I dreamt of Python that night.

That stupid, gaping cavern reeked of sulfur and must – an absolute assault to the senses. Despite the darkness, the heat and humidity clung to the air like a wet blanket, drenching me in sweat. Had that been the end of it all, I probably would've been fine. The mountains of bones around the floor concerned me, sure, but I'd seen worse in the Underworld.

No, what sent pure terror flooding through my veins, the thing that made my heart want to burst out of my chest was when Python stirred. His sheer size made me long for the drakon from the Battle of Manhattan. His scales scraped against the rocky ground, sending chills down my spine. I'd rather be forced to listen to nails on a chalkboard for eternity than hear this for a moment longer.

Python's head alone was roughly the size of a pickup truck. At the moment, he truly resembled a snake, forgoing any wings, limbs, or additional heads. Knowing he could grow and discard those as he pleased did nothing to reassure me. His lamp-like yellow eyes glowed in the darkness, growing brighter as he approached.

"So, you are the one fighting for control of Delphi," he spoke, low and gravely. His voice reverberated around the chamber. Dirt fell from the ceiling and into my hair. He sharply exhaled, the warm air from his nostril slits hitting me square in the face. I gagged and reflexively took a step back but couldn't do much more than that.

The Fates making me the goddess of snakes was a joke. It had taken me years to get over my ophidiophobia. Even now, I hated snakes and did as much as I could to avoid them.

Being forced to contend with Python was cruel and unusual punishment.

Somehow I doubted that pleading the Eighth would do much to help in this instance.

"It would be so much easier if you gave up, girl. Relinquish the Oracle to me."

"No," I managed, shaking from head to toe. "I won't give you Delphi."

Python's lips – did snakes have lips? – curled upward in what I assumed to be a sneer. His forked tongue peaked through, hissing aggressively at my dismissal of his offer. "About time he sends me a worthy opponent. That golden boy has outlived his usefulness. He will fall to me, as will you. The power of the Oracles is mine."

"You will leave Apollo out of this." I drew my sword. "You will not hurt him, and you won't be taking control of Delphi. Not under my watch."

"Oh, you sweet, naïve child. Delphi is already mine. You're too late."

"No!"

I stabbed my sword into the ground and channeled what little control I had over the Earth into the growing crack. Dirt crawled up my shoes and ankles, quickly moving to bring me to my knees (gee thanks, Gaea), but I didn't relent. The dirt continued to rise, quickly spreading across my chest and toward the base of my throat. Python lunged. I closed my eyes and screamed.

The ground sliced open like butter under a hot knife.

"The sun will fall, and he will take you down with him!" Python screeched as the floor finally gave way.

Three loud knocks in rapid succession woke me.

I sat up so abruptly that when I tried to get to my feet, I managed to get tangled in my sheets and face-planted onto the floor. Thank God for my rug. I didn't particularly feel like tasting the hardwood at the moment.

Muttering curses under my breath, I gathered my sheets and chucked them back onto my bed while simultaneously getting to my feet. I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. My hands continued shaking as I grasped the handle and opened the door.

"Buenos días, hermana," Leo started, fiddling with his tool belt. "Chef Leo has prepared…" He looked up and winced. "Unfortunately what you need would have me running laps until my legs fall off, so I'll get you some café con leche instead."

I shook my head. "You know I stay away from Mr. D's happy juice. Coffee is perfect, thank you."

I shut the door behind me and fell in line behind Leo. We didn't make it to the end of the corridor as Leo leaned on one wall and gestured for me to do the same. He fiddled with the charms around his wrist, a habit I knew all too well.

"Look, I know I'm a grade-A goofball and the loveable captain of this ship, but you know you can come to me for anything, right? Don't get me wrong, Piper and Hazel are probably the closest things to therapists we have, but I'm always willing to lend an ear or hand or equipment that may or may not blow up in your face."

"That's very kind of you, Leo. I appreciate it."

Leo tried to smile, really he did. It crumbled within seconds, a deep sadness settling into his eyes.

"I'm worried about you, hermana. The way you've been carrying yourself lately, it's almost like…" Leo's hands curled into fists at his sides. The smell of smoke faintly filled the air. "It's like you're trying to say goodbye."

Had I been so obvious? I could feel Hermes' judgment, his overdramatic cries of, "All those lessons gone to waste!" Yes, things had been hard recently, but I thought I'd done a better job of channeling my inner Elsa with the whole conceal don't feel business I had going on.

