Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday, I kept forgetting about it. So here it is...the final chapter! If I get two reviews, I'll post the sneak peak of the second book, which is also finished!

AngelicVampireGirl: I got a week off for spring break, but that was a couple weeks ago. Yes, that is the real twist about Macey. You can still hate her, though. I hate her, and I wrote the book. I only called Lady Gaga a monster because I thought she was called, "The Mother Monster". Is that not a thing anymore? Oops. Sorry if I offended any Gaga fans. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you like the final chapter!

ArtyMoonSon: I'm not really into Norse mythology, but Apollo is my second favorite god. I think horses can read emotions. At least, that's what I've heard. Have you ever read the story of Pandora's box? Well, Pandora was made by Hephaestus. It's kind of the same with Macey. Her father was fake, as well. Thanks for reviewing!

M'n'Mzutarians 4ever: All your questions will be answered in this chapter! Macey was controlled by Nike. Hermes never fully gets out of his depression, but some wise words to come from Hermes himself (from the third or fourth book), "You're never broken. Maybe you're really, really, really bent. But you're never broken." Thanks for reviewing!

PuertoRicana: Thank you very much for my first ever negative comment! Maybe it is a bit like a trashy white teen novel. But those tend to sell, now don't they? Also, I would like to commend you. You're very good at criticizing people you've never met over the internet. You'll go far. Thanks for the review!

Disclaimer: THIS IS THE LAST TIME I'LL HAVE TO WRITE THAT USELESS WORD!

...oh wait.

Three. More. Books.


Hermes

I'm trying to focus. I really am. It's just that history isn't that interesting, I can't read the textbook, and I've got this really annoying song in my head. Just focus, I tell myself, if you stare at it long enough, it'll make sense. So I stare. And stare. And stare. I am trying, I just can't keep my mind from going all: lalalalala, oh look a bird! You get the best of both worlds, chill it out, take it slow, then you rock out the show! I told you I have a really annoying song in my head.

"What's up?" I glance up from the textbook to see Coral seated in front of me. Her hair is up in her usual high ponytail, her blue eyes bright and happy, her mouth in a wide smile.

I wish I could smile like that.

"Nothing, I'm just preparing to repeat eighth grade," I sigh miserably.

"I'm sure you'll do fine," She assures me, "besides, you've never had to repeat a grade before."

"That's 'cause I've always managed to get a glimpse at Apollo's answers," I explain. She smiles, rolling her eyes.

"Trust me, you're going to do great. Just think about it as another competition, another Nationals you're going to win. It's not a big deal," She suggests.

"Nationals is a huge deal!" I argue. She shrugs, her blonde ponytail bouncing around her shoulders.

"Whatever. You get the point. Need any help?" She offers.

"Actually, yes. What have we learned these past nine months?" I reply. She laughs.

"You're so funny." I raise an eyebrow.

"I am?"

"Totally!" She gets up from her seat and walks over to me, bending over so we're eye to eye. "And I love boys with a good sense of humor." Then she presses her lips against mine. When she breaks it, I stare at her, dumfounded. She giggles and saunters away, her cheerleading skirt swinging at her hips.

Wut.


It's funny what a kiss from a cheerleader can do for a guy. Now I know why Perseus is always dating them. It just makes you feel like hot shit. The cheerleaders are the most beautiful, popular girls in school. And not just any cheerleader, but the captain of the team, chose me to kiss. It fills you up with this confidence, and no matter what happens, you always know you're cool. Because a cheerleader kissed you, and that's pretty much the mark of coolness. Some people get it, others don't. Apollo, for instance, will forever be uncool.

I walk into the English classroom and take my seat. Professor Philyra (goddess of writing) passes out our exams, and tells us to begin. I look down at the paper before me, remembering what Coral told me. "I'm sure you'll do fine." If Coral thinks I can do it, then I definitely can.

aPlce eth cmaom rhewe it hdslou og ni het lgwoflnio nscetene

anJe is nyrleifd rtmas adn nyunf

Hmmm. Maybe not. I take a deep breath, squeeze my eyes shut, then open them and study the paper before me. Slowly, it comes into focus.

