"I don't feel so good…" Gohan moaned from the back-seat of the van, his face an unusual color of green. He was sandwhiched between Percy and Thalia, who was giving his a look of annoyance and annoyance.
"You have to be freaking joking. Seriously?" Thalia groaned.
They were crossing the Potomac when they spotted the helicopter. It was a sleek, black military model just like the one they'd seen at Westover Hall. And it was coming straight toward them.
"They know the van," Percy said. "We have to ditch it."
Zoe swerved into the fast lane. The helicopter was gaining.
"Maybe the military will shoot it down," Grover said hopefully.
"The military probably thinks it's one of theirs," Percy said.
The helicopter kept coming, making a lot better time than they were through D.C. traffic. Percy turned to Gohan.
"Hey Gohan, can you take that copter out?" Gohan hiccupped in response.
"Open the sunroof." Zoe nodded, pressing a button that caused the roof to peel back. Gohan unclicked his seatbelt and shot into the sky, leaving a blue trail behind him as he streaked towards the copter. He landed on the cockpit window, grinning at the gawking pilot.
"Hello!" Then, Gohan thrust his fist through the glass and slammed the pilot in the head, only using enough strength to knock him unconscious. Then, as shouts erupted from inside, Gohan flipped up as an energy blade formed around his right hand, thrusting thrust down towards the whirling blades. A flurry of sparks shot into the air around Gohan as the copter blades went through his energy blade, cleaving through the metal like butter. Where a set of 4 blades had been spinning seconds before, now only metal stumps spun, the cleaved metal blades tumbling to the ground. The copter quickly began to plummet as Gohan dropped, falling to float under the copter and stop it with his hands, before floating down to coast onto a rooftop, setting the disabled copter down with a loud metallic thud. Gohan whirled as the copter's doors slid open, reaching out just as the first man emerged, an automatic gun already cocked in his hands. Two others were close behind, also holding guns.
"Nope!" Gohan snatched the gun from the first man, ducking as he whirled, smashing the man across the face with it. As he crumpled, Gohan leaped as the other two men unleashed a barrage of bullets, hurling the gun in his hands like a bullet, smashing the second man in the gut. Gohan ducked beneath him and kicked upwards, snapping the man's head up before crumpling to the ground. The third man roared as he continued to fire at Gohan, who walked calmly towards him as his hands moved around him like lightning bolts. Finally, he stopped before the man, who stared at him in disbelief as he tried to keep firing, only getting a clicking sound in response. He was out of ammo.
"Good night!" Then, Gohan chopped him in the back of the head, knocking him out instantly. A second later, he dropped back through the van's sunroof and landed on his feet, scaring the crap out of Percy and Thalia. Bianca and Grover gaped at him. Gohan had been gone less than three minutes.
"Oh, I forgot." Then, Gohan stretched out and dropped the crushed bullets that were still in his hands into the cupholder.
"Are those… bullets?" Bianca asked, her eyes wide.
"Uh-huh."
"Oooooo… kay then."
"Dude, did you leave them alive?" Percy asked. Gohan gave him an offended look.
"Of course I did! They are gonna have one heck of a headache when they wake up, though." Gohan paused, thinking over something.
"How can the General use mortals, anyway?"
"Mercenaries," Zoe said bitterly. "It is distasteful, but many mortals will fight for any cause as long as they are paid."
"But don't they see who they're working for?" Gohan asked. "Don't they notice all the monsters around them?"
Zoe shook her head. "I do not know how much they see through the Mist. I doubt it would matter to them if they knew the truth. Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters."
"I don't know about that. I think people just let their basic fears and beliefs get the better of them. No one's born bad, it's the choices they that they choose to make that determine who they are." Gohan countered, remembering a certain Chief Lector of the House of Life. Zoe snorted.
"That may be the way it works in your world, but not here." Zoe answered bluntly. Gohan sighed, shaking his head.
"Believe me. In my world, there were plenty of monsters." The car was silent for a bit after that. Percy was finally the one to break the silence.
"We need to get out of the van. Chances are that there'll be others coming after us soon. Or another robot. Or a monster."
"There!" Bianca said. "That parking lot!"
"We'll be trapped," Zoe said.
