![]() Not all of them had been able to out-shoot him, despite their age and enhanced abilities, and he hadn't been gracious about it. They'd come to camp and he'd refused to cede them the archery range, challenging them to shoot with him if they thought they were so good. He remembers the Hunter who said it, with her turned up nose and disapproving scowl. At the time, it had just felt dismissive, and he'd wondered why the god had even bothered to speak to him. Looking back now, it feels more like a warning, a reminder that Apollo's temper always has consequences, sometimes for him and sometimes for others. He's not sure which Ares kid it was that had tipped him over the edge, but he remembers the moment shouting turned to weapons, and ending up with his fast-healing butt in the infirmary because he was fierce but too small to hold up in a melee scrap. He remembers when Mr D said it, just once, after his first major fight at camp. At the time, hurt and distrustful of everyone, especially half-siblings and adopted parents, it was unimaginable to him that he would ever fight for them. He knows the story of Apollo's birth and the reasons he challenged Python. Looking back now, he wonders if Chiron saw more to him than just the archery, even back then. The shot he loosed a moment later had hit gold. He'd just been claimed, a golden lyre above his head, the moment he'd snatched a bow from the hands of another kid because they'd said something that irritated him. He remembers arriving at camp and hearing those words the first time he met Chiron. At the time, he'd wondered if he'd known something he didn't. Looking back now, he knows that there's no way the bastard had known who his father was, that it had been empty words because Simon had convinced himself Michael's dad was a deadbeat waste of space. He doesn't remember what had triggered the comment, but he knows he'd hated it, the way words his mom had made sound like a good thing sounded like a curse coming from him. Mom had married the guy when he was four and Michael and Simon had hated each other from the start. ![]() He remembers the first time the bastard says them, spat out like a snarl. ![]() At the time, he hadn't understood how he could be like someone he'd never met. Looking back now, he's not sure if she was talking about the waking up at dawn bit, or the fact his bruises already looked days old mere minutes after the fall. The first time he remembers them, dawn was breaking, he'd slipped out of bed, and fallen down the stairs, waking her in the process. He thinks his mom's been saying them since the moment he was born. Michael doesn't remember the first time he heard those words.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |