MEETING WITH APOLLO
"He should be here soon." I heard Demeter tell me as she patted my knee. We were sitting in a clearance that was covered by soaring oaks and willows. Demeter sat on my left side while the nymphs sat at our feet. The sun was barely visible on the horizon which meant Apollo was almost done with his duty and Artemis was beginning to drag the moon chariot across the sky. I could see the shadows of trees slipping. Willow had made sure Demeter would attend this meeting with Apollo because she did not want me to have any unsupervised time with the music god. I thanked her in private. Plus if my mother was here, he would not be like to disrespect or attempt to touch me. I did not want to be touch by a man I did not know. I smiled lightly thinking about Kaikias and his cool hand in mine.
It had been three weeks since the lady spirit attacked me. Sometimes I would wake up in a cold sweat hearing the calls for her baby. "My baby boy. Where is he?" Her words haunted me. The memories of her hands stripping away my organs. Knotting and twisting my intestines into red ribbons. I placed my hand on my stomach every now and then to check that my belly had not been torn. Yes, the spirit never physically harmed me, but the agony had been real.
In some dreams Kaikias came with Laelaps bounding beside him. Laelaps would eat the woman and Kaikias would sweep me into his arms. We would spend the rest of the day together, but in truth we heard someone wandering in the swamp which ended our time together. Kaikias seemed apprehensive about someone seeing us and I could not agree enough. If that person was Willow, she would reveal me as Persephone. He kissed my wrist again before leaving, but his lips lingered there for a second longer than before. My heart fluttered when he said, "I will see you again, Fern. By my immortal blood, I shall see you." A blood drop fell from his finger.
His intense ice blue eyes met mine which sealed his vow. I felt a thread tie itself around my wrist to his wrist as he said the words. When immortals swear they would have to follow through otherwise they would be haunted by their words and the person they promised until they are driven to madness. The large hound bounded beside him and then he disappeared. He said he would send me a message, but there was none. When I thought about it I felt bitter. I went out on a limb telling him I liked him and even kissed him, but he never came to see me. There was no chill in the air to remind me of him either.
I looked to my mother and her green eyes met mine as she took my hand. I smiled at her as the last hints of sunlight gave way to the dark of the night. Perhaps she could be overbearing, but she truly loved me and would protect me against this god's follies. "You will be fine, Persephone." Demeter whispered and smiled back at me. Then a flash of light appeared before us and the nymphs. They scrambled to their feet and went to the sides of Demeter and me. I shut my eyes and waited for the intense light to die down, but it did not. Not to look a fool, I opened my lids and saw a god standing in a golden chariot. Attached to the chariot were to horses with manes and tails on fire with their nostrils flaring. One golden stallion pawed at the ground and the other one tossed his magnificent head.
I then stared at the sun god. Like the rest of the gods, he had eternal youth and beauty. He had cropped wild red hair and blazing orange eyes. His shoulders were broad and his body was thick with muscle. Unlike Hermes, who was a lithe killer, this god could easily break a man skull with his bare hands. Yet the presence Apollo bought was spritely and jovial much like the music he was known for. Everything about his appearance screamed the sun god. He stepped off of his chariot and walked to us with a flashing eyes. His horses walked away with the sun carriage trailing behind them. The light dimmed slightly as they walked under the moonlight.
"Demeter," Apollo greeted meeting her eyes. "It has been far too long." My mother rose to meet the red haired god and offered to shake his hand. Instead of simply taking her hand, the sun god grabbed my mother and hugged her. I snorted seeing her squirm before he let her go. "Yes, a pleasure." She stated, clearly not pleased, but he paid no mind to her. She gestured for me to rise. I stood my orange gown as I felt his eyes trace my face. His eyes never went down to search my body. "Apollo," I said formally. "I am glad to see you again." I said before I felt his arms crush around my body. "Persephone, there is no need for formalities." Apollo said loudly as he let go of me. I pursed my lips slightly.
