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“Apollo?” Hyacinthus turned away, not daring to look the god in the eyes, “You do love me, right?” Apollo froze, loosely gripping the discus as he stared at his partner.
“Of course I do, Hya!” Apollo gawked, appalled that he’d ever think he didn’t, “Why in the world would you even ask that?” Hyacinthus paused at that, not knowing how, or if he even should, respond. Taking his silence as an opportunity, Apollo pressed harder.
“I have done nothing but love you, Hyacinthus. So why would you ever think I didn’t?” Apollo spoke firmly, a stark contrast to the man in front of him. Hyacinthus sighed, fidgeting loosely with the fabric of his chiton.
“I don’t know,” he lamented, “It just feels like you don’t. You’re always away, we never get to just have time together like this.” A beat of silence passed between the two, then another. Then another. Finally, with a breath, Hyacinthus broke the silence once more, as he always tends to do, “… And I wish we did.”
Wind rustled the grass between them as sunlight softly illuminated the two of them. Silhouettes of the trees stained the gilded blades, the shadows dancing like ghosts, flickering over their faces and leaving them obscured. The god ran his hand over the disk, running over his thoughts carefully.
“Hya, you know why I’m gone all the time. It’s nothing against you, I’m just… Busy, alright? I’ve got important things to do! Things I have to do.” Apollo paused, standing up straighter, “I’m a god!” He yelled, “Do you really expect me to be with you every day?”
Hyacinthus tensed, clearly not expecting the man to shout. “Of course I don’t,” he started, “But can’t you make time? I want to be with you! You’re busy, I know. But don’t you understand?”
“Understand what?” Apollo snapped.
The warm spring air seemed to chill around them, leaves stopped rustling, and the shadows stopped their dance. A cold sense of spite filled the space around them as a figure went unnoticed above them. Zephyrus, the god of the west wind.
“I want to marry you!” Hyacinthus cried, “I want to be with you forever, can’t you see?”
Apollo froze, hesitant on how to respond. “Hyacinth…” His voice died out. Apollo took a breath in an attempt to regain his bearings. “I would love to.”
Zephyrus strained to hear, hoping what he heard was wrong. Hyacinthus, the beautiful prince of Sparta, wished to marry another. Of course, he had never known Zephyrus loved him as well, but that didn’t cease the pain of loving someone who would never love him back.
As Apollo and Hyacinthus confided, Zephyrus began to ponder. Surely, if a certain deity were out of the picture, Hyacinthus would simply have no choice but to fall for the ever-handsome Zephyrus. And at the very least, there would be no more competition.
Zephyrus drifted over, only a shimmering invisible outline hovering above the two as they conversed, and he waited.
Apollo kissed the discus before he threw it up towards Hyacinthus, and at that moment Zephyrus chose to intercept. Stealthily, he caught the disk, hurling it back to Apollo with all his might. Though in the midst of his anger, the winds surrounding him diverted the discus, aiming it directly at Hyacinthus’ head.
The sickening sound of his body hitting the ground filled the pasture, stealing the joyous tone of just moments before as Hyacinthus’s blood stained the grass. Apollo rushed over to the body of his lover, crouching over the once beautiful prince. As Apollo leaned over him, Zephyrus ran, appalled by his failure and at his loss.
He cried. Hot, sorrowful tears streamed down his face, landing on the body beneath him. Apollo checked Hyacinthus’s pulse for what seemed like a hundred times. Silent. Desperately, he tried to heal the man. It had to work, for he was the god of healing. Despite his best efforts, Hyacinthus stayed cold. Silent.
Small, green sprouts rooted in the red stained ground, crawling up the body and weaving their way around the two. Violet petals bloomed from the stems, the star shaped leaves filling the air with florals. The plants coiled around them, wrapping their stems and locking them around each other.
And Apollo wept.