AN: I apologise in advance for bad music choices. I'm pretty tone deaf.
I don't own the Percy Jackson series. The 'Baby mine' song is from Dumbo. The old Greek song, 'Follow the drinking gourd' is a traditional Negro song I found online. The song 'Poio to hroma tis agapis' is by Loudovikos ton Anogeion. I used the English translation. I don't own these songs.
I've always known I was a god of music. I mean, it was the first thing I did when I was born. Even in the womb, I loved to listen to Leto as she sang to me and my sister. Singing, dancing, and playing instruments was the most natural thing to me. How could I not be the god of music?
But, believe it or not, I wasn't born with my knowledge of music. I know, right! Unbelievable! But it is true. I've always known how to sing, but not always what to sing about or how to use emotions and memories to enhance the sound.
I learnt all that I know from various sources. From other gods, to humans, and even from animals. And, even after my four thousand years on this earth, I'm still learning.
Here are just a few of my most memorable inspirations.
My early years were some of the calmest, yet dullest years of my life. Despite our enhanced growth rate, Leto kept me and my sister confined to Delos. We tried many times to evade her and explore other islands, but she always found us. Artemis and I turned it into a sort of game, and we'd work together to trick mother. Come to think of it, that's one of the few times me and my sister have ever cooperated with each other.
Despite our confinement to Delos, those years were fun. Without godly responsibilities, me and my sister could spend our days acting like normal children, playing pranks of each other or pretending we're on an adventure to steal gold (sweets) from the vicious monster (mother). Ahh, those were the good days...but I digress.
Though sadly, like all childhoods, my nostalgia blurs out the bad parts. In those days, we may have learnt about love and friendship, but we also learnt about the harder parts of life. Looking back, nothing that happened was that terrible, but to a child it was traumatizing.
I remember it was a nice day, full of sunshine and warmth. Nymphs played in the forests and animals grazed contentedly. Artemis decided it was the perfect day for us to try out the new bows Hephaestus gifted us.
She lead me into the forest and picked out a good spot for archery. Very little bracken in our way and clean, smooth trunks. We'd only shot our bows a few times before, and we were still getting the hang of it. Thinking back, I'm surprised we didn't see the deer, since it had so few places to hide from view.
I knew something was wrong the moment Artemis' arrow hit its target. Instead of a dull thunk of an arrow striking wood, I heard a wet, soft smack. Artemis heard it too, and took off at a run before I'd even processed the sound. Quickly following her after the arrow, I dreaded what we'd find.
I wasn't an idiot, I knew about death. How could I not, when the god of death himself had visited me and my sister after our birth. But, I'd never seem anything die, or even be hurt.
Scrambling to my sister's side, I was not prepared for what I would see. Laying in front of us was a deer. A young stag, with only his first set of antlers. Artemis' arrow was buried deep in the deer's chest, trailing rivets of blood onto the leaf-litter below. My sister was desperately trying to help the deer, reaching out to pull the arrow. I'd never seen blood before, and I decided then and there that I did not like it!
Surprisingly, the deer was still alive. As Artemis tugged shakily at the arrow, the stag screamed and kicked out weakly. Seeing the animal's pain only distressed my sister further, and she began sobbing.
Hating to see my other half in such a panic, I rushed the other side of the deer, gently removing Artemis' hand from the arrow. I was only new to medicine then, but even I knew not to remove the projectile from these kinds of wounds.
"Fix it!" Artemis shouted at me, panic turning to determination. "you're the god of healing! Heal him!"
"I...I don't know how...I've never tried this before!" I told her, at a complete loss of what to do. I knew a few healing charms that Leto had taught me, but I had a feeling those wouldn't work on this wound.
Artemis continued to scream and shout at me, demanding that I fix the deer. I knew she was just feeling guilty and panicked about the dying animal, but my younger self couldn't stop the tears that formed in my eyes at feeling my sister's anger directed at me. Of course, I'm used to this now, but back then Artemis and I had never fought before.
The deer died sometime during her rant at me. I felt it died, heard its last breath as my sister stood over me, tears running down her face as she shouted. The twitching stopped, and the poor deer's heart gave up, strained to its limit by internal bleeding. And, when my sister realised this, all the fight and anger left her. She fell to her knees beside the dead stag and sobbed, mixing her tears with its blood.
