Percy shifted nervously, trying to casually stand in front of the scorch marks on the garage floor. He could already feel Apollo's eyes scanning the place, his divine senses probably picking up on every little thing Percy had desperately tried to clean up.
Unfortunately, Apollo wasn't dumb.
The sun god suddenly froze mid-rant, narrowed his eyes, and tilted his head.
"Wait…" His golden gaze swept over the garage. "Something's off. What did you do?"
Percy sighed in defeat. There was no hiding it now.
"Okay, so, funny story," he said, grinning nervously. "The particle regulator? Yeah… it completely failed. Like, beyond repair failed."
Apollo stared at him. "Wait, what?"
"Yeah," Percy continued quickly. "I tried fixing it—like, seven times—but it kept failing, and I didn't have a spare because, apparently, the people who originally built it faded centuries ago! So, I kinda, uh… had to track down Hephaestus in Olympus and beg him to rebuild one for me in under an hour."
Apollo's eyes widened. "You WHAT?!"
"Don't worry, he agreed!" Percy said quickly, raising his hands defensively. "He made it clear it was a one-time emergency favor, though."
Apollo still looked absolutely stunned. "And you got it working in time?"
"Barely," Percy muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I had, like… less than 60 seconds before the sun didn't rise."
Apollo suddenly broke into laughter.
"Oh, come on, little bro. Sixty seconds is generous. I once had to do it in ten."
Percy stared at him, utterly stupefied. "TEN?!"
"Yep." Apollo smirked. "It's a long story, but let's just say somebody thought it'd be funny to replace my wheels with enchanted rubber ducks and it threw off the entire solar balance."*
Percy blinked. "That is both horrifying and hilarious."
"That's how I felt too," Apollo admitted. "Mostly horrifying in the moment, though."
Percy groaned, shaking his head. "Why does everything involving the sun involve absolute chaos?"
"Because it's fun that way," Apollo said cheerfully. "Anyway, back on track! Do you have everything?"
Percy patted his pockets and checked his backpack. "Yeah, I've got my stuff. Got my solar communicator, my Sun Chariot keys, extra clothes, and… I guess I should probably say goodbye to my mom before I leave, huh?"
"Probably a good idea," Apollo said. "Moms tend to freak out if their kids disappear without warning. Trust me, I have experience in that department."*
Percy snorted. "I don't doubt it."
With a final look around the garage, Percy secured his things, climbed into the Sun Chariot, and took off toward home.
[Goodbyes and Camp Vans]When Percy landed outside his apartment, his mom was already at the door, her arms crossed, watching him with that knowing mom look that said, I know you're about to do something crazy again.
"So," Sally Jackson said, raising an eyebrow, "going on a quest, huh?"
Percy groaned. "Does everyone know before I do?"
His mom smiled gently. "Chiron called ahead. He told me what's going on."
Percy hesitated before giving her a quick hug. "I didn't steal the lightning bolt, Mom. But now I have to find it."
"I know, sweetheart," Sally murmured. "You'll be okay. Just be careful, alright?"
"Always," Percy promised.
After a bit more packing, making sure he had blue snacks for the road, and one last hug from his mom, Percy met Chiron outside where the camp van was waiting.
Chiron gave him a gentle nod as he opened the door. "Are you ready, Percy?"
Percy exhaled slowly. "Not even a little bit."
"That makes two of us," Chiron said. "Come on, let's get you to Camp Half-Blood."*
As the van pulled away, Percy watched his mom wave goodbye.
He had a feeling this was just the beginning of a whole new level of insanity.
Finally this is the end of book 2 I will begin posting book three soon so stay tuned