A/N: Hey guys! I am so so sorry I have not updated the past couple of days! I had to come home from college for the funeral, and with homework and family, I just did not have the time. Not to mention that I'm sick on top of it all! I'm sorry, I'm rambling and I'm sure you do not want to hear about my life!

I will hopefully update at least once more today, maybe more? No promises, though! ;)

I'll have more at the bottom!

Addie's POV

I woke up, but I did not want to. I was tired and sore beyond words, but something was nagging at me. Something seemed off.

I was not in pain, at least not near as much as I had been.

I opened my eyes, glancing sleepily around me. There was a soft light coming from a candle in the corner of the room. The sun was just about to rise, the sky lit in a blaze of pink and violet. It was still dark enough that the lights twinkled in the skyline. I still felt feverish and sore, but I felt….. better. How could I feel better? Had Apollo given be some sort of temporary relief?

I looked down at my arm, and I gasped. The black was gone, completely gone.

That meant…..

Oh my gods.

I felt the blush erupt on my cheeks before my hands ever made it to my face. I was in shock, and I was deeply surprised. I did not even know my deepest fears, so how in the world was someone else going to know? It made me feel violated almost, like someone had taken a look inside my head without my permission.

It had to have been Apollo, but where was he? There was a chair set beside my bed, and empty bottle of nectar on the floor beside it. He must have gone somewhere, if he had stayed here. I shook my head and tried to sit up in my bed. At the moment, I wanted to stop feeling vulnerable and just get a freaking shower. I felt disgusting.

The minute I tried to lift my body, I fell back down into the bed. I may have been cured, but I still felt like I had been put through the ringer. Every movement was slow and measured, every breath harsh and ragged. I managed to sit up, breathing heavily against my headboard.

Getting a shower was going to be a lot of work.

I managed to get to my bathroom, one agonizing step at a time. I turned the water as hot as it would go, letting the steam build up. It was pleasantly suffocating, and it made my chest hurt just a little less.

I let the hot water run over my body, and my muscles finally started to relax just a little. It was extremely taxing, standing like this, but the feel of the water against my skin was worth it. I started examining my body, looking for the remnants of the damage that was done.

All my cuts and bruises were gone for the most part. There was a faint pink stab wound from where Hyperion had managed to get me in my leg, and I could feel the bump on my skin from the one on my chest. They were going to scar, obviously. Some wounds, especially those from an immortal, just never seem to heal properly. Other than that, my bones were mended, the small cuts and bruised completely gone. Even the spot where Arachne had bit me was smooth and clear.

I still felt like I had the flu, but maybe with some nectar, I could get back up to speed. The gods were not very patient beings, and I knew I did not have much time until I got pulled for another assignment. There was only so much that the others could do for me. If they made it easy, the others would just make it harder. I tried to assess the damage. If I could get today off, I should be able to function tomorrow. I may not have a choice.

The empty feeling inside me welled up once again, and I felt myself slide to the floor of the shower, no longer able to bear my own weight. It did not matter if I wanted rest or not. I would have to do as they said. I wished Apollo had been there when I had woken up. He would have sent me somewhere, to do something easy so I could rest. That brought up a whole other set of emotions.

How had Apollo known? I knew he was a friend, but did he know me that well? Did he have any help? I felt ashamed. I had tried to be strong, to keep my fears and emotions from showing for so long, and I had obviously failed. How could someone know me so intimately, when I had tried my very best to keep it from the world?

Tiberius would have known. My brother would have known. I had really never been close enough to anyone since then for them to know something so personal about me.

Maybe with time came familiarity. Maybe Apollo had been paying attention all these years and was a good friend to me. Either way, he had to have known them. That meant he knew me a lot better than I thought he did, which bothered me. Not in a bad way exactly, but it still bothered me.

I think it was because he was one of the twelve. He was the one I trusted most, among the few that I did trust. He was my boss, one of the ones that gave me this curse, and he actually noticed and cared enough about me to save me. The thought was somewhat sobering. I had thought no one really cared whether I lived or died. Sure, Urban and Thalia might be upset, but the others? They have seen the deaths of mortals all the time, and they got over them. Mortals are just a passing thing to the gods. We are temporary, and very seldom do any of them make a lasting impression.

I just could not buy that I somehow had. I was a slave, a mortal to be punished, nothing more.

The water was starting to get colder, and I sighed in frustration. All the magic in the world, and I still could not manage to have a long, hot shower. I picked myself up, my body protesting with every tiny movement. My mind felt clearer, which was a good thing, but my body felt no better. I stepped out, the cloud of steam keeping me warm.

I looked in the mirror for just a moment, examining my face once more. I had lost some weight over the past few days. The grey shadows under my eyes seemed permanent now, and my eyes looked duller and a little crazed. I was decently sure I was still running a fever. The grey offset the normal brightness of my eyes, like the way the sea looks when a storm is coming. It was unsettling to me. I had never looked this tired and worn out before. I almost did not recognize myself.

