Apollo P.O.V.

I sat next to Artemis with Honor in my arms. 'Honor' was all she had said before slipping back into her coma. "Sissi, I'm going to Ishval tomorrow and I'm taking Honor with me. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I've already talked to Mom and Dad about it. They have enough to handle taking care of you and Athena. He'll be safe with me. I promise. I'll bring him to you as soon as we get back. I love you, Sissi," I murmured. Dad came to stand behind me. "Ahem. You, um-- are you ready to go?" he asked. I glanced back at my sister and shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess" I sighed, shifting the three-month-old baby from one arm to the other. "You guys will let me know when she wakes up, right?" I asked. Dad laughed and pulled me into a hug, Honor awkwardly smooshed between us. "Sure, son. And do you promise to write often? You know how your mother worries." I rolled my eyes as I rocked Honor. "Right. Mom is the one that worries," I murmured. Dad hugged me again and then I turned back toward Artemis. "Say bye-bye to Mommy," I cooed, picking up Honor's hand and waving it at Artemis. Honor gurgled and sighed as I carried him out of the hospital.

Artemis P.O.V.

I opened my eyes to bright sun filtering through the window. I stretched, my muscles and bones aching. "She's waking up," Dad whispered from the hallway. "Should we tell her?" I heard Mom clicking her tongue in disapproval. "No, no, no. We can't do that. She just woke up. It'll upset her," Mom argued. "But, but we have to tell her!" Dad hissed. "Your wife is right. It could put her under a lot of emotional trauma," the doctor agreed. "It's best that you don't tell her." I bolted upright in bed. "Don't tell me what?" I yelled. Dad and the doctor turned to me. The doctor's pudgy face was pale and oily. He looked lifeless almost. "Um, uh..." Dad stammered. "We didn't want to tell you that you're going to stay home with us after we leave the hospital. We didn't want to tell you because Apollo left for Ishval while you were comatose. He got the call about a month ago and left," Mom explained quickly. I narrowed my eyes at her suspiciously. "How long have I been here?" I asked. She stepped further into the room, wringing her hands nervously. "Thirteen months today," she answered quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "What do you remember?" the doctor asked. "Grief and I were heading to Central together and we were attacked by three homunculi. Th-they killed Grief, and they tried to kill me. I killed them fiirst, though. And then I woke up here," I glanced up at my dad, "with Dad sitting beside me. He told me I was hurt really bad, and I drifted back to sleep a while later. And here I am now," I explained with a sad smile.

"So that's all you remember?" Dad asked. "That's all," I replied. "And, about me going back to stay with you, I'm not going to. I've been asleep for over a year and, sadly, missed my birthday; but, nonetheless, I'm eighteen and therefore a legal adult. As soon as the doc here gives me the go ahead to leave the hospital, I'll find a place of my own. I don't want to burden you anymore than I already have." Mom and Dad stared at me in open-mouthed shock. The doctor chuckled and grabbed the clipboard from the edge of my bed. "I'll schedule a full evaluation and have release papers drawn up for you by tomorrow afternoon," he smiled before leaving the room. "Now Artemis, let's talk about this," Mom sighed. I threw the blanket off and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. "I don't want to talk, Mama. I want a set of real damn clothes instead of this itchy-ass hospital gown, and I want to go for a walk," I grinned. Dad shook his head as he started to walk away. "One set of 'real damn clothes', coming up," he chuckled, leaving the room.

I stayed with my parents for a week before finding somewhere to live. There was nowhere in town for sale, and I didn't want to move too far from my family. Finally, I found a small cottage on the edge of town. It was rundown and abandoned. It would take a lot of work, which is exactly what I needed to keep myself occupied. "Are you sure this is the place you want?" Dad asked as we went to check it out. I smiled as I walked up to the old wooden door and pushed it open. Memories of me and Grief flooded my mind as I walked through the foyer. "Yes, I'm sure. You just don't understand how special this place is to me," I said, standing in the middle of the floor and looking around. "Whatever you say, princess. Whatever makes you happy," he smiled, patting my head. Luna leaped out of my arms and pranced around the familiar room. I would be happy here, and I would be okay. For the first time in a long time, I would be alright. I didn't have to worry anymore. I didn't have to be afraid. I was rebuilding myself from broken pieces, and it would take a while until I was whole again. But...I was healing.

***Update: The sequel, Redeemed, has been posted. Enjoy ^_^*****