In their own classic fashion, they'd stayed out into the early hours of the morning. Truly, it was a good thing that they didn't need as much sleep as everyone else. In short, it'd been a good night. It officially ended when Diana had dropped the son of the sea off in his home. He was in bed shortly after making the moon goddess promise that she'd show up again in another month for a longer period of time. She had been cautious to make such a promise, but he'd insisted and had refused to stop bothering her unless she agreed. Against her better judgment, she compiled. And with that, Percy had been left alone.

Sleep came easily that night, marked only by a single restless dream though he couldn't remember the contents for the life of him. Interestingly, that made it an uncharacteristically late morning for him as he woke up sometime right before noon. He half considered laying back down and pulling the blanket over his head, but the call of a nice shower soon overpowered any laziness. That, and his stomach growled audibly. It was hard to sleep on an empty stomach after all.

His shower had been a long one, even despite his stomach's protest. The water had been blissfully hot, leaving the bathroom looking like a sauna. He didn't mind that at all though as the warm room was wonderfully comfortable in contrast to the rather crisp spring air. After half-dressing himself, his stomach finally demanded that he eat something. He'd been putting it off for long enough so he got to work quickly, not even bothering to throw on a shirt despite the cool temperatures.

Breakfast was a quick affair, or it would have been anyway. There were no issues cooking whatsoever as he'd quickly fried up a large batch of bacon and made a rather large set of omelets with the works accompanied by a simple fruit medley. The issue began when he noticed one goddess sitting at his table, watching him with undisguised interest.

"This would be the second time you've greeted me in nothing but pants, Percy."

"Yeah well I wasn't exactly expecting company," Percy replied dryly as he began making a plate, "Are you hungry?"

The love goddess giggled, "You're blessing me with your body and breakfast?"

"I'm not blessing you with anything," Percy quickly grabbed another plate from a cabinet and filled two glasses of water, "I'm just trying to be polite and you invaded my kitchen."

"Yes, but people love a gentleman and view."

He rolled his eyes as he set both items down in front of her before moving back to serve everything in full, "Right. Can I get you anything else?"

"Is asking for a tour of your bedroom too on the nose?"

Percy groaned, "I meant can I get you anything else to eat? And yes it is."

"Shame," the love goddess smiled regardless as the young man slumped down into his chair, "How have you been?"

Percy glanced up from his food, "Since your last visit? Fine."

"You know I'm not going to take that for an answer."

Percy wanted to scream but he managed to reign it in, even if only by the tiniest margin, "I had a few rough patches but the last week's been good."

"Due to a certain moon goddess?" Aphrodite's voice carried genuine interest as she observed the child of prophecy.

Percy paused to use his napkin, "Yeah. How are things with your boyfriend?"

Interestingly, Aphrodite seemed rather nonchalant as she took a dainty bite, "I broke up with him."

Percy paused, fork halfway to his mouth. He had not been expecting that answer in the slightest, "What? Why?"

The goddess waved her hand, "He's been my ultimate on-and-off dumpster fire for the past few millennia. I finally just got fed up."

"Any reason in particular?"
"I'm sure you know why," the love goddess answered after swallowing another forkful, this one much larger than the last, "This is really good by the way. But to answer your previous question, his actions bothered me. I know I may not seem like it, but I do care for my children."

"You don't have to tell me that," a smile finally broke across the man's face, "You've always supported the demigods. I remember quite a few children of yours that I've had to help out."

"Something that I will always be thankful for," Aphrodite took another forkful, "But it was enough for me to finally break things off."

"How'd he take it?"
The love goddess took a sip of water before responding. Percy had a feeling that he already knew the answer, but it didn't hurt to ask, "You may have a new enemy among the council."

Percy shrugged at that, "Wasn't like we were going to be friends anyway. He didn't do anything stupid, did he?"

"Define stupid."

Percy's eyes hardened a little, "You know exactly what I mean. Did he?"

The love goddess sighed, "No, but who's to say it wouldn't have. You know how he is."

Percy's shoulders relaxed a little, "Well if he does, you know where to find me. I'd hate to miss out on an opportunity to use my favorite punching bag."

"You're a good person, Percy."

"I'd hardly call that being a good person."

The goddess shrugged, "Good isn't so black and white. Sometimes, you must do something bad to do good."

Percy downed the rest of his glass and moved to stand up, "Need anything while I'm up?"

