APOLLO

‘’So she is..your friend..’’I turned once more at that Adara woman and the prophet started nodding.

‘’Oh, now’’Adara smiled and wrapped her arm around the woman. I could feel that pain in my chest once more as her face moved on the woman’s curls.

‘’I wouldn’t say we are that close but…’’Her lips smirked and she pushed away, leaving the woman’s face all red.

‘’She is my favorite around here.’

‘’Favorite?’’ The woman poured confused.

I took a deep breath and smiled at Adara.’’I assume you are also spying for the king?’’

She backed away and clapped her hands. ‘’Oh you are correct’’She laughed and I kept my smile, letting the woman look at us confused, each gaze of her turning left and right.

Letting out a restless breath, I leaned to her and whispered, cupping her chin.

‘’You won’t mind if I talk to her now would you?’’

Turning back, I saw her nodding in confidence before walking away, and Adara waved her farewell. A few seconds after she vanished into the temple, I turned to that woman and grabbed her throat.

‘’Come now Brother’’Hermes’ voice spoke out of her mouth.

‘’What are you doing here?’’I rasped and pulled her closer as I dragged us both inside the forest.

I let him go free as he took a deep breath and formed back on himself.’’I am doing ‘Father’s orders…keeping his mortal son safe.’’

My response to that was to glare at him as he started flying around.

‘’Now, you don’t believe me?’’He gasped.

‘’Protecting the mortal som, you mean flirting with a fake prophet?’’

Moving now fast on me, he let his face close to mine. And he grinned.’’Well, our brother looks to have enough protection …and I was bored.’’A groan.

‘’I told you to stay away from her.’’ I walked around and he kept following.

‘’I do not take orders from you…’’He reminded me and when his feet fell to the ground, he returned to that woman’s disguise.

‘’Do you really think that she would fall for your flirtatious attempts?’’I laughed, knowing well that she wouldn’t even look at him back in any form or shape if he tried to persuade her.

‘’Maybe, brother, ‘’He walked close to me and whispered right in my ear.’’Not everyone is interested in you.’’And with that, he left.

After the woman ended up with the prophecies, she revealed herself from the veil to the rest of her people while I was sitting close to one of my statutes. Her eyes did not even catch me. Not when she was talking to the civilians, not even when she was pushing lies to their throats. Even when we were all eating, I tried to sit next to her but Adamantious and Myrto took my chance.

I thought that my plan started working. And yet she was still further away.

That is how she was every day for the few weeks as she was supposed to rest herself. And almost every early morning I could see Hermes dressed in Adara’s form, talking with her near the forest. That look that this woman had…The light, her lips forming a sweet smile. Was he falling for him?’’

‘’I am guessing that you were drugged’’I announced to her inside her room while she was facing the woman who was sitting and studying the herbs she was given by the civilians.

‘’How do you know?’’She asked, with her head stuck on her hemlock and lavender.

I moved closer to her.’’Unlike you, I am a perfect healer.’’I said dryly. She still avoided me.

Why was she so distant now? Did the poison kick her brain?

My eyes fell on the blue ribbon she was wearing. I let down my finger on it and touched it all so softly, just to notice how expensive it felt on my skin. Not even with all those gifts she would wear something like this. And then I remembered a special someone who wore a ribbon on her hair.

‘’Did Adara give you this?’’I asked as calmly as I could.

She simply nodded and I let the ribbon out from her hair, letting them fall down to her waist.

Now, she finally looked at me. with a glare.’’Why did you do that for?’’

‘’I thought that priestess and prophets were not supposed to…’’My fingers began to play with the ribbon.’’Stay so close?’’

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

She let out a scoff with a smirk curling her wounded face.’’Are you perhaps envious?’’

I did not answer. Me? Envious. The only thing that I cared about was now him not messing with my plans.

‘’I believe’’I clicked my tongue.’’Is that you are trying to gain information out of her.’’

She leaned closer to me and squeezed her gaze.’’Is that what you believe it happened or what you want to believe?’’

I replied by moving even closer to her.’’What would you darling Adamantious say?’’

She did not answer and turned her back on me once more. How could she be so cold? After everything…I thought that it worked. Why hasn’t she fallen for me?

‘’I put the herbs that the doctor gave me for..’’She changed the subject and showed her arm. ‘’But I wasn’t aware that he would give me opium or it would go that….’’Her fingers traced upon her lips.’’I missed so much time.’’

