The Shadow Summoner | Book Three - PJO Universe

fifteen

WHERES MEG?

By the time, Apollo returned without Meg, Ariana and Austin had freed the other prisoners.

They looked like they had been dipped in a vat of glue and cotton swabs, but otherwise they seemed remarkably undamaged.

Ellis Wakefield staggered around with his fists clenched, looking for something to punch. Cecil Markowitz, son of Hermes, sat on the ground trying to clean his sneakers with a deer's thigh bone. Austin - resourceful boy! - had produced a flask of water and was washing the Greek fire off
Kayla's face.

Miranda Gardiner, the head counsellor of Demeter, knelt by the place where the dryads had sacrificed themselves. She wept silently.

Ariana stood by the girls side, a hand placed on her shoulder.

Paulie the palikos floated towards me. Like his partner, Pete, his lower half was all steam. From the waist up he looked like a slimmer, more abused version of his geyser buddy.

His mud skin was cracked like a parched riverbed. His face was withered, as if every bit of moisture had been squeezed out of him.

"You saved me." Paulie said with amazement. "Bring it in."

He threw his arms around Apollo. Ariana gave Miranda a squeeze on her shoulder before heading towards Apollo.

"You should get home." He said. "Pete is worried, and you need to regain your strength."

"Ah, man ..." Paulie wiped a steaming tear from his face. "Yeah, I'm gone. But anything you ever need - a free steam cleaning, some PR work, a mud scrub, you name it."

As he dissolved into mist, Apollo called after him. "And, Paulie? Id give the Woods at Camp Half-Blood a ten for customer satisfaction!"

Paulie beamed with gratitude. He tried to hug Apollo again, but he was pretty much ninety percent steam.

All they got was a humid waft of mud-scented air. Then he was gone.

"Where's Meg?" Ariana asked.

Apollo looked up at Ariana, his eyes flashed with pain and Ariana quickly understood and said no more on the matter.

The five demigods gathered around them. Miranda looked past Apollo at the Grove of Dodona.

Her eyes were still puffy from crying, but she had beautiful irises the colour of new foliage. "So, the voices I heard from that grove It's really an Oracle? Those trees can give us prophecies?"

Apollo shivered, thinking of the oak trees' limerick. "Perhaps."

"Can I see -?"

"No." Apollo said. "Not until we understand the place better."

"I don't get it." Ellis grumbled. "You're Apollo? Like, the Apollo."

"I'm afraid so. It's a long story."

Ariana shrugged. "He's being dramatic, Zeus just decided he was his least favourite."

"That is not true." Apollo said very quickly. "Father loves me."

"Uh huh," Ariana hummed, "you keep telling yourself that buddy."

"Oh, gods ..." Kayla scanned the clearing. "I thought I heard Meg's voice earlier. Did I dream that? Was she with you? Is she okay?"

The others looked at Apollo for an explanation. Their expressions were so fragile and tentative.

"She's... alive." He managed, Ariana sighed out of relief. "She had to leave."