The Cult of Dionysus

Apollo

I try to push today's embarrassments out of my mind as I get dressed. First, I'd completely failed at swordfighting. It's never been a strength of mine, but without my godly abilities, I was, in Leo's words, pure suck. The only thing that saved me there was Calypso, who was just as bad as me.

Then, we had Greek and Roman history. You'd think that having lived through all the events they were talking about, I'd be quite the expert, but instead of being able to clarify confusions and answer the questions of the eager demigods, my best answer to almost everything was I don't know. I hate this small, mortal mind of mine. Every time Calli mentioned some event from millenia ago, everyone would turn to me, expecting me to recount an epic tale, and I'd have to shrug my shoulders and admit that I do not remember the event. Sure, I remember bits and pieces, or glimpses, or faces, but nowhere near enough to recount the story. Then, I made matters worse by trying to invent what happened. A desperate attempt to redeem myself, sure, but I was feeling desperate. And of course, my least favorite daughter had to correct me and tell me that no, that's not what happened. It was mortifying.

To top it all off, I learned that this daughter of Dionysus is a full-fledged, professional music producer, working with all kinds of stars. Leo brought it up, and Marc Anthony (the demigod, not the singer) decided to mention how she's worked with stars such as Pitbull, Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, and Karol G. All of my favorite Latin artists. Sure, I'd heard she'd been dabbling in music, but not to this extent. It's almost insulting to learnt hat the daughter of a fat, drunken god can do what I consider one of the most difficult jobs ever. I mean, to compose a song, to produce a song, to write and perform a song, are all incredibly difficult. And she's risen to the top in a matter of months. Ridiculous.

But now is my shot at redemption. It's karaoke time. There's no way I can mess up karaoke. I literally invented it.

Leo, who is still shaken up from learning that Calli is basically famous, sits on the side of the bed, already dressed in some clothess she picked out for him. He's staring at himself in the mirror on the wall. He's got a white colarlless shirt on, with suspenders and pinstriped pants.

I hate myself for asking, but my stupid mortal conscience forces me to. "Are you okay?"

"She's a famous music producer." He says. "Like she said."

"Like she said?"

He shakes his head. "When we were on the Argo II, we were talking about what we'd do if we weren't demigods. Like,if we could grow up and be whatever we want, with no monsters or quests or imminent death. She said she'd be a DJ and remix songs, and maybe write her own. Marc said that that's how she started out. Reyna told her to move on and live her life, and she did. Oh man, she really did." He laughs to himself. "She's not going to come on the quest with us."

I frown. "She might, still. We can convince her."

Leo sucks his teeth. "Once Calli sets her mind on something-"

"She set her mind on you." I remind him.

He hangs his head in defeat. "I can't think of what to do. I don't know how to fix it." He hits the pillow beside him in frustration. "I'm good with machines, not people. This isn't a mechanical problem."

Despite how annoying he is, I feel pity for him. Sure, he did a bad thing, but his misery still feels bad. "I'm sure there's something you can do. Maybe she just needs more time around you, to remind her of how much she loves you."

"Yeah, but she's not coming on the quest." He reminds me. "How is she going to get more time-"

"After the quest." I offer. "Come back here. Show her who you are. Show her the scrawny mechanic she fell in love with not so long ago."

"That's the thing." He sighs. "I still feel like the same person, but I don't know if she is. She's like... she's like when she was on the ship and mad at her dad. So serious, focused on leadership and work. That's not who she's supposed to be. She got sent of to Silenus's island for a hard reset. Now, she needs it again, but I don't know how to show that to her. She doesn't seem like she wants it."

I bite my tongue. Silenus is an interesting creature. In a way, he's the bridge between me and Dionysus. He's a drunken fool, yes, but he also has the gift of wisdom and prophecy. His most famous quote of all, which he told to Midas (an old fool, if you ask me) was that the best thing a human can do is to not be born at all. Sure, it sounds bleak and dreary, but that was his way of saying that life is full of misery and pain.

Of course, I'm not going to tell Leo all of this. Instead, I try and be optimistic. "You're a demigod. Miracles happen all the time for your kind. She might change her mind. The best you can do is-" I grit my teeth, unable to accept the fact that I am quoting my brother, Dionysus, "-is to live in the present, and enjoy every minute of it."

Leo glances at me curiously. "You sound like Calli."

"Don't tell me you're falling in love with me now too."

I don't expect him to laugh, but he does. "I promise I'm not. Come on, let's go."