With all of its canals, Fort Lauderdale was a wannabe Venice. Only it was in Florida and there were palm trees. Luckily, there were a number of yachts sailing around, so the Black Pearl was viewed as some private yachter's eccentricity.
They sailed into one of the hundred boatyards and docked the Pearl at an empty spot. Then - not knowing anything about where they were going or who they were looking for - Nasim, Andy, and Robin disembarked with their weapons and belongings.
"It feels icky," Andy complained. It was, indeed, very moist. Oh, and did he mention that when you were at sea a long time you apparently became so used to the rocking of the ship that when you got on land you staggered around like a drunken fool? That, combined with the length of the muhaddab, was making this entire shore excursion very unpleasant.
As they walked along the canals, Nasim lazily wondered what the mortals thought they saw in the three teenagers. Probably three raggedly dressed strangers who were as lethargic in the afternoon heat as everyone else in this city. Robin got a few glances from passerby, but they were nearly always admiring and occasionally flirtatious. But Robin wove through the streets so quickly that people barely had time to see them before they were gone.
"So... you do know where we're going?" Andy asked Robin, addressing her question to Star-shooter and his quiver because Robin was currently leading them single file along the edge of the sidewalk.
"I have a general idea," his shoulders hitched up in a shrug. It rather reminded Nasim of the way a crow shrugs.
Andy was limping slightly and Nasim was panting, sweating, and slightly annoyed by the time Robin stopped. To Nasim's surprise, the other boy looked overwhelmed and claustrophobic. His eyes were wild, like everything was moving too quickly and there was too much for him to handle. Nasim guessed that living on his own in the forest for the past two hundred years, Robin found the city too crowded and much too fast.
"Where are we?" Andy asked, putting her weight on one leg and resting the other.
"Thunderbird Swap Shop," Nasim said.
"How'd you know that?" Andy asked. "Trivia?"
"No," he said, pointing up to the fancy, curving letters that were beginning to light up on the top of a large yellow wall.
"Oh. Right. Use eyes," Andy nodded. "So... why are we here?"
"A friend told me to meet someone in this city," Robin said. "I think that we shall find them here."
"Baios?" Nasim asked sharply.
"No," Robin said, looking confused. "Where did you hear that name?"
"Don't know," Nasim muttered, but he met Andy's eye meaningfully.
"So how do we find... whoever?" Andy asked Robin.
"Well, I would assume that we should purchase tickets," Robin suggested. "Correct? People still buy tickets for the theater?"
"Yeah, but I think the theater's changed since you last went," Nasim noted.
They bought three tickets for a movie called Burnt by the Sun.
"Robin, this movie isn't in English," Andy complained.
"Movie?" Robin asked, confused.
"Moving picture," Nasim tried to explain. "It's a recording of a... well, kind of like a play. Yeah, it's a play with the same people performed the same way over and over again."
"Oh," Robin said, and it was clear he didn't really understand. "Doesn't that get boring?"
"Surprisingly... no," Nasim said. "However, unless this has subtitles, this movie may be really boring. Unless you speak Russian."
"Imperial Russia?" Robin asked.
"Dude, how long ago where you born?" Nasim asked. Robin shrugged and gave the tickets to the man.
"What was it like living in the forest?" Andy asked Robin as they followed the crowd inside. "Did you feel how long all the years were?"
"I think it was like everyone's life," Robin said. They saw it was a drive-in show, but there was a bench at the back where they could sit. The light posts around the parking lot dimmed and the screen lit up as they made themselves comfortable.
"You live each day and it seems long," Robin explained. "But when you look back - "
"In the blink of an eye," Andy finished.
The movie was set in the Soviet Union in the summer of 1936 and was about the family of a Colonel when the soviets arrived. And yes, there were subtitles.
About fifteen minutes into the film, the three of them were joined by an older looking man. He was middle-aged, but his hair - thick and red - had no grey or white hairs and did not look dyed. He was handsome and the light from the screen played across his face, making it glow.
Nasim could have sworn the man's eyes were solid gold.
"I love this movie," the man told them, without taking his strange eyes off the screen. His voice reminded Nasim a little bit of his father's accent. Considering the man's hair, Nasim had been expecting a northern European accent, not Middle Eastern.
"I've been waiting for you," the man continued. "I must admit, I never expected to see heroes come to me for help ever again."
