Cursed [malexmale]

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"You shouldn't have left with her."

Apollo paced his temple like an agitated tiger, nearly wearing through the sleek white marble that slapped beneath his bare feet. He raked his hands through his hair and swiped them down his face, then returned to pacing, glaring at the floor and probably trying to come up with some excuse to keep the intruders from his temple. At the same time, I could smell his fear over the situation in general.

Apollo didn't love me, not really, but he valued my presence. If there was anyone who was allowed to witness him when he was intoxicated or when he wept, it was me. Unfortunately, now Olympus had been alerted to the threat on my life and Zeus was adamant that Hades send in his best soldiers, but only two of them. Who, I had no idea yet. We had yet to hear back from Ares on Hades's reaction, which I'm sure was nothing more than swearing and sarcasm.

Poor Ares.

Meanwhile, I was being scolded for being forced to leave the temple with Artemis, something that mildly irritated me. I was told to obey the other gods, yet here I was, being told not to obey them and now I had the itching urge to grab Apollo and slam him against one of the columns in the receiving room...

He'll definitely be receiving if he doesn't quit chastising me.

"Are you listening to me?" Apollo demanded angrily, whirling around to pin me with a menacing glare. I inclined my head and he made a noise of supreme anger, stalking toward me and grabbing me by the throat. His hand closed around my neck, squeezing not tight enough to choke me, but to warn me. He leaned in close so his nose brushed mine and I watched him, emotionlessly. I could see the emotions conflicting in those deep blue eyes of his, like the churning waves of a chaotic sea and it almost brought a smile to my lips how much those eyes reminded me of the Source the day it came for me.

You don't need to be scared, little god. Nothing can kill me. I thought, resisting the urge to stroke his face in an attempt to comfort him. Instead, I kept my gaze locked with his until he broke it first, averting his eyes before loosening his hold on my neck. He drew me into his arms, cradling the back of my head with his hand, breathing labored as he hid his face in my hair, like a child seeking comfort and it warmed a small part of me that I wished would return to the darkness in my soul.

I allowed him to hold me tightly for a period of time before he stepped back, taking a deep breath and cupping my face in his hands. He studied me for a long while, then moved away, dropping his hands abruptly. A strange tingle in the air told me that maybe Hyacinth was watching and Apollo knew it. Apollo cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable, looking around as if hoping to see the Spartan prince, but there was nothing in sight and Apollo's mood darkened.

"I want something to eat," He said through clenched teeth, "Order some pizza, tell them to take their time. Meet me in the bathroom."

"Yes, master." I replied monotonously. Apollo snorted in disgust and shoved past me, heading off to his room.

I still wasn't quite sure why he was always aggravated when I obeyed him. He seemed to want me to put up a fight, some kind of protest, but I couldn't find it in me. I had long given up trying to break the curse that the Source had placed on me. I wasn't sure why I bothered in the first place since it seemed like a fair trade to me. Eternal slavery in return for getting rid of the worst pantheon in history.

Too bad the Source didn't uphold their end of the deal and I was forced to continue living as a slave.

That part aggravated me, and any other day I would've been cursing the Source for this existence, but today I felt oddly masochistic.