Spiral of Ants

The (not really) cult of Apollo

Aseil Stoll had been a follower of Panion his whole life. His mother taught him of the long-forgotten god, and once she passed, he had kept his belief near and dear to his heart.

There was a very small community of fellow believers. It seemed like no two people had learned about the god by the same name, but as they had come together in the corners of online chat rooms and small meetups in the back of restaurants, a new name began to emerge. Apollo.

Aseil had found that name ridiculous at first, he knew full well Panion or whatever the god was called wasn't the well-known Greek god. No, this god was much quieter. He wasn't on a throne of clouds, sending orders and signs for all mortals to see. He shone through the cracks of stories, his runes hiding in between the louder and more praised.

That was before he heard the stories.

Once every month, there was a meetup. It was nothing big, and it wasn't really a typical religious meeting. It was mutually understood that being a follower of Apollo resulted in very individualized practices, and so there was really nothing to preach about. The meetups were more so to keep a sense of community. There weren't very many followers, only a hundred or so scattered around the world. Most of the time when Aseil brought it up he was met with blank confused stares. Once someone asked him if it was just some new cult.

So having a small community he could see every once in a while was very important to him. Unfortunately due to how scattered everyone was, they were lucky if the amount of people who showed up could fill a diner booth.

At one meeting, a new person showed up, which was a surprise to everyone. They didn't really get new members, considering all of the followers tended to stay to themselves.

The new woman came up to their table, seeming almost a little nervous "Is this uh... are you guys also the followers of Apollo?"

Aseil bit his tongue, knowing better than to make a fuss about his disagreement with the name. His friend, Jason, responded "Yup, that's us" he said, scooting aside, making room for the newcomer. She visibly relaxed, before sitting down.

" I don't think we've met you before. What's your name?" Jason asked.

"Ella. Yeah, I just recently... found out about Apollo, I guess. Well, it was about a year ago. But I only found out there's others about a week ago"

Aseil finally spoke up "It's not often someone new joins. It's nice to meet you Ella. How'd you come to be a follower, if you don't mind me asking?" He asked before taking a sip of some lemonade he had ordered while waiting for their food.

"I ran into him"

The table went silent, save Aseil choking on his drink "You what?" He finally managed out.

Ella fidgeted with one of her rings, seeming to grow nervous again "It was brief, I was just out taking my dog for a walk. He sticks out like a sore thumb. Bright pink hair, an eye marking on his forehead, a very loud sweater vest. I mean, I just thought he was a normal guy with an interesting taste in aesthetics but... I got a bit too distracted by him, and tripped. I dropped the leash and my dog ran off after a squirrel. Apollo saw this and suddenly he was holding a microphone he wasn't holding a moment ago. A recording microphone, not one used for live stuff. He said something, I'm not sure what, but before I knew what was happening, I was back on my feet, with my dog beside me and leash in hand. I was shocked, because before that I wasn't a believer of anything supernatural or religious or anything inbetween. And here I had just witnessed something I can only describe as magic. He introduced himself as Apollo, I thanked him, still not really all there, and then he was just... gone."

The table was silent for a moment, before Jason chuckled "I told you his name was Apollo, Aseil"

Aseil huffed "Alright fine, his name is Apollo. hush it. I still don't think he's connected to the greek god"