 Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “blue”. Again, this story is in a state of change. As I thought of the characters, I realized that the story shouldn’t end the way I planned and that my characters need to take on new relationships with each other. I think I have it mapped out now. I think. **Warning - There are adult situations and adult language.** Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  Khalil tucked himself closer to Apollo as he looked out the window across the deep blue ocean that was right outside the god’s door. His anxiety felt like a wire pulled tight about to snap. It was one thing to almost kill the man he had fallen so deeply in love with. It was entirely another to have the entire Pantheon on his ass over something he couldn’t control.
He’d give up his existence to be free of Hassan. Maybe it was time to find a way to do that. “I can lend an additional set of eyes when I hit the sky tomorrow morning,” Apollo volunteered. There was a noticeable recoil from Deirdre at his words. Khalil didn’t blame her for it. Apollo was barely able to make it off the bed much less back to work. Poseidon raised a hand up to stop him. “You need to rest and heal. We weren’t made to take a beating like you and Athena did. She’s still limping from that attack Namtar inflicted on her.” He gestured to Deirdre and Khalil. “It looks like you are in great hands right now so enjoy it. I’ve already had a talk with Helios to cover for you. He insisted that he had to do it the old way so your chariot is missing. Whatever makes the ancient fart happy. He needs to get out more anyway. He gets crankier every year he stays holed up in that forest. A little activity will do him good.” Apollo let out a little huff. “Fine.” “Do you really think you can go through another fight right now?” Deirdre demanded. Apollo’s shoulders sunk a bit as he looked at her. There was a tenderness in his gaze as he took her in. A tinge of jealousy hit Khalil in the heart. He didn’t know who for though. Truthfully, he loved the little spitfire as much as he did the sun god. He never had someone to care about. All he had were cruel masters who cared for nothing but their own desires. This was the first time he wanted to stay. He wanted to be a family with them. “Probably not,” Apollo admitted. Deirdre turned towards the god of the ocean. “We’ll take good care of him. Have no worries about that.” “Excellent.” Poseidon turned his attention back to Apollo. “I will update you if I learn of anything.” “Fantastic. Be careful, Uncle.” “I will.” There was a brief splash of water and Poseidon was gone. The rug where he was once standing was bone dry. It was quite the visual effect.
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 Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “scout”. Again, this story is in a state of change. As I thought of the characters, I realized that the story shouldn’t end the way I planned and that my characters need to take on new relationships with each other. I think I have it mapped out now. I think. **Warning - There are adult situations and adult language.** Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  “You know, you could help.”
Deirdre’s voice shook Khalil out of his thoughts. He huffed to himself then made his way to the bed. He settled on the mattress beside the god, resting his hand on the mattress to conjure up more bandages and tape. Taking a piece of gauze, he mopped at the blood across Apollo’s ribcage. A string of muttered curses made him look up into Apollo’s eyes. He could have sworn he saw all the constellations in the heavens gazing back at him. “I’m sorry for what I said,” Khalil admitted. “Of course human life is important to me. But after being imprisoned by mortals for thousands of years and being forced to perform like a trained monkey for them while I make their desires come true, sometimes it’s hard to care.” Khalil turned his focus back to Apollo’s injury. He noticed Deirdre staring at him out of the corner of his eyes. By the expression on her face, it seemed like she understood what he was saying. “It’s fine,” Apollo replied. It didn’t sound genuine to Khalil. It must have been enough of an olive branch to end the argument. Khalil and Deidre continued to bandage Apollo’s wounds in silence. The jinn was so engrossed in his work he never noticed the three lovers were no longer alone. “Oh-kay. Didn’t know you got a posse, nephew.” Apollo shifted from the spot he sat to shrug off the other two. Khalil and Deidre sat back as well. The man standing at the end of the bed was tall with long, dark hair. He didn’t bother with a shirt. His entire body rippled with muscle which blended well with the board shorts and flip flops. He had to be the biggest surfer Khalil had ever seen. And he called Apollo “nephew”. That had to mean that he was… “Didn’t know I had to run my friends by you, Poseidon. What brings you here?” “I wanted to check on you. You took one hell of a beating. Had you not gotten out of that tear when you did, you’d be…” Poseidon’s voice trailed off. The emotion was a sucker punch in Khalil’s gut. He muttered a curse under his breath. Yep. It was that bad. “So now what do we do?” Apollo questioned. He reached out to tug Khalil to one side of him and Deirdre to the other. It didn’t seem to phase the god of the ocean. “I talked to Hades. Zeus’s wishes that we remain hidden in the mortal world got thrown out the window. He should have thought about that before he forced us off Olympus. I have scouts throughout the planet looking for tears. Doesn’t matter where - underworld, ocean, land, air. They are to report the second we see one. We’re going to track down whoever is doing this and we will end it for good. I promise you that.”  