Iridescence

CHAPTER THREE

APOLLO

Visits from Uncle Hades were never fun. He wasn't nearly as evil as he'd been back in the day when jealousy of his brother, my dear old dad, had driven him insane and made him eat the Dark Side Cookies, but if he was around, it generally meant something was wrong. After all, Hades specialized in death.

Artemis hated him even more than I did, but then again, she hated anything male. "Hades," she said coldly.

"Artemis. Apollo. We have a problem," he stated.

"Of course we do," I mumbled.

"The chimera is loose."

"You lost a pet?" I asked. "One of the random chimeras you captured over the centuries?"

"Not just any chimera, Apollo. This is the chimera of myth. The first, and therefore, the strongest."

"Great. What does that have to do with us?"

Hades glared at me. "Will you let me finish a thought, Apollo?"

"By all means."

"The chimera touched down on the earthly plane. It's headed straight for a group of girls, and they'll all die on this day if we do not stop it."

"I still don't see how this is our issue."

Hades looked at my sister in desperation, as if she could shut me up. "It's your girls, Artemis. The chosen girls of prophecy. They're all marked for death."

Suddenly, I was more interested in what he had to say. Artemis snapped to attention. "Where?" She asked.

"The park is called Alley Pond. It's quite large and reappears in multiple spots throughout New York. I'm afraid you're going to have to search for them."

Artemis looked at me. "Where are they, Apollo?" She asked.

"Alley Pond Park, apparently," I replied with a shrug. "I haven't had a vision, Artemis. Something is blocking me."

She frowned. "You've been the only one to pick up on anything having to do with these girls, Apollo. You can find them."

"Poseidon might be able to track the little blonde one... Um... Krissy."

Hades nodded. "We must protect the children," he said, surprising me.

"Why are you so invested in their safety, Hades?" I asked.

"These girls serve a necessary function."

"Like calculators?"

"Like heroes. Could you please stop being sarcastic for ten seconds?"

"Well, I could try, but it sounds awfully boring."

Hades paled. Let me tell you, it was an impressive sight to see the man who already had the palest skin in existence turn paler, but he pulled it off. Something had disturbed him.

"Get to the park. I will open a portal. Use it, and bring the chariot, Apollo. They're going to need it," he told me. Then he vanished, and I figured that was that. The portal opened. Artemis and I exchanged a glance.

"They won't all fit in the chariot," I said practically.

"Apollo, no. We are not transforming the chariot into anything flashy. Mortals notice these things," Artemis reminded me. "Let us not forget the limousine incident."

"Honestly, you run over one pop star and no one lets you forget it..."

"We need to be discreet."

"I have the perfect cover! Motorcycles!"

"Flying motorcycles are not discreet!"

"No time to argue! Let's go rescue some maidens!" I called forth the motorcycles. My sister couldn't argue with me. There were maidens to assist!

Off we flew to the earthly plane. We landed beautifully, but I didn't see the girls. You'd think a chimera would be easy to spot, but apparently, it was hiding. Then, I heard a terrible sound.

"A lovely toad cometh down the road, but I suppose... sup-sup-suppode?" The tone-deaf voice attempted to sing. Hermes hiccoughed. "That's not a word, is it?" He asked with a laugh. He'd clearly been enjoying himself. Judging from his intoxicated state, he'd probably just been to visit Dionysus.

"No, my brother, and those aren't actual music notes, either," I informed him gently. Some people shouldn't sing.

"Ah, well! Never mind. What are you doing here, Apollo? And Artemis! Have you come to battle the chimera? It's all very exciting."

"Have you seen it?" Artemis asked.

"Well, yeah... Hard to miss, what with the body and head of a lion, the snake tail, and the goat head on its back... Oh, and the fire breathing! Let's not forget about that!"

"Where is it?" My sister demanded.

"Oh, you know, not far-"

Artemis grabbed Hermes by his collar and picked him up off his feet. As he dangled there, she asked again, "Where, Hermes?"

"That way," he squeaked out, pointing toward the left.

Artemis tossed him aside. "Come on," she said to me. I followed her.

We walked for a bit before I sensed Hades. I looked up and saw him standing beside one of the girls. She was Asian and always looked incredibly angry in my visions, but I saw the sorrow in her eyes behind that.

"Emily," Hades said softly. She stared at him and I realized she was bleeding from her head. "All is well, my dear, but the fight is not yet over."

