Hey, I love your gods&monsters series, could you write something about Apollo? ^Preferably something with a positive vibe, something romantic... But that's totally up to you, anything about Apollo makes me happy
He onlyever has nine daughters.
He hashis first when he’s young, too young to know better.
Daphneis beautiful and coy, and leads him on a merry chase. He catches her, and finallysilences her laughing mouth with his own. They sleep together, and she leavesbite marks up his neck.
Herfather, the river god Peneus, finds out about them. Apollo had not known it wassecret. Peneus is a hard, selfish god, and he slits Daphne’s throat for herimpurity. Better a dead daughter then one who does not listen.
Apollofinds out too late. He arrives to Daphne dead on the side of her father’sriverbank, stomach swollen in a way Apollo doesn’t remember it being the lasttime he saw her, which was – which was – it couldn’t have been that long, couldit?
He cutsopen her stomach, throat too tight to call for his sister’s help, heart tootight to bear anyone else looking at Daphne’s slack, bloody face.
Hecannot bring himself to bury Daphne, to sentence her to an afterlife beneaththe earth. Instead, he transforms her into a large laurel tree, so her beautywill remain eternal. He presses a hand against her trunk and says, “My hairwill have you, my lyre will have you, my quiver will have you.” Apollo looksdown at the baby, too small, tucking into the crook of his arm. “Our daughterwill have you.”
Hecalls her Calliope. Their daughter weaves laurel leaves into her hair every dayof her life.
When heis older, but not wiser, he gets drunk on the top of Olympus. It is not thefirst time, nor the last, but this time it is different.
Thistime Hestia, goddess of the hearth, of warmth, of family, places her delicatehand around the back of his neck and leads him to her rooms.
Monthslater, he lands his chariot, the sun finally set. His arms are shaking, and hislegs are covered from burns when the sun grew tired and tried to consume him,but could not. Hestia stands before him, something held in her arms. “What’swrong?” he asks roughly, throat dry and the skin of his lips cracking. Hestiararely leaves Olympus.
“I amno mother,” she tells him, and he doesn’t understand until she places a warm,squirming bundle in his arms. He holds it to his chest automatically. “Her nameis Terpsichore.”
Sheleaves before he has the chance to question her. He looks down, and the babyhas his golden eyes and her dark hair. “Hello, little one.”
Calliopeis fully grown now. Apollo leaves Terpsichore in her care, and promises to comewhen called.
“Yes,Father,” Calliope says, rolling her eyes as her little sister grabbing fistfulsof her curly hair. There’s an ink smudge across her face, and her home isbursting with books. He should really talk to Athena about letting Calliope useone of her libraries.
Hekisses both their foreheads before leaving.
Apollofalls in love with a Spartan prince, graceful and strong and with a wide,pretty mouth. He falls in love with a mind that can match him, with a smilethat leaves him breathless. Hyacinth captures his affections and attentionsutterly, and for a few short years Apollo is enchanted, for a few short yearsApollo feels a love deep in his chest that is only surpassed by the love he hasfor his sister.
Heshows up at his daughters’ door, and Calliope and Terpsichore take one look athim and usher him inside. He can’t bring himself to speak, but he’s covered inblood that isn’t his own, is pale and shaken and mourning.
Theyclean him and care for him and settle him to bed, although he cannot bringhimself to sleep.
Lessthan a week later, there is a mortal woman there looking for him. Her eyes arered, but she stands tall and her lips are pressed into a straight line. Atoddler who shares her dark coloring clutches her skirt. “I am the Princess ofSparta, and wife of Hyacinth.”
Apollohadn’t known Hyacinth had a wife. He hadn’t asked. Surely he would have noticed– but then again, perhaps not. Love makes people stupid. “I am sorry for yourloss.”
“As Iam sorry for yours,” she says in return, which surprises him. “Sparta must havea prince. I am to be remarried.” She brings the little girl forward, and shecan’t be more than a couple years old. “This is Urania, the child of myself andmy husband. I have been ordered to kill her.”
Apolloflinches. He knows such things are done, but – she is Hyacinth’s daughter. “Iwill take her.”
Shesmiles. “I thought you might.” She kisses the girl on both cheeks, hands her toApollo, then leaves as quickly as she’d came.
