Lpov

Time usually flew when I was working at the clinic. It was hard not to have fun handling all the adorable critters and hearing their people call them any manner of ridiculous nicknames, but I was pretty tired after my night in the library and I couldn't seem to get my plans with James out of my mind. It had me a bit distracted, and seemed to make the hours drag on as I walked back and forth through the clinic doing the usual rounds.

"You awake?"

I blinked as someone snapped their fingers in front of my vision and I looked up from the medication list I'd zoned out on to see one of my co-workers, Hunter, standing next to me. He was a transfer student from Louisiana and fellow intern, and by his expression I figured he'd been trying to get my attention for some time.

"Yeah." I said shaking my head giving him an apologetic look. "Sorry."

He was cute, for a mortal anyways, tall and skinny with brown hair already starting to lighten with the summer sun and dark eyes.

"You look like you got run over by the sandman." He said chuckling. "Or maybe the sand garbage truck."

We were crammed into the clinic's tiny supply room. There was an unkind laugh, and I looked up to see a familiar smirk shot in my direction.

Much to my horror, Kelly, the sever that been so interested in Ashton, had also been asked to join the internship over the summer.

At first she'd been nice to me, almost freakishly so, until she realized Ashton and I weren't all that close and I was basically of no use to her. Other than passive aggressive comments for her own amusement that was.

I tried to ignore them for the most part. I didn't really care what she did as long as she was nice to the animals, which she was. But I noticed a lot of her busy work always seemed to bleed into my shift if she worked before me.

"I had a late night." I muttered continuing to take stock of the inventory and avoiding Kelly's gaze.

"Are you going to that program dinner they sent out the invitation for earlier this week?" he asked.

"I dunno." I said frowning, not sure this event was my kind of thing. It seemed like more of a networking opportunity for the interns rather than something that had to do with our actual work, and I didn't exactly thrive in that sort of environment. That and I hated formal wear. "Is it required?"

"I don't think so." He said. "But it seems like the sort of thing we're supposed to go to if we can, otherwise it might look bad."

'Great.' I thought grumpily, trying to hold back a yawn. 'Something else to do.'

"I was thinking about going," he continued, shooting a furtive look in Kelly's direction as she grabbed an IV. "But I don't have a date."

Kelly ignored him, which I pretty much expected. I didn't know if she still had the boyfriend she'd claimed when talking to Ashton, but it was clear she wasn't interested in Hunter, not seriously anyways. Even if she flirted with him occasionally so he would carry some of the heavier equipment for her...

The statement sort of died in the small amount space between the three of us, and, feeling sorry for him, I shrugged said.

"I'll go with you. I mean, there's no rule you can't go as friends, right?"

At this Kelly let out derisive noise and looked back at the pair of us.

"You'd better be careful Hunter, we're supposed to be making good impression." She said her tone snarky. "You know how she is when she gets going in a conversation, you wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise."

He laughed at this, but hastily quashed it when he saw my expression.

"Oh." He said awkwardly. "You were serious?"

"It was just a suggestion, you don't have to." I muttered trying to ignore the flash of hurt that went through me. "I was only trying to help..."

"It's just weird." he said sounding hopelessly uncomfortable. "Since we work together…"

"He doesn't want to." Kelly said ruthlessly and I shook my head, doing my best not to fantasize about smacking her. "I'll go though."

"Oh." Hunter said grinning and I turned away, rolling my eyes. "Cool, sure."

"It's a date." She said brightly before walking out of the storage room and leaving Hunter and I in what could only be described as a crater of uncomfortable tension.

"Sorry." Hunter said eventually, clearly at a loss for to what to say.

"It's really not that serious." I said trying to channel my inner Anna, or maybe Harper, and sound unconcerned rather than humiliated.

I finished the stock chart and went out to the front, deciding to give the receptionist a break and deal with incoming customers, hoping it would put me in a better mood. At the very least, it would force me to smile.

I finished checking in the last of our clients and their pets, finally feeling a bit better when a newly rescued lab puppy trotted happily through the room. Five minutes before the end of my shift, James stepped through the front doors looking, as always, closer to someone that belonged in an action movie rather than real life.

He took a seat in the waiting area, but judging by the behavior of the mortals around him, no one seemed to notice his arrival. My theory was pretty much confirmed when a voice said.

"Are you aware of the term away with the fairies?"

I looked up to see Kelly closing an expensive looking bag and shooting me an oddly interested look.

