“Woah Orion what’s wrong?” Apollo asked worried for his stepfather.”

“I just heard Adeline talking to a social service worker.” Orion said panting still, “She’s putting you up for adoption in Greenland.”

“What!?” Apollo exclaimed shocked at the news, “She can’t do that can she?”

“I wish I could be of better news but she can.” Orion said, “But why now though? You’re nearly of age just a few more months to go and you could as easily as move out.”

Apollo averted his eyes to the forest floor before Arcus’s farewell to him surfaced.

“You and your music are always welcome here.” Arcus’s voice said through his memory.

“Don’t worry Orion I know someone who would probably be more than happy to let me stay with them for a couple of weeks.” Apollo said smiling.

“Oh, really?” Orion asked the worry in his voice replaced with surprise.

“Yeah.” Apollo said thanking himself for being curious enough to follow his grandfather’s journal, “Remember that friend of Father’s that I told you about yesterday?”

Apollo heard Orion chuckle before he wished Apollo good luck and a calm goodbye.

‘What has gotten into you Mother?’ Apollo thought furrowing his brows before he performed the song again and walked through the portal.

Taking a deep breath, he once again followed the singing of The Twin Apple Tavern before entering.

*

“Young musician welcome back.” Arcus said before seeing the stressed look on the adolescent’s face, “Is there something wrong?”

“Hey kid.” Fisar said jumping on the bar counter as Apollo sat down before he as well as Arcus saw the face Apollo was making, “What happened? You were only gone for like a month.”

Planning to ignore the fact that he had been gone for a month to them, Apollo told the two magical beings what Orion had told him before asking Arcus if he could stay at the tavern until he became of age.

“As I had said during your first visit young musician, you and your music are always welcome at my tavern.” Arcus said smiling gently, “You could stay in your father’s old room since you might have – what did he call it Fisar? Those rectangle things that lets him see different places and play music without having to sing or play an instrument?”

“A phone.” Fisar answered, “As for the second thing I don’t remember what he called it.”

“Is this it?” Apollo asked showing them his mp3 player.

“By the gods that’s the exact same one he used to have!” Fisar exclaimed.

“Grandfather gave this to me.” Apollo said staring at the small electronic device that helped him over the years that he had to spend in his old home, “Though he never told me that it belonged to Father.”

“Yes.” Arcus said nodding, “He has some sort of rectangular thing in his room that – what did he say it could do?”

“It gives his phone and mp3 player power that it draws from the sun.” Fisar said.

Seeing two friends of his father have difficulty talking about phones and generators made Apollo chuckle lightly to himself making the two mystical creatures look at him weirdly.

“What?” Apollo asked willing himself not to laugh at the faces they were making.

“Like father like son no respect that the two of us live in an entirely different world than you.” Fisar pouted while folding his arms and looking away from the guitarist.

Apollo and Arcus glanced at each other before looking away, willing themselves not to just burst out laughing in front of the now mildly insulted brownie.

“That’s right you two laugh it up.” Fisar said angrily while he tried to hide the smile playing on his lips.

After a few minutes Arcus showed Apollo to his father’s former bedroom before leaving to let Apollo settle in to his new room. Sitting down on the bed Apollo while laying his grandfather’s journal down beside him looked around taking in his new surroundings. There were only a few pieces of furniture scattered about the room. A tall wardrobe to the left of the door, a desk at the foot of the bed which was sandwiched in between the desk and the wall. There was a cozy window sill across the bed where his guitar laid basking in the sunlight and at the foot of the small inner extension of the room was a dusted wooden chest that had cobwebs at the bottom. Looking at the bottom of the bed Apollo found the generator the centaur had mentioned earlier before pulling out and wiping away as much dust as possible.

‘Woah is this thing ancient.’ Apollo thought before he saw where his charger cable could be plugged in, ‘Wonder if it still works though.’

Flipping the switch on he saw a something glow red before smiling to himself, ‘All systems online.’

After cleaning the generator up a little bit more Apollo moved to his father’s desk. Scanning the rows of photographs one particular photo caught his eye. Picking the rectangular photo frame up he smiled at the picture it was him and his father at the amusement park on the last day he ever saw him.

Apollo stared at the picture for a moment before a thought occurred to him, ‘If this was the day before he left then that must mean…’

Gathering his thoughts Apollo ran down to the tavern where he spotted Fisar and Arcus talking to a rather elderly looking centaurides.

“Ah there he is!” Fisar said seeing Apollo walk up to them, “Young one this is Elastis an old friend of your grandfather’s.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you Apollo.” Elastis said her elderly face breaking into a kind smile, “Both Jodan and your grandfather have spoken many good and admiring things about you.”

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“Thank you for the king words Ms. Elastis but can I talk to Fisar and Arcus for a minute?” Apollo asked while trying to keep his voice steady.

Elastis gave him a graceful nod before taking her tankard and leaving the males to convers in private.

“Did you need something young Zhen?” Arcus asked.

“The last time my father went through the portal was he by any chance sad or looked like he was about to burst into tears?” Apollo asked.

He looked eagerly at the two magical beings impatiently before asking, “Well?”

“Apollo maybe we should discuss this when the rest of my customers have already left.” Arcus suggested.

Apollo gave him a confused look before Fisar motioned him to turn around and the sight that greeted him answered his question for the centaur. Every creature apart from Elastis and the few that stayed the last time he came was staring at him some with interest and others with murderous glares. Sighing in defeat Apollo nodded before some of the dwarves from last time beckoned him to sit with them.

“Once you close the tavern the two of you start answering my questions.” Apollo said in a quick whisper before walking to the dwarves.

