ROYAL CRIES
━━ chapter four

━━ PERCY STOPPED ELISA outside of the silver tent. "What'd you promise Bianca?" he asked her.

               Elisa scowled at him. "Mind your business," she snapped.

               Percy grabbed her arm, stopping her from storming off. "I came here to save you and the di Angelos, this is my business."

               "Well, look where it got you," Elisa spat. "Lost a friend and messed everything up. Did you some good, didn't it?"

               Elisa knew she had taken it too far. Something she was good at. She wished she could've taken the words back, even if the boy had only made the mess worse, he didn't deserve to get his head bitten off by Elisa. ( No matter how much he already did get on Elisa's nerves. ) It was just ...

               Everything had gone to shit in a matter of minutes, but that always seemed to be the case. Dr. Thorn had kidnapped them, that Annabeth girl was taken because she protected them, and then Bianca joined the Hunt. Even if Elisa promised Bianca to protect Nico, and it was what Bianca truly wanted, Elisa wasn't okay with it.

               She never had siblings growing up, and whoever her godly parent was ( because she still had no idea ), might have had other mortal children. Elisa didn't know them, she had never met them. And with the way things were going, she may never. It's been nearly two years, and she was almost there. Then the fucking empousa attacked her again, and suddenly, Elisa was stranded in Bar Harbor, Maine with no ticket back to New York City.

               Elisa had promised herself to never get close to anyone else besides Callum. She told herself she'd probably never see the son of Aphrodite again; it wouldn't matter if she died, he would never know. But she met Grover, Bianca, and Nico, and they fucked up those plans with what seemed to be the greatest of ease. She thought it would be easier to get through life without getting attached to anyone else. It would be easier if they left her or were killed by some monsters, or if she left them or was killed by that empousa out for her blood specifically.

               Elisa was right, it was easier to get through life. It was numbing, she felt no emotions besides fear and anger for two years. It was also lonely, the only person she had on her side for a long time was Callum ... and he was back in New Mexico, halfway across the country.

               She ripped her arm out of Percy's grip, looking for Nico. She ignored the shocked and pained look in his eyes, storming off. She found Nico with Grover; Nico was showing Grover the collection of Mythomagic cards he had made. He was trying to explain the rules to the satyr but Grover seemed to not be getting it.

               "Nico," Elisa said, sitting beside him. "You're confusing Grover."

               "Then help me explain!" Nico insisted. "You and Bianca are the only ones who can play with me."

               She looked at Grover from over Nico's head. Grover didn't seem to understand what she was trying to tell him: Bianca joined the Hunt, Nico's my responsibility now.

               Nico was shuffling through the cards, trying to decide which one to show the satyr next. Grover shook his head and shrugged as Nico decided, excitedly pulling out a holographic card.

               "Look at this one, Grover!" Nico said, a wide grin on his face. "It's an Apollo card! I don't use it very often, but it's a really popular card."

               Grover gave Nico a nervous smile. "It's really cool! But, uh, the Hunters are taking down their tents, so maybe we should go find Bianca."

               Nico nodded and started walking, walking ahead of Elisa and Grover.

               "What was that look for?" Grover asked her when he knew Nico was far enough away to not hear.

               Elisa looked at the back of Nico's head, watching him shuffle through the cards. "Bianca joined the Hunt," she whispered. "I promise her I'd take care of Nico."

               Grover's eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly. "But you didn't join, right?"

               Elisa shook her head. "No, I've ... I promised her that, so that's what I'm gonna do."

ˋˏ [ 👑 ] ˎˊ

Elisa hugged herself for warmth while they waited for Apollo to arrive. The Hunters had broken down camp as quickly as they had set it up. Artemis was staring into the east like she was expecting something. Elisa stood behind Bianca and Nico, the older sister was trying to explain to Nico her decision and what it meant.

               It wasn't going well. Nico stared at Bianca, his smile already gone by her first words; "Nico, I joined the Hunt. But Elisa will be with you."

               As cowardly as it sounds, Elisa didn't want to be involved. This was Bianca's battle, her decision, and her brother. Elisa cares for Bianca—hell, she promised Bianca to take care of her younger brother, that clearly meant something—but this wasn't Elisa's battle, this was Bianca's. Elisa didn't want to fight it for her, and couldn't even if she wanted to.

               Elisa was looking between them as Bianca struggled for words. "I'm sorry, Nico. I just—I just had to do this, okay? It's not you, and don't ever think that it is! I love you, you know that right?"

               Nico looked away from Bianca coldly, looking at Elisa. "Why didn't you change her mind?"

               Elisa pulled her lips into a thin line. "I couldn't make that decision for her, Nico ..."

