Chapter Five
Apollo's apprehension grows as he walks further into Corsair Territory. Neon signs tower over the gray, stone-like buildings now that sit along the narrow streets that are littered with trash. It's not what Apollo imagined and it's definitely a stark contrast to the spacious farms he's used to. But to some relief though, the people he has came across have largely ignored him. Mostly, he sees women and children with the occasional elderly man. He's stunned at how poor they look with their mismatched clothes and dirty faces.
Eventually Apollo spots something that is familiar to him. It's the structure from his dream. He's not really surprised at anything that comes his way anymore and as he almost expected, an old woman emerges from the door, ready to greet him.
"Hello there, my name is Julia; I've been expecting you. Come inside, quickly!"
Apollo doesn't hesitate, following behind the lady and entering the building. The interior is the same as the dream as well, except this time, the fireplace is dark and empty. Apollo wonders what it could mean as Julia breaks the silence, "I'm still waiting for my granddaughter to bring wood for the fire. Come and sit." Julia gestures toward a set of chairs next the fireplace, "Oriah told me long ago this day would come and here you are! He's a peculiar one, your father."
Apollo looks at the old woman with intrigue, "How do you know him? What else did he tell you?" Julia speaks again, "I've known your father his entire life. You know, he came here once, years ago, and told me there would be another upheaval, and when that day comes, you would come here, seeking my help." Then their conversation is abruptly interrupted by a roaring sound outside and then by the front door bursting open. Apollo is almost knocked to the floor by the astounding sight before him.
"I found plenty of firewood, Grandma." The pale-skinned girl in the door smiles at the old lady then at Apollo, "I see we have company!" Apollo stands up, gawking at her. He can't help but stare into those familiar gray eyes, "Misery?" The young girl gives him a puzzled look before erupting into the sweet smile Apollo had remembered, "Um, no. I'm quite happy at the moment, thank you, I guess." Apollo shakes his head, "No, I mean, that's your name, isn't it?" The girl smirks, "No, it's Luna. So are you gonna help me with this or not?" Apollo stammers something awkward as he grabs her armful of timber, bringing it into the house. He can't help but look back at her, she's a perfect match for the girl from the Chamber.
Soon, the three sit comfortably by a fire that is now glowing in the hearth. Apollo feels better than he has in a long time. Julia's cooking rivals even the Acropolis cafeteria and he can't remember when the last time he felt this content. Julia entertains them with her stories, giving a colorful description of the first days of Alcazar.
"So you and my grandmother helped start Alcazar?"
"Yes."
"And I guess there was a rebellion and those people became the Corsair?"
"That's right."
"So what happened to her, my grandmother?"
Julia turns her head toward the fire, staring out at its blaze, "I don't know if your father wants me to go into that." She turns back to Apollo, the reflection of the fire glowing in her eyes, "But I can tell you this, you will soon find the answers you seek. Luna will take you back home tomorrow."
~
"So how did you guys end up being Corsair?" Apollo couldn't bring himself to ask the old lady that, but now that it's the next morning and he's finally alone with Luna, it's the first thing out of his mouth. Luna straps a satchel onto the back of one of the motorcycles as she answers him, "My grandfather was Corsair but he died when I was young. We just stayed here I guess." Apollo has to keep reminding himself that she's not the girl he thinks she is. But every so often though, he catches himself wishing she was. Then guilt reaches up, painfully reminding him of his love for Grace. He's way too comfortable with this girl.
Luna fastens the last buckle on the bag and turns to him, "Do you ride?" Apollo can just hang his head in embarrassment and slightly shake it before Luna grabs the boy's hand, "It's okay, you can ride with me. I want to show you something, come on!" Luna straddles the motorcycle, slaps the seat and motions for Apollo to join her. When he clambers on, Luna immediately grabs his arms and pulls them around her, resting his hands on her hips. The girl's sweet scent tingles his senses and he can barely breathe being this close to her. Then Apollo has to brace himself as Luna cackles and they rocket off down the beach, "Hold on!"
They ride along the ocean for at least half an hour. Every so often, Luna turns back and peers at Apollo. Her cheek touches his chin as tips of her black hair sting his face, sending waves of excitement shivering through him. Apollo tries to ignore the sensation and yells into the oncoming wind, "Where are we going!" Luna looks back and answers with a smile, "Somewhere beautiful, a place not touched by war!"
Eventually the beach becomes beset with enormous boulders, with waves crashing together between them in a white foamy dance. Something catches Apollo's attention, a rising ridge in the distance that Luna is apparently heading towards. Within minutes, Apollo's watching those large rocks grow gradually smaller as the motorcycle begins to climb.
Soon the incline levels out and Luna slows down. They cruise through increasingly larger swathes of trees until they're surrounded by dense forest and Luna has to bring the bike to a stop. They climb off and she grabs the backpack, strapping it on, "We have to hike it from here, follow me." Apollo follows her lead and she takes him through the thick woods, meandering between the trees, until they reach a river. A wide ribbon of clear water speeding past, making crests and ripples that cream around the banks.
Apollo stares at the rapids, he's never seen anything like it. To him, it's way more impressive than the ocean, more energetic and full of life. The energy gives him ideas, reminiscent of the waves back at the pond. But it also reminds him of something he can no longer do, something else the Corsair robbed from him when they stole his home, his family. The thought occurs to him to reach out to ARIES when Luna turns back to him, "Stop. We're here."
He follows the girl as she sits down on a large flat stone next to the water, "Apollo, let me ask you something. Have you ever wondered where your name came from?" The boy looks at her with confusion, "What?" And she laughs, "Your name, Apollo. Have you ever wondered what it meant?"
"No"
"Well my grandmother told me that I was named after an ancient goddess. Luna, the Goddess of the Moon, and the other night, before you came, she told me about you." Apollo shakes his head, "I don't understand what this has to do with anything." Luna puts her finger over his lips and pulls his eyes into hers, "Just shut up and listen, let me finish." Apollo leans back, listening quietly as Luna continues, "Your name, Apollo, it comes from the same place. You were also named after an ancient God, the God of the Sun." This causes Apollo to interrupt her again, "So what are you saying? The sun and moon equals me and you?" Luna yells at him, "No, I said let me finish!" Apollo mumbles an apology and sits quietly as Luna continues.
"So it's like this, we were named like that because we were part of some military program from the old government. Our names were chosen for a reason and they mean something. Everything means something, Apollo. And the only way I can explain it to you is to tell you the whole story as my grandmother told it to me. So just listen, okay?"
Unlike Apollo, nothing was hidden from the girl and for reasons he still can't explain, Apollo knows he can trust her, "Okay." So Luna goes into the story, through her grandmother's eyes, about how they both came to be and why they are here.