Hello everyone! And welcome to the next book in the Tsukuyomi's Son Series!

Chapter 1: The Months Between

Alx Alizadeh

January came with a shock.

The thing about Apollo was that he was unpredictable. While his appearance in his visions had increased since Christmas, he hadn't visited Alx in person since then, and Alx honestly wasn't really expecting him to. When he did eventually show up, Alx didn't really know how to feel about it.

Mainly because Apollo showed up in public.

Alx had been taking a walk around Pike Place Market when he appeared. For the most part, since finding Camp Half-Blood and starting homeschooling, Alx's parents had been rather lax in allowing him to go off on his own. If there was a chance of anything particularly grievous happening to him, they figured he would have seen it in his visions and done his best to avoid it. His visions weren't fool-proof, of course, but they certainly hadn't steered him wrong yet, and Alx had always acted more mature for his age, anyway. It came with seeing far more than he ever wanted to late at night.

Still, Apollo's sudden visit was a surprise.

Alx didn't know what it was, but the air just seemed different when Apollo was around him. The sun shined brighter; the world grew sharper. Everything was louder, and the colors turned crisp and vivid. It wasn't a bad thing by any means, but it had been overwhelming at first. Now, it was just a small nudge of warning. An indicator that he was on his way.

Alx turned.

Apollo was already smiling when he walked up to him, but it seemed to get… bigger when Alx finally acknowledged him, like he didn't have a large enough face for the smile he wanted to give. It just reinforced Alx's opinion that Apollo was… weird. He was weird in a too-good-to-be-true way. Alx always caught himself watching him out of the corner of his one eye to see if Apollo would slip up. Maybe turn someone into an animal or curse an old lady. But he never did, and he only ever had eyes on him. It was… a lot. Apollo just seemed so invested in Alx that Alx could probably get Apollo a leaf wrapped in tissue paper, and Apollo would just be relieved Alx even thought of him.

Which… probably said more about Alx than it did about Apollo. Maybe Alx was a little too apathetic. Just a little.

"I didn't expect you to visit so soon," was the first thing Alx said when Apollo finally reached him. "I would have thought you'd be too busy for me."

"I'm never too busy for you. Didn't I tell your stepmom that?" Apollo raised an eyebrow at him, looking slightly skeptical, and Alx looked away briefly, before saying, slowly, "I just… know you're out hunting monsters with Artemis. I would have thought you'd have more important things to think about."

Now, Alx wasn't trying to be difficult about this or anything, but he was fully aware of the duties a god had, and it had never even crossed his mind that Apollo could possibly set those tasks aside for some time spent with him. It just seemed almost too good to be true.

Alx told him once, the first time they met, that he thought Apollo was too good for him. It was still something that crossed his mind, even now, after everything.

"You are never an afterthought," Apollo said simply. "Not to me."

Apollo was wearing sunglasses. The same brand as the pair he'd given Alx, but a different color. Alx couldn't see his eyes very well behind them, but he imagined he could see Apollo's gaze soften when Alx met his stare.

… But who wore sunglasses that expensive? Douchebags, that was who. Gross.

They chatted idly with each other for a while, just touring the market, Apollo mostly describing the hunts he'd gone on lately with his sister, but a part of Alx wasn't really focused on the conversation, because…

Well, Apollo attracted profuse attention. People kept looking at them, sending them curious and interested glances, women and men alike. Alx wasn't used to seeing so many eyes on him, he was used to fading in the background; and it made him uncomfortable. Apollo was clearly in his element though. He smiled whenever someone made eye contact with him, a playful flash of his mouth. It was like his teeth were a blinding, neon sign, and people couldn't help but be drawn to him. As unsettling as it was, Alx could understand it to an extent. Objectively, Apollo was beautiful. He didn't need to morph into a person's ideal type like Aphrodite; he was magnetic all on his own, and people had always relied on the sun to live. The interest he often garnered was not surprising.

Alx himself wasn't as immune to him as he liked Apollo to believe. He had never felt as emotionally unbalanced as he had back when he first laid eyes on Apollo, and even now, sometimes, Alx got lost in him. He found his eyes drawn to the broad width of Apollo's shoulders against his will; the way his shirt stretched across his chest and tightened with every other step. Apollo was so, so, handsome, with his sandy blond hair and sky-blue eyes; it became hard to think straight, and it left Alx feeling bereft and bewildered.

