Heir Of The Sun

01 | Son Of Sol?

    The atmosphere was tense in the Sun Palace, the young deity Apollo was shocked and baffled by what his predecessor has said the Titan, Sol.  "You've heard me right Phoebus Apollo. I am fading, you will have to take my mantle as the deity of the sun, I only have one request before I fade." Apollo's heart clenched and his eyes were soon in tears, he was weeping he saw Sol like a father. The father he never had, he would do anything for him.
  "What is it that you seek father, I'll fulfill anything for you. I mean anything." Apollo stated fiercely, Sol adored that kid—his son with all of his heart, he knew for sure he chose the right successor. He had taught him well.
    

   Sol gazed at Apollo with a mix of pride and sorrow. "Apollo, there is a plebeian family, the Valetina family, that I hold dear. Keep them alive, the child Gratia will be my successor wait a decade before transporting him to Olympus. And Aaliyah, the mortal woman I love her with all of my heart. For me do this." Sol requested, his voice carrying the weight of his fading power. With those word he took his final breath, transforming into a dust of golden particles that scattered into the wind, presumably entering the Realm of the Faded.

Apollo wiped away his tears with the edge of his cloth, trying to gather himself. He looked out over the vast expanse before him, his mind filled with memories and the weight of responsibility. But he knew he had one last task before him—to find and protect the family of Valentina.

  Now, I always knew I was different being named 'Gratia', it was a weird but unique name meaning grace. My Mother always said they named me that because of my "miraculous" biological father. According to her, she met him in a bar, and nine months later ,I came into this world. Mother described to me my father's appearances everyday like he was some sort of god. 

    "Oh Gratia! That man had golden hair you could run your fingers through it was as fluffy as a sheep's fleece. His muscles were so defined yet he was gentle, if you hugged him you would feel so safe in his gigantic biceps. It felt like Jupiter himself was holding me. And his skin... it looked like it was made of olives. Oh, how I miss him." 

   I never really cared about her stories of my dad. I mean, I never even met the guy. But I could tell he meant something special to her, and maybe even to me.

   "Gratia, you useless kid! Bring me my food!" I glanced towards the source, my stepfather. He was this patrician guy who was initially smitten by my mom's beauty. But over the past seven months, he showed his true colors. He always boasted about being related to Julius Caesar or someone like that, but honestly, I didn't care. He was just a horrible person.

 He'd attack my mom and other women, treating them like garbage. I had to watch it all happen, helpless to do anything about it. One time, I even lost a piece of my ear when I tried to stop him from hurting my mom. 

 To put it simply, he was a piece of crap.

My mom rushed to obey him, trying to keep the peace and avoid his anger. I hated seeing her like this constantly on the edge and scared because of that jerk. I wished I could protect her, stand up to him, and make him pay for all the pain he caused.

   But then, everything changed. Phoebus Apollo, the god of light, appeared before me I couldn't believe my eyes. Was this some sort of illusion? He spoke with a commanding yet compassionate voice. 

   "Gratia, son of Sol, I've come for you," Apollo said. "Your true heritage has been revealed, and it's time for you to embrace your divine destiny."

    When Apollo revealed my true heritage and divine destiny, my mind went into overdrive. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Son of Sol? Me, a god? It felt like a dream, or maybe more like a crazy story My heart raced, and a mix of excitement and fear coursed through my veins.