The goddess looked a bit bashful as she glanced at her plate, "If it's not too much trouble, I'd ask for another one of these."

Percy chuckled, "I was going to make another for myself so it's no trouble. Want anything else in it?"

"Perfect as it was."

No small amount of pride flushed through him. He liked to think that he wasn't a half-bad cook, and this was doing wonders for his esteem, "Want more fruit?"

"If there's more."

Percy grabbed a bowl along with the rest of his ingredients and set it on the counter. As soon as he got everything on the stove, he delivered it to the love goddess who picked at it happily. He plucked a few himself and tossed a couple of berries into the fire. As he had learned, one could never go wrong with fruit when sacrificing to the gods. He glanced over his shoulder before tossing in another for the love goddess, even if only for good measure. He felt her eyes square onto his back but pointedly ignored it, even as she purred in delight, "I'll take your glass in a minute, just let me flip this first."

"I can get it."

Percy hardly spared her a glance as he tossed his pan with practiced ease, "You're a guest so I'll get it for you."

"And I'm an Olympian goddess," she countered. He rolled his eyes at this. One would think that gods would take being served a little easier.

"Yeah, but my mother would have my head if she heard that I wasn't a gracious host."

The love goddess snickered, but made no other motion to move, "You know girls love a mother's boy too?"

"Very funny," Percy deadpanned as he walked up to get the glass, "You know I don't really care about that."

"Disagree," Aphrodite's voice was sing-songy as she pronounced every syllable separately, "You're just picky. I would be too if I were you."

"I'm just not ready to be in a relationship yet."

"Just like you aren't ready to be an olympian?" Aphrodite asked smugly.

Percy just groaned, "Not you too."

"You know I'm right," Aphrodite said happily as Percy moved to sit down again, setting a plate and glass in front of her once again, "Think about all the good that can come from it."

"Like what?"

"You could help the demigods, or enact permanent change in the god's actions, and spend more time with me, or even start your own camp or group or something. Think about how many times Zeus has simply overruled people due to the even number of votes. Who else do you trust to do the right thing?"

"One of those doesn't sound like a positive," Percy said blandly, "And I never said I wasn't going to accept it. I just don't think I'm ready."

"Then you're willing to?"

Percy shrugged, "Eventually maybe. Just not yet."

"How does a few months sound?" Aphrodite asked curiously, "Many are eager to get this done as soon as possible."

"Why the sense of urgency now?" Percy questioned, "We're at peace. They've got all the time anyone could possibly want."

The love goddess fixed him with a certain look and he could only groan, "What is it this time?"

"Don't know yet. Zeus has been too tight-lipped about it. Believe me, I've tried everything to find out."

"Then wouldn't it be a better idea to let me remain a demigod so that I can fight whatever's coming?"

The goddess sighed, "I have not yet heard all of the details. Only Athena and Zeus have, but they say that it involves the gods directly. The demigods have a role to play, but this is aimed directly at Olympus."

Percy connected a few dots, "And you want me to become a god so that I can fight for you. Again."

I want you to become a god because you will do what is right," Aphrodite said plainly, "You will fix things that have been broken for far too long. If you don't want to fight, then that's you. It makes no difference to me."

Percy twirled his fork with ease, "I figured you'd say something like that."

"It is the truth."

He smiled, "I just wanted to see what you'd say. Never said I wouldn't fight."

"I don't think there's going to be any fighting this time, honestly. Zeus seems more annoyed than anything," The love goddess smirked, "On another note, have you ever considered becoming my apprentice?"

"Apprentice?" Percy asked, "You mean like a personal shopping assistant?"

"No," Aphrodite said before changing her mind as Percy stared at her, "Well yes, but that's not what's important. What I mean is studying under me to learn my tricks."

Percy hummed before taking a large bite out of his omelette, "That sounds cool, but I'll decline."

"Just like that huh?"

"Yep," Percy said simply, "Back to this prophecy thing though. There is a prophecy, yes?"

Aphrodite shook her head, "There are whispers from the Fates. Apollo hasn't gotten anything official yet."

"Huh."

"Like I said before, so far, it isn't anything of concern. But, it's never bad to be prepared. And there's no saying it's a prophecy at all. It could just be a sign from the Fates to add a new god to the council. It's happened before and that's what Athena is leaning towards."

Percy looked pensive, "Best to heed the Fates' words I guess."

