Apollo's eyes darkened slightly. "But he was the only one capable of holding back those chasing us. The only one who could stand between me and death."
"We offered him everything we could," he said, voice steady but edged with something deeper. "But a man like him didn't think in terms of simple payment. He knew the kind of enemies he had made over the years… and he knew what that meant for his child."
A brief silence stretched between them.
"In the end, we struck a deal. If anything happened to him while ensuring my safety… I would take his daughter in. Raise her as my own sister. Protect her from the life he could no longer shield her from."
Apollo exhaled slowly. "A life… for a life."
The weight of those words lingered in the air.
"And he kept his end of the bargain," Apollo added quietly. "He gave everything to make sure I survived."
