Apollo walked through the colossal Temple of Artemis, his sister’s temple. They were not the closest, but they made sure they were always there for each other, and especially for their mother. They shared very common interests, and today they were spending the day together hunting, one of their many interests they shared. While they shared a variety of common interests, they shared a variety of differences. Artemis was the Goddess of the Moon and Hunt while Apollo was the God of the Sun and Music. The Sun and Moon both gave light, but very different types of light, which perfectly explained the type of relationship the brother and sister shared; they were the same yet, very different. Apollo finally made it to Artemis’s room where she preferred to stay most of the time. He knocked on the door because he knew just how much his sister hated anyone who barged in and disturbed her. After a brief silence, he heard the soft yet powerful voice of his sister say “Come in”, he entered and was immediately drawn to his sister who was talking to what looked like a young maiden. “Have I disturbed you young sister?” said Apollo, still curiously studying the maiden from behind. Even when he entered, the maiden remained looking forward and that fueled his curiosity even more. “No, you have not Apollo. I was just finishing up instructing my new hunting maiden of the rules”, replied Artemis a bit more sternly, considering she can see her brother blatantly staring at her new maiden. When Apollo did not reply to Artemis, she had enough and decided to just introduce the two. “Please stand Lena,” said Artemis. Finally, the maiden stood, and she finally turned and just as she turned her body, Apollo could feel his heart flip in his chest. It started beating wild, like a monster running while being hunted, wild and very fast. Lena was beautiful. She was petite, had beautiful hazel-green eyes, and long, flowy, light brown hair. She looked like an angel. Suddenly, Apollo was cut out of his trance when he heard his sister start to speak again. “Apollo, I want you to meet Lena, she is my new hunting maiden. Lena, meet my brother Apollo, The God,” said Artemis still a bit weary of Apollos intentions with Lena. “It is a pleasure to meet you God Apollo,” murmured Lena, in a voice so soft and sweet just like honey. Apollo was still in shock, but he decided to compose himself because he couldn’t be seen as a blubbering fool in front of Lena and especially in front of Artemis because, if she found out there would be consequences. “Same here,” said Apollo, mustering up all the confidence he had, trying to sound as uninterested as possible. After Artemis heard enough of the discomfort and silence in the air, she said “Lena, can you please go and collect the other maidens and inform them my brother and I are ready for hunting. Also, you will be joining us today so collect some bow and arrows for you too.” Lena replied in her soft voice “Of course Mistress.” Lena left the room and the brother and sister. Artemis broke the silence “Apollo, I suggest you stay away from her.” Apollo replied “Don’t worry about anything young sister. Let’s take our leave now, are you ready?” Artemis, still not fully convinced, decided to trust Lena to know better and placed those thoughts at the back of her mind. “Yes, I am ready. We shall leave now.” They left the room and walked towards the front of the temple, where they met with all 18 of Artemis’s hunting maidens. Apollo was immediately drawn to Lena who was standing on the outsides, not talking to anyone. She could sense Apollo’s gaze on her and raised her head. Their eyes met, and there was an intensity between them that made it hard to lose contact. They felt a pull towards each other, one that they could not act on, especially in front of everyone. Lena was the first one to drop contact when she turned her head to other side of the room. She knew fully well she was not allowed to commit such acts, especially since she is new and wants to stay on her Mistress’s good side. “We shall leave for hunting now ladies,” said Artemis, instructing them to start leading the way to the forest for a day filled with adventure.

