Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, or indeed anything remotely belonging to Sherlock and Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus.

Chapter 1

Howling wind. Forks of lightning blazing down from the sky. A raging torrent of rain battering the earth. The capricious weather seemed to pulse between sunny and storming as the gods had seen only twice before – both times with the storm giant Typhon. A tiny figure – Percy - was at the centre of the storm, floating in mid-air, seemingly completely unaware of the tempest seething around him. His once vibrant sea green eyes were now dull and murky, like matted seaweed, boring into the slighter, grey-eyed, blonde woman standing across from him. Fourteen beautiful, twenty-foot figures lay slumped, golden ichor pooling around them – the Olympians. Seven smaller figures dotted the mountainside, blood slowly ebbing onto the sacrosanct stones of Olympus: Frank, Hazel, Leo, Piper, Jason, Nico, Reyna – all of them brought down by the Gaea and the woman he was now facing.

'We shall meet again, my dearest Seaweed Brain', a soft, velvety voice – almost Siren-like - purred out. 'You fools may prevented Gaea's rising, but there is a power that exceeds even hers…and the next time we face each other, we'll finish this once and for all – that's a promise'. Annabeth smirked down at him, and stepped backward into a chasm that suddenly gaped open behind her. From the familiar dark gravity that threatened to pull him in, he could tell that it led directly to Tartarus. And judging from her victorious smirk, she was doing so willingly…which meant that she must have betrayed them during their trip through the pit – perhaps even before!

Abruptly, the swirling vortex around Percy began to subside and crumble in on itself, until Percy's form flopped down onto the mountain slopes. He started screaming and pounding the ground until his knuckles started bleeding.

This solves nothing, he berated himself. I need to treat the others NOW!

But the seductive darkness was so inviting, the urge to just sleep so tempting…

'Annabeth…traitor…why?' he whispered, as his world gave way to a inky black. The last thing he remembered was a pair of worried silvery yellow eyes, identical to the moon, gazing back at him.

'Perseus? Can you hear me? Stay with me, OK? Perseus? Percy? We're losing you…'

** Dream

-Tartarus-

Green and black eyes, so similar to his own, looked on dispassionately as Percy thrashed against the earthen ropes that bound him.

'Again, Polybotes', Gaea's voice echoed throughout the cavern. And again, a scaly green hand punched into his abdomen.

'You wouldn't believe how long it's been since I've had a demigod's blood,' he hissed down at Percy almost conversationally. Even as he continued to struggle feebly, Percy could feel his own blood turning against him as it rapidly began converting into putrid pale green poison.

Yet apparently even his own body turning against him wasn't enough to get him to crack, Gaea thought furiously. They had been at this for days and in all that time, Jackson hadn't screamed once. She tilted her head to the side as she sensed a presence outside the cavern – Porphyrion, she realised. The cave wall gaped open suddenly as she flicked her hand, allowing her son in.

'Mother, we have managed to capture the spawn of Athena. She was much more…compliant' the giant king boomed, throwing down a pale blond girl at the ground, her fall cushioned only by the earthen binds that immediately began snaking around her.

'Excellent work, my son; in the meantime, you may have the prize of breaking Jackson. Polybotes, with me, we must gather your brothers', Gaea's voice echoed throughout the cavern. 'You might be impregnable against torture Jackson, but I'm not quite so sure that Ms Chase will be quite so intransigent.'

What do I do, damn it what do I do, Percy started panicking. I can't let them torture her, she has too much information, if she undergoes torture then we risk losing the entire war effort here and now…I need to escape and rescue her.

As Percy contemplated all this, Gaea spoke once more, ' Last chance to reconsider…no? Well then, on your head be the horrors that befall Ms Chase from this moment on'. That beautiful but terrible face smiled down at him coolly, and the small pile of dirt that served as her avatar in Tartarus crumbled, whilst Polybotes similarly faded away into a pile earth and seaweed.

'I thank you, mother', the remaining behemoth rumbled, blank white eyes boring into the Hades-pale demigod, barely noticing them leave.

'I'm going to enjoy this for the humiliation you and your friends have caused me Jackson', the giant king snarled down at him. 'I would say that it's nothing personal…but then I'd be lying. Let's see what barbequed sea spawn tastes like…any words before we begin, Jackson?'

