If She's Not Here, The Sun Don't Shine

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO. Rick Riordan does.

Author's Note: This is inspired off of three Tumblr posts. The first is, "But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?" The second is, "Sometimes I do miss how it feels when you're around." Third is, "I thought you were better than this, but you're just like everyone else." And the couple is Apollo and Hylla! First in the Fandom I believe. Anyway, on with the story!

I sat down heavily at the bar in the Cauldron Club. I just got done giving Hylla all her stuff back. The bartender came over to me.

"What's your poison?" He vainly shouted over the music. I could feel the bass in my bones.

"Whiskey." I mouthed back, sure that if I spoke, I'd break down. The barkeep nodded and sent down a shot.

Fifty shots later, I pulled out my phone and dialled the number I knew by heart.

"Hello?" Hylla's voice came over the tiny speaker.

"Hylla? Are you there?" It seemed that the music in the club dimmed as soon as I heard her.

"Yes Apollo." She replied tiredly.

"So much has changed huh?" I asked rhetorically, not really expecting an answer.

"But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?"

I did that for a few moments. "Hylla?"

"Yes Apollo?"

"You're right. I wish it was still like that."

"Sometimes I do too." She replied bittersweetly

"You wanna know something?"

"Lay it on me."

"Sometimes I do miss how it feels when you're around."

"Apollo, I can't." She protested half-heartedly.

I sighed sadly before saying, "I know. I don't like it, but I know."

"Apollo?" She asked after almost a minute of dead silence.

"Yeah?" I replied, trying to keep the hope out of my voice.

"I thought you were better than this; but you're just like everyone else."

"…I'm sorry…" I offered.

"It doesn't matter," she responded. At the club, the loudest thing there wasn't the music; it was the dial tone.

Author's Note: Poor Apollo! I hope you liked it! I might put up another chapter, provided you say yes. Also, the Cauldron Club belongs to Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Have you heard the song "Forever and Always" by Parachute? It's so sad! Like "Terrible Things" by Mayday Parade. But sweet too. Listen to it. Review and buh bye while I cry.

Edited: 5/19/2014