Your Loyalty to Me

How can You Mortals Bear Being Mortals?

Apollo's POV

I woke up with a pain in my head to find myself in an alleyway. I couldn't really remember much, the last thing I remember happening was my father chewing my head off for releasing the Prophecy and Aria looking like she would kill him. I remember being comforted with a warm, fuzzy feeling in my stomach because at least she cared enough about me to look angry.

I looked around the alley to see bins full of garbage and the side of dark buildings, also two thugs coming towards me.
They almost beat me up. ME. A GOD.
Then this little mortal girl saved my life by throwing fruit at them, it was so humiliating.

"So... What's your name?" I asked awkwardly.
"Meg."
"What's that short for? Megan? Margaret?"
"Megan. But don't you dare ever call me that."
"Right, okay."

She had curly brown hair in a pageboy cut and wore a green tattered dress with yellow leggings. She had pink cat-eyed glasses with diamond rims and all in all, she looked like a traffic light.
But, who am I to jugde appearance of the master of fruit throwing?

"Are you a demigod?"
"A what?"
"A demigod. Who are your parents?"
She froze.

"Don't ask me such questions. Who are you anyways?"

I held my chin up. "I am Apollo, Greek god of music, poetry, the sun, medicine, prophecy and many other things, like being awesome and attractive," I answered proudly.

"You don't look attractive."

"I am highly offended!"

"Wait... You're a god? They're real?"

"Yes. But I am afraid my father, Zeus, has punished me. He turned me to a mortal."

"Oh... So what do you do now?"

I shrugged. "Usually I become someone's servant and I have to serve them until my father makes me a god again."

"Who's servant are you?"

"No one's just yet. But... You saved my life so, I pledge myself servant to Meg..."

"McCaffrey."

"Meg McCaffrey!"
She smiled a little. "I like that."

"Good. Now, let's go visit a friend of mine."

She looked up at me, perplexed. "Who?"

"His name is Percy Jackson and we need his help if we want me to become a god once again," I explained.

"We?"

"Yes we. You are my master now so you have to help me."

"Alright fine," she sighed.

We walked down the streets of New York together, something I had always wanted to do with Aria...
I seriously hope she's there too. She's powerful. Also, I don't think I'll be able to handle being a mortal without my servant.

"Are we nearly there yet?" Groaned Meg.
"He's just two blocks away."

"Who does he live with?"

"His mom, I think her name is Sally and his stepdad. Also, his adopted sister, Aria Waters," I smiled when I said her name our loud. Meg must've noticed.

"Is she like, your girlfriend or something?"

"Wha- n-no, of c-course n-not! That's, that's preposterous Meg! Shut up!" I spluttered. She just raised an eyebrow and shot me a knowing look. I awkwardly cleared my throat and looked away, my cheeks a faint shade of pink.

We reached his flat a little while later and walked in.
"Hello, who are you looking for?" Said the pretty receptionist.

"Percy Jackson."
"Hm-hm. And who are you?"
"His best friend, Apollo."
"Okay, one second."

Two minutes later Percy Jackson came down the steps with his sea green eyes and black hair swept to the side, as if he just came back from a walk on the beach. He brought around the aroma of saltwater with him.

"Percy! How nice to meet you!" I said cheerfully. He frowned.
"Apollo? What are you doing here? And why do you look like that? Also, who is that?" He asked, pointing at Meg.
I sighed and waved away his question. "Questions later, let us in."

He brought us up to his flat and we walked in. I would be lying if I said I wasn't mentally scanning the place for Aria.
But what I DID find is no throne! No master bed! No golden walls or floor! No statue of ME!
HOW DO THESE MORTALS LIVE IN THESE TINY ROOMS?!

I also saw this pretty woman who looked around her early forties and her tummy was bulging. So did my eyes.

"Madam! There's something terribly wrong with your midsection!"

"Well I am seven months pregnant," she answered back, as if it was obvious. I cringed.

"I feel so sorry for you, gods can give birth whenever they want to."

"I'm sure that must be lovely," she replied sweetly. It was then that I appreciated Poseidon's taste for women. If was my godly self again, I would've surely flirted with her.
Then she looked at my little friend next to me who had been silent the whole time.

"Oh my goodness! You can go have a shower if you like honey, and I'll give you some of Aria's clothes. And you are Apollo yes? Percy can fix up your cuts with the first aid kit and you can change as well," she offered gently and led Meg away to change.

"I have a first aid kit?" Percy asked her with a confused look.
"In the bathroom, Percy." She called back.

I turned to my sea friend. "Thanks, I guess, for offering to assist me, but, where's Aria?" I asked him. He must've gotten my silent plea that I wanted her to heal my cuts. Partly because she knows what to do since she's the god of medicine's servant and partly because I wanted to see her again.

His eyes widened and a grossed out look appeared on his face. "Dude, I'm not letting my sister touch you that much! Also, she's in Boston with Annabeth, they're going to see her cousin," he replied.

"Oh okay," I answered and went into the washroom to have a shower.

------ TIME SKIP --------

(Apollo and Meg are now at Camp and Chiron and Rachel are talking to them in her cave.)

It was still weird seeing my Oracle in a dress. It's like getting used to seeing two suns in the sky.

"So, according to the Prophecy I just sprouted," began Rachel, leaning against the pool board. "You have to defeat the emperors of the Triumvirate, whom you first have to identify, then once you have that done, defeat Python."

I gulped. "No, what? He couldn't have given me all that to do with a mortal body, right? I mean, I'm his favourite son! He obviously wants the heroes to do all this," I concluded.

Meg spoke up from her place on the couch. "Stop being a chicken, Apollo."
I frowned at her.
"I'm not a chicken."

Chiron trotted up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Apollo, with all due respect, I'm pretty sure this quest is for you to complete."

I opened my mouth to object but he kept talking. "Would you like if Zeus commanded Aria to do all this? Defeat Python? With her being a mortal?" He asked me.
I swallowed. Of course not! Even with me being a GOD it was hard to defeat him. I would be worried sick if he told Aria to do it!

"Of course not Chiron," I answered. "But she's powerful, at least. I am nothing but a mortal with Lester Papadopoulos as a name and a driving licence."
The wise old horse smiled down at me.
"Ah, but you haven't done any training yet have you? We do not know yet where your talents still are," he replied, his eyes twinkling.

A pang of sadness shot through me when I saw the twinkle in his eyes, they reminded me of her.
No.
Aria's eyes twinkle much more brighter than that. She has whole galaxies in her eyes, not just a few stars!

I sighed remembering the thousand years that we were kept apart for. I had missed her so much then and even now, a thousand years later, I can't bear stay away from her long. It's been months and I can't help but think about her every minute.

How much longer till I see her again?