That was how our mother found us. I imagine it was quite troubling to find your children crouched by a dead animal, crying their eyes out and covered in blood. But, if this bothered her, she didn't show it. Instead, silently, she swept us into her arms and carried us home.
I don't remember what happened in between, but suddenly me and my twin found ourselves in a warm bed. Not just any bed, though. It was mother's bed. She lay between us, one arm wrapped around me, and the other around my sister, gently hugging us close to her side.
My young, traumatised mind was still running on autopilot, and the only thing I processed for half an hour was that I was warm and safe. The image of the deer, its blood and its pain, invaded my mind every time I tried to think. So I didn't.
Though, after a while, I began to come back to myself. I had the feeling that something was chasing the bad thought away, and I wanted to find it. I slowly registered that someone was softly singing in the gloom of the room. My mother.
Baby mine, don't you cry,
Baby mine, dry your eyes,
Rest your head close to my heart,
Never to part, baby of mine.
The tune was soft and calming, filling the room with its gently lyrics. It was sang with such love and caring, that I was completely taken by it. I'd never heard music that drew out emotions like this before. The only songs I sang were silly little rhymes I'd made up to annoy my sister. This was my first taste of what music was capable of.
Little ones when you play,
Don't you mind what they say,
Let those eyes sparkle and shine,
Never a tear, baby of mine.
The song continued, lulling my tired mind to sleep. In the soft embrace of my mother, hearing her loving voice sing to me and my sister, I couldn't say awake. Snuggling closer to Leto, I let all thoughts of the deer and Artemis' anger slip away. The song probably had more lyrics, but I fell asleep before I could hear them.
The next time I learnt about what could be accomplished by music was when me and my sister met the Olympians for the first time. Of course, we'd met most of them already, but we'd never seen them all together on Olympus. It was actually quite nerve-wreaking.
Zeus had been reluctant to let us join the pantheon, on account of Hera's rage at our existence. Not satisfied with this, Leto stormed up to Olympus and gave Zeus a piece of her mind. He soon agreed to let the council vote on the matter. If Artemis and I could win enough of the gods' favour, we'd be OLYMPIANS!
We were understandably excited, but also nervous. We needed to prove that we were important enough for a place in the pantheon. I, of course, was confident I'd be accepted. I mean, how could they turn down the chance to get to know me? And, I guess Artemis had a good chance at getting in too.
I remember walking into Olympus for the first time. The towering marble arches and columns rose higher than any building or cliff I'd ever seen. Fountains and statues littered the main courtyard, depicting the gods and goddesses in all their glory. Nymphs and minor gods wandered past us, some stopping to gaze at us as we made our way to throne room. Most of them looked friendly, but I spotted some glares amongst the crowd.
Leto had not been permitted entry to Olympus, so me and my twin walked alone. Being without my mother made me feel strangely vulnerable, like everything was much more dangerous and alien. I must have let my insecurity show on my face, because Artemis wordlessly touched her shoulder to mine. Her action was simple, but it reminded me that she was there, that we were doing this together.
As the huge double doors swung out to permit us entry, I deliberately made myself slightly taller. It was supposed to boost my confidence, but upon seeing the towering figures of the gods, I felt more like an ant than ever. If Artemis was equally intimidated, she didn't show it.
"May I present Artemis and Apollo, children of Leto...and Zeus." Ganymede, Zeus cupbearer, announced our arrival, casting a nervous look at Hera as he mentioned our relation to Zeus.
Hera, for her part, looked decidedly bored by our arrival. From what mother had told me, I almost expected her to leap to her feet and demand our execution. I held no love for Hera as soon as I saw her. She may be my stepmother, but she was not family. And, from the glare in her eyes as they rested on me, she didn't see me as family either. I was fine with that.
"Ah, yes, welcome to Olympus." Zeus addressed us, signalling that we should come forward. As Artemis and I walked closer to our father, I could feel the gazes and glares of the other gods and goddesses. Halfway across the throne room, Zeus indicated for us to stop. I did, but my nerves caused me to almost trip over. I fought the urge to blush at my stumble, trying to play it off casually. Face palming the floor in front of all the gods would not be a good start to my career as the coolest god around!
