As Thea drifted off to sleep, she felt herself falling into a dream. Rather than fearing it this time, she jumped right in, curious to know more about Lissandre and her past.

When the darkness melted, she was surprised; she wasn't in her forest but in the middle of some sort of market. Stalls were set on the sides of the dirt street, stall owners shouting their wares as throngs of peoples surrounded her, their chatter drowning in her ears.

Slipping through the crowd, she ran through the market and saw Aphrodite just ahead her.

"Hurry up!" Aphrodite hissed. "The sooner we figure out who it is, the sooner I can get out of this awful place!"

Thea looked at her, confused. How did she know that was Aphrodite? The woman was certainly beautiful though she wore rags to fit in with her disguise. Again, how Thea knew that she was wearing a disguise, she didn't know. She wanted to look around more but she couldn't control her body. It moved of its own accord and she sensed other emotions swirling through her mind that weren't her own; annoyance and disgust at the smell of civilisation. She longed to be back in her forest, away from these dirt clad mortals.

Aphrodite shoved her down as they reached a corner and she glared at her. "Look!"

Her head poked around the corner and she saw Hermes, the older version she'd seen in her dream, and he was talking to a young woman. Judging from what she was seeing, she guessed she was in Lissandre's body. It felt strange not being able to control what was essentially her own body.

Lissandre looked on as Hermes smiled at the young mortal and a flash of jealousy shot through her that did not belong to Thea. Thea laughed in disbelief. Lissandre was jealous. She had liked Hermes, which judging from her previous vision of them didn't make any sense. Thea had thought for sure that Lissandre hated him. Hermes certainly hated her.

The young woman speaking to Hermes was beautiful; she had light olive skin with black hair that fell to her waist. Her blue eyes gazed at Hermes with what could only be love and Thea felt the jealousy this time. Hermes looked like he loved her. She'd never seen such a look of fondness on his face before. It hurt to see him looking that way at someone else.

Her hurt mixed with Lissandre's, and Aphrodite grabbed her arm as she started to move. "Just wait, Lissandre, we need to wait until Hermes has gone."

"Why?" she snapped. "Make the bastard watch us destroy his love."

Thea gazed at the couple with new understanding; this was the woman Lissandre mentioned in her previous vision. Thea watched as Hermes leaned down and he kissed the woman, crushing her body to his. It made the kiss he'd given her look tame and the tightness in her chest doubled. After a moment, he released her and vanished with the air, leaving the girl looking properly smitten.

"Alright," Aphrodite grinned. "Time to teach that wench a lesson."

Thea fought with everything she had, screaming at Lissandre to stop but it was no use. She was merely a spectator to this show and all she could do was watch.

The woman looked surprised as Aphrodite and Lissandre approached. "Hello, can I help you?"

"You can't help us child but we can certainly help you. How would you like to fall in love?" Aphrodite purred. Her hand was on the poor girl's arm and Thea could see the look of fear on her face.

"That's alright, thank you, I'm already in love."

"Tsk tsk," Lissandre sneered, "but that man was no good for you, you deserve someone much more worthy of your...charms."

"I don't understand," the girl said nervously, trying to back away.

"You don't need to understand, my dear. Oh, and I know just the match for you!" Aphrodite giggled. "The stone maker's son on the road over, he would be perfect for you."

The girl's eyes grew wide. "Photis? Oh no, not him! He is a cruel man, I could never love him!"

"Of course you can." Aphrodite leaned close. "You just need a little nudge in the right direction."

She pressed her lips to the girl's forehead before she could run, and her eyes glazed over. Thea screamed inside Lissandre's head, wanting them to stop as Lissandre's triumph flared through her.  

Aphrodite released her and stroked her hand. "Tell me, child, who did you say you loved?"

She looked confused for a moment before a look of pure bliss crossed her face. "I love Photis, he's the son of the local stone maker, you know? I've loved him for so long but I don't have the courage to tell him."

An ugly feeling of satisfaction flared in Lissandre's chest and Thea wanted to vomit. They were monsters.

Lissandre sent the girl a sickly sweet smile. "I didn't know that. Do you know who Hermes is, by any chance?"

"No." She looked at Lissandre. "Should I know him?"

"No, my child. Only know that he fancies himself in love with you. You've told him relentlessly that you do not share his love but he refuses to listen. The next time he comes, make sure to be assertive in your refusal!"

"Oh I will!" she gushed. "I can't have him getting between Photis and myself - I couldn't bear the thought of losing him!"

"That's good, now run along, child, and declare your love before it's too late."

