Chapter 7

Aphrodite asked Lord Hades enthusiastically, unaware that she didn't sound nearly as excited as she usually did.

Lord Hades shook his head. "Unfortunately not. My dear husband is rarely interested in the fashion industry nowadays. In fact, it was one of the main reasons we had a falling out when we married. When I was pregnant with Persephone, he wanted a child to share our burden, but I wanted no part of it. However, now that she's grown old enough, he has decided to take an interest in things again. Perhaps a new outfit could tempt him?"

Lord Apollo snorted softly to himself, wondering how someone who cared about fashion could possibly be the cause of all of Apollo's problems.

"Well, we can't waste time. Let us go see a boutique right away," Aphrodite exclaimed as she began pushing past Lord Hades towards the entrance way. Lord Hades followed behind her eagerly. Apollo clenched his fists and took a step forward, prepared to walk after Lord Hades, only for Lord Hermes to grab his arm.

"Wait! You promised me that you wouldn't leave this room for anything. You won't even be able to touch the sword you're currently holding."

"Fine, I won't," Apollo grumbled, reluctantly removing his fingers from the hilt of Lord Hermes sword. Apollo walked slowly back to his chair as Lord Hermes went off with Aphrodite. Lord Apollo stared intently at his hands as he fidgeted with his fingers uncomfortably. He heard footsteps approaching him, which made his head raise upwards slightly.

His eyes widened. Standing directly in front of him was Lord Apollo himself.

A small blush appeared on Apollo's cheeks after seeing his father stand in front of him.

Lord Apollo was standing beside him with his arms crossed, wearing a dark red cloak and a black helmet obscuring his appearance. He wore a pair of black gloves which covered most of his hands, but Apollo couldn't see his father's face properly through them. His eyes were also shielded by the mask. A light brownish-yellow color could be seen peeking through his hooded headband, as he kept adjusting the hood of his cloak every few seconds.

"Apollo," Lord Apollo uttered sternly. "Where are your guards? They haven't come back? Is everything okay? Where's the princess? Have you informed her of everything?"

"Um, well…" Apollo mumbled nervously. "They told me that everything's fine, but...they've left to search for Lord Ares. Apparently Lord Ares and Lady Artemis are somewhere close to here, so I suppose that's where they're going."

Lord Apollo sighed deeply. "This is getting more and more complicated. It's not like I expect you to be in charge of keeping track of the royal family's whereabouts, though. I guess you're just gonna have to trust me to keep watch on them."

"Father…" Apollo murmured quietly.

Lord Apollo paused for a moment and turned to look down at Apollo with a frown. Then he turned back to glare at Aphrodite and Lord Hades as they emerged into the courtyard, carrying a large suitcase each.

"Are they really just taking a trip around the city? It's the middle of winter! Why do they need to spend so much time inside when it's already snowing?!" Apollo asked indignantly as Lord Apollo approached the group. Aphrodite laughed.

"You'll understand soon enough, Apollo. Anyway, Lord Hephaestus has returned and informed me that Lord Ares is currently in a coma while healing from Apollo's injuries! We were going to bring the two of you along, but I decided to bring Apollo along just in case! Isn't that right, son?" Lady Aphrodite turned to Lord Apollo with a smile and wink. Lord Apollo simply scowled at her coldly before turning back to Lord Hades.

"And why don't you take me with you?" Apollo asked bitterly. "I mean, if I wasn't injured in the first place, I wouldn't need a wheelchair anyways! I don't need to be protected, so why am I staying here? Besides, this place is boring without anyone to kill! It's so monotonous! Why do we have to sit on a throne all day anyway? It's so boring, just being around a bunch of pompous nobles who think it's funny to stare at you all the time like you're some kind of show-stopping animal!"

"Calm down Apollo, it's all part of our job to make sure you behave like a proper heir of the kingdom! This kingdom needs someone who can control their emotions better than they do! But, if that means you must remain here, then so be it! As long as you don't complain anymore. If anything, it should be you complaining. Who do you think you are to refuse the king's command, hmm?Lord Hades growled, grabbing Apollo by the throat.

"Let go of me! Stop choking me! Father, stop it! Get off me!" Apollo squirmed in Lord Hades grip but to no avail. Suddenly his eyes bulged wide as Lord Hades squeezed harder. His body stiffened and his legs became numb. It felt as if he had lost all feeling in his lower half. Finally, Lord Hades released him and Apollo fell limply onto his side.

Suddenly Lord Hades started laughing.

"How pathetic! You want to be a King of Olympus just as much as I do! And I thought your mother would be better than you! She always said that you were too weak to lead the kingdom, but here you are, begging for mercy, as if it would change anything! You're pathetic!"

Apollo coughed painfully, trying to breathe again. Lord Hades stepped closer to him until he was almost nose to nose with him. Lord Hades leaned forward slightly and whispered:

"But don't worry Apollo, I still have some tricks up my sleeve…"

He suddenly stopped, realizing what he had said.

"Err…um…just forget that I said that!" he muttered hastily