Ares let out a bellowing laugh, stabbing through the beast who had been dumb enough to attack the famed God of War. He snorted, "Idiot." and, sneering, he walked away, allowing the monster to suffer and bleed 'til it died out.

Heh. He loved his life. No worries, no boundaries, and nothing to weigh him down. He was Ares, after all. It may not seem like it, but he was quite the lady killer. He could have anyone he wanted. Hell, he even had the Goddess of Love herself! He sneered, kicking a few rocks into the sky. Not that he really cared much about her. She was just another nothing to him, and that's how he liked it. When everyone was no one, ya had no one to lose.

Ares grinned, it was better than actually getting attached to these idiots of Olympus. Apollo was living proof of that lesson.

Ares smirked, punching a tree absently. Hah, thinking of that issue always brought a smile to his face. He loved it when the Gods argued-after all, it often led to battle, since he was there to stir things up.

It seemed things were getting pretty tense up on Olympus, in fact. The 'wonder twins' were at each other's throats, and that had everyone worried. Well...Ares snorted, at least, Artemis was at Apollo's throat, anyway. Apollo had refused to do anything about it...or anything at all. From what Ares heard, he was off hiding somewhere, bawling his wimpy eyes out over his angry little sister. The sun hadn't come out in weeks, and the dumbass humans were blabbering on about the apocalypse.

Damn, he hoped Artemis would provoke a real fight out of the God. Apollo was a pitiful mess as it was, and honestly, it was pretty disgusting to think that the God of the Sun would have a total meltdown so easily-I mean, seriously? It was just a woman! Just a toy, just a distraction! He shouldn't be so damn touchy-feely about it-acting like he was the woman instead of Artemis!

Ares found himself filled with sheer annoyance and contempt at the weakened God. He was makin' th' rest of Olympus look so bad that it would've been amusing if Ares hadn't been of Olympus himself.

Zeus had demanded that Apollo be found and convinced to bring the Sun back. Demeter wasn't allowed to mope forever, so neither was Apollo, apparently.

Ares didn't care either way. Humans were more fun to manipulate while in a frenzy, after all. Who gave a fuck if a few Demigods died in the process?

His thoughts halted immediately when Ares found himself stopping dead in the forest, gazing intently at a large tree. He couldn't think of a good reason why he was there, but he felt a sense of importance about it, and that annoyed him all to hell. He was about to walk off when he heard a very soft murmuring resounding from it.

Wait...Wasn't that...?

Poetry?

"Light of Love,

Light of Sight,

There to Guide me through the Night.

Her Silver bows Shine,

Her presence gleams,

But of course it would darken when shined unto me.

God of the Sun?

But I've no light!

She alone has been my sight.

Yet now It's gone,

And as am I,

And soon, my presence will surely die."

Ares retracted, taken aback and moving into a fighting position. He relaxed as he began to recognize the voice, "...Apollo?" he asked hesitantly, trying not to let his voice sound concerned.

A head peeked from behind the tree, looking a little shocked, but then merely weary as it responded, "Ares." and slunk back out of sight.

Ares glared, angry that he didn't understand why the God of the Sun didn't sound like himself. The God was lacking...emotion. Everything that made Apollo...well, Apollo was suddenly gone. "Hey. What the fuck, Apollo? Depressing poetry? Hiding? Get out from behind the tree and let me see ya, ya wuss." he demanded, not understanding why a strange sense of worry was coursing through him. Why did he get the feeling something was wrong, dammit?

There was a silence. That might have been the scariest part of it all. The Apollo Ares knew wouldn't have taken an insult without screeching and cursing. Even if they didn't know each other, some things were expected of the other.

Ares was about to say something when Apollo's dead voice finally met his ears, "No." was the only word that the usually-talkative poet would vocalize.

"Apollo? What the fuck? I'm trying to be 'concerned', now get your ass over here and let me drag your sorry ass back to Olympus!" Ares yelled, forcing himself not to move and to wait until the moping freak came by himself.

Again, the response that Ares earned was a bleak silence. Ares opened his mouth to scream, but closed it violently, convinced that if he waited Apollo would say something. Surely enough, after a few minutes, there was a response, "No." There was a long pause and for a moment, Ares assumed that was all the other would say, "You don't care. No one does. Go away...I'll be gone soon enough..." Every sentence was drawn out and slow, getting the point across successfully, merely because it struck Ares again how much it didn't sound like the old Sun God.

Ares snorted after he regained his cool, "Gone? Please, where the Hell would you go? You're a God, genius. Gods can't die." he reminded spitefully, scowling. He hated the finality in Apollo's voice. It's not like he really could just be gone, dammit!

There was another long silence, but this one with a different feel to it. The emotion emanating from it was almost the arrogant smugness that was so commonly associated with the whimsical man, but, in an instant, it was just sad again. "I know." there was a long sigh, "But...They can fade, Ares. That's how I became the Sun God, after all." Apollo's voice broke and there was only a moment's interval before he whispered, almost frantically, "I'm going to fade..."

At first, Ares felt like an idiot for not remembering that. I mean, come on! Ugh! Everyone knew that Gods could fade if they wanted! Jeez...stupid.

