The chariot touched down on the inside of the iron gates. I hopped off and together Thalia and I got Grandpa Helios off the back of the chariot. Will got Raph to his feet and he swayed dangerously. He looked pale and sweaty, and ready to pass out.

As angry and hurt as I felt I still furrowed my eyebrows.

"Are you all right?"

"...never ...never..better..." He mumbled.

Will was holding most of his weight now. And just about dragging him along the front lawn. Artimis ran up the steps and into the building. We had made it up the first step when the door was ripped open and Doctor Asclepius, Alistair, Lilly and a few others came pouring out of the front door. They swept Helios away and to my surprise Raph.  Will and I were kind of left behind on the front step.

I looked at Will and he looked just as worried as I did. I reached for his hand. He pulled me into a tight hug. My hair was falling out of it's twisted up do, my make up was smeared from crying.

"Hey. You guys wanna change?"

I let go of Will and turned to see Thalia walking back down the hall towards us. She tossed us each a backpack and pointed to the public bathrooms.

"Thanks Thalia." I mumbled.

Closing the door I slid down and crumpled into a heap on the floor and finally cried. I finally let out all the frustration and fear and hurt and anger. I felt the burning in my chest and stomach. My hands grew hot and tingly. With tears blurring my vision, I held my hands out to see, and as the anger built, and hurt from what I'd seen Raph do, my hands glowed. Then shone brighter and brighter, I could see my blood, like liquid gold in my veins. I sat and watched my hands glow until it faded with my tears. I was all out of tears. The glowing stopped and I pulled myself up and washed my face, scrubbing the make up off, leaving me with my plain old freckled face and natural tan.

I pulled all the pins out of my hair. My hair had somehow turned golden and red and blond, I ran my fingers through my hair trying to comb the tangles out. I braided my hair in two, just to keep it out of my face. I rummaged through the backpack and pulled out my jeans. No idea how Thalia found my jeans, but I pulled the dress off and dumped it into the corner. I kicked off the sandals. I wasn't going to wear it again as pretty as it was, it was from Aphrodite.  I ripped the jewelry off and tossed it as well. The only thing I kept was the charm bracelet. I pulled on a simple white t shirt and my sneakers on.

I picked by the backpack and it morphed into my old one. I smiled sadly, running my fingers over the patches, they were each given to me by dad at some point. I sighed and threw the backpack over my one shoulder and yanked the door open and found Will slumped and waiting. I sat down beside him. The bag on my lap, hugged tight to my chest.

"Sorry I took so long."

"It's okay. I knew you needed some...time."

I shrugged and looked away. I wrapped my arms around myself. I felt Will pull me into a hug.

"Sleep. Thalia said it might be a while."

"What...what happened..?" I asked quietly.

Will didn't need me to elaborate. He knew I was asking about Raph. I felt him sigh.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Please Will, I've had enough people lying and keeping things from me. I need to know."

I sat up and pulled a pen out of the side pocket. I looked sadly at it. It was the pen Raph had snatched from the arts and crafts table. With a grunt of anger I chucked the pen across the room. Will sighed, he leaned over and pulled a pack of markers out and handed them over to me. I started to draw on my forearm and Will leaned back and slowly explained what happened in the room with Raph, Eos and Artimis.

"So basically, whatever curse or spell was on him, he was forced to fight-"

"He fought for her?" I asked looking up sharply.

"Not his choice. She was like, inside his head Nora. Artimis knew that and used her own magic and broke the connection, and he collapsed like...like he died."

I bit my bottom lip hard, as I listened I couldn't meet his eyes.

"They fought. I mixed the sleeping pills with a few other things I had with me... Artimis did something and forced it into her. And then she did something to wake Raph. He seemed... fractured. He wasn't...he's sick Nora."

"Ya, that's why he's not here and he was rushed into a room." I snapped.

"Yeah... But he's...it wasn't his fault."

I shrugged

"Still hurts Will." I said quietly. I could feel the knife; just thinking about how his eyes softened when he twirled me and then seeing his big heart eyes and the way his hands snacked around the goddess when she sat on his lap. My stomach heaved. And I had to swallow the bile that rose.

"Do you know what it's like to have your emotions played with, being manipulated?"

"No. No I don't. And I'm sorry." Will leaned over and kissed my temple in a very older brother way, which made me elbow him back. 

"I don't...I don't understand how this is fun for her? How does she find entertainment in this?"

