Apollo: The God of Light and Shadows | The Immortal Gazette
The Immortal Gazette studio was, as always, a chaotic blend of enchanted objects, floating quills, and Loki looking far too entertained for anyone’s comfort. Alice, lounging on a throne-like chair that wasn’t there five minutes ago, tapped her teacup with a knowing smirk.
“Today’s topic, my dears, is none other than Apollo—the golden boy, the radiant one, the god of light, prophecy, music, healing, and... well, an impressive amount of drama.”
Loki raised a brow. “Ah, Apollo. The overachiever of Olympus.”
Rumple scoffed. “More like the god of being ridiculously extra.”
Alice laughed. “Oh, absolutely. Apollo was the shining twin of Artemis, born to Leto, and—get this—Hera was so petty she tried to keep Leto from giving birth at all.”
Loki smirked. “Hera? Petty? I’m shocked.”
Rumple rolled his eyes. “I mean, it’s not like Zeus had anything to do with this... oh, wait.”
Alice grinned. “Oh, yes. Because as always, Zeus couldn’t keep it in his toga.”
Loki chuckled. “So Hera tried to make sure Apollo was never born, but what? He forced his way into existence?”
Alice smirked. “Practically. After Leto finally found an island willing to risk Hera’s wrath, Apollo was born—and immediately grew into a fully formed god within a day.”
Rumple huffed. “Classic Apollo. Born and already flexing.”
Alice gestured dramatically. “Now, Apollo wasn’t just about light and music. He was also the god of prophecy, which meant he had that all-knowing, all-seeing thing going for him. His temple at Delphi? Oh, only the most famous oracle in history.”
Loki smirked. “Pythia—the poor woman who had to sit over a volcanic vent and spout cryptic nonsense for a living.”
Alice nodded. “Exactly. And yet, for all his wisdom, Apollo was horrible at love.”
Rumple snorted. “Oh, here we go.”
Alice leaned forward. “First up—Daphne. He mocked Eros, the god of love, so Eros said, ‘Oh, really? Let’s fix that,’ and shot Apollo with a love arrow and Daphne with a hate arrow.”
Loki grinned. “Ah, classic one-sided disaster.”
Alice sighed. “Apollo chased her, declaring his love, and Daphne was so over it that she begged her father, a river god, to turn her into a tree.”
Rumple shook his head. “I have never seen someone so desperate to get out of a date.”
Alice smirked. “And then there’s Cassandra. He gave her the gift of prophecy in an attempt to woo her, and when she rejected him, he cursed her so that no one would ever believe her prophecies.”
Loki raised an eyebrow. “Petty.”
Rumple snorted. “And horribly counterproductive—imagine giving someone knowledge of the future and making sure no one listens.”
Alice tapped her chin. “Oh, and let’s not forget Hyacinthus. Apollo finally found someone who actually loved him back, and then—”
Loki cut in. “—he accidentally killed him with a discus.”
Rumple let out an exasperated sigh. “You cannot make this up.”
Alice shook her head. “Tragedy followed Apollo everywhere. But despite all of it, he was still the bringer of light, the god who inspired art, healed the sick, and basically set the tone for civilization.”
Loki smirked. “So, to summarize: the god of light had an impressive shadow side.”
Alice raised her teacup. “Exactly. Apollo was golden, brilliant, powerful, but also reckless, vengeful, and prone to divine-level temper tantrums.”
Rumple sighed. “So... a god-sized contradiction?”
Alice grinned. “Aren’t we all, dear?”
And so, with another tale of divine brilliance and immortal-level chaos, the Immortal Gazette wrapped up yet another edition.
🖋️✨📜🖤
