All is lost, I have failed, know that I leave these words at my temple, that the end of the gods is nigh. I was not able to stop it. Soon we shall all be but a myth, a legend told by man, perhaps even to be completely forgotten by time. This is my failure, this is my punishment.

*Excerpt written on the walls of the hidden temple of Apollo, soon to be discovered*


blond one by ~akikyo on deviantART

Name: Apollo
Race: Greek god
Age appearing: 25
Special skills: control the power of the sun, mainly heat and light. Was in charge of the sun back in ancient Greece. Gifted at prophecy and with the bow. Loves to drive and is excellent at it.

Rachel Maquire
24
Rachel or more commonly known by her friends as Ray has grown up with a love of ancient civilizations that was nurtured by her loving parents both of whom were anthropologists themselves. Since she was a young girl her parents had taken her along on their explorations of different sites. It was no question what she wanted to be when she grew up, so it came as no surprise to anyone when she went into the field of anthropology. Now she is leading her first dig, it had taken some convincing to get some funding but they wouldn't be sorry because this dig turned up the mother load. A whole lost city just teeming with potential. Ray hadn't been sure what possessed her to lead her team there on a small isolated island a few miles off the coast of Greece, but it didn't surprise her what she found.

Time was irreverent here within his prison. Once a temple full or worshipers and people he loved and cherished, now all gone, empty, and soulless. Apollo sat upon a golden thrown carved with a sun motif. Golden spirals split off as long rays, laurel leaves curled around the base, his lyre leaning against one side. He had sat seemingly asleep for so long his dormant power reflected upon his skin, giving him a gold texture, as if he was no more than a golden statue. His sorrow and loss had dimmed but still lay upon his heart like a weight. Moving around the small but lavish chamber seemed pointless. He could not escape it, nor did he want to. Apollo had created much of the items in the room the first few centuries, keeping himself occupied while the world he knew crumbled outside. When the last trace of his worshipers faded. It was then he fell into his grief, leaving him rooted to the thrown he now sat upon.

He had failed. Their legacy was now a myth, a story, only a story. His family gone, his sister, no more. He called her name softly with his mind, loneliness eating upon him this day.

'Artemis, Artemis, I miss you, wont you come? Please come and tell me this was all a dream...' his thoughts echoed out the city and into the brilliance of the daylight. Racing upon golden sunbeams, to any with a talent to hear them.

Their boat cut through the wave’s with ease bringing the group of anthropologists and their equipment closer to the city of myth. Years of research might finally prove fruitful if only they could find the location of the city of stories. The city of Apollo that was lost to time. So many other excavations had been failures but this time Ray had the feeling this time something was different. The air was filled with expectation, everyone on the boat held their breath as an island came into view on the horizon, an island not shown on the map.

Ray stood at the bow of the ship her eyes locked on the island it wouldn’t be long now before they would reach it, before her work would be proven true. Her blond hair whipped out behind her head, hair flying every which way, the island had a physical pull for her, the closer she got to it the stronger it became. Almost as if something were drawing her there, something tickled the edges of her mind, a deep masculine voice. Artemis, Artemis she frowned looking around, but there was no one around. It was probably just the wind.

The city was in ruins, the sea had eaten away at the edges of the city little by little over the centuries, even as she watched a wall crumbled away to be eaten up by the ocean. It was amazing to think that people used to live and thrive here. As everyone else set up the equipment, some did what she was doing exploring the ruins. I miss you the voice seemed stronger now as she wandered through the center of the ancient city. Dear lord I hope I’m not going crazy was all she could think as she set eyes on a lavish temple, the likes of which she had never seen before. It was amazingly well preserved. Won’t you come? the handle looked to be gilded in gold, she knew she should wait for the rest of the team but it was almost like an outside power was driving her.

Her hand looked detached from her body as it reached out and pulled open the double doors decorated with a carving of Apollo’s symbol the sun. The doors were heavy or at least supposed to be, but they swung open easily making not a sound. Columns ran down the center of the temple carved with images of a people long gone. Please come to me and tell me this was all a dream… her fingers itched to trace the pictures but her feet guided her down the center of the temple to a smaller door in back, smaller but still richly decorated door emblazed with the same picture of Apollo’s symbol. Words written in an ancient language were written under the symbol. Even though she didn’t know the language somehow the words were clear as English to her.

