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You had only gone on a date with that super hot guy a handful of times before he decided you must be the love of his life and told you of his greatest secret.
The guy ended up being none other than the Greek god of the prophecy, the Light-bringer himself, deity of music, poetry and the civilised arts, the one who brings medicine and plagues onto humanity, Apollo.
At first you didn't believe him, quickly dismissing him as a crazy guy you would probably need to file a restraining order against, but then he let parts of his godhood spill through his disguise.
His hair had started glowing gold, a halo appeared, and his pupils turned yellow while becoming more of a sun-like shape.
You felt a shudder going down your back, as if you were in mortal danger, which you probably were. Even if you didn't want to be scared, you couldn't help it.
So, instead you tried to hide the fear behind a stunned expression, which turned out to be unnecessary. He didn't even seem to notice that.
"I know I look even better now! You like this form, right?" He clung onto your arm. "Who am I kidding? Of course you do! Now, we should get married as soon as possible. Probably even today!"
He dragged you towards the couch. "We should make a list on what to get." A notepad and pen appeared in his hands. He started scribbling stuff down profusely.
"Let's see, I'll have the muses decorate my domain, father will be the one to wed us, I can probably get Hestia to make a cake for us, we need flowers... Do you want a dress or a suit? I do have this golden dress Medea gave away... No wait, it isn't safe for you to wear that one. I don't think you'll fit into one of my suits."
Apollo started crossing things off his list just after writing them down. "No, that won't work... We should wear traditional Greek tunics, and maybe add a veil to yours, that way you have a mix of femininity and masculinity. Gods, you would look so hot in a tunic."
"Apollo-" the name felt foreign on your tongue, as if you were calling out to a stranger- "We can't be together."
"What do you mean?" He held your hand softly, kissing the back. "We're together right now?"
"No, I mean we can't be in a relationship." You pulled your hand away, laying it down in your lap.
"But we've been in a relationship for a month now."
You couldn’t decide if the god was avoiding the conversation you were trying to have, or if he was truly that clueless. "And I'm ending it."
Looking at his now heartbroken face, it was definitely the latter. "B-but I love you, and I know you love me too!"
"I am mortal." You tried to not meet his saddened gaze as best you could. "A relationship between a mortal and a god just doesn't work."
"That's not true!" He objected. "I've had many mortal lovers!"
"And where are they now?" You didn't mean to be cruel, it just sort of slipped, so you quickly added: "Point is, I can't be with a god. I'm sorry."
"Y/n, y-you can't do this to me!" Tears formed in his eyes and fell down onto the ground. "I... I knew my previous lovers didn't end great but this time it'll be different! I promise you!"
He kneeled before you, hugging your lower legs. "Please don't do this! You are my sunshine! Without you the sun won't glow and there will only be darkness left!"
His tears had started to stain your pants. "Without you music sounds dull, and the hymns will be uninspiring!"
"No, they won't." You pulled your legs out of his grip. "You have been making the sun glow and the music sound great for thousands of years before I was even born. They'll be fine." You stood up and made it to your door. "Now please leave me be Apollo. I'll go for a little walk and by the time I get back I want you gone."
You loudly shut the door behind you and rushed out of the building. Finally, outside, you took a long deep breath; this was exactly what you needed.
Your legs brought you to the park. This was where you and Apollo had your third date. You remember the little picnic he had prepared; it had gone horribly wrong when a bunch of pigeons had flown down and snatched your food.
He had promised the get revenge on them, but you had quickly made him lie down again. "They're just pigeons; you shouldn't focus on them. Especially not when your lover is right here."
That had been a good day.
The memory didn't feel tainted, oddly enough. You thought you would feel betrayed after learning he lied to you, but that wasn't the case.
He was still the same guy you fell in love with, just with a little extra.
You loved his silly smile whenever you did something he liked.
You loved the way your name rolled off his tongue as if you were the most valuable thing in the universe.
You loved listening to him sing late at night as you cuddled on the couch.
You loved the way he made you feel validated; always the correct pronouns, the correct name, the correct descriptions, switching between more masculine compliments, feminine and neutral ones.
"You smell so sweet! I love it!" "There is that handsome face!" "Your love feels as warm as a thousand suns!"
He defended you against bigots and always held you after you had been called something truly hurtful.
Apollo was naive and a bit stupid sometimes, certain insinuations and social clues flew right over his head, and he was always being a bit overdramatic.
Still, you loved that man God.
You quickly ran back to your apartment, perhaps you could see his face one last time. As you entered your apartment, however, disappointment washed over you.
He had already left, just like you had asked.
It was for the best, truly, but that didn't mean you didn't miss him.
Over the next week, the days became colder, despite it being the middle of summer. You had to pull out your old coat again and turn on the heater.
The sky had become darker. The night's end came later and its start sooner.
Scientist couldn't explain how or why.
Perhaps, Apollo hadn't been exaggerating after all.