Again Will shrugged. I sighed and called the marker and gave them back. Will took them and slid them into my bag. I sighed and rolled my eyes. I leaned back and closed my eyes, I didn't want to talk anymore. Will lay down as best he could on the plastic chairs and fell asleep in a few minutes. I couldn't sleep. Everything Raph had ever said to me kept playing in my head.

I eventually got up and paced back and forth. There was a knock on the door. I turned to see Asclepius standing holding his clip board. He looked the same as always, lap coat over his dress pants and button up shirt, holding a clipboard and Spike the snake pen.

"Eleanora, dear. Would you come with me?"

I looked to Will, sound asleep on the waiting room chairs. "What about-"

"He'll be fine. The boy needs sleep. I'll have Alistair bring him when he wakes. I would like to have a word with you first, please."

I sighed. I picked up my backpack and tugged behind him. I stopped with my hand on the door and looked down, my toe had kicked the pen. I picked it up and slid it into my pocket.

🔆

I sat at the bedside of Helios. His frail hand held loosely in Artimis's hand who sat on the other side of his bed. Apollo leaned against the window frame right behind me, apparently he had shown up when Asclepius came to get me.

I felt like I was in trouble or some horrible news was about to be dropped on me. I sat fidgiting in the chair. I could feel the anxiety tight in my chest and and it was getting more and more difficult to breath.

"Just tell me already!" I finally cried. "this silent flipping through your notes is killing me. There's no right way to drop news so just give it to me straight! Please."

Apollo pushed off the wall and I felt his hand on my shoulder. I was actually relieved he was here. In the few times I had interacted with him...I had actually come to...rely on him. His physical presence lessened the pain my my chest. It was Dad...but Apollo would do- especially if this was about the godly side of my life.

"After the blood tests and genetic testings...there is more too you, Miss Eleanora Blofis."

"Elaborate son." Apollo said.

"Well...your not her only godly parent."

I sat in stunned silence. "What?" I finally managed to blurt out. "You mean mom got pregnant by two gods? Dang she got around.  Apollo, Paul...who else slept with her?!"

"No...not what I mean. Your vision...it's not profetoc, it's not the future you are seeing. It's the present, it's the here and now."

"Yeah...I had another...whatever you wanna call them. After the vitamin supplements you gave me, I had a whole like movie in my head."

Asclepius ground and pulled Spike out of his front breast pocket and held the pen over some notes and Spike took notes. "Please explain."

And I did. I told them everything I saw and how I felt and what happened.

"Okay...this just confirms my findings. You can see the present, all of it. You just need to learn to control it. But you have The Sight." He said with finality.

The room was quiet for a moment. I opened and closed my mouth a few times.

"The Sight?"

"That's not a gift from me!" Apollo gasped.

"Indeed Father. As I said, you aren't her only godly parent. Helios is as well."

"What the fu-"

"Ella!" Apollo gasped and clamped a hand over my mouth. "What do you mean?" He asked Asclepius sharply.

"This has never been heard of!"

Asclepius sighed and nodded, he looked tired. He ran a hand down his face "You come to visit quite often, yes?"

Apollo nodded.

"You and Helios have similar qualities, hense why you got the job when he was forced to retire."

Again Apollo nodded.

"And ..you know how the sun works, father."

"Are you saying, Helios had some kind of Solar like activity?" Artimis asked, her face was pulled into a frown as she studied the now sedaded and sleeping old man.

"Some explain in terms and words I understand please!" I cried. Apollo squeezed my shoulder gently.

"Yes, sorry, Eleanora. For you to understand, solar flares are eruptions from the sun's surface that release powerful bursts of electromagnetic radiation. These flares occur when the magnetic energy built up in the solar atmosphere is released."

I nodded in understanding.

"Helios was the Sun Titan god. He was the epidomy of the Sun. He was the sun."

"With you so far." I said hesitantly.

"Helios has times when he's completely coherent. And he's in his own right mind. Sometimes, he's... fading. Sometimes he still thinks he's young and the driver of the sun chariot." Asclepius turned to Apollo. "the night your daughter was convinced, you were visiting Helios. Our records showed you signed in and then out ..."

"Yes. I had taken him for a spin in the car, he was feeling good that day. I dropped him off and went straight to dinner."

"Your saying he had some kind of Solar flare, and sent some of himself into Apollo?" Artimis asked.

"Yes. I believe he understands he's fading, and maybe has limited to zero control of this. But this genetic "flare", as we will call it, was still strong in Apollo when you were conceived. So you also have Helios's genetics mixed with Apollo and your mother."

I didn't know what to do with this information. It took me a solid minute to understand what the doctor said.