"What?"

"That's what you are." She said with a considering gaze. "Like… all the time. Do you have an attention thing or something?"

"Something like that." I muttered as she stared at the chair that James was in and apparently didn't see him. At this point, I knew the Mist had to be involved because James wasn't the sort of person Kelly would miss. He was too good looking. "I have dyslexia as well." I added darkly. "Any other medical conditions you want to make fun of me for?"

"Dyslexic huh?" She asked narrowing her eyes at me, ignoring the jibe. "So that's why you read sort of slow."

She frowned.

"I thought I heard somewhere your brother was as well. It must run in the family." She then grinned. "Shame the looks didn't carry over."

"You are an awful person." I said and she shrugged.

"And yet, I have a date to the formal." She countered. "Maybe if you ditched the ponytail for some eyeshadow every once and a while, you would too."

I noticed that James had looked up from the magazine he'd opened at this point, and while Kelly had been speaking softly enough as to not attract anyone else's attention, I could tell by his expression that he'd heard.

He was looking at Kelly as if she was one of the most disgusting form of monsters he'd ever seen. And I imagined he'd seen a lot.

"But you don't." she shot me a smug look, and put her bag over her shoulder. "You don't mind writing up my reports, do you? Seeing as you are dyslexic, I'm sure you wouldn't mind the extra practice."

"Actually, I-"

"Bye." She said cheerfully walking towards the door and I watched her a little helplessly.

The door swung shut just as Hunter stepped out from the back.

"Did Kelly head out already?" he asked sounding surprised. "Did she do her reports?"

"No." I said sourly and he frowned.

"You know we can't leave until those are done right?" he asked and I finally let a hint of irritation creep into my tone.

"Yes, I'm aware."

"Are you going to do them?"

But before I could snap at him that maybe he should consider doing his 'girlfriends' reports, the door opened and an irate man stepped into the clinic, approaching the counter as if he were on the warpath.

"Can one of you morons explain to me why I was charged in full for grooming fees when I was supposed to get a discount?"

I froze, surprised at the hostility in his tone and he shot me a withering look.

"So clearly not you." He turned to Hunter. "Are you less useless?"

"Uh, Libby usually handles billing questions." Hunter said his eyes going a little wider and pointing towards me. "She's worked here longer…"

The man turned back to me and I saw James's jaw set.

"Hey." He snarled snapping his fingers in front of my face. "Blonde, pay attention."

"I have a name tag." I said a little resentfully.

"Just look up the bill," he spat.

I sighed and walked over to the nearest computer, wondering just how much I could get away with without being fired.

'Probably shouldn't risk it.' I thought annoyed before looking at the man.

"What's your pet's name?"

"Princess." He said and quickly added. "My girlfriend named her." As I bit back a smile.

Amazed this guy managed to find a partner, I looked up the dog's name doing my best to remain 'professional'.

"It looks like the coupon you used was expired." I said scanning the note left on the account.

"By like one day!"

"I'm sorry, but if you want the discount you'll have to-"

"I'm telling you I want it applied!"

"I understand that, but I can't-"

"Can't what? Do your job?" he asked nastily, but before I could respond, a shadow hit the counter and we both looked up to see James had approached the argument.

It seemed as if now the mortals could see him now, because they seemed shocked to find him standing here.

"Is there an issue here mate?" he asked putting his hand on the man's shoulder who's temper seemed to be rapidly losing its steam. While he tone was soft, pleasant even, something about the way his fingers were digging into the man's collar bone reminded me of the way James grabbed Hypnos and that whole exchange. "It's a nice day." He continued something pointed the words, and it was astounding to me how he could make apathy sound so much like ice. "Surely you can find a more productive use of your time than harassing this lovely lady over something as insignificant as discount you knew was expired."

He let the man go who looked as if he wanted to argue, but thought better of it when he caught James's gaze. It was calm, but something about his posture suggested it wouldn't be for very long if the man felt like pushing his luck.

"Fine." He muttered darkly before shooting us all one last irritated look, and walking back towards the door. James watched him, arms crossed over his chest and eyes narrowed as the man stalked out of the shop.

"What a berk."

"You really didn't have to do that." I started a little embarrassed just as Hunter said.

"Thanks man."

He grinned at James, but it faltered when James looked towards him and he saw his expression.

