Dpov

I watched as my car crossed the checked line, a giant, brightly colored '2' flashing up on the screen, before glancing at Lorelei in the next chair who was very clearly trying not to smirk.

"I cannot believe you just beat me three times in those shoes."

She laughed and stepped out of the bucket seat, careful to avoid the pedals with said shoes and turned back to me, her expression self satisfied.

"Forget that about that for a second. I can't believe you fit in that chair."

I ducked out of the racing simulator as gracefully as possible, trying not to further her point as she leaned against the game.

"If it makes you feel any better." She said crossing her arms. "When I set the record, I was wearing flats."

"Wait a second, you're LE?" I said glancing at the game screen to see that the record time spots on both machines had the initials my friends and I had been trying knock from the top for weeks.

"Indeed." She said looking at me amused.

"So wait, you've been here before?" I asked incredulously.

Those initials were all over the place.

"Every day after school from about ten to fourteen." She said with a shrug. "Then Jake got a PC. We'll still drop by every once and a while."

"How come I've never seen you before?" I asked in shock and she hesitated for a moment before answering.

"You did." She said and I noticed she seemed to be trying to avoid my gaze. "You just… didn't recognize me."

Something about the way she'd said it though, had me wondering if recognize had been the second choice of what she'd wanted to say. Was I insane, or an idiot to think that 'notice' might have been the first?

"How come you never said anything?" I asked indignantly.

"We didn't know each other." She said with a shrug. "Not really. You had a girlfriend who everyone knew was crazy jealous and Jake said you didn't really like to talk to people all that much. I think you asked me once if I was done with the pin ball machine, but you were with friends."

"I think I remember something like that actually, but I'm not sure it was you." I said frowning, trying to pull the memory from several years ago, but from what I could piece together, the girl had looked nothing like Lorelei. I couldn't quite picture her, but I did remember thinking that while she'd been pretty cute, she'd seemed extremely shy. "My friend wanted to ask the pin ball girl out but Cole said he's seen her with a massive dude. That she might have a boyfriend…"

My voice faded a little at that as the realization hit me.

"That was Jake, wasn't it?"

"Probably."

I couldn't believe this. Why hadn't I recognized Lorelei as another camper? Come to think of it, had I even known who she was back then? I didn't really know that many people outside my siblings at camp and the people who ordered equipment repairs on a regular basis, but everyone knew the Aphrodite kids at camp. Well, their names at least. But looking back, I didn't remember anything about her. In fact, when I'd first started figuring out who she was over the last break, part of me had thought she might have been new. I just didn't think there could have been a girl that looked like she did in the camp, and not have heard her talked about. Or the arcade for that matter. And how the hell had I missed Jake? The dude was huge.

"Well," I said not really certain as to what I was supposed to say about this. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you back then, I wasn't trying to ignore you or anything like that."

"I know." She said shrugging, but something still felt a little awkward between us.

"What machine do you think we should check out next?" I asked glancing around the arcade before my eyes snagged on a set of flashing lights by the door, a speed bag dangling in front of the score panel. "I have to admit, I'm curious to see if you can play every game in heels."

She smirked a little, her gaze falling on the machine.

"No you're not," she said amused, but walking in the direction of the boxing game anyways. "You just want to play a game you know you can win after I crushed you in Speed Street."

"Ok, you might have a point." I said grinning a little as I followed her, trying to ignore the approving glances several guys were giving me from around the arcade, and the irritation that was clear on the expressions of the girls they were with.

"But hey." I said as I caught up to her. "If you're nice enough to me, maybe I can teach you how to throw a proper punch."

"I'm a demigod who lives in the mortal world, and has a child of Ares as a best friend." She said lacing her fingers together and stretching out her arms so that her knuckles cracked. "I know how to throw a punch."

She turned, tightening her hand into a fist, and then slammed it into the speed bag. Immediately, the numbers on the display started to tick upward.

It wasn't close to the record I was sure Jake had been the one to set, but the score was much higher than I expected.

"And yes." She said turning back to me, shaking out her hand. "I can in fact, do it in heels. What?" she asked when she caught my expression.

"Nothing." I said a little uncertainly, feeling myself frown. "I just trying to figure out if I found that attractive or a bit terrifying."

I hadn't meant to say it, it had just sort of fallen out but I had to admit, I felt a sense of satisfaction when she laughed.