Alx had never felt this way about anyone before. Not to this extend anyway. He was used to feeling in control, knowing more about the people around him than they knew about Alx, but with Apollo, it felt like Alx was still trying to navigate through uncharted territory. His visions growing up had been filled to the brim with Apollo, and yet he somehow always managed to surprise Alx.

Alx had seen the worst sides of Apollo possible. He'd seen the death and destruction in the wake of his anger and heartbreak. And yet Alx still couldn't help but feel himself falling for Apollo. It was the shiver-inducing smile and the golden sky-blue eyes and the gentle brushing of his fingertips. Even when disappointed with Alx's lack of emotional reciprocation, Apollo had been kind to Alx. Gods usually had such a temper, but Apollo had never shown that side of him to Alx. Alx doubted he ever would.

They were destined for each other, and yet Alx still found himself a little scared with the feelings that had begun to course through his chest whenever he thought of Apollo. Alx knew love: it was the rose-colored plates his stepmom set out on the kitchen table and the secondhand books his dad picked out for her in his bookcase. But Alx didn't know love the way Apollo did: in gore and hyacinths and war and arrows. Whatever was growing between them, though, felt different than any of the romances Alx had seen Apollo indulge himself in. This one felt like it could… last.

Apollo was already making an effort towards that, and he had far more to lose. He'd already lost so much. Maybe Alx should start trying, too.

"You should hold my hand," Alx suggested plainly. Inside, his heart was working double time.

"Well," Apollo said, his nonchalance paper thin, "you're the boss."

His pinky teased at Alx's, their palms brushed and then their hands pressed together, fitting like puzzle pieces.

Apollo swung their joined hands together, smiling like he'd just won the lottery. It was kind of adorable, which-

Puke, honestly. Everyone was staring.

But as Alx stared at the laugh lines around Apollo's eyes and the way his cheekbones sharpened under the sunlight, Alx thought he wouldn't mind all of the eyes on them as long as Apollo's eyes were on Alx.

-{}-

The next time Apollo showed up was on Valentine's day to take Alx to dinner. He'd dropped hints about this in his dream-visits before, but Alx had honestly thought he'd been joking until the night actually came.

"I've come to steal your heart, Alx Alizadeh," he'd proclaimed dramatically, chocolates in hand as he stood shamelessly on Alx's doorstep.

Any other guy or girl would have swooned, but Alx had just-

"I thought Hermes was the god of thieves," he'd said unthinkingly; and the scowl that had instantly made an appearance on Apollo's face indicated that he still hadn't forgiven Hermes for crashing Christmas dinner two months prior. Gods could probably hold onto petty grudges for a long time. Although, it wasn't as strong as it had been when Hermes had shown up out of the blue. Finding out that Alx was from a different pantheon was good connection builder.

Still, Alx had gotten a sick, swooning feeling in his stomach at the sight of him. He'd blamed it on heartburn, but the feeling had only gotten worse when Apollo told him that he'd booked a dinner reservation at a restaurant in Madrid.

It was one of those rooftop restaurants Alx had heard of online but had never actually had the money or reputation to visit. It was the sort of place his stepmom had raved about, where the upper crust of society went to be seen. Alx had always privately thought it seemed like the kind of place he needed to avoid at all costs. Still, he appreciated the thought, even though he was sure Apollo mostly just wanted to show off.

The restaurant was as busy and loud as expected for the holiday, full of people talking just to be heard. Alx definitely wasn't in the pay bracket for this place, and he couldn't read half the words on the menu because it was all written in Spanish, despite Alx speaking and understanding French and English. This was the sort of environment that was obscenely expensive and changed the napkin colors every hour, and Alx felt slightly subpar and out of his element. Like he didn't deserve to be here. Even though it was virtually impossible for anyone here to know who either of them really were, Alx almost felt like the people around him were judging him. A mere mortal in the presence of a god.

In contrast, Apollo liked the attention, Alx knew. He thrived in it. He messed up his hair when he didn't think Alx was looking and he beamed at him in the rare moments Alx was actually dazzled by something. It sort of helped to remind Alx that although he might have been a god, Apollo was a man like any other. Alx certainly got as irritated and exasperated by him as he had with any human boy anyway (never mind the fact that Apollo always tried to look as innocent and lovable as possible when Alx got that 'I-am-going-to-kill-you-and-make-it-look-like-an-accident' look on his face; it didn't affect Alx at all).

