*Warning: This chapter has mentions and visuals of self-harm and attempted suicide and it may be sensitive for some readers. I implore you, if you ever see a friend, family member, or just anyone you know in general and you sense something's wrong with them, FOLLOW THEM! You just might be in time to save them from doing the unthinkable.

Chapter 9: Aftermath: Part 2

Hades' POV

I've seen over a million souls end up in the Underworld, but seeing Sirena's pretty much made things hard for even me to handle. I hardly got enough time to spend with her before she died, but things weren't exactly easy for Aria to handle. Can't say I don't blame the kid, but then again, what do I know? My ma's still around just minding her own business far away from my blowhard brother. But Aria wasn't taking the loss easy. She practically locked herself in her room after the funeral, and I had to play a whole room service act just to make sure she'd eat. Which, gotta tell ya, got old fast.

She couldn't spend eternity grieving her mom's loss, okay? The kid ain't immortal like me. Aria had to get back into the swing of things here. Hey, it'll be just like how things were before. Y'know, like when she first showed up here. So, the day after everything happened, I go waltzing up to her room to try an ease her back into the swing of things. But after I knocked on the door and saw how dead tired Aria looked when she answered, I knew it wasn't gonna be an easy thing to do.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked her, not the best question to ask a grieving kid, but it was all I had to say.

"Nothing." she answered.

"Doesn't look like nothing." I said as I tried putting a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you tell Uncle Hades all about it?"

Aria moved her shoulder away. "I'm not in the mood."

"Alright, fine! You're not in the mood, you're not in the mood." I tried to leave to give her space before noticing a plate of uneaten souvlaki on the ground where I put it the night before. "What's this mess?"

"The dinner I didn't eat last night." she answered dryly.

"Well, that's one meal ruined." I rolled my eyes as I picked up the plate. "You're always in the mood to eat, why didn't you eat last night?"

Aria shrugged. "Too depressed to eat."

I had a bad feeling I knew why. "Still thinking about your mom, huh?"

"I don't wanna talk about it!" she said in a warning tone as she slammed the door in my face.

I could've yelled, but knowing that she was still going through things, I let it slide for now and went back downstairs so she could cool down. Oy, teenagers. You can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Whaddya gonna do?

The Next Day

Pain's POV

Aria wasn't getting any better. I know that she was going through rough times, I mean, she just got reunited with her mom, and now she lost her forever. Yeah, I know, I'm not the best guy in the world to talk about this kind of thing, but this is Aria we're talkin' about. The only mortal who ever cared about Panic and I. And we knew that if anyone could try to make her feel better when pretty much everything went south for her, it had to be us. At least this kind of thing beats any job Hades had us do.

"You sure she'll talk to us?" Panic asked as he held onto the apples and pita we brought for Aria.

"Worth a try, isn't it?" I retorted right as we got to Aria's closed bedroom door.

We looked at each other nervously for a moment, wondering whether or not Aria was awake or was in the mood to talk to someone, but we've taken chances speaking out of line with Hades before, and since Aria had no fire powers to roast us or cares too much to choke us out, we'd figure the worst she could do was not talk to us. After a while, Panic was the one who ended up knocking on her door.

"Go away, Hades." Aria's voice rang from inside of her room.

I opened the door just a little so Panic and I could get in. "We're not Hades."

Aria was at her desk, but the moment she realized it was us, she quickly tossed what looked like a bad homework attempt into her trash and stood up to see us. Which I thought was kinda weird. Aria never threw away homework when she was working on it, let alone pitch it whenever Panic and I popped in to see if we could help. Not that we would be much help with her homework, but it's the thought that counts, right?

"We brought you some breakfast, in case you were hungry." Panic held up the apples and pita. "You kinda skipped it this morning."

"That's really sweet of you, boys, but I'm not hungry." she told us with a hoarse voice.