Uraniawatches them with big liquid eyes that she got from her mother. He stays withhis daughters for a year after that, playing with Urania and watchingTerpsichore dance and listening to Calliope’s beautiful poetry. Urania lovesthe stars. She stares up at them each night, and Apollo patiently explains thename of each one.
Whenshe is fully grown, he begs a piece of ambrosia off Hestia and feeds it to her.
Uraniais his daughter as surely as if his blood ran through her veins. He cannot bearto watch her age and die.
Marpessachooses Ida over him, but it is too late. She already swells with his child,and he could use that to keep her. He could force her to stay at his side, sheloves him, she said so, it would not be such a cruel thing.
But sheis not wrong in her assessment. Apollo is immortal, and will not grow old withher, will not change with her, will not die with her. Ida will.
There’sfear on her face, and he thinks she deserves it, for proclaiming to love himand choosing another. But he is not interested in keeping her captive for alifetime.
“Havethe child, and give it to me,” he commands, “and I will leave you to yourlife.”
Ida isfurious in his jealousy that Marpessa will bear a child for Apollo before shebears a child for him, so there is that comfort, at least.
Artemisdelivers the child to ensure it goes smoothly. She’s beaming as she holds herniece. “What will you call her?”
“Youchoose,” he says, running the back of his finger over the babe’s soft cheek.
Hissister considers the squalling child for a long moment before she says, “Ithink you should name her Thalia.”
She’smischievous, and reminds him of himself on his worst days. She grows, and pullspranks on nymphs and deities. Her older sisters are constantly straining tokeep her out of worse trouble.
He getsa frantic message from Calliope that Thalia has gone missing, and he eventuallyfinds her at the edge of a scorched battlefield, the soldiers long gone but thebodies and stench remaining. He’s furious at her for going to a place sodangerous, but when he marches up to her he sees something that he hadn’texpected.
She’s hallwaythrough a story about pranking a wood nymph that he knows is at least half liesand a quarter exaggeration. Curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach ashe laughs so hard he can’t breathe, is Ares.
Apollohasn’t seen the tormented god of war this carefree since he was a child.
Thaliafinally notices him, and cuts herself off, paling. “Oh, uh. Hi Dad.”
Ares isdownright giggling. “Hello Thalia,” Apollo crosses his arms and glares,“You shouldn’t go wandering away from your sisters.” She winces and nods,ducking her head to look up at him through her eyelashes, doing her best tolook contrite and innocent.
Itmight have worked, if Apollo hadn’t taught her that look himself.
He sitsdown on the ground next to Ares, who doesn’t acknowledge his presence beyondshifting enough to use Apollo’s thigh as his pillow. “Well,” Apollo says, “keepgoing.”
Thalialights up and launches back into the story, and when she finishes she continuesinto another which is mostly true and somehow even more ridiculous.
Becausehe’s an idiot with a death wish, Apollo ends up spending a monthwith Hecate in the underworld. He stumbles out one night when she falls asleep,because he feels if he doesn’t leave now there’s a possibility that he neverwill.
One ofthe most horrifying moments of his life is looking for the way out, and findingHades instead. The god of death looks to him, walking around naked in hisrealm, to the direction he came from, and says, “That was you? Are youcrazy?”
“It …it was a good time,” he says faintly.
“Obviously,”Hades shakes his head, and slices his hand down in the air in front of them,creating a doorway for Apollo out of his realm.
Apollogives him a clumsy salute and steps through.
Roughlya year later, he’s playing his lyre when a little girl with black skin and greyhair and eyes appears in front of him. It’s terrifying enough that heaccidentally snaps one of his strings.
“LadyStyx,” he says, voice higher pitched than normal. “Is there something I canhelp you with?”
Thechild snorts and reaches her hands into absolutely nothing and pulls outa baby. She holds it out to him. “Hecate says this is your problem now.”
Improbably,the babe already has a mouth full of too-sharp teeth. Her eyes shift betweenevery color, unable to decide, and there is something a little too knowingabout her face for one so young. Artemis says he too was born knowing too much.
A childof Apollo and Hecate can only be a mistake, something that will never fit quitewell among others of her own kind.
Hesighs and take the baby. “Very well.”
“I likethe name Clio,” the child goddess says before leaving him.
Thaliatells him it’s too small and to give it back. Urania is fascinated, and takesover most of the child’s care, which is likely for the best since Calliope isneck deep into a new epic, and would be cross if she needed to pull herattention from it to rear a child.