"Don't limit yourself Dex." She said generously. "It can be both."

I looked at her trying to see if she was joking be she seemed genuinely pleased at this thought.

"Well," she said looking at the machine whose lights were still flashing. "Are you gonna hit this thing or what?"

"I'm not sure," I responded, pretending to think. "Are you going to judge me for not doing it in heels?"

She grinned.

"Don't be ridiculous." She answered, her tone reassuring. "Of course, I am."

"Well then," I said shaking out my shoulders, and flexing my fingers a few times before squaring up to the machine. "I guess I'm just going to have to hit it really, really hard."

….

"So how long have you had the record on the giant Tetris machine?" I asked looking at Lorelei with interest as she picked up chip.

She looked disappointed as it cracked leaving a pile of beans, salsa, and cheese on the plate.

We'd ended up at a nacho restaurant that had a counter open to the board walk, watching as the sun sank behind the ocean and shoppers went from store to store as they passed in front of us.

"I dunno." She said shrugging, her face scrunching a little as she tried to remember. I had to admit, the expression was pretty cute. "Three? Four years maybe?"

"I can't believe that." I said shaking my head. "Do you know how many hours I've logged in tetris?"

"Don't hate the player Dex." She said giving up on the chip and taking a drink out of her soda. "Hate the game."

In her lap sat a fluffy stuffed animal, an otter, that had cost an ungodly amount of our combined tickets from the arcade. She'd declared it would be named 'Ollywog', which she threatened to take me to court over custody for if I tried to take it home with me.

A week ago, if someone had told me that a child of Aphrodite could crush me in tetris, I would have laughed in their face. And if they'd told me that I'd actively choose to extend my day with Lorelei… well. Surprised might not have been the right word for it, but I would definitely have to ask for details as to how exactly I'd come to that decision. But now that I was here… It was actually pretty fun.

I'd thought it was weird at first, that I'd found Lorelei sort of easy to talk to, but the more time I spent around her, the more I realized that she was actually a pretty normal person. She was confident and funny, and when she finally relaxed a bit, could actually be pretty down to earth.

"But speaking of things you can't believe. I can't believe you beat the final level on Mind Phase." She said, referring to the ancient, almost impossible platform game that was tucked away in the very back of the arcade. The managers kept threatening to replace the game with something newer and more likely to draw a crowd, but a few of the hardcore nerds that formed most of the returning business had managed to keep it there for years. "I've never beaten that game." She continued looking at me almost a little enviously.

"That's because you're too impatient." I teased. She always tried to rush up the map despite the fact that some of the obstacle combinations required you to backtrack. "You should see my friend Michael play it, he's even faster than I am."

"Yes, but does he look like he can bench press a bus when he does?"

"Uh… no." I admitted, thinking of my friend and his lanky frame.

She shrugged, letting out an indifferent noise, apparently uninterested in this prospect.

"Then I'll stick to watching you."

I wanted to be irritated at this, but couldn't quite manage it. Instead, I grinned, a little alarmed by the idea that if Lorelei wanted to watch me play video games at the arcade all day, I was actually fine with letting her. In fact, I would have been perfectly happy to spend another day with her there again.

What was going on?

We'd been talking about a recent update to a popular online game when I noticed she was a bit distracted, her attention darting between me and something on the wall to my left.

"What are you looking at?" I asked curious, turning to see a small TV set up in the corner, set to a sports channel, showing a soccer game in which I recognized the jerseys for the local team.

"You a fan or something?" I asked, seeing that her attention was fixed on the screen.

The game had just started and already, our team was in the lead.

"Something like that." She said quietly.

The picture cut from a view of the field to a recap of the most recent goal, then a close up of the player who'd scored it holding his hands to his ears, as if telling the crowd, 'I can't hear you'.

He was an attractive dude and somewhat familiar looking, with dark hair, and the sort of expression that told you he knew just how good looking he was, even if he wasn't actively thinking about it. Over the talking in the restaurant, I could just hear the commentary from the game.

'Redemption for number six, Martin Ellis in his first season back home from the European leagues, starting strong with his third goal in his just two games since he's been back in the states. And the crowd are just loving this listen to them go.'

The screen cut to a sea of people jumping and waving flags, holding up welcome signs and jersey with the number six.