"Ha ha!" a laugh exploded for one of the gods. A large, crazed looking, heavily armoured man was pointing at us, cackling his head off. I instantly disliked him, and I'm sure Artemis felt the same. The war god let out a mocking chuckle at Zeus. "are these weaklings your new Olympians? The mistakes of another exploit of yours, father?"
"Silence, Ares!" Zeus snapped at the cackling god I now knew was Ares, the god of war. I'd never met him, he'd never gone to Delos to visit us, and I found myself quite glad of that fact. Zeus continued in his calmer voice, addressing the other gods this time. "we will be voting on whether or not we should allow these gods to join the council."
All the gods stared at us, analysing us. Ares' gaze searched me for weaknesses, like I was an opponent in battle and he just needed to strike me from the right side to fell me. Hera glared at me and my sister with all the contempt of a cat presented with rotten fish that it rather not eat. If all the gods had been looking at me like that, l might've panicked, but luckily, not all the council members hated us. Demeter's stern yet kind eyes reassured me that she would judge me fairly. Hestia, with her comforting aura of warmth, calmed me enough that I could face the gods without flinching. It definitely paid to have allies on the council.
"Well...?" Aphrodite asked in a bored tone, fixing her make-up in a mirror held by a servant. I shifted uncomfortably as I realised they'd been expecting us to do something.
I'm ashamed to say that whenever I'm not sure how to proceed, I turn to Artemis. It is, sadly, an unconscious reaction that I find I cannot help. So of course, that's what I did.
Artemis had always been better than me when it comes to hiding and not reacting to your emotions, a skill I am mildly jealous of. In that moment, she hid it so well that even I knew not what she'd do next. She stepped forward.
"I am Artemis, goddesses of the hunt," she proudly introduced herself, leaving me standing behind her on my own. She addressed Zeus directly, using a voice I'd only ever see her use when she tried to get me to steal cookies from mother for her. It was sweetly convincing, and it definitely worked on father. "Father, I've always wanted to meet you! Mother told us wonderful stories about you! You look much more handsome and powerful in person."
I instantly frowned at that. Mother barely mentioned Zeus, and if she did, it was to warn us about his wife. I was completely bemused by her sudden change of tone, but I recognised her strategy. It was the tone she used to convince the more standoffish wood nymphs to play with her. With complements and praise, I knew she could convince someone to do almost anything. While Zeus looked surprised at the sudden praise and smiled at Artemis, I realised she'd just wrapped him around her finger.
Hera was clearly not happy with how Artemis was winning her husband's favour, and poked the lord of thunder in the side. Zeus preceded to ignore her, then picked Artemis up and placed her gently on his knee. Feeling even more out of place, I shuffled my feet awkwardly.
"Well, aren't you a sweet little girl. You might just be my favourite daughter." Zeus grinned at Artemis, while my sister smiled up at him. It was a very fake smile, but clearly Zeus hadn't been around my sister long enough to recognise that. The king of Olympus faced the rest of the council. "she is clearly an Olympian. Yes?"
From his tone, it was obvious what answer would please him. Not being idiots, Hephaestus and Poseidon nodded. The nicer goddesses like Hestia and Demeter also voiced their agreement. Athena remained silent, grey eyes studying Artemis intensely. Whatever she was looking for, she soon found it, nodding to Zeus mutely. Hera was red in the face with barely contained fury as she watched yet another of her husbands mistakes become an Olympian. Ares looked bored, and did not vote.
"It's settled then! Artemis is an Olympian, goddess of the Hunt." Zeus issued, placing my sister back on the ground next to me.
"And maidens." Artemis added her interruption. Zeus froze for a second, then nodded.
"And maidens-"
"Also, I'll be the goddess of the forests and mountains" Artemis interrupted again, smiling winningly at our father. "I'd also like to remain a virgin, and have a group of immortal hunters (girls only). Oh, and some hunting dogs!"
"Of...of course dear. You can have that as well." Zeus looked conflicted, unable to resist my sister's puppy-dog eyes.
