Title: Hold Your Position
Rate: T
Genre: Romance, Slash, Humor
Summary: Apollo needs a timeout. He felt utterly destroyed one time, and no one knows why. Really, it's not because he's sick or something. He just really misses his mom. (Not the real Summary)
Warning: Innuendos and an odd, OOCed Ares because of a potion. Hints of slash(gayness to be blunt), cursing, and very disturbing gods having an OOC streak... sometimes. Criticism and flames are allowed.

Prompt: Apollo hearing perverted things when Ares orders him around.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything... not at all. Well, you would not even be reading this if you do not know, right? I don't own anything. Not at all. You can contact my secretary and writer.

Hold Your Position

Apollo

Seven months earlier, Summit of Delphi…

"Apollo, I know you're in there!" Artemis yelled through the door. Apollo shivered slightly as he realized that she truly found him, what she said not a bluff.

Apollo curled into himself on the red bed, his mind shut off without any kind of inspiration blooming through his empty thoughts. He felt scared that not even one inventive image came to jolt him. His mind, which usually and always brimmed with brilliant ideas, became a blank void while he was writing three months ago. In those three months, he tried and failed to search for his inspiration.

A short argument with the genius Athena while trying to find his ideas stabbed his confidence. She bragged that she was smarter and much more inventive than Apollo. He was about to smite her, but then the levity of the situation came crashing down on him. He could no longer take her little and petty insults, so he fled. He at least made sure that the sun was on autopilot before he left.

Apollo realized that even trying to meditate blocked any kind of inspiration. It felt utterly empty in his mind. The only thing that still worked was his knowledge of medicine and his inevitable prophetic guessing. He doubted he could curse anyone in a poem, or create another mind-blowing prophesy through his genuine poems. And he still sucked at weaving haikus.

Without any kind of proof that he was still himself, the sun god locked himself in his hidden room in Delphi. Not one of the gods or goddesses had the knowledge of his hideout in their minds. Nobody knew of the place created by his worshipers inside the temple. He rarely visited the place, except for now as he made it his deathbed.

During those painful months, seeking for the answer to his deprived mind, his body started to fade. Once he saw it happening, he hid himself away from Olympus. He resigned to his fate, as he lost his will to live. The sun god counted the seconds, the hours of his stay. He counted the times he had seen his light blink in and out of existence. He counted the insults and challenges he received during his earlier days, the memories of his glorious days anything but a happy memory. Not even the memories of helping wars and sieges urged his mind back.

A slam on the door brought him back out of his reverie, breaking his painful thoughts as his face dried of tears flattened out with apathy. The door burst out of its hinges, but he stayed where he was, mindful of the footsteps that his little sister made.

"Oh, my gods," she gasped from behind him. "Apollo!" she whispered loudly with panic lacing her tone. Artemis crawled on the bed with him, placing hand on his shoulder. "Apollo, what's happening to you?"

He felt Artemis turn him towards her, scrutinizing his translucent body with a look of utter fear. Her hands shook with nervousness as he assessed her indifferently, choosing not to answer her. Did she not see that he was fading? He was only a few more months away from disappearing.

"We have to get you out of here," Artemis murmured, seemingly understanding his silence. "Don't go just yet, big bro." She wiped a tear from her face and her eyes shimmered with worry.

Apollo shook his head. "Don't even try," he muttered weakly, his voice hoarse. "I already tried."

Artemis shook her head and said, "We'll try harder!" Her voice trembled as she said it. Apollo doubted that anything they would try would work. "Come on, Apollo, don't fade…"

Apollo offered her a sad smile. "I can't," he murmured. He felt very cold. He knew Artemis already noticed it, though.

"What do you want?" she asked softly. "What can make you glow again? Apollo, you know we need you."

"I don't know," he replied, voice unsure. "I tried everything, Artemis. Nothing brings me back."

"I'll try to find something," she said fiercely, sniffling as she wiped her tears furiously. "I don't want you gone!"

