Betrothed to Apollo

1)The Fates Reveal

'Twas just that very night that Hestia finally returned Apollo's love. After many long years of unrequited love.

"I did not wish to cause you upset, Apollo."

"No, you did not care to even say anything to me," he countered in a passionate growl. "You wished for me to wake up tomorrow and then learn from my oracle that you were long past gone," he countered coldly, sounding disgusted. His arms tightened around Hestia as he roughly pressed her against his toga-covered chest. Apollo's strong arms tightened against her torso as he buried his face into her neck. "Stay with me," he pleaded softly. "Please...I can make you make you beyond happy, Hestia. You have always been the one for me."

"You do not mean that-"

"DO NOT CONTRADICT MY FEELINGS!" Apollo bellowed angrily. He spun the beautiful goddess around and glared down at her. "You do not know what I do or do not mean."

"You are blinded by your desire to feel loved, you always have been," Hestia whispered, the palm of her dark hand gently caressing Apollo's warm cheek. "I cannot be the woman you want, Apollon, nor the woman you need. Destiny calls upon me of something regarding grave importance."

"To me this feels as though you wish to kill yourself solely to hide away from the affections of Poseidon and my own," Apollo muttered, unwilling to look at the woman he loved more than life itself.

Hestia sighed deeply, her stronger maturity showing. She gently cupped Apollo's warm cheeks with both hands, her green orbs swimming with tears as wet streaks slowly slid down her mocha colored cheeks. "I cannot love you the way you love me."

"But you said-"

"I know very well what I said, Apollo, I understand this," Hestia interrupted. "But what I said tonight matters for not. If I do not complete this sacrifice, Lucifer shall rise from hell and destroy humanity as the mortals know it. They will become his slaves. They will be treated worse than dirt between toes. That is not why they were created, twas not the law of the almighty."

"Let the archangels fight their fallen brother!" Apollo exploded in heavy protest. "This is not our fight-"

"You are right," Hestia agreed in interruption. "This is not our fight, Apollo, tis mine alone."

Apollo grit his teeth angrily at the stubborn woman in his arms. He had only been alive for a mere century and yet he knew very well he would never love another woman as much as he would love his Hestia. She was not only abnormally beautiful with her generously soft dark skin and dazzling green eyes; she was much more than a pretty face. Hestia was kind and gentle along with always forgiving even when she had reason not to be. She was mature well beyond her eight-thousand years, holding the wisdom that even made even his father Zeus consult with her in times of duress.

It was not difficult to fall in love with Hestia, not at all. She had a vast majority of males' immortal and human chasing after her, Apollo included.

"I can make you happy," he said with certainty, holding her tight. "I can make you happier than any goddess has ever been made with a mortal or immortal. You and I can have a genuine future; we can have lifetimes of happiness where even the Titans will know there has never been two souls happier than you and I."

"The very fact that I took a virginity pledge to escape our engagement means nothing?" Hestia softly teased, causing Apollo to tighten his grip on her.

"I prefer to say you were playing hard to get," he muttered lightheartedly.

This small bit of humor remained the only words exchanged for a few moments. Apollo pressed his forehead against the top of Hestia's head, absorbing as much of this moment into his subconscious as he possibly could. He could not imagine an hour without this woman let alone all of eternity. Apollo shuddered to even give momentary thought to it.