It was late, about 2 am if Meg had to guess. And she couldn’t think straight, she was crying in the corner of her room. All of what was going through her head was the beasts words, his yelling, his punishments.
“Pathetic honestly, Meg, I thought you were better.”
“I’m doing this because I love you.”
The glint of a knife.
“If you apologize and do as I say, it won’t be as bad.”
“MARGARET GET OVER HERE NOW.”
It all ran through her mind, it felt so real, even though it was so long ago. She was scared, scared of so many things. Scared to ask for help. She’s been like this for hours, someone said something and it triggered her, she hardly made it to her room before breaking down.
She knows what Apollo had told her, “Meg, if you’re ever scared, just call on me and I will be there.” But was she actually allowed to? She didn’t think Apollo would lie, but she thought that about Nero too.
Meg shook her head and banged it on the wall, she couldn’t think of her best friend like that.
“Apollo?” She called out. Nothing.
“Apollo!” She said again, more loudly.
The god appeared. “Meg, why are you awake, it’s so la- oh.” Apollo saw the tears and the start of a bruise forming on her forehead. He knelt next to the young girl. “What’s wrong, sunflower?” He asked his ‘sister’ gently.
“I- I don’t know what’s wrong, I’m scared. I- I- Apollo I hear the beast, it feels real but I know it’s not and I’m scared.” Meg sobbed.
Apollo gently shush’s her. “Shh, Meg it’s just a panic attack, you’re ok, I promise.” He opened his arms and Meg hugged him tightly.
After a few minutes Apollo picked up the bottle of water from her drawers. “Here, crying is dehydrating, I need you to drink something.”
Meg took the water and drank in small sips.
“Yeah, yeah there you go! Are you hungry?” Apollo reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of mini muffins. “Here, it’s the same from my chariot, I know you love those.” He opened the bag and offered it to her.
“Thank you, Apollo,” she said, accepting the muffins. They were small and easy to chew.
Apollo spent a few more minutes calming her down, eventually she fell asleep on him. He moved her to the bed.
He stayed with her, in case she woke up scared again.
Meg yawns as she hears someone knock on her door. “Who is it?” She asks tiredly.
“Apollo!” the god opened the door dramatically, doing jazz hands.
Meg blinked tiredly. “Oh.” She sat up and yawned, grabbing her glasses.
“Meg, sunshine, my sunflower, my little sister, my song, my poem, the sun is up! You should be awake!” He exclaimed.
“….Apollo what the fuck that is so many nicknames- why are you in my room anyway?” She asked her friend.
Apollo huffed. “I still have more writing to do on my trials, I need you to fact check me!”
Meg laughed. “You’re asking me to call you stupid?” She slid off of her bed and yawned. “What part of the trials?” She asked.
Apollo sighed. “Camp Jupiter.”
Meg nodded, camp Jupiter hadn’t exactly been easy for either of them.
“Oh! Meg, have you had breakfast?” Apollo asked. He always checked to make sure the young girl was eating, she had a tendency to ‘forget’ meals.
“Apollo I literally just woke up,” she replied.
Apollo grabbed her hand and dragged her to the kitchen. “C’mon traffic light breakfast time, what do you want?”
“Uh, ego waffles, I love those.” Apollo let go of her hand and Meg opened the freezer and got waffles. “How many do you want?”
“I’m a god, I don’t get hungry.”
“One, got it.” Meg grabbed three waffles, two for her and one for Apollo.
She put them in the toaster oven and yawned, walking over to Apollo and putting her forehead on his shoulder. “I’m tired.”
“Sorry,” Apollo laughed a little bit and pat her head.
After the waffles finished they went back to Meg’s room. Apollo wrote and ate his waffle, Meg finished hers and picked up a bag from the ground. it was full of beads and string. Meg had recently started making Kandi trinkets, mostly stars and flowers.
Meg makes Kandi and Apollo writes. Apollo didn’t really need Meg to fact check him, he just needed to be with her. He was always worried about the young girl and wanted to be sure she was alright.
At some point Apollo drops his writing stuff and leans against the pillows.
Meg looked up, “you good?”
Apollo sighs. “Hard part of the trials.”
Meg sat up and hugged him, Apollo hugged her back.
Meg pulled away and held out a Kandi star. “Here! You can twist the beads when you’re nervous or anxious!” Apollo took the star and held it close.
“Thank you.”
After a while Meg fell back asleep. Apollo didn’t bother waking her, he felt she had a bad night and needed the rest.
He cherished the star for a long time, his baby sister gave it to him, of course he would.
Meg was in the garden on a Monday afternoon. She didn’t have anything planned so she was startled when Apollo was suddenly next to her.
“Hi Meg!” He exclaimed.
Meg jumped. “When’d you get here?”
Apollo ignored her and grinned, “guess who’s dying soon!”
“That is a morbid question- what-“
Meg couldn’t finish her sentence before Apollo interrupted her, “not you! You won’t be dying anytime soon!”
“That is- ominous? I don’t imagine I’d be dying soon, unless someone burned aeithales or something? Why are we talking about this?” Meg asked. She was used to apollos shenanigans but this was rather random.
“I made you immortal! Well, sort of. You can die in battle but otherwise you’re good! Like my sisters hunters!” Apollo explained, grinning excitedly.
“…why?”
Apollo faultred. “Because your human life span is so short, it’s like a blink of an eye, over before I might finish a shot. Meg you’re family and I don’t want to lose you so quickly.”
Meg blinks. Family? Family.
She hugged Apollo tightly. “Family.”
Apollo smiled again and hugged the young girl back.
After a couple minutes Meg pulled away.
“Go grab a shovel and some seeds! You’re here so you might as well help out.” Meg ordered.
Apollo wasn’t bound to her service anymore so he could very well refuse an order, but he was happy to spend time with Meg.
They spent the afternoon in aeithales gardening together.
Meg sat in her bed in the attic above bombilos cafe.
She was crying, her friend was dying, Apollo was poisoned, he was dying. Meg was more scared then she’d ever been.
She hugged her knees to her chest. “If he dies then I have to go back to my step father and he’ll be so mad at me,” she mumbled to herself as she cried.
“No no that sounds selfish- why am I upset about going back to Nero when Apollo is dying!”
Meg kept mumbling and crying to herself. She didn’t want to go out and do whatever activities were happening. She didn’t want to leave Apollo at all. What if he died while she was gone? What if something happened? What if he woke up? What if-? Meg was terrified of any possibility so she refused to leave the room.
She was scared, what if Apollo died and didn’t know how much Meg appreciated him? How this was the safest she’s ever felt? She didn’t want him to die and not know she saw him as family.
The only way the camp Jupiter legionnaires could get Meg outside was saying it was something to help apollo. Pranjal ended up having her getting all the unicorn horn shavings he needed, just to have her do something.
When Apollo had finally woken up Meg did her best not to hug him so tightly his wound would open.
She was still scared, but at least now her best friend brother wasn’t literally on his death bed.
