Lightning Strikes

7

Ship revealed! Hopefully, you don't find it too cringy. The story actually starts now, and we'll have some info about the quest and a ton of foreshadowing. Also, Kapaleeswarar is really a pretty temple, look it up if you have the chance! There are a lot of interesting legends behind it. That said, enjoy!

Aru woke up to the sound of coughing. She looked around, trying to find the source, but it was far too dark to see a single thing. Essentially, she had gotten out of bed at the right time: too early o'clock.

She walked over to the other bed, hearing the coughing get even louder. And it really was a problem. Was that Thalia? It had to be, considering that she was the only other one in the cabin.

"Thalia?" Aru asked, trying to find the daughter of Zeus.

"Aru? Are you up?" Thalia asked, punctuating her sentence with another loud cough.

"No, I'm still asleep," Aru joked. "What's wrong, Thalia?"

"Nothing," Thalia drawled, rolling over to face Aru. "I'm just coughing a bit."

Aru pressed her hand to Thalia's forehead, and then under her chin. "You're burning up. Stay in bed."

"I can't," Thalia insisted. "We're leaving in, like, an hour."

"Stay in bed," Aru commanded. "It's fine, Thalia. You don't need to come along. Just rest."

Before Thalia could get another word out, Aru made her way to the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth and changed into something a bit more suitable for going on a quest. It wasn't every day that you were sent on a dangerous mission that could most certainly lead to a lot of pain. Dressing for the occasion was a must.

That was why Aru had chosen to wear a black T-shirt with tight joggers. They had everything she needed — comfort and pockets.

She dropped Vajra into one of her pockets, the glowing ping-pong ball radiating heat. "Oh, cool off," she told Vajra. There was no response from the weapon.

Aru sighed and walked out just in time to grab a quick bite to eat. A bowl of cereal was really all she needed.

Unfortunately, she'd have to skip breakfast. This was because a glowing red Maserati had just landed in the camp, with campers surrounding the vehicle like it was being sacrificed in a ritual. Aru wouldn't have hesitated to believe that this was the case, except for the fact that Apollo was the driver.

The sun god emerged from the front, looking as radiant as ever. He flashed a blinding smile at a few of the children — his children, judging by their hair. They looked just like their father.

Apollo addressed a girl with a feather braided in her hair. "Piper McLean," he said to her. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" Piper asked, puzzled. Aru realized that nobody had informed her of the situation. She looked friendly enough, but Annabeth didn't look like somebody Aru wanted to travel with. The grey-eyed girl wasn't a fan of the daughter of India in the first place. Everything that Aru could do would make things worse.

"You're coming with me," Apollo said. "There's a little quest that you need to do for me, along with one or two others."

He searched the crowd until he found Aru. "Ah, there you are! Get in there!"

The crowd parted as Aru walked through to the car. She joined Piper in the back, stretching her legs out as much as she could. Sleep would've been welcome.

"Where's Annabeth?" Apollo asked a boy in the crowd. He shrugged. "I don't really know. She wasn't in the cabin when we woke up. I can go look on Percy's bed, but I don't think he'd appreciate that."