Chapter 5

MEG POV

(A/N As good a song as it is, I don't own Sweet Caroline, that's Neil Diamond. Anything else recognisable is our overlord RR's property.)

Meg and Chris walked over to the Apollo Cabin, which was easily the brightest cabin of the thirty. It had gold-plated walls which reflected the sunlight every which way, but managed not to blind people. The door was made of laurel wood, and had an orange and yellow stained glass window in the shape of the sun set into the panelling. Meg pushed open the door and walking into an argument.

"I'm telling you Callum, he's going to bleed out if we don't get there soon!" The satyr, Rowan was trying to convince an Apollo camper with close-cropped blond hair to come and heal Chris.

"You said he's the son of Hebe, right? He'll be completely fine. In fact, he's right there." The camper pointed to behind Meg where Chris was standing in the doorway. Rowan was dumbfounded.

"But how? You were bleeding out on the hill and there's no way just nectar could have healed you that fast?!" Chris laughed.

"Not just nectar. Meg, can I borrow one of your swords?"

Meg shrugged and willed a ring to transform. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Chris took the sword and ran a small cut across his palm. Rowan looked at him like he was crazy. Meg motioned for him to stay quiet. "I needed nectar on the hill, but that was for a serious injury. Small cuts like these, I just…" Chris wiped his hands and closed his eyes. Instead of squirting out more blood, the cut closed and faded, becoming indiscernible from the other scars and callouses on the big Hispanic's hand. (A/N I have this mental image of Chris healing himself the same way John does in United as One. You know, when he's just taken on a Mog warship by himself and is covered in a bunch of scratches, but is just like 'nah I'm good') "You see? No problem. Now, where were we?"

Meg interjected; "We need musicians. We're going to summon Apollo." A few demigods looked at her oddly, but some that had been around for the events four years ago understood. One camper, Kayla, spoke up.

"I thought the whole servitude deal stopped once he rescinded to Olympus?"

"It did, but I'm fairly sure I could call in a favour." Meg looked pretty determined. "I need some music." The camper that Rowan had ben arguing with scratched his chin. "Well, we haven't had as good musicians

since Michael passed, but me, Angus and Elena are pretty decent." The mentioned campers raised their hands in greeting. Meg nodded.

"Meet me in the pavilion in a few minutes. Grab your instruments, and sheet music for 'Sweet Caroline'. This better work, Meg thought privately. The fate of Annabeth and her unborn child were resting on her plan succeeding. She couldn't afford to say that in front of everyone else though, so she gave a nod and walked out with Chris in tow.

A few minutes later, the children of Apollo, Meg, Chris and Clarisse (who had come out of her encounter with her siblings with a black eye, but she seemed pretty happy about that.) stood in the pavilion, near Hestia's Hearth. Callum and Elena held ukuleles, while Angus held an instrument akin to a trombone in size.

"I still can't believe you're making us play 'Sweet Caroline'. he grumbled. "Do you know how hard it is to play Neil Diamond on a euphonium?" Meg shushed them.

"This is the only one I can remember the name of, unless you want to call out a Myrmeke Queen from the anthill." That shut them up. "And a one, two, three, and…" They barely made it past the 'dah dah dah' before a golden light started shining above the Apollo table in the pavilion. A handsome guy with windswept, sunbleached blond hair, eight-pack abs and lean legs like a lifeguard, wearing Bermuda shorts and a yellow tee cheerfully stepped down off the table.

"What up, kids? How you doing-oh, hello Meg." In a flash of light the lifeguard/male model was gone. In his place was a much scrawnier, familiar teen with dark curly hair, (though conspicuously lacking in acne) wearing a grey polo shirt and jeans, with a bow, quiver and ukulele strung over his back.

"Lester." Meg replied dryly. "I thought you would have kept your preferred form?"

"Come now, Meg, I would think you appreciate me taking a form you knew well. I thought you'd like to know, any improvements on this form I have made mortally."

"Really?" Surprised, Meg looked her former servant over. He had filled out with some muscle, though not as much as his surfer body. His archer's fingers, though nimble, were rough and calloused from practice. Meg supposed there was some truth to that statement, beside the obvious removal of pustules.

"So if you've finished checking me out," Apollo began, Meg blushing then glaring forcefully at him when she realised what she had been tricked into doing, "What can I do for my favourite mortals?"

"We need a favour." Chris interjected. "Follow us." a number of the campers that had gathered round to watch this visibly blanched at Chris ordering around a god, but Apollo just said "Very well then. Lead me to the problem. As long as no-one is dead, I think we should be fine." Smirking at the assembled demigods,

Meg followed Chris, Clarisse and Apollo back to the Infirmary.

(A/N Meg is a teenaged girl in this, if someone asks her if she is checking them out, she is going to blush. Also note to future me, this was written before Tower of Nero, so don't sue me for having incorrect details. I'm trying to keep it vague for that reason. On another note, I'm trying out a sign-off. Bonus points and a golden drachma to whoever remembers this from ToA.)

Vaya con Queso, DamaSENDhimafriend