Vampire Greek: The Burning King

"Run off like that again, and I'll kill you." Claire was telling Barry as she helped him clean Roman's house.

"If that thing comes back, you won't get the chance to." he said as he threw away pieces of cotton from Roman's couch.

"Do you think he has renter's insurance?" Claire asked, holding up a broken crystalline figure that must've cost hundreds, if not a grand or two.

Barry burst out laughing and almost tripped. "Insurance? I don't even think Roman owns this place. Don't you remember that weird mesmerizing thing he does?"

'Yeah, but I would think that Roman would make the morally right choice and buy the house instead of conning someone out of it."

Barry gawked at her for a few seconds, appalled by her naivete.

"He's a blood sucking cannibal with an empty fridge that goes clubbing every night and kills people. He couldn't even define the word moral."

They both continued to pick up all of Roman's broken belongings when the doorbell rang.

"I thought I told you not to call the police!" Barry freaked out and tried to hang a painting over a big splotch of blood.

"I didn't! Stop overreacting. That can be anybody. Roman has other friends, doesn't he? "

"I doubt it."

Claire looked through the peephole and laughed. "It's the girls from yesterday."

"Girls? When did Roman have a- oh you mean those girls." said Barry as Claire opened the door.

"Jesus Christ! What happened in here?!" Willa exclaimed as she stepped into the house.

"I was attacked by a magical demon dog from your people." Barry explained, suddenly feeling phantom pains. "Wait, if you're a greek goddess, why'd you just say Jesus?"

"I was a mortal before I was a goddess, and my mother was a Christian." Willa gazed at all the chaos.

"That thing really beat the crap out of you, didn't it? You said it was a demon dog?" Barry got defensive. "Well actually, it was pretty even."

Willa looked around and smiled.

"I don't see any of its blood on the walls."

"It wasn't a demon dog, Barry. Laelaps is a magical creature that is destined to always find whatever she hunts. You just so happened to get caught in her path." Claire told him.

"That's right," said Willa. "How'd you know?"

"I did research on her after I found him half dead on the floor. Hold on, maybe we should take her someplace else."

Claire was now focused on Caitlyn, who was staring at a huge slash in the wall.

"It was looking for Roman. Artemis mentioned it earlier."

"You're right Caitlyn. She did." Willa tried to bring Caitlyn closer to her, but Caitlyn walked away and went down the hall.

"Well she doesn't look traumatized, so I guess she can go wherever." Barry replied as they watched her walk away. "The worst stuff is in here anyways."

"Did Laelaps ever catch Roman?" Claire asked, worried.

"No... but Zeus did, and that's way worse. The other gods wouldn't let me interfere."

"So what happened to him?" Barry demanded.

"I, I don't know." Willa confessed, feeling an insane amount of guilt. The way they were staring at her, hoping for an answer... it made her feel terrible.

"Well, last time Zeus struck him with lightning, he survived. You think he stands a chance now?"

"Willa Come Look! Its Apollo!"

Caitlyn had saved Willa from answering Claire's question. She speedwalked to the bathroom, where Caitlyn was staring at the mirror. The tub was rapidly filling with water and Caitlyn wasn't even paying attention. Willa walked over and stopped the faucet before looking at the mirror. It looked like the surface of a still lake, perfectly reflecting Apollo's somber face and his surroundings. He was in a dimly lit area that Willa immediately recognized.

"Why are you in the Oracle's house?" asked Willa, curious.

"I'm looking for her presence. Olympus must have an Oracle. But that's not why I'm contacting you. Aphrodite and I failed to mention a few things. Number one; Do not tell everyone you meet that you are on a quest. Only important figures within the underworld. There are many monsters down that hunt demigods on quests, so you must be careful. Make sure Charon gives you a safe passage. Number two; When you're ready to leave, and you go to Elysium, do not go to Rhadamanthus. Find a hero that can escort you to a an actual water source. Do not pour the powder into any body of water unless a hero tells you it's safe."

"What do we do if we find the Oracle?" Willa asked him.

"When you find her, you are going to ask her if the spirit of Delphi is still in her. If it is, you must tell me. If it isn't, ask her where it went. The underworld exists on a separate plane, the dead are prescient, so she might know who the spirit of Delphi's next host is." Apollo looked behind him as if someone else was there.

"Is Zeus still upset?" Willa asked nervously.

Apollo smiled. "No, actually. He agreed with Ares and assumed you hand delivered him to Zeus so he can kill him. He's actually proud of you."

"You what?!" said Claire, who appeared in the doorway with Barry. "How could you?!"

"That is NOT what happened, you have to believe me!" Willa protested. "Aphrodite has a plan, she's going to help me and Roman will be okay, I promise."

"If that's what she told you, she's going to do it." Apollo assured them. "Trust me, Zeus has no business trying to control who someone falls in love with."

"We need to go. Now. I want to see my dad." Caitlyn said impatiently while clenching the bag of sand.

"I do too." said Apollo. "We rely on the Oracle more than you might imagine, especially in these times."

"Wait, what about her son, Tyran? What's going to happen to him?"

Apollo looked at her blankly, as if he didn't understand.

"I don't know what your talking about. Oracles can't have children."

The image rippled and vanished, leaving them with their own reflections.