Daughter Of Light- Book 1: PJO

Chapter 26: Like, What's The Gossip?

I huffed and rolled my eyes. Of course no one knew anything around here. What good are immortal gods if they couldn't do anything for themselves...unless they choose not to know; keeping their conscious clear and their hands clean...or they were too lazy and that's why they had children. With a growl and a sigh of resignation I followed the guys.

Apollo led us inside the building and through many halls and doors and finally to a little pharmacy where there was all kinds of medication lining the shelves. Some I recognized; Tylenol and advil, little bottles of pink tables for upset stomachs, allergy meds, cold and flu medicine and vitamins. And then there were all kinds of things I hadn't seen before. Clearly for the immortals and mythological creatures remedies.

Apollo swaggered up to the pharmacy counter where a younger girl sat on a chair, her feet up on the counter, a big wad of gum in her mouth, she blew a big bubble, while she flipped a page in the magazine she was reading.

"Panacea!" Apollo leaned on the counter, and flashed his dazzling smile. "How's my favorite grand daughter doing?"

"Apollo!" She cried, suddenly flustered. She pulled her feet off the counter, tossed the trashy magazine over her shoulder, and suddenly was shuffling the order forms and prescription paper and doctors request forms out of her way and straightening her scrubs and lab coat. "Wha-what can I do for you? What a-a lovely surprise!"

"Panacea, my dear, I have a few rush orders." Apollo started, "would it be at all possible-"

"Absolutely! Not a problem, like at all!"

We all produced our prescriptions and handed them to Apollo who handed them over to the gum chewing young Pharmacist.

"Who's this?" I whispered to Will and Raph.

"Panacea. She's one of Doctor Asclepius's daughters." Will said immediately. "She's the goddess of remedies. So...pharmacist makes perfect scenes."

Apollo waited, his elbows on the counter humming and drumming his fingers. Will slid up to Apollo and started chatting about anything and all things medicine.

I went over to one of the waiting chairs in the corner and sunk down. Today had been very overwhelming. I placed my head in my hands and tried not to cry. I was very tired and stressed. There was so much information thrown at me in the last few days or hours. I didn't even know how to tell time right now. I felt the red stained cloth still around my head. I pulled it off, knowing I didn't need it anymore, and tossed it into the floor with a frustrated sigh.

I heard Apollo and Will talking, their conversation had switched to Camp and how the rest of cabin 7 was doing. I heard Raph's heavy footsteps come through the shelves of remedies and over to me. He knelt down in front of me. He was so tall he was the same height as me and I was sitting on a chair, sure I was slouched and leaning my elbows on my knees.

"You alright Sunshine?" The quiet concern in his deep gruff voice made my stomach flutter. I didn't hear the softness often.

"Never better." I looked up with a tight forced smile.

He had a lopsided little smirk, his dark eyes flicked over my face. "You may be able to detect lies from others...but you're a terrible liar."

I chuckled sadly, "I always sucked at lying. That's how dad knew I was telling the truth when weird stuff happened and I couldn't explain it."

"It's nice having someone believe you."

"Did...did your mom believe you?" I asked hesitantly.

"Not really, but she grew up in the Italian mafia...violence was always around, so being attacked or picked on was a regular Monday morning for her and just assumed all my fights were mafia related and not monster related. She never thought I was different until I started getting ahold of weapons. Then the schools for trouble makers like us started. After she found out I was the son of the war god, she tried gaining his attention again, thinking she got it once without trying... she could gain his attention again, so she became...mean and violent. The time I pushed her back, she fell back into the china cabinet and smashed all her grandmothers china...I fled and became a full time camper. Never went back."