Alright, so we're going off the rails here. Like, we're swerving away from Greek mythology. I've never studied actual Greek mythology, and mainly because plot-wise it works better and is more dramatic. If the Greek mythology aspect was a big draw for you, well,,,I guess stop reading now? Just thought I'd give that fair warning in case it was.

Also I know the Grove I supposed to give prophecies in the form of limericks but consider: limericks hard. And I'm too impatient to craft one.

CONTENT WARNING: panic attacks, suicide ideation

In the Dark

The others filed back in; Chiron, Rachel, and Lyra and Cressida joined. I wondered where Kayla and Austin were, but then remembered they'd been infected with Apollo's plague arrow, so they were probably recovering in the Apollo cabin's infirmary, or the cabin itself.

Everyone gathered around my cot and I tried to tramp down on my growing prickles and the sensation that I was cornered. Dan continued to sit next to me, pressing his leg against mine, which helped ground me a little.

I took a steadying breath.

"I'm keeping a promise I made," I started. "But I need you to know how dangerous it is that you know any of this. This may go without saying, but if you go back into the city"—I gave Percy and Rachel a meaningful look—"you have to watch what you say. They have the city on lockdown—tapped into the CCTV. Be careful."

I paused to let that sink in and then I explained what had happened after I left camp a few months ago. About how Triumvirate had kidnapped me, Dan, and Anya; how they had threatened Dan and Anya's lives, forcing me to work for them. I tried not to go too into detail, but did tell them that they often sent me on missions, and that releasing the Colossus was one of them. I felt that gave them a pretty good picture of the predicament I was in. (I also skirted around things not directly related to Triumvirate, and thus skirted around having to explain my fractal burns. Among other things.)

It felt weird to summarize such a fraught time. Something that was still weighing on me.

I was always on edge, always afraid one wrong move I'd make would get Dan or Anya hurt, or killed. Always afraid I would get caught with the…side projects, shall we say, that I did when I wasn't doing something for them.

It felt too clinical. How could I explain to them to make them understand how I felt? How it felt to know that I had to once again choose between two impossible choices every day? How it felt to live with the choices I made if they got someone hurt or killed? How tired I was?

Maybe it would've been easier to end my life. Would they finally leave my brother and Anya alone? Or would they demand he work for them, then? Could I gamble their lives like that?

No one spoke when I was finished. Beside me, Dan was glaring at them, like he was daring them to challenge the choices I made. I found it sweet but surprising. I'm not entirely sure why, but maybe part of it was because my decisions were currently keeping him and Anya alive.

And trust me, we'd spoken at length about this whole situation. Dan never said it out loud, but I knew he'd gladly die to get me out of my contract. But he didn't want to leave Anya with that. And we had both agreed that Anya would not die because of our dangerous demigod lives. Nor did we want to leave Anya to be preyed upon by Triumvirate because Dan did not put it past them to take it out on her. Or me, since, presumably, I'd still be alive, as well. I would not put it past them, either.

"That doesn't explain how you were able to avoid getting hay fever," Will finally said, breaking the yawning silence. I could see the gears turning in his head as he tried to process everything I'd just told them. They all had the same quizzical and baffled expressions as they all took it in. Well, except for Dan and Nico. Apollo looked horrified, but speechless.

"I've been practicing sorcery," I said carefully.

Will shook his head. "Dad made a plague arrow. Simple sorcery wouldn't dispel that, necessarily. Not by itself, anyway. You'd need some kind of remedy or cure."

We had a staring contest. He was silently calling me out while I silently begged him to him to let it go. But Will was unyielding. I had promised to tell him everything, hadn't I? He could tell I was holding back. (Another thing I found I often did, despite the word "everything.")

If I didn't say something now, Will would only continue to needle. And I would have to tell them anyway.

I took a loud breath in and blew it out in annoyance.

"During my training," I started slowly, "combat wasn't the only thing they required me to practice."

"So, it was sorcery," Will said, though it didn't sound like a question.

I exhaled sharply again. "Apollo is the god of a lot of things. And they wanted to see how many of his domains I could…access through my demigod powers."

Will's frown deepened; his eyebrows mashed together. "What does that mean?"

I sighed, shifting where I sat My prickles were really starting to bother me. I just wanted to take some pain meds and pass out.

"It's complicated, Will," I said. "Archery is a given. None of the creative or humanity domains matter to people like the emperors. But things like truth and knowledge? Healing and diseases? That's something they can use, can exploit." Will opened his mouth, probably to tell me I hadn't answered his question so I barreled on before he could interrupt me. "I can tell when someone is lying. I can deduce information from context clues. I can access any kind of medical knowledge on the fly, and I can expel plague magic from my body. Not just plague magic—curses, spells, nearly any magic, sickness, disease."

As I gave examples, understanding dawned on Nico's face.

He opened his mouth to say something once I had finished, but Apollo interrupted him, "And it's killing you."

I looked over at him—he was still sitting on the edge of the cot across from me and Dan—surprised.

Will sat forward, blinking, but Percy stole his line, "Wait, what?" His tone was so harsh, it startled me.

Apollo continued to look at me as he answered Percy, "I've seen this before. One of my children, long ago. Ancient times long ago." He paused. Slowly, he turned to look at Percy. "He also tried to see how much of my domains he could access through his demigod powers."

Percy inclined his head slightly. "I don't like where this is going."

Apollo shook his head. "No, it killed him. Very slowly and painfully. He died very young."

Dan reached over and took my hand, giving it a tight squeeze. I looked over at him, but he was looking at the floor with a pained expression. We had argued about this a lot, too. It was honestly very reminiscent of how much Luke and I argued about whether or not I should give up my life so he could stop serving Kronos. I wondered if my life would continue to be so circular until I died. Which, going at this rate, wouldn't be for very long.

"Then stop!" Will burst. I frowned at him but when I met his eyes I realized his outburst was not one of anger but one of desperation.

He was scared.

"I can't," I said quietly, my anger dying under all the worried looks everyone was giving me.

"S-sure you can," Cressida stuttered. "These emperors can't know if you use them or not, right? They can't be monitoring you that closely anymore."

"It's more complicated than that," I said, giving her a sympathetic smile. "It's not a faucet. I can't turn it on and off."

"I-I…I don't understand," Lyra said.

Chiron chimed in then, his voice solemn. "What she's trying to say is, once a demigod taps into godly powers they may not have necessarily had previously, they cannot undo such a choice. That power will continue to flow through them. The domains that Tori has accessed will continue to flow through her. But because Apollo is the god over many domains, it can easily become overwhelming. Especially for a demigod, who is not equipped to handle such a rush of constant power."

"Then why am I still alive?" Percy asked.