She looked hungry. No, scratch that. Aria looked way more than hungry. She looked like she hadn't slept since the funeral; so sad and depressed, almost like she'd never get over her mom dying. I mean, I can't say that Panic and I understood what she was going through. We never really knew our mom. Hades said that she abandoned us right after we were born. But what I did know was that Aria was putting too much of the blame on herself, and it wasn't doing her any good. She was hurting, and as someone who literally embodies everything that hurts mortals, it wasn't a pretty thing to see.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked her.

"I'm fine! I'm fine…" she said as she slipped her satchel over her shoulder. "I just gotta get to school."

Aria then patted us on the head and left her bedroom. And all Panic and I could do was watch her saunter miserably down the stairs. I don't think I've ever seen Aria look so miserable. Even when she thought all her mortal friends hated her after they found out she worked for Hades, she wasn't as miserable as this. I hated seeing her like this. This wasn't the Aria that Panic and I knew and loved

I shook my head. "I don't think she's fine."

"Me too." Panic agreed. "S-should we tell Hades?"

"Let's wait until after she leaves." I suggested. "I think the last thing she wants is another lecture from him."

Panic nodded as we watched Aria go to the ferry to leave for school. "You think she's gonna be okay?"

I didn't know how to answer him. Aria could be pretty unpredictable, so it was hard to know whether or not she'd pull through and try and move past all this in a good way. But I secretly doubted that. The last time Aria was so miserable, she almost ran away. Without talking to Panic and me about her problems. But as her best friends, all we could do was try to make her feel better. Even if it wasn't gonna be easy. I didn't want to lose her again.

"I sure hope so." I finally said.

Later

Hercules' POV

Aria sat by herself in the cafeterium during lunch. Not even wanting to touch the Thursday liver and onion lunch that was on her try -though, I can't really say that I blamed her. But she had been doing this ever since her mom died. Coming to school, going through all our normal classes, but by the time lunch came around, she'd just take a tray of food, sit down, and not even try to eat what was on her plate. She was really starting to worry a lot of people. Icarus, Cassandra, and I included.

And to make things worse, Aria just became quiet and distant. Which was more evident when us, her friends, tried to eat lunch with her and try to help her.

"Aria, are you okay?" I asked her as I sat next to her.

"I'm fine." she answered in an annoyed tone.

"You sure?" Icarus asked. "You hardly touched your food."

"I'm not hungry." she told us as she pushed the tray of food aside.

"But you haven't eaten any of the school's food in days. It's not like you." I told her.

"Can you blame her?" Cassandra scoffed jokingly. "The food here never looks edible."

Aria shook her head. "It's not that."

I didn't want to ask this, but I could tell what was on her mind. "Still thinking about your mom?"

She gave me a mean glare. "Is it that obvious?"

"Sorry." I apologized before trying to talk to her again. "But still, you don't look so good. You've gotta eat something."

"Look, I'm not in the mood to talk about this or to eat." Aria stood up started to leave. "I'll see you in class."

Aria then took her tray, tossed it in the trash, and stormed out of the cafeterium. I wish I could've stopped her or even followed her so I could do my duty as a hero-in-training and help her, but there was nothing I could do. Not because there was no real rule about how to comfort and console someone who lost their parent, but because I really didn't know what to do. I've never really known a friend who lost their mom until I saw Sirena die in front of Aria and I. How could I be a hero if I didn't know how to help her but wanted to?

"I'm worried about her." I stated to the others.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "When are you not?"

"I mean it this time. I understand that Aria's going through things, I really do! But the way she's handling her grief isn't healthy." I told her. "She won't eat, she won't talk to anyone. I don't want to see her hurt herself."

"Look, if I know Aria, and I know many things, she'll be back in the swing of things in no time!" Icarus thought more positively. "You'll see, when we walk into our next class, she'll be her old self again!"

I hoped to my father that Icarus was right, but I had a bad feeling that things were going to get much worse.

Later

Aria's POV

I left school shortly after lunch.

I didn't want anyone to know what I was going to do. That's why I threw away the note as soon as the imps came into my room that morning. I especially didn't want them to know. I'd know it'd break their little hearts when they found out, but they were better off without knowing. They were better off without me. Everyone was. But I wasn't running away from this world this time. I was going to do something much more permanent. And I don't think I regretted my decision. Not even when I saw the ferry approach the dock of the Underworld when I returned.