I wrapped myself in a thick white towel, making sure every inch of me was covered. More than once, I had popped out to find someone waiting for me. I would never say this out loud, but most of the gods are total drama queens. They like to make the most awkward, inappropriate, and startling entrances ever. I inched my head out of my bathroom, glancing quickly around.

It was empty. Thank…. Well, not them. Not this time.

It was freezing, and I went to my closet to pull out some clothes. I knew it was summer, but I pulled out a pair of skinny jeans along with a soft, white cotton top. I started to get dressed, trading my towel for the undergarments and clothes I had picked out. As I pulled my shirt down, I got the feeling I was being watched. I spun around quickly, my long, wet hair flying wildly around me.

Ares was standing right behind me.

Fear, pure as the first time I ever saw him, lanced through my body. I felt my hands grip the edge of my closet, and I wished I had my bracelets on. I always felt better when I had a weapon around him, even if I could not use it. He was looking at me appreciatively, the ghost of that old look in his eyes. It made me feel sick and apprehensive. It had been almost a thousand years since he had done anything like that to me.

Most of the gods did not act that way anymore. The legends were true. They did some really horrible and terrible things back in the day. They would take what they want when they wanted it, and they still do. Now, they were just more discreet and charming about it. I knew Ares was not the first god to do something like he did to me. All of them had done it, even a couple of the women, like Demeter and Aphrodite. But none besides him had ever done it to me.

And that was why he frightened me so.

"You look like you have lost weight, Euadne."

He never called me by my nickname, which I was thankful for. Or at least, I had never heard him call me that. That is what my friends called me. Not him.

"I have not had much time to eat these past few days," I muttered carefully. I did not know how much everyone knew, and I was not about to get Athena in trouble.

"Yes, being in Tartarus will do that. I've never been myself," he said, taking a step closer. I reflexively took a step back, my back pressing into my clothes. I could feel myself shaking, even more than I was before he came. He could tell, and I was sure he was getting some kind of sick pleasure from it. "I'm sure it was unpleasant. Am I right?"

He asked a question because he knew I would have to answer. I did not have to look at him while I did. I turned my head, looking at my bracelets lying on the table beside my bed. The two bangles laid there, my daggers in their dormant form, along with the bracelet Tiberius had given me.

"Yes, Lord Ares."

It was silent for a few minutes, and I felt my body start to weaken once again. Adrenaline can only last for so long, and at the sight of Ares, it helped keep me alert. I felt myself start to sag, and I shifted so my back was at the edge of my closet. I leaned against it using it to support my weight. Ares's hands came beside me, one resting on the frame by my head, the other gripping my arm painfully.

"Euadne, look at me."

I did not want to, and for a second, I was feeling rebellious enough that I wanted to fight the order. Before I had the chance, he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"Two thousand years, and I still see that spark in your eyes. It is very appealing, you know, and even more satisfying to conquer," he said. His hands left my chin, brushing my cheek. I wanted to punch the living shit out of him and call him every single curse word I could think of in every language that I knew (which was a lot). And that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted a rise out of me, and I refused to give it to him. I just looked into his eyes, and he stared back, his lips turning up at the corners.

"Good girl! You are finally starting to learn your place," he said as he took a step back. I tried to hide my relief. "How are you feeling?"

"Not well at all," I said. My voice sounded so tired, and it did reflect how I felt. All I wanted to do was lay back down and sleep for the next few days. I also needed time to process everything that had happened mentally, which for now, was carefully stuck in a drawer in my head.

"Well, you need to fix that in the next few hours because you will be fighting in the Games."

"I-uh-what?" I stuttered out. I felt myself pale. I could barely hold myself up, how in the world was I going to be able to fight? Ares grinned in satisfaction. He knew that, and was going to make me fight anyways.

"Yes, you will fight in the Games, and you will do everything in your power to win. I have a bet on you already," he added playfully. "You need to be at the arena in two hours."

"You will lose your money, my Lord," I whispered rigidly back to him. "If you expect me to win. I am not at my best form at the moment."

"Oh, I'm sure you will find a way, Euadne," he said, leaning back into me. His lips were by my ear, and his scent invaded my nostrils. He always had a sweaty and metallic scent to me, the way men smell after a battle. It was not exactly unpleasant the first time I smelled it, but now, all it did was make me remember details I did not want to remember. I remembered the touches that I did not want, words that I did not want to say, the pain when I fought it. His breath tickled my hair, and despite my efforts at keeping my reactions hidden, I flinched. He chuckled, and then whispered sinisterly into my ear.

"Either way, win or lose, I will be pleased."

Whew! How did ya'll like it?

Thank you for all the reviews, and please keep them coming! I love to know what ya'll think, so I can make sure I am portraying everything accurately! I love talking to you guys, and it absolutely makes my day. :) I try to respond to everyone!

I'm going to throw out a question, and I'd love to hear what everyone thinks! What decade in the last century could you see Addie fitting in the best (ie, 1920s, 1960s, ect.). I have an idea in my head, but I would love to see how ya'll interpret her character. :)