The marble steps beneath Apollo's feet shimmered with impossible water, flowing upward against all natural law as they followed Cale into the temple depths. With each step, the bow across Apollo's back sang stronger, its vibration intensifying from a gentle hum to a piercing resonance that threatened to overwhelm his senses.
'By all the gods,' Apollo thought, gritting his teeth against the bow's mounting song. 'It's like it's trying to tear itself from my back.'
The gold in his veins responded to the weapon's call, warming beneath his skin until he felt as though molten metal flowed through his body rather than blood.
He forced himself to keep climbing, one hand reaching back to steady the bow as if that might quiet its frantic response to this place.
