Lucian, Dialogues of the Gods 17 :
"Apollon : Well, my loves never prosper; Daphne and Hyakinthos were my great passions; she so detested me that being turned to a tree was more attractive than I; and him I killed with a quoit. Nothing is left me of them but wreaths of their leaves and flowers."

"…" Jace responded to Magnus's proclamation with a blank stare and it took him while to utter, "God?"

"Surely you must have heard of Apollo at one point, Shadowhunter? Sun God, Poetry God - voted most gay god in the entire history of time?"

"Greek mythology?" Clary asked, perplexed but not entirely skeptical. Lately even the most far-fetched explanations had become more than possible.

"More like Greek Soap but that doesn't sound as dazzling, I presume," Magnus replied sarcastically while Jace still looked incredulous.

"This Apollo guy isn't a god," he stated firmly after a while and now it was the Warlock who gave him rather astonished glance.

"You have the blood of an Angel inside you but you can't believe…"

"There is only one god," Jace tried but struggled because he didn't even believe that himself.

"How come a Greek God like Apollo lives in the upper east side of Manhattan?" Clary wondered out loud and received a soft smile from the Warlock.

"Vacation probably," he started to explain and because Jace was still giving him that doubting glare he added, "they are not Gods as in the almighty. They are no longer worshipped on Earth. Haven't been since forever. I mean they call themselves Gods because of their powers but they are really just a divine pain in the ass."

"Sounds like a Xena episode," Simon added, as ever strangely fascinated.

"Xena – Warrior Princess, it's a TV Show," Clary explained when everyone else looked confused.

"I do worry about you sometimes," Jace said facing Simon temporarily before listening to the Warlocks auxiliary.

"In a way they are more like mischievous Downworlders only that they are almost omnipotent. They just love screwing with any mundane crossing their path and in 97 % nobody even realizes that it was them," Magnus finished and disliked the feeling of being the history book for the young adult shadowhunters. After all they should know such things. They shouldn't react to Greek Mythology that alienated and it bothered him a bit. It supported, in his eyes, the arrogance of the Clave.

"Okay, let's say you're right," Jace started and ignored Magnus disapproving puff but went on, "and this guy is really a god, how did Alec get involved with him?"

Magnus grinned before he responded, "You never really took a close look at him, right?"

"What?"

"Forget it," the warlock sighed, "he fits Apollo's prey pattern."

Before Jace could ask what that might mean, Isabelle interrupted because she was growing tired of this conversation. A part of her imagined how Alec would feel about him being referred to as a prey-pattern, let alone in front of Jace. It always struck her hard in moments where she noticed how little Jace actually knew about her brother.

"You said he'd be in danger?"

"Yes," Magnus answered glad that he was talking to Isabelle now because Jace was sincerely giving him headache. The hero who was too blind to see? It was getting old and wasn't helping anybody.

"What danger?" Clary asked worriedly.

"Apollo is very," Magnus elaborated carefully, "well, he is very possessive. He's got a tendency to fall madly in love. And I don't recall that any of his relationships ended happily ever after. In fact quite a few ended up in death or driving the beloved one insane…"

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Alec Lightwood felt as if he was floating like a feather. He felt weightless and lighthearted. His mind was drifting dazedly through magnificent delight. Wonderful memories caused sheer bliss within. He was flying above the clouds of heaven. There was a gentle touch that seemed to repetitively caress gently along his skin and a soft gasp that ardently whispered the most enthralling words into his ear.

I'm loved, was the one clear notion he had. He was loved so passionately that shivers of pure ecstatic joy shuddered through his body. Even in the loneliness of his mind's eye, he felt unbelievably happy. All of his usual doubts and fears were washed away by the most intense dream he ever endured.

A solitary ray of sunlight ripped him out of all the beauty in his mind. His eyes fluttered open but he instantly shut them and winced when he felt his left temple pounding achingly. When the sudden stinging pain faded he dared open them again. As reality slowly penetrated his still sleep drunken mind, he was overwhelmed by utter confusion.

One question formed in his head with a nagging persistence for an answer.

Where the hell was he?

He was lying in a bed. In a white bed under white silk blankets and he had never been here before. This wasn't his room.

A faint sound had him shudder and he slowly gazed around.

No, this certainly wasn't his room, he realized frantically. It wasn't his bed either and he definitely didn't recall the sleeping guy next to him. His heart jumped and Alec feared a loss of oxygen for a moment. All gory bloody things aside in his life, this had to be the strangest of all moments ever and he refused to believe it at first.

"By the angel," he respired, barely audible and rubbed his eyes, opened them again and despite his hopes there was no change in the scenery. This felt very much like a perfect moment to panic.

The next thing he shockingly noticed was that he wasn't wearing any clothes. The recognition instantaneously changed the color of his skin and his cheeks started to burn. Self-consciously, he pulled up the blanket up to cover himself and started to look for his clothes. He was desperately wishing for all of this to be a very bizarre dream.

