Daughter Of The Moon

Chapter 8

Artemis

"No." I state defiantly, folding my arms across my chest and staring at it with distaste.

"Come on, Missy, I swear it'll be the best thing you do all day." Jake encourages, pushing the plate with the hot dog on it back across the table towards me. I wrinkle my nose. Jake only ever calls me Missy when he really wants something out of me. I lean forward slightly, pushing my dark hair back to keep it from dipping in the mustard sauce, and take a tentative whiff.

"EEEWWW!" I recoil, holding my nose and jumping out of my seat as my hyper-sensitive hunting nose takes in the revolting odour of assorted animal parts and cheep topping. Jake somehow doesn't seem to agree with me, and bursts out laughing, blue eyes twinkling with amusement. I glare fiercely at him before switching my expression to a more haughty one.

"Well I wouldn't be laughing if I were you; that piece of food is completely dishonest." I remark, warily sitting back down on the plastic cafe chair and picking out a long arrow to push the food back to the other side of the tiny table.

Jake's grin widens, "Artemis, how can a piece of food be dishonest?"

"Don't you try and patronise me, boy," I warn, wagging the arrow in his face, the sharp tip inches from his nose, "I've lived several eons longer than you, and I am positive that I have never seen a more dishonest piece of food."

Jake stares at me incredulously, shaking his head. "If you've lived so long, especially in Manhattan, then how have you got away with not eating a hot dog?"

I put on a cocky smile. "First of all, we actually only moved from London to Manhattan a few years ago when the power started to shift, and more importantly, avoiding the subject is showing that you know that I've won, Jake."

"Oh right, of course. And your theory about dishonest food, Artemis?" He starts edging the hot dog towards me again, and I glare at it so hard that it starts to smoke.

"Well here is my proof: the name of this... whatever it is," I prod the hot dog with my arrow again, "is hot dog. Now being the patron goddess of hunting, I've seen animals, especially dogs, come in all shapes and sizes, but I have never and I mean ever seen a dog or dog meat like this before. In fact, I think you can't even call it a hot cow, for the amount of different stuff in that thing."

Jake resumes his laughing again, but this time, so hard that tears start to form in his piercing blue eyes. I can't help but stare at them; they seem more beautiful than any gem, sky, water, or anything blue that I have ever seen before. Maybe I should change the uniform of my Hunters from silver to blue...

Jake's laughing is actually so loud that the family sitting at the table next to us start to mutter disdainfully, and signal for a waiter to come to tell Jake so keep it down. I glare at them. I like Jake's laughter, and anyone who's trying to stop it has me to deal with. But he stops laughing anyway, and starts on an enthusiastic explanation of how hot dogs aren't actually dog, and so on. But the family are still  complaining, ruining the sound of Jake's voice with their tittering.

"Uh huh..." I say vaguely to Jake in response to a question I forgot to listen to, before nonchalantly pointing my closed fist in the direction of the family, and then opening it abruptly. I sneak a glance at the people who are now briefly frozen in time before turning my attention back to Jake with a tiny smile flickering at my lips.

"- but I guess it's an easy assumption if you've never had one before, so c'est la vie, we'll have to leave it at that. Artemis, would you mind if we went back? I have a paper on my new constellation theory that I need to work on..."

"And you need me to help you." I finish for him. He shoots me a sort of mock offended look.

"No! It's just that I love your company, and honestly, you seem to be the only person on earth that seems to understand me..." A faint hint of a blush colours his pale cheeks, and to avoid the same happening to me. And there's also Zeus's threat hanging over my head, meaning that I can feel nothing but friendly affection towards him. I deflect the comment.

"Of course. More like: your male ego can't stand that my knowledge far exceeds your own."

"Artemis, you know that I treat you as an equal. Besides, if I didn't, I'd have an arrow through my head by now. But about the constellation theory, you do have the rather unfair advantage of being responsible for most of the constellations..."

I brush the comment aside with a dismissal wave of my hand. As usual, we have come to a stalemate, and I'd rather not spend too much longer having to sit in close proximity to that revolting hot dog, so I gather my weapons and stand up, scattering a few golden drachmas on the table to pay the food bill. Jake glances nervously at the drachmas and explains how 'that's not really how we pay these days'. I roll my eyes and scoop the drachmas back into the pouch at my belt as Jake puts a few mortal dollars on the table. As we leave the little cafe, I flick my fingers in the direction of the frozen family, and walk out into the cold December afternoon, grinning with the image of the children's disorientated smiles and comical waking blinks, and the moustached father toppling out of his chair with his toupee askew while his wife falls face first into a cream pie.

As we walk back to the observatory, Jake reveals the hot dog, which after observing my look of contempt, throws high into the air for me to shoot down with my bow. I smile broadly at him, and after a glance of caution, he takes my hand in his. Not seeing this as a risk to my vow, I don't object,  and we walk the remaining distance hand in hand.