 Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “lonely”. 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 two of them sat in silence sipping their drinks. Apollo sucked in a breath to stop his thundering heart. He had to say something. He sure as hell didn’t want her to get away.
He cleared his throat before he broke the quiet tension. “So, what did he give you?” She lifted the glass to analyze the bubbles floating to the surface of the glass. “Jim, Jack, Johnnie and Jose. A Four Horseman. I’m sure the fella down there at the end of the bar thinks this will knock me off my stool. Little does he know it takes a few of these for me to even feel a buzz.” Apollo couldn’t stop himself from gaping at her. That was a shitload of alcohol in a glass. By the playful smirk that she gave him she must have seen his mouth hit the top of the bar. Deirdre cocked her head towards the back of the bar. “There’s a couple of pool tables. Wanna play?” Apollo took a swig of beer. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Deirdre’s brow slightly creased as she gave him an irritated look. “Why not?” He smirked at her. “Because I’m that good. I’d feel bad when I beat you.” She chuckled at him. “Don’t flatter yourself. I can wield a pool stick as well as I can drink.” “That sounds like a challenge. Shall we wager on it?” “Of course we should.” “And if you win?” There was a mischievous twinkle in Deirdre’s gaze. Apollo couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol or lust. He prayed to Olympus it was lust. It would match the fire burning in his core. “I want a kiss,” she bartered. “And if you win?” He stood and closed the space between them. He wrapped an arm around her waist as he cupped the back of her neck in his other hand, tilting her head up to his. His voice was thick as he spoke. “I want a hell of a lot more than a kiss.” She skimmed her lower lip with the tip of her tongue. “You’re on.” He dipped his mouth to hers, parting her lips in the kiss she had bet him for. He could taste the alcohol on her tongue. It was enough to make him lightheaded. She rose off the stool to deepen it, her body melting against his as she clung to his arms holding her. A cough at the other end of the bar was what finally broke them apart from each other. The barkeep must have had a thing against public displays of affection in his establishment. Deidre caressed Apollo’s cheek. “That pool game?” she reminded him. He pressed a kiss to her brow. “You’ve got the first shot.” “How kind of you.”
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 Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week we’re with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. This week is a picture prompt. Normally I issue my standard boilerplate greeting with these, but I think I need to tell a little story to explain Apollo, Khalil and Deirdre. While I was researching the god, I was reminded that he had an extensive list of male and female lovers. I told my teenage daughter, “It looks like I’m writing another MMF book.” My daughter, who knows I’m writing Apollo and is a HUGE Rick Riordan fan, answered, “Uh, yeah, you are.” Now, Khalil and Deirdre have some secrets of their own but we’ll get there... **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!  She waved at the bartender. “Whiskey, neat.” She turned back to Apollo. “Ireland. The Emerald Isle.”
“Oh. What brings you to this little dive bar in the middle of California?” She grinned at him. It was about as amazing as the rest of her. “Work. I travel all over the world except home. I haven’t been home for a long time.” He watched her accept the tumbler with a nod, then toss nearly the entire glass back. She wiggled a finger at the rows of rainbow colored bottles lined up on the wooden shelf below a lit up “bar” sign. Like they didn’t know where they already were. “I need something a little stronger,” she instructed the barkeep. The poor guy looked as stunned as Apollo felt but shuffled off to fulfill her request. Deirdre must have noticed the dumbstruck look that Apollo knew was on his face because she shrugged and continued. “What? I like my liquor.” He waved his hands in protest. “No judgement here. You do you, boo.” She laughed as she sipped at the second tumbler. “You’re cute.” “I try.” “So what do you do for a living, Brody?” Apollo took a second to revisit the story he made up for his mortal persona. “I work in energy, particularly light.” He noticed her take him in from head to toe. “Uh. Not what I pegged you as.” He cocked a grin at her. “What did you think I did?” “The bleach blond hair, the sun tan, I figured you did something with the ocean. Perhaps you were a marine biologist. Or a beach bum.” He chuckled. “Close. I surf for fun. Quite a bit, actually. One of the benefits of living right on the water.” “I’d like to watch you sometime.” His gaze focused on her lips. As much as he missed Khalil, he was aching to kiss her. “I’d like that, too.”  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “lonely”. 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 sparse when Apollo slipped inside. A couple of guys sat at the bar. A bunch of girls pushing the drinking age curled up in the back corner booth. There were so few patrons in the room that the jukebox pumped out the tunes at an abnormally loud volume.