His entire collection of clothing, which included; black pants, a black sweater, a black t-shirt, a pair of black socks and a pair of white boxer shorts, was spread out in front of the bed. To the left and to the right and he didn't dare try to remember how they got there. The arrangement appeared to be disordered, thus indicating they were taken down swiftly. Taken or, in case of his under T, obviously ripped off.

He risked another look at the stranger, who was perceptibly naked as well. Alec watched the exposed male thorax slowly moving up and down, his eyes resting briefly on the flawless skin, and his mind was momentarily overcome with memory flashes that made his blood boil. When the moment passed he decided on a quick escape.

As quietly as possible he started to crawl out of the bed with the blanket still in his hand and piece by piece picked up his wardrobe. He wasn't very elegant in his attempt and a few times cursed silently in the back of his head while simultaneously trying to dress and still keep covered. He bumped his little toe against the bed jamb and swallowed out an angry yelp of pain.

He couldn't concentrate on the task due to the countless thoughts swirling around his head. What happened or more importantly how did he end up here? Silent desperate questions, for he didn't receive an answer. There was only one clear notion. He did have sex with this guy. A guy he didn't even know by name but it was undeniable. His body felt ravished in a scarily good way.

However the facts though, it couldn't be possible. Alec Lightwood wouldn't go for a one-night stand. It was an unfathomable idea and he refused to simply accept it. There was still a slight chance this was all a bad dream and he would wake up at any moment. Then he would still be the virgin he was last night and everything would be as it was.

"Damn," he hissed when he almost stumbled while slipping into his pants. Frozen in shock over that sudden noise he paused and looked at his strange bedfellow who was, thank god, still sleeping safe and sound.

Finally dressed and feeling a little less vulnerable, he stretched himself and started to look for the exit. However, the room he was in took his breath away for a moment because it was heavenly dazzling.

There was so much white that it almost hurt his eyes. Nevertheless his vision relaxed at the beautiful flowers decorating the walls. They were also responsible for that enticing scent in the air. Not too sweet and pleasantly fresh. The large windows on both sides showed a panoramic scene over Manhattan? The spectacular view mesmerized him and he faltered. This wasn't Manhattan.

Alec could feel his heartbeat increasing as he slowly approached the window. Clouds. Nothing more than clouds and above them a crystal clear sky. He concentrated for a moment to feel any engines or anything that would signify that he was flying but there were no movements. In fact, he had never felt that still before.

"Morning," a male voice startled him and he blushed intensely.

"Hmmmorning," he mumbled nervously and avoided eye contact as already risking a glimpse was apparently inflaming his blood.

"You were about to sneak out," Apollo stated matter of factly and sounded, if possible, joyously indignant.

Alec shrugged helplessly because he really couldn't come up with an explanation. He was still in sincere shock over himself. This guy was definitely nowhere near his league. This was a tall man who evidently lived in heaven or at least on a very big mountain and who did, and Alec noticed that almost instantly when he risked a glance, own the most charming smile ever.

"Why in such a rush, Alec?" Apollo asked challengingly and stood up. He took a look outside as if to enjoy the view and moved around in such a confident way as if to leave no doubt that this was his domicile.

"Ehm, I really shouldn't probably be here."

"Shouldn't probably?"

"It's complicated and I'm sorry but I'm not even really sure," Alec flushed as he continued in a trembling voice, "how I ended up here."

When he didn't receive a reply he felt the sudden need to add, "I'm not even sure where here is…exactly."

"I'm afraid the wine is to blame for that."

"Probably," Alec responded unsurely because this was the result of more than just a glass of wine.

"Sometimes I forget how intensely humans react to such a fine beverage."

Alec considered stating that he wasn't just an ordinary mundane but a nephilim, but decided against it when he finally dared to lock eyes with Apollo. Somehow, he was suddenly certain that this guy didn't care about that detail. He must be a warlock, he thought when Apollo started laughing.

"I'm not a warlock. What makes you think that?"

"How did you…"

"Read your mind? It's a gift, baby," Apollo purred engagingly and gently touched Alec's shoulder who instantly slid away as if stung by a deadly insect.

"If you're not a warlock then what are you?" He asked agitatedly while fearing that he might have had sex with a demon, which surely would make his already miserable life even worse.

"I already told you, I'm not a demon."

"Then what?"

The guy smiled way too audaciously for Alec's taste and he wondered if that could be a sign of pure evil. Mostly because he couldn't avoid feeling unwelcomingly aroused. These strange sensations only confused him further.

While Alec struggled with his undeniable attraction to a guy who quite possibly did violate him when he was unconscious, Apollo bowed his head a little and introduced himself in a tender voice.

"My name is Apollo and I guess I'm a god."

"Yeah, right," Alec snapped and felt even more humiliated.

"Greek by the way."

"So, you're saying you are Apollo the Greek God."

"Yes, that's right," Apollo chuckled amusedly.

"You know, I don't think it's very funny. I would like to know who you are. For real."

Alec didn't like this conversation at all. He didn't like the entire situation and the fact that this guy was now openly lying to him infuriated him. In addition, it felt rather rude since they obviously shared an intimacy with each other even though he could only remember it vaguely. That he regretted the memory loss was something he quickly pushed aside. It didn't matter that he might have enjoyed whatever they had done the other night. As far as he believed he had not given his consent.

