"There's not a word yet, for old friends who've just met." -Jim Henson
Chapter 7: Unnamed
When Angelo entered his room, he got a nasty shock. Loki was sprawled across one of the couches, looking perfectly comfortable.
"I've had enough drama for one day," Angelo snarled, slamming the door shut behind him and then putting a hand on his hip.
"I'm not here to start drama," Loki answered lazily, propping his feet up on the table. "I'm here to tell you that messing around with Eros is a bad idea. That kid's trouble."
"That's rich, coming from you," Angelo snorted.
"You just met me," Loki drawled, and then paused. "Well, sort of."
"So? I've heard plenty of stories about you, Trickster."
"I'm no worse than you are," Loki said testily. "That's why we used to be best friends, which is why I'm trying to help you now."
"Apollon doesn't like you."
"He likes me better than Eros," Loki pointed out. "Listen, I'm not saying you should trust me. Actually, it's probably a good idea not to. But don't trust Eros either, okay? I know you don't remember me, but I care about you."
And then he was remembering.
"Let's put this in his wine," Hermes giggled, holding up a small vial. It contained a powder made of aniseed, cyclamen, mandrake, mint, satirio, and stafylinos; combined, the herbs made a powerful aphrodisiac.
"Brilliant," Loki breathed. He had taken a different form today; this time he was a young man with long auburn hair. "But I have an even better idea. Sneak into the kitchen and pour it into the wine bottle. That way all of them will drink it!"
Hermes laughed even harder. What would happen when his entire family consumed the drug?...
"Did we really drug my family?" Angelo asked when the memory was over.
Loki grinned broadly. "You bet we did. That was one of the best nights of my life. It was like some sort of holy orgy."
Angelo's lips twitched, and suddenly he was smiling at the strange little man. "Alright," he agreed. "I'll try not to trust him." He wasn't making any promises, because there was something about the winged god that drew Angelo to him.
"As long as you don't trust him blindly," Loki muttered, and Angelo had the fleeting thought that the Norse god had read his mind. He didn't get the chance to ask, though, because Loki began to grin at him mischievously. "Are you up for a little midnight prank?"
"I'm tired," Angelo began to whine, but Loki's grin was contagious, and he suddenly found himself agreeing. "What did you have in mind?"
"Zeusie!" Loki shouted, throwing himself off the couch and leaping onto the table. He did a weird sort of dance, the jubilant smile never leaving his face.
"You're crazy!" Angelo laughed delightedly. Loki was beginning to remind him of Alex, whom he sorely missed.
"It's been said before," Loki said, returning to the floor with catlike grace. "But normal people are so boring, don't you think?"
"Definitely," Angelo agreed. "Anyway, did you say that you want to prank my father?"
"Yes! I haven't gotten Zeusie in a long time," Loki said fervently. Then he cackled wickedly. "I've got the perfect idea!"
Zeus was fast asleep when they snuck into his bedroom. Angelo was surprised to see that Queen Hera was still nowhere to be found. He made a mental note to ask someone about that later.
"Come on," Loki said in a hushed tone, tip-toeing towards the bed. "Use your wand to make sure he doesn't wake up!"
"Use my what?"
"Your wand! The thingy with snakes and wings!"
"I don't have that with me!" Angelo whispered. "I don't even know where it is!"
"Think about having it in your hands," Loki hissed at him. Angelo did, concentrating hard on the caduceus he had seen in paintings of Hermes – well, of himself.
And suddenly, something appeared in his hands. He looked down to see the infamous golden wand. It was several feet long and extremely heavy. "No wonder I don't carry this thing around," he groaned, speaking louder than he had intended.
The king grunted in his sleep, startling both of the intruders.
"Quick!" Loki whispered frantically. "Use it! He'll kill us if he wakes up!"
"I don't know what to do!"
"Give me that!" Loki hissed, snatching the caduceus away from Angelo. He began to wave the wand over the sleeping king, strongly resembling a magician attempting to pull a bunny out of a hat.
Angelo struggled to hold in his laughter. "Is it working?"
