Melpomene (PJO)

26. Blood in the Lethe

"So... you want us to leave?" Will asked. He sounded sad.

"Yeah, exactly." Apollo nodded. "You've got it!"

Will's eyes flashed with hurt. Mari wanted to slap her father in the face. Instead, she grabbed Will's hand under the table and squeezed it.

"I'd rather stay," said Naomi. "If ya don't mind."

"I do mind, actually." Apollo shrugged. "I don't blame you, though. I can only imagine how hard it must be, not to be around me. I understand, I am spectacular. But this is all very hush-hush."

Naomi's right eye twitched. She looked like she was going to say something else, but Mari shook her head frantically. Apollo- Apollo was a god. Mari hadn't seen him upset before. But when he wasn't upset, her father had let Lee, Mason and Frankie Ray die. She didn't want to find out what he would do when he was upset. Halcyon Green had found out. Marion definitely didn't want to see Naomi find out.

"It's- it's okay!" Mari gave Naomi as shaky thumbs up.

"You sure, honey?" Naomi really didn't sound happy about it. Mari nodded. She didn't want to say anything out loud, because she was a horrible liar.

"Wonderful!" Apollo clapped his hands twice. He paused, then clapped some more and laughed. This went on for a very awkward minute before he looked up, as if remembering that the others were there. "Ah. I got side tracked. I just love the sound of applause. Especially when it's directed at me."

"But nobody else was clapping..." Will cocked his head to the side, confused. Apollo didn't seem to hear him.

"How about the two of you give my daughter and me some time to chat?" Apollo asked. Will's face fell again. Mari squeezed his hand. He squeezed back, before sliding off his chair towards Naomi.

Naomi glanced back at Mari, looking stricken. You sure? She mouthed. Mari nodded. Naomi glanced at her watch and her posture relaxed a little.

"Apollo," she said. "Ya got ten minutes before midday. Whatever you wanna say, I'd say it real quick if I were you. You don't want to be missin' your route over the equator, do you?"

"No," Apollo said.

"Great." Naomi smiled. "I'll be back in five. To give you a head start with ya chariot an'all."

She slung her arm over Will's shoulder and the two of them left. Mari wished she could go with them. She turned back to her Dad. Her stomach squirmed. How had she been so excited to meet him last winter? That memory didn't quite feel real.

Apollo turned to her, and his grin was back in full force. "Now, sunshine, I'm sure you're wondering what I've been so desperate to talk to you about."

He was right. She did want to know. But knowing him, he'd probably leave her disappointed. Mari tried to school her expression, to suppress the impulse to shriek profanities at her father. He wouldn't take that well.

I killed your son! she wanted to yell. Don't grin at me! Your other son is dead and you did nothing. I begged you to stop it and you did nothing! So say something! Please!

"I need a favour," Apollo said.

Say something other than that.

"What... do you need?"

Mari barely managed to spit the words out. Apollo didn't seem to notice. He threw an arm around her shoulders as he spoke.

"I'm so glad you asked, sunshine! You remember my oracle, don't you?"

"The mummy?" Mari asked.

Everyone knew about the Oracle of Delphi. The same oracle that Apollo had claimed after he killed Py... the big evil snake. The Oracle was meant to be passed between different clear-sighted mortals, so long as the mortals met Apollo's standards, which were about an 8/10 on precognition and a healthy penchant for dramatics.