APOLLO

The celebration cut off fast as a scent of poison hit my nostrils. Heavy dark poison as if some god had put the entire hatred on them inside it so I could…

No, it could not. The pain kept going on my entire body as I looked around to see Artemis Ares and Aphrodite looking at me worried. But the rest did not look at me. They were looking at ‘Father’.

I held my breath as his stormy eyes were darting continuously. His white beard and hair were becoming darker with thunder forming all around his giant body. Hera held her hand to his but he slapped it away.

‘’How dare ‘’He barked, standing on his two heavy feet. His eyes kept looking at me with anger as his hands had been lifted higher.

‘’No’’Hera warned him.’’It might be a mistake.’’

There was a sudden panic in her voice with her blue deep eyes narrowing at him.

‘’A mistake?’’ He asked furiously.

I gulped confused and turned on Hermes whose entire body was filled with eyes.

‘’You need to go’’He whispered.

What?

‘’Apollo’’ ‘Father turned on me.’’Are you declaring war against me?’’

‘’What? No, Father’’I said, trying to stand up as a sudden liquid formed on my forehead. Something inside my chest was making my heart go faster and now my eyes were opening wider as the thunder was forming wider with clouds covering the starlight sky.

‘’Then tell me’’He growled.’’Why is one of your prophets mocking me when my son arrives at her side?’’

What?

I tried to ask but the light flickered, making the thunder now rumbling the room. Nymphs and muses began to run away as the rest were trying to calm down Zeus.

Artemis was the first one to catch my hand as she looked at me with a worried gaze.

‘’I don’t-’’I tried to speak as I could see the thunder ready to fall right in front of my body.

‘’No’’ said Hermes with arrogance as I saw him flipping a coin.

Everything became pale white.I was not dead. That was for certain. ‘Father’ would not think of killing me. Not with his powers. He could make me forgotten by the world. From their memories, from their stories. None would believe in me. I would be a myth. And I would die slowly.

So when everything began clearing up I could see that we were back in Hermes' room. And when I say we I mean Artemis,Ares, Aphrodite, and even…

‘’We should have told them’’Athena whispered to Hermes.

‘’I know’’ He nodded in agreement as I felt the weight of the paper covering me.

I moved up slowly as Athena was sighing.

‘’You should have told them’’She corrected him.

‘’Hey now.’’

‘’What’’Artemis asked from above a self with more paper. Ares and Aphrodite appeared from a side of a different room.’’What happened?’’

‘’Why were we on your bed?’’Aphrodite asked Hermes dryly.

He replied with a whistle and Athena took a deep breath.’’There is something we have to tell you something’’She said , trying to not look anxious.

But Hermes interrupted with full panic.’’You are dying.’’

Silence. Deep silence.

Dying? Us? How could it be possible?

I could still feel everything that happened in the celebration. I could still smell the poison.I could still feel myself weak.

And Hermes laughed maniacally before he coughed dry. ‘’Well for the past hundred years all of you haven’t …interviewed for your followers.’’He explained.’’Making people lose faith in you.’’

‘’And some other followers of other gods’’Athena continued.’’Decided to take advantage of your absence’’She crossed her arms and continued.

Killing people in the temples, destroying them, taking their profit. Our profit,my power…

‘’Thankfully’’Athena let out a heavy breath and turned on Artemis.’’They haven’t destroyed a lot of your temples however…’’She turned on me.’’Seems that a lot of ‘Father’s’ followers managed to destroy many of yours.’’

‘’What?’’I stood up and moved at her side.’’And you let him?’’

‘’We are sending signs to ours to stop it’’She explained, still calmly.’’Most of them understand but…’’

‘’What about ‘Father?’’’

‘’He cannot interfere after what he did with Perseus’’Hermes explained and looked away.

‘’He doesn’t..’’I bit my words. He doesn’t want to. If he wanted, he would. He just did not care.

‘’We are trying to find another way’’Athena commented.’’We are buying time and if my plan succeeds.’’

Ares let out a deep breath and nodded as Aphrodite looked down ashamed.

I did not speak as I could still sense the poison all around the air.

‘’What happened back there?’’I asked again, looking at Hermes.’’What Prophet of mine declared war?’’

