Lilly led me down the hall and out the door only to go down another hall. The wild wailing had stopped. The manic laughter was still a thing. There was neighing and bleating muttering in a few different languages and some I'm sure weren't any language at all. It was just a wild chaos of things. Nymphs of all colours floated down the halls, carrying trays of food or supplies, papers and escorting different individuals. Some in wheelchairs, a few in walkers. One Nymth had her slender arm linked in an old Lady so bent it was like she was trying to find something on the floor. There were a few blond men with tans and bright white smiles in scrubs walking around they looked as well.

"Nymphs and children of Apollo work here." Lily said as if she could read my mind.

"Oh. Are they all immortal?"

"Most are yes. But the few who have lived past camp years need some place to work...some choose the mortal world if they can keep monsters away or don't really attack them; ones with little to no smell. Some choose to come and find work in the Greek world."

She had just scanned her pass card when there was a long sharp blast of a whistle behind us. I flinched at the loud noise. Lilly groaned. I turned around and saw an old woman, her silver grey hair pulled back into a ponytail. She wore black pants and a black and white striped pollo shirt. She had a yellow and red flag sticking out of her pocket, a shiny silver whistle around a red cord around her neck.

She blew her whistle again, and has a yellow card held high in the air.

"You! Too many men on the field! That's a penalty Also. You!" She pointed at me and threw a yellow flag at me. "Illegal Procedure. False start. That's a 5 yard penalty! Repeat first down!"

"Excuse me? You're yellow flagging me?"

She blew her whistle again. "Unsportsmanlike conduct!" She screamed, "that's a 10 yard penalty!"

"I wanna challenge that call Miss Referee." I said crossing my arms.

"Where's your flag?" She challenged.

"In your pocket. Throw the red flag for me."

She hesitated.

"I'm allowed to challenge the call, if I disagree."

"No! Only the coach can!"

I looked at Lilly and raised an eyebrow. "well COACH?" I asked. "We challenging this call?"

The lady looked shocked. Lilly suppressed a giggle. She straightened her face and nodded solumly.

"Absolutely. We're challenging the call, Themis!"

I grinned. And turned back to the old crazy referee goddess. "Toss the red challenge flag, my team thinks we have enough to video proof. I want this going all the way to command centre."

"What...what....you ...you can't challenge me! I- I'm the goddess of law and order!"

"Well...rules book state I can challenge."

"Wait...rule book?"

"You're telling me...as the HEAD ref, you don't know the rule book?" I asked shocked. I placed a hand over my heart. I actually had no idea, the only book I had on me was the one Annabeth lent me, the one I tried giving back the morning of our quest. I mean I guess I could pretend that was the rule book...

"Yes! Yes...yes of course I know the rule book!" She cried, I could see the panic in her milky blind eyes.

"I dunno. I think you might have to reread the rule book. I can't believe you don't know the rules of the halls. I want video replay! I want the slow motion replay, the break down of the play with the top annalists! I want rules and order, dam it!" I cried throwing my hands around.

"Yes. Yes!" She nodded her head vigorously. "Me too! Me too!"

"Then chop chop!" I called my hands, "let's get a move on! These replays won't analyze themselves!" Waving my hands in a shooing motion.

"Right you are! We need MORE RULES!"

She turned around and raced down the hall, as fast as her walker would allow. Lilly was looking at me with mild surprise and ammusment on her face.

"Well played."

"I've watched sports with my dad. I know how to argue with reefes."

"Well, it was very clever."

She inclined her head and we continued out the door into the fenced in area. Outside was no better then inside, except outside there was sunshine. Actual fresh air and real sun.

"Where are we? Like where is this building located?"

"Florida."

"Wait... Florida?"

"Yes. A vast population of mortal retirees settle here, so we figured it was a good spot to settle. It has everything we need. Sun, space, a certain level of...umm... unconventional individuals."

"You mean crazy old people?"

"Yes. I was just trying to be polite."

"Meh." I shrugged, "don't worry about watering your thoughts down around me."

She just smiled politely at me. "Okay, let's find your friends."

I glanced around. A few of the older people who looked in their right minds were playing lawn bowling with some old centaurs. A few of the Sytres were playing chess and trying to munch on the opposing cheese mates pieces. It looked like a regular retirement home. But then you had the wild crazy ones. I guessed they were the fading gods and goddesses. It seemed that fading made them crazy.

I saw one guy, fully dressed, head to toe in a clown costume. Yellow baggy onzie, with red, blue and green polkadot and a big white ruffle around his neck. He had the Clown shoes that were about a hundred sizes too big, the rainbow wig and full face paint. And of course he was juggling. Or at least attempting to juggle the red bouncy balls. He kept dropping them and they kept bouncing off people's heads.

