𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔－ 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆.

I 03. I

𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔

❝ apollo ❞

ARIADNE SHIVERED IN THE FALLING SNOW. A blanket of silence fell onto the ground and soundproofed their steps. Westover Hall was dark and quiet, she didn't know if they noticed that three students were missing or Dr. Thorn was as well, frankly, she didn't care.

The hunters didn't seem uncomfortable in the snowy weather, looking as if it was a common occurrence for them. They broke camp quickly and the large fire was gone, the girl longing for the heat.

Bianca was telling Nick about her decision to join the hunters, and the brunette felt sympathy for the siblings, knowing there would be a slight animosity between them. Artemis was gazing out east while she expected something, most likely Apollo.

She informed them that dawn would be arriving quickly, but it was colder than it had been that night. Ariadne's shoulder and thigh throbbed as the nectar and ambrosia wore off. Those bullet wounds stung.

Thalia and Grover joined the huddle Ariadne and Percy had formed, anxious to hear what Artemis has told them. Percy did most of the explaining, the brunette glancing over at the di Angelo siblings every now and then.

Grover paled. "The last time the Hunters visited camp, it didn't go well." He shivered as the brunette got nodded. It wasn't pretty. She was pretty sure she stabbed one of them but didn't remember that well, but she was not fond of some of the hunters.

"How'd they even show up here?" Percy wondered aloud. "I mean, they just appeared out of nowhere."

Thalia's lip curled in, "And Bianca joined them. It's all Zoe's fault. That stuck-up, no good—"

"Who can blame her?" Grover said. "Eternity with Artemis." A large sigh left his lips as the brunette shivered even more, shifting pressure towards her other leg as her thigh throbbed even more.

Thalia roles her eyes. "You satyrs. You're all in love with Artemis. Don't you get that she'll never love you back?"

"But she's so... into nature," Grover swooned.

"You're nuts."

"Nuts and berries. Yeah."

Ariadne smiled slightly at the satyr before sighing, hands running up and down her arms as she looked towards the horizon which she could barely see. "Hey, Phoenix," she looked towards Thalia who had her arms crossed. "How's your leg?"

The girl glanced down at her pants, one of the ripped into shorts with a bandage covering her thigh. She shrugged. "I'll get over it."

Thalia nodded. Grover was still dreaming about nature before Percy watched her with worry, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Perc. Besides, it will be a cool scar for when I go to the beach."

Percy gave her raises eyebrow before Thalia shoved his shoulder, "Hey, Jackson, when you stop worrying about your girlfriend, lights shining."

He stuttered with a blush, Ariadne giggling at his face but felt butterflies in her stomach. They watched as the began to lighten.

Artemis muttered, "About time. He's so-o-o lazy during the winter."

"You're, um, waiting for sunrise?" Percy asked.

"For my brother. Yes."

Artemis seemed to read his mind, and the brunette girl did to. Apollo didn't drive the sun, it was a chariot usually, but with modern times comes modern solutions.

"It's not exactly as you think," Artemis told him.

"Oh, okay. So, it's not like he'll be pulling up in a—"

A burst of light and Ariadne thought it was a meteor crashing towards the earth. "Don't look," Artemis warned. "Not until he parks."

The brunette hid her eyes and the other kids did the same. Her winter coat was becoming unbearable as the light and warmth grew closer. The light died down before she glanced up and noticed a red car, it looked nice.

She had no clue what type of car it was, she didn't look out for that type of thing. It's metal was hot and the snow around the vehicle had melted, revealing the green grass and wet shoes on everyone's feet.

The diver stepped out and she held her breath, he was handsome. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, sandy hair and a smile that could knock anyone off their feet. Standing at a tall stature and wearing jeans a, loafers and a sleeveless t-shirt, he was a heart throb.

"Wow," Thalia muttered. "Apollo is hot."

"He's the sun god," Percy said. Usually, Ariadne would make fun of him for being oblivious, but she was entranced by the god.

"That's not what I meant."

Percy watched as Ariadne smiled dumbly and the man, immediately pouting.

"Little sister!" Apollo called. "What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!"

Artemis sighed, "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."

"Hey, I was born first."

"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue—"

"So what's up? Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"

The goddess was annoyed, gritting her teeth. "I need a favor. I some hunting to do, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."

"Sure, sis!" He raised his hands, stopping everyone. "I feel a haiku coming on."

The Hunters groaned, and the brunette wondered how bad he could be.

"Green grass breaks through snow.
Artemis please for my help.
I am so cool."

He gave them a grin, losing the dramatics while he waited for applause.

Apparently, he was bad.

"The last line was only four syllables," Artemis informed him.

Apollo frowned. "Was it?"

