You Are My Sunshine
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are grey.
You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away...

-Jimmie Davis, son of Apollo.

My Little Sunshine

I took a deep breath, and forced myself to walk through the front doors of the building. Instantly I was hit with the stench of cleaning chemicals and medicine. This wasn't the first time I'd enter this place, Memphis General Hospital's bright blue letters had dimmed over the period of 28 years, but my memories of this place haven't faded. I saw a decently cute nurse sitting by the customer service desk, and winked at her. She blushed, much to my amusement.

"Um...hello, sir. May I, um, may I help you?" She stuttered, flustered, again to my fantastic amusement.

"Yeah, sweetie, I think you could help me," Okay, I told myself sternly, no flirting, you have a mission here. "I was looking for a friend of mine, it would be under the last name, Solace?" I said, trying to act professional, my sister would be so proud, or be irritated I had to try so hard. The woman smiled at me and nodded, and I saw her fingers roam annoyingly slowly across the computer keys, until she looked back up.

"Yes, right here. And...you are?" The girl put her fist under her chin, and batted her eyelashes, trying to act attractive. I really wasn't in the mood at the moment, anymore. Although I'd been to many of births, this was special, this wasn't something I did often.

"I'm the boy's father, Creed Apollo," I nearly cracked up at that, but I saw how shocked she was- as any mortal would be, and not only at the name.

After all, I did look like a lanky 21 year old. Slightly far fetched considering the circumstances. So, I gently and slowly morphed my youthful features into a more believable middle-aged- but still hot, if I do say so myself- man. I smiled when she gladly excepted it, I made another silent thank you to the Mist.

Helen Mariah, as I read on her name tag, called up to the room where my son was and talked very briefly, I could hear a brief laugh on the other line at the name 'Creed Apollo', but then Helen smiled and nodded at me when she set the overly-cleaned phone down.

"Yes, you'll want to go to room #128, level 3 in the east wing. If you get lost, you can just follow the signs toward the neonatal section. But...I could bring you...I-If you'd like," That didn't surprise me, but it did irritate me.

"No, I'll be fine," I said, curtly. She looked disappointed, but nodded.

I looked through the glass keeping me from my son, he looked just like me, same blue eyes, same blonde hair, I remembered him, my son, William Jackson Solace, as a baby. So small, so cute, such a fuss for his nurses. And now, here is my fussy little blonde son, lying on the hospital bed with his arm coiled around his exhausted wife. She was very pretty, I noticed, smiling at the touching scene before my eyes, with her brown hair and milky skin. But, after all, the girl- my daughter-in-law- was a daughter of Aphrodite. My son wasn't asleep, though, I noticed that he was admiring something beyond the edge of the bed, out of my sight.

I took a deep breath, look at me, Apollo, God of the Sun, apprehensive at seeing his eldest living son? Ridiculous. I knocked on the door, softly, as not to wake his wife, and opened it and snuck in, quietly. Will twisted on his side, to face me, his sky-tinted eyes widened and he smiled. Carefully, he pulled his arm out from under his wife and eased off the bed, he gestured outside a smile creeping into his expression, I nodded, grinning, but my smile wavered as I noticed I had to look up slightly to meet his gaze. When the Hades did he get that tall?

The thought of my kids aging still scared the shit out of me. As always.

My Will looked at me, eyes wide, as he closed the door behind us,

"Dad, w-what are ya' doing here? I got the call but I thought it might've been Austin jokin' with me. Ya' know, not that I'm not happy to see ya' and all, but...uh..." Will face flushed, and he rubbed his neck, awkwardly. I smiled at him, He's still got his Southern accent, one of his best traits, I thought, before I pulled him into a tight hug,

"What, a father can't visit his own kid after seven years? Not to mention...I assume congratulations are in order, Will, with your own little one!" Will smiled, his mother's bright smile shining through his face.

"Yeah, thanks...she's so tiny, and beautiful, and gorgeous, and perfect, a-and-" I laughed, interrupting his "first time daddy" rambling.

