Author's Note:
After one guest review, and five private messages regarding Sisters, No Matter What, I have decided to write about what had happened between Apollo, Hermes and Dionysus during the course of that story.
If it is not clear, this is a one-shot. Alright? Good. So enjoy :)
Muse of Fanfiction
"Is he still going on?" Apollo asked, not looking up from the scroll he was reading as he lounged on the chaise.
Hermes, who was lying on a chaise nearby and staring up at the ceiling, took one look at the god on the other side of the lounge and said, "Yup. He's still going strong. I think that's his tenth pithos already."
Apollo sighed irately, put down the scroll and turned to look at Dionysus, who was sprawled across the chaise on the other side of the room, on the opposite side of the hearth in the middle.
The Wine God was chugging down yet another small silver pithos filled with the most sweetest and exquisite mead in the palace of Mount Olympus. He chugged down every single drop straight from the pithos, not even bothering to use the chalice that lay forgotten on the floor.
When the pithos was finally empty, Dionysus chucked it away and babbled with a drunk smile, "Hey. …. Pol… Pollo… Apollo?"
Apollo sighed in dismay and answered in an annoyed tone, "Yes, Dionysus? What is it this time?"
A handful of hiccups and one belch, and then Dionysus asked, "W-w-what's the s-s-sun doing h-h-here! W-why's it in th-th-the middle of th-the r-r-room?"
The golden-haired and blue-eyed Sun God rolled his eyes heavenwards and answered, "That's the hearth, Dionysus."
Dionysus drunkenly and crazily ran his fingers through his shoulder-length chestnut locks in drunken glee when he suddenly flashed his hazel eyes to Apollo in shock. "Apollo! W-w-we're not o-on Earth!" And then his eyes became confused. "Are w-w-we?"
Apollo groaned and laid his head back against the headrest of the chaise as he covered his face with the scroll. Hermes smacked his palm against his forehead and said, "He said 'hearth', Dionysus. Not 'Earth'."
Suddenly, for no reason, Dionysus started crying in pain. Apollo removed the scroll from his face and looked at him in mixture of annoyance and confusion. Hermes too looked at Dionysus with the same expression.
"Aarrgghhh! Not so loud, Hermes! Gods above, it sounds like an earthquake!" Dionysus wailed in pain as he tried to burrow his face into the pillows.
Hermes and Apollo looked at each with a stupefied expression on their faces. Apollo then turned to Dionysus and exclaimed, "He wasn't even shouting!"
Dionysus only started screaming in panic, but his screams were muffled by the pillows he had buried his face in. Apollo and Hermes stayed still and watched him.
A few seconds later, Dionysus stopped shouting and became very still.
"Is he dead?" Apollo mused, an amused smile forming on his lips as he assessed Dionysus, who was now sprawled face-down on the chaise with one leg dangling off the edge.
Hermes got off the chaise and flew over to Dionysus. He plucked out the pillows to the floor and turned the Wine God over onto his back. He examined his face, and then pulled away in disgust.
"Nope. Still breathing. But he seriously reeks of alcohol."
Apollo sighed for what must be the hundredth time that night and shook his head in dismay as he put aside the scroll and got off the chaise, making his way to his half-brothers. "Looks like we'll have to carry him to his room then. No surprise there."
But in that very instant, as Hermes gazed at the unconscious Dionysus, he began to realize that he had an opportunity and a plan began to form in his head.
A very mischievous plan.
"Hold up, Apollo," he said with a grin, holding up one hand to stop his half-brother from coming closer.
"What?" Apollo said.
"I have an idea."
Then, Hermes walked over to Apollo's side and whispered something in his ear. Apollo listened attentively, and when Hermes had finished, he looked gobsmacked.
"Are you being serious? That's just a little too cruel!" Apollo exclaimed.
Hermes shrugged, and said, "It could be a lesson for him to not get too drunk. Besides, both of us could use a good laugh."
The Messenger God watched as Apollo tapped a finger to his chin and studied the sleeping Dionysus, contemplating his thoughts.
Hermes then exclaimed, "Come on, Apollo! Even you would have to admit that it could be funny!"
Despite being quite hesitant, Apollo smiled to himself and said with a small chuckle, "Yes, it is really funny."
Now knowing that Apollo might take the bait, Hermes tried to tempt him even more. "So what do you say? We're not doing anything that would really hurt him. It's just a joke."
Apollo looked at Hermes, then at Dionysus, then at the floor. Suddenly, he shook his head in amusement, slapped Hermes on the back and muttered with a smile, "Hermes, you trickster."
And Hermes' grin turned wider.
It was the middle of the night. Not a soul was awake, and not a sound was made. Throughout, everything was silent as the dead.
In the heart of a town just a few miles away from Mount Olympus, the two gods were about to execute a prank on the unconscious God of Wine. They were as silent as a mouse as they took two hours to complete the task.
When they were finally done, they took a step back and gazed at their masterpiece.
"I must say; this may be my perfect prank yet," Hermes remarked, his chest stuck out like a proud rooster while one hand was on his hip and while the other stroked his chin.
Apollo chuckled under his breath, but then he turned serious. "Come on. Let's get out of here before somebody notices us."
Apollo then got on his gold chariot and ordered the winged-horses to move without making a sound. The steeds obeyed, and they flew away into the sky silently, pulling the gold chariot. Behind the chariot, Hermes followed, using the flight of his winged-sandals.
But he sneaked another glance at what they had just done to Dionysus, and couldn't help but chuckle in mirth.
The next day
Ugh…. Blast this hangover! The headache is killing me!
Dionysus' vision was extremely blurry as he slowly roused from unconsciousness. He couldn't see anything, and he partially blamed it on the pounding headache he was experiencing, which was a consequence of a long night of heavy drinking.
