A/N: Another one posted! Sorry it took so long!

-Addie-

"Hey, Sleepy Head."

I blinked my eyes languidly. Someone was gently stroking my hair and a familiar scent enveloped me.

"Apollo?" I slurred. It came out more like a groan, but hey, I tried.

"I told you I would come," he whispered quietly to me. His lips grazed my forehead, and I grinned. I opened my eyes to find him kneeling by my bed. I rolled over, right on my bad shoulder.

"Ow," I muttered as I sat up. Apollo guided me so my back was to him. His hand grazed my bandage, and he started unwrapping the bandage from the wound.

"Ouch is right," he observed as he removed the bandage. "What happened?"

"Three-headed drakon that spit poison. Seemed to want me dead for some reason," I replied, rolling my eyes. His hand hovered over the wound and warmth spread throughout my shoulder. It itched as the skin healed.

"We've got to stop meeting like this. I feel like you are using me," he teased.

"Ha, ha. I don't remember asking," I replied nonchalantly.

"You'll never have to."

The heat faded, and Apollo's hand grazed my shoulder. He placed three of his fingers on the back of my shoulder, and ran them down at an angle towards my spine. I froze as realization hit me. He was tracing the scars. My mind flashed back to the memory.

Each strike felt like a thousand, and I had lost count after the tenth strike. A red, pain-filled haze filled my vision, and it took everything in me not to cry out. I felt the bite of the lash once more, carving a line of fire down my back. I couldn't hold back anymore. A sob escaped from my mouth. My hands gripped the floor, searching for something to hold on to. I had been ordered not to move, and my body was craving some form of release. I was grateful I did not have an audience. That would have made the pain and embarrassment a thousand times worse. My eyes were closed, but I could hear his footsteps against the marble floor.

"You will not challenge a god or goddess again, do you understand me?" Mars voice sounded. From the closeness of his voice, he was kneeling right in front of me. I could smell that metallic scent and felt the heat of his breath on my face.

"Yes," I whispered.

"Yes, what?" He tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

"Yes, Lord Mars."

His hand reached around my shoulder, his fingers following the path that the whip had left.

"Now, get this cleaned up and then come find me. I have a job for you…."

Apollo must have noticed the tension in my body because he removed his hand. My eyes were screwed tight, and I tried to control my breathing. I felt a rising panic in my chest, and I could not understand why.

"Hey," he whispered, pulling me to him. I shook my head, but he didn't let me pull away. Apollo wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me on to his lap. I took a deep breath, trying to control the panic. His hand rubbed soothing circles on my arm.

This was Apollo, not Ares. Apollo helped me get over everything, even though he never said anything about it. He noticed when I would flinch away, and he tried to help the best he could. He would keep me out of arms reach of the others or things like that. He did not get mad when I would flinch away, and as the years went by, I could stand his touch. It started with little gestures, and over time, I got over it almost completely. Sometimes it would all come back; all that fear and anxiety I had once felt would wreck havoc though me once again. Apollo, patient as ever, would wait it out. Slowly, I calmed down, and I found myself curled into him. His arms held me to him, and one of his hands found mine.

"You don't have to be strong all the time," he whispered to me. My head was tucked underneath his, and my forehead was resting against his neck, the heat radiating through my body. I nodded my head and stared at our hands. He had intertwined his fingers with mine. This wasn't the first time this had happened. I used to freak out when anyone touched me, but I had grown out of that with time. Apollo had always been more patient with me, especially after he had found out what I had dealt with.

"What did I do?"

"I hate those scars," I whispered. I felt the blush rush across my cheeks.

"I wish I could make them go away for you." He paused, like he was thinking of something. "You know, they are kind of beautiful in a way."

"Beautiful?" I questioned as I sat up. His amber eyes met mine, and I knew the confusion was on my face. Beautiful was the last word I would think of. They were an ugly reminder of what I was. He nodded his head, his eyes earnest.

"Scars are beautiful because they tell a story," he explained. His finger traced the newly formed scar on my chest where Hyperion had stabbed me. "They show the trials one has gone through, and that they managed to survive. They are badges of honor."

