The Exiled God; A Trials of Apollo Fanfiction

A Long Awaited Homecoming

Y/n's POV

The next morning I did not feel as refreshed as I wanted to. But that could be because of two things. One, I had gone through a lot the past few days, and my body needed a lot of extra sleep and rest to catch up. Or two, because Percy had shaken me awake.

"Get up," Percy demanded and turned on the overhead light of the cabin. "We've gotta get to Half Blood Hill."

"Why?" I quiz sleepily and bury my head in my blanket.

"Cause Apollo looks like he's about to make a really bad decision," Percy disclosed. "You've got two minutes to get dressed."

I didn't want to get up, but Percy was right. In no time, I had thrown on a pair of jeans, one of my many orange Camp Half Blood shirts, and my lightweight black winter jacket to help counter the cold. After tugging on my combat boots, Percy and I headed towards Half Blood Hill to meet up with Apollo. And we weren't the only ones to do so either. We met up with Rachel at the base of the hill and climbed the rest of it together.

"I know what you're thinking, Apollo. Don't do it," Rachel ordered.

"Can you read my mind, Miss Dare?" Apollo quizzed.

"I don't need to. I know you, Lord Apollo," Rachel quizzed.

"Don't call me Lord," Apollo pleaded. "I am just a mortal teen. I do not belong at this camp."

"I used to think that too," I confess as I took a seat next to him. "When I first got here, I was known as a mistake. Poseidon wasn't supposed to have any more children after his agreement with his brothers, and since he had never even come to speak to me...it made me feel unwanted. Add that to the fact that I had basically no powers, and I was the camp joke."

Apollo shook his head. "It's not the same. You humans change and grow and mature. I mean, look at you, Y/n. You've grown so much since then. You are certainly not the camp joke anymore. Gods on the other hand, we do not change."

"You sure about that? You seem pretty different," Percy pointed out.

"The other Oracles must be found and secured. I cannot do that unless I leave Camp Half-Blood. And I cannot risk anyone else's life," Apollo added.

"You sound certain. Did you get a prophecy from the grove?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," I exhale. "We did."

"Kayla said you were talking to an arrow yesterday," Rachel brought up. "I'm guessing it's wood from Dodona?"

"Wait," Percy interrupted. "You found a talking arrow that gave you a prophecy?"

"Don't be silly," Apollo chided. "The arrow talks, but I got the prophecy from the grove itself. The Arrow of Dodona just gives random advice. He's quite annoying. At any rate, I must leave the camp. The Triumvirate means to possess all the ancient Oracles. I have to stop them. Once I have defeated the former emperors, only then will I be able to face my old enemy Python and free the Oracle of Delphi. After that, if I survive, perhaps Zeus will restore me to Olympus."

"You know it's too dangerous to do all that alone, right?" Rachel raised.

"Listen to her," Percy urged. "Chiron told me about Nero and this weird holding company of his."

"I appreciate the offer of assistance, but-"

Percy cut Apollo off. "Whoa. Just to be clear, I'm not offering to go with you. I still have to finish my senior year, pass my DSTOMP and my SAT, and avoid getting killed by my girlfriend. But I'm sure we can get you some other helpers."

"I'll go," Rachel offered.

Apollo shook his head. "My enemies would love to capture someone as dear to me as the priestess of Delphi. Besides, I need you and Miranda Gardiner to stay here and study the Grove of Dodona. For now, it is our only source of prophecy. And since our communication problems have not gone away, learning to use the grove's power is all the more critical."