-Addie-

I waited outside of the main council chamber, wearing a path into the floor. Urban watched me from a bench, his eyes trailing me.

"It won't be as bad as you think," he assured me. I gave him a disbelieving look because I wasn't so sure. "They made you immortal, Addie."

"Only because I'm carrying an immortal. They had to!"

"Can you please look at the glass half full for just a second? Some of us actually like you, Addie. You did what you had to do."

A huff was my only response. They'd given Apollo a few days to get back on his feet before holding my trial. Each day felt like a walk to the gallows. I was confined to our house, and no one would tell me anything.

The council had been deliberating for almost three hours. Three. Freaking. Hours. I'd given my piece, told them what I'd done and everything that had happened twice. There was no use lying. I couldn't hide the truth when they had the sword in their hands, and call me a prideful idiot, I didn't want to. Was I proud of what I did? Not exactly. However, I wouldn't change it. I'd stand by my decision. Besides, lying would just get me in more trouble.

They kicked me out to decide exactly how bad my sentence would be. Demeter was calling for me to be chained down in Tartarus, imprisoned in the Stone for the rest of my immortal existence after I had my child. She always disliked me, but I suspected that was due to the fact that I might have destroyed her temple back before I was cursed. It was an accident, of course. It just happened to be in the vicinity when I caused an earthquake. Not my fault that some Greek cities had shoddy architecture.

There was one good thing in all of this. Thanks to Athena and my father, Percy was left out of it. He'd given his account and was allowed to leave on the condition that the knowledge of the weapon was removed from him. Annabeth was given the same option. They readily agreed, knowing they were getting off easy. For me…it was another story. Zeus had even brought up what Apollo did to save me a couple of months ago. Whatever they decided to do to me, it was going to be bad enough that Apollo would suffer for it, too.

I did take some measures, though. While I wouldn't lie about the weapon, I wasn't stupid enough to not do a little something to save my ass. The council seemed pleased that I'd managed to insert a little "self-destruct" on it.

It was kind of a spur of the moment thing in case Freyr wasn't so honorable with his word. I'd told them that Styx water was needed for the weapon, but really, it wasn't. I just needed it to tweak the formula a little bit. I mixed it with a little of my blood (gross, I know) and a little magic, and Voila! If he killed me, then the weapon would disintegrated into nothing. If it met my blood, immortal or not, it'd be destroyed. So, at the council's request, I happily destroyed the weapon, hoping it would earn me some forgiveness points. I had no idea if it would work or not, but I was relieved to see some of the council soften.

"Addie," Urban admonished.

"What?"

"You are causing the floor to crack." I didn't have to look down at my feet to know he was right. I waved my hand, and the cracks mended. "Come sit down."

"They don't deliberate this long," I told Urban pointedly. "In two thousand years, they haven't deliberated this long." My elephant sent a wave of calm my way. She knew I was in trouble and was worried. However, she didn't understand the severity of it. Urban gave me a pointed look before patting the bench beside him. I did as he asked, albeit reluctantly. He took my hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"You have most of the council on your side, Addie."

"They will have to placate the others. Plus, Zeus and Hades aren't happy. Neither is my father, and when it comes to a vote, you know they can swing it."

"But Hera's calling for the charges to be dismissed," he countered. I furrowed by brow before laughing.

"Yeah, and her and Zeus have been going at it for a while now. It wouldn't surprise me if he chose opposite of her just for spite."

Urban bit his lip, knowing that I was right. Hades sure would have fun with me if I got sentenced to the Underworld. He'd probably have me on Dog Duty. Ugh. An eternity of picking up Cerberus's poop.

"Euadne? They are ready."

Nemesis had stepped out, her expression not giving away their decision in the slightest. She led me back into the council room. I'd come all too familiar with the half circle of thrones, all the male gods on one side with the females on the other. The ceiling in the throne room reflected the sky, which was currently basked in twilight. There were some other gods and goddesses seated behind the columns, waiting to hear what would be done with me. Hestia gave me a weak thumbs up which I couldn't return. Right now, I was lucky I was walking. I took my place before them, perfectly in the middle. My daughter gave a flutter in my tummy, radiating protectiveness. I didn't dare look at Apollo. If I did, my strength might crumble. His face would give it all away. Instead, I stared at Zeus, who looked commandingly down at me.

"Euadne, the council has deliberated long and hard about what you punishment will be. While some feel that you should be pardoned given your current state and the circumstances which you were under, it would set an inappropriate tone for Olympus. You shared, albeit inadvertently, one of our most guarded secrets. You made a weapon that would kill any immortal here, and that it itself in an act of treason. You do understand that this cannot go unpunished?"

"I do," I managed despite my thick tongue. I took a deep breath and looked down at the floor.

