Can you tell I recently watched both 'The Holiday' and 'Record of Rangarok'?
He is stranded on Midgard, of all places.
There had been a battle in the heavenly realm and he, mighty Apollo, had been thrown through the Bifröst with nothing more than his toga. Snow creatures had descended upon the heavenly realm in alarming numbers and they'd made plans for each of the gods to counter their strengths. Some sort of artifact too.
Hades had yelled something to him just before Apollo had been hit by the weapon but he hadn't heard him.
And then those monsters had pushed him down to midgard without blinking. Him. The sun! Light of Asgard!
Oh, he'd burn their eyes with the lights of thousand suns as soon as he'd get back. Raising his right hand to call upon the Bifrost he expects the heavenly light to surround him and carry him right back. He calls the name of the heavenly passage and closes his eyes, ready for battle as soon as he gets back.
But nothing happens.
He blinks and tries again.
Again, nothing.
Apollo furrows his eyebrows and drops his hand. What is going on? He attempts once again, to call upon the heavenly bridge but not even a glimmer of light is cast upon him.
Anger rises up within him. Those monsters must have done something to seal or damage the bifrost. And that artifact they used must be very powerful because Apollo feels almost... weak?
He shivers from the cold surrounding him, letting out a puff of air and for the first time looks arround.
It appears as though he's landed in some sort of field. Definitely not in Greece or Italy or any of the places he prefers whenever he does grace Midgard with his presence, it's too icy for that, snow covering the ground.
There's a few cows standing a few meters from him, fur grown thick for the cold weather. Their startled gazes are set upon him, ready to run should this stranger choose to do weird things again, like appearing out of nowhere in the midle of their field.
"Sorry, my ladies. I did not intent to startle your... dinner?"
He looks at the sun rising above the field just ahead. Yes, it seems to be early evening in midgard.
For a second, he relishes in the sun's rays upon him. The cows go back to shuffling in the snow. Apollo chuckles and then furrows his eyebrows.
He needs to get back to the heavenly realm now. The others need him.
Looking around, he walks over to one of the cows and lets his fingers run through her fluffy, thick fur. It's winter in parts of midgard right now, he reminds himself.
Shaking out his arms he tries summoning his power. It's too damn cold here and the power of the sun will warm him.
But just like before, nothing happens. Unease rises inside of him. Why can't he feel the sun energy that feeds his power?
Trying again, he takes a deep breath but no energy surges through his body. In fact, he can't feel the heavenly energy at all. His eyes snap open. Did those monsters take his powers?!?
Apollo lets out a measured breath and sighs.
Loosing his composure won't do him any good. For better or worse, it seems like he's stuck in this realm for now.
Looking around, he can see smoke coming from some houses further up the hills on his left, maybe there'll be something helpful there. Might as well figure out where he is.
Perhaps there's a heavenly artifact somewhere nearby that he can use to at least contact heaven and let the others know of his state and location. Annoyed and a bit ruffled, he begins his trek towards the little village.
Wandering down the street, he comes to the woods he saw earlier and shivers again. What a frosty climate he has found himself in.
It's a couple minutes in when he suddenly hears yelling. Moving around the corner of the path towards the sound, a body crashes into his front.
He is startled at the sudden impact but manages to catch and steady the form with his quick reflexes. The person looks up at him startled and he comes face to face with... a woman.
Oh, you're cute...
Looking up at him with big startled eyes and rosy cheeks from the frost, your breath hitches. Then there's yelling again and you quickly turn your head to check behind you.
Three men run towards him and you let out a frightened yelp. "They're trying to rob me!"
You exclaim and grab his hand without thinking, pulling him with you back into the direction he came from.
He lets himself be pulled but then his brain catches up with him and he stops abruptly, pulling you to a stand. Feeling the pull, you turn around.
"No no, we have to go!", you exclaim panicked and pull at his hand but he turns around with a steady gaze, still holding your hand.
"It will be okay," he speaks for the first time, voice soothing like honey and for some reason some part of you keeps you from running, instead you stand frozen behind him, gaze locked on his back.
The men round the corner and see you both. Out of breath but still visibly aggressive they make their way towards you two.
"Found someone to protect you, bitch?"
Apollo's brows furrow again.
"Well it doesn't matter!" Another exclaims, "we'll take his stuff too!"
One of the men rushes towards you. Behind him, he can hear you scream but it's okay. Because the second his hand has left yours, the man is laying on the ground knocked out cold.
Startled, you stumble back a step.
Even without his powers, Apollo is no light opponent. He is the god of boxing too after all.
The other two men look at each other confused and then angrily rush at him at the same time. You close your eyes and look away instinctively but you don't hear any pained sounds from your stranger.
Instead, after a quick struggle, the two men are on the floor, groaning in pain.
