A/N: I know, I know, it's been awhile. School's back in session, the state fair's going on (so much fun), and I've been spending a lot of time with my friends, catching up. That's as much as I'm going to explain myself. I had some trouble wording this chapter, which made the wait even longer, so my apologies. Oh, and for your information, this chapter is about what Apollo did to help with the rescue of Artemis in TTC. It's basically the visit from Fred in his point of view, but spiced up a little (the dialogue remained untouched, but I didn't want to basically repeat Rick Riordan in every minor detail, so I changed the actual body).

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

~lengths~

Light, happy, playful, lovable.

All of these words described Apollo's attitude – one he was happy to possess. As long as nothing utterly serious was going on, he was sure to transform most things into a joke. However, one thing was simply never a joke – the safety of Artemis.

She hated it, but he felt that it was required. She was his baby sister (at least, in his mind) and he simply felt obligated to keep her safe.

Ah, the lengths he would go to just to protect her...or rather, save her.

This was why he found himself in the form of an old homeless man, standing before a warm fire burning atop a trash can filled with twigs and branches. He grunted at his own disgusting smell and poked at the fire with a stick, seeing as there wasn't really anything else to do. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and waited. They'd be here soon. He knew so – he was the god of prophecy.

He was right, of course. There was no avoiding his predictions. They looked awful – each one with tangled hair, tired expressions, and shaking bodies from the cold. He glanced at each one individually.

Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon and expected child of the prophecy. Apollo especially hated it when people asked him if Perseus was the one, because even the god himself didn't know, and he hated being wrong – even more so than Athena, though she never was wrong. This kid frustrated him, but at the same time he didn't mind Percy's presence – just as long as he wasn't expected to answer any questions. He grinned briefly and moved along.

Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus and second guess for the child of the prophecy. Apollo frowned. Thalia was very close to sixteen, and if she was the prophecy child...Apollo shook his head. Stop thinking about the Great Prophecy – this one's for Artemis!

Grover Underwood, satyr and close friend to both of the aforementioned. Apparently he was unusually fond of not only his sister's hunters, but the goddess herself. Ha! Cute.

Bianca di Angelo, undetermined Huntress of Artemis. She had a faint glow, noticeable even in the chill of the winter, that all hunters bore, and her innocent face portrayed fear and uncertainty. Not that Apollo could blame her – she was relatively new to this stuff.

Zoë Nightshade, Huntress of Artemis and daughter of Atlas. Of course, she was a familiar face. There wasn't much analyzing left to do there, but he couldn't help but appreciate one solitary thing – that she was as desperate for the return of Artemis as he was. That was worthy of his appreciation.

The five of them stumbled wearily across him, confused as ever, and he gave them a wide, toothless grin – time to get into character.

"Y'all need to get warmed up?" he offered. "Come on over." The five took advantage of his generosity and shuffled eagerly over to the fire. Thalia Grace was pale white, her teeth chattering like crazy and her hot breath transforming into thick fog in the wintry air.

"Well this is g-g-g-great," she muttered, her condition obviously not bettered by much by the crackling fire.

"My hooves are frozen," complained the furry satyr, who was given a harsh look from the son of Poseidon.

"Feet," Percy corrected jumpily, glancing over at Apollo worriedly. The god wanted to chuckle, but that might have given it away – or not. He decided not to risk it anyway.

"Maybe we should contact camp," the newest huntress, Bianca, suggested hopefully. "Chiron-"

"No," Zoë interrupted, stunning the other hunter into silence. "They cannot help us anymore. We must finish this quest ourselves." Apollo looked away for a moment. Zoë's attitude towards the quest reminded him strongly of his sister, and he couldn't help but feel a sudden pang of nostalgia upon being reminded of Artemis' unswerving determination. He turned back to the group. He would do what he must.

"You know," he finally spoke, keeping his voice level, "you're never completely without friends." He gave a kindly smile, then tried taking his own advice. So far, it wasn't working. "You kids need a train going west?" He wanted to kick himself. Way to go, Apollo! That wasn't obvious at all!

