Olympia: Planet of Men (Ch. 10)

Chapter Ten | Family

I never knew my parents. My mother died giving birth to me, and my father was apparently some deadbeat who wanted nothing to do with having children. 

I was born in a hospital in the Florida panhandle, but my mother’s family was from Hot Springs, in Arkansas. Like me, she was an only child; so when she passed, my grandmother took me into her care. She was already quite along in her years, but she was incredibly sweet, caring, and patient with me. It was through her that I got a headstart in my education. She taught me so much in my earliest years, and always encouraged me to be creative.

When I was five, though, she had her first stroke. I was in the room with her when it started. We were laughing together at Tom and Jerry when her expression changed. She started to tell me she had a headache as she winced, but she couldn’t finish. Half of her face and one arm fell completely limp. She made a move for the telephone in a panic, but one side of her body betrayed her inclinations. I could tell something was very wrong. Fortunately, she taught me about emergency situations and what to do. I dialed 911 and told the operator, to the best of my abilities, what was happening. 

I had never been so scared. A police officer brought me to the hospital where the ambulance took my grandma. He was extremely nice, assuring me that she’d be fine because I called so soon. I remember, even at such a young age, that I found him attractive. Not that I really understood what attraction was. It wasn’t sexual at that time in any way, but in hindsight I feel it may have been the first time I ‘noticed’ another guy.

I was so relieved when my grandmother was finally released from the ICU. Unfortunately the stroke had done some not-so-insignificant damage. Her motor skills were lacking and she’d need physical therapy and assistance from someone more capable than I was at the time. Through a heavy stream of tears, she handed me over to the state into foster care. 

I was in Little Rock for several years. She’d come visit me as often as her new condition would allow her. Sadly, though, she suffered a second stroke when I was seven and passed away. I was heartbroken. I was alone.

When I was twelve, Mike and Trish came to the orphanage in Little Rock. They were such happy people. They couldn’t conceive on their own, but found a certain fulfillment in fostering children. I’m certain it started as a truly altruistic endeavor, but as the years went on it became something more insidious.

I remember the first time Mike took me fishing with him and Brandon. He had a small boat that he loved to take out onto the local reservoir. The night before he told us his plans to take me along, I was so thrilled. He woke us up early in the morning. It was cold outside but I didn’t care. I was going to experience a quintessential father-son moment, and I was euphoric. 

The trip itself was one of my favorite memories. It was the first time I ever tasted beer, though I really didn’t care for it at the time. Brandon caught the largest fish by far, but Mike seemed so proud of the eight inch bass I pulled out of the water that day. It’s difficult for me to look back on the memory and associate the Mike from that day, to the Mike that struck me on my last day on Earth…

My experience with family has mostly been disjointed and unpleasant, with only a few scattered islands of happiness. Looking into the office where Derek, Trent, and Jiho were deciding their futures I felt a strange sense of belonging, like I found a better family. At the same time, and I’m not sure why, I was feeling retrospective.

A few minutes ago, Athenus told me that Apollo had summoned me. So many things came rushing through my mind in that moment, what does he even want with me? Why is he singling me out? I had no idea, but I was worried. It was my ship that was attacked after all. Did I do something wrong? Were they going to send me back to Earth because they had made some mistake in choosing me? I felt so detached. 

“Hey! I’m all set.”, Derek announced as his copy of Athenus disappeared and he stepped out of the office. “You Alright?”

“Huh? … yea!”, I was completely zoned out when he approached. 

“What’s up? Something’s on your mind.”

“Uh, yea, Athenus said Apollo wants to see me when we’re done here.”, I informed him.

“..woah, what? Why?”, he seemed just as surprised as I was.

“No idea”, I admitted.

“Man, that’s weird… I wonder if you’re the only one.”

I just shrugged in reply. I was surprised when Derek didn’t attempt to resolve the tension with a witty remark. 

“So what’d you decide on with Athenus?”, I asked, trying to change the subject.

“Well, I told him everything I knew I was interested in, but couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do exactly.

So he ended up enrolling me at Apollon University where I could explore my interests.”

“That sounds awesome! I’m sorta doing the same at Parnassus. Did he give you some free time before you start too?”, I prodded.

