Hey guys! I'm back! Can you believe it! Okay, confession time. I've actually started working on this chapter again a couple weeks ago, but it's taken me forever. (That and I sorta wrote the next chapter before I finished this one...oops.) Anway, here's the way-too-long-awaited next chapter! I'm so so so sorry it took this long. (But really, none of you had any questions for me, so shame on you. I'm still answering if you want to ask, by the way.)

"Lucy!"

She turned, and grinned when she saw him. He caught up to her on the path, and hugged her. She smiled up at him.

"You're back?" His nod made her smile grow.

He'd been gone for two weeks, straightening out a misunderstanding between Hades and Poseidon. But he'd dealt with that and returned as quickly as possible.

"Are you free tonight?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

He shrugged happily. "I have something I want to do."

She tilted her head curiously. "What?"

"It's a surprise." He grinned as he buried his face in her hair. Even though it had only been two weeks, he'd missed her so much.

After she'd told him about the Incident, he'd stayed with her overnight until she kicked him out, saying repeatedly that she was fine. He'd been very careful; he knew that when things like that happened, the victims were often uncomfortable with physical contact. What he had been surprised with was how normal she seemed on the outside. He never would have guessed anything of that magnitude had happened to her.

She leaned her head back to look at him. "I don't like surprises." Though her eyes twinkled a little, her face was serious. He frowned.

"It's a good surprise. I promise."

She continued to be silent. He sighed. "Please, Lucy? Pleeeaaseee?" As he drew out the request, he twirled her around the path.

"Fine, fine." She rolled her eyes, laughing. "Just put me down!"

He set her on the ground again, and she started to walk away. When he didn't follow her, she looked back curiously. "Aren't you coming?"

"Where?"

She rolled her eyes again, smiling. Gesturing, she began to walk again. "I'm going to the exhibit at MoMA. I think you might like it."

She had, he thought as he walked next to her, an air of mischievous happiness. She was up to something, and he suspected it was payback for this unwanted surprise. When they reached the museum, he took one look at the banners adorning the building and stopped in his tracks.

"No."

She stopped and turned around, hands on her hips. "Why not?"

"It's too risky, Lucy. What if someone recognizes me?" For the banners announced the special Classical Greek Art Exhibit that was being shown this week.

"Oh please. Like the first thing that's going to pop into anyone's mind is that you are the Greek god who these statues are modeled after."

His face was dead serious. "Lucy, it's against the laws. My father forbade any activity that could expose us to mortals. I'm sorry, but I can't."

She frowned, biting her lower lip. "Then how are you allowed to be standing here talking to me?"

He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice. "I wasn't, not at first. When I disappeared, that night, it was because my father summoned me to Olympus. He was very angry at me for continuing contact with you. He was going to forbid me from ever seeing you again."

"Then why are you still here?"

"I convinced him not to." He looked up at the thunder, and quickly amended his statement. "I mean, Hera convinced him not to."

She contemplated that for a long moment, then frowned. "But I wanted to go to that exhibit. What are we going to do now?"

He could see that she did really want to go. "You can go by yourself if you want," he offered. "Or I can find one of your friends."

She shook her head. "If you're going to be here, I want to be with you before you leave again."

He frowned. He didn't mean to make her feel this way. But he pushed away the unease, concentrating on her.

"What would you like to do instead?"

She shrugged. "Let's just walk."

She began walking back toward Central Park and he followed.

"Can you go to the movies?"

Her sudden question caught him off guard. "What?"

"I mean, are you allowed to watch Clash of the Titans or something like that?"

He laughed. "Well, we generally don't watch movies on Earth. We watch them on Olympus. And yes, we do watch those kinds of movies. I find them rather entertaining."

"Why?"

"Well, because they're so off." He laughed again. "Why would we still be wearing togas now? And they always portray us so stereotypically."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Aphrodite is always ditzy, which I can tell you is not the case. Hera is always uptight and aloof, and that's not the way she acts either."

"And you?" She seemed to be enjoying herself. "In Hercules, you're a little nerdy guy."

He scoffed. "Hercules is the most inaccurate movie in existence. I'm blue, for gods' sakes! Do I look blue to you?"

