Sunshine

Sunshine

Flora_Winters

Disclaimer: I do not own Hercules the Legendary Journey's and I'm not making any money here either.

Summary: Apollo can't seem to get over the loss of someone once dear to him and that's when Aphrodite comes out to play. Throw in a little kidnapping, a bit of insanity and a dash from a certain hunky hero who can squeeze coal into diamonds. Language, MM, OC, Violence

Chapter Two

Aphrodite strolled into her nine tiered temple, trailing spiraling plumes of dew kissed silks behind her. Lush pink rose petals fell like twinkling jewels from the painted, domed ceiling, becoming sweet scented mist just inches before touching the white marble floor. Her snowy feet danced as if on air as she twirled and weaved around towering columns molded from mother of pearl.

Reaching out, she snatched hold of the golden arrow in which she had come for. She took it from her own statue's lovely hand and immediately began to weave a single dark lock from Pythian's head around the enchanted arrow's thin, shiny shaft. She breathed the secret name of LOVE upon the arrow, speaking a spell only known to her. This was a magic not even Zeus himself would be able to struggle against for long. Even Hera would soon find her long winter melting should she be pricked by it. But, this arrow was not meant for them.

"I do so love being me," she sang, spinning round and round, hugging the sparkling arrow tight. "With just a single prick, your heart will begin beating to a new song, my simple brother. A song in which I will now call Cosmic Love."

She laughed and she continued laughing some more. Suddenly, her ever-clear eyes narrowed and she stopped as if time had crawled to a dramatic, but rather sandy halt.

"If you don't want to find yourself in love with a harpy for the rest of eternity," she spoke in her most cheerful, pleasant voice. "I suggest you step out from behind that pillar right this instant, before I shoot you so full of love, your member explodes, and not in that satisfying way either."

"Member?" A female voice asked, sounding most irate. "I beg to differ, Bubbles-For-Thoughts."

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. It wasn't as if she hadn't ever heard that one before. Poseidon had called her that all the time and he was still giving chase to that poor, frightened eel.

"Well, if it isn't the future Queen of Emo herself. What brings you to my illustrious temple, Discord?" She asked, looking the pasty faced goddess over. Discord was rather pretty, but in that scary, cut you in your sleep, kind of way. "Has that ice cavern between your thighs finally thawed?"

The raven haired goddess pursed her dark lips and thunder boomed in the distance. There was no sign of amusement in that expression at all.

"I know what you're up to," the evil goddess spoke, smiling viciously. "And Ares isn't gonna like it."

That only made Aphrodite want to do what she was already going to do even more. She cocked her beautiful head to the side, playing with her shimmering locks. "And just what is Mr. I'm-So-Bad gonna do about it?"

Discord's smile became a crooked smirk. "You just do what you do best."

The goddess vanished, leaving Aphrodite to stare after her for less than half a star twinkle. Ever-clear eyes glittered and she vanished as well.

OOOOO

Bubbles, the color of blue jewels and violet twilights, danced and spun all about Pythian. He was floating on his back, in the air, watching and counting all the bubbles he could see. Each bubble held an image of some scene his mind couldn't or didn't want to try and grasp.

Warm light played along his naked flesh, dazzling his grass green eyes. He was surrounded by streaming beams of golden light and rainbow bubbles. When one popped, it made the sound a lyre would make when one of its strings were plucked by a skilled hand.

Confusion was not unknown to him. In fact, the two were really good friends. They practically held hands all the time.

Where in the world was he? What was going on? And why was his heart racing like a priest who was late for the dawn prayer?

Dawn?

Sunlight?

Light…

Warmth…

He suddenly smiled. All the bubbles around him began to glow pink and sparkle with starlight.

He floated upwards. Higher and higher he went.

The light got brighter and brighter. A white so pure it burned like a swift cut from a blade.

With open arms, he embraced it with a hug.

"Apollo…"

OOOOO

A thousand battle cries and crimson flashes from swords clashing in fierce battle did herald the God of War into his black and bloodstained temple. Seated on a throne constructed from all the bones of countless fallen warriors, Ares' dark eyes glowed red with murder. His dark locks did coil and curl about his handsome face as if each strand were poisonous smoke.

"Strife!" He boomed as did thunderous war drums.

"And I was telling him that not even the best looking of queers can pull off them ugly ass skinny jeans…"

Ares brought his fist down on the arm of his throne, causing the temple to rumble and quake.

"Strife!"

"I'm gonna have to holla back, girl. My uncle is…well…you know my uncle. Baby loves to dance in the dark."

"Me-damn it, Strife!"

There was a quaint click. Shadows parted and a thin, pale man in black stepped forward.

"Howdy, Uncle," Strife greeted the God of War with a limp wristed wave. "What's crackin'?"

