Day 2
- Artemis's POV -
Time to leave.
Apollo was sleeping again. Now was the best time. With any luck, I'd be back before he woke up.
I hated to leave him, but this was important. I couldn't ask Meg or mother to do this. Meg had already lived through this once, and I wasn't going to put mother through this trauma.
Besides, Meg might not know how to fly, or how to use GPS. Hm. I'd have to teach her the ins-and-outs of being a god. Apollo wasn't in any fit state to do so, and besides, it was the LEAST I could do for my new honorary little sister.
Filing that away for later, I took off from my birthplace and headed northwest, towards the mainland. I could have simply teleported there, but I needed a few minutes to steady my nerves. This may not be dangerous, but it would be emotionally trying.
Ocean gave way to land. I slowed down as I approached my destination, a giant cave.
Python's former lair.
I walked into the cavern, trying to emit a confidence and serenity that I did not feel.
After walking for several minutes, I found it.
Apollo's mortal corpse.
He lay where he had died two days ago. Dried blood coated his shirt. The smell of decay wafted through the air. His eyes (its, its eyes, this is just an empty shell, Apollo's back on Delos, he's not dead) blank and lifeless.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I knelt by his the corpse. Gently, I wrested the ukulele from his its grip. Tenderly, I closed its eyes.
"This will never happen again," I quietly promised. "The world needs you too much. I need you too much, little brother. This will be the only time you die."
I placed my hand on the body's chest, just over the heart. The body dissolved into light and sank into the cavern floor. Little yellow wildflowers popped up where the body was. They would never die, despite the lack of sun. They would be my brother's gravestone, a reminder of how close I came to losing him forever.
I turned away and walked out of the cavern. Then a little faster. I started running. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and I teleported straight to Delos, back to my brother. My brother, who was ALIVE.
I ran into the room where my brother was sleeping. Mother looked startled and concerned when she saw me burst in, looking frantic, nearly on the edge of tears, but when she saw the ukulele strapped onto me, her look faded into one of understanding.
Apollo chose that moment to wake up. He blearily opened his eyes and looked around the room, finally settling on me. He gave me a look of concern and held out his arms.
I picked him up and burst into tears.
He hugged me as best he could, making soft babbling noises.
Then he noticed the ukulele I was carrying.
His eyes widened.
He held out his hands and trilled urgently, asking for it.
I set him on the rug on the floor and sat down, with Apollo on my lap. I held the ukulele so that he could pluck the strings, even though he couldn't hold it himself.
Reverently he reached out a hand and drew back a string. It twanged, sending a clear, loud note across the room.
Apollo burst into tears and hugged the ukulele.
He held onto it for the rest of the night.