It was certainly an exact opposite from the last time he was here, the night he left with Khalil. His mind filled with the image of the djinn as he settled on his typical stool at the bar. He let out a heavy breath. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should just go home. But then again the aftermath of his family’s little family meeting left his nerves quaking. He motioned to the bartender for a beer then slumped in his seat. Just a couple of drinks then he could go home and wallow in his broken heart “Is this spot taken?” Apollo spun towards the thick Celtic accent. The redhead he saw that night he left with Khalil stood beside him. “Sorry?” he countered. “You just look so lonely, I thought you could use some company.” She offered her hand to him. “My name’s Deirdre. What’s yours?” Apollo took it and gave it a firm shake. A moment later, he pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Brody Lynch. Or just Brody. You can call me Brody. And yeah. Sure. Pop a squat.” “Thank you, kind sir.” She dropped on the stool next to him. “So where is your friend?” Apollo’s brow creased in confusion. “Friend?” “The man you left with the other night. You two looked close.” Apollo took a swig of his beer. “We’re not that close. You’re right. He’s just a friend.” “Huh.” He slowly took her in from head to toe. Fiery red hair, beautiful eyes, ivory skin, dressed in a tight t-shirt and blue jeans. Biker boots peeked from beneath the hem of denim. She was breathtaking. He fidgeted on his stool. It was suddenly really uncomfortable to sit on. “Amazing accent. Where are you from, Deirdre?"  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “lonely”. 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!  Poseidon glanced around the room before continuing. “I think the only ones missing now are Pan and Dionysus, neither of which will be coming, I’m sure. I don’t think I can deal with a bunch of sex-crazed nymphs right now anyway. Let’s get started. I was surveying my kingdom when I got a summons from Apollo. I thought maybe it was finally an invite to go surfing with him and Freddy.” He glared at the two of them. “Instead I found the two of them and a tear in reality large enough to take out a municipal beach in San Diego.”
Artemis sighed dramatically. “And that affects us how?” Poseidon’s eyes narrowed as he glared at her. “You, of all people, should know, Artemis. You’ve been on the other side of one of those tears. How did it feel to be mortal? You could have died at any second. That was no big deal to you?” Artemis let go a laugh. Apollo noticed his twin's skin pale a little. “You’re being overdramatic, Uncle.” “Am I? Enough with the bravado. We’re your family and we all know that your bark is worse than your bite.” Apollo stepped in before they all witnessed just how vicious his sister’s bite really was. “What can we do, Uncle?” “We need to find out where these things are coming from. Once we find the source, we’ll shut this shit down. We have practically every natural element represented in this room. If you see anything unusual,report it. I’ll take point on this. I’ll coordinate all information. Find something? Bring it to me. Then as a group of us, we’ll trace it back. Cool?” Every god, goddess and demigod nodded silently in agreement. Poseidon gave one last tip of his head in agreement. “Very well. Anyone got anything else?” “Just conclude this affair so we can go,” Zeus demanded. “Of course, dearest brother. Class dismissed.” Zeus stormed past them all as he exited the room. No one missed him ram his shoulder into Freddy in a sign of passive aggressive behavior. The leprechaun growled beneath his breath as he watched the king disappear. Hera bobbled the glass in her hand for a few seconds before she sat it on the end table and hurried after him on wobbly legs. Hestia breezed to the center of the room. By the wide gestures she made with her arms, it was obvious that she was trying to lower the thick tension in the room. “I can have a pot of stew on the stove in a matter of moments for those who wish to stay for supper.” There were murmurs of agreement among them all. Apollo turned towards the door leading out of the sunroom. Freddy caught his arm with the hand not cradling an infant. “You’re not staying?” Apollo gave him a small smile. “After this? I really need a drink.” With a nod, he strolled from the sunroom into the dark corridor, away from the craziness that was his family.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “slowly”. 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!  And speaking of Aunt Demeter, she slowly rose from her own chair at the sight of Freddy, balancing an infant in each arm. Her stride was far from sluggish as she hurried across the sunroom and deposited the little girl into her father’s embrace. It was accompanied with a growl and a warning to behave himself.