It was blank but somehow at the same time cold and disapproving. As if Hunter was a faulty kitchen appliance James didn't particularly like, but had realized was trying to communicate with him, only for him to determine he wasn't very impressed with it's intelligence.

I got the feeling James initial opinion of Hunter was about as good as his estimation of the man who'd just left.

"What? Are you Libby's boyfriend or something?" Hunter asked, clearly sensing the hostility.

James didn't answer immediately, but continued to look at him for another few seconds before saying.

"Grow a spine."

Hunter looked affronted and also as if he wasn't sure how he was supposed to react, clearly not used to being treated with such obvious contempt. James, who seemed entirely unbothered by this, turned back to me. It was clear he hadn't appreciated Hunter trying to shift the angry customer onto me, and didn't care if he upset Hunter by calling him out.

"Are you ready?"

"Almost." I said trying to shake off the tension of the moment. "I just have a couple of reports I have to finish."

"What, for the girl you were talking to earlier?" he asked incredulously and I nodded.

He looked annoyed, but for once, I didn't think it was because of me.

"Forget that cow." He said his tone unusually hostile. "She can do her own work. C'mon."

He gestured for me to follow him, but Hunter, for reasons understood only by him, said.

"They have to get done. We can't leave if-"

"Then you'd better get started on them, haven't you?" James asked cutting across Hunter's protests and raising an eyebrow, as if daring him to say anything else.

When Hunter didn't respond, he turned back to me.

"You're done with your work, right?" he asked and I nodded.

"Then let's go." He said nodding towards the door. "I'll meet you outside."

"Alright." I muttered reaching under the counter to grab my book bag and Hunter gave me a wary, slightly resentful look.

"Libby, I don't know if you know this, but your boyfriend is an asshole."

"You remember that your date leaves me to do her reports almost every shift, don't you?" I asked shooting him a look and he had the decency to look a little embarrassed. "Besides, James isn't my boyfriend."

He glanced at the door through which James had just walked and gave me a dubious look.

"You sure about that?"

It sounded as if he didn't believe me and it sent a surge of anxiety through me that I couldn't explain.

"I'll see you later." I muttered and jogged after James who was, as he'd promised, waiting outside.

"Do your co-workers do anything useful?" he asked sourly as I stepped onto the sidewalk. "Or do they just put all their work on you and hide when angry customers walk in?"

He seemed irritated, far more than he should be about the situation in my opinion, and I found myself in the odd position of having to defend people I wasn't sure really deserved it.

"Yes." I said stubbornly, still wondering what was up with him. "And now you've probably pissed Hunter off at me, so thanks for that."

"He won't do anything." James answered dismissively. "That blokes resolve is made of marshmallow."

"I still have to work with him." I pointed out, finding it hard to stay upset after hearing the way he pronounced 'marshmallow' and he paused, clearly thinking.

"I guess you're right." He muttered, looking as if he was starting to regret his actions and to my very great surprise, appearing to feel a little guilty. "I'm sorry." He said eventually, his tone leveling back to it's usual calm. "I can apologize if you want, I just can't stand people like him."

"College kids?"

"Cowards." He said darkly, throwing a glower over his shoulder back at the clinic door and I looked at him in shock.

"Hunter isn't a coward." I said automatically, simultaneously realizing that I didn't really know him well enough to make that judgement. James however, seemed undeterred.

"He didn't even bother to stand up for himself when that man was acting like such an idiot, or you."

"Yeah, well, not all of our bosses let us hit people just because they're being annoying." I pointed out trying to inject a note of common sense into my tone, and he shot me a sidelong look that made me think I might be making some headway with the argument. "There's something called customer service you know. Besides, he's right, I have worked there longer."

"So what you're saying is that he's not important enough to yell at?" James asked with a skeptical expression.

"No." I argued frowning at his willful misinterpretation of the statement. "But I'm not having this argument with you." I threw him a look, trying to seem formidable. "I can stick up for myself. And besides, just because Harper doesn't give you any consequences for acting like a dick to customers, doesn't mean we don't have them."

"I have to admit, that's an interesting take on the situation." He said thoughtfully and I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Maybe Harper's not the only one who needs to work on her interpersonal skills." I said putting a hint of meaning into my tone and he grinned.

"She told you about that, eh?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said but, recognizing he'd only wanted to help, I added. "Thanks. You didn't have to do that."

"No problem." He said as we reached a cross walk.

He stopped and looked around, clearly searching for some sort of direction.

