APOLLO

Ares crossed his arms as he faced the backgammon table with me on the opposite side.

‘’Any moment now’’I said impatiently as the sun was slowly getting down.

There was a grunt.

‘’Persians’’He grunted once more.

‘’Yes, it is a Persian game, Hermes gave it to me fifty years ago’’I explained.

‘’And why did you decide to play with me now?’’He asked.

I smiled wickedly.’’Just to see you lose. Now’’I showed once more the table which had all white stones at Ares’ side and only two blacks at mine. Only two for me to take and I would win.

But Ares replied by flipping the table upside down.

‘’Really?’’Artemis replied by the river next to us as Aphridte was flying close to her husband.’’The god of war failing at a simple game.’’

‘’I do not like child games.’’

‘’Oh, that was it then?’’I asked.’’Losing at a child game? And in the morning was also a child game?’’I asked, making him stand up on his feet. His hand spread open with his fingers wide as if he tried to reach something that wasn’t there until shadows were cast for a black steel sword to come into his grip. It was almost the same height and width as him and he began grinning.

I moved my hands up and laughed.’’Alright you win, how scary’’

Flickering my fingers, a golden bow appeared on my hands, and stood in an archer position.

Artemis snored.’’Make sure you won’t ruin a mountain again.’’And she fell asleep near the river.

Both me and Ares laughed as we were ready to fight. I drew my fingers around the bow with no strings as an arrow slowly appeared between me and it. Ares lifted his enormous sword up and.

‘’Hello’’Hermes clapped his hands as he appeared between us.

We both stopped and looked at him confused. His silver skin was shimmering against the sunset, making Artemis wake up instantly.

‘’What are you doing here?’’She asked him with a spit.

Hermes took out his bronze hat, showing his covered eyes.’’Oh, I am paying a simple visit’’He said with a cruel smile.’’Then again,’’

He made a long pause as his silver body was now filled with countless eyes. ‘’I always could see my siblings’ fate.’’

‘’That doesn’t answer the question.’’Ares moved to him.

Hermes' short figure took a flip, flying now beyond Ares' body.’’Now, that is true.’’The eyes disappeared and he turned on the white dove. He waved a hello and blew up a kiss, making Ares grit. Aphrodite flew back to Ares, resting on his shoulder and moving her head in his hair.

Hermes frowned his mouth.’’How pathetic you all..’’

My fingers slipped from the arrow as I had now aimed for his head. But he instantly caught it with his two fingers.

‘’Careful now,brother’’He smirked.

I frowned as I could see Artemis aiming at him from one of the trees she was standing. And it seemed that he could see it too. The wind moved his dark short curls as his shoes were flying at a steady pace.

‘’I am just here’’He finally said, giving up.’’To send an invitation’’His fingers snapped, letting out a pamphlet from the thin air.

The silver paper moved to our side as Artemis followed us and we could now read it.

A hundred years passed and now Father wants us to...

‘’Celebrate?’’ Artemis asked dry.

‘’Not any god had managed to obey a manishement for that long’’Hermes laughed.

‘’Not every god managed to trap Eris to Tartrus before’’Ares reminded him. ‘’And if we did not obey’’

Hermes flapped his hands.’’Yes, yes, she will break out, chaos will erupt from the earth, the world will end as we all know it, but now it is a celebration.’’He walked down.’’A night for you back home. Now, what do you say?’’

We all shared a glare. I looked back to Hermes who was now resting in a tree. I haven’t seen him for over a hundred years and he did not stop being an obnoxious pain. His dark hair was still short but he seemed to have grown a slight beard. And he seemed tired. Then again, he always loved messing with people.

‘’How pathetic’’ He said. I never thought he would be angry if he ever saw us again.

A celebration. He said. I looked back to the pamphlet and I saw a silver eagle down to the letters. And a feather of a peacock.

‘’Mother wants to see us?’’Ares asked Hermes, almost afraid.

‘’Well, yes.’’Hermes nodded, revealing a silver coin. ‘’Now shall we or I return empty-handed.’’He made a long pause.’’Wait, I might join you to the banishment’’ His mouth widened.

‘’Fine’’Me , Artemis, and Ares synced as Aphrodite chirped.

‘’We will come’’ Artemis announced.

Hermes laughed once more before his coin flipped from his hand.

We were inside a room filled with paper and stolen things. I looked around to see any familiarity except the scent of crocus.

Looking once again, I saw that the nearest library was Hermes, searching for something.