Freddy responded with a heavy sigh to his wife and a roll of his eyes. Apollo had to bite his lower lip to stop himself from busting out loud with laughter. Zeus snarled at Poseidon. “What is all this about, brother?” Poseidon raised his hand. “We need to wait for the others. This is far too important to have little discussions among one or two members of the family.” Zeus snorted. “I am far too busy to wait for the likes of my degenerate son to arrive with that creature…” “The tears are in the human world now, Zeus. I just witnessed one nearly swallow a beach and every mortal enjoying it. Now you see why we need everyone?” The king snapped his mouth shut. Apollo couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed in dear old Dad. For being the almighty King of the Greek gods, he acted like a toddler at times. A moment of thick silence later, Artemis strolled in looking as calm and collected as she normally did. She shrugged off her leather biker’s jacket off then slumped into an overstuffed velvet covered chair. She seemed annoyed but then she always appeared that way. Hades and Ares stormed in right after her with Persephone and Juliet by their sides. Athena and Mack followed them hand in hand, choosing the window seat to perch on. If the tension wasn’t high enough yet, it could be cut with a knife at this point. Each god agreed to work together to end these rends in reality. They sure as hell didn’t forget that Zeus banished Hades to Tartarus and threatened Juliet’s life to manipulate Ares to help him. Apollo was going to need a strong drink after this family reunion. Both the god of the underworld and the god of war glared daggers at Zeus. “We’re here. What’s going on?” Ares demanded.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. This week is a picture prompt. **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 two of them strode after Poseidon and Hestia through the darkened halls. A warm light blossomed ahead of them. Soft classical music filled the air. Apollo sucked in a hard breath as they drew closer. The last battle was amongst the gods, leaving one banished in Tartarus for far too long. There was bad blood all around.
He couldn’t tell if the greeting was forced or genuine but he watched Poseidon throw out his arms like the sea god was excited to see his younger brother and his wife. “Zeus, Hera. How ya’ been?” Apollo stepped in the sunroom a beat before Freddy then angled his body in front of the leprechaun. Maybe it was enough to dissuade Fred from going off. There was a soft growl behind him in protest. Everything was the way Apollo had seen it last. All of Hestia’s eccentric trinkets were scattered on every flat surface along with her ancient times and romance novels. The only new object of his crazy aunt’s affection was an antique radio that was just starting a new melody. She must have been trying to calm everyone’s nerves. It wasn’t helping much. The tension amongst the gods and goddesses was palatable. Zeus stood next to the plush lounge that Hera reclined on, even though there were plenty of places to sit. Hera clenched onto the crystal goblet in her hand like it was the only thing keeping her alive. Apollo sighed, his heart breaking a little. His stepmother used to be such a proud woman. A bitch but a proud woman. What the hell happened to her? It probably didn’t help the fact that she was forced to celebrate the birth of her sister’s twins, the woman her husband still obsessively wanted after all these millennia.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “arch”. 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 voices in the other room carried to the great hall before Poseidon fully nudged the thick wood front door open. Apollo and Freddy followed the god of the ocean into the misplaced medieval castle and glanced around.