"You look bluer than the Styx." Charon said to me as he rowed to the dock.

"Oh, you noticed?" I scoffed weakly as I looked up at the Underworld palace. "Is anyone home?"

"The boss is busy with parchment-work, and who cares where the imps are." he told me as I sat myself down into the boat.

"Good." I answered as Charon rowed off.

I took one last look at the dock and the massive staircase that served as the only entrance and exit for the entire Underworld. Well, at least the entrance and exit for any living visitors. And with what I was planning and where I knew I wanted to go after Charon dropped me off at the other dock, I would be coming back in the Underworld through a different entrance very soon. One with no exit.

Meanwhile

Hercules' POV

Well, after lunch, Icarus, Cassandra, and I all waited outside our history class for Aria. I figured she'd be right there waiting on us because of how nuts she is about history, but she was nowhere in sight. We asked around to see if anyone else had seen her, but they either shook their heads or had no idea who Aria even was. I was starting to get really worried. First, Aria doesn't eat her food and now she just ditches history class and school in general? I wasn't liking this at all. Something bad was going on.

"Where could Aria be?" I asked as I started looking around. "She's never late."

"I guess she really wasn't her old self again after lunch." Icarus shrugged.

Just then, Cassandra's eyes turned green and swirly as she started to say a cryptic vision. "I foresee Aria standing on the edge of oblivion. Seconds away from jumping into the vortex of souls."

Cassandra's face turned white as marble as her eyes turned back to normal. "I think I know why Aria left."

"Whaddya mean? What vortex?" Icarus started to ask. "She can't go back to her world, can she?"

"That's not the vortex I saw." Cassandra told him in fear.

I thought for a moment to try and understand what Cassandra meant. Especially that thing she foresaw in her vision. A vortex of souls? There was only one place I could think of that had a vortex of souls, and that was in the Underworld. I heard stories about how no living mortal ever went into that thing and came out alive when they were trying to save the soul of a loved one. But why would Aria want to go into that thing? She said it herself, bringing her mother back to life wouldn't be right. So, why would she-

Oh, no…

I gasped in horror when I realized what Aria was planning. "We gotta stop her!"

Icarus and Cassandra took my horror seriously when they realized what was going on, and we rushed out of school right then and there. We had to get to the Underworld and stop Aria before we were too late to save her.

Later

Icarus, Cassandra and I made it to the Underworld in a little under half an hour, but there was no time to lose. We had to find Aria before she got to the Vortex of Souls. I should've followed after Aria the moment she stormed out of the cafeterium if I had known she would do something like this! I only hoped the god in charge of this domain of death would be reasonable enough to help us find her and stop her. And that's exactly what I started to do the moment my friends and I got into the Underworld's empty throne room.

"Hades, come out!" I called.

The sound of a flint and steel strike went off behind us, and when we turned around, we saw my uncle had arrived from a cloud of black smoke. His yellow eyes glaring at me as if he didn't even want me around until after I was dead. Feelings were more than mutual, but this was a serious thing right now. I had to put our family problems aside for the sake of saving Aria before she did the unthinkable.

"What is with you, nephew? Ya just barge on in here without a simple 'hey, how ya doin'?'" Hades scoffed before folding his arms. "I guess you are your father's son."

"Where's Aria?" I demanded an answer.

"Shouldn't she be in your little mortal school with you?" Hades retorted with his own question.

"She left after lunch just before our next class." Icarus explained,

Hades scoffed. "If it's that math junk she hates so much, I can see why."

"Actually, it was history." Icarus corrected before asking another question. "Are you sure you haven't seen her?"

"I'm a busy god. 'Kay?" Hades told him. "I'm not omniscient when it counts."

I sighed impatiently. "Look, could you just tell us if you know of something called a Vortex of Souls down here?"

"Yeah, it's the depository of the River Styx, it-" my uncle stopped himself midsentence when he realized what I said. "Um, excuse me?"

"I had a vision about Aria jumping in that vortex." Cassandra explained. "If that's the same vortex I saw in my vision, she could be in trouble."

