The Exiled God; A Trials of Apollo Fanfiction

One Man Down

Y/n's POV

"Meg! Meg!" Apollo screamed as he stumbled around the glade.

"Apollo, its no use. She's gone," I notify him. "But like I said, we're gonna get her back. I promise. We just can't do it right now. We're too weak. We need to get back to camp."

"No. Not yet. We need to see Pete," Apollo insisted and picked up Meg's swords from the mud. They instantly changed back into ring form, and Apollo yanked off a string from his ukulele and threaded it through the rings, turning it into a necklace that he put over his head. He then walked over to the geyser a few feets away. "Pete, show yourself, you cowardly telemarketer!"

"You call me a telemarketer?!" Pete seethed and appeared in a whirlwind of steam. "We run a full-service PR firm!"

"I need to find Meg. What will the myrmekes do with her?" Apollo asked.

"Oh, dear," Pete gasped. "Your head doesn't look good. You've got a big gash on your scalp, and there's blood. And you, young demigod, have some acid burns on your legs. You also look like you're one step away from toppling over."

"Concussion," I figure as I tried to steady myself. "I've had one before. I'll live. I'm just worried about my gloves. They're ruined."

"Your gloves? Meg is gone and you're worried about your stupid gloves?!" Apollo exclaimed.

"My stupid gloves were the only thing keeping my curse under control," I argue and sling them off my hands. They had been melted by acid spit and torn up by tree bark, so there was barely any glove left. "But you're right. Meg is our priority. Usually I'd know where the nest is, but my head is spinning, and I have no sense of direction."

"The nest is where Paulie went," Pete stated. "And it's the only entrance to the Grove of Dodona."

"What? Explain how the nest leads to the grove," Apollo demanded.

"Paulie didn't tell me everything. There's this thicket of woods that's grown so dense, nobody can get in. The grove is in there. It could have been slumbering for centuries. Nobody on the board of directors even knew about it. Then, all of a sudden, the trees started whispering. Paulie figured those darned ants must have burrowed into the grove from underneath, and that's what woke it up," Pete explained. "It is north of here about half a mile. But you two are in no shape to go there."

"I must! Meg needs me!" Apollo claimed.

"She's got time," Pete assured us. "If they carried her off in one piece, that means she's not dead yet. Those myrmekes like to goop up their victims and let them ripen until they're soft enough for the hatchlings to eat."

"That tracks," I agree. "From what I remember, the myrmekes let their food soften for twenty four hours, give or take. Which means we have time to get back to camp and gather our strength."

"Did Paulie explain how to navigate the ants' nest?" Apollo quizzed.

Pete shook his head. "Like I said, he didn't want me to follow him. The myrmekes are dangerous enough. And if those other guys are still wandering around...."

"Other guys?" I inquire. "What other guys?"

"Didn't I mention that? Yeah. Paulie saw three humans, heavily armed. They were looking for the grove too. Paulie described them like they were adults. He said one of them was the leader. The other two addressed him as imperator," Pete declared.

"Apollo, you don't think....Triumvirate Holdings," I murmur and take a seat on the ground. "Gods, my head. This is too much."

"Pete, you still oversee sacred oaths, right? Then hear mine," Apollo ordered.