"Where are we going?"

"Oh." I said realizing that despite the fact James seemed to always know where he was headed, he of course wouldn't be familiar with my school's campus. "I figured we could go to the bubble tea place around the corner."

"…Bubble tea?" he asked sounding confused, clearly haven't heard the team.

"Yeah, you know, with the little tapioca pearls in them?" I asked and his expression was blank.

It occurred to me that James, who spent most of his time outside of the mortal world, might not be up to date with the latest trends, even the really tasty ones.

"Is this what Americans are doing to tea these days?" He asked sounding appalled.

"It didn't originate here." I said in exasperation, grabbing his hand and dragging him through the cross walk. "C'mon. It tastes really good and the store is super cute."

I could tell by his expression that 'cute' wasn't exactly the top priority when it came to destinations for James, but he didn't argue and let me pull him in the direction of the shop. Admittedly, he did look a little out of place as we walked in, gigantic sword and 'waiting for the gods to take a swing at me' attitude among the cartoon like decorations and bright colors, but I decided to ignore it. No one said you couldn't kill monsters and drink bubble tea, and if they did, well they were dumb and I wasn't going to listen to them anyways.

"This place looks like Lucy designed it." he muttered warily, eyes roaming the shop as if he expected an alarm to start blaring.

"We should bring her sometime." I said brightly, careful to watch his reaction. "If this is her sort of thing."

I definitely saw some sort of conflict dart across his features, but he shut it down quickly.

"Yeah." He said quietly. "Maybe."

"I'm surprised you've never tried it before." I continued as we stepped into the line in front of the register. "If Harper likes sugar as much as you guys say."

He was staring at one of the drinks on the counter, looking at it with suspicion, as if he half expected the cup to suddenly fling itself at his head. Then again, if the incident with the chair this morning was anything to go by, maybe that was a legitimate concern for him

"I might have seen her drinking something similar." He said narrowing his eyes, clearly trying to recall a memory. "But to be honest, this is probably the sort of thing she'd do with Ashton."

"You didn't go?"

"On a date with her boyfriend?" he asked his expression as incredulous as his tone and I crossed my arms over my chest again, feeling stubborn.

"Ok, well when you put it like that it sounds ridiculous." I said defensively and he grinned. "But seriously." I added as we moved up in the queue. "I thought you basically went everywhere with her. For the most part anyways."

"I'm not Charlie." He said, clearly referencing the years that Harper's brother, paranoid about her safety, had all but attempted to lock her in a padded cell to keep her life from happening to her. "Harper's not stupid, she can take care of herself for a few hours. She'll call if she needs something. And besides," he added. "For all his faults, your brother isn't a coward. If anyone wants to get to her, they're going through Ashton first."

It was a sobering thought, and I felt a little conflicted as I said.

"It seems a little weird don't you think? Someone that was so determined to get out from under her brother's over protective thumb, now seems to have a lot of bodies between her and Olympus. I know it's different now." I said forestalling his protests. "Situations change, I get that. It's just a little weird." I frowned. "In a movie, you'd be about two thirds of the way through before realizing this whole time she's the evil master mind and the world is collapsing because some sinister secret had been revealed and-"

"What can I get for you?" a voice asked interrupting my ramble.

I looked up to see the line had vanished, and the girl behind the counter was smiling at me with an expectant expression as she waited for my order.

James was looking at me, evidently diverted by my distraction and I scrambled to remember what I wanted.

I ordered a mango tea and the girl typed something on the register before looking at James.

"And you?"

He stared at her for a moment and she looked a little confused.

"Did you want anything?" she asked uncertainly.

Her question was obviously received with some surprise before it seemed to occur to him that he should, in fact, answer.

"Just get me the same." He said eventually and the girl shrugged before typing the order, clearly not paid enough to care why random customers were spacing out.

"Thanks." I said smiling at the girl reaching for my wallet for cash only to realize James had already paid for the order.

Feeling a bit foolish, I dropped the bills into the tip jar in front of the employee. She beamed and, not really sure what else to do, I made my way after James who'd settled at a table by the window and was looking out at the nice weather.

"You have a credit card?" I asked curiously, realizing far too late that the question was kind of stupid. But it still seemed sort of odd to think about.

"Who doesn't have a credit card?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"I don't." I said holding up my wallet and he looked horrified.

"Do you cash all your checks and carry it around?"

