In love with the sun

A night with the Sun

Chapter 9
Again, I love the sun! It's even better now that I know it's a car!
We landed on Olympus and headed to Apollo's palace. It was gorgeous; gold was shimmering everywhere and there were little gold spurts flying through the air. He had and entire wall dedicated to CDs, multiple bookshelves (the ones no one believes he has), and a corner with every musical instrument you could think of. Fountains were everywhere, one had gold shimmering out instead of water and another was spilling out music notes to go with the music playing. Tapestries of prophecies, Apollo and the muses covered the empty wall space. The center was made like a ballroom, giving anyone who wanted to dance the perfect place. Simply put, it was amazing.
"Your room is right over there by the Shakespeare bookshelf (he was his son you know) and mine is the one next to it. If you need anything just knock. The books, CDs and instruments are yours to use. But you shouldn't stay up too late; you have to go to Delaware tomorrow. And by the way, you have to figure out how you're going to get to Olympus from Delaware or whatever state you end up getting stuck in. Zeus told me no more rides."
"It's OK Apollo, I don't mind, it adds more fun to it," I said, a thought occurring to me, "Oh! Where's the bathroom?"
"There's one in your room. Good night Liza," He said, closing the door to his room and leaving me alone in a room full of books and music. I must be in paradise.
I stayed up until about 10:30 reading books like Harry Potter, The Poison Diaries, Poison Study, and The Mortal Instruments. The fountain was playing music, and it seemed like it just knew what songs I wanted to hear. I had changed into leggings and a big sweater and my hair was insane. This is what I meant when I told Luke it was curly.
"Liza, it's ten O'clock, you need to- wait is this Love in a Box?"
Next thing I knew he swooped me up and we were dancing around the ball room with him twirling and whirling me all around. We couldn't stop giggling and Pollo had this blinding smile the entire time. We we're dead after a few songs, so we sat down and talked for a while.
"Apollo, why do you goof off so much? Aren't Gods supposed to be serious?"
"Well, I am serious sometimes Liza, like when it comes to people's lives, but it's easier to joke off if people don't believe it's you who did it," he said, completely serious.
"What's it like? Being immortal, even though many don't believe you exist?"
"It sucks," he said, "I hate how I'm not believed. It feels like I'm trapped. Like I'll never get to see Elysium. I feel like I'm doing this great service to the world, and they think it's just a giant ball of gas. I provide their lives a necessity, I drive around their hopes and dreams, and they don't think I'm here. It's lonely Liza, I'd rather be dead and have people believe in me than be stuck here like I am."
"I think I get what you mean, in a way. It's just like school. I do so much to get good grades, but people still think I'm stupid. I can read books in a day if they're written in Ancient Greek, a month in English, but I'm still 'stupid'. I'd rather not try than have my efforts seen as pointless, and be seen as I'm stupid because I have a parent that's a higher being," I said. I'd never told anyone I felt this way, not even Calee or my dad, but it was easy to tell Apollo. He shared his dirty little secret with me.
"I, I really like you Liza. I love being around you. And it's hard because you're fifteen, but you'll get older. You'll be sixteen soon, around the age Zeus will let us date. And then eighteen, we'll look the same age. But you'll keep getting older, and I won't, and you'll leave me. And I don't want to lose you; I don't want to lose you ever. But I won't make you a Goddess; that's not fair to you. Liza, I don't know what to do," he said the last part with his head in his hands.
"Apollo, I'll become a Goddess for you. I don't care. I don't care if I'll live forever without anyone believing in me. I just want to have forever with you; even if that means I have to become a Goddess. I'll do it when I'm 18, then we'll look the same age forever; although, you can change your looks, can't you? Apollo, I won't leave you, ever," I said, trying to get him to believe every word I'm saying. I loved him, even if I was fifteen, I knew that much. I was in love with the God of the Sun.
"Listen to me Liza, don't decide that yet. It'll just get my hopes up-"
"No, you listen to me Phoebus Apollo. I love you; even if I'm fifteen I know that I love you. I've always loved the sun, and now I know that was because I was destined to love you. I will be a Goddess for you. I won't change my mind. Gods Dammit, I LOVE YOU!" I said, slowly getting louder until I was screaming.
"Liza! Don't wake up all of Olympus!" he whisper yelled at me.
"I don't care Apollo! I love you! Please, please, please believe me," I whisper yelled back.
"I believe you Liza! You love me! Now let's go to bed before any of the Gods other than Zeus realize you're here."
"Goodnight Apollo. You'll believe me," I hope, I added on in my head.
We went to our separate rooms, him giving me a kiss on the head before we walked away. I got under the covers and drifted off to sleep. Soon, my nightmare began.
In the beginning I was on the beach, relaxed, watching the sunset, and waiting for Apollo. I was older; about sixteen I suppose. But something felt off, the sun had set a few minutes ago; where was Apollo?
Suddenly, a monster arose out of the water, Apollo in its grip. I don't remember planning to, but I screamed and jumped back. I went for my wrist, and what I saw nearly killed me. My bracelet was on the towel I was sitting on! I dived just as the monster did and was almost caught in its grasp.
"NO!" yelled Apollo thinking that it got me; seeing that it didn't he continued on with, "Liza, it's the python! It's come back from Tartarus for me; Leave or it'll kill you! Leave!"
Of course I wasn't going to do that! I needed Apollo; I needed my sun. So, I took the arrow off my charm bracelet that I had gotten when I dived, and ran.
There was a shack a few feet away, but the Python was coming. I went to jump on to the roof but it got me mid jump. I screamed and-
"LIZA!"
I was interrupted by a voice screaming my name. I opened my eyes and saw that it was Apollo.
"Apollo!" I yelled, wrapping my arms around him.
"What happened, Liza?" he said with concern in his voice, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into his lap.
"I" I broke off sobbing. I couldn't get the image of Apollo in the Python's arms out of my head.
"Sh, sh, hey it's ok, it's alright, it was only a dream, sh," He said stroking my back; letting me ruin his shirt.
"Apollo, you know as well as I do Demigod dreams mean something! I don't want to lose you to the python!"
"Lose me to the, the what?" he asked with a look of disbelief on his face. He had gotten really pale the moment I said python.
"The python! It had come back from Tartarus and had you in its grasp! I can't lose you Apollo!"
"We'll figure this out later. Forget about it now. We'll talk about it at the end of your quest, don't worry about it now, it may cost you your life. We'll talk about it later, let's go to bed," he said calmly, but as he comforted me he was shaking. He was trying, but I could see through his façade. He was just as worried as I was.
After much discussion, we ended up both sleeping in the same bed, neither of us wanted to leave the other. I drifted off to sleep, listening to the sound of his slow breaths.
"I think I might love you Liza," I heard right before I fell asleep.