"First, you will be required to have the information about the weapon, the knowledge on how to make it, stripped from your memory. You will be permitted to know that it exists. Will you willingly submit to this?"

I quickly nodded my head. "Of course, my Lord." I figured as much when Percy and Annabeth were required to have it done. I thought it was a privilege to allow me to keep some knowledge of it all together. Maybe they were going to allow me to have some interaction with Olympus…or maybe it was simply because they planned on putting me in the middle of Tartarus, alone, where I couldn't tell anyone anyways.

"Secondly, your sentence…first know that you will retain your immortality, and we will not inflict it upon the child. Once you have your daughter, it will go into effect." I nodded my head. I was grateful for that. Zeus took a deep breath, his face tensing. "Euadne Aurelius Maximus, you have been found guilty of treasonous acts against Olympus. You sentence, as voted on by the council, is to lose contact with what you dined to destroy. You will be banished from Olympus for five mortal years. You will have no contact with any immortal whatsoever. There will be no Iris messages, letters, or any other form of communication. You will serve your sentence at Camp, training the demigods with Chiron. He will be your contact should we have need of you."

The room seemed to spin. It was hard to breathe, but I had years of learning to cover my reactions. It wasn't the worse they could do by far. I mean they could've thrown me in the same place as the kraken…they could have cut me to tiny pieces and scattered my essence. But this was almost worse. They were taking away what I cherished most: my family. Yes, it was only five years, which was a nothing, really, but…I didn't know how immortal children worked. If they grew like normal humans, I was going to miss so much. I wouldn't hear her first word. I wouldn't see her first smile. I wouldn't get to watch her grow, see what her powers were. She wouldn't have her mother. I was so mad at myself. This was punishing her just as much as it was punishing me despite what they promised me. But maybe they knew something I didn't. Maybe they knew that she wouldn't need me, that she'd be fine without me.

And Apollo…

My daughter was distraught. I was upset, but she didn't understand. All she could do was envelope me in comfort, which almost made it worse. I was the one to protect her, to help her when she was sad. I wrapped my arms around my stomach. I wanted to teach her right from wrong. She needed to know what it meant to be human, to love and live that furiously.

"Euadne?"

I looked up at Zeus's commanding tone. His expression was a cross between empathetic and resolved. I took a deep breath, settling my warring emotions. "Yes, my lord?"

"We are not cruel. You didn't make that weapon with any intention on it hurting anyone. The one solace we will offer you is this: every equinox, for a full cycle of the sun, you will be free to see the immortals."

I almost fell to my knees. It wasn't much, but it was something. "Thank you," I quavered.

"Don't go wondering far from Olympus. Understood?" Zeus questioned. I nodded my head. "Good. Council adjourned."

The immortals began to get up. The world was becoming smaller by the minute, my breath ringing in my ears. Wasn't anxiety supposed to disappear when you became immortal? I could cause a massive earthquake with a thought now, but the thought of being around them right now absolutely terrified me. I wanted to run as far away as possible, and I was confined to this floating hunk of rock. There was a soft touch at my elbow, a brush of fingertips, and I turned.

"Come on, liakáda."

Apollo laced his fingers through mine, and we vanished from the council room. We ended up at our place on the balcony. The city lights were bright and shining, twinkling softly in the night. He led me to the divan and pulled me down into his lap. I willingly sank into his embrace, thankful that he knew I was at my limit.

"Are you okay?" he whispered. I sighed deeply.

"No," I admitted. I traced a pattern on his skin, something mindless to distract me. It was still hitting me. To say I was in shock was an understatement. "But I will be. Eventually. I'm not in Tartarus. And five years isn't that long, right?"

"It will go by faster than you think. This is a punishment for me, too. Father can be very clever when he wants to be," Apollo noted with a hint of disdain.

"He did father Athena," I reminded him with a smile. His fingers brushed my cheek. The way he looked at me…it was extraordinary. My whole body was floating, tipping on the edge of insanity. It wasn't possible to feel this intense about someone, to have this kind of happiness amidst all the madness. It just didn't seem real. He leaned forward, placing his lips gently against mine. His hands cupped my cheeks, keeping me close. After a minute, he pulled away and tucked me against his side. Even through his shirt, I could feel the scar from where Freyr stabbed him.

"How bad could it have been?" I wondered.

"Tartarus, but it was quickly shot down. It could've been twenty years, but Ares spoke vehemently against it."

"He what?" I was astounded. Ares barely talked to me. Hell, I hadn't even spoken to him since that run in we had with Set.

"He actually gave us the idea to find you. And he said that you'd been punished far enough. He was the deciding factor in reducing the years."

I didn't really know how to feel about that. The polite thing to do would be to thank him, but after all we had been through, after what he had done…it felt like he owed me this. It was the least he could do.

