A Great Prophecy

THANKFULLY, they avoided war, and he could finally spend time with Hecate in peace.

Under the brilliance of millions of stars, Apollo lay on the lap of his love. The night was filled with peace and tranquility. It wrapped around him like a blanket, soothing his troubled heart.

Hecate leaned against the balcony pillar, her hands caressing his hair as she gazed silently at the dark sky flecked with specks of light.

Stargazing – it was something both he and Hecate loved to do. They would sit in silence for hours, watching the night sky. It was just too beautiful, to the point where even his words as a god of poetry couldn't do it true justice. It was something that had to be seen to truly comprehend its splendour.

He and Hecate were on the balcony of his castle, his home on Delos, and his mother and sister live right next door in their own castle. They all live in Delos, though his sister prefers to spend her time in the wild camping out with her hunters—she is a true wilderness woman—and his mother prefers to stay in Delphi, where she oversees the Delphi Oracle—he had given his mother the gift of prophecy as she was so passionate about guiding mortals and demigods to a better ending—and also leads her organisation of healers as Goddess of Medicine. So most of the time over the years, he and Hecate have had the divine island all to themselves.

Apollo looked at the ethereal spokes of light in the dark ocean of the sky and plucked one of them—a brilliant ball of light was present, pulsing with energy, in between his fingers.

It was a star—a real star.

Hecate took the star from his grasp and gazed pensively at it and the sky, clearly puzzled as to how a star could be plucked from millions of light years away and transmitted to Earth in an instant, let alone in this tiny form.

Apollo let her delve into its mystery and refocus on the night sky. His mind drifted back a few hours to the convened council of gods in Olympus.

He, Hermes, Artemis, and Demeter all went to the council of the gods together. They entered the throne room, which was submerged in an ocean of heavyness. Except for Zeus and Hera, everyone had arrived, putting their duties aside for the emergency meeting.

Poseidon filled them in on the news. He and Hera had travelled to Omnipotence City with Zeus to meet with Odin.

The All-Father demanded an explanation from Zeus on the intrusion of his sister. It had been pretty clear to Odin that Artemis was under her father's orders.

Zeus gave a half-hearted explanation that it was self-defence on the part of Artemis. It was Hera and Poseidon who supplemented the Lord of the Sky to make it look at least believable. Odin, thankfully, did not press on it. The All-Father didn't want another war, let alone one between pantheons. But he still demanded an oath from Zeus: the Lord of the Sky would never interfere with Asgard's affairs again. Under the persuasion of Hera, Zeus finally swore the oath begrudgingly.

Though Poseidon didn't say it explicitly, Apollo could tell his father was passive-aggressive throughout the meeting, as if he wanted the war to escalate, as if he wanted destruction, as if he wanted...

Chaos.

As the memories flashed through his mind, Apollo took a deep breath. The council convened immediately after Poseidon's recount, with Zeus and Hera arriving. The meeting lasted for only an hour with just another recap from Artemis on her task, and it ended with Zeus's order on an ominous note that they should be prepared for the coming turbulent times. His message couldn't have been more obvious to everyone.

After the council, Apollo didn't forget to drag his sister to his mother and report on her recklessness. Let's just say Artemis is in big trouble based on his mother's hardened expression after his report.

Though the war did not escalate this time, Apollo could see it happening in the future. However, the Destiny on this path was clouded, preventing him from prying any farther. Most likely, it should be courtesy of none other than those cosmic hags.

Now comes the big question: What did he do in all of this?

Nothing. Yes, he had the power to intervene, but doing so would have only exacerbated the situation. He didn't have the might to suppress the entire situation and prevent the ensuing chaos.

The fury he felt after listening to his sister's story almost caused him to lose control of his emotions yet again. He wanted to rush into the nine realms and kill Lauefy right then and there for daring to lay his filthy hands on his sister. He didn't want to care about the consequences.

The rational part of his mind and the words of his siblings helped him extinguish the raging emotions and thoughts.

Chaos.

It was something he couldn't afford. If he stormed into the nine realms to try to kill Laufey, there would almost certainly be war between Asgard and Olympus, which would completely disrupt everything. Regardless, Lauefy will die in his hands one way or another, maybe not now but surely in the future.

And the real perpetrators behind the shadows still remain.

The Kindly Ones—The Fates—The Three in One.

His heart erupted with a mix of rage and powerlessness.

"What upsets you?" Hecate jolted him out of his trance.

