The Sun's Kisses

4- Long Story Short, It Was A Bad Time

When I woke up before dawn, he was still there. Looking around, zoned in on finding the slightest out of place thing. I moved slightly and his head snapped to me, a slight smile was on his face.
"Good morning lovely." He says.
"Nope, nada, too early for flirts Apollo." I say glaring at him again.
"But flirting is how I communicate." He says, I shake my head.
"No."
"Fiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnne." He groans.
"When Allen wakes up, you're a demigod from camp that was sent to help us home, got it?"
"Why?" He asks.
"You wanna be a hero or no?"
"Alright then. My godly parent is- oh yes- Apollo the greatest and hottest and se-"
"Stop, but yes. Your godly parent is you, the most horrible god to exist." I interrupt him, he deflates.
"So mean to me, I could kill you any given moment you know." He says.
"Do you really want Aphrodite to curse you? And not only that but then the responsibility of getting Allen to camp falls on you. If you fail, it won't just be Aphrodite but I'm sure Athena would love to have your head mounted on a spear, or maybe mutilated. Also, to you, im just too pretty, as you've said so much since we've met." I countered, he rolled his eyes.
"I hate it and love it at the same time." He says.
"Question, how long are you staying? Since, you know, you gotta drive the sun chariot across the sky?" I ask him.
"Helios will take up for me, or what's left him at least. He's just strong enough to drive it but just weak enough to be controllable." He answers.
"Huh." I say amused, then it's quiet for a bit before I hear Allen waking up, there was a sound of movement I assumed was him getting up.
Then a sob.
I whirled around to him and there was a monster holding him with a claw to his throat.
"Allen! Put him down right this instant!" I scream at it, I pull my necklace and turn it into a sword.
"No, no, no pretty. No hurt him. No hurt me. Trade, trade, trade." It says, it's voice was like marbles being rolled on a concrete floor.
"Trade? Trade what?" I demand
"Hey! I'm the only one who flirts with the pretty girl!" Apollo whines.
"You. You. You. Pretty girl. Pretty girl. For small boy. Small boy for pretty girl."
"No, I keep pretty girl!" Apollo argues, I roll my eyes.
"Blonde boy. Shut. Up. Shut up. Blonde boy." The monster titters.
"Alright!" I say. "I'll go, let him go and then I will." I say, the monster agrees and Allen runs to me. He was crying, I hand him to Apollo. He looked . . . sad.
Apollo looked sad.
Well you're not getting rid of me that easily, Apollo.
I walked to the monster and as it reached for me I flung out my sword and cut its slimy arm off. Then I stabbed it in the chest, it fell in glittering dust at my feet and on my shoes.
"Alright. Awesome sauce. Lets pack up and go." I say and turn to face them, Allen ran to me, he was trembling. I dropped my sword and knelt to the ground, taking him up into a hug.
"Shh, it's okay, it's okay. Talk to me Al pal." I say to him in a comforting manner.
"I-I- the monster could have taken you! I-I was scared! I-I didn't want to let you leave! And-and go with-with a stranger! I would've missed you!" He says and his tears start again as he squeezes me tighter.
"Hey, hey, I know, I know. I wouldn't let you go either. I'll protect you with my life Allen. You're important to me, okay? And he's not a stranger he's a friend. My friend-"
"Cario. My name is Cario, I'm a son of Apollo." Apollo holds out his hand, and I notice he's changed his appearance. His hair was more gold like than bright, his skin was still the same color just with freckles everywhere, his eyes stayed the same, he had changed his clothes into camo attire. Orange shirt, blue jeans, and some black converses.
Allen walks to Apollo and takes his hand then shakes his, I smiled softly.
"Alrighty, hey a- Cario, just to catch you up, we're stopping by Philadelphia for a bit on the way."
"Why?" He asks as he packed up the sleeping equipment while I helped Allen with his pack.
"Allen wants to visit his mom for a moment." I answer.
"Ah, okay, cool." He says and shoulders the pack with all the sleeping supplies. "Then let's get a move on." He says with a smile.
As we walked, Allen asked many questions about Apollo, or Cario really. To which Apollo had quick answers to each one.
High five Apollo, looks like you have some kind of thinking in you.

