The Sun Sings Alone
Word Count: 1511
From "The Sun's Different Versions" Chapter 35 by Sukunomo (aka me) on
Title: "The Sun Sings Alone"
Apollo sat alone in the quiet meadow just beyond the Olympian palace, his lyre resting lightly in his hands. The golden glow of the setting sun reflected off his skin, casting a halo around him as he plucked at the strings. He thought he was alone—wanted to be alone—but the gods had a habit of not respecting boundaries.
He needed this moment. The weight of his existence had been bearing down on him more than usual, the centuries of loss, betrayal, and loneliness pressing like a vice around his chest. So, he did what he always did when the words he couldn’t speak threatened to consume him—he sang.
With a deep breath, he began to play, his voice soft and full of melancholy:
---
[Verse 1]
"I was born in the shadow of shame,
A son of light with a borrowed name.
My mother’s tears carved rivers in stone,
She bore me fleeing, scared and alone.
Delos held me when no one would dare,
Her trembling sands became my first prayer.
But what is a prayer when the heavens just sneer?
A gift of the sun, yet born into fear."
---
He closed his eyes as the music carried him away, unaware of the figures gathering behind the nearby trees and bushes. Artemis, her face pale and stricken, clutched her silver bow tightly. She had come to find her brother, worried after sensing his despair, and had accidentally stumbled upon his song.
The others had followed her.
Hermes leaned against a tree, his usual smirk replaced by a somber expression as he listened. Dionysus stood rigid, his goblet untouched in his hand for once. Even Hera and Zeus lingered, silent shadows amidst the golden light, drawn by the raw vulnerability in Apollo’s voice.
---
[Chorus]
"I burn so bright, but it never lasts,
Chased by shadows of my past.
I sing of truth, but I’m drowning in lies,
A golden god with fading skies."
---
Artemis bit her lip, guilt stabbing at her heart. How had she not seen the cracks in her brother’s radiant facade? She prided herself on being his twin, his closest ally, and yet here he was, baring his soul to the empty meadow because he thought no one cared enough to listen.
Zeus’s jaw tightened as the words hit him. He had never imagined his golden son felt this way—had never bothered to ask. The thought that Apollo, the pride of Olympus, the god of light and music, felt so… small, was almost unbearable.
---
[Verse 2]
"I slew the serpent, Python fell,
With each strike, I sank closer to hell.
Victory’s taste is bitter, not sweet,
The blood on my hands, the song incomplete.
My sister’s arrows fly true and fast,
She stands strong where I falter and crash.
And my father looks down with his storm-clad eyes,
A god of gods, but no father of mine."
---
Hera flinched at the line, her eyes darting to Zeus. The king of gods stood motionless, his gaze fixed on Apollo. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came. What could he say? Deny the truth? Comfort his son with empty promises? He had never been a father to Apollo—not the way a father should be.
Hermes lowered his head, guilt gnawing at him. He’d always teased Apollo, poking fun at his theatrics and arrogance, never realizing those behaviors were armor.
---
[Chorus]
"I burn so bright, but it never lasts,
Chased by shadows of my past.
I sing of truth, but I’m drowning in lies,
A golden god with fading skies."
---
A tear slipped down Artemis’s cheek as Apollo’s voice cracked on the final note. She wanted to run to him, to throw her arms around him and tell him he wasn’t alone. But the words felt lodged in her throat. How could she claim to understand his pain when she had missed it for so long?
Dionysus, usually indifferent to the affairs of his family, felt a pang of something he rarely experienced: shame. Apollo had always been kind to him, always extended a hand when no one else would. And here he was, singing about burdens he carried alone.
---
[Bridge]
"Oh, my lovers, so many, so few,
Hyacinth, Daphne, I still dream of you.
You withered, you ran, or you turned into stone,
Leaving me in the cosmos alone.
Did you see the cracks beneath my smile?
The hollow laughter, the gilded guile.
For each embrace that I let slip away,
A piece of me crumbled, day by day."
