Chapter 9: I Meet a Talkative Black Hole.

Good news, Layla was ecstatic to join the quest group! Bad news, it was too cloudy to see the stars that night. Me, Jasper, and Layla had went to the beach- the furthest place from lights and disturbances. I had really been banking on seeing the stars, since the first thing that came to mind when they said 'cupbearer' was Ganymede's constellation- Aquarius. It would've been just now starting to rise.

So there we both stood, just awkwardly looking up at the stars. I was shocked Layla had said yes, even when I mentioned Jasper was coming along. Actually, she seemed even more eager to come along. 

"Y'know, I might have an astrolabe in the camp shop," Layla broke the silence, her hazel eyes locking with my own. 

"Astrolabe?" I had heard of those before, but I'm going to be honest with you all- I have NO IDEA what they are. 

"They're used to measure the constellations and stars. If I can get one to follow Aquarius' sequence," Layla always spoke with her hands, accentuating her words, "Maybe it can be like a weird, cycling compass."

"So we're just going to move with the movements of the stars?" Jasper questioned, his hands shoved in his jacket pockets. I had almost forgotten he was there. At night, Jasper always seems to vanish, which is freaky when he decides to speak and it scares the Hades out of you. Haha, get it?

"Yeah, or at least the stars that fall from the pithos the constellation carries," I motioned, before trying to mimic how the constellation looked. "Aquarius has a river that spills from it, made up of stars. Our job is to find that river, or… At least I think that's what happens. I think we need to find the point where the river meets the gold. I think we need to follow it to where the stars meet the sun."

"Prophecies aren't that easy to decipher," warned Layla, who was tying her long black hair into a high ponytail. "But that's a good place to start. Let's go to the camp store first, so I can get an astrolabe set up for the positioning of Aquarius."

The camp store was this quaint circular building, surrounded by smaller stalls run by other campers, satyrs, nymphs, and various other camp civilians. It was much akin to how a Renaissance Faire was set up, each place having a niche of crafted artisan goods, and other things. Layla was the person who ran the place, ensuring the economy of camp wasn't driven to disaster. She also allowed for people in camp to have some semblance of normality, bringing goodies from outside camp in. She had a monopoly on candy, soda, and music players, which most would deem was unfair, but she had a way to ensure iPods and stereos wouldn't signal monsters to our location.

The inside of the store was a clutter of different things from all over the world. Handmade pottery from China, tiny statues from India and Brazil, herbs and spices from all over the Mediterranean, and of course all sorts of trinkets and tools from all sorts of places. Nets from Polynesia, saws and hammers from Africa, and compasses from Greece and England. Layla made her way to a shelf filled with navigational tools, picking up a circular device. It looked like a compass, a telescope, and a map all in one. In the center was a copper sphere, connected to a small metal tube with a glass lens on either side. Connected, were two hands almost like a clock, and three rings surrounded the sphere, moving along as the constellations moved. It seemed to be enchanted to keep up with the season, and the current motion of the stars. 

"These may seem confusing, but honestly, they aren't. This big hand follows the course of where the constellation is in regards to where you are, like a compass," Layla stated, handing it to me. "Right now, its focused on Leo. If you turn it, it will always point towards Leo."

I tried it out, turning, and sure enough, the big hand swiveled to face where the constellation was.

"The little hand tells you what cycle its in. If it's facing downwards, that means it is on the other side of the world. If it's facing upwards, that means it's currently visible in the sky," she gestured to the astrolabe's smaller hand. 

"How do you know this?" Jasper asked, looking at the astrolabe, perplexed.

"My dad's the god of travelers, so I know how to read any navigational tool handed to me! It's a natural talent!" Layla said proudly, smiling brightly, "I can also tell which town or landmark we're closest to, at any given point in time! Do you guys have any useful navigation talents? They might be helpful…"

"I'm good at underground navigation, and traversing the Underworld," Jasper said quietly, still trying to grasp the concept of the astrolabe. Seems navigating with the skies isn't his thing. 

"And apparently I'm good at telling the time," I said very nonchalantly. "Guess that's good for time management, but I don't really know how it could be helpful with navigating."

"Super useful, actually," Layla pointed out, taking the astrolabe from my hand, "Apollo kids have that ability. They can always tell where the sun is! It doesn't matter if its night, or cloudy. Try it out now!" 

"Singapore?" I blurted, then stared at Layla, "How did you know I could do that?"

"All kids of Apollo can, Ren," she patted my shoulder, before tinkering with the astrolabe, changing it to the symbol for Aquarius. "Seems like Aquarius is in the sky now. Are we going to leave at dawn?"

