It was only a matter of moments after the meeting that he ran here, knowing that his parents used to have a den here. Was his brother resting here? Apollo's white tail wagged as he sniffed around, trying to pick up his scent. It was stale and dry, which pulled a whine from this usually cold as stone brute. He had a lot of love for his family, and he hadn't seen his brother for quite some time. "Hermes, my dearest brother, are you hiding away from our mother?" He called out, dancing circles as he hunted for his litter mate.

After his little bought of hunting to no avail, the pink hued brute sat upon his rump with a rather conflicted look upon his face. He just wanted to see his brother after being away for so long, after all that time apart. There was much that he needed to catch up with him on. But where could he be? He wasn't even at the meeting...

Helios

Helios had felt such a rush of emotion upon seeing his son again, joy, relief and a nagging sort of pain, Apollo would have to be told, he would need to know where his brother was, or rather what had happened to Hermes. After the meeting the russet man had watched his albino child bound off, no doubt in search of his litter mate. He had excused himself knowing full well what Apollo would find, or rather not find. As the man approached the den he shared with Natalya he watched his son, his heart breaking as the pale boy clearly tried to find a trace of his litter mate. ?Apollo.? Helios called out, his voice carrying sadness within it. ?There is something you need to know?? Gods how would he do this?

The blind woman trailed silently behind her husband, too emotionally weak to put in the effort to find her own way. Reliving the pain of Hermes's loss in the meeting had been difficult enough, but Apollo hadn't been there to learn of it. She would have to suffer it once more, despite only wanting to greet her lost son with affection after finally seeing him for the first time in what had felt like an eternity. She found herself sitting beside her son and exhaling loudly. Helios hadn't been able to get the words out yet and she didn't want to keep the boy guessing. "Apollo, your brother is with the gods now. He was taken by a sickness not long ago." Her voice was quiet and sad, but she kept it even. She had shed enough tears for the death of her child, now she needed to be strong for the one who still lived and the ones that were growing within her.

He didn't have to wait long until both his parents showed up, both with a somber look upon their faces. He look from his father to his mother, a look of confusion on his face. Joined the gods? No... There was no way that that was true. The demon just shook his head in disbelieve, not willing to accept it. The pink tinted brute shook his head yet again, more violently than the first time. "No..." he said simply, his vocals strained as he supressed his anger. But it wouldn't hold for long, his paw slamming on the earth as his claws scared the landscape. "NO!" Apollo roared, a growl tearing free from his pink lippids. This was not happening, this couldn't be true. A sickness? But they were Olympian's, sickness should not effect them.

"If the gods protect us so, then why did they take my brother from this doe?" He spat, inclining his head towards his mother. She has done nothing wrong, and to lose both sons? And it was his fault... He vanished. A cry of pain left his maw, a sob breaking without any tears to follow. He was too strong to cry. "Maybe if I would have stayed, his life would remain unclaimed. I could have helped him, or at least been here to watch his life dim. He was so young, not enough air left his lungs. Please tell me this is not true, this is just too much to chew." His heart of steel seemed to splinter and melt, his head hanging after he was spent. How could he let this happen? Maybe he was the cursed son after all.



"Speech"
'thoughts'

Helios

It was killing him to watch his son?s response to the news, he wanted to rush forwards and take Apollo into his grasp and hold him. The first no had been hard enough but as the albino child roared it a second time, Helios felt his strength falter. He had hardly kept himself together for Natalya and now as his only remaining son raged against the injustice he wasn?t sure he could keep together for much longer. He watched with mounting horror as his son seemed to rage against himself. ?No Apollo, there was nothing that any of us could have done.? He spoke, voice shaking as he did, doing his best to keep together. ?He kept the illness hidden, we did not even know it till he? till he-? Gods above did he have to mention Hermes? attack upon his mother? ?The sickness drove him insane, his fevered mind drove him to attack your mother before he was released from life. He was too far gone.?

She breathed deeply, composing herself and settling on a stoic look as she listened to her son's emotional outburst and husband's response. She was a queen in her own right, and while she felt nothing but love and compassion for her family she knew now more than she had before that she needed to be their strength, especially Apollo's. Their gods had certainly chosen Helios for a reason and it was time that everyone accepted it. She used this thought to push against the part of her that threatened to burst into tears again, and spoke in a louder, even voice. "Apollo, enough. You blame yourself for too much too often. Despite your certainty that you are the cursed son, it is not true. It is not your fault in the slightest that your brother has died. The gods chose him to serve them directly, and unfortunately it was too soon for the rest of us to be comfortable with." She paused to stretch her head over to him and give him a lick on the cheek. "You must be strong now, for you have new siblings on the way. I am certain that they will idolize both of their brothers, and they will count on you to tell stories of the one that they never had the chance to meet."