"We're stopping for Wawa again?"
"Yes," Rosie said defensively. "What's the problem?"
You've got a caffeine problem, Keaton said, giving her a look.
"I do not."
"You know I don't like it when you two have a conversation I can't hear," Apollo complained, hopping down onto the concrete parking lot. He brushed a piece of lint off his sweater.
"Paranoid," Rosie muttered.
"What was that?"
"Quick!" She exclaimed brightly, giving Apollo a smile. "The visit will be quick."
They were currently in New Jersey- aka Wawa Mecca. Rosie had already made them stop at two others, getting giant cups of coffee at both of them. Sure, her hands were shaking, but she didn't care- she wanted to get to Indianapolis as soon as possible. The less sleep she needed, the better.
Apollo begrudgingly followed Rosie into the Wawa. It was empty except for a bored-looking employee behind the counter.
She grabbed a to-go cup, aware of Apollo breathing down her neck. She ignored it, pulling the lever and filling her cup to the rim with freshly brewed coffee.
"So, when is it my turn to operate the pegasus?"
"Hand me a Splenda, will you?" She said, grabbing a handful of napkins.
"I can operate a chariot!" Apollo instead. "I'm more than capable!"
"Splenda."
Apollo handed her one with a huff. "I can fly Kolby-"
"I'll let you do it when you learn his name."
"He's hostile," Apollo whispered nervously, glancing outside where Keaton was waiting.
He followed Rosie across the store, as she inspected the snacks.
"Sour Patch Kids or Kit-kats?"
"He can sense my nervousness!"
"Both," Rosie said, nodding thoughtfully. "You're right, both are good."
She started heading over to the cashier, coffee and snacks in hand.
"Rosie-"
"Look," she said, pausing and facing him. "My Pegasus, my flying, okay?"
"Your hands are shaking," Apollo said suspiciously.
"They are not," she said with a nervous laugh, pushing past him and rummaging for cash in her pocket. She pulled out a fistful of bills, slamming them down onto the counter.
"Are you nervous? Should you be operating Keanu right now?"
"Keaton!" She exclaimed, aggravated.
Apollo glanced at the employee.
"Lauren," he said with a smile, reading her name tag.
Lauren did not look amused.
"Say you were-er- on a road trip with friends. Isn't it the right thing to split the drive?"
Lauren raised her eyebrows. "Are you even old enough to drive?"
Apollo groaned, storming out of the Wawa.
Rosie smiled at the employee, taking her stuff off the counter. "Thanks, Lauren. Have a great day!"
Outside, Apollo appeared to be talking to himself, as Keaton looked on with an unimpressed look. Yup, this was one of those moments where she wondered how the heck she ended up there.
She sat down on the curb for a second, seeing that Apollo and Keaton were occupied. Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out Harley's beacon, setting it down on the ground next to her. As far as she was concerned, she had to turn it on occasionally to emit a signal. If Festus and Leo were within a certain radius, they could pick up the signal.
She pressed down on the button, seeing the green light flash. The machine whirred to life, before quickly dying down.
Please be the one, she prayed.
Rosie sighed, taking a swig of coffee before stuffing the beacon back into her bag. She walked back over to the two of them, ripping open the packet of Sour Patch Kids as she did.
"Alright, boys," she said, grabbing a handful of candy. "Let's keep going."
Apollo raised his eyebrows at her. "We haven't stopped since we left camp."
"Yeah?" She threw the candy into her mouth.
He gave her a confused look. "Shouldn't we stop for sleep?"
She held her cup of coffee up knowingly. "Caffeine gods say no."
"Okay." Apollo held up a finger. "You- almighty coffee fiend- might not need sleep. I get that. Me, however- lowly Lester Papadopoulos- needs a full eight hours. Now, back in my godly days-"
"Sleep can wait," she argued. "Indianapolis, Meg- that can't wait."
Rosie… Keaton started in a disapproving tone.
"What about him?" Apollo said, gesturing to Keaton. "We can't work him into the ground."
"He's fine," she said.
Unfortunately, he's right, Rosie. I need sleep.
Rosie sighed. "Alright," she finally admitted defeat. "We'll stop for a few hours."