"I don't think these count like that," I whispered self-consciously. I looked down, shame coloring my features. Getting whipped because you mouthed off to a goddess wasn't exactly something to be proud about. He placed his hand on my cheek and stroked it gently with his thumb.

"To me, they say that a young woman was brave enough to stand up for herself against a bully. That no matter what comes her way, she manages everything with grace and honor. It's a testament to your strength, and to your temper," he added playfully. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "There's nothing that could mark you that would make you less beautiful than you already are."

"Really?"

"Really," he whispered back as he kissed my temple. I glanced up, and I was caught in his gaze. A look flashed on his face for just a second, and then it was gone.

"How was your day?" He asked me.

For the next hour or so, we just talked while he held me. It was weird, but in a good way. Since we became friends, we had talked a lot, but I had never been completely open with him. I had never been that way with anyone. Talking to him was like talking to my brother or Bear; it was just easy. I found myself telling him everything, and he acted just as invested in my problems as own. I even told him about Janus.

"That's interesting," he noted. Even I could hear the worry in his voice.

"Why is that interesting?"

He opened his mouth, like he was about to tell me, when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Apollo got up from the bed, me in his arms. He carefully deposited me on the floor, his arms wrapped around my waist. His lips met mine briefly but passionately, and I was left breathless. Apollo pulled back, a mischievous look on his face. He knew exactly what he was doing, the jerk.

"Better go before you are found out," I whispered back to him, a little condescendingly.

"If I'm outed with you, I don't think I would mind," he said teasingly back. "I'll see you soon." His lips brushed mine once more, and then, he vanished.

There was a knock at the door, and Annabeth stuck her head in.

"Oh, you're awake," she noted.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am," I stuttered as I ran a hand through my hair. I hoped she didn't notice the blush still on my cheeks.

"Well, we just made contact with Ella. Percy's about to talk to her, so I figured you'd want to be there."

I nodded my head and followed Annabeth to the dining room.

-Percy-

All the demigods gathered around, and I could see Ella's face through the falling mist. Thank the gods that Iris could send clear messages once again.

"Ella? Can you help us with something?"

"Ella likes to help friends," she stated as she wrung her hands.

"Okay, good. Do you remember the book that you read that had the prophecy about the daughter of Athena?"

"Yes, Ella remembers. Wisdom's daughter walks alone, the Mark of Athena burns through Rome," she recited as she nodded her head. I looked up, and Annabeth had just walked back in with Addie.

"Did you read that whole book, Ella?"

"Yes, yes, Ella likes books. Books are good for harpies," she muttered nervously. Everyone waited with bated breath. This was our last hope. We knew what Gaia wanted, and we could stop her from getting that, but how were we to stop her if she found a way to rise? Or if she turns the earth against us?

"Do you know any prophecies that might help us with Gaia? Anything about defeating or destroying the earth mother?"

I watched as Ella closed her eyes, muttering indistinctly to herself.

"Ella remembers a page, but the bottom was torn, yes. Words about an earth mother," she started. "Same page as seven half-bloods shall answer the call."

Everyone edges in closer, and even Addie pulls in. I glance back at her, but her expression is blank.

"Tell us, Ella, please. Tell us everything that page says," I said pleadingly.

"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, To storm or fire the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. The banes of the Olympians, all alive and strong, and earth mother prepared with her monstrous throng. The Olympian's failure will begin the end, the earth queen to rise and ascend…..The page was torn there. Ella does not like torn pages… or cheese."

The whole cabin was silent, and I was in shock. None of that sounded like we would succeed.

"Ella, were there any prophecies about a key?" Hazel asked from beside me. She placed a hand on my shoulder, gripping it in a loving manner.

"No, Ella does not remember. A lot of pages were torn."

No one said anything, and I could vaguely hear the clopping of Chiron's hooves.

"Thank you, Ella," Hazel said roughly. She cleared her throat and managed a small smile. "We have somewhere to get started thanks to you."

"Thanksgiving, American tradition, started in 1621," Ella supplied unhelpfully. She wandered off, and Chiron took her place in the message.

