She met him in the usual place: a tiny place just inside the Labyrinth, with their eyes on the Delta on the propped-open passage at all times, if not on each other. As she stumbles through the drainage gate on Fifth, she quickly ignites the torch at the top of the Labyrinth entrance.
She sees him waiting barely five feet away from her. God knows how long he had been down here; she just remembers meeting him in the tunnels of this very confusing maze at age fourteen and noticing just how beautiful he is. Now three years later, she is practically a woman, and she knows what she wants. Too bad he's supposed to be dead, so their visits are restricted to the place where only lost souls go as a last resort. From one of his tales, she takes it that he's taken residence at the farm she had visited years ago, tending to Apollo's sacred cows.
As soon as her feet touch the ground, she is in his embrace, and she doesn't think she's ever been closer to heaven than she is now. He whispers silent 'I missed yous' into her hair as her hands run up his back and suddenly his lips are on her neck, and gods, she just wants to stay there forever, and pretend to be Mrs. Ethan Nakamura forever. But too soon, her phone is ringing its alarm and she is pulling away, and he is holding her back.
Sadly, she unwraps his arms from around her waist, and she climbs back up the ladder, blinded by the light of the real world. She turns to wave goodbye and sees a frown settled firmly on his face. She blows him a kiss before heaving himself out of the rusty hole, with plans to be back at the same exact place at the same exact time for the next week.
But that would be the last time that Rachel Elizabeth Dare would ever grace Ethan Nakamura's presence, because it turns out the Sun God does not appreciate being lied to. He is waiting outside on the street and looking disapproving. She knows she is in trouble as he turns and walks away, iPod buds in his ears as he walks away from her. She can almost feels the holiness leaving her body and he walks out of her life, and she can't bring herself to go back into the comforting arms of Ethan, because that part of her life is over, Apollo has proven that.
Thanks to Theia 47 and xXIceshadowXx for betaing. :D
Merry Christmas, Kal!