Your Loyalty to Me

Honeycakes, Anyone?

Apollo's POV

AT 5:00 A.M. the next morning, in the roundabout outside the Waystation, Meg, Aria and I found Leo standing in front of a gleaming red Mercedes XLS. I did not ask him how he had procured the vehicle. He did not volunteer the information. He did say that we should return it within twenty-four hours (assuming we lived that long) and try not to get pulled over by the police.

The bad news: just outside the city limits, I got pulled over by the police.

Oh, the miserable luck! The officer stopped us for no good reason that I could see. At first I feared he might be a blemmyae, but he was not nearly polite enough. Aria, on the seat next to me, gripped the side of the car door so hard, her knuckles turned white.

He frowned at my license. "This is a junior driver's license from New York, kid. What are you doing driving a car like this? Where are your parents, and where're you taking these girls?"

I know my mind was blank. But "these girls" had other plans.

"He's her brother," offered Aria. Meg nodded from the back seats.
"He's taking me to piano lessons!"
"But we're late."
"Because he is stoo-pid."

The officer huffed and narrowed his eyes at Aria.
"And you? Who are you?"
"Uh..."
"She's his girlfriend," Meg answered for her.

My eyes widened. "Girlfriend yep, yes. Totally."
"Yeah, yeah, who else would I be? also, his little sister is really getting late so we kind of have to hurry," Aria replied.

The officer frowned. "Wait here."

He walked to his patrol car, perhaps to run my license through his computer or to call for SWAT backup.

"Your brother?" I asked Meg. "Piano lessons? But most importantly, girlfriend?"

"The stupid part was true. And I you guys sure do act like you're together."

The officer came back with a confused look on his face before I could strangle her. "Sorry." He handed me my license. "My mistake. Drive safely."
And that was that.

Aria crossed her arms. "So, Meg... It's nice to finally meet you."
"Yeah, you too."
"You're Apollo's master now are you?" She smirked. Oh dear... I know where this is going.
"Yeah?"
"Well, I'm his servant and have been for two thousand years and let me tell you, he is ONE awful master."
"Really?"
"Uh huh. So I advise you not to take it easy on him. Also, thank for keeping his arrogance inside his conceited limits."
"Your welcome."

Typical Meg and her less-than-five-worded answers. I glanced over at my small master. She slumped in her seat, her red high-tops resting in the bask of Aria's seat. This scrunched-up position didn't look comfortable to me. It struck me as the sort of habit a child learns, then is reluctant to abandon when they grow too big.

She wriggled her fingers over her knees, still playing air piano.

"You might try putting a few rests in your composition," I told her. "Just for variety."

"I want lessons."

I wasn't sure I'd heard her correctly. "Piano lessons? Now?"

"Not now, dummy. But sometime. Can you teach me?"

What a horrifying idea! I wanted to think I was far enough along in my career as a music god not to give piano lessons to beginners. Then again, I noticed that Meg had asked me, not ordered me. I detected something tentative and hopeful in her voice, a fresh green chia shoot emerging. I was reminded of Leo and Calypso last night in the library, talking wistfully of the normal life they might build in Indiana. Strange, how often humans dream about the future. We immortals don't bother. For us, dreaming of the future is like staring at the hour hand of a clock.