𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 [𝘼𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙭𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧]

Chapter 42

Y/n stood near the huge tree near the river, awaiting the golden haired prince, all the while her mind was filled with numerous questions and her anxious heart beat against her chest. She wanted answers, even though she knew somewhere deep down some of it were going to deeply wound her heart.

But she choice to rather gulp down the bitter truth than live in the bliss of ignorance.

The sound of crushing leaves were heard as the sun turn into a beautiful yellowish orange colour, its image clearly visible in the running water. She turned to see the man her eyes have been waiting to see.

"Apollo." His name escaped from her lips. She had not seen him for several weeks on end as she had shut herself in. He gazed back at her with eyes full of worry and sorrow.

"Y/n." He called her name in a gentle tone, almost as if he was afraid she'll run away like a deer would at the slightest sound of crushing leaves. "Are you al—?" He stopped himself, realising it might remind her of the painful incident for which she locked herself up to mourn alone. He wished she could come to him for comfort when she was in pain. However, he thought maybe it was because he failed in his part somewhere so she didn't feel comfortable enough to confide in him. He could never find any reason to blame her when he had lived in the wrong for centuries on end.

"You called for me?" He asked and took a step closer, leaving only a distance of a few steps between them. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"

"Yes." She answered right away. Her e/c eyes staring straight into his. "I wish to ask you something. But you must promise me to tell me the truth and not hide anything away from me even if it will hurt me."

"Swear on our friendship that you will not hide anything from me." She spoke out again when he remained silent.

"I swear on our friendship that I will not hide anything from you." He gave in, when he saw her eyes wavered like she was trying her best to hold herself together. He couldn't possibly not give in to her demand when she look like she was going to break down any moment.

"Thank you." She said in a low tone, her eyes trailing down. She inhaled a deep breath as to brace herself for what is to come. "Apollo, is Belen a god too?"

"..." the sun god eyes widened in surprise. How did she learn about it? There was no way Hermes would have revealed himself to her.

"Is he a god, Apollo?" She finally looked up to meet his eyes. Her pools of e/c eyes bore so much pain and a tinge of betrayal which he knew would overpower the grief she had in her eyes if he were to tell her the truth. But could he lie to her now that he had swore on their very friendship that he won't hide anything from her? Could he keep his word he gave to his half brother that he will not reveal his brother's identity?

"Should I take your silence as a yes?" She asked when he remained mute to her queries.

He gulped down the lump on his throat. "Yes, he is a god." He answered, she mattered more to him than the word he had given to the teal eyed god.

"Then who is he?" She asked, her heart sting with betrayal. It even felt hard to breathe when she thought the man she knew, regarded as a friend and was his lover was just a lie. Belen didn't even existed. It was just someone a god created with his lies.

"He is—" he hesitated, seeing her try to hide her pain. "Y/n, is it even necessary to know this? You are hurting so much." He said, closing the gap between them. He gently took hold of her hand in his warm ones and squeeze it lightly as he gaze down at her with eyes brimming with concern.

"I must know, Apollo. I can't live in ignorance anymore." She replied, in a low voice. She bite back on her tears as she stared down at her feet when her entire world was collapsing. "So, tell me who he is? I must know."

The said man contemplated. His hold on her hand tightened. "He is Hermes. My half brother."

The h/c said nothing in response. She stood still, unmoving for a long while.

"Do you kno-know why he approached me?" She parted her lips to ask another question, after a long deafening silence. Her grip on Apollo hand tightened to keep herself together.

Looking at the state she was in, the sun god wished he could turn time around and prevent himself from meeting her. Because it was through him that Hermes got to her. It was all his fault. He was the root of all her problems.

"I am to blame." He replied. "It was through me he got to know about you and got curious enough to meet you." He hang his head low. "You remember the day we met her for the very first time. That day I had actually descended to the mortal world to help my father hide his affair with a mortal lady. I don't know what to call it destiny or a flip of luck, I happened to stumble on you instead. I was suppose to meet my father mistress here."

He did not know whether to smile fondly as he spoke about it or curse himself for it. For it was that small misunderstanding of his which had lead her to this path of sorrow. "But I ended up meeting you and mistaking you as my father's mistress." He continued. "I couldn't understand why my father would fall in love with a plain looking mortal as you and I disliked you for the harsh words you told me. Cause at that time I was blinded of my own wrong ways. I was an arrogant, boastful god who could not hear anything wrong against myself even if it was the truth."

"When I returned to Olympus, I happened to complain about your behaviour to Hermes. And that was how he came to know about you." He proceeded. "About his motive to approach you, I have no idea. I can only  assume that maybe it was your behaviour that intrigued him."

"If you were deeply hurt with my harsh words why did you never punish me? When you could easily turn me to dust?"

"At first I spared you cause I thought you were my father's mistress." Apollo replied truthfully. "But I don't know myself why I didn't cause you any harm even after learning you were not. I just couldn't. It was like my soul knew something that I didn't and stopped me from doing so."

Her eyes widened and tears pooled up in her  eyes when she heard the last sentence of his words. She did not know why but it made tears trickle down her cheeks as she continued to stare down at her foot. Maybe because she knew somewhere that her soul had always yearn for him and his presence even when her heart was with Hermes. And now that she had come to learn that somewhere along the lines he had felt the same tug, it ease her troubled soul.

'My soul has always long for your presence too.' She wished she could say those words. However, she just couldn't bring herself to utter out those words.

"I see." Instead she said this simple words and remain quiet for a while, collecting her thoughts.

"Y/n..." Apollo called out her name. "I know, I am no one to tell you this but—." He pause to look at her lowered head, hiding away her visage from him. "You should let Hermes go."

"It's not love... from his part."