(The italicized part is the dream.)

I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

Child Margaret ran blissfully down the steep curve of the hill's slope, trying to hide from the seeker, her red skirt flying through the wind, just running as far away as her short legs could take her. She stooped down behind a fluffy bush and took the time to catch her breath, laughing hysterically all the while as the agitation and thrill of being caught passed. Margaret stayed seated there, the blowing winds already evaporating the sweat traced on her forehead, breathing returning into a normal rhythm again, and childishly watched the clouds move by against the azure sky, viewing them as cotton candy in her head.

Time passed and the seeker hasn't come yet, faint orange and deep red coloring quickly stained the clear shade of violet sky, but Margaret didn't want to be caught so she remained in her spot –till slumber swooped in to get her.

She remembered falling asleep, and as if history repeated itself; Apollo couldn't bear but chuckle at the twenty year old Margaret in front of him now, lying on the grass in a red dress with dark hair sprawled all over just like before, way back before.

All Margaret remembered was waking up to see awfully familiar blue eyes gazing through hers, precisely mimicking the dream she has had ever since their first encounter. "Apollo?"

"Marge, my dear." Apollo clutched the bouquet of sunflowers, which was both their favorite kind of plant, at his back, wanting to surprise her but he guessed that his mere presence has unexpectedly disturbed her thinking so he took the sunflowers out without hesitation for her to admire. "For you."

Even though his plan of surprise failed, Apollo still loved that genuine smile only his Marge could do, which always gave him goose bumps for the best reason. But the splendid wonder from when the smile arrived instantly vanished as Margaret contemplated on her past, smelling the fragrant sunflowers as she did so.

She looked up at him, somehow forcefully dumping the flowers onto the ground, "How did I get here, Apollo? How did you bring me back home?" She looked around the garden where she used to run around with her brother back in her younger years that went north to their old appropriate-enough house for a family of four. The backyard she was in now opened a view of the cream-walled and green roofed structure she called home.

Apollo bent down on his knees to get to her level, "I rescued you, my love, so we'll be together once more."

"Why did we part in the first place? I forgot." She asked innocently and when she saw Apollo's sorrow, she urged him. "Tell me, Apollo. I need to know. I want to –I have to know why that monster was after me, why my brother didn't find me when we were playing hide and seek… And what the hell happened? Because as far as I remember, Death was cursing your name when you carried me out of the underworld."

She cupped his face till the tip of their noses touched and their breaths mingled. "I love you; do me this favor, Apollo. If not, I'll never be at peace."

Apollo deeply sighed in defeat, taking her hands off his face to hold it near his chest. "I love you too, very much. But Marge, to do what you're asking from m-"

Margaret closed her eyes, feeling the thumps of his heart beat. "I can handle it. Trust me."

He started from the beginning. "It was Eros's monster, see. Not much of a monster, in fact," Humor hovered in Apollo's voice to lift up the mood, "it was just an insect."

She giggled, "A bug?"

Apollo nodded. "Tiny little thing!" When the pair's laughs subsided, he continued. "It was a love bug. It escaped its cage and Eros was after it, when I saw what he was up to, I teased him because the bug was obviously hard to catch with its small size so I made fun of him." Apollo shrugged, "And then-"

Margaret guessed, "He got mad at you."

"Aimed a love arrow at me, then I helplessly fell in love with a little girl sleeping behind a bush for she was the first person I saw." He squeezed her hands, making her understand.

Margaret bit her lower lip, "So you don't really love me?"

Apollo answered with a counteracting question, "Do you recall how you woke up?"

She licked her lips, raking her mind for the memory, staring at him for few moments. "Someone poked me," Margaret finally said. "It was you, I suppose?"

Apollo grinned wide, "No. It was the love bug. It bit you."

At that very instant, dark lust shadowed both of their blue eyes, the magic bubbling love inside them into an uncontrollable want and at the same time need.

They hungrily grabbed for each other.

Review please!

The next chapter is where the love action is so for those who…yeah.

Sorry this took a while, you guys know how much I take my time on writing each chapter, but the good thing is that that I post a chapter a day to keep my readers satisfied, good for you all!