[hr][color=eed853][sup][h1]
[center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/14fafd93cd1f9ba9e1fb8aa4e32eb283/9e2ba4b5ccaa213c-67/s540x810/9dbe73cb8bcdb628d1631059217e90d7f041e490.gif[/img][/center]
[b][center][color=eed853]APOLLO[/color][/center][/b]
[/h1][/sup][/color][indent][sub][COLOR=eed853][I]SEATTLE UNIVERSITY[/I][/COLOR][/sub][/indent][indent][sup][right][COLOR=eed853][b]oh sick, oh shit, oh FUCK NO, oh hell yeah[/b][/color][/right][/sup][/indent][hr]

[indent][indent][color=gray]It was like someone flipped a switch. 

The room fell away, and he was standing in a field, his golden crown atop his head once more. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, a hue that he hadn’t seen since the mortals began to cloud it with smoke. At first, it was just the smell, springtime and fresh air, a sweetness that was almost as perfect as the original, and then, suddenly, He was there. A masterpiece, a mortal who knew no equal in his beauty. Dark hair that teased his shoulders with it’s length, piercing eyes that enthralled you with their stare, and a face that put all other muses to shame. 

He smiled, and Apollo laughed, but his laughter faltered as he looked around to see where they stood. It was too familiar. He knew this grass, this sky. The field… the breeze was picking up, and it was strong, too strong, but he’s moving now. His masterpiece is running across the field and Apollo is twisting his body, his muscles tightening and then releasing, the golden discus is soaring through the sky, jetting through the air, he can’t stop it, can’t scream out to stop running. Apollo blinks and his masterpiece is gone.

The switch is flipped again, and he’s standing in the conference room once more, his breathing labored, but his feet still planted in the same spot. His eyes scan the room as he tries to regain his bearings. They fall on Aphrodite, and Apollo was quickly reminded of why they’d all taken such great care to not offend her. That had been… less than pleasant, and it couldn’t have been longer than a few moments. What might have happened if Aphrodite lacked such restraint?

His head felt thick, as if someone had cut him open and diverted the Lethe to bathe his brain in its milky waters. He fought back against Aphrodite's waning influence, but nothing could cleanse him of those memories, resurfaced and looping through his mind. His first love, his first failure.

Still reeling from his vision of the dead, Apollo followed Aphrodite’s gaze, to the door where they’d all entered closing. The fog around his mind was parted by a sudden realization; Eros was gone. A pit formed in his stomach, and he decided right then that he and Hephaestus had never really been that close. Plus, he’d just watched one great love slip through his fingers. He couldn’t let another.

His feet carried him out the door, picking up speed as soon as he was past the threshold. He caught a glimpse of an unmistakable form rounding a corner, and he pressed on, the sun chasing desire. As he turned down the hall, he slammed into a mortal woman, knocking a stack of papers out of her hands and scattering them across the floor. He paused, stopping for a moment to mutter apologies and crouching to help collect the papers, but then Eros was out the door, fumbling with his keys.

[COLOR=FF80D4][b][sub]“FUCK!”[/sub][/b][/color]

The shout was muffled, but it still reached Apollo’s ears. [color=eed853][b]“Fuck, sorry, I would help, I would, but this is a century in the making,”[/b][/color] he said, before scrambling to his feet and bolting out to the parking lot, leaving the woman with nothing but scattered papers and a shocked expression.

Seattle’s morning chill and his recent bout of exertion brought a redness to his cheeks as he caught up to Eros, but it didn’t stop the easy smile that spread across his face. [color=eed853][b]“I thought I’d at least get a goodbye this time around. Maybe a phone number, and a lunch date. A ride in that fancy car too?”[/b][/color][/color][/indent][/indent][hr]

[sub][right]Mentions: [@Icy Hot] [@baraquiel][/right][/sub]