As Clioages, she stays just as unsettling and strange. Hephaestus shows up around thetime she starts breaking into Athena’s libraries, even though stunts like thatget people worse than killed. “I don’t know why she gave her to me,” Apollosays as they watch the teenager devouring a stolen tome on the history of thePersian Empire. “Hecate raised you, I don’t understand why she didn’t want toraise her actual daughter.”
“You’rea better parent than she is,” he says thoughtfully. Apollo gives him anunimpressed look, but he says, “I’m serious. Your girls are turning out to bequite lovely – all of them.”
“Ofcourse they are,” he says, nose in the air, but grins when Hephaestus elbowshim the side.
By thetime she’s an adult, Clio is easily one of the most accomplished scholars toever exist. She and Athena regularly get into academic debates that last weeks,and scare off anyone from daring to come closer.
Shestays strange, and too smart, and Apollo loves her utterly.
Apollois lying on the beach when a large wave overtakes him and drags him into thesea. He struggles for the surface, but can’t seem to shake the waves, and isdragged to the sea floor. He’s a god, so he won’t suffocate, but he’s terrifiedwhen the water drags him down to Poseidon’s palace and deposits him in front ofhis wife. “Apollo,” she says, “I can see what your daughters will become.”
He hasno idea what she’s talking about. “Excuse me?”
Amphitritegrabs his jaw and pulls him closer. He doesn’t dare resist. She looks into hiseyes, then smirks. “The god of prophecy doesn’t know that which he has wrought.How … ironic.”
“Isit?” he wonders. He really hopes she doesn’t kill him.
“Quite,”she smirks, and with a flick of her wrist she’s naked before him. “I wish forone of your daughters to be mine as well. Lay with me.”
“Uh,”he says eloquently, because Amphitrite has never given her husband anychildren, he hadn’t even known she could. If he sleeps with her, Poseidon mightkill him, regardless of how many people the god of the sea sleeps with thataren’t his wife. But if he refuses her, shemight kill him, and it’s not like having sex with Amphitrite is any sort ofhardship. She’s as gorgeous as she is terrifying. “Okay.”
He’sdeposited back on the shore the next day, feeling oddly used.
IfPoseidon has any opinions on Apollo knocking up his wife, he doesn’t voicethem.
Amphitritedoesn’t foist the baby upon him as soon as she’s born. Instead years pass, andone day a dark skinned, amber eyed sea god shows up at his door. There’s ateenager at his side, who has Apollo’s coloring and Amphitrite’s bonestructure, and hair that shimmers golden-green in sunlight. “Glaucus,” Apollogreets warily, “and who might this be?”
“I callher Erato,” Glaucus says, “I’ve raised her since birth. It’s time for her tojoin her sisters.”
Eratois not as terrifying as her mother. Instead there’s a sweetness about her thatshe must have gotten from Glaucus. She’s shy at first, and spends many dayslooking out into the sea. But his daughters are persistent, and soon she’slaughing and joining them. There’s something dreamy about her, and she loveslove, writes romantic ballads and beautiful poems, so much so that Aphroditecommends her talent.
Eratois also the most like him in the area of her love life, meaning she leavesbehind a constant trail of heartbroken men and women.
Calliopecomplains about the constant wailing around their home, and Clio proves she hassome of her mother’s talent with magic when she casts an unplotable spellaround their home so former lovers stop following Erato home. Of course, sheforgets to tell both Apollo and her sisters about this, and it’s very confusingfor everyone until Clio remembers to tell them where the house is.
Hisdaughters’ home is a place of constant music, poetry, and literature. He thinkshe’s starting to suspect what Amphitrite was talking about.
Not allhunts are easy things.
Apollofeels the moment his sister is wounded, the arrow through her abdomen aspainful for him as it is for her. He’s in his chariot, and he can’t leave it,if he leaves his chariot unattended the sun will consume it, and then consumethe earth. “Calliope!” he snaps, and his eldest daughter appears by his side.
“Father?”she asks, huddling into him and away from the sun. “What’s going on?”
“Artemisis hurt, I have to help,” he says urgently, and places the reins into herhands. “You can do this.”
Shepales, but steps forward, keeping a white knuckled grip on the chariot. “Go.”
