"It takes one person to forgive; it takes two people to be reunited." -Lewis B. Smedes

Chapter 21: That Night in Columbus

He left England soon after that, leaving Loki behind. He wanted time alone to think. But in a world that was quickly approaching a population of one billion, where would he find a completely secluded place? His immortal ears could pick up sounds from miles away. The earth had simply grown too noisy. He wandered around for years. Decades turned to centuries. Centuries turned to millennia.

When he began to feel as though he was on the brink of insanity, he made the decision to go someplace that he had not ventured to in years. He dove into the Underworld.

What he saw upon arrival was completely unexpected. The place was deserted. The three judges were nowhere to be seen, and the ornate gate was wide open, left unguarded. Cautiously, Hermes stepped forward and slipped through the gate.

When the feeling of suffocation was over, he was met with the familiar sight of Hades' castle. The drawbridge was open. Hermes continued forward.

He found his uncle in a drawing room. The Lord of the Dead was sitting in an armchair, seemingly staring at nothing. He jerked out of his daze when Hermes entered the room.

"What do you want, brat?" he murmured, sweeping his straight black hair away from his face. Although he no longer hated Hermes, he still wasn't very fond of the messenger.

Hermes ignored the question. "Where is everybody?" he asked instead.

"Gone," Hades answered dully. "Surely you've noticed that our religion is all but dead? When people don't believe in the Underworld, they don't come here after death."

No, Hermes thought. I didn't know that.

"Sit down, if you want," Hades said, gesturing towards an empty chair. Hermes did so with a heavy sigh. Hades eyed him. "Is there something wrong?"

"I don't know what to do," Hermes confessed.

"About what?"

"Well, awhile ago, I thought I saw Apollo at Hampton Court. I haven't been able to stop thinking about him ever since then. I can't decide if I should try to find him, or if I should let it be."

Hades tapped his long fingers against his thigh, his dark eyes watching his nephew thoughtfully. "This is really a matter of forgiveness," he finally said. "Do you forgive him for what he did to you? Because it would be a complete and utter waste of time if you sought him out just to engage in another fight."

Hermes pondered this for several moments. He couldn't decide if he had forgiven Apollo or not. Hades grew impatient waiting, so after a while he leaned towards the messenger as though about to confide a secret. "After you left," his uncle whispered, "the biggest fight I've ever seen broke out. There were those who were on Apollo's side, and those who – well, who weren't. Apollo argued that there had been a misunderstanding. He said that he had been under the impression that you no longer wanted to be with him. He thought you had taken a liking to Artemis."

"Why would he think – ohhhh," Hermes breathed, hit by a sudden wave of understanding. "He thought – oh." When Artemis and Hermes had been plotting a way to end Apollo's betrothal to Dike, Apollo had thought that Hermes was spending time with his twin because he liked her.

"Why didn't anyone ever tell me?" Hermes shouted. Hades shrugged.

"You never asked."

"Well, I have to find him! This was all a big misunderstanding! He probably thinks I hate him! Do you know where he is?"

Hades stared at him like he was an idiot. "Have you been living under a rock or are you just that stupid?"

"What are you talking about?" Hermes snapped, jumping to his feet and pacing back and forth.

Hades snorted. "Take a walk in any town, keep your eyes open, and you'll see what I'm talking about."

So Hermes did. Columbus, Ohio was the first place he went. He ventured downtown, where, in the main square, he saw a massive screen. And there, in tight jeans and a see-through navy shirt, was Apollo, standing at the center of a group of men. "The Radiant Messengers: See them tonight at Nationwide Arena!" was scrolling under the picture in huge block letters. Hermes blinked, and then blinked again. He supposed it made sense that the god of music had joined a band. He tried to ignore the part of him that felt upset at the fact that Apollo was flaunting his beauty all over the world. There probably wasn't a person on the planet that hadn't ogled at his picture.

Well, this is all your fault, you know, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Hades said in his head. If you had just listened to him…

Hermes sighed, deciding then and there that he was going to be at that concert tonight.

The messenger wouldn't have been able to describe the feelings that washed over him when he saw Apollo for the first time in centuries. Warmth pooled in the pit of his stomach and a cold sweat broke over his forehead. His mouth went dry. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

The spotlight hit Apollo as soon as he walked onstage. The way the light hit his hair made the tresses look like pure gold. The thick braid hung over his shoulder. The strands that were too short to be braided curled against his face.

And then he began to sing, and Hermes once again forgot how to breathe. He wasn't even sure what Apollo was singing about. Lyrics didn't matter when the voice singing them was that incredibly beautiful. It reminded him of the sound of running water, and of the sweetness that had filled his mouth the first time Loki had made him taste fudge.

"Hurting you was my greatest mistake –"

The way he moved was almost as beautiful as his voice. The fluidity wasn't human. It was Apollo, plain and simple.

About half an hour passed before Hermes began to notice the other members of the band. His jaw dropped open as he began to recognize them.

There was Nus, the god of intelligence and understanding…Kairos, the god of opportunity…Helios, the ancient god of the sun…And was that Charon? Hermes squinted, disbelief written across his face.

"Is it too late for us to try again -?"

Yes, that was definitely the boatman. How strange.

Another few minutes passed, and the current song came to an end. That was when it happened. Apollo turned his head, and his eyes fell directly on Hermes. Hermes stiffened with shock.

"I don't want to miss one smile, I don't want to miss one kiss, I just want to be with you, right here with you, just like this…"

This was an Aerosmith song – he had heard it before. But the lyrics had never really meant anything to him until now.

"I just want to hold you close, feel your heart so close to mine, and just stay here in this moment for all the rest of time…"

He tuned out the rest of the concert. His mind was reeling with memories.

The first time he had met Apollo…

Everything about him seemed to be golden…Then he leaned forward, and his hair spilled over his shoulder, falling so close to the baby's face that Hermes could smell the faint scent of laurel…And he spoke in the softest voice, and the cave seemed to hum with his power…

The first time they had kissed…

He wasn't sure why or how it was happening, only that it was happening, and there wasn't any going back. If someone had told him that one day he would end up kissing Apollo, he probably would have laughed. Up until now, he had thought of Apollo as untouchable. But now that he was touching the beautiful god, he never wanted to let go. His mouth tasted sweet – it wasn't like anything Hermes had ever tasted before. It was purely Apollo. His Apollo. He loved how tightly the archer was holding onto him, like he was afraid to let go – his grip on Hermes' waist was so tight that the messenger would probably have bruises, but he didn't care.

And, right then and there, in the middle of Nationwide Arena, Hermes knew that he couldn't be away from Apollo any longer. Apollo had loved him and protected him from the moment they met. They belonged to each other.

He waited for Apollo in the blonde's hotel room. It was well after midnight when the archer finally arrived. Hermes was sitting on his bed, staring at Apollo in silence. They stayed like that for several moments – Apollo frozen in the doorway, Hermes frozen on the bed.

"O gods," Apollo finally whispered. "I missed you."

Hermes didn't answer. He didn't think he was capable of speaking at that particular moment. But he looked up at his closest friend – his lover – with wide green eyes that invited Apollo to do whatever he wanted. Hug him. Kiss him. Strip him of every article of clothing and – well.

But Apollo merely stepped forward and sat as close to the messenger as he possibly could. He laid his golden head on Hermes' shoulder, burying his face in the slender neck and inhaling the comforting scent of strawberries and vanilla. Hermes embraced him, holding him as tight as he possibly could. "I'm so sorry," Hermes then whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't listen when you tried to explain."

Apollo shook his head, silently letting him know that it was alright.

They had all of eternity to make up for the lost time.