Quest of the Half Gods

Chapter 2: Γαλάτεια

Apollo dragged Galatea toward the city, not stopping until they reached the base of the castle. "Isn't it cool?" Galatea raised an eyebrow, looking up at the structure. "How did Olympus fit up there?" Apollo wiggled his fingers mysteriously, "Magic." He said."Mhm. While we're on the Apollo Memory Tour can we at least get some food?" Apollo tore his eyes away from the building and nodded.

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After some stereotypical Canadian food, Apollo took Galatea on a tour of his favorite places, explaining why each one was special to him and what it had been like when Olympus sat in the city's heart.

Galatea was trying really hard to pay attention but was finding it extremely difficult. She couldn't help but feel on edge about everything. They'd been running for monsters for weeks now and two gods had died within that time frame. Granted, she was happy that there hadn't been more godly deaths in the time between her prophecy and their arrival in Quebec, but she couldn't shake the anxiety.

Apollo dragged her to a quaint bookshop that he'd gone to a lot when he was younger. "You read?" She asked, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice. He glared at her, "I was the god of poetry remember?" She opened her mouth before nodding again. "Yes but of course."

She turned away and wandered toward the mythology section, looking for her favorite book. When she found it she smiled, running her hand over the cover. She opened it up and turned to the section about the Olympians.

Apollo appeared at her side and looked over her shoulder. "There's a page about you in here." She said, flipping to the page. She looked up and saw a dark look cross over his brown eyes. "Is there?" He asked half-heartedly.

She looked back down and flipped through various sections, stopping when she got a myth from Chinese mythology entitled The Thousand Treasure Mountain. She knew it well from studying it in one of her classes. She frowned when she noticed something different.

"Apollon?" "Yeah?" He said, coming back over to her. "Do you know this myth?" He frowned, looking down at the page, "I've never heard of it." Galatea looked around them before turning to Apollo. In a hushed tone, she said, "I wouldn't expect you to know it. It's from Chinese Mythology. That's not what I'm pointing out though. Look at the top." He squinted at the header, looking up at Galatea with a puzzled expression. "It says it's Greek but nothing about this is Greek."

Galatea's eyes widened with her realization. "Apollo, do you remember that day a few weeks ago when everything vanished from the world for a second and we were in a kind of limbo thing?" He shuddered at the memory, "How could I forget?" Galatea looked back down at the myth. "If the myth has changed to adapt to Greek culture, then that means that...all of the Chinese gods are dead and they've been replaced by the Greek!"

The blood drained out of Apollo's face, "If-if they somehow managed to wipe out an entire pantheon, then they're moving way faster than we thought. We have to find the things that will lead us on this quest." "Come on," Galatea said, placing the book back on the shelf. They left the store and walked around, trying to find some sign of prophecy around them. Apollo tried to play various songs that vaguely had something to do with finding what you need to no avail. Galatea sat on the edge of the fountain they stood by and sighed. "Why is there never a clear thing about this quest?" Apollo looked back down at his pipes before putting them away and slumping next to her. "I just...I don't want to just sit here and watch the world fall apart." He said. "We'll find something eventually." 

She scanned the plaza they stood in with her eyes, searching for any kind of symbol or anything until her eyes found something that stood out among the old architecture. 

"Apollo." She said, calling his attention. She walked over to the side of a building and stopped, looking at an unusual symbol. Apollo reached her side, looked at the character, and then sighed. "That's nothing." She frowned, "What do you mean? It's a Δ! That's weird to have in this kind of architecture isn't it?" Apollo waved his hand and turned away, "That's the symbol of Dedalus the inventor of the Labyrinth. It's just an entrance to it. It must be opening up again and healing after his death." Galatea reached her hand forward to trace the outline of the symbol when Apollo turned and grabbed her hand. "Don't touch it!" He exclaimed, breathing heavily. "Why not?" Galatea asked, bewildered. "It'll open up the Labyrinth and there's no reason for us to go in there." He turned and began walking away. Galatea hesitated before following him. "We need to find a place to stay for the night," Teia said. Apollo nodded and led her to a large hotel. Normally, Galatea would've doubted that they could afford such a place, but one of the perks of going on a quest was receiving a large sum of mortal money to keep them alive.