Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan. I don't own any works credited to his name. I'm not Cassandra Clare, either, and I don't own any works credited to her name, either. I'm simply just me, and I only own works credited to my own name. Check out my profile if you'd like to see those! (Writing Desk's Raven, previously JustAnotherChapter, Fangirl Queendom, and some other name I don't remember.)

Previously on More Than A Friend:

"Physis is a force to be reckoned with." I said. "I mean, you definitely don't want mother nature angry with you, do you? Her and Gaea's domains overlap, so while Gaea is Mother Earth, Physis is Mother Nature."

"And what all happened after that?" Dad asked. "What made you have to come here to tell us this?"

"Well, the next few months were pretty normal. No one knew she was Mick yet, but Eleos stayed in the house with me, in the spare bedroom. I hadn't minded, and the house felt empty without someone else there." Sage started. "Some stuff happened, Styx showed up at a meeting and warned Eleos she was toeing the line on one of her oaths from her previous self, and that her oath to the son of Aphrodite was, indeed, still to be held."

"I went back to house right after that. Aphrodite found me not too long later, in my old room, where she should have expected me to be. She told me she'd figured it out, and that she'd had her suspicions from the start, but that Jacob was the only son of hers to have had a girl swear an oath to themself in a time of grief in the past sixty years." I explained. "She also told me Jake figured it out when she asked about it, and that the first one to figure it out had been Aliya. I was so glad to know that I'd have my friend back again."

"When she came downstairs, I tried to apologize for what had happened before the meeting." Sage said with a soft smile. "She told me she want trying to be rude, but she couldn't talk then. She went straight past me to Aliya, they hugged, and promised to catch up sometime. She told me we could talk later, but that she needed to go visit her nephew after what Aphrodite had told her.

"When she came back, Aliya and I were playing cards. She left, saying something about how her mistress called for her. I knew she just wanted to give us some privacy. I wanted to talk, but my sister and cousins had told me I had better get to the farm." Sage said. "They hadn't seen me in awhile, and I couldn't let them down like that. I really hadn't spent as much time with my family once I became a god, and the I disappeared for six months when Athena took me, and then, for the months after that, I hadn't even really been visiting. So I gave her a letter and left to go visit my family.

"The whole time I was there, I was moping around. They tried to get me out out of it, they were worried about me, they said. When Eleos showed up at the door, Orianne tried to tell her to leave, but I told her to let her in. She started crying when she came in, and I was immediately worried." Sage said. "She told me how she'd found Aliya. That the note had said they'd found her. She said she'd have to return to Olympus and find somewhere else to stay. I was worried about her and her nightmares, so I told her to stay, at least for a night, because if they'd actually shown up, then her nightmares would be worse."

"I made him and his cousins get all of their family to the farm. They were afraid of Sage, I knew, and if he could stay to protect all of his family, they wouldn't go near them to get to me. I knew they'd go after anyone to get to me, and the only people they knew were close to me were Sage and Aliya, and they'd already gone after Aliya, who didn't have any mortal family left." I continued. "I stayed with them at the farm that night, and in the morning, just kind of curled up on the couch, staring off into nothing. I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to Sage, but he had to greet all of his family members, half of them people he'd never met from his cousin's husband's side of the family.

"But Sage convinced me to stay for another day. Said it'd be my last chance to hang out for who knew how long. So I stayed." I said. A soft smile formed on my face. "We hung out at a park. At one point, he threw me an apple instead of the tennis ball."

"He did not." Erin exclaimed, sitting up straighter. "No way."

"Yes way." I laughed.

"I can't believe it! My little sister's all grown up!" Erin said, jumping up and coming over to hug me.

"Erin, I'm older than you!" I told him, hugging him back.

"You look, what, twenty? I'm twenty four now, thanks." Erin said.

"Twenty one. Mostly because Bennie's older now and she thought it was weird that I was the same age." I told him.

"Anyone care to tell the rest of us what's going on?" Lindsay asked.

Erin returned to his seat, and then explained. "In ancient Greece, an apple thrown at a girl was a marriage proposal. The same holds true for demigods who like tradition."

My dad and Lindsay both gaped at me. I looked down, blushing. "Hera officiated the ceremony later that day. I had to leave soon, but neither of us cared. We just wanted to be together while we could."

"My little girl's married." Dad murmured. I got up and went over and hugged him. "I can't believe my little girl's married."

I hugged Lindsay, too, before returning to my seat. "So, after that, I went to Aphrodite's secret home. I left the next morning. She and I are somewhat friends, and she's also my nephew's mother, so I guess you could technically call her my sister? Yeah, that's weird to think about." I said. "A month and a half after being there, Aliya showed up. They'd been planning on revoking her immortality so she could die in peace, but then the ambrosia was healing her, so they had hope. She and I caught up a little, we figured out I was pregnant, etcetera etcetera."

"Pregnant?" Dad asked. "I'm a grandfather?"

I winced, looking down. Sage squeezed my hand, looking down, too.

"We... We'll get to that part later." I said softly. A tear fell off my nose. "About seven and a half months after that, I was supposed to be going to my first meeting on Olympus, to the Summer Solstice meeting, but I went into labor the night before when I was IMing Sage."

"You freaked me out. Aphrodite told me at the meeting that you were fine but couldn't attend, and I still worried night and day about you." Sage told me. "Imagine my surprise when you finally IM me, Aliya comes in carrying two babies, and I hadn't even known she was back."

"You didn't tell him?" Lindsay asked.

"I wanted to do it in person, but that wasn't going to happen, so I tried to find the right moment. I never did, though,and I figured telling him right after my water broke wasn't the enst time, either." I explained. "So when he saw Aliya, I flashed to the farm and then brought him back to Aphrodite's."

