Apollo sprinted across the lands of Olympus as his son trailed behind him. Since the incident when Jason was fifteen, Apollo never let his son leave his side. He had nearly declared war against the mortals for daring to tell him that he could not have custody of his own son.
How could a mortal playing dress up be able to raise his son better than he? Their silly little myths make them believe as if they knew the truth of deities. Foolish mortals. Their stories filled with inaccuracies to make the gods appear more human. Ridiculous. Attempting to understand forces beyond their pitiful knowledge.
Even in face of a deity’s anger, they still had the audacity to question him. They send the Amazon princess to Olympus monthly for “checkups”. If only those little mortals knew that their princess spent most of her time training and reading with her son than criticizing his parenting methods.
Apollo scowled to himself. His son seemed to soak up her affection more than he did his own. The god gnawed his lip in worry. Was he doing something wrong? Surely, Jason would have told him if there was a problem. Apollo set out two hours of his schedule to speak with his son without any restraints every day. Even when Jason didn’t want to talk, Apollo was determined to spend the two hours giving the boy his full and undivided attention. Apollo’s own father doesn’t even bother him during these hours.
No one did.
Except---
Apollo could sense someone else watching the duo as they raced around the kingdom. His blue eyes flashed around them once before locking on the target floating almost unseen above them.
Aphrodite’s brat.
Apollo was not blind to see that the boy held a major amount of affection for his son. The amount of love in his eyes almost made Apollo roar filled with a protective rage. His son was much too young to have to fight off suitors.
Especially when that multicolored brat had the audacity to draw his son nude. Apollo should shoot him out the sky.
But—
“Ky,” Jason exclaimed in excitement. Of course, his son would just so happen to have affection for the boy himself. Apollo had to listen to ten hours of non-stop ranting about how perfect Kyle was and how he would never fall for Jason. [Which is appalling. Who wouldn’t love his son?]
Apollo slowed to a stop before turning to look back at his son. His son who was turning slightly red in the face as Aphrodite’s Little Heartbreaker produced a bouquet of flowers made from his lantern ring mixed in with flowers from his mother’s garden.
The god gnashed his teeth together. If that boy thought he was going to hurt his son, he’d kill him so brutally that people would wonder if he had ever been alive.
“Hi Jason,” the boy muttered. Fates help him, there were literal hearts in his eyes. “These are for you.”
“Thank you,” his son whispered back in awe. Apollo was not losing his father-son time to this ridiculousness. The boy either better ask his son on a date (just so Apollo can have an excuse to draw his bow. You always asked for the parent’s permission first.) or he could leave them alone. “What are they for?”
Kyle blushed despite himself. The red of his cheeks clashed terribly with his tan skin. He dropped to the ground and let the light of his ring extinguish. The chiton he was wearing was the color of salmon as he stood almost shyly in front of his son.
His son.
Apollo leaned against the nearest tree watching the two with appraising eyes.
Kyle cleared his throat, “Its for your six monthery.”
Apollo and Jason’s brows both furrowed. What in Fates’ name was a monthery?
“Monthery,” Jason asked almost hesitant. It sounded like it physically pained him to say such a dumbass thing. His son could do so much better than someone that didn’t know how to speak.
Kyle nodded as if the world was apart of any language at all, “Yeah, the others back on earth called it a monthery. I promised that I’d say it exactly as that. There are a lot more gifts from all of us back at your father’s temple.”
Jason just seemed to look more confused. Apollo bore an almost approving smile. It would seem that not all the mortals were idiots. Jason deserved to be worshipped.
He was after all the newest god in the pantheon.
Jason. God of loyalty, betrayal, beauty, children, rebirth, languages, and lost souls. Patron of the alleyways.
Jason grabbed the bouquet of flowers and buried his face in between the petals. Apollo felt his heart lurch at the sight of hyacinth within the bundle.
Damn Aphrodite and all her children! Only they knew the way to unravel him.
Kyle smiled gently, “Happy Six Months of Immortality, Jason.”
Fine.
Apollo may consider him worthy of his son.
And seeing the smile his child gave in return?
Well, Apollo had never been more grateful that Jason never died.
