The Shadow Summoner | Book Three - PJO Universe

six

APOLLO AND CALYPSO WILL NOT SHUT UP.

Calypso woke Ariana up bright and early the next morning and it was as though the conversation they had the night before was completely forgotten about.

Ariana didn't mind, she didn't exactly want to be in the girls presence. After Ariana was rudely woken up, the two girls went into Apollos and Leo's room.

"Apollo. Wake up." Ariana said in a hushed whisper.

His eyes fluttered open. Ariana and Calypso stood over him. The room was dark. Nearby, Leo was still snoring away in his bed.

"It's almost first light," said the sorceress. "We need to get going."

Ariana shook his shoulder. "Come on! You wake up very slowly for a sun god."

"W-what? Where?"

"The zoo," Calypso said. "Unless you want to wait around here for morning chores."

Calypso knew how to motivate Apollo.

*•*

They walked the dark streets in the cold early morning, keeping an eye out for polite mobs of killer blemmyae, but no one bothered them.

Along the way, Apollo explained his nightmares to Calypso and Ariana.

He spelled out the name C-O-M-M-O-D-U-S, in case saying it aloud might attract the god-emperor's attention.

Calypso had never heard of him. Of course, she'd been stuck on her island for the last few millennia.

Ariana doubted she would recognize the names of many people who hadn't washed up on her shores.

She barely knew who Hercules was. Ariana found that refreshing. Hercules was such an attention hog.

"You know this emperor personally?" she asked.

"We met when he was younger. We had a surprising amount in common. Once he became emperor..." he sighed. "You know how it is. He got too much power and fame at a tender age. It messed with his head. Like Justin, Britney, Lindsay, Amanda, Amadeus."

"I don't know any of those people."

"Apollo you need to spend more time on her pop culture lessons." Ariana shook her head.

"No, please." Calypso struggled with the zipper of her coat.

Today she was wearing an assortment of borrowed clothing she must have picked out in total darkness: a battered silver parka, probably from Emmie's Hunters of Artemis days; a blue INDY 500 T-shirt; an ankle-length brown skirt over black leggings; and bright purple-and-green workout shoes.

Meg McCaffrey would have approved of her fashion sense.

"What about the sword-wielding Cornhusker?" Calypso asked.

"Lityerses, son of King Midas. I don't know much about him, or why he is serving the emperor. We can only hope to get in and out of the zoo before he shows up. I don't relish the idea of meeting him in combat."

Calypso flexed her fingers, perhaps remembering what happened the last time she punched someone.

"At least your friend Meg escaped her escorts," she noted. "That's good news."

"Perhaps."

Ariana wanted to believe Meg was rebelling against Nero. That she had finally seen the truth about her monstrous stepfather and would now rush to their side.

Unfortunately, she knew firsthand how hard it was to extricate oneself from an unhealthy relationship.

Nero's hooks were buried deep in the girl's psyche. The idea of Meg on the run without a destination, terrified, pursued by the minions of two different emperors... that did not reassure her.