The green-eyed demigod inhaled deeply, as the sneering giant pulled out his spear and began twirling it around. As the crackling sound of electricity rapidly began filling the cavern, he called deep upon the reserves of power he had knowingly tapped into only once before, when facing the shades in Alaska, ignoring the painful feeling that began to suffuse his entire being. This time however, he knew that he could hold nothing back, he would have to hit the behemoth in front of him with everything he had if he wanted to put him down for sure.

'Did you know, Porphyrion, that as the son of Poseidon, I am sometimes called Aquaman?' he threw out.

As he had expected, his non sequitur puzzled the giant king – freezing him long enough that he was able to muster enough strength to blast him backwards with a jet of water that cracked his gargantuan head against the walls of the cavern. All that was left of the Gigantes' head was a pile of golden dust, slowly swirling back into shape.

Aquaman indeed, he thought wryly. Shatter, he commanded the earthen ropes. For a moment, they bulged, resisting him, before a series of cracks spread along their lengths – without Gaea present, enforcing those bonds, they weren't strong enough to hold him down, he noted.

With but a thought, the water on the ground surrounded him, a pale cocoon that should keep him iin peak condition at least for the next few minutes, he judged. He gently brushed the earthen ropes that enveloped his beloved. Shatter, he commanded once again. This time, the cables simply collapsed into clods of dirt. He paused for a moment as he saw a pale gleaming blade at her side – her treasured knife. Shaking his head at the distraction, he picked her up and began to run.

-At Mt Olympus- (Insert the above interlude between Mark of Athena and the Tartarus portion of House of Hades)

Percy paused for a moment as they reached the summit of Mt Olympus. Beautiful, he thought, taking a few moments to breathe in the crisp, bitingly cold mountain air. Taking in this pristine, undisturbed natural paradise, he promised himself that he would visit again in the very near future…if he had a future, the stray thought crossed his mind. Judging from the awed looks on his companions' faces, they were thinking the same thing as well, he noticed. He leaned in towards Chase's side and inhaled deeply, casually removing her knife as his arms slipped around her, pretending to inhale her scent as he nuzzled her hair.

'Tell me, Annabeth,' he said loudly. 'How long has it been since you started working for Gaea? A few days? Weeks?'

'WHAT!' the others shouted, whilst she paled and backed away.

'What are you talking about? Percy, she's your girlfriend for god's sake!' Thalia shouted at him.

'I-I don't understand,' Chase stammered out. 'Me, a traitor? Per-Percy, we've known each other for over five years! Do you really-'

'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains,however improbable, must be the truth,' he whispered, as he started circling her; to the others he seemed almost feverish, with a strange gleam in his eye that set the others on edge. 'Did you really think that after all the battlefield experience I've had that I wouldn't realise that they deliberately refrained from inflicting any serious wounds on you while they were, quote, unquote, torturing you? You're the enemy, and for a being of Gaea's power, it's a simple enough matter to keep a dying person on the edge of life and death – I can attest to that from experience'.

As he said this, he motioned to his body, still marred with flaring, pale white scars from his torture in Tartarus.

'Oddly enough, you didn't require that much medical attention at all,' he continued, as he continued circling around, his movements so silent, so furtive that he reminded his companions of a trained bloodhound picking out a scent. 'That was the first clue. The next thing that tipped me off was when I saw that you had your knife back – I saw it fall into Tartarus myself. As we fell into the Cocytus and I definitely don't remember either of us diving back into the River of Lamentation to recover it, it goes without saying that an enemy –the only other beings present at the time- must have returned it to you in Tartarus; now why on earth would anyone return a weapon to their hated enemy, unless they weren't in fact an enemy?'

As he spat out these words, horror coated his friends' faces, as they backed away from Annabeth. They played their parts perfectly Percy thought to himself in satisfaction; his decision to approach them separately earlier aboard the Argo II had been wise indeed, he congratulated himself.

'So tell me, Wise Girl,' he snarled out. 'Just. How. Long. Have. You. Been. A. Traitor?'

'These accusations are ridiculous Seaweed Brain, j-just calm down,' Chase pleaded.

'Then you won't mind swearing on the Styx that you're not a traitor then?'

