned on her then and she clambered to her feet. Before Nyssa could even think to react, she was the recipient of a suffocating embrace, the likes of which I’d never seen Artemis administer. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. This means we may yet meet each other on the field of battle, and I’d rather not go up against your bow if I can help it.”

“Don’t worry, it’s poor conditions for shooting.” She winked, gesturing at the clear blue skies, not a hint of a breeze on the horizon.

Nyssa grasped the back of Artemis’ head, dragging her in until their foreheads met. “Be safe, shoot straight, and get the hell out of there with Diana as soon as you’re able to.”

“Yes, my queen. I won’t forget this — not for as long as I live.”

“I hope for both our sakes that is still a very long time.”

Artemis laughed. “As do I.”

They parted and she immediately embraced her brother, quickly signing a message that was just for the two of them. I looked north towards the writhing blackness of Kronos’ army, giving them a moment of privacy, and when I turned back around, Apollo was holding Artemis’ bow as she slung a quiver of silver arrows over her head. She reached for the bow, held it thoughtfully for a heartbeat, then turned and passed it to Aphrodite who hovered on the periphery of our circle.

“Me?” she stuttered.

Artemis nodded. “You’ve put the work in. You’re good.” My brows shot up my forehead and I felt Nyssa’s keen surprise filter in. “There’s no one else I’d trust with her. Besides” — she shrugged — “it will be much harder for me to shoot you all down without a bow.”

I’m sure they can find you a bow, Apollo signed, though his lips tugged up at the corners.

Perhaps. But not one made with a goddess in mind. She winked.

And after taking a handful of steadying breaths, the goddess of the hunt began picking her way across the field that would soon become a tapestry of black, red, and gold — and she did not look back.

I stepped up to Nyssa’s side, entwining her fingers with my own.