‘’Where are we?’’I asked.

‘’In my room’’He replied, turning his head on us.’’You are in no condition to look at the rest like’’He moved his hand in a circle pointing at us and then he gasped as his other hand found what he was looking out for.

A colorful loaf of bread was shimmering like a new sun in front of us. The sweet scent made me feel as if I had forgotten all about it.

‘’Ambrosia’’Artemis sighed, taking a piece from it and swallowing it harshly. I looked down to her hooves which were slowly becoming more human. Ares took a part of it and broke it in two, giving the bigger piece to Aphrodite.

As she ate it she fell down to the ground with feathers popping all over the room.

Hermes weighed and tried to look away.

‘’Fi…’’ She tried to speak with her soothing voice. ‘’Finally’’She gasped. Her light foam hair was floating around like a cloud as she was trying to stand tall and her sapphire body was being undressed from the feathers. Then, her rose eyes opened wide with the first thing to look at was Ares. Her perky lips grew to a smile and looked at her body as I realized she was still wearing the armor from all long ago.

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Ares’ now red crimson form wrapped itself all around her as she was trying to hug him tight but instead, she stopped after realizing her hands were still wings.

‘’hey’’Ares barked at Hermes.

‘’You are still banished remember?’’ He said with a loud laugh and turned on me.

I narrowed and looked at the ambrosia. I thought that I would never see it again. I took the smallest bite to taste it and Hermes now snatched it away from us, sticking his tongue out. A wave of energy pushed to my lungs, my bones, and skin.

‘’So?’’I asked Artemis.

She let out a hum and turned on one side as she found a mirror.

My antlers were gone as my hair was now lit like an actual sun. My ears were still fluffy as I touched the left side slightly and the other one moved on its own. I looked at them and saw that everyone was waiting for a reaction from me. I just smiled.

‘’Alright’’Hermes clapped his hands. ‘’Now get dressed properly we are late’’

Olympus was just like any mortal kingdom But we were ruling and living in the skies. The stars are made from clouds with gold wrapped around them. The ceilings of each home are dressed in celestial dust with minor gods and nymphs traveling most of the time for business or…

I found one dryad sneaking away from the main house at the top of the stairs.

‘’Well, something did not change’’I said, sniffing the air around, smelling cattle. The chicken. After that sheep. Looking next to me I saw smoke erupting from the sacrifices that people were making on my name. Probably the rest kept receiving sacrifices too as we could now smell them. At least Aphrodite did as Ares covered her nose from disgust at the scent.

Then, the prayers just like letters were going to the god the prayers we were getting offered.

‘’So, who runs our part?’’Ares asked after a sneak attack by an owl.

The silver owl moved in front of us who slowly took the form of a tall gray women's dress in fine armor and heavy paper on her hands.

I could not see her face under her helmet but I did not have to as Artemis hugged Athena tight, making the papers fall to the ground. Athena replied with a smile and one more hug.

‘’It’s so good to see you’’Artemis She laughed and then her posture and face became stiff when she looked at Ares and Aphrodite.

‘’Aphrodite. Ares’’She said dry.

‘’Athena’’They said both in sync with a cold gaze.

Athena replied with a hum and turned her entire neck back to my side.’’Apollo, brother ‘’Her mood shifted as Artemis moved finally away from her and now my tall, way-tall sister hugged me tighter than I expected from her.

‘’You …’’I gasped.’’Will kill me’’

Her hands patted my back. Actually, her hands slapped my back.

‘’Good,’’ she said, still smiling, backing away. ‘’But yes, I am being charge of your position;’’ She explained to Ares.’’Eros took Aphrodite’s Seline took Artemis’, and Helios for Apollo's’’

‘’Helios that piece of-’’

Artemis covered my mouth.’’He means to say thank you.’’

Athena nodded.’’Yes, but unfortunately we cannot manage to reach your followers.’’

What?

Athena seemed ready to explain but Hermes made a gesture for us to move.

After Artemis and I helped her take her paperwork back we all moved straight ahead as we also watched minor gods and nymphs whispering all around us, even laughing.Even with clear celestial fabric, even with Ambrosia, we still looked weak. We were still banished.

‘’In the first year we did not understand why the followers of yours did not make sacrifices for you anymore’’She said.’’Until we realized that we could not see it because they are not our followers. We cannot feel their sacrifices, we cannot listen we cannot reply.’’

‘’You are telling us’’Ares broke out.’’That my followers, our priests…think that we forgot them?’’

