Charcoals and pastels [Apollo}

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Cadence sat on the side of the fountain. It was chilly, but no where near as cold as it had been lately. All she needed was a light jacket, no heavy duty winter apparel, no gloves, no fur lined jacket. It was a nice change. It was almost as if she could feel her dad smiling down at her. She gently placed the black case of pastels on the cement beside her as she looked about to try to find something to spark her muse. She said a little prayer to her father and then to the muses. There was no sacrifice, no offering, but if her piece of art turned out great, she's give it as an offering to her father. He deserved the best work that she could offer up, nothing less. Cadence pulled her sketchbook out of her bag, running her hands over the textured paper that was within. The sides of the book were worn, it had been palmed through for the past few months, filled with drawings and sketches of people and things here in New Rome. Maybe one of these days she could become a great and celebrated artist. She doubted that it would happen, she was no DiVinci that was for sure. One of these days she wanted to try her hand at sculpting. But she would have to have the perfect model for that. Finding a good model would be a bit difficult.

Cadence set her eyes on what she wanted to draw, a little girl that was not even three, chasing around pigeons. she picked up a piece of black charcoal as she watched the girl for a few moments before placing the charcoal to paper. She paused for a moment before the charcoal started to skate across the paper, outlining the small child as the birds flew around her. She hopped from puddle to puddle, splashing. She couldn't help but smile. This brought back memories of being in the park with her brother and her Nanny. She missed London, she missed England. It was something that she wanted to go back to if she could. Her life would never be the same and she knew that was safe to say that going back home would be hard. It was dangerous, being a demi-god had its dangers no matter who your parent was, but it was doubly hard when Juno was out to get you. New Rome was the safest place for her to be. The charcoal ran back and forth over the paper, you could make out the small form of the child in a rain jacket and a large pair of boots, stomping through the puddle and making the birds fly about in a panic. Cadence looked up again, surveying her subject as she then returned to her work of art. she would work on fleshing it out in a bit. She gave a small smile of contentment. It was a nice day. Though her side still hurt from the arese kicking she got earlier that week, it was a good day.

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Tag: Cadence

Word: 443

Notes: Hope it is ok

It was a beautiful day, people finally was leaving behind the thick coats and the winter clothes. They were finally enjoying a good sunny day, the warmth over their backs and the delight of being outside without worrying if they would get frost bite. The God of Sun, Apollo, was watching at the campers going and coming. Camp was coming back to life, slowly at first which was good, everything needed time to bloom in the right way. Well, Apollo had learnt that from his Aunt Ceres and his cousin Proserpina, he helped them sometimes with their creations.

He walked among campers, but didn’t let them see him. He wanted to see how they acted in a normal day, how they interacted among them, how deeply or superficially they felt the gods with them or Saturn with them. Either way he needed to know so he knew how to act when he decided to make himself visible to them. He looked around and smiled at the children playing around, it was nice to see they liked his presence there. Then he saw a beautiful girl, almost a woman, sitting, holding her art materials and looking for some inspiration. He smiled at the sight and walked closer.

He knew who she was even before she prayed to him. She was his baby girl, Cadence. He smiled listening to the pray and then looked at the sketches she was making. It was so nice to see her using her other skills, her other gifts. She hated Juno deeply for cursing his daughter, and also in a way hated his father for not respecting the woman he had loved and who was mother of his twins, but admired his daughter for her bravery and her golden heart. Even with the curse that Juno put on her, she still smiled and tried to be helpful and a good roman, she even forgave him… which was something he thought he didn’t deserve.

He got closer to her and smiled she was a perfect artist, He would be sure to give her some professional materials, she deserved them too. "That is an impressive work." he said as he stood right behing her, looking at the drawing over her shoulder. He made himself visible so his daughter could see him, but... could she recognize him? could she know who this stranger man was? He only hoped she did, because he really wanted to get close to his kids. He had already visited Jason and August, also Tessa and Lilith his grandaughters, But Cadence... He felt that he owed her even more than he owed to his other kids.