Hades was unusually quiet for a moment as he looked over towards a small entrance on the side of the throne room. It had a long staircase and immitted an eerie green glow. I figured that was the entrance to the Vortex of Souls, so maybe he saw Aria go in there. But why was he being so quiet about it? If he knew she was down there, then why didn't he stop her? Maybe this was the one time he didn't know where Aria was or what she was doing?

"Was she eating?" Hades finally asked us. "Before she left, did Aria eat anything?"

I shook my head. "No, why?"

Hades' flames flickered in a frantic way as he led us towards the vortex's entrance. "Come with me."

"Boss, we have the-"

Pain gave a confused look as he and his friend followed after us. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it." Panic said.

Cassandra gave them a very grim expression. "You won't like it."

Meanwhile

Aria's POV

I made sure I wasn't followed when I went into the room that housed the Vortex of Souls. Thankfully, by the time I found the entrance, Hades was too busy in his office to hear me come home early from school and the imps were nowhere to be found. Which meant that nobody would see or know what I was about to do until it was too late.

I was alone with that swirling, green ever sinking pool full of the souls of the dead. Normally, such a sight would send shivers up my spine at the mere thought of being stuck in that thing for all eternity after seeing what it did to mortals in the movie, but not this time. I stared over the edge of the vortex, thinking about how quick it would be to end it all if I just jumped in. And how if I did, I wouldn't have to deal with all that had happened since I've been in this world. I was going to end it all. Right then and there.

"I'm so sorry." I cried a silent prayer to a God who probably wasn't listening. "Please forgive me."

And with that, I took one foot over the edge, and let myself fall. I know what I was doing was the coward's way out of handling problems, but there was no other way out. I was done feeling guilty, I was done with the grief and sadness, I was done pretending like I was okay in front of my friends who clearly have no idea what I was going through, but worst of all, I was done living with it all. I was done with living. And when I fell, I closed my eyes and waited for everything to be over.

Meanwhile

Hercules' POV

By the time we got into the ledge overlooking vortex, we saw Aria fall off the ledge. We were too late.

"ARIA!" Panic screamed in horror.

I raced to the edge to try and catch her before she jumped, but I was stopped when a flash of black smoke pushed past me and trailed right after Aria. The five of us on the ledge looked down to see the smoke race down into the vortex to save Aria. I could make out what looked like Aria hitting her head on the glowing, soul filled waters of the vortex right as the smoke had caught her. It flew back up onto the ledge, where we had backed up and saw Hades turn back into his normal self, carrying an unconscious Aria in his arms.

"Is she…?" Cassandra began to ask.

"Alive," Hades confirmed. "But barely."

Both the imps started bawling their eyes out as Hades gave Aria to me while Icarus and Cassandra immediately raced out of the Underworld to get Pegasus so we could get Aria back to Athens. I brushed Aria's bangs off her face and felt her pulse. It was weak, but it was there. And so was a massive bruise on her forehead where she had hit it on the water. Hades did save her, but if I didn't get Aria to Hippocrates soon, she might be going back into that vortex after all. And I was not going to let that happen.

Several Hours Later

Icarus, Cassandra, and I waited in the hospital waiting room with awful, concerned faces. It had been almost three hours since we brought Aria to Hippocrates' hospital in Athens after she tried to drown herself in the Vortex of Souls. I understood why Aria put all the blame on herself for not being able to save her mom, but why would she try and do such a thing? Her mother's death wasn't her fault. Whatever Ms. Sirena's illness was, that cancer she had, it was beyond Aria's control. And I know her mom wouldn't have wanted Aria to feel guilty for not knowing. I just don't understand why Ms. Sirena never told her before all this happened. Why was she so insistent on keeping something like that from Aria knowing that she would feel guilty about it?

I blamed myself though. I should've seen the signs of what Aria was planning. The obvious change in behavior, the lack of eating, her distancing herself from people and normal activities, they should've been obvious signs that she was going through a depressive state and was planning on doing something horrible to herself. I'm supposed to be a hero, and I almost couldn't even save my friend from herself. I was just lucky Hades was able to get her out of the vortex before things turned for the worse.