Just then, a pair of footsteps were heard. We all three turned, facing the violently pink plumes of hair from none other than Valentine. 

"Man, you guys are up early," the Aphrodite head counselor groaned, raising a hand to move his hair behind one of his ears. "You're gonna wanna get going before the sun comes up. You guys need transportation."

"Yeah, we do," I spouted, but I really didn't mean to say it so loudly. Valentine's icy blue eyes looked over me, before he sighed. 

"Listen, I have a car you guys can borrow. It was a gift from my dad, but I don't really need it now that I've got a new one. Any of you have a license?" He pointed between the three of us. Jasper raised his hand.

"I got one last year, and it isn't restricted. Perks to Tennessee, I guess. I'm set to drive in all fifty states," Jasper stepped forward, "But I can't guarantee it'll come back in one piece… Or at all."

"That's why I'm offering my old car, Jas," Valentine gave us a model's smile, ruffling Jasper's choppy black hair with his well-manicured hand. "Just get there in one piece, and IM me when you eventually crash- or arrive wherever. Whichever comes first."

Sometimes I forget we're all the same age. Valentine is about to turn eighteen- he's only a few months older than me and Jasper, which made this whole interaction a bit funnier. He was in a leadership position at such a young age, he really felt like he was older than us, didn't he?

"Thanks Valentine," Layla's voice was soft, and filled with admiration, and it wasn't really that hard to understand why. He was already helping us out so much, even though he didn't know us.

"I'm only doing Arthur a favor by doing this," Valentine yawned, reaching into the pocket of his stylish white fur coat, grabbing a set of keys. "You'll find it parked at a garage in Northville, which is like… a half hour drive from here. Ask Atalanta for a ride there."

Valentine yawned again, trudging out of the shop and back to the Aphrodite cabin. 

"How did he know we were here?" Layla muttered, staring at the keys in Jasper's hands.

"Arthur." Jasper's voice was a bit tense, but his face looked just as calm as it did before. What was with them? 

"Anyways, shouldn't we go let Atalanta know we need a ride to that garage?" I broke that tension, pointing over my shoulder towards the door. "Because it's like… almost two in the morning. I have my bag packed, so we can grab our stuff and get going."

"Right, yeah. Val wouldn't have come all the way here for nothing," Layla murmured, grabbing a few extra things off the shelves and putting them into her bag. Snacks, bottles of water, and a few other things that looked oddly useful, but none of us knew how to use.

Layla went to go talk with Atalanta about getting a ride to Northville from either her or Argus, one of the protectors of camp. The guy was a little creepy, and very silent, but he was compassionate at the end of the day. He was this normal looking guy, but all over his body were multi-colored eyeballs, each one on the lookout for different threats. I nearly screamed the first time I saw them, but after enough time spent playing checkers with him in the Big House, I grew to enjoy the guy's company.

Jasper and I went back to our cabins to get our things. I knew my siblings were heavy sleepers at night, since most of our power is driven by the sun. I grabbed my bag and some ambrosia and nectar from the walk-in clinic. Myra was in there, resting in an arm chair, swaddled in a yellow and white blanket. I decided to leave a note letting her know what I was taking, so she didn't feel like something was missing when she did inventory in the morning.

Jasper and I met up at his cabin. At night, the Hades cabin seemed even more freaky. Ghost-like silhouettes danced around the outside walls, and in the windows. Jasper had mentioned that it was only an enchantment, but those faceless souls looked so realistic I couldn't believe it. He was sitting on the rocking chair, standing up when he saw me approaching. 

"Are we all set to go?" Jasper whispered, shouldering his backpack. The camp at night was beautiful. The fire in the center of the cabin's green shimmered a warm amber light, illuminating the statues and benches nearby. The walls Artemis cabin seemed to be like an animation, white forest animals pranced around silvery trees, as girls with bows ran along for the hunt. It was beautiful, but a shame it can only be seen when people are asleep.

"Yeah," I finally said, turning towards the path to the Big House. "Let's go, the sooner we leave, the sooner we get back, right? I don't wanna be spending all summer chasing stars."

"A few more lines like that, and you'll be writing a poem," teased Jasper, who playfully punched my arm, walking ahead of me. 

Argus was able to get us Northville. We climbed into the truck that was owned by the camp's mortal front- Delphi Strawberry Service. The truck was a beaten down, red painted farm truck with empty crates in the back. We sat a bit crammed in, but hey, a ride is a ride. Argus wouldn't go any further than the Northville town limits, so we walked the rest of the way. Honestly, it wasn't that bad! Northville was this super tiny town, with not even two thousand people living there. 