               Nico huffed angrily, the puff of air floating in front of his face. He grabbed Elisa by the hand and pulled her away from Bianca. Bianca watched them sadly, walking over to the Hunters.

               "Why didn't you tell me?" Nico asked Elisa.

               She watched Nico sadly. "It wasn't for me to tell. Bianca had to tell you."

               "So why didn't you join them?" he asked.

               "Because I don't want to," Elisa answered simply, giving Nico half of the truth.

               That left silence between the two. Grover was talking with Thalia and Percy, the three muttering among themselves. Finally, the sky began to lighten.

               Artemis muttered, "About time. He's so lazy during the winter?"

               "You're, um, waiting for sunrise?" Percy asked.

               "For my brother." Artemis nodded. "Yes."

               Nico looked at Elisa. "Do you know what she means?"

               "Um ..." Elisa trailed off. She had time to learn about what she was getting herself into while on the run. She had read a lot of books about Greek mythology, learning what she could when she wasn't running for her life. "I think I read something about Apollo driving a chariot that was basically the sun, and Artemis also drove a chariot too, that one acting as the moon."

               "I still can't believe you never told me about half-bloods," Nico sulked, crossing his arms.

               Elisa stuffed her hands into her jacket's pockets. "Grover was telling me something about half-bloods who know their heritage smell stronger."

               "We smell?" Nico asked, his mouth dropping slightly.

               "Not like odor!" Elisa shook her head. "We'll smell a certain way to monsters, that's a way they can find us."

               "What are the other ways?"

               "I'm not sure," Elisa admitted. "We'll have to ask Grover."

               Nico opened his mouth to say something but there was a sudden burst of light on the eastern horizon. A sudden blast of warmth.

               "Don't look," Artemis advised. "Not until he parks."

               Nico looked at Elisa, ready to ask her another question. Elisa shut him up by placing her hand over his eyes, keeping her head low. The light and warmth intensified until Elisa's coat felt like it was melting off her. Then, suddenly, the light died.

               Elisa glanced up, ignoring how Nico smacked her hand away. She heard him gasp as they spotted a red convertible Maserati Spyder. The car was glowing the same way it would in an AD. She realized it was glowing because the metal was so hot. The snow had melted around the Maserati in a perfect circle.

               The driver got out, smiling. He looked about seventeen or eighteen. The guy had sandy hair and godly good looks that Elisa expected. He was taller, his smile bright and playful. He wore jeans, loafers, and a sleeveless T-shirt.

               "Wow," Elisa heard Thalia mutter. "Apollo is hot."

               "He's the sun god," Percy said dimly.

               "That's not what I meant."

               "Little sister!" Apollo called. If his teeth were any whiter he could've blinded them without the sun car. "What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!"

               Artemis sighed. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."

               "Hey, I was born first."

               "We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue—?"

               "So what's up?" he interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"

               Artemis gritted her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."

               "Sure, sis!" Then Apollo raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "I feel a haiku coming on."

               The Hunters all groaned. Apparently, they'd met Apollo before.

               He cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically.

"Green grass breaks through snow,
Artemis pleads for my help,
I am so cool."

               He grinned at the group in front of him, waiting for applause. Elisa and Nico shared a look, wondering what they had gotten themselves into.

               "That last line was only four syllables," Artemis informed her brother.

               The sun god frowned. "Was it?"

               "Yes. What about I am so big-headed?"

               "No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm." Apollo started muttering to himself, counting the words out with his fingers. Elisa wondered how that was even possible. Apollo should've been able to make poetry without counting on his fingers because he was the God of Poetry and all. It was also a little jarring to meet two gods, and to see one counting on his fingers like a child just learning to count.

               Zoë Nightshade turned to the people behind her. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. 'Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear one more poem that started with, There was once a goddess from Sparta—"

               "I've got it!" Apollo announced excitedly. "I am so awesome. That's five syllables!" He bowed, looking very pleased with himself. "And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll."

               "These demigods will also need a ride," Artemis said, pointing to the half-bloods behind her, the claimed and unclaimed ones.

               "No problem!" Apollo said, looking over to the demigods. "Let's see ... Thalia, right? I've heard all about you."

               Thalia seemed to blush. "Hi, Lord Apollo."

               "Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half-sister. Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time—"

               "Brother," Artemis said. "You should be going."

               "Oh, right." Apollo nodded, looking at Percy. His eyes narrowed. "Percy Jackson?"

               "Yeah. I mean—yes, sir."

               Apollo studied Percy, but he didn't say anything. Elisa had to wondered if Percy had done something in the past that offended the god. She's heard the gods hold grudges over the weirdest of things.