"Promise?" Artemis asked sweetly, melting our father's resolve.
"I promise on the river Styx." Zeus instantly replied. Thunder rumbled. This seemed to be what Artemis was looking for, because she stepped back with a smile on her face, shoving me lightly in the back.
"Go on, your turn." She hissed into my ear before shoving me right in front of Zeus. I wanted to turn to scream. I couldn't do what she'd just done! I may be the god of poetry, but no fancy words would convince Zeus to fall for the same trick. I raced through my mind, looking for something to impress the council.
I couldn't woo them with archery, the room was much too small. Healing a minor burn was hardly likely to amaze immortal beings. Flirting would probably get me electrocuted. I was all out of inspiration for moving poetry. I hate to admit it, but none of my skills were very useful in that situation.
Despite my growing panic, I did what I do best. Acting confident!
"I'm Apollo, god of medicine, and poetry, and also archery." I announced proudly, puffing out my chest. I knew I was god of a few other things, but didn't want to brag. Yes, I am capable of not bragging!
"So you're a wussy?" Ares barked out a laugh, sneering down at me. I wisely ignored him.
"I think he's cute!" Aphrodite squealed, looking at me like I was a silly little pet, or a mortal.
"I'm not cute. I'm also the god of plagues!" I rushed to defend my honour, obviously. She couldn't get away with such an insult to my dignity.
"Having so many domains could make him distracted. A distracted god is useless." Athena told Zeus, speaking about me as if I wasn't there. This whole exchange was not going how I imagined.
"I'm actually very good at keeping up with my domains." I made a point to direct this statement at Athena. Just between you and me, this was a lie, at the time. I'd barely begun to understand all my duties, let alone keep them running. Athena probably knew that, damn it!
The other gods ignored me, starting their own conversations with each other about the pros and cons of keeping me. Artemis made an exasperated expression at me, rolling her eyes. I remained still, panicking for a way to fix this.
"I just don't see why we need a god of poetry!"
"Healing is a mortal need, not a need of the gods!"
"He could be quite entertaining to keep around?"
"I sense a troublemaker, brother."
This continued as the gods voiced their opinions on my usefulness. I thought it was entirely unfair for Hera to say my medicine skills were unneeded to the gods. I know absolutely no gods that have ever stuck to her family values. Her own husband cheats on her regularly.
Once again I hate to admit it, but Artemis was my saving grace. While I was standing around like an idiot, she'd somehow got her hands on a baglama, a kind of stringed instrument with a long neck and lots of frets. Wordlessly, she tossed it to me.
I caught it on instinct, recognising the instrument. I could play this! This was how I'd be able to impress the council! And it totally wasn't thanks to Artemis!
I picked a folksong I'd heard the travelling cloud nymphs singing when they floated over Delos. It was upbeat and a little silly, but hopefully it would entertain the gods. I brought the instrument into position, and began to play.
When the sun comes back, and the first quail calls,
Follow the drinkin' gourd,
When the old man is a-waitin' for to carry you to freedom,
Follow the drinkin' gourd,
Follow the drinkin' gourd,
The sudden music stopped the gods mid conversation, and they sat silently to listen to me play. Feeling their attention on me, I put even more feeling into the song, hoping to inspire feelings of fun and silliness. It seemed to be working.
Follow the drinkin' gourd,
When the old man is a-waitin' for to carry you to freedom,
Follow the drinkin' gourd,
I finished off the song with a quick flourishing coda, then lowered the instrument. I tried to look unbothered by the stares of the other gods, and instead focused on handing the baglama to a nearby servant. I had to appear cool and casual.
"Oh yeah, I'm also the god of music," I told the gods, looking Zeus right in eyes. "I'm sure that could be quite useful for boring banquets and dinner parties. And humans would sing beautiful songs in your honour."
The gods seemed to consider my statement. I still don't know why they didn't instantly see the advantages of music. I mean, even animals saw the use in songs. But, then again, the other gods are rather dim (please don't tell Zeus I said that)!
"I guess it could be useful." Athena concluded. Most of the other gods nodded in agreement, and I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. They accepted me!