"This is why she glows and has vaporizing fire powers, this is why she has the gift of Sight. She is a true Daughter of Light. Apollo and Helios." Artimis summarized.

"Wait....what?"

"My...my child..."

Every head looked at the old man. He looked so frail. He has wires and sticky electrodes hooked up to him. He was awake, fighting the sedatives at the moment. He blinked a few times and I saw the tears in them, but they were clear and gold, like a summer sun at noon.

"Come here my child." His voice was as frail as he looked. I stood up on shaking legs and sat on the bed. He lifted a shaking hand, it was so cold when he touched my cheek.

"I...I have chosen well." He took a shaking breath. "You...you my child, will carry my spirit. I have chosen Apollo and you."

"I don't know...what...what are you talking about?" I studdered.

"I am fading, my child. I want to sleep. I will give you my spirit. Awake the blaze within you my child. I will guide you, I will always be with you."

"You brought me home...you helped me find my Love. And now I can rest peacefully."

"Gramps!" Apollo stepped up beside me and placed a hand on Helios's shoulder.

"My son, you have been so kind to this old man. Please...keep this one safe. She is special. My...my father is after her. He can not have her. She is too preseous to me."

"I will."

"Please...release my spirit."

"Helios, I release you." Apollo said quietly.

The room was quiet for a minute. Nothing exciting happened. He peeked an eye open.

"Maybe Eleanora needs to do it?" Asclepius suggested.

I shifted awkwardly, cleared my throat, "Helios...I release your spirit."

We all held our breath, waiting for something. Again nothing happened.

"What...?"

I frowned, why wasn't this working. I thought about the difference things associated with Helios that happened to me on the quest. Something clicked in my brain so hard I flinched. I took hold of Helios's frail hand. His gold eyes locked onto mine. I smiled gently.

"Sol." I saw him blink, there was a slight change in his eyes, just barely there, but I saw it, I saw him shift. I smiled again, I felt the tears filling my eyes and the tears slid down my cheeks. This time I could see the glow. I saw my tears glowing, my hands were heating up and becoming tingling.

"I, Eleanora, Daughter of Light, release you,
Sol, the all seeing Titan god of the Sun, do release your spirit to rest and be at peace for all eternity."

He sighed. And the a dying sun, he became brighter and brighter. His body erupted into flames, red golden tongues of fire flared out, one wrapped around me I felt the fire enter my body and reach down into my soul. Once the tongues of fire died to embers and then to smoke, Helios's body was gone.

Apollo, Artimis and Asclepius all stared at me in disbelief.

"Ummm...what...what happened?"

"Do you understand what you just did?" Apollo gapped at me.

"No." I answered honestly.

"You have, not only a God's blessing, you have a titans blessing! But not just that!" Apollo cried. He grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him fully, "you released a Roman Titan's spirit!" He hissed. "a ROMAN!"

"Umm...is that bad?" I asked.

"It's definitely not good!"

🔆

I sat in the hall as Apollo, Artimis and Asclepius sat and talked. About me. I couldn't sit and wait. I was antsy. I paced up and down the hall. On my way back down I stopped at on the the doors. I saw Raph laying in a bed, he was hooked up to a few different IVs one looked like a regular mortal IV and the other was a gold honey like liquid, which must be some kind of Nectar. He also had many different monitors. He also had an oxygen mask. I hesitated but slowly stepped into the room and inches closer. He was asleep, and didn't respond or stir when I sat down at the edge of the bed.

I gently took his huge calaused hand in my shaking ones. His eyes fluttered open for a second he froze before he ripped his hand from mine and flailed. He gasped like he couldn't breath. He was struggling and clawing at his chest. And he tried to push himself away. Suddenly all the monitors went off, beeping and blinking.

"Raph! Raph! Stop, please, relax." I cried.

"No! No! No!"

His cried were weak and muffled under his mask. Tears rolled down my cheeks, I had no idea what was going on.

"Raph! It's just me! It's just me! Please!"

Suddenly the room was full of Nurse Nymphs trying to get him back under control.

"Miss, your going to have to leave." One of them told me.

With the knife twisting in my heart even deeper, I backed out if the room. Listening to Raph scream in terror, his dark eyes locked onto me as I stood in the doorway, I saw the brokenness in his eyes, I understood what Will had said now. Raph had been under a curse of a god, he had been used and abused by a goddess with an obsession.

"Raph...please..." I whispered.

He opened his mouth and screamed. A nymph jabbed him with something and he flopped, his eyes rolled into his head and the door was slammed shut on my face.

🔆