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Chapter 33: My Emotions are Played like a Lyre

We ran down the hall. Will held mine tightly in his.

"Where's Raph?" He asked.

"I don't know! I was dragged up there by that purple Flower Nymth...and I didn't see where he went. We were talking to Apollo right before. I don't know!"

"Not helpful!"

At the moment there was no one following so we slowed down and came to a brisk walk.

"Okay...did you notice anything off?"

"Uhh some creepy guy tried to cut into our conversation...and some girl was staring at him pretty hard while we danced."

"Wait." Will cried, coming to a hault. "You...you danced? With Raph. You and him?"

"Umm yes?" I stammered. My cheeks and ears going red.

Will squealed and clapped his hands. "I knew it! I knew it! It's all coming together!"

"Are you doing?"

"I'm shipping. And Lee owes me big! Apollo also needs to cough up..."

"Excuse me!" I gasped. "Are you betting on...on my personal life? Will please tell me your not! I'm already under Aphrodite's thumb!"

"Except I have no actual control over you." He corrected. "Come on we gotta get moving. Find Raph and get outta here."

We walked up and down what felt like a dozen corridors all filled with flowers of all kinds. Some wild and exotic, some simple and beautiful, some I was positive were extinct or only grew in Olympics, because I had never ever seen them. I was getting really frustrated when we passed a small room and I heard a familiar deep rumbly voice. I froze. Will bumped into my back.

"What-?"

I backed up and peeked through the crack in the door. Raph sat on a Greek style couch the arm rests where curved and the couch was piled with pillows and cushions. I frowned. He was gazing at something I couldn't see, his face was slack and his eyes were glazed. He had the look of a love struck puppy. He smiled gently up at whatever I couldn't see.

He was sipping from a gold goblet, there were graps and nuts and all kinds of snacks.

"What do you think of this one?" Said a voice so sickly sweet I wanted to throw up.

"It's very pretty, cupcake." Raph said. He liquid his lips as a curvy body of a woman stepped in my view. I recognized her immidiatly. It was the woman who was eyeing up Raph and me while we danced.

"You're as beautiful as the dawn." He murmured as she sat down in his lap. She giggled and held a cluster of grapes and fed him one.

I pulled away and leaned on the wall. I actually had to hold my chest for a second. The pain was unbelievable. It felt like a slow knife driving and twisting into my heart.

"What's wrong?" Will asked.

I just shook my head. Will peeked through the crack. He pulled back with a look of disgust.

"Wait..." He whispered and checked again. He pulled back and pulled me a little further away.

"Okay, you know who that is...right?"

"No." I snapped. The hurt was growing into anger. I wanted to run them both through with my knives.

"That's Eos! That's the goddess of dawn!"

"I don't care who she is!" I hissed. My finger nails were digging into the palms of my hands they were clenched so tightly.

"Okay, but listen, Nora. Eos. Helios's younger and bratty sister. And that's not Raph. He's under her spell. Literally. While you were having a super cute moment with Raph back at the nursing home, Dad told me all about her."

"I don't really care Will." I cried and crossed my arms.

"You do care. So listen. She had an affair with Ares, after him and Aphrodite were a thing. Aphrodite got all jealous and cursed her. She's cursed to fall in love with like pretty much any good looking man. And he does too, except it's not real. It's a curse, a trap, a magic spell...whatever."

"Great. I hope they live happily ever after. Aphrodite got her wish."

He sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I can get him out. Just... give me a minute."

"I think we could probably help."

I spun around two young ladies came striding up hall. They were both tall and had well-built bodies. One had shoulder-length raven-black hair and striking silver-grey eyes. The other one had short spiky black hair and bright sky blue eyes.

"Lady Artemis!" Will cried and bowed. "Thalia!"

"I've heard the gossip, and I came when my brother called. He said he had tracked Helios to this location."

"Yes Lady. The goddess Eos has one of our quest mates trapped under her...curse."

"You and I, nephew, will deal with her. I believe you were given sleeping pills?"

He pulled the bottle out of his pocket.

"My lady!" Thalia spoke, "you want to fit the goddess with...a male? Won't he fall under her spell as well."

"No. She's uhh...not my type." Will mumbled and the tips of his ears went pink.

"We also must assist the weaker minded. It is not his fault he fell under her spell." Her silver grey eyes turned to me and they softened. "Sometimes...we are let down the hardest by those we thought would lift us up."

I swallowed hard. And looked away blinking hard. The short haired girl who looked about my age stepped closer. She placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Come on, we got a Titan God to find while these two deal with the flouzie."

