Stephanie
Winding through the streets of Apollo's Arts District is the Arcadian Artisan Market, a bustling marketplace where gods and artisans showcase their craftsmanship. Vibrant stalls offer divine sculptures, paintings, and handcrafted instruments. The air is filled with the sweet melodies of street performers and the enticing aroma of ambrosial incense.
Edward
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❝ 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒. ❞ 
 ** ** Ft ; 𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐚 & 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨.

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** ** 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐒. That evening, the market was absolutely teeming with patrons of all kind, and Aurora gladly plunged herself into the crowd for what easily could've been the fifth time since she and her father had arrived there. Women in spring-appropriate attire shopped for fine fabrics and lovely tapestries, their hands pointed upwards as they commented on displays and asked to feel the quality of the materials. Men with their hands jammed deep into the recesses of their pockets, heads nodding in close conversation as they stood in areas that *Weren't* Clogged by crowds. Were they waiting on their wives? There was a chance. Were they awaiting the next round of samples? *Also a high possibility.* 

** ** There were children, sticky faces and fat cheeks practically glowing with glee, as they chased each other through the forest of legs. Their stubby fingers remain outstretched to try and grasp at their friends' clothing in attempts to catch up to them, their game of tag one of pure competition. In fact, it was one of these games that nearly up-ended Aurora, exclaiming in surprise as her arms threw themselves out to regain her balance. By the time she'd looked up, the kids had already long gone, pitched voices quickly fading into the noises of the marketplace. Such was the ambience of the Artisan Market, but it was *Appreciated.*
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** ** "I- no, *We* Really should come here more! I forgot how busy this place can get," Aurora said, head constantly on the swivel as she ducked past tailors and seamstresses, their voices sailing over the croon of the nearby street band as they announced their items for sale. Pausing to listen to the band, Aurora lightly swayed in place, moving here and there to avoid customers as they hurried down the cobblestone path. Large bags of purchases bounced at their sides, signaling a good spend. Shooting a glance at the man at her side, Aurora tilted her head towards the band, a curious look on her face. "Were you ever in a band? I feel like that's something you would've taken up at least *Once* In your life. Maybe four or five years ago?"
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** ** Would it be hard to see Apollo as a lead singer in a band? Of course not. In the time that Aurora had known her father, she'd come to learn plenty of things about the man with each passing day, no matter how eventful or bland those days were. Of all the things? It was that her dad was no stranger to anything concerning the arts. Perhaps it was why the two had managed to find themselves down in the market that day, surrounded by the very thing her father ruled over. Aurora enjoyed the mart and all the activity that came with it. Even when her pockets had been turned inside out by the end of the visit and there was nothing but lint to show to the vendors, it was still nice. From the food to the merchants and their humorous call lines, there was no way she would've missed out when word found its way down the grape vine that there would be a small festival held in the performance square. It seemed as if everyone else was more or less there for the same purpose, if not for the food actively being cooked and handed out to willing buyers. Even though she'd already eaten a late lunch not too long before, Aurora couldn't deny that the aroma of cooked pork and the minty scent of fresh veggies was a tug. A *Pull.* 

Would an early dinner kill her? Of course not. Looking back to her father, Aurora drew a deep breath; a mistake on her part. Her stomach grumbled, set off by the action. "I haven't had street food in forever."
Stephen
It was all a bit much, wasn't it? The flow of commerce swept over them, steering their steps with the current that would have been impossible to against. Like vehicle traffic, each direction had its lane, and those that weaved in and out, trying to rush through their place, were met with narrowed eyes or a harsh, biting bit of criticism from the more patient lot just trying to spend hard-earned pay. Apollo generally liked a crowd, but he enjoyed it more when the crowd was focused on him and his elegance. There would be none of that with Aurora at his side. When his darling daughter was with him, his desire for opulence faded, and he adopted a more enigmatic approach to how he moved about the world. 

What had changed in Apollo? She was certainly not his first child and most likely was not even the youngest. The number of affairs he'd had with mortal women was far beyond counting. There was just something *Special* About her that had melted him the way no child before she had. Gods and mortal-plane contacts alike had wandered often where he had vanished for a decade. The answer was simple. A young woman coming into her abilities needed someone to guide her along the path. She would never have fit in amongst the mortals, and she would have been a potential threat to those around her. 