"You are a child of the Big Three, Percy," Chiron said, turning to him. "You are a powerful demigod. The child of a powerful god who rules over an immense and powerful domain. Even then, I am sure you have felt the side effects of using your powers too much at a single time."

"That…that doesn't seem right." Percy frowned, his eyebrows knitting together.

I shrugged, helplessly, not knowing what to say. If there even was anything to say.

"That's it," I finally said. "It's late. You guys should get some sleep."

Nico rolled his eyes, breaking the tension that'd been growing. "Thanks, Mom."

Will frowned at his joke, but didn't say anything. At least the others seemed to take the joke a bit better. I couldn't blame Will—but dark humor was a dear friend to me and had been for a long time now.

No one moved, though. I imagine it felt weird to just leave it there. It felt unfinished. They didn't want to leave me. I could see them trying to think of a way to either get me out of my current predicament or comfort me in some way.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I didn't have to break up the group. Ellery and Huixing did that for me.

Dan noticed them first. He let go of my hand, standing, both his hands furling into fists as he glared at the two standing in the doorway to the infirmary.

"What are you doing here?" Dan asked, his voice nearly a growl.

Everyone else turned to look at them. Ellery leaned against the doorframe casually, hands in his pockets. And yes, he was wearing a suit. Huixing stood just behind him, on his flank, but in profile, with her head turned to look through the door.

Ellery ignored Dan and met my eyes. "You said you'd check in."

I rolled my eyes. "I was a little busy."

"Who are they?" Percy asked.

Ellery opened his mouth to answer, but Dan cut him off. "It doesn't matter." He didn't take his eyes off them.

Huixing frowned. "That's not fair."

"Isn't it?" Dan asked, spitting venom. Huixing's frown deepened, but she didn't say anything more.

"Come back tomorrow," I said. "I was going to head back into the city tomorrow, anyway."

"It's a long drive," Ellery said.

Dan opened his mouth to respond but Chiron quickly said, "You are welcome to stay in the Big House for the night. There are some spare bedrooms upstairs."

"Chiron," Dan complained, looking at the old centaur with a wounded expression. Percy also looked skeptical, but he was looking at me, not Chiron.

"We do not turn away demigods, Daniel," Chiron said gently but firm. "You know that."

Dan couldn't come up with an argument against that. We both knew they weren't a danger. (Not that anyone else in the room knew that, though.) Well, they were no more a danger being here than I was. I think a lot of his anger was misplaced. Just like my anger at Ellery for the Colossus, Dan placed his anger on safe targets like Ellery and Huixing, rather than the emperors.

"Tori is right," Chiron said. "It's getting close to curfew. Please head back to your cabins." He turned to face Ellery and Huixing. "I will show you to your rooms for the night."

Ellery and Huixing looked to me. I nodded. They turned and Chiron followed them out.

Percy trailed behind, saying something to Chiron too low for me to hear. But not before giving me a meaningful look.

The rest of us exited the Big House. I threw on my jacket, not wanting to aggravate my prickles even more. They were starting to get to the point where I was afraid not even pain meds would help. I hated it when they got like that.

Rachel headed to her cave, which made me shiver. I just couldn't understand how she found any of that comfortable. Especially after losing the Oracle to Python.

As we passed the Hades cabin, I waved goodnight to Nico, who waved back while also giving me a meaningful look. Will, however, stayed behind. I tried to hide my smile as I turned away and headed to the Apollo cabin with my siblings and Apollo.

Dan, Apollo, and I trailed behind Cressida and Lyra.

I could feel Apollo trying to think of a way to breach whatever he wanted to bring up. It was making me nervous and aggravating my prickles. I couldn't really blame him, but I was working so hard in therapy to work through my complex and confusing emotions surrounding Apollo. I was tired, and hurt, and angry, and I was afraid if we tried to talk any more tonight, I would say something we'd both regret.

Of course, Apollo didn't know any of this and opened his mouth anyway.

"Tori—" he tried, his voice a question.

I quickly cut him off. "I'm tired. I don't want to talk about it anymore tonight."

"…right," Apollo murmured. My gaze flickered over to him for a moment, long enough to see his hurt expression. My heart clenched (which was annoying; maybe it was because he looked so human; maybe it was because he was so young).

"I-I just need some time to think," I added quietly.

Apollo nodded, his expression morphing into something slightly less heart-rending. "I-I know. It's…it's a lot to process. I'm sorry."

I bit my tongue on a snarky response. I didn't want his apologies right now!

I nodded and sped up my pace. Dan stayed behind and began conversing with Apollo in low tones. I tuned out whatever they were saying and spurred my pace again. Surprisingly, my side didn't react like it usually would have and I made a mental note to check that in the bathroom tonight. After I took some pain meds, of course.

That night, I dreamt of the forest once again.

It was still just as dark, but didn't seem as cold and uncaring as before. The darkness didn't seem as pressing and suffocating.

The whispers picked up, as they had in the past forest dreams, but this time, they were overwhelming in their volume. Not to say they were loud, but that there were many. Of course, there had been many like this before, but tonight it seemed like they had somehow doubled in number. Any words I could possibly make out were lost to that rough, raspy sound your voice makes when you whisper.

I stumbled through the forest, trying to find respite from it, but everywhere I turned, the whispers followed. Very occasionally, in dreams, I could escape my prickles. But tonight was not one of those nights (actually, they were quite rare). My pin-pricks rose in volume, as if trying to drown out the whispers, which only made the whispering sound worse to me.

Stop, I thought, as I continued to stumble, trying not to trip over roots, pushing my way through underbrush. Trying to think past my growing pain. Please, stop.

I felt my heart rate begin to pick up speed, then. My chest felt like it was constricting. My chronic pain threatened to take over everything. And now the darkness began pressing in again. The trees seemed to grow into the darkness, looming over me in a way that made me feel trapped.

I was reminded of Tartarus—those tall, smooth trees that stretched into gloom, past where I could see. Usually, this was about the moment my dreams dragged me back down there. Instead, a blinding, white light exploded from my right.

I flinched away, bringing my arm up to shield my eyes. But I looked the direction the light was coming from, squinting and blinking as my eyes adjusted. Even when they did, though, all I could see what shining light. Golden and soft, reminding me of spring sun dappled through Aspen trees.

That's when I realized the whispering had ceased, replaced by the sound of a gentle breeze and windchimes.

I lowered my arm, staring into the sunlight. My heart settled a little, breathing felt easier; even my prickles seemed to calm a little.

Without really thinking, I began to step toward the light. As I stepped over the threshold, I jolted awake in my bed.

Going from blinding sunlight to near pitch-black was jarring. Even though it'd been a dream, opening my eyes to the darkness of the Apollo cabin left me feeling extremely disoriented. That, and my heart was still pounding in my chest. It sounded so loud in my ears, I thought for sure it'd wake my siblings. And, of course, there was shoving away my pain, as I always had to do when I first woke up.