"Which is part of the reason that many are so eager to get this done."

Percy sighed, "Fine. Let's talk about it later. I don't want to think about it right now."

Aphrodite nodded, "Good because I have something else to talk to you about."

"Do I need to be worried?" Percy's voice was flat.

"Not at all," the love goddess waved her hand, "I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you."

That took him by surprise, "For what?"

"A lot of things," the love goddess said simply, "You are an excellent example for demigods everywhere. You're a good person despite everything you've been through, and you've managed to always do right by yourself too."

Percy rubbed the back of his head, "But why are you proud?"

"You may not be my child, but I do like to imagine you as the little nephew I watched grow up," Aphrodite paused, "You've grown into a fine young man, in more ways than one."

"Oh," Percy said awkwardly, "Well thanks."

Aphrodite smiled at him, "It's just the truth."

Percy looked around stiffly, "I don't know what to say to that."

The love goddess shrugged, "Not that I couldn't see it before, but I understand why Artemis likes you as much as she does."

"That's random."

"It is also another truth," Aphrodite said, blowing on her nails as she regarded him, "Too bad she's claimed you already."

"Claimed me," Percy deadpanned, "Claimed how?"

The love goddess's smile widened a little at his questioning, "Our resident moon goddess is quite possessive."

"Haven't noticed that," Percy was thoroughly confused by this, "Is she possessive of anything in particular?"

"Other than you?" Aphrodite asked, "Her hunt I suppose. I'm sure you remember when Zeus tried to order them around."

Percy did indeed remember that, having observed Zeus narrowly avoid getting skewered by an enraged goddess. He supposed that was a fair point, but he wasn't sure if that counted as possessiveness. If anything, it seemed more like the goddess had been more worried about that particular assignment, hence a combined effort from the hunt and Camp Halfblood.

"Whatever you say I guess," Percy shrugged before another thought popped up in his mind, "Oh, not to touch on sore topics, but what does your husband like?"

"Hephaestus?" Aphrodite leaned in a little, clearly interested, "It depends on the situation. Why?"

Percy summoned a few items from his ring and laid them on the table, "He made most of these so I figured I'd try to do something nice for him."

"Company, I imagine," the goddess frowned, "I cannot say that I have been the best wife, but I do know a little about him. While I'm sure he'd appreciate someone with interesting ideas, I don't think you'd enjoy that as much. Perhaps you could take his son with you and you could both keep him company in his shop."

Percy nodded. He hadn't considered bringing Leo, but he imagined that it would make things less awkward if he did, "That's not a bad idea."

"Then, moving back to you," Aphrodite fixed him with a stare he couldn't quite place. Sure, it contained the usual sultry undertones, but there was something else. Pride maybe, "What do I have to do to convince you to spend a day with me?"

Percy groaned, "Be the last person on the planet."

"Don't be like that," Aphrodite smiled, "you know I'm joking. Mostly."

"Mostly."

The goddess nodded, "In all seriousness though, I do need you for a day."

Percy wanted to grumble but he stifled it, "What do you want?"

"You," she replied almost reflexively before looking a little bashful, "I'm going to teach you a few tricks that might be handy."

"This better not be some bullshit about getting me in bed."

The love goddess giggled, "Of course not. I know you don't need any tips in that regard."

Percy could only shake his head as he briefly considered the implications of that statement, "Then what is it?"

"For transparency's sake, there are a number of things you should learn before becoming a god and many of them have to do with your emotions," Aphrodite explained, tapping her fork, "and not specifically love, but how you feel in general. I may not be Apollo, but many of my domains relate directly to emotions and since you're becoming a god, it might be wise for you to have a better handle on them. We don't need a wrathful Percy, do we?"

"What exactly do I need to know?" Percy asked curiously, "And is it like my emotions will be intensified?"

"Arrange a date and you'll find out."

"You're really not going to tell me?"

The love goddess only smiled as she shook her head, "Well, breakfast was a pleasure. Next time we'll do it in bed."

And with that, the love goddess was gone, leaving an exasperated Percy alone in his home. Well, it could have gone worse he supposed. At the very least, it gave him something to think about while he did the dishes. For the moment, he didn't really have any plans. Diana was going to be with her hunt all day and everyone else was rather busy with preparations for another big olympian party. He didn't particularly care what it was about, but he did know that his attendance was requested. Honestly, he would have preferred going all together but he was almost certain that Apollo and Hermes would force him to come, even if it was just for an hour.

