Thea followed Poseidon to the small alcove Jaxon had taken her to the night before. The lights were brighter than the night before, as if the brightness signified daylight, but Thea could still see the darkness of the ocean. It could have been any time of day, which unnerved her. Poseidon grabbed a glass from the small cabinet to their left and placed it on the table in front of her.

"Fill it with water."

She looked around for a jug of water and Poseidon rolled his eyes. "Stupid girl! Not with any water here. Create the water and fill the cup - it's simple.

"Oh, okay. Um, any hints on how to do that?"

"What am I? Your teacher?"

"Uh, yes?" Thea said, feeling like she'd stepped into a mental asylum.

Poseidon blinked. "Oh, right. Well then, my advice would be to go out and stand in the water. You need to know what it feels like so you can create it."

"But I know what it feels like -"

"Then shut up and do the task I set you!" Poseidon snapped. "Damn annoying woman, all she does is complain..."

Poseidon wandered off and Thea was left alone. Maybe Hermes had been right - that being underwater for too long made you crazy. Tensing, she pushed Hermes from her mind. The guy was an insensitive jerk and she didn't want to think about him.

"Right," she murmured. "Feel the water and fill the glass - it's simple."

Reaching out the window, she put her hand in the water and tried to do what Poseidon had asked. The water flowed across her skin and she closed her eyes, letting the sensation wash through her. The sensation of touching water calmed her nerves and a sense of peace stole through her as she focused on  memorising the feeling. It was cool and soft on her skin and, moving her hand out of the water, she opened her eyes.

A small pool of water encompassed her hand,  moving languidly across her skin. Laughing in wonder, she tried to move it off her skin and small orbs floated into the air above her face. Using her hands, she moved them in different directions and the orbs hovered everywhere in the room.

Focusing on one, she tried to make it larger and slowly it grew in size. Touching it gently, she was surprised that it felt warm. She thought of making it colder and scrunched up her nose as she concentrated. She watched as the water began to harden and the frozen orb dropped to the floor, ice scattering everywhere.

"Unreal," she whispered, eyes moving around the room.

"It certainly looks amazing."

Stifling a scream, she turned around and the orbs burst, water spraying everywhere.

Giselle was sprayed with water and even though she didn't like the nymph, Thea felt a little guilty. "I'm sorry, you just startled me -"

"It's fine," she smiled. "I'm used to being covered in water."

Thea gave her a small smile. "Right, of course. How long have you been standing there?"

Giselle stepped forward. "Not long. I didn't mean to pry; I was walking past and couldn't help but be mesmerised. I've seen Poseidon manipulate water but you give it a certain beauty."

She looked around, feeling awkward at the compliment. "Um, thanks, Giselle. Were you looking for Hermes? He's not here -"

"No, actually I came here looking for you. We didn't get to talk yesterday and I know what Jaxon can be like. Being surrounded by masochistic men, I thought you might prefer the company of someone who only wants to talk with no other intention than being friendly.

Thea could use some different company but she wasn't sure Giselle was her first choice. "It would be nice to talk with someone who doesn't use innuendo in every sentence. Unless you're planning on -"

"Oh no, I don't swing that way, so put your mind at ease."

Thea sat down, a small smile on her lips, and saw her still empty cup. "Crap, I was having too much fun with the water I forgot what I was meant to be doing."

Giselle sat with her and Thea bit back a sigh - it looked like she was stuck with her. "I don't think Poseidon will mind, as long as you learn how to do it. He likes you. He told me you were a nice girl."

"Seriously? He just left here a moment ago yelling at me."

Giselle shook her head, smiling gently. "Poseidon left you here this morning, Thea. You've been standing with your hand in the water for a couple of hours."

Thea was stunned. She'd been so focused on the water, she hadn't realised how much time had gone by.

Giselle continued on. "Hermes tells me you're relearning your powers from the beginning. I must admit I was surprised at how quickly you seem to be picking it up."

"Me too. I guess my body is just picking up on what it used to know, if that makes sense? It's not my first run in with water too." Thea explained what happened the day of Shae's funeral and Giselle's face softened.

"That must have been quite terrifying at the time. I'm sorry about your friend Shae. I know my condolences will mean little but losing anyone is always a hard burden to bear."