There was another second that passed, and the meaning of the words sank in. Wait...what? Fade? No. No, Gods didn't fade unless they lost a reason to live. Apollo was the God who could look at a fucking flower and find millions of reasons to live. Apollo was the God who was so obsessed with what he did that he would survive on the brink of death so that he could finish a goddamn song.

Apollo was the touchy, arrogant, lively prophet who was full of life.

Ares found himself overcome with anger and annoyance. He would not be joked with like this, dammit all! "Quit being stupid, Apollo!" he yelled, his voice harsh and stony. "Losers fade! Are you so damn wussy that you will? It was just Artemis! Just that fucking woman! You're being an idiot! Think of everyone else at Olympus! If you go, and I could've done something, Zeus will have my...hide..." Ares hadn't meant to let his voice trail off and weaken, but that's what it seemed to do as he found himself staring at Apollo, who seemed to have simply appeared in front of him.

"Gods..." he breathed as he took in the sight of the anger-stricken god. It was Apollo. That much was obvious, because he would always have that air of knowingness to him. He would always seem to shine like the sun, bewitchingly...

But, it was all wrong. His gleaming, excited eyes were now dulled and had bags of exhaustion and stress under them. The way he would stand proudly, like a gentleman, making his presence known was gone. He seemed to have shrank, and he suddenly looked so much more fragile, and breakable. His exuberant radiance was long gone, replaced by a ghastly glow that made him seem more like an apparition than a being of flesh. He almost looked transparent, even...

It was Apollo, but at the same time...it just wasn't.

Apollo stood about a foot away from Ares, and when he spoke his voice was angry and...almost desperate, "Shut your mouth, Ares. I can't recall one second that you actually knew what you were talking about so don't try to tell me what I do know." Ares backed up minutely, finding something almost frightening in the low, echoing tone. He immediately scolded himself, stepping back up. He wasn't afraid of anything. He was the God of War, for the gods' sake!

"Fine, Apollo. You're fuckin' right. I don't get it at all." He relaxed his posture a little, looking at Apollo seriously. "So explain it. What's going on with you?"

Apollo's face remained a mask of anger, but there was a small noise of contempt that escaped his throat, "No one cares, fool. That's the problem."

Ares stepped up, scowling, "That's no damn reason to want to die-"

"And I don't!" Apollo cut him off, his voice only a small bit louder than it had previously been, but containing enough venom to make Ares hear him out. "That's it, you ass! Why would I want to die? Why would I want to leave?" Apollo's voice cracked dangerously, "I just know I'm going to. I just can feel my being becoming less and less every day, and I can feel how I can't live knowing that no one gives a damn." to Ares, it sounded silly. Stupid, even. But, Apollo was looking at him with such dead seriousness that he had to take his word for it.

"Open your eyes, genius. Your artsy crap is everywhere. Music, poetry, light...It's all around you. It's never been so alive! You're being stupid, saying that no one gives a damn. Hell, Zeus is loudly giving a damn to everyone he talks to if you'll bother to listen! I'm here, aren't I? That's giving a damn, isn't it? Snap out of it, Apollo." Ares crossed his arms, rolling his eyes.

Instead of the ideal, 'Oh, you really think that, Ares? Really? Oh, I love you, Ares! Let me do you bidding and start mindless wars for you because I owe you my life for your kind words!' response and Apollo suddenly springing to life like the Sun he represented and becoming obsessed with him, like a shining obsessive War God-Idolizer, who would inadvertently be Ares's slave for eternity...well, what really happened wasn't what Ares had hoped for like that, regrettably.

Apollo scowled, and when he spoke, his voice was so sarcastic and impatient that it burned. "Yes, of course, Ares. 'Shall I compare thee to a mindless serpent? Thou art viler and less observant.' I'm surprised that you, of all people, would try to tell me that I'd be missed. Yes, I know Zeus is busily harassing everyone to find me and, gods, how does he phrase it? 'Fix me'? He only cares for his demigod toys and his next whore, Ares. You know that.

"And, oh, joke of all jokes, you? Giving a damn for me? Don't even try that. You don't. You even said that you were still here because otherwise Zeus would skin your ass! You're the God of War-think about it. When I fade, there will be controversy. Fights. You can work that to your own advantage! And about the arts, the lights; do you think it would cease if I fell? No, Ares! The humans are resourceful, they will live! Don't try to tell me something in this could change...!" Ares's eyes widened as a single tear shimmered down the broken god's face.

All anger was wiped from him and his mouth found itself moving on it's own, "Apollo, calm down." Geez. That's a phrase he never thought he'd say.

"Calm down, Ares? How can you tell me to calm down? Humans are so violent...You'll never find yourself out of your element, will you? And everyone swarms around you! No matter what, they find you like flies to a corpse! They lie, saying they hate you! They feed off of your misbehavior! It makes them feel like they're a real family, and they love you for it, no matter what you do!" Apollo's voice was a very angry, light and mocking tone.

Ares's voice was calm once more, and he felt an unfamiliar coolness growing within himself. The usually adrenaline-spiked world he lived in was beginning to slow down and it's effect was going to make him do something weird, he'd guess. "What does all that have to do with anything?"

