Page 8 of Artemis

Finley gasped dramatically. “You don’t want to get stuck like that the way I did!”

“Yes, I do!” Damien shouted excitedly.

“Well, all right then. But we’re going to start with headstands. They’re more stable.”

“Why?” Alexander asked.

Finley thought about how to explain it. “Have you built a tower with blocks?”

“Yes!”

“Have you noticed that when you make it skinny, it’s more likely to fall down? And if you make a big base, it stays up better?” At their eager nods, Finley smiled. “A headstand is like a tower with a big base. You use your hands to make your base, the part that touches the ground, bigger. Does that make sense?”

Teaching the little boys headstands was easier said than done. They didn’t seem to grasp the concept ofnot wiggling, for one, so they couldn’t manage to stay up for even a second.

“Time for lunch!” Hestia called. “Everyone wash your hands, and then I need helpers to set the table!”

Finley was impressed by how well the two women worked together to organize the children. First, they brushed sand from their clothes at the doorway, and then helped the girls wash their hands. The boys only needed to be supervised, which Finley willingly stepped in to help with.

The boys scampered off to the kitchen, where they took out forks, spoons, plates, and cups to put on the table and counter.

Maddie cajoled the girls into their high chairs, giving them a handful of cheerios to occupy them while their lunch was organized, and they were joined by the boys, who played a boisterous game of “I Spy” while they waited.

“You do this every day?” Finley asked Maddie quietly. “I’m exhausted and I’ve only been here for half an hour!”

Maddie chuckled. “You get used to it.” She shrugged. “It’s not for everyone.”

“I’ve got a whole new appreciation for you,” Finley said.

“That’s sweet. Here.” She handed him two bowls of mac and cheese with chopped zucchini and chicken. “Try to get the girls to use their spoons, if you can.”

“I’ll try,” Finley said with hesitation.

The attempt went about what he expected in some ways, and so much worse in others. He’d never seen a child get cheese sauce in their hair. Or discovered how difficult it was to take out.

Hestia took Atlanta into the bathroom after the meal to give her a quick bath while Maddie took care of the dishes.

Finley settled the boys with art supplies at the table and sat with Lyta with stacking blocks.

After a few minutes, the stench of ammonia hit Finley’s sensitive nostrils. He raised an eyebrow at Lyta. “That’s you, isn’t it?”

Lyta shifted, obviously uncomfortable in her wet diaper.

“Maddie?” Finley called into the kitchen. “Lyta needs a diaper change!”

“That’s fine. You can take care of it,” Maddie replied.

Finley looked back down at the toddler. “Umm...”

“You have to learn sometime. Hestia won’t be available all the time,” Maddie teased.

“I can help you, Mister Lee.”

Alexander was standing beside him, gray eyes serious in his small face.

“You know how to change a diaper?”

“Of course,” he replied, with all the airs of an almost three-year-old.

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