"Ummm...whaaa-?" I stammered. I watched as he dropped all the balls and just gave up completely, picking up the unicycle and attempting to ride around. He headed  straight towards the crowd of Seniors. And ended up crashing into a team of lawn bowling Centaurs.

Lilly winced. There were instantly about 4 or 5 Nymphs there sorting it out, a few of the male orderlies were helping right the wheelchairs and walkers. The clown man flopped away in his too large shoes, back to his big trunk of things.

"What is actually happening?"

"We have tried to...give him space for this, encourage his... identity. But sometimes it gets a little much for the others."

"Who is he..?" I asked as I watched in horrified fascination as he brought out a giant pie pan full of whipped cream.

"Oh! Noo!" Someone cried hurrying over and snatching the cream pie away.

"That would be Koalemos." She sighed, as she did so the pink in her cheeks faded.

"Who?"

"He's the personification of stupidity..."

"Ah." I frowned.

"Come on demi god. We must find your friends."

She led me through a group of immortals that were just sitting hunched over, staring aimlessly into space. They all looked so sad and lost and hopeless. My heart actually, for the first time, in coming here, hurt. I felt sadness from them.

"Why are they so sad?"

"They have all regreted immortality for one reason or another."

"The gods can't reverse it?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Wow. It sounds more like a curse then a blessing." I whispered horrified.

"Not for everyone." Lilly said quietly.

"But...watching everyone you love grow old and live life and then die. It sounds so lonely."

"You find new family."

"Only to watch them move on, grow up and die. Over and over."

I shuddered and felt a sudden spike of fear. What if I had to watch Dad grow old and die, or Percy or Will or Sally, or Lee or Kayla, or Raph or Selina or Miles or Tyson or...I shook my head violently and pushed those horrible thoughts from my mind. No. Having immortality sounds awful.

"I see your friends. At the craft table, there with Aristaeus."

"Ahh. The craft god of bees or something." I sniggered, trying to hide the weird and uncomfortable feelings and thought of watching everyone I love and grown to care about grow old and die while I stayed young.

"Yes. The useful arts? Such as bee-keeping and cheese-making, olive-growing, herding, and hunting."

I snorted and had to bit my lip to keep from laughing. "Yes. The very useful ones."

We headed in that direction, and I saw an older guy, with twigs and leaves in his hair, wearing a full bee keepers suit, minus the hat, he also seemed to have honey stuck in his hair. He stood at the front of a group giving instructions on how to widdle wood. But...he was standing the wrong way so he was talking to shrubs and flowers and not the group of senile old men and women.

Raph and Will caught my eye and I waved. They scrambled so fast from the benches and came over looking very relieved. I pulled Will into a tight hug. Without hesitation he hugged me back. Giving me an extra squeeze. He let go and I backed up to pull brood Raph into a hug too. He did hesitate for a second but wrapped his arms around me too. I could detect how fast his heart rate picked up for a moment.

"Everything okay?" He asked quietly into my hair.

"Yeah." I lied. "Fine. We're just on a death quest, through an unsolvable death maze to find a crazy old man, before he dies or the world ends. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

He snorted, but when he pulled away I could tell he didn't believe me. I looked back to Lilly quickly.

"So? What now?"

"Well, you've seen the Doctor and have had your check ups, just need to fill your prescriptions and off you go."

"Hold on a moment my dear sweet Lilly."

"I know that voice." I grumbled.

Walking up the lawn, in his right jeans, white t shirt, tan skin and black sunglasses, giving his dazzling white smile and finger guns to anyone who looked was non other than -

"Dad?!" Will gasped.

"Apollo." I grumbled.

"That's Apollo?" Raph asked, pointing. "He looks 17!"

"Yep." I popped the p. "That's him."

He walked up to us, his arms spread wide open like he expected us to run and hug him.

"Well don't all look so happy to see me. Sheesh!" He cried, and took his sunglasses off. "Turn those found upside! Hey that rymed...I'll have to tuck that away for a hyku later!"

"Apollo! My lord! Sir! This is an unexpected surprise!" Lilly squeaked and bowed. Her face had gone a bit shade of fuchsia pink.

"No no. Just here to see the quest off." He waved a hand dismissively. "I'll take these kids from here, my dear pretty flower." He winked at her making her flush fuchsia pink again and giggle. I rolled my eyes. He was clearly dismissing her, but she didn't seem to mind at all. She bowed a few more times, and tried to float away, but stumbled.

Apollo turned to us. "Demi Gods! My children! And nephew!"

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Nora!" Raph gasped.

"What? It's a question. I'm not allowed to ask the man who impregnated my mother why he's showing up now?"