And finding the garage wasn't that hard. There was a museum for antique power and motor contraptions- and a singular garage open for business. Compared to the older feel of the tiny town, the garage felt out of place. It was a newer building, with sleek grey and white walls, and a red and white checkered flag sign reading 'KT's Garage and Service.' The entire front of the garage was littered with brand new cars, tires, and other things you'd need for your driving escapades. Every car was red or white, except for one bright orange Maserati.

"No way," Layla gasped, staring at the car with wide eyes, "He did not just offer his Maserati to us." 

"He sure did," Jasper clicked the keys in his hand, and surely enough the lights flickered as the doors unlocked. All three of us were just staring in awe at the car in front of us. The front seats had covers over them, decorated with cherries, the steering wheel cover was orange with white rhinestones, and on the rearview mirror, a pair of pink and red fuzzy dice hung. 

"Talk about overkill," Layla whistled appreciatively, opening the back seat of the car and climbing in, "Smells like oranges in here!"

The scent was citrusy- like an air freshener had exploded inside. Orange, grapefruit, and lemongrass filled my nose the second I opened the passenger side door. Jasper got into the driver's seat, inspecting the area before putting the key in, adjusting the seat, and turning the car on. 

"This is gonna be nice," he seemed excited, glancing at me with a smirk, "Alright, where to, Sunshine?"

I looked at Layla, who pulled the astrolabe out. She looked over it, before smiling. "Alright, the best bet would be to head south! Let's get going! We should probably get to Pennsylvania, get gas, and continue Southwest."

"Well, then we'll head to Pennsylvania," Jasper said. After we all buckled in and distributed snacks among one another, he began driving. The good thing about late night driving- no one was on the road. Jasper decided to take the car for a joyride, blasting past stop signs and through red lights without cameras. At some point, I was sure I saw the speedometer over 110 miles an hour for a good ten minutes. However, Jasper seemed to know how to drive. I didn't feel scared a bit. We made it off Long Island and through the city in two hours- it was about five in the morning by the time we crossed the state line into New Jersey. Everything seemed familiar to me. I had been on this interstate so, so many times with my mom.

However, with the speed we were going, things soon went from familiar to strangely different. The landscape soon flattened out, creating expanses of grassy fields with the occasional old suburban stretch of cookie cutter houses. We hit the state lines of Pennsylvania within an hour or so, and the first rays of sunlight were starting to peek over the horizon. 

We stopped at a gas station just outside of Philadelphia. It wasn't shabby, just an average chain gas station. The lights were fluorescent white, illuminating the parking lot and gas pumps. Everything seemed normal, with a few people loading up on gas for their morning commute to work. Looking in the glass windows of the brick and plaster store, shelves of snacks and drinks were spread out. At the desk, an employee sat with her feet up on the counter, leaning back and scrolling through her phone. I suppose taking the early shift meant less work. For a moment, I was a little envious. My mom had told me not to get a job until I was finished with high school- and now here I was, at the Mark's Quickstop, on a road trip to nowhere, with people I met only a week ago. 

"You two stay here," Layla said, unbuckling her belt as Jasper pulled the car to a pump, "I'll go in, pay for gas, grab us some bottles of water for the trip, and we can get back on the road."

She left the two of us, and Jasper turned to me with a look in his eyes. "You should probably rest up before we hit Tennessee, Ren. You'll need some energy," he spoke quietly, almost like he was trying to keep things hushed from the old man in front of us- who was pumping gas into his beaten up grey truck. 

"What about you?" I argued back, but then I sat back and realized exactly why. He was the only one really allowed to drive, especially when a car like this is absolutely a blazing target for interstate police. 

"I'll be fine. As a kid of Hades, I can stay awake longer than most people. Hypnos is technically and underworld god, after all," Jasper sounded almost proud of that, and I was getting the feeling this wasn't the first time he's been on a trip like this. "Besides, you won't be able to rest once the sun is completely up. You'll probably have about forty or fifty minutes to get some sleep."

He was right- I had been up most of the night, preparing and traveling with him and Layla, that I hadn't even realized I was a bit exhausted. Without further arguing, I closed my eyes and gave in to sleep. My first mistake was going to sleep, and my second was being a demigod. Up until recently, I never really dreamed, and when I did- they were usually nightmares. This time, it was a nightmare. Shocker.

The world faded to black, which wasn't much of a surprise when you're sleeping. This was different. The darkness was cold, stale, and smelled faintly of ozone and honeysuckles. It wasn't uncomfortable, but that's what I found most terrifying. I had learned at camp that darkness is the number one fear of all Apollo campers, just like how spiders are the scariest things for Athena kids- or airplane rides scare the heebies out of Poseidon's daughter. Something about this felt off the instant I realized I was sleeping. 

