Chapter 15: Mortal Princes
MANY hours later
Hyacinthus was the only one left in Zeus' office by the time Selene rode the night sky.
He ensured that Persephone's approved application to the Fertility Fellowship was classified for Zeus' priority inbox tomorrow morning.
His phone rang.
Hyacinthus only had six public contacts and a private one on his phone. The name of the caller gave him a tremble. Since he was alone in the office, he put it on speaker.
"Hi…" His voice weakened.
"My little flower! I miss you very much! How's your first full month on Olympus?" Hyacinthus could feel Zephyrus' breath blowing through the phone's communication. The slow coils of the god's breath, scented with spring flowers and dew, hit his ear. "Are you behaving?"
"I stay in the office and do the paperwork."
"You still keep up with my rules, from what I heard."
"And outside the office, I only spend the nights at my mother's or back in Sparta." With the new job, it was too risky for Hyacinthus to visit Ganymede in Nysa for their once-in-a-while, purely sexual flings. Ganymede had already been filed as a Nysaen. Hyacinthus was labeled as a demi-Muse from Sparta. He only talked to Ganymede in the office.
"And nothing has popped up on Olympus?"
"Not that I'm aware of. I swear on the Styx."
Which wasn't a lie. Hyacinthus had gotten the hang of phones and computers for practicality reasons, but he abhorred television. Broadcasting news took away the joys of listening the news of the screaming village messenger boy.
"You're really neat at such bureaucratic functions. Maybe one day, you can show me how you do it."
Zephyrus sounded so satisfied on the phone. He cleared his throne.
"I got a meeting with the other Anemoi tonight, so your mother's picking you up. And, I was thinking… Since you've been wonderful, you deserve a treat."
Hyacinthus bit his lips.
Zephyrus' ideas of 'treats' made a trip to the Styx and straight into Cerberus' mouth sound like a holiday.
"A credit card!"
Hyacinthus blinked in confusion. "I… I'm sorry. I think I'm stupid."
"No, it's alright. It's basically a small tablet Olympus uses that holds millions of drachma value. To buy yourself whatever you want. Treat yourself to some shopping! Cafés! Maybe even a mani-pedi."
"I… don't think I did anything to deserve such kindness." Hyacinthus shut down his computer.
"I'm a rough god, Hyacinthus, but it's because I care about you. Besides, once that idiot Apollo succeeds in what he's told and I become an Olympian… Well, he can be replaced." Hyacinthus' stomach tightened. Zephyrus always goaded about his schemes with pride. "All of them can. You'll be a better Queen of the Heavens than Hera. We won't be equals, but I'd treat you much better than Zeus does to her."
Hyacinthus placed his hand over his throat to cover the uncomfortable feeling from within. "Thank you…"
"No problem, my little flower! The credit card should be arriving at your mother's mailbox tomorrow. Treat yourself to a jacket or something. But not too casual. Can't have my betrothed walking around fashioned like the sycophant, Olympian-worshipping plebians. Love you!"
Hyacinthus was liberated from the phone call.
He rubbed the tears down his cheeks, rubbing it enough to dry them but too much that his skin looked bruised.
Then again, could he be blamed for breaking?
He put on his dark duffel coat and hat, doing his best to hide his features. The cameras almost made him look like a shadow, quickly moving to clock out.
At this rate, a lifetime in the shadows was all Hyacinthus would prefer.
Spotlights would never be for him.
Sparta's kings always sired formidable heirs.
Hyacinthus' father and uncle had formidable children. The latter had no problem with having two children from his wife's… The consent was still debatable.
A demi-Muse was a brilliant gift, but the light would immediately shift for Queen Leda's four children. How could you outshine two sets of twins? Two girls, two boys. Half fully mortal, the other half semi-divine.
Castor and Pollux had no interest in being kings. They constantly traveled on endless adventures.
Clytemnestra had been married off to a king in Mycenae.
They tolerated Hyacinthus, but tolerance didn't mean respect, love, and admiration.
His cousin, Helen?
How could a demi-Muse possibly outshine a demigoddess born of Zeus himself? Swan-like beauty incarnate, Helen embodied the Spartan spirit and warfare. The ideal princess. Her pure, sadistic radiance was enough for Hyacinthus' uncle, King Tyndareus, to name her his direct him.
After all, she was a better option than the half-mortal son of the Muse of History… And Hyacinthus' same-sex preferences made it unlikely that he could bring heirs for Sparta.
