I had barely made it out of the throne room before the softest of steps began following me. I knew her steps anywhere but I had little interest in talking to my half-sister right now, not when every second I waste is a second Hyacinthus could be suffering. Still, I didn’t make it far before her oh-so-sweet voice filled the air. 

“Apollo wait for a second,” Aphrodite said a bit of a chuckle in her voice as she followed behind me. Her strawberry-blonde hair trailed after her; billowing in the wind. 

“I don’t have time to exchange pleasantries. I need to get this quest started as fast as I can.”

“I’m sorry this happened to you,” she said, the light tone in her voice finally trailing off as she continued to match my strides now that she was a bit taller than me. 

“Sorry that Hyacinthus is missing or that you gave him to me to begin with? Because if it’s the latter father seems to agree.”

“Both I suppose,” she said with a sigh. “If I had picked someone else for you this wouldn’t be happening.”

“I’m glad it was him. At least we had a few good years before tragedy struck.”

“Then why are you mad at me? I tried to help back there but father is stubborn, you know that more than anyone.”

“It’s not secret, oh great goddess of love, that I haven’t had the best track record with relationships lately. Every lover you have ever given me has been turned against me one way or another.”

“Yet you loved them, didn’t you? Love isn’t always easy or long-lasting. Sometimes it’s sad and betraying, other times it’s beautiful and so bright that it burns out too quickly. That’s just how love is,” she said, having the audacity to sound dreamy about it.

“So you save all of the good love for yourself then?” Her smile quickly turns as she glares at me before letting the conversation drop, noticing she’s much farther down Mount Olympus than most gods dare to go.

“Your story with him isn’t over,” she called out to me as I kept walking as she stood in place. 

“I thought I was the prophet?”

“Apollo,” she calls, her voice turning much more serious than I would have liked. I stop for the first time since I started and look back at her. Her youthful face is covered with distraught as she bites her lip. The freckles on her face were barely visible in this light. “His love for you fades. I don’t know what they’re doing to him but if it continues he won’t love you when you get to him.”

A scowl works its way onto my face.

“Let it be known,” I said harshly as I continue on my trail. “I will return shortly; Hyacinthus on my arm and Zephyrus’ head on a stick!”

***

The first thing I ever noticed about him was his smile. It could light up a room better than any sun I had seen. His laugh would always follow not far after, floating on the air like a perfect song. 

His tan skin called to me and that curly black mop he called hair was begging for someone to love it; to love him. I loved him before I even spoke to him but I kept my distance, at least I tried, one look into his eyes and it’s like the world around him froze. It was in that one moment I knew it was happening again and I could do little to stop it. 

I met him in my hometown of Delos. It had been far too long since I had last visited, the heartache of home being too much to bare after Coronis left me but it was time. 

A feast was held in my honor not long after my arrival. It was meant to be in honor of my birth but the mortals were really only using it as an excuse to get drunk, which I didn’t mind since I was all but doing the same. 

I had seen Hyacinthus not long into the night and kept my distance on purpose. I had made new rules after Coronis and I refused to have them broken already. 

No more mortals, no more nymphs, no more love; it’s not worth it. 

Still, I caught myself staring more than I would like to admit. 

At some point some drunk idiot had decided to dedicate a song to me as an offering, which was appreciated like always but could have been better. After that some girl had to show him and from there a concert was haphazardly put into place. Each song was an offering and I had to admit it was welcome. It was times like this I wondered why I stayed away for so long. 

Then my heart stopped when Hyacinthus walked up to the makeshift stage. His smile was bright as always and eyes filled with the most beautiful light I had ever seen. Then he opened his mouth and I was gone. He sounded more heavenly than the 9 Muses themselves. And those eyes, those damned eyes, locked onto mine as he poured his heart into every word.

He stepped off the stage and women flocked to him but he paid them no mind as he worked his way through the crowd, his eyes never leaving mine and as he got closer the more my immortal heart beat faster in my chest. 

“Are you enjoying the feast,” he asked teasingly as he sat down in front of me on the ground, our knees almost touching. 

“You sing amazingly,” I admit, breaking eye contact with him for the first time since he began singing. “I’m sure Lord Apollo enjoyed it.” It always felt so weird to refer to myself as a different person. 

I hope he did,” he said with true candy in his voice as his eyes slid up to the sky. “You seem to enjoy the music, why not go up there and sing a few?”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I said with a small chuckle.

“Why? Can’t sing or something?” The teasing smirk on his face made it clear he suspected otherwise. 

“I sing very well thank you,” I said with a scowl. “Just not in front of others.” It didn’t;t take me long into my godhood to figure out that singing to a group of people was a good way to start a mob whose mood changes with the intention of the song. 

Hyacinthus only hums as if he doesn’t believe me. I tried to not take it personally; it’s not like he knew he was insulting the god of music. 

The two of us stayed like that for the rest of the night, listening to music in complete silence but it was more than perfect. The music began to die down with the sun and before long the concert was long forgotten, the mortals opted to go on a night hunt in the name of my sister. I expect him to go with the rest of the brute-like men but he only stood and looked at me with an expectant team in his eyes. 

