Life of A Young Demigod: Book 1 (Percy Jackson reader insert)

A Late Night Chat, Pt. 2

Once I got over my initial shock, I realized Apollo was actually kinda cool. He brought with him a bag of these cherry flavored candy drops, which were amazing, and didn't seem to mind sitting on the damp ground to chat.

"So. It's nice and all to meet you, but I doubt you came here to share some candies with a kid who isn't even your son. What is it?"

He sighed. "Right to business, eh? Fair enough, I'll get to it, but first, a quick thank you. I appreciate you talking to my daughter. Before you got to camp, she was... fairly lonely. Not that people didn't like her, she just didn't really put herself out there."

I've been told the same thing about myself in the past, so I understood what he meant.

"Well, she's a very nice person sir." I said, somewhat nervously. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to speak to a god who wasn't my parent. Was sir too much? Too little? My brain began to spin a bit.

"Don't worry too much about formalities right now, (Y/N), I appreciate the respect but I've got a lot to say and not much time to say it."

I nodded. My mother said something similar, so I was partly expecting this. The gods were, predictably, fairly busy.

"Now, Andromeda trusts you, so I wanted to tell you this. She has a big choice ahead of her. It may not happen now, it may not happen a year from now, but it is coming. I need someone who can watch out for her, make sure she makes the right decision for herself."

I looked at him, confused. "But... sir, with all due respect, do you think I'm the best person for the job? I just met her a couple of days ago, surely..."

Apollo held up his hand, gesturing for me to stop. "That is true, (Y/N), but I need someone who I can trust to look out for her best interest. You care about her, I can tell that, and she trusts you already. That is what I am looking for. Not someone who knows her perfectly, she will ultimately be the one deciding after all, but someone who will make sure it is her heart making the decision. I believe you will do that."

I blushed a bit. I really hoped he didn't read minds all too well, I wasn't sure how a god would react to me having a crush on his daughter, and I didn't really want to find out.

"I... I appreciate the confidence, but what is this decision?"

Apollo smiled a bit. "Well that I can't tell you. Sorry (Y/N), but I know you will tell her about this conversation, I'm counting on that in fact. Even if you knowing ahead of time would help, and, trust me when I say it really wouldn't, my hands are tied."

I knew that was coming. I never would have thought that gods would be as tied by legal nonsense as humans are a couple days ago, but I was learning quickly.

Apollo tossed me a pair of matching necklaces, thin golden chains with a small orb hanging from them. "Take these. Give one to Andromeda and keep the other. If you two are ever separated and either of you are in danger, the orb will warm up a bit to warn you."

I blushed slightly at the idea. I didn't quite feel ready to give a girl I had a crush on a necklace as a gift, but I couldn't exactly refuse a direct instruction from a god. "Thank you, Lord Apollo. I will do as you ask."

Apollo laughed. "Cmon, lighten up a little kid, do I really come off as that stuck up? Sure, it's a good idea to act like that with Zeus or Ares, but
I'm not that scary am I?"

I looked down, slightly embarrassed.

"Well I'd better be off. Gotta get the chariot ready for the morning. Let me leave you with a haiku."

I stared at him in confusion. A haiku?

"Hecate's son and me
We are now friends
This is ever so wonderful"

Oh right. God of poetry. Fair enough.

With that, he began to glow, and I quickly averted my eyes. In a flash, he was gone.

The rest of my watch was uneventful, and after about an hour and a half, I woke up Andromeda. I thought about telling her what had happened now, but decided to wait until morning. Midnight probably isn't the best time to tell her I just met her dad.

I had strange dreams that night. I saw a deep hole, a huge wave, and what seemed to be a horse with the back half of a chicken. That last part really confused me.

I woke up to Percy shaking me. He had apparently taken last watch, and by the time I properly got up, everyone else was already starting to pack. Annabeth tossed me a bag of nachos, and I saw Grover... talking to a pink poodle?

I went over to investigate. "Uhh, Grover? What are you doing talking to that thing?"

The poodle growled at me.

Grover glared at me. "Her name is Gladiola. And be nice. She's going to help us get west."

"How is a poodle going to help us get west?"

"She says ran away from a rich family and there's a big reward for her return. She doesn't want to, but she knows satyrs are friends to all animals, so she's willing to go back if it helps us."

"How does she know about the reward? She read the missing poster?" I said jokingly.

Grover looked deadly serious. "Yes, (Y/N), she did. Now get your stuff packed and let's go."

Fair enough. I suppose after fighting a magic snake lady yesterday, a talking poodle that could read wasn't too outlandish.

Once we returned Gladiola and got the reward, we went to the nearest train station and bought an Amtrak ticket to Denver, which was the furthest west we could afford. Something was nagging me the whole time, and once we got on the train, I realized. Apollo. The request. The necklaces.

I got up from my seat next to Percy and went over to Andromeda. "'Meda, theres something I need to tell you about."

She looked up at me, seeming somewhat nervous. "What is it, (Y/N)?"

"So, last night, I kinda met your dad."

Her mouth dropped. "What?"

"He just kinda showed up when I was on watch. He started talking about how you will at some point make an important decision, and how he needs someone to make sure you stay true to yourself when you make it, whatever that means. He wants me to be that person."

Andromeda looked at me with an expression I could not pin down. She laughed a bit. "Well at least he's looking out for me."

"He also gave me these." I said, taking out the necklaces. "Supposedly, if we are ever separated, and one of us is in danger, the orb will warm up to warn the other. Sort of a distress signal, I guess."

She took one of the necklaces and quickly put it on. "I can feel the warmth in it you know. I can do that with any magic connected to him." She paused for a second. "Thank you, (Y/N). I wish he had spoken to me as well, but it's good to know he trusts you as well. Makes me feel like a good judge of character."

I blushed slightly at what I took as a compliment, and confirmation of what Apollo had said the night before about her trusting me. "Well I'm going to go take a bit of a nap. Didn't sleep all that great last night. If any monsters burst in, be sure to let me know, eh?"

She laughed loudly at that, which made me blush even more. "I will, (Y/N). Get some rest."

On that note, I went back over to my seat. Percy had gotten up at some point when I was talking to Andromeda, so I took the opportunity to find a comfortable position on the seat, rested my head against the window, and closed my eyes.