Place the comma where it should go in the following sentence:

Jane is friendly smart and funny.

I smile to myself. Yeah, I'm gonna be fine.


I'm just about to open the stall door and give Moonbeam his food, when I hear whistling from inside it. I sigh. Artemis and I haven't spoken since our fight three days ago. Just apologize, I tell myself, You can't just avoid her for the rest of your life. Inwardly groaning, I slide open the door. Artemis is picking Moonbeam's enormous feet, her back to me. Maybe I could just slip in, give him his food, and slip out-No, you have to talk to her.

"Artemis?" She drops Moonbeam's dinner-plate-sized hoof and whirls around, startled. "Um, are you busy?"

"Clearly, Fairy Feet, I was grooming my horse. He actually needs it, since I don't spend every waking moment pampering him," She snaps.

"Look, Artemis, I'm sorry," I sigh, "I'm sorry I yelled at you. That was uncalled for, and it's not your fault. I was just kind of...angry. With everything. So I took it out on you, which wasn't fair. And I'm sorry that all of this even happened. I'm sorry I didn't come to you guys sooner. I'm sorry I'm so...complicated." She watches me for a moment, silently.

"I'm sorry too," She finally says, "for all the same reasons. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I could never understand what you're going through, but it frustrated me that you were building up these walls and not letting me in. I was trying to help, but you didn't want it. And I should've stopped then. I should've given you some time. But I didn't, and I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

"Only if you'll forgive me," I reply.

"Agreed," She decides.

"So, we're cool?" She smiles at me.

"Totally." I dump Moonbeam's food in his bucket and exit the stall.

Well, that was the most awkward moment of my life.


The next few weeks pass pretty quickly. Teachers give half-hearted lessons that no one (OK, maybe Athena) listens too. The windows are flung open, letting in the tantalizing smell of summer, and it's almost cruel. The building is so hot that Apollo is literally incapable of not setting things on fire, but it's even hotter outside. And it's hottest in the barn, which, combined with the lovely scent of horse manure and several-year-old tack soap, makes for a very unpleasant experience. Add that to Crystal's presence, and I'm not the only one having suicidal thoughts. Training camp and all the friends we left behind are right around the corner, and school just seems like a unusual torture method. I get my exams back, and to my surprise, I passed them all! Failing grade is a C-. I got a C. So there.

I get my cast off in time to compete in the final track meet, and I'm proud to say I kicked Theseus's ass. He's probably gonna kick mine next week, but I might as well enjoy it while I can. Speaking of next week, I'm graduating. Well, from middle school. To be honest, I didn't think I would make it this far alive. But I did, and my plan is to keep going. I may have lost my Mom, my girlfriend, and Nationals, but I gained...a broken ankle and a fight with Artemis. Oh, yeah, and I drew that lovely tree. So much has happened this year. In September, I was ready to sleep through another nine months of school, add another Nationals trophy to my shelf, and break my previous record in cross country. I was not ready to be abused, jump off a building, and talk to a tortoise. I went through hell this year, but I learned something important. The alphabet. No, no, I'm just kidding. I still don't know the alphabet. I learned that YOU GOTTA KEEP YOUR HEAD UP OH-OH, AND YOU CAN LET YOUR HAIR DOWN HEY-EY! No, but seriously. I had a pretty rough year. I faced a relentless bully, an abusive parent, and a new learning disorder. But with some help from Iris the therapist, some medication, and my friends, things are finally getting back on track. And when the principle called my name, and I walked across that stage to stand with the other graduates, I couldn't have been happier. Because that was it. Middle school was finally over.

And I made it.

WAIT WHAT DO YOU MEAN "THERE'S STILL HIGH SCHOOL"?

THE END

(of book one)