The Light Of Apollo's Love

Chapter 11

Apollo had been laying on a chaise near the fireplace, Myrrh sound asleep on his lap wrapped within a blanket, as he tangled his fingers within her dark, luscious curls. The sun had already set below the horizon, and Artemis had left quite a while before to tend to her duties. He gazed at the mellow flames of the fire, his golden eyes studying the way the flames moved, and how they shrunk and grew. He thought about Myrrh's response to his request, joyous that she agreed, but the anxiety was churning within the pit of his stomach. Ares could be at the gathering, and he would know Eris was dead. Despite it being at Artemis's hands, her death would be blamed on Myrrh, due to her being the reason she was killed in the first place.

He felt Myrrh stir slightly, and laid his arms over her shoulders, before taking a deep breath and placing a gentle kiss upon Myrrh's head, the profile of her face being shown by the light the fire cast within the now darkened room. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at him with a small smile. He masked the worry he had been feeling and returned it, as he pulled Myrrh to sit upon his lap, before scooping her up into his arms and rising from where he was laying. He pushed away the curtains of the doorway of his room and set Myrrh down on his bed. He turned away to go sleep within the living room once again, by was stopped by a light grasp on his hand, and with a gentle tug, Myrrh pulled him back. Not being able to reject her non-verbal request, he climbed over, pulling the blankets over both of them, as she rested her head against his chest, and he pulled her in close, feeling her gentle heartbeat.

"You're worried about something, aren't you?" She looked up at him with concern in her eyes. He sighed, gazing at the flowers within the vase by his bedside table, noticing how they had not aged over the past few weeks, despite only being in water. He placed a kiss upon her head, giving her a small smile.

"It's just some things I've been trying to sort out at the moment, nothing for you to worry about." He mixed truth within his statement, as he hated the guilt of lying and always had. He remembered when Myrrh had lied to him one time about something minor, and he instantly was of knowledge she had, and he scolded her about it, only to feel horrid later at the fact it was so that he would not know of something she had gotten for him as a surprise to cheer him up. He apologized, of course, but he knew Myrrh still held the hurt of it within her heart, as she refused to plan anything he did not know about including giving gifts that took time and secret to prepare.

He was drawn from his thoughts as he felt a tap on his cheek, looking down at Myrrh, and he felt an emotion bubbling up within her as he gazed into her eyes. He could feel strong emotions from her due to their connection, but this one seemed to be different from the rest. She seemed to be, unsettled, about something, but he could tell it was not about his worry.

"Myrrh, what's wrong?" He questioned, but she would not meet his gaze as she gently pulled his arms off her, sitting up, not facing him as her feet dangled off the edge of the bed. He felt a swirl of emotions bubbling up within her, to the point where they were beginning to become mixed with his own. it was a mixture of fear and anxiety, and what seemed to be grief. He sat up and reached out to touch her, but she slid off the edge of the bed, quickly walking from the room, leaving him alone. He froze for a few moments, before throwing the blankets off him, rushing to follow her. by the time he got to her, she was already to the edge of the woods, disappearing into the brush. He ran after her, calling out her name, pushing through the thick foliage, following his feeling of where she was. She was moving much faster than he was, as he climbed over rocks, unfamiliar with the path she was taking, despite knowing where she was going to. He stumbled out of the woods, catching himself from falling, watching Myrrh standing at the edge of the lake. She was facing away from him, her hands clasped tightly at her chest. He was light on his feet, making his way over to her, placing his hand hesitantly on her shoulder.