Songs of Sanctuary

 

Apollo left the throne room with a weary air, not sure if what had happened had just happened. He walked quickly to his home, ignoring his sister quietly following him.

 

“Apollo, slow down,” she finally called out.

 

He clenched his eyes and ignored her, going even faster.

 

“Apollo!” she yelled.

 

He gritted his teeth and ran.

 

He left his sister behind and sped to his empty home, locking and barring all doors as fast as he could. He ran half-blindly into his room and slammed the doors shut, whirling around and facing them in a distraught manner, further amplified by wide blue eyes. Even as a god, he was sweating profusely and he turned and chucked himself at his bed, burying his face into the soft covers.

 

“Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue,” he sang softly to himself, forcing happy thoughts into his head.

 

It wasn’t working.

 

He curled into a ball and eventually fell into a fitful sleep.

 

“But you’re going to kill me,” Percy’s voice accused. “You’re going to kill me, Apollo, and pretend it was all an accident. You’re going to lie to me.”

 

“No!”

 

“How could you? I thought you liked me!”

 

“I did! I do!”

 

It’s not Percy, it can’t be. He doesn’t even know about this plan, and he’s not going to. He doesn’t even call him Apollo. It’s always Lord Apollo this, Lord Apollo that. Percy never calls him or any of the other gods informally. Except Hermes. Always Hermes…

 

Percy’s voice turned cruel, “You’re annoying and idiotic. I don’t like you, and now I never will.”

 

“I’m sorry!”

 

But then the dark chasm he was in changed and he blinked in surprise. Cautiously, he studied the new scene before freaking out. Percy was laughing and enjoying himself with his mother and stepdad. They were waving sparklers around and teasingly chasing each other with them. There was a half eaten cake on a table near them, with all sorts of blue food. He just knew somehow that it was near the time of Percy’s literal execution as a mortal.

 

“Happy Birthday, Percy!” both his mother and stepfather screamed, surprising the demigod with streamers popping in his face.

 

Percy was laughing good-naturedly back and smiling widely at his small family.

 

Apollo exhaled sharply. It was his birthday…

 

He felt his stomach turn and he wanted to throw up. They had actually planned Percy’s death on his birthday. They were going to betray his trust on such a special day.

 

“I’m sorry,” he choked out again.

 

And then he was watching Percy promising to come back with some more soda from the open late convenience store in town. Percy was finished with his shopping before Apollo noticed Ares laying in wait in the shadows, looking agitated and restless. And dare he actually notice it; the war god even seemed a bit troubled and upset about what he was going to have to do.

 

An ironic smile bitterly crossed Apollo’s lips.

 

Not even Ares was happy about what he was a part of.

 

But the fiery-eyed god sped forward anyway, the blinking light of the walking sign ignored, and Ares plowed right into Percy and kept on driving. There wasn’t a huge commotion. There wasn’t any screaming and yelling of an audience. It was late at night, in a small and quiet town. There was no one else there, no one else to hear the bloodcurdling screams of the boy in pain on the asphalt.

 

But Hermes appeared quickly, wincing and muttering sorries and please be okays, probably asking for forgiveness all the while in his head –too afraid to ask Percy aloud.

 

And then they were in Olympus, being rushed to their version of a hospital, with a mirror image of himself looking grief-stricken and self-disgusted as he readied to work on Percy. The never ending screams kept going on, and Mirror-Apollo hurried to try to keep Percy alive enough for the others to start the process of turning him into a god. He watched himself work and the others chant, and Percy screaming and writhing all the while.

 

“Make it stop, make it stop!” Percy screamed deliriously.

 

He watched numbly and practically struck dumb.

 

It felt like forever until it was done, and Percy quieted down with only just the barest of shivers. Images sped as he saw Percy get better, they lying and telling him that they had to turn him into a god, and the boy upset but understanding as he accepted their lie. Percy lived his life with them uncertainly and slightly despondently, slowly getting better and trying to be happy for them all…until the day they realized that he’d healed as much as he could and that because they turned him in the middle of such pain and injury that not even the process of turning him into a god could fully heal him.

 

Percy was paralyzed, and now forever so as a god.