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. This week is a picture prompt. Again, this story is in a state of change. As I thought of the characters, I realized that the story shouldn’t end the way I planned and that my characters need to take on new relationships with each other. I think I have it mapped out now. I think. **Warning - There are adult situations and adult language.** Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  He stopped short at the threshold of the bedroom door. There was more than a gash across Apollo’s ribs. Sitting in his briefs on the bed, it was evident that he took a beating while in the tear trying to save the mortal. His flesh was peppered with dark purple blotches. The slashes on his thighs left droplets of blood on the pure white sheets. The heel of his right foot was shredded, leaving a puddle of crimson beneath it.
Deirdre lounged against the pillows, gently brushing the hair from the gods face. At the sight of the jinn, she pressed a kiss to Apollo’s brow. She glared at Khalil as she stood and paced the few steps to the foot of the bed. She lifted her palm towards Khalil. The bandages that the jinn held flew from his hands into hers. With a huff, she slumped on the mattress. She carefully took Apollo’s unfurled foot in her hands then rested it on her leg. She bit her lower lip in deep concentration as she wrapped the gauze around his heel. Khalil crossed the room to her. “I could have brought that to you.” “Didn’t seem like it. You looked like a deer in headlights.” She patted the top of Apollo’s foot and gave him a smile. “One down. A whole lot more to go.” The god returned the grin. “You make one hell of a nurse.” “From you, that’s a hell of a compliment.” Deirdre turned back to Khalil. He cringed at the feeling of judgement he felt coming from her. He didn’t need her condemnation. He already hated himself. Seeing the man he loved bleeding from his own actions tore him to shreds. He hissed a quiet curse against Hassan. If he ever got the chance to kill the son of a bitch, he would.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “deepen”. Again, this story is in a state of change. As I thought of the characters, I realized that the story shouldn’t end the way I planned and that my characters need to take on new relationships with each other. I think I have it mapped out now. I think. **Warning - There are adult situations and adult language.** Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  It was nearly impossible to wake up when surrounded by so many warm blankets and pillows. Deirdre felt like she was sleeping on literal clouds. Considering whose bed she was in, it was possible they once were. He was the Greek god of the sun, after all.
She rose her head up an inch to take in the setting sun. It was also enough to tell that she was alone. She had no idea where Khalil had gone. The suspicion she held gnawed at her heart. He could be off sabotaging the gods again. That was if it really was him. She truly wasn’t sure. And right now, sunk deep in Apollo’s bed aching from a day of lovemaking with Khalil, it was hard to care. The slamming door startled her, making her bolt upright in the bed. She gripped the sheet to her bare skin as she blinked at the hallway outside the bedroom. Her heart thundered in her chest at the intrusion. It took quite a bit to frighten one of her kind. Somehow, that bang did it well. At the sound of deep voices below, she tumbled out of bed in search of her clothes. She sat on the bed to slide her legs into her jeans then wiggled her t-shirt over her head. Leaving her boots behind, she hurried down the stairs in her bare feet. Apollo sat hunched over on the couch, the points of his elbows digging into his thighs. His lips twisted in a snarl. With each growl he let loose, Deirdre could see the tension lines in his brow deepen. She had never seen the god so furious before. Khalil stood with his arm crossed over his chest on the other side of the coffee table from Apollo. He stared at the god. By the frown on face he looked irritated at the deity. Despite the lack of communication between them, she could guess that they were at odds. Oh, the earlier yelling tipped her in that direction as well. She sucked in a breath then crossed the living room. Settling next to Apollo on the sofa, she caressed his cheek gently. She thought she felt him lean into her touch. “What’s wrong?” she asked him. Apollo glared at Khalil. “There is another tear. This time it swallowed a mortal whole along with a passenger bus which luckily was empty except the poor soul that went with it.”  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “anxious”. This story is in a state of change. As I thought of the characters, I realized that the story shouldn’t end the way I planned and that my characters need to take on new relationships with each other. Deirdre has already changed what she is twice (she is now a Fomoir). **Warning - There are adult situations and adult language.** Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  The feel of fingers threading through her hair woke Deirdre from slumber that held her tight in its grip. She pried her eyes open as she sat upright. The room was still dark except the faint glow of dawn coming from the wall of windows behind her that faced the ocean. The sounds of masculine chuckles rang in her ears.
