Chapter 1

Daphne POV

I prayed to my father Peneus to turn me back. I prayed to him so that I may live a normal life. Apollo left for his house to the mortal world where I once used to live in. He left me here all alone in Delphi where he kept me hidden from everything.

I waited for my father to answer my prayers. To turn me back. But he still hasn't responded in what seem like decades. He must have still been mad by my choice to never marry. To never have kids. To be pure for the rest of my life.

"Daughter." I heard a voice say.

"Father?" I asked the strange voice.

"Yes, Daughter. I have heard your prayers and I have decided that I will turn you back. But, under one condition."

"Yes Father! What is it?" I asked. I was filled with ecstacy right now.

"If I am to turn you back like you want to, then the condition is that I am never to turn you back into a laurel tree if you ever asked for my help again. I will help you as much as I can, but I will never turn you back into your current state. Do you understand Daphne?"

"Yes Father."

"Very well. I shall do as you plead." And with that, my dark wooden skin turned back to soft human skin. My leafy hair became brown and wavy again. And for the first time in a very long time, I felt my fingers. I was moving them again. Then my arms, then my legs. I started to walk but fell down a few times. It didn't stop me, I wanted to get out of here.

I got out of the forest safely. But I suddenly remembered that Apollo would be back soon. I would need help if I am to be free from his curse. I wanted to ask help from my father, but I had already asked too much. I must then turn to the god who know's his way around. Hermes.

"Why should I help you?" Hermes asked. He was a very beautiful god, with his soft rich chestnut brown hair, ocean blue eyes, fine nose, rosy pink soft lips, and angular face.

Hermes was hovering on top of her. He was also glowing. All gods glow. Apollo had a rather golden, like the sun, color glow. Hermes had a blue like glow just like his eyes.

"I don't know, but please do help me. I want to be far away from him! I don't want to be his little tree anymore. So please, please, help me," I pleaded to Hermes. I knew Hermes would never dare help a helpless nymph like me, but I must try. He looked away from me, as if considering something.

"Alright, I will help you. But you must help me in return. You must take this necklace with you at all cost. You must never lose this." Hermes handed me a silver necklace. He offered his hand for me to reach, I took grab of it and it was one of the most softest and strongest hands I have ever held. He had a pretty hard grip on my hand, but I had a much harder grip.

It was strangely weird of me to ask the God of Trickery, and Theft for his help. I was taught to never trust Hermes, but right now, he's all that I've got.

We traveled at the speed of light. We suddenly became invisible to prevent the mortals from seeing us. We entered a place where there were lights everywhere. Temples with lots of windows rather than doors. Charriots without horses. And mortals wearing lots of layers of clothes. But, I then realized that the place we had entered was really cold. We stopped by a dark corner. There were ladders and wastes around us.

We were suddenly visible again. His clothing seemed to change as well. Then he gave me layers of clothes.

"Wear these," He said. "They will keep you warm from the cold."

I took the strange clothes and tried to wear them. But I really did look stupid in front of a God who seems to know more of how to wear this than I do.

"What?" He asked. He eyed me from head to toe and laughed. "That's not how you wear these clothes."

"Then how do you wear them?"

"Like this." He took hold of what he called as a "Shirt" and put it on me. It covered at least the upper part of me, but I was still cold. Then he made me wear for the lower part of my body is what he called as "Pants". It was much more warmer than what I was wearing earlier. Then he put on my feet "Shoes" instead of sandals. And finally, he covered my upper part, over my shirt, a "Jacket".

"Is this what mortals wear nowadays?" I asked him and he nodded.

"I best be on my way now. Remember, don't lose the necklace," He said before turning invisible then hovering off. He had much better footwear today rather than the winged sandals he used to wear.

"Thank you," I shouted towards the sky. It was meant for Hermes but a mere mortal answered back instead.

"Shut up!" A male voice said. I was un aware of what the words meant, but the man seemed to speak english.

I slid my hands on the pocket of my Jacket and went off. I bumped into a few people while walking. "Watch it will ya! , Loser! , Watch were you're going meatball!" They all said to me. I only understood a quarter of what they actually said.

Afteralking a good few minutes, I stopped to read a sign in front of what seemed like an eatery. It said New York's finest. I must be in a place called New York then I said to myself silently.

