How to Date a Superhero Ch. 03

"Please," Apollo invited her into his home after the two had landed on his balcony.

"Nice place," she remarked, noting the tastefully decorated and spacious apartment.

Apollo removed his mohawk helm, letting blond hair tumble to his shoulders. "Let us dispense with any pleasantries. No doubt you have many questions for me."

"Just a few," Mega-Girl said, maintaining a safe distance from him. "Why did you attack me last week?"

"I told you. I was ensorcelled."

"What does that even mean? Are you talking about magic?"

"Aye," Apollo set his helmet down on a large dining table, "Or some manner of power. The variety of mortals such as thyself, all with strange abilities, are too numerous to count. Pure magic is rare on this plane, but mortal adepts are not unheard of."

"You mentioned a woman, Lauren Smith, is she the one who put the zap on your head?"

"Would you care for a drink?" Apollo asked, temporarily ignoring Mega-Girl's query.

"No," she replied curtly, "Answer my question."

"Aye, Lauren Smith. But before you ask I know not who she is or what motivates her. It is humbling to admit, but the witch made me a dupe in her plan to kill you."

"Why would this woman want to kill me?" Mega-Girl asked, confused. "I've never even heard of her."

Apollo lifted a shoulder, wandering towards his kitchen, "I need some wine."

"What about that bow?" Mega-Girl followed after him, intent on more answers.

"The bow is mine," Apollo admitted, perusing a rack of wine bottles near his fridge. "But have no fear, mortal, I will not take aim upon thee again."

"How did it hurt me?" Mega-Girl wondered, "Nothing's ever hurt me like that."

Apollo selected a green bottle without a label and pulled its cork out with his teeth, "My father magicked it to pierce any armor, any flesh."

"That's pretty convenient," she commented dryly, "What does your father have against me?"

Apollo chuckled as he poured a glass, "The bow was made over two millennia ago, long before you were born."

Mega-Girl folded her arms across her chest, "All right, I'm convinced you don't want to kill me anymore. I just have one other question. Where can I find this Lauren Smith bitch so I can convince her to stop tricking gods into killing me?"

"I know not where she is," Apollo stated, pausing to take a swallow of wine. "But I can aid thee in locating her."

"How are you going to do that?" Mega-Girl sounded skeptical.

"Not myself, but mine sister. We'll need to travel to Olympus and convince her to aid us."

Mega-Girl laughed at the absurdity, "You think she's on a mountain in Greece?"

Apollo chuckled, "Nay, not Greece..."

=======

"He wants to take you where?" Jordan wondered with an incredulous gasp, watching her roommate stuff a toothbrush into a duffle bag.

"Olympus," Penny said; the two roommates were within Penny's mess of a room as she tried to decide what to pack, "I guess it's where he's originally from - his home town, or something."

Jordan was having trouble wrapping her head around what Penny had said regarding her conversation with Apollo, "And it's in another dimension?"

"That's what he said."

"And you believed him?"

Penny glanced at her, "Why shouldn't I? He's a god, right? They must come from somewhere."

"Jesus, Penny. Do you have any idea how crazy this all sounds? We don't even know if Apollo is actually a god at all. I mean, he could be a lunatic full of shit who simply tells everyone he's a god. That doesn't mean it's true!"

Penny shrugged bonelessly, "He says his sister is there and that she can find this Lauren Smith chick who somehow has the power to control people's minds and wants me dead. If there's a chance Apollo is telling the truth I owe it to myself to try and figure out where to find her." Looking towards her closet she asked, "What do you suppose people wear in Olympus?"

Jordan threw her hands up helplessly, "How the hell would I know? Do I look like I've visited other dimensions, before?"

"I guess I'll just pack a couple of extra costumes," Penny decided, "If they all dress like Apollo I shouldn't stand out too much."

"You do realize that if Apollo is telling the truth, and that's a big 'if', you'll be on your own? I'm handy with computers and electronics but I'm pretty sure no one has invented a cell phone that can call another dimension."

"I'll be fine," Penny assured her, "Apollo apologized for attacking me and I believed him when he said he was under some kind of magic influence. I'll be perfectly safe. I'm nigh-invulnerable, remember? Plus, I'll have an ancient god at my side to protect me."

"I'm not suggesting you need a bodyguard," Jordan conceded, "But what if you get trapped in this other dimension and can't get back?"

"What if I don't go?" Penny proposed, folding one of her spare costumes, "What if this crazy sorceress lady succeeds in killing me because I just ignored the situation?"

"We could try finding her? I could do a full search on the name Lauren Smith; I even have a few backdoor options for government databases I could try. I'm sure it's not her real name but maybe it's a common alias and I could get some red flag hits -"

"I want to go," Penny interrupted, "Since putting on the costume I've seen and done some pretty amazing things, but this is on a whole new level. Traveling to another dimension? Meeting actual gods? I can't turn down an adventure like that."

Jordan frowned and sat on the edge of Penny's disheveled bed.

"What?" Penny watched her.

"Nothing," Jordan sighed, "If I were in your shoes I'd probably do the same thing. Plus, Apollo is damn near the sexiest guy on Earth - literally a Greek god - and you're recently single."

Penny laughed, "I didn't know you were into the muscle-bound types."

"How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"Shouldn't take more than a day or two," Penny guessed, "At least I hope not; I can't afford to skip classes for very long without getting seriously behind."

"Just promise me you'll be careful, okay?" Jordan looked slightly concerned.

"Don't worry about me," Penny winked, "I'll bring you back a post-card."