The Daughter of Artemis ψ Percy Jackson

Training & Holding

DEDICATED TO: CSP2708 for making a poem that works. Originally, I put a poem with too many syllables on purpose, but to save you all from confusion - I fixed it x)

"Olivia, it's been years." Apollo sighed as he picked me up off the ground. "Years since we've been this close." He chuckled and scratched the back of his head, not entirely sure of how to act.

"Father..." I started, but I didn't know how to finish my sentence. It was too surreal, everything about him shone. It was not hard to understand why he was the god of the Sun when I was this close to him, his eyes shone bright like a morning sky, but were the deepest blue I'd ever seen aside from my own. It was the one thing I had inherited from him, other than his chin.

As we walked through the glass building, the sun light followed our every step, and I also came to the strange conclusion that Apollo didn't have a shadow, no matter what the lighting, my shadow was only walking by it's self.

"My sister had informed me that you were coming, and I must say that I'm surprised you did, not many choose to disobey her." He grinned and ruffled my hair. "Goes to show that you're still my kid down there."

I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest, even though I should have taken it happily to meet my father, my mind was other wise occupied. "What can you tell me about Penny? Is she still here? Is she okay? How did she survive the car crash?"

"Chill, okay?" He gave me a lopsided grin and pushed open the doors to a huge office with multiple comfy chairs. The inside looked like a music store/ recording studio for the stars. "I'll explain everything that I can, and that would be too much. Technically speaking I am not even supposed to be seeing you." He shrugged and threw himself into a swivel chair, quickly he spun around in it and tossed me a box with a curious brow on his face.

Fumbling it a little, I caught the box and gave him a confused gesture. "Happy Birthday, Olivia." He smiled. His smile lit up the room like a tiny sun, but despite all the warmth he was showing, it couldn't melt the ice that seemed to be sinking in my stomach.

"How do you-"

"How did I know it's your birthday?" He rose a quizzical brow and shrugged. "Call it a father's intuition. You gonna open your gift?"

Stiffly, my fingers pulled open the chocolate ribbon and lifted the lid of the brown box, which oddly looked familiar. Inside the box was a scrap of paper with only a few words scrawled on it which read:

Happy Birthday dear,

I just want you to survive,

I am so awesome.

"Huh?" I re-read it out loud, trying to make sense of this, was it supposed to be a poem?

Apollo chuckled and shrugged. "It's a haiku, I've been obsessed with 'em since I visited Japan."

Rolling my eyes, I put the paper back in it's box and put the box in my bag with a smile. "Thank you, but for the god of poetry you kind of suck at it."

He rolled his eyes and grabbed another box from under his desk. "Well, I would have gotten you something else, but Artemis said the other gods would think I was being too sweet on you, since you seem to have taken a liking to the other gift I gave you."

Frowning, I shook my head and sat down in on of the chair across from him. "What gift?"

Apollo smiled and leaned in close to me, pulling on one of my necklaces. "This." He held up the locket with the painted bow and arrows with a smile. "I left it on that searchers door the day I'd heard she had you in her custody, kind of like a 'congrats kid'."