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Cadence's eyes narrowed as she worked out a few more details in the drawing. The light was really good, or at least in this particular spot where she was doing her drawing was good. She couldn't help but smile, it was almost as if her dad was there, watching her through the rays of the sun. He did so much for the world, people didn't realize how much of his presence was here. The wonders of the sun to grow the food that they ate or the warmth of it, it was unmeasurable. But even with the small prayer and the thanks for the wonderful day, she returned to her work in progress. It was five or six quick sketches of the little girl stomping through puddles and chasing the feral pigeon through new rome. If only there was a way to capture the giggles that escaped the squealing toddler. IT was always hard to catch emotion rather well while drawing. It wasn't the same as music, that was always the easiest way. But artwork was always so subjective. It evoked different emotions in different people. What could be constrewed as beauty in a painting for one person might evoke a sense of loneliness in another. This particular piece of work made her happy. She wanted the other people to see the joy that the little girl had in playing amongst the puddles and cobble stone streets that was the forum. Here in New Rome, safe from the outside world where monsters lurked. She knew that sometimes monsters could come in the form of other things, but this was a different world than what the mortals outside were used to.

A voice speaking made her jump slightly. Okay maybe she was a little jumpy, but it came with the price of being a demi-god. There were things, and gods, that were out to get you at times. It was always best to be on your guard. But Cadence had faith in Terminus, the god of boundaries. Okay so he wasn't exactly right in the head, but she still had faith in him. She looked up at the blond headed man that spoke to her. He looked a lot like her brother Owen. The same eyes, the same smile, similar facial structure.... at first she didn't recognize him but it dawned on her who this was. He looked much like her two other brothers, August and Jason. "Daddy!" She exclaimed with a smile, throwing her arms around him in a huge hug. She froze for a moment. "Is it alright if I hug you?" She asked, curious. Some gods were sticklers for not being touched or having emotion or being referred to in a familiar sort of way. Cadence hoped deeply that it was alright for her to hug her dad. She loved him, made offerings and prayers like a good Roman would, but more so to Apollo than any other deity there. He looked just like she had imagined.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, brushing aside a strand of escaped hair, smudging a bit of charcoal across her cheek and ear. Cadence gave Apollo a huge smile, one that reached her eyes. She was so curious to what he was doing here. She had never had much of a chance to get to know her dad like the others had. They were lucky and Cadence knew that one day she would get to meet him.

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Tag: Cadence / My baby girl!

Word: 479

Notes: apollo really loves his children!! XD

The god of sun looked at the girl as she looked at him. He didn't move, she seemed jumpy enough to scare her even more. now that he could look at her like that he could find in her so many common things that she had with her mother, he slightly smiled because even when for mortals was impossible to undertsand and even to some gods, there were some gods like himself that could love several women as if they were the love of his life. difficult to believe, but it was true. To Jason's mother, he had loved her deeply, so as to August's, she was a difficult woman, but he had loved her too. Cadence's mother was a special kind of woman and he had loved her deeply too, he still loved her with all his heart, so as the twins that she had given birth to.

His thoughts had been interrupted by a single action of Cadence. She jumped and wrapped her delicate arms around his neck. At first he didn't know how to react to that. several woman had done that before, thousands! and the number could have easily been larger, but never a hug like that, so sincere and with so much love and not a passion love, but love of a daughter. she had recognized him, she called him the word that not only male mortals considered worthier than gold, but also gods. Then he flet how she froze and her words confirmed it. She was scared, what if she couldn't hug him... well the rules said she couldn't, the rules said he shouldn't and mustn't be there with her. He mentally cursed his father for that stupid rule of his! A rule that not even him respected and followed! why should the other gods do it?! Maybe Mercury was right about breaking the rules so often.

He wrapped his arms around her delicate siluette and brought her into a tight hug, tight enough to let her know how much he loved her, but not enough to hurt her. "I'm very happy you have recognized me and even more that you felt confident enough to hug me my dear Cadie." He said with a soft, manly voice. how his father could have taken that kind of joy from them?! He kissed her forehead and then smiled at her. "I came to visit my little girl." he said and looked at her placing his hands on her shoulders. "you have grown so much, I'm so proud of you." he said and then breathed deeply trying to forget for a moment that he was a god, something that he would only do with his children and some of his grandchildren. He wanted to be only a lovely father, spending the afternoon with his lovely daughter. "Would you mind if I spend some time with you?"

