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Defeated, Apollo sinks down, sitting on the floor of the tent, right outside the curtain. He pulls his knees up to his chest and folds his arms over them. His face tucked away into his arms, he silently sobs.
"N-no... I can't... You know that as well as I do... I'm sorry, Endymion... Dionysus clouds my mind because we were once lovers... Probably the same way he clouds your mind when you think I don't notice... I wish it wasn't that way, but I won't pretend that it's not.... I don't love Dionysus... I love you.... I'm not leaving... Not like this... Please, Endymion..."

Apollo had looked up to see the curtain burst into flamce and saw Endymion, raising his hand to strike him. He was too startled that the ob that struck him stuck in his chest. But he didn't flinch away, he just lowered his head. He deserved to be hurt right now. Dionysus speaking nearby sounded so far away, like someone had left a television on to a strange channel. He just sits there, the tears rolling down his cheeks without pause inbetween.
The whispered sob of Endymion's hurt the worst. He lets out the sob the had been clutched in his chest. He didn't move but simply vanished from his spot.

Deep in the woods, a curled up figure sat on the riverbank, sobbing hoarsely. He had just managed to gain Endymion's trust and affection again and what had he done? He ******** it all up. Apollo had thought he had learned his lesson, but apparently he hadn't. He balls himself up, lying on his side in the damp, gravely sand and lay awake all night, feeding the river with his tears.

The words fell dead upon Apollo's ears. He lay there in the damp sand, trembling. He had run out of tears earlier that night and just layed there in a blank, dehydrated haze. A few minutes after he heard Dionysus fall, the Sun tugged him to his feet. Shivering, he raises the sun slowly. Sensing his hurt, She shines bright and hard, as if trying to cheer him. The slow sunrise finally ended, though, and he broke away from her. Rising the Sun in the Spring and Summer was always a more intimate experience, but this morning he was too numb for it to affect him.

He walks calmly over to Dionysus' drunken form on the ground. He didn't blame the god lying before him for any of this. It was his own falt for experiencing any sense of lust for Dionysus. Whether Endymion found out or not, he had still let himself fall to the temptation to fantasize. He squats down and heaves Dionysus up, his weak form trembling under the weight. He carries the god to a clearing and lays him in the grass there. He couldn't go back to the camp. He stands back up, realizing he had come to the clearing where Endymion had been trained. All the signs of battle were there, but fresh, young Spring grass was covering the ridges and craters in the ground. He walks to the other side of the clearing and sits down. Dionysus had told him to go back once Endymion had cooled off... But Apollo didn't even know if he could do that now. The shame brought a fresh wave of dry sobs and he curls into himself again, letting them rack through his body freely.

It had been about five minutes since Dionysus passed out when Apollo finally lifted his head. He uses his weakening powers slowly, pulling up a large bal of chilled water from the ground that had melted from snow the day before. It hovers over the drunk god for a moment, before falling and soaking him through. Apollo stands up, his voice hoarse, "Go, Dionysus...." He digs into his pocket and retrieves his wallet, pulling forth a couple of hundred dollar bills. All of money seemed useless to him anyways. He drops them on Dionysus' chest, "The city isn't far from here. Get a nice hotel room and sleep it off... If you've been kicked out as well, there's no use staying here."

Apollo turns, walking back towards teh river. His skin felt tight on his body today, is if it had been shrinking, and his skin wasa bit paler than the night before. Even the glorious blonde hair hung limp. He strips out of his clothes numbly and wades into the still cold river, welcoming the goosebumps even if they carried reality on their backs.

Back at the camp, a light fluttering sound signalled a presence at the edge of Endymion's now tattered curtains. Demeter peeks inside, seeing Endymion awake. She has a small sad smile on her face as she pushes them aside and comes in, sitting on the edge of the bed, "I know you've been getting an earful since last night but I thought... Right now it would be better for someone to just listen to you, dear... Come now..." She runns a soothing hand over Endymion's face, stroking his forehead and cheek like a concerned mother, which she basically was.

Apollo heard Dionysus' words, but he momentarily ignores them, dipping his whole body into the waist-deep water and soaking his hair and washing away the dried tear tracks from his face. He shivers, walking back from the water and simultaneously drying himself with the remainder of his powers. He pulls on his pants, looking weary. He fnally comments back to Dionysus, "What story? I think what he heard was pretty unmistakeable... Please, just drop it... He is probably still angry anyways... But this was my fault to begin with, no use making excuses...."

Demeter hugs Endymion back, surprised that he didn't want to talk about it all, but a little cheered that he was setting out to find Apollo. She stands by the flap of the tent, watching Endymion walk off.

((I had posted that Apollo got out of the water and pulled on his pants.... but now I think I like him in the river better, so I'm gonna go change it))

Apollo had been just about to calmly answer Dionysus' comment when he heard a different voice speak his name. He turns, the water swirling about his hips in an easy current. His breath catches in his chest seeing Endymion there. He didn't know if the god was here to punish him or what, but Apollo didn't care right now.
His trembling hand raises to push a wet lock from his face, awkwardly silent while watching Endymion wrangle with Dionysus' unconscious body. His suspense heightened when Endymion turned back to him and spoke... But then Endymion said he was sorry.
Head tilted in confusion, Apollo's lips part with hoarsely spoken words, "Endymion... Why are you apologizing?...." He pauses, taking a couple of steps forward toward the bank, but stops, remembering his nudeness. He bites his lip, sighing out, "Dymion... I hurt you... Don't apologize for being hurt... In fact, I kind of wish you had kicked my a** and just gotten it over with... For causing you pain, I deserve all that and more... I'm so sorry..."
He looks down at the waters, swllowing hard at the lump in his throat, "I always seem to screw this up, don't I?"

Apollo's eyes stay locked on Endymion's as the new god explained. He took a step forward, understanding what the other was saying, but also knowing that Apollo himself wasn't innocent. If he and Dionysus hadn't been joking around about it in the first place, it never would have happened. And somehow, the fact that Endymion was so jealous over Apollo's past affair with Dionysus made the sungod's whole body radiate hope. Endymion cared about him.
But the same god that cared for him was turning away to leave. With Endymion's back turned, he floats up, out of the water and dries himself off, quickly getting back to shore and tugging on his pants so fast that he nearly fell over, as if Endymion leaving him now would mean him leaving forever. Clothed from the waist-down and desperate, he prays,
"Sweet god, lord of hope... Protect my hope now, cultivate it and bless it... I love you, my god, and you alone... You live in every dream I have and you slide into my mind in waking moments... I could never leave you without leaving my heart behind.. What has happened in the past will stay there but my future is with you or alone... Please, my wonderful god... If you care for me, don't apologize..."

Apollo nods, not wanting to press the subject now. He was happy enough that Endymion wasn't angry with him and wanted him to come back to camp. To ask for more may have been too much and Endymion may not have reacted well. He gives Endymion a small weak smile and uses a bit of his powers to lighten Dionysus' dead weight.

He walks silently back to camp at Endymion's side, not wanting to break the fragile peace between them. Once they arrived in camp, Demeter came to greet them, kissing Apollo's cheek briefly before taking Dionysus from Endymion's arms. She clucks softly at his state, "I see he thoroughly inebrieted himself again... I'll take him inside and into bed...." She cautiously stays quiet about the night before and regards them calmly before carrying Dionysus into the tent.