Chapter 10
Disclaimer: I do not own the PJ or HoO series by Rick Riodan.
After leaving Artemis, I told Apollo about the situation. Apparently, he had no idea that Artemis's deer had been missing. All throughout the explanation, his sparkling golden eyes were trained on my face. It was like he was studying it, making sure he didn't forget it.
I realized where I had gotten my "laughing eyes" from. Apollo had the same kind of sparkle in his eyes that I had in mine. That's probably the only thing I got from him. Well, that and the dimples. My mother doesn't have dimples on her cheeks as I do.
When I was done, Apollo looked as if he was working on a really hard math problem and couldn't quite figure it out.
"It just doesn't make since. Why steal her deer?" he asks.
"Thalia said that most of her power is in the deer. Is it possible to torture power out of something?" I ask him, an idea forming in my mind.
"I suppose. Do you mean like, as you're torturing the deer you're drawing the power out of it?" he asks.
"Yea. Is that possible? If it is, that would explain why Artemis seems so drained." I say.
Realization hits Apollo in the face. "That's it! You're a genius, Kyra!" he exclaims, jumping to his feet.
"Hold up." I say.
"Even if we know what's going on now, we still have no idea who has the deer." I point out.
"Well, we'll just have to find out then, won't we?" Apollo says, with a grin.
"I guess. I'll tell Thalia. She'll probably want to head out and try to find it soon." I say, getting up from the comfy chair I was sitting in.
The dinner horn blew as I walked out onto the porch. I started walking to the mess hall, to meet up with my siblings for dinner. I'd have to find Thalia before the camp fire.
"Hey, Thalia!" I called after her.
She turned around, looking for who was calling her. She spotted me and walked off of the path. I followed and found her standing beside an oak tree. I quickly told her all that had happened and what Apollo and I had figured out.
"Wow. I'll need to gather the Hunters and we should probably leave in the morning." she says.
"Artemis might want to talk to you when she wakes up again." I say, walking back to the path.
"Yea. I'll catch you later, Kyra." she says, heading in the direction of the Big House.
The camp fire that night was bight and cheery as usual. I spotted Nico sitting on a log towards the middle section of all the seats. I started making my way over to him, trying not to step on anybody's toes. Now that was tricky.
When I got there, I sat down next to him and laced my fingers with his. He looked over and smiled at me. I smiled back then turned my attention back to the blazing fire. It was twenty feet high tonight and a brilliant gold color.
After several songs and gooey s'mores, everybody started towards their cabins. Nico and I walked there together. I was recounting the afternoon to Nico when Apollo walked up to us.
"Well, I'm leaving to see what I can do to find the deer." he says, putting a hand on my shoulder. His touch was warm and gentle, like a father's should be. It reminded me of Lucas and I was instantly saddened, all the happiness I had been holding onto evaporated.
"Okay. Um, it was nice meeting you, dad." I say. That was possibly the weirdest sentence I've ever said.
Apollo laughs. It was a joyous sound. Like the middle of summer with the sun bathing everything in its beautiful light. "It was nice meeting you too, Kyra." he says.
He notices Nico for the first time and his eyes narrow. "So, Nico di Angelo, you're the guy?" Apollo questions.
"Yes, Lord Apollo." Nico says, straightening up and meeting Apollo's stare.
"I see. Well, take good care of her or I'll have to have a talk with you. I'll see you later Kyra." and with that, he turns and walks to where his car is parked.
A/N:
Bet you guys are surprised I updated early. Well, I'm in a fantastic mood today because Pretty Little Liars premieres tonight and I'm super excited! I'm going to upload chapter eleven as well so you'll have something to think about till Saturday!
XOXO,
Mrs-diAngelo25