Apollo's Curse

It started with the screaming. A lot of screaming. And No One knew what to do.

Two boys had been playing basketball with a couple of Satyrs, four had been at the archery range, one had been practicing one on one combat with Clarisse. And one had been having a causal conversation with the guy he really, really, Really liked.

Will Solace had been gathering his courage for the past week to ask Nico out. This was it he was going to do it.

"Nico!" Will called the son of Hades attention, marching forward determined not to get lost in those adorable eyes that he had. Nico turned and Will was surprised to see one of his slim smiles on his face. "I need to ask you something. Would you like-"

All at once, the pain hit like falling off Olympus itself and landing on the hood of a car. Agony flung and Will feel to the ground withering in a pain that felt like he was being ripped apart.

"Will!" Nico yelled, but he could barely hear over his own screams. "Will!"

Around Camp all the Apollo kids dropped to the ground screaming like someone had shoved a white hot rod right through their chests.

And unfortunately, at the same time Clarisse had been fighting one-on-one with an Apollo boy. She didn't exactly have time to stop her thrust before the pathetic blonde had fallen over. At first she thought it was some lame diversion tactic. She thought he would've rolled away or something.

She stabbed him right through the chest with Maimer.

But the boy was in too much pain to even notice. Clarisse stumbled back her spear coming with her. No blood.

"Infirmary!" Someone yelled, "Get them to the infirmary!"

The boy fought against them his eye blurred with tears and blinded by agony.

Clarisse stared at her spear tip. Either she'd gotten extremely lucky, she'd imagined it, or something really bad had happened.

Subconsciously Clarisse, and the rest of the cabin heads, minus Leo, who was MIA since the giant war, and Percy and Annabeth who were in New Rome for college, met in the infirmary, despite the blood curling screams. Nico stood over Will holding the blond boys arms down so he would stop thrashing. He had tears falling freely down his face. He felt helpless.

"What happened?!" Nico yelled staring back at them, "What the Hades happen to him?!"

Jason and Piper shared a look. The Stolls were ghostly pale not even an inkling of a smile on their faces.

"My spear went right through him..." Clarisse whispered.

"What?" Lou Ellen asked.

"It went right through!" Clarisse yelled, "But nothing happened! It was like he wasn't there!"

Malcolm looked at a lost. Everyone turned to him looking for answers the nearest Apollo kid, a teenage girl, broke her scream with arching her back.

"What's going on, Malcolm!?" Jason asked.

The boy shook his head, "I don't know." He whispered almost lost under the wailing, "Nothing good."

***

On Olympus, Artemis let out an ear pricing scream. She'd never liked her brother but this was not right. Her eyes brimmed with tears, her knees felt weak.

Apollo's body steamed and smoked. His teenage features remained. But now he wore a mortals jeans and T shirt. His godly glow had faded. And she wasn't sure it would ever come back.

Hermes knelt next to his best friend, an aura of shocked disbelief on his face. He whirled towards Zeus, screaming absurdities.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Hermes yelled, "WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU-!!"

Ares held him back but he seemed to be having trouble. Aphrodite looked up from her mirror, letting it drop from her hands, and crack on the floor. Heaphestus looked sick. Hestia had crawled inside her heath but tears were falling down her face as she cried slightly. Poseidon and Hades were too shocked to do anything expect stare.

Zeus stood tall, looking more powerful, determined, horrifying than ever before.

Artemis was terrified. Her bow dropped to the floor making an impossibly loud sound.

"He is to blame." Zeus proclaimed. "And his punishment was destined to be severe. If you can not handle it, my son, you can join him as a mortal."

Hermes stopped struggling verses Ares, though his eyes burned with hatred. "I am not your son!"

With a pop, Hermes disappeared from the throne room.

If Zeus was rattled by Hermes words he didn't show it. The throne room crackled with the smell of ozone. Zeus raised his hand fluttering with power until his irises turned electric white.

Apollo's unconscious body started to glow and disappear.

"Father!" Artemis finally found her voice.

All the heads turned towards her. She was shaking. "STOP!" She screeched, "Please don't do this, my Lord! He's my brother! You can't-"

"YOU WILL NOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO, ARTEMIS!" Zeus roared, he squeezed his hand into a tight fist and Apollo vanished completely. Then the king of the skies turned towards Artemis. "I AM KING HERE! APOLLO WAS THE CAUSE OF MOTHER EARTH AWAKENING AS BEING A GOD, AND NOW HE WILL REMAIN MORTAL UNTIL HE DIES!"

Zeus towered over Artemis, and his brave daughter could not help but whimper. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN HIM, DAUGHTER!?"

Artemis never even saw the slap coming. The pain hit like being struck by electricity herself. She slid away, crumbling against a stone pillar. A couple tears feel out of her eyes splattering the marble floor like silver drops of moonlight.

She looked back up at him and the horrified faces of her Olympian family. Her eyes hardened, the red hand mark on her face etched distinctly. Her voice came out cold, and harsh.

A statement.

"I will find my brother again; Apollo will be a god again."

A promise.