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It wasn’t strange to find a god lounging on your couch, but it was usually the same one, your boyfriend Hermes. But this wasn’t Hermes. His hair was brown, and two wings stuck out of his mane.
From your hallway, you could see long golden hair. It was so bright, it almost glowed. An inch or two behind his head floated a halo-like circle, with sharp ends all around. It reminded you of a sun motif.
I didn’t take long for you to notice the sounds he was making, wailing. The god was crying his eyes out. Between the snicking, you heard him murmur a name, again and again and again. Over and over and over again. You were hesitant to disrupt him.
But this was your apartment and, by extension, Hermes’. This was his territory, his abode, his temple, no god would be dumb enough to harm you here.
“Can I help you?” You made your way closer to the couch, not letting your guard down for a second.
The god swiftly turned his head. He stared at you for a few seconds, before quickly making his halo disappear and attempting to wipe away his tears. His efforts were in vain, however, for his eyes wouldn’t stop the waterworks.
He cleared his throat, “you must be with my brother, Hermes.”
“You had a halo,” you said.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did, and it had a sun motif.” In truth, despite of basically having become a part of Greek mythology, you didn’t know much. Only the basics, and whatever Hermes had told you in the short time you knew of his godhood. Which is why it took you so long to connect the dots. “Apollo… You must be Apollo, right? God of the sun?”
“You know of the gods?” You nodded at his question at which he let out a sigh of relief. “Hermes had told me he kept it secret from you.” Before you knew it, he started crying in full force again, burying his head into the little throw pillow.
You carefully sat down next to him. “Are you alright?”
“No.” His voice broke. “I am heartbroken.” Apollo cried harder after voicing his woes.
“I know what that feels like,” you admitted. “Love isn’t always sunshine and rainbows.”
“They broke it off with me.” The colour of his hair dimmed slightly. “They said they couldn’t be with a god. I am never going to find a spouse.”
“It’s hard to lose love, but you will find someone who appreciates you and loves you the way you are.” You put your hand on his shoulder. “Don’t let one heartbreak get in the way.”
“But this isn’t even the first time!” He let himself fall on your lap. “I have lost so many lovers! Maybe I am truly unlovable.”
“What were they like?” You asked.
“What?”
“You past lovers. What were they like?” You repeated.
“You actually want to hear all that?” He looked away from you. “Most get sick of me whenever I wish to talk about them.”
“Everyone needs someone they can talk to, especially about things that are bothering them, and these past lovers a weight heavy on your heart.” You pulled the now dirty, throw pillow out of his hands and instead gave him one of your soft plushies you hadn’t cleaned up yet. It was a golden tortoise Hermes had given you once.
Apollo hugged it tight. "First there was..."
You did not realise a god could have so many lovers, with so many tragic endings. Apollo had over fifty lovers of all genders, and he could recall every single one of them. Each contributing to his ever-growing sadness. You tried not to show how horrified you were at some of his actions, but it was a different time back then with different morals.
His most tragic story by far was the one of his lover Hyacinthus. “He was so… So, accepting. Many of my loves didn’t return my feelings or were too afraid to be with me. So, they ran, ran far away from me.”
His eyes were focused on the white ceiling. “But he loved me back. He was my everything. It was an accident; I threw a discus. I was just trying to show off in front of my lover, y’know? It wasn’t supposed to hit him. I couldn’t save him.”
“I can’t begin to imagine the pain you must feel.” You yourself had become sombre, imagining the amount of loves Hermes may have lost. “But there is beauty in pain. It is a reflection of the love you feel for him, that you had been given the chance to love him.”
Apollo looked at you, slightly confused.
“Would you have preferred to have never met him?” You asked. “Would you prefer not to know his love at all?”
It was quiet for a few seconds. You had let him mull over your words. “No, I’m glad to have known him.”
It had become quiet again, but it wasn’t filled with despair. It was peaceful, and bittersweet.
“Thank you, Y/n.” He sat upright. “You are quite amazing. I ought to reward you.”
“There is no need for that.” You quickly shook your head. “I’m happy with you just feeling better about yourself.”
“You are so adorable!” Apollo’s hair had started glowing brighter than ever before. His halo had also appeared again. “If Hermes hadn’t gotten to you first, I might have taken you for myself.”
You laughed, “don’t let him hear that.”
“Don’t worry.” He ruffled up your hair. “Me and Hermes are close; he won’t mind me joking around.”
“Right.” You rolled your eyes, jumping from the coach. “I’m starving, anything particular you want?”
“I don’t usually eat earth food, but I wouldn’t mind some pancakes.” He followed you into your kitchen. It was a pretty big kitchen. It would have been perfect if it had an island, but you simply can’t have it all.
You grabbed two aprons and threw one to Apollo. “Have you made them before?”
“No,” he answered as he looked over the letters on the cloth pulled over his front. “Don’t kiss the cook, eat her out instead???”
“I’m so sorry!” Your face flushed. “I didn’t look which one I grabbed. Hermes got me that one, I’ll grab you a different one.”
“No, it’s fine.” He straightened it. “It’s good to know my brother isn’t much different around you.”
"He likes telling me all the pranks he has pulled on Olympus." You were about to open your kitchen cabinet, when Apollo snapped his fingers, and all the ingredients appeared on your counter. "Thanks."
"He sacrificed my cattle once and then 'helped' me look for them." You had given him a bowl in which he started mixing the flour, sugar, milk and butter, while you cracked the eggs. "He did gift me my favourite lyre afterwards though."
"Sacrificing cattle?" You mulled the thought over. "I'm never going to get used to this whole there are gods thing. Every time I'm doing anything I wonder if it would puss someone up there off."
"As my future sis in law, there is no way I would let any harm come to you." The mix had gotten nice and thin with a good colour. "And quite a few of my siblings agree, even Artemis."
