The Shadow Summoner | Book Three - PJO Universe

four

CAMP

Meg's coin hit the road and disappeared in a flash.

Instantly, a car-size section of asphalt liquefied into a boiling pool of blood and tar. (At least that's what it looked like. Ariana did not test the ingredients.)

A taxi erupted from the goo like a submarine breaking the surface. It was similar to a standard New York cab, but grey instead of yellow: the colour of dust, or tombstones, or probably hee face at that moment.

Painted across the door were the words GREY SISTERS. Inside, sitting shoulder to shoulder across the driver's bench, were the three old hags (excuse her, the three mature female siblings) themselves.

The passenger-side window rolled down. The sister riding shotgun stuck out her head and croaked, "Passage? Passage?"

She was just as lovely as Ariana remembered: a face like a rubber Halloween mask, sunken craters where her eyes should have been and a cobweb-and-linen shawl over her bristly white hair.

"Hello, Tempest." Apollo sighed. "It's been a while."

She tilted her head. "Who's that? Don't recognize your voice. Passage or not? We have other fares!"

"It is I," Apollo said miserably. "The god Apollo."

Tempest sniffed the air. She smacked her lips, running her tongue over her single yellow tooth. "Don't sound like Apollo. Don't smell like Apollo. Let me bite you."

"Um, no," Ariana said. "You'll have to take my boyfriend's word for it. We need -"

"Wait." Meg looked at Apollo in wonder. "You know the Grey Sisters?"

She said this as if he had been holding out on her - as if ha knew all three founding members of Bananarama and had not yet got Meg their autographs. (His history with Bananarama - how he introduced them to the actual Venus and inspired their number-one hit cover of that song - is a story for another time.)

"Yes, Meg." Apollo said. "I am a god. I know people."

"Is it really that surprising?" Ariana asked the young girl.

Tempest grunted. "Don't smell like a god." She yelled at the sister on her left: "Wasp, take a gander. Who is this guy?"

The middle sister shoved her way to the window. She looked almost exactly like Tempest - to tell them apart, you'd have to have known them for a few millennia, which, unfortunately, Apollo had - but today she had the trio's single communal eye: a slimy, milky orb that peered at Apollo from the depths of her left socket.

"It's some mortal boy with a blood-soaked bandanna on his head." Wasp pronounced after ogling Apollo. "Not interesting. Not a god."

"That's just hurtful," Apollo said. "It is me. Apollo."

Meg threw her hands up. "Does it matter? I paid a coin. Can we get in, please?"

You might think Meg had a point. Why did Apollo want to reveal himself? The thing was, the Grey Sisters would not take regular mortals in their cab.

"Ladies," Apollo said, using the term loosely, "I may not look like Apollo, but I assure you it's me, trapped in this mortal body. Otherwise, how could I know so much about you?"

"Like what?" demanded Tempest.

"Your favourite nectar flavour is caramel crème." He said. "Your favourite Beatle is Ringo. For centuries, all three of you had a massive crush on Ganymede, but now you like -"

"He's Apollo!" Wasp yelped.

"Definitely Apollo!" Tempest wailed. "Annoying! Knows things!"

"Let me in," Apollo said, "and I'll shut up."