My siblings stayed, softly snoring in their bunks.

Quietly, I slipped out of bed and dressed. I felt the pull of the forest in my chest—like an itch you can't scratch, or a tickle in the back of your throat. Now that the Grove of Dodona had been restored, it was calling for me.

I downed a pain elixir and actually checked my side in the bathroom mirror as I dressed. To my surprise, it'd healed. All that was left were scars, but they looked weeks old, not fresh. And they didn't hurt or ache at all. It should've been more worrying but at that moment, the pull of the Grove was far stronger than anything else.

I made my way carefully through the forest, with only a small, dim flashlight for company. (Well, and my usual weapons, of course.) I'd taken this one on purpose, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention by shining a bright beam of light where it didn't belong in the middle of the night.

The forest seemed a lot less angry now. There wasn't a weird magical forcefield around it, none of the trunks seemed to grow and loom over me menacingly. It reminded me a lot of how the forest had been when I'd first arrived, actually. Beautiful and quietly mysterious. I missed those days.

Eventually, breaking through the trees was soft sunlight. It was impossible at this time of night. At the same time, expected. Living in a world where Greek myth was reality meant you saw a lot of strange and impossible things.

I put my flashlight in my jacket pocket and followed the light. Just like in my dream, it was the kind of dappled sunlight you saw through the leaves of trees. It was warm and inviting—it made me long for something I couldn't quite pinpoint.

The trees broke into a clearing. Above, the dark sky opened, glittering with stars. The moon shone brightly. The clearing itself was bathed in the light coming from the entrance of, what I assumed was, the Grove. It was an incredible sight, seeing such contrasting powers of nature. Moonlight above me, sunlight before me.

I walked cautiously to entrance, pausing at the threshold. There was a small, warm breeze that replaced the chill of the winter outside. It made the trees in the Grove rustle, and blew a small windchime from somewhere.

As soon as I stepped into the Grove properly, the whispering bombarded me. It didn't feel the like the whispers in my dreams, these whispers were distinctly different. They felt more magical somehow. Where the whispers in my dreams felt more like I was listening to a private conversation, the whispers here seemed softer, somehow, and not directed at me. Like the trees were chattering away to each other, without a care in the world.

I walked around the biggest and tallest tree in the Grove—its enormity reminding me a bit of the redwoods in California—until I found the source of the gentle dinging sound. On the lowest bough of the tree was a small windchime, blowing in the gentle breeze the Grove created.

I went up to it, reaching for it (I wasn't going to remove it, I just wanted to brush my fingers against it), but when my fingertips were inches away, the whispering in the Grove suddenly ceased. I froze, my heart shooting into my throat, my prickles bursting, and immediately turned, looking for the danger. My hand that was not outstretched went to one of my throwing knives.

Instead, the voices became one:

Castellan descendent
Whose life was dependent
On victory over the gods,
Hath fallen to peril,
But victory can take up the mantle,
And win against all the odds.

The next thing I remembered was waking up in my bed, in the Apollo cabin. Once I'd shoved my pin-pricks to the side, I could feel dawn coming, but the sun had not yet broken the horizon. So, I just laid there, staring at the top bunk. Was it a dream? It hadn't felt like a dream. Though, that would make a little more sense than the Grove being able to produce its own light. At the same time, the demigod world was full of magic like that—things that just didn't make sense to the human mind.

Looking underneath the blankets, I saw I was still fully dressed. I let my head fall back against my pillow. So…not a dream? That had to confirm it, right? Why couldn't I remember how I got back to the cabin, though?

That was really beside the point, though, honestly. What the Grove had said; had told me. The…could it be considered a prophecy? It didn't sound complete. At least, based on all the prophecies I'd heard before, based on the fact that Apollo oversaw oracles, based on some weird feeling I was getting, it didn't feel finished. Like there were more lines missing. But why wouldn't the Grove just give me the full prophecy?

And what about those whispers I kept hearing in my dreams? They seemed related but separate from the Grove itself, going by the fact that the whispers in the Grove sounded and felt distinctly different than the whispers I kept hearing in my dreams ever since I'd gotten back to camp. What did those mean?

What did any of it mean?

I huffed out a breath, shoving it to the back of my mind, next to my prickles. I needed to prepare for the day. I had an early appointment with Rowan this morning, and I couldn't afford to miss it. Not emotionally, anyway.

I would also be driving my brother back into the city. It would've been nice to spend a little more time with him, but we both had things to do. I felt guilty most of the time we had spent was when I was unconscious.

I stole the car Ellery and Huixing had driven into camp with.

I suppose stole was a harsher word that necessary in this situation. I did swipe the keys from him before he'd woken up, but texted him afterward that I was going into town and would be back to discuss things with them soon.

The sun broke the horizon half-way into town.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to spend more time with you," I said, breaking the silence.

Dan shrugged. "I'm used to it."

A pang went through my chest and prickles reacted accordingly.

"I'm sorry, that was rude," Dan murmured. "I just…" He let out a frustrated sigh. "Forget it."

"I know," I said anyway.

"It's not fair."

I gripped the steering wheel. "No, it isn't."

I dropped him off at his apartment; we could only do an awkward side-hug as my therapy appointment was soon, and Dan needed to prepare to go into the theater soon. So, our goodbye was short. I watched him enter his apartment building before pulling back out into the street.

To be honest, I was kind of also dreading this session. I mean, I know I'd been the one who'd called, because I knew I needed it. At the same time, it was always rough when I was feeling this way emotionally, because the way therapy worked was digging into those emotions, and examining them. When in reality, I wanted to bury them and run in the other direction as fast as I could. I knew that wasn't healthy but I felt like I was barely hanging on by a thread. I didn't know if I had it in me to address my emotions in that way. Even if I knew, in the long run, it would be better for me.

I had to sit in the parking lot once there, bracing myself, and trying to get my chronic pain under control. I'd taken some pain meds, of course, but they were growing in volume regardless because of how stressed I felt.

Taking a steadying breath, and before I could chicken out, I exited the car and headed to Rowan's office.

I could tell Rowan could tell I was agitated as I entered and took a seat across from them. And, to be fair, I had been the one who'd asked for this meeting. But I also felt…embarrassed? No, that wasn't right. Maybe…ashamed? Ashamed sounded better. I felt ashamed at how I was feeling, and that made me hesitant to even voice what I was currently feeling.

They always asked what I wanted to talk about at the beginning of this session. When I shrugged, Rowan set down their pen. "Tori, you know I would never encourage you to share something with me that you weren't comfortable sharing yet," they began. "But I'm going to remind you I can't help you work through with what you're currently feeling if you don't tell me what you're feeling." They paused. "And that this is a judgement-free space. You know I would never judge you for whatever you say, do, or think. You can be completely honest with me."