Not to mention he wasn't much of a fighter.
Hyacinthus reached the glass doors of the building. He paused, staring at his reflection in them.
He nearly hallucinated Zephyrus the first time he met him as a little child.
Hyacinthus backed away.
My little flower.
Hyacinthus hated that nicknamed.
Flowers are beautiful things that bloom and proliferate when well treated.
They wither quickly when neglected. Forgotten. Purposely uprooted.
Hyacinthus got outside. A cold breeze welcomed him the streets. A good change. Warm breezes always reminded him of Zephyrus.
Knowing his mother, she was probably done with her book review blog by now. Potentially cooking dinner. If Hyacinthus called a cab, he'd…
He bumped into someone.
"Would you watch it?" The stranger exclaimed.
"My apologies." Hyacinthus bent down to pick up his fallen hat.
"Hyacinthus?"
Hyacinthus had to tuck his sapphire blue hair behind his ear to properly look at the one speaking to him.
His eye twitched.
Zephyrus' specific rule: DO NOT TALK TO ANY GOD OUTSIDE ZEPHYRUS' PRESENCE.
And the first god on Zephyrus' list. The ONE god Hyacinthus didn't want to have to run to on Olympus… had a couple raw tomato stains on his black shirt.
And I apologized to him, Hyacinthus wanted to slap himself.
He quickly walked away.
"Wait… Hold on!" Apollo walked after him.
Hyacinthus forced his indexes into his ears.
"Hyacinthus…"
Hyacinthus muted Apollo's words with his mother's endless history facts. Everything she knew since the Big Bang… Boring to anyone, but an effective way to zone out from other people's conversations.
Even when muffled, Apollo's voice was loud enough.
My little flower.
Zephyrus sounded louder.
"APOLLO!" Hyacinthus snapped. "I want nothing to do with you, and Zephyrus will have our hides if he finds out I talked to you! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"What?" Apollo held his hands out. "I just… noticed your bruises… Did you…"
"Leave me alone, before I call Zephyrus!" Hyacinthus held out his phone. Seeing Zephyrus' contact info on the screen shocked Apollo. "Believe me, I will LITERALLY Fatestime him and tell him you're harassing me! He'll drag me back to Sparta, but at least he'd deal with you! And I'd rather not lose my first temporary job away from him, so leave me alone!"
Apollo blinked. "Wait… You don't want to lose your job, but you'd rather waltz back to him… Than… That doesn't even make sense!"
Hyacinthus' thumb threatened to press the call button.
"Hyacinthus… What is Zephyrus doing to you?"
Just as Hyacinthus was about to push the button, a grey sports sedan viciously pulled to the curb. Out came a sapphire-haired goddess in a grey uniform.
"PHOEBUS APOLLO!"
"Clio?" Apollo gasped.
"Mother…" Hyacinthus hurriedly put his phone away. "I didn't…"
"You. In the car." The Muse of History pointed at the front passenger seat. "I'll deal with you back at the house."
Hyacinthus obeyed his mother and rushed inside the car. The doors immediately locked once he was inside. An act he could expect of his mother.
He avoided staring at his mother confronting Apollo. The car, unfortunately, wasn't soundproof.
Good thing Clio had left the radio on. Hyacinthus increased the volume, drowning out the argument from outside.
Same scene, but from Apollo's POV
Apollo always remembered Clio as the most distant, quietest of the Muses.
With her enraged expression facing him and the choir of historical miseries, Apollo remembered. Whatever Clio recorded from history also affected her emotions. If one made her angry enough, they could hear the screams of all the wars, executions, heartbreaks, and miseries recorded in the history scrolls.
"I didn't do anything to him, Clio. I swear on the Styx!" Apollo tried to calm down the Muse of History.
"You think I care about your desperate words of sincerity? When I saw the tabloid of your vandalized house, I just had to remember your history of impulse and selfishness! You always try to crawl to Zeus to beg for help! And since I know Zeus' history of choices, I knew he wouldn't be at his office by the time you got here! And since I know my son's schedule, I drove out of my house before you even got here!"
"You knew I was…" Apollo widened his eyes.
He forgot how Clio recorded ALL past events.
"You knew about everything… since day one!" He pointed at the Muse. "My goals, my nights, my threats… EVERYTHING? And you left Zephyrus to find out through the tabloids?"
"History is best in my archives and not in your personal rumor mill." Clio put her hands on her hip. "Or, at the very least, I keep it to myself and I don't go around sharing it, ruining my inter-pantheon connections."