Yet here was Leo, seeing right through the façade I'd been precariously parading around for the better part of a month. In less than a week, so many things had changed, leaving me on the verge of sacrificing everything for the sake of the world, but more importantly, my friends.

"You want to protect us, and I get it. Protecting us is your modus operandi. You've been doing that for years, Andy. Let us return the favor."

"When did you get so mature?" I asked.

"Pfft, it's taken you long enough to realize that I'm the most mature demigod on this spanking hot war machine! Your Ivy League education has nothing on the Ultimate McShizzle, baby!"

I could see through Leo as clearly as he could see through me. He spoke with a lot of bravado, but there was no mistaking the way his hands gravitated toward his toolbelt, undoubtedly, to grab the fortune cookie Nemesis had saddled him with. Knowing him, he was internally beating himself to a pulp, probably thinking something along the lines of a seventh wheel would be useless in trying to reach out to a struggling friend.

"Well, Ultimate McShizzle," I began, earning a crooked smile from Leo, "you won't be getting rid of me anytime soon. Whatever happens to me, you know I'll fight with everything in me to get back to you all. After all, if I'm not here, one of you will get stuck with dish duty."

Leo shuddered. "I am unable to live up to Coach's stringent dish-cleaning expectations. Please don't leave us!"

"I won't, so long as I get that coffee I was promised."

"Yes, your goddessness! Right away!"

Leo sprinted down the hallway and up the stairs, screaming at the others to get out of his way. Two seconds later came a resounding CRASH and a string of expletives in Spanglish, Ancient Greek, and Latin.

I rolled my eyes and headed for the stairs, fully preparing myself to reverse time on a cupboard of plates and glasses.

God, I loved these kids.

It's going to absolutely suck the moment I have to leave them.

The lull of breakfast was interrupted by a blaring horn.

Hazel flinched so hard that she spilled orange juice down the front of her shirt. Frank once again turned into a lizard, face flushed as he quickly returned to human form. Leo's hair caught fire. Percy reached for a breastplate and charged up the stairs despite still being in pajama pants.

The rest of us followed Percy's lead while I brought up the rear.

We saw the source of the jolting noise soon enough. About a hundred yards to port, a massive cruise ship glided past. Tourists waved at them from fifteen or sixteen rows of balconies. Some smiled and took pictures. None of them looked surprised to see an Ancient Greek trireme. Maybe the Mist made it look like a fishing boat, or perhaps the cruisers thought the Argo II was a tourist attraction.

The cruise ship blew its horn again, and the Argo II had a shaking fit.

Coach Hedge plugged his ears. That ruckus couldn't have been fun with his enhanced satyr hearing. "Do they have to be so loud?"

"They're just saying hi," Frank speculated.

"WHAT?" Hedge yelled back.

The ship edged past us, heading out to sea. The tourists kept waving. If they found it strange that the Argo II was populated by half-asleep kids in armor and pajamas and a man with goat legs, they didn't let on.

"Bye!" Leo called, raising his smoking hand.

"Can I man the ballistae?" Hedge asked.

We all replied with a resounding, "NO!", causing Coach to huff and mutter some not-so-nice things under his breath.

Hazel rubbed her eyes and looked across the glittering green water. "Where are – oh…Wow."

I've come across the pond many times over the years, but the entrance to the Mediterranean still managed to take my breath away. Without the cruise ship in the way, we saw a mountain jutting from the sea less than a half mile to the north. On one side of the entrance, limestone cliffs were almost completely sheer, dropping into the sea over a thousand feet below. On the other side, the mountain sloped in tiers, covered in green forest, looking like something straight from a Bob Ross painting.

"The Rock of Gibraltar," Annabeth said in awe. "At the tip of Spain. And over there–" She pointed south to a more distant stretch of red and ochre hills. "That must be Africa. We're at the mouth of the Mediterranean."

"What now?" Piper asked. "Do we just sail in?"

"Why not?" Leo said. "It's a big shipping channel. Boats go in and out all the time."

"We'll sail in, but there's a stop we're going to have to make first," I said, mentally steeling myself for the next hurdle in this quest. I hadn't seen Hercules in years, but our last interaction wasn't pleasant to say the least. Hebe forgave me for breaking his femur during Hermaea. Hercules had laughed off the injury but something dark smoldered in those eyes of his.

Things escalated later that night. Hercules said some things. I said some things back. We found an empty arena and decided to fight out our grievances. It ended with both of us covered in the other's blood, which led to a three-way shouting match between Zeus, Apollo, and Hercules as I sipped on nectar, feeling my ribs knit themselves together.