The arch of each doorway that led to a different section of the house was plain stone when Apollo was last here. Now they were adorned with colorful, fragrant blooms and lush greenery. The smell was so overpowering Freddy nearly collapsed in a coughing fit. “What the hell?” the leprechaun protested. “Looks like Hestia went all out for the king and queen’s arrival,” Poseidon commented. His long hair rippled as he glanced around at the sudden indoor garden. “It’s hard to believe, though. She hasn't been a fan of his ideas since he banned the gods and goddesses from Olympus.” The rustle of fabric preceded the voice by a split second. “I’m still not a fan.” Hestia forced a smile at the three gods. She waved her index finger at the flowers. “Here’s handiwork. I guess I wasn’t a good enough hostess for my sister.” Poseidon nodded without a grin in return. “Seems about right for her. Is my brother and the booze hound still here?” The sudden creases around her eyes and the way her lips curled up betrayed the fact that Hestia was fighting back laughter. “Everyone is in the sunroom.” “Fantastic.” Freddy charged through them all in the direction Hestia had come from. That was until Poseidon clamped a hand on his shoulder, stilling him. “Now I get why Demeter sent you surfing. We can’t go in with guns blazing, Fred. I get your feelings about Zeus. You’re justified, believe me. This is getting beyond us. We need everyone on board. When we get these tears under control, you can go back to wanting to bash my brother’s head in. Okay?” Freddy scowled at the sea god then glanced back at Apollo. Apollo just shrugged at the leprechaun-turned-demigod. What could he tell Freddy? The sooner things were fixed, the quicker they could return to the dysfunction that was the Greek Pantheon. Freddy huffed. “Fine. I’ll play nice.” Poseidon patted him on the back. “Good boy. Okay, let’s go have a chat with everyone else.” Poseidon chatted quietly with Hestia as they disappeared down the corridor. Apollo rustled Freddy’s hair as he chuckled. “I know, little buddy. It’s hard not to hate Dad. The rest of us have for thousands of years.” Freddy grumbled at him. “Let’s just go.”  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “balloon”. 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 closed his eyes, concentrating his thoughts and power into the water. The ocean was not his area of specialty. The sky was. But there was water in the sky with evaporation, right?
He just hoped this worked. He heard the splash of Freddy’s surfboard getting closer. He clenched his eyes closed, doubling down on his power. He was going to need a nap later. He could sense another board swallowing up the space between his and Freddy’s. A foot brushed against his, much larger than the leprechaun's. “You guys never tell me when you go surfing.” Apollo’s eyes fluttered open to catch a child’s balloon being swallowed alive by the inky black growing before them. He glanced beside him to find his uncle floating on his own board beside him. The god of the sea was actually pouting. Poseidon’s thick long hair cascaded down past his solid muscular body. His sun kissed skin proved how much time he spent beside the water. How the board held the god’s massive frame was beyond Apollo. “You’re too competitive, Big Kahuna,” Freddy replied. “We have a bigger problem than your feelings. Uncle.” Apollo gestured to the tear spreading across the sky. “The mortals are oblivious to it. It’ll overtake them in a minute or two and they won’t be able to survive what’s on the other side.” “They won’t miss this.” Poseidon’s brows knitted together as he concentrated on the shore. The only noise was the laughter and voices from the beach. A mother with her feet in the water saw the fin a second before Apollo did. A dozen followed in its wake. “Shark!” Those swimming raced out of the water screaming. Those on the beach gathered their belongings and ran to their cars. The deadly creatures circled the area until the area was vacated before they disappeared. Poseidon tisked as he shook his head. “What a shame. It’s such a nice beach. But who knows how long that will stay there.” He motioned to the greasy blot tending the sky. “Now what do we do?” Apollo questioned. “We should report this to the rest of the Pantheon. It’s one thing to screw up our lives. Now whatever is happening is taking aim at the mortals. We need to stop it before someone gets killed. We’ll meet up at Hestia’s. Hopefully, we can catch my brother and his wife before they leave since Zeus so desperately wants to be a part of this now." There was no missing the sarcasm in Poseidon's voice.  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. The word prompt this week is “brand”. 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! Freddy’s eyes widened then he grinned. “Really? A boyfriend, huh?”