Smiling, she ran off, completely unaware of the love that was stolen from her. Thea knew that if she was in her real body right now, she would be crying. This was the cruel act Lissandre and Aphrodite pulled on Hermes?

Lissandre smiled sinisterly, leaning towards Aphrodite and kissing her cheek. "Thank you, dear friend. That will teach Hermes for trying to make a fool of me."

"He always was a pathetic little God," Aphrodite snickered, "thinking he could best us."

Both giggling, they vanished from the mortal realm and Thea felt herself gratefully slip back into a deep sleep, knowing she would wake soon from the guilt that was now wrapped around her soul.

*                             *                             *                             *

The sunlight pierced her eyelids and Thea opened them, tears already threatening to fall. They'd got in late the night before; the flight home had been exhilarating, and it hadn't taken long for Thea to get the hang of flying. She couldn't wait to do it again. Now though, she didn't know what to do.

She had known what Lissandre had done must have been bad but to steal away his love? How could she sink so low? She now knew that Lissandre liked Hermes deep down but she'd gone too far. If she hadn't wanted to be with Hermes then why make him suffer?

Rolling over, she stumbled out of bed, wondering if she could slip out the door without running into Hermes. She wasn't ready to face him after everything she'd seen. Sneaking a peak out into the kitchen, she sighed in relief to see it empty.

Walking out, she found a note on the kitchen island: Sent on an errand. Be back this afternoon. Don't get killed. Hermes. P.S: Don't delete the last episode of Game of Thrones, want to watch it before we leave.

Thea couldn't help but smile at his note. She tucked it in her pocket before grabbing an apple and heading out the door. Matt was only at the bar in the mornings on Sundays and she wanted to grab him before he went home.

Grabbing her bicycle from the downstairs storage unit, she rode to work. She didn't own a car, not seeing the point when it was just herself, and she liked walking and having the fresh air on her face. Considering who she was, it made sense now.

Lissandre popped back into her head and she shook it, trying to rid herself of the awful memory causing her to nearly crash into a parked car. It was obvious now why Hermes hated her so much in the beginning. She hated herself for being a part of the same soul. She certainly hoped she didn't turn out like Lissandre; she couldn't even bear the thought of hurting Hermes let alone someone innocent like his love. Thinking back, Thea realised she didn't even know her name and her guilt deepened.

Arriving at the bar, she leaned her bike against the wall and walked inside. Matt was leaning over a clipboard, taking stock of what was in the fridge.

He smiled when he saw her. "Thea! How are you?"

"I'm okay." She walked around the bar and gave him a hug. "Still coming to terms, I guess."

He nodded. "I can understand. If you need to take any more time just let me know."

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" she smiled, grateful she didn't even have to ask.

Matt looked around suspiciously. "Careful, my wife might hear."

Giggling, she slapped his arm and grabbed a cloth. "I don't think I could ever compete with Sharon, Matt."

He grinned. "No, I'm sorry to say I'm a one woman man and my woman is perfection. Put that cloth down, Thea. You're still on leave, remember?"

"I remember, but I can't leave you here to fend for yourself." Walking around the bar, she started wiping down the dirty tables and picking up the empty glasses and bottles which had been missed from the night before. Matt told her he had been training new girls. They talked as they cleaned and Matt said they were quick to learn but still needed reminding every now and then. They avoided talking about Shae, Thea didn't want to bring her up, afraid Matt was still feeling guilty.

Matt soon finished taking stock and grabbed his jacket, ready to go. "So, how much more time do you need off?"

"I'm not sure. I was thinking that maybe I should resign to save you the trouble of waiting for me. I'm going away for a while - to rediscover myself, so to speak."

He nodded. "Don't resign. Take all the time you need and know there will always be a job for you when you come back."

Feeling emotional, she gave him a hug. "You really are the best boss."

"Damn straight I am. Now it's time to head off. I've done my job for the day and you don't work here anymore."

"I've still got a few chairs to wipe down. I can lock up and leave my key in the till when I'm done."

Thea saw the flash of uncertainty in his eyes and knew he was remembering the last time she was left alone. "I'll be fine," she said gently. "It's daylight and I'll only be here another hour tops."

"Are you sure? I can stay -"

"No, go! Your woman is probably at home waiting for you."

"Well how can I say no to the thought of that?" Matt gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck, Thea, and let us know how you're doing every now and then."

"Thanks, Matt. Give Sharon my love."

"Will do."

He walked out and Thea leaned against the bar, taking everything in. She'd worked here for nearly four years. Matt had taken her on when she had little to no experience and showed her the ropes. he never yelled when she made a mistake but simply told her how to do it correctly. She thought of the new girls working here and smiled. They would be in safe hands.

