-Cas-

Thank the gods that they had a decent gym.

The equipment looked like it had never been used. The owners were immortal, after all. It didn't make sense for them to work out. Maybe Artemis had it for the hunters and Orion. Maybe it came with the place. No matter the reason, Cas was glad. If she had to stay locked up in this tower, at least there was a place to vent.

She'd been up since right before four this morning. Thanks to Apollo's potions, she got some well needed rest, thankfully dream and vision free. It was only a matter of time before more glimpses of the future invaded her mind. She needed to enjoy it while she could. Although the visions were absent, it didn't stop her warring mind. All the nagging thoughts, the fear and worry, threatened to take over. Cas needed a distraction.

Physical labor, straining her muscles and powers to the max, always helped clear her mind. She trained with some of the Egyptians, honing her fighting skills the best that she could. She'd made it a goal to become proficient in every weapon out there. One, she needed to be skilled for the tasks Isis assigned her. Two, Isis demanded it. But the most important reason of all? Trouble always seemed to find Cassia, no matter how hard she tried to avoid it.

By the time she finished her workout, the sky was just starting to lighten up. Cas hopped off the treadmill, her muscles burning from exertion. Her body felt loose and pleasantly tired. The past two hours were filled with lifting weights and running a few miles. The warm up was usually followed by the fun part. Apollo and Artemis had an impressive array of weapons. And by impressive, it meant they had everything.

Every kind of sword, bow, knife, and spear lined the wall, among countless other weapons, some she wasn't even sure what to call. Cas brushed her fingers along the swords, pausing to marvel at a shorter pair. Really, they should be called daggers. Cas had always favored the smaller ones. A sword and shield combo was never really her style. After all, if an enemy got close, she'd just disappear and reappear in the correct spot to end the fight. She didn't really care for slaughter. Granted, she'd done her fair share but avoided it when she could.

As much as she wanted to train, the diviner knew better than to mess with an immortal's weapons. They tended to get very touchy when things of theirs were tampered with. Still, the temptation was there. The blades looked sharp enough to cut with barely any pressure, gleaming almost sinisterly in the early morning light. Most looked ancient yet pristine, no doubt holding a history one could only imagine. She glanced back at the daggers. Something was inscribed in Ancient Greek on the handles. Maybe just one swing, just to see how it felt in her hand? Cas sighed deeply before stepping away from the blades. Maybe she should just get a cup of coffee, get some fresh air. There had to be a shop somewhere near here, after all. She pulled out her phone, seeing that there was one just four blocks from the building.

"You made a mistake, child."

Cas ran down the ally, throwing the cup of coffee into the lion-headed god's face. That was sure to piss Maahes off. He roared in frustration before pouncing on top of her. She managed to vanish just in time, but he did scratch her chest, leaving a line of shallow claw marks…

Cas shook her head. Apparently, coffee was out. She didn't want to deal with the Egyptians today. She would already have to deal with the rest of the Greeks later.

Avoiding and running from her problems made Cas feel like a coward. Problems should be faced head on. This problem required patience, and as much as she hated to admit it, an immortal's help. Before she hatched her plan, she would have to track down some new weapons. New Rome and Brooklyn were out, but maybe she could borrow some weapons from the Greek Camp. She'd return them… eventually…

"You know, usually I'm the only one awake at the crack of dawn."

Cas turned, annoyed at the ridiculous flutter in her chest. Apollo leaned casually against the door frame, clad in a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and nothing else. His boxers peeked just above the edge of the pants, the ridges of his abs just as defined as any marble statue. She turned away from him before he noticed the blush.

"Can't you put on a shirt?" she grumbled as she walked away from the weapons wall. She picked up the weights she was using and put them away before grabbing a fresh towel from the rack.

"Might I remind you that you are in my house. Am I distracting you from your workout?"

"Why would I be distracted by you?" Cas replied. She wiped her face, hoping that the remaining blush could be taken as a post-workout flush. Apollo had ventured over by the wall, looking at the weapons, gazing at them dispassionately.

