All aboard for this chapter, my lovely readers!

Chapter Seven: Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Point of View: Zianthos

"Stop following me Zach. I want to be alone. I need to be alone." I walk faster and he grabs my arm, making me face him.

"No. You need to be with family, with us. We can help you. What did I tell you earlier?" He argues without hesitation.

"What do you mean earlier?" I ask tiredly.

"Before we fought Gration and Leon." Zach reminds me. 

"As your little brother you'd never let me be alone." I sigh. "I just don't want you seeing me like this."

"Well cheer up and come have fun for once. You're always about duty. Even Apollo wants you to cut loose a little bit. You hardly ever smile and we never get to see you have so much fun like when you do in battle. The boys are starting a game. Come on." Zach tells me.

I look back at the way we came and then at him. "Okay. I guess I have to make up for lost time huh?" I smile, but it's awkward.

He grins anyway and drags me along until I walk beside him. "We are still going to celebrate. You'll be fine. Toshiro would be proud." Zach tells me.

I smile a little at an old friend's name. He helped me get this far. I still remember his words to me when he left the group.

Flashback

Toshiro puts a hand on my shoulder. "Zianthos, I want you to know that I believe you can get better. Don't let her rule over your new life. It's yours to govern."

"But I don't even know if the others like me. I'm pretty sure they hate me because of how I've been." I mutter.

"They know it's not completely your fault. They don't blame you and understand what you're going through." He reassures me.

"I don't know anything about them other than what they can do and who they once were." I tell him.

"You're a great judge of character. I'm sure you know more than you think. You're smart. You've heard their stories and I bet you can tell what kind of person they are just by looking at them. They love you like a brother just as you love them as brothers. Let them help you." He tells me sternly.

"But what if she does still have control over my life?" I ask him nervously.

"She doesn't. She can't. Apollo makes sure of that and so do you. The others won't let her. They'll protect you if you give them a chance. They want to help. So let them. Open up to them like you opened up to me and at your own pace." He says.

"I don't know if I can. I don't like being around people as much as I used to." I admit.

"Why did you open up to me? And don't give me any of that bull crap about being Apollo's son." He tells me firmly.

"Well, Lord Apollo is the one who saved me and he did it twice within a minute of each other too. He kept me alive and then gave me a life I am better off in. You're like your father. It's easier to talk to someone who can help and who has gone through much the same thing. It's not that you're his son, it's that your being like your father made it easier for me to approach you. I owe Lord Apollo everything. I'll pay him back forever. I'll never forget what he did for me." I answer as I look at the floor.

"I see now. Our brothers are like that too. Their personalities are just a little different than mine. They weren't hurt as badly as either one of us but they know to an extent what you feel like. Talk with them. I'm sure you'll see as I do. I was a lot like you at first. Believe it or not, I wasn't the first Hunter." He smiles a little.

I nod. "I know, Zachariah was, is."

Toshiro smiles and nods. "See, you know a little bit about them."

"But what if it happens again? I can't handle going through it again. I can't die but I can regress into my mind. Lord Apollo warned me what would happen if I didn't let him and my brothers help me. But I'm afraid. I hate being afraid." I tell him.

"It's not like you to be from what I've seen. Why do you always volunteer for front and spearhead?" Toshiro asks.

"Cause if I die it won't matter. I can't get hurt anyways. Might as well be point and spare you all the unnecessary injuries." I tell him truthfully and he frowns.

"Please tell me you're not suicidal." Toshiro begs.

I shake my head. "No. Just no point in trying to deny I wouldn't care if I died. I'm not afraid to reform on the sun in pain. The worst pain is already in me. I have already faced it."

"That pain almost killed you though." Toshiro tells me.

"But I'm still here, thanks to our lord." I whisper. "I can deal with it now."

"It'll become even easier to deal with if you let people in. Start with our brothers." Toshiro tells him.

"But it's hard being around them without you there. They pity me when I don't want it. At least you push me." I tell him.

"Which is why you'd be surprised at what they've decided since I will be gone." He tells me gently.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I mean that they don't look at you with pity. It's understanding. You're just so upset you can't tell the difference. Not a one of them is pitying you. If they were, they wouldn't let you fight. Or I would have knocked some sense into them a long time ago. But they never have. You should join us tonight before I leave in the morning. Prove to me you can interact with our brothers." He pats my shoulder.

"Brother, I...okay." I look at the ground.

"Listen, I know it's hard and I'm sorry I won't be around all the time to help you anymore, but you'll be fine. You don't need me to help you. You never have. You've just needed a swift kick in the ass to get you moving." He grins.

I smile a little. "Maybe, but I don't know if I can interact exactly. I don't know what to say. I've never been outgoing in the social department. Especially as I grew older."

He claps my back. "Well, that stops tonight. You hear?"

"I'll try. It's always been about hiding and survival for me. I don't take unnecessary risks." I tell him.

"That's our lifestyle if you haven't noticed. Hiding, survival, and no stupidity." Toshiro grins wider.

I laugh a little at that. "I guess you're right."

"You should know, if that's our life and we do it as a group, then you are closer to them more than you already think you know. They have gone through the same pain you have, if minor in comparison. They live like you do and have been doing it longer than you have. All they want is to help you and be there for you. Accept them like they want to do with you." Toshiro tells me.