"Yes. What about I am so big-headed?"

"No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm," he muttered.

Zoe looked at the campers who were confused, "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. 'It's not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear one more poem that started with, There once was a goddess from Sparta—"

"I've got it!" Apollo announced. "I am so awesome. That's five syllables!" He bowed dramatically. "And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll."

Artemis gestured towards the campers, "These demigods will also need a ride. Some of Chiron's campers."

"No problem!" The god checked them out. "Let's see... Thalia, right? I've heard all about you."

Thalia blushed. "Hi, Lord Apollo."

"Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half-sister. Used to be a free, didn't you? Glad you're back I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time—"

"Brother," Artemis cut in. "You should get going."

"Oh, right." His eyes narrowed towards Percy. "Percy Jackson?"

"Yeah. I mean... yes, sir."

The god studied him, never saying anything before turning his sights towards Ariadne who watched him with a dreamy expression.

So hot.

Apollo grinned, "Yes, thank you. I appreciate your compliment." Ariadne but her lip to hide her smile, keeping the blush down as Percy glowered. The god eyed her necklace. "Still empty? Man, I wish I was allowed to tell you. But I believe your dear old dad will when the time is right. You know, I tried talking to Aphrodite about this."

He waved his hand towards Percy, "You should really tell her before someone comes along and—"

The god helped as Artemis hit him on the back of the head with her bow, a warning glare. The brunette knew he was saying too much, as Percy didn't know about how they were destined to fall in love.

"Well," Apollo said, running his head. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way—west. And if you miss it, you miss it."

The sports car could only hold two people, there were at least twenty going.

"Cool car," Nico commented.

"Thanks, kid."

"But how will we all fit?"

"Oh," Apollo murmured. "Well, yeah, I hate to change out of sports-car model but I suppose..."

He pulled out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button. The car glowed, dimming after a moment to show that the car had been replaced by a shuttle bus.

"Right. Everybody in."

Zoe ordered the Hunters to pack up and load, picking up her own camping pack as Apollo said, "Here, sweetheart. Let me get that."

Zoe recoiled, pack pressed against her chest. Ariadne was prepared for her to start hissing and scratching like a cat ready to murder anyone who got to close.

"Brother," Artemis chided. "You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do not call them sweetheart lol

Apollo raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry, I forgot. Hey, sis, where you off to, anyway?"

"Hunting. It's none of your business."

"I'll find out. I see all. Know all."

Artemis snorted. "Just drop them off, Apollo: and no messing around!"

"No, no! I never mess around."

The goddess rolled her eyes, looking at the campers and Zoe. "I will see you by the winter solstice. Zoe, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do."

Zoe stood tall, "Yes, my lady."

Artemis knelt and placed her hand to the ground, looking for tracks before rising, a troubled kill crossing her face. "So much danger. The beast must be found."

She sprinted towards the woods and blended in with the snow and shadows, disappearing into the dawn.

Apollo grinned and spun the keys around his finger. "So, who wants to drive?"

Hunters piled the back of the van, staying as far away as they could from the males up front. Bianca left Nico for them, but he didn't seem to mind. They offered Ariadne a spot with them but she declined, staying with her friends instead. Percy looked relieved by her decision.

"This is so cool!" Nico said, jumping up and down in the driver's seat. "Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's them and sometimes it's you and Artemis?"

"Down sizing," Apollo said. "The Romans started it. They couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job descriptions. My sis got the moon. I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I got this cool car."

"But how does it work?" Nico asked. "I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!"

Apollo chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair, "that rumor probably got started because Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of ha. Seriously, kid, it depends on whether you're talking astronomy or philosophy.. you want to talk astronomy? Bah, what fun is that? You want to talk about how humans think about the sun? Ah, now that's interesting: they've got a lot riding on the sun... er, so to speak. It keeps them warm, grows their crops, power engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Everyday, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot of a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"

Nico shook his head. "No."

"Well then, just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car."

"Can I drive?"

"No. Too young."

"Oo! Oo!" Grover raises his hand to volunteer.

"Mm, no," Apollo said. "Too furry." He looked at Percy before glancing over at Ariadne.

She gave him a grin but his eyes widened. "Nope. I've seen you skateboard, you crash and burn." The girl pouts as Percy chuckles, her eyes glaring at him. The god looks over at Thalia. "Daughter of Zeus! Lord of the sky. Perfect."

"Oh, no," Thalia shook her head. "No, thanks."

"C'mon. How old are you?"

Thalia hesitated, "I don't know."

She should've been nineteen, but being a tree for seven years caused her to stay young. No one knew what her age was, that was a sad fact.

