Peri sat there near the edge. She has been gazing at the waters for what seemed like hours. She watched the sun rise higher in the sky, the warm yet fresh breeze brushing off her soft skin with a tingling sensation. She turned to Rogue who was still managing the ship, admiring how Rogue would tie his hair up in a bun nowadays. She thought it looked better on him.

She wondered if he could fix her hair into a bun as well. The idea wandered off into her head, smiling to herself because of it. As she began thinking further into her head, she stepped upon a question that bothered her for more than 5 minutes. Peri looked back at Rogue, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Rogue?"

"Hm?" He calmly replied, never taking his eyes off the path ahead of him. He felt a little numb, never noticing the worry in her tone.

"If we ever find Hera, would you consider staying?"

Rogue felt all of his senses coming back, his grip on the helm tightening. He stared down slightly, trailing off as he struggled to find the right words. "Well.. I—I don't know."

"It all depends, I guess. As much as I would love to move in with you if we ever find Hera, I could never leave Athena. It's my home now, I feel like I belong there, like I have a family there," Rogue answered truthfully, finding no purpose in lying to her. He knew Peri would dig up the truth if he did anyway.

Peri nodded in understanding, appreciating the honesty. Rogue felt as if what he said wasn't enough. "I mean, you never know. Change is inevitable." He quickly followed up, turning back to her with a warm smile.

Peri chuckled, smiling back as she glanced behind him with her eyes wide. "R-Rogue, you should keep your eyes on—"

Rogue turned around slowly, the ship harshly meeting the land of an island with a building towering over the coconut trees. The two of them looked up, eyes wide with shock. Rogue smiled widely.

"Looks like we made it!"

Rogue helped Peri out of the ship, smiling as she gazed over the gorgeous sight of the building. There was a layer of dust and webs over it though but that didn't bother her. All that mattered to her was what was inside.

Rogue entered the building first to check if everything was clear, glancing around the dark with small slits of lights from above near the ceiling. "Huh, those are new. Hold on, I'm gonna find a match."

"Oh look! A light switch!" Peri flipped the switch near the grand entrance, the ceiling lanterns suddenly lighting up the building. Rogue hummed, looking around.

Peri walked up to one of the statues, reading an iron sign attached to it out loud. "Captain Augustine Con," her eyes sparked with astonishment. Rogue read her mind and nodded with a smile, walking up to her with his hands in his pockets.

"My father." He glanced up, watching as the statue towered over him. He eyed it, glaring at it with a burning feeling. Peri noticed with curious eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just that—" Rogue sighed and shook his head, turning away from the statue and instead smiling at Peri. "I found a better role model, now."

"Stop," She smiled meekly, nudging him as he chuckled.

"What? It's true."

"What are you two doing here?" A voice echoed against the tall walls, startling the two as they looked behind them and saw a man who looked surprisingly young with a wooden staff in one hand.

"We're just here to find information about—" Peri started but was immediately interrupted when the man stared at her, seeing her facial features. He eyed her carefully, making her uncomfortable. It was then that he then came upon her diamond shaped necklace, gazing at it.

"That necklace... looks familiar. Where did you get it?" He asked, making Peri nervous as she backed away, turning to Rogue for assistance. Rogue was about to step up but the man called out to a crow, ordering it to come over.

"Henry, handle the guy for me please," he said calmly, the crow attacking Rogue who screamed and fell back. Peri sighed, quickly backing away from him.

"Stay away," Peri threatened, eyeing him. The man sighed, using his staff to pull her necklace up, gazing at it closer as Peri gulped. The necklace began glowing in the natural sunlight. The man froze, allowing Peri to push him away. She glared at him, gripping her coat tightly.

"You're the missing daughter," He explained, eyes wide with shock. Peri let down her guard, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, you... know who I am? You know my mother?"

"O-Of course!" He smiled as if it was the first time he did in years which was no joke.

"Hey! Can somebody control this bird please?" Rogue asked from on the floor as he was being attacked by the black crow. The man turned to Peri. "Boyfriend of yours?"

Peri shook her head hesitantly. "My friend, actually."

"Huh," he said, whistling as the crow came to a stop and turned around to look at the man. "Henry, leave the boy alone." He ordered, raising his arm slightly and waiting for the bird to fly over and land on him.

Rogue panted, getting back up on his feet as Peri helped him up. Rogue turned to the man, brushing the dust off of him from the floor.

"Thanks, for that," Rogue said almost sarcastically, standing near Peri as he adjusted his coat.

"Wait, you said that I've been missing?" Peri asked, moving slightly closer with interest which Rogue found strange. He couldn't believe that she would side with him so easily.

"Yes! Your birth was expected by the people of Hera," He said, saying the word as if it was the name of an old friend. Peri turned to Rogue with a big smile. Rogue smiled back weakly, finding her eyes to not match the same excitement her lips expressed.

"The necklace was given by your father, am I correct?" he stated, turning away. Peri was hesitant to answer, his tone changing.

"Yes," she answered, hearing him sigh. He muttered under his breath, allowing the two to hear him.

"Your father did have a taste for jewelry," He hissed, his heart boiling with utter hatred. Peri looked down, feeling guilty of this. She didn't like the tone he used describing her father. It felt unusually threatening.

The man looked back at her, sighing as he held her shoulder for a little too long. "It is all in the past. She is no longer..." he looked into Peri's eyes, aching as he instinctively gripped onto both of her shoulders now.

Rogue saw the fear in Peri's eyes as the man held her by the shoulders tightly, eyeing him with a tone so threatening. "Hey, watch those hands, buddy."

