Chapter 8
"Wake up." A gentle voice whispered into my sleep idled brain. Warm lips pressed against my own, "Come on baby. Open those beautiful eyes of yours." The voice whispered again as the lips traveled down my jaw and along my neck. My eyes opened on their own accord as the gentle lips became just as gentle teeth and the kissing became nips. Apollo was lying next to me, hovering halfway on top of me. "There they are." Apollo muttered as he kissed his way back up to my mouth.
"Good morning." I whispered against his lips and he grinned in return. When we pulled away I asked, "What time is it?"
"It's almost time for the sun to rise. Zeus wants me to drop you off at camp on my way so you can talk to Chiron before the campers wake up." I nodded but made no move to leave the comfort of the soft, warm bed. Apollo chuckled at me before yanking on my covers so that they fell onto the floor. He then bent down and picked me up bridal style. I shrieked in shock and my arms automatically wrapped themselves around his neck in an attempt to keep myself from falling.
His chest rumbled with a chuckle as he carried me into my bathroom and sat me on the edge of the sink. "Don't move," he ordered me sternly before turning around and fiddling with the knobs of the shower. I obeyed happily, appreciating the delicious way the muscles in his back flexed when he moved and the way the jeans he wore accentuated his bottom as he bent over the tub slightly. He looked over his shoulder and smirked brilliantly at me when he caught me ogling him. I blushed bright red but he ignored it and instead asked, "Do you want a bath or shower?"
"Shower is fine." I answered. He nodded at me and turned back to the shower.
A moment later he turned back around and came to stand in front of me. "I'll be in the throne room. When you're dressed come meet me." I nodded at him and he kissed me softly on the lips then on the forehead before leaving.
I showered quickly then dressed in a pair of shorts and a blue Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. I put on my armor, strapped my bow and arrow across my back, made sure I had my knife in a sheath that I had strapped to my thigh under my shorts, and made my way to the Throne Room. Apollo was sitting by the hearth conversing with Hestia when I entered the room. My father was sitting on his throne with Hera sitting next to him, both in their godly height, and when I walked in they both greeted me with smiles. Apollo stood when he saw me, waved at Hestia, and walked over to me.
"Before you leave, I have a gift for my daughter." My father called. He stood from his throne and shrunk to normal size before motioning me forward. I obeyed and when I was closer he motioned for me to turn around. I arched an eyebrow but my father smiled at me and made the motion again. When my back was to him I felt a familiar chain wrap around my neck and my father clasped it quickly. I looked down, expecting to see the familiar heart shaped locket, but was met with an unfamiliar golden lightning bolt charm hanging from the same chain.
"If you yank on it, it will turn into a sword. Try it." He said softly. My hand wrapped around the charm and I watched as it shimmered and elongated in my hands. The chain didn't even hurt as it was yanked from my neck. "To undo it, just think of the necklace." I imagined the lightning bolt charm and immediately the sword disappeared and I felt the familiar weight of the necklace around my neck. "You can never lose it. If you drop it in battle it will always appear back on your neck."
"Like Riptide." I said.
"Her name is Αλεξις."
My mind had no trouble translating the Greek name into English, "Alexis. It means defender or helper." Don't ask me how I knew that, I just did.
My father sounded pleased when he said, "Correct. I had Hephaestus make it especially for you. It is Celestial Bronze infused with some of my lightning. It can shoot lightning at your will but it will take a while for it to regenerate enough energy to do it."
I nodded my understanding, hugged my father then Hera, before making my way back to Apollo. He held my hand before leading me out of the Throne Room and into the bustling city of Olympus. Instead of leading me towards the elevator we headed toward the cluster of huge mansions closest to the Big Palace. Apollo led me to a gleaming golden palace that reminded me a lot of the Apollo cabin at Camp and I knew that this was his home. It was very simple but at the same time beautiful and out in front of it, parked in a driveway, was a yellow fiery chariot that I guessed was the sun chariot.
When we got closer to the chariot Apollo pulled out a set of keys and pressed a button. The chariot glowed a little brighter and transformed into the red Maserati from yesterday. "This is my favorite form of the Sun Chariot." Apollo informed me, "Do you know how to drive?" I shook my head in the negative and Apollo appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Well its time you learn."
