Hi All. I should be back up to updating weekly again, but be patient with me. I'm studying for classes, on top of writing and the CPA exam, so you guys are awesome for being so patient!

-Apollo-

Apollo walked to his locker, completely angry with himself. How in the world had he gotten himself stuck in detention? Gods do not get detained in tiny classrooms when they have better things to do! He almost wanted to convince the teacher he wasn't in detention. It wouldn't be that hard, manipulating the mortal's mind with the mist, but his excitement overrode his annoyance.

He'd get time with Cas.

"You look positively chipper, little brother," Artemis said with a large smile.

"Yeah well, it has been an interesting day. How did the talk with your little hunter man friend go?"

"Very well, actually," she said smugly. "He acts a lot like the one I knew back then, but I can see that he's just a normal mortal. He has no memory of me from what I can tell. We are going to go to the archery range later this week," she noted with a smile.

Apollo could help but return it. He was happy to see his sister happy. The mortal boy would simply be blasted to pieces if he tried to get too hands-on with his sister, and that was only if Artemis didn't do it herself. His sister was impatient as ever, but it was one of the things he liked best about her. She didn't take any crap from anyone.

"You'll have to find another way back to the apartment," Apollo admitted grudgingly.

"Another way? Why?"

"I got put in detention."

Artemis howled with laughter. He ground his teeth, wondering how long it would take for her to land in detention herself, if she hadn't already and had just wormed her way out of it.

"How?"

"I was running late to class trying to get information for you about your new little mortal plaything," he spat back at her.

"You were late to class because you were talking to Cas?" she said with a knowing smile.

"You don't understand how incredibly frustrating that mortal is."

"I found her delightful when I spoke to her. Maybe your charms just aren't as perfect as you thought they were," she replied with a smirk.

"Talk to her for more than five minutes, and you will see."

"Orion talked affectionately enough about her this afternoon, and Hestia said that she was a delight. I don't know, I think it's just you."

"Artemis, stop before I hit you," he seethed. Apollo was already dealing with the warring emotions that Cassia caused for him, and he did not need to be reminded of all of it by his sister.

"I think you like her," she said as she closed her own locker. "You just can't stand the fact that one person in this world doesn't fall for that charming attitude of yours." She playfully pinched his cheek, and Apollo slapped her hand away.

She turned to walk down the hall, catching up with Hermes and Hestia.

"I'll see you later!"

Apollo shook his head in frustration. He turned, walking towards the room he would be confined to for the next hour.

Apollo walked in, and Cassia was already sitting down, scribbling something furiously in her notebook. Her free hand was fumbling with her necklace, and she was mouthing words to herself, her brow furrowed in concentration. Her face suddenly went perfectly blank, and she opened her eyes, staring right into his own.

"Ah, good Mr. Foster, now that you are here, detention can begin," the teacher, Mr. Tuschet, said with a drawl. Apollo didn't have him for a class, but he had heard the rumor that he was laid back. "I've got some work to do in my office, which is across the hall. I will leave this door open, and I better not hear any talking. I will come to check on you periodically."

He gave the two a firm stare and then walked back out of the room. Cassia hadn't even looked up from her work, but Apollo noticed how her eyebrows raised in disdain. She stuffed her necklace back into her shirt, and leaned forward concentrating on the work she was doing.

Apollo took a casual glance over, and saw that she was not writing in English but a strange language that was not familiar to him.

"What language is that?" he stuttered quietly. Cas slammed her notebook closed, glaring in his direction.

"Aren't you just Mr. Nosy," she hissed.

"I was just curious."

"Well, if you must know, it was Egyptian."

"Egyptian!? Why would you be writing in Egyptian?"

"Project for the college I want to get into. I'm doing a study on ancient Egyptian mythology," she replied smoothly.

"Mythology?" he questioned with a smug smile. Ah, so that's how he could get to her. If she wanted to know about mythology, Apollo would only be too happy to oblige her.

"Why Egyptian? Why not the Greeks or Romans? You seem to like the Iliad well enough," he suggested.

"Because most of the Greek gods were selfish, egotistical, short-tempered pricks."

"I AM NOT!" he shouted in indignation. This mortal was the most attractive, infuriating girl he had ever met. Her eyebrows raised slightly, a smug smile on her face.

"Oh so you're the real Apollo, not just named after him? Have I offended you, my Lord," she said in a mocking tone. Oh crap, he had let that slip, hadn't he?

"No, of course not," he scoffed. "But it is an insult to my namesake, thus an insult to me. Name three ways Apollo was like that."

"One, he was pretty much the biggest playboy ever next to his father. Two, he doesn't know the meaning of no, as evidenced by that awful business with Daphne, and three, he simply curses anyone who makes him angry. All of them do that, actually. I could name some more," she said, smiling sweetly.

He just looked at her, shock and anger on his face. "Okay, yes he had been with a lot of mortals. It wasn't his fault that they just bored him quickly. They were mortals, it wasn't like they would be around forever, and maybe he hadn't found anyone that was worth keeping around."

"Okay, I could see that," she admitted as she got out of the desk. She walked to the door, peering out into the hall. "What about the other two? And are you coming?" she added in a low whisper.

"Coming?"

"I've got to go to the library."

