BY fates design

Sun bus

Eventually, everyone piled into the bus, the hunters crammed into the back corner, Bianca with them, leaving the others to sit up front with Apollo.

"This is so cool!" Nico jumped up and down in the drivers seat. "Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's them and sometimes it you and Artemis?"

"Downsizing," Apollo shrugged. "The romans started it. Couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job description. My sis got the moon. I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first but at least I got this cool car."

Beside them, Percy spaced out, whatever conversation they were having didn't feel nearly as important as what was waiting ahead. How was he supposed to tell Chiron that he'd lost not just Annabeth, but Cassiopeia too? How was he going to tell camp, or Dionysus? It wasn't a secret to anyone that Cassiopeia made an impact in camp, she was a pillar, whether or not she interacted with everyone, they all trusted that when she was around, things would be okay, and he'd lost her.

Dionysus was going to turn him into a river dolphin this time, for sure. Cassiopeia was the daughter he didn't have, everyone knew that, preferential treatment technically wasn't allowed, but who was going to call a god out on preferring the little girl he'd trained since she was four?

Tipping his head back, Dionysus lounged sideways across his throne, swirling a deep red liquid around his goblet like a miniature whirlpool. "Dramatic." He scoffed.

The sun chariot lurching is what broke Percy from his thoughts, Thalia was behind the wheel, her grip turning her knuckles white and her face slightly green.

"Thalia, lighten up on the accelerator." Percy suggested, clinging to his seat.
"I've got it, Percy," she bit out, gritting her teeth, but her foot didn't lift of the accelerator at all.
"Loosen up." He tried instead."
"I am loose!" Thalia huffed.

"You look very loose, Thals." Alex laughed, ducking a little to avoid the swing Thalia made at the back of his head.

"We need to veer south for Long Island." Apollo directed. "Hang a left." With a jerk of the wheel, she threw Percy against Grover. "The other left." Apollo grimaced.

Regrettably, Percy peered out the window again, they had reached aeroplane hight - the sky was starting to look black. "Ah..." Apollo said, and it became increasingly apparent that he was forcing himself to sound calm. "A little lower, sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."

Thalia tilted the wheel. He face ashen, forehead lined with beads of sweat. The bus pitched down and someone screamed. They were heading straight towards the Atlantic Ocean at a thousand miles an hour, and every moment seemed to make the bus warmer.

Apollo had been thrown to the back of the bus, but was climbing up the rows of seats again. "Take the wheel!" Grover begged.
"No worries," he shook his head, but he looked worried. "She just had to learn to - WHOA!"

Down below them was a little snow covered New England town, or a previously snow covered town. Snow peeled away from the trees and roofs and lawns. White steeples turned brown and began to smoulder. Trees and rooftops were catching fire.

"Pull up." Percy yelled. Thalia's eyes were wild, she yanked back on the wheel, sending her hem zooming up into the sky again.

"There!" Apollo pointed, sounding a little more relieved than was likely intentional. "Long Island, dead ahead. Let's slow down, dear. 'Dead' is only an expression."

Cassiopeia grimaced, giggling at the scene. "My gods, puddle, almost died at the hands of Thalia, and it wasn't even intentional that time."

Thalia was thundering towards the coastline of northern Long Island. There was camp half blood: the valley, the woods, the beach. "I'm under control," she muttered, "I'm under control."