The man pulled away hesitantly, clearing his throat as he adjusted himself. "Sorry, it's just that.. you look exactly like her..."

Peri felt a knot in her stomach. "My mother?"

"Her name was Reya. Your necklace resembles the one she had. But hers was special, reserved for such a kind and beautiful woman. Her heart was pure gold and her spirit was as bright as a diamond," He sighed, walking towards one particular statue, his hands grabbing the hard material. Peri followed along with Rogue, gazing upon the statue that seemed to almost reach the ceiling. It was Edmund Jackson.

"Many have confessed their love to her," the man glanced at the statue. "But her heart was reserved for one person. And that lucky bastard was—"

"My father," Peri assumed, the man turning to her quickly. "Exactly."

"I don't know what she saw in him but that fool never left any trail of good—" The man paused, his gaze from the statue eerily turning to Peri. She tensed up, her heart racing at the sudden change in tone. "Sir...?"

"Maybe he never left good in you too," he said quietly. "Maybe you're exactly like him."

Rogue and Peri remained quiet, complete silence roaming the air of the whole building. The man whistled a tune, the crow staring them down with eagerness. But it waited ever so patiently.

"Hey girls? Handle these two please and get them off the island." He adjusted the wrist ends of his sleeves, turning away as the large room darkened. "Oh, and by the way, tell your father that his friend Claude said hi."

The slits from the top lost their light, certain noises audible from outside. Suddenly, packs of crows perched right at the edge of the slits, gawking at Peri and Rogue. More crows began to arrive from all the slits, the room becoming darker than before.

"Oh, so that's what they're for," Rogue whispered under his breath, backing away with Peri towards the entrance. Peri nodded, grabbing his hand. "Yeah, and I just realized what doors were made for—!"

Peri quickly began running, grabbing his hand tightly as she dragged him away. Rogue quickly followed suit, holding her hand with a firm grip. Rogue then passed by a map that was pinned to a wall, glancing at it quickly and ripping it off. He stuffed it into his coat and immediately ran off with Peri who called out.

Countless crows were already chasing after them, making noises that terrified them. Their "caws" were now identified as nightmare fuel.

Rogue and Peri made it to the ship, quickly setting off into the distance. The crows stayed within the island, finishing their task that was assigned to them. They returned to Claude, awaiting their reward and staring at him intently. "Well done, girls."

He tossed them seeds and watched as they fought over who could get the most seeds. Claude grinned, whistling as Henry flew back onto his shoulder. Claude fed him a certain amount of seeds, eyeing the bird with care.

"You know I can't let the girls set off after them. But I know you can handle watching those two lovebirds. Be my eyes and watch their every move, especially Edmund's," he whispered.

"He will finally get what he deserves."

Peri and Rogue panted, catching their breaths as they left the island. They stopped in the middle of the ocean, glancing at each other with wary eyes. But Peri began laughing strangely. She looked away, her heart racing with a big smile on her face.

Rogue eyed her, concerned as he began inching closer towards her. "Peri? You okay?"

"Just peachy!" Peri turned around, a confident grin on her face. Rogue found it disturbing, gazing at every facial feature. He didn't buy a single thing. "You've been acting pretty off lately."

"Off? No, I'm totally on," Peri scoffed, turning away and staring off into the island from afar as she stood near the edge. Rogue watched, sighing. Peri stood there in the wind, the coat flowing in the wind and her long hair following suit. She looked exactly like the photo of her father in the book, but facing away instead.

Rogue noticed the similarities, turning away. Just then, an idea popped into his head. He smirked slightly, swinging his arms as he looked away. "You know, there's this story that my father once told me..."

Peri glanced at him, her eyes hesitantly averting away. "What about it?"

"Well," He walked up, standing next to her and admiring the view of the calm water. Rogue smiled gently, dazing off slightly as he daydreamed. Night broke out and Rogue had to light up a lantern. The cold yet beautiful atmosphere of the night sky was stunning.

"There lived this vibrant daisy that was blooming faster than the rest of the garden," he didn't look back at Peri, still staring off into the sea. He could sense the heart beating and glowing from the bottom of the water.

"Still, that poor flower felt like nothing was enough but every single flower looked up to her especially that one cactus. Oh, that dumb cactus," he chuckled, Peri smiling as she followed along his story.

"That cactus was distant from the other flowers because he was afraid to poke them with his sharp thorns. But the naive little daisy couldn't help but find the good in him. Behind all the prickly spines, the daisy saw kindness. So she pushed through those spines and became one with the cactus for no reason at all." His gaze softened, staring at his hands.

"Although the two weren't meant to be together, they felt whole."

Rogue sighed, finally looking back at Peri who was so invested that she had her arms as support, gazing at him like a child listening to  folktales. Rogue chuckled at the sight, smiling. There's the Peri he fell in love with.

"So what did they do next? Did the other flowers judge them?" Peri asked, her eyes sparked with interest.

"Let's just say that they became really good friends."

Peri smiled at the conclusion, gazing away. She sighed and looked down. "Rogue?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we the cactus and the daisy?"

Rogue smiled gently, thinking for a minute before turning to her. His eye focused on her and he blushed. He nodded and raised his shoulders slightly.

"Guess so." Rogue said calmly, returning to the helm with a small smile. Peri glanced at him, pursing her lips as she was preparing for the night. She held the coat to her closely, thinking to herself. She viewed herself as a complete failure, refusing to fall asleep. But after all that, she really couldn't sleep at all.

"Hey Rogue?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Periwinkle."