Apollo looked away from her tearful face, unable to keep himself feeling worried. He could feel nothing for her. He felt absolutely empty. "Do not tell anyone where I am to hide, though."

She nodded eagerly, her face red. "We can go to the Olympian Army."

Something in her tone made him agree. There, inside him, it sparked a curiosity. It was small, the hope he felt.

"The Delphi is my domain, Artemis." The Olympian Army, a spying game for the gods touched by boredom, seemed like a slightly good idea. It aroused something inside him that he never felt during the previous months.

"You have to practice your prophesies though," Artemis begged, shaking him slightly. "The Olympian Army's The Chariot will have to do without me, but I want you to practice it, alright?"

She convinced him. "Alright," he agreed, slipping his eyes close as he felt his soul stirring with a familiar sense of ease. Where did you come from, warlord? The thought slipped innocently in his mind, but he deemed it the stirrings of his inspiration.

Now, at "The Chariot"

Apollo liked his new boss. Ares was some legendary short-tempered warlord and a magnificent boss, according to Artemis and his guess. How he actually tolerated his stuttering and shy actions, it was—well, for innocent reasons. Ares seemed to care for him like a little brother, and he already proved himself earlier, deeming his first impression a perfect Lieutenant General for the warlord.

Ares made his room connected to his office, where he worked all night as Apollo tried to fight off the dreams that made him hard. The war god thought that he should be close when he needed him and vice versa. The room also connected to a kitchen where a large window presented him the perfect view of the back of the base where he could easily shoot anyone who moved to the area to harm. He liked his place perfectly fine, especially the large bathroom. The interior had white tiles and anything used as a handle or edge was gold.

Setting the traps to humiliate the goddess of love made him feel better. Although the gods still search for him, they forgot his image that even Aphrodite mistook him as his little sister that one time... He added superglue and feathers, adding glitters that Ares picked up from a fainted subordinate when he threatened the girl. To say Apollo was amused would be an understatement. Ares—oh, war god—was both amazing and awesome. He was hot, too, but he surely did not want to mention his new boss about that.

You are not supposed to feel like that for him, he scolded himself. His body, on the other hand, had other reasons as it tingled with anticipation.

It felt like sweet revenge to have Aphrodite shrieking and outraged. Ares seemed not to care about his plan and wanted some entertainment. He probably did not like Aphrodite like that—oh, he guessed again. He smiled and pulled the last invisible string, thanking Hermes inwardly for teaching him to prank. He never really admitted to the messenger god of his true character. Hermes only knew him as a human friend.

Perhaps he should try to be merciful when Aphrodite wanted his help later on to find a mysterious—he really should stop guessing.

"Are you done there, kid?"

His voice was deep, sexy. It was something that Apollo never realized delighted him. Ares stood near the doorway, raising a glass of coffee to his lips. The action and his call made Apollo blush. How can he look so awesome by just standing there? Percy said the god of war usually released a kind of I-hate-you-and-you-hate-me pheromone!

Percy was a young demigod who tried to search for him, too. When Apollo and Percy were younger—him in his physique—they became best of friends. They teamed up against Zeus one time in order to make Hades one of the Olympians. It only took them a week of whining, even going as far to force Hades to use a younger child form and bring him along while they begged Hera to make Zeus agree to their demand. He never saw Hera look so conflicted at the adorable child, the Underworld god in his younger persona, as she hesitantly agreed. Hades, after all, was a very loyal person.

After his throne was created in Olympus, Hades still stayed in the Underworld. He is the King of the Underworld, and it meant that he should watch over his kingdom than attend silly meetings. Zeus did not mind it. He even agreed that he should watch over his kingdom of death. Apollo saw the fear in Zeus' eyes when he caught a glimpse of Hera as she stared at the Underworld god with a motherly affection in her eyes. Least to say, Zeus probably did not want Hera to team up with Hades against him.