As I blamed myself for not saving the girl I saw as a sister, the wait was finally over when Hippocrates came out of Aria's hospital room. Icarus, Cassandra, and I all stood up to hear whether or not Aria was alive.

"She appears to be in stable condition, but it will take time for her to regain her normal weight." Hippocrates told us. "Thankfully, her head injury is nothing serious. Just a minor concussion. Had she hit that water you mentioned any harder, the impact would've killed her."

I'm pretty sure I sighed in relief after hearing that.

"So, she's gonna be okay?" Icarus asked him.

"She'll be fine. Right now, she needs her rest." Hippocrates assured us all. "I'll inform you when she's ready to see you."

"Thanks, Doc." I finally said.

"But there is something strange I should tell you." he continued. "We took a blood test to check to see if any of her internal organs were damaged during her fall."

Cassandra arched a brow. "And?"

"Well, her organs are normal." Hippocrates said as he revealed a small vial from a pocket in his scrubs. "It's her blood that isn't."

He held up the vial for Icarus, Cassandra, and I to see. At first, I didn't really know what he was showing us. That is, until I recognized the contents. It was a glowing yellow liquid with the smallest hints of red speckled in it. It was the same liquid I remember seeing in a vial just like the one I saw during the Big Games after I had my blood test. The same liquid that got me disqualified from a human athletic endeavor.

"DG-positive." I said with widened eyes.

"What's that mean?" Icarus asked.

"It's the blood type of demigods." I explained. "That's the same blood type as mine."

"Wait. Aria's a demigod?" he realized. "And she never told us?"

"She couldn't have known." Cassandra shook her head. "Her mom wasn't really one to tell big secrets."

"This news is the most surprising," Hippocrates said as he put the vial into his pocket. "But I'll be willing to keep this secret as to not cause Ariadne any more stress. It's something I've been calling 'patient confidentiality'. Which includes letting family or close friends of my patients to know about their medical condition."

Cassandra nodded. "It's probably best that she doesn't know right now."

"Thanks for telling us this, Hippocrates." I told him. "We'll come back to visit her soon."

Hippocrates nodded and the three of us left the hospital. This day couldn't be anymore stressful for anyone. First, Aria tries to end it all and now we find out she's a demigod like me? I know nothing in life was ever normal, this is Ancient Greece after all, but I'm pretty sure nobody expected something like this. This was way weirder than when I found out I was adopted by my Earth parents and that Zeus was my real father.

"Now the question is: Who's Aria's father?" Cassandra asked the main question at hand.

"Or real mother." Icarus added.

"What?" I asked him, not really knowing what he meant.

"Well, she could be in a similar situation as you, Herc." Icarus started explaining. "Maybe her father was a god, or maybe her real mother was a goddess, or maybe both of her parents were gods that had her sent away and turned mortal for some reason and was adopted by Ms. Sirena!"

"I hate to say it, but he might be onto something." Cassandra agreed.

They both had a point. If Aria was a demigod like me, then it meant that her whole life could've been a lie. But I doubted it was Icarus' other two theories. Aria has the same olive skin, heart-shaped face, and hair color Ms. Sirena had, so, it was obvious that she was Aria's birth mother and not the daughter of a goddess. Which means that Aria's father is a god, and Sirena lied to Aria this whole time. But why? I remember hearing a law my father made that said that the gods couldn't have families with mortals unless they were engaged, but none of this made sense. And I was gonna do everything I could to find out why.

"Whatever the case, we probably should find out first and then tell her as soon as we can." I suggested as we left the hospital parking lot. "She's had enough weight on her shoulders to last her a lifetime."

The Next Morning

Aria's POV

I wasn't dead, but the way my body and head ached, I almost felt like I was.

I didn't know how long I was out for, but I groaned weakly as I finally opened my eyes. I found myself lying down on one of the beds in the hospital: The last place I wanted to be in. I felt too weak to move and way too hungry to function. I know that not eating was torture before I decided to jump into the vortex. I admit, it was not the best idea I've ever had. But maybe having a last meal before attempting suicide would've been a bit smarter than feeling more miserable than I already was.

