The Sun's Kisses

3- Were There Clues I Didn't See

"Wake up, wake up." I whisper as I shake Allen awake.
"Wha-" he says groggily as he does.
"Shh, shh. We could be in danger, shh." I whisper he nods. "Get your things and go hide on top of this bunk, I'll throw up pillows to hide you." I whisper, he does what I had told him to do as I grab pillows off the other bunks and throw them as he hides himself behind them. I get behind the door, grabbing my necklace and turning it into a dagger to use, just in case. The door opens and many nurses run in with two babies, a nurse holds one while another nurse holds the other. A nurse notices me.
"Are you okay?" She whispers to me, I nod to her. I look to the bunk where Allen hid and held a thumb up asking if he was okay, he nodded slightly.
Then the door bursts open.
In walked the most hideous being ever to be seen. With yellow fangs that were crooked and chipped. Green skin that looked almost blue. How many tiny beady eyes were there? I don't know, too many to count. It looked like an overgrown slug in body form.
The kids were screaming and I was wondering just what they saw, then I saw what they saw for a second.
He looked like an escaped criminal, he looked deranged and crazed. He had the wild eyes of a mad man.  And he seemed to hold a heavy metal bat that already had blood on it.
Then he was back in monster form before my eyes. I jump out in front of the mortals as he lunges forward for them.
"Go back to Tartarus you slug!" I yell and pointed my dagger in front of me.
To the mortals it must have seemed like a scalpel of sorts. Well anyways, slug bro stopped to keep from running into it and, you know, dying. So I had to cast out my dagger, throwing it at him with not much thought behind it.
I mean what else am I supposed to do? Run at the idiot? Nah, I got a kid to get back to camp. I sure as hell ain't dying today, mm. Wrong bitc-
To which he exploded, thankfully.
I went back to Allen and as I reached for him and helped him down, my necklace came back around my neck. I grabbed his pack and threw it on my shoulders but on my stomach while mine was on my back.
"You have your weapon?" I ask as we hurry out of the room and down the halls, his hand in mine just in case. He pats his side with his free hand and gives me a weary smile.
Poor kiddo.
We run for a side door, but it was automatic and locked. I tried to think, most hospitals have at least one exit that's not automatic.
Emergency exit. It's slim but it should work. Hestia's voice whispers into my head.
Thank you. I reply shortly but with so much gratitude.
I run the direction of an emergency exit, Allen still holding onto my hand as we run towards it.
"Why are we- we running Stella?" He says quickly as we do, I get to the door and open it, urging Allen out I follow behind and we pick up the running pace.
"Because," I say between a gasping of air and another one, "I don't know what the mortals saw. And," another breath, "I don't know if they think he's dead or just passed out from a shot." Another breath. "Either way, I may be a criminal now so that's fun."
Soon we made it to a main road and we could walk on the sidewalk. I take off his pack and hand it to him.
"There you go." I say, he smiles and puts it on his back then holds my hand again. I smile as he does, but the smile fades when I realize I don't know what direction we're heading. I see a hotel place and let Allen follow me inside.
"Hello, miss?" I say when I get in, the desk lady responds with a smile.
"Hello, what can I do for you young lady?"
"Yes, I need a map? Also, I'm not familiar here, I'm from Europe you see. My brother and I left for some candies and our parents told us to meet them at a specific place, but I'm having trouble." I say putting on a French accent, she smiles sympathetically and hands me a map of the town with the U.S. map on the back.
"What state is this again, miss?"
"Delaware, is this all you need? Does it have enough information?" She asks, I look at the map a small moment before pointing and looking at Allen.
"There!" I say excitedly then look up at the desk lady, "thank you very much miss!" I say then take Allen's hand and mead him out.
"Wow, we just play pretend pretty much?" He asks, I smile over at him then look back at the map.
"Our entire existence is practically pretend. We must have crossed the Virginia border when we were running with no direction." I tell him.
"Will we pass into Pennsylvania?" He asks, I run my finger over the map, tracing our course.
"Yes, it's the only way into New York from our direction." I say.
"Yes! It means we can see my mom!" He grins, I smile.
"What city do you live in?" I ask.
"Philadelphia, it's two hours from New York City." He says smiling.
"Alright, we can make a small stop." I say with a grin as I take his hand in mine and begin walking again.
We walked for about two hours before resting in a park.
"How long did we walk for?" He asks.
"Two hours." I answer.
"How much longer until mom's?"
"Ten hours"
"Oh. Oof. Uhm, do we have money for a bus?"
"Maybe, I doubt it'd take us that far though."
"Dang it."
"I feel you, dude."
"This sucks."
"Mhm."
"I'm tired."
"Same. I think I lost a couple pounds from that walk."
"I don't see a difference."
"I don't think a couple lost pounds shows very much."
"Oh." And then we're quiet for a few minutes. I took my hair out of it's braid and redid the messy braid. Then sat back at looked at the green scenery.
Quite the scene, it seems so peaceful. Hestia tells me.
It is very beautiful, isn't it? I answer.
Very much so. I do have something for you, it's not all the best though . . . Hestia says to me, I sigh.
Go on my friend.
You'll run into some trouble when you're almost to camp, be careful please. Remember your training from these three years. She tells me.
Thank you, i shall. We must be going now, I'll see you when I get back though.
Goodbye for now, Stella.
"Alright," I say looking over at Allen, "we gotta keep walking and maybe have a bus ride or two." I say, he stands up and back on the road we go.
We walked until dark then we rode the first bus as far as we could go. Then we waited for the next bus that would take us as far as it could go. Then we had two hours left in our trip to Philadelphia.
