I am the god Apollo. I used to be a mortal by the name of Lester Papadapolous.

Last winter, I crash-landed in a dumpster and met a young demigod named Meg. The following six months had been riddled with pain, terror, confusion, guilt, and grief. However, I'd also found love along the way - and I don't mean the Cupid-shot-me-with-an-arrow-again kind of love. I'd connected with new friends, with my children, and even with other gods, and I wouldn't trade those connections for the world.

Perhaps you came here looking for a Cupid-shot-me sort of story. Bear with me, dear reader. I'm getting to that.

One of my mortal companions, Jason Grace, had urged me in his last breath to remember my experience as a mortal. I wholeheartedly intend to honor his request, but I don't think I could forget even if I tried. Being Lester had affected me so deeply that I'm not sure if I'm truly Apollo anymore. While I'm driving my sun chariot or listening to my family members bicker from my throne in Olympus, I often find my mind drifting to earthly matters. Considering their woefully short lifespans, it perturbs me to admit it...but after spending an equal amount of time returned to godhood, I still feel homesick for my mortal companions.

My trials hadn't changed all of my long-standing beliefs, though. In fact, they'd reinforced a few general rules.

Rule #1: Aim before you shoot.

Rule #2: Don't mess with cows.

Rule #3: Never rekindle old flames.

For the last four thousand years, those principles have held true for me, with the occasional exception. I've hit a few lucky shots with my eyes closed. Hermes and I would've never become close friends if he hadn't stolen my cows. (It's a long story.) And both Fall Out Boy and The Jonas Brothers produced more hits after reuniting. In general, though, breaking any of those rules never worked in anyone's favor.

However, when I saw Naomi Solace for the first time in seventeen years...I broke Rule #3.

If your first instinct is to smack me upside the head, I don't blame you. But before you accuse me of reverting to my old ways, allow me to give you some context.

I suppose I should start with the reason that I ended up on the Solace's doorstep in the first place...


It was the holiday season. The end of my first calendar year as a newly reinstated god was approaching, so I was in high spirits. But immortals aren't known for their holiday cheer. For most gods, the only special occasions that matter are the ones that are focused on, you know, themselves.

This year, I came to the conclusion that the mortal tradition of exchanging gifts and being with loved ones is much more appealing, and I saw no reason why a god couldn't join in the fun. So I took it upon myself to spread some well-needed cheer by appearing to each demigod camp as a Kris-Kringled version of myself, complete with a sun chariot sleigh and a big burlap sack that I could pretend to pull presents from.

My brief foray as Not-So-Old St. Nick was a blast - well, except for the first minute or two of each visit, when the campers literally tried to blast me. The Romans had been particularly alarmed. I suppose the guard towers hadn't been expecting to see a shiny red UFO descending on them around Christmastime. What a bunch of humbugs.

A year ago, I would've been annoyed by their less than warm reception. I probably would've revealed myself and punished them in a booming voice. Now, their quick reaction time made me proud. I calmly waved off their attacks, smiled, and cracked lighthearted jokes until they realized that I wasn't a threat.

Once I told them that I was bringing gifts from Olympus, their demeanors changed completely. As it turns out, it's very easy to get the perfect gift for somebody when you can manifest things out of thin air. Some of the kids caught on and made some interesting requests. There were only a few problematic ones that I felt the need to refuse. (Little Harley from the Hephaestus cabin asked me for liquid Uranium and then for a full-sized motorcycle before I could talk him down to a miniature dirt bike.)

Camp Half-Blood is always quieter in the off-season; there were only fifteen people in the mess hall when I crashed their breakfast. To my delight, one of my own kids was among the year-rounders. I was so invested in my act that I didn't notice him until he walked right up to me, after everyone else had run off with their presents.

I have far too many children to be picking favorites, but my time as a mortal had given me a soft spot for Will Solace. If you knew him, you'd understand why.

My sunshiny son didn't look all that different from how I remembered him, with his soft golden curls and easy smile. He'd gotten an inch taller, though, and he seemed a bit stronger and leaner, like he'd been training more frequently. But something in his calm blue eyes had changed. They held a faint-but-deep weariness that I'd never detected before, like something had painfully and permanently shifted in him. I knew the feeling.