They walked for a short while before arriving at Artemis’s favorite hunting ground. It was a beautiful green area, filled with flowers of all colors, and animals of all shapes and colors. You could hear the birds chirping, the hunting dogs barking from the excitement of being outdoors, and the sighs of happiness from the maidens who were taken away by the beauty of this area. Artemis spoke up “This is not a normal hunting session since I’ve decided to change the plans. We shall all spilt up and enjoy ourselves, hunting our own prey. We will meet back here in this very spot before sunset. Are we all clear?” Murmurs of understanding and approval ran through the group. Artemis continued “Right, see you all soon. Remember… no harm shall be inflicted on the animals. Only clean deaths, no harm.” The maidens nodded their heads with understanding, they knew that as much as their Mistress loved hunting, she had a strong respect for animals. The maidens began all fizzling out with their bows and arrows in hand. Apollo was thankful for the separation since he felt the need to clear his head, and nothing will help better with that than some peaceful and quiet hunting. He left his sister and walked towards the right, the area of the forest where the lake laid. It was one of his favorite spots, he love to also come here when he needed to pull the sun across the sky, he had a perfect, clear view and enjoyed seeing the power of his gift. He walked close to water, standing there for a few moments before he heard the sound of footsteps, specifically, animal footsteps. He quickly hid behind a tree and peaked out of the side to see what type of animal is exactly was. He was pleased to see it was a bear. It looked to be female, and it was not too big. Apollo was eager to take this animal down, he took out his golden bow and carefully placed it on the arrow. He was just about to take aim when an arrow from the opposite direction of him shot out and hit the bear. It immediately tried to run away but did not make it too far before it fell and was dead. Apollo was confused, that was supposed to be his hunt. He was curious to see who was responsible for killing his prey. He walked out from behind the tree and immediately stopped when he saw the culprit. It was Lena. She hadn’t seen him yet and he wasn’t sure if he wanted her to or not. He mustered up all his courage and started walking towards her. When he was about halfway towards her, only then did she finally notice someone walking in her direction. Her mouth dropped open when she realized it was Apollo and she had killed a God’s prey. Was he angry? Was he going to punish her? These were the thoughts running through her head. He finally reached her and before he could say anything she spoke in a panicked voice saying “I deeply apologize God Apollo, I had no knowledge that this was your prey. Please, do forgive me,” Apollo looked at her in amusement. He knew she must be worried sick about whether she would be punished for what she did. “Dear Lena, do not worry about it. I will find a new animal,” said Apollo. Lena looked at him as if he had grown two heads right before her eyes. She could not believe that a God was letting her get off without a punishment. He was being too kind. Lena continued “Still, I apologize for what I did. Is there a way that I can maybe repay you?” Apollo immediately had a brilliant idea. He voiced it out loud “We only have to meet back before sunset, and I would appreciate if you joined me for a walk through the forest.” Lena immediately stepped back, it was a bad idea. She knew the consequences, what would happen to her. She couldn’t do it. She quietly murmured back “I do not think that is a very good idea. Mistress Artemis would not appreciate me spending time with a male. It is not proper.” She had sense thought Apollo, but he knew he just had to spend some time with her. She was a mystery to him and he couldn’t seem to get her out of his head. He tried his luck one last time pleading “No one will know about it. You also owe me something for stealing my prey, don’t you Lena?” She was speechless, she did not know how to reply but something in her just wanted to go with him, to just see why he wanted her company. She replied with a hesitant “Okay, we can go,” Apollo tried to hide his smile but it was impossible, especially when he was around Lena. She just made him feel as if he were floating. He turned around and started walking towards the lake and tree where he was hiding, he did not need to turn around for he could hear the small footsteps of Lena following him. He slowed down a bit so that he could walk next to her, something that seemed to make her even more nervous. Apollo spoke “Let’s sit down here by the lake, it is very peaceful.” All Lena did was nod her head since she was still too nervous in front of Apollo. They reached the lake and both took a seat at the same time. They just sat in silence for a short time, while they continued to stare at the beauty out in front of them. After a moment of silence Apollo said something that shocked Lena to the core “I may be in love with you, Lena. I cannot stop thinking about you. You are beautiful, sweet, and you make happy.” Lena did not know what to say so she just replied weakly with “We don’t even know each other very well.” Apollo looked at her and said “Well, we can get to know each other, and before you worry about my sister, she will not find out. We will be careful. You can meet me here every day in the early morning when I’m about to pull the sun. Take a chance on what we could be and trust me.” Lena thought about it for a second before she found herself agreeing. She knew she was threading in dangerous waters but Apollo has this charm about him that could not be ignored or refused. That was the day their love story and affair started.

Everyday Apollo and Lena would meet in the early morning. She would run through the forest, impatient to see Apollo, and when she arrived to their secret spot she would take a seat in front of the lake while he did his job of pulling the sun. They would sit for a while there together just enjoying each other’s company. They would always leave before anyone walked through the forest, but never before getting to say “I love you” too each other. Yes, they were in blissful love. They loved spending time together, whether it be talking or just sitting in comfortable silence with each other. They needed see each other or else their days would be dull. Although, they knew that it was too dangerous for them to see each other too much for they could risk the chance of them getting caught, and then… it would lead to deadly consequences. It was known that if a maiden break the rules set forth by Artemis they would be punished, in the past Artemis would retaliate by turning maidens who broke the rules into a bears. So, they stuck to the morning where they would hear the birds chirping, see the sky awaking, and spend time with each other. Their favorite thing they did together was when Apollo played his lyre and Lena would sing. It was a beautiful representation of their love and relationship. The music would soothe them and it brought them even closer. All that changed one unfaithful day.