"Oh, I have a present for you both." He said almost as if he had forgotten. The large god pulled a flower from his faint yellow robes. It was a white daisy with a yellow center. It seemed odd for this bulky god to hold something that was the symbol of innocence and gentleness. He put the bud in front of me and I took it. "Thank you." I admitted breathing in the fresh scent. "You're welcome. I thought it would match your sweet demeanor." Apollo commented before turning to my mother. This time he dragged out a Withy branch. Its' purple buds were about to bloom. "Demeter, I thought this would be acceptable." He presented the branch to her.
Elegantly the golden haired goddess took the plant and the buds blossomed. "Yes, it is, but Apollo, I am afraid we have nothing to give you. Is there anything we could give you?" Her green eyes flickered momentarily. Although, she did not care for Apollo, she still knew he was an important asset as one of the Olympians. However, they were not allies to my knowledge since he voted with Artemis in most aspects as her brother, and Demeter despised my huntress sister. "There is no need, Demeter. I was just passing by a meadow and thought I could get you some gifts." Apollo shrugged off the suggestion and did not enslave my mother to an unpaid debt.
Part of me wanted to be this god's friend, but I did not desire to upset my mother. He was kind and knew how to handle Demeter. Other gods would have made her indebted to her, yet he had no intention even when he was playing for my marriage hand. He could influence her to force me into choosing him as my husband, but he did not. Hermes would have. I bristled at the thought of the messenger god.
"Did I do something to offend you, my lady?" Apollo's musical voice asked as he cocked his head towards me. I shook my head quickly. "No, I was just remembering something unpleasant." I added. His attention went back to Demeter, not bothering to delve deeper. "I am glad to hear that, Apollo." Demeter smiled agreeably at the red haired man. There was a short look between them which unnerved me slightly. What was going on between the two immortals? My mother usually offered me clues to her ties between the gods when we were completely alone. As her daughter and future Olympian I would be expected to know all the ties between Olympians and eventually form my own. I bit my lip.
"The mortals are about to harvest their crops, correct?" Apollo questioned. Demeter nodded. "Yes, any day now the humans will cut down the wheat and scorch the land. It's a pity to watch all my work by burned, but humans realized the ground will be more fertile once they torch the land." She sighed looking out at the wheat fields. "It will be more bountiful next year and the years to come." Apollo promised. "Why do you say that?" One of the nymphs, Calla, piped up. Demeter glared at the obtrusive nymph. Although they were her aides, she found them to be a frivolous bunch of girls when they did not work. His amber eyes briefly turned to me before looking at Calla. "No reason in particular. It will be better though, I can promise that." He mused before looking back at Demeter.
Demeter's eyes seemed to calculate his meaning, but did not consent. "It all depends on how the humans nourish the seeds and tend to the saplings. You know that as well as I do." She reminded the sun god. "There is that, but there is also how much they cultivate the mature plants for this harvest. The humans learn more from the mature plants and will heed their advice." Apollo redirected. Their eyes were locked onto each other. "Next year's and future harvests will be determined by the seedlings and how the humans interact with them. Although the mature plants influence saplings, they do not establish the saplings' growth." Demeter countered.
Apollo smirked at her words. "Humans can sway the seedlings. Is that not how the humans worship you?" He asked. Surely as an Olympians he knew how the humans worshipped each god. While there were temples in each one's honor, the gods did not gain any true power from that. The temples were more for bragging rights. For example, Hera received energy from the amount of people married each day and how they resolved problems throughout the marriages, yet Aphrodite gained power through people's love in and out of marriage.
"Humans show their devotion to me through working the fields and tending to the crops. If they do well pleasing the mother earth, I will reward them with a plentiful harvest. As for you people shower the air with music and bask in the sun's glow or the plants thrive in the sun's rays." Demeter explained as a reminder for the sun god. "So you are saying if humans please mother earth, the saplings will grow in the humans' favor?" Apollo furthered. Demeter watched him for a moment, deciding her next words carefully.