When he saw Ares raising a questioning look at him, Apollo sensed the warlord's patience wavering. He cleared his throat and said, "I'm done." He was successfully keeping his stutter in check. He reviewed the plan in his head and nodded, throwing the last of his list in his pocket.

Ares appeared to be musing over his decision on giving him. "Are you going to take responsibility?"

Am I going to what—? Apollo tried not to blush, but he failed. The warlord thought innocently as he said those words. "I'll be held responsible."

He knew Ares was impatient, but the warlord held himself remarkably well. He was greatly impressed by the control he had over his emotions. It could probably be the cause of that potion that Artemis made Hermes slip inside his coffee. Apollo would try to avoid the conflict that would happen if Ares found out about the slip.

"Good. Now, your war is not my war, but make sure to tell me when you do want to have war. This impulse—pranks of yours, will be out when you have another war with anyone. Next time, I want you to face your enemy, not like this."

Apollo nodded eagerly, wanting to gain Ares' acceptance. The god of war gave him a ghost of a smile before it vanished completely as he took another sip of his coffee. Apollo suddenly felt the click in his mind and hummed thoughtfully. Ares brought out the best prophetic talents out of him.

"Get inside," Apollo instructed, head snapping at the elevator. He could tell that Aphrodite would arrive and fall into his trap all accordingly.

Ares shrugged his urgent tone away as if it did not even affect him and went in his office. Apollo smiled and stood there, silently thanking the war god that he did not mind his tone. He was constantly on the urge of panicking when he snapped at people, but when Ares simply shrugged it off... He is amazingly patient unlike what Percy told me.

Aphrodite glided out of the elevator, looking as beautiful and prepared as ever. Apollo greeted her shyly, and the love goddess gasped at him.

"Artemis!" she greeted. Apollo frowned at her when she gave him a short hug. She pulled away and scrunched up her nose as she stared at his clothes. "What in the Hades are you wearing? Those clothes are so far away from what you wore before when we were modeling! Are you lesbian now?"

Apollo's mouth twitched. "I'm..."

"Oh, yes, right." She smiled and Apollo resisted the urge to stick his tongue out. "Have you seen my boyfriend, Artemis? I can't seem to find him," she sang, winking.

Apollo pointed at the office and hid a grin when she glided and tripped on the wire. This is payback for changing my clothes without permission.

From the walls, a tiny cannon pointed at her and shot superglue, straight at her hair and to her clothes. She shrieked in surprise and stumbled forward, setting the other trap on. A mass of glittered feathers fell from the hole in the ceiling, along with the chicken blood that her dress and hair sucked in so much, that it did not touch the floor.

Apollo snickered inwardly, cheering himself for a job well-done. He had to say that the prank was not so much creative all, though. It was something that Hermes did with one of the other gods for Hephaestus TV.

The furious Aphrodite, now the seemingly goddess of superglue and glittering bloody feathers, staggered to the door, gasping. She slammed the office door open and cursed something in French that Apollo would rather not mention to Ares later.

"If this is the way you are trying to tell me that we're breaking up, Ares, then you could have just said so!" She shouted curses inside and Apollo guessed that Ares was greatly amused and pleased, though he did not expect the chicken blood. It was lucky she did not let a drop fall onto the white floors of Ares' office. Apollo was sure the warlord would order him to clean it with a toothbrush.

Apollo smiled and walked over the other traps, wearing a look of worry as he entered the room. "Boss, a Mister Hephaestus is demanding an appointment. He called and said to tell you that the live television did not please him, as his wonderful wife turned into a clown. Should I have set the trap the next day—?" He tried to look terrified, and in Ares' case, he guessed he looked convincing if the war god was frowning.

Aphrodite threw him a look of disbelief. "What did you just say, Artemis?"

"I'm sorry. I should have figured you will arrive today, ma'am—"

Aphrodite blinked rapidly. "Artemis, you mentioned that Hephaestus called me 'wonderful'!" she cried out incredulously.