At least I know where I am in the mean time. I hope this would help me stay hidden away from Apollo.

~

Apollo's POV

I was doing my usual chin ups in the morning on my summer house here at Hawaii. The girl named Christie was still sleeping on my bed. I met her at the bar last night. Her boyfriend had just broken up with her and she was devastated. She asked for my help and I did what she pleased.

"My Sorry ass ex-boyfriend sure is one fine piece of shit though," Christie said to me. Her make up was all over her face, her hair was everywhere. In short, she was a hot dang mess.

"Really? Hmm, I think you're the type of girl who thinks guys like him are better off with other girls."

"What?"

"I think you're the kind of girl who says guys like him are too good for you."

"Well, he's just like you. In a way. But, you're different. I can't explain it."

"Different how?"

"I don't know." I only laughed at the girl. She followed me back to my house and I kept her company. Long enough for me to get into her panties.

Oh how I am living the life. Party all night long around the world, sleep with hundreds of women, and drink all the beer I want. But, I'm somewhat not contempted to just sleeping with hundreds nor thousands of women in the world. The only thing that would finall make me happy is if Daphne finally agrees to love me. But no, she just had to ask her father to turn her into a tree. A worthless never decaying tree that I love so much.

"Hey," Christie said through the doorway. She was wearing my long sleeve shirt from yesterday. It was all wrinkled up. It was also very big for her.

"Hi. Um, you should go back now," I said to her.

"To bed?"

"No." I told her plainly. "Back to your room."

She laughed.

"You're funny," She said.

"I'm not trying to be."

"Oh, wait, you're serious?" I nodded and she hurriedly took off my shirt and threw it at me. She really did had a tiny body. She was about 5'2. She took all of her things and looked back at me. "Asshole."

I completely ignored what she said to me and returned to my daily routine exercise. I did push ups, sit ups, and other stuff. I looked at the mirror and loved what I'm seeing. I rubbed my washboard abs and smiled in pleasure to myself.

Then I felt something. Something not quite right. I went back to my room to change into something much more proper. Something is not quite right back at Delphi. I then took hold of my small sun that I always hid on my jeans pocket and went back to Delphi.

I went to the place where I kept Daphne and found that she was gone. I searched the forest for her but could not find her. I screamed. I threw all the trees that were in my way away.

Then I realized that I needed help from my twin. Artemis. I called her on my iPhone. She wasn't picking it up, so I decided to go over to her right now.

I took hold again on my tiny sun and travelled to her house in Las Vegas.

I knocked on her condo. But, it wasn't my sister who answered, it was Aphrodite.

"Well, well, look what the storm brought in," Aphrodite said then my sister came running from the kitchen. She smiled then walked over to me.

"Apollo!" She said humbly. She had always been sweet to me, she actually reminds me of a younger version of mom.

"Artemis," I said as I hugged her tightly.

"What brings you here?" She asked me.

"Daphne's missing."

"What!?" Artemis sounded shocked. Even Aphrodite seemed to be shocked as well. "What happened?"

"Well I was at Hawaii-"

"As usual." Aphrodite cutted me off.

"Shush!" Artemis said to her. "Continue."

"Okay, I was at Hawaii then I felt a strange feeling that something was wrong, I went back to Delos to look for Daphne, then she was just gone. Like puff!"

"Well, where do you think she is?" Artemis asked and I only looked at Aphrodite.

"What!?" She asked.

"You're son might have something to do with this," I told her.

"Look, Eros is a good kid. Unfortunately, you were playing with his toys and you know that he doesn't like sharing."

"Yeah, gets it from his mother." Aphrodite glared at me.

"FYI, he got it from his father! Get your info's straight you moron!"

"Which is who? You don't even know who the father is."

"You two need to both shut up! Daphne is missing, but she couldn't have gone far. Except..." Artemis trailed off.

"Except what?" I asked her.

"Except if she asked any of the gods for help."

"Well, who do you think would answer to her plead?"

"Who do you think wouldn't?" Aphrodite asked me.

"Aphrodite has a point," Artemis said. "We have to think of which god would even dare help her."

"I know one god who would help her." Aphrodite suddenly took out her iPhone.

"Who is she calling?" I asked artemis. She only shrugged.