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There was a huge surge of emotions, a little bit of anger, maybe a bit of sadness, mostly she was overjoyed, ecstatic and elated to see her father. What was he doing here, she wondered. Cadence pushed the though to the back of her mind, but for now he was here with her. She was worried about Jason, about her brother August and her own twin. She worried about her nieces, cousins, whatever, Tessa and Lilith. She deeply loved her father. Nothing could make her feel even worse. Well there was one thing but she wouldn't think about it in particular right now. She had her dad right here. Cadence remembered being a bit jealous of the other little girls at the park or at school when it was father's day or any day that the school would honor parents. She and her brother were always ridiculed by the others when neither parent bothered to show up. But her Nanny always assured her that her father would always be there, that he was in the sun. That her father had the most important job in the world and that everyone depended on him. It wasn't until much later that Cadence knew how right her nanny was.

Cadence couldn't believe it when Apollo wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. She felt like she was the luckiest girl in the world right now. She felt as if the world was at peace. "I was just... I didn't want to do anything that was wrong." Speaking about how she froze while hugging him. "I didn't know if it was right to do it." His voice was soft and very melodic. It was as if her brother was playing music again. He gave her a kiss on the forehead. Again her heart soared to the heavens. "you really came to visit me?" Cadence asked, looking up at her dad. She bit her lip as she was told that he was proud of her. She didn't want to cry, but if she did, it would be tears of joy, not tears of sadness. She knew that there were rules saying that gods couldn't be with their children. But with Apollo here, Cadence felt special for once in her life. Like her curse, her klutziness, all of her faults didn't matter at all. This was HER dad and he was here with her right now.

"You want to spend time with me?" The question sat like a rock in her mind. He should have been spending time with August or Tessa or Lilith, people who really could make him proud instead of her. She wouldn't ever dare say it in front of her father, but she wondered if he really should have claimed her or if it was a mistake. One of the mars kids that bullied her on the regular basis always made the comment that Apollo had lost a bet to the god of Losers and was forced to claim her. While she knew it wasn't true, or she at least hoped it wasn't true, the words still stung. "I'd love for you to spend time with me, but I don't want you to get in trouble because of me." The last thing she wanted was for her dad to get in trouble with Jupiter because of her. That would hurt way worse than any insult of beating she got from the other Roman kids.

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Tag: Cadence / My baby girl!

Word: 509

Notes: <3

Looking at his daughter, he couldn't believe how much she looked like her mother, but at the same time she didn't look at her at all! She had a great resemblance to him, something that made him highly proud, but not in the usual way that Apollo the mighty god of Sun could be proud! NO! this pride was different, he felt the father's pride for his girl. No goddly feeling in there, only the feeling that a mortal would feel when he saw into the eyes of his child. He moved his hand from her shoulder and slowly as if he was afraid of breaking her he tucked a stripe of hair behind her ear, then looked back at her. She just told him why she had frozen when he hugged her. Let's face it! if the God of the Sun hugged a mortal... YES!! they should be impressed and even scared! But not her! not his little girl!

"I understand... but you never have to worry about it. If you want to hug me whenever you see me, then you can do it without any kind of fear in your heart." He said and then smiled at her with a sweet, wide, warm smile. It wasn't the smile he used to flirt to others, but the smile he would only use with his kin. Then she still had doubts about him wanting to visit her or even to spend time with her, well... that for sure had to change! Same had happened when he visited Jason and August. Both of his children had been surprised and both of them had the idea that he didn't want to be with them! Well, NO MORE!! no matter his father sent him to work for another mortal, he would spend time with his children. "Of course I want to spend time with you! I want to know my girl. I know I haven't been around before... and I must apologize for that. and someday... maybe you will be so kind to forgive me for that."

Well that was far from what the other gods knew about him. He would have never asked for forgiveness before, well not to other gods or mortals. He was after all the God of the sun, arts, medicine, archery, law, moral, punishment and many other things!! so why such a perfect god should have to do that?! Well it was very simple... because in that moment he was a caring father and she was his beloved daughter. Then He smiled tenderly at her. "it is sweet of you that you still worry about me." He said and rubbed his thumb at her cheek, in a totally fatherly movement. "But I will be fine Cadence. I won't be able to stay for a long period of time, but the time I'll stay here, I will be totally yours." He smiled at her and then leaned down to grab her drawings, he tilted his head and smiled at her work. "you have a talented eye and hand."