All is lost, I have failed, know that I leave these words at my temple, that the end of the gods is nigh. I was not able to stop it. Soon we shall all be but a myth, a legend told by man, perhaps even to be completely forgotten by time. This is my failure, this is my punishment.

Pictures floated through his mind, found memories of hunts, Artemis and himself testing their skills with the bow. A finger twitched, his bow hand responding to his mind. The memory was so clear, it was as if he could feel Artemis coming closer to him. Never before did his imprisonment feel like shackles, only justice to his failure upon the destruction of their world. Now he felt the weight of the walls around him, keeping him here.

He wished to feel the sun upon his face. Oh how he missed that glorious heavenly being. It gave him strength, it gave him purpose.

'please let me see the light, let me feel it's warmth....'

Something was calling to her, a voice it seemed only she could hear, her small hand trembled with excitement as she reached out for the handle. ”Ray, come here you have to see this. We found a library that seems to have survived” Kyle one of her best friends took her by the hand leading her out of the temple. please let me see the light, let me feel it’s warmth she looked back over her shoulder at the door. The words were once more unreadable but their message was burned into her mind. What did it mean?

The library was shockingly well preserved although many of the scrolls had been seriously damaged by the elements. ”I can’t believe this, imagine what must be written here, things no eyes have seen in centuries” Kyle’s voice was filled with wonder as the pair wandered along the rows of scrolls each nestled in their own honeycomb like shelf. ”I can’t wait to read them, right Ray?... Ray?” Kyle turned to find Rachel standing at the entrance to the library looking back at the way they had come. ”Ray what’s wrong? You’ve been acting weird since the moment we got onto this island” Kyle touched her shoulder startling her. It was clear her mind was elsewhere. ”Huh, sorry Kyle was just thinking” she couldn’t clear her mind of the things she was hearing, was she going crazy? No maybe it was just the stress getting to her. ”Yeah I noticed what’s got you so distracted you can’t even share in my reveling of such an amazing piece of history?” Kyle jabbed her with his elbow trying to coax a smile out of her. ”Just that temple you pulled me out of, there was something about it”

the feeling was stronger, he started to fight the cobwebbs of his mind. It was hard to gain consciousness, his brain was sluggish, and unresponsive. He was sure he felt something of Artemis. It was waving back and forth in an ebb around the temple. He reached out, trying to connect with the older sibling he cherished.

'Help me!' He pushed slowly breaking down the walls of his many centuries of sleep. Spells also made it hard, the confines of his prison were not just walls, but enchantments done by the other high Gods. They had closed in on him without his resistance to move and keep busy within the chamber. He knew he could break it if he just had a little help, a crack from the other side... Perhaps a ray of sunshine.

'please! help me! Artemis....'

”Like what? Do you find some ancient relic that would blow out careers right out of the water?” Kyle chuckled turning his back on her and heading back into the library, so engrossed was he that he never noticed when Ray visibly paled and stumbled back against the door frame. The force of the voice was so strong now rubbing her hand against her head she tried to ignore the temple’s lure. Nothing good could come of this, something about this just didn’t seem right. ”Stop yelling at me voices” she snapped to her mind and instantly felt silly for it. Maybe she really was going crazy, the stress had finally cracked her.

Kyle was busy talking with a few other members of their team, none of them noticed as Ray backed out of the library and headed back to the temple that seemed to call for her. Help me! since when did insane voices in her head need help? Maybe it was she that needed help and the voices were just telling her that. What was it about the temple that called to her so? She walked right up the door, almost drawn like a fly to honey. There was an almost visible power emanating off the door reaching out she traced her finger around the sun symbol. Apollo, and Artemis, the voice was calling for Artemis. Maybe it was Apollo calling for her Ray shook her head at the ridiculousness of her thoughts.

If his eyes were open he would have blinked a few times. He had thought he heard a reply and it sounded nothing like Artemis. He batted at a few more cob webs in his mind, stirring even more awake. He sent a tendril of thought out, feeling the presence as it neared him once again. It was familiar, and yet foreign to him. A woman, that felt like Artemis, and yet was not her?