‘’You have other three moons.’’I shrugged at her and her tone rose.

‘’It is not enough’’ Jars fell to the ground, smashing into pieces.

Her scream echoed all around the place and I was certain that the rest would come inside.

It is not enough. She is mortal after all. She will die. So soon she will perish. And even if her fate would be different she would be found dead in how many? Fifty? A hundred years? Yet, she was still yearning for time.

All pathetic she was yearning at her table with dust flying from the floor until near her table, her arms hugging her face.

‘’Not enough’’She mumbled and I moved to her side.

‘’You won’t die in the way you think’’I admitted. She would die by me and only me. That is what I long for.

I waited for her to say a simple ‘’Thank you for believing that’’ or ‘’I am sorry that I was so rude to you.’’ Instead, she spat out.

‘’Let’s go to a brothel.’’

Once again, the door opened with Adamantious looking like a fool but instead of staring at me, he turned his gaze upon the woman.

‘’I think’’He took a deep breath.’’That you are far too sick.’’

But the woman stood on her own two feet and arched her arms, letting out a small whine.

‘’I am perfect but Adara did inform me that the healer’’She took a look at me with my fingers fidgeting, playing with that blue ribbon Hermes gave it to her. My gaze found the nearest bright candle fire and let his gift burn with ease, with her now talking to her lover.

‘’Is visiting brothels here so I might find anything about why he tried to give me this.’’

Adamantious squeezed his eyes.’’You are already taking so many herbs perhaps that it was what…’’

‘’Sadly’’I spoke above his false excuse. ‘’It is heavily true that the opium made the side effect.’’

Adamantious grunted and turned on the girl. ‘’Just tell me who he is and I will go-’’

But she shook her head.’’It is alright, I can go. ‘’

She could go. But the sun had begun to fall. And I could not look at her. Each sunrise is shorter and shorter. And what was Hermes planning, giving information like this?

But perhaps, Admantious could protect her.

‘’Let her go, take some fresh air.’’I suggested, walking slowly away.’’See something interesting’’Another smile from me and Adamantious grunted. But I leaned closer to him.

The woman was tired, she was in a panic. And if she couldn’t fall for me, back to the plan of using this brute it was.

‘’Look, she seems to be under a lot of pressure, and a night outside of this temple will actually benefit her.’’

Of course, he did not believe my lie and he arched his brow.’’You won’t go with her.

So I raised my hands and I laughed.’’Oh, I have other errands to attend to.’’

Such us not getting beheaded by Themis and trying to not kill my idiot brother.

And his expression softened and looked at the woman who had started moving her broken things back on the table. Such a waste of herbs, now she will probably need to throw them all away.

‘’Alright, let’s go then.’’Smiled adamantly and the woman nodded and I kept walking away from the grinning couple.

Maybe her heart was destined to fall for him, fall for a mortal.

The sun had fallen and my mind was rushing to any idea of her being surrounded by people, her smile wide, her body being in everyone’s gaze for them to lust upon…

And I wouldn’t be there either…

My chest had tightened and the sound of a tympanum shouted from the center. My memories appeared back on her, the pain grew once to my body and I fell on my knees, panting heavily.

In eerie thought she was there, she was laughing, shouting, she was walking, she was dancing, she was breathing.

What poison was she that could make me like….

And there it is now. A big white she wolf standing in front of me, looking at me with her haunting eyes. Her mouth was filled with pieces of gold cotton.

Just the image of it made me want to spit on the wolf’s face. But the messenger left the cotton on the winter grass and started walking far from me.

The fur of a golden fleece. Not even Gods can see beneath it. Not even Fates itself.

Something so rare that it was ordered by Hera to protect them. And she gave them to…

‘’Did you tell her?’’I asked Artemis who was spying on me behind the trees. There was no need to look at her figure, I was certain that she was there. My sister could hide well but not from me.

‘’No,’’

‘’Liar’’I mouthed.

‘’Apollo I did not talk to her.’’She stated and galloped to my side and knelt down.’’Matter of fact I haven’t talked to her for…hundred of years?’’ She thought and I looked at her with a pout.

‘’Fine, half a century however I did not tell her anything about this.’’

‘’So what does she want?’’

‘’A second chance?’’She suggested it but I could only laugh at it. But this…this was not enough but it could help me so so much.