Has anybody else noticed that the chapters for this story seem to be getting progressively longer? Eh, not going to argue with it, am I right? Anyway, greetoids peeps. I'm here with another update, and since things had been looking a little too fluffy recently, well... *laughs evilly* Anyway, if you guys want something special for the fiftieth chapter, you better speak up, because right now we're on chapter 48. I'm wiling to do most things, such as Hya's repent-ish, Lily's thoughts, more Jacob and Belle angsting, you just have to take the time to review or PM me with your idea, and whatever gets suggested most will bet he fiftieth chapter special, so get moving people if you're at all interested. Otherwise, well, I get to have fun. :) Anyway, you guys are probably bored, so I hope you guys enjoy, and stay awesome.

-ROC6

Wednesday, March 10th, 23 years after defeating Gaea

Flopping lazily on the couch, the blonde teen stared at her boyfriend's feet from her upside down perch. Simply wearing black yoga pants and a blue tank top, she flipped around so she was facing upright, looking at the dirty blonde-haired teen lounging in the chair across the coffee table.

"Have you thought at all about where you want to go to college?" She asked him, reaching down to pick up the glasses that had fallen off her face during the escapade.

The tan teen shrugged, "A little."

"Oh, good," the green eyed blonde exhaled, sitting upright again, "So have I."

"Cool," Ace commented, leaning back.

After a few moments of silence, Emmy got bored again, "I've decided I'm going to major in psychology."

"Cool," her best friend replied again, then with the easy, charming grin she adored, "Which college are you going to go to? 'Cause I personally was thinking I'd go to New Rome College, give something new a try, but if you want to go the the University of New Athens, I'm fine with that-"

"I don't want to go to either of those colleges," the legacy cut him off.

He leaned forward, his face scrunching up in confusion, "But, you realize you have to go to college to be a psychologist? And, you know, you've wanted to go to college as long as I've known you."

"Oh I plan on going to college," Emmy asserted, green eyes glinting.

"But where-" Ace started to say, then realized what she meant, "Emily, no. Not happening. That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"But-"

"I don't care," he cut her off, setting his jaw, "I don't care! I don't care what you're going to say, Emily! It's suicide, there's no way you could possibly ever go to college in the mortal world!"

The girl jolted to her feet, "Yes I can! My parents lived in the mortal world the first eighteen years of their lives! Why can't I live in the mortal world, Ace? You livecd in the mortal world, why can't I?"

Following Emmy's example, Ace jumped to his feet, then threw his hands in the air, "Oh, I don't know, maybe because you're a legacy of Poseidon? Or that ever monster in Tartarus holds a grudge against your parents? Or how about you won't have the support of other half-bloods to help you? Do even remember how close you were to dying last time you went into the mortal world on your own? Because I know I do."

"But Ace, I won't be on my own, I'll have you there with me," Emmy explained, the closest thing to a pleading note in her voice as she could get.

"No," Ace said softly, steelily, looking down at the ground, "No."

Emmy furrowed her brow, hand pausing where it had been reaching out towards him, "No what?"

"No! Just no everything!" Ace asserted, "I cannot enable you to do this. There is no way in Hades that I will ever go with you so you can do something stupid like live in the mortal world. I won't do this for you, Emily, I won't. I can't."

"Yes you can," the legacy pleaded, for what Ace thought may have been the first time in her life, as she reached out and grabbed his hand, "Ace, please, I need you to do this for me."

For once, Ace didn't melt at the rare vulnerable look that appeared in her eyes, and he yanked his hand out of her grasp, backing away, "No, Emily. Have you ever thought about what I want? If I want to live in the mortal world? What if I'm happy here, where I'm safe? Where I can live and learn and maybe start a family someday without having to constantly look over my shoulder."

Staring imploringly into his eyes, she countered, "But Ace, we can-"

"Stop!" Ace yelled clenching his fists, then unclenching them, with a measured breath, "Just stop. I can't do this for you, alright?"

