章 15: Chapter 15
The next morning Ajak woke up to find both Jonathan and Apollo already up. As it was summer the work on the farm didn't require them to wake up at the crack of dawn so she wondered what they were doing. Jonathan had told her about the incident at the theatre and Ajak was worried about her son. She poured herself some coffee and as she slowly sipped it she saw something in the corner of her eye. She went to the window and looked to see what it was. Apollo seemed to be flying very slowly just a little above the cornfields. His hands were outstretched as if he was a bird or a plane. Ajak then saw a sight that made her almost cry with joy. Jonathan was carrying Apollo above his head running with him as if he was trying to help him take off. Ajak smiled to herself as she watched them and thought, she truly was so lucky to have such an incredible husband and son.
"Are you feeling it? Is it gonna happen?" Jonathan asked as he ran with his son in his hands being held above his head.
"I don't know…maybe" Apollo replied trying multiple poses to see if they triggered his flight.
This morning when his father woke him up and told him they were going to figure out his flight together Apollo didn't think they'd end up like this. However, his father was right, he needed to embrace all of himself and that meant even the flight. Knowing his Dad loved the parts of him that were different and wanted him to feel the same made it easier for Apollo. His Dad was completely regular but he loved him despite the fact he was an alien he might never fully understand and seeing that helped Apollo see that he needed to love the alien within him too. It was the only way he'd be happy and to do that he needed to overcome his fear of heights and fly. They started with him leaping up and down but couldn't trigger it so his Dad decided to try this and sometimes Apollo felt like it was working.
"Dad I think it's working. I feel something" Apollo said.
"Ha-ha. Let's go" Jonathan said excitedly forgetting to watch his steps causing him to trip and drop Apollo who fell forward but just before he hit the ground he floated for a moment before dropping again.
The two stared at each other as they lay in the dirt and they both burst out laughing.
"Okay let's try a new approach" Jonathan said still chuckling a little.
Apollo and Jonathan then went and got the pickup truck and driving it through the cornfields as Apollo stood on the back of it. Jonathan stuck his head out the window as they drove a little and laughed as he felt the wind in his face and Apollo stood on the back of the truck in a starfish position laughing as he let himself feel the wind flow around him.
Having finished making breakfast Ajak came outside and watched the insane display before her.
"Be careful" Ajak shouted.
"Don't worry sweetheart it's going to be fine" Jonathan shouted back in response
"That's what you always say when you do something reckless and potentially dangerous. Apollo are you okay?" Ajak said a little concerned for her son and remembering the days Jonathan was a firefighter
"Are you kidding this young man is a Man of Steel" Jonathan shouted as they zoomed out of earshot.
The two laughed and cheered together as the truck picked up speed.
"Try letting the wind pick you up" Jonathan instructed Apollo.
"I'm trying" Apollo replied.
Apollo felt the wind around him and he continued to laugh as he let go. Let go of his fear, his hatred, his sadness and his doubt. The weight he'd been carrying his entire life left him and Apollo shot off the back of the truck. I'm flying Apollo thought as he chuckled to himself letting the wind carry him. Apollo looked down and his fear came back temporarily and suddenly he fell to the ground crash landing hard.
"Well that didn't work" Jonathan said as he helped Apollo up.
"Nope" Apollo said and the two laughed as they went to the porch to take a break.
Ajak inspected Apollo to see if he was hurt in anyway and just as always he wasn't. Ajak heard Sprite and Sersi wake up and went to keep the two of them company sensing that this was a father son moment. Jonathan and Apollo lay next to one another on the steps of the porch and stared at the cornfields and Apollo's thoughts drifted to last night and how he broke something in a fit of anger.
"What are you thinking about?" Jonathan asked his son.
"The mirror" Apollo replied a hint of shame in his voice.
"Oh yeah? What about it?" Jonathan inquired.
"I was thinking somebody had to make it, like somebody at a factory took time to make it. Then somebody had to sell it and move it to the theatre and then other people had to fit it to the wall…which somebody else built before them. When you break something you're not just breaking the thing…you're like…hurting everyone who made it the way it was. I don't know I feel like a jerk" Apollo said.
"You're not a jerk" Jonathan told his son and smiled at him happy he came to such a profound realisation on his own.
Apollo smiled back at him and a thought entered Jonathan's mind as he remembered when he felt like a jerk when he was younger and how he did that out of fear. He remembered how Apollo always seemed to fly fine for a bit before he panicked and fell and Jonathan thought he's still afraid but not of himself but of falling, of heights. Jonathan sat up straight making Apollo look at him inquisitively.
"C'mon son I have another idea we can try. One that doesn't involve cars" Jonathan said.
"Okay?" Apollo said confused as he followed his Dad to nearby the swings to the tree where his tire swing was. The one that seemingly always attracted butterflies.
"What's the plan Dad?" Apollo asked.
"You're going to fly" Jonathan said confidently.