“Yep”, Derek affirmed as Jiho and Trent left the office. “Hey! How’d it go?”

“Awesome! We’re both going to continue our education at the same school near downtown.”, Trent responded.

“Nice! Apollon University?”, Derek asked.

“Yea!”, Jiho chimed in.

“Nice! Me too. I heard you guys chose a place not far from us too. We’re in the Arts District.”

“Yea! We’re both pretty close to the university.”, Jiho added.

“Hell yea”, Derek cheered with a modest fist pump.

“Haha, what now? You guys going to your new place?”, Trent asked.

“Actually, Damon’s gotta go back to that temple building. Athenus told him that Apollo wants to see him!”, Derek excitedly shared with our friends. “I’m gonna hang around and wait for him.”

“What!? Ok, yea something’s going on…”, Jiho exclaimed. “I wouldn’t mind waiting with you. I’m kinda curious. What do you think?”, Jiho turned to Trent.

“I don’t mind either, it’s definitely interesting.”

“Cool, should we head on over?”, Derek asked me.

“Uh.. yea, I guess.”, I answered nervously. I was surprised by their eagerness to tag along, but also a little grateful.

We made our way out of the social services rather quickly. My friends seemed far more eager to get to the Capitol than I was. I had no clue what was waiting for me beyond those massive marble columns.

Along the way Trent and Jiho shared details of their new apartments. Just like Derek and I they were in the same building but on separate floors. They were in a tower that sat directly between the university and downtown. Both were facing the dense core of Apollon City.

Derek told them about how we had our entire floor to ourselves. He was especially thrilled to share his favorite feature, the Sim tech. He insisted they both come over for a southern barbecue on our balcony. Admittedly the idea of eating grilled foods sounded like such a treat.

As I was reminiscing about the neighborhood cookouts that Mike used to host we closed in on the Capitol. I quickly forgot about these events from my childhood when the dread set in. 

“Alright… we’ll be here waiting for you. Don’t get on your knees too quickly, don’t want to seem desperate.”, Derek teased with a grin.

“Heh… I’ll try.”, I half-heartedly played along.

Before I turned to head up the steps he gave me a quick peck on the mouth. It was very reassuring to feel his lips pressed against mine.

With an ever-so-slight boost in confidence I started ascending the steps. They were much larger than I expected. It felt a bit unnatural to be climbing them, almost like they were designed for people much larger than myself. Considering how tall Hermes was, I wondered what the stature of the rest of his family was like. Though, Apollo was barely an inch or two taller than myself.

I cleared the stairs and made my way past the towering columns. I passed through the large opening and into the Capitol.

I half expected to see a large golden statue of Athena, like the one I’d seen in pictures of Nashville’s Parthenon replica. Instead there was a large open chamber lined with columns on all sides. Sunlight poured in through a vaulted glass sunroof. There were no statues of any kind in this space. 

In the center, towards the other end of the long rectangular room, was a large circular depression. Along the inner circumference was what looked like a sofa, stretching along the entire loop. Seated within the loop I could make out Hermes and his baby blue traveler’s cloak. Sitting next to him, in his bold crimson accoutrements, was Apollo himself. He was just barely outside the rays of sunlight so he wasn’t lit up in his characteristic glow. They appeared to be locked in conversation and hadn’t yet noticed my intrusion.

I froze for a moment while I took in my surroundings and noticed the two godlike figures in front of me. Afterwards I slowly made my way towards the pair of men.

It wasn’t until I was about halfway across the room that Hermes noticed me. He was seated on the opposite side of Apollo, facing him, leaning onto the floor beside him. Apollo’s back was turned to me.

“Damon! We were just talking about you!”, Hermes declared.

When someone says ‘they were just talking about you’ it can sometimes be difficult to decipher the intent behind their statement. If it’s a close trusted friend it can be a pleasant feeling. Maybe they were talking about one of your interesting features. If they’re some douchebag who generally picks on you, it’s fair to assume it’s probably something nasty. If you don’t really know the person at all… it can carve a pit into your stomach and fill it with uncertainty. 

When Hermes said he and Apollo were talking about me I felt a veritable tsunami of uncertainty. What could these two ancient and godlike men find interesting about me?

Apollo turned to face me when his brother made his statement of acknowledgement.