"Yeah." I shrugged and he looked at me as if I was insane. "What? My mom isn't really a fan of digital money…"

"You are going to get mugged." He said seriously. "No wonder she was worried about you walking around at night. At least get a bank card or something."

"What happened to the whole 'you're a demigod' thing?"

"Weren't you the one who told me I shouldn't go around doing stupid things?" he asked which I didn't have an answer for.

"Seriously though," I said with a frown. "How'd you get a credit card? Don't you need like… documentation for that sort of thing?"

I had a hard time believing James and Harper alerted governments of their presence whenever they jumped between countries. It wasn't exactly as if they were establishing residency anywhere, and if they didn't need to cross borders, or use traditional means of transport, their movements could fly almost completely under the radar. Did he even have something like a passport? Or a drivers license?

More questions popped into my head as he considered me, and the curiosity felt almost endless. I didn't typically think about things like this. It seemed so mundane, a part of life so standard it wasn't worth devoting mental energy to, but James lived in the library. He lived, essentially, in a space outside of the mortal world and while I couldn't be sure, I got the impression Lucy was the only connection he had to his mortal life. It wouldn't surprise me if, on any official record, James had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. It wouldn't have surprised me either if he was fine with that. Besides Lucy and a scatter of half siblings at camp he hardly ever got to see, did he have any family?

Harper had mentioned he'd visited some friends recently, but he didn't seem to spend a lot of time with them. In fact, I'd never even heard him talk about them.

Was anyone looking for James?

It certainly didn't seemed like Hermes had been bothered to keep an eye on him.

"You ask me a lot of odd questions, are you aware of that?" He asked his brow furrowing slightly, and while it was clear he wasn't sure how he felt about this, it didn't seem like he was upset.

"You're supposed to be answering them." I pointed out and he shrugged, as if to concede that I had a point.

"It's not that difficult to get a credit card." He said eventually. "Even if it was, in our line of work you meet some interesting characters. They can get you almost anything you want if you've got the money."

"Harper pays pretty well then, eh?" I asked with a grin.

"I don't spend a lot." He countered. "Especially not seven dollars for tea."

"Bubble tea," I corrected.

"My apologies." He said sarcastically, glancing up at the cashier who'd taken our order. She gestured towards the counter, and I saw that our order was up.

He went to retrieve it automatically.

"Thanks." I said happily as he handed me my drink and when I eagerly punched the straw though the lid, it was hard to explain the look he gave me. "What?"

"You do that with a lot of enthusiasm."

"It's fun James." I said narrowing my eyes at him. "Are you familiar with the concept?"

"No." he said his expression deadpan and I made a face at him.

"Well if you're determined not to enjoy it hand yours over, I will."

He let out a brief laugh but pushed the drink towards me and I punctured the drink lid for a second time, shooting him a smug look before sliding back his cup.

"Thank you." he said with an exaggerated gratitude that told me he thought I was being ridiculous, but I refused to be embarrassed.

He glanced at the cashier again, and I frowned. She looked to be about fifteen, probably working here for a summer job, and occasionally threw James an uneasy glance. For once however, I had a feeling it wasn't because she thought he was cute. More like she was trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

"Why do you keep looking at that poor girl like she's a gorgon?" I asked him. "She's just doing her job. You look as if you think she's about to attack someone."

"It's not that." He said shaking his head, frowning a little before he looked back in my direction. He almost looked confused. "It's just…" he paused for a moment, and I saw that whatever was going through his head seemed to have him really stumped. "I'm not used to people like her seeing me."

Jpov

I didn't like the tea, but Libby seemed so pleased walking around her school's campus with her sickeningly sweet drink showing me points of interest, I didn't feel it necessary to tell her that.

I didn't know if she'd forgotten why she'd wanted me to meet with her, but the weather was nice and if she wasn't going to ask about my messed-up history I wasn't going to bring it up. It was a novel experience, walking around with seemingly no plans and no apparent goal, and while typically I hated having nothing to do, the experience was unexpectedly pleasant.

I'd walked with Harper on her campus plenty, but with her point A to B mentality, I was pretty sure most buildings could have caught on fire without her noticing as long as her classes started on time. She didn't have a ton of friends at her school, and the few people she did talk to, she didn't have a lot of time to hang out with. Most of her limited free time was either spent with Lucy and I at the library, or visiting her brother and Ashton.

