A/N new chapter! Sorry for taking so long. Please enjoy this.
Chapter 3
Apollo walked through Olympus, his heart in a jovial mood. He and Daphne were doing well. The sun horses were doing well and flying better than ever. Things were looking up.
"Apollo!"
Apollo sighed, he turned to see Eros standing a few feet away. He was holding his bow and was getting ready to fire another arrow.
"Eros," Apollo said warily. It wasn't that he disliked the wayward child of Aphrodite and Ares, it was more that he was wayward. He had a habit of getting involved in the affairs of gods and turning them on their heads. "Practicing your archery."
"Mmmhmm." Eros said, "Golden arrows to inflame, lead arrows to smother those hearts."
"Getting bored with the torch?" I asked idly.
Eros looked at the torch. "It's fine," he said. "But this will allow me to affect people from further away." He said. "With anyone seeing me coming."
I did not like that.
I watched as Eros excitedly knocked another arrow and fired. "See!" he said excitedly.
"Hmm," I said. "It's… fine. But I think you would do better if you stuck with your torch. Why mess with a sure thing."
Eros frowned. "I can learn to be a better shot."
I know. Apollo thought to himself. That's the problem, you are having even more ways to mess with the hearts of immortals. "Trust me," Apollo said. "Stick with your torch." He said.
Eros glared at him. "I'll get better." He insisted.
Please don't.
Eros was in many ways still a child. Younger than a lot of the other minor gods, and very willful.
The fact that he was the child of Aphrodite and Ares didn't help matters.
He liked to meddle in the affairs of men and gods alike. More than once Zeus had gotten angry at the boy for inflaming his heart towards another mortal.
Apollo could only imagine the trouble that Eros could cause when the Olympians couldn't see him coming.
Apollo walked off unaware that Eros was glaring at him darkly.
Eros watched from his position on the tree. Watched as Apollo and Daphne laughed and danced with each other.
You think you're better than me Apollo? Eros glared as he watched the happy couple. You'll see.
He watched the two of them play, and dance watched as Apollo and Daphne danced. Apollo twirled her around his arms.
He could practically feel the love they shared for each other.
Both of them were in so much love that it made Eros sick.
"Let it go My son," Aphrodite said sitting beside him.
"You meddle in love affairs all the time."
"I do," Aphrodite said. "I do it to test love's boundaries. I do it so people can realize the options they have. I meddle so they can hopefully end up better for it. What I don't do is mess with love out of vengeance."
Eros laughed darkly. "Phaedra and Pasiphae would disagree."
Aphrodite looked down at her son. "I've changed since then. Trust me, your plan here will only bring pain."
"Apollo insulted me."
"All he said was that you should stick with your torch."
"Exactly!"
"He's scared of your power."
"As he should be. And this will remind him not to piss me off."
"Eros you're a little too much like your father."
"And who's fault is that?" Eros retorted back. "You're the one that chose him."
"Eros!" Aphrodite exclaimed. "Getting vengeance on the gods never means well. So please—"
"No!" Eros said turning back to the couple below. "They left."
Eros flapped his wings and jumped off the branch.
"Eros—"
But Eros disappeared. Aphrodite sighed and stared down at the ground below.
"I tried." She sighed. "He's gonna have to learn the consequences on his own." She said softly to herself before she disappeared.
Eros hurried off to find Daphne and Apollo dancing together, Daphne laughed in his arms, holding onto Apollo as he twirled her around a gentle smile in his gaze.
Eros smiled cruelly.
He readied his Arrow and aimed it right at Apollo's heart.
Apollo stumbled for a moment before he opened his eyes and looked at Daphne. He smiled and kissed her; Daphne froze as though stunned before she wrapped his arms around him.
It would have gone farther. Eros contemplated letting it go farther but instead, he readied another arrow and shot it right into Daphne's heart.
Daphne's jerked out of Apollo's grasp.
Daphne shook her head confused. "I—" She met Apollo's eyes and her eyes hardened. "Get away from me."
Apollo blinked surprised. "Daphne?" Apollo asked stepping forward his brow furrowed. "Love?"
Daphne shook her head. "I'm not your love. I'm not your anything."
Apollo looked at his love confused. "Daphne… what-?"
Daphne stepped back away from him, her expression hardening more and more by the second.
Apollo as though compelled, stepped closer to her.
"Leave me alone." Daphne hissed.
"I… Daphne just talked to me." Apollo pleaded. "Please. What has happened to you—"
"Happened?" Daphne laughed. "I came to my senses, you're a god. Before long, my life will be ruined, and you'll just move on to the next horrid girl."
Apollo's eyes darkened. "I would not do that to you."
"Prove it." Daphne hissed, stepping back.
"Daphne please" Apollo begged stepping forward, something inside of him unable to let her go. "Please don't."
Daphne turned and ran.
Daphne couldn't escape him. Apollo followed her trying to understand what had happened. Trying to get her to talk to him. But she didn't want to talk. She wanted nothing to do with him.
"Leave me alone!" Daphne shouted while she ran through the woods trying to escape him.
But no matter how far she ran, he was always just behind her.
"Talk to me!" Apollo cried. "You loved me once, at least talk to me! We can figure this out, My Love!"
"I'm not yours!" Daphne cried as she continued to run. "Not anymore. Not ever."
"Daphne!"
Daphne turned her attention from the sky to the earth to the water, "Father!" She cried, "Please help me, save me, Apollo."
The next moment her feet became rooted to the ground. She couldn't move, bark grew around her. Leaves and branches grew from her hands as they stretched toward the sky. Apollo wrapped his arms around her, but it was too late.
She was a tree.
A/N Hope you enjoyed. Please tell me what you liked, what you thought could be improved, and anything in between.
