Archive of Our Own ^beta

Apollo was bored. Like, capital ’B’ Bored. He hated the monthly olympian meetings. It was just the same thing over, and over again.

Well he supposed that wasn’t entirely true. Hades had come to this meeting, but it was purely for business reasons. Apparently Uncle H needed Hermes to help out in the underworld for a month or so, to help with an overload of lost souls.

And Zeus, wasn’t keen on letting Hermes leave his duty’s on Olympus. Even if it was only for a little bit.

So they were arguing. Which was nothing new, but still annoying.

He could tell his sister, who was across from him, was getting annoyed too.

And sitting to Artemis’s right, Athena seemed like she was over it as well.

They haven’t even gotten through one report.

Apollo slumped in his chair, glancing at the sun to see what time it was.

5:00 AM on the dot.

He rubbed his hands down his face. Hades and Zeus had been at this for half an hour.

He was tired, not physically. it took a whole lot for God to get tired physically. But he was mentally tired already, and they had barely started the meeting.

Finally, Hera stood up, and Apollo took this as his cue to tune back into the conversation.

"Perhaps we can circle back to this subject, we still have 12 reports to get through." Said the Queen of the Gods.

Zeus grumbled "Fine. Let start the reports, Hera if you would start?"

He decided if he was going to get through this meeting, he would have to pick and choose who he was gonna listen to. So he chose to tune out Hera’s report, and he tuned back in for uncle P’s

"I have nothing of note to report." Said the king of the Seas

'Thank Khoas' Apollo thought. And he zoned back out, missing Demeter’s report and Ares report. He tuned back in when Athena reported, but only because he was after Athena.

After Athena finished with her unnecessarily long report on nothing, it was his turn.

"Apollo, what do you have?" Zeus asked

"I’ve got a heat wave scheduled for the southern states, but aside from that nothing of note." He finished.

His Father nodded. "Artemis?"

And Apollo tuned back out. He was really tired, maybe he should hang out with Hermes, his energy always seemed to rub off on him.

He was pulled out of his thought by a prayer and an offering, from his demigod son William.

It wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to receive prayers and offerings throughout the day from his children, but this was earlier in the day than usual, even for Will. The sun wasn’t even rising yet.

"Hey Dad, just sending this f or fun… okay that’s a lie. Camp starts in a little over a week and the reports are saying we are going to have a handful of new demigods- which is great. I’m just… I’m hoping maybe you can bring it up to the others gods to clam their kids? Just like, remind them? I don’t know… they’ve been doing better since Percy made them all swear to claim the kids by the time they turn 13-"

He heard his son sigh "I’m just worried. Jason almost died on a quest a few months ago, and thats what has me on edge. Thats all. I love you dad."

And the prayer closed.

Apollo sighed in sadness. He blames himself for Jason almost dying.

After his time as a mortal, he had promised himself he would try and make the other gods do better. So he would do his best to remind them. But if it will work…?

He doesn’t know.

He tuned back into the conversation, they had finally gotten to Hermes.

"I’ve gotten messages from citizens of Olympus that a peaceful protests that nymph are putting together- they are asking for better pay- have started turning a little violent. Not riot levels or anything, but violent nonetheless" Hermes said.

"Well who controls their pay?" Zeus asked

"Queen Hera." Hermes told him, looking a bit sheepish.

Hera sighed "They are getting paid plenty" she defended

"Hera." Athena started  "While I do agree, they are getting reasonably paid. It wouldn’t exactly cause any harm to pay them more." She said, cautiously.

Apollo nodded. Agreeing with Athena.

Zeus sighed "Doesn’t camp open in a few day? Let just give one of the halfbloods a quest, have them sort out the violence. Then we don’t have to become involved."

Oh, Hell no . No way is he ever, gonna make some demigods go on a quest that is this petty. They had enough on the plate with camp starting soon.

"Just give the nymphs better pay. It’s not that hard. There is no need to pointlessly bring demigods into this." Apollo argued.

The council went quiet.

It was then that Apollo realized this was the first time he had outright opposed his father since he became a God again.

He was too nervous to oppose him. until now, that is.

"Are you disagreeing with me Apollo?" Zeus asked, curiously raising an eyebrow.

Now, if Apollo had never been turned mortal, he would have backtracked at his father’s tone. Said something along the lines of 'No father, I am not disagreeing. only suggesting…' but Apollo was mad, and he didn’t know why.

"Yes, I am" he said, voice strong. "I just don’t think there’s any use bringing in the children, to problem that we can very easily solve without doing so."

"So I suppose you will go deal with it then?" Hera asked, being coy.

Old Apollo, would have said 'Pff, of course not.' Per to the script.

But he had changed.

"If that is a solution you see fit, that does not involve bringing in the children, then yes. I will." He shot back.