Apollo raised his head to look at her. She held the ball of light—the star—with a smile on her face, as if she had solved its mystery.

"It's the same old." Apollo took the star from her grasp and returned it to its original place in the night sky, where he had plucked it.

"It will be fine." Hecate kissed his brow.

"That's the issue." Apollo sighed. "It's not going to be fine."

Hecate peered at him. "What did you find, Apollo?"

"I believe..." Apollo took a breather. "No, I am certain that the Fates were behind this whole mess. They want chaos to get leverage over Destiny."

Hecate was not surprised by the revelation. She gripped his hands tightly and gazed down into his golden, molten eyes. "You have bound the Fates."

She pointed to his heart. "You did it, Apollo, not with power but with your brilliant mind. So, have faith in yourself."

"At what cost, my love?" Apollo locked his gaze on her. "I sacrificed much the first time. I don't know what it will be for the next."

"We will bear it together." Hecate said it with such firmness that it caught Apollo by surprise.

He will not let her bear it. As is their wont, the Fates were cruel and callous. Even he is not certain of the price he had to pay, but it ought to be something excruciating….

Hecate frowned. Even if he tried his best to conceal his hesitation, she noticed it.

But before he could say anything to keep up his ruse, her lips were on his, but this kiss wasn't anything like their previous ones had been—mind you, they kiss a lot. It was cold and searing; it conveyed her emotions to him—her pain, determination, resolve, and love.

Apollo immediately kissed her back, pouring his feelings into them. Their kiss was both hot and cold; it reached; it burned into the very depths of their souls, to places within themselves they had never been before, to - they separated breathlessly from the seemingly unending moment.

"Woah…" Apollo took a breath. "That was..."

"Amazing?" Hecate finished for him, a beautiful smile on her haunting lips.

"I was aiming for intense." Apollo said. "But it was also amazing. Even after all these years, Hecate, you are still full of surprises."

His molten eyes darkened as he paused and closed in on her. "Want to do it again?"

Hecate put her fingers on his lips, ready to refuse, but he opened his mouth and bit her fingers with a tantalising smirk.

"Apollo." She gently chastised him, pulling her fingers away from his mouth. "We're deviating from the topic at hand."

Apollo sighed with disappointment. He couldn't get enough of her, no matter how much time passed.

But he gathered himself and looked her in the eyes. "I understand your feelings, my love. I understand your Desire to help me. But there are some things I'd rather face alone..."

"Why are you always so obstinate...?" Hecate asked rhetorically, caressing his cheeks.

"Let me finish." Apollo took her hands in his and gently kissed her fingers. "I don't want you to get hurt..."

"Apollo." Hecate said, pulling her hands away from his lips. "You can't always be there to protect me."

"Let me finish." Apollo repeated, taking a deep breath and continuing in a heavy voice. "But, Hecate, I respect your choices as long as they are not reckless. I will not stop you, my love, if you have enough power to back up your words."

A relieved smile bloomed brilliantly on Hecate's otherworldly lips. "It's so good to hear that," she sighed. "I've waited so long for you to say those words. I almost thought you would never say it to me."

"No.." Apollo protested indignantly. "Don't put it that way. You make me look so bad…"

"Apollo." Hecate cut in sharply.

Apollo sighed in defeat. "You know, I always try to keep you out or in the dark because I just love you too much."

"I understand. I truly do, Apollo." Hecate leaned in, and they bumped foreheads. "You said it all in our kiss. But, still, I don't want to be the one you leave at home under your protection before marching off to fight in the war; rather, I want to be the one who fights shoulder to shoulder with you as your partner."

Her figure quivered. "I'm just afraid that one day you'll leave and never return. I don't want to face that situation, let alone the possibility of it. I want to be there for you as well, and if you have to face Death, I will follow you to the end..."

Apollo placed his hands over her mouth, silencing her. His golden, molten eyes blazed with such fury that the sun almost arose in the night sky. "Never, ever say such things. Everything will be fine. We will see to it."

He continued, not waiting for her reply. "Hecate, I've considered you to be my equal."

Apollo emphasised. "Always."

Hecate's heavy shoulders slumped. "I think I am the luckiest woman in the cosmos to have you. I don't know what I did to deserve a man as amazing, marvellous, wonderful, and breathtaking as you."

"Oh…" Apollo allowed himself a smile on heavy lips. "Where did you pick up these corny lines?"

Hecate punched his chest gently. "I am dead serious, Phoebus."

