Ever so softly I ran my finger over her shoulder, her upper arm, her elbow, her forearm, her hand. Her hips, her thighs. Back up via her stomach. Her eyes were closed but I knew she was awake. She kept up the pretense as my hand slowly traveled up her side, but she couldn't suppress a giggle when I touched the ticklish skin below her armpit. Her eyes flew open.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi back." Her voice was croaky.

"Did you sleep okay?" I rested my hand on the small of her waist. Her beautiful, soft waist.

"I did, actually," she said, looking a little surprised. "You?"

I shrugged. "Eh."

"Eh?" A hint of a smile on her lips.

"Well, you know…" I let my head fall back onto the pillow. "A lot on my mind."

She brought her index finger to her mouth and absentmindedly bit on its nail. "Right," she finally said after a few quiet seconds, but kept her glance averted. I knew Emma well enough by now to recognize that sudden shift in behavior for what it was: she was trying to act cool, but her mind was probably racing. Of course it was. She was having possibly the strangest few days of her life. Maybe she was only now really waking up from her dream and realizing what had happened last night.

I rolled onto my side to face her. "Are you okay?" I asked stupidly, even though I could already predict her reaction - 'I'm fine' - and knew that that question would only make her hide away more.

"M-hm," she confirmed and, as expected, didn't turn to look at me.

"Do you…" I looked down. "Do you want me to leave you alone?" I felt terrible asking that question. I wanted to give her the choice, to make sure that if she was staying it was because she wanted to, but I hated the idea of leaving her and removing myself, even if it was only for a little while. If I was being honest with myself, I was actually afraid, afraid that my absence would make her realize that she was better off without me.

It was an almost strange emotion to feel. The last time I had felt anything like this had been so long ago - it had probably been during the Blitz, when I'd tried so hard to save Virginia from the fire. It had been strange to feel, period, for the first time in decades when I'd first started falling in love with Emma. It had been as if the floodgates opened and all that emotion I'd carefully pushed away came pouring back in, everything that I'd refused to feel since I had decided I was over Gin and I was better off staying away from humans.

But looking at Emma now… She made it so hard and so easy to forget about Virginia all at once. My gaze slid from her eyes to her lips, to her jaw, her soft hair, back to her eyes, her beautiful eyes that were still not meeting mine.

"I don't know," she said, so softly I barely heard it.

I nodded and went back to my side of the bed, lying on my back with a careful bit of space between us.

She finally turned her head and looked at me. "Do you mean now or forever?"

No, no, forever wasn't an option - it couldn't be. I couldn't leave her alone forever. I would if she wanted me to, but I sure as hell wasn't offering just like that. "Either," I heard myself say, and hastened to add, "I mean now. Just for now."

She considered that, but all of a sudden her expression changed to one of urgency and she threw off the covers. "I gotta go!"

"What? Go where?" I was completely thrown by her abrupt activity, her wrenching open her drawer and pulling on clean underwear at a speed as if her life depended on it.

"Work!" she exclaimed. "It's Monday! I'm late!" She picked her jeans up off the ground, put them on backwards and then quickly corrected herself, and hopped around on one foot trying to pull on a shoe. "Can you help?"

"Do you want me to take you there?" I got out of bed and let a pair of trousers and a T-shirt fly towards me with a flick of the wrist.

Her hands froze in the middle of buttoning her blouse as she stared, stunned, but it was only for a second before she recovered herself and shook her head. "Oh, no, I can take the bus, I mean, can you help grab my stuff, my phone, uh, keys…"

"Aren't you already late for the bus? Emma, I can -" I started, but she cut me off impatiently.

"Which is why I need you to help me grab my stuff!" She didn't roll her eyes, but she might as well have. Instead, she looked in the mirror resting against the wall and desperately pulled her fingers through her hair.

I quickly dressed and started collecting her things while she brushed her teeth. "But Emma, just let me take you, you can still be on time," I called out to her.

She spit out her toothpaste and rinsed her mouth before replying. "Take me how? Are you going to summon a flying horse or something?"

I laughed. "Are you talking about Pegasus? He wasn't mine. No," I continued, ignoring her sticking her head out of the bathroom in surprise at the mention of Pegasus' existence, "It'll only take a second. Just trust me."

