"Well! We would better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way, west and if you miss it, you miss it", Apollo announced.
"Cool car", Nico said.
"Thanks kid"
"But how will we all fit?"
"Oh- well, I hate to change out of sports car mode but i suppose…", he took out his car keys and beeped a button. The car glowed so bright that they had to close their eyes. When they opened them again, there stood a shuttle bus, still red but now big enough to fit all of them, "right, everybody in"
As Zoe took her backpack, Apollo offered his help, "let me get that for you sweetheart", but the girl just flinched.
"Brother, 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", Artemis glared at her brother with a cold gaze which could've frozen the sun shuttle bus, "I will see you during the winter solstice. Zoe, you are in charge of the hunters. Do well, do as I do"
"Yes milady"
Artemis vanished into the forest and the group piled into the shuttle bus. The hunters -including Bianca- sat right at the end, as far away from Apollo and the other males as possible.
"This is so cool!" Nico jumped in his seat, he rode shotgun, " is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods/godesses. How come sometimes it's them and sometimes it's you and Artemis?"
"Downsizing. The romans started it. They couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job descriptions. My sis got the moon, I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first but I get this amazing car" Apollo's hand were on the steering wheel but his gaze was on Nico. Not much to collide with when you were so far up in the air.
"But how does it work? I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas?"
"That rumor probably got started because Artemis called me a big fiery ball of gas", he ruffled nico's hair, "seriously kid, it depends on whether you're talking astronomy or philosophy. You want astronomy? Bah, what fun is that? You want to ask 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. The chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun, kid. It's as old as western civilisation. Every day, it rides across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little human lives. The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Makes sense?"
"No…"
"Yes", Alexander nodded thoughtfully, it made perfect sense to him.
"Can I drive it?" Asked Nico.
"No, too young… not you either, nor you… you!" He pointed from one person to another before landing on Alex, "how old are you, son of the north wind?"
"14?"
"No, that won't do either… guess I'll be driving, none of you are old enough, bummer", as they rode across the sky, Thalia nestled her head into his shoulder. The poor girl was deathly afraid of heights. It had gotten better over time, with Alexander taking her on flights using the gift of his father but even then, they didn't fly that high. This was on a whole nother level.
Nico wasn't afraid in the least bit, pressing his face to the window.
"We are here"
"Whoa, is that a climbing wall? Why is there Lava pouring down it?"
"Little extra challenge. Come on, I'll take you to Chiron", Percy told the young boy and they walked off.
"We are on the ground again dear", Alexander told his girlfriend who made an effort to look in control again, now that they were on ground.
"Tell Chiron we are in cabin eight, hunters, follow me", Zoe exclaimed as they climbed out of the shuttle bus.
"I'll show you the way", erupted Grover.
"We know the way, satyr"
"Oh really, it's no trouble! It's easy to get lost here, if you don't-" Grover tripped overs canoo but continued talking, "like my old daddy goat used to say! Come on!"
"Take care sweethearts and Percy, be wary of prophecies"
Percy, a few meters away, turned around, "what do you mean?"
Apollo just chuckled, climbing into his vehicle, which turned back to a sports car.
"Who is Chiron?" Asked little Nico do Angelo, "I don't think I have his card.
"He is our activities director, you'll be meeting him shortly"
"If those hunters don't like him, that's enough for me" whatever Bianca had told him, it left him resentful. Alexander frowned, he knew that look, he had seen it on Luke's face a few times when talking about his father.
"Don't worry, your sister isn't your only family here, in a way, we are all a big family, right Thalia?"
"Erm- yes, exactly"
"But aren't you dating? How does that work?"
"Well, we aren't biologically related, gods don't have dna, you see", Thalia explained, "the only place where it gets strange is with children with the same godly parent, we don't touch that with a ten foot pole"
"Ah- okay", Nico nodded, though it was clear he didn't fully grasp it. He was young, thought Alexander, once he had his first crush, he would understand.
"Well, let's go to Chiron then", Alexander changed the topic and they walked towards the big house. Nico looked around with wonder asking about everything and anything, "how many cabins are there?"
"There are twelve divine cabins"
"In which cabin will I go?"
"Cabin 11, the Hermes cabin, he takes in all unclaimed children, as well as those who don't have their own cabins. It is always the fullest of the cabins" Alexander explained.