 

From then on, Percy didn’t even bother hiding his discontent or try to look on the bright side of things. He barely interacted or talked with anyone. Then the most surprising thing happened. Of all the gods he’d expected to break down and tell Percy the truth, he had not even considered Ares.

 

In fact, he thought he would have probably been the first –if not Hermes, always Hermes.

 

But the war god was indeed the first of them to break down in guilt, and confess to Percy their sins. Their deceit. The entire truth and their malcontent and rashness. Of what was their bold-faced selfishness and pride.

 

Percy just looked at Ares blankly before silently weeping and ignoring them all.

 

The night after that moment was the first time Percy tried to futilely kill himself.

 

Apollo shot up in his bed, disturbed at his dream. He was the god of prophecies, and dreams have always been prophetic for him…if that was what was to happen if they chose to continue on with their plan…

 

He had to stop it somehow. They would all be damning Percy and he would never forgive them. None of them would be able to keep up the lie, and sooner or later one of them (even if Ares didn’t pull through) would reveal the truth to the boy and he would resent and hate them all for eternity.

 

“Apollo?”

 

His head snapped to the doors of his bedroom, and his sister hesitantly peeked her head through, staring at him solemnly. He couldn’t even force a silly grin onto his face to mask his distressed state.

 

“Brother, what’s wrong?” she murmured softly, slowly slipping into the room.

 

‘You know what’s wrong,’ he hissed at her in his mind. ‘How could you not? How could you agree to this, of all immortals? You, who no one would expect…’

 

So Apollo just looked at her with damning and pained eyes that spoke a million accusations.

 

And in the end, Apollo tried in vain to stop it. All he could do was stall. Ten came and went, and none of them were able to locate Percy. Apollo kept quiet about his dream and of where Percy was surely to be. He dedicated his time to distracting Hermes, the only god capable of finding Percy with just the barest of trouble. He fed him false visions of places where he swore he’d seen Percy at, letting the messenger god come hither and forth, teleporting place to place, with a wasted effort and no Percy in hand.

 

Then Hermes gave up on him and reluctantly misused his powers to locate the one mortal he’d truly gotten close to after all this time.

 

He didn’t know what Hermes was thinking, but he was sure the other god was regretting and repeatedly torturing himself about his decision.

 

At least Percy wasn’t paralyzed this time around.

 

And now Percy was a god and tied to all of them. He stared at the now immortal boy lying on white sheets, pale like marble and deathly still. The screaming still echoed in his ears, and it was even worse than when he’d dreamed it.

 

Hermes quietly sat by Percy’s bedside, unmoving and having not left his side since he’d been placed in Apollo’s infirmary. Apollo glanced at the other god in distaste, narrowing his eyes at Hermes’ slumped over form.

 

“Are you expecting him to suddenly forget what you’ve done, Hermes?” Apollo chuckled mockingly.

 

“Now’s not the time to be funny, Apollo,” Hermes looked back at him reproachfully.

 

Apollo smiled darkly, “Who said I was being funny?”

 

The two gods stared at each other, the tension rising. But then Apollo looked away and lowered his eyes to the ground.

 

“He trusted you,” the sun god whispered. “He trusted you, and of all the gods, your betrayal will hurt the most.”

 

Hermes swallowed harshly, “I know. But I’d rather have him alive at our side for eternity than watch him grow old and die.”

 

“Even if that’s what he had wanted?”

 

The messenger god went back to gazing solemnly at Percy.

 

“He doesn’t know what he wants,” Hermes whispered unconvincingly.

 

“If not him, who else would know better of what he wants?” Apollo questioned.

 

Hermes avoided the question. “I already lost Luke. I refuse to lose him as well.”

 

And Apollo knew that Hermes’ resolve had strengthened once more and there could be nothing more for him to say to the other god. So he went back to his work, focusing on making sure Percy was alright and that everything was healing okay. On his way out, he turned to Hermes for one last parting shot.

 

“Give him my greetings, won’t you? I wanted to greet him ‘happy birthday,’” Apollo stated coldly.

 

He was about to leave when he couldn’t resist a final word to the frozen god.

 

“Oops, never mind. He never really got to reach his birthday, did he?” he said nonchalantly. “Not that it matters. Yesterday is his new birthday, I suppose…as a god, I mean.”