"Yep. I can't hear his thoughts anymore."
Loki snapped his fingers, and the caduceus vanished. He snapped again, and suddenly he was holding a handful of permanent markers. The trickster flashed a grin at Angelo. "Let's get to work."
Angelo didn't sleep that night. The anticipation of tomorrow morning was too great. When he got out of bed, there were dark circles under his eyes. He didn't care.
Dionysus and Loki were waiting for him on the other side of his door—he nearly ran into them when he left the room.
"You look terrible," was Dionysus's greeting, and Angelo scowled at him before muttering something about rude brothers and not knocking.
Loki gave him a smirk but remained silent, and the trio made their way to the Great Hall.
The room was nearly empty when they arrived. Hestia, Poseidon, and Athena were the only ones present. Loki and Angelo exchanged glances before sitting down at the table. "I hope the rest of the family gets here before Zeus does," Angelo whispered into Loki's ear, watching the entrance with a worried expression. "It won't be as funny if no one's here to see it."
Loki grunted an agreement before stealing Angelo's goblet and taking a sip from it. Angelo didn't bother to rebuke him.
"You're up to something," Athena suddenly announced. Angelo started when he realized that she was eyeing him and Loki with suspicion.
Loki was unfazed, and his tone was mocking when he sneered, "Aren't you a clever one?"
"Leave her alone," Poseidon snapped. It seemed that everyone in the pantheon was protective of the goddess of wisdom.
Loki instantly sobered. Even for the trickster, Poseidon wasn't one to be reckoned with.
"You'll find out soon enough," Angelo assured his gray-eyed sister.
Several other gods trickled in while they waited. Ares took a seat next to Athena, and, to no one's amusement (or surprise), they began to argue almost instantly. Aphrodite glided in moments later and was pointedly ignored by both Dionysus and Ares. Demeter walked in, accompanied by her daughter, whom Angelo had met the previous day.
Persephone had barely taken her seat when the moment Loki and Angelo had been anticipating finally arrived.
"The king is coming!" the server-girl announced. The gods stood out of respect for their leader—unfortunately for Zeus, this was the only respect he would be shown for the entire day.
The king strode in as he did every morning and made his way to the head of the table.
Aphrodite was the first to let out a gasp of horror upon seeing Zeus's face.
Nobody said anything for a full minute. Zeus looked at each of his family members in turn, his brows knitted together in confusion, wondering why they were staring at him with their mouths agape.
Finally, Poseidon seemed to recover from his initial shock. "Is this supposed to be funny?" he demanded of his brother. "Are we supposed to be laughing? I didn't think you were serious when you said the pantheon was too grim; what has become of our family, when our leader lowers himself to common jokes? Go wash your face, brother. You look like a fool!"
That was more than Angelo and Loki had bargained for. The sight of Zeus's dumbstruck face was almost too much. So hard was it to hold in his laughter that the muscles in Angelo's stomach were beginning to throb.
"What are you talking about?" the king finally asked his brother. "What's wrong with my face?"
Silently, Aphrodite handed her father a small mirror. Zeus took it and peered at his reflection. What he saw made him squawk like an extremely indignant parrot.
His entire face was bright pink. "ZEUSIE!" had been written across his forehead in large, black letters. A mustache was drawn on his upper lip, and the very tip of his nose was bright red. His lips had been colored in by a green marker.
"What—how—what—?!" Zeus stammered, and Angelo was sure that the king's face would have been bright red if it wasn't for all the pink.
"Looks like some sort of tropical bird of prey," Ares snorted into his breakfast.
Loki ducked under the table to hide his laughter.
Zeus was still staring at his reflection in horror when Apollon walked into the room five minutes later. He took one look at his father, shook his head, and sat down next to Angelo.
"Very funny," the blond muttered out of the corner of his mouth.
Angelo grinned. "You're talking to me again?"
Apollon sighed as he helped himself to a piece of toast. "I couldn't stay mad at you for long, but I still think we need to talk about it."
