Hearts and Arrows Box Set

by Staci Hart

  “Well, if we are together in this, then I would choose a spear. A bow would be unwieldy underwater,” she mused.

  The earth rumbled beneath them, and Sirius barked madly as Orion and Artemis fell to the ground.

  “My children are sacred, Artemis, daughter of Zeus.” Gaia’s voice came from all directions. A rock face in front of them morphed, and Gaia’s face appeared, her eyes glowing like coals.

  Artemis stood. “Gaia, we mean no disrespect to your children. We were only—”

  “SILENCE, you insolent fleas who crawl along my back.” Gaia boomed, and the earth shook again.

  Artemis narrowed her eyes. “We have done no wrong, and you are too quick to anger.”

  “Who are you, child of Olympus to judge the mother of all things?”

  “I only observe. My father is the one who passes judgement.”

  “Your father, the son of the Usurper, Kronos. All that I held dear was taken from me when he killed the sky, my husband, Uranus.”

  “And perhaps that solitude has edged you to madness?”

  “How dare you!” she shrieked. “You insult me and threaten that which I have created, child of Olympus. You plot to slaughter my children, you who are charged with protecting them. You have lost your way and must be stopped.”

  The ground before them thundered and rose, cracking and crumbling as the surface mounded before them. A gigantic claw broke out of the ground, then another, and out of the earth rose a scorpion the height of three men, its tail the height of six. It hissed and charged, and the air rang with Gaia’s laughter.

  Sirius edged back, barking with snapping teeth as Artemis pulled her bow and nocked an arrow. Orion stood with his spear at the ready. Gaia was powerful enough that Artemis knew she was not immune. She could be harmed, but worse … so could Orion.

  The scorpion loomed over them as its long legs sidestepped, and its tail flew forward, driving into the ground between them. Rocks and dirt flew as it pulled its tail back, hovering above them.

  Artemis aimed for the beady eyes of the beast and loosed, hitting her mark. The scorpion let out a shriek, and Orion threw his spear for its gaping maw. The beast screamed again and crushed the spear in its jaws, unswayed. Artemis nocked another arrow and drew her bow just as the scorpion turned on her. His tail came down faster than she could react, and everything slowed down, as if time had all but stopped as she looked up at the point of the tail. Orion slammed into her, and the wind blew out of her lungs as she hit the ground.

  She blinked away stars as he rolled off of her, and when she looked over at him, she knew.

  Crimson blood pooled under him in the dust, spreading with each beat of his heart. Rage crawled up her body, up her neck, through her face. She screamed, pulling her longsword as she ran under the beast. She glanced up in the cool of his shadow and howled as she thrust her sword up between the plates of his armor. He screeched and stumbled when she pulled the sword out and pierced him again and again, until he began to collapse. She ran and rolled, barely escaping his massive body as he slammed to the quaking ground. The groans and whines of the creature as it languished echoed in her ears as she ran to Orion.

  He was still and gray, his hand limp on his stomach with Sirius whimpering at his side. Artemis called his name as she fell to the ground, leaning over him with her hands on his chest. All of her doubt was gone, every question banished as she realized that none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was Orion.

  His eyes were on her as he took a labored breath.

  “Wait, please. Please, let me summon Apollo. He can help you.”

  “There is … no time. Artemis … please …”

  “Anything. Tell me.”

  “Kiss me.”

  Her tears fell as she bent over his cold face and laid a kiss on his stone lips.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  “As I love you,” she whispered back.

  And then, he was gone.

  That night, when the moon was high, she brought Orion to the top of the large stone over her favorite pond. She cupped her hands over his heart as tears rolled down her cheeks. He began to glow white and cool, brighter and brighter until the light consumed him, then separated, splitting into small stars that flew into her palm. One by one, she placed them on the tip of an arrow, aimed at the sky, and fired toward the horizon, placing him where he could always be seen, where she could never forget him.