Although all he could see was a blur, there was brightness everywhere, with some shadowy figures standing at his feet. His confusion rose immediately and he tried to ask what was going on. But to his shock, he found that he couldn't speak.
What in Tartarus is happening? Why can't I speak? What are these shadows? Where am I?
A million thoughts ran through his head, but there wasn't an answer for even one.
Until now.
His vision cleared then, and he could now realize that sunlight was shining on his face. He didn't understand. Was he outside? And why does his body feel so bare?
He tried to move his arms, which were planted firmly on his hips, but he discovered that he could not move. It was as though he was paralysed. He began to feel so frightened as he wondered what had happened to make him like this.
Suddenly, he could hear murmurs coming from below him. He cast his eyes downwards (his eyes being the only thing he could move) and saw many mortal villagers gathered around him, eyeing up at him in amazement and shock.
Mortals? What is this! Where am I!
When his mind cleared for a while, he could hear the many voices of villagers below him.
"What a beautiful statue!"
"Who could have carved this?"
"This is indeed the most exquisite piece of art in the universe!"
"Imagine how much gold we can get for this!"
"No! Do not sell it! It is too precious to let go!"
Dionysus could feel his heart stammering quickly.
Statue?
In the inside of his mind, he screamed in rage and anxiety.
"APOLLO! HERMES! GET OVER HERE!"
Apollo was lying on the lip of the fountain in the gardens and playing his lyre when he heard the loud and angry voice of his father, Zeus, booming through the air. The abruptness caused the Sun God to fall into the fountain bowl in shock.
When he resurfaced from the water, he immediately spat out water and ran a hand through his wet golden locks. The back doors of the palace flew open and Hermes suddenly appeared in front of the fountain, his spring green eyes ridden with fear.
"We are as good as dead now," Hermes stammered in fear.
Despite being extremely afraid of facing their father's wrath, Hermes and Apollo made their way to where his voice came from; the hall of the grand scrying pool. They were tempted to run, but knew well that it would heightened Zeus' rage. Better face the music than be hunted like an animal in Artemis' hunt.
When they reached the golden doors leading to the hall, the both of them hesitated for a while. Apollo busied himself by making sure he was dry and presentable while Hermes kept ruffling through his light blonde hair, making it messier with each run of his hand.
"Enter," Zeus said from the inside abruptly, causing both Hermes and Apollo to jump a bit.
The golden doors opened from the inside, and the young gods both swallowed lumps that formed in their throats and took a deep breath before entering.
They see Zeus standing in front of the scrying pool with his back to them. The both of them stopped just a few feet away from him, and Hermes said in the best 'normal' voice he could manage, "You've summoned for us, Lord Zeus?"
Zeus did not say anything. Instead, he turned his head slightly so that his face was visible. Apollo and Hermes cringed at the frown on his face, the anger in his piercing grey eyes and the scowl on his lips.
"Come over here and tell me what you see," he then said, his voice hard and steel-edged.
Trying hard to ignore the fear that was tingling in their spines, clearly very unsuccessful, they both came closer and stood before the pool, with Hermes on Zeus' left and Apollo on his right. All three of them then looked at the image in the scrying waters.
They immediately saw Dionysus, standing still on top of a pedestal in the middle of a village. He had both his hands on his hips, his legs crossed, and the handle of a pithos clenched in between his teeth, with the pithos hanging. He was naked, save for a plain cloth that was covering his crotch. He was painted head to toe in grey, making him resemble a statue.
But the only thing that could signify that he was alive was his hazel eyes, which held outrage and anger. No doubt towards two certain gods.
Many mortals were at his feet, gazing in amazement and wondering to themselves how in the world an exquisite statue had arrived in their tiny village. But of course, they did not know that the statue was really Dionysus, the God of Wine.
"It only took me five seconds to know that it was the both of you who did this," Zeus muttered under his breath, his grey eyes still locked on the image of Dionysus. "So you think making him a statue and leaving him in a village full of mortals was funny, huh?"
The urge to run began to overpower Hermes and Apollo, but none made a move for they were frozen with fear.
Hermes began to get flustered and stammered, "W-well you s-s-s-see…. H-he was d-drunk… And I-I thought that i-it w-w-would b-be f-f-funny…"
He didn't finish his sentence, because Zeus was once again screaming at the top of his voice.
"JUST GET HIM BACK HERE AND MAKE THE MORTALS FORGET THIS EVER HAPPENED! OR ELSE I'LL BE SURE TO USE THE BOTH OF YOU FOR TARGET PRACTICE WITH MY LIGHTNING BOLT!"
Hermes yelped in shock whereas Apollo turned as pale as a sheet. Without skipping a beat, both yelled, "RIGHT AWAY, LORD ZEUS!", and ran out from the hall of the scrying pool.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Apollo shouted as he ran as fast as his mighty legs could bring him.
Hermes, who flew beside him at the same speed, then snapped back, "WELL NONE OF THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HAD CONVINCED ME TO NOT DO IT!"
"BUT I DID TELL YOU!"
"LIAR! AND EVEN IF YOU DID, YOU DIDN'T TRY HARDER!" Then Hermes exclaimed, "Now let's stop fighting and get Dionysus back, or else we'd both be burnt by the lightning bolt!"
Apollo didn't hesitate to agree and continued running off.
The both of them didn't notice when they ran out of the hall, but a certain goddess was standing next to the doors. She had heard everything, and had fallen to the floor in a fit of laughter.
As Artemis wiped away the tears that formed in her midnight blue eyes and continued laughing in complete mirth, she giggled to herself, "Wait until Athena hears this!"