 

He left Hermes alone to lament on his words, on the extra hurt their plan had inevitably caused.

 

But he wasn’t to dwell long. Soon after, Percy began to stir and started to wake. The boy started wheezing, doubling out of the bed and starting to curl in to himself a little bit. Hermes darted over to him, patting his back. Percy’s coughing subsided and when the newly-made god lifted his head, his eyes widened and he threw himself away from Hermes, plastering himself against the headboard and looking distraught.

 

“Get away from me!”

 

Hermes froze, staring at Percy in dismay.

 

“Percy, I just –”

 

“Go away! Leave me alone! Just…go,” Percy looked away, refusing to look at the other god.

 

“I’m sorry,” Hermes whispered.

 

But the apology fell on deaf ears, and he dragged his feet away disparagingly.

 

Percy was alone again, quiet in the hospital-like room with the exception of his deep breathing. He angrily wiped his tears away and wrapped his arms around his curled knees, rocking back and forth to comfort himself.

 

He hadn’t meant to react so much to Hermes. He had been determined to not talk or respond to the gods for however long he could, but it was Hermes and that apparently made all the difference. But he would not back down and he wouldn’t let them think he would. They didn’t seem to care about what he had to say, so obviously it didn’t matter. All the more reason for him to not say anything to them.

 

“Well, look who’s up. Mornin’, Sleeping Beauty!” Apollo greeted cheerfully, though it was faked. Not that Percy noticed, of course. “More like afternoon now though.”

 

Percy still stayed quiet, burying his face into his arms and still rocking back and forth.

 

Apollo’s smile faltered.

 

“I got something to make you feel awesome,” Apollo tried again. “S’not a haiku, but…

 

“Rose are red

Violets are blue

Percy is so cool

That’s why the gods took you –”

 

“I hate you,” Percy whispered, not bothering to look at Apollo as he said it. He continued his rocking, not saying anything more, and Apollo deflated. The sun god went back to his work quietly, checking Percy’s vitals and then leaving hurriedly, unable to face Percy after everything and unwilling to hear how much Percy hated them –him.

 

Percy scoffed to himself, “God of Humility. Maybe I should’ve been more selfish.”

 

“But that is not all the others cared for in you,” his father’s voice said and he whipped his head towards the door, seeing his solemn dad.

 

“Dad?” his eyes were watering again and Percy started to scramble off the bed to get to his father. Poseidon just hurried over and laid a firm hand on his boy, helping him back into bed. But Percy didn’t want to lie down, so Poseidon settled for cradling his son in his arms.

 

“I’m sorry I failed you, my son,” Poseidon murmured. “I tried. But it wasn’t enough.”

 

“I miss Mom and Paul,” Percy sniffed, unashamedly crying into his father’s shirt.

 

“Paul,” Poseidon muttered under his breath, furrowing his eyebrows and slightly scowling. He tightened his arms a little around Percy. Shaking his head, he continued to reassure him. “It’ll be alright, Percy. We’ll make the best of things.”

 

“Can I go to the palace with you?”

 

Poseidon sighed, “I’m afraid not. At least not yet. The others won’t allow you to leave this room, much less Olympus for awhile. Then they’re working on a schedule to split your time with them…”

 

Percy stiffened, having wanted to avoid thinking about his other title.

 

“Will I ever be able to visit Mom and Paul down there?” he asked softly.

 

His father swallowed, averting his eyes.

 

“I’m not sure, Percy. I will try, but it won’t be easy. The others are being obstinate about letting you out of their sights,” and Poseidon wanted nothing more than to drown the entire planet while throttling the other gods.

 

Percy quieted, not wanting to talk anymore. Poseidon let him be, just holding onto him until Percy fell back to sleep. Apollo snuck back into the room, fidgeting under his uncle’s glare.

 

“I’m getting just a bit tired of your obsessive need to check up on him every few seconds,” Poseidon snarled.

 

Apollo flinched. “He needs to be monitored. The change was…unusual. We need to make sure he’s alright,” he mumbled.

 

Poseidon only sneered.

 

“I’m sorry,” Apollo closed his eyes, leaning back for support against the doors.