Thalia walked down the hall. I looked back to Will and he shrugged. I sighed and followed after her. I was frustrated with everything that's happened so far. I clamped my jaw shut and stormed after Thalia. Percy had told me about her too. She was a demigod and on the run with Luke and Annabeth. She was mortally wounded by attacking monsters, Zeus in all his infinity wisdom, his best idea was to turn his daughter into a pine tree on Half-Blood Hill. Which still stands as the official border for Camp Half-Blood, her life force empowered the boards around the camp. She was later resurrected by the Golden Fleece under the manipulations of Kronos in an attempt to control the Great Prophecy. She is currently the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis.

"So. Eleanora Blofis. Soon to be step sister of my little cousin."

"Who?" I asked, before it clicked. "Oh Percy. Ya...umm ya..." I said glummly.

"I mean I know he's not the sharpest tool in the box, but come on the guy is the exception to the rules."

"Oh no it's not that...." I whispered. "He was a great brother."

Thalia froze. "What do you mean was."

"I umm...I.."

She turned, her piercing blue eyes danced with electricity. "Tell me what happened."

I took a few steps back and with tears finally leaking down my cheeks I told her what I'd seen. She cursed and slammed her fist into the near by wall. I jumped. She leaned heavily on the wall for a second taking ragged breaths. She pushed off and stormed down the hall. I hesitated but followed. I could feel her greif. It poured off her in waves, and hit me hard. Everything that happened in the last few days was rolling around inside of me. There was so much and I was still trying to process who I was, what I was, my abilities and capabilities. I just wanted to unleash all my anger and frustration. I wanted my brother back. I wanted my dad back. I wanted Raph back. I wanted and this was hard to digest at the moment. I wanted Apollo to hug me right and tell me he was proud of me and tell me everything would be okay.

"How do we find a senile sun god in the night in the flowers?" Thalia finally asked.

I shrugged. And kept walking until something clicked in my head, like a puzzle piece. I stopped walking, for the second time someone walked into me.

"Sunflowers." I whispered.

"Come again?"

"Sunflowers. Is there a sunflower exhibit?"

Thalia crumpled her face and thought. She looked up and snapped her fingers.

"Yes! Follow me!"

She dashed down the hall light as a deer. I followed. The slit up the side of the dress made it easier to run. She dashed down another hall and around a corner and down another huge hall. More people and immortals were sitting about in a whole other courtyard, this one had all kinds of trees and arches covered in vines and exhotic flowers. I was positive I saw Aphrodite and Ares dancing in the middle. I growled in frustration.

"I'd like to punch her too. But right now we got a job to do." Thalia warned.

She pushed through the crowd and out the door down the next hall. She skirted to a halt.

"Okay. Sunflower exhibit is through the door. I don't like it...I don't sense monsters. The other gods here wouldn't be that clueless. But then again..."

"When have they ever done anything to help?" I snapped.

I yanked the bow and arrow charm off my bracelet and it grew into a long beautiful bow that glowed like the sun in the dim moonlight. I felt the quiver of arrows grow on my back.

"Ya...I get the sibling vibe even if you and Percy weren't blood related. I can see it."

"Thanks. We're both quite... impertinent."

Thalia smirked. "I like you."

"Let's go kill so stuff." I nodded.

She pulled her silver hunting bow off her back. She pushed the door open just enough and nodded, I slipped through and she was right behind me. We held our bows up and slowly worked out way into the room. Rows and rows of big beautiful sunflowers grew. It was night so the flowers were wilted and faced the ground.

The closer we got, the more they peeked up. We crept down the one row together, we were silent and tense, but the flowers faces followed, like they had a mind of their own.

Thalia looked weirly at them. There was nothing down the row. We spun outward and around the corner of the row, each checking the one direction.

"Next row." This whispered.

We only crept up the next one. Against the flowers flowed. There was nothing sinister about them. They were slowly just following the light.

"Are they following us?"

I shrugged. "don't know why."

"Keep going. I'll stay let's see."

I rolled my eyes, but kept slowly walking, my bow ready to be used if need be. The flowers followed me further down the row.

"It's true!" I heard a small gasp. "A true Daughter of Light." She whispered.

Before I could turn I heard a soft sob. I sprinted the rest of the way and whipped around the corner. Thalia on my heals. Sitting halfway down the row was a frail old man. He wore a ripped bathrobe, he was now missing a slipper and sock. His whispy white hair was so greasy and matted. He held his arms up, reaching for the biggest sunflower. His grimmy and scraped wrinkled face had big tears slowly making a track down his cheeks.

"Clytie!" He sobbed. "Clytie my Love! I'm sorry!"