"You know Hermes and I aren't getting married, right?" You put a pan on the stove. "I don't think 'future sister-in-law' would be the right term for me."
You laughed awkwardly, not noticing the god next to you going rigid, slapping a hand on his mouth.
"Right." He swallowed down his nerves. "There are just so many affairs in my family to remember. Those two are married, the other two divorced, they are together but only half the time and father has a new mistress every month or so."
"Can't imagine having such a... complicated family tree," you commented.
"Would you like to? Be married to Hermes, I mean." He watched you pour the batter into the hot pan.
"I don't know." Your voice had become quieter. "I used to dream of getting married to him, but back then I didn't know he was a god yet. I feel like everything has become so much more complicated."
"Marriage for us isn't much different from mortals."
"That's not it. One day I will die, and he will keep on living." You flipped the pancake with a spatula. "He should be with someone who can love him forever, not me. I just don't see a relationship with a god and a mortal working."
Apollo frowned. "They said that too. My latest love."
He hadn't told you about them yet. The lover for whom he had actually been crying on your couch for. His list of stories had been so long, that by the time you had gotten to number thirty-seven, he had already started feeling better.
"They said they couldn’t be with a god because they are mortal. That a relationship between a mortal and a god just doesn't work."
Apollo poured in more batter for the next pancake after you had taken out the first one.
"But I don't agree. Yes, seeing a lover die causes pain, but there is beauty in that pain. It is a reflection of the love you feel for them. I'm happy I got the chance to feel their love and Hermes is happy he got the chance to feel yours."
A small smile returned to your face. "How dare you use my own words against me."
"It's simply the truth. My muses would have prophesied the same words in their next hymn." He continued pouring in batter while you flipped and took out the pancakes.
You were about to call out his bullshit when your phone buzzed. "Hold on." You quickly pulled it out. Hermes had sent you a picture.
It was a selfie of him and another guy you didn't recognize. They were in some dark place, surrounded by black rocks and a slight greenish blue light.
Apollo leaned over your shoulder to look. "He's in the underworld," he explained after seeing your confused face. "That's our uncle: Hades."
You felt your body become involuntarily cold at hearing the name. Your phone buzzed again, and you quickly looked down.
Bastard❤️🐢
Just dropping off one more soul into the underworld and then I'm on my way home!
See you soon my love
"Should we send a picture back?" You grinned. "Just to scare him a bit?"
Apollo smirked. "Absolutely."
Hermes looked down at his phone. You had read his message, but didn't respond yet. Where you busy? Maybe. He put it away and let out the soul he had stashed in his bag during the trip, and watched it join the others.
He was about to fly off when his phone pinged. You had sent him a picture back. However, as soon as he saw it, his grin had disappeared.
Apollo was in the picture next to you. His hand on your mouth. You looked scared, eyes slightly red.
Love ❤️ 🍑
This is going to be payback for the time you replaced the string of my bow with spiderweb
Yes, I know that was you
You
APOLLO!
DON'T YOU DARE DO ANYTHING TO HER
Call denied
Call denied
Yes it was me
But leave her out of this
She didn't do anything
Call denied
Call denied
Call denied
I SWEAR IF YOU HURT EVEN ONE HAIR
YOU ARE DONE FOR
Hermes' wings carried him up faster than ever before.
"Maybe it was a bit too mean." You admitted, setting down three plates on your kitchen table. "We made him worry pretty bad."
"Nah." Apollo snapped a bottle of syrup into existence. "This pales in comparison of the things he has done to me."
"Like the spiderweb?"
"I was in the middle of a competition with Eros over a celibate follower of Artemis. She couldn't come, so I represented her." He sat down on one of the chairs. "It was pure humiliation."
All of a sudden, your door fell wide open. "APOLLO! I SWEAR I WI-" Hermes came to a stop, looking at the scene in front of him. His brother and you sitting at the table with home-made pancakes. "What is going on here?"
He floated towards you, coming to a stop right behind you. His hands gripped your shoulders tight while his white eyes glared at Apollo.
"We made pancakes." The other god used his fork to pick one up. "Would you like one?"
Hermes pulled your head back, forcing you to look up at him. "Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, now sit down. We made pancakes." You filled his plate with pancakes and then your own.
"So, you came all the way here just to make pancakes with my Y/n?" Hermes put his hand on your knee.
"Well, no, but it is a good bonus!" He handed you the syrup. "No, I had been heartbroken and no one on Olympus did comfort me." Tears swelled up in Apollo's eyes. "So, I came looking for you. But Y/n came home first. She cheered me up quite well, although I am still not sure what I am going to do about my lover."
"What happened to them this time? Turned into a dandelion? Attacked by a siren?" You kicked Hermes under the table for that. "What? This always happen. His flings die tragically, and he will mope around for a year, before finding a new one. We've started making bets about it."
Apollo had become red in the face. "I'll let you and your little bets know that they didn't die this time! And they didn't turn into a plant either! They broke up with me! Said they didn't want to be with a god."
"Is that it?" Hermes frowned. "And you what? Just stopped chasing after them?"
"W-well, yes!" He shoved a big piece of pancake in his mouth.
"I never expected you to give up that easily." He pulled you by the shoulder into his chest. "I never gave up chasing my love when she broke up with me and look at us now!"
"That was different," you objected. "I broke you with you because of your lies." But it was too late.
"You're right, Hermes!" The god jumped up from his chair, his whole body glowing like the sun. "I shouldn't give up on them! I will keep chasing them, so I don't regret staying away from them when they die!" He rushed towards the door. "Thank you both!" And slammed it behind him.
Hermes pulled you into his lap. "Now there are more pancakes for us!" He grinned.
"You're impossible."
"And yet, you still love me." He planted a kiss on your temple.