"Trust me," Bianca said.
Zoe shot across two lanes of traffic and into a mall parking lot on the south bank of the river. Gohan stumbled out, his face once again green.
"Oh thank gods."
"Seriously? Again?" Thalia sighed. They sighed as they left the van and followed Bianca down some steps.
"Subway entrance," Bianca said. "Let's go south. Alexandria."
"Anything," Thalia agreed.
They bought tickets and got through the turnstiles, looking behind for any signs of pursuit. Percy had to drag Gohan a few times because of how interested he was in the subway.
A few minutes later, they were safely aboard a southbound train, riding away from D.C. As their train came above ground, they could see a second helicopter circling the parking lot, but it didn't come after us.
Grover let out a sigh. "Nice job, Bianca, thinking of the subway."
"This place is cool." Gohan looked around in awe.
"Seriously? You don't have subways or trains back on your Earth?"
"Well… maybe. But if we do, I've never used it. Or seen one, for that matter."
Bianca looked pleased. "Yeah, well. I saw that station when Nico and I came through last summer. I remember being really surprised to see it, because it wasn't here when we used to live in D.C."
Grover frowned. "New? But that station looked really old."
"I guess," Bianca said. "But trust me, when we lived here as little kids, there was no subway."
Thalia sat forward. "Wait a minute. No subway at all?"
Bianca nodded.
"This may be the first time that I've ever used one of these things, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't make much sense." Gohan guessed everyone else was thinking the same thing, because they looked pretty confused.
"Bianca," Zoe said. "How long ago..." Her voice faltered. The sound of the helicopter was getting louder again.
"We need to change trains," Percy said. "Next station."
"I could take it out again." Gohan suggested.
"No. Too many people around. If those guys start shooting, someone could get hurt."
Over the next half hour, all they thought about was getting away safely. They changed trains twice. Gohan had no idea where they were going, but after a while they lost the helicopter.
Unfortunately, when they finally got off the train they found ourselves at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And snow. Lots of snow. It seemed much colder here. Thankfully, Gohan helped a little by powering up his ki, creating a bright blue fire around himself. Plus, he had his fur coat.
"Ahhhh… that feels nice." Bianca sighed as she walked behind Gohan, holding her hands out.
They wandered through the railway yard, thinking there might be another passenger train somewhere, but there were just rows and rows of freight cars, most of which were covered in snow, like they hadn't moved in years.
A homeless guy was standing at a trash-can fire. They must've looked pretty pathetic, because he gave us a toothless grin and said, "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!' Percy gave Gohan a quick glance. Gohan understood, extinguishing his ki. Whicn, of course, left them exposed to the elements.
They huddled around his fire, Thalia's teeth were chattering. She said, "Well this is g-g-g- great."
"My hooves are frozen," Grover complained.
"Feet," Percy corrected, for the sake of the homeless guy.
"Maybe we should contact camp," Bianca said. "Chiron—"
"No," Zoe said. "They cannot help us anymore. We must finish this quest ourselves." Percy gave Gohan a helpless look.
"You could ahead yourself, you know. You'd be on the West Coast in an hour if you flew there. Just go, grab Annabeth and fly back." To Percy's surprise, Gohan shook his head.
"I'm not leaving you behind. I'm not leaving anyone behind."
Percy gazed miserably around the rail yard. Somewhere, far to the west, Annabeth was in danger. Artemis was in chains. A doomsday monster was on the loose. And they were stuck on the outskirts of D.C., sharing a homeless person's fire.
"You know," the homeless man said, "you're never completely without friends." His face was grimy and his beard tangled, but his expression seemed kindly. "You kids need a train going west?"
"Yes, sir," Gohan said. "You know of any?" He pointed one greasy hand.
Suddenly they noticed a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple-deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.
"That's... convenient," Thalia said. "Thanks, uh..."
She turned to the homeless guy, but he was gone. The trash can in front of us was cold and empty, as if he'd taken the flames with him.
An hour later they were rumbling west. There was no problem about who would drive now, because everyone all got our own luxury car. Zoe and Bianca were crashed out in a Lexus on the top deck. Grover was playing race car driver behind the wheel of a Lamborghini while Percy dozed next to him, exhausted from the day's events. And Thalia had hot-wired the radio in a black Mercedes SLK.
