Seasons Gone Wrong: Parts II & III

By Angeli Burns

Apollo coughed, not an entirely normal sound, considering who it came from The god let out a miserable groan and turned his head toward the window.

If you were to ask him what he expected to see, I can assure it was not tofind Olympus’s lush green grass, blooming sunflowers, and radiant sun rays replaced to be coated with white snow, and icicles clinging to every roof they found gods didn’t get sick, per se However, they could get overworked from time to time or be injured. Now allergies were a ghost concept to the gods, but that didn’t mean Apollo would be unaffected by a harsh, merciless winter Apollo was after all, the sun god It should not be snowing in the summer season. And he was going to set this straight rightnow

The son of Zeus and Leto got up from the sofa and exited his palace with no small amount of reluctance. Winter wasn’t going to hurt him rather than feeling too cold and a possible headache That didn’t mean he wanted winter to come two seasons too early

One step outside, and he was immediately face to face with a sheer, strong, bitter wind Apollo set straight on to his father’s palace, to find the one goddess that could explain a (technically still summer but might as well be winter) early winter

“DEMETER”

So maybe Apollo hadn’t quite meant to sound that rude, but this was not right

Said goddess was sitting upright on her throne that had growing vines, flowers, and berries taking over the armrests Her head was down and staring expressionless at the floor She perked up, raising an eyebrow at her nephew, seemingly confused. Even if she knew why he was here.

“What do you need, nephew?” she demanded

“What do I need? I need to know why it is snowing in July , where is your daughter?!”

The goddess sighed, “gone” she answered woefully Apollo blinked “Gone?”

She went on to explain the argument, why she no longer was satisfied with the compromise, her daughter disagreeing, and then running off to hide in the underworld

“Well, I’m going to bring her back”, Apollo decided. Demeter rolled her eyes “You know Hades won’t let you within six feet of her” she told him

“Someone else will go for me. ” Demeter raised both eyebrows, “Oh really? And who is going to do that? Your sister is busy, and you and I both know that the other gods won’t go to the underworld and get her for you”.

“I don’t know who will get her, but I know what will”, he said “What might that be?”

“A prophecy”.

Without giving his aunt a chance to reply, he slammed the door shut and was off to create a prophecy

He arrived in his temple, shooing away any mortals in his way. He blinked his eyes in preparation, and soon they lit up green, and his power took control, with the Fates now taking the wheel, he spoke.

“Mortal girl that you will find

To accompany across the snow and ice

Where all dead go at the end of their lives

Obstacles will be in your every way

Mother and daughter must bond again

Or else this winter shall never end”

His voice came to an abrupt stop, as his link with the Fates ended “A mortal girl? In the underworld?” Apollo thought out loud, there was no waythat could end well

It would have to work, the Fates always decreed the truth, how could they not when they werefate itself?

Apollo sighed, according to the prophecy hewould be going on this mission as well, you never can just read a book, can you?

Unleashing a sliver of his prophetic power, he let the spark find this mortal child, he hopped on his horse and followed where his essence was leading him

About half an hour later, he was looking at a small brown house, Nashville Tennessee Snapping his fingers, he altered his appearance to fit one that the mortal eye could handle and knocked

A teenage girl answered the door, she was wearing a pastel purple sweatshirt and some baggy jeans Long light brown hair sat comfortably behind her back, and sunset eyes studied him skeptically “Can I help, you?” she asked

Apollo sighed for probably the 1000th time that day

“Greetings, mortal, I am Apollo The fates have called upon you You must join the journey to the underworld and return Persephone to where she belongs ”

“If your advertising movie auditions, I’m not interested ”

This day just kept getting better. “No, I am not advertising movie auditions I am Apollo, lord of the sun, and the Fates have called upon you to help me get rid of this weather

The child blinked, “Like, like the god , Apollo? The one you read about in those old myths?”

“That’s right”, Apollo confirmed “No. ”

“I don’t believe you even a little bit, those are just stories You are not a god; the Greek gods don’t exist ”

“They do exist, and I am Apollo, if you do not believe me, then I suppose I will just have to show you”, he said

With that, Apollo waved his hand toward the sky, following his movement, the sunshine peered from behind the clowns, melting away the nearby snow.

He also willed his body to glow a vibrant gold, illuminating the space around him.

The girl’s jaw had dropped to the floor long ago, so with his point proven he let the flow of power reach a stop, and the bitter cold returned

“Do you believe me now?” he asked, and when the girl nodded, he smiled “Good, now about that mission ”

Have a great summer!