Working diligently, she wiped and stacked the remaining chairs before going around the room once more to make sure she hadn't missed anything. Finally deciding she was done, she walked over to the bar and placed her keys in the till.

"You look like Lissandre but you certainly don't act like her."

Thea jumped, slamming the till shut. A man stood in the shadows and she felt her insides churn. Would these Titans ever give it a rest? The voice sounded familiar and when he stepped forward into the light she recognised him.

It was one of the Titans who attacked her and Shae. She recognised his face as the one she'd burnt and tried to remember what Hermes had called him - Prometheus.

"I'm not Lissandre," she said angrily, still trying to convince herself too. He took a step forward and she took one back, hitting the back of the bar. Her fingers flexed and she formed a small ball of air, ready to attack.

"Nowhere to run, little girl."

"Is it really that important to kill me?" she demanded. "If Cronos wants to kill me so much why doesn't he do it himself?"

"Oh, but he will," Prometheus grinned, taking another step forward. "We wouldn't dare deny him the pleasure of killing you himself; we're only here as escorts, to take you to him so he can do the deed. Once you're dead he can finally cross into the realm of the Gods and overthrow those mutinous Olympian bastards."

"Why can't he just go there now?" she asked trying to distract him while she thought of a way to escape. "Why do I have to die?"

"You really don't know, do you?" he sneered. "Well I won't ruin the surprise for you when you figure it out. Just know that even if you didn't have to die, he would still kill you. His desire for revenge is helping him gain strength with each passing day. Soon he will be as strong as he once was and your Gods won't stand a chance."

An arrow pierced his chest as he finished speaking and Thea screamed.

Prometheus stumbled and spun around, eyes burning with anger. "You bitch!"

A woman stood behind him, blonde hair tied back from her face in a long plait, falling down her back. She wore blue jeans and a black singlet top. A quiver of arrows rested on her shoulder and a bow was raised in her hands.

Her blue eyes stared coldly at the Titan. "I've always wanted to hunt a Titan. Run, so I can fulfil my wish."

An arm slung over Thea's shoulder and she shrieked. Apollo stood beside her, frowning. "I'm not that scary am I, my lovely?"

"Apollo," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"Hermes told me he'd been called away for a few hours and asked me to watch out for you. Of course he didn't trust me to do it on my own and asked my sister, Artemis, to watch over me."

"Get your hands off her, Apollo," Artemis snapped, eyes never leaving Prometheus.

Immediately, Apollo removed his arm and stepped away. "I'm just looking out for her, dear sister."

"Trying to cop a feel would be more close to the truth." Thea felt her lips curling up and knew she liked Artemis already.

Prometheus pulled the arrow through his chest, hissing in pain. "It will take more than a little arrow to kill me, virgin bitch."

Artemis' eyes flashed and she moved fast, punching him in the chest where the arrow had pierced. Thea heard bones snap and Prometheus dropped to the floor, spitting blood.

Okay, Thea thought, Don't get on Artemis' bad side.

"You can't protect her forever," he spat.

"Of course we can," Apollo said pleasantly. "I'd watch her all day if I could -"

Artemis' eyes snapped to Apollo. "Shut up, brother."

Apollo shut up and Thea wanted to laugh at his submissive change. Even Apollo was afraid of his own sister. As they spoke, Prometheus chose that moment to escape and vanished.

Artemis slammed her fist into a table, the sound ringing in Thea's ears. "Coward! Next time I see him I'll shoot an arrow straight into his di -"

"Spare me the details, dear sister!" Apollo pleaded before turning back to Thea. "Are you alright, Thea? Do you want a hug?"

She stepped away. "I'm good, thanks."

Artemis stepped forward and Apollo moved away from Thea. "Allow me to introduce my sister, Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt."

"Nice to meet you," Thea said nervously.

Artemis glared and Thea moved back towards Apollo. "Don't think I'm here because I like you. I'm only here as a favour to Hermes. I still see you as that manipulative bitch who wouldn't let me hunt in Gaia's forest. It wasn't just your forest, you know!"

"Alright, Artemis, cool it down. You know, Hermes said she isn't like Lissandre."

Thea's ears perked up. "He said I wasn't like Lissandre?"

Apollo nodded. "Hmm. Don't know what you've done to change his mind but he seems to like you a little bit."

Thea looked away. "I don't know how he could, after what Lissandre did to him."

Apollo tilted her head up and Artemis reached across the bar, hitting him across the back of his head and he moved his hand away. "Ow! Why do you say that, Thea? What do you remember?"