We made it to Philadelphia and we found a way to Allen's home, having gotten lost sometimes.
"Okay, who wants to knock?" Apollo says.
"I could just go in, it is my home!" Allen says excitedly.
"Yes but your mother isn't expecting us. Manners, Allen, they do you goof in life." I say.
"How old are you guys anyway?" Apollo asks, I roll my eyes.
"I'm ten! She's thirteen!" He says excitedly.
"Oh . . . you're quite young. Also you're Athena's boy, shouldn't you know like college equations now?" He says.
"I know eighth grade equations and I'm only in fourth. Mom says that a child's innocence is wonderful. So she trying to keep me innocent until after my eleventh birthday." He says with a smile.
"Innocence doesn't equal intelligence, Cario." I say, he nods then walks up to the door and knocks. A moment later a woman answer the door, she looked about twenty but I knew she must be thirty. She had black hair and bright green eyes, she was smiling. I knew then that Athena fell for her because she was the silly one to a serious person. The one that would make you smile no matter what.
"Allen! My baby!" She smiled, Allen jumped into her arms for a hug, they squeezed each other tight. A small pang in my heart stirred in me. I've only had that once, it was barely much though.
She looked up at us and ushered Apollo and I inside. She got us some water and we sat down in the living room.
"Passing through?" She asks.
"Yeah, it's been a hard quest. We'll probably be staying a day or two, if you don't mind." I say.
"Of course I don't mind!" She says. "I only have one guest room though, you guys will have to share a bed and room." She says, then gets up. "I'll go make dinner, wanna come help me Allen?" She says, Allen jumps up.
"Yes!" And he follows her into the kitchen, then she turns back.
"You guys can go up to your room. Second door to the left." She says, Apollo and I get up and go find the room. Closing the door behind us we pick our sides.
"You have to share a bed with me." Apollo grins, I glare at him.
"Shut up before I shut you up."
"How? You gonna kiss me?" She says with a smirk. I pick up a pillow and start hitting him with it.
"I," pillow hit, "said," pillow hit, "shut," pillow hit, "the," pillow hit, "hell," pillow hit, "up!" And two more violent pillow hits. "I will make You sleep on the floor. Go on and try me, Apollo." I threaten him, he rolls his eyes.
"You're horrible."
"Gotta get my daughter of love wrath out somewhere."
"That's worse."
'Deal with it."
"How about no?"
"Well I haven't slaughtered anybody because of an insult, have I?" I say, his jaw drops.
"Too far man."
"Nah, I don't think so. I haven't gone far enough. I think the farthest I could go off the top of my head is letting a baby steal your sacred cattle. Just a small one that's a day or two old." I say, he gives me a pouting look.
"You're mean."
"You have a big ego."
"Rude, I thought all Aphrodite kids only cared about hair and make up."
"Rude, I do care but on a quest, I couldn't care less about it." I answer.
We're quiet as we sit down and just chill for a bit. Then we're called down to dinner, having roast, brussel sprouts, and macaroni and cheese.
"I'm Mary by the way. What are your names?" She says as we eat, I notice Apollo glance at me. He should be smiling but he had a small frown. Did he not want to know my name?
"I'm Cario, she's Een." He says, I glance at him, he gives me a small smile.
"Yep, I'm Een, weird names huh?" I say with a grin, she smiles with all her teeth.
"I think it's beautiful honestly. If I ever have a daughter I think I'd have her middle name as Een." She says.
"Een is a nickname of mine if I'm honest." I say, making a slight blush come to my cheeks.
"Really? What is it then?" Mary asks.
"Irene, a family name of mine." I say, she smiles.
"That's lovely, why use Een when you have Irene?"
"Shorter I guess." I say with a shrug.
After dinner, we help clean up then off to our rooms.
"I know Irene isn't your actual first name." Apollo says onto the silence.
"Its my middle name, though." I turn over on my side to face him, he was already staring at me. "You had the chance to know my name, why give it up?" I ask him.
"Maybe I enjoy this game. I also don't need Athena and Aphrodite at my throat." He says and it's silent before he says, "What's up with your middle name? You sounded like you were disappointed with it." He says.
"My father loved Aphrodite, when she had me, she told my father who she was and what hardships I'd go through. My grandmother overheard this. When Aphrodite left, my grandmother was mad at my father for giving me the family middle name." I explain.
"Why was she mad at him?" He asks, turning in his side to give me his full attention.
"We're Irish, we worship Celtic gods not greek ones. She believed me to curse our family line forever. She always called me the curse word for illegitimate child." I said, his eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly.
"I . . . I hate that for you. You don't deserve that." He says, I grimace a little.
"Thanks. My father stopped contact with her when I was little. It was Christmas, we celebrate it because what parent doesn't want to give their children gifts freely? Anyways, she gave me chocolate. That was it, a single chocolate bar. My cousin got toys and everything he wanted. I got a single chocolate bar." Tears spiked my eyes. "I remember hearing their argument in the kitchen. She kept saying something about marrying my mother, but it was her cover story I guess. She-she called me a fatty to my father. He got angry, and now that I think about it, she commented on my weight a lot." I say, tears filled my eyes as I remembered.
You need to eat less.
Nobody will love you if you look like that.
Soon you'll be too big to wear that.
Oh no, don't wear shorts, you're too fat for that
Stop that! No seconds for you!
Are you sure you want to eat that?
Go eat less, it'll help you take up less space.
"We haven't talked to since then." I say, tears spilling over onto my cheeks.
"Hey, hey." He says gently, wiping the tears from my cheeks. "Its gonna be okay, alright? I get it, being practically outcasted by your family because of your heritage. I think it's a good thing you don't talk to her anymore. She's shit. And doesn't realize how much of a gem you are." He says quietly to me.
"I think you can be quite sweet Apollo." I whisper as I close my eyes.
"Don't get used to it. I only said it because it seems I don't like it when you cry." He whispers.
I fall into sleep hearing the words echo in my head.
And doesn't realize how much of a gem you are.