HELLO FAITHFUL FANS, FRIENDS, AND ENEMIES!!! I HAVE RETURNED FROM THE DEAD! Well, the main reason is that it is vacation, and vacation is amazing. And I finally got over one god darn long bout of writers block, of which I apologize for. BUT! I will try to be more faithful, my fans, and I hope to have another chapter up sometime within the week.

Rating: PG (I have to find something else to put here...*sighs*)

Disclaimer: Oh, to be able to claim this series, to teach and lecture at high schools and colleges across America, that would be the life! But that's not my life. That's Rick's....oh how I envy him.

Slowly, I adapted well to life at Camp Half-Blood. I got along really well with Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, all of whom were probably the most unique people I'd ever met, what with Percy being Poseidon's son and Annabeth being Athena's daughter, and then you have Grover, who, as I have recently found out, actually has goat legs. Yeah, weird, I know. Although, I can't really say anything, because from what I'm gathering, I'm just like them. No offense to Grover or any of his friends, but I hope I don't suddenly wake up with legs that have too much hair and bend the wrong way. That would probably be a little too much for me to handle.

But other than that, I really like camp. I finally feel like I belong somewhere, someplace that people don't think of me as a leech feeding off their tax dollars.

I'm still a little jealous, though. I mean, Percy still has his mother to go back to, and Annabeth has her father, even if every fiber of her being hates every fiber of his. I don't really have anyone to go back to, to live with. And even though I have all of these new friends, it really makes this world seem a lot more lonely.

And then, there was that night.

I had taken to walking along the beach of Camp Half-Blood late at night as a hobby or bad habit, take your pick. But I still enjoyed it. It was relaxing to me to walk out here with the cold water of the Atlantic lapping at my feet and the silence of the stars the only thing to keep me company. It was on such a night that he came.

I was down the hill behind the Athena cabin, strolling idly down the beach, relishing in the feeling of the sand between my toes when a dark shape stalked through my field of vision.

Whatever it was, it looked fairly humanoid in shape, a little taller than me with broader shoulders. Honestly, he was intimidating, with his dark robe that swirled menacingly around him and the fact that I had to look up to him wasn't one that pleased me entirely.

"H-hello?" I called out nervously, still cautious. I didn't know if he was friend or foe.

"So you're finally on your feet," the figure called back with a happy kind of voice. It was definitely male, but something rang with it that wasn't quite normal. There was almost some aspect of it that resonated oddly, even though we were in the open air.

"Uh, yeah," I replied, finding this the oddest line to open a conversation with. "Who are you?"

"Ah, you're quick to the point, aren't you, youngster?" the man said with a laugh.

On any other night, I would have blushed. But right now, fear and curiosity were overwhelming that urge.

"Oh, very well. But know that if you were talking to anyone else of my family like that, you surely would have been incinerated where you stand."

My feet were suddenly frozen, and that blush that thought it might grace my cheeks retreated with its tail between it's legs, my face suddenly a pasty white. I swallowed dryly.

"I, to sate your curious mind, am Apollo, the glorious god of the sun, medicine and prophecy, at your service. Well…actually, I'm at my own service, but it's just too much fun to trick people into thinking that."

Much to my surprise, and probably to his, I laughed. I don't really know why, but I did, for some reason finding what he said extremely funny.

Apollo chuckled as well, but whether it was at my laughter or his own joke I wasn't sure. When I had calmed down, it became suddenly silent, as I remembered whom I was in company with.

"Oh, no need to be so formal. I'm pretty relaxed compared to the other gods I'm forced to call family," Apollo said nonchalantly.

"But why are you here?" I asked suddenly, probably catching the god off guard, if that was even possible. "I mean, why come to me?"

"Why?" Apollo repeated the question with what sounded like a curious tone. "Well, I just wanted to tell you something."

"Me? What could be so important that you would come down here yourself to tell me? I mean, no offense to Hermes, but isn't he the messenger god?" I asked. By now, I was thoroughly confused.

"Hermes was out, and I just wanted to come meet the newest of brother's subordinates."

I gave him a confused expression, which I knew he saw in the total darkness, and asked, "Do you normally come to greet the newbies at camp?"

Apollo laughed. "Oh no, just consider yourself lucky to be in the presence of a god such as me," the god said in a sarcastic tone. He was lax, totally not what I had expected from a god, even Apollo. He was almost mortal; the way he talked to me was almost as an equal. So that either meant that he was lowering himself to my level or raising me to his. I was still trying to figure out which one, and if that was a good or a bad thing.

"So, what was so important that you had to tell me?" I asked again.

"Oh, you know, just that I'm going to be keeping my eyes on you. Your destined for great things, you know," Apollo replied.

"I-I am?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yep. Now, I have a question for you. What's your name?"

I was caught completely off guard. Why was he asking? "Don't you already know?" I asked.

"Yes and no. I could guess really well, but it's a policy of the gods not to invade privacy too much."

"O-oh, well my name's Jason," I replied.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Jason," Apollo said as he held out his hand. I shook it, feeling extremely awkward to just shake hands with a god, not bowing at his feet. "But now, I must take my leave. If you'll excuse me."

And with those final words accompanied by a flash of light, he was gone.

I enjoyed writing that....I really did.