Iridescence

Chapter Three (Apollo)

THREE

APOLLO

Visits from Uncle Hades were never fun. He wasn't nearly as evil as he'd been back in the day when jealousy of his brother, my dear old dad, had driven him insane and made him eat the Dark Side Cookies, but if he was around, it generally meant something was wrong. After all, Hades specialized in death.

Artemis hated him even more than I did, but then again, she hated anything male. "Hades," she said coldly.

"Artemis. Apollo. We have a problem," he stated.

"Of course we do," I mumbled.

"The chimera is loose."

"You lost a pet?" I asked. "One of the random chimeras you captured over the centuries?"

"Not just any chimera, Apollo. This is the chimera of myth. The first, and therefore, the strongest."

"Great. What does that have to do with us?"

Hades glared at me. "Will you let me finish a thought, Apollo?"

"By all means."

"The chimera touched down on the earthly plane. It's headed straight for a group of girls, and they'll all die on this day if we do not stop it."

"I still don't see how this is our issue."

Hades looked at my sister in desperation, as if she could shut me up. "It's your girls, Artemis. The chosen girls of prophecy. They're all marked for death."

Suddenly, I was more interested in what he had to say. Artemis snapped to attention. "Where?" She asked.

"The park is called Alley Pond. It's quite large and reappears in multiple spots throughout New York. I'm afraid you're going to have to search for them."

Artemis looked at me. "Where are they, Apollo?" She asked.

"Alley Pond Park, apparently," I replied with a shrug. "I haven't had a vision, Artemis. Something is blocking me."

She frowned. "You've been the only one to pick up on anything having to do with these girls, Apollo. You can find them."

"Poseidon might be able to track the little blonde one... Um... Krissy."

Hades nodded. "We must protect the children," he said, surprising me.

"Why are you so invested in their safety, Hades?" I asked.

"These girls serve a necessary function."

"Like calculators?"

"Like heroes. Could you please stop being sarcastic for ten seconds?"

"Well, I could try, but it sounds awfully boring."

Hades paled. Let me tell you, it was an impressive sight to see the man who already had the palest skin in existence turn paler, but he pulled it off. Something had disturbed him.

"Get to the park. I will open a portal. Use it, and bring the chariot, Apollo. They're going to need it," he told me. Then he vanished, and I figured that was that. The portal opened. Artemis and I exchanged a glance.

"They won't all fit in the chariot," I said practically.

"Apollo, no. We are not transforming the chariot into anything flashy. Mortals notice these things," Artemis reminded me. "Let us not forget the limousine incident."

"Honestly, you run over one pop star and no one lets you forget it..."

"We need to be discreet."