He offered me the keys but I refused to accept them and began shaking my head furiously. "I can't! I've never driven before and this is a really important vehicle. What if I crash it?"
"I won't let us crash. I would never put you in any danger if I could help it. And besides this is a flying car and your father is the lord of the sky. There's no way he would let you fall out of his own domain." He dangled the keys in my face and when I still didn't reach for them he added, "Please baby." He pouched his lips out in a pout and gave me the puppy dog eyes.
I was powerless to refuse him. With a deep sigh I reached for the keys. Apollo grinned beautifully at me and pecked my lips in thanks. He opened the driver's seat for me, helped me in, closed my door, and then made his way to the other side. I carefully started the car and then looked to Apollo for help. He talked me through it and pretty soon we were soaring in the sky over New York City. I was really tense at first but the feeling that I was beginning to associate with flying soon filled me and I began to relax and enjoy myself. Apollo directed me to the camp and told me to park in front of the Big House. The Maserati lit the entire camp up and when I got up I saw that the grass underneath the car had been scorched.
I grinned sheepishly at Chiron who was standing on the porch of the Big House but he didn't seem to mind. Apollo got out of the car after me and came to stand in front of me. "You did great baby. I'll be here to pick you up after sunset." He promised me. I nodded at him in the affirmative and then leaned up to kiss him gently on the lips. He returned the gesture and with one final kiss he got back into the Maserati and flew off.
After watching him leave the meadow, I turned back to Chiron who was still in his pajamas and said, "Sorry for the early wake up."
He shrugged, "It's okay. Why don't we go inside and you can tell me why the gods sent you early."
He led me back to the same sitting room and I took a seat before beginning. I told him all about the meeting and what I had told the gods. He seemed impressed but let me finish my story without interruption. "So the council decided that they will set aside one day every week to come visit their children here at camp. They wanted me to ask you what day would be appropriate."
Chiron's eyes widened and he seemed too shock to speak for a second. But he eventually said, "Hm . . . I suppose Saturday would be best. I'll inform the campers at breakfast this morning. Will you let the gods know the time?"
I nodded, "I'll tell them to arrive around the same time we finish breakfast."
"That should be perfect." He suddenly seemed nervous, "We've never hosted the gods before. There is a lot we must do to prepare and there is only three days to do it." He seemed to have forgotten that I was there for a moment.
"Sir?" I asked.
He jerked back to the present and apologized to me but I just shrugged. It was a lot to take in, it didn't surprise me that the man was in shock. "There is still thirty minutes before breakfast officially starts. If you would like, you could go visit your friend Porkpie at the stables." He offered and I immediately accepted.
I said my goodbyes to Chiron and made my way to the stables where some peagasi were already grazing the fields. Porkpie was already out and when he caught sight of me he flew over, "Hey there beautiful!" he whistled.
"Hey buddy." I replied cheerfully. "How are ya this morning?"
"I'd be better if I had some sugar cubes."
I laughed at him and said, "I'll try to get you some before I come for winged horseback riding."
He seemed satisfied by my answer and began asking me all about my first day at camp. I told him it was good and then told him about the council meeting, leaving out the part that I was a goddess-in-training. He seemed nervous about Saturday and I figured it was because they were gods and all powerful.
It seemed weird for people to be afraid and intimated by them. They had been nothing but nice to me and I saw no reason to fear them. They actually felt like family to me and for some reason I knew they would never hurt me.
Porkpie was in the middle of telling me about a daughter of Aphrodite that was caught kissing a son of Ares when the conch horn that signaled breakfast sounded. I told him goodbye with more promises of trying to get him a sugar cube before heading to the mess hall. Percy was already at the Poseidon table when I took my seat. I saw Annabeth at the Athena table and waved at her before turning my attention to the head table where Chiron, Dionysus, some satyrs, including Grover, and the Dionysus cabin sat.
Once Chiron saw me he made his way over to my table and asked quietly, "Would you like to tell the campers about Parent Day?"