"Congratulations, Apollo god of music, you are now an Olympian." Zeus boomed. I beamed. I didn't dare ask for gifts like Artemis had. I had a feeling I was Zeus' least favourite twin.
So, reader, that was how I learnt to use music to manipulate a situation. I am rather proud of myself for that, even if Artemis will argue that it was her idea.
It was many years later when I stumbled on my next inspiration. I was having a wonderful time as a god, singing songs, writing poetry, and learning medicine. I had yet to take up the sun god mantel from Helios, so my main pass time was spreading plagues to any city that defied the gods.
Sadly, Artemis and I had grown apart. With her new gang of female hunters she spent most of her time hidden in the wilderness, and had little time for her silly twin brother. It was weird to be without her, but I was a fully-fledged god! I would be fine.
On this day, I happened to be flying over the city of Pylos. It was a decent-looking coastal city, with a large port full of fishing boats. Normally most of these boats would be out at sea, but I'd recently infected Pylos with a plague arrow. Most of the locals were dead or dying, and those that weren't ran themselves ragged trying to care for the sick. No one was available to fish.
As a god, I didn't pity them. I'd been commanded by Zeus to release the plague, so it wasn't actually my fault. If they didn't want a plague, they shouldn't have defied the king of Olympus. Silly mortals...
As unsympathetic as I was, I still found the sight of corpses littering the streets to be distasteful. On a whim, I landed in the city and disguised myself as a simple farmer. Walking in the streets I studied the humans as they tried to heal their families.
I walked past a woman who was desperately trying to lower her son's fever. The damp rag and bucket of water she was using had long been warmed up by the sun, but she dared not leave her child's side. So me, always looking to be a nice person, cooled the water as I passed. I knew Zeus wouldn't let me help directly, but I could do so discreetly. If the woman was shocked by the sudden chill in the water, she didn't show it.
Travelling deeper into the city of Pylos, I began to see the true cost my plague had brought on these people. Body carts trailed past every home, offering to remove dead relatives. The local physician was overrun, leaving sick patients laying in the street outside. The burning heat of the Greek sun had already claimed a few victims.
But, the most interesting part about the city, was the main street. As I got closer to it, I began to hear the familiar yet unexpected sound of music. Why were people singing at a time like this? From what I'd seen of humans so far, they seemed like the kind of creatures to mope and complain about their situation. Humans were always moaning to the gods about their silly little problems, and they never seemed terribly satisfied when we gods do help them.
Arriving at the main street, I saw the source of the music. A parade of musicians and performers were marching through Pylos. Locals celebrated as they passed. The sick leaned out of their windows to wave to the music, while exhausted carers danced in the street. Being as thoroughly confused as I was, I decided to ask a local about this odd sight.
"Excuse me sir, but why is there a parade in this city?" I politely asked an older man who was sitting on a step outside his home. The old man looked at me like I was stupid.
"Why shouldn' ther' be a parade?" the man chuckled, looking at the passing musicians with a smile. I took that as an insult. Clearly being polite to this man was a lost cause.
"Well, maybe because this isn't really a time for celebrating. Your city is plague ridden." I sharply replied, feeling more confused by the second.
"So? It's the perfect time for celebratin'. Everyone needs a little something to be happy about in these times." the old man's tone reminded me of my grandmother Phoebe when she told me tales of 'the good old days' with Gaia in charge. I had the distinct feeling this man was heading off on a similar speech. I decided wisely not to encourage him.
"I guess." I told him, then moved quickly away.
Slowly following the parade through the city, I watched people's reactions to the music. Most of them began singing along to the music, even the ones clearly close to meeting Hades. The stronger ones even stood up and began dancing. It seemed to me that the only ones not happy were the corpses.
While I observed the city folk welcoming the parade, something caught my eye. On one side of the street, hidden behind a pile of dusty old crates, two small children crouched. Curiosity drove me closer to them and I noticed that one of them, a young girl, was very sick. Not afraid of catching the disease, I walked right up to them.
The older sibling, a boy of about ten or eleven years, saw me coming first. He tried to get his sister's attention, but her cloudy gaze was firmly on the parade. Even when her brother spoke to her, it was clear she was only hearing the music.