---
Zeus clenched his fists as the names of Apollo’s lost lovers rang through the air. He had seen his son’s heartbreaks, the mortals and gods who had left him, betrayed him, or been taken from him. But he had never realized how deeply those wounds had cut. Apollo had always seemed so resilient, so untouchable.
---
[Chorus]
"I burn so bright, but it never lasts,
Chased by shadows of my past.
I sing of truth, but I’m drowning in lies,
A golden god with fading skies."
---
Apollo’s fingers slowed on the strings as he sang the final lines, his voice barely above a whisper:
---
[Outro]
"Oh, Mother, you gave me this curse and this crown,
Artemis, I see you, your light never drowns.
Zeus, do you see me? Or am I just ash?
A fleeting spark from your thunderous wrath.
And now I wander, unbound and alone,
Chained to a fate not even my own."
---
The last note lingered in the air as Apollo sighed, placing the lyre on the ground. He ran a hand through his hair, unaware of the gods frozen just beyond the tree line.
“Why do I even bother?” he muttered to himself, his voice filled with quiet despair.
Before anyone could react, Artemis stepped forward, her bow forgotten at her side. “Apollo…” she began, her voice trembling.
Apollo jumped, spinning around to face her. His golden eyes widened in shock as he saw the group behind her, their faces etched with guilt, sorrow, and something he couldn’t quite place.
“You were… listening?” he asked, his voice cracking.
“Yes,” Artemis said, stepping closer. “We heard everything.”
For once, Apollo had no witty retort, no radiant smile to mask his feelings. He stood there, vulnerable and exposed, as the gods approached him one by one.
Zeus placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder, his usual arrogance replaced by something almost apologetic. “Apollo… I—”
But Apollo shook his head, stepping back. “Don’t. Please. Just… let me be alone.”
“Not this time,” Artemis said firmly, pulling him into a tight embrace. “Not ever again.”
And for the first time in centuries, Apollo allowed himself to cry.
---
The gods never forgot that day, and neither did Apollo. For while his song had been one of despair, it became the catalyst for something he never thought he’d have: family.
--
https://youtu.be/B6U1lNTMkJk?si=KZz-bQzx77XfGaQs
https://suno.com/song/228eb382-14d0-4e52-961f-5c11d689553e
Title: "Burning Bright, Fading Fast"
(Melancholy acoustic melody begins, soft and haunting)
[Verse 1]
I was born in the shadow of shame,
A son of light with a borrowed name.
My mother’s tears carved rivers in stone,
She bore me fleeing, scared and alone.
Delos held me when no one would dare,
Her trembling sands became my first prayer.
But what is a prayer when the heavens just sneer?
A gift of the sun, yet born into fear.
[Chorus]
I burn so bright, but it never lasts,
Chased by shadows of my past.
I sing of truth, but I’m drowning in lies,
A golden god with fading skies.
[Verse 2]
I slew the serpent, Python fell,
With each strike, I sank closer to hell.
Victory’s taste is bitter, not sweet,
The blood on my hands, the song incomplete.
My sister’s arrows fly true and fast,
She stands strong where I falter and crash.
And my father looks down with his storm-clad eyes,
A god of gods, but no father of mine.
[Chorus]
I burn so bright, but it never lasts,
Chased by shadows of my past.
I sing of truth, but I’m drowning in lies,
A golden god with fading skies.
[Bridge]
Oh, my lovers, so many, so few,
Hyacinth, Daphne, I still dream of you.
You withered, you ran, or you turned into stone,
Leaving me in the cosmos alone.
Did you see the cracks beneath my smile?
The hollow laughter, the gilded guile.
For each embrace that I let slip away,
A piece of me crumbled, day by day.
[Chorus]
I burn so bright, but it never lasts,
Chased by shadows of my past.
I sing of truth, but I’m drowning in lies,
A golden god with fading skies.
[Outro]
Oh, Mother, you gave me this curse and this crown,
Artemis, I see you, your light never drowns.
Zeus, do you see me? Or am I just ash?
A fleeting spark from your thunderous wrath.
And now I wander, unbound and alone,
Chained to a fate not even
my own.
(Music fades to silence, like the setting sun.)