My leg bounced. I drummed my fingers on the armrest in agitation, splitting my focus between the session and trying to keep my prickles under control.

"I know, I know," I muttered. "I just…I—" I exhaled sharply. Underneath it all, I could feel the hurt growing larger and larger, like someone blowing up a balloon. My eyes started to fill with tears and I slammed my fist down onto the armrest. My leg stopped bouncing.

"I…I'm angry," I managed, my voice thick. My throat felt like it was closing. Swallowing became painful. My vision blurred with unshed tears.

"And what are you angry about?" Rowan asked gently.

I sucked in a big breath, preparing to get it all out at once—rip it off like a band-aid. "Apollo wanted to talk to me, but Triumvirate called me away, and he had to go off on some quest in the woods. When I came back, he was unconscious, so I waited. When he woke up, he was rushing around like there was a fire, and I tried to stop him and ask him what he wanted to talk to me about, but he brushed me off because—" My voice faltered. I blinked and tears streamed down my face. I glared at the armrest as I pressed my curled fist into it, my knuckles turning pale, my fingers aching. My pin-pricks washed over me in waves.

Slowly, in a shaky voice, I said, "Because he had to go save Meg. She was in trouble, and he didn't have time to talk."

Rowan allowed the words to sit in the air for a moment before asking, "And why does that make you angry?"

"It shouldn't," I said instead. "I know it shouldn't. Meg is twelve. I would want to save her, too. She's just a child. And Apollo is bound to her. Maybe he feels more obligated than anyone else. I understand why he would be in a rush. Demigod lives are always on timelines."

"Tori," Rowan said gently.

"I feel terrible for being angry," I continued, ignoring Rowan. "I know it's wrong of me to feel this way. He's helping a child. He's saving someone who needs saving."

"Tori," Rowan tried again.

"And it's not that I hate Meg. She's a kid. It's not her fault."

"I understand," Rowan said, switching tactics. "You're not a bad person for feeling the way you do. Have you treated Meg differently because of it?"

"No, of course not," I snapped.

"Then it's okay if you feel that way," Rowan assured. "Why don't we try to break it down a little. You're angry at your father"—I winced—"for brushing you off in favor of going to save Meg."

"Yes."

"And why are you angry?"

I frowned at them. I knew what they were getting at. We'd discussed the important role anger often played, but I was pretending to be dense. Don't ask me why. I was feeling particularly irrational at the moment.

"Tori," Rowan said gently, but firm. "Why are you angry?"

I gritted my teeth, more tears streaming down my face. "Because I'm hurt." My voice cracked on the word hurt.

Rowan nodded. "And why are you hurt?"

My throat closed. My body tensed like I was about to face a monster. The pin-pricks became so loud, I almost didn't hear Rowan.

"Tori, why are you hurt?" they asked again.

"Because!" I burst, standing up. My heart was beating out of my chest. My prickles roared. I curled my hands into fists and glared down at Rowan.

To their credit, they didn't even flinch. I had to wonder who their other clients were, or if they were just unflappable.

"Because where was he for me?" I shouted. "Where was he when my mom was crying out his name?! When the hellhound ripped into her? When it attacked me?" I went over to the window, wanting to put my fist through it and hear the satisfying sound of glass breaking, but just managed to tramp it down. My chest was heaving, tears flowing freely now. I spun to face Rowan. "Why is Meg special? She's not even his daughter!

"Where was he when Lee was dying in the infirmary? When Michael fell off the Williamsburg Bridge? When Reed died during the Second Giant War? Where was he when his children needed him? And suddenly this little girl, who's not even his daughter, comes along and he's willing to dive headfirst into a mymreke's lair for her? Why? Why was he never there for us? His children!"

I threw myself back against the wall, my knees giving out. I slid down to the floor and completely broke down into sobs. All I could see when I closed my eyes were the bloody body of my mom, her middle completely ripped open; Lee in the infirmary, his skin ashy, his eyes blank and staring; Michael as he fell from the side of the bridge, our hands missing my mere centimeters; Reed's blank face, and glassy eyes as he laid in the Big House infirmary, before we'd held last rites.

At some point, Rowan came over to me with a tissue box in their hand. They took a seat next to me on the floor, making sure to keep a comfortable and professional distance between us. They offered me the tissues, which I took, setting the box in my lap.

We sat there like that, in silence, as I got it all out of my system. I wiped my eyes with the tissues and blew my nose. I could still feel the pressure of more tears behind my eyes, but for now, they had stopped. I sighed and leaned back against the wall. My prickles did not calm down, which was to be expected, I guess.

"I wish I could let it go," I said quietly, inclining my head and looking up at the sky through the window I sat next to. The sun shone through, warming my face. (So ironic.) "I wish I could let them go."

"Who?" Rowan asked.

I shook my head. "My mom. My father. Luke. Lee. Michael. Reed. The people I killed." I shrugged. "Everyone. Everything."

Rowan paused. "Let's talk about that."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Yeah."

When I opened my eyes again, Rowan was standing in front of me, holding out his hands. I sighed again, set aside the box of tissues and took their hands. They pulled me to my feet and I quickly picked up the box of tissues before going over to my chair and taking a seat. Rowan handed me a water bottle and a bottle of pain meds before settling down in their own chair, picking their pen and pad of paper back up. I set the box of tissues in my lap.

Rowan looked at me expectantly.

We had about half an hour left. Rowan glanced at the clock and then set their pen down. I swallowed, knowing exactly what that meant.

"You know I don't normally prompt you like this," Rowan began. "But I feel like you're holding something back."

I stiffened, my hands curling into fists. My prickles buzzed louder.

"As always, Tori, you are free to talk about whatever you want when we meet," Rowan reminded in a level, calm voice. "But I can't help you if you don't tell me about it. And, if you'll pardon my honesty, my receptionist said you sounded quite upset when you called to schedule another appointment with me.

"We're both busy, and you could be called away at a moment's notice. I would like to try and address this before you have to leave, in case something comes up and I'm unavailable until later."

Rowan waited, then.

I slowly let out the breath I'd been holding in. It shook. I felt my eyes flood with fresh tears. Rowan reached for the box of tissues I'd put back and offered them to me once again. I took them, setting them in my lap, but didn't take one just yet. Instead, I stared down at them, as my eyes continued to fill with tears.

"For so long," I began, my voice wavering. My lower lip shook as I tried to control my breathing, swallow my sobs so I could speak, and trying to push away my ever-growing pin-pricks again. "For so long, I let my anger toward my father fuel me. I let it become my personality. I let it blind me to everything else. I let it lead Luke down a path he couldn't leave. I let myself believe Apollo didn't care about my mom, or us; that he couldn't be justified using the Ancient Laws as an excuse." I blinked and my tears streamed down my face.