"Join you?" Gohan asked her. She glared at him, but finally sighed reluctantly and shrugged, so he climbed into the shotgun seat.
"This isn't bad."
"If you compare these cars to whatever it is you have, I swear…"
"No, they look the same. Except most of ours fly." Thalia looked like she wanted to smack him. Gohan decided to quickly shift the conversation.
"Sooooo… what are you listening to?" Gohan reached out and turned on the radio.
"No, wai-" Thalia reached out, but too late as music started to blare from the radio.
"Welcome back to Radio Disney! Churning out all your favorite hits for all ages!"
Thalia stared at Gohan, her face a deep red.
"Disney?" Gohan smiled.
"I swear to Zeus if you tell anyone!"
"No! Seriously, I like it! I thought they make great movies ." Thalia groaned as she sank back in her chair.
"Fine. I like Disney. Go ahead and laugh."
"Why would I laugh? I love Disney! Percy has the whole collection, let me binge them at his house."
"Yeah, I had to do some catch-up. This last one was… really good." Based on the look on her face, Gohan guessed that it had done a lot more than that. A smile came on Gohan's face.
"What's so funny?"
"Annabeth hates Disney. Anytime someone mentioned it to her, she would start ranting about Hercules and how awful it was." Thalia snickered at that.
"That was probably my fault. Back when we were on our own, I stole a TV from a trash can and a bunch of movies from a run-down video store and set it up in one of our hideouts. Annabeth liked most of them until I put Hercules on. Boy, her reaction was hilarious." Thalia chuckled.
"That's Annabeth for you." They were silent for a moment before Thalia spoke up again.
"Truth be told… I actually liked that film a lot."
"How come? Because it made the gods look like buffoons?"
"That was one reason. But, no. For me… it was the scenes with Zeus and Hercules."
"Really? Why?" Thalia pressed her lips together, before letting out a deep sigh.
"Because…. because I liked to close my eyes and pretend he was talking to me." Gohan stared, not sure what to say.
"Sounds stupid, right? Dad never spoke to me back then, at least not directly. So, I liked to play that movie and just listen to Zeus saying all those things to Hercules. How much he and mom cared about me. That they loved me. That I meant something to them. That I was destined for greatness." Thalia groaned as she looked up at the ceiling.
"That sounds really stupid, doesn't it?"
"No… not really." For the first time, Thalia actually smiled at Gohan. At that moment, a new song started to play over the radio:
"Remember me
Though I have to say goodbye
Remember me
Don't let it make you cry
For ever if I'm far away
I hold you in my heart
I sing a secret song to you
Each night we are apart
Remember me
Though I have to travel far
Remember me
Each time you hear a sad guitar
Know that I'm with you
The only way that I can be
Until you're in my arms again…
Remember me…"
The two sat silently as they stared at the radio, which was now playing ads. When Gohan looked at Thalia, he noticed something: her eyes were red.
"You… okay?" he was almost afraid to ask. She glared at him as she wiped her eyes.
"Yeah… it just… that song is really good."
"It did win an Oscar." Thalia shook her head. Clearly, something else was bothering her.
"Missing someone?" Thalia sighed, shaking her head deeply.
"Everything is so… different from what it was before. I spent so long in that tree… everything changed."
"Time does that to people. Annabeth talked a lot about you when we were on our quests. You still meant a lot to her." Thalia looked morose.
"Yet I couldn't help her. When I emerged… she was so different. So much more grown up, and mature."
"We need to get her back. No matter what."
She shook her head morosely. "Gohan, do you know where we're going?"
"No."
"San Francisco. That's where Artemis was heading."
Gohan remembered something Annabeth had said at the dance: how her dad was moving to San Francisco, and there was no way she could go. Half-bloods couldn't live there.
"Why?" Gohan asked. "What's so bad about San Francisco? Is it a dark and evil place? Full of monsters?" Thalia snorted.
"You're not too far off. Pretty full of crazies. But seriously, the Mist is really thick there because the Mountain of Despair is so near. Titan magic— what's left of it—still lingers. Monsters are attracted to that area like you wouldn't believe."
