The God

(4)You'll Wait For Me Only

Songs: Promise (Ben Howard)

Ri fell asleep in a bed for the first time that night. Well actually, she fell asleep on the sofa as she had for the last three nights that had elapsed since she had arrived, I had grown tired of her sleeping on my lovely sofa, so I moved her up into one of the beds upstairs.

I found myself unable to leave her alone and sat myself down beside her on the bed. I became fixated upon her eyelashes. I had noticed them before, but seeing them this close was transfixing and I liked the way that they interlocked together when her eyes were closed. She looked peaceful sleeping in the bed. I hadn't seen her looking so peaceful yet and it was endearing.

I was compelled to lean forward and kiss her forehead. At this gesture, she froze.

"What are you doing?" she asked. It became apparent to me quickly that she was no longer asleep.

"Kissing your forehead." As the god of truth, it had always been easiest for me to tell it how it was, so I decided to stick to this tried and tested method.

"Why?"

"A full moon night under the stars shine, My love of mystery and imagination, Promise me you dream of me, When you sleep I kiss you gently."

"Do you always quote poems?"

"Well, I am the god of poetry."

"That doesn't mean you always need to be poetic."

"I find that it is a great way to express my feelings."

"Feelings," she repeated, frowning slightly. When she frowned her eyes narrowed. I didn't like seeing her frown, it meant that I couldn't see her eyes through her thick curtain of eyelashes.

"Yes, feelings."

"Feelings for me?"

I didn't reply. It was true, when I thought about it I could tell that I had feelings for this girl. I hadn't felt real love towards a mortal in thousands of years, but I remembered what it felt like, and this had the beginnings of it. I felt protective over her, which was strange as I didn't think I had felt like that towards any mortals other than my demigod children. Perhaps it was because of how utterly nieve she was, but she was by no means helpless (what she had done to his kitchen proved this). 

"Aren't you tired?" I asked.

"I'm exhausted."

"Go back to sleep," I told her, "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Don't you need to sleep?" she asked, her eyes were already drooping.

"I'm immortal, I don't need anything."

"Except for your poems?"

I tucked some of her hair behind her ear, "except for my poems." I agreed.

"You'll need to read me some more."

"I will."

Ariadne yawned again.

"Go to sleep," I told her again, moving to lie down next to her so that our faces were level. 

I wasn't sure if she even heard this, because her breath was already slowing and she said nothing else. The strand of hair that I had tucked away just a few seconds earlier fell back across her face and I reached out to tuck it away again, leaving my hand resting on her cheek after. 

Sleep found me that night for the first time in a long time and in my dreams I saw her face.

The poem that Apollo recites is written by Sunshine Smiles, it's called Sleep My Darling.