Apollo smiled down at her, wrapped in a thick, white bathrobe. Khalil stood behind him in a pair of midnight blue silk pajama pant. The garment complimented the deep patterns of ink in his skin. “You should have come up and joined us,” Apollo chided her. “I didn’t want to disturb you,” she quipped back. “You could never do that, beautiful.” Apollo bent down and pressed a kiss to her lips. He straightened up then reached, cupping his fingers around Khalil’s neck. He tugged the djinn to him for a deep kiss as well. He broke the embrace then glanced between them. “I need a cup of coffee before I head to work. Anyone want one?” Khalil grinned at him. “Sure, if you’re offering.” “Of course.” Apollo turned to Deirdre. “How about you? Want a cup of joe to wake you up?” “I’ll pass,” Deirdre replied. She noticed the slight twitch of the god’s head as he observed her. He must have sensed something was off. He could keep wondering what it was. She would never admit to him that it bothered her to her core that he confessed his love to Khalil instead of her. Even though his stare made her a little anxious. “Alrighty then. I’ll be in the kitchen.” Apollo shuffled off into the other room, out of sight. Khalil settled beside Deirdre on the couch, draping a muscular arm along to top of it behind her. The closeness of his body against hers made her shiver. It didn’t stop her from her mission. “Where were you yesterday?” she demanded. He scowled at her. “I had things to do.” “Like?” “Like it’s none of your business. Like you, I have duties.” “Any of them include an airplane at Heathrow?” His brow tightened as his countenance grew darker. His dark eyes burned like hot coals. “I had wishes to grant.” “At Heathrow.” “To a 10-year-old boy in Florida who asked for ice cream. Then he wanted bubble gum. Finally he wanted bubble gum ice cream, which frankly is horrid stuff. So no, I wasn’t at Heathrow. I’m sorry to disappoint you.”  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “stuck”. **Warning - There are adult situations and adult language.** Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  The bar was dead quiet for what should have been a loud, crazy night. Deirdre tossed back her tumbler of whiskey. With a huff she glanced down to the floor and scraped off a lump of mud that was stuck on her boot with the toe of the other one she wore.
She had half expected to find Apollo and Khalil sitting on their usual stools, flirting up a storm like the first couple times that she watched them. She was transfixed by the way they stared at each other. The caresses came next. That sent her heart fluttering. She was stunned when Apollo kissed her first and then Khalil. Both were a heady high she had never experienced in the hundreds of years she had been alive. Yet, she didn’t recall them ever looking at her like they did at each other. Maybe she was a challenge they wanted to add to their budding relationship. She had no idea. She just knew that her heart was invested in this scheme if she wanted it to be or not. It was time to find her fellas and come to the bottom of all the chaos going on in her black soul. She knew where Apollo lived in this mortal world. She’d start there. The quicker she could find a way to cut them loose, the faster she could go back to the way life was before them. She lacked the ambition to dig out her wallet from her back pocket to pay the barkeep. When his back was turned, she laid her hand on the top of the bar. Lifting it, a pile of bills, which included a generous tip, appeared. She called out “goodnight” then got off the stool to head to the door. She didn’t bother to walk to the beach house. If Apollo could pop in and out of places, so could she. She twisted the doorknob expecting to have to produce even a little more magic. The battle she was part of earlier that day and the continent hopping that happened afterward was leaving her drained. The door creaked open for her without her influence. She nudged it further open, finding a discarded shirt in the foyer. It was a tell-tale sign that someone was home. The sounds coming from the upstairs bedroom area confirmed it for her. Like a siren song, it led her up the stairs and down the hall to the open door.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “stuck”. **Warning - There are adult situations and adult language.** Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  “It’s fine,” Khalil muttered.
