Ring a Ring a Roses (Aphrodite)

[Apollo]

The Mortals.
 
They were getting to him. He could feel it, creeping up on him, mortality. He had been spending so much time with them that he felt like he was losing that side of him that made him immortal. His glow was a little dimmer, his eyes lacked a certain light…or maybe that was because of the brat and his snake. That was the real reason he was the way he was, why everything was a little darker, but he couldn’t do anything about that. A deal had been made, that feud had ended and he would not do anything to start it again…he would not be the first one to throw the first punch. Let the brat fall in to that trap.
 
No, it was because he had healed the snake.
 
After any healing he felt weaker, vulnerable, closer to the mortals and he hated it. It never lasted long, in a few weeks he would be back to his usual self. But not right now, with his light gone he had dropped in to a foul mood. He felt incomplete, like something had been taken from him, yet at the same time dirty, tainted.
 
He wanted revenge, he wanted someone to pay for the way he was feeling now. He wanted this sickness out of him and he knew the best way to do it.
 
Standing on top of the roof of the Academy he glared down at the mortals. He couldn’t do anything to Hermes, but the mortals…
 
Fair. Game.
 
Pulling back the string of the bow he took aim, the arrow filled with a dark illness that would plague anyone it could. The effects of the plague would be the same even if not all fell prey to it. It was start as a common cold, a fever, then soon the sufferer would break out in red sores that would cover their arms, legs, chest, face. The sunlight would make it worse and so they would need to be confined to the darkness, however that will only allow the illness to progress further. Until the pain of being in the light would be so extreme that seeing one ray of it would cause the invalid to die, instantly.
 
Apollo had taken inspiration from the tales of vampires, people who fell prey to it did not deserve to see his beautiful son, they should not be allowed to look upon its greatness.
 
He let loose the arrow sending it towards a group of students allowing it to land in the ground among them. Fast as lightning, he reached for another one, loading it in to pace, ready to fire again.

[aphrodite]

Aphrodite knew that a lot of her family were here, and yes she did want to catch up with them because it had been a while since she'd seen them, she wanted to ask how they were, and more importantly, how were their love lives, perhaps rekindle a romance or two. However, she could do that any time, so she was more interested in meeting the mortals she'd never met before, the ones she'd never meet again, and start a little meddling in their lives - until she spotted Apollo on a rooftop, looking particularly unhappy and aiming an arrow at the crowds. Then her plans changed instantly, and she made her way up to where he was.

Stepping out onto the roof, she didn't try and stop him - what did she care if he shot a few mortals full of plague? They were of little consequence to her, and while she did so enjoy getting involved with them, or their love lives, her family were much more important to her. There were so many mortals, but there was only one Apollo.

"Darling, what on earth has you so riled up?" she asked in a maternal sort of voice. Some of the family she flirted with, some of them got a more caring sort of love, Apollo was definitely one of the latter.

[Apollo]

At the sound of a familiar voice Apollo turned round to look at his Aunt, and for what seemed like such a long time (for Apollo, probably only yesterday) he smiled. It was a sad smile, but a smile none the less, and making the bow and arrow in his hands disappear he rushed towards her and enveloped her in a massive hug. He loved his Aunt, who didn’t love her? It was impossible, everyone loved her, everyone thought she was wonderful, except that pain of a husband of hers, but everyone else thought she was lovely. And she was.

She had always taken good care of him, was his best friend when he needed someone to have a good snark with, she was his agony aunt when he was having problems and his mother when he was really down. She was everything. And he loved her.

“Oh Auntie ‘Dite,” he said, squeezing her a little tighter, his head resting on her rather large bosom, “It’s…It’s…the BRAT! He….he made me do something I didn’t want to do. Ok he didn’t make me do it, but the stupid little flying brat was all sad and down and the snake was like, dying, what was I supposed to do?! Snakes are my thing, their my creature, I couldn’t let it die. But it’s something that’s his and I hate him sooooooooooooo much!”

[aphrodite]

The trick with Apollo, Aphrodite had learnt a very, very long time ago, was to just let him speak until he was finished. You didn't need to listen to all of it, just a few key words to understand what he was saying, and then agree with him - or, if he was wrong, to carefully convince him that he changed his mind of his own accord. She was very good at it.

"Well you're so caring and compassionate, what else could you do?" she said soothingly, and somehow managed to do it without a trace of irony. Apollo was caring and compassionate, when there was something in it for him, "he's dreadful for taking advantage of how wonderful you are."

When in doubt exactly how to agree with him, just throw in a compliment or two, and he would be immediately on your side. Apollo was fickle, as any god was, but that could be used to encourage a kind of loyalty - if his allegiance shifted, a few kind words could easily bring it back around.

[Apollo]

“Isn’t he!” said Apollo, already brightening up a little, however making sure to still play the injured victim, even if it was Hermes that walked away the bigger limp, “I mean my powers of for special use only, they aren’t to be used on his things! But he’s always been daddy’s favourite and what’s more, Hera‘s favourite!”

Apollo was probably the least tactless god on Olympus, there being only one person more tactless and that was because he could get away with it, because no one messed with Mr Hey you get off of my cloud Zeus. Anyone else would probably think twice about mentioning the queen of the goddesses to Aphrodite but not Apollo, he was so wrapped up in his own orbit that he didn’t tend to think about anyone else, not even the lovely Aphrodite.