Staring at them, you shake off the surprise to look back at your savior, who is shaking out his fists and then turning back to you.
You gape at him and then realize what must have happened.
"Are you okay?" you ask carefully, stepping towards him. Scanning his body, you can see the bruise forming on his chest. "You're hurt!"
He chuckles and catches your gloved hand before it can touch him. "It's alright. This is from someone else."
That's when you really take him in for the first time.
His appearance seems almost like a hallucination in the cold winter forest. Noticing the strange clothes he's wearing, you gasp.
"Oh my god, you must be freezing, don't you have a coat?" He's only wearing some sort of tunic that's slung over his shoulder on one side and are those sandals?
You take off your gloves and feel his icy cheeks. He shivers as your skin makes contact with his own.
"I - ah, I lost it." he explains, "well, it got stolen." It's true, somewhat. He had been wearing a coat in battle earlier but it got destroyed during the fighting.
Your eyes widen.
"You got robbed here too? Oh, what am I saying, we have to get inside, you'll freeze to death at this rate!"
Taking off your coat without thinking, you drape it above his shoulders and wrap your scarf around him. Then you grab his wrist again and decisively start into the direction of the houses.
He is a bit cold, Apollo thinks... How unusual.
"My house is right around the corner, I promise. I was on my way home when those guys just attacked me out of nowhere. I can't believe it!"
True to your words, you reach a lovely little cottage in just a few minutes at your fast pace.
Out of breath, you drop his hand to fumble in your purse for a pair of keys. He's quiet behind you, surprisingly calm for being attacked half naked in the woods and then getting dragged by a random girl through the ice cold weather in sandals...
Managing to open the door, you shuffle him inside and quickly close it behind the two of you.
With the cold air shut out, you lean against the wood to catch your breath for a second. Then everything catches up with you and you sink down to the floor.
"Sorry, I just- need a minute," you sigh.
He takes a step towards you but thinks better of it. He's still a stranger to you in your house.
Feeling the warmth of the cottage seep into him, he takes a deep breath. Your space smells like wood and vanilla and something he can't really put his finger on yet. But at a first glance around, it's very small. Nonetheless the low ceiling and warm lighting leave him feeling warm despite the cold outside.
A bit more calm, you attempt to stand up. With unsteady legs, you hold onto his hand when he holds it out to you for stability.
"Okay, sorry about.. all that." He chuckles.
"I promise I don't usually run over strangers in the woods, make them fight muggers and then drag them to my house."
"I guessed as much, thank you for your coat," he responds and you smile back at him, gesturing towards a door on the side of the entryway.
You stand awkwardly in front of each other, neither quite sure how to proceed. It's not everyday you get saved by half naked, attractive strangers in the woods in the middle of winter.
"Uhm, do you maybe want to take a bath? I mean, I know it's a great coat but you must still be freezing."
He takes off his shoes when he sees you do the same. "If it's not too much trouble, I would appreciate it." You nod.
"Of course, it's the least I can do, after you saved me from those guys!"
"My pleasure," he says it quietly, like it really did bring him no strain.
"Okay do you.. have other clothes?"
He looks down at himself.
"It seems that right now, I'm left with this."
You think for a moment.
"Hmm, I have some clothes that my brother left here, when he visited me?"
Apollo nods. He is not too fond of midgardian clothes these days but it will do for now.
"Okay, give me a second." You turn around and rush up the stairs.
Apollo closes his eyes and uses the moment alone to feel into his body again and send out his senses to search for any traces of heavenly aura.
He can't note anything in the immediate vacinity, especcially with his senses dampened as they are. Clenching and unclenching his hands, he wonders what they did to him.
It's like there's a thick blanket, dampening his usually so incredibly sharp senses. He feels drained too, like something is feeding off his energy and he despises it.
You come back down the stairs after a few minutes, holding a yellow towel and some strange garments. Gesturing towards the bathroom, you hand him the pile.
"Alright, you just- say when you're ready or call when you need something?"
He nods his head.
"Thank you." he expresses and you smile back, replying in kind, "No, thank you!"
You turn around, ready to go but then turn back.
"Oh, I almost forgot! What is your name?"
"Apollo", he announces in that quiet but cofident voice that's almost flirty in a way, "And yours?"
"Nice to meet you, Apollo," you reply, still smiling, responding with your own name and closing the door, to leave him alone with his thoughts.
He turns and sets out to the task of finally getting warm.
As he sinks into the hot water a few minutes later, he lets out a satisfied groan. He hadn't even noticed how badly his muscles were aching from the cold and the battle until now. The warmth from the water seeps into him and he can feel himself melt into the heat.
And as his body finally relaxes, he can feel the tiniest sparks on his fingertips. They're almost nothing, but the relief is immediate. Whatever those guys hit him with, it seems to be temporary.
