The first place I'd seen Apollo.
I closed my eyes and imagined the ballroom, all delicate and fancy. There were paintings on the walls of old ancestors. I remembered every line in perfect detail. I remembered the sound your shoes would make as you entered that room. A long, reverberating sound that made you feel small. I felt a wind pick up and put more images in my head of the room.
I opened my eyes and there I was, in the ballroom. I walked up the stairs and called out Apollo's name. I ran into his room and found it nice and neat, how it always was. I ran back downstairs and checked there, calling out his name. Not there. I went everywhere I could think. Then it hit me, I hadn't checked my old room, the one with the balcony.
I raced upstairs one more time, desperate to see my dear Apollo. I slammed open the door and screamed out his name, praying that he would hear me.
"Apollo? Are you there?" I shouted, not with anger, but with fear.
I had no idea where he could be, it could be anywhere for all I knew. I shouted one more time before sitting down on the bed holding in tears.
I fell back onto the bed and breathed in the familiar scent of freesia and honey. I knew that he wasn't hiding from me, so I was basically being sent a message; not here so go away.
I stood up again and ignored the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Like in my dream. That was just a dream and nothing more, I told myself. Or was it? Before I could run away a drug infused cloth appeared over my mouth and I fell into a dark oblivion of quiet. And that scared me the most.
I opened my eyes and had to immediately stop myself from screaming in bewilderment. I was in some sort of warehouse and beside me, no less than five metres away, was a covered figure. Just like in my dream, I thought half crazed. I wanted to go to them, whoever they were but, this time, my hands were tied by painful cords. I sat there thinking about Apollo and what he was up to for the next hour and a half. I was pretty amazed at myself for thinking about that one subject for so long. Then a loud clang ripped me from my thoughts and I looked instantly at the figure next to me with bag over their head. I watched quietly as a group of men walked into the chamber. I noticed that they wore cloth masks to hide half of their face. They went straight to the chained body and started to beat them, they punched them in their stomach and diaphragm, they hit their face and they stabbed them with golden objects which caused their flesh to sizzle and burn.
When they were satisfied, the room reeked of burnt flesh and blood.
I knew what blood smelt like, I had bled myself so many times that I knew the exact smell and taste of blood. It tasted like burnt salt and smelled like, to me, dust and salt. I know that sounds weird but it's true.
I watched with shock as they laughed the the person's tortured screams. I couldn't believe my eyes, they were fist bumping each other as they smirked in contentment. Who could do that?
"Stop!" I shouted, they fell silent as everyone turned to the sound of my voice.
Even the unknown, tortured person stopped screaming and writhing at the sound of my voice.
The five men looked at one another and then laughed. I obviously had made it worse.
"Did you hear that? She wants us to stop." A blonde man said between laughs. He had a British accent that was confirmed when another cried out.
"Is your posh English ears dirty? We all heard!" He gasped.
I leaned back into my chair as one of them came closer.
"This one looks familiar." He said as he stroked my face.
I snarled and jerked my head away. "You stay away from me and leave that person alone." I snapped.
He was crossing boundaries.
The man watched me for am moment before he clicked his fingers and roared in laughter. "I know who you are! You're,"
I didn't listen to the rest because I was too focused on the still unknown figure. They were wriggling and struggling against the rusty manacles. I felt sorry for them but also worried, what in the name of Christ were they trying to achieve?
But then one of the torture men grabbed my chin and I couldn't help but focus on their fawn brown eyes as they watched me warily.
"Lets make this fun, how about we untie the prisoners and watch them struggle as we kill the weaker one." The man spoke to the group as he stared into my hard eyes.
I had no idea who they were going to kill, but whether they were a stranger or not, I would still be traumatised. They knew that. I knew that.
I braced myself as they pulled the bonds off my wrists. They left me alone. I tried to walk but my feet wouldn't move. Then they ripped off the chains on the other captured victim. I cried in horror when I saw the state of their wrists, they had been here for days.
Then they pried the sweaty bag from the person's face and I opened my mouth in a wordless scream.
Those chocolate brown eyes.
It was Apollo's bruised face staring back at me with a horror that reflected my own.
Then I took in their words. They were going to kill Apollo. I couldn't let that happen.
I wouldn't.
One of the men cracked his knuckles and went in for a blow to Apollo's stomach. The force of his ringed fist hitting Apollo sprayed the grey floor with red, but it was darker than blood should be, it was too dark.
Was that Apollo's blood?
He didn't have any life force, only a soul. That was what was in his body? That was the blood of a true paranormal. The blood of a true Marked, I thought. I knew I had to get to him. But how? I looked around and tried to ignore the tormented screams that were ripped from Apollo's throat. I watched the five men, they were all taking turns at pummelling Apollo.
All except one.
