Charmed by Apollo

6. Apollo

As soon as he reached the end of the hallway, Apollo paused, took a deep breath, and counted to ten. It calmed him down somewhat, but it did nothing to ease the pain that had buried itself deep in his chest.

Muttering to himself, he continued walking, turning at random hallways until he found what appeared to be an empty room—a library, it seemed. With a deep sigh, he sat down at one of the wingback chairs by the window, looking out into the dark evening sky.

Releasing his breath, he scrubbed his hand down his face. What the hell had he been thinking, trying to have sex with her again? He was mad—utterly insane.

But seeing Geri so jealous had given him hope, much like it did back in Siquijor. Perhaps she did want him, and not just for sex. This time, he had thought she wouldn’t just walk away from him like she did the last two times.

But it seemed he never learned his lesson, at least not with her.

Apollo knew he had a reputation, of course. He was responsible for that, spending much of his youth chasing girls and being chased by them. Back then, he was brash and immature and slept with anyone with a pair of tits who smiled at him. It had been fun for a few thousand years, and why wouldn’t it have been?

But then she came along.

Daphne.

How many thousands of years had it been since he’d even thought of that name? He couldn’t remember, but it was certainly one he would never forget. Daphne had been a nymph, one of Artemis’s, actually. He’d long ago promised his sister that he would never go after any of her people, and he’d kept that promise, at least until he saw Daphne bathing at a river one day.

He’d fallen instantly in love with her and chased after her, but she didn’t want anything to do with him; she hated him so much and told him each time he tried to get near her. Still, he continued to pursue her, but she got fed up and begged her father, a river god, to turn her into a laurel tree just to escape him. Artemis was so furious she stopped speaking to him for five hundred years.

Well, at least that’s the version most people knew.

The truth was, Eros had orchestrated the whole thing. He shot a love arrow at Apollo to make him fall in love with Daphne, but then used the opposite—a hate arrow—at Daphne. He was never in love with her for real, nor did Daphne truly despise him. In fact, neither of them had met each other since the day he had accidentally stumbled onto that river.

And why did Eros do this? Well, he wasn’t quite sure, but that bastard was one sick fuck. People always thought Eros was this sweet, baby-faced cherub, but in reality, he was a damned psychopath. He once heard Eros had nailed the hands of a man to a tree with one of his arrows for knocking over his drink at a tavern.

Apollo snorted. After that incident, he didn’t bother defending himself, and it wasn’t like anyone was going to believe him. He’d been acting like a philanderer for thousands of years, and this was one more incident that set his reputation in stone. For a while, it didn’t really bother him, but lately, he’d been thinking about it, and maybe, just as he’d said, Geri was his karma, and he was due for some cosmic payback of some sort.

Apollo shifted in the seat, then planted his chin on his palm. Perhaps he did get his comeuppance with Geri, but he was no fool. It was obvious that she would always see him as just a fuck buddy, nothing more. A sex doll she could use anytime and throw away.

But no more.

As he promised her, he would see her through the end of this damned quest and make sure she was safe, but that was it. He wasn’t going to try to be anything more to her.

Not wanting to go back to their hosts, Apollo had spent an uncomfortable few hours passing the time by trying to read some dusty old book in that lumpy old wingback chair, but thankfully, one of the staff members found him sometime after dawn and led him to the bedroom they’d prepared. He fell into the bed and then passed out. At some point during the day, someone left him some food, which he ate before going back to sleep. While, as a god, he didn’t get easily fatigued and needed little rest, he didn’t really have anything else to do, so he followed the vampire’s hours so he could be prepared for the evening’s festivities.

According to the other vampires, it was more like a party the first night—there would be music, socializing, and of course, drinking, and they would get down to business the following day.

“Boring stuff,” Marley had said. “An update on our numbers, any interesting events in each coven, plus also a business meeting of sorts for any updates on Improbable Corp, since covens are also major shareholders.” It was a way Dr. Rodrigo ensured that all covens would comply with their no drinking human blood rule, to make them stakeholders in the company.

In any case, tonight would be the best time to approach the elders to ask them about it. A few of the vampire leaders were much, much older than him and even Dr. Rodrigo himself, so they would be able to answer their question best.