Libby on the other hand, seemed to know everyone. The names of other students who passed us on the sidewalk, or locals and the dogs they were walking, even the old guy at a newspaper stand and I was surprised when she stopped to buy one.

'This girl is going to give me a heart attack.' I thought as she pulled bills from the terrifying amount in her wallet.

I didn't care what her mother said, Libby seriously needed a bank account if she didn't already have one. I'd have to talk about it with Harper.

"You read the newspaper?" I asked her incredulously as we continued to walk and she opened the pages eagerly.

Who read the newspaper anymore?

"Yeah." She said happily shuffling through the pages. "They still print comics you know." She gestured to a series of cartoons organized in neat square rows. "But I like to read the animal column from the local shelter. They print photos and stories of pets that are adopted and about the ones that still need homes. Look at this parrot." She said beaming and gesturing towards a photo of a rather bedraggled looking bird.

"He looks like he's been plucked."

"Yeah, but he's got a little bow tie, look." She laughed, indicating the miniature article of clothing. "He's name is Chester. Besides, the personal adds in this town are wild."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, I don't know how half of them get by the editor." She said sifting through the pages further and pointing to one of the paragraphs. "Look at this one."

"You fell into the kiddy pool on the commons. I was the guy on the slack line dressed as a hot dog." I read automatically, then frowned. "Wait, what?"

"Told you." she said with another laugh, reading further into the story with a curiosity so avid, it almost bordered on absurd. "College kids are nuts."

Interested despite my better judgement at this point, I read the personal as best as I could over her shoulder and determined it was related to some sort of fraternity event.

"Blonde chick at campus snow ball fight last year." I read aloud, before seeing the writer had gone on to explain they usually didn't date shorter girls, but he was willing to make an exception as her snow pants had fit very well. "Sounds like your video game prince might be looking for you."

"Mmmm I'm pretty sure I was out of town for this." She said doubtfully, then grinned. "Must have been another blonde."

"From what you said, it sounds like he did have a type."

She smirked but continued to read as we walked and I caught the occasional story line.

"So is this what dating looks like in your twenties?" I asked unimpressed. "Alcohol and bad descriptions of terrible decision making?"

"On a college campus?" she asked with chuckle. "Yeah."

But when I didn't join in, she rolled her eyes.

"Oh c'mon James, they're personal adds. They're always insane."

"Printing in a newspaper seems like a lot of effort."

"Well, some people don't like dating apps."

I didn't answer this, but something about my expression must have clued her into my line of thought because she looked a little exasperated.

"Look we don't all have cool accents and magical abilities that give us a six pack."

"Your point?"

"My point is you're the kind of dude who could walk into a guy's locker room and still come out with a girl's number. Of course you think this is a waste of time," she explained sounding as if she thought she really shouldn't have to. Like this was supposed to have been obvious. "But it's not that easy for the rest of us."

"I think you have widely mistaken how I spend my free time." I said stubbornly and she rolled her eyes. "Most of the time mortals can't even see me."

"Uh huh." She said sounding unconvinced.

She then did something unexpected and turned to a pair of girls walking by and asked.

"Do either of you want to give him your number?"

She gestured at me over my shoulder and while clearly surprised, the girls were looking at me with interest.

"Libby, what are you-"

"Sure." The girl on the left said while the other muttered something about having a boyfriend.

She grabbed a pen and what looked like receipt from her bag, then wrote down a string of numbers as well as a name before the girls walked off, occasionally glancing over their shoulder at Libby and I with what appeared to be a keen excitement.

"Vindicated." Libby said with a smirk handing me the paper and I frowned.

"What exactly am I supposed to do with this?" I asked impatiently and she looked as if she thought I was being dense.

"You could call her." she said with such inflection on the word, it made it seem like she thought me calling that girl might actually happen.

"Right." I said handing her back the number and continuing to walk, a little perturbed, but I wasn't sure why.

She followed.

"You don't really like meeting new people, do you?" she asked perceptively.

"Does anyone?"

"I like meeting people."

Her tone was cheerful and I felt a bit like I was raining on her parade when I said.

"You must find them generally more interesting than I do."

"Everyone's got something that makes them interesting, something they can teach you." she said easily. "I like learning. Everyone's got a story."

"And what is it exactly you wish to learn from mine?" I asked raising an eyebrow at her and that seemed to bring her up short.

"Well," she started hesitantly. "We're friends, right? I can't want to know more about you?"