Apollo's eyes turned yellow.
"Oh, don't give me that look. That reckless act of entertainment of yours gave you the tolerable amount of comeuppance at the time. Histories of all parties considered, when will be the last time you see your son?"
Apollo didn't take his glow out of his eyes. "They wouldn't dare execute him. He's still the son of an Olympian!"
"So are you… how did that turn out for you?"
Clio made her way around the car. "I'm not calling Zephyrus tonight because I'm not a complete monster when it comes to your house being vandalized."
"Thank you," Apollo said sourly.
"But let's make this easy." This time, Clio was accompanied by a choir of historical war chants and cursing. "I swear on the Styx, Apollo, if I find out you came near my son again and deviated him away from his destiny with Zephyrus… All of your histories will go out of my archives and into your permanent record. Your 'tiny little thing' with Zephyrus will be revealed long before you realize it."
Clio slapped her driver's door shut and the two drove off, leaving Apollo by himself in the dark street.
The next morning
Ganymede was the kind of person who always ignored others' superstitions. One of the satyrs in Nysa had said that today would be a bad day to bring coffee to the office today. Ganymede had clearly not listened, bringing two travel mugs of homemade coffee to Olympus. The mugs survived the commute, but not the sight of Hyacinthus' black eye.
"WHAT THE GAIA HAPPENED TO YOU?" Ganymede dropped the mugs, staining the floor. His first priority was finding an ice pack for Hyacinthus.
"My mother and I had a disagreement last night. I tried to gouge my eyes out." Hyacinthus grumbled.
"Really? You tried to go all Oedipus?" Ganymede gave him the ice pack. "Crap… Good thing the King of the Gods hasn't seen the coffee stains on the ground yet. We got any wipes left?"
Hyacinthus tossed him a box of wipes. In only a couple swipes, Ganymede cleaned the spot into a reflective surface. "Well, there goes our coffee."
"Can't you just make yourself a cup?"
"Hyacinthus, I'm NOT gonna start drinking off Zeus' coffee machine!" Ganymede picked up the now emptied mugs. "Besides, even if WE can tolerate Dionysus' wine, Olympian drinks are toxic to us. Well… half, in your case."
Hyacinthus tapped the ice pack onto his eye and went back to the computer. "Can you remind the King to check his inbox? One of the emails is from the Fertility Fellowship…"
Ganymede frowned.
He could have sworn Dionysus was too young to be sworn in…
A knock on the glass interrupted Ganymede.
Zeus was on the other side, holding a takeout box of scones.
Hyacinthus briefly looked worried. "Is he gonna kill us?"
"If he is, see ya in Tartarus." Ganymede tossed the mugs in the trash. He failed to hide the obvious coffee stains on his blouse, but he managed to hide the embarrassment when he got out to meet the king of the gods in the hallway. "Good morning, Your Majesty. I apologize for my delay. I… accidentally spilled my coffee."
"Eh. Not the first time I've done it." Zeus popped the box open. Several, warm aromas of freshly baked scones hit Ganymede in the face. "I didn't eat breakfast back home, so I ordered some from this café on the way… Did you and your friend want some?" That last sentence came out quickly.
"Your Highness… Such xenia is generous, but is food from an Olympian café safe for mortals like us?"
"Psyche recommended it. She ate there a lot with Aphrodite when she pretended to be a nymph… Before she became immortal. It's a long story…"
"I'll… go ahead and give some blueberry scones to Hyacinthus." Using a napkin, Ganymede brought two scones to Hyacinthus. The latter angrily hung up a call he didn't even answer. "OK, this VERY weird, Hyacinthus. Zeus got us scones."
"Great!" Hyacinthus gritted his teeth. "Hey, when you pour HIS coffee, can you tell him to strike Apollo out of the sky?"
Ganymede cautiously left Hyacinthus and rushed to meet his boss at the office. Zeus was rummaging through his closet (why he had a clothing closet in his office escaped Ganymede) until he pulled out a silver-colored turtleneck.
"I don't know why I always have one of the Olympians' clothing in my closet. Athena outright gave up on that turtleneck during the skip." With a snap of his fingers, Zeus had the turtleneck switch places with Ganymede's stained blouse. "I'll pay for the dry cleaning."
"Why… Lord Zeus, I can't accept this!" Ganymede exclaimed. "The King of the Gods shouldn't be dealing with a mortal's dirty laundry!"
