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This was unexpected.
She hadn’t experienced something like this in a long time.
Sure, her brother loved her. She loved him. As siblings were meant to.
But she couldn’t have thought this would be his reaction.
Maybe a ‘oh hey, you’re back.’
Not… whatever this was.
Hugs weren’t her thing. She didn’t know how to do them.
Apollo’s arms were tight around her as if he was scared he would lose her again. He pressed his face into her shoulder, and gods he was short. He hadn’t been that short before, surely. Had he?
“I thought- I-” He stuttered, tears streaming down his face.
“It’s okay. I’m fine.”
She had only seen him cry twice before. Both over fallen lovers. Never over her .
He stood there silent, his face buried into Artemis’s shoulder, gripping the back of her shirt in his hands.
“I’m okay, Apollo.”
He didn’t respond.
“Hey. Look at me, Apollo.” She backed up, gripping his shoulders. She was worried. Surely he was worried about her, but he looked terrible. She guessed he hadn’t slept at all while she was gone.
He looked up at her, tears glistening on his face, before sinking to his knees, face in his hands. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Aegletes .” She crouched down to his level. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
He wiped his face on his sleeve, standing up, positioning himself sitting on his bed. Artemis sat next to him.
“I should have helped him, helped you more. I should have done something .”
“It's okay. I'm fine now. I'm okay.”
Apollo nodded, looking down at the floor.
“You promise you’re okay?”
“I promise.”
They sat there in silence for a few minutes, before Apollo finally spoke.
“If you tell ANYONE this happened, I’ll kill you myself.”