I felt enveloped in the suffocating darkness, as if it were hugging me tightly, but the cold didn't affect me at all. As a matter of fact, I couldn't tell whether or not I was warm or cold, since the temperature wasn't necessarily distinguishable. I took a few steps, stumbling through the cloudy, inky black fog, the mist parting to reveal the silhouette of a man, only visible by the blue outline of his body. He was tall, and there were no distinguishing features of this man, only that he was made of pure darkness. The harder I looked, the less I saw, as the blue light that surrounded him seemed to fold into his body. It reminded me of those animations where black holes ate the light from stars, until there was nothing left. The figure opened his arms wide, and spoke, the voice surrounding me as if I were in a stadium, and he were speaking into the sound system. 

"Little sun," the voice echoed, deep and lulling like an old jazz singer's, "Welcome. Please, make yourself comfortable."

I felt compelled to sit, to rest, but I knew it wasn't… right. Nothing about this was. Everything was disorienting, and not being able to see what was around me always scared me. No light, no sun, just the silhouette of a man.

"You are scared of the dark?" The man said, approaching me. One hand reached out, scooping me up into the palm. I was hit with a wave of exhaustion, as if all the energy had been sucked out of me. "Rest, I insist, little sun. I have always favored your kind."

For some reason, I wanted to believe that, but I couldn't let my guard down. None of my dreams were ever good, especially not recently. I sat in the giant man's palm, looking up. I could begin to see some features, the blue light that had been drawn in now creating outline of facial features. He was handsome, likely in his forties. He reminded me of the statue of Antinous as Dionysus at the Vatican, but his eyes lacked any details other than the outlines. Gentle, if I had to summarize it. It was the face of someone who would shower you with love, yet command a million armies with pure control. 

"Little sun, why do you fear the dark?" The man spoke- but the blue outlined lips never moved. I stared up at him, trying to understand what he was saying.

"There is no light," I replied after a moment, and the lips smiled ever so softly.

"With light, there is no darkness, but light cannot live without the dark," The voice echoed throughout the fog, and he raised his palm to his eye, observing me. "Too much light would become blinding, little sun. The dark will always be there when the light burns out."

The man vanished, and I felt myself falling. Clouds of black fog spilled away, gently cradling me and slowing my fall. Soon, I found myself falling from high in the sky. Below me, a city stretched- a river winding from horizon to horizon, golden from the sun's light. In the heart of it, right near the river was a golden sphere atop a tall, metal structure. A stadium was nearby, with a bright orange and white sign I couldn't quite read from this far. Before I collided with the ground, I had awaken to Layla shaking my shoulder. 

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," she said with a grin, pointing at the scene around me. I had slept for far longer than expected, it was already about one in the afternoon. 

"You guys should've woken me up," I groaned, looking outside. We were already crossing the state lines to… Tennessee? Just how long was I asleep? Let's see… fell asleep around five, woke up at one… 

"Eight hours? You let me sleep that long?" I mumbled a bit, and Layla nodded. 

"Yeah! I ended up falling asleep by Harrisburg, but woke up when we were close to Roanoke, Virginia," she said, offering me a bottle of water. "Jasper says we're heading to Knoxville first. Something about someone who can help us on the quest. Give us pointers, y'know."

"Knoxville?" I rose a brow. Where the heck is that? 

"It's a city in Tennessee," Jasper spoke up, hardly sounding tired from driving for almost ten hours straight by now. "I had to come here on my own quest, and the person I met here… They helped a bit getting me on the right path."

"Plus there's this weird thing about the city's colors being orange and white, and there's a river running through it. Maybe, if we happen to be lucky, this could be the place where the 'river meets the sun' or whatever that prophecy line was," Layla piped up, taking a sip of her water afterwards. "They have that sun sphere, too. It looks like a big microphone with this round gold glass orb at the top."

"Have you been there before?" I turned to look at her, and she shook her head with a laugh. 

"Gods no! My mom only travels to major cities, like LA, Chicago, or Memphis. Places that have more monuments, and more history," she grumbled, looking outside the car window, "She doesn't really understand the beauty of nature and nature's history. I can't wait until I'm able to travel around on my own."

"So that's why you were so fast to agree to joining?" I teased and her ears turned red.

"No! Well- yes, but not entirely why!" She argued, before huffing. "Just shut up. I'll tell you later."

Jasper chuckled from the driver's seat, and I couldn't help but smile. Even she eventually smiled, staring out as the scenery became more mountainous and natural, woods and hills enveloping the interstate.