"Fairy-san?"
Yui was pulled out her thoughts by the whispering voice of Apollon. She didn't turn to look at him, but she heard him walk towards her and stop behind her. His blonde hair was above her reflection in the lake.
"What are you doing out here so late?"
She sighed and sat back. He sat next to her and waited for her to answer. She wasn't sure of what he was doing out here so late, but she decided that it's his right to do what he wants. "I couldn't sleep. I... needed to think."
He furrowed his brows, "What were you thinking about?"
She looked over into his pleading green eyes. He was so sweet and concerned about her. Ever since she had started teaching them about human emotions, he was the quietest out of all of them. Thor and Tsukito at least asked the occasional question. Apollon, he just sat furthest away from her, seemingly lost in his deep thoughts. It had been over a month since his inhibitor came off.
She didn't want to tell him about what she was really thinking about. It was too personal and she didn't know how he would respond to it. Instead, she settled on a matter that has been in the back of her mind, "I-I was thinking about going back home after all of this. I won't get to see you guys ever again, and... it scares me that this is all a dream." A tear rolled down her cheek.
He was silent as he brought a finger up to catch the tear, "Do you want to go back home Fairy?"
She was taken back by that question, "I-I don't know. I..."
She honestly wasn't sure if she wanted to go back home or not. She had new friendships that she had never had before and she was scared to lose it all. She loved her family dearly and didn't want to abandon them for her selfish desires. She wasn't going to ask them to visit her, that wasn't fair for them. 'Then again, it isn't fair for any of us to become so close and then forced away from each other.' She bit her lip at that thought and fought back the tears that threatened to join the lone one.
"Fairy," Apollon twisted his body so he was facing her. He cradled both of her hands in his, "would you want to live... with us if you had the chance?"
She looked at him, her eyes widened, "W-what?"
He looked at her pleadingly waiting for her to answer his question. "I-I don't know Apollon. I am a human. What right do I have to live in the realm of the gods?"
He brought up a hand and cupped her cheek, "You have every right Fairy. You have helped us so much and we are better because of it."
She let out a small laugh, "I've barely done anything Apollon. All I have done is help study, set up events, and say a few words."
He brought up his other hand and cradled her head in between his hands, "Fairy, you have done something that nobody else has been willing to do for us. We have never met anybody like you and I know that when I say we don't want to lose you, that the others would agree as well."
She looked at him questioningly. "I-I don't understand."
His eyes softened and he put his arms back at his sides, "Yui, you're the only person who has ever sat down and actually listened to us. You've been helping us through everything and we are all grateful for it. You... You've saved us Fairy." He searched through her eyes nervously trying to gauge her reaction.
To his surprise, she smiled. Without another word she stood up and looked back at the ethereal lake once more before heading back to her dorm.
-x-
Apollon watched her leave, dumbstruck at her reaction. He was sure that she was going to embarrassed or even cry about what he said. There was something within that smile that puzzled him though. There was a light that shone through her as the corners of her lips turned upward, but her eyes... they were... frozen, un-moving, unrecognizable.
'She doesn't believe a word that I said.'
He looked over at the lake and watched the moon reflect off the surface of the water. He furrowed his brows in determination and ran back to the dorms to wake up the others.
'We have to convince her that she is worth it.'
-x-
Zeus stood at the window and smiled when he saw his son running, a look of determination written all over his face. From the looks of it, it had something to do with Kusanagi. The one human that stood up to him in defense of a god. The human that saved his son. The human whose heart was wound by the thread of fate.
That girl had proven her worth to him many times over. He made his brother accepting of his misfortune, he pulled his son from the darkness and into the light. The human who shattered and picked up the pieces by herself. The human who baffled the God of Knowledge. The human who baffled him.
He saw how the gods interacted with her. He saw how they were all drawn to her. They unconsciously had been guarding her against each other. She was something that they all felt worth protecting. He could even see a change in Thoth whenever she entered a room. That human had been through hell and back, and everyone she met she made sure wouldn't be dragged down into the darkness as she had long ago. She bore her scars like a proud warrior but still held a level of innocence and purity. She was full of strength and she shared that strength every day.
He appreciated everything that she had done for the gods thus-far and accepted her situation. He started to see her not as a human, but as a friend of the gods. She helped him by saving members of his family. She still had Dionysus to work on, but he had full confidence in her. A child of earth had somehow wormed her way into his family and he wasn't even mad about that. He could see that they thrived with her by their side. She wasn't there to take advantage of the powerful beings, she was there to genuinely help them.
He knew that she was meant for so much more. What she was meant for, he wasn't sure. But he'd be damned if he let a rare gem like that go back into the tainted clutches of humanity.