Still, despite his nerves and despite his second thoughts, the way Apollo looked at him across the table wasn't at all like Apollo thought Alx was lesser than him. It was the complete opposite, actually. His gaze cut right through Alx, stirring something intensely feverish inside Alx's chest, and it crossed his mind for the first time: a thought of a mouth. Lips. Alive, alive, alive.

But Alx still didn't make a move on him. He was too scared to act without the future in mind, and Apollo was too tall to surprise him with a sudden kiss. Alx would wait for Apollo to act instead. And Alx was good at waiting.

Apollo leaned forward to look at his face. The candlelight danced a waltz across Apollo's features.

"Still nervous?" he asked. Maybe Alx was being too obvious this time around.

"Yes. Sorry," he replied reflexively, wringing his napkin in his hands.

"You shouldn't be," Apollo said, smiling. "Dates with me should be natural. Effortless."

Alx scowled because that was the furthest thing he felt right now. Apollo noticed and clicked his tongue. "No frowning. You should be happy to be out with me."

Alx made a face and couldn't help but say dryly, "Really?"

Apollo nodded enthusiastically. "Really! A lot of men and women would want to be in your place right now, you know."

Alx scowled even deeper at that just out of spite. Apollo laughed at him and placed both his fingers on either side of Alx's mouth to pull it upwards. Alx tried hard to keep his frown, but then Apollo started making silly faces.

"Stop," Alx said. "You'll ruin my image."

"Never," the god retorted as he tried to contort his face.

Alx broke out into a low giggle before he started chuckling. Alx tried to cover his mouth, before he was sort of sensitive about his smile, but Apollo gripped his wrist, waving it around. Alx threw his head back as his chuckles erupted into loud laughter.

"Stop," he said again, trying to pull back his grin. His face wasn't really used to it. "You're making me look weird."

"You could never look weird next to me," Apollo said, which was both flattering and narcissistic of him to say. Alx briefly thought about making a sarcastic comment, just to stop him from getting too smug. But then he was running his thumb against Alx's knuckles, slow and tender, drawing Alx out and stilling the shaking in his fingers, and then Alx forgot how to say anything at all.

Alx wasn't much of a talker, but he didn't think he would ever have the words to explain what Apollo made him feel in moments like this.

-{}-

In early March, the Seattle International Film Festival dawned. It was a festival the exposed a lot about film and how it changed throughout the years. Some of it was outside even though the weather in Seattle was never favorable. It was like Susanoo had a personal vendetta against the city. Alx had always liked going with his parents every year, despite the crappy weather, hell even Tsukuyomi had accompanied him one time, but this time, his father had work to do and his stepmother had a cold. It wasn't exactly a lonely thing, but their absence made it feel as if Alx was missing something. Like he should be enjoying the films around him with someone important.

That thought was probably what jinxed him.

"Found you," Apollo sang calmly, reaching down to squeeze his hand.

Oh great, Alx thought, he was here again. Rest in peace, calm afternoon.

Alx ignored the way his pulse was quickening and the way his face was beginning to heat up. It was just hot outside.

Alx glanced over at him. He looked as if he'd just walked out a Calvin Klein photoshoot. His shirt buttons were popped open, and the way his outfit was tailored spoke of its cost and what kind of guy he truly was. When he noticed Alx staring, Apollo grinned at him in high-definition, eyes hot and intimate.

Apollo was still holding Alx's hand. Alx let him, but there were practical reasons for it. Apollo had a boundless amount of energy, and Alx had learned that the best way to keep it in check was to hold onto his hand. Otherwise, Apollo was likely to dart off and embarrass Alx when he spotted something interesting (and Apollo's idea of what constituted as an 'interesting' thing was both far-reaching and unpredictable). It was easier to just let him cling.

They fell into step with each other below the willow trees, Alx's sneakers slowly synchronizing with Apollo's expensive shoes. Their soles caressed the pavement, and while Apollo's clicked against the pathway, Alx's made a softer sound, like they were whispering. Alx could feel Apollo watching him as he slowly placed one foot in front before he crossed the other, looking like he was tiptoeing, or balancing himself on top of a tightrope that only Alx could see. Apollo held his hand tightly, and Alx squeezed his hand back.