As if my misery and problems couldn't get any worse, from one of the dark corners of my room, I could make out a shadowy figure looking at me from the darkness. But I knew who it was. I recognized those sunken yellow eyes and blue flames anywhere, and frankly, I was in no mood to deal with him right now.

"Hey, Sapphire." Hades greeted me as he left his dark corner.

"Hi…" I greeted weakly.

"How ya feeling?" he asked me.

"Well, I have a stomachache the size of a hydra," I told him. "But I'm good."

"Aria, Aria, Aria, my sweet little fox," Hades began to say. "If you were 'good' you wouldn't be in this joint."

I looked away shamefully as I saw the tips of Hades' flames flicker in an orange color. I didn't have the energy to deal with his flame ups right now. So, I just laid there in the bed and avoided eye contact with Hades as best as I could while he had the nerve to lecture me on what I did. This was not something I wanted to deal with. I know what I did was beyond wrong! So, why should he care whether or not I lived or died after everything he put me through and made me do? I didn't need a reminder of what I did, but I knew Hades wanted me to hear it.

"You're tried to kill yourself." Hades told me what I already knew.

There it was. The awful reminder of the worst possible thing a person in my mental state could do.

"It's been three days, and ya think killing yourself will make you feel better?" Hades started ranting. "I promised your mother that I'd look out for you, and this is how you repay me? How you repay her?"

I couldn't help myself after remembering what I did and remembering about Mom's last request to Hades. How could I disrespect her final wish like that? I then inhaled sharply as unshed tears stung my eyes, and a noise escaped my throat. A croak. I felt my voice go thick and my throat going dry as I tried my best not to cry pained tears. I didn't want to deal with this. Not right now. Especially not in front of Hades, who stopped ranting when he noticed just how low a rock bottom I've hit.

"What now?" he rolled his eyes.

"I knew this is how you'd react." I started to cry. "This is why I didn't want to bring this up to anyone, especially you!"

Hades gave an offended look. "Why? You think I wouldn't understand that you'd kill yourself because you can't get over your mom's death?"

"I wanted to kill myself after everything I've ever done here!" I angrily sobbed. "I lied, I-I tried to kill my friend, I let my mom die because I was selfish and wanted to try to start over! I just couldn't take any of it anymore!"

My body shook as I let out my sobs. Red hot tears spilled down my face and trickled under my jaw as I tried wiping them away with my hands. I hated being like this in front of him. Hated being afraid, and weak, and completely powerless. But then again, maybe I got what I deserved. I was dumb enough to think I could get away with no one seeing me try and kill myself in a god's own realm, why did I expect myself not to sob like a baby in front of said god?

"I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want anyone to stop me, and I didn't tell you because I figured you wouldn't understand." I sniffed. "You're a god, you don't have to worry about yourloved ones dying."

"Kid, just cause I'm a god doesn't mean I can't worry about someone. Mortals die every day, and it's no big deal," Hades told me. "But don't think that I don't miss her, too. Okay? I loved her! And the split second when you jumped off the ledge-"

Hades stopped himself as his flames started to dim and turned away for a moment. Like he was getting burnt out from something affecting him either physically or emotionally. I've only ever seen him look so burnt out once, and that was when Hecate stole his flame when she tried taking over the Underworld, but this time was different. Hades acted differently. He wasn't being snarky, sarcastic, or just brushing something aside like it was no big deal. He was being sincere.

Hades' voice went dry when he folded his arms. "I couldn't lose you, too."

I felt my heart shatter when he said those words. Hades wasn't burnt out and empty because someone had taken away his power, he was burnt out and empty because he was grieving too. How could I have been so stupid and selfish being caught up in my own grief that I couldn't see Hades was suffering in silence too? Mom meant everything to him, and I was all he had left to remember her by.

Hades finally regained his composure and looked back at me. "Look, I'm not gonna get all sappy and tell ya it's gonna get better, 'cause I know it won't, and what you did was not the way to handle things. You get me?"

