I knew my day would turn out weird.
When I get a hunch, it's bound to have some truth in it.
Boy, do I wish my hunch wasn't so good today.
It all started during the week after all of us got ice cream at my uncle's ice cream shop.
Apollo started acting really weird. Michaela had noticed that he was acting weird at the shop, and he also acted pretty weird around Mr. Vernal. There had to be something fishy about this.
And no, it wasn't the cafeteria pizza.
...I might've stolen that joke from Michaela. Oops?
Regardless, I decided to try to talk to him. As I expected, nothing.
I had to resort to other methods.
I decided to invite him to my soccer game, along with the rest of the group.
They came, but we still couldn't get anything out of him.
I decided to invite everybody over to hang out and watch Marvel movies, since it was a Saturday. I set up popcorn, sodas, and candy in the basement. Though I'm an athlete and my dad pushes me hard to do my best and be the healthiest I can be, I get days when I'm allowed to splurge and eat junk food. Today was one of those days.
I sat in the living room of my house, which happened to be near the door. I sat on the couch, and played a game on my phone until they came.
Michaela was the first to arrive, which I was happy about. I got to hang out alone with her for at least a few minutes. I hugged her when she came in the door, and kissed her on the cheek. She walked to the basement with me, and she got first choice on her seat. I sat next to her.
Next to come was Alina, who was wearing all black, as usual. I told her how to get downstairs, and I heard her playing music with Michaela downstairs. I'm pretty sure she was playing the song 'Fruit Salad' by the Wiggles. Alina's... something, to say the least.
Next to come was Marcus and Maggie. Marcus had been over a lot before, so he knew the way to the basement. He headed down there with Maggie when I told him that's where we were watching the movie.
Apollo was the last one to show up. He was a bit late, but it was okay.
"I'm so sorry I'm late!" Apollo exclaimed when I opened the door.
"It's okay, man." I said.
He stumbled in, looking worse than he did yesterday.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"No- I mean, yes! I mean, no! Wait, yes!" Apollo stuttered. "What I mean is, I'm fine."
I knew he wasn't, but I decided to leave it be for now.
"Let's just go down into the basement." I say.
Apollo nods, and we head down.
Marcus and Maggie are sitting next to each other. Alina was next to Maggie, and Michaela was next to Alina. I sat down next to Alina, and put on the first movie we had decided to watch, The Avengers.
Apollo had decided to sit on a beanbag, grabbing a Diet Coke, but barely drinking it.
Even after the movie had ended, Apollo hadn't had much of his Diet Coke.
"Why does Percy even like this stuff?" He mumbles a bit too loud.
"Percy?" I hear Maggie ask.
"Like, as in the 'Percy Jackson' book series?" Michaela asks.
Apollo turns pale. "Oh! Yes! They're my absolute favorite books!"
"Apollo." I say to him. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
He nods, and we head to a different part of the basement.
"What is up with you, dude?" I ask when we're out of earshot.
"Lots of stuff." Apollo admits. "I've been thinking a lot."
"We know that's never good." I joke.
He chuckles, but goes back to being serious. "I've got something I have to tell you guys, but it's going to be a heavy load of information."
"You can tell us anything." I respond. "I give you my word."
Apollo calmed down a bit, but still had a worried look on his face. "Let's get this done."
We walked back to the others. I sat back down next to Michaela.
Apollo sat on his beanbag, glancing nervously at Maggie. Almost the same way he had looked at my uncle. I know, it's weird that I noticed that. Regardless, it was.
"So you know how you guys mentioned the 'Percy Jackson' books?" Apollo asked, slumping back into the beanbag chair a little more than before.
Everyone nodded.
"Well, all of that stuff is real." Apollo admits. "And you're all demigods. I've sensed it since I've been at your school."
"How could you sense it?" Marcus asks.
"Well, I happen to be the real Apollo." Apollo says proudly.
"Shouldn't you be on Mount Olympus, then?" I ask.
"Punishment from my father." Apollo responds. "But since I've been at your school, I've been anxious to tell you guys this. I just got permission from Chiron and my father to tell you guys."
"Tell us!" Alina exclaimed.
"Okay." Apollo said. "But some of this is going to be awkward."
"Wait!" Michaela interjected. "Why should we believe you?"
"When the time comes," Apollo replies. "You'll find out."
"So, to start off, I'd like to tell Ken something." Apollo starts.
"What is it?" I ask in response.
"How do I put this lightly?" He ponders out loud, before blurring out what he was going to say. "Your uncle is my son."
"WHAT?!" I exclaim, surprised and a bit concerned.
"And your mother is Athena." Apollo added.
I sat there, staring off into space. My mother wasn't really my mother?
"Marcus, your father is Hermes." Apollo says.
"Okay, that makes sense." Marcus responds.
"Alina, your mother is Hecate." Apollo announces.
"That's pretty cool." Alina says in reply.
"Michaela, your father is Dionysus." Apollo adds.
"That's the god of wine, right?" Michaela asks.
"As well as other things." Apollo answers.
"WOOHOO!" Michaela exclaims. "My dad is the wine god!"
"And lastly," he says, turning to Maggie. "This is the weird one."
"Please don't let my parent be Hermes." Maggie says. "I really don't want to find out I've been kissing my brother."
"I don't think that's what he means." I interject.
"How do you know?" Michaela asks.
"Just trust me." I reply. "Just trust me."
"Maggie..." Apollo says, before taking a deep breath. "Your godly parent is... me."
Maggie faints after hearing this. I get ice from the freezer we have in our basement, since she slumped back and banged her head on the back of the couch when she did. The two other girls propped her up, and I gave the ice pack to Marcus. He puts it on her head, and we all turn to Apollo, waiting for him to continue.
"So, what do we do now?" I ask.
"Well, I'm going to take you guys to camp over this weekend to visit, and then we'll work out everything else afterwords." Apollo explains.
Michaela was about to ask something when Maggie regained consciousness.
"Wait..." Maggie said, turning to Apollo though she was still dazed from fainting. "So you're my dad?"
Apollo nods.
Maggie stands up, still in her dizzy state, and slaps him in the face.
"Thanks for not telling me when we first met." She mutters sarcastically.
We hear a sequence of thunder that sounds eerily like a laugh.
"Thanks, Grandpa!" Maggie says genuinely.
"So..." I interject. "Would now be a good time to watch the Thor movie?"
And that's exactly what we did.
Hey guys!
I hope you've like the conclusion to this mini-section of the book. However, if you want more, I can talk about this group and would be happy to write more. It's based off of my closest friends in school. Including my boyfriend :)
Be sure to tell me what you want to see, and give me feedback! I love hearing from you guys!
Also, if you ever need someone to talk to, never hesitate to PM me.
Thanks, Grandpa!
-Meg