"I had a dream last night. I was Lissandre and I was with Aphrodite. We made the girl Hermes was in love with fall in love with someone else."

Artemis glowered and Thea wished she could get back on her good side. "Lissandre always did enjoy seeing Hermes suffer. Just because she hated him meant he was never allowed to be happy."

Thea glanced at them. "She liked him, though."

The Gods laughed and she shook her head. "I'm serious. I felt her jealousy when she saw Hermes talking to the girl. She may not have admitted it to herself but she did like him."

"Well I'll be damned," Apollo grinned. "Old Frosty did have a heart."

"A rotten one,"  Artemis muttered.

"What did Hermes do?" Thea asked cautiously, "when he found out what Lissandre did?"

"He didn't do much, really. He grew quiet and stopped visiting the mortal realm. It took us years to convince him to come and have some fun with us."

"By fun," Artemis interrupted, "he means screwing every woman in sight."

Apollo rolled his eyes. "If only he would have done that. Lissandre broke him. Sure he slept around but he never got close to a woman again. I know he's probably talked himself up but that's all it is - talk. Doesn't flirt, doesn't tease - a regular old man, our Hermes."

"But he does tease," Thea protested. "He teases me all the time. He even calls me Peaches and he won't tell me why! He can't say anything to me without some sort of insult or barbed tease being included."

Artemis and Apollo looked at her with sudden interest. "What else does he do?" Artemis prodded.

"He usually goes for a run to see how many phone numbers he can get, he keeps snooping into my life, and last night he took me to the Inca ruins in Peru because I was feeling sad and he wanted to make me feel better. I think that was the reason, anyway. He also said he didn't want to watch me mope around the apartment all night."

Apollo was grinning stupidly and Artemis had a dangerous gleam to her eye. "What? Does that mean something?"

"Oh it means a lot, Peaches," Apollo teased causing Artemis to throw a place mat at him.

"It means something," Artemis answered her, "but it's not our place to tell you. You'll figure out what it means when you're ready."

"I'd rather you just tell me," she grumbled.

Artemis slammed her fist on the bar and Thea jumped.

"Or I can figure it out myself." she said weakly.

A loud knocking on the front door interrupted them. Artemis walked over and had a look. "Just a mortal. I think she can handle it without us."

"But I want to stay with Thea -"

A simple glare from Artemis shut his mouth. "We'll be hanging around until Hermes gets back so don't worry." She turned to leave and stopped. "Also, you pull any crap like Lissandre and I won't hesitate to run you through with my arrows, repeatedly."

Thea nodded, believing she would actually do it. Apollo smiled and gave her a quick hug while Artemis' back was turned. "See you next time and don't stress about Artemis, she's actually really nice when you get to know her."

"Apollo!"

He flinched. "Coming, dear sister."

They disappeared and Thea released a shaky laugh. She hoped she didn't have to run into Artemis again anytime soon.

The knocking continued and she walked over, opening the front door.

"So you were here."

Thea's smile faltered. "Josh. What are you doing here?"

Walking past her, he stepped inside, grabbing her hand and dragging her to the bar. Thea tried to take her hand back but his grip was tight. "Look Josh, if you're here to give me those phone numbers, I don't want them."

"That's not why I'm here, Thea." He looked like he hadn't slept all night. His eyes had dark circles surrounding them and he appeared stressed. "I want you to show me again."

"Show you what?"

"Show me that thing you did yesterday, with the air."

"Why? You don't believe me."

"Just show me, Thea, I can't stop thinking about it. I need to know I'm not going mad."

Thea sent a blast of air at the table her cloth was lying on and it flew off, landing on the floor.

Instead of looking pleased, his face fell. "Shit, shit!"

"Josh, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I've just been trying to convince myself it wasn't real and I thought if you had to show me again you wouldn't be able to do it. So much for that bloody plan."

"I'm telling you, Josh, everything I said was real."

He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture it looked like he'd done repeatedly since she last saw him. "Look I don't know if I believe you or not but my gut keeps telling me you're in trouble and I need to help you,  and it's never led me wrong before. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this madness."

"Josh -"

"No, hear me out, Thea. I'm sorry for how I reacted yesterday. It was a lot to deal with and while part of me still thinks this is all crazy, the other part of me wants to protect you."

Thea was touched but she knew that while she liked Josh, she didn't feel safe with him. She felt safe with someone else. "Josh, what I'm dealing with right now, it's too dangerous for you. You could get killed and I can't let that happen."