"I'm sorry." I apologized, even though I knew a simple 'sorry' wouldn't cut it.

"And you know what you're gonna do about it?" he began to say in his usual tone. "One: You're gonna start eating again, -wanna take notes on this? Two: Try to get past all the grief in a way that won't end up with you pulling this stunt ever again, and three:"

I braced myself for a yelling with that third task.

"You're getting' the help you need." he finally said. "That, I'm gonna make sure of."

Well, it wasn't the shouting match I was expecting or a punishment for me being so stupid, but it worked for me. I'm proud enough to admit that I need professional help to talk about my problems instead of bottling them up. I gave a simple nod as Hades came over and gave me a small hug. I know he's not a sentimental guy but knowing that he was hurting too and wanted to help me the best that he could -even if this was not something the god of the Underworld ever signed up for- was comfort enough. Mom would be proud of him.

Hades broke off the hug and made his way to the door. "By the way, one more thing."

I looked up at him in confusion, and the moment Hades opened the door, Pain and Panic came into the room. The moment they saw me, they started tearing up and they immediately came over to the bed to hold me tight. And me being me and having an inability to handle them crying, I started getting all worked up and teary-eyed myself, again. All I did right then and there was hold the imps close to me with a guilty feeling knowing that I was dumb enough to consider leaving them without saying 'goodbye', again.

From our moment, I caught Hades starting to leave the room. But not before he noticed me looking at him.

"What?" he questioned.

I'm pretty sure I gave Hades the weakest of smirks. "You're not staying?"

"Your little heart-to-hearts with the imps can make a god queasy." Hades rolled his eyes before he teleported back to the Underworld, leaving me alone with the imps.

"Why didn't you tell us what you were going through?" Pain asked me through hurting sobs. "W-we could've helped you."

I was too ashamed to look at the imps. "I didn't want you boys to know."

Panic wiped some tears away with a sniff. "I don't think I would've forgiven myself if Hades hadn't caught you when you jumped."

Pain nodded in agreement. "Pretty sure none of us would've."

None of us?

"It wasn't just you guys and Hades who found me, was it?" I asked them.

Panic gave a sad nod. "Your school friends were the ones who warned us thanks to Cassandra's vision."

I groaned in agony as I fell back down onto my pillow. "Great. Now I've got them to worry about."

"Hey, don't talk like that." Panic snapped at me.

"What do you expect me to talk like, Panic?" I yelled before I held my head in my hands. "All this guilt is just making me feel like more and more of the monster they see me as the day they found out who I really am! They must think I'm just awful for wanting to end it all after everything that's happened!"

"Just 'cause you think all that stuff you did made you who you are, doesn't mean it's the real you!" Pain tried to ease the tension.

"Oh, yeah?" I scoffed. "And who exactly is the real me? A pathetic liar? A-a poor excuse for a friend? A coward for wanting to end her life for letting her own mother die?"

"Not even close!" Panic shook his head as angry tears formed in his eyes. "Y-you're the kindest, most loyal, honest, noble, and bravest mortal we've ever known! A-and seeing you constantly belittle a-and hate yourself for not seeing that makes you just as bad as us!"

I gave him a puzzled look. What did all that mean? Being just like him and Pain just for facing the fact that I'm an awful person?

"I think what Panic's trying to say is, yeah, you messed up. We do it all the time, and we've gotten a bad rep 'cause of it," Pain explained. "But it doesn't mean you gotta like us and let all your crimes make you who you are; you're you, not your crimes."

Those words hit hard. Not in a bad way, but in a way that really made me think about how much the imps saw in me. I'm flawed, sure, but so were Pain and Panic. No matter how many times they've screwed up, no matter how much abuse they got from Hades, they never stopped trying to make up for what their slip-ups. And seeing them use their own experiences to relate to mine and help me feel better made me love them even more. I guess I was right about them all along. Deep down, they are good guys.

I got teary-eyed for the umpteenth time and just hugged the imps. Knowing that they were there for me, and I was more than lucky to have them as my best friends.

"Thank you." I whispered to them both.