"Who are you?" Emily asked. Her voice was scratchy, like she hadn't used it in a long time.

"My name is Hades, Child. You must listen to me. You are in danger."

"That thing... What was it?"

"It's called a chimera, and it's very deadly. You are lucky this attack didn't kill you."

"I know you... You were there that night."

"Yes, Emily, I was. Listen to me very carefully. I distracted the chimera, but your life is not the only one in need of saving. You must help them." Hades did something unexpected then. He kissed the top of her head and whispered a blessing.

"She'll be the one with spirit," I told Artemis in a whisper.

"I deduced that much myself, Apollo," she replied, rolling her eyes at me. "Why would Hades bless her? He doesn't involve himself with mortals."

"This one appears to be special to him."

"We can hear you," Hades said.

"Oh, um... Sorry. Can we go ahead and save the others now?" I asked.

Hades led the way. I spotted Krissy right away. She was attempting to put out the chimera's fire with water she manifested out of thin air. The chimera didn't seem to like this, and she kept attempting to scorch Krissy.

"Leave her alone!" Someone shouted. There was something lovely about her voice. I spun toward the sound, wondering who had spoken. That was when I saw her.

She was terrified, but that didn't stop her from trying to help her friend. "Krissy, watch out!" She shouted as the chimera tried to breathe fire again. Krissy barely ducked out of the way in time. The as-yet-unidentified girl picked up a book and tossed it at the chimera's head. It turned toward her, now directing its fire her way.

"Eliza! Watch your six!" An African-American girl shouted. She flicked a lighter and tossed it toward the chimera, setting the creature's fur on fire. "How do you like it?" She demanded.

"The fire user," I explained to Artemis.

"Clearly," she retorted.

Krissy and the fire user were obviously better at doing battle than Eliza. The gentle girl looked completely out of her element, but she fought to defend her friends anyway. I respected that.

A Hispanic girl joined them. I could see the marks of Ares and Nike all over this one. She ran toward the chimera, not even phased by the sight of the creature.

"Hey, Ugly!" She shouted. She picked up a rather large rock and flung it directly at the chimera's face when it turned to, I assume, spew fire at her. The rock landed in the chimera's open mouth. It seemed very confused as it tried to spit the rock back out. It took a moment to figure out how to dislodge it.

"Run!" Krissy shouted as the chimera spit the rock straight at the girl who'd flung it.

Thankfully, the girl was quick. She dodged the attack. "Emily, you need to protect them," Hades said.

"How?" Emily asked.

"Trust your instincts."

She nodded. Moments later, she was casting a circle. I could tell she'd never done that before, but as her energy spilled out around us, even I felt safer. The little spirit user was a quick study, and she was strong.

The chimera had scorched Krissy. I heard her scream and could smell her flesh burning. I was ready to run to her, but I was distracted as Eliza ran to her first. "Krissy... Kris, hang on! You'll be okay," she said. She studied Krissy's wounds, searching for a way to take care of them. "Faith, help!"

The fire girl joined her, seemingly ready to try to help, but I knew she couldn't do anything for Krissy.

I regained my wits and joined them. Eliza jumped back when I knelt beside her. "I'm here to help," I said quickly.

"She needs a hospital," Eliza replied. "The burns are pretty bad."

"It's nothing I can't fix," I promised. I tried to touch her, but Eliza grabbed my hand.

"Don't," she said protectively. "We don't know you."

"Of course. I'm Apollo," I said, expecting that to do the trick. She looked at me as if she expected more. "You must be in shock. I understand. I have that effect on people."

The chimera was getting ready to try to break Emily's protective shield. "We need to get them out of here," Artemis reminded me.

"Right. Come on, girls. I'll get you to safety," I said.

"We're New Yorkers," Faith told me. "We're not dumb enough to go wandering off with strangers."

"You're all so skeptical. Just get on a bike and you'll be fine."

"Bike? What bike?" The Hispanic one asked.

I allowed the motorcycle chariots to become visible. Her eyes widened, but it was Faith who spoke. "Wicked ride, man!" She declared.

Krissy groaned. I looked at Eliza. "Let me help her. She's in pain," I said gently.

My dazzling smile must have gotten through to her. She nodded and moved away. I put my hand on Krissy and healed her burns. She groaned again before blinking and opening her eyes.

"How did you do that?" Eliza asked in shock.

"I told you, I'm Apollo. Healing is one of my many specialties."

She looked at me like I was insane. "You think you're Apollo, as in the Greek God?"