Apollo's golden eyes darkened. He always loved it when she called him by his first name. But he still suppressed the growing urge in him and kissed her forehead. "I know, my love, I know."

A beat of comfortable silence passed.

"I hate to break this precious moment." Hecate exhaled a sigh. "However, there are still pressing matters at hand."

"Why break it when you can pause it? The night is still young." Apollo smiled suggestively.

"Then let's pause it." Hecate didn't rebuke him, much to his bliss. Oh, this is going to be a long night. "And focus on our enemy—the Kindly Ones."

"What are your plans?" She inquired.

"First and foremost, I want my hope project to be approved by the council of godheads and the universal council." Apollo revealed his plans to her. "I want my cosmic force to be in working order before the war of the gods begins. It is simply too destructive. I want to limit the damage and keep as many civilisations out of our war as possible."

Hecate tapped her lips with her fingers thoughtfully, and then she sighed in frustration. "There is nothing I can do to help you with this."

"I will take care of the approvals with the councils." Apollo chuckled. "However, I require your assistance with something else."

"Tell me." Hecate perked up right away.

"I want you to cast a Great Concealment spell on universal level." Apollo said hesitantly.

It was too much to ask. He knows. With all of her preparations, Hecate will have galaxy-level power. And here he was, requesting that she cast a spell on the entire universe. The difference between galaxy level and universe level is so vast that it cannot even be quantified. But he knew she could accomplish it, albeit with the help of the Mother of Concealment.

"I can do it." Hecate immediately nodded, her eyes beaming with confidence. "Though I will need help from Aunt Nyx to accomplish this.."

"She will agree." Apollo nodded. "You should know that we are allies."

"How did you convince Aunt to it anyway?" Hecate asked with raised brows.

"I have my ways, Hecate." Apollo grinned. "But if you're really curious, why don't you ask your Aunt?"

Hecate merely snorted and steered back to the topic. "You need the Great Concealment for your fight with your father?"

Apollo traced her chin with his finger. "You know me so well, Hecate. It's quite surprising."

Hecate pointedly ignored his honeyed words and then sighed. "You've finally made up your mind, huh?"

"Yes." Apollo nodded, his soft eyes carried away in a tempest of solemnity. "I have decided to confront our father. There will be no more waiting or tempting the Fates. I intend to overthrow my father, killing him once and for all, and I want to do so without causing a civil war in our pantheon..."

The moment he absolutely made his choice, Apollo felt a tug in his prophecy divinity and he instinctively looked up at the night sky.

He felt an incomprehensible gaze directed at him from the infinity of the cosmos. It was so powerful, so mighty, so ancient, so primal, that he remained of his own insignificance in the limitless cosmos once more. He had confronted the Fates and their presence, but it couldn't hold a candle to what he was feeling at this never-ending moment.

Apollo intuitively recognised who the gaze belonged to—Destiny, the eldest of Endless—and with that realisation, words flooded into his mind from the book of Destiny itself.

He took a deep breath to centre himself. He could faintly hear Hecate's worried voice calling out to him, but he was still trying to process Destiny's words.

The words gradually began to make sense, as if the multiverse itself were assisting him in comprehending them.

It would be an understatement to say he was shocked as the words of Destiny unveiled to him. He had not anticipated this at all. He couldn't figure out what to make of Destiny's intervention.

But he was certain of one thing: he had to do this, for better or worse.

Apollo opened his mouth and spoke the words of Destiny in a quiet, mythical voice.

"Son of Lightning, beware of vengeance,"

"The Fates' revenge; the Ilios shall emergence."

"Tenebours and Night unite, razed while they're torn,"

"Eternal Darkness will rise; a cosmic power born."

A Great Prophecy was uttered.

————————

At the same time, in a realm within the edges of the infinite multiverse bordering the boundless void, the sound of spinning, weaving, and cutting reverberated endlessly as the Kindly Ones, the embodiment of Necessity, laced the fates of all beings in the multiverse—from birth to death—every event in everyone's life was predetermined and woven into their tapestry of necessity by their hands.

The Fates suddenly stopped their duties and gazed at their infinite tapestry. Immediately, a part of the tapestry went ablaze in golden sun flames, slowly searing through the precious work of the Fates.

"Destiny is too kind for his own good." murmured Clotho.

"He will pay," uttered Anatropous.

"with the rest of his treacherous family," added Lachesis.

"""And we shall usurp his throne.""" They ended in unison.

Their expressionless faces collapsed into vicious smiles of glee.