Iridescence

Chapter One (Apollo)

ONE

APOLLO

The little blonde one was about to drown. "Hmmm," I mumbled aloud. "Perhaps I should mention this to my sister." It seemed like the right call, especially since the little blonde one would one day grow up to become quite important to her.

"Artemis, darling sister, you may wish to call upon a favor from Poseidon," I advised.

"Not likely," my twin sister replied. I could practically hear her eyes rolling. That really was an incredibly rude habit.

"Suit yourself, but you're not the best swimmer."

"What are you babbling about?"

"One of your prophecy girls is about to meet a watery end unless someone intervenes. I thought it might interest you."

She glared at me. "What did you see, Apollo?" She asked impatiently. Sure, now she wanted to listen to me.

"She was in the car with her parents. There was a truck coming, the driver fell asleep... The car hit a guardrail and it broke, and they ended up in the water."

"Who are these prophesized girls you keep rambling about?"

"The chosen ones, five girls who will each control one of the elements... If they survive long enough to realize their gifts, that is. You really should call Poseidon."

"I'll save her myself."

"Sister, you nearly drowned the last time you tried to rescue a maiden from the water."

"I'm immortal. It won't kill me."

"It's still rather unpleasant."

  "Well, what do you suggest I do?"

I shook my head. "You don't listen very well, Artemis. Call. Poseidon. You know, the God of the Sea? This is his area of expertise."

"Poseidon's only area of expertise is himself."

"I think you're mixing him up with our father." It was a very fair description of Zeus. Our uncle wasn't nearly as bad. In fact, I generally found him to be the most pleasant of the three brothers. Dear old Dad had a bad attitude (a God complex, if you will), and his twin brother Hades was far too dark and unpleasant for my liking. As the youngest of the three, Poseidon seemed to be the only one with a good sense of humor.

"I don't trust him."

"You don't trust any men. You barely tolerate me, and we shared a womb. That's not the point. She's running out of time, Artemis. Mortals don't do well under water."

Artemis sighed. "Fine. Call him. Don't inflate his ego any more than you need to."

I nodded. I immediately summoned my dear Uncle Posey. (Remember how I said he has a sense of humor? It doesn't extend to that nickname. Please don't tell him I called him that.)

He looked from me to my sister. "What's wrong?" Poseidon asked.

"A mortal girl who's going to be very important one day is about to drown and die a terribly premature death. We were hoping you might help her," I explained.

Poseidon didn't hesitate. "Give me the location."

I did. He rushed away, and I used my extreme skills of Sight to watch him. In true Poseidon style, he dove into the water and swam straight to the car. The girl's parents were both already lost. The father's head was angled in a way no mortal's head should hang, and her mother's head was cracked open. The girl, however, was struggling like crazy. I liked her spirit, and I could tell Poseidon did, too.