'Yes, a very warm welcome for Martin Ellis, though, I think we're all surprised not to see a familiar face in the stands…'

The screen cut to what looked like a private box where no doubt friends and family of the players had seats to in the local stadium, before returning to the player.

'No sign of his daughter for his first game back in the city...'

I glanced at the name on the back of the jersey, and grinned a little when I realized I recognized the name.

"Ellis. Wasn't he the one who punched a ref or something?" I asked with a laugh.

"I didn't realize you watched soccer." She said softly, the expression she was giving me was wary and I wondered why.

"Not really," I said shrugging, partly to put her at ease even though it was true. "I'll watch it if it's on, but I remember the news stories."

During the investigation of the incident, the league had uncovered a huge scandal. Players throwing games, refs taking bribes, that sort of thing. Ellis had ended up getting traded overseas, somewhat as a punishment, but also to keep his job while the whole situation was dealt with. I didn't really follow the story, but from bits and pieces I'd picked up over the years, either from tabloid covers or article titles on the internet, it didn't sound like he took the transition well. Lots of incidents with models and the press, as well as obnoxious fans who were looking to get a rise out of him.

"Yeah." She muttered looking away from both the screen and me. "That was him."

From her expression, it almost looked as if I'd stumbled over a sensitive subject, but I couldn't imagine what it could have been. Maybe she'd had a crush on the player, or was one of those super fans who took issues their teams had personally.

I felt myself frown.

"You ok, Lorelei?" I asked wondering if I'd said something stupid without realizing it, but was surprised when she smiled.

As usual, it was gorgeous, and it made me feel like every little bit of insight I might have gained into her as a person had just been tossed out of the window. It felt like a different girl entirely was sitting next to me. One I wasn't sure I wanted to be around after spending time with what felt like a more genuine side of her.

"I'm great Dex." She said easily. "Why wouldn't I be?"

And just like that, I knew that whatever bizarre twilight zone magic had been going on today was over. I wasn't sure what had happened, but Lorelei was retreating behind her daughter of Aphrodite persona, and I found I was disappointed to see it.

We fell silent for a bit and despite her protestations that she was fine, I could see her expression slipping when she thought I wasn't looking at her, and all the energy in the conversation that had so easily kept my attention had died.

She looked unhappy, but judging by the way people were glancing at her as they passed along the boardwalk, I had a feeling I was the only one who noticed.

It only seemed to get worse as we paid for our food and stepped out of the restaurant, and I could feel the weight of whatever was bothering her settling in the space between us, killing any conversation I could think of before I could even bring it up.

A part of me wanted to ask her what was wrong, but I knew she would never tell me. Besides, I wasn't exactly good with feelings anyways, though I wondered if maybe hers were going rogue with her abilities, because as we walked passed a photo booth, I could hear a couple arguing.

"Don't bother lying, Kevin!" a girl said annoyed. "I saw you looking at her, look you can see your head turning in the photo!"

The boy said something irritated back and they continued to squabble. I would have ignored it, but I saw Lorelei's eyes on the two. She looked sad. And I wasn't exactly sure what made me say it, but something about her expression had me asking.

"That happens around you a lot, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." She said resentfully, looking out over the water. "It does."

I felt a pang of pity go through me. I hadn't expected a response from her, not a real one anyways. Certainly not one that honest. Part of me wondered if she'd really meant to say it herself.

"That's gotta be hard." I said frowning. "Causing a lot of resentment like that when you're just existing."

"My mother would say it's romantic." She said with a sigh looking ahead, but her gaze was far off, as if she was looking through the people around us at something no one but she could see. "The couple is cute and happy, I walk by and they fight. Then they either make up and say how much they love each other, or they get infatuated and chase after someone they feel passionate about and end up with a broken heart. It's all very dramatic." She said an edge of bitterness under her exasperated tone. "She lives for that kind of stuff."

"That sounds awful." I said with distaste and she shrugged.

"That the price of being human. You feel things. I think she sees a sort of beauty in the extremes. Can't appreciate the highs if you don't know the lows."

"Yeah?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "And what do you think?"

She seemed a little surprised to be asked this, she clearly hadn't expected it, and I wondered how often people asked her opinion about this sort of thing. Maybe they just assumed she enjoyed it. The attention and the drama that followed her and her siblings around. She could definitely play into it when she wanted, that much was obvious. But just because she could do something, didn't mean she liked to.

