Sun kissed - Apollo.

27: an audience with Zeus.

"It's funny how humans can wrap their mind around things and fit them into their version of reality. Chiron had told me that long ago. As usual, I didn't appreciate his wisdom until much later.

According to the L.A. news, the explosion at the Santa Monica beach had been caused when a crazy kidnapper fired a shotgun at a police car. He accidentally hit a gas main that had ruptured during the earthquake.

This crazy kidnapper (a.k.a. Ares) was the same man who had abducted Percy, me and two other adolescents in New York and brought us across country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.

Poor little Percy Jackson wasn't an international criminal after all, he was a hero for trying to protect his little sister from this crazy kidnapper. He'd caused a commotion on that Greyhound bus in New Jersey trying to get away from his captor (and afterward, witnesses would even swear they had seen the leather-clad man on the bus-"Why didn't I remember him before?"). The crazy man had caused the explosion in the St. Louis Arch. After all, no kid could've done that. A concerned waitress in Denver had seen the man threatening his abductees outside her diner, gotten a friend to take a photo, and notified the police. Finally, brave Percy Jackson (I was beginning to like this kid) had stolen a gun from his captor in Los Angeles and battled him shotgun-to-rifle on the beach. Police had arrived just in time. But in the spectacular explosion, five police cars had been destroyed and the captor had fled. No fatalities had occurred. Percy Jackson, his sister and his two friends were safely in police custody.

The reporters fed us this whole story. We just nodded and acted tearful and exhausted (which wasn't hard), and played victimized kids for the cameras.

"All I want," I said, choking back my tears, "is to see my loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew ... somehow ... we would be okay."

"And I know he'll want to reward each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store. Here's the phone number." Percy finished my sentence.

The police and reporters were so moved that they passed around the hat and raised money for four tickets on the next plane to New York.

I knew there was no choice but to fly. I hoped Zeus would cut us some slack, considering the circumstances. But it was still hard to force myself on board the flight.

Takeoff was a nightmare. Every spot of turbulence was scarier than a Greek monster.

Eventually, the exhaustion had gotten to me and i fell asleep next to my brother, who held my hand just as tightly as i did.

I blinked my eyes to see that i was surrounded by the beach in Montauk, but i know that i was still on that plane.

"Shark breath?" I hear someone call out to me.

I quickly turn on my heel and face a blonde guy with a relieved look on his face. Wearing white jeans and a white denim jacket with a sun embroidered on the front pocket on his right side of his chest. A yellow shirt underneath.

"Phoebus!" I flung myself into his arms.

Not sure why i felt the need to hug him but maybe it had something to do with the fact that i hadn't been visited by him in my dreams for days. It had all gotten so hectic and i hadn't missed his safe presence.

"Where's your necklace?" He asks as he pulls away.

Not how are you, but i can guess he can sense that.

I reach for it around my neck, before i remember. "I let Percy borrow it in his fight against Ares."

"I see." He mumbles. "At least he won. However, he has made an enemy out of him."