Quest of the Half Gods

Chapter 2: Απόλλων

Apollo didn't exactly remember when he started hating his life, but he assumed that it must have started around six months ago when he had finished his trials. Sure, the trials had been terrifying and life-threatening and excruciatingly painful most of the time, but he'd be lying if he said that he hadn't enjoyed the adventure. Since then, his life seemed mundane and drab. He had gone back to Camp Half-Blood in the time since he'd left, but he knew that he couldn't visit too often. He felt that people would get tired of him just as Apollo got tired of himself all of the time. Still, he always looked forward to the times when he could rejoin the demigods at camp. He hadn't visited in two months and had recently rendezvoused with his friend and former master Meg McCaffery who would be joining him at camp later that evening.

Apollo finished his responsibilities and returned to his castle. As usual, he felt a cold, empty presence when he entered and shivered. He had never quite found a home. Someone had told him years ago that sometimes home is not a place, but a person, but he hadn't found a person either. He didn't think he ever would. He tried as Apollo and he tried as Lester. Neither seemed to work. Apollo was an arrogant blowhard with a reputation for cursing people and Lester was an awkward acne-ridden teenager who had been embarrassingly referred to as adorkable. Apollo cringed at the memory. He hated himself very much.

He walked into the bedroom he slept in and gathered his things and hesitated before he left. He turned and looked into the mirror at the boy who stared back at him. Apollo always preferred to make himself look like a teenage boy between the ages of seventeen and nineteen when he was in his godly form. He squinted at the appearance that met him. He was tall, and muscular, had blue eyes with accents of gold, and curly golden hair. He reached up to pull at one of his curls and frowned, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened them, the friendly face of Lester Papadopoulos looked back at him, with light brown curly hair and a thin, though athletic, frame. Apollo gave himself more grace when he was Lester than Zeus had, omitting the acne and flab, but leaving the core things that made Lester Lester. He also changed his eyes to brown, rather than their usual blue. The less Apollo that showed through, the better.

He smiled at his reflection and willed himself into more comfortable clothes: jeans, a camp t-shirt, open flannel over the shirt. He stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out a bronze chain with a hammered sun pendant dangling from the end. Meg had had it made for him out of celestial bronze. She'd said that she chose the enchanted medal because it reminded her of when he'd make himself glow and roast their enemies. Apollo laughed to himself at the memory and fastened it around his neck. He picked up his belongings and took one last look around the castle. He was unable to shake the feeling that he wouldn't be coming back here for a while, though he didn't know why. He shrugged and stepped out into the open air, allowing himself to fall down to earth and down to Camp Half-Blood.

Apollo landed at the base of Half-Blood hill and smiled at the familiar sight. He paused and looked behind him at the moon which had begun to make its journey across the sky and waved up at his sister. He picked up his bag and ran up the hill, motivated by his excitement. As he passed, campers waved their hellos while doing various camp activities. Newer campers watched him in curiosity while veterans explained who he was. He looked out for familiar faces and smiled at those he saw. When he reached the Apollo cabin, he knocked before going inside.

The cabin stood as plain and empty as ever. Apollo only had three children at camp and none of them enjoyed interior design very much. He placed his bags down on the bunk that he typically shared with his son Will and began putting his things away in the chest at the foot of the bed. "They aren't here." Apollo jumped at the sudden voice and turned around. Percy Jackson stood in the open doorway and fidgeted with his camp necklace. Apollo frowned, "Well, hi to you too. Where are they?" Percy scuffed his foot against the floor and looked out at the night sky, "They're taking some of the newer campers out for an educational nature walk." Apollo nodded and returned to what he was doing, trying to focus on organization though finding it very hard because of his friend's non-stop movement behind him. He closed his eyes and took a calming breath before turning around, "What's wrong with you?" Percy squinted, "What do you mean?"