All of his eyes blink before he made them vanish.’’Come with me.’’ His fingers flipped his silver coin one more time.

Now, I was inside a room where I had forgotten. And it felt forgotten with stardust getting filled to the furniture. My weapons, my instruments. Near the window where I was usually watching the sunset, there was a hyacinth flower, still undead. As if it was waiting for my return.

I moved on the side of it and touched its petals softly before laying out a kiss. A deep pain in my chest grew once more before moving to the small oasis near a small garden I had created with daphnes and more purple flowers. In the middle of the garden, there was a small lake, making me reflect on the cold clear water.

‘’He won’t find you here’’Hermes said, strolling around.

‘’None of my prophets would dare do that,’’I explained to him.

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‘’You have been gone brother’’he said as I could see from the lake that he was trying to reach me with his hand. But he never did as he backed away.

‘’I swear, they would not.’’I said once again and moved my hand around the water, making a poodle. I chose my prophets well, I gave them the foresight perfectly and made sure whom I would choose to give the power to earn the gift of that sight. And a hundred years passed which could mean that it would be a mistake. The gift of Delphi was given from prophet to apprentice. I made sure. So it could not be them because I taught them. I did it.

‘’Why does he care about his new son so much? ‘’I asked irritated.’’He will die soon.’’

‘’Because he brings glory’’He explained.’’Killer of monsters, savior of kingdoms and he is giving everything back to his father, thanking him.’’

Oh. That explains it.

‘’Where is he now?’’I asked.

‘’In a small village far from Argos’’He said with his fingers moving now the water.’’In that village, Zeus’ followers destroyed your temple long ago, creating a new shelter for them. Five years ago, a prophet of yours appeared telling everyone that they had the gift of sight.’’He took a step closer to me.’’That made the village choose who to follow rather than pledge their loyalty to one god.’’

A village split in too. Wondered how all of it ended but Hermes kept moving the water slowly and gently. Even far away, he could move the water, my water better than me. He made a halt with his hand and I could see a shadow of a man dressed in gold with an army on its side.

Every one of the villagers was cheering for him as heavy rain filled it.

‘’What about my prophet?’’I asked and now I snapped my fingers. The room changed as the water from the lake had been lifted up, moving all around me. To see everything in my world, in my people, this was the way. The one thing that ‘Father’ could not use, the one thing that it could only belong to me.

It was now night and still raining with the venomous scent lurking all around me. I looked to the left that there was a burnt home. Then to the right, there was an almost burnt statue of ‘Father’. Down from the altar, it was a puny man, burnt in crisp, looking rather pathetic to the sky.

‘’Who is…’’I tried to find the right words.’’Why would my prophet.’’

The scenery changed again as I found three people running away in deep rain. There was a man, tall and wide, next to him accompanied by a very tall woman. The man had a giant sword in one of his hands and on the other he was holding the hand of someone who had a white veil covering them. A Prophet, A prophet dressed in white and had crimson pain on his hands.

‘’No’’I gasped.’’No, he wouldn’t’’I turned.’’My prophet would not.’’

‘’You are right’’Hermes said.’’Your prophet would not.’’

I let out a heavy breath and smiled.’’Because it is not a prophet.’’

What?

If he wasn't a prophet of mine…

The room changed once more as I was an old crooked temple. Well, calling it a temple was a slide as if it was on the brink of ruin because of how poor and ruined it looked.

‘’Five years ago, someone came to that village and lied to them, pretending to be a prophet of yours’’Hermes said later.’’Conning people and then trying to make the prophecies come true by stealing or…’’

‘’He killed them?’’I gasped.’’Who is he? Is he your child?’’I turned on him.

He lifted his hands. ‘’I swear it is not my child, even if I am impressed by her.’’

‘’Her?’’ I asked with an arched brow.

Hermes nodded.’’Yes, her. Lyssandra is your prophet’’He made a long pause before he corrected himself.’’Well, fake prophet’’Another laugh.

Lyssandra? How easily he say her name?

My eyes narrowed fast.’’How long have you known?’’

‘’She is entertaining ‘’He said laughing.’’But four years’’

FOUR?

