This is a story i wrote for my friend's birthday- K. K (her initials) hope you guys enjoy it to!
Nico walked along with his sister and Frank. It was Hazel's birthday, so Nico and Frank were treating her to a day away from camp. Frank and Hazel were talking happily, while they ate ice-cream.
Hazel laughed at a joke that Frank said. But Nico could tell that Hazel's mind was elsewhere. "What's up Hazel?" Nico asked.
Hazel just shook her head. "I was just thinking about the story you told me about earlier."
"Oh yeah, the one about Apollo and Daphne?"
Frank frowned. "I don't know that story."
Nico looked at him. "Don't you know the story? It's a pretty well known story." He shook his head. Nico sighed continuing his walk. "I'm not too clear on the details, but apparently Daphne was a river nymph, the daughter of Peneus, the god of some river, or something. Apparently she was supposed to be really pretty, and people came from faraway places to ask for her hand, but she refused everyone. Apparently Apollo had also fallen for the girl, but she refused him as well."
"Woah, turned down by a girl?" Frank asked. "That has to be a first for the sun god."
Nico nodded. "I talked to an elder Nymph one time about it. She thought that he was genuinely in love with Daphne, and he stayed with her for days afterwards."
"Aww!" Hazel cooed.
Frank gave Hazel a weird look. "I'll never understand girl's obsession with weird couples." Hazel hit him on the back of the head.
Nico ignored the interruption and continued. "Apparently, when she was starting to warm up to him just a little, Eros shot her with an arrow."
"Eros, you mean the little cupid guy?" Frank asked. Nico ignored the cupid remark. "But I thought his arrows were a good thing."
"They're supposed to be, but he and Apollo were not on good terms, and they often did what they could to get in the others way." Nico continued with the story. "Eros shot Daphne with an arrow that made it so that she could never love someone."
Hazel frowned. "Isn't it awful!" she said, turning to Frank.
"I don't see the big deal." Frank said. Hazel hit him again.
"Apollo still kept coming to see her. That angered Daphne, and she tried to send him away, but he wouldn't leave her. Eventually she started to run away from him, but he would always chase her. Eventually she got so desperate, she prayed to her father to protect her. Her father turned her into a laurel tree. If you ever meet Apollo, he's always wearing a laurel wreath on him, so he always has a piece of her with her." There was silence for a moment, as the two of them looked at Nico. He just shrugged. "Or at least that's how the story goes.
Frank laughed. "So the girl asked for help, and her father turns her into a tree? Talk about overprotective parenting!" Frank stood up, and spoke in a deep voice. "There's someone in love with my daughter? Unacceptable! She must be turned into a tree, that way she will never be able to date!" Frank started laughing.
Hazel hit him on the head. "Frank, that's so mean! That's such a sad story! Apollo was in love with her."
Frank rolled his eyes. "It's Apollo we're talking about here. He probably only chased her cause she was prettier than the average girl."
Hazel frowned at him. "But even to this day he's always wearing a laurel wreath to remind himself of her."
"I personally find that creepy don't you? That would be like going up to you, and saying, 'hey Hazel, why don't you carry around my arm for the rest of your life?' oh yeah, that'd make Aphrodite proud of me."
"Why would it be the same with you and me?" Hazel asked. It suddenly got very quiet for a few moments.
Nico cleared his throat. "Um, I heard that Apollo used to keep the tree, err, Daphne, in Olympus."
"Used to?" Frank asked eager to change the subject. "What do you mean used to?"
"Apparently, sometime during the medieval ages, the tree went missing. Apollo covered the world trying to find her, but with no luck."
"Wouldn't the first place he looked be with Eros?" Frank asked.
Nico shrugged. "They couldn't find her there either. Eventually Apollo stopped looking. Now people say he is using other girls as a distraction, so he can forget about her."
Hazel frowned. "It's depressing."
Nico shrugged. "It upset quite a few gods. Diana, Apollo's sister, used to go hunting with her a lot, and my step mother and she also did a lot of gardening together. They were all upset when she went missing."
The three went silent, until Frank broke the silence. "Well great job Nico! You totally put a damper on the mood!"
Nico shrugged. "Sorry."
Frank looked at Hazel, who had a depressed frown on her face. "Hey, I saw flower shop a ways back, why don't we get some? They might help you feel better." Hazel looked at him. "Alright I guess." The three walked to the shop. Hazel looked a bit better, looking at the flowers out front of the shop. Suddenly, Nico froze in his spot.
"Nico? Nico what's wrong?" Hazel asked.
Nico raised a hand to silence her. He was listening intently. "Get inside, now."
"Huh?" Frank asked, but Nico shoved both of them inside the store. Immediately a limo drove up to where they were standing. Out of it came a girl, whom Frank immediately recognized.
"The goddess Diana?" Frank sputtered.
"Artemis." Nico agreed.
"But what is she doing here?" Hazel asked. "And I thought she traveled with the hunters!" Diana started walking towards the store. Nico glanced to the side, and shoved the three behind some large hedges on display. Diana walked into the store, looking around.
An employee walked up to her. "Hello ma'am may I help you?"
