BASK IN HER LIGHT¹ | p. jackson

ZERO.

---SOLENA JEAN had loved the sun her whole life. It brought her peace and joy at the same time. Not only did it warm the world around her, it also warmed her heart. Even when she was a baby she loved the sun. She had no explanation for why she loved the sun so much, she just did. So, when she got claimed as the daughter of Apollo, it was not surprising to her at all. She had, in a way, always loved her father, even though she had never met him.

She often thought about her father and tried her best to picture him in her head. Sometimes, when she stood in front of the mirror she would try to figure out what he looked like based off of her face, but that was kind of difficult because she didn't have many pictures of her mom either.

She continued to think about both of her parents as she finished packing up her bags in her dorm. Once she finished packing and made sure she had everything, she put her headphones back on her head and let her music fill her ears before walking out of her dorm and into the very, very crowded hallways of her school, her suitcase dragging on the floor behind her.

Solena walked out the front doors and down the steps, the sunlight shining on her brown skin, as she searched the crowded parking lot. Just as she was about to reach the very last step, she found what she was looking for.

Leon, her adoptive father -uncle -person, was waiting for her, leaning against the hood of his dark green vintage Ford Bronco, the sun beaming down on his lightly tan. He had been raising her for over eight years now, and still, she didn't know exactly what to call him. He had raised her, like a dad would and he was definitely the father figure in her life, but he was also best friends with her mom, so he was kind of like her uncle also. It's very confusing.

He raised his hand in greeting once he knew that she saw him. She made her way over to the car as she took off her headphones for a moment. "Hey, Sunny." he greeted as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "Hi." she smiled into the hug. He broke away from the hug and walked around the car to the trunk, taking Solena's suitcase with him. Solena got into the passenger seat and buckled herself in, putting her headphones back on, while he did that.

He got back in the car and backed out of his parking spot before navigating out of the very full parking lot. Once they started on the main road he turned to Solena. He started speaking but she was too busy looking out the window to notice and her music was too loud for her to hear him. He tapped her shoulder. She turned around as he spoke again. "Solena Jean." He spoke, voice slightly firm and just a little bit louder than before, when he noticed the confused expression on her face.

In an instant, her headphones were off of her head. "Yes?" She asked, now fully focused on the conversation. "How have you been?" Leon asked, his green eyes looking at her for a second before focusing back on the road. "How was school?"

She sighed slightly, searching her brain for an answer. It always became difficult to answer this question when it was asked. It was like all the thoughts in her brain disappeared. "It was good." she answered. Leon gave her a look that said go on. She spoke up again. "I painted a mural on a wall in the basement. That was so exciting." she said. "Oh! -and we finally got to paint outside, but we were only allowed to do a landscape. It was still cool, but it could have been cool-er." she said as she fiddled with her necklace.

"Well that's nice. I knew you would like this school." Leon spoke. "And please, try your best not to get kicked out of this one. It was very hard to find an art school that would accept you with your record." He finished as Solena let out a bored I won't get kicked out. It was quiet for a second, the two of them looking out the window, enjoying the view as a comfortable silence filled the car. Solena's head snapped over to Leon when he grabbed her hand. "This better not be what I think it is." He said as he inspected the doodles on her hand. "Relax Leon, it's just marker, I promise." She said, a laugh escaping her lips. He ran a hand through his brown hair. "I love you a lot Solena Jean, but sometimes you scare me." He said, letting out a relieved sigh. Solena cringed at the use of her full first name.

"Will you quit calling me that?" she asked. "It's a stupid name, it doesn't even go together," she mumbled. "It makes me sound like book character or something."

"Hey! Your mother named you, don't forget that." Leon said, looking at her. "It goes together anyway. It's a good name." Solena lightly rolled her eyes, letting go of the topic.

They drove in silence again. Solena used this time to think about her parents as she admired the sun. "You've got one free week before you head off to camp, so do whatever you want, just please don't get arrested, don't steal, don't drink, don't die, and please do not get pregnant." He said, ending the silence. "ew! no! gods no! I am not going to get pregnant! I've never even kissed a boy!" Solena protested. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with being careful." Leon protested, arms raised in defense. "I'm probably just gonna go to the beach anyway, maybe do some surfing." she said, a little quieter this time.

The rest of the drive was quiet. Solena put her headphones back on and listened to music until they got home. Once they finally got home, it was dark. Solena grabbed her yellow, sticker covered suitcase from the trunk and headed inside of her house. She dragged her suitcase up the stairs and into her room before getting ready for bed.

Once she was finished getting ready for bed, she laid down in her bed, her hand immediately grasping her necklace. Her fingers traced the edges of the guitar pick hanging from the chain, her mind going wild, like it did every night. She continue to fiddle with her necklace as she looked over to the opened sketchbook on her nightstand. The page she left it on had a sketch of a dying pine tree she had done a few days prior. She had no idea why she drew it either, she hadn't even seen a dying pine tree before, she just picked up her pencil and let her mind wander.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of the door opening. Leon poked his head out from the door. "Night, Sunny." he said in a semi-quiet voice. "Goodnight." She replied. "Oh, -and no late night guitar playing or I'll take all three of them." he said, giving her a stern look as he gestured to the guitars against the wall. She nodded. "Alright," he spoke. "I love you sunny, goodnight." he said before starting to close the door. "I love you too." She said as he shut the door.

Solena's hand went back up to her necklace as she got comfortable. She relaxed in bed for a few minutes before drifting into another slumber filled with demigod visions.