Chapter 5: ii. highway to hell
"so, who wants to drive?"
"You're um waiting for sunrise?" Cassandra heard Percy ask, Artemis.
"For my brother. Yes." The goddess responded, as she glanced at the sky.
Percy looked confused.
"It's not exactly as you think" Artemis said.
"Oh, okay." Percy replied "So, it's not like he'll be pulling up in a—"
There was a sudden burst of light on the horizon. A blast of warmth.
"Don't look" Artemis advised. "Not until he parks."
Cassandra looked away along with everyone else. The light and warmth intensified until her parka felt like it was going to melt off. Then the light suddenly died.
Cassandra looked and she found the red convertible Apollo constantly drove. The red metal was glowing. It was so hot and the snow had melted around the car in a perfect circle, which must've been why she was standing on green grass with wet shoes.
The driver got out, smiling. He looked seventeen or eighteen. "Wow," Thalia muttered from beside her "Apollo is hot."
"He's the sun god," Percy said, obliviously.
Thalia rolled her eyes "That's not what I meant."
"Little sister!" Apollo called. If his teeth were any whiter he could've blinded them, without the sun chariot. "What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried."
Artemis sighed and she could practically hear the eye roll. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."
"Hey, I was born first."
"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue—"
"So what's up?" He interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"
Cassandra rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to respond.
Artemis grit her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."
"Sure, sis!" Then he raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "I feel a haiku coming on."
The Hunters all groaned. They were all sick of his stupid haiku's
He cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically,
"Green grass breaks through snow.
Artemis pleads for my help.
I am so cool."
He grinned waiting for applause.
"That last line was only four syllables," Cassandra pointed out.
Apollo frowned. "Was it?"
"Yes. What about I am so big-headed?" Artemis suggested, crossing her arms.
"No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm" He started muttering to himself.
Cassandra turned to the confused demigods. "He's been in this stupid haiku phase since he visited Japan. At least it's better than Limerick, because I swear to gods if I had to hear another poem that went, 'There once was a goddess from Sparta—'"
"I've got it!" Apollo announced. "I am so awesome. That's five syllables!" He bowed looking very pleased with himself, "And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll."
"These demigods will also need a ride," Artemis said, pointing to the demigods. "Some of Chiron's campers."
"No problem!" Apollo checked them out. "Let's see... Thalia, right? I've heard all about you."
Thalia blushed. "Hi, Lord Apollo."
"Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half-sister" Thalia looked quite upset at the mention of how they were related. "Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into tress. Man, I remember one time—"
"Brother," Artemis interrupted. "You should get going."
"Oh, right." His gaze turned to Percy, and his eyes narrowed. "Percy Jackson?"
"Yeah. I mean... yes, sir."
Apollo studied him but didn't say anything. He turned to Cassandra, "And of course my favorite Hunter." He said with a smile, holding his arms out like he wanted a hug. "No offense, girls."
Cassandra scoffed, as the god glanced nervously at the other snickering Hunters.
None of them took offense. Apollo should really be saying "no offense" to Cassandra, who wasn't exactly pleased at the title.
"Well! We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way— west. And if you miss it, you miss it."
Cassandra raised her eyebrows at the two-seater car. There was easily twenty of them.
"Cool car," Nico said.
"Thanks, kids," Apollo replied.
"But how will we all fit?"
"Oh." Apollo seemed to notice the problem for the first time. "Well, yeah. I hate to change out of sports-car mode, but I suppose..."
He took out the car keys and beeped the security alarm button. For a moment the car glowed brightly again. When the glare died, the car and been replaced by one of those Turtle Top shuttle buses that high schools use.
"Right," he said. "Everybody in."
Cassandra ordered the Hunters to pack up while Zoe picked up her camping bag. "Here, sweetheart. Let me get that," Apollo said.
Zoe recoiled. Her glare hardened into a murderous expression.
"Brother," Artemis chided. "You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do not call them sweetheart."
Apollo spread his hands. "Sorry. I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"
"Hunting" Artemis replied. "It's none of your business."
"I'll find out. I see all. Know all."
Artemis snorted. "Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around!"
"No, no! I never mess around."
Artemis rolled her eyes, then looked at them. "I will see you by the winter solstice. Zoe, Cassandra, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do."
Zoe and Cassandra straightened. "Yes, my lady," they responded in unison.
Artemis knelt and touched the ground as if looking for tracks. When she rose, she looked troubled. "So much danger. The beast must be found." She sprinted towards the woods and melted into the snow and shadows.
Apollo turned and grinned, jangling the car keys on his finger. "So," He said. "Who wants to drive?"
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The hunters piled into the van. They crammed into the back so they'd be as far away as possible from Apollo and the rest of the highly infectious males, besides Cassandra who stood up front arguing with Apollo.
"I've driven this thing like six times" She said as he moved the car keys out of her reach once again.
"Go sit down" He told her and she stomped off taking the only open seat next to Percy.
"Of course" She groaned.
She sat on the edge of the seat half her body hanging off of it.
"I won't bite" He told her to which she huffed.
"That's what they all say" She muttered.
"This is so cool!" Nico said, jumping up and down in the driver's seat. "Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's you and Artemis?"
"Downsizing," Apollo answered. "The Romans started it. They couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job descriptions. My sis got the moon. I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I got this cool car."