"When was the last time?" Robin asked without even a pause. Nasim looked over at Andy and was glad that at least one other person was surprised that some random guy who sat down next to them was an immortal who knew all about heroes. Then again, it probably wasn't random.
"A very, very long time," the man smiled. Nasim couldn't help but be drawn to that smile, which was bright and sunny. "I'm Helios, god of the Sun." He clasped Robin's hand with another brilliant smile.
"I thought Apollo was..." Andy's voice trailed away as Robin shot her an uncharacteristic glare.
"No, it's quite alright," Helios said, but he seemed a little hurt. "I understand how it works. I took over my job from my dad, Hyperion. But that was different, you know? Keeping it in the family. Father-son business. Then Apollo came along. He was cool, young, everyone liked him. Hades, I liked him! He became the god of light, and that was fine."
The light hit Helios's face and made it look as though he was surrounded by a golden glow. But then, it was probably not a trick of the light.
"No one really knows when it happened," Helios sighed. "I guessed you could say I was 'phased out'. At first, he was just the god of light. Then one day, I realized he was the god of the sun. I don't even remember when he took my chariot and started driving it. Same thing happened to my sister, Selene the moon goddess. Apollo's twin, Artemis, pushed Selene out of business."
"She took it better than me," Helios admitted. He was still talking quietly so that the occupants of nearby cars were not looking at them. "She had Endymion."
"Her lover," Robin explained, because Andy and Nasim looked confused. "Eternally sleeping."
"Yeah, she was worried that he'd be annoying if he ever woke up," Helios laughed. "At least Eos got to stay in business. She's the goddess of the dawn. I think after what happened to Tithonus the other Olympians felt sorry for her. But we never lived on Olympus. I had my own place. Still do, but it's falling apart a little. The sisters still live there. It's not too far from here, actually. Don't think I'm inviting you little half-bloods over."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Nasim commented wryly.
"Who are you?" Helios asked. "Who are all of you? I want to remember the first demigods who came to Helios for help."
"Robin, son of Calliope," Robin placed a hand on his heart, then gestured to Andy and Nasim. "Andromache, daughter of Macaria. Nasim, son of Hecate."
"A son of Hecate?" Helios's interest was clearly peaked. "I love children of the Three-Faced goddess! I had several girls who could work magic, maybe you've heard of them? I was always known as the father of witches." He chuckled to himself and then said, "I'd be glad to help a son of Hecate. What can I do for you?"
"We seek the Palladium," Nasim answered. "And the water nymph Oenone."
"Well, where else would you find a water nymph?" Helios laughed sunnily. "In the water marshes, of course!"
"You mean... the Everglades?" Andy asked. Helios smiled brightly at them as the credits began to roll across the screen and the first few engines started up.
"Gotta run," Helios grinned, standing up and shaking all their hands. "Nice to meet you son of Hecate."
"Didn't you have a crown?" Andy blurted out.
"Yes, long ago," Helio sighed. "Sadly it was stolen."
"Well, can't you have a quest assigned?" Andy asked.
"Ah, think daughter of Macaria," Helios said, shaking his head and smiling wryly. "Who assigns the quests?"
"The Oracle," Andy answered automatically.
"And Apollo controls the Oracle," Nasim realized.
"Exactly, Hecate's son," Helios inclined his head. "And the crown is my symbol of powers. Should I have it upon my brow once more, I could rise again like the glorious sun. Here, take these backpacks; they have food inside them. Goodbye little godlings."
Nasim could not help but wonder if Helios was bidding them goodbye for now, or forever. That's the sort of cheerful thought demigods have.
A/N: Footnotes:
Helios: the original god of the sun, the son of Hyperion. His sisters were Selene, the moon, and Eos, the dawn. He lived in a golden palace in the East. Rather than Apollo, whose chariot was the sun, Helios is the sun and is often depicted with crown-like rays around his head. The sun god was the father of Circe, and since many witches have golden eyes, Helios is considered to be the "father of witches".
Selene and Endymion: Selene saw a sleeping shepherd and fell in love with him. She asked Zeus to keep the shepherd young and immortal, but also to make sure he eternally slept, because she was afraid she would not like him once he woke.
Eos and Tithonus: Eos fell in love with a mortal boy and asked Zeus to make him immortal. However, she forgot to ask that he be given eternal youth. Tithonus aged, but could not die, and eventually he became a cricket.