"But now…now he tells me it's because he cared too much? What am I supposed to do with that? Who am I without my anger? What were all those lives sacrificed for? Would they still be alive? Would I still have three younger brothers? Would all those who died to stop Kronos still be here? Would I still have Luke? What was it even for, then? Were their deaths for nothing? Do they mean nothing? I am nothing without my anger."

"The Second Titan War could've played out with or without you, Tori," Rowan said.

"I don't know that!" I snapped. "My being there is worse because I could've stopped it! I…I-I could've let Kronos kill me, and we wouldn't be here. No one had to die."

"You would have had to," Rowan said.

"Th-that's not—" I broke off and growled, frustrated. "You-you're not understanding what I'm trying to say."

"I know what you're saying, Tori," Rowan said, unfazed by my tone. "But you're falling back into the mindset that you don't deserve to live again. That your life is worth less than anyone else's."

"Maybe I don't! Maybe it is!" I sobbed. "If my anger was for nothing," I gasped, tears now steaming down my face, "then all those deaths were for nothing!"

"Tori, your life is worth just as much as anyone else's," Rowan said calmly. "You made a choice."

"It was the wrong choice!" I swatted the tissues away from me, hunching over as I wrapped my arms around my chest. A very old pain—like I was splitting into two—overwhelmed me, aggravating my prickles. "It was the wrong choice." I sobbed again, my breathing heavy and ragged. In the back of my mind, I could feel myself working up to a panic attack. "And now I have nothing left. My friends died. My siblings died. Luke died. I have nothing left. And my anger was for nothing."

I couldn't breathe. I gasped for breath but my chest continued to constrict while the rest of me tried to tear into two.

Rowan was suddenly there, kneeling in front of me. I didn't understand what they were saying at first, but they continued to repeat it in a calming, firm voice until it finally registered in my panicking brain, and roaring pin-pricks.

"You're having a panic attack, Tori," Rowan said. "Can you cross your arms over your chest for me?"

Still gasping, my whole body shaking, I woodenly moved my arms over my chest.

Rowan nodded. "Good, now lean forward and try to breathe with me, okay?" To demonstrate, they took a deep breath. I tried to mimic them. My breaths were still coming quick but Rowan kept breathing deeply. "You're going to be okay." They said as they exhaled.

It took me a moment but I was finally able to get my breathing under control; breathing in time with Rowan became easier and easier. My prickles were extremely unhappy.

By the time I felt like the world wasn't crumbling around me and my body wasn't trying to split into two, I felt ready to collapse into a heap and sleep for a month. My tears had dried on my face. My body and lungs felt like I'd just run a marathon. My pin-pricks threatened to completely invade my conscious mind. Or what was left of it.

"Good, Tori," Rowan said. "Your water bottle and the bottle of meds are next to you." He gestured to the small table beside me.

I nodded, still hugging myself and leaning forward. I kept taking deep breaths until I felt I could move without popping like a soap bubble. I took four pain pills and then drank the rest of the water bottle.

Rowan sat back down in their chair and gave me a moment to wipe my face with some tissues and blow my nose.

When I'd finished, I sat back and sighed.

"Let's talk about it," Rowan said softly, picking up their pad of paper and pen again.

I still wasn't sure how to feel about everything. It was hard to work through that much…trauma in such a short amount of time. Rowan had given me the building blocks to get started, as we both knew how busy I could suddenly get. At this point, I'd stopped scheduling sessions weekly, not wanting to take away slots from Rowan's other patients. Anyway, as I was saying, they'd given me building blocks, which was good. The problem was, if I didn't have time to meet with them, I didn't exactly have time to work through things on my own either.

Regardless, it was still good I had something to work with, in case I did have another panic attack and Rowan wasn't there to help.

As I drove back to camp, I absentmindedly chewed my lip raw, turning over everything we'd discussed during that session. I hadn't once mentioned anything about those whispers or the…thing the Grove had given me last night. So those were still weighing on me. Though, it wasn't like Rowan could do anything about that; they couldn't even really advise me, as it wasn't really part of their job.

I had, of course, spoken to them about things that were similar, but they were more in relation to helping me get better, not actively asking them for advice. So, while it would've been nice to speak to them about it, I still didn't know enough about what was going on, to address it in a way Rowan could help with.

There was some commotion going on when I pulled into the driveway and parked the car behind one of the vans we used to transport strawberries or demigods into the city. And I could see Ellery and Huixing waiting for me on the porch of the Big House. Ellery was frowning but Huixing waved enthusiastically at me when she saw I was looking.

I sighed, and exited the car, waving back at Huixing as I stepped out of it. I would need something for my prickles again soon.

As I rounded the car and made my way to the porch, I looked back at the green and faltered, my pin-pricks bursting. A large, bronze dragon stood next to the bonfire in the middle the of the cabins. Specifically, the bronze dragon that belonged to a friend I had believed to be dead, previously. I thought he'd died during the Second Giant War, and while his dragon being here didn't exactly confirm his survival, it came with the strong possibility. If only because he and his dragon were incredibly close.

Shaking off my shock, knowing I had more pressing matters to address, I turned back to make my way to the porch.

I threw the keys up at Ellery once I was in range. Not even flinching, he held up his hand to catch them, knowing they'd never miss their mark. Not when I was throwing them.

"Don't look at me like that, I told you I was taking the car," I said to him as I stepped up onto the porch.

"We could've all gone back into the city," he said.

"I was going for a therapy appointment," I explained. "I want to say goodbye to my siblings before I leave camp for good."

Huixing shoved Ellery then. "I told you," she hissed. "You're so rude."

Ellery dropped his scowl to roll his eyes, shoving the keys in his pocket.

"Sleep well?" I asked.

Ellery shrugged.

"I did! Chiron is a great host," she said, her tone chipper again. She then gestured with her chin to the green. "What's going on down there?"

I glanced over my shoulder. "Old ghosts." I turned back to them. "Shall we talk? What did you find out?"

We went to sit around the small table that resided on the porch, off to the side from the front door of the Big House. Chiron and Dionysus often played pinochle and greeted new campers here during the summer. Dionysus had not come back to camp after being called away during the Second Giant War, and I assumed Chiron was down at the green, trying to get everything under control. So, we had the Big House to ourselves.

"Galen Angelopolous is an alias," Ellery said quietly. "According to the records on file, he was admitted about six months ago after a bad fall left him in a coma." I snorted. How fitting. "We tried to get hold of the person he lists as his emergency contact, but the line is always busy."

"And when we looked to see who was paying for his medical care," Huixing said, "we found a woman named Juliette Agrafina. Now, she isn't real. It took a bit, but with a little digging and the help from one of our coders, we managed to discover that she, allegedly, works for a shell company—"

"Let me guess, a shell company for Triumvirate," I interrupted.

