orenda [leo valdez]

lx. The God of the Sun Vomits on Kira

"Don't worry," Apollo assured Meg. "You're traveling with a god!"

"Ex-god."

"I wish you wouldn't keep harping on that. Anyway, the campers are very friendly. They'll welcome us with tears of joy. And wait until you see the orientation video!"

"The what?"

"I directed it myself! Now, come along. The woods can't be that bad."

The woods were that bad.

As soon as we entered their shadows, the trees seemed to crowd us. Trunks closed ranks, blocking old paths and opening new ones. Roots writhed across the forest floor, making an obstacle course of bumps, knots, and loops. It was like trying to walk across a giant bowl of spaghetti.

Kira wanted to lead the group, since she knew the woods best, but Apollo insisted that he did.

After we passed the same boulder for the third time, Apollo stopped and admitted the obvious. "I have no idea where we are." He turned to Kira. "Do you?"

Kira rolled her eyes. "I did a two hours ago, before you decided to lead us."

Meg plopped herself down onto a fallen log.

"Don't you have any wilderness skills?" Meg asked. "Reading moss on the sides of trees? Following tracks?"

"That's more my sister's thing," Apollo said.

Kira nodded in argeemnet. "I like her better."

"Hey!"

"Maybe Peaches can help." Meg turned to her karpos. "Hey, can you find us a way out of the woods?"

For the past few miles, the karpos had been muttering nervously, cutting his eyes from side to side. Now he sniffed the air, his nostrils quivering. He tilted his head.

His face flushed bright green. He emitted a distressed bark, then dissolved in a swirl of leaves.

Meg shot to her feet. "Where'd he go?"

Kira scanned the woods.

"Perhaps he went scouting," Apollo suggested. "Perhaps we should—"

Apollo's face went slack.

"Whats wrong?" Meg asked him, but he remained still. A bead of sweat traveled down the side of his face.

"We can't stay here," Apollo said. "Attend me, mortal."

"Excuse me?" Meg said.

"Uh, I mean come on!"

And so they ran.

Kira was used to running for hr life. That was kind of in the description for being a demigod.

They reached a stream, which Apollo instantly sinked straight into, wading into the shin-deep water.

Apollo stumbled, falling to his knees. Kira helped him to his feet as Meg screamed at him.

"Hey!" Meg yelled. "Get up!"

"You didn't hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kira and Meg asked at the same time, giving each other doubtful looks that Apollo had lost his sanity.

He collapsed head-first into the stream.

"Holy gods, what is wrong with you?" Kira exclaimed, pulling him out of the water.

"Apollo!" Meg yelled. "Come on, I can't carry you!"

"Meg!" Kira's voice was full of leadership and confidence. "Go to camp and go get help."