His eyes softened and he stepped into her space, wrapping an arm around her waist. Thea tried to move away, wondering where Artemis had gotten to. "Thea, I know I was a jerk yesterday but I'm willing to try and believe all this."

Thea wished he'd told her that sooner, before she spent last night with Hermes, before her dream which told her how she truly felt. "Josh -"

His lips stopped her from speaking and her hands came up on his chest to try and push away. Before she could, Josh was ripped away from her and she was pulled into a familiar body.

"I leave you for a few hours and you've already got your tongue back down his throat?"

Thea tried to face him but he held her still. His voice was hard and cold. "It wasn't like that, Hermes."

Josh pulled himself up, eyes dark and Thea didn't like where this was going. "She's not yours, Hermes. She's into me and if I want to protect her, I will."

Hermes snorted. "Like you could protect her, mortal."

Thea felt the energy radiating off Hermes and she tried to intervene. "Guys, let's just calm down -"

Hermes moved her out of the way and she stumbled back, watching as the two faced off. "This isn't your fight mortal, back away now before I'm forced to make you."

"I don't think so. Out of the two of us, I'm probably the only one with Thea's best interests at heart."

"Is that why you called her crazy and left her yesterday? If your idea of protection is to piss off then go ahead, protect her. It'll make my life a lot easier."

Thea saw Josh react and he threw a punch which Hermes dodged easily and shoved him back.

"Stop it!" she snapped.

They didn't listen and Hermes smirked as Josh continued to try and land a hit. "Need to work on your speed there, mortal."

Josh swung again as Thea stepped between them, having had enough of their macho crap. "Stop it!"

Josh's flying fist connected with her temple and suddenly she on her knees on the ground, darkness crawling into the corner of her eyes.

"Shit! Thea, I'm -"

"Get some ice," Hermes barked.

Their voices faded in and out and Thea was shocked at the strength behind Josh's blow. Strangely, she wondered if it would even hurt Hermes.

Someone crouched beside her. "Thea, I need you to sit up."

On her hands and knees she struggled to comprehend what he was saying. "Peaches, I need you to sit up so I can take a look."

Vaguely understanding what he wanted, she came up to sit on her knees. Hermes brushed her hair out of the way and she winced as he touched her forehead.

"Here."

Something cool was pressed against her forehead and Thea leaned into it, enjoying the cold numbing feeling.

"Thea," Josh called. "I'm sorry."

She opened her eyes. Hermes had stood up and she thought he was going to leave. Ignoring Josh, she grabbed Hermes leg. "Don't go."

"I'm not going anywhere, Thea."

Concussed, she didn't let go but grabbed tighter. "Don't go. It wasn't what it looked like."

Josh leaned down and she moved away from him, making  the room spin. "You need to go," she whispered. "This fight isn't meant for you."

He eyes flashed. "Thea, I -"

He flinched as she moved away from his touch.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I really liked you, but there's nothing else. I can't let you get involved in this, it's too dangerous."

"Thea, I can protect you."

"No," she murmured, "you can't."

His face hardened and he stood up, glaring at Hermes. "If I can't protect her, then you bloody better. You hurt her and I'll kill you."

Hermes didn't say anything and she heard footsteps before the front door slammed shut.

Hermes glanced down at her. "Thea, let go."

Not thinking she let go of the ice pack and the cubes scattered across the floor.

"Bloody hopeless."

Leaning down, he pried her fingers from his pants and picked her up. Still half concussed, she threw her arms around his neck.

"I swear, Hermes, I didn't kiss him and I'm sorry about what Lissandre and Aphrodite did to that girl," she mumbled, the filter on her mouth broken, and his arms stiffened. "I saw it all happen through Lissandre's eyes. I tried to make her stop but she wouldn't listen to me."

"Shut up, Thea."

"I know why you hate me so much and that thing with Josh was nothing -"

"Thea -"

"I was trying to push him away; I didn't want him to kiss me, I don't feel anything when I kiss him, not like what I feel -"

"If you don't shut up, Thea I'm going to knock you completely unconscious."

Closing her eyes, she did as he asked. Part of her brain knew she'd said too much but its reasoning couldn't penetrate the haze of pain. Slowly she drifted into unconsciousness, the rational part of her brain wondering how badly she'd stuffed up.

_______________________________________________________

A/N: Hope you all enjoy the latest chapter ^_^ the song with this chapter is called Lonely World by The Vaccines who I am crazy obsessed with at the moment. The lyrics could be Thea talking about Hermes, vice versa or Lissandre's thoughts about Hermes. Read into them whatever you will ^_^ The image on the side is one of Artemis