45 A Fool's Love

The rising sun was a brilliant white, blazing and scorching, illuminating the edge of Delos. Hecate and Apollo stood face to-face, their figures lighted. Their gazes were locked.

The red heart held by Hecate glinted with indifference and twinkled, reflecting the veils of the sun. The heart in between them was no longer magnificent and beautiful, but appeared to be the most heartless thing in existence.

"Desire." Hecate breathed out, her hand quivering with the red heart. "It is the sigil of Desire."

As the air became thick with depression and heaviness, her desperate yet hopeful gaze was fixed on Apollo.

Apollo gazed at the red sigil in utter silence. His golden glazed eyes held not even an ounce of surprise or shock.

Apollo knew. He was always aware.

With that realisation, Hecate's heart sank into an abyss of despair, and she smiled, a smile that spoke volumes upon volumes of sadness.

"Oh…" She muttered. Her hand gripped the heart of desire tightly, while her own heart shattered in agony. "Whom am I deluding? You obviously knew, Apollo, like you always do."

Her hand sank, losing all strength, and Desire's heart clanged on the ground with a reckoning sound.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, her broken heart stained in shades of black by the despair of the terrifying possibilities. He always knew. He always knew. So whether....

A warm and scorching hand wiped away her tears, and she looked up with dimmed eyes to see Apollo standing in front of her, his eyes sombre as ever.

"I don't." He said it in a tone that left no room for denial. "Tell me everything."

Hecate said, her voice cracking as she looked into his surging eyes. "I met Desire after our first passionate nights. They appeared in front of me...."

She recounted everything from the first parliament to the deal and prophecy of Desire.

"I took their sigil." She stumbled to a halt, tears welling in her dimmed eyes. "Apollo, I betrayed you."

Apollo drew her into his embrace, crystal tears falling on his hands as he gently clasped her cheeks, forcing her to look into his emotional eyes.

He softly whispered, "No, my love. You did not betray me."

Hecate's weary eyes widened; his gentle words were like lightning slashing into her mind and heart, rumbling it thoroughly.

"But, Apollo, I did." She immediately stammered, desperately trying to push him away from her. "BUT, APOLLO, I DID!"

Apollo tightened his grip on her, drawing them even closer together. Then, gently smiling, he placed his hand on her chest, on her heart. "No, you didn't."

"I believe in you, Hecate." He breathed out, grasping her trembling hands and placing them over his heart. "If I didn't, we wouldn't be standing here, together, our hearts as one, as whole."

Hecate immediately collapsed on him, tightly and desperately hugging him. Tears trickled down his shoulders.

"I am sorry, Apollo..." She sobbed, "I am sorry, Apollo. I should not have accepted it...."

Apollo gently patted her back, allowing her to pour her heart out while patiently listening to her every sob, whimper, and word.

He finally clasped her cheeks. "It's fine, my love. It's fine."

"Is it really…?" Hecate asked again, her voice quivering.

Apollo looked at Hecate, his face hardened with determination. Then he declared, sealing his lips on hers. "You are the bane of my existence, the person of all my desires. I love you, Hecate."

They kissed in the blinding light of the sun, and everything seemed to fade away except for them. And this very moment was burned into their memories for all of eternity to come.

They separated, and the world returned. Hecate rested her head on his bare chest, silently listening to his heartbeat. And her broken heart gradually repaired itself under its steady and firm rhythm.

Apollo conjured a chair and sat with her, patting her back. As they sank into a comfortable silence, embracing each other, time ran with the gleaming sun.

Hecate finally whispered, breaking it. "You never said that to me."

"What?" Apollo arched his brow.

"You never told me you loved me until now." Hecate spoke quietly, her head still on his chest.

Apollo lifted her, letting her sit in his lap. He then chuckled. "I always called you 'my love'. And what happened has happened, and we overcame it. So, please, my love, stop overthinking about it."

Hecate inhaled deeply. Her agitated eyes calmed. She wiped her eyes and adjusted her unkempt hair. Then she stated emphatically, "You are correct. It's past time to move on." Her eyes hardened. "But there is still something left to do…"

A red heart floated into her hand as she pointed to the cracked ground.

Hecate locked her gaze on him as she clutched the Desire's sigil. "I will break it and end this."

"No." Apollo uttered abruptly, placing his hands over her clasped hands and stopping her. "There is no need for this."

Hecate snapped her eyes at him in shock, not at all expecting him to utter those words.

Apollo took the heart of Desire from her, his gaze trailing it. "Desire didn't completely lie to you."

Hecate asked, her eyes once again filled with trepidation and nervousness. "How much did you know previously?"

Apollo said as he took a deep breath. "Actually, not much. I only knew you met Desire and took their sigil. Given who and what Desire truly was, I had a lot of speculation about your meeting..."

"Including my betrayal." Hecate interrupted weakly.

"Yes," Apollo replied silently. "That includes your betrayal." Then, he continued, without giving her a chance to speak. "I was wide awake and thinking about everything when you returned and ruffled my hair. Even after you fell asleep, I was still lost in my thoughts, albeit while staring at your sleepy form."

He looked her in the eyes. "It would be a lie to say that the thought of leaving you right then and there did not cross my mind."

Hecate's hold on his shoulder tightened immediately, but she was still silently listening to him.