"You sneak out of school and detention to go read books," he said in a deadpanned voice. "Out the front door?"

"I don't exactly see another door in here, so yes, out the front door. Are you scared to get caught? He won't check on us until it's time to go," she said in a knowing tone.

Apollo stood, grabbing his bag from the floor. He followed Cas out of the classroom, tiptoeing quietly through the halls.

"You don't think we'll get caught?" he asked.

"I know we won't," she said darkly. He wondered why she said it in that tone, but he wasn't sure he believed her. If they did get caught, he could come up with an excuse easily enough. Maybe that would crack through her tough shell.

"I'm waiting for your rebuttal," she informed him as they walked up the stairs.

"Okay," he said, recalling her reasons from a minute ago. "Daphne led him on, and it wasn't him. That was all Cupid's fault. Yes, he was angry she said no, but I'm sure he had plenty of other attractive people he could have had instead."

"Which goes back to the player thing," she quipped. Apollo opened his mouth to contest it, but he had never really thought of himself that way. He knew he could be flippant, but good gods, no one had ever called him out on it.

"And the gods curse those who deserve it."

"Sometimes, yes. But sometimes, like with Arachne and Actaeon, they don't. Or it has far reaching effects that they didn't consider when they placed it," she finished coldly.

Before he could respond, they came to the double doors that lead to the library. Cas reached into her pocket, pulling out a key that let her into the room. All the lights were already off. This school had an impressive library, and Cas looked around it for a minute with narrowed eyes. A spark of realization lit in them, and Apollo followed her as she walked into the far corner.

She reached a junction and stared up at the top shelf.

"They would put it all the way up there," she muttered petulantly. She shrugged off her jack, revealing a tight v-neck t-shirt that hung on her frame exquisitely. Apollo had been right. She had the body of an athlete, and she had just been hiding it. She wasn't super thin, but she looked strong and agile, like a runner or swimmer.

"Are you going to climb the shelf?"

"Do you have a better idea? It looks like it would hold well enough. I've just got to get to the top of the bookcase," she replied.

"Which book?" he asked.

"The leather one that's really old-looking and thick," she said, pointing up to the highest shelf. He saw the book, and he knew it was just out of his reach. He could just assume his true god form, and he would be plenty tall to grab the book. That wasn't an option without giving his true self away, and he doubted that Cassia would accept any of his reasons for her leaving the room. Apollo rolled his eyes, not believing what he was about to offer.

"I'll give you a boost. You can get on my shoulders."

She raised her eyebrows, looking wonderingly in his direction. Cas looked surprised that he would even offer to help.

"You don't mind?"

Apollo tilted his head, looking at her for just a second. Maybe it was because he wanted to prove her wrong about her earlier statement, or maybe it was because he actually wanted to help her. She seemed so self-sufficient, and it tugged at something in him. He figured something out about this mortal girl: she's didn't ask for help, because she didn't believe anyone would.

"No, I don't mind at all."

Apollo bent down, and upon seeing Cassia's hesitation, held out his hand for her to take. She grabbed it, and swung herself up on his shoulders. Apollo stood, and Cas grabbed the book.

"I've got it," she said hesitantly.

Apollo bent down, and Cassia slid from his shoulders. He turned around suddenly, putting the girl off-balance. She stumbled, but he caught her, the shoulder of her shirt coming off. He noticed a dark spot coming from her back, extending over the edge of her shoulder. It looked like a scar of some kind, and he would have never seen it had her shirt not slid out-of-place.

"What's the scar from?"

Cassia paused, her frame going completely rigid. She straightened herself, tugging her shirt back into place.

"I was born with it," she muttered. Her voice sounded distant and cold. He left it alone. He could sense the hurt and the finality in her voice. "We should get back. Mr. Tuschet will be back soon."

The pair walked back to class, the girl strangely silent. Apollo couldn't deny it any longer. He may have talked to her for his sister, but something about this mortal drew him to her. She seemed so strong and capable, like nothing could touch or hurt her, but he suspected that it was just a front, that there was a lot more to her than what you saw at first glance.

Once they were back in the room, she curled up in her desk, thumbing through the book. Not even a few minutes had passed before the teacher had come in, releasing them to go. They walked out of the room together. He felt like asking about her mark had upset her, and he wanted to do something nice for her. Why, he wasn't sure, but a god didn't have to question why he did something. He just did it because he wanted to.

"Do you have a ride home?"

"Why?"

"Just thought I'd offer a ride, that's all."

She looked at him, a small smile on her face.

"Thanks, but I actually have some business to take care of."

She was back, that sassy, confident side of her in full swing.

"What kind of business?"

She stopped in front of him, and Apollo froze. She smiled a half smirk that made his chest flutter uncomfortably. Cas leaned in, a knowing look on her face.

"I have to stop a war," she whispered in his ear. It was such a strange thing to say, and he gave her a skeptical look. He didn't believe that she had to actually stop a war. He was sure it was just an expression, or she was teasing him in some manner. She just gave a playful laugh and darted around the corner.

Apollo was in shock for a moment, as he stood there considered her words. He didn't want to believe them, but there was such a ring of sincerity in her voice. He took off after her, but when he came around it, Cas was gone.

Cassia is def more than meets the eye. Next Chapter will be more Ortemis :D

Please leave a review and tell me what you think!