Diana looked at her. "I'm looking for a friend who works here; she looks about seventeen with red hair."
The employee nodded, "aw I know her, wait right here." She turned and walked towards the back of the store. The three demigods glanced at each other. Who would Diana be looking for?
A girl came in from the back of the room, the three of them looking at her in shock. She was drop dead gorgeous. She had scarlet red hair tied in a braid down her back. She wore a casual red top with white flower patterns on it. She wore white jean shorts that went down past her knees. Her eyes were startling green, and her face was pale, almost white. She grinned at Diana.
"Diana! It has been to long!" she ran up to her and hugged her. The demigods were shocked that someone addressed the goddess so familiarly.
Diana hugged her back. "You as well."
The two went on talking. Hazel looked at Nico, a sparkle in her eye. "Uh oh." Nico said. "What are you thinking?"
"Didn't the legend say Diana and Daphne were friends?" Nico nodded. "And that Daphne liked flowers, and that she was incredibly beautiful?" it took Nico a second to connect the dots.
"Wait, you don't think." Nico started.
"Daphne!" the three looked up, as the girl with Diana turned towards the voice.
"Yes sir?" Daphne called.
"If you're going to take your lunch break, leave your nametag here!" Daphne called back in agreement. She left for a moment, to return her nametag. The three demigods all looked at each other.
"That can't be a coincidence." Frank said. The others nodded in agreement. Just then, they heard some thunder, they're little group shivered. Diana and Daphne turned to the door, Diana's face in shock, Daphne's face full of terror. Diana turned to Daphne, and shoved her to the back of the store, so she was behind the counter, where she hid.
Outside, lightening struck the ground, and the door opened. Two men came in, Frank didn't recognize them, but Nico did.
"Aw crap." Nico gritted his teeth.
Frank looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong? You know them?" Frank asked.
Nico frowned. "We've met. And I'm pretty sure they're here for me." Hazel gave him a look. Nico sighed. "The taller one is Apollo, the shorter one is Eros." Hazel's eyes widened.
"Nico Di Angelo!" Apollo yelled. He had loon auburn hair, his bangs falling down to his eyes. He wore a wimple orange Muscle shirt, and blue jeans. Eros looked different, his hair the same length, a light blond, wearing a dress suit. "Di Angelo we know your here!" Apollo asked.
Hazel turned to Nico. "What the heck did you do?" she asked franticly.
Nico frowned. "I made a stupid mistake, and helped out some friends with some pranks. Some kids of Hermes, err, Mercury. I stole some of Eros' arrows, and I helped spray paint Apollo's chariot." Hazel and Frank starred at him as if he had lost his mind. "I have some weird friends, ok?"
Just then, Eros seemed to notice Diana. "Diana?" Eros asked.
Apollo also looked at her. "Sis? What are you doing in a place like this?"
Diana swallowed. "I uh. I could ask you the same thing."
"We," Eros said, "are looking for this boy." Just then, Eros threw away the bushes in front of the demigods, revealing them in plain sight.
Hazel gulped. "Um, hi."
"Ok look." Nico said. "All that stuff that happened, that was the Stoll's fault, you can blame them ok?"
Apollo glared at him. "You're lucky that I'm a curious man." He turned to Diana. "So you know why we're here, why are you?"
Diana looked at the demigods. Hazel could tell from the look on her face. Say anything and I will destroy each and every one of you. "Can't I go to a flower shop?"
Frank, being his regular naive self, spoke up. "She's here to see a friend." All eyes in the room turned to glare at Frank. "What?" he asked.
Hazel sighed. "Forgive him," she said to Diana. "He's an innocent soul."
Apollo ignored her. "Oh, here to meet a friend? Well where is she? Can't you introduce her to your older brother?" Apollo studied his sister's face. "So she's behind the desk?" Apollo walked past his sister,
"Brother I must protest!" Apollo reached over the desk and grabbed Daphne by the arm jerking her up. As soon as Apollo saw her, he froze, his arm clutched around her arm. Eros also froze, staring at her as if he was seeing light for the first time in years.
"Apollo." Daphne said, she was shivering a bit in his grasp. "Um, hi."
Apollo stared at her, his mouth gaping wide, unsure of what to say. "Daphne." The way he said her name; sounded like a pirate who had found more money than anyone had ever laid eyes on.
Eros grabbed Diana's hand in rage. "You knew?"
Diana looked at him with an angry glare. Apollo acted like he forgot they were still there, his eyes not leaving Daphne. "You're back." His face smiled, "it, it's been so long."
Daphne, didn't look so happy, her eyes was tearing up. "Stop, Apollo, just, just stop."
Apollo tried to protest, but Daphne broke free of his grasp, and ran out the side door. "Daphne!" he yelled after her, but she didn't listen, and just kept running. Apollo turned to Nico in rage. "If you want to prove yourself innocent, go and get her back."
Nico jumped in surprise. "Um, yeah, sure man." Nico got up, and started running after Daphne.
"No wait!" Diana protested. She followed after him.
"Wait!" Hazel chased after Diana. Frank just stood there awkwardly, with Apollo and Eros still there.
"So." Frank said looking at the two of them. "How's your day going?"