 

“You already apologized to me when I passed you in the hallway outside earlier,” Poseidon snapped. “I don’t care. I don’t want to hear it.”

 

“I-I tried, I really tried. I knew where he was and I didn’t say anything, and I tried to stall as much as I could. I even told Hermes the wrong places to go to. It just wasn’t enough,” Apollo tried to explain.

 

“You’re damn right it wasn’t enough,” Poseidon fumed, though he knew he was being unfair. Apollo did more than the others, and Poseidon had also failed just as much as he had. But the fact was –they’d failed. And Poseidon hated that fact and was more than angry about it. And he wanted to take it out on someone. “You should’ve tried harder!”

 

“I’m sorry,” Apollo whispered.

 

“Just shut up and do your check,” Poseidon looked away, glaring instead at a wall.

 

Apollo did so before he fled the room once more.

 

Poseidon silently stewed in his anger, wondering when had the others decided on the course of things. “Consort of the Gods” indeed. When had they come up with that? Why would they? It didn’t make any sense and the others were acting strangely and secretive. Why in Tartarus would they make Percy that?

 

And taking Percy while he had been talking with Triton…he hadn’t been prepared and he couldn’t make it in time for the ceremony. His son had been in so much pain…

 

But this was not over. Not by a long shot.

 

+
+
+
+
+
+

 

“We should finalize a schedule so we’re set for the future,” Athena took order. She ignored the forlorn and restless atmosphere that seemed to permeate the room and everyone in it, with Hermes and Apollo strangely but noticeably the most miserable.

 

“I think it would be easier setting a schedule in alphabetical order,” Hera suggested. “It would also be best to split the day into light and dark shifts, to fit with some of our duties.”

 

“So Mondays will belong to Aphrodite and Apollo, with Apollo taking over when sun sets,” Athena started. “Artemis will have to go before Ares, even though his name comes before hers, because of her moon duties. Then it’s myself and Demeter, Dionysus and Hephaestus, Hera and then Hermes. While you’re not part of the council, Hestia, you can still have Saturday light, while Hades has the dark shift. Then it’s Poseidon and Zeus.”

 

“Why do I go near the end, when I should be before Hephaestus?” Hades’ smooth velvety voice cut in, and she glanced to see him deceptively sitting casually in his seat, glaring at her slightly with dark eyes.

 

She refrained from shivering.

 

“It would be best if the ‘Big Three’ were stuck together, to avoid conflict between you three because of the order. Since Poseidon and Zeus’ names are at the end, I thought to group you with them,” she answered stiffly.

 

For a moment, all he did was stare at her, making her feel uneasy. Then he waved a hand dismissively and turned to gaze to the side in boredom, going back to his usual ignoring of the others. She didn’t let herself falter and went back to the meeting.

 

“Then I suppose everything is settled,” she murmured.

 

“This is all so very clinical, isn’t it,” Apollo spat out, unhappily addressing the others finally. “Doling out time shifts as if we were entitled to them. What are you all expecting? Really? I honestly want to know what exactly are all of you expecting out of this.”

 

Athena tossed an annoyed and trivializing glare towards him.

 

“That has nothing to do with this. And none of us have to explain ourselves.”

 

“It has everything to do with this! We condemned Percy to us because why? Because we can’t accept a refusal?” Apollo stood up from his throne, glaring at her.

 

“Because of the same reason why in the end you’re a coward and went along with it all silently because you did want Percy with us,” Hades interrupted, his voice smoothly rolling over him, and quickly shutting him up.

 

But Apollo wasn’t going to back down so easily.

 

“I guess it’s a good thing your plan failed,” the sun god said coldly, wanting to viciously share his prophetic dreams like it had haunted him. Hermes wasn’t enough. They all had to suffer for this.

 

Hades actually reacted, straightening up and fiercely glaring at the other. His eyes narrowed at Apollo, who merely scoffed back.

 

“And why would you say that?” Hades hissed. “He probably hates us now because he already knows of what we’ve done!”