"Fine." She came out of the bathroom, threw her things in her bag, and stood expectantly in front of me. "So what? Do I jump in your arms? Stand upon your bloodstained chariot with the fire-breathing horses?" Her eyebrows rose, befitting the slightly sarcastic tone of her voice.

Huh. So she'd found a moment to read up on me. I wondered what else she'd read - it couldn't be anything good. I shook my head to say no and to shake off that thought. "Here," I said and lightly took her hand. A golden light shone around us for a split second and then we were in the downstairs hallway - "Pit stop," I said, and took her coat from the rack - and with another flash of light we were standing in an empty, narrow street around the corner from Emma's office at city hall.

She let go of my hand when the golden light faded and looked around. "That… that wasn't actually nauseating." She touched her stomach as if to check she really wasn't feeling sick and frowned. "I would've expected… to feel dizzy. To see a whole bunch of darkness, or… maybe stars… Or is that time travel?"

"You've seen too many movies," I chuckled as I handed her her coat. "And there's no such thing as time travel."

"Right," she said sheepishly. "Okay. So. Um. I guess I'll see you… later."

"See you," I said and dipped my head to kiss her, but I felt her skin tighten when my hand touched her shoulder and quickly pulled back.

She nodded awkwardly and turned, looking back once before rounding the corner and leaving me there, wondering just as much as last night what she was thinking.

That afternoon, I had just picked up my phone to call Emma and see if she was okay with me coming over, when I looked out the window and saw a rainbow ending right there on the street. I sighed. "Come here."

The rainbow came closer and in a hurdle of color, a short woman - a girl, really - appeared, looking more than a little annoyed. "Yes, Ares?"

I crossed my arms. "We've talked about this, Iris. I want you to give me actual messages rather than colorful air. Don't roll your eyes at me."

Caught in the act, Iris squared her shoulders. "And I have told you that I don't have the time these days to spell everything out to everyone. You're intelligent enough to figure out for yourself what I mean."

"Do I need to spell out to you that Olympians are not just anyone?"

She looked away from my intense stare. "You're right. I'm sorry."

As my stance relaxed, so did hers. "Well, come on, you're losing precious time standing there. What is it?" I asked.

"Zeus is wondering why you're not in Paraguay."

"Why would I be in... ah, fuck." I knew I had forgotten something. In all of the monumental change of the past few days the Paraguayan situation and my agreement with Zeus had completely slipped my mind. "Tell him I'll be there after dinner. And get me the twins, will you?"

Iris frowned. "After dinner? You're not going now? Zeus says people are tense."

"Well, what's the worst that could happen between now and tonight? War breaking out? I doubt it," I said, climbing the stairs to the attic now with Iris following me. A spectrum of light bounced off of her when we passed a mirror.

"Why wait, though?" she asked. She stood at a distance in the doorway of the armory, watching as I opened crate after crate, looking for the proper weapons and armor to bring with me.

I straightened and dusted off my hands. "I'd like to enjoy one last dinner by myself before I dive into battle, but I suppose you wouldn't understand that." I ignored her indignant muttering - "I work harder than any of you" - and continued, "Besides, there's something I have to do before I go."

"What's that?"

"None of your business." I bent my knees to pick up a crowbar and wrenched open another chest. Shit. Where was that bronze shield? I looked around, but only saw inferior ones. It would be a shame to have lost it - I'd have to ask Hephaestus to make me a new one. I could think of better things to do than talk to Hephaestus, let alone owe him anything.

"Does it have to do with that mortal girl you've been seeing?" She didn't sound judgmental or anything, just curious.

Now I was the one to roll my eyes. She and Apollo wouldn't be the last to get involved or curious. I should ready myself for a barrage of questions next time I saw the family - a fate much worse even than having to tell Hephaestus that once again I had misplaced my armor.

"Hermes told me," she continued.

"Of course he did. How does he know? I haven't told him," I said absentmindedly, then straightened again as I met Iris's glance. "I said, none of your business."

Iris seemed to shrink under the weight of my look just a little, but smiled when my stern face fell.

