Sun kissed - Apollo.

16: my dad's ex sells garden gnomes.

In a way, it's nice to know there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. Not that i would, maybe just with Zeus and his annoying lightning bolts. But still, you could blame someone. For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force really is trying to mess up your day.

Maybe Percy's day, i don't see how they could mess up mine. Even if it hails, i think it's a nice day. Or Annabeth and Grover's day, they're not rain proof like me. I feel bad for them, i wish i knew how i could extend that to them.

So there we were, Annabeth and Grover, Percy and I, walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind us, and the smell of the Hudson reeking in our noses.

"I'm bored."

"Hi bored." Apollo replied. "I'm apollo."

"You're not funny."

"No, i'm apollo, bored."

"Shut up!"

"Why? You're bored and i'm Apollo."

"I'm- you know what, never mind."

"Oh come on, you know what. Nice name by the way."

"I hate you."

"You can't."

Apollo was annoying me and i'm sure he was doing it on purpose now. I didn't know why but he seemed din the mood to mess with me right now. Which, wasn't the best decision he could make. Hangry me is unfriendly me.

I know what you'll say, you? Unfriendly? I can be, if you count being annoyed with someone unfriendly.

"Yes i can." I said to Apollo.

"You cannot hate anyone."

"Give me one example."

"You made friends with the entire Ares cabin."

"Your point is? That's not me not being able to hate anyone."

"Gabe."

"What about him?"

"You don't hate him, you can't hate him. Despite what he's done to you. Hate isn't an emotion you can feel."

"I can feel hate!"

"Can you? You were friends with Nancy bobofit, someone Percy hated."

"I-"

"Admit it, little starfish. You can't hate."

"Whatever."

"Don't worry, that's a good thing. You'll have Olympus wrapped around your little finger soon enough."

"What makes you say that?"

"You'll see, got to run. See ya, little Starfish."

"See ya, Phoebus."

After my conversation ended with Apollo, i snapped back into the world. I hadn't noticed that we had walked for a while.

Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror. "Three Kindly Ones. All three at once."

I was pretty much in shock myself, still. The explosion of bus windows still rang in my ears. But Annabeth kept pulling us along, saying: "Come on! The farther away we get, the better."