Blackened (a PJ/HoO fanfic)

Chapter 5

I peel my eyelids open and feel the intense warmth of my father's body. He's carrying me. I must've fallen asleep in his Corvette-style chariot.

The sound of his heels on the floor leads me to hear the delicate, light footsteps of Willow, and the soft rubs of Mia's sneakers. Nobody else. Normally, from what he says, Dad's palace is crawling with nymphs. It makes no sense, but apparently the healing wood nymphs, ones whose trees have healing properties, hang around my dad's palace and the sky nymphs (who I've never heard of) do too.

Dad notices me and I notice him. He's got dark circles under his eyes, and looks maybe thirty-five, not twenty. His hair has a few strands of a grayish-white color that frightens me near his ears, and he ages to forty-five before my eyes, developing lines all over his face.

He smiles, his face lighting up and I catch a glimpse of my old dad, the one from when he drove me back from Mom and Adam's house in Vermont.

ThathousemightbeMia'shousenow, my brain tells my sleepy body. Shutup, self. I say back.

I try to open my mouth, to speak, but my father shoots me a look telling me to stay "asleep" and I have no choice but to comply.

"Mia, Willow, have a seat." Dad says, setting me down on a couch with my head on a fluffy pillow. Who knew couch pillows were this comfy? 

"Why did you bring us here?" Mia says, her voice quivering slightly.

"Many reasons, Mia. Many reasons." Dad says. I flutter my eyelids for a second and watch my dad age to fifty, rubbing his forehead. It's scarring and I don't like it. 

"Willow, why my children?" he asks abruptly, but from the soft sigh Willow utters, I know she was expecting the question. "He told me to," Willow says. "I daren't disobey."

"Who? What? Tell me!" Mia says, adding a little whine to her voice. 

"Oh, Willow," my father sighs, and I can hear his tiredness and sympathy on his voice, layered over each other. "I'm so sorry. He told you? Are you sure?"

"Tell me!" Mia says, having more than a little whine in her voice.

"Positive. There is nobody from Olympus to Tartarus to the Void that it could've been." Willow says firmly.

"Very well." Dad says.

Silence.

"Tell me! Tell me now!" Mia says, full-on whining now, her voice raising pitch at the end.

"No." Dad says harshly, and Mia whimpers, probably shrinking into her seat.

"And the reason you are here, Mia? Would you like to know?" my father says tantalizingly.

"Yes!" Mia says, her voice immediately perking up.

"You are here because you, your half-sister, and this nymph are all going to save the Sun."

"But you're the Sun."

"Exactly."