"Don't despair, remember, there are more lines. Prophecies-"

"-are never as they seem," I finished for him.

"Good Luck," he said with a small smile. With that, he waved his hand, and the Iris message vanished.

"Well, now that we've all had a cheerful message from home," Leo muttered sarcastically.

"That…. Did not sound good," Frank supplied.

"No, it didn't, but Chiron is right. Plus, there are more lines. We shouldn't lose hope," Piper said firmly. You could almost feel it trickle back into the cabin, thanks to her charmspeak. Addie raised her eyebrows at Piper, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I don't think there are many ways to misinterpret 'The Olympian's failure will begin the end, the earth queen to rise and ascend,'" Nico, said a little sarcastically.

"There's plenty of ways to interpret that," Addie supplied.

"Like what?"

"Well, what failure and who's end? They could fail at something, at that is what causes Gaia's end."

"Or maybe one of the Olympian's will cause the end of her resurrection, they will end that!" Hazel added.

"Exactly," Addie replied. "It's just as likely to mean something positive as it does something negative. Gaia might rise, I don't have anything for the second line, but that doesn't mean she won't be defeated."

"We need to find those last lines. We need to find the copy," Annabeth stated.

Everyone nodded their head tiredly, me included.

"We all need to get some sleep, it has been a long day," I offered to everyone.

"Now, just because you cupcakes are cramped up on this ship, does not mean that we get to have slumber parties with the opposite sex in the same bedroom!" Hedge warned. Addie snorted, and Hedge glared in her direction.

"I'll take first watch," Jason offered. "Nico, you can have my bed for a while."

"I'll take a watch, too," Addie added apologetically while glancing at Hedge.

"I can put the ship on auto-pilot. I'm sure with the security system that's now installed, Superman and Wonder Woman can keep the ship safe," Leo said smugly. Addie looked indignant, and Jason seemed a little confused.

"I prefer Black Widow, thank you very much," Addie added haughtily. Leo laughed and offered her a high-five. She smiled as their palms hit.

"Superman? Wonder Woman?" Jason asked. "Aren't those super heroes?"

"C'mon," Addie said with a smile. "I'll explain everything up top. I bet you don't know about Star Wars or Lord of the Rings either."

"He's absolutely adorable when he's confused," Leo cooed.

Jason punched Leo playfully in the arm, and Piper laughed. She gave Jason a quick hug, whispering something into his ear. I kissed Annabeth on the cheek before I walked over to Addie. Everyone was getting up and preparing to go to bed. However, I wanted to talk to Addie before I went to sleep.

I followed her up the stairs, and Jason went with Leo to watch the auto-pilot set up. Addie leaned against the rails, the breeze blowing her waves around her face.

"You okay?" I asked her.

"I'm fine, Percy."

I didn't look over, but I swear I could hear her rolling her eyes.

"You know, you could let someone worry about you," I offered sarcastically. She turned, her gaze a little wistful.

"People who care about me tend to get hurt."

"And what about Apollo? I doubt he will get hurt," I ventured. Okay, I was curious. Obviously there was something going on between them, and since I had not really had a chance to talk to her alone, I wanted to know. Addie's face went strangely black, like she slowly slid a mask on to cover her reaction.

"What about him? He's a god. He can manage himself."

"He just seems to care about you, that's all," I suggested.

"He's a friend," she replied back. I saw something slip in her expression for just a moment, and I knew then something was going on, but I knew better than to push Addie.

"Whatever you say," I chuckled back. She playfully hit my arm, a smile on her face.

"I never got to thank you properly, for the poison stuff. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you."

"What are little half-brothers for?"

She snorted, and we both started laughing.

"Get some sleep," she managed, walking towards Leo and Jason. "I'll come get you when I'm tired."

I climbed into bed a few moments later, and I quickly fell asleep. I don't know how long I had been out when the same dream started up.

There was fire and lava everywhere, with lightning and wind ripping around me. The land around me looked like it got hit with a nuclear bomb.

"You will not succeed, little Demigod."

I saw figures fighting around me, and the giants loomed over me.

"I will rise, and it will be your doing," Gaia whispered to me.

So, what did you guys think?

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