Page 42 of Arrogance
“Well, I’m relieved to hear you say that. But not everyone approved of mine and Apollo’s relationship,” I confessed.
“Oh? Well, who would be concerned with the two of you together? And whatever for?” Aphrodite questioned with interest.
“Artemis. Apparently, she threatened Apollo. She caught us making love on the Shrine of Delphi, which is one of the most sacrilegious things one can do to violate the respect of the gods,” I added. “She warned him, stating that he needed to stay away from me forever, or else she would run off and tell Zeus about what we did. Surely, he would kill me for such an offense,” I explained.
“How cruel of her!” Aphrodite exclaimed. “Artemis is more callous than I had originally thought. Who would force their own twin brother to make such an arduous decision?”
Aphrodite was right. Artemis was ruthless for putting Apollo through such turmoil. “I don’t know. But I cannot believe she would prevent Apollo from being with the man he loves.”
She shook her head. “I can believe it, Adonis. Artemis is selfish and only cares about herself. She tries to force everyone around her to uphold her values. You and Apollo being together obviously outraged her. Otherwise, she would never have forced the both of you to separate from each other.”
“It’s hard to fathom how a goddess who is so well respected could be so spiteful,” I thought out loud. “But on the contrary, for some reason, I feel like Apollo just gave up on me, too. It’s as if he barely put up a fight to try and keep us together.”
Aphrodite let out a deep sigh, placing her hands on my cheeks, holding my face so that I was gazing directly into her gorgeous hazel-green eyes. “Apollo is a powerful god, Adonis. He will live for an eternity. You, on the other hand, do not have such a luxury. Apollo is aware that he can easily dispose of you and move on with his life, knowing he will have forever to find other men and women to love. I’m sorry to have to make you realize this, but gods and goddesses like Apollo and Artemis are incapable of authentic love. Don’t you see that?”
I couldn’t believe it. I wouldn’t dare believe it. Apollo had to have loved me. Our commitment to each other was so real. That spark of passion that existed between us was nearly tangible. At least that’s what I thought. I never considered that Apollo could potentially be lying to me. Assuaging me only to have sex and then get rid of me the moment he could. Now, my mind was spinning in circles, wondering if he set this whole thing up. What if he was treacherous enough to tell Artemis that we would be at Delphi and he arranged this whole thing so that he could get rid of me without having to take any blame for it?
Now that I thought about it, it was very suspicious that Artemis appeared when she did. The timing was optimal, but also too coincidental. I began to question all of Apollo’s intentions with me. What if he really wasn’t the god I had thought him to be? What if he was putting on this loving and carefree performance the entire time we had been together? The more I questioned his motives, the more I began to doubt what we had together wasauthenticlove, as Aphrodite put it.
“Perhaps I have been mistaken. Do you really think Apollo lied to me?” I reluctantly asked her.
She nodded. “I hate to say it, but gods lie all the time, Adonis. You should be well aware of that. Especially the male gods. Their pride gets the best of them. They disregard everyone else’s feelings but their own. Apollo is no exception.”
“But you haven’t deceived me, Goddess. You’ve only ever looked out for me, saving me from the Underworld, loving me, and even now shunning my perfidy.” As I stated this, I began to internalize the merit of it. Aphrodite has done nothing but love and show her support for me. Yet, I completely walked all over her by falling in love with a god who was evidently unworthy of my love. “I am so grateful to you, Aphrodite.”
I threw my arms across her and pulled her into my body. She planted her lips on mine, reminding me once again of how soft to the touch she really is. Closing our eyes, we passionately kissed. “I’m grateful for you too, Adonis. But I will not stand by and allow others to hurt you the way they have,” she resolved.
“I feel the same way. I want to make Apollo and Artemis pay for what they put me through. They should never be allowed to get away with toying with me the way they did,” I declared.
“Oh. They will pay, Adonis. Mark my words, both of them will pay! Just you wait!” she promised.
And I knew Aphrodite well enough to know that she always stuck to her word.
Today was the day of Artemis’ annual archery competition. Aphrodite managed to convince me to attend, despite my reservations. “You need to show up, Adonis. Let Apollo and Artemis see how well you’re doing, as if what they did had no effect on you. It will be a huge slap in the face to them,” she explained.
“I guess you’re right. I wouldn’t mind boasting in front of Artemis that I beat her years ago. I’m sure it eats away at her, knowing she was defeated by a mortal at her own game.” Since that day I first met Apollo and Artemis at this very same competition years ago where I came out victorious, I’ve never competed in the event again. My suspicions led me to believe that I had a streak of luck that year. My confidence in my archery skills has since diminished, and I would rather walk away from the competition as a champion and never have to compete again, risking the chance of losing. Plus, I was able to throw around the idea that I beat the Goddess of the hunt herself and she could never say that she ever beat me in return.
But as much confidence as I had when I entered the stadium, I was not expecting the full force of anguish to overcome me when I saw Apollo once again. My cockiness had abated. Flashbacks of moments of passion hit me, depicting the two of us naked on the beach, wrapped in each other’s arms.
I was up high in the stands with Aphrodite in a private section prepared specifically for gods and goddesses to sit in, a custom tradition which separates them from the common mortal spectators. But down below, I was able to make out Apollo with his golden bow and arrows in his hands. It was never difficult to spot him. He always stood out in a large crowd. His captivating and radiant body and face instantly drew my attention, and likely everyone else’s.
Pain struck me as I watched him fire his shots at the targets. His muscles contracted so tightly as he made his aim. It only made me miss that thick and burly flesh wrapped around me. I had a melancholy expression on my face over the thought, not even realizing it.
Aphrodite was able to pick up on my sudden change of heart as well. “It’s better to see him now from afar than up close, where you won’t be able to hide those emotions,” she stated. “Best to get it out of your system now and prepare to make yourself stern when the time comes for us to greet them.”
I immediately turned my head to glance at Aphrodite, surprised by what she just informed me of. “We’re going to greet them!?”
“Yes. Of course we are. We didn’t come all this way just to sit and actually watch the competition in its entirety for nothing. Like I mentioned earlier, Apollo and Artemis need to see how unbothered we are by them. It’s imperative that we maintain our pride and dignity in front of them. It shows that we hold the power. Not them,” Aphrodite explained.
This was a game that I was used to playing my entire life. I always put on a façade in front of others and used my gorgeous looks and confidence to always get my way. However, I didn’t have to do any of that when it came to Apollo. Being around him allowed me to let my guard down. And so, I dreaded the idea of having to show this side to him. But it had to be done. He has caused so much hurt to me. He and Artemis both.
Hours went by before the final match between Artemis and Apollo took place, which lasted hours in itself. It came as no surprise to anyone when Artemis came out on top, winning the annual tournament once again for what seemed like the countless time. As the crowd erupted in loud roars and chants to show her support, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
These people all thought she was this admirable and gracious goddess, when instead she was truly a vicious, nefarious creature. I wish others could see that true side of her. It left me bitter to no end to know how misguided these naïve mortals were.
Aphrodite distracted my hostile thoughts by reaching for my hand. “Come. Let us congratulate her on hershockingvictory,” she smugly remarked.
I held her hand tightly, and we made our way down to the stadium grounds. I found myself deeply inhaling and exhaling, preparing myself for this ill-fated interaction. Sure enough, as we made our way onto the arena floor, I could see Apollo and Artemis in a conversation with some other hunter I had never seen before in my life.
