Chapter Text
Apollo instantly knew something was wrong. His latest packages and letters hadn’t been sent out yet. Now, Apollo knew better than to complain to Hermes or go to Iris’s team, as they were incredibly busy shipping off other items. He wasn't the only one who needed something mailed out. However, the god hadn't seen his half-brother Hermes in a while. This was strange, as Apollo and Hermes were incredibly close. They would both exchange greetings and sometimes even converse when they would bump into each other. He knew how fast things got delivered thanks to his brother’s incredible speed. For a package that should've been shipped out weeks ago to still not having been processed was suspicious.
News had spread about Hermes’s disappearance, and a meeting all the Olympians had to attend was called. It would be held at Olympus by Zeus himself. This raised some red flags in Apollos mind. Why does Zeus, their father, of all God’s care about Hermes being missing? No matter, Apollo was required to attend this meeting. So there he found himself, sitting in his usual seat. Apollo scanned the room and noticed there was only 7 other gods currently waiting for the meeting to commence. Artemis, Aphrodite, Ares, Zeus, Hera, Athena, and Poseidon were the only ones there. That just left Dionysus, Hephaestus, and Hades as the last ones to arrive. Apollo could only hope Hermes would arrive.
Once everyone except Hermes had arrived, did everyone begin to talk amongst themselves. Apollo’s twin sister, Artemis, pinched his arm. He turned towards her, giving her a dirty look in the process. She replied with an equally ugly look before asking, "Hey are you alright? You're oddly quiet today, and that says a lot as you can never seem to shut that mouth of yours." Apollo sighed and responded with, "I'm just worried about Hermes, I haven't seen him around Olympus, my packages and letters haven't been sent yet." Artemis agreed with a nod of her head, "Yeah something’s going on, I tried sending a letter three or so weeks ago and it hasn't shipped yet. Things haven't been this slow since before Hermes became the messenger for the gods." Apollo was glad someone else understood, he was worried about the well-being of his brother, it may not seem like it, but Apollo cares for the younger god. "Hey wait what did you mean by I can never seem to shut my mouth-" Apollo was then interrupted by a loud clap of hands, the meeting had started.
"It has come to my attention that one of our fellow Olympians has gone missing. Hermes hasn't been seen around Olympus these past couple weeks and our letters and packages have been taking longer than usual to be sent out." Zeus declared. "I would like to send at least three of you to look for your brother, I would normally send three Demi-gods but seeing this is a major issue involving another god it'd be best if we handled it with care." Zeus continued, but by now, Apollo is more than sure something terrible had happened to Hermes if his father of all people seemed to be taking the situation seriously.
"I'd like three volunteers for this quest." Zeus announced whilst scanning the room. Apollo shared a look with his sister who seemed to have the same idea. They both raised their hands, announcing that they'd like to participate. Zeus nodded and exclaimed, “We are missing one last volunteer.” What shocked Apollo was the fact that Dionysus raised his hand to participate. Yet, the more Apollo thought about it, it made sense.l Hermes and Dionysus were the youngest of the 12 Olympians, they must’ve grown close over the years. This and he most likely did it to escape having to run camp half-blood.
“Well then, it’s settled, the three of you will head out and search for your brother. Any questions?” Zeus questioned while examining the three. “Who will continue Hermes’s job? And who will run camp half-blood with Dionysus is gone?” Poseidon asked. “I will find another god who can take over Hermes’s spot for some time, or I’ll just ask Iris to hire more staff. As for who will run camp half-blood…” Zeus trailed off looking at the rest of them, all of the gods avoided eye contact, none wanting to be assigned the task that is looking after a bunch of weird teenagers. But Zeus eventually announced who would run camp half-blood, “I decided Ares will be running the camp until Hermes is found.” Ares’s jaw dropped as he tried to argue against Zeus’s decision, yet it was all in vain as his father only turned him down. Apollo saw Ares cross his arms and pout like a child, which Apollo found hilarious.
Once the meeting was over, the three decided to meet at camp half-blood at 4pm and ask around. They bid their goodbyes and Apollo went to his room in hopes of processing the meeting that had just unfolded. Apollo could only lay there and wait for 4 to come. He will find his brother.