Apollo blinked innocently up at her, saying, "Ah, well, Mister Hephaestus dislikes that you did not turn special for this episode, he mentioned." You probably did not look too much like a fool this time.

Aphrodite seemed to remember herself as she beamed and she snapped her fingers. Her outfit changed magically and her whole visage turned perfect. She was wearing another stylish dress that made Apollo thank himself that he turned immune to her. Aphrodite never became his type, after all. She turned to give Ares a glare before she turned to Apollo with a brightened smile.

"I have to go. Moreover, Artemis, dear, please do something about that chronic sore throat of yours as—although it is a handsome sound, and it sounds so soft and beautiful—it does not fit a lady. You should ditch that dreadful attire of yours."

"No—wait," Apollo started, but it was too late. Aphrodite already snapped her fingers and he shut his eyes as her powers worked over his attire, and hopefully not his face.

The love god glided through another set of traps but did not react as she just simply changed her attire once she reached the elevators. Apollo dreaded looking at himself, wondering what kind of girly clothes she let him wear. He grimaced and turned to the war god, finding him staring at him with bemusement.

"Is it awful?" he asked weakly, dreading the clothes he wore immediately. He could feel his face turn red with embarrassment. He was not supposed to ask that. "No, don't answer that."

"You look cool," answered Ares, raising an eyebrow at him. "A little more than cool—you look hot, in the terms of women falling on their knees."

Apollo blushed at his wording and looked down unthinkingly. He sucked in a sharp breath as he saw his body sporting a double-breasted trench coat, only it was still up to his neck like his jacket and sleeveless. He almost gaped out right when he noticed that his boots—his leather boots sported heels. Did Aphrodite's fashion magazines include one leather arm-length fingerless glove? He had it on his left arm, and the right arm sported something longer that reached his upper arms with several straps holding it suspiciously to his inner garments.

"I reckon heels are not in the men's fashion these days," Apollo mumbled pitifully.

"It does look weird," Ares said, furrowing. He looked peeved about the change, too. "She did think you are Artemis, after all. It doesn't look like a woman's heels though—it's thick."

Apollo trembled inside as he imagined himself humiliated for wearing such atrocious attire. He could feel the dread spreading throughout his whole form at the thought.

"I did guess she would change my clothes into something that will gain the females' approval, but not like this!" He almost let out a terrified shriek of his own. He unbuttoned the trench coat slightly and groaned at what he saw underneath the shiny material. "I'm going to torture her!"

"What's making you so pissed?"

"She put a leather off-shoulder as my inner clothes!" There, he started to panic. He could guess that he would be humiliated... that is, if he could stop the outcome. The leather gloves connected to the hoops and buckles at the front of the leather clothes.

"What's wrong with that?"

"It's a dress, boss!" he cried out, trying not to wail like a child. He abhorred cross-dressing!

The war god stayed silent and awkwardly hid an amused laugh with a cough. res stood up and approached him, his keen eyes sharply analyzing his outfit. "Does it feel like you have some boxers underneath them or something similar?"

Apollo restrained himself from blushing as he deadpanned, "I have the feeling it's lingerie underneath this dress."

Ares blushed and Apollo hid his face in his hands to hide his own blush. The awkward silence continued until Ares coughed awkwardly.

"I think you should come with me," he said.

Apollo followed him hesitantly as he opened the door to his room. Ares' room also joint with the office, after all. Apollo could easily find him whenever he could fake a nightmare, but he could never tell Ares that.

Ares led him to his room—the interior was a simple dark red and dark brown and the walls were with gold wallpapers. Nothing looked out of place but the spear and shield that leaned on the bookcase—all books about war, figures—and the majestic bed. It was big, and it looked like it had a soft cushion that Apollo could fall on. He could probably sleep in it properly, too.