"Not now," Angelo warned. Zeus had just run out of the room, and Loki, who had resurfaced, was watching them with open curiosity.
"Not now," Apollon agreed, munching on the bread and somehow managing to not spill any crumbs. Angelo was beginning to wonder if he used some sort of magical power to eat so neatly.
"So, what made you decide to humiliate our exalted leader on your first day back?" the blond then asked (after he had swallowed, of course).
Angelo jabbed his thumb in Loki's direction. "I think he has a crush on Dad."
"Oh, ew," Apollon groaned, setting down his toast. "I didn't need to know that."
Loki looked equally horrified. "What gave you that idea?" Then he paused and his expression became thoughtful. "I do have a thing for blonds, though—and he is hot. You look just like him, you know," he added to Apollon, who now looked slightly green.
Angelo snickered before saying "You'll never get him looking like that." He pointedly eyed Loki's less-than-perfect appearance.
Loki glanced down at himself. "Yeah, you're probably right."
He began to morph before their very eyes. His hair changed colors and grew down to the middle of his back. His eyes became bright blue. His skin darkened and his body lengthened. He actually looked Nordic.
"Better?" the Norse god asked Angelo. His voice hadn't changed.
"Hm…no," Angelo decided, shaking his head. "Try again."
Loki sighed but began to change once more. This time his hair became shorter and turned dark blond. His eyes were a shade of green similar to Angelo's. His nose lengthened slightly. His body became thinner and several inches shorter. "How about now?" he asked.
"I think that'll work," Angelo said.
Then Ares caught sight of Loki's new form and let out a loud wolf-whistle. "Whoa, Loki! Thelo tin panemorfi ksanthia," he said with a wink.
Angelo let out a bark of laughter. Next to him, Apollon was choking on his toast.
Loki shot a half-hearted scowl at Ares. "First of all, I'm not a girl. Second of all...name the time and place." And much to Angelo's amusement, Loki returned the wink.
Ares looked dumbstruck—whether it was because Loki had understood his Greek or because of what he'd said, Angelo was unsure.
When Apollon managed to get the last of the toast out of his trachea, Angelo leaned towards him and grinned impishly. "Ke thelo apla panemorfi ksanthia mou," the brunette crooned.
Apollon looked disgusted. "Leave me out of this!"
"You're such a party pooper," Angelo said with a huff.
Ares burst out laughing and high-fived Angelo and Loki.
Apollon twitched and stood up, grabbing his younger lover by the arm. "Come on," he ordered. "We have places to be, people to meet, and all that stuff."
"'All that stuff'?" Angelo quoted, obediently climbing to his feet. "Aren't you supposed to be well-spoken?"
Apollon ignored him and held out a hand. "Let's go."
Angelo sighed dramatically, bid Loki and his brother good-bye, and took the offered hand.
They disappeared with a flash of light.
"Apollon!" several voices shouted.
Angelo opened his eyes and was met with the sight of a large group of women. This is going to be a long day, he decided.
"Clio! Erato!" Apollon was saying delightedly. Then the blond frowned. "Melpomene? Why do you look so sad? What is it this time?"
"Don't bother with her," another woman sang, quite literally dancing up to the two gods. "You know how she is. Here, take this!" She shoved what appeared to be a small harp into Apollon's arms. His eyes lit up.
Angelo leaned forward to get a better look at the instrument. This, he knew, must be Apollon's infamous lyre.
"Thank you, Terpsichore," he breathed. "I knew I could count on you to keep it safe."
"Well, I have one just like it," Terpsichore laughed, holding up an identical lyre.
"Since no one's bothered to introduce me, I'm assuming these are the Muses?" Angelo spoke up.
"You assume correctly," Apollon said with a smile. "But the Charites and two of the Horae are also present. Girls, you already know Hermes."
"Indeed we do," one of the women answered quietly. Her face was hidden by a veil. When Angelo looked at Apollon questioningly, the blond murmured into his ear, "That's Polyhymnia. She's very modest. Oh, and that," he waved his hand at another Muse, "is Thalia. You'll like her. She loves jokes."