“What are you doing here anyway?” he said curiosity getting the better of his depressed mood.

[aphrodite]

"Well you wouldn't want to be her favourite, would you?" Aphrodite sneered. Hera's favourite indeed, for a whimsical moment she hated Hermes just as much as Apollo did, purely because the sun god had linked him with her. It would probably change the second she saw Hermes again, but for now her dislike was intense.

"You're my favourite and that's the most important," she told Apollo sweetly, and she did absolutely mean it. For now. again, it would probably change as soon as she was around somebody else, but for now she was being sincere.

"Oh, well you all seemed to be having such fun down here, I thought I'd come and join in," she beamed "unless you mean here on this rooftop, in which case it's because I saw you darling, and I wasn't going to just keep walking, was I?"

[Apollo]

The smile that graced his face was so bright it could have lit up the world all on it’s own, when Aphrodite said that the sun god was her favourite. Of course he was the favourite, he was so loveable, and amazing and awesome, how could he not be the favourite. It made him reach forwards and hug her all the more, once again enjoying the comfort of the ample bosom.

“You’re my favourite too! And I would never walk by you,” he said happily, which was probably the truth at this precise moment.

Artemis would have been his first choice but since she had decided to protect the flying brat and ‘challenge’ him he was less inclined to call her favourite. Auntie ‘Dite on the other hand had been wonderful in his time of need, where was his sister now?

“Well apart from Milo. He’s my favourite mortal though, you’re my favourite immortal!” he said biting his lip after thinking about it.

[aphrodite]

Aphrodite beamed at him, satisfied by his response - things would not have gone well for him if he hadn't reciprocated the favouritism, and there was a hint of how badly they could have gone when he started to amend his statement. Her expression darkened the second that 'well' fell from his lips. It didn't matter that there were plenty of other people - Artemis, for example - who had any number of reasons that they would be Apollo's favourite, all she ever wanted to hear was that she was the best.

Luckily, she allowed him to continue speaking long enough for him to smooth over any potential anger that was brewing, and her face immediately relaxed, by the time he'd finished speaking you could hardly tell she'd looked irritated at all.

"Of course I am darling, I'm everybody's favourite," she smiled breezily "except my own, of course, because that's you." complimenting Apollo was a surefire way to keep him complimenting you - as much as he could be counted on to compliment anybody but himself, of course.

[Apollo]

“Well that’s cause I’m awesome,” he said grinning, feeling much more like his old self not that his auntie ‘Dite was here.

Hugging her tightly again he said, “Oh I’m so glad you’re here! Everything has just been going wrong, but now you’re here so everything will be right again, because you’re so good at making everything right again…Except for that whole business with Troy and Paris. That wasn’t so good, but that wasn’t your fault at all, no one could have made that right.”

He glared, “Stupid Hera. Stupid Athena. How could they think they were the fairest I mean really? Really?! Really?!”

[aphrodite]

The mention of Troy almost invoked her ire again, but she quickly realised that he didn't blame her at all, and in fact he turned it into a rather lovely compliment and she beamed at him.

"Absolutely," she agreed "I mean, really, I am the goddess of love, I don't know how they thought they even hoped to compete. That terrible business with Troy was their fault entirely. I'd almost go so far as to say Athena did the whole thing deliberately, you know how she likes war."

Because accusing Athena of warmongering made her feel much better about the fact that the other goddess actually suggesting that she was as beautiful as Aphrodite - all this time and it was still a sore spot that she had to bribe the boy.

"But," she said firmly "You're right, now that I'm here I'll make everything wonderful."

[Apollo]

Apollo’s face was the picture of shock as his aunts words settled in. “You’re right! it must have all be Athena’s fault, stupid warmongering little wench. You know out of all of my sisters I dislike her the most.”

The anger that had been in him before quickly faded away until his face wasn’t completely unlike the sculptures of tragedy. “No. That’s not true,” he said and sniffed a little, “there is one sister I dislike more than her.”

Looking up at his Auntie ‘Dite with big sad eyes he said, “Arty is going to sleep with Hermes.”

[aphrodite]

Aphrodite beamed delightedly as Apollo took her little idea and ran with it. He was such a darling, she knew she could count on him to be on her side. She simply adored how she had so many of her siblings wrapped around her little finger, it was really just the loveliest thing.

"She's what!?" she hissed "How could she? Why?" she demanded angrily. It might seem that she was on his side, that she was getting angry on his behalf, but in truth it was because she didn't like people touching her things. Ok, so she'd had no intention of renewing any of her affairs with the other gods who were here, actually she'd rather been looking forward to finding some new toys, but the second somebody else wanted to play, she wanted Hermes back. That was just the sort of goddess she was.

[Apollo]

“I know right!!!” said Apollo joining in with his aunts outrage, “its stupid, its ridiculous, how could she do this to me!”

Pulling away from his aunt he picked up the bow and arrow again and continued, “She’s the goddess of chastity and she’s just going to throw it all away, because of Hermes? HERMES! Did it have to be him?!?! Out of everyone it could have been, even on Olympus. Damn it, I would rather it was Hera before it was Hermes.”

Apollo thought about that for a moment and then added, “well maybe not, but still the fact that I’m even considering that shows just how much it should definitely, not be Hermes-Hephaestus, I would rather it was Hephaestus before it was Hermes, and THAT is saying some-….uh…yes….uh…sorry...”