Alx wasn't looking at him, too focused on his feet, but his attention was caught when Apollo started to hum a slow song that reminded Alx of the music that would always play during the climax of a romantic movie, which was ironic, considering they were at a film festival.

"We can just keep walking around," Apollo suggested. The god was usually a chatterbox, much like his stepmom was, but there were times when he didn't mind being quieter, just enjoying the moment with Alx. Alx smiled as he titled his body sideways, and Apollo supported him, gripping his hand tightly, keeping him afloat.

He darted a quick look at Apollo out of the corner of his one eye, and Alx noticed how Apollo was smiling at him. A light among the willows. Apollo was radiant, beautiful, and the sight of him made Alx's heart peak out of the bars of his ribcage and peer out into the foggy sky. The more time they spent together, the more Alx thought Apollo could easily be everything to him. What a terrible thought.

'He cares for you,' his stepmother had told him after Christmas dinner. 'Be kind to him.'

But it was so hard for him to be when there was so much turmoil inside of him. The world never stopped turning, and Alx's mind was always whirling with futures and visions he couldn't name. It was getting easier and easier to immerse himself in the universe of dreams and visions. His visions of the summer to come weren't bright, and it was difficult for him to remember to live in the present when the future ahead seemed so bleak.

Willow and pine flowers swirled in a chaotic wind shower of wet earth as Alx briefly lost himself in the noise of his mind and the motions of reality. Until something caught him. Something familiar.

There were blue eyes before him, and he spun away unthinkingly, like a butterfly taking off in spring. Apollo followed Alx down the embarkment, and Alx pulled his black skinny jeans out of his grasp. Apollo's fingers quickly brushed against the inside of Alx's wrist, and Alx pulled away again, stepped forward, swayed back, letting their hips touch for a moment before disappearing behind Apollo. Alx heard him laugh, and when he spotted Apollo again, his blue eyes were sparkling. It was a dance without music, and Alx was running away like almost all of his lovers before Alx had. But there was something more playful about this moment that didn't scare Alx.

Something about Apollo's smile at him coaxed, come a little closer, if you dare.

Alx laughed as well then and felt Apollo's arms encircling him.

Apollo moved them out of the way, bringing them closer to the trunk of a willow tree where there were less people. From this close, Alx noticed how Apollo was a dangerous sort of handsome. There was something very open, very flirty about the way he looked at people, but it didn't make Alx uncomfortable. Nervous, yes, but not uncomfortable.

Alx's heart thudded, loud, heavy and demanding. Something funny and wild and scary seized him as a shower of willow flowers drifted around them. Apollo reached forward, weaving one of his hands with Alx's and flicking the other to catch the falling flowers. He touched Alx's head gently, and Alx felt the willow blossoms magically begin to thread themselves along the gray strands of his hair. Once they'd settled, Apollo let his fingers drift carefully towards Alx's cheek.

Apollo's eyes were dark and fathomless as they met Alx's, flickering over the midnight black, unearthly ring in his irises.

Pink, placed into the ponytail of his hair.

"It suits you," Apollo whispered softly.

-{}-

March came and went, and then it was April. Alx didn't know what changed exactly, but after their last encounter, Apollo began to visit him in person more and more frequently. He promised Alx that he wasn't neglecting his duties and domains to do so, and Alx believed him.

And if the sun shined brighter these days and the poets drew greater inspiration as of late… well, that was none of their business.

The Olympic Sculpture Park was one of Alx's favorite places to hang out, and he often found himself there or at one of Seattle's many museums on weekends when he had some free time. Apollo seemed quite fond of the place, too, although Alx supposed he would be. He had actually told Alx that most of the statues in the park were by his own demigod children in the 1970s-90s.

"Of course, they could always do with more statues of me," he critiqued. Alx knew he wasn't joking, but Apollo's ego had become more endearing to him than annoying in the past few weeks. Alx tried not to think about what that meant for him.

"You should see the one they have of me in the Vatican," Apollo continued, hands clasped behind his back as they ambled leisurely under Eagle. "It got my cheekbones right at least, although no artist will ever do my eyes justice. Not that the art they make of us gods is ever truly accurate, but still, it's all so very flattering. Botticelli had a wild imagination, but I think Aphrodite's rather fond of his depiction of her."

