A/N: So how about two updates today? (I think). Forgive me because college is crazy right now, and it is my birthday! :D

Sorry for the typos as well :P

This chapter is very character-developmenty, but it is essential to the plot line, so I hope you enjoy it!

Also, thank you to all the new follows and favorites!

-Percy-

For the next two days, we sailed towards the city of Delfi. It was a little over halfway to Athens, and things were getting easier on the ship. Everyone was starting to warm up to Addie, that is, everyone except Nico. He never said anything to her; he just ignored her like she wasn't there.

Leo and Addie had bonded over the last few days, which I was actually happy about. Addie didn't seem to have a lot of friends, and it made me happy that she found someone to connect with. At the moment, we were somewhere between Karpenissi and Delfi. Because we were still working on a few repairs, we were not going very fast.

I walked up to the deck, and Addie was watching the controls while Leo was working on wiring something in the dash. He seemed different now that I had come back from Tartarus. He was a little more distant acting towards me, and I wondered why.

I sat down against the railing and watched the clouds pass around us. Piper and Hazel were taking turns sparring one level down while Jason, Frank, and Nico watched and gave pointers. Annabeth was below deck in her room, trying to find something on Daedalus's laptop that could possibly help us with finding the Sibylline books.

"The Xbox is way better than a Wii. If we don't die, I'm making you play some games on kinect," Addie told him while he worked. She had an apple in her hand, munching on it with a large smile.

"Only if you'll play the Wii. I'd kick your butt in Mario kart," he warned her.

"I'm sure you would," she snorted.

Leo came up from underneath the control panel, looking pleased with himself.

"That was the last repair. The spankin' hot war machine is back!" he stated with a grand hand gesture. I couldn't help but laugh, and he glanced at me, but the smile fell on his face. He glanced at the controls and what looked like a GPS popped up on one of the screens.

"We should be to Delfi by nightfall. Should we wait until morning before going in the ruins?" Leo asked us.

I shrugged my shoulders. Addie leaned back, closing her eyes.

"I'd say wait until morning. We have a week right now. With all of us looking, it shouldn't take that long to find if it is there," she replied with a yawn. "But that's up to you guys. I highly doubt the ruins were as pristine as they were when I was still aging. They are probably underground and overrun with monsters," she added hopefully.

"That's great," Leo muttered sarcastically. The others had wondered up, and they all sat down around us.

"What are you guys talking about?" Jason inquired.

"Plan of attack," I stated. I recapped what had been said, and the others voiced their opinions.

"I say we wait until morning," Frank suggested. "If we are going to have to go underground, it would probably be best to do it during the day. Monsters are less active."

"Nico and I can help with navigating underground," Hazel piped in.

Annabeth walked up from below deck, a weary look on her face.

"I looked everywhere, but I could not find a single thing about the books. I wish we could get some help, that would be nice," she groaned as she sat down.

"I wouldn't expect any until the big showdown," Addie uttered.

"Why's that?" Jason asked.

"Honestly, I doubt the gods have time. They are kind of playing catch-up with their responsibilities and getting ready for the war. The reason no one has heard anything from them was due from the switching between their Roman and Greek forms, and that was an absolute nightmare in itself."

It was silent for just a minute or so as everyone took that in. I held resentment towards my father for ignoring me since the Titan War. I was mad at how they were treating us. They were already somewhat unreliable and volatile before the war, and I could imagine the craziness that would have started the minute everything was closed off and went to hell. I had met my father only a few times in my whole entire life and the other gods maybe once or twice. They were my family, but I did not know anything more than what legend told me.

"What are they like, really?" Jason asked, and I could hear the wistfulness in his voice. He was voicing the thing all of us wondered. What were our parents really like? Everyone looked at Addie expectantly, with that same wondering look I knew must be on my face.

"The gods?" she questioned. She looked uncomfortable, and her teeth were worrying over her bottom lip. Jason nodded his head. Addie sighed and ran her hands through her hair.

"You've heard all the legends? The good and the bad?"

I nodded my head, and I noticed the others doing the same. I may not have known all of them, but I could think of a few, including Addie's, that were awful. There were some that showed good in the gods as well.

"Our parents…the first thing you have to understand is that they are not human. They are something beyond what mortals are; they are ancient forces, more tied to magic and creation than we can ever be without their intervention. They are the personification of ideas, dreams, desires, you name it. They are temperamental, easily offended, and stronger than you can ever comprehend. They can be insanely cruel and harsh. However," she said, taking a deep breath. "They are good."

"This is just my opinion, so I better not hear any of you telling what I'm about to say. Although, it would not surprise me if some of them were listening," she continued as she rolled her eyes. Her expression turned to something I could not exactly pin down. She looked old to me then, and I realized though Addie looked about my age, she was far older, really.

"I've seen incredibly kind and good acts from the gods. They have forgiven when they should not have just as often as they have condemned. I believe that they envy mortals, and they wish they had the kindness and compassion that they can show. They want to love like them, to have that moment of clarity where you are wanted for you, not what you can do. Beings as old as they are…you start to lose yourself over time. The emotions that were so strong and rich fade the older you get. Things don't affect you as much when you are immortal. For them to make an impact, it has to be something significant. When a god loves or cares about something or someone, nothing will stop them from protecting it. They don't interfere in your lives because they can't, not because they care nothing for you."