"Please, Ace," Emmy whispered, hurt by the anger and bitterness in his voice, "I can't stay here. I need to go somewhere my parents' shadow won't follow me, into the mortal world where I'm not the daughter of the two most famous modern heroes, who saved Olympus an immeasurable number of times. I need this, Ace, but I need you to do it."

"I put you first, Emily, I've always put you first," he whispered softly, tenderly, brushing a few locks of blonde hair out of her face. Then, he snatched his hand back, his face red with anger, "I've always put you first. I've always put you first. My mother was away at war, but oh, you had a problem, and I listened. My mother was dying, but I said nothing when you came to me with your petty complaints. I left my life in the mortal world because you had hinted you wanted me closer. I have done everything you've asked me to do, but not this. I can't do this. Why can't you put me first for once? Why don't I matter?"

Emmy forced herself to meet his piercing gaze, full of a fury she hadn't realized had lived within him, "Ace, you do matter. You've always mattered. I've never meant to hurt you. I- I love you."

"Oh you do, do you?" He was spitting mad and livid, and while she wasn't sure, Emmy thought he may have been shaking, "Then why don't you care? Last time you went into the mortal world on your own, you crawled across camp borders on the verge of death. Your leg was bent backwards to the point where I thought we might have to amputate it. Both your wrists and your-"

"Ace!" Emmy said softly, but firmly, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it had shaken you so much."

"-ankle was sprained and your one shoulder was dislocated. Oh, and let's not forget the blood-"

"Ace!" Emmy called, louder this time, blinking back tears of frustration, "I'm sorry, alright?"

"-there were lacerations all along-"

Giving up on that method, Emmy leaned forward and kissed him softly, tenderly, trying to apologize in a way she couldn't say in words, but he jerked away from her almost immediately.

"No, Emily," Ace stated, she was sure he was shaking now, "I need to know. Why does it bother you so much, knowing that your parents are famous? Why can't you live in their legacy, content you won't have to see the horrors of the world in the way they had?"

"Because-" Emmy started, but Ace held his hand up.

"Don't feed me that crap about how pressured it makes you feel, about how other people want you to be some super powerful wonder baby. You can ignore them. I need to know why you just can't stand it."

She stared at him, green eyes wide, at a loss for how to answer his question as all her determination to move to the mortal world drained out of her.

He nodded, seeing this, "That's what I thought. You can't admit it."

The son of Apollo turned and started pacing now, "You've told me you want to do something good for the world, something that will change it for the better, but why is it such a problem that your parents have done that, too?"

The dirty blonde turned, staring her down, his voice deathly calm, "Let me tell you why. You can't recognize when you've got a good life going. You don't realize how lucky you are to have a loving father and a living mother and friends that care about you. You don't realize how lucky you are that you can live in New Athens and not a cabin filled with other examples of how your father will never love and be able to care for you. You don't understand how lucky you are to not have to march into war and save the world. You can't just be content with the amazing life you have because you're an attention seeking maggot that can't tolerate having anyone better than you at anything!"

Fury welled up inside the legacy, and she found herself shouting, "I'm sorry your life has sucked at times, and I'm sorry that I'm not perfect! I have never been perfect, and I know it, alright? I'm a disgrace and a failure, and you don't even care because you're too busy blaming me for everything that's gone wrong in your life, and I'm sorry you can't think for me and bend me to your will. I'm sorry for being my own person with my own dreams and aspirations and I'm sorry I ever wanted to challenge myself and try to do something new. But I am not going to roll over and lick my wounds the instant you decide you're tired of me. I'm sorry I made you mad, but obviously there's more to this than just me wanting to go to college in the mortal world-which many demigods and legacies have done before-so either you tell me what's bothering you so much, or if I'm your problem, then just leave!"

He stared at her for a moment, his anger and frustration spelled out on his face, then he silently turned, slinging his backpack over his shoulder, and marched to the door.

Ace sent a look at her over his shoulder, and for once she couldn't read what he was thinking, but he closed the door behind him and walked out the door. Emmy sunk into a sitting position on the floor, all her vitality sucked out of her with the air that went out the door, and buried her head in her hands, her glasses lying forgotten on the coffee table.

Seriously, though, let me know if you guys care about a special fiftieth chapter.