Huixing nodded. "Precisely."

"So, they're using Asclepius for something," I muttered, glancing at the green again, where, strangely, a line had formed.

"What are we going to do about it?" Huixing asked, her eyes lighting up in anticipation.

"If we're going to do anything about it," Ellery interjected. "We have to stay the course—we can't get caught up in side-projects that might get us killed. Especially with the situation Tori is in right now."

Huixing glared at Ellery. "I know that," she snapped. "But they're keeping him, using him for something, and right now, we're the only ones who know and who can reasonably help."

Ellery shrugged. "He's a god. He'll be fine."

"Yeah!" Huixing exclaimed. "He's a god! Don't you think them having that much power over a god is dangerous?"

"It's not like they're forcing him to do things. You saw him. They knocked him out."

"But for what purpose does that serve them? They wouldn't just kidnap a god and not use them for something. That's not how the emperors work. And besides, him being a god is not the point. He's obviously being held captive. Someone should save him."

"Why does that someone have to be us, then?"

"Guys," I hissed as Nico appeared. I stood to greet him, going to the steps that led up to the porch.

"Hey, Nico, what's up?" I asked.

Nico eyes Ellery and Huixing wearily, frowning. Then turned his dark eyes to me, his frown turning into a small smile.

"An old friend came to visit," he said. "You should come say hi."

I frowned, glancing back at the green and the bronze dragon that still sat in the middle. Could Leo really be…?

I turned to look at Huixing and Ellery. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

Huixing pouted. "We can't join the festivities?"

"You wouldn't know him," Nico snapped, his frown returning.

Huixing slumped in her seat, her pout turning into a pensive frown.

Ellery said, "We'll be here."

I nodded and headed down the stairs, walking next to Nico as we made our way to the green.

"I don't like them being here," Nico muttered.

"They'll be gone soon," I said.

"They work for Triumvirate, too?"

"It's complicated. But I promise they're not a threat. Not any more than I am. Not any more than Meg was."

"That's not fair to you, or Meg," Nico objected. "You're not working for them because you want to. And Meg is, what? Twelve?"

I shrugged, tramping down on the irrational anger that well up inside me at the mention of Meg. "Like I said, it's complicated. I trust them. Can that be enough for you right now?"

Nico scowled. "You promised you'd tell us everything, but you're still holding things back."

"I promised I'd tell you everything about my situation with Triumvirate," I corrected.

Nico's eyes narrowed and he gave me a side-eye. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for him, we were just entering the green, and that's when I spotted who everyone was lined up to see. The boy I had thought died last year. Leo Valdez. Let's see if I can make another long story short.

Leo and I had become close in the months leading up to the Second Giant War. I could tell he felt like he didn't fit in, most especially because he was always building the flying trireme that had transported the seven demigods of prophecy that got them to Italy and Greece. Instead of hanging out with his friends and siblings, like the rest of the campers got to. And because no one liked hanging out with me because of what I'd done during the Second Titan War, I had ended up hanging out the most with him. (Upon his invitation, of course.)

So, we became pretty good friends. It was, obviously, extremely hard to hear that he had died.

But now, it seemed, he had somehow returned.

"Leo is…alive?" I breathed, looking over at Nico for confirmation.

Nico nodded, a small smile pulling at the edges of his lips. I felt a small, incredulous laugh bubble up from my chest. Nico nodded again, his smile getting bigger. We faced forward and made our way over to where Leo was, but my steps faltered when I saw Apollo was also there. He was sitting at one of the picnic tables we had (since the dining pavilion had been destroyed) with Percy and a young girl I didn't recognize.

Nico noticed and paused, too, looking over at me.

"Why is Apollo…"

"Prophecy stuff," Nico murmured.

I nodded silently, willing my feet forward. I couldn't avoid him forever, I knew that, but my tumultuous emotions rose to the surface once again. Despite having begun the steps in addressing them and working through them, I was nowhere near ready to be around Apollo without them feeling so fresh. Even then, having been around him stirred up old, painful emotions I thought I'd finally laid to rest.

Maybe he just had that effect on people.

Swallowing hard, I put on a brave face, and as soon as we were within earshot of the group, I shouted to Leo, "Hey, Hot Stuff!"

Leo stiffened, his face blazing red, and then cringed. His eyes searched the area, and when spotted me, he grinned.

"Evil Enchantress!" he called back, raising his hand to wave. Beside him, the young girl was frowning, glaring at him, then me. Ah, so they were dating. Interesting. I vaguely remember him being heartsick over something back when I was traveling with the Seven, but I also had a lot of other things on my mind, so didn't exactly pay attention to what that was.

I ignored her and made my way to the group, grinning at Leo, who stood to greet me. I pulled him into a hug. He flinched at first, for some reason, then put his arms around me.

"Glad to see you alive," I said as we pulled back.

"Me too," he joked. "Ah, let me introduce you to my girlfriend, Calypso." Leo stepped back and took the young girl's hand, who seemed less angry now that Leo had reaffirmed they were dating. (Despite the fact that I was nearly 10 years older than him. The nickname was an inside joke.)

I nodded at her. "Nice to meet you." Her being Calypso was the least weird thing on my list of weird things I'd encountered just this week. Besides, I had more pressing issues that needed my attention these days. I couldn't be fussed over small things like Calypso escaping her island prison.

She nodded politely but gave me a cold smile. Ah, to be young and in love again.

"That's just a nickname I call him," I told her. "It's an inside joke. If you would like me to stop calling him that, I will."

"It's fine," she said in a tone that said it was not, in fact, fine. I nodded, making a mental note to call him just Leo from now on.

"It was very nice seeing you again, Leo," I said, looking back at him. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go feed a pegasus." I gave Percy a look before nodding at Nico, then turned to leave. I was honestly half-expecting Apollo to call me back but he didn't. As far as I could tell, he could barely look at me again. Typical.

I went back to the Big House to grab some sugar cubes, and an apple (so Percy couldn't accuse me of feeding the pegasi too unhealthily).

"How'd it go?" Ellery asked as I passed them on the porch. He didn't look up from his phone.

"I need to talk to one more person," I said.

"I'm bored," Huixing muttered, her arms crossed petulantly.

Ellery sighed, looking up from his phone and at her. I quickly stepped into the Big House before I had to hear them start bickering again. It was quick work, grabbing the sugar cubes and apple, swiftly walking past Ellery and Huixing (who were now in full bicker mode), and making my way to the stables.

Porkpie had spent the night. Pegasi, being winged creatures, didn't like being confined, but we had the stables for them so they could come and go as they pleased, knowing they always had a safe place to rest if they needed.

He whinnied when he saw me and I chuckled, grinning at him.

