Conquest Of Paradise *Slow Updates*

Songs of Sanctuary

Apollo left the throne room with a weary air, not sure if what had happened had just happened. He walked quickly to his home, ignoring his sister quietly following him.

"Apollo, slow down," she finally called out.

He clenched his eyes and ignored her, going even faster.

"Apollo!" she yelled.

He gritted his teeth and ran.

He left his sister behind and sped to his empty home, locking and barring all doors as fast as he could. He ran half-blindly into his room and slammed the doors shut, whirling around and facing them in a distraught manner, further amplified by wide blue eyes. Even as a god, he was sweating profusely and he turned and chucked himself at his bed, burying his face into the soft covers.

"Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue," he sang softly to himself, forcing happy thoughts into his head.

It wasn't working.

He curled into a ball and eventually fell into a fitful sleep.

"But you're going to kill me," Percy's voice accused. "You're going to kill me, Apollo, and pretend it was all an accident. You're going to lie to me."

"No!"

"How could you? I thought you liked me!"

"I did! I do!"

It's not Percy, it can't be. He doesn't even know about this plan, and he's not going to. He doesn't even call him Apollo. It's always Lord Apollo this, Lord Apollo that. Percy never calls him or any of the other gods informally. Except Hermes. Always Hermes…

Percy's voice turned cruel, "You're annoying and idiotic. I don't like you, and now I never will."

"I'm sorry!"

But then the dark chasm he was in changed and he blinked in surprise. Cautiously, he studied the new scene before freaking out. Percy was laughing and enjoying himself with his mother and stepdad. They were waving sparklers around and teasingly chasing each other with them. There was a half eaten cake on a table near them, with all sorts of blue food. He just knew somehow that it was near the time of Percy's literal execution as a mortal.

"Happy Birthday, Percy!" both his mother and stepfather screamed, surprising the demigod with streamers popping in his face.

Percy was laughing good-naturedly back and smiling widely at his small family.

Apollo exhaled sharply. It was his birthday…

He felt his stomach turn and he wanted to throw up. They had actually planned Percy's death on his birthday. They were going to betray his trust on such a special day.

"I'm sorry," he choked out again.

And then he was watching Percy promising to come back with some more soda from the open late convenience store in town. Percy was finished with his shopping before Apollo noticed Ares laying in wait in the shadows, looking agitated and restless. And dare he actually notice it; the war god even seemed a bit troubled and upset about what he was going to have to do.

An ironic smile bitterly crossed Apollo's lips.

Not even Ares was happy about what he was a part of.

But the fiery-eyed god sped forward anyway, the blinking light of the walking sign ignored, and Ares plowed right into Percy and kept on driving. There wasn't a huge commotion. There wasn't any screaming and yelling of an audience. It was late at night, in a small and quiet town. There was no one else there, no one else to hear the bloodcurdling screams of the boy in pain on the asphalt.