"Alright, we need to sleep now." I say turning to a sleepy Allen. I smile and take his hand in mine as I lead us to a nearby wooded area. I find a clearing and help Allen set up for sleep.
"What about watch-" he starts.
"I've got first watch, just go to sleep little Al." I say sweetly to him and he falls asleep quickly.
I sit on a log, giving my feet a small break. It was long, walking and bus riding and walking again before another bus ride. Quite the trip its been. Our third person died doing a job that a god could do his own damn self. But I have to be nice, no being mean now. Especially since that god is my mom's on and off lover.
Speaking of lovers, my father's boyfriend sucks. When I get back home, I'll do something that'll make him leave for good.
There was a twig snap.
I summoned a sword, and stood facing towards the sound.
"Woah! Woah! Just me! I'm not gonna kill you!" A boy came from the trees with his arms up. He had tanned skin, bright blonde hair, and a muscular frame that was subtle in some ways. He had a sharp jawline too with bright blue eyes, like the sky in the middle of the day on the longest day of the year. He wore a tank top that stuck to him in the right places, and shorts that went to his mid thigh.
"Who the hades are you?" I ask, not lowering my weapon a centimeter. He kept his hands up like he was afraid I'd gut him at first chance if I saw him move.
"I'm- well you'd never believe me. Not a beautiful lady as yourself." He says then finger guns and grins, I roll my eye.
"Would you rather a slit throat or being beheaded?" I say, his jaw drops.
"Rude. You'd never do such a thing to a mortal." His smile fades some.
"And yet you're not. Now go away." I said, unamused.
"Rude again." He says his smile fading more.
"Go away, again you idiot." I started to get annoyed with him now
"That's no way to speak to a god of knowledge!" He argued.
"Well too damn bad, Apollo!" I argued back.
"How'd you know?" He gasped.
"Bright blonde hair, sky blue eyes, God of knowledge. How dumb are you to not see signs?" I ask him, he was quite simple for a god if I'm honest. And he looked appalled by what I've said.
"You're quite rude for a pretty girl." He comments, obviously a little butthurt.
"Well it would seem that an ego needed some knocking down." I say and turn to Allen who was snoring peacefully as the exchange happened.
"Demigods now a days they have no respect." He mutters.
"Maybe," I say, turning on my heel walking right up to him, poking my finger to his chest even though he was a head taller than me, "if you guys visited more, we'd learn some sort of respect." I spat the words at him, he paused for a moment.
"Are you- do you- are you my kid?" He asked as though he were afraid. It was the most stupid sentence from his lips.
So I laughed.
I actually laughed because of how funny it was. How funny that he's had so many affairs that he looses track of his kids. How funny he is to mistake me as one of his kids when he looks so marvelous and I look so ugly. How funny it is to call me pretty and then wonder if I'm his child.
"You-you think I'm-I'm-" I laughed again, tears were in my eyes, "I'm your kid? Ha! You must have never been taught if you think that!" I laughed once more and looked up at him, his jaw was wide open.
"You must be Hermes kid then." He says once I calm down.
"Try again, though I do think they have taught me a few things. I'll ask them for some more pointers before going home." I say, to which was true.
"Demeter?"
"Do I look like I do planting on the daily?"
"Dionysus?"
"Am I that ugly looking?"
"No, you're actually really pretty- OH! Aphrodite!" He shouts, I look back at Allen who still slept peacefully before turning back to him.
"It took you that long? And a compliment?" I say then add sarcastically, "Wow, kudos to you blind sunshine." He gives me a look to which I shrug.
"I'd like to know where you got your sarcasm from."
"Somewhere, can't tell you where though."
"Ah, and what's your name?"
"What? So you can find me easily and smite me for my sass?" I ask him.
"Maybe I'd just like to know why such a pretty girl is in days old clothes, walking in the woods of Pennsylvania, at night may I add, protecting a sleeping a kid! Oh, and you're unidentified so that just complicates things." He says then crosses his arms over his chest.
"Alright, turn tables then. I'd actually love to know why a sun god is walking the Pennsylvania woods at night in weird clothes that doesn't look like something a god would wear!" I argue back.
"What? You expect me to wear a suit and tie, sitting in a car and driving all day!"
"Then why are you here!" I shout at him, he gives me a pouting face.
"I find it unfair you know my name and I don't know yours." He comments.
"Well the power balance is uneven anyway. Why know my name? You don't care, you're just an arrogant god who doesn't give a crap about demigods." I say back, crossing my arms over the middle of my stomach.
"Ugh! Must you be so hard?"
"Yes, yes I must. Deal with it." I answer, he rolls his eyes.
"Here, what if I do things that'll earn your trust enough to give me your name? Would that work well enough for you?" He bargains.
He's rude, spiteful even. Hestia whispers to me.
Believe me, I know. But he could offer protection of sorts until this quest is over. I respond.
You make good points, Stella, I suppose it's fine for now.
"Alright, deal." I stick out my hand for him to shake, to which he does. His power surged through me and in my head I saw a flash of bright blonde curls that were almost strawberry blonde, clear teal eyes of a blue sky reflected off the sea, and pink round cheeks.
Then I was staring at Apollo again, I snatched my hand back from him.
"I'm sleeping, you're watching."
"I don't take orders fro-"
"Do you want my name or not?"
"I do."
"Then shut up and watch for danger."
With that I git comfortable next to Allen, he snuggle against me in his sleep. I give Apollo a death glare to make sure he knows to actually watch for monsters. He glances away from me and looks about the ground as I fall asleep peacefully.