Thea nodded wishing Giselle would be a bitch so she could hate her. Instead she was being drawn in by her warm words. "Thank you. Hermes certainly didn't make it easy. He was a jerk - he still is, for that matter."

Giselle laughed. "He always was. He probably thought you were Lissandre too and wanted to make things hard for you. That woman always plagued him."

Thea ran her finger along the rim of the cup, Giselle's words bringing back her anger from the night before. "You can say that for sure. He's still making things difficult for me; if he opened his bloody eyes he'd realise I'm not her!"

The cup suddenly filled with water and burst, shattering across the table. Cursing, Thea started picking up the pieces and Giselle helped her place them out of harm's way. She grabbed a new glass from the cabinet for her and placed it on the table.

"Sorry," Thea mumbled.

Giselle patted her hand. "No need to apologise. You're going through a lot and Hermes isn't helping by being hurtful. Can I say something in his defence?"

"If you must."

Giselle crossed her legs and tucked a strand of hair back from her face. "I think this hurtful ploy is just Hermes protecting himself. I know he doesn't truly think of you as Lissandre, but he's also afraid to trust you completely, in case you do turn into her."

"I'd kill myself if I ever turned into her." Thea tried to focus on the cup again and a couple of drops fell into the glass.

"I don't think you will. I like to think I'm a good judge of character and I don't sense any of her in you."

"Thanks, I guess." Another few drops fell into the water. It was harder to do this when she was talking to someone else. Her mind felt scattered. "How do you know Hermes, anyway? Old girlfriend?"

Giselle burst into laughter and Thea looked up. "Oh I'm sorry, Thea, I didn't mean to laugh at you! I was just laughing at the thought of being Hermes’ girlfriend. I'm friends with his mother, Maia. I'm more of an aunt figure to him. The thought of him like that just feels wrong to me. Though I know there are many out there in our world who don't care about the mixing of family blood. After all, it's how most of the Gods were created."

Thea grimaced. "Thanks for reminding me."

Giselle waved her hand. "Don't think about it. Times have changed since the birth of the Gods. And in regards to Hermes, I can only say give him time and don't put up with his crap. If he starts acting like a jerk - which I know he will because it's who he is - call him on it and tell him you won't stand for it. From what I've heard, he already likes you and hopefully he'll wake up and realise you aren't Lissandre."

Thea glanced at her. "Why do I feel like you're giving me relationship advice rather than friendly advice?"

Standing up, Giselle's eyes twinkled. "Take my advice any way you wish to take it. I have to get back to helping prepare lunch. If you ever wish to talk again, let me know."

"Thanks Giselle - for the advice and for the talk."

"Any time."

Giselle left and Thea looked at the cup, confused about how to take her advice, and swore as the cup started overflowing with water again. 

*                             *                             *                             *

It took three days for Thea to fill the cup without it overflowing or her losing control of the water. Now she only had to wave her hand and the water filled to the brim.

Poseidon had disappeared again which put her in a bad mood. She wanted to learn what to do next, if there was anything else to learn. To make the time go by, she mucked around the with the water herself, blending it with air to make water bullets. It would make a good weapon, though she had to start practising outside after she put two holes in Poseidon's wall.

Hermes was missing in action too and even Giselle didn't know where he'd gone. No one had seen him since their argument and Thea was beginning to think he'd left for good. Giselle thought he was just taking time to sort out his thoughts.

Either way, she was beginning to see just how absent minded these Gods could be and blamed it on their old age.

Giselle spent every day with her and they talked about her past and the mortal realm. Any thoughts of hating the water nymph had fled. Giselle was a kind hearted woman and the only person keeping her sane. She was fascinated by the technology Thea spoke of and wanted to see a camera.

"I must sound like a simpleton," she laughed. "I don't get to leave the ocean very often and the last time I left, people were wearing large dresses with their hair piled above their heads and the men wore these ridiculous large black hats!"

"That's at least over a hundred years ago! How do you live so long?"

"It's Poseidon. By remaining in his service we do not age. If we were to live in the human world now, we would slowly age. Not as you age but every few hundred years we would begin to show the signs."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Thea poured them some wine.