"I think it sucks." She said quietly, but when I looked at her, her eyes refused to meet mine.

We passed by a sports bar had a door open to the board walk, and heard a loud series of cheers from customers in familiar jerseys as the screens inside lit up with another goal, Martin Ellis celebrating with his team again.

"C'mon." I said noticing her gaze settling on the game again, and gesturing over my shoulder. "I get the feeling you don't want to be out anymore. I'll walk you home."

She didn't bother to argue, in fact, she didn't say anything. But as she turned and started walking back in the direction we came, I felt her link her arm with mine.

It was something I'd seen her do with Jake plenty of times, but this however, didn't feel like a simple friendly gesture. It didn't exactly feel like she was flirting with me either.

It was almost like it was some sort of silent acknowledgement she wasn't as fine as she'd pretended to be, or maybe gratitude that I wasn't pressing her on it, and she didn't talk much as we walked away from the beach and all the store fronts, to the neighboring suburbs.

"You live in a nice area." I said impressed, looking at all the giant mini mansions that dotted a wide street filled with luxury cars, each with its own massive, well maintained yard. Each house had it's own distinctive style and design.

"This is actually where Jake lives." She said gesturing over her shoulder at the house behind her. We were standing at the foot of a driveway with two giant cars fitted into it, one, an original military model Humvee, and the other, a ridiculously lifted truck, that had so many cosmetic modifications, it was a little hard for me to look at. "My dad's … working, tonight."

I noticed the hesitation in the statement, but decided if Lorelei had wanted to elaborate on what was up with her father and why she didn't seem to want to go home, she would have.

"That would explain the truck." I said with a nod and she grinned.

"You want to tear that thing apart, don't you?"

"So bad." I agreed and she laughed.

"Well, you'll have to fight him for it. It's his baby."

"He Frankensteined his baby."

I didn't think Jake should exactly be fined for his excessive use of flames in the paint job... but maybe some community service was in order.

"I'll make sure to tell him you said that." She said amused.

There was a moment where neither of us spoke, and she looked a little embarrassed as she brushed a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and said.

"Thanks for all your help today Dex." She chanced a glance at me before continuing. "I think today would have been pretty horrible if you hadn't been around."

And it was only when she said this, that I remembered she'd started her day in detention, then immediately trashed her laptop upon getting out of it.

"I'm sure you would have been fine."

"Yeah." She nodded in agreement. "I know, but you didn't have to do any of it. I'm not the easiest person to be around sometimes, I know that." She shrugged. "Especially because… well, the reasons we met."

"It's fine." I said with a mirroring the shrug without really meaning to, trying not to think of Heather in one of the few moments Lorelei was seeming to be sincere. "I just wish I'd realized who you were that day at the arcade, before all of it went down. We could have hung out more."

"And you might have been able to stop Jake from destroying his car."

"Yes." I said emphatically and she smiled seemingly in spite of herself.

It was a very different smile the one she'd given me at the restaurant, and it made me think that just maybe, the night hadn't been totally lost.

"Well, maybe I'll see you around there more."

"Yeah, you probably will." I agreed. "I gotta step up my game if I want to beat you in Tetris."

"You'll be there a long time." She said amused and I grinned.

"Well, then you'll know where to find me. Maybe this time you'll say something."

"If you remember who I am."

"I don't think I'm likely to forget." I pointed out. "I'm pretty sure anyone that can lap me in a racing game, especially wearing heels is going to leave an impression."

I'd said it as a joke mostly, but the words seemed to strike something within her because she asked.

"Is that good or bad?"

"Good." I admitted. "But it's kind of a mixed bag with you."

"What does that mean?" she asked and while I could tell she was trying not to sound interested, a part of her really wanted to know.

"I dunno." I said frowning a little, trying to describe what I was thinking. "You're a little confusing sometimes. One second, I feel like I've known you forever, and the next, it's like you don't want anyone to know anything about you. Then you're eating nachos and hanging out in an arcade like a normal person, and I think the Barbie persona is gone, only for it to come right back again. I'm not going to lie," I said scratching the back of my head. "It's a little weird."

"Why can't someone like nachos and nice clothes?" she asked and her tone sounded a little defensive.

"They can." I said with a shrug. "Just from the way you act sometimes, I'm not sure that person is you."

At the very least, it didn't seem like she'd learned to reconcile the two personalities.

