Part 1: It Comes Back To You

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All the things that worry me
All the things you don't believe
I've been told just what to do
Where to look and point my view
All the things that I could be
I think I learned in therapy
Am I just a shadow you drew?

It comes back to you, it comes back to you
All the things that you had lost will find their way to you
It comes back to you, it comes back to you
Looking back into the past and I can see it through...

...Mocking birds and diamond rings
Oh I have thought of greater things
All the things that fly by me
All the lives that I could lead
Maybe I was born for that
Or maybe I was first to last
You could call it cowardice
But leave me to my studied bliss
Am I just a shadow you drew?
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It was the late afternoon.

The Greek God of the Arts stood confused in front of what could be a bar.

Hours before, the Greek Goddess of Beauty, Aphrodite, told him about a god who wished to meet him.

She called this stranger an ally of hers, and the fact that the stranger was far from a suitor was what surprised him.

Whatever it is that's going to happen between them both surely would be okay.

The Greek God walked in.

For once, a positive air returned to him.

The bar was also quite...calm. It felt unaware or as indifferent as him.

The chatter of the people was mixed; it was either buoyant or forlorn.

That was fine for him.

The troubles of humanity actually eased him.

He used to be easily offended, but he's lived long enough to learn how humans could be like.

They were imperfect, and he was proud that he gained patience for them a long time ago.

Although, he still believed in good men. He would respect such men if they could express themselves in a way that impressed him.

Nothing fazed him as much anymore.

Then he went into a state of contemplation.

All the other gods, not just the Greek ones, couldn't stop yapping about the war.

He knew it was coming, but he chose to stay indifferent.

He expressed this enough, just to the point where both opposing parties left him in peace.

Well, one party thought the other had killed him.

This was obviously false.

If anything, arts, music and medicine are significantly improving.

All that he represented were better than ever.

Although they respected his stance, it didn't keep them from taking his most beloved away from him.

First was his sister.

Second and last was a dear friend.

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He spoke against it all.

He didn't want the war.

Why did his stance offend them so much?

Murdering him for that reason was uncalled for!

Is love not an eternal force? Is it not as strong as things such as life and time?

This still remains a mystery.

Whoever this idiot that I'm meeting is, please do let him tell me he can still come back.

Life is not around, and Death played itself.

Love got damned. With this, where shall it go?

Please back to me. Back to his beloved. Back to all of us who value him.

Curses to the men who triumph in his departure!

All I know is that love does very mysterious and impossible things.

Foolish or clever? Neither. It follows no mold.

To put it in a mold is an offense to those who need it.

We all do.

Except for the wicked, who will never experience it, because of their despair and unbelief.

The tree damned him.

The sugar of its bloody fruit was nothing but poison.

Its branches choked him. His breath lost its sweetness.

His wings were pinned to its trunk, like a criminal from execution.

Now the night has withered the tree.

Its shadows destroyed its motivation to grow, as well as its very being.

Its stars did nothing but let us all watch.

The heat, which he felt, burnt us severely.

It burnt all but the night itself, whose heart has snapped, has lost virtue, and has turned cold.

With despair within it, not even the light of the stars, or my own, could give it the warmth of consolation.

And I thought it was supposed to be beautiful.

I thought what made it beautiful was how enduring it was.

I thought too soon.

Ah, what has man done to him?

Could it be their fault?

Men have challenged me, until now.

Some of their questions are even hard for me to answer.

Their standards have changed, which is why they see fault in us.

They've seen fault in themselves already.

Ah, those hypocrites. Those disturbingly defiant hypocrites.

It's so hard to understand them. And they know that about themselves!

Did they intend to ruin my friends?

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He was brought back to reality when he caught the hand of one waving at him.

He faced the person, just across, reclining on the chair by his table.

"Come, take a seat!" The stranger called out, with a distinct accent signifying he was foreign.

The Greek God knew that voice well.

He's been hearing that voice everywhere. For a quite a long time too.

The voice came in during the middle of his reign with the other Greek Gods.

Their prophets prophesied about what the deity could do.

No one believed these prophets.

The Greek God was even tricked into thinking that the divinity, when he appeared, was a mere human claiming to be an identity that was unknown. This unknown thing seemingly did not belong to him, the other deity, for this unknown identity appeared to be above their authority as gods.

The prophets said that this god, the one who currently wanted to speak to him, would weaken them drastically, driving their peoples away, stealing them. He would claim the people as his own using a drastically different way of life, of which went against theirs.

This was an unknown god to them.

And as mentioned, his name was now everywhere.

"Fear HIM," They would prophesy, but fear the god they did not do.

They were too busy being angry with the Roman Gods, who conquered regions bigger than the one they were from.

At least the Roman Gods fell.

But they fell down with them.

This other divinity stood strong, his followers the most zealous in existence. Their zeal for the god made their names and stories as legendary as of the Greek and Roman Gods.

The god's influence spread out further than the reach of the Roman Gods.

What surprised the gods was that he, the other deity, the one who did many of what the Greek Gods called crazy, was still being worshiped.

Unlike him.

The influence spread out all over the world, reaching far off generations.

And that is why the god's voice was everywhere. Even as the Greek God walked into the bar.

A number of the humans in the venue were under that god's care.