As usual, Nico di Angelo was by his side. They were holding hands like it was second nature - and perhaps it was, since they'd been dating for over a year. The son of Hades had grown a bit taller too, but he was still almost a head shorter than Will. I was glad to see that he didn't look so skeletally thin anymore. But he'd earned a new scar: a subtle slash mark running horizontally across his left cheek. And now that I thought about it, Nico also possessed that same too-old aura that Will had recently acquired. I think I knew where it came from.

I hadn't seen my son and his boyfriend in person since they'd told me about their plans for a quest into Tartarus. I'd been worried sick, but I hadn't interfered. Even if I'd dared to break the biggest rule of godhood, I couldn't have helped them, because the gods have no power in that wretched place. I'd watched them, though, as much as my powers had allowed. When they'd returned a week later, it had taken all of my self-control not to swoop down and wrap them both in warm blankets. I knew that they'd suffered and matured in ways that were perhaps beyond my comprehension, and I didn't think they'd appreciate being treated like children...even though they weren't yet adults in the eyes of the American legal system.

What a strange concept. At a month short of sixteen, Nico couldn't get a driver's license, but he could teleport himself across the world, wield deadly weapons, fight in multiple wars, and journey twice through the most horrifying place in existence. Some mortal laws make no sense for demigods.

When I saw the two of them, I think I gave away my identity, because my blond-bearded face lit up with joy. Before they could do more than blink in astonishment, I threw an arm around each of them and squeezed like I'd never get the chance to hug them again. Will returned the greeting in full force - and Nico put an arm around me too, which surprised me a little.

"Hi, Dad," Will whispered as I held him.

I blinked back tears as I whispered back, "Hi, son. It's good to see you."

When we broke apart, the nearest campers started murmuring, and I heard my name. The rest of them were preoccupied watching Harley, who was laughing like a madman as he did wheelies on his new dirt bike. "Careful!" Chiron shouted over the older campers' cheering. I couldn't tell if the centaur sounded exasperated or begrudgingly pleased.

"What's with the get-up?" Will asked me, surveying my fuzzy red-and-white suit and exaggerated dad bod like he was trying not to laugh.

"I think he missed us," Nico inserted, smirking.

I tried to play it cool. "I just figured I'd use my godhood for something fun - and maybe brighten a few demigod's holidays. But, uh, if you want a gift, you don't need to sit on my lap...I mean, unless you want to. Harley really wanted to."

Will's bright eyes gleamed. "That's...that's awesome."

The pride in his voice made me feel like I'd swallowed a frog. I brushed off his praise with a shrug. "It's no big deal. But...yes, I missed you," I confessed wryly, gesturing at the havoc with Harley. "And all this. Everything."

"You know you're welcome here anytime, right? It doesn't have to be a special occasion. I'm sure everyone would love to hang out with Lester again."

I don't know what it is about Will, but every time I'm with him, I seem to get emotional. Maybe it's the way he says heartwarming things like that so genuinely. Maybe it's the way he reminds me of myself, only younger and kinder and all around a better person. Or maybe it's the fact that he'd managed to turn out so well without me being in his life at all. Whatever it was, it made me want to hug him again. So I did.

Will chuckled and mumbled into my long blond locks, "I missed you too."

I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry a little.

After I composed myself, I opted to trade my disguise for my usual Lester-y appearance. I included some holiday touches: a Santa hat and an ugly Christmas sweater, with stripes like a candy cane and a cheesy quote that I'd chosen on the fly. Nico snorted as he read it. "'Chilling with my ho-mies'?"

"Oh! Almost forgot..."

I added a graphic below the quote: Santa in swim trunks sunning himself, flanked by two reindeer with sunglasses, all reclining in matching beach chairs. Will laughed, and Nico grinned and shook his head. For that brief moment, they didn't seem so achingly grown-up. I decided that the sweater was a good choice.

A second later, I was bombarded by the rest of the campers. The enthusiastic group hug was enough to make me teary-eyed again. Harley even abandoned his new bike to greet me. "I knew it was you!" He kept saying, between what I hoped were happy sobs. The nine-year-old was the only person who was more of a mess than me.

