Partners in Crime || PJOxHP || Marauders' Era

Driver's License

Jessica woke up feeling like she was still on fire. Her skin stung. Her throat felt as dry as sand. 

She saw a great golden ceiling above her. There were intricate designs- designs that Jessica couldn't figure out, because her eyes hadn't yet recovered, but she was sure they were pretty.

Jessica heard a fountain gurgling, and smelled juniper and cedar and a bunch of other sweet-scented plants. She heard waves, too, gently lapping on a rocky shore. She heard the sweet sound of birds chirping, soft music playing somewhere a little far away. The smell of cookies made her nose itch.  

Jessica wondered if she was dead, but she knew better. She'd been to the Land of the Dead, and there was no music- or birds. 

She tried to sit up. Her muscles felt like they were melting. 

"Stay still," a girl's voice said. Her voice was trembling with excitement. "You're too weak." The sound of fast footsteps echoed into the room- Jessica guessed it was a room. She closed her eyes- the images weren't good. She remembered Percy... he was being thrown away from her... "She's woken up."  

Someone laid a cool cloth across her forehead. Jessica wanted to open her eyes, but they were too heavy. Percy... was he dead too? The thought terrified her mind. Her eyes opened slowly. 

A bronze spoon hovered over Jessica and liquid was dribbled into her mouth. The drink soothed her throat and left a warm chocolaty aftertaste. Nectar of the gods. 

Then the girl's face appeared above Jessica. Her face was too familiar to forget. Silver eyes looked down at Jessica with pity. Her auburn hair was pulled up in a bun now. "Rest, hero," said Artemis. 

"You missed our last class," said a new voice, and Apollo appeared into Jessica's line of sight. He was pouting. "We were supposed to have fun and drive around London." 

Jessica's lips tugged upward and she closed her eyes again. Apollo was cute like that. He was so kiddish that he reminded Jessica of Tyson. 

She opened her eyes again, and she saw that Apollo's face wasn't really kiddish anymore. He was completely serious, his golden eyes full of worry. He brushed away a loose strand of hair from Jessica's face. "We were so worried," he said. "Thank me I found you falling through the sky."

Jessica tried to sit up again, but her arms wouldn't give in. "Uh-" her voice sounded like she had surgically removed her voice box. Her mind was feeling very run down. Why would Apollo and Artemis worry for her? It was ridiculous. 

"We're kids of Zeus too. We know what it's like to be heroes," Apollo said, as though he had read her mind. 

Artemis smiled. "Just a little favor. From one Zeus kid to another."

Apollo nodded. "Now, hush. No speaking during recovery." He smiled and suddenly, in his arms, he was holding a guitar. 

He strummed the strings softly, and Jessica's heartbeat stopped racing. And then he started to sing, and her pain dissolved. Apollo was working magic. His voice was like streams of honey flowing through a valley made of pure bliss. Jessica could taste the song, like it was rich Swiss chocolate mixed with a hint of milk- slightly bitter and still sweet. Jessica could feel his music sinking into her skin, healing and repairing her brain.

***

The next time Jessica woke she was in a cave, but as far as caves go, she'd been in a lot worse. The ceiling glittered with different-color crystal formations—white and purple and green, like she was inside one of those cut geodes you see in souvenir shops. 

She was lying on a comfortable bed with feather pillows and cotton sheets. The cave was divided into sections by white silk curtains. Against one wall stood a large loom and a harp. Against the other wall were large stuffed heads- bears, deer, lions, you name it. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling: rosemary, thyme, and a bunch of other stuff.