Sometime after sunset, Apollo woke up, got showered, and put on some casual but presentable clothes for the evening—a pair of chinos, a white shirt, a blazer, and leather shoes. He wondered what Geri would be wearing—or what she did the rest of the day, for that matter. Even though he forced himself to sleep, he was tempted to get up, find her, and see what she was up to. Thankfully, the spell he’d cast so that he could hear her call for him was still in effect, so if she were in any kind of trouble, he’d be summoned to her side.

As soon as he opened the door to his suite, Marley’s cheerful face greeted him, hand held up high like he was about to knock on the door.

“Hey man, looking good,” he said with a wink. “I was going to ask you if you needed to borrow some threads, but I see you got it covered.”

“Thanks, bro. You look nice too.”

The vampire, who wore a red velveteen suit and pants combo, did a saucy little spin. “I clean up nice, right?”

“You sure do,” he said.

“Well, it’s after sunset, and everyone’s already downstairs.”

“Everyone?”

“Yeah, they arrived via special delivery this afternoon,” he chuckled. “We have these special sealed trucks that carry our coffins around so we can be mobile during the day while we sleep. Cuts down on travel time. Anyway, when I told Dr. Rodrigo and the elders who you were, they freaked out.”

“In, uh, a good way, right?”

“Totally. They thought it was groovy that you were here, and they can’t wait to meet you. So c’mon, the party’s swingin’, and we’re missing it.”

Apollo followed the vampire downstairs, all the way to another part of the castle, and they entered what appeared to be a ballroom. The ornate chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling cast a warm, golden glow over the space. Round tables draped in crisp white linens were arranged throughout the room. Gilded chairs with plush cushions offered comfortable seating for the guests, inviting them to settle in for an evening of opulence and celebration. A stage had been set up at one end of the ballroom, where a string quartet took center stage, the soft strains of classical music filled the air.

Marley gestured to a small group in the corner, right by the stage. “Geri’s over there. Let’s grab her and head over to the elders.”

He stiffened at the sound of her name, but his gaze immediately zeroed in on her. She stood with the other vampires, dressed in a short, green cocktail dress that showed off her long legs. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head in a chic bun, with a few tendrils down to frame her lovely face.

“You okay, man?” Marley said, nudging him. “Say, what happened last night? You two just disappeared…”

“It’s not what you think,” he said.

The vampire put his hands up defensively. “Totally none of my business, man. Didn’t mean to pry. I was just concerned.”

“Let’s get this over with.” He strode over to Geri and the others, then cleared his throat. “Excuse me, Geri, can we borrow you for a second?”

“What?” The she-wolf spun around, her eyes going wide when they landed on him. “Oh.” Her expression faltered. “Why?”

“The elders are waiting to meet you,” Marley said.

“Oh, right.” She squared her shoulders. “Let’s go then.”

While Geri certainly didn’t act coldly toward him, Apollo could feel the awkwardness around them.

I need to get over this, he told himself. She didn’t want him, and that was that.

“Dear elders, Dr. Rodrigo,” Marley greeted as they approached a group of vampires.

One of them, a middle-aged man with thick, dark hair and a pencil-thin mustache, turned to Marley. “Yes?”

Marley continued. “May I present our guests, Apollo, God of the Sun, and Miss Geri Andersen, of the Andersen Pack of Alaska.”

Dr. Rodrigo’s eyes lit up while an excited murmur buzzed among the elders. “My Lord Apollo.” The vampire bowed his head low, and the others followed suit. “I was so thrilled to hear you were visiting us. It is truly an honor to meet you.”

Apollo was taken aback by their obvious deference. As far as he knew, vampires and gods had no formal relations. “Dr. Rodrigo…ladies, gentlemen,” he said, acknowledging the dozen or so members of the Vampire Council. “It’s an honor to be here, and we are grateful for Marley and this coven’s hospitality.”

“Arghh…unggh…bleaaww…”

Apollo frowned. “Er, excuse me? Did you say something?”

“Oh, I beg your pardon!” Dr. Rodrigo stepped aside, revealing a small figure behind him. “Sorry, Uriel, didn’t realize you were there.”