When I reached them and crouched down beside them, the boy glanced from me to his sister, suspicion laced in his tired eyes. He didn't trust me. I could understand that, but I still wanted to help. Something about seeing these two children reminded me of my sister and I. Of course, we'd never fall prey to a plague, we were gods. But, if we were born mortal, this could've easily been us.
"Hello." I began, flashing the boy a friendly smile. He didn't look impressed.
"Wha' you want?" the boy hissed, moving to create a wall between me and his sister, who was still hypnotized by the music.
"I don't want anything," I replied sincerely, showing my palms in a gesture of peace. The boy still looked sceptical, but he lowered his guard. I risked a simple question. "Does your sister like the parade?"
"Yeah...we see it every year," the boy mumbled, glancing worriedly back at his sister. "I promised her we wouldn't miss it this year either."
"But you didn't want to take her to see it?" I prompted, hearing his tone of worry.
"No...she needs to rest. I don't have the means to buy her medicine, so I've been sellin' these," He told me, then held up a small trinket. It was made from string, woven together with bits of glass and pebbles to create a shiny charm. The weaving left much to be desired, but it was good for something made by a young child. He added. "if I can sell enough of these, I could buy the herbs she needs."
I had to force myself not to frown in pity. As the god of prophecy (a recently acquired title) I could have looked ahead and seen that his plan wouldn't work, but I didn't need prophecy to see that his sister was on Hades' doorstep.
Just as I thought that, the sickly girl suddenly leaned against her brother, eyes hooded. The boy quickly wrapped his arms around her, fear glistening his eyes.
"Melita? Are you okay? Do you need water?" her brother asked frantically, panicking. The girl, Melita, just smiled at him. Her gaze was still on the parade, which was now moving slowly away.
"I want to sing. Can you sing with me? Just like Papa did?" Melita pleaded to her brother, already humming along to the song that had just started up from the musicians. The boy nodded mutely, and began shakily singing along.
(I assure you this sounds better in Greek)
What is the colour of love,
Who will find it for me,
If it's red like the sun,
It will burn like fire,
Yellow like the moon,
It will be lonely.
The boy was horribly out of tune, but the love behind it shook me. I hadn't realised human voices could transmit so much feeling into a song. I've always tried to replicate the pure emotions of life in my singing, but clearly there were some emotions we gods would never understand. Unconsciously, I quietly began to sing along.
If it has sky's colour,
It will be far,
Be black like night,
It will be sly,
What is the colour of love,
Who will find it for me,
Be white cloud,
Leaves and passes by,
Be white jasmine,
On the bloom of spoils,
Be white jasmine,
On the bloom of spoils.
When the boy started that verse, the girl's eyes closed. By the end of it, she was gone.
The boy broke down crying, hugging his limp sister as the music of the parade faded down the street. My presence forgotten, the boy didn't notice me leave. As I dashed down a small alley, I'd be lying if I said my eyes were dry.
Once I'd resumed my godly form and taken to the heavens again, I found myself wishing I'd done something. But, I knew that if Zeus had found out, I'd be severely punished. However, there was something I could do!
That night I went to visit uncle Hades. After some explaining, he was happy enough to fast track the dead girl to Elysium. I hoped she'd choose re-birth. Her life had been cut short too soon, but I also knew that millions of children die young everyday and never even get into the underworld. She had just been in the right place at the right time to pull my heartstrings and get this special treatment. As much as I wanted to at that moment, I knew I couldn't do this for every mortal I stumbled across. It would be chaos.
It may have been sad, but that visit to Pylos taught me just how amazing humans can be. They continue to sing and dance even in the worst times and their short, painful lives grant them a skill even I don't have. Grief and hope were emotions us gods would never comprehend in their entirety. Those emotions were reserved for mortals alone, and I'm split on whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.
AN: Hey...hi. I'm so sorry for this mess of a chapter. I deleted the other two chapter because they embarrassed me too much. Hopefully this isn't also embarrassing...
I lost interest in this fic a while ago, but 'The Burning Maze' brought my muse back to life. So I'm reviving this fic!
Please leave any suggestions for my next oneshot. It can be anything Apollo related, be cause he's so underrated in fics.
Bye
Wyrenfire