1   Lost and Found

 

  Artemis was walking westward on the Hello Brick Road when she came to a forest. A sign at its entrance smiled at her. "Hello!" it said, twirling around on its tall pole. "Welcome to the Forest of Lost and Found!"

  "Thank you," Artemis replied, smiling back. Many objects and animals could talk in Mount Olympus--this magic land where she lived. Including flowers, owls, and even signs!

  This colorful brick road led to many magical places. Today it had brought her to this forest, where she hoped to find a very special treasure. Since she was in a hurry to find it, she waved goodbye to the sign and quickly walked on.

  The trees in this forest grew tall and close together. It was a bit creepy! She wished her three best friends, Athena, Aphrodite, and Persephone, were here with her. But just this morning they'd split up to go different directions along the road--north, south, east, and west. Each girl was searching for one of four stolen jewels!

  Artemis moved deeper into the Forest of Lost and Found. Hooting owls and wild animals peeked at her from the trees. She touched the red heart necklace she wore. It always helped her to feel brave.

  Zing! From out of nowhere, a white arrow shot toward her! Inches away from Artemis's nose, it stopped in midair. Then it dropped to the ground by her feet. Her long black braid swung wildly as she jumped back in alarm.

   

  "Found you!" called a voice.

  "Who's th-there?" she called back, looking around.

  Suddenly a boy came running out of the woods. He had black hair and looked about eight years old, same as Artemis.

  Grinning, he stopped in front of her and did a happy dance. "Found you! Found you!" he singsonged. He picked up his white arrow and put it in the quiver that hung over his shoulder.

  "Huh? I didn't know I was lost!" Artemis told him in surprise. As always, she was carrying a bow and arrows. Only her arrows were silver.

  "Well, of course you were lost," explained the boy. "This is the Forest of Lost and Found. And you're on my list of Lost Things. See?"

  He pulled a paper list from his pocket. She saw checkmarks by some of the things written on it. Now he took out his feather pen and put a checkmark by the words "Lost Girl." Then he put his list and pen away.

   

  "Hmm," she said. Was this some kind of game? "My name is Artemis," she told him. "What's yours?"

  "Orion," the boy replied. "I'm the greatest hunter in this forest! I'm sure you've heard of me, right?"

  "Well, uh, no--" she began.

  Orion looked disappointed at this, but he went on. "Every time I shoot an arrow, it takes me to find something that's lost. Like you!"

  "I see," said Artemis. "You should be more careful, though. Your arrow almost poked me in the nose!"

  "Don't worry," said the boy. "My arrows are magic. They can't hurt anyone."

  "That's good to hear," said Artemis.

  Orion glanced at his list, then asked, "Have you seen a dog around here? It's the next thing I want to find."

  "Your dog is lost? I'm so sorry. What does it look like?" Artemis asked him. She loved animals. So, although she was busy jewel-hunting, she could also keep an eye out for a lost dog.

  "I don't know--" Orion began. Then he shouted, "Wait! I see a clue!" He ran over to a large nearby tree.

  Huh! Why didn't this boy know what his dog looked like? Artemis wondered as she followed him.

  Orion pointed at the trunk of the tree. "Aha! This tree has bark," he told her. "The dog I'm hunting must have left its bark here as a clue to help us find it."

  Artemis looked at him in surprise. "You do know there are two kinds of bark, right?" she asked him. "The bark that grows on the outside of a tree. And the barking sound a dog makes."

  Orion cocked his head at her. "Really? How does a dog's bark sound?"

  Feeling rather silly, Artemis opened her mouth and barked like a dog. "Woof! Woof!"

  "Hahaha! Made you bark!" Orion said, laughing.

  Artemis huffed and frowned. "You're making fun of me? That's not very nice."

  "Sorry. Don't be mad. You did look pretty silly," he said, grinning at her.

  She couldn't help grinning back. "Yeah, I probably did."

  Just then, they heard more barking. But it wasn't coming from Artemis this time.

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Excerpted from Artemis and the Dog's Diamond: A QUIX Book by Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.