The vampire behind Rodrigo wasn’t small at all. He was just hunched over and supported himself with a cane. His hair, what was left of it anyway, was completely white, and his liver-spotted skin lined with wrinkles and creases.

“Unngg…grww…jweaaaaahh…youuu…bloooo…”

“Er, I beg your pardon?” Apollo asked, hoping he sounded polite.

“Uriel says it’s been a while since he’s seen one of your kind,” Dr. Rodrigo translated. “And, uh, he said something about really wanting to meet you.”

“Oh, I see.” Apollo bent down to the old man’s level to face him. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Rarrghhh!” The decrepit old creature snapped his jaw at him.

Apollo took a step back. “Er, did I say something wrong?”

Dr. Rodrigo sent Marley a meaningful look. “Um, I think Uriel needs a rest. Do you mind, Marley?”

“Of course not.” Marley stepped forward and gently placed a hand on the older vampire’s elbow. “Let’s go have a rest, Uriel. That’s it…one step at a time…”

As the vampire leader led Uriel away, Dr. Rodrigo clucked his tongue. “Apologies, Lord Apollo, Miss Andersen. Uriel is the oldest among us, so he’s a bit gone in the head. I’m afraid he hasn’t been the same since that battle in fifty-three.”

“Battle of fifty-three?” Geri asked. “Like during the Korean War?”

“No, Ms. Andersen, I mean 1453, the Fall of Constantinople.” The vampire chuckled when Geri let out a surprised gasp. “I don’t know if you know anything about vampires, Ms. Andersen, but we’re not immortal, at least not like the way Lord Apollo is. After a few thousand years, our bodies start to degrade and weather, not even real human blood can revive us. And because of this at some point, many of us decide to leave this plane for a permanent rest.”

“Marley mentioned that,” she said. “Just…seeing it for myself is different.”

“I haven’t met a shifter in a very long time,” Dr. Rodrigo said. “We mostly keep to ourselves to keep people who mean us harm away.”

“I totally understand,” she said. “My kind is the same.”

“But I’m glad to meet you.” His gaze went from her to Apollo. “So, a wolf shifter and god, traveling together. Marley tells me you have a question to ask.” He bowed his head again at Apollo. “It would be my pleasure to assist you, Lord Apollo, though I cannot fathom what knowledge we may have that the gods would not already possess?”

“It’s me, actually,” Geri said. “I’m the one with the question.”

“But, I would be grateful if you did provide her with the answer,” Apollo interjected.

“Of course, my lord. Now, what is your question, Ms. Andersen?”

“I was wondering…well…” Geri blew out a breath and squared her shoulders. “Is it possible…can you bring the dead back to life?”

“Bring the dead back?” Dr. Rodrigo echoed.

“Yes. We spoke to a witch who said vampires had the power to do so.” She bit her lip. “Well? Can you?”

“I don’t—” Dr. Rodrigo’s thick brows furrowed together. “Oh, I see. Yes. I mean, I suppose we can.”

Geri looked hopeful. “Even if they’ve been gone for a long time?”

“Indeed.”

Apollo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “It’s really possible? To bring a dead person back to life?”

“In a way.” He smiled sadly. “But not in the way you might think. We can raise the dead. However, I’m afraid, our definition of ‘life’ differs. See, when we raise someone from the dead, we are essentially animating its corpse, and said corpse would be in our thrall. It’s like…what do you call those movies? The ones where the dead take over the world and people have to survive?”

“Zombies?” Apollo finished.

“Ah, yes, like in those zombie movies. That person we raise back—they are gone. Their essence, or soul, existence, or whatever term you may use—that goes away when someone dies, and we cannot bring that back with them.”

Geri’s shoulders sank. “S-so, you can’t b-bring my grandmother back?”

Dr. Rodrigo sent her a sympathetic look. “Her body, yes. But whatever made her who she is, is no longer with us. Ms. Andersen, I’m so sorry if this is not the answer you wanted to hear.”