To be fair, that didn't sound like the worst thing ever. The only problem would be when the two became too drunk to flash around, something that would undoubtedly happen to Apollo within the first fifteen minutes and likely within the hour for Hermes. Then again, there were plenty of other ways he could get home, and nothing said that he had to go to his house. For all intents and purposes, Percy could just head to his mother's place. He'd have to give her a heads-up, but that certainly was an option. And even if it wasn't, gods knew that he had enough places to sleep on Olympus.

For one, he always had Apollo's or Hermes' palaces, and that wasn't mentioning Hestia or his father. And, he imagined that Artemis would allow him to stay over too. It wasn't as if the two were unaccustomed to being in each other's homes well into the following day. Albeit, it was never for sleep but what was the difference? He finished putting away the last plate and groaned. While doing dishes was never particularly enjoyable, at least it gave him something to do.

It was funny to think that a few months ago, he would have been perfectly okay with that, content with lounging around and doing basically nothing. As Apollo had informed him, it was a side effect of his depression. Lethargy, as the god had put it, lethargy killed one's mind just as much as it killed their body and spirit. Well, that did remind him of something. It'd been a while since he'd spoken to his honorary patron. Maybe she'd be interested in some company? She was, after all, quite lonely even despite her increased attention as of late. It was rather hard to be in so many homes across the West and watch every family from afar while having none of your own. Sure, she had an olympian family, but that didn't really count.

Irrespective of that, she'd done far too much for him in his opinion, going above and beyond what anyone could possibly expect. Then again, it was Hestia that he was talking about. She was a mother to everyone and it showed in how people interacted with her. For Percy, it'd been granting him her favor. Had he been younger, or had be been questing still, the hearth's favor would have been an invaluable asset. Every greek and roman knew how important it was, and for Hestia to vouch for someone was no small thing. Sure, he hadn't gotten any cool powers with it, but it'd given him many privileges, even if he was hesitant to use them.

The most common of them came in the form of advice. Hestia was always a prayer away, so long as there was some ember of the hearth nearby. Another was food. He couldn't summon food directly or whenever he pleased, but the goddess was more than happy to impart her knowledge to him and even send him some if he prayed. That particular privilege had come in handy particularly when he needed someone to trust him. Given that he had the favor of the hearth, that wasn't saying much as most would recognize that for what it was, but newer children to the greek world were often untrusting and in many children's minds, those who fed others were seldom bad. Regardless of all of that, Percy missed the goddess's company, and so he got ready. He knew for a fact that the goddess of the hearth knew what he was thinking so it was no surprise when he received a small note telling him to get ready. As soon as he was, a quick prayer was all it took for him to be whisked away to Olympus. Sure, he hadn't intended to go anywhere for the day, but as he saw it, any time with Hestia was time well spent.

Unlike many of the other Olympians and even other gods, Hestia didn't have a large, opulent palace. It was little more than a single-family home situated in a quaint area of Olympus, near a section of gardens. Where the rest of the godly city was modernized with all the amenities one could want, Hestia had made her home in an area that was almost ancient by comparison. There was little more than a (barely) paved road and a few torches to light the way. Behind it sprawled one of the few densely forested areas on the entire mountain with a rather large sweet chestnut tree shading a rather large portion of the back face. Honestly though, there were few places that Percy preferred more. His father's palace was wonderful, but it didn't quite feel like a home. Honestly, there were only a few palaces that actually felt like homes. Artemis's home stood out among those as well as Hades' but those were the only two he could think of off the top of his head. Mostly, it seemed that the gods' palaces were built for grandiosity rather than to be a home. Sure, some lived in said palaces (Apollo and Aphrodite) but most had other homes that were more accurate reflections of their desires and personalities.

Of course, all of that was to say that Hestia's home had a lived-in quality that made it feel like an actual home where the others didn't. As he expected, he found the goddess happily poking at her own hearth in her living room, having let himself in at Hestia's insistence. She'd doggedly insisted that he was welcome at any time and didn't need to knock, given that she would know whenever he was there anyway. Wisely, Percy didn't question it, much less argue. The goddess of the hearth was impossible to argue with, in part due to her nature. Regardless of that, said goddess greeted him happily as he gingerly stepped foot over the threshold. Hestia turned to him happily.