Angelo beamed at her, and she grinned in return.
"Let's play something!" another Muse said impatiently. She was holding a flute.
"Patience, Euterpe," Apollon laughed. "What shall we play?"
"Your song!" Erato said immediately. Her eyes flickered over to Angelo.
"Alright," Apollon agreed. Angelo watched as the blond settled himself on a tree trunk. He set the lyre on his lap, holding it close to his chest. Then he rested his chin on the crossbar and strummed the strings experimentally.
Then they began to play, and it was by far the most beautiful music Angelo had ever heard. There were flutes, and violins, and a glockenspiel that had appeared out of thin air. One played a lute, others danced, and four sang in harmonic overtones. The lyres were an elegant undertone. Angelo watched Apollon's fingers dance across the strings, watched his eyes flutter shut as he began to sing with his friends. His heart swelled with admiration for his talented lover.
"That was beautiful," Angelo croaked when the music died away. "You should consider playing concerts in public."
Apollon's teeth flashed in the sunlight as he smiled. "It's an idea. But you really liked it?" He sounded like a child hoping to win the approval of his parents.
Angelo walked over to where the blond was sitting and wrapped him in a hug. "Yes," he whispered into the golden hair. "I really liked it."
Apollon pulled the brunette into his lap. Angelo blushed, hyperaware that the women were still watching them, but when Apollon buried his face in Angelo's neck, younger god sighed with content; he not longer cared that they still had an audience.
"I love you," Angelo said softly.
Later that afternoon, Angelo decided to take a walk around Mount Olympus. He wanted to get to know the place that would become his second home. Maybe I'll go see Hephaestus's workshop, he thought to himself. It was one of the places he hadn't been able to see during the guided tour.
Fate, however, had other things in mind.
As he began to walk in the general direction of the workshop, he heard the sound of feet pounding against the marble walkway. Angelo whirled around in the direction of the noise and squawked as Loki seemed to come out of nowhere. The Norse god was sprinting so fast that he was almost a blur. "Loki!" he cried out, leaping aside to avoid being run over. "What are you doing?!"
Loki slowed down just enough to grab Angelo by the wrist, but then he was off again, forcing his Greek friend to sprint alongside him. Angelo could hear him gasping for breath and laughing all at once.
"Why are you running?!" Angelo managed to shout as he stumbled along—it was difficult to run properly when one of his arms was caught in Loki's iron grip.
"No time to explain!"
They were headed directly towards the stables. Several horses were grazing in the paddocks, and they lifted their heads to examine the two runaway gods. "This way!" Loki yelled, leaping over the paddock fence. Against his better judgment, Angelo followed. His breath was coming in short, measured bursts.
The Norse god vaulted onto the back of the nearest horse – a massive white stallion that stood taller than Angelo. Loki held his hand out to the Greek god, and Angelo clamored up behind him. The horse turned his head, looking at his two new riders with an expression that looked suspiciously disdainful.
"There's no saddle," Angelo squeaked.
"Who needs a saddle?" Loki snorted just before kicking the horse's flanks with his heels. "Yah!"
The horse leapt forward. Angelo let out a startled yelp, grabbing Loki around the waist and holding on for dear life.
The horse jumped neatly over the fence and galloped down the marble walkways of Mount Olympus. They went right past a very startled-looking Artemis. Angelo squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to whoever happened to be listening.
When Angelo next opened his eyes, he immediately wished he hadn't. They appeared to be galloping through the clouds. When Angelo glanced down, he saw that the horse was running on absolutely nothing. Thin air was the only thing separating them from the ground far below. Angelo let out a small squeak and closed his eyes again, latching onto Loki tighter and burying his face in his friend's shirt.
Then it stopped.
Angelo opened one eye and looked around cautiously. They were in a clearing, surrounded by trees. There was a babbling brook nearby. When he looked forward, he saw that Loki was grinning at him over his shoulder. "You can let go of me now. I'm pretty sure you cracked a few of my ribs."