Yeah, I wouldn't be of much help this time around.

I tuned into the conversation as Jason said, "Hercules, the most powerful demigod of all time."

As much as I hated the guy, Jason wasn't wrong. There's a reason his story had lived on for so long.

"Won't Hercules be on our side?" Piper asked hopefully. "I mean…he's one of us, right?"

Jason granted. "He was a son of Zeus, but when he died, he became a god. You can never be sure with gods." Jason's eyes comically widened as he immediately added, "Andy is the exception to that!"

"Hey, there's a lot of demigods turned gods that give us all bad reps. Your earlier statement is true," I said with a shrug.

"Great," Percy said. "Eight of us against Hercules."

"And a satyr!" Hedge enthusiastically added, pounding a fist against his palm. "We can take him."

"I've got a better idea," Annabeth said. "We send ambassadors ashore. A small group – two or three at most. Try to talk with him."

"I'll go," Jason said. "He's a son of Zeus. I'm a son of Jupiter. Maybe he'll be friendly to me."

"Or maybe he'll hate you," Percy suggested. "Half-brothers don't always get along."

Jason scowled. "Thank you, Mr. Optimism."

"It's worth a shot," Annabeth said. "At least Jason and Hercules have something in common. And we need our best diplomat. Somebody who's good with words."

We all turned to Piper.

"Fine," she said. "Just let me change my clothes."

"Maybe Andy should be our third," Jason said. "You have the whole godly thing in common with him. I'm sure you're as strong as Hercules."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but believe me, you don't want me anywhere near that meathead. We almost killed each other the last time we were in the same room together."

Frank's jaw dropped. "You've fought Hercules and almost won?"

"A couple of years ago, yeah. He and I have a you-don't-bother-me-I-won't-bother-you agreement. My presence will make everything worse."

Leo gave a low whistle. "I knew my hermana was a badass! She almost beat the strongest demigod of all time while she was a demigod!"

"So, does that mean she could take him on again and beat him?" Hazel asked. "She's a goddess now, so she's stronger."

"What ever happened to diplomacy?" I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Let's not antagonize Hercules if we can avoid that, 'kay? Speaking of diplomacy, Jason–" The son of Jupiter turned to face me. "Under no circumstance are you to mention–"

The attack came on like a tsunami.

Green smoke erupted from my mouth as I clawed at my throat. My vision went green. Every muscle ached like I'd dunked them in a vat of sulfuric acid and left them there to marinate for days. An immense pressure pounded against my temples. I'm pretty sure I screamed. Maybe it was the others screaming. I couldn't make out anything other than the raspy whisper associated with the Oracle of Delphi.

When I came to, the heavy tang of iron filled my mouth. I prodded the deep bite in my cheek with my tongue and winced. At least I hadn't bitten my tongue off. That would be a pain to regenerate.

With shaking arms, I managed to push myself into a sitting position.

"That was fun," I sarcastically mumbled, pushing loose strands of hair out of my face.

"Yeah, no, I'm putting my foot down. Andy's not going anywhere anytime soon," Percy said, one of his hands on my shoulder.

"Don't mention the cow lady to Hercules," I said, relieved that this didn't cause another attack. "He hates her."

"Cow lady?" Leo asked.

I could imagine the expression on Annabeth's face as she spat, "Hera," as if the name was a swear word.

"Quick, someone tell Piper and Jason!"

"They've already left?" I asked.

A beat of silence.

"Andy, how long did it feel like you were out of it?" Percy asked, squatting in front of me. His eyes glimmered with worry.

"Thirty seconds to a minute at most, but…" I checked in with my internal clock and frowned. That couldn't be right, could it? My internal clock had never failed me before – just daughter of Kronos things – but seeing those numbers behind my eyelids felt like a shot to the heart. "It's been seventeen minutes? Oh, God."

Annabeth looked close to tears. "You looked…you looked just like May."

"At least she could still move when the Oracle wanted to play." I rubbed at my temples and got to my feet. "Ugh, I need some ibuprofen." I prodded the torn flesh of my cheek once more. "And maybe some gauze."

The others had been stunned into silence.

I calmly rummaged through my bag and found my bottle of ibuprofen, making quick work of two pills. I also reached for one of many gauze rolls in my bag and cut a small square, pressing it against the inside of my mouth.

"No, no, nope, I refuse to let this stand," Leo said, wagging his finger in the air. "I'm stripping Hercules of his title, effective immediately. Andy wins as the most powerful demigod of all time. If anyone disagrees, they can walk the plank."