"Hold your horses," I joked as I approached him. He huffed and I winced. "Sorry, that was in poor taste." I brandished the sugar cubes. "As promised."

Porkpie huffed again, shaking his mane in excitement. I flattened my hand and held it up to his mouth. He began crunching down on them.

"Busted," a voice came from behind me.

I turned to see Percy standing in the doorway, hands in his pockets. I quickly pulled the apple out of my other pocket to show him. Porkpie finished up the sugar cubes in one big sweep and I pulled that hand away from his mouth.

"I was just giving him an apple for his hard work yesterday," I said as Percy approached.

Percy rolled his eyes, not buying it. "It's not healthy for them," he scolded, but there was humor in his tone.

"You say that like I feed them sugar cubes every day," I protested, handing the apple to Porkpie, as he'd finished his sugar cubes.

"You always promise them, though," Percy retorted.

Porkpie huffed and shoved Percy with his snout. Percy chuckled and put a hand on Porkpie's nose, rubbing it gently.

"Okay, okay, I'll be nicer," he said, grinning. Then he looked at me. "Porkpie really likes you."

I reached up to pat Porkpie's neck. "I'm glad. I consider us friends, too."

We lapsed into silence as Porkpie crunched away. I kept my eyes on Porkpie as I stroked his neck, but I could feel Percy's eyes burning a hole into my face.

Finally, he spoke.

"Who are they?"

I pursed my lips, my hand slowing on Porkpie's neck. "Just promise me you won't do anything stupid, please."

"I think I resent that," Percy quipped.

I looked over at him. "I'm being serious, Percy. Your mom is pregnant, restarting her life with Paul; and you and Annabeth are going to college. I'm not going to let you throw that away for anything. You've done enough."

Percy sobered. "I know. But you're my friend. I want to know. Besides, all that isn't going to matter too much if the world ends, eh?"

I rolled my eyes. "You'll have to leave the world-saving to Apollo this time, Mr. Son of the Sea God."

Percy chuckled. "That's truly terrifying."

I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"But," Percy continued. "I will say, he didn't do half-bad with the Colossus yesterday."

"For a former-god-turned-mortal, sure," I muttered.

Percy shrugged. "You're the one who said to leave the world-saving to others."

I nodded and sighed. "I guess I did."

"So, who are they?" Percy asked.

I let out a breath, looking back at Porkpie's mane. "Friends."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Friends?" he echoed. I opened my mouth but he stopped me. "Wait, wait, wait, let me guess. That's classified? If you tell me, you'll have to kill me? That's on a need-to-know basis?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's complicated," I said emphatically.

Percy half-scoffed, half-laughed. "Should've seen that. It's always complicated with you."

I gave him a cheeky smile and shrugged.

"I'll let it rest for now," Percy said after a long moment, his voice quiet and serious. "But if you're in trouble—"

"I'll handle it," I interrupted, glaring at him. "You are not going to risk your life for me."

Percy frowned, his green eyes stormy. I could tell he wanted to argue more about it but the conch horn sounded, signaling lunch.

"This isn't over," Percy said.

"It is for you," I responded lightly. Percy's jaw dropped at my bluntness. I merely looked at Porkpie, giving his neck one last stroke. "It was good to see you again, Porkpie. Reliable as always."

Porkpie huffed and nodded. I let my gaze stray back to Percy, daring him to try and get the last word in. When he stayed silent, I said, "Let's get to lunch, then."

Percy narrowed his eyes. He definitely was not going to drop it, but I was sure the part of him that wanted to go to college with Annabeth, and have a chance at a semi-normal life, was battling the other part that was, inscrutably, protective of me, and the former was winning.

On our way to the green, I spotted Ellery and Huixing heading in that direction as well. They paused when they spotted us. I nodded and gestured for them to come join us. (Chiron would've invited them, anyway.) Huixing brightened up and half-ran, half-skipped toward me. I barely had a second to react before she was crashing into me, linking her arm in mine. That was probably the only reason I didn't completely take a tumble. I did stumble into Percy, though, who seemed miffed at Huixing's demeanor.

"Sorry," I muttered once I'd righted myself.

"N-no worries," he stammered out as Ellery caught up to us, frowning at Huixing.

"Are you twelve?" he grumbled. "Why are you so happy? You were pouting all morning."

Huixing stuck her tongue out at him. "You're just jealous I get to be next to Tori and you don't."

Ellery bristled and they began bickering again. I looked over at Percy, watching with a mixture of wonder, concern, and shock.

"Let's go," I sighed, tugging Huixing along. Ellery trailing behind as they continued to fight. Percy stayed on my other side, still looking baffled but amused.

Picnic blankets had been laid out around the green, near the hearth for warmth. Lunch was tacos—vegetarian, of course. The satyrs and dryads passed everything out to everyone, who sat with their friends and chattered happily, despite the harrowing events just yesterday. Percy sat with Chiron, Rachel, Leo, Calypso, and Apollo, who were next to Will, Nico, Cecil, and Lou Ellen. Lyra and Cressida were sat with Chiara, while Damien watched on with a scowl (trying to keep up pretenses, even though he didn't need to), while third-wheeling with Sherman and Miranda. Though, Ellis was also there, trying to make conversation to distract Damien. (So, I guess, technically he wasn't a third-wheel, but he was giving off those vibes.)

I sat somewhere between all of them with Ellery and Huixing (near the fire, of course, because of my prickles), because my siblings wanted to be near me, trying to include me, as always, but also knowing that these two new-comers weren't exactly welcome. At the very least, it threw people off because they were about my age, and it was rare we got demigods older than 20 coming to camp. Either because they had left to go to college, or because they had died. Not to mention, they were with me. As I have mentioned, people didn't exactly trust me.

Ellery was gracious enough to let me and Huixing eat a little bit before revealing why they'd really come over, looking for me. Mostly, I just nibbled at my taco and listened to everyone talk. I didn't pick out any of their words, not having the energy to, but it was a nice change from the weird whispers in my dreams, and the weird whispers from the Grove. At some point, Leo told me about his travels with Calypso, and then the quest they were going to go on soon, with Apollo.

Apollo didn't look up from his place, picking his tortillas to pieces and rarely eating that I saw. It made my stomach twist and my prickles buzz in a nauseating way.

"Nikki called," Ellery said once Leo had moved to talk with someone else, his tone making me tense instinctively. I looked at him, my hand automatically went to the breast pocket of my jacket I kept my phones in. I'd shed my jacket and put it in my lap since we were so close to the fire. I'd grown too warm, but it was great for my chronic pain. Ellery continued, "While you were off and about this morning. She found out what we've been up to."

"Great," I muttered.

Ellery reached for his phone but Huixing, through a mouthful of taco, said, "Should you be doing that here?"

"It's fine," I said. "They can keep a secret." I nodded my head at the rest of the campers. "It's not like they carry around cellphones anyway."