So Angelo released him, muttering darkly under his breath. "You're the one who pulled me into this."
"Oh, come on!" Loki protested, laughing. He slid off the horse and then helped Angelo down. "You have to admit that was fun."
"Which part?" Angelo demanded, crossing his arms. "You almost running me over or the ride on the ridiculous floating horse?"
The horse snorted and stomped his hoof as though he'd understood the words.
Angelo rolled his eyes at the animal before turning his angry face back to Loki. "Are you ever going to tell me why you were running around like a lunatic?"
"I was wondering about that, too," a new voice said. Angelo and Loki turned to see Apollon entering the clearing astride a horse identical to the one that they had stolen. He didn't look amused.
Loki groaned. "How did you find us?"
"It was my horse you stole," Apollon responded, shooting the Norse god a disgruntled look. "Smooth getaway, might I add." He reached over to pat the stolen horse. "Pray tell, what did you do this time?"
"I put itching powder in Poseidon's clothes." Loki made a show of looking properly ashamed, but the malicious glint in his eyes gave him away.
Angelo let out a horrified squeak. "You didn't!"
"I did!" Loki cackled.
Apollon's lips twitched and Angelo could tell that he was fighting back a smile. "I would avoid all large bodies of water for the next several days, if I were you," the blond warned.
Loki eyed the creek warily, and Angelo snickered.
"Does Zeus know that you were the mastermind behind the face-drawing intrigue?"
"I'm sure he suspects it, but he can't prove anything. We managed to keep that a secret," Loki smirked, gesturing between himself and Angelo.
Apollon's eyes landed on Angelo, and the brunette froze under the piercing gaze. He knew what Apollon was going to say even before the words fell from his lips.
"That's not the only secret you've been keeping."
Loki looked back and forth between the two Greeks. He opened his mouth to question Apollon's vague words, but the older god cut him off before he could speak. "Go away, Loki."
The Norse god was outraged. He opened his mouth once more.
"Don't argue with me," Apollon snapped.
"I didn't say anything!"
"No, but you were going to."
Loki opened and closed his mouth several times, but Apollon's glare told him that arguing wouldn't be worth the effort. So he settled on shooting a fiery look at the blond before swinging onto the back of the stolen horse. He took off into the woods, muttering loudly about the impudence of Greek gods.
"He'd better take good care of Abraxas," Apollon said darkly.
Angelo blinked at him. "Who?"
"Abraxas. The horse you stole. The other is Therbeeo."
"I didn't steal it," Angelo contradicted, ignoring the last part.
Apollon waved his hand. "That's not what I wanted to talk about."
I guess changing the subject isn't going to work this time.
Angelo crossed his arms and waited.
"I want to know why you did what you did," Apollon said. His delicate eyebrows were furrowed.
"But why?" Angelo said, lowering his arms. "Why do you need to know? Why do you want an answer that can only hurt you in the end?"
Apollon seemed to pale at those words. He took a deep breath. "Why would the answer hurt me?"
Angelo ran his last sentence through his mind and realized how it must have sounded. "I didn't mean it like that," he said hastily. Damn. Isn't Hermes supposed to be the lord of communication?
Apollon's lips tightened. "Then what did you mean?"
"I meant that you wouldn't be happy with any answer I give you."
"That doesn't matter," Apollon said impatiently. "Choose an answer."
"I don't want to hurt you!" He gazed up at the taller god with a silent plea in his emerald eyes. Let it go, he thought desperately.
Apollon's eyes narrowed. His expression was unyielding. "I've spent thousands of years being hurt time and time again," Apollon said coolly. "I should be used to it by now."
"But that doesn't mean you are," Angelo argued before sighing in defeat. "I was confused about something, okay? It's not a big deal."
"'Confused'," Apollon echoed. "Confused about your feelings towards me?"
Angelo was shocked. "No! Of course not."
"Confused about my feelings towards you?"
Angelo couldn't bring himself to answer.
Apollon pressed on. "Confused about your feelings towards another?"
Angelo flinched. He couldn't help it.