'W-what? This is ridiculous! I'm –'

'There's really no point in trying to hide it, Chase,' Nico hissed out. 'The only person who knew I was trying to locate the Doors of Death in the Underworld was you. That and the fact that I swear on the damned River Styx that I was pushed into the pit by an invisible person is more than enough evidence to indict you, since you're the only one to have an invisibility cap'.

'And we could all tell how Percy's decision to join forces with the Hunters of Artemis to eliminate as many active Giants as possible shook you – I'm sure you regret teaching him war tactics now,' Thalia smiled poisonously at her.

'I-I see,' Annabeth whispered, before straightening up and smirking confidently, a stark contrast to the wavering girl of a few minutes before. 'Then I guess we should get this party started'.

And the mountainside exploded in light as the remaining Gigantes – Porphyrion, Polybotes, Enceladus, Ephialtes, Otis - descended upon the demigod heroes.

Father, Uncles, Lady Artemis and all other available Olympians, help us, Percy prayed.

-Towards the end of the battle-

Percy ducked and weaved around Porphyrion's spear as both the giant and his psychotic former girlfriend attacked him. 'Even the Olympians are powerless before our might, Jackson', the giant king ground out. 'How terribly…weak.'

Indeed, all around them, the Olympians seemed to have fallen and faltered; Hera, Demeter, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Hermes, Hestia and Hephaestus were already lying on the ground, amidst a steadily growing puddle of golden ichor; Zeus, Poseidon and Hades were doing their best with Jason, Piper and Leo to overcome the combined forces of Polybotes and a veritable army of monsters throwing themselves up the mountain. Even as he watched, Apollo and Hestia fell alongside Frank and Hazel, though not without taking out Ephialtes and Otis in a spectacular explosion that had the entire mountain rumbling, sending them all stumbling back.

Percy frowned. Where was Artemis? Lady Artemis, if you're listening, now would definitely be a good time to show up, he thought as loudly as possible. Please?

As he swayed back and forth, nimbly defending himself against the storm of blades that hailed down upon him, a chill shot through his body as he was, slowly but surely, being pushed back. If someone didn't intervene, he was going to die here.

A silvery blur suddenly passed in front of him, striking Annabeth's knife as she drew it back to strike at him. An arrow!

'Goddess?' Porphyrion snarled out as he pulled back and raised his guard.

'Not quite, but she's not far behind me,' a voice called out.

That voice, I know that voice…, he thought.

'Thalia?' Chase spat out in surprise, weaving around the lightning bolts that started raining down upon her.

Thalia opted not to reply, instead, she launched herself at the girl she had once considered as her little sister. She was poetry in motion, almost gliding across the ground as she unleashed a storm – both figuratively and literally – upon her opponent. Her silver hunting knives were wheels of light, in constant motion as she spun and slashed at Annabeth, pale electric blue eyes gleaming like ice as she tried to kill her erstwhile best friend.

Percy was so engrossed in their battle that he just barely managed to avoid Porphyrion's spear. He swore and hopped back, twisting to the side; fast as his reflexes were, he still felt a biting pain in his left side a moment later, though it was by far preferable to having a giant hole through his chest. Before he could retaliate, a silver storm of arrows suddenly flew at Porphyrion, a few of them sinking deep into his flesh, though the wounds were nowhere near fatal.

Artemis, Percy realised in relief. Time to finish this. His resolve hardened, Percy danced back and drew deep within himself again, ignoring the pain in his gut that flared and started spreading across his entire chest. He had to-

** Dream ends

Percy shot up gasping as if he had just been dunked into the Arctic Ocean. He winced as his aches and pains continued shooting through his body with a vengeance. Tilting his head to the side slightly, he examined his body clinically: torso and left arm wrapped completely in bandages, heavy bruising on his right arm. All in all, fairly standard given the wounds he normally had.

'Percy!' Apollo exclaimed. He flicked his hand and sent a warm pulse at his favourite cousin. 'How does it feel now?' he asked, concerned.

'A lot better, thanks 'Pollo' he said sleepily.

'Oh no, Jackson, you aren't going to sleep until we finish this examination' Apollo reprimanded. 'How is the pain? Throbbing, intermittent? Where is it located?'

As Apollo continued his examination, Percy took the chance to look at the man – well, god – really look at the man. Rather than the eighteen year old form he had always seen Apollo adopt before, now he seemed a little older, like someone in their early twenties, and more…mature, he decided.