"We don't have a plank?" Frank said.

"Festus! Add that to my to-do list!"

"Andy, you need help," Percy pleaded. "Those attacks are getting worse."

"Don't worry about me, squirt. I already have a plan in place," I said. "I should have this taken care of in two weeks."

"That's too long! So many things could go wrong before then! You could get seriously hurt!"

I reached for my bracelet. "I…I think I know what triggers these attacks. I'll just be more careful from now on. I can promise you all that much."

"That's not good enough."

Annabeth recoiled in shock. She reached for Percy's hand. "Percy, you don't mean that," she said.

"I do," Percy said with the utmost conviction. "You've been trained by Apollo, so I know you know how healthcare is supposed to work. If this happened to anyone else but you, you'd be getting them the help they needed ASAP. Why won't you give yourself the same consideration? Why do you have to risk your safety for another two weeks before getting any type of treatment?"

I dryly laughed. "Believe me, squirt, if I could've dealt with this the moment it happened, I would've. There are only two things that will free me from the Oracle. Waiting two weeks is the fastest option."

Percy's expression fell. Then it morphed into anger. He turned around and glared at the sky.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Apollo!"

"Percy, are you crazy?!" Frank exclaimed.

"Percy, stop!" Hazel said.

"Stop antagonizing the gods, Perseus Jackson, so help me Olympus!" Annabeth said, grabbing him by the shoulders, clearly trying to shake some sense into him.

"Whatever gets blown up, you're fixing," Leo said, giving Percy a pointed look.

"Apollo, this is your Oracle! Do something about it!"

I felt mortified and overwhelmingly loved at the same time. Of course, it would be Percy threatening the sun god on my behalf. What other demigod would be crazy enough to do such a thing?

Actually, I can think of at least four others. Maybe it's best if I don't mention them at the moment. There's no need to encourage this kind of behavior.

In any case, I needed to stop Percy before he was vaporized and I'd have to explain to Sally why her son was being returned to her in an urn before he'd reached his eighteenth birthday. I don't think the curse of Achilles could withstand instant disintegration from a god's divine power.

"Leo, throw me some duct tape!" Annabeth shouted, gesturing to Leo's toolbelt.

Too late.

The sun literally descended from the sky. As it approached, I could make out the outline of a red Maserati Spyder. It stopped in midair about halfway between us and the sky. The headlights flashed as if the car had been put into park. However, I watched as Apollo stepped out of the Spyder and pressed a button on his keys, causing it to launch itself at breakneck speed to its previous altitude in a matter of nanoseconds.

Thankfully, Apollo wasn't in a spiting mood as he landed on the deck of the Argo II without setting anything on fire.

I had to take a double take to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me.

In all the time I've known Apollo, I have never seen him look as disheveled as he did now. He wore a matching light gray sweatshirt/sweatpants combo that was covered in a myriad of unidentifiable stains. His blond hair was a rat's nest, tangled with large knots but dealt with by being pulled into a messy bun. Dark semicircles hung under his eyes, giving his normally sky blue irises a grayish tint. His facial hair was in that awkward scruffy phase that reminded me of teenage boys trying to grow their first beard. I could imagine Aphrodite's screeches in my head as I noticed the mismatched socks and sandals look Apollo had going for him.

He reminded me of the homeless people you'd find sleeping under bridges.

With the flourish of his hand, he summoned a pint of Ben and Jerry's chocolate therapy ice cream and a spoon. We all watched in utter silence as he popped the top off and dug his spoon into the ice cream.

"You called, Percy Jackson?" Apollo said lackadaisically, eating a large spoonful of ice cream.

"What happened to you?"

"Seaweed brain!"

"Right, right, my bad." Percy cleared his throat. "You need to help Andy."

Apollo's aura flared. "I am a god. I don't need to do anything."

"Oh, you most definitely do. Today, Andy had an Oracle attack that lasted almost twenty minutes. They're progressively getting worse, and you're doing nothing to help her. The Oracles are under your control! Do something about it!"

Apollo ate another spoonful and shrugged. "You're right."

A beat of silence.

"That was less satisfying than I expected," Percy said, shoulders slumping forward.

"It usually is," I said. I sighed. "Listen, I appreciate this, really, I do. But I think it's best if Apollo and I talk somewhere privately."