"Well, after the aspirin you gave me yesterday… And quite frankly, after your first month working with me…" Zeus sighed. "Scones and dry cleaning are the best I got, alright?"
"My apologies, my Lord!" Ganymede lowered his head and quickly groveled. Shivers overtook him as he expected to be reduced to cinders.
"Why are you doing that?" Zeus looked confused.
"Groveling so I… don't get burned to smithereens?" Ganymede looked up, a bit less confused than the King of the Gods. "I feared I upset you…"
"Now I know why people don't like me…" Zeus grumbled. With the god's back turned, Ganymede quickly hurried to the bar and searched the lower cabinets. His eyes narrowed.
The ONE day I don't have spare blouses for backup!
Ganymede stood up. Zeus had placed the scones out of the box and onto a platter.
"Lord Zeus, I thank you very much for your generous gift… But please, don't worry about such trivialities in the future." Ganymede started preparing Zeus' preferred cappuccino. "Your assistants' issues are the least of your problems."
"It's the only problems I know how to fix…" Zeus crossed his arms over the counter. "The mess with Apollo… Recovering from the divide… Now another one of my demigods…" He paused. "Is Dionysus really Semele's child?"
Ganymede presented Zeus with his cup. "Would it be bad if it were the case?"
"I don't know… The last time one of my illegitimate children revealed themselves publicly, it caused a mess… And I haven't seen Semele since before the trial… I didn't even know she was pregnant… Is she alright?"
Ganymede made himself a glass of water. "A question best saved for the demigod who can answer that rather than the mortal bartender."
A very risky response, but Ganymede knew better than to gossip around the secrets of his actual boss.
Ganymede scooped some ice into his glass. "I wouldn't worry about Dionysus. He's a chaotic demigod, but he's more comfortable with the common crowds than the royalty. Nysa is already his personal playground and main enterprise location. I mean, two temples built for him and the most he does is a public tantrum. He's just a child."
"MY child…" Zeus ate a chocolate chip scone. "And Dionysus can identify as a girl… I might have preferred it if Dionysus were an actual girl… Then I wouldn't have to worry about another son trying to overthrow me…"
Ganymede couldn't resist giggling.
"My fears amuse you?" Zeus glared.
"Sorry, it's just… Dionysus wouldn't want your throne, even if you gave him the Mediterranean!" Ganymede giggles. "He hates your guts!"
Zeus glared again. "Apollo hates me," he pointed out.
"Yes, but Apollo is, and I quote Hyacinthus 'a self-centered rich kid with no sense of rejection and boundaries'. Your ex-favorite was raised expecting riches and fame to be given to him. Dionysus lives outside of society. Transforming a reclused environment into a kingdom. Gaining friends, followers, and enemies across pantheons. Runs his own business. And forget riches; he gave King Midas the Golden Touch. Dionysus can make himself rich." The mortal tried a plain scone. Fancying the warm, chewy texture, his second bite was bigger. "You have many children, Lord Zeus, but they all live in your shadow… Except Perseus. He was PERFECT!"
"He was." Zeus nodded.
"And Dionysus would NEVER desire to be an Olympian! He'd rather be a conformist than sit next to you or Apollo. ESPECIALLY Apollo. If anything, your youngest demigod would rather make a name for himself than just being another of yours."
Ganymede saw Zeus smiling for once. "I guess you're right…"
"I am?" Ganymede mocked surprise.
A banging on the glass walls ruined the fun. A ticked Hyacinthus waved a white board on the other side. Ancient Greek text was written in big letters with an erasable marker.
QUIT BEING FRIENDLY WITH STRAIGHT GODS AND TELL ZEUS TO CHECK HIS FUCKING INBOX!
"I hate to break your entertainment, but Hyacinthus brings a valid point." Ganymede got up to clear things on Zeus' desk. "Many emails await you."
Zeus grimaced at Hyacinthus. The latter went back to work without even acknowledging the king of the gods' glare.
"Can't your friend stop being weird and actually yell?" Zeus joined Ganymede at the computer.
"I told you before, Lord Zeus. No direct communication or engagement with a god. Especially Apollo. His fiancé's possessive."
"Crazy dame?"
"Hyacinthus and I are into men, not women. And the god he's betrothed to has known Hyacinthus since childhood."
"Oh, playmates? Makes sense…"
"The god's the same age as you. Hyacinthus was, what, six, when he first met him." When Ganymede had trouble logging in, he made room for Zeus to do just that. Once Zeus put in his password, hundreds of emails appeared.