After some debate, they finally agreed on a small, rundown motel in the middle of nowhere. She wished they could've slept outside- cheaper that way- but unfortunately the January weather made that impossible.
Apollo threw his boots onto the floor of the motel with a clunk.
"Are you alright?" Apollo asked, watching Rosie as she paced back and forth on the ugly shag carpet beneath her feet.
"No, I've got three cups of coffee in my stomach-I'm wired."
Apollo leaned back on the bed with a look of awe. "That's the spirit of a demigod- of the Eight."
Rosie rolled her eyes, continuing her anxious pace.
"I cannot wait to sit back when we get attacked and have you work your magic!"
She stopped in her tracks, her fists balling as she took a deep breath. It would be a miracle if she got through this trip without killing him.
"What's with you?" Apollo asked. "Why are you so against sleep?"
She sighed, throwing herself down into the armchair in the room.
"I'm impatient," she said finally. "Just-" She got up and sat down on the bed next to him with a sigh. "The less time we spend together the better."
"Ouch," Apollo muttered. "Message received." Apollo began fussing with his hair, running his fingers through tufts of it.
"Stupid, greasy mortal hair…" he muttered.
She sighed. "I hope you know...I have no desire to be your friend," Rosie muttered tiredly.
Apollo looked aghast. "You'll be eating those words! Not many are graced by my presence- consider yourself lucky."
"On second thought, I'm exhausted," she said, crawling into bed.
She settled back onto her pillow with a sigh, staring up at the popcorn ceiling of the motel.
The silence was short lived.
"Do you ever miss it?" Apollo spoke up suddenly.
For half a second, she considered pretending to be asleep.
"Miss what?" She replied with a sigh.
"Your quest. The eight. The glory."
Rosie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "You paint a nice picture. It wasn't all that great. We didn't...really have a choice whether we wanted to be there or not."
She remembered how some days, it was so hard fighting for the gods. Sometimes, they wondered the why of it all.
For a second, she was transported back to the Argo II- the sleepless nights, the mess hall meetings, the pranks towards Frank.
Apollo let out a dramatic sigh. "I miss it. The power."
Okay, so clearly he wasn't listening.
"I was powerful. I could hold my own, you know? Everybody loved me. And now what? I'm this measly teenager. Oh, it can be horrid being down here."
Yeah, I know.
"But!" Apollo piped up again. "One day I'll awake from this horrible nightmare. Back to where I came from, thank Zeus."
How nice to have Mount Olympus waiting for you at the end of this, instead of...continuing as a demigod. Having unknowns day after day.
She felt a pang of annoyance at Apollo, how easy his struggles seemed. At the end of the day, he was still a god. He was a chess player just like the rest of them, even if he seemed more clueless about it.
Thinking of Apollo made her think of her Dad, which made me upset all over again. She dreamt of her father's smile, and how he made her feel as a kid.
She woke up with a damp pillowcase, realizing the tears came in her sleep.
As they were told multiple times during check-in, the motel offered a free continental breakfast. Rosie left a note for Apollo on his pillow, telling him to meet her in the breakfast hall.
She loaded her plate up with eggs, fruit, and bacon, settling down at a table near the window, Keaton in view. She gave him a nod, being sure to put some extra food on the side for him.
"Good morning!" Apollo plopped down across her with a bowl of cereal.
"Hey," she said, taking a sip of coffee. She winced, realizing Piper's voice was suddenly in her ear, talking about groceries.
The empathy link was gone for so long. Now, it was bits and pieces….
"Ooh, muffin- are you going to eat that?"
She silently shoved the muffin towards Apollo, who happily broke it apart, popping it into his mouth.
"So, what's the plan when we get to Indianapolis?" Rosie asked suddenly. "Will Meg be waiting by city boundaries? Do we have to do a special chant?"
"I...I don't know." Apollo reddened. "I haven't had a vision in a while, and my arrow isn't being useful."
She nearly choked on her coffee. "You were serious about the talking arrow?"
Apollo looked confused. "Of course I was."
"Right- sorry. Back to Meg...she's, uh, with that emperor guy, right? Nero."
"Yup. Dear old stepfather."
"What?"
"When Meg was six...Nero killed her father, Phillip."