"I can't just fly" Apollo said.
"Yes you can son. Just listen to me. Place your hand on the ground, close your eyes and focus on feeling with your super senses. Okay?" Jonathan instructed his son.
Apollo simply nodded and crouched down on one knee and placed his hand on the ground while closing his eyes.
"Your body can already fly it's just waiting for your mind to catch up. Can you feel those butterflies around you?" Jonathan asked and Apollo nodded.
"Do you know why they can fly besides the fact that they have wings? It's because they're meant to be in the air so they don't fear it. You fear flying because your so used to being on the ground that when you're in the air you assume you're going to come down. That you're going to fall but you don't have to. You can do the impossible, you can go up and never have to come down if you don't want to. Don't be afraid of falling because you have no reason to be. Let go and soar Apollo and don't ever think about falling down again because you're not going down. You're going up, up and away" Jonathan said to his son.
And as he was saying this Apollo felt the beat of all the butterflies' wings, he felt the air around him and he did what his Dad was saying he let go of the fear of falling down. The earth around Apollo started to levitate and Apollo felt his entire body become weightless. The feeling filled him up and Apollo realized he wasn't becoming weightless but rather unchained, gravity wasn't holding him down anymore. Apollo looked up and shot up like a rocket into the air.
"Woohoo" Apollo cheered as he flew through the skies of Smallville.
Apollo heard his father cheer him on below and his mother mutter "my baby can fly" in awe and he soared, he realized what Ikaris had been telling him before, he felt more free than ever before. He didn't have to worry about floating away from his family because that wasn't what this was. This power allowed him to connect, he could visit anyone, go anywhere. He never had to be alone again. Apollo laughed and cheered as he flew faster through the sky, he was truly free now and he loved it. He felt the wind all around him and then flew down to Crater Lake and ran his hands through the water as he stared at his reflection. He then shot up into the clouds and flew right through one getting slightly wet and laughing. Apollo looked at Smallville below him, his home the place where his friends and family were and he wondered how he ever thought he would drift away from it. It would always be here for him; his family would always be here for him. Apollo didn't have to fear being different because it didn't matter that he was, not truly. Some people may not be ready to accept all of him but that didn't mean they didn't accept the most important part of him, the part of him that was human, his heart or rather hearts and his soul. As long as he never forgot that Apollo could live among humans happily. Apollo smiled to himself and then did one more flight around the entirety of Smallville county before flying back home.
Apollo landed with a loud thud on the ground outside the house and thought he needed to work on his landings.
"Ma, Pa. I can fly" Apollo shouted enthusiastically.
"We saw honey, we're so proud of you" Ajak told him as the three of them embraced in a big group hug.
Sprite and Sersi came outside and clapped for him.
"Congratulations Apollo, you looked very impressive up there maybe one day you can even challenge your Uncle" Sersi warmly told him.
"You think?" Apollo said excitedly.
"Definitely" Sersi said before hugging him.
"I'd need to see it to believe it" Sprite told him in a teasing tone.
"Oh you'll definitely see it" Apollo said as pulled Sprite into a hug.
"What are you doing?" Sprite asked extremely confused however once she saw the mischievous glint in his eye she realized what he was about to do.
"Don't even think about it" Sprite commanded but the command fell on deaf ears.
"Hold on tight" Apollo said excitedly as he flew up with Sprite in his arms.
Apollo cheered as Sprite screamed but the longer they flew the more Sprite enjoyed herself and by the time he was flying her down she was cheering with him.
They landed hard on the ground and Sprite immediately said "you need to work on your landings".
Apollo just rolled his eyes and went up to his Mum and Dad.
"Did you see that? I flew with Sprite no problem. Maybe when I'm older we can all go on trips. Like you guys get in the truck and I just carry us to wherever we want to go" Apollo said barely able to contain his excitement.
"Free vacations" Apollo continued "We could go anywhere, Paris, Hawaii, Timbuktu! I could go further and higher I just know it and I bet I could go way faster think about it. We could go anywhere"
Jonathan and Ajak just smiled at one another. They had a flying son, when they adopted him all those years ago they never could have imagined this but despite all the hardships they faced raising him they knew they wouldn't have it any other way.
"I'm going to go for one more lap" Apollo said practically vibrating with excitement. The family just chuckled at that.
Apollo crouched down making a show of his takeoff and then looked at his family happier than ever knowing no matter what life threw at him he could handle it. He had his family and he knew they would always be there for him and love him. He had all the friends he'd made in the last year Skye, Chloe and Pete. And he was ready and had begun to embrace his powers and himself, his human soul and his alien body. He didn't yet know what the future held for him but he knew that he wanted to grow into a person who used both of those parts of himself to make his home a better place. Apollo looked into the sky and saw birds flying and he smiled widely at his family.
The rocks around Apollo started levitating and Apollo shouted happily and proudly "Up, up and away!"
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