Chapter 4
Apollo
❝A God's Lament❞

APOLLO found himself dreaming of what he did every day; driving his sun chariot across the sky. The top was down in Maserati mode and the music choice was his go-to jam, Alabama Shakes' "Rise to the Sun." His eyes closed, enjoying the song that was blasting from the radio at top volume, either oblivious to the immediate loud honks that were sent his way, or uncaring.

He was just about to turn the chariot into a Google self-driving car, when an abrupt voice spoke from the back. "You've got to hurry, man."

Apollo almost jumped out of the sun.

A woman dressed like a Libyan queen of old had appeared in his passenger seat. Her gown swirled with red, black, and gold floral designs. Her long dark hair was crowned with a tiara that looked like a curved miniature ladder—two gold rials lined with rings of silver. Her face was mature but stately, the way a benevolent queen should look.

The first thought that crossed Apollo's mind was that this person was definitely not Hera. His step-mother had never smiled at him in his whole long immortal life. He didn't even think it was possible to remove that horrible scowl from her face.

But still, she was oddly familiar. So familiar it itched at his brain. Despite the elder-hippie vibe she was giving off, she was beautiful, so obviously she must've been related to him. Duh.

"Who are you?" Apollo finally asked, struggling to calm his racing heart after the near heart attack she gave him. Ah, stupid mortals. Always weak and prone to heart attacks. How do you live with yourselves, always knowing you're one jump scare away from certain death? The former immortal couldn't comprehend it.

"Wait..." Apollo said, before the woman could respond. He could faintly remember how he passed out; the voice in the woods had driven him insane. "You were the one talking...Were you speaking a prophecy?"

The woman grabbed ahold of his wrist. "Find the gates. You've gotta find them first, you dig?"

"But—"

She burst into flames. Apollo yelped, yanking back his now singed wrist to grab ahold of the wheel as the sun chariot plunged into a nosedive. Smoke filled the car.

Behind him, Apollo had a new visitor. "By all means, you and you're little friends are welcome to find the gates."

Looking through the rear view mirror, through the smoke, Apollo saw a portly man in mauve suit. He was lounging in Hermes' usual spot, but this was not him. He had a weak jawline, an over large nose, and a beard that wrapped around his double chin like a helmet strap. His hair was curly and dark like Apollo's currently was, but not as luxurious. His lip curled as if he smelled something unpleasant. Perhaps it was the burning tires.

"Who are you?" Apollo yelled over the harsh wind. "Why are you in my chariot?"

The man smirked, which made him even uglier. "My own forefather does not recognize me? I'm hurt!"

Apollo tried to place him, but unfortunately, you mortals have a horrible memory. How do you cope? "I'm sorry, I don't know..."

The guy laughed. "Oh, you're sorry? No, no, not yet. I'm sure Charis Grace will give you a start. He'll be the one to lead me to the oracle, and when he does, I'll enjoy burning it down!"

Charis Grace?

Fire consumed Apollo as the chariot nosedived. The closer they got to earth, the faster they fell. He could only watch in horror as they went toward a massive bronze statue that was bigger than a truck, but crashing was not what brought him terror; It was the face he'd only ever seen in his nightmares, in his deepest regrets. As they became only inches away from touching, Cassandra's face that full of fear morphed into his own.

That's when Apollo woke up, shivering and sweating, a scream caught in his throat.

"Easy." Someone's hand was resting on his shoulder. "Don't try to sit up."

Naturally, Apollo tried to sit up.

Instinctively, he found his eyes wandering around for the haunting of his past, but came up empty handed. Apollo barely managed to hide his sigh of relief. He had been apart of his hallucinations after all. He had never been here. He wouldn't have dared.

"Do you know who I am?" The young blonde man asked.

Apollo studied his face. The calmness of his eyes, the smile resting easily on his lips, the way his hair curled around his ears...He had a vague memory of a woman, an alt-country singer named Naomi Solace, whom he'd met in Austin. He blushed thinking about her even now. To his now teenage mortal self, their romance felt like something that he'd watched in a movie a long time ago—a movie his parents wouldn't have allowed him to see. This boy was definitely Naomi's kid, which mean he was his son as well. This situation felt very, very weird.

"Yeah," Will Solace said, upon seeing the realization dawn on his face. "It's awkward."

Apollo's frontal lobe did a one-eighty inside his skull. He fell sideways.

"Whoa, careful," Will steadied him. "I tried to heal you, but honestly, I don't understand what's wrong. You've got blood, not ichor. You're recovering quickly from your injuries, but you're vital signs are completely human."

"Don't remind me."

"Yeah, well..." He put his hand on Apollo's forehead and frowned in concentration. His fingers trembled slightly. "I didn't know any of that until I tried to give you nectar. Your lips started steaming. I almost killed you."

"Ah..." Apollo ran his tongue across his bottom lip, which felt heavy and numb. He wondered if that's why he dreamt of fire and smoke. He hoped so. "I guess Meg forgot to tell you about my condition."

"I guess she did." Will took his wrist and checked his pulse. "You seem to be a little older than me, 17 or even 18. Your heart is back to normal. Ribs are mending. Nose is swollen, but not broken."

"And I have acne," Apollo lamented. "And flab."

Will tilted his head. "You're mortal, and that's what you're worried about?"

"You're right. I'm powerless. Weaker even than you puny demigods!"

"Gee, thanks..."

Apollo had the feeling he almost said Dad but managed to stop himself. It was hard to imagine him as his kid. He was so poised, so unassuming, so free of acne. He also didn't appear to be awestruck in his presence. In fact, the corner of his mouth had started twitching.

"Are—are you amused?" Apollo demanded.

Will shrugged. "Well, it's either find this funny or freak out. My father, the god Apollo, is a mortal teenager—"

"Do you have to keep bringing up the mortal thing," Apollo interrupted.

"—a mortal teenager, lying in a cot in my cabin, and with all my healing arts—which I got from you—I still can't figure out how to fix you."

The centuries old god forced to appear as a young acne-faced boy gave a miserable sigh. "There is no fixing this, I'm afraid. I was cast out of Olympus. My fate is tied to a child named Meg. It could not be worse!"

Will laughed, which Apollo thought took a great deal of gall. "Meg seems cool. She's already poked Connor Stoll in the eyes and kicked Sherman Yang in the crotch."

"She did what?"

"She'll get along just fine here. She's waiting for you outside, along with—"

The cabin door opened. For a long moment, Apollo thought he had passed out again. But the sharp pain he felt after digging his nails into his forearm proved that this was not another dream, and that, as it turns out, it could be a hell of a lot worse.

The young man that stood at the door was tall, lean and muscular. He was the kind of boy that'd make your heart stop, but not in a good way. He had a thin, jagged scar that ran down from his right eyebrow to his chin, and upon a closer look, he had more, fainter scars that ran along his arms and neck, no doubt from years of fighting monsters and wars. His attire was casual, except for the noticeable dagger holder that was wrapped around his waist. However, despite all of this, this wasn't what gave him the dangerous edge that would send a grown man running. It was his different coloured eyes; eyes that held so much bitterness and anger, but also so much tiredness, like he'd had seen and gone through a million things in his short years of life. It made him look like a corpse, a dead man walking. This was...

"Charis?"

-

Unedited.

I feel horrible for fucking with you guys, so I'm releasing another chapter later today and yes, Charis and Apollo will finally talk! So stay tuned!

Let me know if you see any grammar mistakes.