"I wouldn't expect a nephilim to be so skeptical," Apollo wondered out loudly and added quietly, "and so uptight."

"Skeptical?" Alec bluffed astonished, "Uptight? You sexually assaulted me."

"I did not assault you," Apollo replied appalled and shook his head, "Maybe I should give you your memories back…"

"No…" Alec protested wildly but was then overcome by memories that made him blush even more heavily and increased his heartbeat to a dangerous level.

"Ahh," he groaned and stumbled a step back while shaking his head vehemently, "Stop that!"

"I'm not doing anything my love. You are just remembering all the details."

"I…," the young Shadowhunter gasped breathlessly while concentrating on what is and not what was. No matter how insanely arousing the past currently seemed, "I wasn't myself. You drugged me!"

"Dionysus's delicate wine doesn't take away your free will but merely free your inner self, darling. Everything we did last night, you wanted. In some cases you even begged for it."

Alec sincerely wished to die of shame in that moment. He cursed the memories now silently in the back of his head because they only revealed how shamelessly he had acted. It wasn't something he would have ever expected himself doing. Not in this rather lewd way.

He blinked a few times trying to avoid crying. This whole ordeal was already bad enough and it occurred to him suddenly that he had no one to talk about this. He couldn't run to Magnus because the sheer thought of Magnus made his stomach ache violently. What would Magnus think of all of this? Probably hate him and Alec was painfully sure of that.

"You were much more amusing last night," Apollo replied with obvious disappointment.

"That is…" Alec snarled still traumatized, "its…that is…"

"You got the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen," his strange bedfellow complimented as if he didn't even notice the Shadowhunter's irritation.

"I have to go. Really. I'm sorry or whatever but I…" Alec managed to growl and headed for the door.

"You should be careful…"

In between the 55 seconds that Alec was falling down and was captured by someone with wings and brought back up to Apollo's place, all he did was scream. Not frantically but it was one terrified scream that still echoed in his head when he was back safe and sound on concrete ground.

"W…what…"

"Thanks Cupid."

"No problem. See you."

Whether it was the near death experience or the absurdity of their brief word exchange, Alec couldn't say as he leaned over to throw up. Adrenaline was exhilarating through his veins. He couldn't even stand up when Apollo helped him but reeled as if on a boat. For a good five minutes, he was breathing erratically until everything around him came back into to focus and he found the strength to look up. Definitely more convinced by Apollo's claim to be god than before.

"Greek mythology? Seriously?"

"I'm sorry," Apollo said softly and wrapped his arm around Alec's shoulders who flinched lightly under the touch but didn't move away this time.

"This, perhaps, might be a bit too much for you. I probably shouldn't have brought you up here. Mortals tend to react way too intensely. And we might be divine entities but we don't rule the universe or heaven for that matter. We're in Greece. High up on the mountain and this place is called Olympus, which is basically a dorm room of my, I'm afraid, very dysfunctional family."

"This is insane," Alec stated and tried picturing explaining himself to Isabelle or, to add to his uncomfortable mental state, worse, Jace.

"Listen, why don't you take a shower and then we'll get you back to your family," Apollo suggested and he sounded sincere.

"Sounds like a plan," Alec said thankfully and let Apollo show him to the bathroom.

Which was of course incomprehensibility stunning with a super sized hot tub built out of pure white marble. There was warm water inside and it smelled entrancing. Integrated into the interior, modern mundane amenities such as a giant mirror, dozen of enticing smelling bottles, electric tooth brush, which had Alec perplexed for a second, and cozy towels.

Like a heavenly luxury suite, he thought when he went into the tub, for the first time allowing himself to smile a little. Who would have thought he'd ever end up here? Almost in the same moment the smile was washed away by darker thoughts. He felt like a deceitful ass and couldn't deny himself a little self-loathing.

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Meanwhile Apollo was talking to quite possibly most beautiful woman in the world. She was his sister and knew just everything about love, for it was her job.

"What do you think?" He asked her while eating out of a bowl of cereal that was neither divine nor magically enhanced.

"He's not going to love you. His heart is already torn in half and there is no room for you."

"I like a challenge, though."

"One half belongs to another boy. Whom he loves since childhood. It's an unrequited love. But you shouldn't fear that love because he knows it's never going to be returned. It's that piece of pain that mortals like to keep in their hearts forever. Cherish it even."

"Poor boy," Apollo replied compassionately and meant it. After all he knew quite well how unrequited love felt.

"The warlock, though, you should fear. I believe that not even you stand a chance against that one."

"Does Alec love him that much?"

"Yes," Aphrodite said quietly and added, "He doesn't know it yet, though. It will take some time for them to realize that they are meant to be together. He's still young."

"I guess not all hope is lost, then," Apollo smirked and earned a deadly glare.

"He's not the right one for you."

"And yet I want him so badly."

"You are going to hurt him."

"And I'm going to make him like it," he finished the conversation firmly because he was a god after all.

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