Page 1 of A Crown of Hopes and Sorrows

1

Apollo

Who knew shoulders could be the most beautiful sight on earth?

Specifically bare shoulders, over an equally bare body, standing in a creamy sheen of morning light.

Hyacinth shifted his feet, muscles along his back and legs curving, his tan skin and short dark hair taking on a sparkle of gold from the sun.

He cocked his head to the side, feathering a finger over fabric hung in the dressing closet he stood before.

I blew out a breath and fell against the bed. “Seriously, Cyn, how hard is it to choose which robe to wear? They’re all basically the same.”

He clicked his tongue and looked over his shoulder at me, his hazel eyes growing honey-gold as they shifted into a ray of light. “Says the man who literally wears the same thing every day.”

“It’s practical.”

He scoffed.

“Or”—I rolled back up, spreading out the wrinkled comforter we’d wrecked the previous night—“you could wear nothing at all and stay here with me instead.”

He turned towards me again, the long muscles along his torso shifting and wrapping around his form as he did so. “As much as I’d love to, there’s a great deal to do today. And my father wishes to speak with you this morning.”

Every salacious thought in my mind fizzled like a bucket of water dumped over them, all the images I’d conjured of my mouth trailing down his body, puffing away like smoke. “He wants to speak with me? About what?”

Hyacinth padded across the floor, shirt and pants in hand, and dropped onto the bed, making it bounce. He leaned in and pressed his lips to the hollow of my neck. I shivered and gripped my fingers into the firm flesh of his back. “If you come over here like this,” I said, my voice growing deep, “you’d better intend to follow through.”

He chuckled and pecked a kiss against my forehead. “I told you. We have things we must do this morning.”

“What is your father wanting to talk about?”

“I think he just has more questions about your plan to seek other gods that may stand with us against Zeus.”

“I explained my entire plan already.”

Hyacinth shrugged the cream shirt on, his eyebrows drawing together, creating a v-shaped dimple there. “It was more of a statement. An idea of an idea.”

“Well…” I thrust my hands out. “That’s what you get from me. You’re the man who decides things.” I nodded towards the closet that sat open. “I like to work on impulse.”

He tugged his pants up and stood, causing the mattress to bounce again. “Acting on impulse is not wise, especially with war and considering other’s lives.”

“As I said”—I jumped up and snagged my shorts and tunic, pulling them on—“that’s where you come in.”

Hyacinth chuckled and reached out towards the silk of his robes, his hands hovering between two of them. I stepped up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Wear the burgundy one.”

“Oh, so you can decide.”

I brushed my lips over the velvet of his ear. “I just admire looking at you. Burgundy brings out the color of your eyes.” My voice turned into a hush of a sound, like a prayer. “You’re beautiful, Cyn.”

He leaned back against me and sighed. “I love you.”

Those words felt like home to me after a lifetime of not having one. And despite the fear that still surged through me over everything we prepared to face, I would be nowhere else. I squeezed his waist before releasing him and he grabbed the robe, pulling it on, the embroidery on his lapels glimmering in glittering golds and greens.

“Also,”—I smirked—“I will one day have very important decisions to make.”

“And what would those be?”

“When the high gods ascend...” I let that hang in the air for a moment. Hyacinth frowned, his brow furrowing again. We both knew being together would be impossible if that happened. I could visit, but earth sickness would impede me from coming frequently. It was inevitable, but I still avoided thinking about it. “You’re going to give yourself wrinkles,” I said, smoothing my fingers over the skin of his forehead. “As I was saying, if I ascend one day, I have to decide what I’m the god of.”