Redeemed

Chapter One; Alone

Apollo smiled, petting his chariot's horses after he had set the Sun. It was a good day, almost too good. He answered prayers, accepted offerings, played his lyre for the Satyrs, and even complemented a few nymphs! Yet... his godly senses were warning him about something, he just didn't know what.

At least not yet. Have you ever heard the top saying "It's lonely at the top"? Well, it's true. Apollo, god of the sun, prophecy, knowledge, and much, much more; is alone. He has loved many, and many more died for reasons he blames himself for.

And the most recent, Hynacuth, -His Hynacuth- now remembered only as a flower. No longer the beautiful prince he truly was. And his soul led away to the realm of his uncle, Hades. To make matters worse, he can't join him, not even see him ever again. And the god hates himself for it, and hated even more how easily he became ill with love. Love for one who will eventually meet their end.

But he promised himself he wouldn't show weakness, not even to his sister, the goddess Artemis. Now back to the present, where he rested with all things "him". Instruments playing songs by themselves, books wild and free in the room, poems scattered around, and the god's trusty lyre, the very one made by his brother. He was alone in his own little world, at least most of him.

As a god, he could split parts of his divine body to be in multiple places. While a part of him was still in his happy place, the other part of Apollo was in a meeting with the rest of the Olympians. Until suddenly all went black.