Apollo tapped a finger towards his chin. "You're fifteen, almost sixteen."

"How do you know that?"

"Hey, I'm the god of prophecy. I know stuff, you'll turn sixteen in about a week."

"That's my birthday! December twenty-second."

"Which means you're old enough now to drive with a learner's permit!"

Thalia shifted, "Uh—"

"I know what you're going to say. You don't deserve an honor like driving the sun chariot."

"That's not what I was going to say."

Apollo smiled. "Don't sweat it! Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don't worry about what happened to the last kid I trained. You're Zeus's daughter. He's not going to blast you out of the sky."

He let out a hearty laugh, but no one joined him.

Ariadne wand Percy shared an uneasy look, not knowing how well this would go. Thalia wasn't all that confident with herself and that's not a good sign.

She tried to protest but he pushed her towards the seat, hitting a button on the dash board and a sign popped up on the top of the windshield. Ariadne couldn't tell what it said, but she was pretty sure it had something to with a student driver.

"Take it away!" Apollo told Thalia. "You're gonna be a natural!"

Ariadne hadn't yet sat in the driver's seat of a car, mainly because Aria thought she was too irresponsible. Yes, the girl often did stupid things and tried to learn new tricks with the skateboard and always slammed her face into the pavement, but that didn't mean she was irresponsible.

"Speed equals heat," Apollo explained. "So start slowly, and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up."

Thalia gripped the wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. She looks to sick to her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked.

"Nothing," she responded shakily. "N-nothing is wrong."

She pulled back on the wheel, tilting it before the bus lurched forward at a high speed. It sent Ariadne flying back and slamming into the floor of the chariot, back hurting as she felt he wind knock out of her.

Percy landed onto Grover who groaned in response.

"Slower!" Apollo said.

"Sorry! I've got it under control!"

Percy helped the brunette up as they looked out the window, seeing a ring of smoking trees where they took off. She gulped at the sight.

"Thalia," she said, "lighten up on the accelerator."

"I've got it, Phoenix," Thalia said. Her foot was glued to the gas.

"Loosen up," Percy told her.

"I'm loose!"

Ariadne grit her teeth in frustration as Apollo told her to hang left, Thalia jerked the wheel and Percy was ripped from the brunette's hold and thrown into Grover. She looked over at Thalia and noticed they were flying so buggy it was growing dark.

"Ah," Apollo said. He was trying to stay calm but she knew he was ready to scream. "A little lower, sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."

Thalia tilted the wheel. Her face shirt and sweat rolling down her forehead. Ariadne knew she was terrified, for what reason, she wasn't quite sure because there were many things she was thinking.

The bus pitched down as somebody screamed and she wasn't sure if it was a Hunter of her. They were heading towards the Atlantic Ocean with the New England coastline to their right. It was growing hotter and hotter.

Apollo was climbing the row of seats after being thrown back.

Take the wheel!" Grover begged.

"No worries," the god said, although, he looked worried. "She just had to learn to—WHOA!"

Down below was what used to be a snow-covered New England town. Fire was popping up everywhere as snow melted off instantly. Plumes of smoke rose into the air as the church roof smoldered and turned from white to brown.

"Pull up!" Ariadne yelled. She was gripping onto a seat while her eyes widened at the sight of the getting closer and closer to burning the church down.

Apollo pointed, "There! Long Island, dead ahead. Let's slow down, dear. 'Dead' is only an expression."

Thalia key her foot against the gas as they thundered down the coast, and in sight, always Camp Half-Blood. The familiar valley and woods, the beaches with large sand dunes. She could see the dining pavilion and cabins, along with the amphitheater.

"I'm under control," Thalia muttered. "I'm under control."

Ariadne watched as they were only a few hundred yards away at that point.

"Brake," Apollo said as calmly as he could.

"I can't do this."

"BRAKE!"

Ariadne didn't want to die at that moment, so she shot forward and threw Thalia out of the driver's seat and slammed onto the brake. The bus pitched itself forward into a forty-five degree angle before slamming into canoe lane.

FLOOOOOOSH!

Steak billowed up as Ariadne jerked herself away from the seat, landing next to Thalia on the floor as they both painted. Several frightened naiads scrambled from the water with half-woven wicker baskets.

They booked in the bus along the surface, joined by a couple capsized and half-melted canoes. "Well," Apollo let out a brave smile. "You were right, my dear. You had everything under control! Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"

Ariadne still sat on the floor as she couldn't move, wishing they had just let Apollo drive. Thalia wasn't any better and they were both helped up while they shook slightly.

Percy gave the brunette a hug as she held onto him tightly. They both shared a terrified look while Apollo raised his eyes, hearing the distant screech of a dove.