"You know you're not exactly normal either, Dex. Right?" She pointed out.

"Yes, but it's not in the same way." I countered. "It honestly still blows my mind you want to talk to me at all."

She frowned at this, and I was a little stunned to see that such an offhand remark seemed to make her really upset.

"Don't talk about yourself like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're not special, or a good guy. Or that you think you deserve to be treated like someone with nothing to offer. Especially by girls." She said giving me a pointed look. "Even if all that were true, which it isn't. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect."

She hesitated for a moment before saying.

"I know Heather treated you like crap, but you shouldn't let her set the standard."

I wanted to argue against the statement, but couldn't find a way to do it that didn't sound like I was defending Heather, and that was something I could never do. Besides, part of me couldn't help but wonder if she might have had a point.

I'd gotten so used to feeling like Heather had felt like she could do so much better than me, that honestly, looking back I wondered if I'd started to believe it. How she would be so much happier with someone funnier, more popular, and got along with everyone effortlessly no matter where he was. Someone who cared about clothes, and the style of his hair cut.

I'd been so preoccupied with worrying about what I wasn't, by the end, it was all I could see.

By her expression, I could tell Lorelei had an idea of what was going through my mind.

"Just think about it, ok?" she asked with half a smile. "And try to be a bit nicer to yourself, even if it's only in your head. There's enough people in the world trying to screw good people over. You don't need to do it to yourself."

"That's a pretty cynical view of things." I pointed out with a frown. "Maybe you should take your own advice. There's probably more good out in the world than you think."

But she should her head.

"If there's anything I've realized over the last few months Dex, is that's there not much point to being a good person. The world doesn't reward it."

"I don't believe that." I said automatically and she shrugged.

"And that's why you're one of the good ones."

"But not you?" I asked picking up on the intimation and she gave me the same, tired half smile that somehow, made her look more sad than anything.

"No. Not me."

I wasn't exactly sure what to say to this, so I simply looked at her, hoping to have any idea of what she might be thinking.

Though it was night, I had no trouble seeing her from the moon and the lights dotted along the street, and her eyes were a shade of blue as deep and dark as the pacific.

"You say you don't know a lot about me, and that's probably true." She said quietly. "I don't really like people, and I like people knowing stuff about me even less. But I like you."

She'd looked away as she said it, and crossed her arms over her chest, as if she wasn't enjoying admitting this, but a powerful feeling went through me at this statement. One I couldn't quite interpret, but was a strong as an electoral current buzzing through me after contact with live wire. It left me rooted to the spot, stunned.

I had a feeling she knew it too, because she glanced back at me as she continued, and I was surprised at the sincerity in her expression.

"I don't recommend it, but if you really want to get to know me. You should know that I'm selfish."

"I'm sure you're not-" I started, but she cut me off.

"I am Dex." She said quietly, and I noticed she seemed to be shrinking in on herself slightly, as if she didn't want me to look at her. When she did force herself to meet my gaze again, she looked guilty. It was a little alarming to see her emotions written so plainly on her expression for once. "I really am. Probably more than someone like you could understand."

I looked at her, wondering what the point of all this was. She sounded like she was serious, but a part of me couldn't help but wonder if she wanted to get rid of me and was just trying to make me think it was my idea. I couldn't believe that though, not when I saw the apprehension in her eyes. Whatever she was feeling and however it related to what she said, I believed it was real. And she was clear she was worried I would judge her for it.

"You know you're not really selling yourself to me here Lorelei." I said wondering what the hell she was up to and she laughed, but it was bitter.

"I'm not trying to Dex." She said, shaking her head. "For once in my life I'm trying to do something for someone else, and if I were a better person, I'd tell you to stay away, but like I said," she said with a hopeless shrug. "I like you. And if you wanted to be around more often, I'm selfish enough to let you."

'Let me?' I thought a little indignantly. 'Let me?'

This girl had a pretty high opinion of herself, and I felt a little indignant at that last statement.

"What makes you think I'd be coming around?" I asked stubbornly.

She raised an eyebrow slightly and while the look wasn't insolent, something about it seemed to go right through me. I remembered what I'd been thinking about the arcade, and hoping to see here there again. How I'd ended up texting her, almost daily since we'd run into each other at the lacrosse game, and how, when she'd called me earlier this morning, I'd been genuinely, almost unreasonably concerned that something had been wrong.

