-Apollo-

He was going to lock her up. That seemed like the only way he could keep Cas safe.

She ran off once again, leaving the stupid school to do some kind of ridiculous magical errand. She kept saying that it was nothing, that she could see when they would attack, but something in his gut told him differently. Cassia was taking risks, risks she shouldn't have to chance with an immortal by her side. Apollo was good for something after all. He couldn't fight the other pantheon, but his presence would scare a good number of them off. But he couldn't do that when the girl who needed protection ran around like a hunter seeking the Tessumian fox.

The bell rang signaling the end of the day. Apollo went straight to Cas's locker hoping that she made it back in time. The only thing at her locker was a note that had her now familiar writing on it. Apollo moved it from the slats and tore it open.

You need to stop worrying. I've snuck around for years now. By the time you will read this, which should be around 3:15, I'll be back at the apartment. You can yell at me there.

-Cassia

He made the letter vanish between his hands, turning it to a fine dust that scattered in the air. Since his family had split to do whatever they needed to do today, that meant Apollo had the ride home to himself. It was relaxing, letting the windows down and driving as fast as he wanted. No mortal cops would pull him over. While most of their magic had been limited as part of their punishment, he still had power over mortal minds. That and disappearing whenever he wanted to make avoiding mortals easier. Apollo hardly had any quiet time in his existence, so when he got it, he used it. It gave him time to think about Cassia. Part of Apollo kind of admired her tenacity. She stood up to him without any fear, which was rare from a mortal.

Maybe he was approaching it from the wrong way. He didn't want to yell at her like her parents did. He understood that the path she chose was the best option, but it still left him wary. It only takes a thought, less than a mere second for the future to change.

As soon as his chariot was parked, Apollo vanished and appeared before the door that led to his study. The wards wouldn't stop him or Artemis from appearing. He gave it a quick series of taps before letting himself in.

Cas was staring at the wall with his arms crossed over her chest. It was covered in notes and pictures, many of them the security measures she had spent the last week researching. She plotted out how to get past all of them. Her planning was as close to flawless that a mortal could come up with something Athena even noted. Apollo had offered some suggestions, which she took in stride. Even Artemis, although begrudgingly, admitted she was good at coming up with a game plan.

"Just so you know, I didn't even see one Egyptian while I was out today," Cass explained as she added a note to the board. She held a crystal in her hand, which she carefully set on the shelf below.

"Is that what you had to leave to get?" Apollo asked as he nodded his head towards the crystal.

"Yes. It will help fuel the spell to lift the disorientation enchantment. Getting hit with that would royally suck and most likely be the thing that kills me."

"You should have told me."

"Told you what?"

"That you were leaving the school with no protection."

Cas glanced towards him before rearranging some of the notes. "I did tell you."

Apollo rolled his eyes. "Yes, you mentioned it in passing and the next thing I know, you've vanished from class without a goodbye."

"I had a window that worked to my advantage. It would have been riskier if I waited."

"That doesn't matter, Cassia."

"It does matter. There were no possibilities as long as I went in that window," she huffed. "It was the safest option. I'm not a child, Apollo. I know what I'm doing."

"Wrong. There are always possibilities. You are putting too much stock in your visions lately. The future can change at any moment." She turned towards him then, her brows raised.

"I know that."

"Do you?"

Cassia heaved a long sigh. "I do. Believe me, of all the mortals that are involved with immortal shenanigans, I probably know it the best. I'm not going to change my life and stay scared because of small possibilities. That's what makes life worth it." She paused for just a moment and looked down at the floor. "I don't know what you want me to say."

Apollo took a step closer to her. There was barely a foot of space between them. Apollo knew that Cassia could and would take care of herself. She was smart, resourceful, and beautifully determined. She looked up at him, her eyes focused on his face. Her expression was neutral, but there was a tension in her eyes that Apollo hadn't seen before. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I get that. I want you to take care of yourself. I don't want you to take unnecessary risks when you have help available."

"And how am I supposed to do that? Every day is a risk until I get this accomplished."

"You could take me with you."

"Why would you do that? I already told you, if the Egyptians find out you are helping me, they will involve your father. I'm not risking-"

Apollo placed his hand against her cheek, stopping her mid-sentence. A blush crept up underneath his hand, making a couple of freckles she had stand out.

"I'll take that chance. I know how to be covert when I want to as well, Cas."

"If Zeus finds out-"

"He won't," Apollo swore. "Check me if you don't believe me."

Cas studied his face for a minutes before her eyes drifted close. Apollo could sense the chaos behind them, the never-ending visions colliding the future with the now. Her eyes squinted just a bit before opening to that violet expanse.

"It's almost impossible," she admitted quietly. "It's a small chance if you go with whatever you are thinking of now."

"Exactly," Apollo agreed. "I'm not asking you to stop, Cassia. That would be like telling a volcano not to erupt when it clearly is. But you do have power, far more than you know. That makes you a target. I'd like to see that potential start to grow. But you need help sometimes. I'm asking you to take mine."

Cas stared at him for a moment, her teeth worrying against her bottom lip. Apollo was almost surprised she wasn't drawing blood.

"You think I have potential? That sounds an awful lot like you want to keep the insanity inside my head."

"Do you want your visions completely gone?" Apollo thought he knew the answer, but Cas hesitated. There was something hidden in her expression, anxiety or fear, he wasn't sure which.

"As much as I hate them, I've never been without them. It's been a part of me for so long, to not have them…"

"It would feel like a part of you was missing."

Cas nodded her head. "I just wish people would believe me. Is it all or nothing? You remove my curse by taking away my gift?"

Apollo sat down in one of the chairs near his desk. "It's one option, yes. But its not the only option. It would be the safest, though."

"Like cutting off a dead limb," she mumbled. "I don't want that."

"Then, that option is off the table. I'm going to try to get you what you need. Let's get the Egyptian pantheon off your back, and then we can discuss the possible ways to reverse it. I don't want to unknowingly make it worse."

"That would be bad," Cas admitted with a grin. "I think we make our move in three days, when the full moon rises. Can I walk through the plan with you?"

"Let's hear it," Apollo stated. He hoped that whatever she came up with wasn't the most dangerous way, but knowing Cassia Woodard, she would make it as harrowing as possible.