               "Well!" the God of the Sun said at last. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way—west. And if you miss it, you miss it."

               "Cool car," Nico piped in.

               "Thanks, kid," Apollo said, swinging the car keys around his finger.

               "How are we gonna fit, though?" Elisa asked, noticing that the Maserati only could hold two people max.

               Apollo frowned at her, looking like he was finally noticing her. He looked back at the car. "Well, I hate to change out of sports-car mode, but I suppose ..." He took the car keys and pressed the security alarm button.

               For a moment, the car glowed brightly again. When the glare died, the Maserati had been replaced by a Turtle Top shuttle bus.

               "Right," said Apollo. "Everybody in."

               Zoë ordered the Hunters to start loading. She picked up her camping pack, ready to shove it onto the bus. Apollo said, "Here, sweetheart. Let me get that."

               Zoë recoiled, her eyes flashing dangerously.

               "Brother," Artemis chided. "You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do not call them sweetheart."

               Apollo held up his hands, trying to act innocent. "Sorry. I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"

               "Hunting," Artemis answered. "It's none of your business."

               "I'll find out," said Apollo. "I see all. Know all."

               Artemis snorted. "Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around!"

               "No, no!" Apollo shook his head. "I never mess around."

               Artemis rolled her eyes, and then looked at Zoë. "I will see you by winter solstice. Zoë, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do."

               Zoë's back straightened as if Artemis had given her electric shock. "Yes, my lady."

               Artemis knelt and touched the ground as if looking for tracks. When she rose, her eyebrows were knitted, looking troubled. "So much danger. The beast must be found."

               Then she sprinted toward the woods, melting into the snow and shadows.

               Apollo turned to the group, grinning, the car keys jangling from his finger. "So," he said, "who wants to drive?"

ˋˏ [ 👑 ] ˎˊ

The Hunters piled into the van. They all crammed into the back so they'd be as far away as possible from Apollo and any other man they could see. Bianca sat with them, leaving Nico to sit in the front. Nico didn't seem to mind, but Elisa thought he was just trying to ignore the way his sister was starting to treat him.

               "This is so cool!" Nico said, jumping up and down in the driver's seat. "Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's them and sometimes it's you and Artemis?"

               Elisa grabbed him by the arm, pulling him into the seat beside her. Apollo didn't seem to care that she had done that, going on to say, "Downsizing. The Romans started it. They couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their suites into our job descriptions. My sis got the moon. I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I got this cool car."

               "But how does it work?" Nico asked, shaking off Elisa's grip. "I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!"

               Apollo chuckled and ruffled Nico's hair. "That rumor probably got started because Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas. Seriously, kid, it depends on whether you're talking astronomy or philosophy. You want to talk astronomy? Bah! What fun is that? You want to talk about how humans think about the sun? Ah, now that's more interesting. They've got a lot riding on the sun ... er, so to speak. It keeps them warm, grows their crops, powers engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Every day, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"

               Nico shook his head, staring up at the sun god with dazzled eyes. "No."

               "Well, then, just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car."

               "Can I drive?" Nico asked.

               "No," Elisa answered for the god. "You're way too young."

               Nico pouted, crossing his arms. Apollo seemed to enjoy their interaction, his lips twitching into a small smile.

               "Want to drive?" he asked Elisa.

               "Uh, no." The girl shook her head.

               Apollo narrowed his eyes, studying her face. "Hm, you're right. You have no air powers."

               Elisa wasn't sure how to take that, or what the god was referring to.

               "Oo! Oo!" Grover raised his hand.

               "Hm, no," Apollo said. "Too furry." He looked past Percy and focused on Thalia. "Daughter of Zeus!" he said happily. "Lord of the sky. Perfect."

               "Oh, no." Thalia shook her head. "No thanks."

               "C'mon," Apollo insisted. "How old are you?"

               Thalia hesitated. "I don't know."

               Elisa turned in her seat fully to look at Thalia. How could she not know how old she was? Elisa guessed Thalia was fourteen, maybe fifteen. But she was wondering how Thalia just didn't know.

               Apollo tapped a finger to his chin. "You're fifteen, almost sixteen."

               "How do you know that?"

               "Hey, I'm the God of Prophecy. I know stuff. You'll turn sixteen in about a week."

               "That's my birthday! December twenty-second."

               "Which means you're old enough now to drive with a learner's permit!"

               Thalia still looked nervous. "Uh—"

               "I know what you're going to say," Apollo said, nodding in a confident manner. "You don't deserve an honor like driving the sun chariot."

               Thalia shook her head. "That's not what I was going to say."