'Why-?' Percy started coughing halfway through his sentence. '-ater- please' he croaked out. After he had some water, he spoke again 'Not that I am ungrateful, but why are you being so…nice?'

Apollo laughed softly. 'Dude, leaving aside the fact that you saved Olympus once again, you also saved my sister' he said seriously. 'Taking into account the fact that you are my favourite cousin, I think me seeing to your healing personally is the least that I can do.'

'…I see,' Percy replied, genuinely moved by the normally playful god's sincerity. 'Thank you, my friend', he smiled.

'It was nothing' Apollo dismissed. He made to open his mouth, then hesitated and looked at Percy critically. 'Perce, do you…do you want to talk about – about, um, Chase?', he said tentatively.

As he asked this, Percy's face went darker than Tartarus and all signs of life seemed to recede from him. 'No,' he bit out. 'She betrayed us. End of story.'

You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped, Apollo thought to himself sadly. His heart went out to the young demigod in front of him – no one, least of all Percy, deserved the hand that fate had seen fit to give him. 'Alright,' he conceded. 'But if you need anything, I'll be there for you,' he vowed. Seeing the surprised, and somewhat doubtful look on the demigod's face, Apollo immediately moved to reassure him. 'Percy, I mean it – I consider you to be one of the best friends I've had in a long time, and I –'

'Thanks, Apollo' Percy smiled at him, moved by the god's vow. 'I'll keep that in mind. In the meantime, I want to hear about my friends – are they OK?' he asked, his worry for them as evident in his voice as a splash of paint on white canvas.

The god couldn't keep himself from inwardly shaking his head. This man never fails to astound me with his loyalty and compassion – he's by far the greatest man I have ever known, he thought to himself. I wonder whether he'll accept our second offer of godhood?

'They're fine Perce' the god told him. 'In the meantime, what you should do is rest' he stressed. 'I will clear you for visitors in the afternoon, but first you have an audience with the gods, so I must insist on you sleeping' Apollo ordered.

'I submit to the good doctor's judgement,' Percy rejoindered dryly, before rolling over to his side and sleeping.

-A little while later-

When he woke up, it was to a sight he never would have imagined in his wildest dreams; Artemis, the man-hating goddess was sleeping on the edge of his bed, auburn hair splayed out and framing her beautiful face in such a way that he shifted uncomfortably at the strange protectiveness she always seemed to be able to evoke in him. If he was perfectly honest with himself, he had harboured a certain soft spot for the auburn haired goddess from the day that they had first met, but had long since buried it. Since they had joined forces during the Giant War, the mutual respect between them had grown into a tentative friendship, a milestone considering the goddess involved. Seeing her so vulnerable and open now though, he couldn't help but wonder what might have been had he not started dating…her.

I can't even think her name; how pathetic can I get?, Percy mused wryly. He reached out and gently shook the sleeping goddess awake. 'Wake up, Artemis' he urged softly.

'Mmm, just a bit more 'Pollo' she mumbled out, pulling his blanket towards her. Percy flushed and tugged it back, acutely aware of his state of undress.

'Lady Artemis, please wake up, or I will have to use drastic measures' he informed the half-asleep goddess. When she simply turned over, Percy sighed and clicked his fingers, dousing her head in an icy water vapour.

Artemis started and shot upright, shrieking in surprise. 'Apollo!' she screamed, before turning aside and glowering at the male demigod beside her. Her scowl only lasted a few seconds before her face softened into concern. 'How are you feeling Perseus?' she asked him softly.

'Like I told Apollo, I'm fine' he grinned at her.

That smile never reached his eyes though, she realised, uncomfortably aware of the small voice in her head screaming at her to reach out and hold him close. 'We both know that that's not quite true' she told him. 'But it's your problem. I have no right to know. I don't have a method of directly stepping into the depths of your heart without losing your trust. So I'll wait. When you want to talk, when you think that you're ready to talk...talk to me. Until that time, I'll wait.'

By the end of this small speech, Artemis had tentatively reached out and covered his hand with both of her own smaller, more delicate ones; to a distant observer, they might have been mistaken for a pair of reserved lovers.

'…thanks' Percy muttered, flushing a little at the overt display of sentiment. 'How are the other demigods? Thalia, Reyna, Nico…?'

