Page 54 of Charmed By Apollo

She sipped her coffee, and as the sun’s warmth kissed her skin and the gentle lullaby of the ocean surrounded her, she allowed herself to simply be lost in the beauty of the present moment.

Of course, that moment did not last. This was not some vacation, after all. She was here because she needed her grannie back.

A stabbing pain buried deep in her heart. She’d come so far, gone through so much and nearly died herself, and yet she was no closer to finding a way to bring Grannie back to life.

Well, there was one way.

“If you want a life, I must have a life back.”

The priestess’s words hung over her like a dark cloud.

Or a blade, ready to fall any moment.

She shook her head.

I can’t really be thinking about it, can I?

She pushed the thought aside—at least, she tried to. But the thought of never seeing Grannie again made her chest ache so bad. The decades ahead, her own life stretching ahead of her without Grannie being there to guide her and help her…it didn’t seem fair.

What if there was another way?

As she chewed on a piece of croissant, thoughts about death lingered in her mind. Death was inevitable, and it happened all the time. People died for no good reason. There were also people who should be dead but remained alive and thriving, like murderers, while their actions made the families of their victims suffer. Those people should be put to death.

Then there were people who were suffering. Those who were sick and dying, but because of a broken system, were not allowed to die a dignified death.

What was one more death, especially if that meant victims could find justice or the sick could find peace?

Yes…that’s it.

But before she could think on it further, Apollo’s voice reached her ears again, this time from within the room. His inquiry cut through the air, “Geri?”

Startled, she turned toward the source of the sound. “I’m out here on the balcony,” she said before stepping back into the room.

Apollo sat at the table about to take a bite of a croissant, his gaze fixed on the breakfast dishes before him.

“Couldn’t wait for me, could you?” she quipped, as she approached the table.

Apollo looked up, a sheepish smile playing on his lips. “I couldn’t resist,” he admitted, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Besides, you took your sweet time on the balcony.”

Geri chuckled, shaking her head in mock disapproval. “Well, someone had to enjoy the view,” she retorted, standing beside him.

He pulled her close and hugged her, pressing his face against her tummy.

“Where’d you go?” she asked, running her fingers through his hair.

He looked up at her, and his expression turned solemn for a moment before he responded, his voice tinged with a hint of weariness. “Council business,” he replied simply, his gaze briefly flickering away before returning to meet hers. “The Olympians are still trying to figure out what to do since Zeus was banished to Tartarus.”

“Oh, yeah. Demeter told me about it. How you gods need to figure out who should rule Olympus.”

Apollo nodded, a heavy sigh escaping him as he glanced around the room, his thoughts seemingly elsewhere.

“Why don’t you volunteer for it?” she joked.

“No thanks,” he said with a wry grin, shaking his head. “I’ve had my fill of drama for several lifetimes, thank you very much.”

“Fair enough,” she conceded and nodded understandingly. “Let’s leave the drama to someone else, shall we?”

He reached out and gently tugged her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. Leaning in, he planted a soft kiss on her lips, his touch warm and tender. When they parted, he flashed her a charming smile. “You know,” he murmured. “I could definitely get used to waking up like this every morning.”

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