Percy Jackson The New God (Old Version,)

Chapter 27

Percy's point of view

After the fight I went back to my dad's palace, it would be a few days before mine would be finished. I quickly showered, changed my clothes and then grabbed a piece of ambrosia and ate it, then I teleported to Apollo's palace. It had two entrances one of them led the infirmary, while the other led to the part of the palace where Apollo lives.

I headed for the second one and Apollo met me inside the door. He had told me yesterday that we would be doing something different today but he never told me what. He led me through his palace and then stopped outside a room indicating I should go in first when I looked into the room I groaned. Inside the room were bows, arrows, and archery targets.

I said, "Seriously Apollo, don't you know I suck at archery?" 

he said, "Yes I've heard stories but we believe that you should be familiar with more than just the sword."

 "Who's we?" I asked even though I already had a guess

 "The rest of the council," he said. 

That's what I was afraid of.  I said, "So they want you to try and teach me archery. Chiron has already tried and failed at that. I get that archery is your specialty, but what makes you think that you will be able to do any better than he did?" 

Instead of answering my question he said: "Never mind that let's get started, the sooner we get started the sooner you'll be able to leave for today." 

Reluctantly I walked into the room he handed me a bow and a quiver of arrows. He said, "now let me see how you do it." 

I said, "Fine but you should probably stand behind me I haven't hit anyone there before."

 He gave me a weird look and said: "You're that bad?"

 I just said, "Afraid so."

After doing what I suggested he told me to show him.  I knocked an arrow, aimed pulled back the string and then sent the arrow flying. I had been aiming for a target that wasn't really that far away but somehow my arrow took a left turn and missed the target altogether.

Apollo came out from behind me and looked at where the arrow had landed and then at me as if he couldn't believe how bad I was at it.  Next, he shot an arrow at one of the targets to try and demonstrate the proper stance.  Of course, he got a bullseye.  Next, I took another shot trying to copy his stance; I might have done a little better but not a lot. Then he pointed out the flaws in my technique and I would try to correct them.

this went on for a while until I got frustrated  I said: "I think that's enough for today Apollo."

 He said, " Try again, I think you are improving." 

I said, "Yeah right, you are just saying that to make me feel better. I'm not an archer I'm a swordsman!"  

 I continued to grumble and complain while Apollo ignored me he seemed to be thinking.  Finally, he spoke again he said, "fine that's enough for today I will think on this further, and we will continue tomorrow."

  I quickly left  I was asking myself why they thought it necessary that I learn archery, it was common knowledge how bad I am at it, besides I'm the god of swordsmanship for Zeus's sake. 

I decided I would visit my mom and dad we hadn't been able to talk for very long this morning after the fight with Ares.  I teleported to dad's palace, I thought about going to see Tyson first  but then I remembered that my dad had told me Tyson's schedule and that Tyson would still be working right now.  So I decided that I would visit him after I visited my parents he should be off by then.

I asked a nereid where my parents were and then headed to the throne room. I wasn't sure if I should knock or not but in the end I did. I heard my dad say, "Come in." 

I walked in and my dad was sitting on his throne while my mom was sitting on the throne that used to belong to Amphitrite. When I saw that I couldn't stop a smile from crossing my face.  Mom got off her throne and ran over to me crushing me in a hug. I said, "Mom really you just saw me a couple of hours ago."

 my dad just laughed at us. And then he got off his throne and joined us in the center of the room.   

My dad said, "what brings you here son?" 

I answered, "Nothing really, I just thought I would stop by, we didn't get to talk for very long earlier." 

My dad nodded. He said, "Son I fear you have made your first rival on the council."

 I said "Oh?" 

I had a pretty good guess about who he meant but I decided to let him explain.

He continued, "I heard that Ares woke up an hour ago and started ranting about how angry he was at you. The fact that you have defeated him twice now made him rather angry, and the fact that Aphrodite has her eye on you doesn't help matters either." 

 I wasn't surprised by this news. Ares and I had been enemies ever since the first time I had fought him. I didn't really expect that to change when I accepted godhood. I didn't figure that Dionysus and I would ever get along either, but then again he sleeps through most of the meetings so I shouldn't have to worry about him too much.

I said, "I don't have any interest in Aphrodite whatsoever I don't need to get caught up in that drama. They need to realize that."

 Suddenly my cell phone rang, now you might be wondering why gods would have cell phones, well except for Hermes, whose Caduceus can shrink to the form of a cell phone. The truth is most of the gods and goddesses have them. How do you think they keep in contact with the mortals they are dating? Yes, that is what I have been using mine for, to keep in contact with Amber. Apollo gave it to me during our first training session, which was the day after I had been made a god and the day before I met her.

  It was almost like he knew I would need it. Now you might just assume that he gave it to me because he knew that all gods end up dating a mortal at some point, but part of me wonders if there was more to it than that. After all, he is the god of prophecy, did he foresee something related to me? Anyway, you might also be wondering how it wasn't destroyed by the water since I was in my dad's undersea palace after all.  Well the answer to that is that they are made waterproof, I am sure that you could take one of these phones just about anywhere and it would work, it would probably even work in the underworld.

You might also be thinking don't cellphone signals attract monsters; well most monsters aren't stupid enough to mess with gods. So when my phone buzzed in my pocket as you might guess I blushed bright red, my dad just smirked at me knowingly and said: "do you want to go answer that?" 

I knew that he knew who was calling me I just nodded and walked out of the room and answered it once I was out of their hearing range.