"Oh my gosh," Rosie said, her appetite suddenly gone.
"Nero took Meg in and...and made her trust him. He's the only family she's ever known."
Rosie sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing them.
"Poor Meg."
She felt terrible, the guilt of why she came on this mission eating her alive. Meg was only 12, and already, had dealt with so much.
They would find her. They had no choice, she decided.
"Anyways- bleh, forget the tragic stuff," Apollo said, making a face. "I'm going to get some Kool-Aid, you want anything?"
"Nope." She had absolutely no desire to eat now.
Apollo shrugged, getting up and heading to where the drinks were. A tall woman was standing next to it, sipping some orange juice.
Rosie started placing some food in her bag for Keaton. If all went well today, they could continue onto Indianapolis.
She accidentally knocked her fork off the table. Crouching down, she extended her fingers to grab it.
"Rosie!" Came the fear-filled whimper.
Rosie jumped, hitting her head on the table. She groaned, standing.
Apollo was running towards her, waving his arms wildly.
"Go, go, go!"
Rosie didn't hesitate, bolting for the door, quickly throwing her bag over her shoulder.
She threw herself into the door, glancing briefly behind her shoulder to see the woman pursuing them.
"Who is that?" She exclaimed as they ran out into the parking lot.
"Potina!"
"What-"
Suddenly, a rope wrapped around the two of them, pulling them down to the concrete.
She thought she was hallucinating. That had to be the only explanation for why the giant Kool-Aid man was standing before them.
"Is that the Kool-Aid man?" She shrieked, struggling against the rope, Apollo at her backside.
"Potina," Apollo said with a gulp. "Roman goddess of drinks- particularly childhood ones."
"You've got to be kidding me," she said with a groan, struggling against the rope as she rummaged through Leo's belt.
"Don't take me, Potina, take the annoying demigod!" Apollo wailed.
"Lester!"
She pulled out a pocket knife. With one slice, she managed to free them.
"Get Keaton," she instructed.
Apollo didn't have to be asked twice. He stood hurriedly, sprinting across the parking lot.
The Kool-Man was charging towards her, and she stuck her hand back in the belt, rummaging around for anything.
She pulled out a rod, and with a shrug, pressed the button that was on it.
The rod shot out an elastic, purple string, and Rosie gulped as it flew straight towards the Kool-Aid Man.
As soon as the purple string connected with the glass of the Kool-Aid Man, Rosie was yanked forward at full speed.
"Ah!"
At full force, she collided with the Kool-Aid Man. The force ricocheted her off the glass, and she fell back onto her butt.
The Kool-Aid Man laughed, unveiling a slightly unnerving nightmare Rosie never knew she had.
"Oh yeah!" The Kool- Man yelled triumphantly, looming right over her. Some fruit punch sloshed over the rim of the pitcher, landing on her.
"Apollo!" She screamed in an aggravated tone, standing up and playing the very fun game of 'Keep Rosie away from the giant Kool-Aid Man'. She sprinted across the parking lot.
"Yes?" He called out from where he was standing next to Keaton, a panicked look on his face. He was attempting to untie Keaton, as Keaton flipped his wings in an erratic manner.
Rosie! Keaton called out.
"Hurry up!" She screeched in response, dodging the pitcher once again.
Apollo suddenly cursed, throwing his head into his hands.
"I forgot my arrow!"
"Well-" She gasped out, as the Kool-Aid Man had grabbed her arm, throwing back down to the pavement. "Maybe go get it!"
Apollo went pale, gulping. "I don't think I want to do that."
Rosie turned to see what he was talking about. The breakfast hall they had just ran out of was now empty, but she saw that the fountain drink machine had gone berserk. The hall was slowly but surely filling up with orange juice, Coke, and more.
Apollo snapped his fingers. "I got an idea! You cause an earthquake!"
"What?" Her voice went up an octave as she suddenly crawled through the Kool-Aid Man's legs, who angrily swatted at her.
"Nothing big!" Apollo argued back. "Just enough to get this thingamabob off our backs!"
She flashed back to August- the rift in the Earth she had created, plunging towards the ground with Piper and Jason in tow.
"Rosie!" Apollo called out, this time more urgency in his voice.
