Reduced length crossbow

A crossbow comprising:

• first and second flexible limbs attached to a center rail;
• a trigger mounted on the center rail near a midpoint of an overall length of the crossbow;
• a first cam assembly mounted to the first flexible limb by a first axle mount and rotatable around a first axis located a fixed distance from the first flexible limb, the first cam assembly comprising a first draw string journal having a first plane of rotation perpendicular to the first axis, and first upper and lower helical power cable journals on opposite sides of the first draw string journal;
• a second cam assembly mounted to the second flexible limb by a second axle mount and rotatable around a second axis located a fixed distance from the second flexible limb, the second cam assembly comprising a second draw string journal having a second plane of rotation perpendicular to the second axis, and second upper and lower helical power cable journals on opposite sides of the second draw string journal;
• a draw string received in the first and second draw string journals, wherein the draw string unwinds from the first and second draw string journals as it translates from a released configuration to a drawn configuration;
• upper and lower power cables received in the upper and lower helical power cable journals on each of the first and second cam assemblies;
• and
• wherein the first and second upper and lower helical power cable journals displace the upper and lower power cables along the first and second axes relative to the first and second planes of rotation, respectively, the upper and lower power cables wrap around the respective first and second upper and lower helical power cable journals, and the first and second axes move continuously toward the center rail as the draw string is moved from the released configuration to the drawn configuration, and the upper and lower power cables unwrap from the respective first and second upper and lower helical power cable journals as the draw string is moved between the drawn configuration to the released configuration.