Hekisses his forehead, and goes to his sister. Her huntresses have set up anhonor guard around her, defending and dying as cruel faced giants draws closer.“ARES!” he screams, and he doesn’t know what they’re fighting for, what thiswar is about, but it doesn’t matter. “WE NEED YOU!”
The godof war appears, and he’s clearly come from some other battle, covered in mudand other worse things. He throws himself into the battle, but it’s not untilthey gain more aid that the tides turn in their favor.
Hefirst sees Erato on the field, water swirling around her as she slices throughthem all, the power of her mother making her golden eyes glow. Clio is at herback, the glittering magic Hecate passed on to her filling her hands.
Thaliahas long curved knives flying from her fingers, and all who face her don’tfigure out they’re dead until she’s already left them behind. Urania is lettingloose arrows against the giants and though she’s not his by blood, not agoddess by birth, none would know it watching each of her arrows hit true andtake down another enemy.
Terpsichoreuses her honed abilities of dance differently here on the battlefield, twirlingand ducking around enemies with her sword flashing as it slices through all whogo against her. Celestial fire licks up the sword, and the daughter of Hestiaand Apollo is laughing as she dances through the battlefield.
Hewants to yell at them, to tell them to get off the battlefield, to get tosafety. But it is thanks to them that the fight is being won, so he saysnothing.
Areslooks around, grimaces, and catches Apollo’s eye before he disappears from thebattle. They must be invoking his name. Apollo is only grateful he managed tostay as long as he did.
Thegiants are all dead by the time Apollo manages to make it to his sister’s side.She’s pale and covered in blood, her huntresses seated around her and trying tostop the bleeding. “What were you thinking?” Apollo demands, grabbing her handand pushing her hair from her forehead. Terpsichore comes forward and lays herburning sword against the wound, sealing and cauterizing it at once. BothApollo and Artemis scream
“They –took – a – child,” she pants, leaning in for his touch, for his comfort, and hehas never been able to deny her anything. He pulls her up, biting back a screamat the pain that rips through them both, and props her up against his chest. “A– nymph’s child. Zeus’s child. They killed – it’s mother. That – that sort ofinjustice will – will not be – tolerated.” She lays her head back against hisshoulder, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes, and Apollo almost wishesthe battle were not over, because he wants to murder something.
“I’llget it,” Erato says, and a moment later she returns with a toddler in her arms.She has the copper skin of Zeus, and pale blonde hair. “What do we do now? Zeusdoes not care for his children.”
“Ithink it’s time you became a big sister,” Thalia says, and Erato looksstricken. “Right Dad?”
Helooks to his sister, who nods. “I can think of no better place for her. Shecannot stay with me – a hunting party is not place for children.”
“Verywell,” he sighs. “Does she have a name?”
Thegirl attempts to hide behind Erato’s hair, then says, “I am Euterpe.”
“Welcome,Euterpe,” he says.
It’sthen that the sun finally sets, and Calliope stumbles into existence next tothem. She’s covered in deep, bleeding burns, but it’s not as bad he feared it wouldbe. She’s certainly faired better at her first time driving the chariot than hehad. “What’s happening? Is everything all right?”
“Wehave a new sister,” Thalia says brightly, even as Clio rushes forward to tendto her burns.
Euterpe,thankfully, seems to inherit none of Zeus’s madness. She has a singing voicelike a clear bell, and soon surpasses even Calliope’s talent with the lyre.
Heknows, technically, that Euterpe is his half-sister. But it takes him no timeat all to regard her as his daughter, to love her with same simple ferocity as heloves her sisters.
For awhile, all is well, is quiet. His daughters are all fully grown, accomplishedand beautiful.
ThenDemeter corners him when he’s walking through quiet city and pins him againstan alley wall. “If Amphitrite thinks she can one up me over this,” the goddesshisses, “she’s sorely mistaken.”
Atleast this time he knows what’s going on when Demeter starts pulling her dressoff. “You can’t raise the child,” he says. He’s not adverse to laying withDemeter, although at this rate it looks like there will be less laying and morestanding against a rough alley wall. But Demeter only knows how to love in away that crushes all it touches. He won’t let her do that to his child.
“Fine,”she snaps, “Now get moving.”
He’svaguely terrified the whole time, and it mostly reminds him of his month withHecate. He’s left alone and naked in the alleyway an hour later.