He was going off script, and there were lots of difrent reactions on the Olympians faces. Zeus and Hera looked shocked, Hades and Poseidon looked curious, Artemis and Dionysus looked Happy, Athena and Demeter looked conflicted, and everyone else stayed neutral.

(And if someone where to look at the girl sitting on the hearth right now, they would see a proud smile on Hestia’s face)

"One would think you have started caring about the demigods… Phoebus Apollon ." Athena said, analyzing this change in the sun god.

Apollo scoffed "Please, of course I care! not to mention, I am the protecter of youth, it is my literal JOB to care. And don’t act like you don’t care… Pallas Athene ." He shot back.

"You haven’t used your domain over youth in a long time. Why now?" Hera asked.

"Because 90% of the Demigods are kids!" He shouted. (Percy’s impertinence was rubbing of on him)

"Now, hang on. They are not ALL kids" Ares said.

Dionysus scoffed "The oldest Demigod at camp is your daughter, Clarisse La’Rue, and she’s only 19. But you wouldn’t know that."

"What do you mean, I wouldn’t know that?" Ares growled.

"I mean, you are never at camp. It’s not like you ever just pop in to visit your kids." Dionysus then muttered "or me" then pointed at Apollo. "He visits. I swear, I can’t get rid of his ass."

"You visited camp!?" Zeus snapped in head toward the sun god, standing up. "That is against the laws Apollo!"

"Only because you made it law!" Apollo yelled back, also standing. "Do you know how much could have been prevented if you let us intervene!?"

"You best hold tongue Apollo." Zeus warned.

"No. I’m done. I’m done holding my tongue. If you hadn’t passed that damn law, do you know how much death could have been prevented!? Yes, the prophecy still would’ve come true. But I doubt that half the people that died, wouldn’t have died, if we could of intervened!" Apollo was really mad now.

"Even without the laws, we can’t intervene on a prophesied quest. Those laws were put into place by the Moirai, we can not break them" Hera tried to reason.

"That is only like, two people we couldn’t have saved!" He yelled. "The law that He!-" Apollo pointed at his Father "-passed, made it so we couldn’t interact with our kids, period!"

He looked around the room, scanning the faces of everyone. All the Olympians were being cautious, masking any reactions.

"Why am I the only one mad about this!" Apollo screamed, so angry he made the pillars on ether side for the doorway behind him, cracked. a feat only the children on Rhea and Kronos have achieved.

(Apollo did not notice the look of sorrow flash, just for a spit second, on his father face, at the display of, angry, raw power)

There was silence. Everyone taking in Apollos rage.

Apollo calmed himself. Taking a breath. (Something Kayla had taught him to do when he got really mad) only after he had taken a moment, did he speak.

"I move to abolish the laws, keeping the gods from interacting with their children" His voice was level and firm in a way the olympians haven’t heard it since the battle of Thermopylae.

Zeus was quiet for a moment, then. "Your reasoning?" He asked.

"If we can intervene, we can prevent the same old tragic story’s." Apollo said, instantly.

"Or we could cause more." Demeter whispered. She didn’t say it like she was opposing, just stating a fact.

He turned to face his aunt "We will only cause more if we allow ourself’s to cause more. " he reasoned.

Apollo sighed "Don’t you guys miss when we could be parents?" He asked, softly. Then turning to the king of the sea’s "Poseidon, you used to bring every one of your kids to Atlantis for at least a year of their childhood, and you raised them, and taught them about their powers." He reminded his uncle.

Poseidon nodded "I did."

Then he turned to Aphrodite. "I watched, as you made the time to tuck your kids into bed almost every night. Telling them how much you loved them, and how happy they made you."

The goddess of love smiled softly at the memory’s.

Apollo looked at Ares. "You used to teach your kids how to fight, because you didn’t trust anyone else to do it right."

Ares grumbled somthing under his breath.

He turned back to the king and queen, eyes on Hera. "There were a few children of his you didn’t mind. At least after they were born." He stated

Hera hummed

Then he turned to his Father. "Don’t think I don’t see how to watch Thalia and Jason like a hawk." The sun god stated,

then whispered, quiet enough for only the King, Queen, Demeter, and Poseidon to hear. "Don’t think I don’t notice how you tense up whenever a monster gets a little too close. You used to strike those monsters down just for looking at your kids… "

The King and his son stared each other down. Sky blue eyes locked on sky blue eyes, neither one backing down.

Not breaking eye contact, Zeus spoke "All in favor of abolishing the laws preventing the gods from interacting with their children?"

Apollo broke eye contact, knowing he had won. Turned around and walking back to his throne, sitting down, and raising his hand.

The next to raise their hand was Dionysus, then Poseidon.

"Do I have a vote here?"  Hades asked

Zeus sighed "I suppose "

Hades raised his hand. Then Aphrodite and Hermes, then Demeter, then Athena. And one by one, the Olympians raised their hands.

The vote was unanimous.

The law was abolished.