"So it's a baby girl?" I inquired, innocently. Of course I knew. Will's eyes got a little glassy, which made me feel a surge of affection for the boy. He nodded enthusiastically.

"My lil' girl- we named her Summer, Summer Carolina Solace." I smiled, at him, and was about to compliment the name when he surprised me,

"Would ya' like to meet her?" Will asked, nodding toward the door. I blinked, and nodded.

"Really?" Some of my own children's mothers had forbade me from so much as looking at them, much less a grandchild.

"You are her grandpa, after all," I flinched, I don't care if I'm as old as dirt! I still hate feeling old!

"No, no, no- I will be called, 'Ollo, if nothing else! Or maybe Appi!" I joked, Will chuckled at my idea, then slowly placed his tiny daughter in my hands, my granddaughter, and I chuckled as she blew a raspberry at me.

"She's beautiful, son." I murmured, gazing fondly at my beloved little grandchild, she had my eyes- or Will's eyes, with a small patch of blonde fuzz on her head that I couldn't resist running my hand over. I could tell how gorgeous she'd be when she was older...her teen years are going to suck for poor Will.

"Yeah...Yeah, she really is, isn't she?" Will gazed lovingly at his daughter, and bit his lip.

"Since her mom and I...since, we're both, y'know...demigods..." I nodded. Will his daughter have to be taken from him, be trained, fight, possibly die, like Will had seen his brothers and sisters fall before him, when he was so young and brave? Like his brothers, Lee and Michael, my brave -far too young- sons.

"It varies, if you have issues with...um...creatures, later on, then I suppose it would be inevitable."

I felt a wave of sympathy crash down on me for him, was he really thinking that far ahead? I'd been a father many times over, but I'd never been able to raise any of my sons or daughters to know of the pain of them being taken from me.

I know of death. Death of my children, no matter how many times I'd had it happen to me, it gets no better, hurts no less, it still always feels like a huge part of my soul being ripped away each time, like you'll never be whole again.

But, I also know of love. How much I loved each of my children, and no matter how many times I'd raised the sun, all of the sunlight in the universe couldn't fill me with the same light and warmth as holding a child in my hands and knowing that this little piece of sunshine and amazing perfection came from me. That this was mine.

Will nodded, but it looked like my words did little to comfort him. I stared back down at his perfect little piece of his soul, his little sunshine, his light. And I promised my own sunshine something,

"I promise she won't have to, though." I swore, I could practically hear my father's angry voice booming out as he scolded me, Will let out a surprised laugh.

"What? Your not aloud to do that, I payed attention to some things at camp!" I smiled, then tore my eyes away from Summer, to Will.

"I swear by the River Styx, I won't let anything happen to your little girl, William." I said, in all seriousness. Will blinked, and nodded.

"Thank you, Father." I smiled at him, then looked out the window, almost dawn, time to raise the sun. Will followed my gaze and nodded, and knowingly, like his mother always managed to do- read my mind.

"Time to go?" He asked, I sighed,

"Yup, time to go." I raised the little girl in my arms to my face and kissed her forehead, leaving a slight glowing gold mark. The blessing of Apollo. That will keep her safe, I thought. Will deserved his daughter, and he deserved his own little sun. I turned to my son, and placed the little girl back in his arms. He looked so relieved to have her back in his arms, I couldn't resist an amused smirk.

"I love you, sunshine." I said, ruffling his hair, as I'd done so many years ago the first day I'd met my boy.

"'Love ya', too, Dad." Will said, smiling brightly and sincerely at me. I heard him murmur something to his daughter as I left the room, something that would stay with me for a long time,

"Hey, baby girl, you know, that was Grandpa...He's my Daddy, I love him lots, sweetie...I'm sure you will, too...Like I love you, my little sunshine."

Too cheesy? I'm kinda proud of it- but i thought Apollo was too OOC? REVIEW OR BE CURSED WITH THE RAGE AND FURY OF A THOUSAND FIERY DEATHS...nah, I don't have that kind of authority- but it would be sweet! :D