Promise me

Reminder:Whenever Zoe is around gods/goddesses, she talks telepathically.

"Dad?" Michael said in utter disbelief. Apollo swallowed, thinking of ways to explain. Why was he getting tongue-twisted? He's a god for crying out loud.

"You saw?" Is all he could come up with.

"You holding her like that, yes; the bolt electrifying her, no" He spat.

"I'm sorry..." He muttered. Michael smiled wearily.

"You need to explain" He continued.

"I was trying to ask her if she would accept your wish, but she denied." He muttered lowering his head as he raised to his feet.

"What do you mean?" He demanded.

"She didn't want me to bring her hearing back..." He faltered.

"She doesn't want it back?" He asked in dissapointment. Apollo shook his head.

"Why are you carrying her? I can just bring her to the infirmary" He said looking in his fathers eyes for an answer.

"I'm bringing her up to Olympus" He mumbled.

"Why?" Michael widened his eyes, not pleased with his fathers answers.

Apollo hesitated, looked down at her and fixed his eyes to her necklace, "Her heart...It's failing"

"What?" Michael said incredilously. Apollo thought of words that he would understand, but nothing came to mind.

"What?" He repeated, not knowing what to do.

"Her heart is dying, the only thing keeping her heart alive is the necklace and her memories" He replied facing him.

"Memories? Of what?"

Apollo chuckled, "Don't you know son? The memories she spent with her brother. The memories with you. That's what she is fighting for right now. To keep those memories alive"

"Huh?"

"Boy, you're so oblivious, She is fighting for her life to stay with you" He gave him a smirk, worthy of Hermes.

"Really?" He replied in disbelief, not believing what he just heard. "You mean that?"

"Of course I do, I mean she loves her brother too, but she really is fighting to be with you, and you don't even know it" He said with that cocky smile.

Michael was speechless, and Apollo shifted his weight onto his other foot.

"I should get going. Get her better, and on her two feet again" He mumbled and looked at his son.

"Yea, and dad?" Michael answered.

"Yea"

"Thanks, and you should use this, to hide her from the others" He placed his jacket around her, making sure the hood was up and covering most of her face. Apollo widened his eyes and smiled.

"Thanks, that should help" And with that Apollo vanished into the woods, heading back to Olympus.

As Apollo continued to head torward the empire state building, Zoe was unconcious, being dead weight, for him to carry. Once he headed inside, no one questioned him, not the man at the front desk or any bystanders waiting in the lobby. He simply went in the elevator and headed to the fifth-hundred floor, humming the lines of the elevator music. Once the loud 'bing' emanated the room, he stepped out and made sure the hood stayed on, and sneaked to a small room, that was hidden from view, and had a bed, and other medical supplies, he'd need.

He gently placed her underneath the covers, and placed a cool towel on her forehead. He grabbed a chair and the nectar and ambrosia and begun to do his work.

He first fed her ambrosia, checking her forehead from time to time, and then let the nectar trickle down her throat, hoping her heart could function on its own. He could sense the slight continous rise of her chest and watched it decrease again. He smiled and nodded, thinking she was going to be okay. He slid back into his chair and let her rest, checking her forehead every half an hour. He sighed and relaxed when he concluded that she'd be alright. He was about to head outside, when the door slammed open, to reveal a very upset Artemis. Apollo shocked at his sister's pressence, almost forgot about Zoe and jumped remembering she wasn't supposed to be seen.

"How could you bring a mortal here" She snapped, making Apollo flinch. Usually Artemis wasn't this fierce with him.

"She's not a mortal" He replied back, trying to calm her down.

"Oh really? You think it's that easy to hide from us? Aphrodite and Demeter saw her with you" She snapped.

"Artemis-sis, calm down, okay. She's not a mortal, she's a demigod" He reasoned. It didn't help, and she scowled.

"How could you?" She hissed.

"She was badly hurt, okay? I was trying to help her out" He explained.

"Who is her parent? Huh, I want to know, so if it's okay to hunt" She was ready to pounce, but Apollo jumped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders, restricting her from attacking.

"She's powerful, that's all I can say, you can't kill her" He lied about the last part.

"So, I can try"

"Please, Artemis listen, My son loves her, If you kill her, he'll blame it on me," he said calmly.

"So, I don't care, rumours are spreading, brother."

"I don't care" He spat, loud enough to where Zoe stirred.

Artemis scowled in disgust, "I'll tell father"

"Sis no, please, It's not what it seems" He dashed to push the door closed.

"Then tell me what the meaning of this," She pointed to her in disgust, "is"

He loosened his grip on the door and turned and placed them on her shoulder, sighing before looking into her eyes.

"If I tell you, you must promise me, to not tell no one. If I tell you, you ill understand her pain, and will like her, yes?" Under his stare, she couldn't resist.

Apollo and Artemis talked more about her and stayed in the room, making sure she was okay. When she woke up, she gave them and incredulous look, knowing that Artemis must hate her. But instead Artemis smiled, and Apollo gave her another ambrosia piece.

"Good to see your up" He responded.

"Wh-what am I doing here?" She questioned, her voice dry.

"You almost died" Artemis responded. Zoe stared at her, wondering how she knew.

"You-you hate me" She mumbled not moving her eyes from Artemis.

"Not anymore" She said plainly. Apollo grabbed Michael's hood and kneeled to Zoe's height.

"Hey, we should get you to camp, They're probably worrying about you by now" He smiled.

Zoe stared at him before responding, "They don't care about me"

"What about my son? Martika? Mya and Nikki?" Zoe blinked unable to look him in the eye.

"They don't know everything about me..." She muttered.

"Well, Michael is worried about you" He said hazily.

"He doesn't know me either. I haven't told him everything"

"Let's just go back to camp." He replied, standing up to help her stand on her own. Artemis helped her too, careful to keept the hood up. when they were outside, Artemis tried to distract Aphrosite who was watching closely. But when he was about to reach the throne room, his father's voice stopped him.

"Apollo!" He boomed, knowing the voice would carry throughout Olympus.

Apollo froze knowing there was no escape, and noticed Zoe looking at him nervously.

He bit his lip, "Just stay calm"

Did you watch the hunger games trailer? I can't wait for the movie, and for the son of neptune book.

Enjoy and Review,

~Percabeth17~