"Nice diversion, gossip. Didn't know you had it in you," I chuckled.

"I'm older than you, Ares. You didn't invent tactics. Definitely not the verbal kind. Anyway..." She cleared her throat. "I've got to go. I still have to pull Dionysus away from some college party, that'll take some time..."

I laughed. "Good luck with that. Really, I'll do my best to be in Mariscal in a few hours."

Iris had already turned when she looked over her shoulder. "I'll tell him midnight just to be on the safe side. See you, Ares."

"Yeah." I supposed after all this time I should know myself well enough not to be so specific when it came to time. "See you. Say hi to Dion for me."

There seemed to be no way to reach Emma, save for going to her office or calling Gabrielle. No one was there when I traveled into her hallway and knocked on her door. She didn't answer her phone any of the four times I called. Her voicemail was turned off. I finally gave up and went back home for dinner.

"Dad! What took you so long?" Phobos and Deimos came running the second my feet hit the hot, arid ground of a hill just outside the town that was on the precipice of sparking a civil war.

I took a moment to get my bearings, threw off the jacket I had still been wearing when I'd left home, and took a deep breath in through my nose to acclimatize to the atmosphere of brewing tension.

"Boys," I nodded then, passing the two perennial teenagers to observe the scene unfolding on the moonlit town square.

They followed me, but had me halt my steps when Phobos said, "Wait. What's that?"

I turned to see them wrinkle their identical noses.

"It's fear," Phobos said, "But it's too close, it shouldn't smell that strong from this far away..."

Deimos, ever the faster thinker than his brother, was already staring at me. "Dad, are you scared?"

"Of course not," I said dismissively and turned back to the town at the foot of the hill.

The twins' faces appeared on either side of me, first inhaling deeply and then meeting the other's gaze in a mix of amazement and worry. "It is you," Phobos confirmed.

I ignored them - as difficult as that was with them still gawking at me from virtually zero distance - and took out my phone. No reception. "Damn it," I muttered under my breath. "Be right back, boys."

"Where are you going?" Deimos asked, but his voice faded as I disappeared.

As soon as I warped into the town center, albeit behind an old church just off the town square, I felt the angry people's energy growing, growing, near boiling over - people started shouting and running, I heard the protesters' cardboard signs dropping to the ground, someone had found a megaphone and riled the others up against the paramilitary officers.

I sighed, annoyed once again. That wasn't how I'd planned my entrance. It would have to do. I looked down, but my phone still said no bars for reception. Damn you, small towns. I'd have to go even further into the city center, further veering off of the plan I'd agreed upon with Zeus. Was texting Emma worth this mess?

My body had already started moving before I'd even consciously made the decision that yes, it was worth it, and I laughed to myself. What was the point even of agreeing with Zeus not to make things more chaotic than necessary? He should've realized the moment he'd asked me to come that this protest wasn't going to pass orderly. Should've summoned Athena, his precious Athena, if he wanted plans and strategy.

People were clashing now, the paramilitary were forming a front, I heard a gunshot. Another. Yet another - but when I rounded the corner I saw no blood, these were just warning shots for now. I'd nearly hit the 'call' button when I realized maybe this wasn't the best setting for calling Emma, with these shouts and screams and gunshots and that fistfight right there in front of me. I opened up a new text.

Emms, I'm out of town for a bit. Not sure yet when I'll be back, but text me if you need me and I'll be there asap, or call Hermes if it's urgent. See you soon, love you.

My finger floated above 'send' for a full three seconds before I hit backspace and removed the last two words. I knew they were the truth. But I'd never said them to her, not yet, and now wasn't the time. And this was definitely not the way.

I'd only just added Hermes's number and hit send when my phone was knocked out of my hands by a man who, judging from his outfit, was part of the paramilitary and whose fist came flying towards my face but hit my shoulder.

"Oh, come on," I grumbled. I picked up the phone - the shards of its broken screen flew back into place - and inhaled deeply.

As I let out the ancient battle cry that would be heard throughout the city, throughout the region even - "ALALAAAAA!" - everyone's face turned towards me, I brandished my fist into the air, Phobos and Deimos joined me in a flash of light, and I charged headfirst into the frenzied crowd.