~HOA~

Fabian plops down on a fallen tree, leaning forward so his elbows are on his knees. He looks at me expectantly, raising his eyebrows. I settle down on a tree stump a few feet away from him, refusing to look him in the eyes. I stare down at the ground, trying to ignore the pain in my side.

"First thing I want you to know is I'm sorry. I never wanted to lie to you, but I had to keep you safe, and I want you to understand that," I say quietly. He doesn't say anything, but I continue.

"You know in Greek mythology, when the gods would have affairs with mortals? Then they would end up with a kid, like Hercules or Perseus."

"Yeah, the demigods."

"You're one of those kids, basically. And I'm here to protect you." I say, looking up to gauge his reaction. He stares at me blankly.

"Huh?"

"Your dad, he was never around when you were younger, was he?"

"My mom and dad are divorced. I've never met my father, he ran off with someone else when I was a baby. He didn't want the responsibility."

"That's true, at least," I mutter. "But…not exactly. That's part of the truth. He didn't want the responsibility, they never do. But he's not human, your dad. He's a god. Zeus."

"You're completely mental," he declares, staring at me. I shake my head.

"I'm telling you the truth, Fabian. You're a demigod. I'm a demigod, too. Or, at least, my parents were. My father was the son of Poseidon; my mother was a daughter of Athena. Technically, I'm second generation. I told you they died in a car crash when I was nine – that was a lie. They were killed by a demon. I was raised to fight those things – the monsters from the myths, they're all real. They come after the children of the gods, and over the past few years, it's been worsening. That's the whole reason I was sent here to get you. It's too dangerous for you to be out here on your own."

Fabian remains silent. I give him a sympathetic smile.

"I know this is a lot to take in. You'll get used to it. Everyone does."

"There's no way this is real…is this some sort of prank? Did you team up with Alfie and Jerome? I've got to give it to you, this was impressive. How did you pull it off?" he laughs.

I just raise an eyebrow at him. His smile fades.

"You're not joking." I shake my head.

"I'm sorry. I'm not."

"So…I'm a demigod."

"Yeah."

"Why did you wait so long to tell me about all of this?"

"I…" I trail off, thinking for a moment. "I guess I was enjoying myself a bit too much. It was kind of nice to pretend for a while that I was a normal person. I've never had a life like this. Every single day since I could walk, I've been training, studying mythology. Learning how to use weapons and plan battle strategies that most people would never even dream of. It's all a bit much, and sometimes…I just want to be a regular person. I don't want to worry about monsters and demons. I don't want to have to fight my way through life; I shouldn't have to protect myself in order to survive. And I let myself get carried away." I run my fingers through my hair awkwardly, blushing and turning away. My feet kick at the dirt. "Sorry. I shouldn't be ranting about my life; you've got enough on your plate at the moment."

"Nina?"Fabian asks after a moment of silence. I make a small noise in my throat to let him know that I'm listening. "I just…all of this, all these months I've known you…I don't know how to tell what's been real and what was a lie."