Chapter 23

"You always did seem a little fishy but I didn't think you'd stoop to actually smelling like one." Apollo made a slight gag noise as he glared at Prince Clyde while walking up with a forced smile on his face. The last thing he had expected to find the prince doing was taking a swim in the waterway with Gunner. When it came to Gunner he could easily imagine him doing something reckless but when it came down to Clyde he was not the sort to act so freely.

Prince Clyde and Gunner both glanced over at the sudden sound of Apollo's voice. Neither of them had heard the man sneaking up on them but they could not feel surprised when they remembered who was talking. Apollo was never one to easily get caught when he wanted others to be unaware of his presence. The moment the insult settled into his mind Prince Clyde felt like sending Apollo flying with his fist. Considering his options he knew he had to hold himself back for the sake of the aid and because he did not want Gunner to see him going off on someone.

"Say that again and I'll tie you to the wall by your feet and feed you to the hell hounds." Prince Clyde said as he grit his teeth. He did not like holding himself back from violence when it came to Apollo. Every fiber of himself wanted to shake as he tried to hold his temper.

"Aren't you here earlier then scheduled?" Gunner asked as he glanced over at Prince Clyde to see his fist balled up and shaking. It was obvious to him that Clyde was trying to remain calm without letting others notice but the man was not that great at hiding his emotions. Clyde had always felt like an open book to Gunner when it came to his short fuse.

"I wanted to see you~ My sweet hound of Abaron~" Apollo smiled brightly at the sight of Gunner and tried to swiftly latch himself onto Gunner's body. Moving quick his body latched onto what was meant to be Gunner only to have his arms firmly wrapped around the cold tempered Prince Clyde. The shadow cast down over Clyde's face as he glared into Apollo's eyes was filled with murderous intent that sent a shiver down Apollo's spine. Releasing his grasp on the prince's body he backed away as quick as he could with a forced smile yet again on his face.

"What was that about?" Gunner asked Prince Clyde as he stared into his eyes trying to understand what he was doing and feeling so upset about. He had never cared when Gunner socialized with others before and yet when it was Apollo he was willing to shove Gunner out of the way to guard him from Apollo's very touch.

"I don't know what you mean." Prince Clyde cleared his throat as he forced a smile onto his face just like Apollo was doing. It was obvious to anyone who looked at him that he was trying to hide his embarrassment from what had just happened. Clyde did not even like being near Apollo and yet he had taken a hug from him because Clyde simply had not wanted Apollo to embrace Gunner in front of him.

"You just shoved me away to bloc-" Before Gunner could finish his words he found himself being cut off by the sudden sound of Prince Clyde's voice.

"It's time to get to work. Let's go, Apollo." Prince Clyde tightly grabbed hold of the back of Apollo's shirt and began to drag the man forcefully away from the scene. Suddenly dragging the man behind him as he walked away from Gunner in order to escape further questioning he could feel Apollo trying to find against him.

"Wait- what? Let go of me you idiot!" Apollo flailed out as he tried to get free from the prince's grasp. He did not like to look weak in front of the others who were suppose to think of him highly. It made him feel like a small animal being controlled by a beast.

The further away they got the grip Prince Clyde had on Apollo began to loosen up until he could finally walk on his own without being dragged. Looking over at the prince with annoyed written all over his expression he could not hold himself back from speaking up.

"You know how utterly obvious you just were, right?" Apollo asked. He could see Clyde flinch slightly at the question as if he had not thought everything through before he acted on a mere whim to get Apollo far away from Gunner.

"Touch him and you'll loose those arms of yours." Prince Clyde said as he ignored the question. He had not thought at all back there. When he had seen Apollo heading for Gunner in order to touch him he simply reacted in instinct to stop him. The thought of how jealous he must had seemed to Gunner made him want to ball up in a corner and hide himself.

"I might loose my arms, but I think you already lost something else." Apollo scoffed as they walked. His sudden insult brought Prince Clyde to a stop as the air around them felt cold. Shivering down to his spine he could see a shadowed expression cast over Clyde's face in silence. It almost seemed as though the man was about to break his neck for insulting him but nothing happened. Watching as the prince slowly calmed his nerves and exhales a deep and heavy breath it made him want to ask why he was still breathing after his remark but he knew better then to dig himself further into a grave for it. If his insult had reached Prince Clyde's ears he certainly suppress his anger to a point that even made Apollo feel impressed.

Prince Clyde's sharp gaze shot daggers at Apollo before he started walking again. If there was ever a chance to feed Apollo to the hell hounds he wanted to take it now more then ever before.