Apollo rolled his eyes. “Don’t start.” Freddy’s brow creased as his face darkened in confusion. “Wait. The night the twins were born? I thought you said the waves were too wild for humans to surf.” Apollo shook his head. “Seriously, Fred, I don’t want to talk about it.” The ripple of waves and the distant laughter on the shore were the only sounds for a moment. Apollo scratched at the brand name embossed on his board. He didn’t need Freddy’s teasing right now. And if the leprechaun found out the truth, he would never shut up. “Hold up.” Freddy’s voice broke the silence. “If a mortal couldn’t survive the surf, that means your Dude isn’t human. Which means I was right.” Apollo looked up to glare at him. Only one thought stuck in his mind. Oh shit. Freddy spread his arms wide in invitation. “Tell me I’m wrong.” “Go to Hades,” Apollo cursed. “Dude, that’s not even a threat. I legit work there. So what is your loverboy? Vampire? Werewolf? Fae?” Apollo sighed. “A jinn.” “A what?” Apollo’s voice grew louder. “A jinn.” “What is a jinn?” Apollo groaned. “A genie.” A laugh escaped Freddy’s lips. “A genie? Like a real genie? When you slept together, did he let you rub his lamp? What were your three wishes? Harder, faster, deeper?” Apollo snarled as he sunk his hands into the water and started to paddle. “Screw you.” He paddled away from the leprechaun, furious. Freddy was so amused with himself. What a fucking child. Apollo made it only a couple of yards before he saw the air in front of him ripple. His breath caught in his throat. A moment later it tore open, leaving an oily black rend in its place. “Freddy,” Apollo cried out as he fought to stop himself. “Oh, lighten up. I’m kidding,” Freddy chuckled. “Freddy,” Apollo repeated. “What is your…” There was a few ripples of water then silence. “Oh, shit.” “It’s growing,” Apollo commented. “I see that. If it gets too big, it’ll reach the shore. Those people will get sucked in. What are we going to do?” Apollo thought for a second as he watched the murky expanse grow. He stuck his fingers into the water and closed his eyes. “What are you doing?” Freddy demanded. “Making a call."  Hi everyone! Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This were with Apollo in the next Gods of DC book. This week is a picture prompt. 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!  Freddy chuckled. “Things are fine. The king and queen are finally making the effort to meet their new niece and nephew. Hestia strongly suggested that I go somewhere else since Zeus is still pretty pissed that I kicked his ass and married Dee. And Hera.” He shrugged to end his sentence.
“So you called me to avoid Dad?” Apollo countered. Freddy smirked at him. “Like you’d turn down a good day of surfing.” “I would have liked to avoid being cursed out in Greek by Helios.” “Good point.” The two men wandered down the beach away from the crowd. After several hundred feet, they made their way to the water's edge. Apollo watched the turquoise water roll across the sand leaving white foam on his toes. Glancing at Freddy, he grinned. “Ready?” “Definitely.” The afternoon passed quickly as the two of them rode wave after wave. After a while it became a contest to see who could last longer before falling off their board. The sun was low on the horizon when they straddled their boards as they floated on the water. Apollo watched the crowd as he kicked his feet absentmindedly. The image of Khalil filled his mind. It twisted his heart in knots. “I needed this.” Freddy smoothed his damp fingers through his hair to try to tame it. “It feels like it’s been forever.” “Yeah. I imagine getting out to surf will be scarce with two babies.” He caught Freddy’s scowl out of the corner of his eye. “What’s up? You’re usually much happier to ditch work to hit the waves.” Apollo huffed. “Last time I was here, the night Aunt Dee gave birth, I met a guy. We kissed. A few days ago we met up again and he spent the night. I can’t get him out of my head.” |
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