Huixing didn't look convinced, but Ellery had no such qualms and so pulled out his small, bronze phone. He pulled up his voicemails, clicking on the most recent one. I had braced myself, knowing what Nikki was like, but nothing could have prepared me for what came blaring through Ellery's speakers.

"What the fuck have you three done?" she shouted. "How many times do I have to tell you, you have run everything you do through me? I don't care how busy Tori is right now. You tell her to stop playing at her little camp and get her ass back here right now!"

I sighed as Ellery put his phone back into his breast pocket. The other campers went silent, but we ignored them.

"We tried to damage control," Huixing said, taking a bite of her fourth taco.

"She contacted us right after we'd gone and visited"—he shot a glance over my shoulder at, presumably, Apollo, and cleared his throat—"Galen again. We told her you were busy here," Ellery elaborated. "As you can probably tell, it didn't work."

"It's fine, I know what she's like," I muttered. I was not looking forward to being read the riot act, however. She may have been ten years older than us, but I didn't like being talked down to like a child. Even if I was one in her eyes.

One of my phones buzzed in my jacket pocket and I instinctively tensed. But when it didn't continue, I realized it was because I'd gotten a text. I pulled it out, ignoring the glare I was getting from Will, and the questioning looks I was getting from everyone in the vicinity, but specifically those who knew about my situation with Triumvirate.

It was from Hargrave (oddly good timing; that worried me): Congrats on another mission well done, Victoria. As always, we'll contact you when we have another mission for you. Three rings, my dear.

I rolled my eyes. Right. I putzed around camp, activated a giant automaton to attack it, then passed out. Job well done, alright.

Regardless, that meant I was home free. For now. So to speak.

I put my phone back into my jacket breast pocket.

I sighed. "That's my cue," I said. I nodded at Ellery and Huixing. Ellery nodded and stood, brushing his pants and straightening his suit jacket. Not that he needed to. Huixing shoved the last of her fifth taco into her mouth and guzzled the rest of her drink before throwing her jacket over her arm and standing as well.

I stood up slower.

"Wait," Will objected. "Where are you going?"

I smiled sadly at him. "I have to go."

Will frowned, one of his hands curling into a fist. "And you won't be back."

"No. It was a nice visit, but I have things to do," I said as I donned my jacket.

"What was that phone call all about?" Percy asked, his dark eyebrows furrowed. His green eyes piercing.

I straightened the shoulders and collar of my jacket as I said, "I told you: I'm handling it." I winked at him then.

"You promised you'd tell us everything," Will said, sounding hurt.

That sent a pang through my heart, but this was for the best. The less they knew, the better. For right now, anyway.

"About Triumvirate," I reminded him in the gentlest tone I could muster.

"That's not fair," Lyra exclaimed.

I looked at her. "I know."

There was a brief pause as my siblings looked up at me with watery eyes. I almost spilled the beans. Instead, I huffed a little breath and opened my arms.

"Come on, then," I said.

Since Will was the closest, he got to hug me first.

"You know I hate it when you do that," he muttered in my ear, squeezing me tight. "Keep us in the dark."

I didn't respond, not wanting to get into a fight or an argument when I was just trying to say goodbye. Something I didn't often do.

Will pulled away and the rest of my siblings took their turns. Then it was Nico's turn. He didn't say anything, but I could tell he really wanted to. His frown was just as deep and disapproving as Will's. Part of that was probably due to the fact that we rarely kept secrets from each other, even secrets I kept from my siblings. I'm sure he didn't like it that I was now keeping a secret from him.

Then Percy hugged me, surprisingly.

He shook his head as he pulled away. "One of these days, you'll have no choice but to tell us the truth." He said it jokingly but there was a strange edge to his voice that set me on edge. I didn't know how to respond, so I didn't.

Leo was next.

"…I'm not entirely sure what's going on," he said before he hugged me quick and tight before pulling away. "But, stay safe out there, Tori." Oh, boy, it was serious when he didn't use my nickname. That or he'd picked up Calypso didn't like how familiar we were.

"Thanks, Leo," I said. "You, too. Good luck on your quest."

Percy put a hand on Leo's shoulder as he stepped back. "I'll fill you in, buddy."

Finally, I looked at Apollo, who had also stood, but back from the others. He blinked in surprise when I met his gaze. I don't know why I looked. It's not like I wanted a hug from him. Not right now, anyway.

I thought about telling him I hoped he'd find Meg but just thinking about the girl made my heart wrench in painful anger and hurt, still. Those word would be hollow. Of course, I hoped she was okay. But I did not wish for him to find her, if I was being completely honest. As bad as that sounded, as bad a person that made me.

Apollo opened his mouth, taking a hesitant step toward me and began raising his hand.

I quickly interrupted him, "Good luck," I managed. The rest of whatever else I could've said died in my throat. Apollo's hand dropped and his shoulders slumped. He stepped back and closed his mouth, swallowing hard. His eyes darted to the grass.

"Th-thanks," he managed.

His pitiful expression in that too human form made me feel bad at how I was treating him, but I knew I couldn't do more than what I'd already done. I couldn't hug him. I could barely stand to look at him. Like he could barely stand to look at me.

So, I turned away. I faced Ellery and Huixing who waited patiently behind me.

"Let's go," I said. My throat was closing up and I could feel my eyes begin to burn. Fuck my emotions.

Huixing looked back once more and waved. "Thanks for your hospitality!" I glanced back to see Chiron smile and wave back. I nodded my thanks to him, as well, and he nodded in return.

We headed back to the driveway.

Once we were out of earshot, Huixing quietly asked, "Are you okay?"

I furiously scrubbed at the tears in my eyes. "I'm fine," I muttered. "I just need to get out of here."

I took the backseat this time, not wanting to watch the camp disappear through the side-view mirror. Ellery and Huixing exchanged a glance with each other, before Ellery started the car and pulled out of the driveway. I watched the fields fly through the window as we headed back into the city.

the woods are lovely, dark, and deep / but i have promises to keep / and miles to go before i sleep

—

End Act I

Wowie I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to write this ;; I got into a kick-scooter crash—big hill, no brakes, beefed it real bad—and was recovering for about 2 weeks. I'm still semi-recovering (broken pinky and sprained ankle are still healing) but my road rash scabs have all fallen off. My skin is still healing—nerves still regrowing, but other than that I'm mostly back to normal lmao

Thankfully, I also have more energy, which means my muse does too, so I was finally able to get this to you. I also dropped out of the Big Bang because my muse doesn't want to work on that right now, only this. Lucky for you guys! Barring that *knock on wood* I should be back to posting about once every two weeks or so!

Hope you enjoyed! Comments are appreciated ^_^

Thanks for reading,
TheBrightestNight