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God's don't dream very often..
Though, by extension, they don't sleep very often either. For the most part, Gods only needed to sleep to replenish energy and it wasn't for very long. They usually took small naps that lasted maybe an hour or two before they were good to go for a another day or so. While they slept, they tended not to dream. But of course, that was not always the case. Gods could dream and they could even have nightmares every once in a while. Such was the case this time for a certain little Sea God.
Once Poseidon and Apollo got into something of a routine with Poseidon's regression, they established naps. Poseidon generally stayed up for days at a time, even past when he needed to sleep next, so Apollo made it a rule that he needed to have a nap every time he regressed with him. Which was just what had happened today. After a few hours of playtime, the Sun God noticed his little one getting tired. It had been a busy week for Poseidon, so he wasn't too surprised. He'd gotten him settled in for a nap soon after and was now sat in another room, humming softly and relaxing, completely unaware of what Poseidon was going through in the other room.
The Sea God's sleep had started out fine, but his dreamless sleep was soon plagued by a nightmare. He was on Olympus, very much little, and very much alone. He looked around, hoping to find Apollo nearby, but to no avail. Actually, now that he looked, there was nobody there. Not a single God or nymph to be seen. Getting nervous, he started to walk around. Maybe Apollo was just hiding? He looked around as he walked, growing increasingly more anxious. " 'Pollo?" He tried, calling out for his caregiver and hoping for an answer. When he didn't get one, cold dread washed over him like ice water. He whimpered, his sudden distress making him regress younger. He picked up the pace, running around the entire Plaza to look for him.
He felt tears brim his eyes the longer he went without finding him, his breath hitching on stufled sobs. "Lo?" He whimpered, sitting down on a stone ledge to catch his breath. He looked around again, hoping that maybe Apollo would just pop up out of nowhere. "Lo?!" He tried again, barely able to string his name together at all now. Was this it? Had he abandoned him? He didn't want to be alone! The little startled awake with a sob. He looked around the dark room and when he didn't see Apollo anywhere, he started to cry. Sobs wracked his body and tears ran down his cheeks in streaks. He'd dropped much further than he'd been regressed before, around 1 or younger now.
Apollo heard his little one's cries quickly, rushing into the bedroom to be met with the heartbreaking sight of his baby in hysterics. He made his way to the bed and brought Poseidon into his arms, rubbing his back and running his fingers through his hair. "Shhh, it's alright, hun. Did you have a bad dream?" He asked, earning a shaky nod. "Couldn' fin' 'ou!" He cried, sobbing into Apollo's shoulder. The sun God knew there wasn't much he could do in this situation, so he simply comforted his baby. "That must've been scary, huh? I promise, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, guppy." He cooed, gently swaying Poseidon in his arms. It seemed to be working since eventually, Poseidon's cries lessened and his sobs ceased. He sniffled softly, "Dada 'tay?" He asked. Apollo paused for a moment, taking in what he'd just been called before a small smile graced his face. He was ecstatic that Poseidon was finlly comfortable calling him that. He'd encouraged it a few times to help him regress younger and to get more comfortable, but he'd never pressured the boy into calling him that. "Yes baby, Im gonna stay. Dada's got you~" He cooed. This seemed to help his little one relax and fully settle into his younger headspace. He adjusted Poseidon in his arms to lay in a cradle across his lap. The God babbled nonsensically and Apollo's smile widened. He was also really happy that Poseidon was comfortable enough to regress this young with him. He'd gotten him to regress as young as 2 before, but typically he aged up a little after a nightmare. This time though, he stayed comfortably in babyspace, which Apollo was perfectly fine with.
Poseidon yawned softly in his arms, making him smile. Glancing over at the sun in a nearby window, Apollo estimated that Poseidon had only been asleep for an hour or so. Not nearly enough time to be healthy. So, he needed to get him back to sleep and he had just the plan. "Let's get you some nice warm milk, hmm? I'm sure all that crying made you thirsty, my little minnow." He cradled his baby in his arms, holding him gently while he heated up a small bottle of milk. Once it was warm and Apollo had wrist tested it, he sat down in bed again and offered the bottle. He held it at a slight angle while his little one suckled on the teat rhythmically. Within minutes, the bottle was empty and the Sea God was on the edge of falling asleep again. The sun God gently swayed him while humming a tune, ghosting a finger down the bridge of his nose to ease him fully back to sleep.
Before long, the boy's breathing evened out and he drifted right off to sleep, but not before whispering,
"Love 'ou Dada..."
Apollo pressed a kiss to his baby's head, "Dada loves you too."