 

Apollo laughed cheerlessly, “It’s not probably, Uncle Hades. He sure does hate us, nearly the first thing out of his mouth when he woke up.” Apollo wasn’t going to say that he took it personally, that he felt like it was directed towards himself. He didn’t know who Percy meant, but he wasn’t going to be picky about it now (even though it still hurts to remember it –his heart is clenching horribly at the thought of it). “Besides which, I meant what I said. If your plan went through, Percy would be paralyzed and contemplating suicide about now.”

 

He smiled cruelly, “Now he’s just probably wondering what birthday he should celebrate –his human one or his god one! Or wait, he probably doesn’t think it’ll matter. Both are so close apart that there’s practically no difference!”

 

“That’s enough, Apollo,” Artemis quietly ordered, voice as unwavering as her stare. Still, he knew he wasn’t imagining the regret or uncertainty in her eyes.

 

“Zeus –Father, why aren’t you saying anything?” Athena demanded, trying not to show how upset she was.

 

Zeus silently straightened up, looking around with grave eyes. He opened his mouth a couple of times before shutting it close and shaking his head.

 

“What is there to say, Athena?” he said soberly. “There’s absolutely nothing to be said.”

 

And he stopped saying anything else, choosing to tiredly gaze at the fire.

 

“Everyone, it’s too late to be feeling sorry and have regrets,” Athena lectured. “It has already been done, and things have come to pass. We can’t turn back time and change things. We have to move forward and keep going,” she finished in frustration.

 

The others froze in various, unhappy tenseness. That last line was too like the words the goddess had said before in the ceremony, that had helped pushed them all forward.

 

“But it also doesn’t change that Percy will not serve us willingly anymore,” Hestia’s voice echoed hauntingly in the room. “It will not change the resentment in his heart.”

 

Athena’s eyes fluttered miserably, and she sat down slowly onto her throne, putting her head on one hand and covering her face in exhaustion and guilt.

 

“I’m leaving,” Apollo said hollowly. “I have to…check on my patient.”

 

He left and didn’t look back.

 

When he reached Percy’s temporary private room again, it was devoid of anyone else other than the former demigod. He was sitting quietly against the headboard, staring unseeingly in front of him.

 

“You may hate me,” Apollo said, gathering up his tools. “But that doesn’t mean I will give up. None of us will.”

 

Percy stiffened up, but still hadn’t looked at him.

 

“What we’ve done is wrong, Percy. We understand that. But we are gods. We don’t have many regrets and when we do, we do not linger on them long. We will use the eternity we have, for you have an eternity with us, to seek you.”

 

Apollo knew full well the consequences of their actions, and was determined to remind the other gods as well. But that didn’t mean he wanted to suffer Percy’s resentment.

 

“We…” he trailed off weakly. “This didn’t come up on our own. The wheel of the Fates has been turning,” he ended cryptically.

 

“You could’ve said no,” Percy muttered.

 

Apollo hunched over, admitting aloud to the same thing Hades accused him of.

 

“But we didn’t. Because some part of us, one that grew larger and louder, really wanted to say yes.”

 

Percy went back to being silent and Apollo finished up his most recent checkup. Then the sun god made a guitar appear and sat on a chair next to Percy.

 

“What are you doing?” Percy reluctantly asked, glaring half-heartedly.

 

“Singing to you. I want to keep you company,” Apollo said simply.

 

“I don’t want to hear you,” Percy said bluntly.

 

“I know,” Apollo said gently, smiling weakly. “But I will anyway.”

 

The humble god turned cold eyes on him, but he just started strumming his guitar and started to sing.

 

“Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high,
There’s a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby.

“Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.

“Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far
Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That’s where you'll find me.

“Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow.
Why then, oh why can't I?

“If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?”

 

Apollo ended softly, gazing at the now sleeping boy. He pushed his guitar behind him and leaned closer, brushing strands of Percy’s hair back, even though it just fell back into place. He kissed Percy’s forehead lightly, moving back to continue gazing upon him.

 

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow is a nice song,” he murmured. “It’s a hopeful song. People think of hopes after seeing rainbows; rainbows are just symbols of hope and beginnings and of something better. I want you to be hopeful, Percy. You’ll see. Things will better. Things will be alright.”

 

“No it won’t,” Percy mumbled, waking slightly.

 

Apollo gave a cracked smile.

 

“I’ll damn sure make it.”