"So, no Demigods live there."
"None at all that I know of."
"So, what's the Mountain of Despair?"
Thalia raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know?"
"How would I know that? I haven't exactly been told much. This world is as alien to me as Mars is to you."
"Ask stupid Zoe. She's the expert."
She glared out the windshield. Gohan wanted to ask her what she was talking about, but he also didn't want to sound like an idiot. For once, she wasn't being a complete jerk to him, which was nice. He didn't want to ruin that.
The afternoon sun shone through the steel-mesh side of the freight car, casting a shadow across Thalia's face. In a way, Thalia reminded him of Bulma. After all, they were both pretty confident and smart. They never took any smack from anyone, and were always coming with a plan to keep everyone safe.
He thought about how different Thalia was from Zoe—Zoe all formal and aloof like a princess, Thalia with her ratty clothes and her rebel attitude.
But there was something similar about them, too. The same kind of toughness. Right now, sitting in the shadows with a gloomy expression, Thalia looked a lot like one of the Hunters.
Then suddenly, it hit Gohan: "That's why you don't get along with Zoe." Thalia frowned. "What?"
"The Hunters tried to recruit you," Gohan guessed.
Her eyes got dangerously bright. Gohan thought she was going to zap him out of the Mercedes, not that she could have actually done it, but at least tried to. But, Thalia just sighed. "I almost joined them," she admitted. "Luke, Annabeth, and I ran into them once, and Zoe tried to convince me. She almost did, but..."
"But?"
Thalia's fingers gripped the wheel. "I would've had to leave Luke."
"Oh." Gohan felt a sudden feeling of sourness come over him, something he felt every time Luke was mentioned.
"Zoe and I got into a fight. She told me I was being stupid. She said I'd regret my choice. She said Luke would let me down someday."
Gohan glanced at the sun through the metal curtain. They seemed to be traveling faster each second—shadows flickering like an old movie projector. Fast enough to match his own speed while flying.
"That's harsh," Gohan said. "Must be a shame to admit Zoe was right."
"She wasn't right! Luke never let me down. Never." Gohan bristled.
"Oh, for the love of the gods! Not you too!" Thalia frowned.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?"
"You and Annabeth! You both refuse to accept that he's evil now! That he's with Kronos and wants to bring about a dark age! Why are you two so stubborn?" Thalia's face flushed red.
"You think it's stubbornness?"
"Well, yeah! You two are the some of the most badass girls I know Except when Luke comes up, Then you guys turn into"
"Turn into what? Weak little damsels? Is that what you were gonna say?" Thalia snarled, her voice daring.
"No, not exactly like that." Thalia was clearly pissed. Now, normally Gohan would have the common sense to shut up and let it be. But, neither he or Thalia was thinking rationally where Luke was involved.
"Oh no, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what you're saying."
"We'll have to fight him," Gohan said. "There's no way around it."
"A bit hypocritical, isn't it?" Gohan bristled as sparks danced across his chest.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?"
"You know. All those stories you keep telling us at camp about all the adventures you went on with your old man. Didn't he always show mercy to his enemies? Give them second chances, the chance to redeem themselves. That seemed to work out quite a lot, based on what you said. How many of your friends tried to kill you at one point or another?" Gohan's expression darkened as a particular memory came to mind.
"Hey Cell!" Goku called out before hurling a sensu bean, which landed cleanly in Cell's hand. The android stared at the bean before laughing.
"Incredible, with everything at stake, you can't help but be a slave to your better nature. Sickening. All the same, I gladly accept this token of good sportsmanship. Mark my words, I'll see to it that you regret the gesture!" Cell laughed before tossing the bean into his mouth, roaring as his muscles surged.
"Yeah. Dad made a lot of good calls. Until he didn't. Even one mistake can have horrific consequences." Thalia frowned.
"So, you think trying to redeem Luke is a mistake?"
"After everything he's done? Stealing the lightning bolt, nearly starting a civil war between the gods, tricking us into going into the underworld and almost getting us dragged into Tartarus. Nearly killing Percy with that scorpion, nearly killing you when he poisoned your tree? You're really gonna defend him?"
Thalia didn't answer.