"I mean you'll never fade...!" more tears were striping the poor man's face as he went on angrily. "You'll never have to fear simply ceasing to exist! Do you know what that's like? It's so lonely...! To know you're going to die and simply stop! Like someone has decided you don't fit in with the world's perfection so they simply omit you from their creation! It hurts! It's scary! It...it's...You just can't calm down, alright?

"...You can't even feel your element anymore, Ares! You can't sense anything! You lose your taste for all you've ever loved! It took me days to come up with that little poem you listened in on earlier! I've had no prophecies! I can't play my lyre! I can't...I can't do anything, anymore..." Apollo fell to his knees pitifully, and a strike of pity pierced Ares like a dagger as Apollo almost silently added, "It's only a few weeks left until..." Apollo swallowed, "Until I fade away."

Ares was silent, and in his scarily calm state, the world felt like it was standing still. This was so weird...Why wasn't he screaming? Why wasn't he bored or daunting?

God, Ares didn't know, but he didn't mind being able to look around and see things. Colors had different shades and hues...The forest was green due to life, millions of little living things...When had this happened? And Apollo...why did his sadness actually provoke a reaction.? Wuss...A small voice attempted, but Ares shook it off reluctantly, deciding to go with his instinct. "You're off on one thing. I am not Zeus's pet. I'll send him to the darkest pits of Tartarus before he tells anyone that. Listen here, I'm not here on Zeus's orders. Think about it, if I didn't care, would I really still be here?" Ares asked, hesitantly stooping ungracefully down to meet Apollo's eyes.

A stab of panic rushed though him for a second, and he felt like screaming. Stabbing. Violence. Gore. Why was he wantin' to be compassionate now? It all disappeared when he met Apollo's eyes again, however. He felt the cool calmness building up again and whispered soothingly, "I'm here for you right now, aren't I, Apollo?"

Apollo's eyes snapped open, and he stared at Ares for a long time before his eyebrows weakly knitted together, "What?" he asked. His voice was no longer angry, just...confused. Almost like a lost child who had been abandoned, then someone had told them that they had a home.

Ares rolled his eyes, not really annoyed, but wanting to lighten the other's mood, "I said that I'm here for ya now, right? I haven't left, so that means something. You're not alone right now, so take advantage of it while I'm in a good mood and not wanting to drag your ass away without your oh-so-important consent, hmmm?" Ares found an-and, let's be clear, it was very, very almost-kind smile on his face for a second, and gave Apollo a playful wink, "So spill it, punk. What's vexin' ya today?" Ah, gods, what the hell was wrong with him? Last time he checked, the God of War didn't wink. Or smile. Ever.

Grudgingly, however, Ares would admit it was almost worth it seeing the shell of a god relax and begin to regain his old glow...y'know...almost.

He was thinking like a goddamn sap already.

Apollo stared at Ares for a long time, and after a few seconds, he breathed, disbelievingly, "Here for me...?" the silence was broken by light peals of laughter, "That's...a twist. The God of War wants to know what's on my mind? Really?" there was a note of gut-wrenching desperation in Apollo's voice as he asked this. A final approval-if there was going to be any, 'Hah! Fuckin' fooled ya!'s, then they had to be settled now before Apollo even tried to say anything.

Ares was okay with this, because against his sadistic nature, he was completely serious. "Really. Are you saying that you doubt me? Well, here's my advice for that," Ares moved a little closer to his fellow Olympian and whispered, keeping his voice smooth, "Don't. I'm not lying, Brother."

'Brother'. You could almost hear something snap in the air as he said that, Ares mused. In all of their lives, had he ever called Apollo his brother? Of course they were brothers but...They had never said so. Stating it made something shift in the balances of their trust of each other.

Apollo stared for a minute, but then shook his head, looking down. "Good to know, Ares..." at first Ares thought that once more, it had all gone over Apollo's head, but the next word out of the faltering God's mouth put him a little at peace, and pulled a smug grin onto his rough face.

"Thanks."

A/N: Aaaannnd, FINISH CHAPTER ONE! *-*

First off, THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS! THEY WERE THEY ONLY REASON I FINISHED WRITING THIS! XDD

Sorry it took so long, but shit happens, and, well, I couldn't find the time or figure out when to end this chap.

Also, I decided to mess with a few of you guys who decided that Apollo and Arty were creppy cause they were twins...Guess what? :D Ares an' Apollo are BROTHERS! And both MEN, for you slow people who might not have caught on. XD (Thank you, kind, educated soul who pleasantly pointed out that Greek myths were ALL incest. It gave me courage to carry on. XD)

...

Okay, bring on the 'EWWWW! WTF? YOU RUINED THIS FOR ME WITH YOUR INCESTUAL GHEY WRITING YOU SONNUVA BITCH!' comments. I can take 'em. I've gotz Ares on my side right now XD

I know Ares was reeeeeeaaaally OOC, but it was required for story progression. Please be patient, it'll pass in the next chapter.

Hope you didn't hate it too bad. Love you gaizzz~! 3