Artemis the Brave by Suzanne Williams, Joan Holub Page B

swung its tail wildly. When the bow shook loose, it flew overhead to land under the tree where she’d left her quiver. Click! Click! Click! The scorpion turned on them again, even angrier now.
    “We’re doomed!” cried Orion. Cowering, he tried to hide behind her. She thought she heard him whimper for his mommy, but she wasn’t sure. Something rolled out of the pouch he wore at his waist—his bottle of GodBod! When the scorpion was almost upon them again, Artemis dropped to her knees, grabbed the spray, and aimed the nozzle.
    Tssst! She spritzed the scorpion, covering it with a beautiful, glittery shimmer. The beast froze, looking stunned. Its image began to flicker, first disappearing from view, then reappearing again, then disappearing.
    “What’s happening to it?” Orion squeaked.
    “Who cares? Run!” Artemis shouted. He took off immediately, still gripping their arrows. A wild sway of the scorpion’s tail knocked the spray from her hands as Artemis followed. Her sandals made her faster, and she grabbed the back of Orion’s toga on the way, towing him toward the tree.
    There, Orion slipped on his magic sandals and she grabbed her bow. Thank goodness it was still in one piece! After the ties laced themselves at his ankles, she took his hand and they sailed back toward MOA leaving the flickering beast behind.
    By the time they arrived, her heart had calmed. “Listen, I really want to thank you for saving me,” said Orion as they both tossed their winged sandals into the basket just inside the school’s front doors. “You were amazing—as brave as Heracles! Of course, I’m hoping we can keep this whole episode to ourselves. Wouldn’t want you to get into trouble for taking me to the forest.” He clapped a hand on her shoulder, just like Apollo did to his buddies. His guy buddies.
    “Right,” Artemis agreed, sighing inwardly. Was that really how he saw her—as another guy? A buddy? And why did that bother her so much?
    Selecting three arrows from the six he held, Orion slid them into her quiver. “And thanks for bringing me up to speed on archery, too. I think I can handle the auditions now.”
    She stared at him in dismay. Didn’t he know how terrible he was? Anyone with half a brain could see he wasn’t ready. Maybe the scorpion had scared him out of his wits. Literally. “Are you sure? We could just practice on the MOA field next time, not in the forest.”
    “I’m sure.” Smiling, he slapped her heartily on the back. “Thanks for everything. See ya, Artie.” With that, he headed off.
    She watched him go, a look of yearning on her face. “My name’s Artemis,” she said softly. But he was already too far away to hear. Why did she still like him? she wondered. He didn’t have the qualities she admired. He wasn’t brave or kind, and she had a feeling he sometimes wasn’t totally honest, either. Still, he was cute. Mega-cute. And he was exciting and glamorous, too. When she was around him, the whole world seemed a little brighter.
    But was that enough? Did it make up for his weaknesses? He had been grateful to her for saving his life, at any rate. At least, his thanks had seemed genuine and gracious. Any other boy might’ve been embarrassed to be rescued by a girl. But then, Orion didn’t seem to realize she was one.
    Before she could consider these things more deeply, something cold touched her hand. Dog noses. “Good boys,” she said, bending to ruffle the fur on their necks. They’d waited patiently for her return as instructed. “Hey, since you’re boys, maybe you can explain why Orion sees me as a pal instead of a girl?”
    In reply, Suez barked intelligently and Amby and Nectar studied her intently, their tongues hanging out. Too bad they couldn’t talk.
    “That’s okay. I know you’d help if you could. C’mon,” she said. “Let’s go grab some chow.”



Too Much Drama
    O N MONDAY DURING LUNCH, ARTEMIS WAS sitting with Aphrodite, Athena, and Persephone at their usual