"You don't have to say anything to him, Addie."

I nodded my head, lost in thought. I don't think I could. Maybe one day. Apollo played with our fingers, twined them together and apart. Really, this was better than I expected. I had five years apart from my family, not an eternity. I'd have the kids at Camp, Apollo's kids, and I'd get to teach. I'd get to see my daughter twice a year, and I'd pour every ounce of love into the day that I could. I hoped that would be enough.

"Things will be okay," he promised. Sometimes, I swear he could read my thoughts. "I'm going to keep her safe."

"I'm counting on it," I breathed. My stomach felt like it was about to fall out. There was so much I wanted to say, but right now, I couldn't do it. There was time to figure it out. I wasn't going to have my daughter quite yet. I had about a month. Don't ask me how I knew, it was just a guess. She was growing a little slower now that I was immortal. I rubbed my stomach, and Apollo placed his hand over mine. My fear bubbled up and out. "Maybe she won't need me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Maybe she won't need a mother. Maybe she'll be fine having all of you. I doubt she'd even miss me."

"Don't say that," he huffed. "Immortals still care for their parents." I gave him a questioning look. All I could think about was how my father and most of the council chopped my grandfather into tiny pieces. Apollo rolled his eyes. "Well, not in some situations. I care deeply for my mother. Hermes and Dionysus care for theirs. Asclepius and I have a good relationship. There are plenty of instances. Plus, you can feel the love she has for you already. It's astounding. I don't even think Father would have stuck you with the aura she was giving off."

"I hope she doesn't forget," I worried. Apollo gave me a squeeze.

"She won't. Speaking of…I think it's time we gave her a name. Names are important to immortals," he said with a wink. I had to admit, I loved him for making things light, for trying to cheer me up. It made it a little easier. "What about Rhya?"

"Nothing after any immortals," I countered. "I want it to be original."

"And Greek?"

"Preferably," I answered with a smile. "I don't think anyone would write stories about the great goddess Susie."

Apollo laughed. "Our daughter could be named Snail and she would still have epic tales told about her. Okay…Erienne? Laelia?"

I shook my head. Then, it hit me. I thought the name, and my daughter practically purred in approval. Apollo must have felt it, too. "What? Did she like those?"

"Not exactly…I thought of a name. What about Elexis? We could call her Elle or Lex," I wagered. Apollo looked thoughtful.

"Our daughter, the defender," he mused with a smile. "It's very appropriate."

"I kind of love it," I admitted.

"So do I." Apollo leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine. "Elexis, the Goddess of…well, I guess we will have to see."

"You don't know?"

Apollo shrugged his shoulders. "Could be anything, and I haven't gotten any prophecies to tell me otherwise. I have a feeling she's going to be like dear old dad," he explained with a smug grin. I narrowed my eyes and shook my head.

"And maybe she'll be like me and have power over the earth. Who knows, the sea might even sneak in there."

"Maybe. All I hope is that she looks like you," he breathed. I blushed deeply. Apollo ran his fingers across it, causing it to spread. I didn't know what I hoped. I guess I just wanted her to be healthy and safe. Tears built in my eyes.

"I want to know everything," I choked out. As much as I wanted to avoid the subject, I had to get it out. "I want every detail: her first word, when she walks, what powers she has, I want to know if her hair changes color, when her eyes settle, if she behaves, when she sleeps through the night. I know I won't be able to know until the equinox, but-"

"Addie-"

"Promise me, Apollo. Promise me that I'll know and that she knows that I love her, that I never wanted this. "

"I swear on the Styx," he vowed. He stared deep into my eyes, his calm overtaking my panic. He wiped a fallen tear from my cheek. "She'll know it, darling. I'll tell Lex every day. We all will."

I nodded my head. Apollo pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me. For the longest time, we just sat there, enjoying each other's company. I wasn't sure what was next, but I hoped we were finally through the worst. After everything we had been through, all the ups and downs, the wars and near death experiences…I think we deserved a little happiness. I wasn't naïve enough to think there wouldn't be more to worry about in the future, that this was my last fight…but now, I had a family to share it with. I had something to fight for. I'd tempted fate enough for one existence.

"I love you, Addie. We will get through this."

I smiled. I had no doubt that we would.

A/N: I apologize for this taking so long. It was very difficult to write, mostly because the story is coming to an end. There will be an epilogue, which I hope to get posted this weekend. Thank you so much for the reviews and kind words. You guys rock!

I'd love to hear your reactions to her punishment. In the epilogue, you are going to see it, and it will be sad, but I promise you, Addie is due some happiness. She will get it.

Since we are at the end, if you have any questions, requests, ect., please let me know! I hope you enjoyed!