"You can find something that will fit you in the closet," Ares said to him as he led him to another door. "The other door inside the closet leads to the bathroom."

Apollo blushed and nodded, avoiding seeing his face. He went inside, admiring the large closet before he picked up a small leather shirt that suspiciously looked similar to the top of the dress. He slid the trench coat off and unbuckled all the straps, sliding the dress off as he exchanged it with the shirt, minding to take off the satin lingerie top. He buckled the straps again and found that it was similar to the dress.

"Aphrodite probably sent him this when he was younger," Apollo murmured to himself quietly.

During his short search, he found a pair of pants—leather. It fit him, and he found that wearing his long-cut boots over them looked cool. Ares would be approving of his outfit. Damn, he guessed again.

He stood at the mirror, not even wondering why he was still not sweating. He is the god of sun, after all. Any kind of heat did not affect him unless... He blushed and shook his head. He pulled the trench coat over his chosen clothes, leaving it open and unbuttoned. Where can I burn the dress?

He picked the dress up reluctantly, along with the lingerie he stripped off himself. Although Apollo was gay, it did not, and certainly not, meant that he wore girly clothes. He always went hunting girls with Hermes, and he wore manly clothes even if the only thing he found himself double-checking were boys. Hermes failed to straighten him up some, but anyone in his family knew he was bisexual.

He shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the closet—oh, the irony of it all.

Ares nodded at his outfit and threw a glance at the lingerie in his arms. "She really thought that you're Artemis, huh."

"She knew my sister—I personally wanted revenge for mistaking me as Artemis and putting me into..." He could not even finish his sentence, as he blushed hard at the memory of wearing a thin two-piece bikini. "Something revealing," he said instead.

Ares' lip twitched and his face gained a slight pinkish color that disappeared almost immediately. "That woman can't take the hint," he growled, rolling his shoulders threateningly. "She's a mink."

"She's a monster," Apollo mumbled, restraining himself. Ares heard him. He blushed. "Stupid guessing," he muttered pathetically.

"Well, she's a monster, then," Ares agreed, chuckling.

Apollo could not stop it anymore. "Ares—?" he started, slightly hesitant. Would the god of war get angry at—he cut his thoughts off.

"Yeah, kid?" Ares encouraged, looking slightly curious.

"Where's that I-hate-you-and-you-hate-me thing that my friend that met you is talking about?"

Ares looked surprised. "You didn't guess? Well, I am keeping it to a minimum since we do not want to antagonize our own members. I only pull it out when I'm trying to find something to relieve boredom."

Apollo blushed heavily at his words and coughed awkwardly. He kept on finding innocent words from Ares something to think thoroughly.

"I was wondering how it would feel," he told him honestly, "how it would be to hate someone who you don't really hate at first."

Ares furrowed his brows. "I'll keep it to a minimum," he reminded himself.

Apollo braced himself for the hating, and Ares dropped the heavy feeling of irritation into him. Apollo felt like he wanted to throttle the war god as he straightened himself. Ares was sneering, taunting him. Apollo growled and blinked when he found himself right in front of the war god. He blushed at the nearness and took a step back, controlling the irritation until it vanished completely.

"You stopped," mused Ares, observing him keenly. "You've got control. What were you thinking? I thought let it fall full force on you."

"You—you're my boss," he answered. You are my hot—amazingly skilled in fighting—boss. Attacking you would be like defacing you.

Ares' impressed look did not vanish as he nodded. "We can make this your battle armor... unless you decline...?"

Apollo nodded, wishing to get out of the leather lest the warlord notice his skin. It did not make him sweat, not at all. People would wonder why he was as cool as ever in his clothes, and would have to make up lies.

"Yes, I'd like that. I'd rather wear normal clothes here..." he trailed off, looking away.

Ares gave him a look. "I'm still putting every inch of force down on you," he said, looking perturbed by his control. "What kind of concentration are you doing, kid? This stuff is usually effective."