"Then ask." I said flatly, feeling my level of agitation jump even higher. "Why are you dragging this out?"

I regretted the question immediately when she looked away, her enthusiasm seeming to die on the spot.

"I'd rather not to have to pull it out of you." she mumbled sounding a little hurt by my tone and I was surprised at the stab of guilt that hit me almost instantly.

It was powerful and not something I was used to. At least not like this.

I didn't often care how the things I said affected the people I said them to, with the exception of Harper or Lucy, especially when that person wanted something out of me. But this felt different. Guilt was an emotion I was familiar with, and it wasn't the guiltiest I'd ever felt by far, but something about this brand seemed particularly twisted. As if it had permeated into something deeper than my awareness that I'd done something wrong, and evolved into something edged and visceral. Not quite as all consuming as what I was used to, but sharper, and amazingly, more painful.

It struck me like a blade, one that had pierced something vital, and I didn't know why. It didn't even make sense. Weapons couldn't even hurt me anymore.

I hesitated for a moment, feeling pretty horrible and debating on what I wanted to say before deciding on the truth.

"It's not exactly easy for me to talk about Libby."

"You managed with Harper, didn't you?" she asked quietly and at this I let out a dry laugh.

"Harper is barely acquainted with her own emotions. Telling her something is like putting your feelings in a storage locker. You can visit them basically anytime, but unless something specifically brings it up, it's not going to affect her interactions with you much. It's actually sort of nice." I said when I caught Libby's skeptically expression. "You can tell her pretty much anything, and then can move on with your day. She'll listen, she might even give advice, but when it's over you're back to yelling at Olympians and their hell hounds. Her ability to compartmentalize is frankly, a bit freakish. But at least it means it doesn't occur to her to treat you differently, unless you're really struggling."

"I guess that's good at getting stuff out." Libby said with a frown. "But how do you ever resolve anything?"

"What do you mean?"

"Putting problems into a corner and hoping they stay there doesn't really fix anything." She pointed out, gesturing as if picking something up then setting it down to her left as she said. "It's just… moved."

"Well," I said feeling a little exhausted at this point. "If it's out of the way…"

"But it's not out of the way." She argued her features drawing closer together in a concerned expression. "They're literally in your brain, or heart, or whatever. The point is they could not be more in the way. Emotions are tricky, some are messy. They don't fit neatly into anything and they don't stay put." She insisted as if this idea was insane. "You can't just box them up and stack them in your subconscious, they'll find a way out. And don't start comparing people to Harper." She said her eyes narrowing. "She's got magic in her brain. She doesn't count."

I didn't really have an answer for this, so chose to say nothing. Luckily, Libby seemed to running along her own train of thought.

"But if you're uncomfortable talking about it," she continued her tone suddenly even more sympathetic. "Then I don't want to make you-"

"I'm not uncomfortable talking about my past Libby." I said cutting her off and she looked confused for a second.

"Then, what-"

"What bothers me is how it effects the way people treat me." I said stiffly. "I don't want to be treated differently by anyone for the things I've been through or what I've done. Harper doesn't."

I paused, wondering how I was supposed to explain this to someone like Libby, whom it had probably never occurred to so much jay walk, let alone break divine law.

"I think she sees it as she never really knew me as a person before, so with her I got sort of a blank slate. You're a bit different though."

"Because we haven't seen each other for while?" she asked anxiously.

"Because talking to you wasn't like talking to the others at camp."

I was always having to lie to the other demigods at camp. To play a hero, the perfect demigod son and a good example for others, all the while plotting to betray everyone there, including the girl who'd eventually become my best friend. Her more than anyone in fact.

The whole situation had been extremely messed up, and I didn't like being reminded that I was capable of that level of duplicity. That I could be that sort of person, and I didn't want Libby to know it either. At least anymore than she already did.

"I actually cared what you thought of me." I said quietly, avoiding her gaze. "I guess I still do."

The answer seemed to render her speechless for once and she was silent for a moment in which she occasionally looked at me, then looked away, apparently thinking.

"You're afraid telling me everything that you've been through is going to change how I think about you?" she asked eventually.

"No." I said shaking my head and when she appeared confused, I explained. "Not what I've been through. What I've done."

"You didn't like… kill anyone, did you?" she asked hesitantly, but the question was so relatively casual it startled a laugh at of me.

"No. Unless you count monsters."