And suddenly, through that expression, I realized she'd been aware of all of it and I realized just how in over my head I was with a girl like her. She'd said she was selfish. Was she telling the truth? Or was this all just still some crazy game she was playing to get back at her ex. I'd thought we'd been genuinely getting along today, but maybe that's just what she'd wanted me to think. Maybe that's what girls like her did. Did she really mean what she said when she liked me? Or was she just toying with me because she could?

Was I letting her?

Gods.

I'd never thought I of all people would have to deal with this situation, staring at a daughter of Aphrodite wondering if she was messing with my head but here I was, facing down a power I was just now realizing I didn't understand. And now, I wasn't sure about any of it.

Did I really want to be around Lorelei? Or was that just what her abilities made everyone think? Was she even using them on me? And if she was, how would I even be able to tell? How did I really feel about this girl?

"Ok, I can see your brain is kind of exploding and I don't want to make things worse." She said gingerly, as if she thought she needed to be careful with me. "I just… I don't have a lot of friends Dex, and my life lately, it's gotten kind of complicated. I just don't want you to be blindsided if you get sucked into it. Think about it? Ok?"

"Alright." I said quietly, not really sure what I was agreeing to.

She gave me one final, halfhearted smile as she said.

"Thanks for walking me back."

"Yeah, sure."

She turned and started walking towards the house and I watched her go feeling a mix of emotions, but I realized I was disappointed to see her go.

I wasn't exactly sure why really. By now it was well and truly dark and it wasn't as if there was much more to do now that we'd left the boardwalk, so why did I find myself vaguely thinking of reasons to stay?

If she were Heather, I might have gone after her. But that's because with Heather, this whole thing would have been a test, justified by some insane logic that, if I really cared about her, I would have run after her. But Lorelei wasn't Heather, and we weren't dating. And while she'd said that she liked me, she hadn't said anything other than friends.

Lorelei might have been smart enough to manipulate people, especially with her abilities, but when it came to this sort of thing I really didn't think she needed to.

No, she seemed pretty up front, and I had a hard time believing she had trouble finding company, especially in her dating life. Maybe she'd meant exactly what she'd said. That she liked me, not just as a guy, but as a person. She'd said her life was complicated. Maybe she thought being around me would make mine more complicated as well.

I lingered for just a moment, making sure she'd made it through the door before putting my hands in my pockets and making my way back to the tech shop and to my car which, hopefully, was still there even though it was after store hours.

'What are you doing dude?' A voice said in the back of my mind. 'You don't need this in your life. Why would you go out of your way to seek drama?'

It was right.

But it was pushed aside by remembering how she'd laughed when we were together at the arcade, or the shock that had gone through me when she'd linked her arm with mine. Or the completely overwhelming feeling as I remembered her expression when she'd said, 'I like you.'

It was such a simple phrase, just three words, and It shouldn't have felt like this. Only now did I realize that my heart rate had picked up as she'd said it, and still beating far faster than it had any right to.

Gods, maybe she was right… If Heather had been a ripple of mind games and arguments, I had a feeling it was nothing compared to the tidal wave of Lorelei I was staring down as it headed my way. And yet…

I found that there was a part of me that almost wanted to see what would happen if I let it hit me.

I knew I should have been running far, far away from this girl. She'd basically just told me to and thinking back, so had her friend. Jake hadn't exactly been subtle about his warning about Lorelei. But for some reason, I didn't seem to care.

"What's wrong with me?" I asked running my hands through my hair, and glancing back at the house.

I was being an idiot, playing with fire spending time around this girl. I knew it was stupid and yet I couldn't help myself. A part of me, a not so insignificant part, wanted to keep doing it.

I felt my heart rate pick up again at this thought and though I shook my head, trying to ignore it.

'Besides,' I thought trying to reign my imagination back into the realm of reasonable. 'I didn't have to bei going out with Lorelei to spend time around her.'

Priya was right after all. There was such a thing as 'friends'. I had a lot more in common with Lorelei than I'd originally thought. There was no reason why we couldn't be.

But even as I thought this, I couldn't help but remember what Lorelei had said about her mother, and thinking that Aphrodite might in fact have a point. Even if being around Lorelei was a terrible idea, and I knew that going in. How bad could it really be?

And maybe, after all was said and done, some highs, were worth the lows.