“O-oh yea?”, I stuttered.

“Yea! Come on, have a seat. Don’t be nervous, everything’s fine.”, he attempted to assure me as he patted part of the sofa between him and Apollo.

To say I felt overwhelmed would be an understatement. Dancing with Hermes was one thing. At the time I thought he was just a man, but Apollo had this aura of magnificence. At the same time I found him somewhat alluring, I couldn’t put my thumb on it. Him supposedly being the most beautiful Greek god probably had something to do with it.

I did exactly as the messenger god suggested and continued walking toward them. I noticed, as I got closer, that the area they were seated in was actually tiered. There were three more concentric rings of comfortable seating forming a large open pit. It looked as though it was meant for holding important discussions.

In an attempt to not seem too apprehensive, I quickly sat down between the two renowned figures. I could feel the heat radiating off of Apollo, but it was orders of magnitude more bearable, now that he wasn’t in sunlight. I could also finally see his eyes without their shroud of light. They were the most gorgeous eyes I’d ever seen. His irises sparkled like gemstones. I was immediately enamored by him.

“Hello again, Damon”, Apollo greeted me with a smile. His voice was smooth and comforting, it didn’t have the same energetic effect this time. Apparently sunlight makes him seem far more intimidating.

“Hi..”, I replied sheepishly. 

“I apologize if your invitation gave you discomfort.”

“No, it’s alright.. It’s just… unexpected”, I admitted.

“Understandable, being singled out can be unsettling.”, Hermes added with a hint of consolation.

“Yea… but, you wouldn’t have asked me to come here without a reason.”, I stated while looking between the men on either side.

“You’re right, it’s important that we discuss some things with you.”, Apollo confirmed. “… Do you know what this place is?”

“… Athenus called it the Capitol?”, I answered, unsure of where this was going.

“Indeed! We’re sitting in the Assembly. This is where the magistrates from all over Olympia come to discuss the needs of their constituents.”, he explained.

“Oh, that’s cool… Like congress… Are either of you magistrates?”

“I am, my last term. Apollo served many years ago.”, Hermes informed me. Apollo nodded in agreement.

“Nice! … but what’s that got to do with me?”

“Nothing in particular, my brother just loves sharing knowledge”, Hermes teased. I chuckled nervously.

“He’s not wrong, I prefer being a teacher over being a politician.”, Apollo admitted, grinning slightly. “My intention was not to confuse you, but to make you feel welcome. What we’ve brought you here for is going to be significant.”

His words bounced around my mind. I felt relief at the notion of being made to feel welcome. I wasn’t going to be sent back to Earth. The slight guilt from before was lifted from my emotional state, but I still had lingering curiosity. What was I here for? What could be so significant? I was already starting to think this had something to do with my being awake during the attack, or why my ship was attacked in the first place…

“Ok… but wh- why did you bring me here?”, I stuttered. I tried my best not to show any concern. I truly wanted Hermes and Apollo to know that I trusted their judgement, but at the same time… I was terrified of the unknown.

“We want you to meet someone… but, we also want to explain a few things first.”, Hermes chimed in.

“Right.”, Apollo agreed. There was a slight pause before he continued, it seemed as though he was calculating the best way to approach the subject. “What do you know about your parents?”

“Uh… … “, I blanked, the question threw me off entirely. I questioned everything in a moment. “M-my mother was from Arkansas, she … died… giving birth to me in Florida. My dad… I- my grandmother told me she met him in Destin, when she worked at one of the resorts… His name was Eric, but when he found out she was pregnant, he disappeared. My grandma said he was a bit of a playboy that didn’t want to settle down.” 

“Eric..?”, Hermes giggled.

“Brother…”, Apollo scorned. “Sorry… I’m sure your grandmother had the best intentions… She was so kind to you.”

“Yea…”, I sighed, but a nagging sensation filled the back of my mind. “How did you-?”

“We… kept an eye on you… to make sure you were safe.”, he confided.

“Bu- … why?”, I croaked, I was getting slightly impatient. I knew I was getting close to an answer, but they seemed to be hesitant.

“Well… What do you know about the relation between humans and our kind?”, Apollo asked.