A crestfallen look flashed over her face, but she quickly replaced it with an indifferent mask. “I see. Thank you, Dr. Rodrigo. I appreciate you taking the time to answer me.” Without another word, she spun on her heel and then quickly dashed away.

“Geri, wait!” He turned to chase after her, but a cool hand landed on his forearm. “I’m sorry, I have to?—”

“I was not done, Lord Apollo,’ the vampire said. “We may not have the answer, but I might know someone who does.”

Apollo gently pulled his arm away from underneath his cold palm. “You do?”

“Yes. Someone…of your kind.”

“What do you mean? There’s someone from Mount Olympus who might know how to bring a dead person back? If you mean Hades, then I hate to tell you, he can’t.”

“No, no.” He shook his head. “Not Lord Hades. But another god of other people. His priestess, to be specific.”

“Who?”

The old vampire paused, and a nostalgic expression settled on his face. “You and I think we know death well, Lord Apollo. We have encountered it many times, but not truly. Because of our immortality, perhaps we truly can’t understand the meaning of death. I sense a great loss from within the she-wolf, and I…sympathize with Ms. Andersen, having lost so many people these last few centuries. So…I will tell you something that few people in the world know.”

A sense of foreboding seemed to loom over them, and something in Apollo’s gut told him to run away, to flee before he heard too much.

But he had to know. For Geri.

“Tell me.”

“Deep in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, is an ancient cult of Mayan priestesses who are devotees of the Maize God. Their leader is said to be one of the oldest priestesses in the New World, and her power has grown over the centuries. Her followers are fierce and true and practice ancient rituals that few dare to attempt today.”

“Who is this priestess?”

“She goes by many names, but most call her Yumil. The Lady of Maize. And if rumors are true, she can bring the dead back.”

“And how do we find her?”

“It is said that she resides in the Cenote Santa Cruz, a system of caves in Akumal, Mexico. Enter the caves and swim around, and eventually, you will feel her power in the air. Follow the power, and you’ll find her.”

The strange dread in his stomach grew, twisting into a tight knot that threatened to overwhelm him. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t want to tell Geri about Yumil. But then again, this is why they were here, and if he kept this from her, she would surely be hurt.

“Thank you, Dr. Rodrigo,” he said. “This has all been very helpful.”

“You’re welcome, Lord Apollo.” He bowed his head again. “And now, may I ask something of you?”

Here we go, Apollo thought to himself. Of course, he would want something in return. Vampires were sly and cunning creatures, after all. “What is it?”

“If you see Lady Aphrodite, could you tell her that I miss her and still think of her?”

Now that he didn’t expect. “E-excuse me?”

A fond look crossed over the vampire’s pale face. “She was very kind to me back in the day. I still think of her.”

“Er, right. I’ll convey your message to her when I see her at the next council meeting.”

Dr. Rodrigo bowed. “Thank you.”

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to find Geri.” With a quick nod, he dashed away toward the direction where Geri went. He couldn’t find her, but after asking a few members of the staff, he finally found someone who had seen her slip out of the ballroom and out onto the balcony overlooking the gardens. As soon as he stepped out, he saw her standing by the edge, a faraway look on her face.

“Geri,” he called. “Hey…”

She stiffened at the sound of his voice. “I want to be alone, Apollo. Please.”

“Sure, but I need to tell you something.”

“And what’s that?” she said, not looking at him.

“I—” Something caught in his throat, as if stopping him from telling her what Dr. Rodrigo had said. He swallowed it. “You ran away before Dr. Rodrigo could finish.”

“Finish?” Her head swung to him. “Finish what?”

“He knows someone who could bring your grandmother back.” And so, he told her about Yumil.

A myriad of expressions passed over her beautiful face—disbelief, astonishment, fear, and finally, hope. “If that’s the case, then we should go right now,” she said. “To Mexico.”

The tension that had been stretching between them all night eased, and Apollo sighed inwardly with relief. “Of course, you would say that,” he said jokingly.

“I don’t want to waste any more time,” she said.

“Alright, but we should definitely say goodbye to our hosts. It would be rude to just disappear.”

“But—”

“Geri,” he warned. “We wouldn’t have known about Yumil if it wasn’t for Marley and Dr. Rodrigo. Plus, they’ve been so nice to us. They didn’t even try to eat us,” he pointed out.