"Can I get you something to eat?" Percy had expected that to be the first question that the goddess asked. It often was, and even though his answer was just as often yes, he'd eaten not even an hour ago.

Percy shook his head, "I'm okay. What do you have in mind today?"

The goddess poked at the flame a little more before standing up. Granted, she didn't get much taller given that she was in a child form, but she stood nonetheless, "I was thinking that you could help me tend to the garden and then we could cook something after."

That sounded like as good of a day as any to him, "You're not going to let me anywhere near the kitchen though, are you?"

Hestia shook her head, "Absolutely not."

Percy just smiled, "One day."

The goddess smiled, "It makes me happy."

Percy didn't doubt that at all. It was, after all, one of her greatest pleasures and he'd hate to take that away from her, even if he grumbled about not being able to help out. Percy made his way towards the back of the house where all of the tools were situated while the goddess did whatever it was she was going to do. He wasn't quite sure what the eldest olympian needed done, but he was more than happy to start prepping. From what he could tell, there were a few weeds to be pulled, and a few of the plants could use a prune but it didn't seem like there was much else. He could take care of both of those easily enough since he'd been taught by both Hestia and Demeter. Well, he figured it was best to be pragmatic about it and quickly set about that particular task. Percy could always get to whatever Hestia wanted after she came out. Now, where were the shears?

It'd been easy enough to set the table even if his arms were a bit sore. It was, after all, all he was allowed to do whenever he had dinner with the goddess of the hearth. Cooking for those she loved was a major source of joy for the goddess and so he respected her wishes, even if he wanted to help. Of course, he was partially to blame since it didn't help that he'd attempted to eat whatever she was making while she was making it the first few times around. That had gotten him more than a few slaps on the wrist and an order to go sit down. Of course, being who he was, it took a few more times for him to fully obey.

As such, he was currently seated at the table, gently twirling his butter knife around in an effort to not bother his honorary patron. It was easier said than done, even as he attempted to distract himself with more advanced tricks. Fortunately, she was done rather quickly and the two found themselves seated at a table filled with a veritable feast. Hestia often overdid it when it came to food, but he never minded. Having leftovers was rarely a bad thing, especially when made by the best cook on Olympus. He quickly sacrificed a bit of food to his father and Artemis/Diana and made his way back to the table.

The goddess smiled as she piled his plate full of food, not that he minded. He was quite hungry after all the work they'd done outside earlier. Of course, that didn't stop him from cracking a quick joke. And of course, the goddess was quick to respond in kind and the two found themselves playfully bickering back and forth. It seemed that most of his close relationships were like that, often involving himself and another having some sort of joking argument about this or that. Then again, he wasn't sure if that was saying much given his natural disposition.

Regardless of that though, the two had moved on to a different subject, this time revolving around the supposed prophecy that Aphrodite had talked about. Hestia hadn't known much, but she'd seconded Aphrodite in thinking that it wasn't anything major. As she'd put it, the gods often got some sort of indication that something major was coming and so far, there hadn't been any of that. He supposed that was slightly comforting. At least he wouldn't be at the center of another major prophecy, even if he didn't necessarily mind fighting in it. Somebody else could take care of it for him with his support.

Hestia dropped a bit more food onto his plate, seeing that he'd finished it. He accepted it happily, though he did wonder how the goddess always seemed to know when he was still hungry and when he'd had enough.

"There's something on your mind," Hestia stated simply.

Percy looked up from his plate, fork absently pushing food around, "A few things, yeah."

"Are you worried about something?"

The young man shrugged, "Not in particular. Head's just loud right now, you know?"

The goddess looked at him sympathetically, "Perhaps a walk would ease your mind?"

"Yeah maybe. I should clean up first though," he glanced down at his now empty plate.

Hestia snapped her fingers and things began cleaning themselves. Now, typically, the goddess would do all of it by hand with his help, but it seemed that she was effectively forcing him to go out and do something. He appreciated the gesture, even if he would have rathered to help her before going out.

He chuckled as she looked at him expectantly, "Okay okay, I hear you. Are you coming with?"

The goddess shook her head with a smile, "It looks like you have some things to sort out with yourself. I will be here if you need me."

Percy straightened out his pants as he stood up, "I take it I can't convince you?"

Hestia shook her head once more, but her voice was light, almost teasing, "Have fun. Don't get lost."