“Well are you going to walk me home or not,” he asked as he began walking on his own stopping only long enough to look over his shoulder to make sure I was in fact coming. 

A great war ensued inside my brain for a good three seconds, part of me not being ready for love again while the other was already head over heels. One smile from him was all it took for me to sigh under my breath and follow him. 

The walk to his home was short and silent and most certainly could have been down without me but still, the word perfect was the only thing that came to mind as he shut the door after slipping inside. 

With his beautifully distracting face no longer in front of me it was easier to keep my distance but my dear lover is not a patient man to say the least. 

Only three days after the feast he was leaning against my home when I stepped out the next morning to ride the sun. He looked half asleep and as comfortable as one could be while standing against a brick house. 

“What are you doing,” I asked, barely able to keep myself from pushing his foot off my wall. 

“Waiting for you,” he said matter of factly. “Did you know that you leave every morning before sunrise and don’t come back until sunset? How is one supposed to get ahold of you?”

“I suppose you don’t,” I teased but he only huffed at me before turning his eyes up to the sky. “Did you need something or are you just hear to bless me with such beauty on this lovely day?” The lightest blush covered his face but he didn’t outwardly react. 

“I’m waiting for the sunrise.”

“And you need me for that?”

“It’s always more fun with company,” he teased as looked back up at the sky. “So what’s the deal? Are you blowing me off or something? I personally thought I was laying it on pretty thick the other night and that you were okay with it but then you kinda fell off the face of the earth and on the rare occasion I did see you, you avoid me like the plague.”

I cringe inwardly. Admittedly I could have had a better plan but when I caught his eye in the market I panicked when he began walking toward me and all but body-slammed everyone around me just to get away.

“If you don’t like men that’s fine just say that and I’ll leave you alone.”

“It’s not that,” I assure him before I felt my heart drop to my stomach. No more love Apollo; it’s not worth it. “I just can’t.”

“Can’t because of your family or something else? Because if your family gives you shit about it I can handle them,” he said matter of factly as he pushed himself off the wall. 

He was tall for a mortal, I’ll give him that and he was strong. I doubt many mortals would bother crossing him but even in this mortal form I easily loomed over him. 

“That’s not why,” I chuckled, an image of my beautiful Hyacinthus attempting to fight the king of gods flashing through my mind. 

“Then why? Is it just me?”

“Partly,” I struggled to get out, trying to word things as carefully as possible before deciding he was the kind of man to not let things go until he to his way. “It’s mostly just a problem with mortals in general.”

“You speak as if you aren’t one,” he said with a light scoff. When I don’t answer his face becomes unreadable as he looked at me with wide eyes. “Lord Apollo,” he said almost timidly, his full attention on me as he stands up straight. 

“In the flesh,” I said sadly. My eyes force myself away from him as I turn to the horizon. Faint color had started to cover the sky yet it was already beautiful.

“Forgive me, my lord,” he said as he all but fell to his knees. “I didn’t realize-.”

“Nor did I expect you to. That’s kind of the whole point of a disguise. Now get up, you’ll miss the view.” He stood hesitantly as if I were testing him somehow before looking back to the sky.

“It’s beautiful this morning.”

“As opposed to normal,” I asked with a raised brow. He only shrugged, a light smirk covering his face.

“The company is contributing to it,” he said, the smirk more profound as he shot me a wink. My cheeks became impossibly hot as a flush ran through my body for the first time in far too long. 

We stood in silence for a while, the sun high in the sky and the colors long faded to blue, before he turned to me with a light scowl. 

“So, what’s with this ‘no mortal’ thing?”

“Mortals are too fragile,” I sighed as I allowed my hand to brush against his cheek lightly. “Being near a god can be dangerous, even for other gods. You never know what monster you’ve offended when they plan to cause you pain. Mortals aren’t very good at getting stabbed and living.”

Hyacinthus frowned at the answer as he took a little step forward, my lips nearly able to brush against the bridge of this nose. 

“Maybe I could be the acceptation.”

“I don’t think that would be very wise.”

“Well darn,” he said as he took several steps back. I have to force myself to not pull him back. “I guess we should listen to Apollo then, the god of wisdom.” I can’t help the frown that works its way onto my face as I give him a light scowl. “Oh, that’s right! You aren’t the god of wisdom are you?”

“You know I’m not,” I all but scoff.

“Then let's leave the wisdom to Athena, she does it well after all,” he said as he returned, the two of us only inches from one another. I don’t bother trying to hide the way I stare down at his lips. 

“I may not have wisdom on my side but I am the god of prophecies and something tells me the story of you and I doesn’t have a happy ending.” I watch in awe as his lips quirk up into a smile.

“I don’t believe in fortune telling,” he said. I only have time to blink before his lips are on mine. I knew it was a bad idea but I kiss him back as my hands tangle themselves in his hair. 

I blame his soft lips.