"You haven't seen him lately," Gohan warned. "He's nothing like what he was like before. He's a cold, evil, despic-"
"You didn't know him before. What he was like back then."
"Maybe. But he's a monster now."
"I bet you want that, don't you?" Thalia interrupted coldly.
"What?"
"You heard me. You're just trying to justify killing him. Make excuses about why there's no hope for redeeming him. Basic convincing."
"Everyone at camp thinks the same way I do!" Gohan protested, knowing full well that probably wasn't the case.
"You're not trying to convince them. Or me, or Grover or Percy or anyone else. You're trying to convince yourself." Gohan pressed his lips together as his fist clenched, out of Thalia's view.
"And… why am I trying to do that?" Thalia sneered.
"Simple. So, you don't have to admit the real reason." Now Gohan's eyes were starting to shift from black to green.
"That so? And… what is that reason?" Thalia let out a deep sight, rolling her eyes.
"Simple. You're jealous of Luke." Gohan's nostrils flared.
"Jealous? JEALOUS? WHAT DO I HAVE TO BE JEALOUS OF FROM THAT… THAT… TRAITOR?!" Gohan roared as a golden glow enveloped him. The radio burst into static as Thalia blinked the spots out of her eyes, revealing a very angry Super Saiyan. Now, most people would know that she pushed too hard, but these two were, unfortunately, too similar and stubborn. She didn't even seem fazed.
"Isn't it obvious?"
"NO! And I'm not jealous!" Thalia actually giggled, clearly enjoying Gohan's frustration.
"And the mommy's boy finally cracks. Tell you what, why don't you come back when you figure it out?" Gohan snarled, several blue sparks dancing across his face.
"I'm. Not. Jealous."
"Keep telling yourself that. Won't change the truth." Gohan's eyes narrowed.
"I'll do what I have to. No more holding back."
"Do me a favor," she said. "Get out of my car." Gohan was more than happy to oblige. Though, his method of leaving was to literally kicked the door out, sending it flying into the wall with a loud crash.
"I'm not jealous of Luke!" Gohan snarled as he climbed out, literally crumbling the ledge of the roof as he gripped it.
As he was about to leave, she said, "Gohan."
When he looked back, her eyes were red, but he couldn't tell if it was from anger or sadness. "Annabeth wanted to join the Hunters, too. Maybe you should think about why."
Before Gohan could respond, the door to the compartment flew open as Percy and Grover rushed in.
"We heard a crash, what happ…" no explanation was needed. The scene explained itself.
"Okay… someone's a little angry. Come on Gohan, let's cool off." Percy asked, his face clearly nervous. Gohan gave Thalia a final look, who simply sniffed and turned away, which wasn't as imposing given the now gaping hole in her car. Grover shook nervously.
"I'll… talk to Thalia's. Make sure she's okay." Percy nodded, leading Gohan to another compartment.
"What was that about?" Percy asked as Gohan plopped against the wall, burying his face in his hands.
"We argued. About Luke." Percy understood immediately, his expression souring.
"Oh." The feeling in Gohan's stomach rose again, a mixture of anger, frustration, and something else that Gohan couldn't describe.
"Are you… feeling okay? It looked like she really got undre your buttons." Gohan sighed deeply, groaning into his hands.
"I'm... mad, Percy. I'm worried about Annabeth."
"We all are, Gohan. But we're gonna get her back. Just focus on that. And save that anger for the next monster we'll have to fight." Gohan sighed deeply as he leaned his head back against the wall.
"Look, you're tired. Why don't you get some rest? It's been a pretty hectic day." Gohan was too tired and angry to argue. Ten minutes later, he found himself in the driver's seat of a Lamborghini. Percy and Grover were sleeping in a nearby Mercedes, close enough to keep an eye on him, but far enough to give him space. But, Gohan wasn't ready to nod off yet. He was still bubbling over his… conversation with Thalia.
As he watched the sun go down, he thought of Annabeth. And Luke. He really wanted to throw Luke into a mountain. He was still pissed. Annabeth was still a captive of Kronos, being subjected to gods know what. What were they doing to her? Something horrible, probably. Quite frankly, Gohan was afraid to go to sleep. He was worried what he might dream.