"I'm going to miss you, brother." I say and look up at the night sky.

"Don't go sentimental on me. It's high time I found the right one and I figure I'll live a lot longer for a while." He smiles sadly.

"I have no doubts about that. One thing is at least certain in my screwed up life." I reply.

"Hey." He says.

I look down at him in question.

"Promise me something." He says.

"Of course. What do you want?" I ask confused.

"Get better. If there is one thing I have no doubts about, it is that this world needs someone like you and you'll always be some guiding light in one way or another. The guys need you the most and you need them. Promise me you'll try to get better and heal all the way. Forget about her. She's not part of this life like she was in your old one. You're free in this life, more loved than before. You're still here for a reason. My father knew you were supposed to be here forever. If the world loses you, balance will be destroyed and our time will end. You'll always be here. I'm proud to have helped you, if only a little bit." He says.

I stare at him and he walks back into the camp, entering his tent. I sit down hard on a rock. I look up at the sky for the longest time before putting my head in my hands.

Flashback end

I remember going and speaking with everyone as Toshiro helped me with conversation. By the end, I had talked to everyone and stayed up all night talking with Zachariah and Marshall.

The next morning, Toshiro was leaving the Hunters for good. Never to return.

Flashback

We all meet outside, waiting for Apollo.

When Apollo flashes in, he smiles sadly yet seemingly happy that his son is ready to go on with his life.

"You have done well, Toshiro." Apollo tells him. "Have you all chosen the next Lieutenant?" He looks at all of us and we nod. I voted for Lau since he seems wisest. We told Toshiro who we thought best to replace him.

Toshiro removes his lieutenant's band and walks forward, directly. At. Me. He places it around my head and I know I look shell shocked but I feel more surprised than I look. "The others all chose Zianthos even though he thought Lau would be best." Toshiro tells him.

I know I'm in trouble when that awful feeling starts in my chest.

Toshiro turns back to Apollo. "I am ready, father." Toshiro tells him, smiling brightly.

Apollo reaches out and grasps Toshiro's shoulders. Toshiro loses his immortal glow and a small box appears in his hands. "Use this to get out of the forest. It teleports you only once. Go to her."

Toshiro nods and turns back to us. He grabs onto my arm and I his. He sees the look in my eyes and smiles sadly at me. "You'll be alright. Remember what you promised." He says. He looks at all of us in turn and let's go of my arm. I let mine drop. "Farewell, my brothers."

Then a bright flash and he is gone. "I can't-" I cover my mouth as the first tear falls onto my face and then they start to drop down my face and onto the forest floor.

Zach starts to reach out. I shake my head and walk into my tent. I sit on my bed and stare at the canvas wall.

Flashback end

I stop and Zach turns around after a few steps when he realizes I'm not moving. His face scrunches in concern at the tears in my eyes. "Zi?"

I shake my head. "I never apologized for acting the way I did that day."

His eyes widen and he smiles. "We understood then and we understand now. Toshiro knew what giving you the title might make you do. But he knew we were right."

"But I am sorry nonetheless." I tell him. 

"Apology accepted. What was the promise you made him?" Zach replies.

I repeat what Toshiro wanted from me and that I told him I would do it.

"So why not let us in now?" He asks.

I walk up to him. "He said at my own pace. Granted, it's a slow pace but it's my pace. I'm letting you in more so now than I really have before. Normally I would have flashed somewhere you couldn't find me."

"We would have tracked you." Gen says from a tree, sitting on a branch and leaning back on it while swinging one of his legs merrily.

"No kidding. Toshiro was right and so are you. You need to heal and you're being so slow." Marshall smirks.

"It's not your style, brother." Lau spins the basketball on one finger and then holds it in his hands.

"Then again, you've never been one to socialize." Frederick chuckles from another tree.

"Yeah, man, we forgive you for that day and all those before it." Senna crouches beside him.

"But it still is so annoying at how slow you move little brother." Ishron crosses his arms.

I look up and around to find all of my brothers. I look at the ground. "It's time we finally do something we should have done when you first joined us. Toshiro said you weren't ready. We believe you are now. If anything, it's as close as you're going to get because you're here. We won't let her reverse your progress due to something that should not have been allowed to happen." Zach puts a hand on my shoulder.

I look up at him. "Before that though, we are playing against the Ares and Mars cabin on the court. They wish to know how great we are. Thinking they're better than servants of Apollo, not wise if you ask me." Deni grins and smacks his fist into his hand.

"Not all Ares and Mars children are like that." Sirius tells him.

"Hermes and Mercury want to take us on after that." Wisthman says, leaning against a tree on the forest floor.

"Such loud people. Nothing like the camp. Peace and quiet is much more preferable." Jarren says.

"The old days are more preferable if you ask me." Hycu tells us.

"Ah, but where's the fun at beating them in one thing when we can beat them in many things at once. Learn their society better than they themselves know it. We've been gone far too long." Benjamin speaks his thoughts.

"I agree." Zachariah nods at Ben. "I longer than any. This should be fun."

"And I suppose you're dragging me into it." I sigh.

"Well, we all made a promise to Toshiro, each other, Lord Apollo, and you. It's time you heal at a faster pace that suits you more." Marshall replies.

"Let's go before the war children have a fit." Lau comments.