“Are you alright young Zhen?” A dwarf with a black beard asked as Apollo sat down opposite to him.

“It’s nothing.” Apollo said before sighing.

“Like father like son it seems.” A dwarf with a gray beard said sighing, “He was just like you a terrible liar.”

Apollo sighed again before the dwarf with the black beard chuckled gently as Apollo looked at him in curiosity, “I didn’t catch your any of your names.”

“Call me Admun.” A dwarf with a brown beard said smiling cheerfully, “And these are my brothers.”

“Farmus.” The gray bearded dwarf said raising his tankard in acknowledgement before taking a swig of what Apollo would guess as beer.

“And I’m Gimren.” The last brother said smiling, “I’m the youngest brother.”

“Must be nice having siblings.” Apollo said smiling a bit.

“It is.” Farmus said after he stopped drinking from his tankard, “Though it’s a bit harder for me since I’m the eldest.”

“How come?” Apollo asked curiously all previous memories of his earlier talk with the centaur and brownie driven out of his mind.

Farmus smiled that he could relieve the young guitarist from his previous stress before he and Apollo noticed that the other two brothers started fighting.

“That’s why.” Farmus said chuckling as his youngest brother had Admun in a chokehold.

Apollo struggled with containing his laughter at the sight of the two brothers fighting as Farmus only rolled his eyes and took another swig of his beer.

After a few minutes Apollo looked at Farmus who was draining his tenth tankard of beer before he noticed the young Zhen staring at him.

“Something wrong young Zhen?” Farmus asked.

“I was wondering if you knew my father.” Apollo said quietly.

Farmus smiled calmly at him before putting his tankard gently on the table before patting the human gently on the back.

“I didn’t know him as well as Fisar but I do know that he was a great fighter and an even greater leader.” Farmus said smiling as his brothers stopped their fighting.

“Jodan was an amazing musician too!” Gimren added with a bright smile on his face, “He used to spend hours on the stage playing his songs for Arcus’ customers and would always preform the most amazing lullabies whenever there were children who were lodging here and couldn’t sleep.”

Apollo smiled at how many people respected and admired his father. Looking at the palm of his hand he smiled at how freely he could talk about his father here whereas he could only talk so freely about his father to his grandfather. Eyes widening, he let his hand drop as memories of his grandfather flashed through his mind; the first time he taught Apollo how to play guitar, the first time they had found the secret garden, his body lying lifeless on his own living room floor…

That last memory brought tears to his eyes once again as all three of the dwarven brothers looked at him in worry.

“You alright there young Zhen?” Admun asked with his brows furrowing.

“Yeah, I just remembered my grandfather.” Apollo said quietly, wiping away the tears in the corner of his eyes.

The three bothers looked at him understandingly before Farmus gave him another gentle pat on the back.

“Your grandfather was an- “Admun began before cutting himself off as if trying to find the right words, “interesting human but he was always the first one on the battle field whenever it was necessary.”

‘Battle field?’ Apollo thought as the last of his tears disappeared, “What do you mean by battle field?”

“Benigno never told you?” Elastis asked walking up to their table.

“Never told me what?” Apollo asked as Elastis placed her tankard on the table, “Was he and my father knights or something?”

“A Zhen male a knight?” Admun said after he choked on his beer.

“Did I say something wrong?” Apollo asked as the entire table burst out laughing.

“You didn’t say anything wrong young Zhen.” Elastis said smiling as she turned to the human, “It’s just that every Zhen male has always been against the thought of knighthood.”

“Really?” Apollo asked, “Because I remember reading in grandfather’s journal that father confessed his love to a princess.”

At these words everyone seated at the table once again burst out laughing as Gimren banged his tankard on the table in between laughs as his brothers struggled to stay in their seats.

“Are you guys okay?” Apollo asked as the four magical creatures stopped laughing and started to wipe away tears of laughter from their eyes.

“Young Zhen forgive me if I somehow offend you but your father was one of the most entertaining human males that I ever knew when it came to his romantic interests.” Farmus said chuckling to himself, “The number of times the three of us and Fisar had to save him from being imprisoned or executed.”

Apollo snorted before he looked at the dwarf in disbelief, “Just how many magical creatures did he actually fell in love with!?”

“When it came to creatures of magic then it’d be around thirteen or something.” Admun said sipping from his tankard, “When it came to humans however around ninety-eight.”

“The – ninety-eight!?” Apollo asked in disbelief, “So my own mother was his one hundred and twelfth love interest!?”

“Yep.” Gimren said taking a swig of his drink as Apollo looked at the table trying to process what the dwarf brothers were telling him.

‘Was Father a playboy or something?’ Apollo thought his head trying to accept the fact that his own father had a hundred and twelve love interests.

“Is he alright?” Gimren asked as they watched the human look at the table blankly while his mouth spoke none verbal words.

“I think your information about his father might have broken his mind.” Elastis said taking a swig of her drink as she and the dwarves continued to stare at the young human boy.

“Apollo?” Fisar asked jumping onto the table and seeing the boy stare blankly at the wooden table before turning to look at his old friends, “What happened to the young lad?”

“The dwarves told him about the young Jodan’s many love interests.” Elastis said as the three dwarven brothers chuckled nervously as the brownie glared at the three.

“He wanted to know more about his father for the gods’ sake!” Admun exclaimed hoping that Apollo would snap out of his trance but to his disappointment Apollo was anything but breaking free from his trance.

“Nice try Admun.” Gimren said patting his brother on the shoulder, “But the young Zhen’s trance remains unbreakable.”

Farmus smiled gently as he shook his head before turning to Fisar, “Don’t you think Apollo should know about his father and what he’s done for all of us? For you?”