“Have you bedded him yet?” It felt like a knife twisted in Khalil’s heart. He seduced Apollo because he couldn’t resist the command from Hassan. He was forced to. However he treasured those intimate moments more than the air he breathed. He had no idea what love felt like. He had never experienced the emotion. Was that what he was feeling now? He hated feeling stuck and powerless like this. “None of your fucking business,” he finally answered. “Pardon me. What did you say?” The blazing pain tore through Khalil again, forcing him to fall to his knees as the air escaped his lungs. He couldn’t endure much more. He had never been tortured like this before. He also hadn’t spouted off like this. He needed to get himself under control. Hassan was a sadistic lunatic. He had to have more up his sleeve to hurt the djinn. “I have. It’s done,” Khalil gasped. This time the relief felt like being plunged into a frozen lake. “Good. Continue to earn his trust. I have a plan to end them all as they defend their home.” Panic gripped Khalil’s heart. “End them all? You can’t. The world will fall into chaos.” “Chaos that I will relish in as ruler of all. And then our partnership will be done. You will be freed. You should want this as much as me. Now go. Find your new lover. I will summon you when I’m ready for you to rend reality again.” Hassan stared at Khalil for a long, hard moment before he retreated into the house. Khalil slumped into the grass, dropping his forehead onto the ground. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to betray the god. He wish he couldn’t end his existence. And then there was Deirdre. The thought of the hellfire bolted him upright. She had seen him at the airport. She stared into his eyes. He knew by her reaction that she recognized him. Did she already tell Apollo about it? Was this plot already over? He shook his head to scatter his doubts. There was only one way to find out. He thought about the god. Deirdre, the beach house. A moment later, he was gone.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week we’re with Apollo, Khalil and Deirdre in the next Gods of DC book (still untitled). This week is a picture prompt. **Warning - There are adult situations and adult language.**  Khalil dug his hands in his pockets as he trudged through the tall grass towards the weathered farmhouse. He glanced over his shoulder at the forest he had just hiked through. Why Hassan picked places like this to meet after each of the djinn’s attacks was still beyond Khalil.
He turned back to the house and huffed. Speaking of the devil, his master was already standing at the door with a sour scowl on his face. The glare Hassan gave him didn’t urge Khalil to pick up his pace. If anything, it slowed him up a bit. “Another failure,” Hassan reprimanded as he crossed his arms over the cable knit sweater he wore. Didn’t the asshole realize it was summer? “I’m sorry. I opened the doorway to the next reality. Hell, I unlocked a path to feudal Japan around an airplane. What more did you want from me?” “For you obey the wish I asked for. I asked that you send the gods and goddesses of Olympus into another realm where they will be slaughtered. Alas, they’re still here. “Yeah, you abused that, you bastard.” “Excuse me?” Hassan didn’t need to use the magic he possessed to abuse Khalil. When the curse came out of the djinn’s mouth, he knew the fiery pain would consume him. He clenched his fingers into tight fists to fight it. Blood pooled around his fingernails as they bit into his palms. It was pure agony and only one thing would stop it. He gritted his teeth as he spoke the word. “Master.” “That’s better.” Cool relief filled him just as quickly as the pain began. The difference between the two sensations was staggering. Khalil stumbled back a few steps as he struggled to control his senses. “And how are things going with the god, Apollo?” Hassan interrogated.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “year”. **Warning - There are adult situations and adult language.** Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  Apollo helped her to a barstool nestled beside a long, weathered bar. Behind it was shelf after shelf of multicolored bottles filled with liquor. Deirdre focused on the shades of glass until her vision stabilized. Maybe if she stared at them long enough, the gods and goddesses behind her would disappear.