"If Hyacinthus' future husband is so possessive… How'd you two even meet?"
"In Sparta. Literally on my first trip with the retinue, a good four months after I was exiled from Troy…"
"You don't look like the kind of guy who'd get exiled."
"And Hyacinthus doesn't look like the kind of guy who'd get married to a creep." Ganymede sighed. "I guess it's how we befriended one another. Two mortal princes. Both into men. Both overshadowed by more qualified heirs. Both facing persecutions. Hyacinthus' has it in his family… I got persecuted for being into brews."
"Have they even tried your concoctions? You're the best bartender I've met since my daughter!"
"But when she does it, it would be considered acceptable. Brews are associated with potions and witchcrafts, and with mortals, only two groups can do that: women who worship Hecate or the descendants of Helios…" Ganymede's eyes drifted off. "There was something about mixing fluids that always enamored me since childhood. Chop some petals and leaves, boil them long enough, and I could make my own tea. Squeezing out juices, add in a burning coal, and I could make my own fruit juices. My parents shrugged off my interests and orientation as 'things that wouldn't affect Troy's monarchy since I wasn't a direct heir'.
"Then one day, during a banquet, a nobleman outdid himself. He had procured a bunch of amphoras; goods sold by Dionysus' agents. Red liquid garnished with herbs. An unknown substance that made the simplest gravy far more savory by burning off the alcohol. Just drinking it made a man's breath smell ten times better than usual. And when I tasted it the first…" Ganymede sighed. "I wanted to do something like that… but I didn't realize how more complex Dionysus' recipes truly were… I accidentally poisoned a servant. Exile was a better option than execution."
Zeus hissed awkwardly. "Maybe I can SLIGHTLY understand why. Divine alcohol can kill a mortal."
"Not Dionysus…" Ganymede shook his head. "The retinue do their yearly travels around the Mediterranean. I stumbled into them when they were heading south… Dionysus saw what I could do… The brat's annoying, but he gave me opportunities to experiment on my brewing. Allowed me to use his elixirs. By the time we reached Nysa, he convinced Silenus to give me space to create my bar."
"Can't blame my own offspring… I mostly pity the Trojans…" Zeus chuckled, looking again at his inbox.
Ganymede didn't see any lightning, but the sounds of thunderbolts echoed in Zeus' office.
"Persephone applied to join the Fertility Fellowship… With a Chaos Immunity Clause… And they accepted her?" Zeus growled. "This just isn't my week!"
"I… fail to understand the issue…" Ganymede admitted.
"I wasn't consulted!"
Ganymede quickly looked over the email and its content. "It was still sent to you to gain the approval of her pantheon's ruler… Isn't that still consulting?"
"Hades could have told me she wanted to apply!"
Ganymede just blinked.
"You can't possibly understand what it's like for me. I can't just let ANY god join an inter-pantheon organization!"
"I'm… very familiar with the scandal with the Solar Guild." Ganymede's answer surprised Zeus. "Dionysus has met some of their members. Really helps fuel his hatred…" He gasped, nearly freaking. "Oh Gaia… And Dionysus adores his uncle and soon-to-be-auntie… You realize that if he finds out you rejected Persephone's application, he'll either tell everyone he knows in the other pantheons, and they'll tell their leaders, and then it will a series of anti-Olympian smear campaigns… or he'll throw a tantrum! NEVER be near Dionysus when he throws a tantrum!"
"Well, how could any of this benefit me if I accept it? And… you know, doesn't fuel old-world belief in fertility goddesses?"
"Well…" Ganymede listed with his fingers. "Your brothers, especially Hades, might be impressed by your sudden change of perspective. Your fellow Olympians might be satisfied and realize you are a capable leader. The public might steer away from the mess with Apollo to focus more on the biggest diplomatic change. The other pantheons might start to respect you… And you and Dionysus might both get satisfied with Apollo POTENTIALLY biting his nails, knowing that his past victim has surpassed him… Knowing that his future auntie achieved what he never could… TETHERING your pantheon to others."
The benefits of dealing with debating people at the bars.
Ganymede watched the King of the Gods click a checkbox in the email.
"If this turns out to be a big joke, I'm turning you into an eagle by the time you clock out," Zeus warned.
Later in the afternoon
Zeus had been out of the office all afternoon. Ganymede and Hyacinthus had enough time to finish their work and clock out before 6pm.
Ganymede was surprised he hadn't been turned into an eagle yet.