Apollon inhaled sharply. "Feelings towards another," he breathed. "I can't believe this."
Angelo looked down at his feet. He was shocked when he heard Apollon begin to laugh. There was no mirth in the sound. It was empty. Hollow.
"We've been together all of seven days, and already we're at odds."
"We never said we were 'together'," Angelo muttered, still staring at the ground.
"And maybe it's better that we stay that way," Apollon snapped.
Angelo's head jerked up. "Are you breaking up with me?" he demanded.
"If we were never together, then there isn't a relationship to break up," Apollon retorted in clipped tones. His eyes were spitting blue fire. "If we can't make it a week without something like this happening, then I think it's better that we stay friends."
"If you don't know how to resolve a simple argument, then I don't think I want to be your friend!" Angelo said angrily.
"Having feelings for someone else isn't a simple argument." It was unnerving how his voice managed to sound so icy.
"I don't have feelings for him!" Angelo shouted. "I don't even know him! I don't know what happened!"
Apollon froze. His hands curled into fists at his sides. When he spoke, his voice was dangerously low. "Eros? You have feelings for Eros?!"
"How—" Angelo began to sputter, but he was cut off by a velvety voice.
"Did someone call?"
Angelo and Apollon both whirled around to see Eros leaning against a tree, looking like he'd been there the whole time. His wings were folded behind his body, and his hair fluttered in the slight breeze.
"You!" Apollon spat. He sounded very much like an angry cat. He stormed over to where Eros was leaning and had ahold of the winged god's collar faster than either of them could blink. "When I'm through with you," he hissed, rage smoldering in his eyes, "they'll be sweeping bits and pieces of you off the streets from here all the way to New Zealand!"
"So hateful," Eros chided, prying Apollon's fingers off his shirt and stepping away.
"It's no more than you deserve," Apollon threw at his back.
"Is that so?" And suddenly, Eros was whirling around with a bow in his hands. The weapon was fitted with a dark arrow.
Angelo let out a gasp of horror. "Eros, don't!" he cried out.
It was too late. He could hear the sound of the arrow being released, the whoosh of air as it soared towards Apollon…
"Too slow!" a cheerful voice declared.
Angelo blinked.
Loki was standing directly in front of Apollon, twirling the arrow between his fingers. Although his voice had sounded as upbeat as ever, he was glaring at Eros with undisguised hate. "No one messes with Blondie but me. Now do everyone a favor and get out of here."
Eros looked shaken for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "I'm sorry," he said with a sneer. "If you're not my king, you can't tell me what to do."
"You're right," Zeus's voice said. "That's my job."
The king was standing mere inches away from Eros. Even though his face was still bright pink, it was clear that he was absolutely enraged. The air crackled with electricity. Sparks were flying from the tips of his fingers. "What have I told you," Zeus said in a dangerous voice, "about using those arrows on family members?"
"Not to," Eros mumbled. "I'm sorry, Father Zeus."
"It's alright," Zeus said, sarcasm dripping from the words. "I'm sure Hera will be more than glad to have your company."
Eros's eyes widened. "No –"
Zeus didn't give him a chance to finish his plea. "I hope this will teach you to stay away from my children," he snarled. To Angelo's shock, a bolt of lightning flashed down from the sky and struck the winged god. A scream rent the air.
When the flash of light cleared, Eros was gone.
"Whoa," Loki breathed. "That was cool."
Zeus turned to face the Norse god. "As for you..." he growled.
Loki gulped.
Then, to everyone's surprise, the king's expression softened. "I'm willing to forget about this," he said, pointing to his pink face, "in exchange for having protected my son."
Loki grinned and lifted up a hand. He snapped his fingers and the king's face was returned to normal.
He then produced a mirror from thin air and handed it to Zeus. "Better?"
"Much," Zeus said approvingly. "Thank you. Now, I believe we should return home. Apollon, where are your horses? Ah, there they are..."
He vaulted onto Abraxas's back.
