From Darkness (Hearts & Arrows Book 3)(38)

“She will not go back to him.” Artemis stood, her fists balled as she glared down at the glittery nymph, who unapologetically smiled back. “She won’t. Am I alone in this game? Have I no one to trust, no one who believes in me? Who believes in my decisions as I do? You most of all I would have expected could see my perspective and appreciate it, but instead, you push and poke and prod me. You and Apollo want to prove that your way is best, but I want none of it. I will make my choices, and damn the rest of you.”

Eleni’s smile had fallen long before she reached for Artemis’s hand. “Please, my friend. I am sorry, for I did not mean to upset you. I know I am too familiar with you at times, though I also know that you enjoy our small battles. I am always on your side, but I am also your advisor. Would you have so much respect for me if I blindly agreed to all things?”

Artemis’s lips were flat, but she softened at Eleni’s tone and the pleading and truth in her eyes. “No, I would not,” she said. “Of late, I am at odds with everyone. I feel my back press against the wall, but I am there all alone.”

“You are never alone, Artemis. We all stand with you.”

“But the constant combat exhausts me.” She turned and whistled, and her unicorn, Calix, trotted out from the underbrush. “We will meet back at camp.”

Eleni nodded with sad eyes locked on Artemis, who hopped onto Calix’s back. She gave Eleni a last look before flying into the woods, her mind blurring with the trees that slipped past.



Dita’s eyes burned and blurred with exhaustion as she lay, swathed in her bedding, watching Adonis in the mirror.

He sat next to a campfire, leaning against a tree as he ate, the firelight flickering shadows against the hard angles of his nose and jaw. She sighed, but the breath shuddered in her chest.

It had been forty-eight hours since she truly slept, and she was exhausted to the point of a breakdown, fully aware that her binge had spun out of control. At one point, she’d put the mirror down and tried to sleep, but it had been impossible. She didn’t think she’d lasted more than a few minutes before she flung off the covers and retrieved the mirror, bringing it back to bed with her.

There was no limiting herself. It was always five more minutes, one more hour, and her far-fetched hope was that she would somehow get it out of her system. But she felt like a junkie. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to stop.

The elevator pinged from the foyer, and Dita jumped.

“Dita?” Perry called as she walked through the entry. “Ready to cash in that rain check for our date with the ’80s?”

Dita scrambled with the mirror, haphazardly shoving it under her quilt. “Uh, hey, I’m in here,” she called from the bedroom.

Perry walked through the doorway and raised an eyebrow when she saw Dita. “You look like shit.”

“Thanks, ass.” She sat up in bed and ran her fingers through her hair to pull it into a bun.

Perry climbed onto the end of the bed and sat lotus. “So, what’s on deck for our viewing pleasure? Thanks for giving me a little time by the way.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Really.”

Even she could hear the tightness in her voice, so when Perry narrowed her eyes, Dita knew the jig was up.

“You’re acting funny.”

Dita made a face, agitated, wishing Perry would just go away. “What? I’m just tired.”

“Liar. Spill.”

Dita huffed. “Gods, you’re so bossy. You said you needed some time alone, so I’ve been here, also alone. What do you want from me?”

Perry frowned. “I want you to tell me what’s the matter with you. And don’t tell me you’re just tired because that gets the bullshit stamp.”

“Nothing.”

“You can’t lie to me, Aphrodite.”

“You sometimes sound like your mother, Persephone.”

Perry’s mouth hung open. “Are you seriously not going to tell me?”

“No.” Dita folded her arms across her chest. “You can’t make me.”

“Is that a challenge?” There was mischief in Perry’s voice.

She pounced.

Perry climbed up to sit on top of her, tickling her as she wriggled and writhed and giggled.

Dita squealed. “Stop! Oh my gods, stop! Get off of me!”

“No! Tell me!” she said, laughing. But that was the moment when Perry’s hand hit the mirror, hidden under the blanket. “What is that?” she asked curiously.

Dita’s hands flew to the spot over the mirror. “Nothing.”

“You are such a dirty, smelly liar. Give it to me.” Perry pulled at the quilt.

“No!” Dita tugged back, the fabric clenched in her fists.

“Give it!” Perry ripped the blanket back, and both goddesses froze.

“Dita, tell me what that is,” Perry said, all levity gone, her dark eyes on the mirror.

“Nothing.” It was almost a whisper.

“Stop fucking saying that.” Perry’s eyes didn’t leave the mirror as she picked it up and turned it over in her hands. When she finally looked up, her eyes were wide. “Where did you get this?”

The room was still and silent, but the tension crackled like lightning between them.

“I had it for eons, since you kept Adonis from me. I gave it to Echo, but she brought it back to me.”