The gods stood in silence as Jason and Aphrodite’s cries filled the air. Jason’s pleads for the body lying motionless on the ground falling on slightly deaf ears.
Kyle was dying.
A vicious fight between the yellow and red lanterns against the Green lanterns of Earth left Kyle severely injured. His comrades rushed him back home as quickly as they could. Aphrodite had only barely sensed her son coming into the earth atmosphere before she was whisking them all up to the Heavens. She screamed loud enough to have almost the entirely pantheon rushing to her side.
Apollo rushed forward as quickly as he could to heal his son’s lover, but his soul was only barely hanging on. Even now as Aphrodite and his son wept, the god of healing continued to try to save the boy’s life. The first demigod to be born in centuries. He had brought a light to Olympus that no one had seen missing.
Kyle struggles to meet Jason’s eyes, but when he does, he smiles gently, “You are my sunshine. My only sunshine. You make me happy when the skies are ray. You’ll never know dear; how much I love you.”
Aphrodite wailed.
Jason nearly stopped breathing as a fresh batch tears poured down his face. “Ky- “
“Baby, we don’t stand a chance, its sad but it’s true. I’m way too good at goodbyes.”
The Lanterns as one fell to their knees. They knew of how fiercely the boy loved and how deeply it hurt when his lovers died. When Sinestro poisoned Aphrodite to the point that she almost faded, he had the look of resignation in his face. His eyes had looked so dead.
Was it selfish for them to wish he would relieve that pain than to see him struggling at death’s doors?
“Kyle, baby, no. You’re not dying,” Jason declared. He placed his hands-on Kyle and the warmth of healing stretched through him. Jason could feel his great uncle Hades keeping Kyle’s soul in place. But it just wouldn’t catch. It wouldn’t catch.
“Mother, I know that you’re tired of being alone,” he rasped. Aphrodite laid her head across Kyle’s chest as the tears continuously flowed out of her. Her least favorite goddesses, Athena and Artemis, stood on either side of her providing her with what little comfort that they could.
“Wear excuses on my sleeve, hide my heart for you to keep. I’ve been falling for you slow.”
Aphrodite kept shaking her head in disbelief, “Not my baby. Not my son. Please, Fates. Not my baby.”
Jason shook his head in disbelief. Kyle was not dying. He was not. They had plans. They were getting married in a few months. They were going to retire. They had saved up enough money to buy a home in Castellan. Jason was going to open a bookstore and a bakery. Kyle was going to open an artistry. He wanted somewhere that he could leave all his paint water lying around while he created commissions for the gods. Jason’s own father had even found the perfect place for him to set up his shop. A building on top of hill where the sun and moon light lit the up the country perfectly.
“Kyle, please. Fight it,” Aphrodite whispered brokenly. She had raised her baby. She had been there for everything. She knew it would hurt to watch her child pass on (it always did. The pain never dulled no matter how distant the gods may be), but if anything, this may cause her to fade completely.
“Mētēr?”
With tears in her eyes, Aphrodite met her child’s eyes, “Yes, my little dove?”
“I’m tired.”
Everyone lurched forward as if they were able to physically stop him, “DON’T GO TO SLEEP!”
Kyle jump with the little energy that he had. His soul locked into place for just a second before slipping away again. Apollo’s face twisted into a determined frown. The boy was not dying. Not today. Not if Apollo had anything to say about it.
Aphrodite placed her hands around his face gently, “Stay awake, little dove. Look at me, little one.”
Kyle struggled to meet his mother’s eyes. His own kaleidoscopic were glazed. Aphrodite felt another wave of tears overtake her. “I know sometimes we don’t agree. But I’m always on your team. And is somebody ever get mean if they try to take a swing somebody hold my earrings cause they gone have to get through me.”
Jason was trembling as he kept trying to force Kyle’s soul to stay in fucking place. He was not losing the love of his life. Not today. Not ever.
Kyle turned his head slightly to meet Jason’s eyes. “You are my sunshine. My only sunshine. You make me happy.”
Apollo with tears pouring out his eyes shoves his hand through the young man’s chest.
Everyone turned away as a golden glow exploded throughout the room.