"I-um- I might have something in the belt!" she called out.
She frantically rummaged, all while the Kool-Aid Man was stumbling towards her. Luckily, the center of gravity on that thing wasn't great.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Apollo looking annoyed, but nonetheless, sprinting across back towards the breakfast hall. He disappeared from view as he entered.
Keaton had been set free, flying towards her.
How can I help?
"I'm- I'm looking for something," she said, using the back of her hand to wipe her forehead, other hand still looking.
Keaton suddenly stuck his front legs out, knocking right into the Kool-Aid Man, who fell back.
We don't have much time, kid. An earthquake might be our best bet.
"I can't do that."
It seemed like the second she had accepted her powers, everything had changed.
She finally pulled out a small vial filled with some sort of green liquid. She wasn't sure what exactly it was, but they were going to find out.
Keaton neighed, shaking his head in a panicked manner.
No, Rosie! That's-
Rosie tossed the vial at the goddess' feet, promising herself she would never once again drink Kool-Aid.
The vial shattered, and they watched as Greek fire sprouted, flames traveling up the Kool-Aid Man's body. This made it extremely angry. The pitcher let out a loud wail, and Rosie winced, covering her ears.
The wail was so loud that the glass windows and door of the breakfast hall shattered.
Rosie! Keaton barked a warning.
The drinks that had been flooding the room flooded out into the parking lot now. Apollo's head was barely above the waves, as he flailed his arms, riding the waves toward them.
"ROOOOOOSSSSSIIIEEEEEEEE!" Apollo wailed at the top of his lungs.
She didn't have time to react. The pungent smell of strawberries and cherries had reached her, as Apollo's body slammed into hers.
She flailed as the waves hit them, whipping them rapidly across the parking lot. Rosie coughed and sputtered out Kool-Aid, aware of Apollo's wails and Keaton's frantic neighing.
Yeah, she was never drinking Kool-Aid again.
Her eyes flashed open, feeling raindrops falling onto her face. With a sigh of relief, she realized it was rain, and not Kool-Aid.
She was lying on her back in the woods that had surrounded the hotel, her clothes soaked and drenched with a mixture of rain and Kool-Aid. The fruity scent almost made her nauseous.
"Rosie." Apollo appeared over her, a serious look on his face. "Get up."
"Do we think we could start a mass boycott of Kool-Aid?" She asked in a dazed voice.
"Rosie."
"I think we could. We'll get a celebrity endorsement and everything."
"We need to talk."
The seriousness of his tone snapped her out of her Kool-Aid delusion. Apollo wasn't serious, not ever.
She stood up, overcoming a brief moment of dizziness.
"Whoa," she grimaced, placing a hand to her forehead. "Ouch."
"What was that back there?" Apollo asked, his tone suspicious.
"Wait." Something was missing- no, someone. She glanced. "Where is Keaton?"
"I don't know," Apollo said in a dismissive tone. "Don't worry about that for a second, I need to talk to you."
She knew what it was about. And she sure as hell wasn't getting into it.
She brushed past Apollo.
"Keaton!" Rosie screamed into her woods, her own words echoing back to her.
The rain kept falling, soaking her.
There was no way she was just going to walk away.
"Rosie! I'm talking to you!" Apollo was approaching from behind, angry.
"Help me find him," she muttered, traveling further into the woods.
"We need to talk about this!"
"KEATON!" She screamed, her face wet with rain and tears.
"Rosie!"
"What?!" She exclaimed harshly, whipping around. "What do you want?"
Apollo was doubled over, panting. "I want to know...what that was back there."
She paused. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said coldly.
Apollo flailed his arms wildly. "You were there! We were attacked and you were no help!"
"I did the best I could," she said, her voice clearly shaking. "I tried my best."
"I don't think you did!" He exclaimed. "I need you, Rosie, and I don't admit that lightly! I need a demigod, a freaking daughter of Poseidon to keep me safe!"
"I'm not your protector, I never agreed to that," she snapped. "That's all you gods think we are, huh?"
"What?"
"Guess what," she took a step forward, getting closer to Apollo, seething in anger. "I haven't used my powers since August, and I don't know if they're even there anymore. I woke up after we defeated Gaea, blew up some sinks, and then...nothing. Alright?"