"But..." Apollo whispered. "After what seemed like an eternity of indecision, I finally decided to trust you and give you a benefit of doubt." He lightly tapped her nose, causing her to go into a trance.

He laughed lightly, seeing her dazed expression, which was too cute in his eyes. It jolted her out of her stupor.

Apollo continued by placing his finger on his lips and gently caressing them under her emotional eyes. "To be honest, it was an impulsive decision. I didn't think about anything or everything. I didn't think about the possibilities. I didn't even think about the future, but I chose to trust you anyway, following my heart."

He laughed. "Love certainly made a fool of me, huh?"

Solemnity took a hold of his eyes as Apollo held her hands in his. "However, Hecate, I didn't regret it then or now."

Hecate immediately said, her voice quivering with emotions. "Thank you, Apollo. Thank you for believing in me."

"It's nothing." Apollo tried to shrug it off, though his solemn eyes betrayed him. "You would do the same for me."

"I would." Hecate nodded, embracing him firmly. "more than anything."

Apollo smiled, kissing her cheek. Then he raised the Desire's sigil, drawing their attention to it. "Now about this, my love. Desire did not completely deceive you. They should have approached you for you, not for me. From everything you said about your meeting with them, I could tell that they wanted nothing more than to make you accept their sigil."

"I also figured that later on." Hecate spoke, her gaze fixed on Desire's heart. "But why? Why would they want...?"

"Hecate, it's you." Apollo interrupted, his warm fingers trailing her chin. "Desire may have recognised your potential. After all, isn't it infinite? So she may have decided to place her bet on you."

Hecate finally broke into a smile, shaking her head at his words.

Apollo continued, handing her the sigil. "But I could also be very well wrong, as desire, more often than not, is a chaotic and fickle thing."

Hecate just looked at the sigil in a moment of silence.

"Take it." Apollo insisted. "The decision, in the end, is up to Hecate."

Hecate sighed and took Desire's heart, sealing it within her personal space. Throughout it all, Apollo could see her hesitation and indecision in her eyes. So, he took out the symbol of life.

"If it makes you feel any better." He showed Hecate the sigil of Death. "Death gave me her sigil with the same intent."

Hecate looked at the sigil and at him again and again, still processing his shocking words. "You are saying that Death decided to bet on you."

"I wouldn't put it quite that way." Apollo shook his head. "Rather, she chose to trust in me."

Hecate inhaled deeply, suppressing her emotions. Then she asked, emphasising each word. "What's going on, Apollo? The Desire's Prophecy? Stirring Darkness? Death's sigil? What are you truly facing?"

"I am fateless." Apollo revealed calmly.

"You are what?!" Hecate's pupils dilated.

"You, too, are fateless." Apollo continued, pointing to her heart.

"Come again!" The shock in the eyes of Hecate only deepened at that.

"My love, we are both fateless." Apollo said patiently. "I was born without a destiny. And my decisions, actions, and very existence weakens fate. And you, Hecate, the one closest to me, your fate was broken today, the moment we kissed each other."

Hecate temporarily suppressed her shock and made herself focused on the issue. "So, the Fates are after you?"

"The old hags want to see nothing but my death, as my very existence renders them meaningless in more than one way." Apollo jested, rolling his eyes.

"Apollo…" Hecate drawled, her eyes glistening with worry. "They are the Kindly Ones. Their rule over fate is said to be second only to Destiny of Endless."

"I know," Apollo said. "But I've got a plan. Don't worry."

Hecate believed in him and did not press him further. Then, she looked at her hands. Suppressed shock and elation returned. "So, I am free now?"

"Yeah." Apollo nodded, kissing her hand. "You are free. My love, you can now write your own story with your own hands. You decide everything. Nobody has any control over your fate; it is all in your beautiful hands."

"I…" Hecate stammered, overwhelmed by her own emotions. "I don-n't kn-now wha-at…."

"Take your time." Apollo spoke softly. "It is no problem."

Hecate nodded rapidly, her breath heavy and her quivering. She lay on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart.

Apollo gazed at the sun in silence. After a few minutes, Hecate whispered, "What about the darkness? Is it connected to fates?"

He sighed and patted her quivering figure. "Do you still want me to continue?"

Hecate whispered, but her voice sounded firm. "Yes."

"Well…" Apollo drawled. "In some ways, Darkness and Fate are indeed linked..."

He began by repeating Death's story about creation, about light and darkness, and about himself being a part of light. However, he omitted the part where she referred to him as an outsider and an anomaly, someone who shouldn't exist.

"Great Darkness..." Hecate murmured, her heart already numb from a series of shocks.

Apollo placed his finger on her lips, silencing her.

Then, he sighed heavily, "Leave the worries for the future, Hecate. I am sure we will get through it all together."

"Now, come, let's gaze at the stars."

Hecate looked at him with emotional eyes, embracing him firmly and tightly. Then, she gave a firm nod.

Apollo waved at the golden fluorescent orb on the horizon. The rising sun disappeared, and the rays of dawn were extinguished, hollowing out the day in its cradle.

With that, a dark blanket fell over the extinguished sky, ushering in a night brimming with millions of stars, shimmering and glinting in peace and serenity.

And they gazed at the stars together, hand in hand, their hearts one and whole.