The Luna's Gift

Apollo & The Tribunal

    This was Apollo’s second time at the Daae, the first time being an obligatory field trip with his family. The Daae is the hub for all Underworld activity and is a city in itself, and Apollo’s parents wanted him and his twin sister, Artemis, to learn about Underworld history right from the source. The twins learned about the history of the Tribunal, how before all species were at war with each other, battling over dominion. Centuries ago, a Peace Treaty was signed to end a Great War between the species, a treaty brokered by the first High Tribute, Killian Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh formed the Tribunal as a governing body, to make decisions and policies that would equally benefit and include all Underworlders. On his walk through the Daae when he arrived earlier, he passed by the courtyard, the statue of Killian Kavanaugh still standing there after all these years, a looming reminder of his legacy.

    A millenia ago, there were hundreds of different creatures and species, the Twelve Immortals all having created Their own Children in Their image, blessed with different gifts. As the old folklore tells all the Underworders, Luna’s Children of the Night--vampires and werewolves--used to have magic, but after the Great War all of their magical abilities vanished. Over the centuries, creatures who retained their magic saw it slowly fade into small parlor tricks for entertainment. After the Great War, all the various surviving Children formed the three factions of the Underworld: Shifters, Feeders, and Grounders. As a Shifter, Apollo is a Child of Luna, with the power to change from man to wolf. Grounders, made up mostly of trolls and goblins, are Children of Trickster and have the gift of short-lived optical illusions, to aid in their thievery and tricks. Each Immortal has their own temple at the Daae, and Apollo recalls standing in the deserted Temple of Time with his sister during their visit, thinking how the temple was more of a mausoleum than a place for worship, the eerie quiet and shadows a reminder that Time’s Children went extinct centuries ago. 

    At this precise moment however, Apollo pushes his memories aside of the last time he was in the Daae, as he sits in the middle of the council hall, shifting uncomfortably in his chair, bearing the weight of twenty four Tribunal Council members’ stares. Apollo clears his throat, “I know this is unconventional, and a break with tradition, I understand that. I can’t ignore the Call, I have no choice, it’s my destiny.”

A vampire man to Apollo’s right gives a “ha!” sound and sneers, “the Gods have called you yes, we all agree. But this, what you’ve done. This is--this is something else. How dare you!”

Apollo defends himself, “it’s my right as Alpha of the New Moon pack to choose my replacement. The Tribunal has never gone against an Alpha’s decision before.”

Another Tribunal member, a Grounder this time, a troll by the look of him chimes in, his voice booming, “You are right, young Apollo. Heirs have always been the decision of the Alpha, or the pack, and we are not saying you don’t have the right to choose your Alpha, you do. You must choose someone else.”

Apollo grinds his teeth and sets his jaw, “No.”

The members in the room all start speaking at once, yelling and “blasphemy!” and the High Tribute, the voted for leader of the Tribunal, bangs his gavel loudly yelling “Order! Order!” The room slowly quiets down, and all eyes turn to the High Tribute. The current High Tribute was a werewolf named Jonas, each species had a representative as the High Council for a term of 7 years, and then would go in a rotation to the next species to select a Tribute. Fairness and equality in all things.

Apollo stares up at the High Tribute, and states firmly, “I will not be changed on this. My mind and decision are set.”

Jonas stares down at Apollo, and slowly nods, “I do not agree with this decision you’ve made, this goes against all of werewolf--and Underworld-- tradition. The pack may reject this new Alpha, and that will be your responsibility to deal with if that time comes. I propose a compromise. We will...allow this Alpha of your choosing...on a probationary basis. Six months. Six months probation, and then we reconvene to make a final decision moving forward. Are we in agreement, Apollo Velos? This seems more than fair.”

Other members grumble in disapproval, but reluctantly nod in agreement. There are technically no rules in place to deny an Alpha’s successor decision, the Tribunal do not have the law on their side at this exact moment, but since they are essentially the law, it can quickly be written in stone. This is the best compromise either side is going to get, and everyone in the room knows it. Apollo nods in reluctance, “Thank you, High Tribute.”

Jonas sighs heavily, “For the first time in our history, a female Alpha is being considered for permanent rule. At this time, Interim Alpha Artemis will be reviewed in six months time for permanent consideration. May the Gods be with us.” With the sound of a gavel hitting, the Tribunal members begin to stand and exit the room. 

                                                                                        ****

    Apollo stays seated, breathing a little easier now. The room is empty, and he closes his eyes, enjoying the silence. He had done it, he had secured his sister’s rightful place as Alpha, something he never should have had to do in the first place. Alphas should be the strongest member of the pack, and Artemis was the strongest member, as well as the smartest and most passionate. From the time they were born, Artemis outshone Apollo in every skill, course, and grade. Apollo was strong, and a good leader, but his passion and soul were already tied to the Gods, as much as he wanted to, his heart just wasn’t in being the Alpha. He’s only Alpha because heir succession falls to a male, regardless of there being a better candidate. When Apollo first became Alpha, he named Artemis as Beta. The outrage was palpable then, but only the District Tribunal converged at that time, it was a smaller matter than Apollo’s decision to name her Alpha. The District Tribunal denied his decision to name her Beta, and at that time he was only 18, he didn’t know the ancient laws as he does now, and he hadn’t grown into his power and confidence yet, he let them push him around. Out of protest, Apollo didn’t name a Beta, and instead Artemis was Beta in everything but title. Is this real change? He thought to himself, will they change?