The Missing Sun
Chapter Two
Dark gray clouds filled the air over New York City as a loud rumble scorched the skies. People pulled out their umbrellas in case it rained, but the strong winter-like winds caused everyone to bundle up.
Walking down the street, Percy Jackson was staring at a piece of paper. He visiting his mom this summer and Chiron gave him the task to pick up a book while he was here. Not thinking too much about it, he agreed and now he was seeking the Golden Sun Library. But no matter how many times he wandered around this street, he couldn't find it. 1500 Sol Avenue is what it said on the piece of paper. Yet when Percy looked around, all he saw were a few clothing stores, a coffee shop, and a corner store.
Sighing, Percy shook his head. He finally came to a stop and closed his eyes. Maybe He was going about this all wrong, this was most likely a test from his mentor.
So Percy kept standing there as he took a long deep breath and focused on seeking the Library. Soon the sounds of the cars seem far away, along with the people walking by him. But before he could let his mind distance himself any longer, a voice reaches ears.
"You figured it out," A female voice said.
Percy opened his eyes to see a woman with long golden blond hair and sky-blue eyes smiling at him.
"My name is Helen Williams and welcome to the Golden Sun," the woman said.
Helen stepped aside to reveal a large building. At first it seemed like the one he passed before. Looking up over the doors, Percy noticed a sign written in Greek. The moment the letters cleared, it read Golden Sun. The once faded red and yellow paint glistened around the building, even the windows glistened even though the sun wasn't out.
As Percy and Helen walked thought the revolving doors, Percy stood there with his mouth a jar at the sight before him. The pale-yellow walls reflected its beauty as it swirled up to the ceiling. But what took Percy by the surprise were the countless rows of books that almost scaled up to the ceiling. Then his eyes looked upon massive glass statue of a woman in the center of the room. He then looked down at yellow-orange and red carpet that seems to cover the entire floor.
Turning to Helen, who couldn't help but chuckle. Percy quickly closed his mouth and wiped off his face.
"It's okay that happens a lot to newcomers," Helen said.
"This place is huge," Percy said.
"Yes, and to think this is only the first floor," Helen replied.
Percy's eyes widen. Which only made Helen chuckled again.
"Uh...Chiron sent here me," Percy said, finally remembering the reason he was here.
"Ah, yes, "The Sanctum" if I recall, Chiron has picked an interesting one indeed," Helena said.
"So, do you work here?" Percy asked.
"Yes, I'm the assistant librarian in charge of keeping up the run of the library. My boss handles everything else," Helen said.
Helen made her way behind the counter and looked through the books that were labeled for pickup.
"Okay, so I guess demigods come here, but does anyone else?" Percy asked.
"From demigods, centaurs, Nymphs, fairies and oracle's this place is a sanctuary for all of our kind," Helen explained.
"Even Gods?" Percy asked.
"Yes, even them, but it's very rare," Helen said what's her back still to him.
A sigh finally escaped Helen's lips, for sure. Love to every book through the counter and she couldn't find the ones you were looking for.
"It's not here," Helen said aloud.
"It's because it's in my office." A voice said from behind them.
Helen and Percy turned around to see a middle-aged woman with light brown skin and black hair wearing a simple brown dress. Helen bowed slightly to the woman, which made her nod.
"Percy, this is Janet Gibson she's the head librarian and my boss." Helen said.
"Ah yes, Percy Jackson, Poseidon's boy. While we don't get many children of the big three around here, come let's have a chat. I promise it won't be long," Miss Gibson said.
Percy nodded and followed Ms. Gibson, leaving Helen to get back to her duties.
Elsewhere, deep underground, Apollo breathed heavily as he opened his eyes. His body shivered as it touched the stone wall. Looking around the room, he sighed.. The place was damp, with water dripping from the ceiling and seeping through the stone bricks. His head felt stiff and when he tried to move it, he ended up hissing in pain.
Hence, he could only stare at the wooden door that was a few feet away from him. Which seemed to be the only entrance and exit of this place. Soon some light shined through the window beside him, showing a tattered dirty rug along with a rat scurrying along the floor he shuddered to think what other creatures were around.
Unable to move his head, Apollo tried to move his hand's, feet, and shoulders he tried to move everything, but he could only wiggled his toes. So they chained him to the wall and not even his Godly strength could break him free. Which meant someone planned this, but why? Surely his father would have been a better catch.
Soon the door opened, and a person entered. As they grew closer, he noticed the black hair and the jasmine green eyes. It was the woman from before, and she was still wearing one of those black robes. The woman stopped a few inches from him with a smile across her lips.
"Where am I?" Apollo demanded hoarsely.
"In a dungeon," the woman replied.
"Why?" Apollo asked.
"As a punishment and a solution," the woman said.
This confused Apollo. In fact, it only brought up more questions. Before he could say another word, the woman turned around and walked away, but she came to a stop when she reached the door.
"I don't even know your name!" Apollo screamed out.
"It's Cassie now if you'll excuse me, it's time for your punishment," the woman said.
Cassie walks through the door as two other people walked in behind her. Both of them were women. They held a spiked whip in each of their hands.
As the door shut behind her, the sound of the whips slapping against the sun God's flesh brought a smile to Cassie's lips. She continued down the hallway, only to be stopped by a woman with long brown hair and blue eyes. The woman bowed to Cassie.
"One of our informants has told me Artemis is now searching for Apollo," The woman said.
"So the goddess of the hunt is on the prowl Tell everyone to monitor her I have a feeling she will give us trouble down the road." Cassie said.
"Yes, ma'am," the woman replied as she walked away.
Cassie stood there for a moment before continuing down the dark hallway until she was no longer in sight.
Nothing, not even Artemis, will ruin my plan
Back in the room, still chained to the wall and bruised and bloody, Apollo bit his lip to keep himself from screaming. He refused to give his tormentors the satisfaction. When they finally left, Apollo closed his eyes. He kept taking deep breaths as he forced himself to push past the searing pain and focus. Soon a dim yellow or outline around his body after a few more deep breaths he felt his mind cleared.
Apollo's first thought was to reach out to Artemis. But in his current state, he didn't think he would have enough strength to do so. He would have to reach out to his kids instead. With many of them all over the world, he hoped one of them would listen.