It was the blonde one that had first spoken about me. He had his eyes closed and hands together. Then I looked back to Apollo, I noticed that he couldn't move his feet either, even though he couldn't even walk. Then I got a lightbulb, I moved my leg as if to walk and watched the blonde, he started to sweat every time I moved my feet.
He was controlling them. Keeping them still.
I grunted in frustration as I jerked my feet towards the action beside me. I kept trying all while keeping my eyes locked on Apollo. He was a mess. So many memories flashed before my eyes as I took in, properly, what they had done to him. They had stabbed him so many times that his clothing was stained red. I couldn't take this any more. I knew my hands were free and I didn't know what to do with them. I randomly got a crazy idea and used all of my willpower to snap the band the blonde had around my feet and I leapt at him, tackling him to the ground while simultaneously yanking his blade out of his belt and holding it at his throat.
"Stop right now or this man dies." I shouted.
Everyone looked at me. Apollo was on the floor, his feet no longer under spell. His was watching me with one black eye as he rested on the ground. I pushed the blade against the man's throat harder.
"Let us go or this man dies." I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
I knew that that was a long shot but, I would do anything to keep Apollo alive.
"No Ares." Apollo said, pushing himself into a standing position. He wobbled as he spoke. "You don't have to do this, you are not a killer."
I shook my head. "Then you would die, I can't let that happen." I know that he would die for me and visa versa.
I dug the blade into the blonde's neck and felt a warmth trickle down into my fist. I had to save Apollo. I chanted to myself. ApolloApolloApollo. I needed to get to him, this was my deal.
"I'll let him go if you let us go."
One of them crossed his arms. "How about no." he said darkly.
I stuck my chin out. "Fine, let Apollo go and keep me. Do whatever you want just let Apollo go." I said as calmly as possible.
"Ares no!" Apollo shouted leaning forward. "You can't!"
I looked at him warily. "You're nearly dead." I stated. "I'm probably more enjoyable to kill."
To prove my point I let out a bear like growl. One of them laughed. I felt my anger grow and I let it take over.
"Kill me." I snarled.
I felt my self morph into a something else. I wanted to shout at them for trying to hurt Apollo but all I let out was a fearsome roar. I strangely recalled that sound to belong to a bear.
Was I a bear? How weird. How perfect.
I felt my claws rip through the blonde's neck and blood soaked into my fur as I leapt at another man and another. Soon I had killed all of them except one. The one guarding Apollo.
I leapt forward but I was fatigued. I couldn't keep this up. I was drained of energy. I leapt again and fell mid stride. I looked at my hands and realised I was human again. My shoes and jacket were ripped and all I was wearing a shirt and jeans. Like before I had first shifted, I thought my clothes would've been ripped to shreds but, they were in one piece still.
"Let him go." I panted.
The man pulled Apollo's weak body into another room and I ran after them. I raced into the room. My adrenaline pumping hot blood through my veins. I felt slightly dizzy but I ran towards Apollo anyway. I stumbled and the man threw Apollo forward. He landed on his knees and I sprinted in my haste to stop the final blow. I could feel everything. The feel of the floor on my bare feet. And the sludge of my heart against my chest.
I was going to make it.
I could feel it.
The man pulled something out of his pocket and it flashed gold. I remembered my dream, Apollo would die if an object of pure gold stabbed his heart. In my flash of recognition I stumbled and gashed my palms, my hand reached for Apollo as the man shoved the golden dagger into his back. Directly above his heart.
I screamed and pushed myself up. The adrenaline was back and instead of a bear, I was a wolverine. I ran forward and sank my teeth into his jugular, spraying blood all over my face. As I did so, the blade slashed across my cheek and I yelped as it stung. The pain fled away as I retreated from the now limp body. I had to get to Apollo.
I was human.
I ran to Apollo's side, a pool of dark, rich blood had already pooled around him. I knelt down and gently pulled him into my arms and wiped the blood away from his swollen, bruised lips. He smiled.
"I cannot protect you my lover. Let the light lead you to another. You could flee from the dark, go and take cover. Pray the road is nice to you, fleeing rover."
I let the tears fall down my face as I said the next line from my heart.
"Once the unrestrained dust settles, and on the dead eyes of men ash nestles. The loud, mechanical sound of vessels, answers the moaning cry of forgotten essentials."
I stroked his face. His eyes watched me warily. He was afraid, I realised. Not afraid of death, but afraid of my reaction. But I didn't say anything, I just hugged him and let my tears wet his shirt even more. I couldn't let him go. I let all my memories of him fly through my head. A specific memory stuck, the one when I saw him for the first time. The figure on the cliffside at the stormy beach. I've always wondered what he had been doing there that day. I pulled back and felt a wind rush past and through me. I jumped back to the beach.