Tada! I did it! Hope you enjoy chapter 5! Had a lot of fun writing this one, and it gave me lots of ideas for the next chapters. Again, if there's anything you want me to do with the story, i love your suggestions! You'll find this one's a little different too...

~Vision155

Apollo's POV

Apollo prided himself for being one of the few gods who visited his children regularly. Every year on their birthday he would go down to Camp Half Blood (and Jupiter) with a present, and he would spend at least a few hours with them.

He loved being a dad, and he was grateful to have all of these kids, his kids, in his life. It brought him an immense happiness to see them smile whenever he showed up out of the blue, and he didn't know how he got these half-bloods to love him so much. Because where there is happiness, there is also sadness. Because they weren't normal kids. Because they were demigods, and monsters would never stop chasing them. And he usually found them in time to bring them to camp and learn how to defend themselves.

But sometimes he didn't.

And that was when that horrible, heartbreaking feeling took over him. He'd watched some of them die. He'd seen his own flesh and blood getting teared up by a snarling beast, and he could do nothing to help. Too much poison, or not enough time. Too late. Always too late.

(About 10 years earlier…)

"That's right Cassandra! I'm your dada!"
Apollo smiled at the toddler in his arms. She was so beautiful. She had the trademark features of a daughter of Apollo, but she also had the dark and mysterious characteristics of her mother, Sybill Trelawney. Today was his baby's first half-birthday. Six months ago, this beautiful little girl was born and made his world a brighter one. Apollo didn't have favorites, but he couldn't deny that he's never felt so connected to one of his children. Maybe it was because Sybill was also a seer, or maybe it was because he spent so much time with Cassandra. Whatever reason it was, he couldn't deny he's never loved one of his children as much as her.

He looked at his little angel and noticed that she was nodding off, so he stood up and put her back in her cradle. The day was over, and now he had to leave her. He had many duties as an Olympian, and he couldn't deny them any longer. He looked at his baby and whispered "Good night sunshine", and with a gold flash he was gone.

Apollo snapped out of the flash back. Sure, these were happy memories, but he didn't think he could handle what came next.

(About 9 and a half years earlier…)

It had been six months since Apollo had seen Cassandra, and that was too long for a sun god to go without his sunshine. He'd tried many times to sneak out of Olympus, but he never had time and Zeus was keeping an eye on everyone.

Recently, Hermes' son Luke had revealed that he was helping Kronos get his power back, and Olympus was in a shaky state. So he couldn't go see his baby, and it was killing him. But what was killing him even more was that today was her 1st birthday, and he was going to miss it.

(Later that same day…)

He was going to find a way to get out of Olympus, he had to. And he did. He found his opening when Zeus and Poseidon started arguing about some stupid issue, again. Seriously, these guys had to grow up. But it seems that their opposite personalities were in his favor today.

With some help from Hermes, the sneakiest guy he knew, he made it to Sybill's house. And what was waiting for him there was something he'd prayed many times for he'd never have to see.

A monster had been here.

The house was burned down to ashes, and while to the human eye it looked like a simple fire, he could smell the foul beast that had been here.

Apollo fell to his knees. This couldn't have happened. No. Not possible.

He didn't realize he was screaming until a group of firemen came over to help him up. But no one could help him now. His little angel was dead, and it was all because of him. All because of him. If he'd just come earlier, they would be alive. She would be alive.

His agonizing screams wouldn't stop as he ran into the house looking for her, his little blonde bundle of joy. But she wasn't there anymore. No, because now she was just a black pile of ashes.

And he might as well become a pile of ashes, because he knew he'd never love anyone or anything that much again.

Not after this.

Not after Cassandra.