"True, but nymphs are rather vain creatures and our beauty is something we hold highly. The thought of aging, if even a little, terrifies me. It's one of my great flaws, I'm afraid."

"It's the only flaw I've heard or seen so far, Giselle. So what about the nymphs who do live in the Gods’ realm? Do they age?"

"No, those who live in the realm of the Gods remain immortal. You could almost say that time there has stood still for many years. The Gods have changed but their appearances have not. Apollo, you may be surprised to hear, was once a fierce warrior. He still is, but these days his conquests are more focused on women than kingdoms and empires."

Thea giggled. "Sorry, I'm trying to picture him fighting battles but all I see is him attempting to flirt his way through the masses."

Giselle laughed. "That would be quite funny to see!" 

Jaxon walked in, interrupting them, and took a seat at their table, pouring himself some wine. "Good day, Thea. How goes your training?"

Holding out her hand, she made a ball of water, splitting it in three parts, and curled the lower piece of water so it looked like a smile face. "I think I'm ready to move on, don't you?"

He grinned, "I believe you are. Poseidon has been out by the hole arguing with Nyx for three days now. I left them to it; their arguing does get old after so long."

"They've been arguing nonstop for three days?!" Thea exclaimed.

"Yes, they are as stubborn as each other. Frankly, I think they need to just screw each other and get it over with but I doubt that's going to happen."

"I don't think sex is the answer, Jaxon." Thea rolled her eyes and took a sip of wine.

He grinned. "How do you know unless you try?"

She looked away, uncomfortable with his double meaning. He'd been flirting with her for the last three days and she'd had about enough.

Giselle reached over and slapped Jaxon's arm. "That's enough of that, thank you. If you just came here to flirt then go away."

He shook his head. "I think I'll stay. I like the way her face flushes when I tease her."

He reached out to brush her hair back from her face and Thea was about to tell him to cut it out when a hand slapped Jaxon's away.

"Ah, the Messenger returns."

Looking up, Thea was one part relieved and two parts annoyed to see Hermes. She'd thought her anger had faded but seeing him again re-ignited her pain. His words still rang in her ears and were just as raw as they had been three days ago.

Giselle smiled and stood up, oblivious to Thea's irritation. "How are you, Hermes? Where have you been hiding away?"

"Above the water, just checking into some things."

Thea felt his eyes on her but she focused on the ball of water in her hands, imagining herself shoving it in his face.

"Thea, could I have a moment?"

"She was just having her lunch," Jaxon said and his hand rested on hers to stop her leaving.

Hermes opened his mouth and Thea rolled her eyes. Shoving Jaxon's hand away, she stood up before they started arguing. "I can have lunch later."

Giselle was sending Hermes a warning glance as Thea stormed out. Hermes followed close behind and she walked outside, too afraid she would break something if they talked inside. Turning around, she put her hands on her hips. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Did he sleep with you? Hermes asked and Thea jumped, shocked he had just come out and said it.

"No! He did not sleep with me! I'm not the sort of girl who just opens her legs to every guy who shows interest in her!"

Hermes rolled his eyes. "Alright, don't get your panties in a twist - I was just checking."

Thea started to see red and got ready to dump him in water when his next words stopped her.

"Cronos was at your apartment."

"What?"

Hermes looked at her but his eyes remained cold. "I was concerned about the fact that you dreamed of Cronos in your apartment. The way you spoke, it seemed as though he knew where he was, and I asked Artemis and Apollo to check it out for me. Artemis says he was definitely there for sure. She could sense him."

Thea felt sick. "Did he take anything?"

"No, I went back to make sure but nothing had been touched."

"How did he get in my dream?"

"I don't know but you need to be more careful, Thea. He can't kill you in a dream but he can certainly mess with your mind. If you sense for even a moment that there's something wrong with your dream, you need to make yourself wake up."

"How do I do that?"

"I don't know. The best bet I can think of is killing yourself in the dream."

"That sounds pleasant," she muttered.

Hermes ignored her. "Artemis is going to send some people to keep an eye on your apartment in case he comes back."

"I should thank her," Thea murmured, still distracted at the thought of having to kill herself in her dreams.