Apollo paused, looking like he was going to faint.
"You're kidding."
"I'm not," she fired back.
"This is a joke, you're funny-"
"They're gone. So much for being your protector, huh?"
Apollo gulped. "You lied."
She shook her head adamantly. "I didn't lie."
"Lying by omission! You should've told me you didn't feel confident in your powers!"
"The stupid prophecy said I had to be here, so I'm here!"
Apollo rolled his eyes. "Please- do you even care about Meg?"
She felt as if he had slapped him across the face.
"Of course I do," she said, her voice breaking. "Meg is out there with a monster, of course I care."
She felt the guilt of her original intention for going on this mission. His words cut into her, because she knew he had been right.
"You know what? I'm done calling you Rosie- you don't deserve the Rosie!"
"What does that even mean?" Her head was spinning, and she was losing track of this argument.
"What even happened to you? You were powerful, like Percy Jackson, you-"
"Stop!" She exclaimed. "You know nothing! You don't know what it's like to be us, constantly doing your bidding."
"Rosemary-"
"Do you have any idea how much it sucks sometimes? It's messy, people screw up, day after day there are challenges-"
"You don't know what it's like being a god!" Apollo shot back. "It's no picnic! The satisfaction is brief!"
"You know why? Because you have never felt anything real, Apollo! You don't love anyone or anything! And I am so sick of your goddamn hero worship, because we aren't heroes! Where are the eight now, Lester?!? They're gone, they've moved on!" A sob escaped from her mouth. "I'm alone! No friends, no powers, nothing- just stuck with a washed up god who's on a suicide mission that I was stupid enough to join."
She inhaled sharply under her breath, aware of the harshness of her words.
Apollo said nothing at first.
Then, he finally softly spoke up. "I lost everything too, Rosemary," Apollo said softly.
She bit her lip in shame.
They were one in the same.
"Well..." she offered weakly. "Not everything- you got me, right?"
"Right," Apollo said flatly. "We've got each other."
"I think we should rent a car."
It was the first words either of them had spoken in a while. They had drudged along silently, both of them miserable and getting progressively more soaked by the rain.
"What?" She asked, confused by his words.
Apollo nudged his head silently forward. They had managed to find their way to a major road, a car rental shop up ahead.
"Why would we do that?" she asked.
Apollo shrugged. "Seeing as we lost our only form of transportation-"
"A bus."
Apollo looked appalled. "Heavens, no. Do you know how greasy I feel after riding a bus? Plus, we'd be in an enclosed space with god knows what monsters. In a car, I'd just have you annoying me."
"You can't drive. Neither of us can."
"According to the state of New York," he said, crossing his arms. "I can drive- I have a Learner's Permit."
"Yeah, which I'm pretty sure means you can't drive without an adult in the car."
"Oh, you can pass as my mother."
"Excuse me?" She said, raising her eyebrows.
"Grandmother?"
Rosie let out a noise of aggravation, walking away.
A few minutes later, Apollo was pulling up in a god-awful red minivan. He rolled down his window.
"Oh, look, a lowly hitchhiker. Do you need a ride?"
Rosie went around to the trunk, opening it. She peered inside.
"What are you doing?" Apollo asked, glancing back from the driver's seat.
"Looking for all the children missing from their soccer carpool."
"Ha ha, you're a comedian, Rosemary. Get in."
She obliged, getting into the passenger seat. She reached for the radio, only for Apollo to swat her hand away.
"Oh, come on," she said, rolling her eyes.
"My Learner's Permit, my choice of music," he said, clearly mocking her about talking Keaton.
They drove in silence, the only noise being the Top 40 station droning in the background.
Apollo, surprisingly, wasn't a terrible driver. She guessed the skills of driving a chariot had transferred over nicely.
Pennsylvania was a silent span of trees, highways, and more trees.
She should've said something, she knew that much. She didn't think apologies were in the vocabulary of a god- she should be the bigger person in this situation. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to it.
She was upset. Apollo had seen her weak, frail, and it had embarrassed her. She was embarrassed these days.
She said nothing when Apollo pulled off the road, into a parking lot of a Walmart. He put the car into park, leaning back into his seat with a yawn.