"Yes, sir," Percy replied, somehow oblivious. "You know of any?" Apollo raised his right hand and pointed casually towards a beauty of a freight train – an automobile-carrier, untouched by the snow. Apollo winced, but it went unnoticed, because the three dyslexic demigods were still struggling to read the side of the vehicle (SUN WEST LINE) while the two other companions were waiting patiently. Thalia Grace seemed to be the only one to notice the creepiness of the situation.

"That's...convenient," she said slowly. "Thanks, uh..."

But the sun god had chosen that moment to hightail it out of there, leaving the five confused travelers to board the train quickly. The rising smoke from the burnt twigs, minus the fire, mixing with the biting cold air was the only sign that Apollo had been there a moment ago.

Percy Jackson was lounged in the front seat of a Lamborghini – something he would've enjoyed if it hadn't been for the fact that his best friend and a goddess were both in danger. Apollo appeared silently in the passenger seat right next to him, going unnoticed, and simply listening to the son of Poseidon's thoughts for quite some time.

He was worried, Apollo realized, about what he would dream about – what the dreams would mean, and if they were visions of the future. Apollo smirked.

"Oh, don't be afraid of dreams," he said. Percy jumped slightly and looked over, eyes widening as he caught sight of the homeless man from before. Apollo smiled before continuing. "If it weren't for dreams, I wouldn't know half the things I know about the future. They're better than Olympus tabloids."

Apollo cleared his throat, holding his hands in front of him and preparing for his announcement:

"Dreams like a podcast,

Downloading truth in my ears.

They tell me cool stuff."

Apollo watched smugly as realization registered in Percy's features.

"Apollo?" he guessed. He knew it was me thanks to that amazing haiku, Apollo thought happily. The god put a finger to his lips dramatically.

"I'm incognito," he said in a hushed tone. "Call me Fred." Percy raised an eyebrow.

"A god named Fred?"

Apollo shrugged. "Eh, well...Zeus insists on certain rules. Hands off, when there's a human quest. Even when something really major is wrong." He became serious. "But nobody messes with my baby sister. Nobody." And how true it was.

Percy's eyes showed hopefulness. "Can you help us, then?" Apollo mentally cursed. Did this kid want Zeus to catch him?

"Shhh," he said. "I already have. Haven't you been looking outside?" Something must have clicked inside Percy's mind again.

"The train. How fast are we moving?"

Apollo chuckled. "Fast enough. Unfortunately, we're running out of time. It's almost sunset. But I imagine we'll get you across a good chunk of America, at least." Percy released a contained breath.

"But where is Artemis?" he asked suddenly. Apollo's face darkened, and he tried to stay strong for the sake of the curious demigod.

"I know a lot, and I see a lot," he began. "But even I don't know that. She's...clouded from me. I don't like it." Not one bit.

"And Annabeth?" Percy's voice revealed that he was more concerned about the safety of this girl than he should be, but Apollo wasn't going to tease him. He was no Aphrodite.

"Oh, you mean that girl you lost?" Apollo asked after frowning. "Hmm. I don't know." Percy looked as if he were about to punch the god in the face, but he obviously knew that would be a bad move.

"What about the monster Artemis was seeking?" Percy asked. "Do you know what it is?"

"No," Apollo said. "But there is one who might. If you haven't yet found the monster when you reach San Francisco, seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has the gift of knowledge sometimes kept obscure from my Oracle."

"But it's your Oracle!" the stubborn demigod protested. "Can't you tell us what the prophecy means?" Apollo sighed.

"You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, or ask a poet to explain his poem," he replied. "It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear through the search." Percy didn't look convinced.

"In other words, you don't know."

Dammit.

Apollo checked his watch nonchalantly. "Ah, look at the time! I have to run. I doubt I can risk helping you again, Percy, but remember what I said! Get some sleep! And when you return, I expect a good haiku about your journey!"

The half-blood opened his mouth to protest, but Apollo snapped his fingers, and as he disappeared he knew Percy was falling into a deep sleep – dreams promised.

He had absolutely no doubt that his twin would be safely returned to him – and to everyone else...but mostly him.

And the first thing he would do was crash her in a hug, then recite a haiku about how glad he was to have her back.

End Note: If Apollo was my older brother, I'd die...of happiness!

Sorry again for the wait (I promise I was working on it) and I'd love for you to review with any comments or critiques. :)

-Chelsea