"Helios!" I cried. I lowered my bow, and walked towards him. I felt such an overwhelming amount of relief. The old man turned his head, his milky eyes lit up like glowing embers in a fire.

"My child!" He cried.

I knelt down beside him, placing my bow on the ground. He reached out his frail arms like a small child wanting a hug.

"My child. I missed you!"

I gently hugged him. "Helios...are you alright? Are you hurt?" I asked gently Nd pulled away.

"Only...only in my heart my child. Iade a grave mistake!"

Fear and panic flooded my system. I was leaving myself for all the terrible things that could have happened, what could a senile old Titan God do?

"I left my Clytie. I was foolish! And I left her. My...my sister persuaded me...and I was young and foolish! And now she is naught but a flower!" He wailed and covered his face with his age spotted hands.

"We all make mistakes." I sighed and patted his shoulder.

"My child! My child! My daughter. We must go home. I was so alone and it was so dark. I must go home..."

"Yes. Agreed. Lets go home."

He suddenly grabbed my arms, his sorrowful face twisted in fear and he shook me slightly. "He knows. He knows! You must be safe! He knows! He will find you! He sent my sister to find you! He knows!"

"What...?"

"Awake the blaze within my child!" He whispered urgently and shook me. "To SEE you must AWAKE THE BLAZE WITHIN!"

I looked at Thalia for help. I had no idea what was going on. He was strong for an old man. She was looking at Helios and then back to me, like she just realized something.

"Come. We need to leave Helios, Lord Sun." Thalia finally said.

"Leave?" He whispered, and turned his head to Thalia's voice. "Daughter of the Sky." He mumbled. "She is no long part of the prophecy...yet her road is difficult..."

"Come on." I said and stood up. I reached down and helped get him to his feet. He was leaning heavily on me.

"I need to bring my Love, I can't leave Clytie! Not again! I can't leave her again! I won't!" He wailed.

"No...no. Of course not."

Thalia picked a flower and handed it to the Sun Titan who clung to it like it was his childhood teddy bear. He softly stroked the pettles, like a lover would stroke her face.

"Okay. My daughter, take me home now. I'm ready to sleep." he murmed.

Thalia put her fingers to her lips and whistled a long loud sharp one. It took us a few minutes to get to the door and back out into the hall. Helios was very unsteady.

"We will get there. If you need to go meet Lady Artimis, go."

"Wait here at the bench, I will bring the chariot around. He won't be able to make it through the tunnels with you."

She left us, running down the hall as I sat Helios down on a marble bench.

"My child...you are mine. My Love, I am sorry." He mumbled those two things and it wasn't making sense. "She wants my keys. She won't get the keys.... I don't have the keys..."

A few minutes later I saw Artimis striding towards us.

"Helios, come on," I said quietly, gently taking his hand. "Our ride is here."

"My sun chariot?"

"No my lord Helios." Artimis smiled gently, as she knelt down in front of the old god "it's my own chariot."

"Artimis! My favorite granddaughter!" The old man smiled warmly at her.

"Yes, grandfather. Come on. Time to get back. Eos has been taken care of. She won't bother you for a long while, enough time for you to be at peace now."

Artimis helped me get Helios up. Together we helped him shuffle down the hall to a back door where her chariot was waiting. Will was kneeling inside of it beside Raph, he sat huddled against the side his head held in his hands. He had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and Will was talking quietly to him, trying to get him to drink a Nectar Aid juice box.

I felt the anger and hurt flare in my chest. The knife I felt earlier twisted. I watched as Raph picked up his head and he looked over at me, and he did a double take. His eyes went wide, his jaw clamped and the muscle twitched I saw the Adams apple in his throat bob. I could see the guilt and shame in his dark eyes. I wanted to walk away and curl up and cry. Instead I stood up straighter and e earthing tensed up and he looked away.  I saw him blink a few times, like he was trying not to cry. Will was whispering somemore. Raph's shoulders shrugged and he shook his head.

The anger flashed, and I felt the heat with it. It was like hot fire flowing through my veins. Anger mixed with hurt and betrayal.

"Anger child is not something we should hold onto. Anger does nothing but destroy who we are." Helios said so quietly. "Channel that emotion to those who deserve it; not towards the innocent ones trapped by those who ensnare."

"It...hurts."

"I know my child."

Artimis was watching me closely. But didn't say anything, she helped Helios get into the chariot and sit him down. I climbed in. Artimis drove us high up into the stars and across the night to the other side of the country to Florida; where Geras Nursing Home & Assisted Living Facility For Deities, Heros, and mythological Creatures.

🔆

Whoa. What do we think?
Is this all making sense?!
Our poor Nora. She needs to unleash some anger on some monsters!

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