He rolled his eyes as he moved to hug the goddess, but his tone was joking, "Going to tell me to keep out of trouble too?"

She shook her head, "Trouble seems to find you."

Percy chuckled as he slipped into his jacket, "Guess that's fair enough."

Woah back stateside mates. Good to be back at the computer and sort of plugged in. Tired from all the flying, but super happy to be back and all of that good stuff. Uh, so quick thing. The story passed four hundred follows and hundred reviews while I was gone. Massive, massive thank you to all of you who have followed or reviewed or just generally supported this story. It means the world to me to see and hear that people are enjoying. I started this as a way to help deal with some things and it went from this unrefined vision to a fledgling story. It's something I enjoy writing and it's just fun for me, so it makes me happy that all of you guys enjoy. Thank you so much again.

Now! To respond to reviews. Oh man there have been a lot so forgive me if they're not super long responses.

To Ishimaru Taiki, PhatomFuryJP, HellRaiderS, Aether27, Prenicolado, Hippie Painter, Icefire99, Cmonty17, TomorrowCarpe Diem, Piratekittycat, TheFiction101, and Ineptune: First off, some new faces and some old ones. Good to see you all again for those who reviewed before and hello to those who have left their first. Thank you guys so much for your support, continued or otherwise. I'm glad to see that you guys are enjoying. Can't explain how much I enjoy reading what you guys have to say. Thank you again.

To Tri-Edge: I saw a string of reviews as you read chapters and thought 'oh boy that's a lot' but I very much enjoyed reading them. I agree with many of your points and I'm glad to hear that you're giving me your honest opinion. Helps me grow as a writer, so I'm very thankful for that. Glad to see that you're enjoying though.

To Le Connoisseur: Hey mate, it's an honor to have you. You wrote one of my more liked stories and I love the direction you took it in so just wanted to drop that here. Anyway, I'm super grateful to hear that you're enjoying and that's huge praise. Honestly, talking about the tense, dramaticized scenes, I was feeling quite melodramatic when I first started for one reason or another but as I kept writing, it just evolved into this sort of fun, feel-good sort of thing. At its core, the story is very basic. It's character driven and there's not much of a clear story line, but that gives me the opportunity to really flesh out the characters. I hope that you have enjoyed. Thank you again!

To OFARiolu: Thanks! I'm exploring it more in the chapters I'm currently writing and it's a lot of fun to write. I hope that it continues to be enjoyable. There's a scene coming a bit later on that might be one of my favorites, at least in regard to the sort of quick characterization scenes.

To Captial9810: In so many words, yes. Hope you're enjoying!

To BoyFromAngels: Thanks! It was a wonderful little break. Hope you're having a good time as well!

To Fools Gambit: Great to have you on board. My writing style was initially not something that I really liked so it began to shift a bit more to an instinctive style rather than the structured, sort of measured style I'd opted for in my first drafts. I'm glad you enjoy the dialogue since it's really what gives this story its character.

To lycnt: Sure is. It's a ton of fun to write, but I'm eager to progress them as well. You'll be seeing more in the near future!

And finally to oneizm: I honestly can't thank you enough for that review. To address one thing, that fic is definitely cannon to me. If I was going to have a zelda movie, that's the story I'd choose for it. Back to the other stuff, capturing that initial sort of characterization from Riordan's writing was a huge goal for me. From there, I tried adding my own twist, adding some of the more fantastical elements with it coming together in what you read. I have to say, that is some massively, massively high praise. I started this fic in part because of how I was feeling at the time and I tried to convey that, but I also started it because I wanted to throw my own twist on this romance. Intially, I wasn't even sure if I was going to have them get together, but it just seemed right as I wrote it. And, I love that I can say that we've both got the same idea about the characters. The reason I fell in love with this series is because of who the characters are. Like you said, Percy has a rough time, but he keeps pushing. His sense of duty and his ethic will push him forward, even if he stumbles and falls along the way. And about Artemis, I just sort of hated the way that some characterized her as this naive, completely insane goddess. To me, it feels more true to the character to write her this way, but of course, everyone sees that differently. Anyway, to sum it all up: Thank you. That is truly some of the best praise I've ever received, and I'm glad that my story is conveying what I wanted it to. I'm not sure where it's headed, but it is great to have you aboard.

Thank you to all who have supported and read. Enjoy!