"It can be said that way, but saplings will be saplings, dear nephew." Demeter said wistfully. "Anyway, enough of this gods' business. Persephone, would you care to walk with me?" Apollo asked now watching me. "I will as long as Willow accompanies me." I replied and noticed a slight annoyance in Apollo's eyes, but it was dismissed. "That will be fine." He bent his left arm for me to take. I let my hand rest in the crook of his arm and gestured for Willow to follow us. I only came to just below his shoulder. "If you will excuse us, Demeter. I will have to leave after this meeting, so farewell, sweet aunt." Apollo said and Demeter consented as she noticed Willow trail behind. Demeter trusted Willow in comparison to the other nymphs. Willow would not leave my side, but she would not be as intrusive as some like Calla.
We did not speak until we were out of ear shot of Demeter. Willow, although ten feet behind us, made no noise as she tread. The moonlight cast down on the trees, allowing shadows to enshroud the forest. From what I could tell we were walking towards Apollo's golden chariot. Clearly this would not be a long meeting. "Persephone, I will not beat around the bush, but I would like you as my wife." He stated firmly bending his head to look upon my face. "You have a kind face with sparkling eyes. Part of me was fooled into believing you were a common nymph, but there is an aura around you. I can tell you are strong and thoughtful, but without the intimidating presence the other goddesses have." He grinned at me and I just looked at him. They were complements, but I had barely spoken to him. He could not know these things so quickly.
"As Demeter's daughter, she must have taught you the way the world works. I assist her by providing energy for the plants to live off of and if our relations improve so will the mortals' lives. By marrying you,-" Apollo started, but I interrupted. "The relation will improve and you will allow for more crop growth, but could you not do this anyway?" At this his grin widened. "I was correct to assume you were your mother's daughter. She always knew what was going on." He mused.
"Well, you see I will only one god, but if you were by my side in this chariot," He motioned towards his stallions. "While I drove the chariot, you could spread vast amounts of pollen across the land and even develop more crops for the humans to live by. It is only a thought, Persephone." He added. I nodded watching his orange eyes. "Thank you, Apollo. I will have to think on this thought, but I am curious how Artemis would take to a marriage between us." I reflected. He stiffened briefly before chuckling lightly. "Artemis would like this better than me marrying a minor god. Either way she will have a problem with whoever I marry." He glanced pensively at the moon before looking back at me. "Or you marrying Hermes or some other god who is not worthy of your affection. She cares about you, Persephone." The sun immortal said.
"If you marry me, I would be an honorable husband. I take no concubines like our father, Hermes, or Dionysus. I am a gentle man and would not harm you, emotionally or physically. We could truly benefit the humans with my sun and your nature. At Olympus, we would be able to make a higher influence, but be warned Hera would consistently target you. She abhors and torments me. She usually stays away from you because you are under Demeter's protection, but she would scorn you if we married." He warned me. His proposal made sense, yet I did not want to give into empty promises. I barely knew him. Yes, he appeared kind and gentle, and I could learn to trust him, but I did obtain that sense of complete security from him like I did with Kaikias.
"I will consider it." I said. He took the daisy that I had been holding and put it in my hair. "That is alright. Just know we would make a excellent couple whether you accept or not. Either way be careful about who you choose as a husband." He said dropping his arm and trailed back to his chariot. "Perhaps." I whispered, my hand adjusting the flower. "Persephone, the next time I see you it will be at Olympus making your decision. Be safe." Apollo announced before cracking his reins and flying away.
Willow came to my side watching him fly away. "He would not be a bad choice, Persephone. He's strong and smart without being intimidating." The green haired nymph commented. I turned to look at her. "Perhaps..." I trailed off. He was definitely better than my other two suitors, but I did not want him. I bit my lip as habit. "You are right, but he seems..." I tried to come up with an excuse for not desiring the god as a husband. "What?" Her tawny eyes questioned mine. "I do not know. Part of me wants to be alone." I finally confessed. A rush of relief flooded over me telling her the truth like I had told Artemis. Willow's eyes widened slightly. "But that would mean giving up your Olympian seat." She said, clearly shocked. "It would." I admitted and stared at the moon.
Author: So I got a job at Subway and I just want to let you know. PLEASE ORDER YOUR BREAD AND SIZE BEFORE ASKING FOR A TYPE OF SANDWICH. Okay, thank you :3