"I guess what I am trying to say is that they are everything you have ever heard about them, but they are also so much more. Deep down, I guess you can say they are just human. They are forgetful, and they are stuck in their ways. They have their faults, just like we do. You'll never hear any of them admit this, but sometimes, they are wrong and make mistakes. However, they try to do what is best by the world and by their family, which includes you guys. So don't resent them. Most of the time, from what I've seen, they wish they could interfere more."

I kind of just looked at Addie. I didn't even know what to say to her. Was it really true? My father had told me that I was his favorite son, and I wanted to believe him. Maybe it just like with your human parents. Sometimes they drove you crazy and you hated them, but you always loved them. Everyone one else was silent as well, thinking about what she said.

-Addie-

After a long, tense silence, we all had talked for a while on deck. As it got around dinner time, they all drifted downstairs to eat. I was not very hungry, so I volunteered to stay up top while everyone ate. That was my excuse, but the real reason was that I felt a summons in my head ordering me to make sure I was alone. I was pretty sure it was Apollo, but sometimes, it was hard to tell.

I could not help but admire the Greek countryside. It was beautiful, but different from how I remember it. When I was in Greece, everything was hazy. We were moving so fast, always on the edge of danger. I wondered to myself what would have happened if I had just gave in. I could have left them, and there would have been nothing my brother, Tiberius, or the others could have done about it. Was it selfish, that I never did? I thought so, but I never voiced that out loud. What was in the past was in the past, and there was no use to worry over it now. There was nothing I could do about it.

At least that's what I told myself.

It was dark now, and I spent time playing with the controls. I was trying to figure out how to use the Archimedes sphere Leo had installed. My fingers were messing with it, when I felt a presence behind me.

I turned, and there was Apollo, lounging against the rail. He looked absolutely dazzling. He had on a navy blue shirt and khaki pants. His bow and quiver were slung across his back, and that smile that he had on his face pretty much made me want to self-combust. I hated him for that, and I'm decently sure he knew it too. He sauntered towards me, and the look in his eyes made me freeze. Not in fear, but in that way that I wasn't sure what to do. I was just nervous. A smile played on my lips. I was happy to see him, but at the same time, my stomach was doing flips. I was leaning against the control panel, my hands braced on it behind me.

Apollo wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him. It made me off balance, so I had to grab onto him to steady myself. The heat felt wonderful, and the tension that had been in my body was gone. He kissed me quickly but sweetly, and my world spun for just a moment. It had only been two days since I had seen him, and I realized that I had missed him terribly.

"I don't have long," he whispered to me.

I nodded my head, unsure of what to say. He smiled, and used one of his hands to brush the hair out of my face.

"You are going to make me jealous, spending so much time with Hephaestus's son," he teased me. I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes. His hands were stroking my back, almost possessively. But that wasn't the right word. They way he was holding me, so firm yet gentle, was more of a protective feeling.

"I'm a little too old for him," I muttered. "Besides, he has a girl. Well, a nymph actually."

Leo had told me about Calypso, and we talked a little about it. I promised to help him if I could. I liked Calypso, and I felt for her. She was pretty much in the same position I was. At least she got to do what she wanted.

"I'm older than you," he countered.

"Well three thousand compared to two thousand is a lot different than two thousand compared to fifteen," I reminded him.

"Fair point," he chuckled. I pulled back so I could look him in the eye.

"You have no reason to be jealous," I whispered to him. It would have freaked me out if anyone touched me the way he does.

"Yes, I do. They get to see you every day, and I can't," he whispered as he brushed his lips against my temple. "They can watch over you, and I cannot as much as I want to. I want to make sure you are safe."

Our eyes met, and I felt dizzy with emotion. Here was a god who cared about me. I didn't doubt him. I knew how gods were in relationships, and for some reason, I was fine with the way things were going. I didn't know what he expected, but I was not expecting any more than what I was getting now. His eyes grew sad and regretful, and I was about to ask what was wrong, when he placed his thumb over my lips. He swept it over them, his touch light. It sent a tingle throughout my system, and I swore my heart skipped a beat.

"I need to tell you something," he whispered to me. "Well, two things."

I nodded my head, curious at what he wanted to tell me.

"One, be careful when you are at Delfi. I fear that something will hurt you. All I can see is that something will cause you great pain, what kind, I do not know," he added worriedly.

"I'll be okay," I reassured him. "What's the other thing?" He paused, which I thought was rather strange. Gods hardly ever pause for anything.

"Do you remember the question you asked me while you were down in Tartarus? Why the twelve on the council have control over you, not just Ares?"

I nodded my head, stunned. I had not expected to get an answer. I had put it to Gaia's tricks. I had chosen to forget it.

"Well, I want to tell you why because you have every right to know. The others cannot know that I told you. The real reason-"

I could hear voices come up the stairs, and we both looked in their direction. I turned back to Apollo, worry etched on my face. The same worry was on his features as well, but there was a tad of desperation there as well.

"Go," I said. "I know they can't find out. You can tell me next time, if you still want to."

"Of course I will. I want you to trust me," he said sadly.

"I already do," I whispered back to him. I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. He took my face in his hands and kissed me. That same bit of desperation was there in that kiss. Maybe he feared me getting hurt, but to me, it was almost like he was asking for forgiveness. It was strange. He pulled away and when I opened my eyes, he was gone.

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