That made her smirk. “Alright. I suppose we could at least say goodbye.”

“And maybe one drink? And a dance?”

“Don’t push it.”

He laughed aloud. “Alright, let’s go.”

Apollo led her back inside, feeling much lighter than he had since last night when they fought. It seemed that from this point on, everything would be going his way.

“Argghh…goooood…blooood…”

“What the hell?” Geri cursed. “Who?—”

“What—oh hey, Uriel,” Apollo greeted the vampire, whose decrepit figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

The ancient vampire’s eyes glowed red as he stared at Apollo, tottering toward them with his cane. “Diivvvinne…bloooooorddd…”

“I’m sorry, Uriel, I’m afraid I don’t speak senile vampire.”

“I must…have you…divine blood!” The weak and frail vampire suddenly lunged forward—straight into Apollo, face twisting into a demon-like mask.

“What the fuuuuuuuuu…!” Apollo screamed. It all happened so fast that he barely had time to react. Sharp claws pierced into his shoulders as Uriel’s surprisingly strong hands dug into him and knocked him down.

“Apollo!” Geri roared.

“Geri, stay awaaaa—rrghghhh!” Apollo gurgled as Uriel’s fangs tore at his throat and his blood poured down his neck. His immortal body fought the damage, quickly healing itself, but the vampire’s fangs only sank in deeper as he continued to drain him.

“No! Uriel!” Someone—Marley perhaps—screamed. “Get him away!”

“He’s tasted divine blood!” Another voice—Dr. Rodrigo—said. “He’s unstoppable.”

“No!” Geri screamed. “Get away from him!”

Apollo tried to scream—hell, he tried to move, but he couldn’t. Despite his frail body, Uriel was much stronger than him—and growing stronger by the moment.

Like he had the strength of a god.

His vision began to fade, and he grew weaker.

So, this was what dying felt like.

He was ready to give in, to let go, when he heard a deafening growl.

His eyes shot open, and a brown blur flew overhead. A brown furry blur, it seemed. Then he found himself able to move as he realized Uriel was no longer pinning him down. Collapsing back on the floor, he closed his eyes, willing his body to heal, and he placed his hands over the wound. He had just enough strength left to close up the wound, but that would take some time. Around him, he could hear the chaos.

“Take him down!”

“He’s gonna kill her! The divine blood has given him the strength of the gods.”

His eyes shot open, and he turned toward the source of the bloody-thirsty howls and growls. The ancient vampire had a large, brown furry creature pinned to the floor, twisting and pawing at him in an attempt to fight him back.

“Geri!” he managed to scream. That had to be Geri. She had shifted into her wolf form.

Fucking Uriel.

The screams and the loud growls continued as Apollo’s neck wound knit itself back together at a snail’s pace. He watched, helpless, as the wolf fought.

When half a dozen vampires finally dove in to try and pull Uriel off Geri, he sighed in relief. At that moment, the gash in his throat stopped bleeding, and with a rush of adrenaline, he pushed himself to his feet.

“Geri!” he shouted, limping fast toward her. His heart stopped as he saw her on the floor, motionless. “No!” He knelt next to her, gut twisting in anguish.

Calm down, he told himself. He would be of no use to her if he panicked.

The she-wolf lifted its head, staring at him with familiar gray eyes.

Geri’s eyes.

However, there was something strange about them. They were glowing, like someone was shining a light behind them. He didn’t quite know why, but something about the way they shimmered made warmth flood his chest.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll fix you, and we’ll get out of here.”

Taking a deep breath, he searched the she-wolf’s furry body, finding gashes and puncture wounds on its neck and shoulders. It was bleeding, but not profusely, meaning her body was healing itself. But from the condition of the wounds, it might take a few hours before she was fully healed. So, he placed his hands over the wounds and fixed them so they were completely closed up.

The wolf left out a whimper, then slowly the muscles under its face began to shift. Then, the thick brown fur receded, and its limbs began to contract. Apollo watched, awed as the wolf turned back into Geri’s familiar form.

Without another word, he grabbed her and transported them away.