I was apprehensive but I figured it would be easier for me to explain since I was actually there, and it was sort of my ideal, so I agreed. Percy gave me a confused look as I stood up but I just smiled at him a little nervously and followed Chiron to the head table. A hush descended on the room and I could feel the eyes of all the campers staring at me. Dionysus gave me an encouraging smile and after I took a deep breath, I turned around to face the other campers.
Chiron stood next to me but the campers' eyes were focused solely on me. "Um . . . hi." My voice squeaked a little but I cleared my throat and reminded myself that I had spoken to a group of twelve very powerful beings just hours before so I should have no problem speaking to their children. With renewed confidence I spoke again, "For those of you who do not know, I am Grace Williams daughter of Zeus. I arrived at camp early yesterday morning and went to Olympus late last night for a council meeting." Murmurs broke out at this but I cleared my throat again and all attention turned back to me. "Anyway, yesterday it was brought to my attention that nobody was particularly happy about the law my father had passed stating no gods could have contact with their children. I brought it to the gods' attention and, with the help of Athena, managed to convince them to dissolve the law."
More murmurs broke out, this time excited, and I allowed them to talk for a few moments before calling their attention back to me. They automatically became quiet and I marveled at their abrupt obedience. "It was decided that every Saturday would become Parent Day. The gods will arrive a little after breakfast is finished and then spend the day with their children."
Something strange happened then. I could actually feel everyone's apprehension mixed in with excitement. I could sense it in the back of my mind but I could tell that it was theirs and it was so shocking I almost fell over. The emotions became stronger, suddenly overshadowing everything else, and I could hardly breathe. The emotions grew in their intensity and my body was encompassed in pain. Images began flashing through my mind of faces, some I knew, and some I didn't. Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse, Will, all of the other campers, other kids that I automatically knew was demigods. I knew who all of their parents were, even the minor gods and goddess' kids. The images clouded over my vision and I could feel myself begin to shake slightly.
Dionysus must have sensed something was wrong because he suddenly appeared behind me and placed a steadying hand on my shoulder. I vaguely heard him whisper, "Its ok," in my ear but I was so overwhelmed with all of the new information flooding my mind I didn't care. He said something louder but my brain was too busy to comprehend what it was and suddenly I lost consciousness.
When I came to I was laying on a giant bed in the middle of the Throne Room. Apollo was the first face I saw because he was sitting next to me on the bed. Most of the gods were sitting in their thrones, but my father, Hera, Aphrodite, Ares, and Athena were all surrounding my bed anxiously. When they saw my eyes were opened they smiled in relief and the room seemed less tense. I tried to sit up but my arms felt like they were asleep so Apollo helped me and then supported my weight on his chest.
"Thanks." My voice was hoarse but it didn't hurt when I talked and for that I was thankful, "What happened?"
"What do you remember?" My father asked.
I told them what had happened but they didn't seem as surprised as I was, they actually seemed to be expecting it. "Your powers are coming in." Athena said.
"Powers?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"
"Your father mentioned that you were a goddess-in-training correct?" she replied. I nodded and she continued, "You were always meant to be a goddess. Your powers were always there, just buried. The Fates must have felt it necessary to give them to you now."
"Why did it hurt so much?"
"Because you are still mortal." Ares spoke up, "Your body cannot sustain such power and it overloaded. You will continue to get weaker and weaker unless you are changed into a goddess today."
"Will that hurt?" I wasn't sure I could take much more pain.
"Not at all sweetie." Hera assured me. "We are just waiting for the fates to arrive."
No sooner had the words left her mouth then three old ladies in white robes walked into the room. "Finally." Zeus muttered. "We can begin now." All of the gods made a circle around my bed and Apollo gently lifted me out of his lap and propped me up on the headboard before joining them. They began reciting something in Ancient Greek that for some reason I couldn't make sense of. Suddenly a glowing light surrounded me and I could feel power swirling in me. The soreness disappeared along with the headache and I felt better than I ever had in my life. I felt powerful.
The chanting stopped and the glowing subsided and the Fates said, "All hail Graecus, goddess of demigods, quests, immortality, and thunder."