"You just looked like you were about to train, that's all. Don't let me stop you."

"I didn't know whose they were. I'm not touching your sister's weapons," she countered. "I don't have a death wish."

"Probably a good idea. Just to inform you, most are surprisingly not hers," he divulged with a smile. "She likes to keep hers hidden. Most of the far-left side are hers, so I would refrain from using those without her permission. But from here," he gestured to a line of golden knives, "to the window, you are welcome to use."

"Thank you," Cas muttered. She fidgeted with her towel, anything to keep her hands busy. "I was actually finishing up. Kind of hard to practice fighting with yourself. I mean, you can, but that only helps you so much."

"I'll practice with you."

Cas laughed. "If I wanted to get my ass kicked, I'd head over to Brooklyn." She wouldn't even have to go that far, but Apollo didn't need to know that.

"I wasn't intending on kicking your ass," he assured her. "I was actually interested to see how capable you were."

"Why?"

Apollo pursed his lips, gathering them slightly to one side as he grabbed one blade from the pair she had looked at earlier. "I guess I wanted to know how much protection you needed. You seemed to hold Set off decently well."

"I'm capable of handling myself." Cas's eyes followed the blade as Apollo gave it a turn. Better to focus on that than his stomach. He still hadn't put on a shirt, the asshat.

"Then prove it."

Cas took a step forward. "Are you trying to bait me into fighting you?"

"Maybe?" His smirk was friendly yet promised no mercy.

"I don't like to play a game I can't win." Cas walked forward, grabbing the other blade from the wall. "It doesn't matter if I have a gift or not. Doesn't matter how good of a fighter I am. When it comes to a fight with an immortal, I will lose, every single time."

"You didn't lose to Set."

"I would have had you and the others not been there. I would have if I didn't have that potion. And it only lasts so long. I escaped, bought myself some time. If a god wants me dead, that's it. No passing 'Go', no collecting two hundred dollars."

"Am I supposed to know what that means?"

"Monopoly. It's a board game. Google it."

Apollo waved his hand, making a rag appear in it. "That's only partially true, you know." He wiped the blade, taking off the fingerprints he left on the metal. "There's a lot we can do. And your right, a simple thought from one of us would end your life." He appraised the blade, holding it out towards the window, the dawn light shining off it. "But even we cannot deny fate. The string is cut at its time and not a moment before. We can't change the design unless it's meant to be changed. I'm sure the Egyptians operate under something similar, and you seem to have luck on your side."

"Luck and a talent for vanishing," Cas admitted. "It won't last forever, though."

"Some things do. Were you looking at this set?" Apollo asked, brandishing the blade towards her.

"Not any more than the others," Cas lied. Apollo gave her a pointed look. "They are just similar to what I had, that's all. A little smaller, which I would prefer. I don't fight bulky."

"Had?"

"I kind of lost my previous set on my last mission. The one you blessed me for?" Apollo looked at the floor at her tone. "I highly doubt I'm getting them back."

"I assumed you always kept a weapon on you."

Cas smiled. "I do. It's just not the kind most expect." Cas watched as Apollo studied the weapon, his eyes focused on the carved words. "What does it say?"

"You can't read Greek?"

"Not well. Remember, I'm not a Greek legacy," Cas explained. "Now Latin? I knew it before English."

"We should change that. I can teach you. I bet you'll pick it up quickly."

"A god wants to teach a mortal how to read, wow. Are you offering to avoid telling me what it says?" Cas questioned. Apollo's lips tilted to the side, fighting a smirk.

"No, just surprised that of the whole wall, these are the blades that called to you. The inscription is Mēdèn ágan. It means nothing in excess."

"Why does it surprise you?"

"Because Aeneas gave these to Cassandra before Troy fell."

"Oh."

Apollo held them out to her. "Take them."

"I can't."