"Who?" He called trying to be gentle with his mind voice. Whoever it was, he needed their help. If the person could open the doors and let in some sunlight. He could fight off the spells that bound him asleep in his thrown.

The handle was gilded in gold making her wonder what the room beyond it was like, reaching out she gripped the handle and tugged it open. The door opened on silent hinges to reveal a room even the wealthiest kings would envy. Her eyes were drawn to a golden statue that dominated the room. It was a statue of the god Apollo, walking past the other lavish items she approached the statue almost tentatively. It was different than many pictures she had ever seen of him, she had always seen pictures of him as dark haired, muscled, god-like. This man was muscled yes but slender, blonde, god-like yes but more dignified than any king.

Ray was tempted to touch the statue, but it would probably be best to get the team in here, to let them document everything. She was about to leave go and get them when a sun beam hit the statue in such a way that it shown. Beautiful she thought, in this light the statue looked like it could come to light and walk right off the throne, the skin looked soft to the touch. She reached out a hand to touch it to see if the skin was as soft as it looked.

He waited anxiously as the door slowly pulled open. Such an easy task from the outside, but futile from the inside. A girl walked in. he could feel her presence, but his eyes were not yet able to open, the door just needed to wing open a little more...

There! A ray of sunshine hit his face and he crooned in delight. A long soft and mellow note of ecstasy. he felt his skin glow, energy, life and power giving him the spark of life he needed to revive out of his state. Slowly he opened his eyes, blinking a few times. He tilted his head down to gaze at the being who had freed him. Indeed a girl stood below his small dais. Something about her was so familiar. One of the girls hands was up nearly touching him, he reached out slowly toward her hand, willing to draw her closer to exam her eyes.

She was dreaming, that was the only possible explanation as to how she was hearing voices and why this statue was coming to life. It was all a dream she was back in Greece in her hotel the night before they were setting out for Apollo’s city of Myth. She had dreamed of the trip to the island, dreamed of this temple, dreamed of those voices, and definitely dreamed that this statue was moving and reaching out for her. It seemed the only way to explain everything and the only reason she hadn’t run screaming from the temple, her hand hung suspended there she felt unable to move as Apollo’s, for that was the only thing he could possibly be, hand touched hers. His skin was as soft as warm as it looked.

Apollo pulled her closer to his throne; she couldn’t say a word it was like her voice had disappeared with the statue’s coming to life. But strangely she wasn’t afraid of this man, this god who could probably kill her so easily.

He peered deep into her eyes, straining to see what was there. A flicker of something, too fast it was gone, before he could identify it. Still he felt comfortable with the girl, as if she was a face he new. Regardless of who she was, she had released him from his prison, the light feeling so good upon his skin.

"Thank you.... I owe you a debt, one at which must not be taken lightly. tell me, what are you called child of earth?" his voice was warm and bright, like the sun he had ferried across the horizon. Who was this girl that came to the dead city? For now that he was awake, he could peer out the now open doors. Instead of teeming streets of citizens and workers of the temple, he saw the slightly decayed arches and dusty halls, the street beyond it more decayed then within.

A girl could drown in eyes as blue as those, her mind was wiped clean as the god Apollo stared down into her eyes so intently. It was like a long forgotten dream a flicker of recognition registered in her mind but it was gone far too quickly for her to identify, she could see it in his eyes, he was looking for something almost as if he felt the familiarity between them. This was a dream right? Nothing like this possibly happened in life so it could be nothing more than a dream. A product of her overactive imagination, that’s all this was.

”R-Ray” her voice came out as little more than a squeak her heart began to pound nervousness taking over her body, she couldn’t seem to get enough air it wasn’t until he let go of her arm and she took a step back that she could think a little more clearly. Stumbling on the step that lead up to the throne she fell back on the floor, pain shot up her arm as her elbow smashed against the floor. ”Oww, god damn” she hissed through clenched teeth. Then it hit her, pain she felt pain, you don’t feel pain in dreams. She wasn’t dreaming that was really Apollo looking down at her.