HIS GOD COMPLEX | under construction!

19 | δεκαεννέα

19 | δεκαεννέα

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I WAS CLUTCHING the orb between my fingers, shaking my head at what I was about to do.

"Just concentrate on what you need help with, crush it between your fingers and voila! Breathing underwater." Apollo explained. It had taken him another hour to coerce me into doing something so incredibly stupid.

What if it didn't work? What if I went too deep and couldn't get out quick enough? I shook all the negative thoughts out of my head. Ares and Eris hadn't returned and I was beginning to worry. Hecate had vanished into thin air for reasons unknown to the both of us. It was up to Apollo and I to retrieve the amulet, even if Ares was still throwing his little tantrum. Well... I did tell him to leave... And he followed through with my request. He was gone and who knew when he would return? Either way, it would be good to already have the amulet for when he did return.

"I don't understand why Hecate has gone through all this trouble to help us. First she helped Eris save me from that glorified spider and now, she provides us with the box. What if this is some kind of trick? What if she's working with Zeus." Apollo seemed a little too calm for comfort. He shrugged. "She only wants the amulet. Apparently it could help her siphon some dark magic for some or other reason – the important thing is she's willing to help us. While you were fazed out drooling over my brother, I made a deal with her; she can have the amulet when we're done with it." He rambled, pointing into the river. "Which is why I need you to retrieve it for me." He was standing dangerously close to me, but I didn't mind. I nodded in understanding.

Alright. I began to press the orb between my fingers, thinking hard of what I needed it for. Something to help me breathe underwater... breathing underwater... the orb started cracking between my fingers but I never relented, still concentrating on it. BREATHING UNDERWATER... I thought to myself as the seemingly fragile orb shattered into a million pieces in my palm and just like that they withered away into the wind.

Apollo and I were standing in silence, waiting for the effects to kick in. "Did it work?" I murmured, scratching my leg. Apollo seemed just as confused as I was. "You were supposed to – are you okay?" He asked, blue eyes widening in alarm for I had been scratching my legs relentlessly, finding it so itchy I couldn't control myself. But I was wearing tight jeans, and my scratches were not doing as much damage control as they should have.

I couldn't help it, I pulled my pants down, rejoicing with the now seemingly effective scratches on my skin. I groaned. None of what I was doing what satisfying my unquenchable thirst for calm skin. What could possibly have caused skin irritation? The grass? Whatever it was had definitely taken its toll on my skin.

"Ariel... look at your legs!" Apollo's mouth was wide open, bewildered by whatever was going on with my legs. I looked down, gasping so hard at what I saw that I almost fell over the banks and into the water.

My legs were developing what seemed like scales, turning a glittery, glimmering shade of turquoise. I was hesitant, but decided on throwing both my legs into the water, seated on the banks. The itching ceased immediately, transferring to the sides of my neck. I knew better than to scratch, because I was sure it was gills.

When I glanced into the water, my feet were gone, instantly replaced by a brand new large, floppy mermaid tail. I was no longer Ariel, the mortal girl in way over her head. I was Ariel, the mermaid. All I needed now was to dye my hair red and I'd be ready to go. "I can't believe it. You look spectacular." Apollo's words were drowned out but the water as I finally decided to throw my whole self into it, letting the relaxing sensation fill me up completely. I swam deeper into the clear water, and out of my peripheral I could see Apollo looming over the banks, carefully glancing into the water. I felt all my worries and stressed ebb away and for once, it was just me and the water.