  ★★★

  The wind rushed against Artemis’ cheek, streaking her tears. She had been adrift, floating through her life with no anchor. Her love for Orion was left loose and flying, the ends never cut or tied, and she longed for purpose, something in which she could put her faith when everything else was undefined.

  Artemis ached for comfort, and her thoughts turned to her mother. She decided then to visit Leto, who always made her feel better, no matter the situation.

  She ran her hand down Pegasus’ neck and pointed to the edge of the great sparkling lake below. Pegasus reared his head and dove for Leto’s home.

  The green hills grew larger, the mountains around them rising up as they came closer to the ground. Leto’s castle was small in the way of castles, with pyres that reached up to the heavens and hatched glass windows. Stone walkways and balconies rounded the house, and Leto walked out of the entrance, tall and regal, the gold lining of her white robes shimmering in the sunlight. She waved like a queen as Pegasus’ hooves touched the ground.

  Artemis dismounted Pegasus and ran her hand down his jaw, and he whinnied before kicking off the ground, his wings stirring up dust in a cloud.

  She turned to her mother, who stretched her arms wide. “Artemis.”

  “Mother.” Artemis embraced Leto.

  Leto pulled away smiling, her cheeks rosy in her fair face. Her diadem sparkled atop her long, blond hair that waved down her back.

  “I am so pleased to see you. Come inside. Are you hungry?”

  “Famished.” Artemis smiled and followed Leto into the kitchen, feeling like a girl as she always did when in her mother’s presence. Of all the places in all the world, it was the only one where she felt safe and free, released from her responsibilities, able to just be.

  Leto reached for a block of ambrosia on the shelf and transformed it into a steaming loaf of bread. She sliced a piece off, drizzled honey on it, and placed it on a plate before sliding it across the worn, wooden table to Artemis.

  “How are you, darling?” Leto asked.

  The bread melted in her mouth, the honey thick and sweet against her tongue, and a groan escaped her. “Admittedly better now.”

  Leto laughed and propped her head on her hand as she watched her daughter with sparkling blue eyes. “So all is not well?”

  Artemis’s brow furrowed as she swallowed another bite. “I am competing with Aphrodite, and the outcome is … unknown.”

  “Ah.” Leto nodded, though she still looked amused. “Competitions with Aphrodite have always nettled you.”

  “She and I do not see eye to eye.”

  “No, you do not. What is the current dilemma?”

  Artemis huffed. “I have been cut off at every turn. Every effort has been batted away, and now, my player is in close confines with Aphrodite’s for at least the next few days. My chance, my only chance, was to keep them apart. And my play, my one play, was turned around on me by Aphrodite. She is now at a gross advantage.”

  “I see,” Leto said with a nod.

  “And I am alone in the competition. Everyone has abandoned me.”

  “Everyone?”

  “Eleni and Apollo,” Artemis answered, realizing she sounded like a child.

  “Mmm. Everyone.” Leto’s eyes were merry, and agitation crawled under Artemis’ skin.

  “Apollo took sides, and he did not choose mine.”

  “Well, dearest, Aphrodite did just return Daphne to him.”

  “Gods, not you too.” She set her bread down and glared at her mother. “Yes, she returned Daphne af
ter she tortured him for thousands of years.”

  “Granted, but does sacrifice have a time limitation? Is the act any less noble in that it took time to come to fruition?”

  “It shows lack of character.”

  Leto laid her hand on Artemis’. “Your brother would never betray you. He only wants what is best for you, as do we all.”

  Artemis stood and walked across the room, stopping at the window to look across the open water, listening to the waves lap the shore.

  “Mother, is it possible to leave your pain behind when you have been through so much?”

  Leto followed Artemis and leaned against the wall next to the window. She tucked a stray hair behind Artemis’ ear. “I do believe this. How could I not? I have lived almost all of my existence surviving one trial after another. I have been chased and hunted. I have had to fight for everything I love, for everything I believe in. If Hera had her way, I would have been dead long ago. Only since we have lived here have I found true peace. And do you know what has guided me through all of that?”