               "Don't sweat it!" Apollo waved his hand. "Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don't worry about what happened to the last kid I trained. You're Zeus's daughter. He's not going to blast you out of the sky."

               Apollo laughed good-naturedly, but no one joined him.

               Thalia tried to protest but Apollo wasn't going to listen to her. He hit a button on the dashboard, and a sign popped up along the top of the windshield. Elisa didn't even bother trying to read it, watching Thalia nervously.

               "Take it away!" Apollo told her, patting her on the shoulders. "You're gonna be a natural! Speed equals heat, so start slowly, and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up."

               Thalia gripped the wheel so tight her knuckles had turned white. She looked like she was going to be sick, or was going to pass out right there.

               "What's wrong?" Percy asked her.

               "Nothing," Thalia said shakily. "Nothing is wrong."

               Then she pulled back the wheel with no warning. It titled, and the bus lurched upward so fast Elisa slammed into the back of her seat. Nico let out a grunt as Grover let out a squeak. And then she heard Percy apologizing.

               "Slower!" Apollo said.

               "Sorry!" Thalia yelped. "I've got it under control!"

               Elisa watched the daughter of Zeus doubtfully. She looked away from Thalia, looking out the window. And she wished she hadn't; there was a smoking ring of trees from the clearing they had taken off from.

               "Hey," Elisa chimed in, "maybe lose a little speed."

               "I said I got it, Elisa" Thalia snapped at her with gritted teeth. But Thalia never listened to Elisa's advice, she kept the sun chariot floored.

               "Loosen up," Percy told Thalia.

               "I'm loose!" she insisted. But Thalia was sitting with such perfect posture and bunched-up shoulders, it looked like she was made out of plywood.

               "We need to veer south for Long Island," Apollo said. "Hang a left."

               Thalia jerked the wheel to the right so hard that Elisa fell into Nico. She kept him from falling to the floor, but she heard Grover let out another yelp.

               "The other left," Apollo suggested.

               Elisa got a glimpse out the windows as she was pulling Nico back into their seat. The sky was starting to turn black, they had to be higher than airplanes.

               "Ah ..." Apollo said, sounding like he forcing his voice to remain steady. "A little lower, sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."

               Thalia titled the wheel. Her face was chalk white, her forehead was beaded with sweat. Something was wrong, Elisa could tell that much for the very few hours she's known Thalia.

               The bus pitched down and Percy screamed. Nico clung to Elisa's arm, whispering nervously in Italian. They were heading straight toward the Atlantic Ocean, the New England coastline off to the right of the bus. Apollo seemed to have been thrown somewhere in the back of the bus. Elisa watched him climb back to the front through rows of seats.

               "Take the wheel!" Grover begged him.

               "No worries," Apollo said dismissively, though he himself looked plenty worried. "She just has to learn to—whoa!"

               Down below them was a little snow-covered New England town. At least, it used to be snow-covered. Elisa watched as the snow melted off the trees, roofs, and lawns right in front of her eyes. The white steeple on a church had turned brown, smoke starting to rise off of it. Little plums of smoke, almost like birthday candles, were popping up all over the town. Trees and rooftops were catching fire.

               "Pull up!" Percy yelled.

               There was a wild light in Thalia's eyes. She yanked back on the wheel, but Elisa was braced enough to not go flying out of her seat. She somehow managed to keep Nico grounded, too. As the bus flew away, Elisa could see through the back window that the fires in the town were snuffed out by the sudden blast of cold air.

               "There!" Apollo said, relief clear in his voice. He was pointing through the front window of the bus. "Long Island, dead ahead. Let's slow down, dear. 'Dead' is only an expression."

               The bus was thundering toward the coastline of Long Island. Elisa realized what all those buildings had to be; Camp Half-Blood. She could see a valley, a cluster of dark woods, and a long and narrow beach. She could see a cluster of odd-looking buildings in the shape of a U, and what looked to be an amphitheater.

               "I'm under control," Thalia muttered to herself. "I'm under control."

               They had to be only a few hundred yards away.

               "Brake," Apollo told her.

               "I can do this."

               "Brake!" Apollo screamed.

               Thalia slammed her foot on the brake, and the bus pitched forward at a forty-five-degree angle, slamming into a lake. Steam billowed up around them, sending what looked like teenage girls with long brown hair scrambling out of the water with half-woven wicker baskets. The bus bobbed to the surface, along with a couple of capsized, half-melted canoes.

               "Well!" said Apollo with a brave smile. "You were right, my dear. You had everything under control! Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"

👑  MAR. 8TH, 2022  /  don't talk to me when it's time to write bianca's death scene, or when nico runs away from camp

but a fun fact: march 8th is elisa's birthday!!