"My mother texted to me. Zephyrus' credit card arrived in the mail." Hyacinthus showed his phone.
"I do appreciate the gods for inventing these." Ganymede smirked at his. "By the way, Daphne's been texting about meeting up at some point."
"With or without Thanatos?"
"With." Ganymede scowled at Hyacinthus' hesitation. "For fuck's sake, Hyacinthus, he's not on Olympus!"
Hyacinthus froze at the doors. "Oh, I don't believe this!"
"He's here?"
"Worse!"
Hyacinthus dragged Ganymede behind the front desk. Cautiously lifting their heads up, they saw the car parked just outside Zeus' office. Apollo was sitting on the hood, waiting nervously.
"OK…" Ganymede shook his head. "Not gonna lie… I didn't expect Apollo to be bi…"
Hyacinthus elbowed Ganymede in the stomach. Both shrank back underneath the front desk. Ganymede held his stomach.
"The purple doodoo's back LITERALLY the day after I run into him and my mother gave him a verbal thrashing… and you're mostly thinking about his sexuality?" Hyacinthus hissed.
"Well, you aren't a girl or a fertility goddess, so I doubt he's in a rush to fuck with you…"
Hyacinthus groaned in exasperation. "I can't go through the front door because of that idiot, and I can't call my mother or Zephyrus! My mother's probably on her way right… What are you doing?"
Ganymede quickly typed a text and sent it.
Thunder boomed outside. When they peaked their heads over the desk, they witnessed a furious Zeus yelling at Apollo.
Hyacinthus snatched Ganymede's phone. His eyes widened.
"You DIDN'T!" He gasped.
Thunder boomed outside. Zeus was chasing off the Sun God, using a bolt as a whip.
"Go, go, go!"
The mortal princes didn't waste a minute. With the gods focused on their own squabble, Ganymede and Hyacinthus pushed through the glass door and ran towards the opposite direction of the gods. They quickly took a turn on the next street aiming left.
"Red light!" Hyacinthus pulled Ganymede before he could accidentally cross into upcoming cars. Fortunately, it took a few seconds for the pedestrian light to allow them passage. Ganymede and Hyacinthus switched from running to walking fast.
"I can't believe you did that!" Hyacinthus freaked out.
"What? We don't have traffic lights in the Mortal Realm!" Ganymede panted once they officially stopped to catch some air.
"Not THAT! You fucking texted Zeus and he fucking showed up!" Hyacinthus shook Ganymede by the shoulders. "NEVER do that again!"
"I apologize! I didn't think we could run to the back without Apollo suspecting to check the back alley!"
"Not THAT!" Hyacinthus exclaimed. "Do you have…"
"Hey, guys!"
"Daphne!" Hyacinthus yelped.
Daphne, along with her boyfriend Thanatos by her side, stared at the mortals. The chthonic god cautiously pulled his nymph girlfriend closer to him. "Uhm… how was work?"
"Oh, we just ran out as fast as we could while Zeus was roasting Apollo's ass because I texted to Zeus that Apollo was stalking by the front entrance… for the second time in 24 hours…" Ganymede said. "Is that normal on Olympus?"
The couple's synchronized groan was the best answer.
"We're meeting up with Echo for dinner at this casual place. Wanna join us?" Daphne asked.
"Uh… You know, that we're far off the office, I should be on my way." Hyacinthus rubbed the back of his hair. "Knowing my mother, she'll be expecting me…"
"Hyacinthus." Ganymede rolled his eyes. "I just provoked Zeus into whipping Apollo's ass with a thunderbolt, we ran through nearly streets, and WHERE is Clio's sedan?"
Hyacinthus quickly checked both sides of the street.
No gray sports sedan in sight.
He quickly checked his phone.
Not a single text or missed call from his mother.
Daphne gave pleading eyes.
"You realize we might have to carry you like a sack of flour just to convince you to spend some time without worrying about that windbag, right?" Thanatos pointed out. "A couple hours won't kill ya."
Hyacinthus hesitated again.
My little flower. Zephyrus' voice blew in his mind.
I do it all for your well-being, you know? He heard his mother, the Muse Clio, after she'd struck him. But you always keep getting in these situations.
I can heal that… Apollo's literal first words to Hyacinthus when they first met.
Hyacinthus slapped himself on the wrist. Bringing his senses to reality in such an act of self-harm disturbed his only friends.
"You know what? Dinner sounds good as long as one of you pays for it and gives me a ride back. I still don't have a credit card."