'They are fine. Good to see you up again Perce' Apollo announced as he strode in. 'Hello there Arty' he added. He tilted his head to the side and glanced at Percy's bandages critically. 'We'll need to change those' he commented idly as Artemis flushed as she realised the compromising (for her) position she was in and moved a little backward. Not entirely unjustified, as it turned out, as Apollo continued mischievously, 'Did the princess give the prince a kiss to wake him up?'

Artemis flushed slightly and glanced away, thankful that Percy's own embarrassment meant that he wasn't looking directly at her. 'I'm a maiden goddess, Apollo, you should know better' she told him. Changing the subject abruptly, she stood up and prepared to leave. 'Is Perseus able to be moved to the throne room, or should we delay until tomorrow?' the goddess probed.

'After I get him a change of clothes, he should be ready' Apollo said calmly. 'You should probably go and gather the others Arty'.

'Very well; try not to injure yourself during the journey from here to the throne room Perseus' Artemis said dryly before flashing out to the throne room. Calling her bow to her hand, Artemis quickly fired off an arrow that exploded into a dazzling display of silver sparks, calling the other gods to her. Within minutes, the Olympians had fully assembled inside the throne room, eagerly looking towards the entrance to catch a glimpse of their (twice now) saviour.

'Greetings, everyone' Zeus called out. As her father droned on about the bravery of the gods, Artemis' thoughts drifted to back to her only male friend aside from Apollo (though since he was family he didn't really count). Like her brother, she knew that the Olympic council would most likely offer him godhood again, though unlike the last time, he didn't have anyone holding him back from accepting it this time. For some indiscernible reason, her heart clenched as she considered the thought of him remaining mortal and withering away with the passage of time.

'…and now, I believe that it is time to recognise our demigod children, without whom it would have been impossible to prevail' Zeus concluded, before briefly looking towards the demigods clustered in the hall.

'To each of the demigods that fought on Mt Olympus, on behalf of the Olympic council I offer each and every one of you a single wish, that we shall grant if it is within our power' he said proudly.

Even though he was expecting it, Percy was still floored by the generous offer, though his reaction was much better than that of his companions he noticed with amusement. Most of them looked like deers caught in the headlights – Frank, for example had his mouth hanging wide open in surprise.

-A few minutes later-

'Hail Jason, god of leadership and lightning, patron of New Rome!' Zeus bellowed.

Percy's lips twitched in a faint approximation of a smile as he gave a thumbs-up to the man he was proud to call his friend. Jason stepped towards the podium on which the other new gods were standing; Frank Zhang, minor god of archery and war; Hazel Levesque, minor goddess of riches and redemption; Leo Valdez, minor god of fire and the forge; Piper, minor goddess of love; Nico, immortal lieutenant of Hades; Reyna, immortal patron of New Rome; Thalia, immortal lieutenant of Artemis. The only person who had yet to be rewarded was himself, he realised.

'Perseus Jackson', the king of the gods spoke, much quieter than before, in what could have been described as an almost reverential tone. 'Step forward.'

The entire throne room quieted as the Son of Poseidon moved forward and knelt before the gods, as everyone focused on the last of the Heroes of Olympus. Some of them looked at him pityingly, some with sadness, some with pride, but swirling within everyone in the throne room at that moment was a deep gratitude for the man that had saved them all.

Though Zeus would never admit it, Perseus Jackson was one of his favourite demigods, and would always have himself an eternal supporter in his uncle. It broke his heart inside to see the pain his nephew was housing seething inside. 'Perseus' he repeated. 'No demigod has ever done so much, or lost so much as you have…we are now, and always will be, in your debt.'

Zeus suddenly surprised everyone by moving off his throne and shrinking to an ordinary mortal's size, before bowing his head to Percy. 'On behalf of the gods, I offer you our thanks once more' he said heart-feltedly, embracing his nephew quickly, before moving back to his throne.

'Taking your unparalleled services to the gods into account, I would like to extend you an offer which has not been made in millennia. I offer you status as a major Olympian god, and a seat as a council member' he concluded.