‘’Well,’’ Athena flexed her fingers as we could see the main door with eagle and feather peacocks in front of us.

‘’Yes?’’She said smiling.

I raised my shoulders and smiled.’’It can’t be that terrible.

Athena seemed as if she was trying to say something but it was too late as Hermes knocked on the door and it immediately opened with a great tall woman with silver hair and iridescent green skin emerging from the bright room.

She still looked the same as old and great with a sneaky laugh. Her dark horns were shining like two dark pearls and her green dress seemed rich with her hands being exposed, revealing scars from fighting and burning acid. And yet I could feel the need to bow to her to worship her to beg for her mercy. My legs were shaking just by being near her.

At first, she looked at me and Artemis with a glare of disappointment but her attitude changed when she found Ares next to us.

‘’My son’’She almost cried.

Ares moved slowly to her but she hugged him fast and tight.

‘’You look well’’She whispered in pain and turned on Aphrodite.’’And you…you gained a bit of weight haven’t you’’

‘’It is good to see you too, Mother’’APhridte replied with a smirk.

Hera’s brow twitched and turned on Hermes and Athena as she moved away to get access at her home.

The feast and celebration were what I could imagine. A complete lie. Sure it had musicians, endless food, and dancers all over. It was in the main room where we almost had every celebration with celestial fabrics addressing it stardust falling from the open ceiling and flowers decorating the crystal columns. But that was every supposed celebration. Artemis sitting next to Hestia and Athena, Aphrodite sitting between Ares and Hephaestus I found Poseidon and Hades sitting closest to the two thrones and Demeter was closer to Hades while she was asking her daughter if everything was alright. But her daughter did not seem to reply. And she did not seem to dare look at her husband.

And I was sitting between chattering Hermes and drunk Dionysus.

My eyes looked up to Hera as next to her was sitting cheerful ‘father’ whose beard had grown like a giant storm. He was just the same as he always had been. Tall, wide with great horns, his left one had a giant scar until his forehead. None dared to look him in the eyes. But I did. And I knew I could feel that he would notice.

Each celebration was the same. As if nothing had happened. But something happened. We were gone for a century, banished, we could not interfere with our followers wondered who was now even paying respect to me. What was happening in Delphi? My gaze returned to Artemis whose eyes had heavy sadness in them. She just shook her head as if she knew what I was thinking. We are powerless. I am powerless. And I could not listen. I could not listen to the music. I could see the muses playing, I could see their lips moving. But I could not listen. I had nothing.

‘Father’, lifted his cup up and everyone went silent. The dancers stopped singing and dancing. Everything was being held by him.

‘’To my children’’He saluted without even looking at us.’’For the center of your troubles, I am throwing you a night of freedom.’’After that everyone cheered as he swallowed his golden Nektar down his throat , watching some liquid falling to his beard.

I wanted to speak, to say anything but all I could do was take a sip from the mortal wine as we were not allowed to drink nectar as punishment.

For a slightly foolish moment, I started seeing the prayers, and the sacrifices again. I wondered if someone was actually calling me and telling me to show up. Praying that I would be an Olympian again.

But it started going worse as ‘father’ said one more toast that even made Hera’s face turn ten times more furious.

‘’And for my new son, Perseus who will ride a new conquest for me.’’

‘’What?’’ Both me and Ares shouted. My hands were on the table. Rage filled my entire being.

Hera scratched her brow and turned on her husband irritated.’’I told you to not say a thing.’’

‘’You broke the oath.’’I stood up.

‘Father’ shrugged As he also took a minor part of Troy’s side, Themis judged him by giving him the punishment of no children from a mortal parent for the next three hundred years.

‘’The oath is nothing against me.’’I took a step closer as I could hear Artemis whispering how stupid I was.

‘’You are telling us we are over a century banished and you give us a supposed one night freedom’’I took a deep breath.’’And you could not at least be loyal for half of-’’

‘’Enough’’ He barked with a storm moving on my side. I could not speak. I could not move. I could not exist. I could not look at him. I could not look at anyone.

That is right. I forgot my place. Even as an Olympian, I could not rebel against him.

‘’Perseus has proven himself time and time for his short years. And I will celebrate him.’’

I opened my mouth before just simply taking my bow and smiled.’’Of course.’’

We all had to play part on the table. One of the family and ours was to obey. To be the part of the gods. Nothing changed. We all just had to celebrate our immortality and our power. That was the part.