A deep voice, not that of her lover, boomed behind her. “Now that we’re in a safe place, we need to talk about what just happened.” “Do you think that’s wise? There are those among us who don’t belong,” another voice countered. “Excuse me?” That voice was clearly Apollo. Deirdre dug her nails into the wood of the bar top. They were talking about her and it was pissing her off to no end. The first voice spoke again. “I’m with Apollo. I watched his friend fight with us. She was clearly on our side and we could use all the help we can get. And she isn’t the first magical being in our little family. She’ll fit in great with Juliet, Mac, and Freddy. We’ve been struggling with these tears in reality for nearly a year. We need allies, not enemies.” “Speak for yourself, Poseidon. I highly doubt we’ll get along well.” Deirdre didn’t have to ask who that was. She’d remember Prince Frederick’s voice until her last day of existence. “Bro, introduce us,” a feminine voice snapped. Apollo laid a hand on Deirdre’s shoulder and met her gaze. She nodded and stood. He tucked her beneath his arm then turned her to face the others. “Everyone, this is Deirdre. She is a Pooka. If you want to know what that is, ask Freddy or Google it. I can tell you that she’s not human.” He pointed to the large man in the board shorts and began. “This is my Uncle Poseidon. Next to him is Uncle Hades. That’s Athena, her husband Mac, Ares and his wife Juliet, my twin Artemis, my Aunt Demeter. And, well, you know Freddy.” “Hi,” Deidre replied weakly. “Hey,” Athena returned the greeting. “It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for your help.” “Don’t mention it. Happy to help.” “Just curious. How do you know Freddy?” Ares insisted. “For fuck’s sakes, bro. You have absolutely no tact.” Athena rolled her eyes.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “holiday”. **Warning - There are adult situations and adult language.** Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Tuesday Tales! Click here to take a look!  Deirdre looked away from him. “It’s a long story.”
“And we have a long way to walk to find a private place to ghost,” Apollo countered. “I thought he said to take a cab.” She pointed in the direction of the man in the suit storming through the crowd of people. “Dad is the only one going to take a cab. The rest of us are ghosting.” “So that’s…” “Zeus. My dad. Yeah.” Apollo took her hand and led her in the opposite direction. They strode along in silence past the ticket counters, gift shops, and posters advertising travel deals for the upcoming holiday. Apollo directed them both towards the parking structure, not saying a word until they were a dozen rows deep into parked cars. “So, Freddy,” Apollo reminded. “How is he even part of your group?” Deirdre demanded. Apollo let go a heavy sigh. “He was Ares high priest until he met and fell in love with my aunt Demeter. Now, to help us maintain these tears in reality which originated in the Underworld, he took his trials with Mac and is a demigod. Now, for the last time, how do you know him?” Deirdre huffed. Guilt gnawed at her heart. “I’m not a Banshee. I’m a Pooka. I’m a dangerous fairy with a taste for violence. Over a hundred years ago, I was under the control of a madman. He sent me to kill Prince Frederick, the newborn son of the brother of the Leprechaun king. I disguised myself as a banshee to hide my deed. The child’s mother discovered me and threw something at me. I should have killed her as well but I panicked. I swiped a claw across the child’s abdomen then fled.” She paused. “It looks like he survived.” “Yeah, he did. And now he’s pissed.” He tightened his grip on her hand. She watched as he glanced around their surroundings. “Hang on. We’re leaving.” “What do you mean we’re…” The scene around her blurred and disappeared. A moment later, she was standing on the worn wooden floor of a large bar. A handful of the gods and goddesses were already there, chatting among themselves. Apollo let her hand go but recaptured it as her knees buckled and began to collapse. She felt his strong arms wrap around her. This was all too much. |
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