"I don't think it, dear. I am the Greek God."

"Right... Come on, Krissy. We should go..."

"You aren't safe here. The chimera will chase you," Artemis said. "Hades says you're marked for death."

"Hades?" Faith raised her eyebrow at that. "And who are you, then, Gorgeous?"

Artemis scowled at her. "I am Artemis."

"That makes sense. You have pretty eyes, Artemis." Faith smirked at her flirtatiously.

If Faith had been a man, she'd have spontaneously combusted on the spot. Artemis doesn't tolerate men flirting with her. Faith, however, didn't seem to bother her so much. "Your lives are in danger," Artemis said, ignoring the compliment. "Please come with us."

"I don't know about this," Eliza replied.

"No time to argue," Emily said suddenly.

Everyone stared at her. "Holy crap... You can talk!" The Hispanic girl said.

"Yes, idiot, I can talk," Emily replied. "We have to go with them or you're all dead. My hold is about to break."

No one argued. Apparently, the shock of the silent girl speaking was enough to do the trick.

I only had seven motorcycles. Hades and Artemis immediately climbed onto their own bikes. The Hispanic girl was the first to jump on a bike. Faith followed quickly. Emily got onto another. Krissy climbed onto one as well. I looked at Eliza, who hesitated.

"Come on, Eliza," I said. "We need to go." I climbed on and offered her my hand.

She didn't seem thrilled, but she climbed on behind me. I tapped the ground with my foot and we rose slightly into the air. Eliza grabbed me in a panic, wrapping her arms around me. I have to admit, I didn't mind that.

"This is my chariot," I explained. "It's in a special mode to fit more people."

We quickly rose higher and Eliza let out a startled scream. "Let me down," she begged. "Please..."

"Eliza... Are you afraid of heights?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes, obviously."

"You're an Air element, and you're afraid of heights?" I laughed. "That's adorable!"

"How do you know my sign?"

"You're a natural healer, my dear. That alone gives it away. Relax, Eliza. I won't let you fall, I promise."

"This is awesome!" Faith declared.

I had a feeling Eliza didn't agree. She was shaking as she held on to me. I suddenly wished I could comfort her. She seemed so strong when she was defending her friend, but now in the air, she was terrified.

I began humming, something that often soothed me. I could sense her eyes were closed, and I realized that as she heard me, she began moving slightly along with the melody. Eliza was trying to lose herself in the music. Right then, I knew she was special. I mentally bestowed my own blessing upon her, knowing that now she was truly the Air element of the group.

When we finally landed, we were on the other side of Queens. The chimera had not followed. I carefully slid off the motorcycle before helping Eliza get down.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine," she replied quickly. I was pretty sure she was lying to me, but decided not to call her on it. The girl had a right to her dignity.

"Can we go again?" The Hispanic girl whose name I still didn't know asked.

"Maybe another time... What's your name?" I asked.

"Jenna Ramos."

"Jenna. It's nice to finally meet you girls. We've been expecting you."

"Way to sound cryptic," Faith replied. "What the hell is going on? What was that thing?"

"That was a chimera. It's a monster from ancient Greece," Artemis explained. "As I was saying before, I am Artemis, Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt. You all have a special destiny, and I'm here to guide you on your journey."

"No, thank you," Emily replied.

"Emily, please," Hades began.

"No. I'm done with this. Thanks for the rescue, but this is insane, and I don't play well with others."

"Emily, you are very gifted," Artemis said. "You protected these girls with no knowledge of what you were doing. Imagine what could happen with some training."

"I'm not interested." She walked away.

Hades was about to go after her, but Artemis stopped him. "Let her go. She'll be back when she's ready. I sense she needs time."

"Emily has many ghosts in her past," Hades replied.

"She will come to us soon. Until then, we will give her space."

I looked at the girls. "Each of you possesses control over one of the elements," I said. "Krissy, you are gifted with Water. Poseidon saved you and blessed you."

"I... I never told anyone about that," Krissy replied. "I was worried they'd think I was nuts."

"You aren't insane, Krissy. He saved your life, and you really can control Water."

"Where does my Fire power come from?" Faith asked excitedly.

"I'm trying to figure out who blessed you, Faith," I admitted. "Eliza has now been blessed with control of Air. I'm responsible for that, although honestly, you had the gift before, my dear. It was dormant, but you had it within you."

"This is impossible," Eliza insisted.

