Blue hair ✸ Apollo ²

I. Infiltrating for information

Every step towards the line of trees made Lydia nervous. She didn't even want to know what awaited her on the other side of the cold wall. Even Apollo's slight glow wasn't as comforting as it used to be, and that part was scaring her. Her throat went dry. It was scaring her more than how her friends were doing right now.

It has been almost a week since she's seen them last. But in all reality, it felt like months. Her journeys with Apollo have been terrible. Yet she was glad these journeys were with him instead of someone else. Lydia was sure that nobody else would've understood it more than he did, and it made her feel better about things.

She moved closer to him as they walked in the dark, and her heart stopped racing as fast when she felt his warmth. Because now they were getting closer to the real truth about their prophecy. The truth seemed to be behind a cold wall, hidden by a community of lost demigods. Who have lived here for centuries.

These demigods have taken refuge here, and their community was protected by some daughter of Hecate's magic. They say her name is Kadence Cunningham. But Lydia nor Apollo have seen her anywhere around the wall yet. Which made the plan feel even more dangerous. Even Apollo's godly abilities haven't been working since they started the quest.

"It's too quiet here." Lydia took a long breath. The air around her was probably filled with magic as deep as the earth's bones. Magic that young demigods were never taught about during Chiron's lessons. Hell, maybe even that old centaur knew nothing about it.

"I know, but we'll arrive soon. If i can keep my powers going a little longer" Apollo's tone was calm, but they both knew his mind was far from it.

"Have you even heard about stuff like this?" Lydia asked. She looked down at the ground, clinging onto the sun god "Magic that can even knock Zeus on his ass?"

The words made Apollo laugh lightly into the dark. Even if it wasn't meant to be funny, the joke held some comical relief to the air. "Only small pieces of it. Zeus and Hera tend to keep those things down."

Lydia didn't respond, but she didn't really need to. Because Apollo suddenly stopped moving. The glowing light he emitted dimmed even more. Lydia took that as a cue that something was near them, and they had to be as quiet as possible.

The sound of crunching leaves approached them. A flashlight bobbed in the distance, coming closer and closer. The light was soon followed by voices. Two adults came walking out of the wall, holding weapons and flashlights. They aimed their weapons at Lydia and Apollo.

"Don't move." One of them said. It was way too dark to see what they looked like, but Lydia could just make out auburn hair and green eyes. "Who are you?"

The two standing in front didn't sound as intimidating as they looked. Yet Apollo announced his and Lydia's names. The girls lowered their weapons slowly, looking Lydia up and down. The auburn haired girl turned to her companion.

"Is it her?" She asked "The great granddaughter?"

The other one shook her head "It can't be. They said she was on another quest. To save the goddess Artemis."

A bad feeling was trying to crawl up from Lydia's stomach. She knew these two were talking about her great grandmother, the one that supposedly was waiting for her. The same one she had dreams about just a couple weeks ago. It was terrifying.

"Yet she was also said to be traveling with Artemis's brother, Apollo. And I sense this is definitely the sun god."

The auburn haired girl looked at Lydia again. It seemed like she was trying to figure out what was really going on, but that's exactly why Lydia and Apollo were here too. The girl sighed "Take the sun god with you. I'll take the girl."

"What?" Lydia's eyes widened. Three other people came out of nowhere, putting Apollo in chains. And he let them. Without no fight at all. "No! Leave him alone!"

"Shut up!" The group told her.

"Pollo!"

"I'll be fine. Just go with her!" The sun god yelled back as the others took him away "Lydia, please!"

Lydia wanted to scream, and let all her powers go. But they were here for a reason. So she did everything she could to keep herself from running. She closed her eyes while the auburn haired girl escorted her to the other side of the wall.

She was expecting more darkness on the other side, but it was daylight.  Lydia was still freaking out about Apollo in her head. But she couldn't help but stare after entering through the other side. Her eyes widened again.

Buttery sunlight softened her mind, after being outside in the cold winter for so long. She was standing in a cobblestone street. Various demigods walked around in comfortability, yet Lydia could tell that everyone here had been through trauma at some point. They seemed happy. Yet scars stood out in their eyes at the same time.

None of these demigods looked older than fifty. The youngest around here being newborn babies, and the oldest being about forty five. The streets sloped down, revealing pretty town houses and puffing chimneys. More and more demigods walked around without a care in the world.

Everything was so beautiful compared to what she was expecting. Lydia stared at everything as she walked with the auburn haired girl. It was like that until they reached a huge building. The look of it was the same as a manor.

Before she could even ask what this place was, she was met with someone calling her name. A woman ran towards her, wearing a full leather outfit. "Lydia!"

It was Lydia's great grandmother.

"Welcome home!"