Child of Artemis

Chapter 9

"I am Khione," the girl said. She had flowing black hair and brown eyes and wore a simple white dress. Snowflakes whirled around her and settled in her hair.

"She's a winter goddess," Taylor told Ivan. "She normally lives in Quebec, but I have no idea what she's doing here." Khione chuckled. "Why, I'm here to stop you, of course. My patron wishes it. You pose a small... problem to her plans."

The goddess laughed softly again. Then she rose a couple feet into the air and held their hands out towards Taylor. A harsh wind dotted with snowflakes blasted towards Taylor, hitting her in the chest and sending her flying 10 feet back.

Ivan summoned a lightning bolt and threw it at Khione, but she caused a sheet of ice to block it. Taylor scrambled to her feet and yelled, "Aurora! Gimme your coin!" Aurora tossed her the coin and Taylor flipped it, forming the white cabinet.

"Keep her busy!" she yelled, rummaging around for something. She pulled out a hand gun and a bunch of darts that steamed in the cold air.

"She's a winter goddess, she doesn't like warmth. So we're going to give her some." Taylor tossed Avalon her cornucopia. Aurora pulled another cornucopia out of her jacket pocket.

Taylor loaded the gun and aimed it at Khione. "Everybody, put your hand on one of the cornucopias," she yelled. Ivan touched both of the cornucopias while Aurora and Avalon pointed them at Khione.

"Concentrate on your warmest memories. Your favorites." Avalon closed her eyes. She remembered all the good times she had ever had. The time when she had gone to the park with Sierra Williams. The time when she had found Selene and Nova as pups. And also when she had arrived at Camp Half-Blood.

Taylor placed one hand on Avalon's cornucopia. "Okay, let's do it!" A flood of food catapulted out of the cornucopias and buried Khione in a pile of Thanksgiving hams, stuffing, lobster, and a flow of warm soup.

Khione yelled like she was being burned. A blizzard of snow and sleet blasted all the food away. Khione stood up shakily, her eyes burning with rage. All over her body, welts had formed and were steaming in the cool air where the soup had scalded her.

One of Taylor's darts was caught in her hand. Khione winced as she pulled it out. The warm red bulb on the end faded to grey as the goddess clenched it. Avalon handed the cornucopia to Taylor. Going over to the white cabinet, Avalon dug around in it until she found the two sleek, black minotaur horns.

On impulse, she held both of them together. Fibers from both horns wrapped together, attaching the horns and making them into a shiny black crescent. A bright beam of moonlight came down from the sky and landed on the attached horns. It glowed silver once, then faded to black.

Turning back to the fight, Avalon saw the cornucopia spew stir fry out at Khione, burying her in a heap of it. Khione rose from the pile of food, with more welts on her pale skin. Her dress was stained and there were noodles in her hair.

Avalon pointed the crescent of minotaur horns at Khione, just to see what would happen. Avalon's new weapon glowed silver, and a blinding beam of moonlight fixed itself on Khione. It split into hundreds of silver rays that wrapped themselves around the goddess. The parts of her skin that weren't covered in welts already began to steam. 

The rays of moonlight burnt holes in Khione's skin, through which golden light exited in all direction. The light became unbearable to look at, and Avalon covered her eyes. There was a sound like a distant laser cutting through something. When Avalon looked again, the goddess had exploded into snowflakes that melted as soon as they touched the steaming heaps of lo mein, ham, and soup puddles.

Ivan sighed. "Phew, that's a relief. She's gone." He walked over to the doors of the museum and tugged on them. "It's locked." Taylor pulled some oddly shaped metal wires out of her pocket and stuck them into the keyhole. In a minute, the doors swung open.