It was supposed to be a regular morning when they would meet. Lena had just snuck out of the temple and was heading to the lake to meet Apollo, as soon as she got there she noticed that Apollo seemed upset and angry. She walked up to him, and hugged him from behind asking “Why the sad face, my love”? Apollo had no idea how to tell Lena what was bothering him, he also knew that he could not keep anything from Lena, she was his weakness while also being his strength. He took a deep breath before starting “I had a vision. I saw something about us in the future, specifically you.” Lena was confused so she asked “What did you see? Please, my imagination is running wild and I don’t like it.” He turned around and with tears in his eyes confessed “They find out. Artemis, she finds out about us and she kills you. I am lost on what to do. I can’t let you die.” Lena froze, she could not believe the words that just came out of her love’s mouth. Death. She was going to die. She deserved it. She had broken the rules, and now she must pay the price. But how... How was she going to let her love go? It will hurt too much. She tried to soothe Apollo by saying “It’s alright. We knew this would be dangerous and we knew in the back of our minds that someday we might get caught and now it is happening. There is nothing we can do. You have given me happiness and a love so great that it will last me a lifetime. I will never forget you Apollo, never!” Apollo, with tears in his eyes said “I can’t let you die like that. I love you too much to let her turn you into a wild animal, not when you are an angel. You are my personal sunshine and happiness and, I cannot let you be turned to darkness.” Lena was crying now too, but she still asked weakly “What are you going to do?” Apollo stared at her with such an intensity and replied “I do not want to forget you. To me, you are the best thing that has ever happened. I want to always remember this time and moment when I was and will always have been the happiest. It was all thanks to you, and I want to save and capture this moment so that I can also come back to it.” Lena was confused, so she asked him “How are you going to do that?” Apollo answered “I just need you to trust me.” Lena was nervous, but she knew that she could always trust Apollo, so she answered with “I trust you.” Apollo always knew that Lena trusted him, but to hear her say it, and to hear her say it now when everything was being taken from them, he felt his heart beat so fast, he felt so much love for her. “I need you stand over there, right by the tree. You need to be still and calm. You will not feel any pain but, you will just feel a strange sensation moving through your body.” Before Apollo could say anymore, Lena crushed him into a hug, she looked up at him before pressing her lips to his for the last time. It was a small peck, but it meant so much to them. They both said “I love you” to each other and then Lena stepped away from Apollo and followed his instructions. Apollo raised his arm, murmured a few words that were not heard by Lena, and then stepped back. Before him, his angel started to illuminate. There was a yellow glow all around her, he looked at her face for one last time, before she started glowing so bright her body could not be seen. Lena starting raising off the ground, her hands started to disappear but she felt no pain, she could not open her mouth, her skull burst open and it looked as if a storm of sunshine was floating out of her head, she did not know what was happening to her. She started to shrink, smaller and smaller. Her body turned into a hard wood cover, and that’s all she could remember before all she saw was darkness. Apollo stood, looking at the love of his life being taken away. As hard as it was doing this, it was better than seeing her die as an animal. After a few moments of a beautiful yellow aura, there was a massive spark and then nothing. The light disappeared and there was no Lena standing there anymore. Although, there was something that was there. Laying on the ground was an object. It had a hard wooden spine, hard covers on the back and front, it looked to be filled with soft leaves that were white. Apollo reached down for the item. The front cover had a picture of lyre and a young maiden, who looked to be singing. It also had a background of a lake, their lake. He opened the object and look at words being spilt onto the white leaves. It was thick and had may leaves’ with words. The first white leaf said “Chapter 1: The Day We Met.”

Apollo continued going to lake everyday morning to move the sun across the sky but now, he carried something with him. It was the story of him and Lena, it was about their love and happiness. It was all he had left to remember his personal sunshine. He would just sit for hours by the lake, reading each leaf. He finished reading all the leaves many times, but he continued to read them over and over again. One morning, as he was reading the page in the leaf when he said his last goodbye to Lena, and when she confessed that she would never forget him, he looked out at the lake and whispered “I will never forget you Lena, never!” while clutching the last thing he had left of her. This became known as a ‘Book’. Apollo turned Lena into a book, so that he could always have a part of her with him. Her words, her expressions, her thoughts, her everything. It was like the missing part of him was finally complete again, all because of the book that he named The God and his Angel.