The God

(1) Showed You The Sky

Song: Easy To Love (The Jezabels)

I stared at my father across the throne room, trying to burn a hole through his head with my eyes. Nyx stood before him, having just proposed the marriage of her daughter to me.

"If we commit to this will you swear on the Styx to support us against the Titans?" Zeus demanded of the goddess of night.

"My lord Zeus, I am giving you one of my most powerful children. Ariadne may be merely a mortal, but she is far more powerful than many of my mortal children. She has the blood of Olympus as well as that of the primordials, there is nothing in existence like her. Is this not enough to convince you that I am on your side?"

Zeus leaned back in his seat, looking satisfied by this answer.

"So it is settled," he said, in order to solidify our truce with Nyx, Apollo will marry Nyx's demigod daughter Ariadne."

"But father-" 

"That is enough Apollo, I have given you free rein for too long. It's time that you start pulling your weight." Zeus glared at me, but for once I didn't shrink away from his gaze. I met it with equal intensity, clearly telling him that I was not happy. That I would not let him control me in this way. 

"Father, I have chosen to remain unwed for this long, I do not intend to marry any demigod," I told him.

"Do not fear Apollo," Zeus mocked me, "I will make her immortal after the Titans are defeated so that our truce will remain intact for eternity."

Zeus' glare held a threat as to what he would do if I did not comply. He had made me mortal before and I knew he was perfectly capable of ending my immortal life and I didn't want to die. If there was one thing I was scared of it was monkies, but if there were two things it would be monkies and death. All immortals feared death, no matter how much they tried to ignore this, it was an inescapable fact.

I got to my feet and left the throne room in a huff. Zeus was tyrannical, and when he set his mind to something there was no changing it.

Nymphs and Satyrs jumped out of my way as I walked briskly towards my house. Usually, I would flash there, but the walk was making me feel better as I imagined Zeus' face as each of the cobbles that I stomped on. 

"Apollo slow down!" 

"Artemis let me stew in peace."

"You can't refuse to marry this girl," Artemis grabbed my shoulder and spun me around, halting my walking and leaving me staring at her angrily. "If you don't I hate to think what father will do."

"He'll make me mortal? He'll kill me? Don't you think that's all a bit dramatic?"

"Have you met Zeus? All that he does is be dramatic," said Artemis, "brother you have been his punching bag too many times before, you need to bite your tong and bear this. Who knows, you might actually like her. And what's the worst that could happen? You don't even have to speak to her if she's that unbearable."

"I would have thought that you'd be on my side, protecting Ariadne's maidenhood and all," I replied, crossing my arms across my chest. 

Artemis sighed, "Apollo we do not always have the luxury to be able to argue with our father and I sense that this is one of those times. For once you're going to have to swallow your pride and do as you're told."

**********

I did not expect it to happen so quickly, but the next day my wedding took place. The girl whom I was to marry arrived on Olympus alone, looking terrified and awestruck at the same time. She spent a large amount of time staring up and the blue sky above us, and I noticed that she grew uncomfortable when we went inside and the sky was no longer visible.