Keeping with this particular train of thought, Alx had always privately thought that Apollo looked like the subject of a Rococo painting. He could imagine how many mortal artists had perhaps caught a glimpse of him, from both up close and afar, not knowing who Apollo was, but recognizing that innate quality in him that seemed to make the world around him grow vivid in sharp relief. Alx didn't even want to imagine how many works of art Apollo could have indirectly inspired; how many painters had fashioned their paintings to have his hair or his jawline. Nobody could ever replicate Apollo's smile though, and Alx hoped no one ever would. It was a sight he selfishly wanted to keep to himself and him alone.

The thing about his and Apollo's increasing encounters was that they were filled to the brim with warm grins and hesitant glances and easy conversations and lingering touches whenever they said goodbye. Apollo would hug him, and sometimes, Alx would press his nose to Apollo's shoulder as he tiptoed. From an outsider's point of view, it was really cute and nice and easy and honest. Anyone else would have even called it romantic. Alx called it panic because his relationship with Apollo was suddenly becoming much too real now. Distressing even. He still had his reservations about… all of this, of course, but Alx's restraint was beginning to crumble. It was hard to remember all of the reasons why he should be wary of Apollo when he knew how Apollo looked whenever he laughed.

And here, surrounded by recent history, blanketed in Apollo's warmth, it felt like he was engulfed in a watercolor world of lapis lazuli crushed in a cold dawn, dandelion seeds floating amidst a smoky cloud of polished metal and textured sound. Linseed oil in a painter's studio or the clay in a sculptor's studio. The Japanese tea in his kitchen. The gentle pressure of sun rays on his cheek and the cool breeze of a coming summer.

Summer, he knew, would be potentially traumatic. But right now, it felt so far away, and his visions faded to the background.

Alx wondered if, one day, he himself would join Apollo in all the paintings and sculptures that he knew populated the world. If their story would be immortalized in art forever. He didn't let the thought stay for long. What they had now was enough.

-{}-

Alx turned seventeen on the twentieth of May. It was a milestone for demigods. For them, it was a relief to be alive. Half-bloods rarely ever survived to see the year before eighteen come. Grover in particular had been delighted Alx had made it this far, and Alx supposed it made sense. Before Percy came along, the poor satyr rarely had had good experiences with the kids he tried to protect. He was glad Alx was one of the exceptions.

Alx's friends had all sent him gifts, which he thought was kind of them. They'd arrived the morning of his birthday, personally delivered by Hermes, who seemed to have decided that they had a personal kinship with each other now after mourning Luke's fate and sharing Christmas dinner together. Alx had an inkling he'd be seeing more of the god in the future, which he wasn't exactly opposed to, but he knew it would grate on Apollo's nerves.

And speaking of Apollo…

It was a scheduled and regular thing between them now, his visits. They had a process. Apollo would show up at the burger place near Alx's house every Saturday night after sunset, and Alx would already be there with their usual order on the table. Apollo would man the jukebox and prank the other late-night visitors by playing some ridiculous ear worm of a song seven times in a row, and throughout the evening, Alx would become slam dunked with pop culture references and all the coolest songs on the radio because Apollo insisted he knew all about them. And despite Alx's lack of real interest, he would remember everything Apollo told him, because it was different, coming to know a person in reality and in a natural progression rather than in a dream or a vision. Coming to know everything about a person because they wanted him to know and wanted to able to tell him. It was different, but a good different.

Apollo would show up at his house, too, sometimes. He could always just poof himself into his bedroom whenever he felt like it, but he'd knock on the door instead, in respect for his dad. Alx was pretty sure his stepmom wouldn't have minded either way. She was kind of the boss around the house.

Sometimes, Apollo took Alx out for rides in his sun chariot, and Alx found that he quite liked watching Apollo drive, the few times he'd taken Alx. Apollo always had one hand on the wheel and the other on Alx's knee, the radio crooning out something pretty. Apollo had a slice of the falling sun in his smile, and Alx would always place his hand on Apollo's as he drove them down the sunset.

A lot of it wasn't excitement though, really, but the day-to-day things. Apollo had taken him to faraway places for dates, like London and Paris and Madrid again (not Japan as a whole, as Alx's eyepatch trick didn't work there) but it wasn't always so grand and impressive. It was the little things too, like trying to teach Alx guitar and cooing stupid made-up lyrics in his ear as Alx sat against Apollo's chest and strummed far too aggressively. Apollo had smeared blue ink in the margins of Alx's notebooks and he'd scribbled a series of half-lyrics about Alx's eyes. They were dark, made with love, and cutting. Not quite safe. But this wasn't a heartbreak. It was a love song.