Apollo indeed felt the mist of annoyance and irritation probing him, especially the urge to beat the life out of Ares, but he resisted. If he hurt Ares, he would be minced meat. Although he was a good fighter, he was practically a newborn baby to Ares' matured fighting skills. Not to mention Ares mastered every fighting skill available in the universe, leaving nothing, except Apollo's own techniques.

Damn, I guessed again. He bit his lip. "I'm thinking of my own survival," Apollo muttered. "I'm sure you will always win a war, or a fight. Many have tried to put you down but—" he pulled on his hair, frustrated. "I guessed again," he said glumly.

Ares raised a brow in askance. "You really hate this guessing talent of yours, huh?" he mused.

Apollo grimaced, unable to hide his displeasure from him. He disliked it too much, since more people find his talent handy. He found that those people found him a convenient person to go to when they wanted to find something. There was one time that someone even asked him who killed the student from this one class... and he disturbingly found out the director killed him for spilling the dark secrets of the school. He immediately changed schools with the help of his sister, Artemis.

"I don't like it when people use me," he muttered. "They simply befriend me for my... talent."

Ares' look turned dark. "I really hate those people who use me too," he said, patting his head. Apollo blushed. "I have no choice back then, do I? I have to follow orders back then until I won everything, not even knowing a few of my soldiers were playing on the other field, spying. We have things that we dislike that we rather not think about."

Apollo hummed in agreement, liking the way Ares understood him, as a knocking on the office door turned their attentions away from each other. Apollo knew it was a messenger from the other building.

"Let's go," Ares ordered.

Apollo followed him out, making sure to lock the door, as Ares did not like it open to anyone he did not know. It was the first time he let someone in his room. Apollo blushed at his guess, feeling lighter. Ares did not mind him at all. If he only knew he was the sun god, what would he do? First, Apollo would try not to guess the answer to that question.

"Get in," Ares snapped, taking a seat behind his desk as Apollo stood beside his big red chair.

A woman opened the door hesitantly, wearing a messenger bag. "General Ares, I've brought the arranged paperwork for you," she stammered in fear, walking up to the desk to place the pile of paper at the side. She ran out of the office once Ares dismissed her. She never stole a glance form Apollo. Awesome handling, boss, he thought.

Ares groaned, slapping a hand on his forehead. "Damn it," he cursed, growling. "I'd rather not do anything right now."

Apollo smiled slightly at his childish antics. "I know which one to burn, boss—I mean, Ares."

Ares turned to look at him appreciatively, as if wanting to kiss the feet he walked on. Apollo knew the fake greed on his face was for show, so he gave him a grin in return. Ares did not want to use him, truly. He never would. Apollo knew this even without guessing.

"I knew you were useful," Ares boasted, although Apollo knew he was joking.

"I'm sure you'll discover that very soon," Apollo murmured quietly, watching the way Ares handled his work on the desk.

He never guessed that Ares was ambidextrous as he signed the papers. I wonder how they would feel...

Apollo blushed and told Ares that he should not sign the next paper since it was a prank from one of the supervisors. He also accidentally slipped the initials, and Ares was chuckling darkly, glaring as he read the paper regardless, and murmuring how exactly he would punish the prankster.

Apollo just adored how his new boss thought. Maybe I can survive his fighting skills after this.

-AresApollo End-

If you have any pairing requests, may you pm/review/send a message immediately

Pendings:

HadesPercy (I read the plot, and it was awesome, but it needs to be needed before he gives it out.)
HermesNico (The plot is being discussed, he said, but it's not the usual thief version. The HadesPercy has AresApollo, HermesNico and HephaestusAprodite, also some Stollcest.)
HephaestusAprodite (It has an awesome, romantic and mysterious plot. Although it's hetero, it is approved by my secretary, too.)

P.S.: Requests are indeed available.
P.P.S.: Did you know what kind of Hades there is in the story? It's new and the plot is amazing~

Love,
SelC