Turning, she found Apollo and his twin sister, Artemis. With long, curly red hair, Artemis was one of the more beautiful goddesses.

Even so, a chill of foreboding went down Bathymaas’s spine at Apollo’s chosen second. “You asked your sister?” It was known by all that the god had little use or love for his twin.

“You didn’t give me much time to prepare.” Apollo eyed her father as if Set made him extremely nervous.

And well he should. A primal god, her father was known to rip the fun body parts off men he didn’t like. Which was why she’d asked him to come. With her father present, she was hoping Apollo would be on his best behavior.

Bathymaas took her bow and jerked her chin toward their targets at the end of the field. “Three shots.”

Apollo made no move to conjure his weapon. Instead, he pursed his lips. “Perhaps we should make this more interesting.”

She narrowed her eyes on him suspiciously. “How so?”

“As you said, we’re both gods of archery. How about we shoot at my sister’s golden hinds?”

Artemis gasped. “Apollo, you can’t! They were gifts to me and I need them to pull my chariot.”

Apollo gave her a withering glare. “You only need four of them and you have five. I say we take one and release it in a herd of other deer and let them run. Whoever shoots the golden hind in the heart wins.”

Artemis curled her lip. “I vote I challenge Bathymaas and we shoot at you, brother dearest.”

Set and Bathymaas laughed.

Apollo not so much.

Turning his back to his sister, he faced Bathymaas. “Are you up to the challenge?”

“Where are these hinds?”

“In Artemis’s meadow.”

Bathymaas frowned at the obvious trick. Should her father step one foot on Olympus, the other Greek gods would call out for a supreme war. “You’d allow us to venture to Olympus?”

“I can have one of the hinds put here if you’d rather.”

“Of course, I’d rather.”

Without reacting to her tone, he glanced over to Artemis. “Go fetch the first hind you see and mix it with a herd here. Then let us know when you release them.”

“I hate you,” Artemis snarled under her breath before she went to comply.

Bathymaas lowered her bow as Artemis vanished. While they waited for Artemis’s return, she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in her stomach.

Something awful was going to happen. She could feel it.

But before she had time to fully examine that sensation, Artemis returned. “I have a buck mixed in with the others. Say the word and they’re released.”

Apollo finally manifested his bow. He glanced to Bathymaas. “Ready?”

“Whenever you are.”

“Release the deer!” Apollo called out.

Bathymaas nocked her arrow and waited.

After a few seconds, the deer herd ran through the trees in front of them.