An Interesting Alliance (ON HOLD)

Chapter XII

Apollo/Lester

Another thing I have never understood: How can you mortals live in such tiny place? Where is your pride? Your sense of style?

Percy's apartment had no grand throne, no colonnades, no terraces or banquet halls or even a thermal bath. It had a tiny living room with an attached kitchen and a single hallway leading to what I assumed were the bedrooms. The place was on the fifth floor, and while I wasn't so picky to expect an elevator, I did find it odd there was no landing deck for flying chariots. What did they do when guests from the sky wanted to visit?

Percy, every time I meet her she gets even more beautiful. She turned her beautiful sea-green eyes that look so much like Poseidon but the intensity of his wife Amphitrite.

"That looks painful. What happened?" she asked.

I attempted to explain, but I choked on my words. I, the silver-tongued god of poetry, could not bring myself to describe my fall from grace to Percy. She didn't interrupt me nor made any comment. She listened to me patiently, not taking her eyes away from me, leaving her glasses perched on her nose.

Once I finished, Percy sighed and patted my shoulder and said:

"I tell you what. There's a first-aid kit in your bathroom. Go get cleaned up. Take a shower and get patched up. I'll leave for you some jeans and a T-shirt from a friend of mine. You two are about the same size".

Percy cupped her hand under Meg's chin. Thankfully, Meg did not bite her. Percy's expression remained gentle and reassuring, but I could see the worry in her eyes. No doubt she was thinking, Who dressed this poor girl like a traffic light? It always surprised me when Percy's motherly instinct kicks in and becomes a different kind of person. I wonder if she's bipolar... Maybe it's a thing from being the daughter of the sea.

"Unfortunately, I don't have clothes that fit you. So we're going to leave Apollo here to get cleaned up and go shopping. Then we'll get you something to eat. What do you say?"

"I like food", Meg muttered.

Percy laughed. "Well, we have that in common. Apollo once we're done, we'll meet you back here in a while. Don't get out of the house. And don't touch anything that has a warning on it. It might be explosives."

Before I can say anything, she took her wallet and got out of the house with Meg in tow.

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In short order, I was showered, bandaged, and dressed in hand-me-downs. Percy offered me some ambrosia and nectar - food and drink of the gods - to heal my wounds, but I was not sure it would be safe to consume in my mortal sate, so I stuck with first-aid supplies.

  When I was done, I stared at my battered face in the bathroom mirror. Perhaps teenage angst had permeated the clothes, because I felt more like a sulky high-schooler than ever. I thought how unfair it was that I was being punished, how lame my father was, how no one else in the history of time had ever experienced problems like mine.

  Of course, all that was empirically true. No exaggeration was required.

  At least my wounds seemed to be healing at a faster rate than a normal mortal's. The swelling in my nose had subsided. My ribs still ached, but I no longer felt as if someone were knitting a sweater inside my chest with hot needles.

  Accelerated healing was the least Zeus could do for me. I was the god of medicinal arts, after all. Zeus probably just wanted me to get well so I could endure more pain, but I was grateful nonetheless.

  I wondered if I should start a small fire in Percy Jackson's sink, perhaps burn some bandages in thanks, but I decided that might strain her hospitality.

  I examined the black T-shirt Percy had given me. Emblazoned on the front was Led Zeppelin's logo for their record label: winged Icarus falling from the sky. I had no problem with Led Zeppelin. I had inspired all his best songs. But I had a sneaking suspicion that Percy had given me this shirt as a joke - the fall from the sky. Yes, ha-ha. I didn't need to be a god of poetry to spot the metaphor. I decided not to comment on it. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

  I took a deep breath. Then I did my usual motivation speech in the mirror: "You are gorgeous and people love you!"

  I went to face the world.

  Percy was sitting on her bed. They must've come back while I was still in the shower. She was staring at the trail of blood droplets I had made across the carpet.

  "Sorry about that", I said.

   "Actually, I was thinking about the last time I had a nosebleed."

"Oh..."

She looked up at me. "You healed fast." Before I could answer, she continued, "what happened to you? The last time I saw you, you were at the council giving me a blessing after the war. That was in September. It's January."

  "It is?" I suppose the wintry weather should have been a clue, but I hadn't given it much thought.

"Here's a jacket." She said, tossing me a blue winter fleece with the word BARTON written inside the neckline. Perhaps that was an arcane ward against evil spirits. Hecate would have known. Sorcery wasn't really my thing.

"You know" I suddenly remembered, "If it weren't for that meeting where we blessed you and that Reyna girl, I think I would've been punished at the day of the war. You know at the Metropolis."

"The meeting was already decided before the Giant War?" Percy was surprised. I can still surprise people with my intelligence. That's a relief. I nodded.

"Now hurry up, before Meg will eat all the cookies". She got up and left. Before she reached the door, she turned and said softly: "I'm only going to take you to Camp Half-Blood. That's the least that I can do. But I won't be part of any quest. That's all that I can do."

I nodded. I'm pretty sure she used a bit of her siren-singing so I would agree. then I remembered Percy talking about Meg eating all the cookies! That puny girl wouldn't dare!

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