Ninemonths later, a baby is delivered to his door by a nervous wood nymph. Hisdaughter still has the squashed appearance of a freshly born baby. “She didn’twaste any time,” he comments, settling her into the crook of his arms. “Doesshe have a name?”
“Polyhymnia,my lord,” the wood nymph says, then bows before fleeing.
Hebrings her to the home where all his daughters live.
Shegrows, and she’s the spitting image of Demeter, of Persephone back when sheanswered to the name Kore. Her voice is lower than Euterpe’s, but just as prettyand when they sing together it’s the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard.She’s quiet, and thoughtful, her big brown eyes watching all around her with ameasured stare.
Polyhymniaasks after her mother, something none of the others had done, and Apollodoesn’t know what to say. The truth is too callous, but he can’t bear to lie toher. Instead he begs an audience with Persephone, and says, “Your sister asksafter the mother you share. I don’t know what to tell her.”
Persephonehas no advice to offer, but she starts spending some of her time outside of theunderworld with Polyhymnia. It is enough, and her questions stop, and Apollotries not to feel guilty that he never really answered them.
Cassandrais unlike any woman he’s ever met, unlike any person he’s ever met, and theflames of love and passion burn inside him in a way they haven’t since hisHyacinth died.
She’sbull headed and irritating, and whenever he tries to complain about it Artemisrolls her eyes and his daughters laugh at him. He supposes he’s not doing avery good job hiding that he’s in love with her. Not even from her, because atone point she crossly asks if he’s ever planning to do anything with her, or ifshe should accept the offer from the butcher’s son.
Theydon’t leave her house for five days.
She iscurious, hungry for knowledge, hungrier for it then she is of him. She wants toknow impossible things, wants to be an impossible thing, and so Apollo laughsand takes her hand and says, “I will make you a bargain. I will give you thegift of prophecy, if you will grant me the gift of your hand.”
He’snever take a bride before. He hasn’t wanted to.
Cassandrais screaming and laughing, and she throws her arms around his neck and kisseshim until she’s breathless. He takes it as a yes.
That’swhen everything goes horribly, incredibly wrong.
It’stoo much, all the horror she sees is too much, and Apollo tries to tell her tofocus on the good, to see the happiness of the future. But she can’t, gets toocaught up in too many wars, and she wastes away in front of his eyes even asher stomach swells.
Hetries to take back the gift, tries to save her, but he can’t. It cannot beungiven, and his headstrong, vivacious lover fades before his eyes. He onlymanages to alter it, to change it so no one believes the horrible things she criesto prevent the horror people feel when she looks at them and screams the waythat they’ll die.
Artemishelps deliver their child, but halfway through her face goes pinched andworried, and Apollo knows that Cassandra won’t make it.
“I’msorry,” he weeps, kissing her gaunt face, feeling the sharpness of hercheekbones under his lips, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know this would happen. I didn’twant this to happen.”
Shelooks at him with glassy eyes, barely reacts when Artemis places their child onher chest. There’s a growing pool of blood under her, but she can’t be saved,she will die, here, now.
Apollowonders if she saw this coming.
Sheblinks, and meets his gaze with a sharpness and awareness he hasn’t seen for along time. “She is your last daughter,” Cassandra says, “Melpomene is the lastdaughter you will have.”
Hekisses her, his last chance to do so.
She’sdead before his lips leaves hers.
Apollotries to flee, to run from the claws tearing apart his heart, but Artemisdoesn’t let him. She yanks him back and pushes Melpomene into his arms. “Youcan’t leave,” she says harshly, “She needs you. Your daughter needs you. You’renot allowed to run.”
Hecrumples, leaning his head onto his sister’s shoulder as he sobs, and hercalloused hand grasps the back of his neck. Melpomene is stuck between them,soft and warm and alive.
Melpomeneis Thalia’s other half, her best friend, and they do everything together. Herdark hair is a mass of unruly curls just like her mother, her laughter is just likeher mother’s.
She,like her sisters, is his pride and his joy.
Calliope,who reigns over written epics.
Terpsichore,who reigns over dance.
Urania,who reigns over astronomy.
Thalia,who reigns over comedy.
Clio,who reigns over history.
Erato,who reigns over love poetry.
Euterpe,who reigns over song.
Polyhymnia,who reigns over hymns.
Melpomene,who reigns over tragedy.
Theyare known as the Muses.
gods and monster series, part xxi
read more of the gods and monsters series here
