ONE, lone wolf / apollo

one / a god watches

apollo didn't seem to believe her, "I wish these stalking screens had sound, he's speaking to her."

artemis chuckled slightly, "you named it a stalking screen?" she watched as ares pressed three fingers to the forehead of his daughter and there was a very faint and short black glow that surrounded her before it disappeared.

she stumbled back slightly, like she'd been pushed back.

apollo looked at her, "what? what's wrong?"

she pressed her lips together in a thin line, "he blessed her with the power to become a wolf at will, apollo. do you know what this means?"

apollo's usually warm and kind expression went cold ----- the warmth in his eyes vanished and he instead had a dark edge to them. he looked back at the screen and noticed the girl had a scrape on her knee and her palms were skinned. his expression went deadly.

she was too young for his love yet but he still felt the surge of protectiveness spread throughout his body. when apollo cared for something, he cared for it fiercely. a small wound was enough to make him want to let entire civilisations burn.

"brother. she's nine, think rationally. all young children do is injure themselves." artemis had a hint of pleading to her voice ----- pleading her brother not to do anything impulsive and stupid, like he normally would.

apollo nodded, "you're right. but still. . ." he gave the girl on the screen a lasting lingering look before turning off the screen. "I wonder why ares blessed her. she's nine, what can she do with such a powerful blessing?"

"I don't know, apollo. but I do know this. . . by giving her that blessing, ares had made her yours." artemis's expression turned almost sombre, "I hope you treat her with kindness, brother. I think she'll need kindness by the time you meet her in a few years from now."

"I'm always kind, unless I'm given a reason not to be."

( he didn't care much for the girl now, she was nine ----- a mere baby in the eyes of a god like him who'd been alive for a very long time. but he knew the moment he met her in a few years, he would suddenly care for her alot. and she would have the power of a mighty god at her beck and call )

"you don't always need a reason to be cruel, my brother." artemis said in a solemn tone. "you are one of the most powerful gods in the pantheon and cruelty comes natural to a man. . . a god like you." she spoke in a kind tone but her words weren't exactly kind.

apollo's lips curled into a grin, "you're right. I'm a god ----- cruelty is in my blood. it's ingrained into the ichor I bleed and it seeps into my bones." he shook his head, "but cruelty is often deserved."

"you think cassandra deserved what you did to her?" artemis asked bitterly. "did daphne deserve it?"

apollo frowned, "cassandra was a liar ----- she chose to be cursed by lying to me. and daphne. . . that was not my fault ----- eros shot me with an arrow. she should've ran faster to get away from me." he let out a hollow and bitter laugh.

artemis shook her head, "I sometimes forget how. . . callous you are when it comes to your past lovers. cassandra may have lied but she did not deserve what happened to her. and daphne. . . I think she ran fast enough, she just got tired of it too quickly."

apollo's clenched his fists. "leave me, artemis."

artemis pressed her lips into a thin line, "very well, brother. but. . . do think about what I've said. gods are not always innocent in every situation. I fear we are more often guilty than we are innocent." she turned and left apollo.