She smiled, but something seemed to be troubling her. He looked at her carefully.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just...I know you didn't mean 'blue' that way, but sometimes you do seem...distant. A bit sad. Why is that?"

He knit his brows. "You know, people don't usually describe me as 'a bit sad.'"

She rolled her eyes. "How many times are you going to say that before you realize I'm not the usual person?"

He smirked. "Apparently more than once."

"Stop avoiding my question."

He sighed dramatically. "And that is something you should realize about me."

"What, that you never answer meaningful questions?"

He frowned, troubled. "Is that what you think of me? That I skirt important topics?" He sat them both on a bench and faced her. She looked exasperated.

"Right now, yes!"

"Fine." He took a breath, looking into her face, every detail. "I'm not sure if anyone's ever seen that except you. If they have, no one's told me. But if I seem...distant with you...I..." He looked down at his hands. "I didn't mean to do this, Lucy. I didn't mean to do this to you."

She frowned, confused. "Do what?"

"I didn't mean to..."

He stood suddenly and she looked up at him in surprise.

"You've read those stories haven't you? Those stories about what happens when gods consort with mortals?"

She nodded mutely, still completely bewildered.

"I didn't want that to happen to you. I didn't want you to become..." He looked as if he was wrestling with himself, trying to say something. "Just another mortal."

"So what are you saying?" She spoke slowly, trying to understand.

"I'm trying to say..." He raked a hand through his hair. He looked so befuddled that Lucy would have laughed if it hadn't been so serious. "I failed, Lucy."

"...Failed?" She was hopelessly confused. "I'm sorry, I don't understa-"

He took her hands suddenly, breaking her off in the middle of her sentence.

"Can't you tell, Lucy? I didn't want you to just be another mortal. You're special." He struggled with the words that would make her understand. But the real ones were trapped. He was unwilling to tell her the true cause of his careful distance.

"But what does that mean? For us?" She whispered the last part almost silently.

"I don't want this to be some one night stand. I want to take it slowly. For it to be real." As he said it, he knew it was absolutely true.

He knew it before, of course, but having heard her experiences the weeks prior and this conversation, he knew without the trace of a doubt that where this was going, he could no longer control. Maybe it had never been his to control, but now he was coming to terms with the fact that his relationship with Lucy was not under his power. Whatever would happen between them, the Fates would decide.

She stared at him silently, processing what he'd said. Her eyes were mysteriously guarded, her expression unfathomable.

"Real. Real as in what?" She seemed upset now, her eyes darkened into a forest green. "Real as in some little thing with a mortal girl that lasts a couple years before she ages and you leave? Real as in pretending that you're a normal human and can have a normal relationship? You can't, Hermes. Don't you understand that?" She pulled her hands away from him, burying her face in them. "Why am I doing this?"

He watched her, still trying to sort out what had just happened. Everything had been normal, they'd both been happy, and then this happened. All the trust he thought he'd built up in her had vanished. It seemed as though every time he talked about a long-term relationship with her, she got terribly upset. And he had no idea how to remedy the situation.

"Lucy."

She refused to look at him, but he could tell she was listening.

"Lucy, you don't understand. You seem to think that I'll just abandon you because I feel like it. But you don't understand. I can't leave you." The intensity of his voice caused her to look up. "You're as much a part of my life now as anything. Probably more. I've been shirking on my duties a bit," he admitted sheepishly. She reluctantly cracked a smile, and he took that as a good sign. "It would be impossible for me to leave you, Luce. Please, please don't ever think I could."

She sighed. "You know, lots of abuse victims, they get horrible anxiety attacks." She wasn't looking at him, instead down at her hands. They were twisting together as if she was trying to make them cooperate. "They just feel sometimes…they feel like they can't trust anyone, that everyone around them is looking for an opportunity to betray them. It can be really hard to place trust in anyone, especially someone who has so much influence over them. Because being betrayed again—" Her voice broke. "It's one of the scariest things in the world."

He put his arms around her, not even thinking, only wanting to keep her safe in his arms. It was heart-wrenching to think that he was her worst fear.

She stiffened automatically, but let him continue to hold her.

She laughed sadly. "Why do you always end up hugging me?"

"Sometimes people need a hug."

This time she really laughed. "And that is something I'd never expect the god of thieves to say. More like the god of teddy bears."

