Hey guys! I'm sorry, but this chapter will be short. But I'll probably add a new chapter by Wednesday, maybe? I'm taking all honors and AP courses, so school is my main priority, but I WILL keep adding :). Thanks for reading and don't forget to review if you like it? I love hearing feedback 3
I woke up groggily, and with my head pounding. My eyes fluttered and I could see the blue and white sky. Wait- I was alive? I stood up, and immediately groaned and lay back down again.
"You'll want to rest for a couple of hours, sweetheart," a voice said from my left. I stood up, ignoring the vertigo, and looked at the source of the voice.
A man sat next to me, wearing sunglasses and looking vaguely familiar. He looked in his mid 30's, with a raggedy beard. He was dressed in rags. Then it struck me: I remembered him.
I was walking to Goode. It was my first day of going there, and I was nervous. And also panicky: I had no idea where to go. There was nobody on the streets to help me except for a hobo that was curling up in front of a fire. Might as well, I thought as I walked up to him.
"Um, hi," I said awkwardly. "I was wondering if you could tell me where Goode High is." He looked up at me, smiling so I could see the empty gaps where he lost teeth. I was starting to hesitate. Then he laughed.
"It's right over there, sweetheart," he said gruffly. "It's your first day, I suppose?" I nodded. "Well, good luck." He smiled kindly. I took 5 bucks out of my backpack.
"Thank you," I said. He took the money.
"No, thank you," he said. "But your kindness and compassion is rare in such a city. Don't lose it. Have a nice day, sweetheart." He lowered his sunglasses. I almost gasped: his eyes were impossibly gold, like two suns. I said goodbye quickly and crossed the street. And when I looked back, he was gone.
"You're that hobo I gave money too," I said.
"Well, not exactly a hobo, but yeah," he said.
"So who are you?" I asked. I was beginning to think that he was more than just human. Those eyes…
"How about I give you a hint," he said. "I am Apollo, the awesome god of the sun. You should be jealous." He looked proud of himself. I, on the other hand, tried my hardest to keep my most convincing poker face. But inside my lungs were literally dying with laughter. Of course the random hobo on the street was one of the twelve Olympian Gods. I took a deep breath to calm myself, but couldn't help but smile.
"Okay, Apollo. To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked him. He snorted.
"Well, I did just save your life," he said. "You would've died on this beach if it wasn't for me. That drakon venom was highly toxic. I was shocked that you almost made it to the camp." I nodded.
"Well, thanks." I didn't know what to say: how do you thank a god that just saved your life?
"Don't mention it," he said. "You're destined for greatness, Arielle. Just as much as Percy, even. And you can't do that rotting in the ground. Besides, you proved yourself to me. You're a good person. And my son would be quite upset if you died." I realized he was talking about Conor, and turned red.
"yeah, he probably would," I said affectionately.
"Speaking of which, can you not tell him about this?" He asked.
"Sure, Apollo," I said.
"Well, I must be going. God of awesomeness is a pretty big responsibility," he said. "Just close your eyes. Don't want you to vaporize, do we?" I shut my eyes instead of rolling them like I was sorely tempted to do. And with a flash, the god of awesomeness was gone.
I walked into camp, trying to conceal the drakon fang. But it was pretty hard: it was bigger than my arm. I sprinted into my cabin and nearly rammed into Percy.
"Hey, I was wondering where you- what's that?" he said. I hastily threw it under one of the beds.
"Oh, nothing. I just found it on the beach," I lied. He narrowed his eyes and I knew that I was busted. "It's kinda on a need-to-know basis, okay?" He nodded, still looking a bit suspicious. Then he relaxed: that's what I loved about Percy. He never holds a grudge on me.
"Do you want to go practice in the arena?" He offered. My aching muscles protested, but I ignored them.
"Yeah, sure," I said. "Just let me go get a drink." I went to my bunk and took a goblet from the drawer. The Stolls and me stole the cups that magically fill up with any drink you want from the pavilion. I took a big gulp of ice cold blue raspberry icee: it was my all-time favorite drink, even in the winter. I went outside, offering some to Percy, who accepted it gratefully. Then I downed the rest of it and tossed the goblet into the cabin, too lazy to go back in and put it in my dresser.
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