He formerly resented the man for that reason; however, he was one of the small few who moved on from the bitterness.

If weren't for his newfound patience with humans, he would've punched the god in the face, or perhaps threaten him in a clever way, the moment he locked eyes on him.

However, that god knew how to speak through his followers.

From the most zealous to the least faithful.

That was one of the traits the Greek God respected concerning the other deity. His power was widespread.

Although, he was concerned with how open the divinity was being with humans. The guy's patience was obviously nothing in comparison to his.

One of his followers used to be against him with such zeal that tortured his earliest followers. All of a sudden, he was miraculously one of this god's greatest followers, messengers, and preachers.

This man started out evil, stubborn towards the deity's light, but died like a hero, ready for his own slaughter.

"Aren't you going to sit?" Ah, right. I haven't been this lost in thought in a while.

He sat, then faced the other god. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Because I want someone to talk to." He replied, taking a light swig from his glass.

"A cafe would've been nicer."

"I'm not in the mood for coffee."

Then they stared at each other in brief, awkward silence.

Suddenly the cheers from the people came.

It was already night.

The late night band was about to perform.

Well, they were a duo.

"Hey everyone!" Exclaimed one of the members. "I'm Benedict Reynolds!"

"And I'm David Martin," Said the other.

"And we're Philosophy Party!"

Guitars, pianos and those things called beatboxes were up with Philosophy Party. These were very simple instruments.

The cheers echoed once more.

This bar was odd to the Greek God. It seemed too happy, or friendly for its time.

"So this is what The Hopeful Chap is like?" Asked the Greek God.

"Why do you think I brought you here?" Responded the other god.

Then the duo performing began to sing.

Their voices blended well together, one sounding smooth, while the other sharp.

"Stolen Dance?" Said the Greek God, commenting on the song choice. "I see they've made a decent choice."

"I think the song is outstanding, and so is Milky Chance," The other god remarked, moving along with the song a little bit, "don't you think, Bryce?"

Bryce stopped. "How did you-"

"Know that 'Bryce' was the name you've chosen?"

The Greek God paused. "Aphrodite told you, didn't she?"

He gestured out approval.

"Huh," He muttered out.

The two were quiet as they watched the performers sing their hearts out.

"What about Philosophy Party?" Asked Bryce.

"I believe they're amazing too."

The bar was loud once more, applause increased in comparison to earlier.

The other god clapped briefly with the audience.

Bryce was pressured into clapping with the entire bar.

He then clapped with the bar, although was secretly guilty for not paying enough attention to the performers.

The duo's first song was done, and soon went off singing I Lived, from those guys called One Republic.

"Is it fine if I call you Apollo, or do you prefer Bryce?" Asked the stranger.

"What do you prefer?" Apollo replied.

"I choose Joshua," He reclined.

"Smart of you to hide your identity." He smirked. "Why do so?"

Joshua chuckled, "It's for good reason."

"I haven't seen your face in millennia," The Greek God reclined. "How's the Kingdom?"

Apollo, even at his place, had some concern with the people.

"Still growing," Joshua put his glass down, "but better than the last two millennia."

"I can see that," Apollo looked around, observing the people. "A third of the people here are devoutly serving you."

"And two thirds of that third are first time drinkers," The other god faced the same people that Bryce looked at. "A number will come back here to drink again."

Apollo suddenly tensed up, looking down. "I thought it was done."

"What do you me-"

"Your Kingdom."

Joshua looked at the Greek God feeling pity and guilt. A weird mix of those.

"It's far from finished."

Apollo looked up to the man he was speaking with.

The face was stoic. Well, was failing to be.

"Have you come back to check in secret?"

"That's one thing, but that is not my main reason."

"Why in secret?"

"Because it's too early for me to return."

"Then why return?"

Joshua paused. "The reason is confidential."

Apollo raised a brow.

Joshua remained silent.

"You're not being led to a cannibal's slaughterhouse! Why do you seal your lips?"

He just shook his head in response to Bryce's question.

With a hearty chuckle, "And the Romans say you were quite a loquacious fellow! Well, in the face of your followers..."

Thinking out loud, "Never kill a man who says nothing..."

"For there is something ominous behind the silence." Joshua finished.

Apollo nodded, happy that Joshua knew what he was talking about. "That book was amazing!"

Then he paused. "Have you read it?"

"What do you think? Of course I have." The other god then picked up his glass, looking into it, obviously empty.

"The ending was quite sudden and rushed, however."

"Quite like the death of I-"

"Oh, don't say his name!"

"Okay, okay I won't." Joshua put the glass down. "The author could've expanded more on him."

"He was my favorite." Bryce said sadly. "Who's yours?"

"Obierika. Y'know, the main's friend." He looked around the bar. "His character appeals to me a little more than the others."

"Ah. The contemplative one!" Apollo said.

"Yep."

The crowds went crazy again, for the performers were about to perform another song.

Amidst the cheers of the bar, Bryce couldn't help but feel familliar with Joshua.

And he liked it.

"It would be nice to hang out regularly, Bryce." Joshua spoke up. "Although there are very important things for me to tell you, it is better for you to know these things once we are familliar with each other."

"Wise decision."

"Thank you very much."