He laughed with her, relieved she was cheerful again. "If you ever say that again, you'll regret it."

"What? The god of teddy bears?" She looked up at him, grinning, taunting him.

A wicked grin spread across his face, and he gathered her into his arms. Her smile faded as she realized what he was going to do.

"Don't you dare, Hermes. What about all these people? Won't they see? Isn't that against the rules?"

"I can turn invisible, Luce. No one will ever see." His voice was menacing, his eyes twinkling.

He shot up into the air, and Lucy buried her face in his chest (which was an effect not lost on Hermes). She gripped his arms tightly.

"Go back, Hermes. Go back!" Her voice was muffled in his shirt and he chose to ignore it.

When he got above the clouds, he stopped. She risked a peek and, seeing the tops of the clouds, squeaked and buried her face in his shirt again.

"How far are you planning on going?"

"Oh, I dunno. How do you feel about visiting the moon?"

"That's not funny."

"Are you afraid of heights?"

"No," she said sourly. "I'm afraid of falling."

"I wouldn't let you fall, you know," he said softly. "It's like one of those trust exercises."

"I hate those."

"Seriously, I won't let you fall. And even if I do, I know people. They'll heal you right up," he joked.

She lifted her head off of his shirt to roll her eyes at him. He laughed, but he took it as a good sign that she was opening her eyes this time.

She looked cautiously around. "Where are we?"

He thought a moment. "Should be right above Manhattan…" He began slowly sinking and she jumped.

"What are you doing?"

"Relax, I'm just going under the clouds to check."

When they'd broken the cloud barrier, he looked down. They were indeed above Manhattan.

"Yep," he said, satisfied. "Right above it. Not too shabby."

"Well now that you're so proud of yourself, how 'bout you let us down now," she grumbled.

He laughed. "But I like flying. Especially with someone so warm with me."

She avoided his eyes, blushing and frowning.

"How often have you actually flown with another person?"

He thought. "A few times."

"A few times! A few?"

"Relax, I've never dropped anyone."

"Yet."

"Seriously, Lucy. Flying is the best. It's so…freeing. I really think you'd like it if you gave it a chance."

"You've done this to me twice. I gave it a chance."

"No, not just lifting. Actually flying. I've never actually flown you before."

"And you won't," she said stubbornly.

"Says who?" he asked mischievously.

Suddenly, her expression changed dramatically. Her lips went from downturned to trembling, her eyes from frowning to wide and vulnerable.

"Please, Hermes. Don't. Please," she pleaded softly, and his heart plummeted.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy."

He immediately began to gently descend. He maneuvered so they landed on the sidewalk in front of her apartment. Anxious about her reaction, he set her down.

Her frightened expression dissolved into a mischievous grin and he realized what she had done.

"You!" He pointed accusingly at her and she burst out laughing.

"You fell for it! Oh my god. I can't believe you fell for it!"

"I can't believe you would do such a thing!"

She danced around on the sidewalk, still grinning wickedly.

"I tricked you! I tricked you!"

"Hope you're feeling accomplished," he muttered, mock-grumpily.

"Oh, trust me, I am." She looked intensely amused, a satisfied twinkle in her eyes.

"I'll get you back for that, you know."

"I'm sure," she narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion, still grinning. Her expression changed again, suddenly. She looked contemplative.

"What's on your mind, Luce?"

"It's night," she pointed out. And indeed it was. The sun was going down, the midnight robes of Nyx replacing the light robes of Hemera.

"So it is." He understood what she was hinting at. His surprise, which had, in all likelihood, bothered her all afternoon, was finally ready.

"We might want to hit your apartment before we go."

She looked like she was burning with curiosity.

"Why?"

He shrugged casually. "Where we're going...you might want to dress up just a bit. Nothing really fancy, just a jacket or something."

She pestered him the entire way to her apartment, but he revealed nothing. When she unlocked her door, she ordered him to remain on the couch and disappeared into her bedroom. He marveled over how easily she bossed him around (and how easily he obeyed her). He had barely touched the multitude of little statues on her coffee table when she reappeared.