Percy blinked in surprise – while he had definitely been expecting another offer of godhood, he certainly hadn't been prepared for an offer to become a major Olympian. He blinked and bowed his head. 'My sincerest apologies, my Lords and Ladies, but at this point, I do not wish to become a god. I do have a request however, for which I require an oath on the Styx…'

Zeus shrugged and smiled resignedly as every member of the Olympian coucil swore the oath. 'Your wish, nephew?'

'I wish to be stripped of my dyslexia and be given the chance to live a life without godly interference' Percy said simply.

His wish was met with silence; absolute, stunned silence. Zeus wet his lips and asked the question burning on everyone's mind 'You…you wish to leave the world of the gods forever?'

'Not forever' Percy admitted. 'I just need to…clear my head for a while, and live the life I've always wanted. I also intend to stay at Camp for a while and put my affairs in order.'

'…very well' Zeus thundered before lifting his master bolt and blasting his nephew. When the lightning cleared, Percy was left standing completely unharmed in a circle of blackened stone.

'Could someone pass me a book please?' Percy requested.

'Here' someone behind him offered.

'Thanks,' Percy drawled, freezing in surprise and looking on blankly as he realised that the person offering him the book was Athena. He wasn't quite sure where he stood with her at the moment, and that was always a very dangerous thing when she was concerned.

I do not blame you for her betrayal, Perseus, her voice echoed in his mind. I- I was wrong, it was she that was unworthy of you. I'm truly sorry for all the grief that I have caused you, she whispered. Please let me make it up to you later.

Percy was staggered by her proferred olive branch, especially given her previous distaste in regards to him in the past. I'll meet with you after the ceremony, he promised non-committedly, before flipping his book open. His eyes widened in surprise at the clarity with which he could read the words written within – they weren't merging together or falling off the page, the way that they always had before.

'Thank you very much, Uncle' he said softly. 'This gift really means a lot to me.'

'It's the least that I could do' Zeus waved off. 'However, I feel, and I think I speak on behalf of the council when I say this, that this is hardly an adequate reward for the one who saved us all. You've also made it quite clear that you don't wish to become a god, at least at this point in time. I suggest a compromise – that we grant you partial immortality, similar to that of Artemis' Hunters, and should you change your mind, we shall still grant you a seat at the Olympian council' he offered.

Percy blinked in surprise and backed away slightly. 'S-Sorry, t-this is j-just a little bit much to take in, Uncle' he stammered out. 'I would like time to consider this offer.'

'As you wish,' Zeus relented. 'Now that the ceremony is over, let us celebrate' the king of gods beamed.

As the Nine Muses began to crank up the music, Percy slipped out to an alcove and waited for Athena. It only took a few minutes of waiting until the blond-haired, grey-eyed goddess showed, but it seemed to take forever in his eyes – after being blasted with the master bolt by Zeus, he felt as if he was brimming in energy, despite having been critically injured just a few hours before.

Uncle Zeus must have done something apart from removing my dyslexia, Percy deduced, drumming his fingers against the pillar he was leaning on feverishly. When IS she going to come?, he grumbled inwardly.

'She is here now' Athena announced coolly from behind him. Percy flushed in embarrassment as he turned around and looked at the goddess that so painfully reminded him of the woman that had betrayed him and ripped his heart out. The grey-eyed goddess smiled in amusement as she saw his abashment.

'Like I said earlier before Perseus-' she started.

'Percy. Call me Percy please, Perseus makes me feel old' the demigod interrupted her.

'As you wish. As I was saying, like I said earlier Percy, I want to make it up to you…for my prejudice against you because of your father' she ground out, embarrassed at being forced to admit her flaws. 'As you have said that you wish for a life without godly interference, I thought perhaps I could teach you to mask your divine aura, as well as to conceal your thoughts from gods' she offered tentatively. 'That way, no-one should be able to track you down once you decide to leave, using those means at least.'

Percy blinked and titled his head to the side. 'I accept your kind offer, Lady Athena.'

The goddess nodded and made to leave, before turning back. 'For what it's worth, I think you should take Zeus' offer' she told him before dissolving away.

Percy frowned to himself. If he accepted his uncle's offer, he would be staring at a lifetime of eternity. There were so many things he wanted to do, so many wonderful and beautiful things in the world left to see. And yet- and yet, eternity would be so empty without people to share it with. As he strode back into the mass of people to take his seat as the guest of honour, he made his decision.

So how did I do for my first time? Constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated; thanks for reading everyone!