The Siren and The Sun

4) Unplanned and Unproductive

Three and a half hours of nothing. Atlantis didn't know much about telling time by the position of the sun, but she could guess. After the first hour, her waterproof iPod died because she forgot to charge it and none of the servants had plugged it in. The siren sighed. She was tired, hungry, and bored out of her mind. The bubble her mother had made allowed Atlantis to breath and kept her hydrated, but did nothing to shade her. The sand was hot, the air was hot, even the water was hot when she touched it. The muscles in her tail throbbed and she had a massive headache. The siren's lips were cracked and bleeding. She groaned, trying not to think about the hunger nagging at her stomach.

Atlantis opened her pale green eyes and sat up. She must have fallen asleep, at least for a little bit because sand was stuck to her face. She brushed it off and looked, alarmed, at the sky. Giant storm clouds covered the entire horizon, blocking out the sun logic told her was still there. A few minutes after a steady rain began to fall, Atlantis saw lightning bolts striking the ocean and disappearing. She had no idea what it meant, so naturally feared the worst. On the bright side, the rain was refreshing, and after several failed attempts she found a way to collect and drink it.

It was during this time the siren heard a noise. Not like the raging storm or the billowing waves below, but a whooshing sound that grew louder and louder. Atlantis turned, and came face-to-face with the biggest bird she had ever seen. Having spent 90% of her life underwater, the siren only knew very, very little about birds. In fact, she only knew that birds 1) fly, 2) have feathers instead of skin or scales, and 3) (presumably) live on land. Atlantis had more knowledge about ducks and penguins, and she could tell this beast in front of her was neither. For one, it was huge, almost 6 feet tall. It had jet black feathers and two unblinking blue eyes that stared at her. Atlantis imagined the bird's clawed feet could rip her to shreds in an instant. The bird screeched at the siren, and she screamed. But just before Atlantis transformed, the great bird with its glossy black feathers, opened its wings and vanished. In its place, stood a young man around 20 with blonde hair past his shoulders. He had the same piercing blue eyes, but his smile was kind. Where had she seen him before?

"Sorry if I scared you. I kind of forgot you've probably never seen a crow before."

Atlantis seemed frozen in place. "Do- do I know you?"

"Of course you know me!" he smiled. "I am the coolest," he paused, then counted to seven on his fingers. "Thing you have ever witnessed. The name's Apollo."

"You're the one who gave me the guitar pick!"

"Yes, I am. And that was a haiku, by the way. An awesome haiku, if I don't say so myself."

The siren nodded once. "Why are you here, Apollo?"

"I love the way you say my name, say it again."

"Um, Apollo."

"Sorry, what was that?"

The siren frowned, then growled, "Apollo."

"You're so cute when you get mad." He ruffled her hair, which made her angry. The siren transformed and hissed menacingly at the god. Apollo held up his hands and stepped back. "Alright, alright. I get it."

She went back to normal. "Tell me why you're here."

"We're on a date!"

"A WHAT?! Since when did I agreed to go on a date with you?"

"You didn't actually look at the pick, did you? Give it here." The siren fished it out her shirt pocket and tossed it to him. "It clearly states here: 37.3963° N, 25.2689° E, Noon."

Atlantis raised an eyebrow. "And? What in Hades does that mean?"

"Seriously, daughter of the sea god?" The siren cast a sorry glance toward the ocean, which was still raging. Apollo didn't notice. "It's the longitude and latitude. And a time." He added.