“I- I … don’t know anything… about-“, I admitted, stuttering as I replied to his strange question.

“Relax, it’s alright.”, he assured me. “Humans and Titans are… genetically… very similar. Our father, Zeus, wanted to see a world where mankind could exist free from Cronus’s tyranny. A new world without a small ruling class and subservient masses. 

To that end… we err… created humans. We deliberately catalyzed the formation of life on earth and selectively influenced your ancestors’ evolution.”

I didn’t quite know how to process this information. I sat there with my jaw slowly dropping with every word that poured from his gorgeous mouth. I turned to Hermes, who simply nodded to confirm Apollo’s claim.

“I’m sure this is a lot to take in…”, Apollo began.

“- how?”, was all I could think to say. He seemed to like the question, he grinned as if he was proud of the coming answer, or perhaps my curiosity.

“It’s complicated, but it’s important for you to know that the building blocks, the amino acids, that make up your DNA, are fundamentally similar to ours… and… because of that… humans and titans can…”

“Reproduce.”, Hermes interrupted.

Suddenly I felt as if I was suspended in mid air, adrift. My senses betrayed me as sinking realization hit me like a freight train. Their questions were meant to guide me to this conclusion. 

“I…”, I choked. My mouth felt dry, I couldn’t get the words out. I didn’t know how to say it. I didn’t want to be wrong either. It would have been foolish of me to assume.

“Your father…”, Apollo started.

I felt tears building up in my eyes. 

“H-he’s here?”, I interrupted.

“Yes.”, he answered firmly. “He wants to meet you, but… there are things you should know.”

“What things?”, I mumbled. I felt such a mixture of emotions in that moment. I was beyond excited, but also immensely angry. If he’s here, why wasn’t he part of my life?

“First, my family does not reproduce often, in spite of what you may have read from our mythos on Earth. In particular, we males are strongly discouraged from impregnating human females. It can lead to complications… as I’m sure …”, he trailed off when he saw me hanging my head. I had always blamed myself in some way for my mother’s death, but Apollo’s words solidified the guilt. I felt Hermes’s hand on my bare shoulder.

“You mustn’t blame yourself. Your mother knew the risks, and you were merely an infant.”, he confided.

“She knew..?”

“She did.”, Apollo confirmed. “Your father shared much with her, he was… deeply… infatuated.”

This new bit of information comforted me to some degree. I had always thought that it was more of a one night stand gone wrong. I brought my teary-eyed gaze back to Apollo’s as he continued.

“He… regrets not being part of your life, though it wasn’t entirely his decision. We prefer not to steal away infants from their families, and we do not rescue children who have yet to mature enough to make such a profound choice.”

“I see… so… wh-who is he? When can I see him?”, I stuttered as I tried to contain myself. 

“Hermes?”, Apollo turned to his brother.

“Right… I’ll be right back.”, he stated as he gracefully lifted himself up and out of the assembly. He quickly walked toward the row of pillars behind us. Apollo placed a hand on my shoulder just as Hermes did before.

“He’s here now, and… I’m sure you’re familiar with who he is.”

The implications of Apollo’s statement struck me once again. If I already knew of him, he must’ve been one of them. He must’ve been seen as a god… What then, did that make me? I quickly felt a sinking feeling when I realized that there’s a strong chance I wasn’t quite human. I also felt an opposing uplifting sensation, much like the feeling of ‘butterflies in one’s stomach’. All this time I thought I had no family, I thought I was truly alone, but I was about to meet my father. Through the years I considered the possibility that he’d still be alive since I didn’t know otherwise. I just never expected that I’d be eager to meet him. I certainly never expected this… who would?

“Damon… “, Hermes’ soft quiet voice came from behind.

I didn’t even hear their footsteps as they approached. I quickly whipped my head around to get a look. 

I saw Hermes of course, looking tall, thin, and strapping. Standing just behind him to one side, though, was a slightly taller, very bulky bearded man. He had short wavy brown hair, much like mine, and piercing blue eyes. He wore golden bracers and sandals with a criss-cross pattern, resembling a fish net. Like Apollo, he was wearing a thick cloak, but his was seafoam green… Before Hermes said a word, I knew who he was.

“I’d like you to meet our uncle…

And… your father.

Poseidon.”

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