"I'm beat. Goodnight." He flopped over to face the window, reclining the seat. He didn't say another word.
Her phone dream had finally taken a happy turn.
"Leo." She could feel the grin taking shape on her face.
"Hey." It really was his voice. She had missed it so much.
"You scared me. Don't ever do that again."
He laughed. "I won't, don't worry." He paused. "You made me do this in the first place."
"Leo…"
"I didn't give up- not once, Rosie. The question is…" She felt a tap on the shoulder, and turned.
Leo was standing there, clutching the phone receiver to his ear.
"Why did you?"
Someone was screaming- no, that was her.
"Rosemary!" Some figure in the dark was yelling her name. "Rosemary, good heavens, calm down!"
"I-I-" She looked around, panicked when she couldn't see. Where was she?
"Rosemary."
A button was jabbed, and a dim light popped on above her, illuminating the dashboard and the leather seat she was currently in. Right. She was in a car.
In a car with Lester- who was now staring at her like she had grown three heads.
"What- what time is it?" She asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.
"3:20 AM. Rosemary, what-"
"I'm sorry about that."
"Do you-"
"I don't usually have people next to me when I wake up screaming." How many times had this happened when she was in Cabin 3, alone?
Apollo frowned. "You kept saying 'I didn't want to give up' in your sleep."
She felt her face freeze, an awkward half smile half grimace surely on her face.
"It...it is nothing."
"You can hate my guts all you want, but do me a favor and don't demean your dreams like that. It clearly wasn't nothing. Ever since the beginning of time, dreams have mattered, Rosemary."
"I, um..." she looked away and cleared her throat, grateful that the car was mostly dark. She didn't want to see Apollo's clear look of pity. "Leo- uh, it's about Leo Valdez."
"Creator of the Valdezinator."
"What?"
"He never told you?" For a second, he looked pleased. "Guess he only trusted a few with it."
"Yeah, sure, whatever."
"But, right. Leo was in your dream. I'm sure that's hard. He only died, what, half a year ago?"
It was a rather glimpse of compassion from Apollo, she could admit that.
"It's more than that," she whispered.
"What do you mean?"
"I...it's crazy. Just a stupid dream." After a pause, she went, "You wouldn't believe me."
"Try me."
"Sometimes, I think...he got away. He pulled some magnificent Leo prank and got away. That he's alive." She sighed. "But if that's true...that means I gave up on him, you know? He did the impossible and I gave up."
"I don't think that's ridiculous to think- that he's alive."
Rosie shrugged. "That's an unpopular opinion to have. I'm kind of the girl who cried wolf these days."
"And that's why you came on the quest, isn't it? To see if Leo's out there."
She winced. "Sort of. But I promise I'm here for Meg. It...it wasn't right for me to lie to you. About everything- I'm sorry."
He was silent for a second. "If you don't mind me asking, Rosemary...uh, I just mean...when you talk about Leo-" he cleared his throat.
Sure- that was the one thing he could pick up on.
"He was in love with someone else...Calypso." She could feel it all over again: heartache, physical real heartache. "And he was happy, and that was good enough for me but...there was always that selfish part of me that wanted him for myself."
Apollo looked confused. "But that is love-love is selfish."
Maybe it was for a god.
Rosie shook her head. "It's not selfish, not the real kind at least."
She felt that deep down she never would've even deserved Leo, mostly in part to her selfishness.
"Like I said," she muttered. "Being his friend had been good enough." It had been the best.
"Friends," Apollo whispered under his breath. "You have a couple of those, don't you?" She detected a weird note of jealousy in his voice. "Jason Grace. Piper McLean."
"Yeah." She smiled, aware of tears forming in her eyes. "Sometimes...when it gets really quiet and still...I can hear them."
"You can hear...?"
"Piper. Jason." My best friends, she thought. "It's almost like I'm there with them. Just for a second, though."
"Oh. I thought Will said.."
"I know. I'm not sure if I still have an empathy link with Coach Hedge. But, I swear, I feel them sometimes." A grin appeared on his face, thinking of them. "I miss them."
"Friends," Apollo said again in awe. "You demigods sure are something."
They fell into silence, but it wasn't like the ones before. It was comfortable.