"Jealous? I'm jealous of Luke? Heh! I'm not jealous of him! If anything, he should be jealous of me." Gohan grumbled.
"That so?" a voice said right next to him. Mildly surprised, Gohan looked over, finding the homeless guy from the rail yard sitting in the shotgun seat. His jeans were so worn out they were almost white. His coat was ripped, with stuffing coming out. He looked kind of like a teddy bear that had been run over by a truck.
"Who the heck are you?" Gohan demanded, raising a fist. The man smirked.
"Jealousy is a dangerous thing, friend. Many a man have done foolish things over it." He said.
"That so?" Gohan countered. The man cleared his throat, then held up his hands dramatically.
"Don't fear the dreams, friend. If it weren't for dreams," the man said, "I wouldn't know half the things I know about the future. They're better than Olympus tabloids."
"Dreams like a podcast, Downloading truth in my ears. They tell me cool stuff." Gohan lowered his fist, a look of annoyance on his face.
"Apollo?" Gohan guessed.
He put his finger to his lips. "I'm incognito. Call me Fred."
"A god named Fred? Though that's not the weirdest God I've met." Apollo smirked.
"True, you certainly have gotten around since you first showed up, haven't you? The master bolt, the Golden Fleece. Helping those Kane kids stop Set from turning the country into a desert." Gohan gave him a surprised look.
"Oh yeah, we all knew about that. Zeus was ready to declare war on the Egyptians, but thankfully you managed to defuse that situation. That's twice now you managed to stop a war."
"You're… welcome?" Apollo smirked.
"That's the spirit!"
"Why exactly are you here, incognito?"
"Eh, well... Zeus insists on certain rules. Hands off, when there's a human quest. Even when something really major is wrong. Though, it's not the first time we've bent the rules, as I'm sure you remember." Gohan nodded, remembering a certain goddess in Paris.
"A bit of a risk, though."
"I don't care. Nobody messes with my baby sister. Nobody. Sides, what is Zeus gonna do? Turn me human?"
"Can you help us, then?"
"Shhh. I already have. Haven't you been looking outside?" "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."
"Thanks. But where is Artemis?"
His face darkened. "I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's... clouded from me. I don't like it."
"And Annabeth?"
He frowned. "Oh, you mean that girl you lost? Hmm. I don't know." Gohan bristled, clearly a bit infuriated by that sentence. He knew the gods had a hard time taking mortals seriously, even half- bloods. We lived such short lives, compared to the gods. But he still felt a bit pissed all the same.
"I don't suppose you know who Luke's partner is. The guy running the whole thing." Apollo shook his head.
"What about the monster Artemis was seeking?" Gohan 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." Gohan paused, his mind turning.
"But it's your Oracle," I 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. It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear through the search." Gohan was a bit annoyed by that, to say the least.
"I don't suppose you know a way for me to get back home to my Earth, do you?" Apollo looked a bit surprised. Even, though he tried to hide it, alarmed.
"No." Gohan blinked in surprise. Was Apollo… lying?
"Tell me, why are you guys so scared of guys like me? Otherworlders?" Apollo sighed.
"That is… a very tricky story."
"In other words, you don't know." Apollo shrugged.
"Great. I don't suppose you could tell me why I've never had one of those vision dreams that Percy seems to get." Apollo frowned.
"Now that is… complicated. Otherworlders are… tricky when it comes to prophecies and visions. They are outside the rules of fate and magic in this world. Basically, it doesn't apply to them, since they weren't born here. No limitations, no restrictions. You're not from this universe, so your spirit, your energy doesn't match with ours. You're, in the music terms, outta sync."
"But…" Gohan pressed, noticing that Apollo wasn't done.
"Look, I'm not exactly an expert at this sort of thing. But… the longer you stay in this world, the more you… synchronize. So, you might get a dream… eventually." Gohan frowned.
"Wait, why did you say that like it was a bad thing?"
Apollo checked his watch. "Ah, look at the time! I have to run. I doubt I can risk helping you again, Gohan, but remember what I said! Get some sleep! And when you return, I expect a good haiku about your journey!" And just like that, Apollo snapped his fingers, and the next thing Gohan knew he was closing his eyes.