"The last private conversation you had caused a civil war," Leo said, earning glares from Hazel, Frank, and Annabeth. He held his hands up in surrender. "It's the truth! Maybe we need a mediator present? An impartial one," he quickly added, sensing Percy about to volunteer.

"That would be me," Coach Hedge said. "You cupcakes love Andy too much to be any type of impartial judge. Go do something useful while we wait for McClean and Grace to return."

"Yes, Coach."

"Don't worry, Captain Leo has a list of fun chores that need to get done!"

The demigods grumbled as they shuffled their way off the deck, obviously thrilled with the prospect of the chores Leo had in mind.

Apollo continued sucking on his spoon, sadly glancing down into his empty pint of ice cream. If he wanted another one that badly, he could summon it, but the stink eye Coach Hedge gave him probably convinced him otherwise.

I motioned for the men to follow me to my room. The silencing enchantments would prevent any unnecessary eavesdropping. I knew my friends like the back of my hand. They'd be crowding the door the moment Coach shut it behind him.

I settled onto my bed and hugged my teddy bear to my chest. Apollo flopped into my beanbag chair. Coach Hedge leaned against the door, arms crossed over his chest as he scanned my room, probably taking this opportunity to look for contraband and saddle me with more dish duty.

"I thought you said you had it under control," Apollo began, refusing to meet my gaze.

"I'll admit, there's been a learning curve, but I think I understand it better now. So long as I keep my mouth shut about certain things, I should be okay."

"Percy's right, though. You need to be better than just okay."

"My plan won't be able to begin for another two weeks. Psyche needs time to prepare everything."

Finally, a response from Apollo. He turned to face me so quickly I swear I heard something in his neck snap. His fingers dug into my beanbag, threatening to tear into it.

"You went to Psyche? Why?"

"You're smarter than people give you credit for, Apollo. You know why I went to her."

He scoffed and buried his head in his hands. He started laughing, softly at first until it became a full-blown, hysterical cackle. Coach Hedge and I shared a look, watching the sun god devolve into madness before our very eyes.

"Right as I think you can't be any more reckless, you go and surprise me." Apollo laughed again, humorless and dry. "Why do you keep doing these things to yourself?"

"I'm doing what needs to be done to keep Mother Earth asleep and the Oracles under your control," I said. "If that requires Psyche's help, so be it. I've sacrificed so much to keep this world safe. What's a little more?"

"I wish you wouldn't do that."

I wonder if Salina heard him. If she did, I didn't know any better.

I shrugged and hugged my bear tighter. "This is the hand fate dealt me. I'm trying to make the best out of a messy situation."

"The Fates wouldn't do this to you," Apollo said, desperation beginning to creep into his voice. "You work for them. They wouldn't hurt their most loyal servant like this. They're creepy hags, but surely they're not this cruel."

"I haven't been under their control for a long time, Apollo. This whole Oracle issue isn't making things any easier; in fact, it's starting to interfere with the Fates' work."

Coach sweat dropped. "Kid, are you serious?"

"Dead serious. And I'm sure I don't need to mention how bad it would be if the Fates were unable to weave their threads."

The three of us collectively shuddered at the thought.

"What am I supposed to do?" Apollo's hands buried into his hair, aggressively tugging at the bound strands. "Zeus wants my head on a silver plate because of Octavian. This is the longest I've been in one aspect in the past three days. My head feels like it's splitting in half the second I leave Delos. Because of a stupid decision I made, I can't do anything about the gods forsaken Oracles or my greatest foe." Apollo went deathly silent before whispering in the quietest voice I've ever heard from him, "I can't do anything to help you, Andy. I'm sorry."

"Coach Hedge, could we please have a moment?" I asked after a few tense moments of silence.

He grunted. "Keep things PG and don't start any other civil wars without my input, or I'll–"

"Have me washing dishes until my hands fall off, I know."

"Cheeky brat," he huffed. "I'm going to get those cupcakes to work. Gods know they're right outside this door trying to listen in instead of doing those chores."

Case in point, Coach Hedge threw the door open, and we heard the sound of footsteps pounding against the hardwood as they scrambled anywhere but my room. I laughed softly to myself as Coach righted his cap and muttered something about "No good, lazy cupcakes" as he went to put my friends through their paces.

"C'mere, Apollo." I patted the space next to me on my bed.

He blinked like a deer in headlights. I patted my bed once more. This time, Apollo's brain seemed to get with the program as he robotically got up from the beanbag chair and climbed onto my bed.

He sat so still that he resembled a statue.

Oh, Apollo, how far we've fallen.