"Rosemary?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for losing it on you about your powers. I, of all people, should know that it's never quite our fault. I guess...I guess it just scared me seeing someone as powerless as I feel...as I am, really."
"It's okay, Lester," she whispered, somehow finding it easy to do this all in the dim lighting of the car. "I think we can both agree godly parents suck."
"I'd fist bump you, but I can't see."
She snorted. "I'll take your word for it." Sleep was slowly pulling her back in.
"And I'm sorry about Keaton."
"It's okay. We'll find him, he's tough." She closed her eyes, settling back into her seat. "Goodnight, Lester."
"Goodnight, Rosie."
"Oh, interesting, am I back to Rosie?"
"Oh, bite me."
She half expected to be awoken by the blasting of some pop song on the radio. She wasn't, however- she woke up to the gentle stream of the sunlight on her face and Apollo slowing down the car.
"You didn't wake me."
She glanced around, confused as they were slowing down. Why were they off the road? Where were they going?
"I know," Apollo said cheerfully, putting the car in park. "I did something better."
"Oh god," she said, panicked. "This is when you finally snap and kill me in the woods, isn't it?"
"Tempting, but no. Come on, get out!"
Reluctantly, she unbuckled and got out, Apollo excitedly bouncing on his heels.
"Where exactly are we?" She glanced around at what appeared to be a car lot surrounding them. "Man, Indianapolis is a dump."
Apollo grabbed her by the shoulders, steering her forward. "For safety purposes, I can't disclose where we are. But no, not Indianapolis."
He kept pushing her along, all the way to the back of the lot where a...car wash was.
"You brought me here to wash our car?"
"No!" He tapped his foot impatiently. "You forget that there's still so much you demigods don't know. This...is Iris' godly headquarters."
Apollo clearly thought these words would have more of an impact on her. He held out his arms out triumphantly, waiting for some kind of reaction from her.
"Yeah...that doesn't mean anything to me."
"Rosemary!" He scolded, flailing his arms around. "This is important! This is how we can talk to Leo!"
Those words felt like a brick wall.
She was gonna pass out- she was sure of it.
"Rosie?"
"What?" She finally managed to get out. "What are you saying?"
"Iris owes me a couple of favors," he said with a nonchalant shrug. "And, I'm not sure if you demigods know this, but the gods and Iris have a streamlined communication system."
"But you aren't a god. You're a teenager with acne."
He winced, self-consciously touching his face. "Yeah. That's definitely true. But...my godly powers come and go. And...and I think if I concentrate, I can...get some of it back, briefly. To contact Leo."
"I…" she trailed off. "I don't know what to say."
"It might not work," he said quickly. "But...it's worth a try, right? I haven't given you a reason to trust me….but you should."
She hesitated. Part of her wasn't sure she wanted to open up this option, only to potentially break her heart again.
"One try," she finally said.
"Fair enough," Apollo agreed. "I'll need that beacon of yours."
She felt her cheeks flush.
"What, you didn't think I noticed?"
"Alright," she said, rolling her eyes as she went to get the Beacon Harley had given her.
Apollo took the Beacon gingerly, pressing the button and seeing the light go to green. He closed his eyes, muttering something under his breath. Rosie cleared her throat, uncomfortably staring at the ground.
After a few seconds, Apollo tentatively opened his eyes. Nothing had happened, and Rosie felt the disappointment wash over her again.
Apollo was giving her an odd look. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was slightly ajar.
"This was stupid," she said, shaking her head. "Let's just keep driving."
Apollo was still gaping.
"Lester," she snapped.
"Rosie," he said, his eyes wide as he raised a shaking finger, pointing behind Rosie.
She glanced over her shoulder.
Sitting there was a brown stand with a red phone receiver on it.
"Oh my god."
"I...I did it," Apollo sounded amazed. "I..I felt like a god again."
"Oh my god," she repeated, feeling tears spring to her eyes.
"Well, go on! Pick up the phone!"
Apollo nudged her forward, and with her limbs shaking, she clasped the receiver.
This was it. The dream that had played out so many times before.
She picked it up.
The phone was ringing.
And ringing.
And ringing.
And then it happened.
"Hello?"