"That's exactly why you should believe it," I replied practically. "And finally, Jenna, I think you must be the Earth element. Your fighting skills suggest you're blessed by both Ares and Nike, but I'm still working out the details."

"Wait," Artemis said suddenly. "There is another."

"Sis, I know you're the smart one, but there are five girls, each representing one of the five elements," I replied.

"No... We are missing one."

"But-"

"Morpheus just told me, Apollo. He's bringing her to us himself."

"Wait," I said in confusion. "How did Morpheus get involved?"

"I am involved because her element is Dreams, Apollo," Morpheus replied as he appeared out of thin air with a gravely wounded Indian-American teenager in his arms.

"Crap!" I replied, jumping out of my skin. "Dude, don't do that! Freaking ninja..." I shook my head as I added, "Dreams aren't one of the elements. It's Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit."

"How quickly you dismiss the power of dreams, Apollo," he replied with a frown. "They are a core part of all things, just as the other elements. Now, kindly heal this child."

I began healing the kid before I realized something. "Wait... This one was born male. Artemis only works with girls."

Artemis studied the kid before saying, "She is a girl, Apollo."

The kid smiled up at Artemis. "I'm Vanessa," she said. "It means a lot that you acknowledged me as a female even though I was assigned male at birth. Morpheus always has, too."

"You knew him before today?" Artemis asked.

"I met him in my dreams when I was a toddler," Vanessa replied. "I used to dream about having a different body. I wanted to transform, just like a moth transforms into a butterfly. That's why I picked the name Vanessa. It means butterfly."

"That's beautiful," Eliza said with a smile.

"Sorry for my mistake, Vanessa," I said as I finished healing her. "I'm totally cool with you being trans. I just thought my sister would be pickier about who she considered to be a girl. She's not very tolerant of men. Artemis surprised me."

"Vanessa is female in her heart and her soul. Her body's genitals are insignificant to me," Artemis replied.

"Way to be woke, Sis," I said with a grin. "We deities can occasionally get stuck in the old ways."

"So, what exactly is going on here?" Jenna asked, focusing us as a proper Earth element should. "You say we're on a journey, but what does that mean?"

"It means you need some training so you can master your gifts," Artemis replied.

"Before you get yourselves killed," Hades added ever so cheerfully.

"Really, Hades? You had to go there?" I asked.

"It's the truth, Apollo. Had we not intervened, the girls would have died today. They need a lot of work before they will be ready to face their destiny."

"Artemis is in charge, but I'm happy to help. Who else wants to contribute?"

"I'll keep an eye out for imminent death," Hades volunteered.

"I can work with them in their dreams," Morpheus added.

"Great," I replied. "And if anyone can figure out who blessed Faith, that would be really helpful. I know who attached themselves to each of the others."

"Physical training begins tomorrow," Artemis said. "Meet me in the Kissena Park woods after school. I'll bring the weapons. Apollo, bring the girls home. Keep them safe. I must prepare to begin their lessons." She walked away.

"Okay, kids. Back on the bikes," I said. Faith and Jenna eagerly got onto theirs.

"I'd prefer to walk," Eliza replied softly.

"It'll be okay, Liz," Krissy said soothingly as she got onto her bike.

"Liz?" I repeated.

"It's her nickname for me," Eliza explained. "Krissy likes things to be quick."

"Like rapids in the sea," Krissy added cheerfully.

"I can appreciate that," I said, "but I kind of like the sound of Eliza. It's like classical music, elegant and beautiful."

Eliza blushed brightly at my words. She looked even cuter when she was blushing.

Hades smirked at me. Smooth, he mouthed.

I'm not flirting, I mouthed back.

Okay, so maybe I was. I can't help myself sometimes... But I meant every word.

"So we really get to ride on these?" Vanessa asked, standing next to the bike Emily had used before.

"Yep. Hop on, Ness," Krissy replied. "It's really fun!"

Vanessa carefully got onto the bike. Even in a skirt, she found a way to get comfortable quickly.

"Come on, Eliza," I said gently. "It's a lot faster than walking."

Eliza sighed before climbing onto my bike and wrapping her arms around me again. I was enjoying that way too much. As we flew through the sky, I didn't want her to ever let me go, but I also hated that she was scared. I made the trip as fast as I could so she could end up safely on the ground again sooner, dropping her and Krissy off first to spare Eliza a longer ride.

After all of the girls were home safe, I smiled to myself and said, "That went well... Tomorrow, the fun truly begins."