  Leto waited until Artemis turned to look into her eyes before continuing.

  “Hope.” Leto smiled. “I look forward, not behind me. I enjoy every moment because I have lived through so many I thought would be my last. You cannot live your life looking back, considering things that you can never change.”

  Artemis reached for Leto, who stroked her hair and kissed her cheek. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling lost and reassured, wondering what kind of life she could live if she could only be as brave as her mother.

  Day 10

  JON LEANED TOWARD HIS OPEN window. The cold air whipping his skin was the closest thing he could get to a slap in the face. It was three in the morning, and the road rolled under him, the lines hypnotizing as they disappeared under the Jeep in a steady rhythm. They had just driven through Chicago, and he was hurting for sleep with heavy limbs and a creaky brain.

  He glanced over at Josie where she lay curled up in her seat with a Mexican blanket over her. Her head was propped on the window as they bounced down the highway, but she had only been asleep a few hours. He wanted to give her as much time as he could. They’d be no good if at least one of them didn’t get some decent rest.

  The worry and stress was erased from her face as she slept, and she looked like a girl, peaceful and without a care. Emotion welled up in him as he imagined a different world, one where he could touch her hair like he wanted to so badly in that moment, to kiss her rosy cheek, warm from the heater. To pull her into his lap and hold her, protect her.

  He was optimistic about his chances for redemption after the day they’d spent together. He’d been practically giddy all day, unable to believe that she was sitting next to him, smiling and laughing. She’d been fighting him for so long that he’d almost forgotten what it was like to make her happy, to see her happy. He felt the change in her and hoped they would catch Rhodes. If they didn’t, he didn’t know if she’d ever recover.

  They hit a pothole, and the Jeep jolted.

  “Fuck,” he said under his breath for not paying attention.

  Josie stirred with a deep breath through her nose. She blinked and looked at the clock. “Hey,” she said, her voice rough from sleep. The sound was like a drug, and he almost wanted to keep her talking.

  “Hey, sorry about that. Go back to sleep, Jo.”

  “S’ok. I’m up.” She shifted in her seat and stretched her legs, then her neck as she took another deep breath. “Can we stop for coffee? We can switch places so you can get some rest.”

  “You sure? I can keep going.” He would, too, bone tired or not.

  “Yeah. You’ve been driving for …” she squinted at the clock, “thirteen hours. Holy shit. You should have woken me.”

  Jon smiled sideways. “It’s all right. I really don’t mind.”

  Josie looked over his tired face, illuminated by the dash. He leaned on the steering wheel like it was keeping him upright, and his hair was tied back in a small, messy ponytail, which somehow didn’t look douchey. In fact, it looked the exact opposite of douchey. Loose hair blew around his face, and he tucked a particularly aggressive strand behind his ear. She blinked stupidly before pulling her phone out to distract herself as he pulled off the interstate and into a huge Flying J.

  He parked the car, and they stepped out into the island of fluorescent light in the dark night. Josie reached up over her head and yawned, then followed Jon inside, who was dragging ass.

  Sweet ass, she thought, but caught herself and rolled her eyes.

  Once through the automatic doors, she walked directly to the coffee maker and picked up the biggest cup they had. She filled it to the brim with Hazelnut brew and dumped in a couple packets of sugar, then took a sip and made a face. It was terrible, but she was too tired to care.

  Josie wandered around the massive store, looking at the trucker hats and dream catchers. She spun around a display of magnets and sipped her coffee, then walked around some more until she came across Jon, who flipped through postcards with a couple of energy drinks under his arm. He picked up one with a cat on it that said, Meow’s the time.

  “For Lola?” Josie guessed.

  “She’s obsessed with cats.” He shrugged.

  “Jon, she really is just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “Thanks,” Jon answered with a smile at the corner of this mouth.

  “I … I’m glad I met her today. Tori, too.”

  “Me too, Jo.”