Time went by in a blur as I caught up with everyone over breakfast. To facilitate things, Chiron allowed all the campers to join me at the Me Table. It was absolute chaos, with several people talking at once and showing off their gifts, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

At one point, Sherman Yang handed me a whole plate of bacon: my favorite mortal food. I knew the son of Ares was just expressing his gratitude for the magically-regenerating Celestial Bronze hand grenade that I'd gifted him, but I was so touched that I planted a kiss on his cheek. That resulted in some fierce blushing on his part and some good-natured teasing from the other campers.

After breakfast, I was feeling nostalgic, so I went with Will and Nico to the Me Cabin. That's when my son informed me that the two of them would be visiting his mother for Christmas this year, since he hadn't seen her for the last two, and since his mortal family had never met Nico. They explained that they would be getting there via shadow travel, because it was less risky than driving or flying.

I had my reservations about that plan, but I understood their reasoning. A road trip that long would be quite dangerous for two demigods, and the ever-charming Lord of the Sky would probably strike down the son of Hades the instant he set foot on an airplane. Zeus gets very touchy about that kind of thing.

"We should be fine," Nico told me, after I'd expressed my concern about his lack of familiarity with the destination. "I've shadow traveled to places that I'd only seen in pictures before. Trying to jump to somewhere on a map isn't much different." He seemed confident, but I detected a hint of doubt in his voice. It was impossible to lie to the God of Truth.

So I insisted on taking them to Naomi's house myself.

I swear I didn't have any ulterior motives; I was only trying to be a more accommodating father. I know how dangerous shadow travel can be, and as much as I trust Nico's abilities, he's been pulled off course by things beyond his control before. I just didn't want my son to end up in a wheat field in Texas with a groggy boyfriend and no idea where to go. The Karpoi are particularly vicious out there, and death by grain spirits seemed like a sorry reason to miss Christmas with his mother.

All it took was a quick trip in the sun chariot, which I reverted into sports car mode for comfort's sake.

Will seemed to enjoy the experience. He was pressed to the window for the majority of the ride, narrating as we passed over cities and natural features. Nico, on the other hand, looked like he was making a mental list of all the places he'd rather be than here, in a glowing red Maserati Spyder that was thirty thousand feet in the air. But he managed to smile at his boyfriend's excitement, so I figured he didn't hate it that much.

As I watched the two of them in the rear view mirror, I remembered the last time I'd transported demigods in my sun car - well, sun bus, then. I couldn't believe that five years had already passed. Nico had been there too, an innocent pipsqueak with an endless supply of questions. When I met his eyes in the mirror, he seemed to read my mind, because he commented, "I'm surprised you didn't ask me to drive."

I grinned at the callback. The son of Hades had been eager to get behind the wheel when we'd first met, but I'd shot him down, since he was only ten. Now, he was the same age as Thalia Grace had been when I'd let her drive - when she'd subsequently torched half of New England and crashed us into a lake. But that was all in the past. And Nico seemed much calmer. I thought he might be serious, so I suggested lightly, "There aren't any red lights up here, but we could do a game of musical chairs."

"No, thanks," he answered at once, like he was afraid I might open the doors and tell everyone to switch seats in midair. I chuckled at the idea.

"Well, perhaps you could take it for a spin after we land."

A mischievous spark brightened his eyes. "Now you're talking."

It was a nice moment, until Will pointed straight ahead and yelled, "PLANE!"

In all fairness, I should've had my eyes on the sky. Pesky obstacles like commercial jets tend to appear quickly when you're traveling above Mach 3.

After one evasive maneuver and a very speedy descent, we touched down in a sleepy suburban neighborhood outside of Austin, Texas. It was a smooth landing; we only decimated a few shrubs before we came to a stop in the middle of the street with a loud crack. It was hard to be stealthy while driving the sun, and its flashy sports car disguise didn't help much. Several homeowners peered through their cookie cutter blinds. A few even opened their front doors to ogle at us. The two demigods seemed unnerved by all the attention.

"Looks like the whole neighborhood knows we're here," Nico muttered.

I shrugged it off and said, "The Mist will take care of it." Then I put the car in park.

"I think we're still a few miles away," Will pointed out, frowning at the nearest street sign.

"I know." I smiled and jangled the keys between them. "Who wants to go first?"