Stretching out his senses over the house, he can start to feel his surroundings a bit clearer. If he can get some more direct sunlight, he bets he'll technically be able to generate a small flame this evening.
Done with his bath, about twenty minutes later, Apollo stands and drapes himself in the soft towel you gave him.
A surprised hum leaves him, corners of his mouth drawing up, because right there on the towel there's a tiny sun, embroidered into the fabric.
Did you recognize him? No, there's no way. Midgardians these days don't even know what he looks like, nor do most of them belive he exists. But still, the tiny sun warms his heart at least.
Bathed and dressed, he makes his way through the house, following the mouthwatering smell of something delicious until he reaches a small kitchen. You're sitting at a table in the middle of the room, a mug sitting next to you. He can tell you've changed into a more comfortable outfit, loose pants and a flowy cardigan swallowing your form in soft fabric.
At his entry, you look up from the book you'd been reading and smile at him.
"They suit you."
He looks down at the clothes you gave him and hums softly in agreement. To his surprise, the suit pants you gave him are very comfortable, made of soft cotton and the sweater he's wearing is so warm, woven from soft, brown wool. He even likes the colours and style you picked out.
He stands in front of you, a bit unsure how to proceed with the situation but not uncomfortable in your space.
"So... what happened to you?" You begin. "And what's up with the clothes? Are you an actor or something?" Your questions are no surprise to him. It would have been weirder if you hadn't had any.
He sits next to you and accepts the second mug you are holding. From here, he can see that there is steaming tea inside, so he places it infront of him for now, to cool off a bit.
"Yes, you could say thay. I'm kind of traveling at the moment but somehow I ended up here. As mentioned, someone stole my coat and managed quite some damage to me..."
Noticing that he's a bit uncomfortable around the topic you switch to something a bit safer. Who knows what happened to him, maybe he's also a bit shaken up. Although, looking at him now, he seems pretty calm.
"Is that who beat you up like this? They must have been strong if they beat you. That was some very impressive boxing earlier."
He preens a bit at the compliment, letting out a smile.
"Do you make a habit of that?" You ask in a teasing tone.
"What, rescuing freezing girls from muggers in the forest?" He's grinning a little and you nod, eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Sometimes," he answers in an equally playful tone, "but they usually don't offer a bath and clothes."
You laugh and he notes how prettily your lashes flutter at the motion.
"So what was your plan? Do you have somewhere to go?"
He puts his head in his hand and thinks. If he only there was someone he could contact. Then again. He will be good to go in a few days amyways, if he were to guess. So maybe he just needs a place to stay.
"Do you want to call someone with my phone to pick you up?" You offer him, taking his empty mug when he hands it back to you.
That's good. If he can buy himself some time with a legitimate excuse he can find somewhere in the town to stay, so he'll have time to take a look around.
He accepts, so you hand him your phone.
Leaving the room, Apollo ignores the contacting device thing you gave him and instead shoots off a signal to his friend with the little energy he can create.
If he's right, his power will be back in about five days. That's more than enough for Ares to track him with this energy signal.
Satisfied, he rejoins you in the kitchen.
"A friend will pick me up in five days."
He states satisfied but you don't seem so happy.
"But where are you going to stay?"
He had been planning to sleep under the stars, but he can't really tell you that since it's true that a human would probably die from that. To be fair, right now, maybe so would he.
"Maybe there is somewhere in town where I could stay a few nights?" he suggests but you shake your head.
"There isn't but... you could stay here for a few days?"
You can't even believe you're suggesting this but good god, he seems so baffled by this entire situation and unsure how to proceed.
"Would that be okay?" He asks, a bit surprised and you nod hesitantly.
"But just so you know, you seem super nice and all and you saved me earlier and everything. But, I did send a text to my friend to call me everyday just incase you murder me..."
He laughs out loud at that. That's cute.
"And she said I should send her a picture of you, so the police will have something to look for, in case I suddenly disappear."
He nods his head in amusement.
"Of course, my lady. Anything to settle your friend's worries." Then he becomes very serious. "I really owe you now," he states and takes your hand, " I will make sure to repay you well when I get back to my home."
Smiling back at him, Apollo can't help but notice a light blush dusting your cheeks at his gesture.
"Alright, it's a deal then!"
You shake hands with him, just to be cute and then you invite him to your couch with some more tea, warm blankets and an introduction to the glorious genre of romcom movies.
the way I held my breath during this entire scene 😭😭😭
Apollo was so cool!!! I almost screamed when Leonidas managed to hit him even after Apollo landed an attack, only sighing in relief when he cracked into green crystals 😭😭😭
if we’re not supposed to root for the gods, then why are they giving almost every god in this story such compelling backstory… (and no, i haven’t gotten to his actual backstory yet… just the setup alone has moved me so much)