  She didn’t know what else to say, couldn’t say more. Jon didn’t press her, just smiled at her with understanding and turned for the counter. He laid his haul down and pulled out his wallet.

  “Add her coffee to that, too.”

  “Thanks.” Josie couldn’t remember the last time a man bought her anything, even coffee. The realization depressed her.

  They walked back out to the Jeep, and she held out her hand for the keys.

  He pulled them out of the front pocket of his jeans, looking conflicted. “You sure you don’t want to sleep?”

  “Nah, I’m good. It’s your turn. You sure you can handle me driving your Jeep?”

  Jon laughed. “As tired as I am right now, that’s about the last thing I’m worried about. I know you can handle it.”

  He stepped toward her and laid the keys in her hand, and her palm tingled when his fingers grazed her skin. Their eyes locked, and they stood there for a moment before she looked down and sorted through the keys.

  “All right,” she said with her eyes on her hands, not wanting to make eye contact again. When he turned, she snuck a look at him as she made her way to the driver’s side and unlocked the door. She leaned over the seat and put her coffee in the cup holder, then hauled herself in and slipped the keys in the ignition just as Jon climbed in next to her

  Jon’s arms and legs weighed a metric ton as he dragged himself into the passenger seat and closed the door. He laid his head against the headrest and looked over at Josie as she started the car. She’d let her hair down, and it fell in waves and curls as she moved the seat up and adjusted the mirrors, looking very responsible. He suppressed a smile as he folded his arms across his chest, shifting down to get comfortable, which wasn’t hard.

  “Wake me up if you get sleepy,” he told her.

  “I will.”

  “Where are we stopping?”

  “Rapid City, if we can make it that far. We should get there tomorrow afternoon, and we can eat before we get cleaned up and crash.”

  “Sounds about like heaven right now.” His voice was heavy as she pulled out of the truck stop and made for the highway.

  She commandeered the radio, plugging in her phone and starting her ‘Go Go’ driving mix. An electropop song came on, and Jon huffed.

  “Got something to share, Jon?”

  “I don’t know how you listen to that.”

  “Well, I don’t know how you survive on country music from the sixties, so we’re even.”

 
He snorted.

  “Jon, we’ve been listening to Merle Haggard all day. Please, give me this.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Josie smiled as he shifted again and closed his eyes. He was snoring softly within minutes.

  She drove and sipped her coffee, oddly content in the quiet of the night, comforted by his presence next to her. The next few days would be long and rough as they fought to make up ground on Rhodes, and fear flitted through her again when she questioned whether or not they would find him at all. They hadn’t heard from a single motel on the list, but she tried to ignore the fact, unable to do anything about it. Instead, she focused on imagining scenarios in which they caught him. She pictured chasing him with her gun drawn, wondered if he had a firearm and how quick he’d be to use it if he did. Rhodes had nothing to lose, and men like that were dangerous.

  She looked over at Jon, barely lit by the dash and the passing headlights. His face was soft as he slept, stretched out tall and sturdy in the seat next to her, and she was grateful for him. For his company. For his help.

  She’d been so alone for so long that she’d forgotten what it was like to have a companion, a friend. But it was more than that, she knew. Feelings she thought were long gone stirred in her chest, feelings that reminded her of a time long passed. Feelings that shocked and scared her.

  He hurt you. He left you. He chose her, she said, but the effect of the words faded like paper in the sun every time she repeated them.

  She drove all night in the quiet as a her thoughts tumbled around her head. There was so much to sort through, and when left alone to consider it all, she found herself overwhelmed and unsure, like she was being pulled into quicksand. It was Rhodes. It was Anne and Jon. She couldn’t process it all.

  By ten in the morning, Josie’s eyes were burning. The sun rose behind her as they approached Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which the last decent sized city for two states. The sun had been up in full force for hours, and she’d been contemplating digging out her sunglasses for at least one of those, but didn’t want to wake Jon. Her burning corneas wouldn’t be silenced, and she finally caved.