The Exiled God; A Trials of Apollo Fanfiction

The Dark Prophecy; Welcome to the Midwest

Y/n's POV

We had been traveling west for about six weeks, and we hadn't had much of an issue until we reached Indiana. Our route through New Jersey was peaceful, and the only problem we faced in Pennsylvania was a battle with the Cyclopes of Pittsburgh. Ohio wasn't bad, although we did encounter Potina, the Roman goddess of children, and for some reason, she chased after us in the form of Kool-Aid man. That was an odd, but somewhat cool experience. But now here we were in Indiana, and Festus decided to start having problems. He landed on the dome of the Indiana Statehouse, flapped his wings, and then blew fire at the state flag, incinerating it instantly.

"Whoa, buddy!" Leo uttered and pulled on the reins. "We've talked about this. No blowtorching public monuments!"

"Could we please get to the ground? Gently this time?" Calypso pleaded.

"I'm with Calypso," I agree. "I need a break from flying."

Leo glanced back at Apollo, who was sitting in the farthest groove. "Apollo, you sense anything?"

"Why is it my job to sense things? Just because I used to be a god of prophecy-"

Calypso cut Apollo off. "You're the one who's been having visions. You said your friend Meg would be here."

"That doesn't mean I can pinpoint her location with my mind!" Apollo exclaimed. "Zeus has revoked my access to GPS!"

"Apollo, just try, will you?" Leo begged. "Does this look like the city you dreamed about or not?"

"This is the spot," Apollo confirmed.

"Great. Let's fly down to street level," Leo urged.

Festus flapped his wings and leapt off the dome, hurtling right towards the ground. The big metal dragon landed right in front of the statehouse with so much force that the sidewalk cracked beneath him. I was the first one to ditch Festus' back, and I slid gracefully down the dragon's metal scales, grateful to be on solid ground. As I did, a man in a blue tracksuit jogged past us.

"Morning," he waved.

"Good morning," I return and smile politely.

Calypso tilted her head. "Why was he so friendly? Does he not see that we're sitting atop a fifty-ton metal dragon?"

"It's the Mist. Messes with mortal eyes," Leo explained. "It makes monsters look like stray dogs and swords look like umbrellas. Plus, it makes me look even more handsome than usual!"

"Leo, we get it. You're very fond of yourself. That doesn't mean you have to bring stuff like that up every opportunity you get," I tell him jokingly.

"Hey. You wouldn't date me if you didn't find me handsome," Leo retorted. "So I'm not wrong, am I?"

"Whatever. But Calypso, Leo is only partially right. What you just saw was some classic Midwestern hospitality," I disclose "Although, I am slightly concerned. The Mist must be very strong here if it can hide a monster of Festus' size at such close range. Apollo, don't you find that a little odd?"

"We should get out of the public eye," Apollo suggested as Festus began to shake, and a rattling noise emitted from his chest.

"Aw, not again," Leo groaned. "Everybody off!" Calypso and Apollo quickly dismounted Festus and joined me on the sidewalk, all while Leo ran in front of the dragon and held out his arms. "Hey, buddy, it's fine! I'm just going to switch you off for a while, okay? A little downtime to-"

Leo was interrupted as Festus opened his mouth, and a column of flames shot out that engulfed Leo. Fortunately, Leo was fireproof. Most of his clothes, on the other hand, were not. His powers were similar to mine though. When in the water, if I concentrated, I could stay dry instead of getting wet. Leo was sort of the same way. If he concentrated enough, he could avoid getting his clothes burnt up. Since this action took him by surprise though, he didn't have the time to focus. When the flames disappeared, Leo stood before us wearing nothing but his fireproof boxer shorts, his magical tool belt, and a pair partially melted sneakers.