Loki, Apollon, and Angelo stared at each other for several seconds. It was obvious that Loki had (accidentally on purpose) overheard their argument. By silent agreement, Loki climbed onto Therbeeo's back, and Angelo climbed up behind him. Apollon took a seat behind his father.
"You were eavesdropping on us, weren't you?" Angelo murmured into Loki's ear as the horse broke into a trot.
Loki snorted and flicked a strand of hair out of his face. "I wouldn't call it eavesdropping. You were yelling so loud they could probably hear you all the way in Hong Kong."
Angelo sighed and unconsciously tightened his grip on Loki's waist. "Yeah. I think we broke up."
"Don't worry about it," Loki said carelessly. "Back in the day, you guys had fights like this at least once a week."
"Sounds like a healthy relationship."
Loki craned his head around and shot a grin at Angelo. "You're Olympians. Your family doesn't exactly do healthy relationships."
Angelo muttered an agreement and then glanced over to where his father and lover—ex-lover?—were trotting alongside them. Loki's right. They do look a lot alike, Angelo thought to himself. They appeared to be having a quiet discussion.
"Oh," Angelo said suddenly. "I've been meaning to ask someone about this. What happened to Hera?"
The smirk that made its way onto Loki's face was rather sadistic. "The queenie? Zeus strung her up from the sky after she threw you off the mountain."
Angelo gasped. "What?!"
He had spoken louder than intended. Zeus and Apollo both looked over, their golden eyebrows raised.
Angelo lowered his voice. "Why would he do that?"
"This might be news to you, but parents aren't usually happy when people throw their children around. Besides, this isn't the first time he's done it."
"Oh, then that makes it all better," Angelo said sarcastically. "So she's been dangling from the sky for nineteen years?"
Loki shrugged. "I guess so."
"That's horrible."
"Eh. She's not a very nice person."
"Then why did he marry her?"
Loki laughed. "You got me. We're here!"
His words startled Angelo, and the brunette quickly looked at their surroundings. They had indeed arrived at Mount Olympus. "Wow. The floating horse isn't so bad when I'm distracted."
He slid to the ground and then turned to pat Therbeeo on the nose. He smiled when the horse nuzzled his face.
When he turned back around, he saw that Apollon was walking away, leading Abraxas towards the stables. "Apollon, wait!" he called out.
The blond turned around.
"I wanted to ask you something. When were you planning on taking me home?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Angelo saw that Loki had stopped to listen to their conversation.
"This is your home," Apollon responded curtly.
And with those words, Angelo was able to put two and two together. "You were never planning on taking me back!" he exclaimed. He was too stunned to be angry.
Apollon didn't answer, and Angelo took his silence as a 'yes'.
"You can't keep me here! I have a home, Apollon. I have a job. I have friends!"
Zeus, who had also paused to listen, shifted slightly at the last sentence. In the back of his mind, Angelo wondered why.
Nobody said anything, so Angelo went on with his rant. "Surely you don't all stay here twenty-four seven! You must have homes down there!" He pointed downwards to encompass the earth below. "And I know you have a job, Apollon! You have to have lives outside of this!" He gestured around wildly.
"Of course we do, son," Zeus said quietly, "but this is our true home. Our duties as gods are our priority. As messenger, you will always be responsible for aiding mankind when they need you the most, for keeping our family connected, and for guiding lost souls to the Underworld. Speaking of which…" He dug through the pockets of the robes he was wearing to retrieve a thick envelope. "I need you to take this to Hades and Persephone. There are messages in there for both of them."
Dazedly, Angelo accepted the envelope. He had forgotten about the duties that would be expected of him as the newly-returned messenger.
Zeus turned to leave.
"So when can I leave?" Angelo called after him.
Zeus smiled at him over his shoulder. "Whenever you want. You're millennia old. You can make your own decisions – for the most part." Then he walked out of sight.
"You can always tell a real friend: when you've made a fool of yourself, he doesn't feel you've done a permanent job." -Laurence J. Peter
The song that Apollo plays with the Muses can be heard on my website under Images/Music. The link is on my profile.