"Eleos explained everything to me, about Aliya and the twins. She introduced me to my daughters, Everly and Manon Tucker." Sage said with a hint of a smile on his face. I had to go back to the farm an hour later, but just meeting them was one of the best moments of my life."

"Finally, as for why we're here." I started. "Three months after that, I went to my first meeting. It was just some random meeting, and I sat in the back where I couldn't bring attention to myself.

"At the end of the meeting, when I was about to leave, they showed up. They taunted me, then called Athena over. She had my child. I asked her if she'd really do it, give her own grandchild to someone who would torture them. No one had time to react to that before one of them had taken her and disappeared." I said.

"The two of them still there laughed, and turned to me. Told me it would be wonderful to take my child's life for taking their sister's life. I yelled at them, saying it was their fault Mick was dead, and their stupid life counter was off. They laughed at that." Sage explained. His voice was a little hoarse, holding back tears. "They said it was strange, her giving her life for the girl I now called my wife.

"I told them Mick was selfless and caring, she and Eleos were similar in that way. They told me they were more similar than I thought." Sage said. "They told Eleos to show everyone who she truly was. She told them that this was who she was. The female told her to get rid of the petty enchantment and the facade she used to hide. Told her that while she was at it, she'd looked so much better with gray eyes."

"She waved her hand and wiped my enchantments away like it was nothing." I said. "Barely a moment, and I was back to being Mikayla instead of Eleos. She told Sage that the girl he loved had been standing in front of him the entire time, and that not once had I thought to tell him."

"I was confused, but I understood. She wasn't even allowed to tell anyone who she'd been, so what would have made it okay for her to tell me?" Sage said. "They started threatening her, then, with the locations of all her family. They said she'd come to them tomorrow, at noon, if she wanted none of them harmed. She said if they harmed anyone, she wouldn't show. So the male disappeared and brought back her little sister from camp."

"Bennie had always looked up to me." I said quietly. "I couldn't be the reason she got hurt. They threatened me a little more, then decided I'd been properly convinced, and left.

"As soon as they were gone, Bennie ran over to me and told me I'd broken my own rules. I'd let them see my fear, and I'd let them use it to control me. She told me I could make up for breaking my own rules that I gave her by beating their asses. I told her it wasn't quite that easy." I explained. "After that, Styx showed up. She said Athena had two contradicting vows, one about not killing Eleos, and one about killing her daughter the next time she saw her."

"Your mother vowed to kill you?" Dad asked in outrage.

I nodded softly. "Trying in the first place pushed her over a line that no one, not even a god, can come back from." I said. "Styx said since they both involved me, I should help her choose a punishment. Bennie and I spoke in a language we of the Athena cabin had made up ages ago, that no one, not even mom, was allowed to know. We came to an agreement.

"I told Styx to take away Athena's power. Power put her into this mess in the first place, when she had more power over me after Zeus's decree, and when Zeus gave her power over Sage. So I told Styx to take it away." I said. "Styx told me most would go for revenge, and she liked that I didn't. I told her I wasn't the embodiment of mercy for nothing. So Styx took away Athena's position as an Olympian. The council holds only twelve, now. I believe Hestia's going to be taking over her spot until they find a suitable candidate. She used to have a spot, which she gave up to prevent war, but she's told me she rather likes not worrying about being on the council."

"We went home after that." Sage said. "Talked a little about it, then went to Aphrodite's place to find Aliya. We didn't know what would've happened to her or our other child."

"Aliya had tried to stop them, but had had a panic attack when she saw one of the creatures again, after what they did to her. She had managed to save Everly, though. Aliya had created a mist version of her, and hidden Everly in a closet." I said softly. "We each held for a few moments, but we agreed what was best for her. We sent Aliya away with her, far away, where no one could find either of them.

"After that, we visited Jake and Angie and explained everything. Then Christian and Isaac, then Sage's family, then my cabin at camp." I finished. "And then we came here."

"You can't go." My dad was the first to speak. "You can't let them hurt you."

"I have to, daddy." I whispered. "If I don't, they'll only torture and kill all of you sooner. And I can't live with that. If I go, maybe, just maybe, there's a chance that their reign of chaos over this world can be pushed off a little longer. It's my duty to protect this world, and while my court does what they can, it's not enough, not now. I have to do this."

He stood up and pulled me into his arms. "I don't want to lose my baby girl." He said softly.

"I'm sorry." I said. "I'm sorry."

Lindsay and Erin both got up and hugged me, too. I could see Annika out of the corner of my eye, looking conflicted. The guy beside her was quiet, he had been this whole time, my guess was he didn't know what to make of any of this.

Then there was the sound of a child crying, and Annika lifted a baby out of the crib I'd nearly forgotten was sitting there by the loveseat. She comforted the child, and it calmed down quickly. Then she looked up at me. "Mikayla, these are who I wanted you to meet."

"Call me Mick." I told her. She smiled. "And I'll call you Anni." Her smile widened.

I stepped over to her, and looked at the child she was holding. The child had black hair and green eyes, and I noticed it had Annika's nose.

"This is Oliver." Annika said, gesturing to the guy beside her. "My husband. We got married last year. And this, this is our son. Damien."

"He's adorable." I told her. "You're twenty three, now, right? How old is Damien?"

"I am." Annika confirmed. "And Damien's four months. Do you want to hold your nephew?"

"I would love to." I said with a smile. She carefully handed Damien to me, and I smiled down at him. "Hi, Damien. I'm your Aunty Mikayla. And this your Uncle Sage." I said softly, looking at Sage, who'd come over to stand beside me.

I gave Damien back to Annika, and took my seat at the counter again. "Now, why don't you guys all update me on your lives? I can see that a lot has happened since I was last here."

Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited! You are not inclined to do any of those things if you do not wish, but it would be much appreciated! I send my love to all of you!