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"You'll find him," Artemis tried to comfort her brother as he anxiously paced around.
"He's bound to show up somewhere. And at least he isn't in the underworld," Hermes added.
When Apollo's mood dampened, his domain usually reflected that. You could clearly point out moments in history when the sun god was clearly going through something by looking at where there were spikes in depressing and melancholic art or music.
Either that, or some disease would run rampant until Apollo was satisfied enough.
(There's a reason everyone refuses to bring up the bubonic plague incident. Khaos, their father tried everything to get him to calm down a bit)
"Sure, but that doesn't do much to help right now, does it?" Apollo ran a hand through his hair.
Artemis winced as she felt the people of Florida and Arizona cry out at the major heatwave that hit them in the middle of fall. She reached forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you certain Pose- ah. Uh, our uncle didn't just take him again?"
"Yes." Apollo nodded, not looking at her. "I've been keeping a close eye on Perseus, monitoring his every move. I would've noticed if... if he came near him. It has to be Amara, she's the only one who could've done this.
"...maybe we should contact him then, tell him what's happened-" Hermes hesitantly suggested.
Apollo was quick to shut him down, looking at Hermes with wide eyes filled with desperation. " Absolutely not. He- he'll take him from me, Hermes. He'll take Perseus and he will never let him out of his sight again. I will never get to see him again. I can't, I just can't."
Artemis put a hand on his back. "Deep breaths, brother. We will try to make sure it doesn't have to come to that."
Apollo ever so slightly leaned into the touch, enough for it to just barely be visible to her. "I... sorry. I just-" His eyes blew wide, head abruptly looking up from the ground.
"Apollo?" Hermes asked warily, eyeing his body language carefully.
"I- I have to leave," Apollo started to glow, an indication of his approaching departure. "If Father asks, cover for me."
Just like that, in a magnificent flash of light, Apollo left Artemis and Hermes alone in the room together in complete bewilderment.
—
Percy groaned, blood dripping down his chest.
Fuck, did he pass out?
He didn't see Amara anywhere, but then again, he couldn't exactly see much of anything.
The blue smoke was everywhere, it was suffocating. Percy's eyes went wide in alarm as he tried to search for some sort of exit.
Moving hurt, his body protesting against his attempts to stand up. His breathing became more and more erratic as his mind raced.
Shit shit shit, why did this always have to happen to him?
Percy pushed passed the pain and the exhaustion that threatened to overtake him, barely managing to crawl to where he hoped was some sort of door.
He kept his hand on the wall at all times, not daring to stray from it. Not in a place like this.
He could only keep moving for so long, though. He collapsed back down on the floor again, letting out a wet cough.
So, what, his options were to suffocate to death, or pray to his father and ensure he never walk on land again?
That wasn't much of a choice, was it? And for all he knew, once Poseidon got his hands on him again, he'd just force ascension on him – Percy had seen how much his father seemed to ponder over it last time he was imprisoned by him.
It scared him, sometimes. He knew his father loved him, but sometimes he'd get so completely lost in his own need to protect him, Percy couldn't help but wonder.
Either way, it's not like he could just die here.
With his eyelids feeling heavy, Percy sent a desperate and scrambled prayer to Apollo, and could only hope it went through as he lost consciousness.