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Forged Bonds Mini Series 2 – Chapter 3

HESTIA: As promised when last we spoke, the time has come to talk about Daphne. And like many other stories you’ve heard, dear friends, this is one that you have not heard the truth of until today. You may know a tale of jealousy and frenzy, chases and transformations, but what you don’t know is that at the very heart of that story there was love.

APOLLO: I met Daphne… Gods, it was centuries ago now, wasn’t it? Time moves so strangely when you live forever. It feels like yesterday and a lifetime ago all at once. But I could never forget the first time I saw her; she was standing on the bank of a river in the mortal world, hair blowing in the breeze, unrestrained joy on her face.

HESTIA: That was what Apollo said to Hyacinthus as he began trying to explain all that had occurred with Daphne. For your benefit, dear friends, we will step directly into that story so you can begin to see how it played out at the time. Apollo sheathed his bow, approaching Daphne carefully. He had heard of her before– everyone knew of the Spartan king’s naiad daughter and her beauty– but Apollo never had the fortune of meeting her before this moment. She startled slightly as she heard footsteps approaching, but the joy in her eyes never faded as they met Apollo’s.

APOLLO: Hi. (pause) You’re Daphne, right?

DAPHNE: I am indeed. Judging by the bow and the hair and the general… Glow of you, I take if you’re Apollo?

APOLLO: Am I so easy to read?

DAPHNE: If you know what to look for. (sits down) Come, o god of prophecy, sit with me.

APOLLO: Are you sure?

DAPHNE: I wouldn’t have asked if I weren’t, now, would I? It’s not every day that someone is approached by a god, I may as well make it worth both of our time and sit with you for a bit. This is my river, after all, and I know you’re not foolish enough to harm a naiad by her own river.

APOLLO: With someone as beautiful as you, I’m bound to be foolish in some other way instead.

DAPHNE: Flatterer. So, Apollo, what are you doing down here with us lowly non-Olympians?

APOLLO: Would you believe me if I said I like it down here?

DAPHNE: Maybe. Is it the truth?

APOLLO: (honest) It is. It’s peaceful down here in a way that Olympus never is. I hadn’t known I was approaching your river, however, otherwise I would’ve planned more of what to say. I’ve heard tales of your beauty–

DAPHNE: More flattery, huh?

APOLLO: –And the tales do not do you enough justice. Add in your quick mind and well, Daphne, I can see why all of Greece would desire you.

DAPHNE: I’m not looking for the love of all of Greece, Apollo. I’m not looking for the love of anyone, in fact. So many admire me for my beauty, but what do they truly know of me? They do not know the silt of my river and what it’s composed of. They do not know the fish that swim in its currents and the stories they tell. They do not know the curves of the river that run congruent with the curves of my heart. And yet they desire me– a person they do not know– because they find me beautiful. (challenging him) Is that all you desire me for too?

APOLLO: No! (pause, honestly) You looked incredibly happy. The wind in your hair and a giant smile on your face as you looked toward the sky, basking in the sun’s rays. The joy of it all, that’s what drew me over here originally. I could hear your laughter on the breeze and wanted to know more. And then you immediately figured out who I was, asking me to sit with you with an air of authority that most people would never take with a god. You are… Enchanting, in every sense of the word. And while I don’t know you, I would like to. If you’d let me.

DAPHNE: Hmm… Yes, I think I will let you. I have heard much about you as well, Apollo, and much about the rest of the gods. And you’re already so different from what people say about Olympians; I’d like to know more about you.

HESTIA: And so their story began. Week after week, Apollo would visit Daphne by her riverbank, a picnic basket in hand and questions upon his lips.

APOLLO: What’s your favorite color?

DAPHNE: Purple.

APOLLO: Favorite season?

DAPHNE: Spring.

APOLLO: What are you afraid of?

DAPHNE: Being alone by this river forever. (pause) But I suppose I don’t have to fear that anymore now that you’re visiting me, do I?

HESTIA: And every week, they would end with the same question:

APOLLO: So, do I know you yet?

DAPHNE: (teasing) Hmm… No I don’t think you do. Perhaps next time you’ll learn enough.

HESTIA: On and on they went, a friendship growing into something different with each passing question between the two of them. The questions grew more personal, more revealing, with each day that passed on the banks of the river.

DAPHNE: What’s the one thing you could never live without?

APOLLO: Artemis. She can be a stubborn bastard sometimes, but I can’t imagine my life without her. (pause) Where’s one place you’d love to see?

DAPHNE: I’ve heard that Poseidon’s beaches on Olympus are gorgeous. I bet the waves would make my river’s currents look like nothing at all. (pause) Have you ever been in love?

APOLLO: I’m not really sure. I’ve felt very intensely for people before, but I don’t know enough to call it love. When I describe it to Arte, they say it must be love since it sounds like something they’d absolutely hate, but that could just be sibling dramaticism from them. (pause) Have you ever been in love?

DAPHNE: I think so.

APOLLO: Do I get to know who you were in love with?

DAPHNE: (teasing to hide emotions) Perhaps if you use your next question for it, but I think you’ll find it’s my turn to ask you something. You can’t just double your questions, Apollo, it’s rude. 

APOLLO: (laughing) Alright, alright. What’s your next question then, Daph?

DAPHNE: Do you… Do you like being a god?

APOLLO: Not always. Olympus can be… Taxing. I sometimes wish that Arte and I had been born mortal– though an eternity with my sister does make immortality feel worthwhile sometimes. I would give it up if I had to, though. If the choice was someone I cared about versus staying a god, I would choose those I care about every time. 

HESTIA: You could see the war going on in Apollo’s mind as he considered his next question. They had originally planned to ask who Daphne had loved, but they weren’t sure they could handle that answer. The feelings he held for Daphne had been bubbling to a point that felt like love, and if he found out she loved someone else he wasn’t sure he could keep sadness from clouding his face, even for a moment. 

APOLLO: Do you ever wish you were a god?

DAPHNE: (laughing) Not in the slightest. From what I hear from you, it sounds far too stressful for basically no benefits. No, I’m content here with my river and my family. (pause) And my you. 

APOLLO: …So, do I know you yet?

DAPHNE: I believe it’s actually my turn for a question, Pollo.

APOLLO: Daphne–

DAPHNE: If I told you I loved you, what would you say?

APOLLO: …I’d say that I love you too. And that I’d be honored to love you for as long as you’d allow it.

DAPHNE: (slightly choked up) Ask me again, Pollo.

APOLLO: (hopeful) Do I know you yet?

DAPHNE: Better than anyone else in this world. And I love you so much for it.

APOLLO: I love you too, Daphne.

HESTIA: Elsewhere on Olympus, a certain wind god was stewing in a jealousy that followed him from his very first interaction with Apollo. A jealousy that plagued him even back then, when Apollo was with Daphne and the world was– for a moment– looking bright for our god of the sun. If I could tell you that Daphne and Apollo got a happy ending, I would do it right now. But instead I will tell you that Zephyr is– at this point in Daphne and Apollo’s story– speaking to Eros about a possible prank and preparing an arrow that would call the Fates themselves. But that, dear friends, is a story for the future. Until next time, and as always, thank you for listening.