Chapter 3: Target Signs Make the Best Target Practice

It started, as many things did with Percy, with an innocent question.

"Hey, Apollo, can you teach me how to use a bow?"

Apollo practically beamed at him. "Kid, I thought you'd never ask! Archery is an art, a skill, a—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Percy cut in. "I just think it'd be cool to shoot stuff while flying through the sky."

Apollo blinked. Then grinned. "Oh, you're gonna fit right in."

(Lesson One: Why Not Make It Interesting?)

Apollo summoned a golden bow from thin air and handed it to Percy, who nearly toppled over from its weight.

"First lesson," Apollo said, "you don't just hold the bow—you become one with the bow."

Percy squinted at him. "That sounds like something a kung fu master would say."

Apollo ignored him. "Second lesson, you gotta have the right target. And what better way to learn than to hit actual bullseyes?"

Percy tilted his head. "You mean, like, archery range targets?"

Apollo smirked. "Oh no, no, no, my dear nephew. Something bigger."

Percy blinked. Then turned his head as Apollo pointed downward.

Below them, sprawled across the mortal world, were dozens of Target store signs—each one with a big, red bullseye on it.

Percy gasped. "No way."

Apollo tossed him a quiver of golden arrows. "Way. Now, take aim."

(Lesson Two: How Did That Arrow Fly Backward?!)

Percy pulled back his first arrow, squinting at a massive Target sign below them.

He let it fly.

The arrow veered wildly to the left and shot into a completely different parking lot.

Apollo winced as they heard the distant sound of a car alarm going off.

"...That wasn't a bullseye," Percy muttered.

"Yeah, no kidding," Apollo said. "Try again!"

Percy knocked another arrow, focused, and—

TWANG!

The arrow shot straight up into the sky, flipped, and somehow—somehow—came flying backward at them.

Apollo yelped, ducking just in time as it clattered onto the Chariot's floor.

Percy stared at it in horror. "How—HOW did I shoot an arrow backward?!"

Apollo rubbed his temples. "Okay. New rule: Don't question physics. Just try again."

(Lesson Three: Maybe Archery Isn't His Thing)

After twenty more tries, Percy finally managed to hit the edge of a Target sign.

It left a smoking scorch mark on the bottom of the bullseye.

"...Close enough," Apollo muttered.

Percy sighed. "This is hard."

"Yeah, but you'll get there," Apollo said. Then, he raised his own bow and, without even looking, fired an arrow.

It hit dead center on the next Target sign.

Percy scowled. "Show-off."

Apollo winked. "Comes with the title, kid."

(Aftermath: The Confused Mortals)

The next morning, several Target store managers found themselves standing in front of their burned, smoking signs, staring in confusion.

"Uh… what kind of storm leaves perfectly round scorch marks?" one manager asked.

"Maybe aliens?" another suggested.

Meanwhile, in Olympus, Zeus had his own concerns.

He slammed a report down onto the table. "Who is responsible for mystical flaming arrows appearing all over the mortal world?!"

Apollo and Percy exchanged glances.

"...Definitely Hermes," Apollo said quickly.

Percy nodded. "Yeah. Sounds like a Hermes thing."

Zeus sighed, rubbing his temples. "I hate you both."

And so, Percy's archery lessons continued. Though maybe, just maybe, he should stick to sword fighting.