"Can I…?" I trailed off. "Let's get you into some clean clothes, yeah? And I can brush your hair too, if you want."

Apollo nodded.

I held out my hand and waited for him to take it. He stared at my hand for a couple of seconds before interlocking our fingers. I shut my eyes and summoned new clothes for Apollo. I swapped his stained sweats and socks for a fresh T-shirt and joggers.

"Better?" I asked, pulling my hand away.

He hummed appreciatively.

I had Apollo turn to face the foot of my bed as I kneeled behind him, my hairbrush and disentangling spray close at hand. I hummed under my breath as I began the process of brushing out the numerous knots in Apollo's hair. He could've poofed his hair to be perfect, but the fact that he allowed me to do this made it feel like old times.

Apollo truly was like a golden retriever, leaning into my touch as I brushed through those matted knots. Brushing Apollo's hair did wonders to relax my racing mind. It looks like had needed this as badly as I did.

I reached for my jar of leave-in conditioner on my nightstand. Scooping a generous amount into my hand, I worked it into Apollo's dried, damaged strands until they felt smooth to the touch. He stayed quiet as I worked, mind elsewhere as I finished applying the coconut scented conditioner.

"I don't want you beating yourself up over this, okay?" I said. Apollo tensed slightly. I continued carding my fingers through his hair and he relaxed once more. "The world is on fire and the sky looks like it's about to fall, I know, but I'll be here at the end of it all. I just need you to trust me."

"I do trust you. Sometimes I'm terrified of how much I trust you."

"You don't ever have to be afraid of me."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For not being able to do more for you. For this whole Oracle mess. For causing this civil war while Mother Earth wants to end Olympus."

"I forgive you."

Apollo turned around to face me. He scanned every inch of my face as if trying to commit it to memory. Imagine my surprise when his hands came to cup my face, his thumbs brushing against my cheekbones in featherlight touches.

I swear my face was on the verge of bursting into flames.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness."

"I care about you. Of course, I forgive you."

Apollo's eyes flickered to my lips, the same way he'd done last we'd seen each other. He was so close that I lost track of where his breaths started and mine ended. My heart hammered in my chest, jackknifing something fierce. One of his hands trailed from my face down to my hip, my skin scorching under his touch. That says something given how much I know my way around fire. I've been taught to wield it as a weapon and a salve. I have had Greek fire shoot out of every pore of my body. I stood with Percy in the heart of Mount St. Helens as it erupted, scalding steam and magma surrounding us.

Those moments paled in comparison to the present, turning me into putty in his hands.

"Tell me to stop and I will," Apollo whispered breathily, eyes half-lidded.

"I…"

"Kill!" Hercules bellowed from his island. I heard a loud woosh of air followed by a crashing wave as the Argo II soared into the sky.

Whatever moment we'd had between us vanished into thin air. We pulled apart until our backs rested against the wall, our knees bumping against each other. I reached over to hug my bear to my chest, unsure of whether my traitorous hands would keep to themselves.

"I'm going to go," Apollo said after a few uncomfortable moments of silence. "I really am truly sorry for everything I've done. I'll do better for you. I'm going to take care of those Oracles, I swear it."

"Please be careful."

Apollo gave me a wry smile. "How the tables have turned."

"I'm sorry for worrying you all those times," I said, pulling my knees to my chest.

"I know, but that's a part of your charm, sunshine." He pushed himself off my bed. "I still think you're crazy with that plan of yours. But you're the only person crazy enough and skilled enough to pull it off."

I smiled to myself. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Apollo."

"Before I go, I have to know…how's Will?"

"He hasn't woken up last I checked."

He frowned. "I see."

"I'll keep you updated."

"I appreciate that." He awkwardly swayed in front of my bookshelf, wringing his hands together. "So, I'm gonna actually head out this time."

"Okay."

"Are we good now?"

I nodded. "We've cleared the air between us. No more bad blood."

"I like the sound of that." Apollo managed to flash me his megawatt smile. "Until we meet again."

Apollo left my room in a flash of golden light.

I released a shaky breath and buried my head into my knees. It's a good thing I'm immortal because I don't think my heart could survive otherwise.

Man, emotions are complicated.

Ten out of ten do not recommend.

Hi everyone! Happy Valentine's Day!

Your girl just took her MCAT for the first (and hopefully last time) a few weeks ago, so I'm hoping that I'll have more free time now that I'm not subjected to self-imposed isolation. Hope that everyone has been doing okay in these crazy times.

I love and appreciate all of you! Thanks for reading!