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Honestly, Cadence always wondered what her dad looked like. If her and her siblings and her nieces and nephews were any indications, she knew he at least had blond hair. But other than that, she had no idea what to really expect when she looked at her dad for the first time. But he was just warm, had that cocky smile that reminded her of Jason and her own twin. He had a regal bearing, that reminded her of August. He had a bit of sweetness to his eyes that reminded her greatly of both Lilith and Tessa. She really did wonder if he was right to claim her. No matter what the other said about her dad being, well her dad, being a god, or a player or whatever they said about him, Cadence knew one thing was certain, her father was the single most wonderful man in the world. It seemed like he accepted her and her faults, not making her feel as if she had to work for his affection or that she had to do something worth while to get his notice. Apollo was a busy god, so for him to be here, with her, Cadence couldn't help but feel like she needed to bounce up and down like she was spring loaded. It took all her self-control to not jump like a giddy little school girl. She did give the biggest and most genuine smile in the world.

"I'm just so bloody happy that I can hug you daddy." Cadence gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry daddy, that language is not becoming of a lady!" She said, turning pink around her cheeks and ears. She looked up at the face of her father. He seemed to glow, just like the sun. Well it made sense now. "Mother always said you were super busy and that you had the most important job in the world." She said as she absentmindedly doodled on the leg of her pants with her finger. He apologized for not being there, but she didn't really think it was needed. She knew he was so busy and he had to make the sun move. Without the sun, the grass and fields and flowers wouldn't grow and they wouldn't have food or anything they really needed. "I can't ever be mad at you daddy. I love you so much, but you're super important and you have an important job. It's okay if you can't be around. The whole world depends on you for nearly EVERYTHING!" She exclaimed.

Cadence turned into his touch as he gently touched her cheek with his thumb. She couldn't help but smile widely. "But even the gods need people to worry about them, even if they don't actually need it. Everyone needs someone to worry about them." He picked up her sketchbook, it was nearly full with all sorts of sketches and drawings. One even showed a picture of Remus, the Praetor, giving someone a good ass kicking. The motions were rather dynamic and showed plenty of action in a single drawing. Another showed a sketch of Tessa drawing her bow back with tons of focus and intensity in her eyes. But the one sketch that she was the most proud of was a pastel drawing of her father's temple at sunrise. It was the single drawing that took her the most time to do. She had taken weeks to finish it, coming out for only a few hours each morning when the sun was at a perfect position. It had been done in pastels, blended perfectly and had such detail put into it, it nearly looked like a photograph. "thank you daddy, I get it from you." She said, blushing. Some of the drawings wern't done, but most of them were. She would have to remember to go get a new sketchbook before she left New Rome today. "Daddy, one day, would it be alright if I drew you?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

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Tag: Cadence

Word: 408

Notes: Sorry the delay and the shortness, muse had been picky and nasty.

Apollo looked at Cadence and smiled at her, he couldn't smile in other way than in the most tender and soft way, like when you were walking out in a sunning afternnon and the sun beams just touch your skin, not burning, not hurting or asfixiating you with the heat, not at all... Sun was in that moment just careshing her soul with his smile, just as the sunbeams would caresh her soft skin, well his smile was doing that. He just wanted her to be happy and to have a planty life and not to worry about her curse at all.

When she spoke like that so fresh and so out of the blue with that rude word, he wasn't upset, he wasn't really shocked, but amazed. He laughed and then shook his head slowly as he laughed. He loved that his daughter could express herself in such way, as long as she respected others. "I'm not mad at you, I like the fact that my little girl can express herself in the way she wants to do it. But I hope you do't use them with the gods, they don't feel comfortable with mortals talking like that to them." He smiled at her and rubbed her cheek with his thumb and then kissed her forehead.

"Cadence..." he started and smiled at her. "what did you think I did when your mother said I had the most important job in the world?" He asked curious of what the girl would have thought that her father had done, what she told her friends at school, or simply what she talked to her brother about their father. Then smiled at her words. "thank you my child, but remember that... all the gods have something good, a job that it is needed in the world for a perfect balance." Then he smiled again and continued looking her drawings.

He looked at the drawing of his temple and smiled at it widely, then looked at her and nodded. "Well... you must know that no one had ever painted me or draw me in the past, but... " he said and showed her the temple one and smiled. "if you give me this drawing, then I'll let you draw me." he smiled at her and then waited for her reply, he had never asked for a gift from his children, but that drwing of her was perfect and he wanted something from her.