‘’Alright’’I took one deep breath, trying to restrain my anger towards him. ‘’So what is she? A priestess? A runaway princess? A grandchild of yours.’’

‘’She does not have my blood’’He said once again. ‘’And no she is…mere.’’

That made it look like a terrible joke. A mere mortal? A mere mortal made this awful poison on my body? On me?

‘’There is no way,’’I said laughing.

‘’Believe it or not, she killed a man devoted to ‘Father’’’He explained.’’And all of his cows for you.’’ He flew all around the valley.’’And on the same night and time when Perseus arrived. ‘Father was watching everything and thinks that you declared war against him because of the timing and your bad temper.

I blinked. A con artist, a mere mortal woman murdered animals and people of my father…to me? And all the profit from the lies she was making as she was still using my name were going to her?

There was rage feeling everything in me. One hundred years and people forgot about me, mocking me, using my name so lightly. And when destruction would be formed by ‘father’ he would punish me and my people and everyone would blame it on me. All because of that girl? I would be weakened, I would be forgotten, I would die because of her?

‘’I will punish her’’I rasp. ‘’I will destroy everything she loves, she dreams and’’Hermes halted his hand at me and laughed.’’Don’t you forget the small banishment of yours?’’

I tried to speak but before that, Hermes’ eyes appeared once again, His cheerful smile instantly faded and then appeared once more with his fingers flickering as a flask appeared.

‘’Good news brother’’He clapped his hands.’’Athena talked to ‘father.’ He is giving you a window’’

My eyes lit up.’’What?’’ I tried to hold my grin.

‘’Six months. Six months to interfere and prevail over what it can happen to Perseus six months to find a way of punishment of the fake prophet without you looking accountable.’’

Six months seemed a lot. But how could I punish her and prevent chaos for his other son without looking…

Hermes showed me the flask again.’’ Typhon’s blood.’’

I looked at it with a darting gaze.

‘’Are you trying to poison me?’’I asked.

He waved his hands and laughed.’’Nonsense brother, I would never.’’He gasped dramatically.’’Few drops each week and you will be weakened enough to look like a mere god. Themis won’t even notice it will be you.’’

That sounded reasonable. For the last few years, I could feel that annoying woman spying on me with her scale moving differently. As if she was expecting me to fail.

Six months. Seemed to be a lot for it but then again with such small power.

‘’In return,’’Hermes continued. ‘’ Father will make sure he will make his followers stop attacking yours.Fail, and nothing will change How does it sound?’’

Another Smile on my face. Just a slight price to pay. I tried to reach for the flask but Hermes flew far from me.

‘’Atatata’’He said.

‘’Hey’’I replied with a bark.

‘’Now, before taking the deal…how about you see your opponent first’’

I scoffed and rolled my eyes.’’A mere mortal? I can push her from a cliff, I can make her people ravish her, turn her to a flower, why would I be…’’

But instead, Hermes moved the scenery as if this place belonged to him. How could Typhon’s blood make me weaker than this?

We were inside a room with herbs and flowers swarming all over it. Entering inside there she was. A panting covered woman who was still shaking. Probably the first person she had killed. She was looking rather frail by the shower she had been blessed by ‘father’. And then, she revealed herself from the veil.

I held a breath.

‘’Has ‘Father’ seen her?’’I whispered to Hermes.

‘’Not yet’’He replied with a chuckle.

‘’Good.’’

The mortals were stupid to believe that she was a prophet. This woman was looking like a warrior. She had a height tall like the soldiers which I faced in Troy with a width and firm blessed by celestial dust. Bronze complexion as if her flesh was an armor itself with her hooked long lone almost making her look like a great bird. Her hair was wild, fierce with her curls dripping in the rain.

Her face did not belong to someone frail either as she had a deep scar on her nose and a missing eye even with her bruised neck as if she was used to getting into fights a lot. But her eye, her gaze, looking down on her bleeding hands. It was steady.

She was something unrecognizable. And then, her red lips opened, letting out a few shaking words.

‘’What…was that?’’

That voice. I have heard that before.

I could notice that Hermes was smirking at me.

‘’So?’’He asked.

I replied with a wide wicked grin. I knew what I had to do.

’’I have a special punishment for her.’’