"But how does it work? I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!" Nico asked.
Apollo chuckled and ruffled Nico's hair. "That rumor probably got started because Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas. Seriously, kid, it depends on whether you're talking astronomy or philosophy. You want to talk astronomy? Bah what fun is that? You want to talk about what humans think about the sun? Ah, now that's more interesting. They've got a lot riding on the sun... er, so to speak. It keeps them warm, grows their crops, powers engine, makes everything look well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Everyday, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"
Nico shook his head. "No."
"Well then, just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car."
"Can I drive?"
"No. Too young."
"Oo! Oo!" Grover raised his hand
"Mm, no," Apollo said. "Too furry." He looked past Percy and Cassandra even after she raised her hand and focused of Thalia.
"Daughter of Zeus!" He said. "Lord of the sky. Perfect."
"Oh, no." Thalia shook her head "No thanks"
"C'mon" Apollo said "How are old are you?"
Thalia hesitated "I don't know."
A ping of pity hit Cassandra but she shook it off. Thalia didn't know how old she was because she became a tree at twelve. So technically she should be nineteen. But she looked somewhere in between.
Apollo tapped his finger to his lips. "You're fifteen, almost sixteen."
"How do you know that?"
"Hey, I'm the god of prophecy. I know stuff. You'll turn sixteen in about a week."
"That's my birthday! December twenty-second."
Cassandra smirked. "We're birthday neighbors."
"Shut up, Regalia" Thalia grumbled.
"Which means you're old enough now to drive with a learner's permit!" Apollo told Thalia excitedly.
Thalia shifted her feet nervously. "Uh—"
"I know what you're going to say." Apollo said. "You don't deserve an honor like driving the sun chariot."
"That's not what I was going to say."
"Don't sweat it! Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don't worry about what happened to the last kid I trained. You're Zeus's daughter. He's not going to blast you out of the sky."
Apollo laughed good-naturedly. No one else joined in. Cassandra looked back at Zoe giving her a 'help me!' look but she just shook her head, a slight smile on her face.
Thalia tried to protest but Apollo just wouldn't take no for an answer. He pressed a button and a sign popped up on the dashboard. WARNING: STUDENT DRIVER.
"Take it away!" Apollo told Thalia. "You're gonna be a natural!"
Cassandra did not think that Thalia was going to be a natural, I mean she had been a tree for the past seven years. Most people who have their learner's permit had taken a test, spent some time behind the wheel, and spent their entire lives riding in a car. Not being a pine tree.
"Speed equals heat," Apollo explained. "So start slowly, and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up."
Thalia gripped the wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. She looked like she was sick.
"What's wrong?" Percy asked.
"Nothing," She responded shakily. "N—nothing is wrong."
She pulled back on the wheel, tilting it before the bus lurched forward at a high speed. Cassandra who was still only halfway on the seat was sent flying to the floor and the rolling to the front of the chariot.
"If Zeus doesn't kill you, I will" Cassandra seethed, glaring at the girl.
"Slower!" Apollo said.
"Sorry I've got it under control!"
Cassandra stood up going back to her seat and sitting fully in the seat. Out the window she saw a ring of smoking trees where they had taken off.
"Grace," She said "Lighten up on the accelerator."
"I've got it, Regalia" She said. Her foot was glued to the gas pedal.
"Loosen up" Percy suggested.
"I'm loose!"
Cassandra shook her head before closing them and gripping the seat. She was already feeling sick. She opened her eyes seeing that they were flying so high it was growing dark.
"Ah," Apollo said. She could tell he was ready to scream but was keeping his calm. "A little lower, sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."
Thalia tilted the wheel and Cassandra closed her eyes in anticipation. The bus pitched down as somebody screamed and she wasn't sure if it was another Hunter or her. They were heading towards the Atlantic Ocean with the New England coastline to their right. It was growing hotter and hotter.
Apollo was climbing the row of seats after being thrown back.
"Take the wheel!" Grover begged.
"No worries," The god said looking worried, "she just has to learn to— WHOA!"
Down below what used to be a snow-covered New England town. Fire was popping up everywhere as snow melted off instantly. Plumes of smoke rose into the air as the church roof smoldered turning from white to brown.
"Pull up!" Cassandra yelled. She stood up, planning to take the wheel, but stumbled due to Thalia's horrible driving.
Apollo pointed, "There! Long Island, dead ahead. Let's slow down, dear. 'Dead' is only an expression."
Thalia put her foot against the gas as they thundered down the coast and in sight was, Camp Half-Blood.
"I'm under control" Thalia muttered. "I'm under control."
No matter how much Thalia said that, Cassandra doubted she would ever believe it.
"Brake" Apollo told her as calmly as possible, once they were only a hundred yards away.
"I can't do this."
"BRAKE!" Cassandra screamed.
Thalia slammed her foot on the brake, ad the sun chariot pitched forward at a forty-five-degree angle, slamming into the Camp Half-Blood canoe lake with a huge FLOOOOSH!
Steam billowed up, sending several frightened naiads scrambling out of the water with half-woven wicker baskets.
The bus bobbed to the surface, along with a couple of capsized, half-melted canoes
"Well" Apollo said with a smile that made Cassandra glare at him "You were right, my dear. You had everything under control! Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"
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author's note:
Imagine being Apollo's favorite hunter.
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