"You can. Aeneas gave them to her as a gift, to help protect her. She presented them to me instead, hoping to appease me. I've never used them. They've been gathering dust. Maybe now, they can achieve their purpose."

So many questions burned in Cas's mind. She'd read all the myths pertaining to her ancestor and Apollo, but what she really wanted was the facts behind it all. Had Apollo really loved Cassandra? Had he just toyed with the poor girl? Was this curse just the result of Apollo's anger because she denied him? Cas suspected there was more to the tale. But now wasn't the best time to ask. Something in Apollo's eyes unsettled her. He was upset by something; what though, she wasn't sure of.

"Thanks," she told him after taking the other blade in her free hand. They felt light, which Cassia liked. She worked with them for a moment, amazed at how natural they felt.

She saw it in her mind just a second before it happened. Cas turned, blocking Apollo's blade. He wasn't using his full strength; Cas would be dead if he had. The force was already straining her tired muscles.

"Your reflexes are quick. But how technical are your skills?" He rolled out of her block, coming at her with slow and deliberate attacks. Apollo assessed her form as she countered him. "Good. Your movements are smooth and controlled. Now," he took a step back away from her, settling into a fighting stance, "show me what you really got. Don't hold back."

Cas settled into her own, swinging one of the blades in her hand. "If we are going to do this, same goes for you."

"Deal."

Cas vanished and reappeared at Apollo's back. A mortal would have been dead, but Apollo parried the blade with all the grace and strength of a god. He was not using his full strength or tapping into his godly powers. Still, his movements were precise and strong, his skill great enough that it would take Cas lifetimes to match. Even at this humbled level, Apollo bested her in every way. She held her own, her vanishing ability and sight the only reason she was still in the game. It felt like running more than fighting to Cas. She knew it was coming, felt the sting of his blade before it ever hit her skin. She managed to disappear just before it touched her, sparing the pain she saw a moment before.

She materialized across the room, ready to counter, looking wildly around for Apollo. Instead, a set of arms wrapped around her, the pressure of his blade at her neck.

"You fell into a pattern." His murmured words warmed her neck, sent shivers down her spine that had nothing to do with pain or death. His skin was too warm, his muscles rigid and soft at the same time. Something about the way he smelled, like fresh mountain air, made ever nerve ending alight. Her harried breaths were deep, the urge to stay warring with urge to run. He was too close, felt too good…

Cas took him with her when she disappeared. She wasn't even sure she could until she did it. She had never tried it before, only seen it in her visions only a few times, most situations ending badly. While reappearing, she twisted in the air, pinning him to the sparring mat underneath her. One blade pressed against his stomach, the other against his throat. Apollo looked at her with what she swore was pride, a little admiration, and something else.

"You got complacent," she whispered. Apollo nodded his head in agreement.

"I did. Even more so now."

A blush erupted across Cas's cheeks. She didn't dare acknowledge it. Apollo guided the swords away one at a time, his eyes never leaving her. Everything seemed to still. For the first time, Cas wished a vision would pop into her head, some kind of clue as to what was happening, what would happen next. Not knowing was a dreadful thing. Finally, Apollo's hands came to rest on her waist. Cas didn't dare move.

"You are destined for great things, Cassia." He tucked a hanging strand of hair behind her ear, clearing her line of sight.

"Only if I don't die," she teased halfheartedly. It was a long shot, but if she could get that spell, then maybe it would be enough. Apollo's fingers drummed against her skin.

"I want to make sure of that. So, what is your brilliant plan for bringing the Egyptian immortals to their knees?"

"I need to steal the Book of Thoth from the temple of Ra."

A/N: Sorry that it's been so long! I have no excuse other than I edited my book for what feels like the 100th time and all consuming adult things. Our busy season has started, so I'm going to try to keep to every other Sunday, but the chapters may be a bit shorter. We'll just have to see!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was just a little peek into Cas's mind and setting up our next adventure! :) Thank you for the reviews and follows, and I look forward to seeing you next week! You guys rock!