They had come to a point in their relationship where there were casual, thoughtless touches between them now. Apollo's fingers grazing the small of his back as he passed by, Alx's hand landing on his arm whenever Alx stood up, Apollo's lips brushing along his temple as he said goodbye, Alx's shoulder pressing against Apollo's whenever Alx moved to stand next to him. Alx wasn't touchy in any sense of the word, but sometimes, it felt like he couldn't ever get close enough.

Apollo was funny and brilliant and all-consuming, and in the span of almost half a year, he'd worked his way into Alx's life like he'd always belonged there. Alx had always valued his time alone, but more and more often these days he found himself missing Apollo.

So when the sun god showed up in his bedroom several hours after Alx's birthday ended, he wasn't even upset that Apollo hadn't knocked on the door this time. This moment was for them and them alone.

Apollo laid down beside him on his bed. Alx's white curtains were parted open, and Apollo was sprawled next to him like he owned the place; like he'd done this a million times before (he'd certainly been in bed with others, of course, but not so intimately like this, and never with Alx until now). Alx was in his pajamas, with a tank top that showed off his arms, and Apollo was dressed down in something more relaxed, almost human, but never completely human. No. He was a god before he was anything else, but that reality didn't scare Alx as much anymore as it once did.

The night was full of disquiet lingerings. It was one of those night where nothing felt real, where everything was just the right side of off-kilter to set Alx's teeth on edge. But it was easier to manage when Apollo was there with him.

He'd be going back to camp soon, and while Alx missed his friends, he thought he might miss Apollo so often more.

The visions weren't as frightening when Apollo was around him, but Alx feared what would happen when Apollo left.

"I don't like seeing you unhappy," Apollo murmured, as if sensing Alx's darkening mood. Alx wouldn't be surprised if he had. Apollo had gradually become rather sensitive to his emotions as of late.

"If I'm with you, I'm happy," Alx said without a second thought, and he realized with some surprise that he meant it. The darkness and the nightmares and the tragedies were taken away whenever Apollo smiled at him.

Apollo paused at that, like he was surprised, too.

"Is that all it takes?" he asked in disbelief, as though Alx had asked for gravel when all he had were diamonds.

"Sure," Alx replied plaintively, like it was that simple, and Apollo laughed a little, shaking his head. It was a bright sound, like flame catching on tinder.

"Really, what makes you happy, Alx?" he asked.

And he… he didn't have a good answer, not when his head was almost always filled with visions that made him feel like his torso was being slashed open or as if he was chewing on broken glass. But around Apollo, Alx felt a little more at ease, if not a bit dismantled. But it was in a good way. The best way.

He didn't say that out loud, of course. He rarely ever spoke his feelings for Apollo out loud. But Apollo had recently started to become quite good at getting the gist of his thoughts from just the way Alx would look at him. It was all in the eyes and how bright they were.

Apollo said something too low for Alx to hear, tone odd and lyrical. From the corner of his one eye, Alx noticed how his window was open, the stars crushed and smeared across the sky. He thought of Zoe Nightshade, both dead and alive forever, and he thought of Nico, lost somewhere in the dark. It was all magic and dreams, visions and dust.

Apollo dipped his head, and then closed the inch of space between them.

His mouth tasted like summer and warmth and eternity, if eternity had a taste. It reminded Alx of his youngers night spent sitting out on the front porch, fireworks on the fourth of July. Alx could feel his knees shifting against his bedspread as he curled his body into Apollo's. This was the first time they'd ever done this, and they should have been bad at it, but they weren't.

Apollo's long fingers dug into his waist, and Alx suddenly became acutely aware of everything: the curve of Apollo's collarbone, the love in Apollo's mouth. Alx felt dizzy and shaky, but Apollo's chest was a good place to fall into.

For a long time, they just stayed there, pressed together.

Waiting.

But nothing bad happened. No tragedies knocked on Alx's bedroom door.

"Happy birthday," Apollo murmured against his mouth, voice shivery and low.

Happy birthday, indeed.

I might do this every time. Make an original chapter for every ending and beginning of the original book series... let me know what you think of that! For the Titan's Curse, I consider the prologue to be the original chapter.