"Yeah, well, they come back." She pointed out her tone matter of fact and I couldn't help but grin a little.

"True."

"Well if you didn't hurt anyone-"

"I didn't say that."

"Did you?" she asked quietly.

I thought.

Hurt was, frankly, quite a bit more difficult to quantify than kill, and it didn't feel entirely honest to say no.

"I'm pretty sure I all but shattered your brother's rib cage at one point."

"I remember that." She said and while her tone was hard to place, she didn't exactly sound upset.

She went silent for a moment, then said.

"He said he thought you were holding back."

I shrugged, not entirely sure how to answer this and she pondered for another second before asking.

"Did he deserve it?"

"Well he was trying to shoot me." I admitted remembering the situation. It was weird seeing Ashton of all people looking so angry. "I warned him not to, but Harper had gone missing at that point so I'm willing to bet he wasn't in the most rational of mindsets."

"I'll chalk that up to a wash." She muttered, and I looked at her a little surprised.

"You seem pretty quick to forgive this."

"You could have killed him." She said her tone uncharacteristically devoid of emotion. "It probably would have made things easier for you. Harper said there was more than one opportunity you could have left them for dead. You didn't."

"You sound like a right sociopath. Do you know that?"

"That's an outdated term." She said and I looked at her wondering if she was serious.

Evidently she was, because her expression was defensive.

"What? It is. Besides blame Harper. She's the one who brought it up."

"You know you remind me of her sometimes." I said stopping and turning to face her.

"Is it because I'm short?"

I couldn't help it. I laughed again.

"No. Well, maybe a little." I admitted with a grin. "She doesn't have much of a filter either if she's in the mood to talk. But sometimes I think she can forgive anything if she understands why you did it. And she doesn't understand why anyone else wouldn't."

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing." She said looking up at me.

"It's a good thing, and it's a bad thing." I said with a shrug. "But it certainly complicates a lot."

"Life isn't black and white James." She pointed out. "Neither is morality."

"True. I just don't think I have it in me to be that forgiving."

"Even to yourself?" she asked quietly and I looked at her.

"I don't really think that's up to me, Lib."

"Of course it is." She said her expression intent. "If other people want to forgive you or not, that's up to them. But only you can decide to forgive yourself."

I didn't know what to do with this piece of insight but I found the weight of her gaze increasingly uncomfortable as she continued to look at me. Unable to stand it, I kept walking.

"Harper forgives you." she continued jogging after me.

"You do realize that if Harper hadn't beaten me to control of the library, the Titans would most likely be in control of Olympus at this very moment don't you?" I asked harshly. "They would have forced the demigods, including you, to pick a side, if they didn't kill them that is, and they would have gotten rid of the demigods that stood with our parents."

I looked at her.

"Do you really think you can forgive something like that? And even if you could, do you really think you could forgive yourself?"

"Well that depends." She said carefully. "Did I have a choice?"

I scoffed at this, but she continued, apparently undeterred.

"Look, I know we don't know each other all that well." She said seeming to want to avoid my eye for a moment and looking down the street. "But what I do know about you doesn't make me think anything that happened between you and our parents and even Harper, was because it's what you wanted."

She did look at me, however, when she said.

"You love your sister that much is obvious, and it's clear you'd do whatever you have to to protect her and your best friend. Even if it risks destroying yourself."

She shot a meaningful look at me, then gestured towards my hand.

"I don't think you want bad things to happen James." She continued her tone as careful as it was gentle. "I just think you've had so many bad things happen to you, you'd be willing to do almost anything to keep them from happening to the people you care about."

"And what is it you think happened to me Libby?" I asked expectantly.

"I don't know James, that's what you're supposed to be telling me." She said sounding frustrated and I let out a heavy breath.

Usually this wasn't this difficult. Normally I could talk about my past, either because I didn't care what the person thought of me, or they already knew parts of it so it didn't seem like it was all that big of a deal.

But Libby was different.

She was so nice and carefree, you would have thought she had no concept of evil or corruption in the world sometimes. And I found I didn't want to be the one to introduce it into her life, let alone give her a crash course on just how messed up the world of our parents could really be.

It seemed as if something along this thread might have occurred to her, because she seemed to think for a moment, before she smiled.

"I have an idea."

"What is it?"

She didn't explain however, just said.

"Come with me."

Then took my hand and started dragging me in the opposite direction and, startled, I followed. Not entirely sure what to do otherwise.