She wore skinny jeans tucked into slim black boots. A loose white t-shirt with a colorful graphic print was covered with a black blazer and a silver necklace. Her hair was down like usual, but tonight there was a silver barrette pinning back half the curls. She smiled and fidgeted, uncomfortable with the gawking he was unintentionally guilty of.

"Are we going to go now?"

He nodded, blinking out of his reverie, and stood. He had changed into a white button-down, jeans, and sharp leather jacket.

"Ready?" He held his arms out, his intention obvious. She backed away, hands up defensively.

"No way."

"Don't you want to see your surprise?"

"Not if you're going to fly me there."

"Oh, come on, Luce! Please?" He gave her puppy-dog eyes, and she crossed her arms on her chest stubbornly. They stood at an impasse for a surprisingly (considering her burning curiosity was coupled with his annoyingly persuasive eyes) long time before she crumbled.

Rolling her eyes, she seceded. "Fine."

He grinned, picking her up gently, cradling her in his arms as she twined her arms around his neck. He took a deep breath to steady himself.

"I'll be gentle. I promise."

Stepping out of the window, he lifted them into the air.

"You'll love it," he assured her. From her place buried in his coat, she made a noise of doubt.

Once above the buildings, he picked up speed, maneuvering so he was closer to parallel with the far-away ground than perpendicular to it. He still held her against his chest tightly, trying to prove to her that he wasn't going to drop her. She raised her head timidly, the wind whipping her hair into her face. She shook the hair out of her line of sight and turned her head to see in front of them. He grinned at her curiosity overwhelming her fear. As if she could sense his amusement, she turned to look disparagingly at him.

"Don't you like it?"

"It's thirty degrees, dark, and freezing. Why would I like it?"

"You are such an over-exaggerator. It's not that cold."

"Is too! You don't realize it because you're a god," she pointed out.

"Oh." He contemplated that for a moment before he figured out a solution. He allowed some of his warmth to seep out of his arms and chest, and she looked up, surprised.

"What just happened?"

He grinned. "I warmed you up."

She fought a smile. "That makes me sound like microwavable burrito."

The god laughed freely, his happiness carried across several miles of empty air space.

"And thank you so much for enjoying my comparison to Mexican fast food."

"Any time," he teased her.

She peeked down, looking up just as fast.

"Where are we?"

He calculated for a moment.

"About halfway across the Atlantic," he decided. She looked shocked.

"What? We're going across the Atlantic? What are we doing?"

He smirked. "You'll see."

She frowned at him. "You sure do love mysteries," she complained.

"Life is so much more interesting when you have a mystery to solve."

His cryptic little saying caused her to pause and look at him differently. The god didn't seem to think much of what he'd said. He was staring straight ahead, his brow slightly creased as he watched something farther than most people could see. But she wondered, what drove him to do what he did? What was the mystery in her? What kept him here?

He interrupted her thoughts. "Nearly there. How are you liking flying?"

"It's fine." She glared at his smirk. "Don't start thinking you can do this all the time now."

He wore an innocent expression. "Never crossed my mind."

"Mm-hm."

He cracked a grin at her suspicious frown.

"You are incorrigible."

"And yet you seem to enjoy it."

"Maybe I'm just a good actress."

"Nobody's that good."

She responded by wrinkling her nose at him. He simply smiled and attempted to not think about how ridiculously cute she was. He verified their location quickly.

"Ready?"

She nodded and buried her face in his chest again. He closed his eyes to banish certain thoughts. They sunk through the clouds and came to rest on a well-lit but empty street before she would open her eyes. She took in the small cafés as she released his neck and he set her down.

"Are we in Europe?"

"Yes. Specifically, France."

Her eyes were close to the size of dinner plates.

"France? We're in France? Are you kidding me?"

He shook his head, smiling. "But that's not the surprise."

"How could that not be the surprise?"

The god's smile widened. "You'll see. Come on." He held out his arm, which she took. He led her down the street, into a busy intersection dominated by a pair of glass pyramids. Hermes watched Lucy carefully, which turned out to be a good idea considering the girl looked like she was about to faint. She clutched his arm, staring at him with enormous eyes.

"The Louvre? We're at the Louvre? What? You've got to be kidding! I'm dreaming. This is a dream."

The god's smile nearly split his face in two. The amount of happiness Lucy was feeling doubled in him just watching her reaction.