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Cadence blinked up at her father. The warmth radiating off him reminded her deeply of a Christmas candle, a warm glass of tea on a winter day, a blanket. Maybe she should become a writer, she thought with an inner laugh. Then she realized how much she hated stringing those things together called words. Right here, right now, she was more happy than a Mars child dropped in a weapons cache. She sniffed her nose, drawing in cold air. She twitched her nose trying to get rid of the itch that had taken over. But once the nose problem vanished, she smiled up at her dad. Apollo, the god of the Arts, Archery, loads of things. The only one thing that she wanted to do, was to make him proud. Cadence wanted to prove that she was worthy to be a daughter of Apollo. She wanted to make sure that she did right by her dad by being a strong archer and a good roman. Sure some of the gods were a pain in the arse, but her dad, well he was Jupiter's gift to mankind. Prometheus did do man a favor but nothing compared to the fact that her father brought the sun for the fields and everything that the world needed depended on the sun.

Her dad laughed as she said what she did. She could feel the redness filling up her cheeks and the tips of her ears and she could swear that it didn't have anything to do with the cool weather. "I really do apologize father. But they say that the people who swear are the most honest in the world." She had read that in a psychology book or in a medical article. "But being fresh with the gods could be hazardous to one's health." She felt his hand on her cheek, brushing his thumb against it. He was warmer than she really expected but then again, he was the sun. "your hands are wonderfully warm, father. I bet you give good hugs in the winter." she said.

"Well Owen and I, we always tried to guess what you did. We made a game of it and it was brilliant. I remember the time Owen thought you were a pirate." She said, laughing. Now that her father was standing here in front of her, he didn't look like a pirate. "I told my class that you were a super important doctor that took care of the little children in the asian jungle." That was always her favorite thought about her father, that he was saving the little children of the world and making the place better for everyone to live in. "I remember the time when a boy told Owen that you were a drunken hobo. I've only ever seen Owen get that hopping mad only once before. Thought he was going to commit murder." The memory of that poor boy being pelted by Owen with his sling shot and rocks or whatever Owen could get into his hands, Cadence didn't wish Owen's wrath on anyone. "I know the gods are all important. But you're the most important one. To me anyways, I don't know what it's worth."

"Of course you can have it father!" She was so happy that he approved of her drawing of his temple on temple hill. One of these days she wanted to go to Rome and actually be able to draw the original temple of his. Then she wondered where he was going to be putting his drawing that she did. Did the gods have closets of things that were given to them by offerings or their children. Did her dad have a large refrigerator that he would put her artwork on? When she was little, she knew that there was no higher honor then putting your artwork on the refrigerator. Forget the Metropolitan Museum of art or the Louvre, the fridge was where you wanted your art when you were little. "I think I've come a long way from making wooden ash trays in art class in primary school."

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Apollo looked at Cadence and smiled at her, it was funny, but even when he was known to be the playboy god, the one who was always with women and always dated them, brom goddesses to supermodels or even magnificent artists, and also at some points men, gorgeous men, but let's not think about his multiple conquers, we would maybe need more than the paper needed to fill up an olympic pool. But going back to the comparative, he usually to be with those women, and he always acted in the same way, like a erfect casanova, but when he was with Cadence, he couldn't act like that, first it would have been weird! secondly... he really loved that kid as a father. He felt so proud of her, of Owen too, but Cadence had lived with that horrible curse and still she was capable to capture the perfect vision of the sweet smile of an innocent girl. that was most than many other artists, his children or not could accomplish.

He stopped laughing when she mentioned that it wouldn't be wise to speak like she just did with other gods. "that is wise of you my sweet girl. never speak like that to them... they are not as cool as your father." he winked at her and then smiled tenderly at her. "but when you are with me, I want you to be yourself, no one else. and yes, psychology determines that about people who curses." he said and then he listened to the different preoffesions that Owen and Cadence gave him. He smiled widely when she said Owen used to say that he was a pirate, but then his sight softened when she said she used to say he was a doctor. Well she was right, because he was and he used to be not only in Asia. "well, even when I find your brother's idea appealing and maybe someday Mercury and I will do it, you were right. I am a doctor and I was not only in Asia." he said and kissed her cheek.

"your brother has a very strong mood, but he is a good son too." he smiled at her then passed his hand over the drawing and it vanished, it didn't got burnt or shattered or ripped, it just vanished. "well, now it will be with the first ashtray you made." he winked at her. that ashtray, he had taken one morning while their mother was at work and they were at school, he had it on his throne in the Olypmus. "tell me Cadence, if you had an entire evening with your father, what would you like to do the most?" he was planning to spend that day only with her.