I closed my eyes and prayed to my father, hoping that he would hear me for once in his life. I did a simple whistle, eight notes repeated over and over, until the light got closer to us. Larry shielded his eyes and looked away while I continued the song. Finally, a sleek sports car flew in from the sky and landed on the ground. My dad stepped out.
He looked about fifteen years old, with bleached blonde hair, beach clothes, and shades. He looked ridiculous in the wintertime, but somehow he didn't seem cold at all. In fact, there was a ring of heat everywhere he walked, like he was physically bringing the sunshine to every place he was going. He smiled at me.
"Hey there, kid. What's up?"
"Hey, Dad. We need a ride to Atlanta. Can you help us out?"
He exhaled and looked at his car. "I still have to drive the sun today, baby. But, I'll see what I can do." He gestured to Larry, who was now watching us talk in awe. "That guy with you?" I nodded. He sighed and took his sunglasses off. "Ok. I guess we can all go for a joyride. Hop in."
I climbed into the backseat and Larry followed. "So, this is Apollo?"
"Yep." I groaned. "That's my dad."
Larry looked to the front, where Apollo was checking his reflection in his mirror. "He's very self centered."
"Well, he is the god of the Sun."
"That's not what I meant."
Apollo finally started the car and we took off, leaving the ground and soaring through the air. "So, where are you two lovebirds headed?"
I could see Larry turning red, but all I could feel was exasperation. "Dad, I already told you. We're going to Atlanta."
He nodded. "Got it." Apollo was the god of a lot of things: music, poetry, the sun, archery. His kids were the most diverse out of any group. At our cabin, we had musicians, archers, writers, everything really. That's the reason why Apollo is so self centered and selfish. He has ownership of a lot of great things that we use everyday. He's the god of so many great things, and his ego gets boosted way up because of it. He never even really pays attention to his kids, and no matter how much we pray to him, he doesn't listen most of the time.
"Why you guys heading to Georgia?"
"We're trying to rescue one of our friends."
"Gotcha. Dang, it feels like I've been used just for my cars these days. First Percy Jackson and his crew going off to save my sis and now you guys. I'm way more than just a car, you know. If you asked, I could write you a poem or a song for your trip."
I'd forgotten all about Artemis being captured. Ever since I'd heard that guy in the mill talking, I hadn't really had the time to think about what he'd said. "Is Artemis ok now?"
"Hm? Oh yeah. They got her back to Olympus and we had a huge party. It was awesome." Apollo checked the time on his dash. "Say, I gotta keep going. Atlanta should be right below us in three seconds. You guys ready to jump?"
I stared at him. "Dad, are you crazy? Larry and I can't withstand that much pressure."
He smiled a crazy sarcastic smile, like he believed in my innate ability to do crazy things. "Sure you can. That big old bubble shield thing can help you."
"But I don't know if it'll work with Larry!"
He shrugged. "Not my problem. See ya, kid. Good luck!"
And then the car disappeared, and we hung in the air for a split second before plummeting to the ground, screaming. I struggled against the winds over to Larry, who was flailing around and panicking. I yelled. "Hold on," and grabbed onto him. Together, we screamed and watched as the ground came up to us.
Sure enough, right before we touched the ground, the blue aura came back and, together, we bounced over and over on the soft grass until we finally landed at a stop. We lay down in the fields, breathing deeply, trying to keep our hearts from exploding from our chests. When we were finally able to stand up, it took us a while to adjust to the shift in gravity. When we were finally good, we started walking Eastward. Soon enough, a city appeared in the distance. It looked only a mile or two away.
We decided to set up camp for the day and relax before we tackled the big city. A day's rest was exactly what we needed. I was really tired, and Larry volunteered first watch anyways, so I crept over to my bag, and passed out over it, without the strength to pull my sleeping bag out.
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I felt my eyes closing more and more. Suddenly, the door opened. A man entered with a small box. He looked at me carefully from behind glasses. "You wish to sleep peacefully?"
I could only manage to nod. He smiled kindly at me. "Do not worry. I will give you sleep."
He set to work on his little box. I concentrated on the throbbing pain in my arm. It was still bleeding, and the pain was still very real. It felt like it was still being ripped open. The man finally stepped over with a small syringe. He looked at me reassuringly. "Don't worry. It will hurt for only a second. Then, it will be all over."
He jabbed the needle into my neck and slowly eased the plunger down. I closed my eyes and sighed.
