Hunter had been suffering from this bug for about a month at this point. It was manageable most of the time, but there were nights where he would cough until he passed out. There was nothing that he could do to treat the disease. He had no I.D. No insurance. No money for over-the-counter medicine. He was in a canoe without a paddle. Hunter wasn’t awake, but he could sense everything around him. He could feel Arabella’s presence in the room, always close by his side. A warmth near him. Brushing his hair and lightly caressing his face. He could hear her singing to him. He could hear her pleas. "Apollo, please…help Hunter. Help heal him. If anyone deserves it, it’s him."
‘I don’t deserve anything, Arabella. The gods are done with me. I’ve broken an oath. I’ve broken my promise. I don’t deserve anything.’ He thought to himself.
"Ms. Foster? There’s someone from the insurance company. He’d like to speak with you." An unfamiliar voice said. He waited for the sound of a door closing, but instead felt the warm touch of her lips on his forehead. He could feel his cheeks turning red. He listened to the door closing behind her. Immediately his mind went into overdrive.
‘How am I ever going to pay her back? She gives me food. She gives me a new set of clothes. She welcomes me into her home. And now she’s paying my hospital bills. There is nothing that I can do to pay her back. I can’t stay with her. That’s just too much. When I wake up, I’m just going to leave. Hopefully she’ll be gone by then. I’m just going to walk out and go back to begging. That way I won’t be able to rack up more of a debt. I’ll have to start over. I’ll go back over to the subway entrance near 10th. That’s what I’ll do. What if she uses that subway? I can’t see her again. I don’t even want to see her now. I don’t deserve this.’ He thought as the door opened again. His mind calmed and he listened for what was going on. He heard someone step inside and close the door quietly.
"Looks like it’s your lucky day, buddy." He heard a voice say quietly. He felt a large hand press on his chest. "The gods….make….every random…whatever this…I didn’t do anything." He said before taking a deep breath. "Ω, Απόλλωνα θεραπεύσει αυτόν τον άνθρωπο στο όνομά σας. Δώστε του την ευλογία σας και να επουλώσει τις πληγές του. Σας ευχαριστώ." He recited. Hunter recognized it from all of his stints in the infirmary at camp. It was to heal someone. Hunter let out a small groan and blinked his eyes open. He saw a young man standing next to him and looking at him. "Hey. How’s it going?" He said before falling back into the chair by his bed. "I’ve had a long day, do you mind if I chill here for a while?"
"No. Go ahead." He said, his voice dry from lack of use. He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak, but wasn’t sure what to say. "You’re a son of Apollo." He said his brow furrowed. The man’s eyes widened.
"Are you a demigod?" He said quietly. He leaned forward in his chair.
"No. Uhh…Not really. I’m just….knowledgeable." He said staring at his feet. "I’m Hunter." He said extending his hand.
"Chad." He said shaking his hand just as the door opened. He stood up and turned around. "I was just le- Arabella?"