But, aren't you not allowed to go?" She reigned in her excitement once she remembered his restrictions.

"It's after-hours," he told her.

"We're breaking into the Louvre?" She looked scandalized.

He adopted a hurt expression. "Of course not! Why would you think such a thing? I would never do anything like that."

She rolled her eyes. "Hm, no idea why I would think that."

"No, but seriously, I know a guy who works there. He's letting us in."

"Does he know..."

"That I'm a god? No. He thinks I'm an influential business man who somehow happens upon large quantities of classic art and donates it anonymously who wants to impress a beautiful art enthusiast." He grinned cheekily at her. "So, half of it is correct."

"You just happen upon these classical pieces," she repeated doubtfully.

"Of course," he assured her as he led her to the entrance of the iconic museum.

An older man hurried to the doors, unlocking them and beckoning the two in.

"Welcome, Mr. Merchado."Lucy just barely concealed her surprise; Hermes noted the raising of her eyebrows before she masked her expression.

"Hello Jaques. It's good to see you again. This is Lucy," he introduced the curator to her.

The man smiled at her and shook her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, miss Lucy."

"Trust me, the pleasure is all mine," she assured the old man. He beamed at her.

"So you are interested in art, no? You will find the Louvre a difficult place to leave." He smiled at Hermes. "You may have to leave her here."

Hermes grinned good-naturedly at the curator.

"I'll try to pull her away."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be eager to see the collections. I will be in my office. Please take as long as you would like and do not hesitate to ask me anything."

The curator showed them to the first gallery and left quietly. Hermes watched Lucy take in the hall of art. She turned to him, enraptured.

"This is amazing."

He felt as though his heart would beat of his chest; surely it could not swell that much without something happening. Giving Lucy this, making her this happy, that was all he wanted. The god watched the mortal girl walk slowly from piece to piece, admiring the work silently. Occasionally she would tell him a tidbit of information that he accepted, though he already knew them all. He let her soak in the art at her pace, not concerned with the time or any schedule. He'd asked the day and night goddesses previously if they could extend the night, drawing out this experience for Lucy. They'd readily agreed, eager to repay the various services the messenger god had provided them over the centuries. So they had this one night, the longest night in several centuries. And Hermes was determined to make this Lucy's best night. Lucy, absorbing the multitude of art at her fingertips, would have agreed that it was.

Eventually, however, the first streaks of dawn began to filter through the dark horizon. Hermes reluctantly drew Lucy away from the museum. They walked along the Seine quietly.

Lucy sat on the ledge and looked up at him. She looked tired, but she'd told him she didn't want to go to sleep just yet.

"Thank you." She wore a simple expression of pure contentment.

"You don't have to thank me. It was just as good for me, believe me."

"Well, maybe, but...I thought I'd never be able to come here. I'd given up all hope of traveling anywhere after..." She looked up at him, smiling again. "Thank you."

Sitting next to her, he hugged her tightly. "Anytime. Truly."

Hermes flew Lucy home that morning, asleep in his arms. He watched her as he traversed the Atlantic. She was breathing slowly, a soft smile curving her lips. His heart still felt as if it was swollen, and her expression did nothing to alleviate the pressure.

When he reentered her apartment, he set her on the sofa, careful not to disturb her slumber. He pulled a blanket over her and sat in the chair across from her, pulling out a notice his father had wanted him to read. He was distracted from it often, peeking at the sleeping beauty on the couch.

She woke at around one and found Hermes napping in the chair. She pushed the

blanket off herself and sat up, smiling. When he blinked awake, she grinned at him.

"Morning, sleepy head."

"You should be talking," he retorted as he mussed his hair tiredly.

"Well, I was up all night in Paris with this insanely sweet guy."

"Sounds like you had a fun night."

She smiled widely at him. "I did."

He walked over and sat next to her and she hugged him tightly, her face crushed into his chest as it seemed to be so often these days (not that he complained).

"Thank you," she whispered into his shirt. He stroked her hair, his heart still prime to burst with happiness.

"Thank you."

Ta-da! And look, it's not even a cliff-hanger. Aren't you proud of me? So here it is. And I promise, since the next chapter's already done (I just have to edit it), it'll be out soon. After that...well, I can't promise anything. But I will keep working on it.