𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

── fathers

          𝕮heers surrounded Aurora as she watched her album go live at midnight of October 16th. People patted her on the back, celebrated with her and Aurora kept the same, small smile on her face throughout it all.

It was great, and she loved that her album was now live for people to listen to and enjoy, but she wanted her siblings here, and her dad, and part of her wanted Luke there too. She wanted the people she got along with around her. She wanted her family there.

She just wanted her dad really.

"It's live. Congratulations!" There were so many calls and compliments, people patting her on the back and taking photographs of her. They were smiling and laughing, cheering for her as Aurora forced a smile and thanked every one of them for coming.

As soon as she could, she slipped out of the room, disappearing to a hidden corner where she could find something to reflect the light and water to make an Iris message. Grabbing a drachma, she tossed it in.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow. Please accept this offering and show me Apollo." Aurora whispered.

The mist shimmered for a moment, before her dad's familiar face appeared. He was dressed in his white robes, blond hair a mess and a troublemaking grin plastered across his face. He softened when he saw her, his smile growing warmer.

"Hi poppet." 

"Hi dad." Aurora smiled gently. She knew that having favourite parents was wrong, but her dad was by far her favourite of her parents. And it felt shit, because she knew that him spending time with her was taking him away from her other siblings.

"I hear congratulations are in order." He grinned.

"You helped make the album, you know that it's out today."

"I know, but can't a dad be proud of his daughter for her achievements." Apollo chuckled as Aurora lips pulled down, feeling the need to cry at his words. "I've left you a gift at home and your favourite food for when you get back after this. I would say that I also made it, but I think you know how bad I am at cooking, so let's pretend I made it."

She wanted to laugh, knowing that her dad was a terrible cook, but instead tears welled up in her eyes. Aurora wanted her dad there more than anything but at the same time, she didn't want him to see her as often because it was unfair on everyone else.

"Hey, hey, poppet. Come on now, what's the matter?" Aurora shook her head, crying more at her dad's soft tone. The mist stopped, the Iris call dropping as Aurora sank back and dug the ball of her fist into her eyes to stop herself from crying. She didn't know why she was crying or why she felt so shit. Possibly it was a combination of everything that happened, seeing Luke and his new girlfriend constantly around camp, and this ever present feeling that she was taking Apollo away from his other children because she couldn't do anything on her own.

The room filled with her sobs, before there was a knock on the door and it creeped open.

"Aurora, come on." Looking up, Aurora could make out her dad through blurry eyes, his face sad and that in turn made Aurora cry more. He'd come.

As soon as Apollo had seen the tears in his daughter's eyes, he knew that he needed to be there and support her and, the perks of being an immortal god, he could go and find her whenever she needed him. He might have been taking a risk showing up there especially when there was so many cameras that could photograph him with his daughter, but she was upset and Apollo would never let any of his children be alone and upset. 

That was a dangerous combination.

Reaching down, he practically picked his daughter up, closing the door and holding her. Shushing her gently, he raked his hand through her hair, rocking her back and forth as he hummed an old lullaby that his mother had once used on him and his sister.

"Okay, poppet, you're okay. I've got you, I'm here." Aurora choked out another sob, her fingers digging into her dad's shoulder. "What's the matter, hey? Come on now. No need for tears, poppet. I'm here."

"But-I-I-" Aurora choked out between sobs as Apollo hummed, and rubbed his hand up and down her back.

"Okay, don't talk, you're alright. Come on now." He hummed, before smiling as Aurora stopped crying, her tears turning to sniffles. "There we go. Now, Aurora, poppet, what's the matter? What can I do to help?"

"You can't help, dad."

"Try me." Apollo sat down, summoning a bottle of water for the girl, as he carefully helped her remove her makeup that had smeared across her cheeks from the tears. "What's going on? Music stuff? Your mother?"

"No. No, she's not said anything yet." Apollo rolled his eyes at that. His drunk self needed to have a better taste in women, because as brilliant as Aurora was, her mother was lacking.

"Okay, my side of the family?" Aurora didn't say anything, but Apollo could read the slight downturn of her lips with ease. "Alright, what's going on?"

"I just-It's stupid."

"It's not if you're crying in a room on the night of your album release."

"I just feel like I'm taking you away from my siblings. You see me all the time and then I've met them, and they're brilliant and talented and so cool and I feel so guilty that I'm taking up all your energy."

"Aurora." Apollo sighed as his daughter continued.

"Like, they're amazing people and I've taken your time away from th-"

"Aruna's favourite thing to see are baseball games, so every few weeks, she and I go and see a baseball game together. She's originally from Chicago, we go and watch the Cubs play whenever we can. That's our thing, I help her with her college applications." Apollo explained as Aurora turned, watching him. "Lee loves archery, which you might have noticed. We go to the range every three Saturdays. Will loves healing, we do courses together; Penny is so in touch with nature, so we go hiking whenever she needs a break; Michael wants to do something with music so he helps with some of my other clients; Kay wants to be an artist, so whenever there are exhibitions on, we go to them."

Aurora eyes were wide, as Apollo smiled.

"I do things with every single one of my children. I always have done and I always will, and it's true, I spend more time with you but Aurora, the other children have a reliable and dependable parent to count on, to fall back on if I'm not there as much. You don't." Apollo brushed her hair from her face. "For you, I am the dependable parent because your mother isn't around as much. I want to be that, and I'm proud to be your dad. The others will understand, they'll get why I take such an interest in you."

Aurora's shoulders slumped as Apollo brought her head forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"You're a kind, sweet girl who's loyal to a fault, and it makes me happy that you get along with your siblings to the point that you're worried I don't spend enough time with them, but I do and you have nothing to feel guilty about."

"They never say anything about it."

"The others at camp..." Apollo trailed off, disappointment coursing through him. "The others aren't always the best parents to their kids. For them to be saying to others that I'm taking them to games, or dance recitals, or art museums, it's like rubbing it into the faces of those that haven't been claimed. I'm not proud of my family and how they've handled it, but I will always take responsibility for my children. For all of you."

Aurora threw her arms back around her dad, as Apollo kissed her hair.

"Come on. I think it's home time. You've had a long day, and you're upset, and as much as this album coming out is a good thing, I think it's time to go home and eat ice cream and dinner." Apollo helped her up, winking at her. "What do you think, poppet?"

"I'd like that, dad."

"I thought you might."

∘☽༓☾∘

Hiya,

Something about dad Apollo is very special to me, and something about him with all his kids makes me super happy. They're all such sweethearts. This wasn't how this chapter was supposed to go, but oh well, I'll put what was supposed to be in this chapter in the next chapter.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx