He was talking to another girl, and using his award-winning smile to do so. Her blood started to boil, and Connor removed his arm from her sharply.

"Ow! Gods Eirene, what is—?" He followed her gaze and found the core of her interest. "Oh."

Yes. Oh, indeed. Nicholas was speaking to another girl, brunette this time, and he was stroking her hair; stroking her jewel-encrusted hairpin right out of her hair.

He's doing it again! Eirene thought angrily, and then marched over to where he stood. When his eyes caught sight of her, he looked like he wanted to bolt, but she caught his forearm before he could scram.

"Hello!" She smiled broadly at the girl. "What's your name?"

Eirene was instantly given what she assumed was a 'is that his is girlfriend?' look. "Who are you?" She sounded nasty, but Eirene put it down to the girl feeling threatened.

"I'm a friend of Nick's." From the corner of her eyes, she saw Connor and Andrew watching. "Though I believe he's taken something from you."

"She's crazy." Nick was shaking his head and trying to tug his arm away from her grasp.

She held unto him with two hands now. She turned back to the girl. "What happened to the pin in your hair?"

The brunette looked baffled and ran her hand through her hair, once, twice, and found nothing. She ruffled her entire head but found that it was empty. Her expression, now directed towards Nick, was filled with anger. "Thief!"

He shook his head frantically. "You've got it wrong!"

"Give me my hairpin back! It's antique!"

She girls snatched her jewelry back from his hands, and slapped him. She nodded thanks at Eirene, and then sauntered away. The boy turned to Eirene with an angered expression, yanking his sleeve from her.

"What the hell's your problem!?"

"My ring! You stole my ring! I wasn't about to let you make another innocent girl your victim."

"You're crazy. I don't even know you." He lied, dipping his hands in his pockets. His eyes darted around, looking for an escape. Eirene had never wanted to hurt someone so badly.

So she did. She kicked him in the groin, and he doubled over in pain. Andrew and Connor ran over, holding Eirene back as she attempted to kick him again.

"Gods, Eirene, calm down! Calm down!" Andrew was lifting her in air as she squirmed; trying to break free of his grasp. She didn't care that people were staring, some whispering. She needed her ring, her sword back. She needed her only connect to Zeus that she had.

Nick was on the ground, his face turning pink. Shaking; his hands dug into his pockets and pulled out a small rock. Upon closer inspection, Eirene saw that it was her ring.

She leaped out of Andrew's arm and snatched it, sliding it on her finger in admiration. Happiness filled her; she'd finally gotten it back! She wouldn't feel useless in missions, always waiting for the men to rescue her—

A groan came from below her, and she remembered Nicholas was there. When she looked at him, she suddenly felt terrible. He looked like he was in serious distress, and Eirene hadn't meant to hurt him that badly. He was just a petty thief, after all. Maybe she should have been easier on him. She crouched down and shook him slightly.

"Are…are you okay?"

He glanced at her, spit on the ground, and then groaned again. "Crazy Bitch, stay away from me."

"Hey, watch it." Andrew said, lifting Nick off the ground by his collar. "You stole her ring; you can't expect her not to be angry about that." He was trying to analyze this guy. Was he stealing because he was poor and it was the only way for him to make money? Andrew would be a little bit more understanding if that was the case, but it clearly wasn't. The guy's appearance and attitude radiated someone who was pampered and confident. His shoes were shiny, his coat felt expensive, and his shirt was brand-name. His hair, along with his face, was clean and styled in a fashionable manner. So he read his eyes, and tried to see something that gave him an answer, and he found one.

In Nicholas's eyes, Andrew saw something that was very familiar. It was the same look he had harbored several years ago against his father; contempt and determination. The look was someone who was tired of always being belittled. He roughly shoved the guy away. "Bugger off. And if we ever see you doing what you just did, we'll call the police."

Nick staggered as he was pushed back, and threw all three of them a look of ultimate dislike. Then he turned around and walked away.

Eirene was battling between feeling sorry for the guy and still being upset with him. "Do you think I kicked him too hard?"

"He's up and walking isn't he?" Connor pointed out. "Doesn't matter, we should get going." He acted like everything was fine, but she noticed that he was giving her a strange look.

Eirene had never had a temper like this before, and she assumed it was Bia's revelations that had ignited this new flame in her. And she wasn't sure whether she liked it...though when she looked at that ring glistening on her finger, all her worries went away and she just felt relief.

Andrew heaved a huge sigh, and when she glanced at him she saw that his face was a bit pale. She caught his gaze and he looked away, so she decided it better not to bring it up. But as the day went on she became more and more observant of him, and how his back was slouched when he walked. When he breathed, it sounded heavier than usual. And it wasn't until they encountered a Minotaur that Eirene noticed how he wasn't fighting as passionately as usual. It was then everything clicked.

They had briefly stopped by a deli to catch their breath, and Connor went off to order them some food. Eirene scooted closer to Andrew, and stared him down.

He tried to ignore her for a long time, but finally he returned her look. She spoke.

"You're sick."

He shook his head. "I'm not sick."

"But… your nose is red and your breathing is heavy."

"Maybe I'm just allergic to nosy people." He snapped.

"There's no need to be rude about it. I'm just worried about your health."

He sighed, placing his hand on his forehead. "You're right, I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just…I'm angry. I'm angry at myself for letting this happen. I can't even remember the last time I had a cold, so I have no idea how this happened."

In the back of her mind, Eirene ran over the conversation she had with Connor, and she thought he was right. Andrew wasn't used to pain. He wasn't very used to strenuous activity, and even if he was a good fighter it seemed like he learned to fight in a very controlled environment, devoid of any real-life aspects. In hindsight, he wasn't the most ideal person to accompany her on this quest, but she was very curious as to why he needed to swim in the Styx River. He had said it was for someone he loved, and that, along with the look in his eyes, had sold her on letting him come with. Although, he had his brains, and those are still a crucial strength they needed on this mission.

"You should take ambrosia." She suggested, though received a shake of the head from him.

"It's not too bad. It's not like I'm passing out or anything, I just feel a little queasy at times." He covered his mouth to cough. "I'm thinking it's a light cold, and it'll go away in a couple of days."

Connor arrived with three full-length sandwiches, and a folded piece of paper he dug into his pocket. Out of curiosity, Eirene asked him what it was.

"Oh, that nice lady over there said if I ever wanted free sandwiches, I should just call." He gestured to the girl who stood behind the counter, and she gave him a wink. He returned a smile.

Andrew gathered his sandwich and took a bite, but set it after he brandished a disgusted look on his face. Eirene silently hoped he was right: That this was only a light cold that wouldn't last long. They ate their sandwiches in silence, while Andrew just sipped on some water.

The rest of their day, to Eirene's surprise, was pretty uneventful. They weren't anymore monster attacks, and they hadn't been able to find the bakery. Even though they followed the instructions, when they arrived to the building, it was called something else entirely.

"Do businesses pick up and move this often?" Connor complained, as the store they faced no longer read 'Levain Bakery' but instead said 'Olive Garden'. "We're never going to find it at this pace. What if his 'hideout' isn't even here anymore? What if he picked up and moved?"

Eirene considered that throughout the day, and well into the night, when they checked into a hotel for a day. She wasn't even sure this 'bakery' was in New York, and what if she had remembered the name wrong? This entire quest had been based upon what she'd said…

Connor was snoring loudly next to her, and Andrew was seated on the floor. She transferred herself over to him, feeling his temple. "Your fever…"

"It's gone down, thanks."