Not a day went by that Apollo did not think of her mother's tears the day he'd come for her. She was an exceptional woman, after all. Their union had been brief but fierce, and it had produced a life he could not ignore. "She doesn't belong here. She will grow up feeling alone and not understand why she is different. It will be torture. She has to go with me." It was one of the few things Apollo had done in recent memory. He put his never-ending good time on hold in order to raise a teenage girl, and in the end, he hoped her mother would come to appreciate that it was the best for her daughter. It was fine that she hated him, so long as she just understood why.

*Were you ever in a band?*

Sweet words snapped him from his distant, dark memories to look upon her beautiful face. *A face that was so much like her mother's.* "Oh, many times. However, it got harder to fit in as cameras became a thing, and my face was harder to hide. I was something before all of that. The greatest performer you've ever seen." Apollo was many things, but modesty was not one of them. It was why he had chosen to mark his body in ink. Even when dressed down, he wanted to stand out. He had to feel as if he would catch someone's eye. Now, for example, he dressed as the anthesis of day. Dark sunglasses, a black henley, and a pair of jeans that looked as if they had been broken in perfectly to fit his form, yet even in something so simple, a tapestry of tattoos spilled out from every opening to draw the gaze of those they passed by. 

"Eat. There is no reason to starve yourself. You're still a growing girl." She wasn't, but her father struggled mightily with the concept of her growing any older than when he had first taken her to his home. The gifts he brought her were often dated to that time in her life, almost as if he had refused to acknowledge her twenties. His shoulder nudged her in the direction of a particular section of carts. There was no need to tell her whatever she wanted was on him. Apollo spoiled his daughter to the point where she did not even need to ask. She had good manners and more than likely would, but her father's response was always the same. 

*The world is yours. What you want, I will make happen for you.
Edward
** ** *"The greatest performer you've ever seen."*

** ** "Ah, I bet," Aurora laughed, the noise akin to the silvery chime of jingle bells. Warm eyes flitted to the band again as they wrapped up a song, allowing just a moment of peace before they resumed once more. Absolutely, she could see her father up there, performing himself. After all, she'd gotten it all from *Him.* The yearn to craft and present, the hope to enthrall. She hadn't been there from the start to see it all when it began; when Apollo had shone brighter than nebulas and moved Olympus and Olympians alike with ease. Not even when she'd been scooped from the island, a fresh face hiding from her new environment and the unnamed faces that made up its society. Not once, no, but she was here now. Even if she hadn't seen her father in his band days, she was far too certain that she was still witnessing his work, polished and refined as ever it was before. It was in a new era, but the same man. 
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** ** There were times when Aurora wondered if Apollo had ever envisioned himself being a father. Not at all in the literal sense of bearing a child and wearing the paternity title, but the deeper threads of it. Being part of the lifestyle, holding the responsibilities that followed suit. A large part of her had always considered it whenever she'd looked at him. Did a part of him regret not seeing her grow from the start? He'd jumped in during the peak of her teen years; when she was still figuring out all that she wanted from life, good and bad. Her first boyfriend and her first break up. Her first official song. Prom. *Life.* He'd filled in where he could, and she didn't think it would ever be possible to love him anymore than she already did for that. But she knew she could, and she would. *The world was hers* As he'd said. All the times as a child that she'd ever believed that he'd held the world at his fingertips still prevailed.

** ** "What should we eat first? There's some really good pita wraps over there at that man's stall. Or we could try the fruit kabobs? They have the ones with the glazed sugar on them. I don't think I've had those in forever! Have you?" Words sewn together, all for the mere purpose of pointing out as many things as she possibly could. There was far too much for the eyes to take in, and far too little air in her lungs to list out every single display that caught her attention. The blaring colors of silken fabric she would've loved to drape over the plush of her duvets. The chime of dangling windchimes, far from her liking of home decor but pretty to the eyes, nonetheless. She didn't know *Where* To rest her attention. Reaching behind her, Aurora took hold of Apollo's hand and began to lead him off through the clumps of people, gaze forever bouncing. 

** ** "Woven bracelets. Can we get matching ones?"
Stephen
Not a day went by that he did not look at the woman and wonder what could have been. Princess dresses and tea parties with her squish mallows. Long walks and the banter between a six-year-old and her immortal, ever-patient father. In the dead of night, tears would well in the god's eyes—a realization of centuries of neglect. Not only had he denied himself the joy of being a father, but on a far less selfish level, he realized that he had denied many the joy of *Having* A father. That was not to say that he was the best. There were mistakes, and the god was still as selfish as any of his kind, but he crammed eons of effort into *His* Daughter. She was his penance to the world and the start of a new being. Whatever that looked like. 

"Maybe one day we will hit up a karaoke bar. We can see what Hemera and Aether are up to. Have a family evening out. Pizza.." His brain trailed off in slow realization of the shift in his persona. The term *Family* Had just never been in his vocabulary. While he had parents and a twin, it was not as if he treated them like kin. He was aloof and capricious as he was with the rest of the world. Yet, with Aurora, there was a sense of foundation for a home. Upon his love for her, he could construct something stable and nurturing. Fear welled in his heart but dispelled as his eyes fell upon her. Something about the way a ray of light hit her face, and the bounce in her hair caught him in a moment. Another woman, another time. That sense of panic subsided. "You should hear me do Velvet Revolver. No one does Scott Weiland like me.."

Apollo's vulnerable moment came and went in a flash, and his hand came to curl at her shoulder for a fatherly half hug. This was the part of the evening where his picture of perfection would muse over her meal, and Apollo, in his patience would let the guessing game run it's course. They would get to an answer. "I have not. But we could do that. This is your day, Princess. I am basking in your attention and footing the bill." Their hands cupped, and in that, he felt bones as delicate as glass to a god. Though she was partially infused with his strength and no mere mortal, everything paternal in him that had been latent before rushed to the surface in a surge of love that he could not fathom even during his longest pondering sessions. 

"I would be offended if we didn't." She could ask him for anything, and if it was in his power to deliver, he would do so without question.
Edward
** ** Wandering eyes found themselves flitting back to Apollo as Aurora let loose a laugh at his suggestion. *A karaoke bar.* They were arguably one of the best and *Worst* Places to be. Every single person that found themselves there, mic in one hand and drink in another, sang not lyrics, but their own story. Some were there to combat a sour breakup. Others were there for the hell of it. And even then, among the group, there were the rare exceptions that were hauled along by their friends, forced to sit and watch song after song flick by on a screen they'd likely never see again. Not willingly, anyway. The last time Aurora had ever entered a karaoke bar, it'd been at the breaking line of midnight; right on the dot, really. Somehow, singing your lungs out at a terrible key of harmony made for a fine night. She thought as much, anyhow. Giving her father's hand a small squeeze, she nodded her agreement, a certain kind of delight etched into her face. Truth be told, she didn't really care *What* They did. Spending time with Apollo was a treat in itself, no matter the activity at hand. Even if they weren't doing anything of real interest and were simply just *Sitting* There, she would have been more than happy. It was hard to complain about circumstances when you were far too cheerful to care. 
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** ** "Though, that wouldn't be fair to the other people! Imagine going to a karaoke bar, expecting to flex some vocals, and *The* Apollo shows up, grabs a mic, and starts singing Velvet Revolver. *I* Would personally have my confidence broken," She teased, pausing for just a brief moment as she hovered in front of one of the vendor tables. The man behind it smiled and took a step to the side, exposing the full extent of jewelry hanging on little pegs behind him. However, Aurora's eyes didn't wander there. Instead, they remained glued on the small slat of wood that served as a table. Bracelets of all kinds sat on the surface, their prices written out on little slips of plastic tags. Staring down at them, she reached for one, then a different one, fingers just barely brushing each option. There were too many to pick to settle for just one on the first try. Too many options, too many ideas. Each was a fine contribution, each was a pretty idea.
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** ** "Oooh... Uhm!" Biting the inside of her cheek, she fluttered her indecisive fingers, then finally pointed at a gray one and smiled up at the vendor. "Hello! Do you have this one in black?" It was a simple question; the answer wouldn't sadden her either way. Many colors matched just fine with one another. When the man behind the counter nodded and slipped away, Aurora turned to her father and grinned, hands clapping delightedly. "Do you think we should get two for Aether and Hemera as well? Maybe a pale yellow for Hemera and a white one for Aether? Or a baby blue!" Aurora cut off as she glanced back at the vendor's voice. Hands out, the vendor offered out the black version of the bracelet she'd sought out before. It was pretty and simple, but not simple to the point that it could've been mistaken as a dull hair tie. There was a lovely silver heart studded in the middle, held together by intricate threads. Grinning, Aurora nodded, sure of her choice. 

"Dad, do you like it? We can take them into the city and get our initials engraved in them!"

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