"Eleanora!" Apollo gasped, holding his tanned hand to his chest. "I would have you know, I wined and dinned your mother!"

"I would hope so!" I snapped, crossing my arms.

"Indeed." His eyes became distant and dreamy. "It was a cute little Italian restaurant in Hell's Kitchen in Newt York. And then we went to a jazz club, she was an amazing singer. I have all her recordings you know, all signed! And then she took me to an old swing club. I haven't Charleston and cha chaed like that in a very long time."

"Then knocked her up and then left."

"Despite what you think, Ellie my sunbeam, I did love her."

"Then why did you let her die!? Why were you never around?" I cried.

I could feel the tears forming. I felt the anger rising. Anger that I never got to meet my mother. Angry because Dad never talked about her, this was the most I had heard about my own mother. I was angry because Apollo looked actually genuinely upset and hurt. And it made me even more angry because he wasn't allowed to be upset. Will was only a year and a half, two years younger than me. So how long did it take him to move on from my mom and me, to Will's mother, and Kayla's dad. And how many other kids did he have wandering around out in the streets.

"Ellie..." He pleaded. "It's not that I didn't want to. I did. But...sometimes it's safer for you to have as little communication with us as possible until you're old enough, and you were never alone. I was there. The time I watched that Christmas play in third grade. That was the best rendition of Frosty the Snowman I have ever seen!"

"Wait ..you... you saw that?"

"Yes! I was second row seat 6."

I sputtered. I don't remember seeing him, but I remembered the Christmas play. Dad had been caught up at his school, marking report cards and showed up late and missed my performance. I was so angry I didn't talk to him for three days.

"You wore a red dress and black buckled shoes and Paul did try his best to get your hair into braids, but one of the teachers took pity on you and redid your hair backstage."

I opened and closed my mouth. I didn't know what to say. Then I frowned.

"That was the same night some weird man followed us to the car and dad tried getting away but we ended up crashing the car dad broke his arm!"

"Yes. And that was the last time I was that close. The monsters came after you. You're strong, my dear Ellie, my little sunbeam."

I didn't know what to think. My brain hurt. Apollo now turned to Will and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"William Andrew Solace how are you my son? You've grown. Your mother has asked me to tell you to make sure you're brushing your teeth, washing behind your ears and make sure you are for sure coming with her on tour this summer."

Will smiled almost sheepishly. Apollo turned to Raph and regarded him. He crossed his arms, "You taking good care of my children?"

"Yes sir." Raph said bowing his head.

"And my daughter? I don't get many of them...so when I do...I'm a little more...over protective. Also her Aunt will come down and...let's say it's not pretty."

"Yes sir. No...sir...please no, not Artimis. I would... No! It- It's my honour and duty to quest along side them." He stammered.

I could see his haxe pale and become flushed at the same time. I bit my lip to keep from giggling. Apollo at 17 being that over protective dad was kinda weird but hilarious to see Raph become a nervous wreck...also..if I had Artimis also watching over me, that was kinda cool. She seemed like she would be an amazing aunt! Will coughed, it was a big loud fake one that sounded an awful lot like "suck up."

Apollo grinned. "I like this guy. Where can I get me one? Your father is not this polite."

"My mother taught me respect and manners, sir."

"Excellent! Big buff, rugged men with manners. I approve of you and my Ellie." He cried and clapped with a huge smile full of white sparkly teeth.

"What?" I cried, and jumped back.

"Oh! No! No no no!" Raph shook his head wildly.

"Hey!" I frowned suddenly. "Four nos? Really? I'm not that bad!"

"Fact. She is indeed my child, so...an absolute smoke show. Smoken hot!"

"Okay, that's enough." I said, "getting kinda weird."

I saw Will lean in and whisper something to Apollo who's eyes went wide and his face lit up.

"Yes! Excellent dear boy! Count me in!"

I narrowed my eyes at Will. He just looked away.

"Right. Sorry, we are supposed to be filling those prescriptions. Come on then." He turned and led us back through the wild crowd of crazies. Koalemos was now attempting to mime out walking down stairs but no one was paying attention. When he caught sight of Apollo and instead of saying something, he just pointed and waved at the crowd trying to get their attention to let them know Apollo was here.

I shook my head. "All these poor deities all trapped inside their own heads."

"It is indeed a sad sight." Apollo agreed.

"Do you come to visit often?" Will asked walking beside him.

"I do. As much as I can. Good ol' Gramps..." He sighed. "I would come every other Saturday for brunch with Helios. And once a month Bingo."

"How did Helios escape?"

"That dear Ellie, is a great question."

"Okay...the answer is..?"

"No idea."

🔆