Ares swiftly had him by the throat, lifting him off his booted feet. He looked into those wide, gaping eyes, giving a venomous smirk.

"Just your spine," Ares chuckled, sending the smaller deity flying across the temple. He would have to have that wall fixed later, but that would wait until after he was the victor. "Now get your ass up and tell me that you have that little boy in your custody."

Strife picked himself up and stumbled about, eyes crossed and rolling. "He's…uh…he's with my man…Uncle…"

He fell flat.

Ares clapped his hands and spun away with a hiss. Everything was going according to his master plan.

"Hit him again," a voice spoke from his left.

"Ah, yes," Ares spoke, looking over. "What say you, Discord?"

The goddess stalked down the black steps with eerie gracefulness. "I say that blond bimbo is gonna give you exactly what you need."

Ares almost did a victory dance right then and there, but he didn't have any fresh corpses to dance upon or no entrails to swing around in bloody delight. So, he did the next best thing. He sent Strife flying out to go pick up some Ambrosia Fried Chicken.

"Can I hit him when he gets back?" Discord asked. "I know he's gonna forget the gravy."

Ares tossed her the biggest club in his vault.

She gave it a few good practice swings.

"I can't wait until the twentieth century," she pined, leaning on the club with a wanton look. "Weapons of mass destruction."

Ares vigorously nodded. "It's gonna be big."

OOOOO

Aphrodite followed the glassy footprints all down the long stretch of beach. She playfully skipped from one to the other, humming a little love tune to no one in particular. The waves were far too busy gossiping with the ever-talkative sands. They didn't pay her much mind, unless she were directly addressing them, but this time, they couldn't help themselves.

"Yo," a wave addressed the blond goddess. "Apollo would be that way," it rolled in the direction.

Aphrodite looked down and gasped in horror. She'd been so pleased with herself that she hadn't been paying attention to which way the glass footprints had been heading. She'd been following them in the opposite direction this whole time.

She quickly had to save face.

"Oh, that silly Artemis. She sure fooled me. Had me going, she did." She laughed a little too hard to be convincing. "All these centuries I thought he'd been born with his feet backwards."

The waves and sands politely went right along with the goddess. She giggled some more and frolicked off in the correct direction this time.

The waves rolled and the sands rustled with collective sighs. The Goddess of Love was indeed very, very bright, but not when it came to intelligence. But, if she ever did think…well, let's rephrase that, when she does choose to think, Zeus locks himself in his own panic room, with Panic all tied up in the corner.

"Apollo!" She called out in a melodious sing-song voice. "Come out, come out wherever your are."

Her golden arrow gleamed with a terrible sharpness in the warm sunlight.

"I do so need to shout at you about a certain red heifer that's been munching away on my prize berry bushes! You know I can't make love muffins with no berries!"

OOOOO

Apollo was comfortably seated on a fallen pillar, watching how the cerulean waves broke up along the coral reef. The sun made the sea sparkle as if it were filled with glittering gold coins. He would soon continue his search for Pythian once he'd had his fill of this beautiful sight.

He could sense the youth. Pythian was lost in slumber and in no danger as far as he could tell. Should the boy call him, he'd of course come running.

"Apollo! I told you to keep your moo-monsters away from my berry bushes!"

He rolled his eyes, not looking over his broad shoulder. "Why don't you build your side of the fence a little higher then?"

The Sun God never felt the arrow until it pierced his backside, where it then exploded in a shower of sparks. He landed on his face in the sand with a loud thud.

Aphrodite was practically howling with laughter as he lifted his head, spitting sand from his mouth. He whirled around on her, letting lose with a plume of solar fire.

The Goddess of Love quickly ducked down with a startled yelp, covering her blond head with both arms. He was going to send her screaming back to Olympus extra crispy.

Aphrodite crawled behind a huge boulder. "You would dare attack a defenseless lady, you brute?"

He took aim at the boulder and let loose another flare. "You're no lady!"

The large rock cracked a bit.

"Pythian!" Aphrodite suddenly shouted (as if saying Uncle).

The name struck Apollo like a cool wave. The name sparkled in his head like a million warm lights.

A dreamy look washed away his wrath and he smiled a little dopey.

Slowly, Aphrodite raised her head up from behind the smoking boulder.

He lowered his glowing hand.

"Pythian," he spoke, turning to the sea. "Pythian…"

He needed to find him. He needed to tell him that he loved him more than all the worship in the world. All he needed was Pythian's love.

He vanished in a blinding flash of brightest white light, leaving the Goddess of Love smiling just as bright as his sudden departure.

She made herself comfortable on the same pillar Apollo had previously been occupying, looking out at the gorgeous wave breakage.

"Bitchin."

The waves pleaded the fifth.

The sands made no comments.

TBC…

Please review and tell me what you think.

~Flora