For the first time since he'd come back, he smiled. "Artemis isn't one to accept gratitude. How's your training going anyway?"

"I've been teaching myself, basically. Poseidon's been fighting with Nyx since you left so I've been on my own with Jaxon and Giselle."

Hermes lips thinned when she mentioned Jaxon. "Are you being nice to Giselle?"

Thea glared at him. "Yes, I'm being nice! I'm not some insensitive bitch like you think I am, you jerk."

She tried to move past him, too angry to talk straight, but Hermes grabbed her. "Alright, geez woman, what's got you so cranky?"

"I've been left alone for three days with no one telling me where they were going, trying to fight off a horny water nymph and teaching myself how to use water! I may as well have stayed home."

His grip on her arm tightened. "Has Jaxon tried anything?"

"No," she sighed, annoyed that that was all he'd heard. "He tries to but I stop him before anything happens."

"That can't be the only reason you're angry, Thea. What else is brewing in that brain of yours?"

She stared at him in disbelief. Was he really pretending that nothing had happened? Was that his go to answer for everything? The smirk on his face suggested this was the case and she bit her tongue in anger. The jerk wasn't even going to apologise.

Holding onto her rage, she shoved his hand off her. "There is nothing else brewing, thank you very much. I'm just sick of being left by Poseidon and being below the water. I want to hurry up and get this over with so I can go home."

"Are you so sick of my company already?"

"How can I be sick of your company when you haven't been here?" she muttered, walking away.

Hermes grinned and called out, "I take it that means you missed me?"

She kept walking, deciding silence was her best option.

"I missed you too, Peaches!"

Walking quicker, she tried to order her heart to stop beating happily at the thought of him missing her. The stupid organ still refused to listen to her and she stewed on her anger instead, hoping to drown the other emotions out. 

Reaching her room, she decided to take a shower and collect her thoughts. She loved the large shower in her ensuite and wished she had this sort of pressure in her back home. Turning the water on, she undressed and stepped in, letting the water wash over her.

Staring at the tiled wall, she sighed. She'd been hating Hermes for three days for leaving her alone, and then he comes back and tells her he was out there making sure she was safe and her apartment was protected. How was she meant to hate him when he did things like that? When she'd seen his face, her initial feeling above all was relief that he'd come back. Even though she hated him, she still needed him.

Shaking her head, she grabbed her shampoo and started washing her hair. How had Lissandre managed to hate him so easily? Not that she wanted to become her, but she could certainly use some pointers on how to safe guard her heart. Rinsing out her hair, she froze as the scent of her shampoo became stronger.

It wasn't apples she smelled, but peaches.

Rinsing out the last of the shampoo she stumbled and grabbed the bottle. It was her peaches scented shampoo - the apple scented shampoo was nowhere in sight and there was only one person she knew who would change it.

"Son of a bitch!"

Turning the water off, she grabbed a towel, already planning Hermes murder in her mind. Wrapping the towel around her, she walked into her room and shrieked. Hermes sat on the edge of her bed, a knowing smile on his face.

"I hope you weren't saying that about me, Peaches?"

Clutching the towel tighter to her chest, she tried to calm her breathing while throwing the bottle of shampoo at his head. "Why'd you change my shampoo, you jerk?!"

"Who says it was me?"

"Because you're the only who's been up to the surface in the last three days!"

"Fair point. Well I changed it because I didn't like the smell of the other one."

"You're not the one washing your hair with it so it doesn't concern you!"

"But I am the one smelling it so I think that should count for something."

Flustered, she tried to think of something to say but anger robbed her of words. Hermes walked over and she took a step back, hitting the wall.

Leaning over, he breathed deeply. "Much better. You smell like you now."

"What, is that the only way you can distinguish me from Lissandre? Screw you!"

Shoving him away, she tried to head back to the bathroom but Hermes rocked back instantly and trapped her, placing both hands on the wall beside her. His guard was back up as he glared at her.

"Don't try to swap it again, Peaches, because I'll just keep changing it back."

She placed her hands on his chest to try and keep some distance between them. "You can't control what I do. It's my body and my hair and if I want to change my shampoo, I can!"

"Your body..." His eyes travelled down and she clutched the towel tighter, aiming a kick in-between his legs. He sidestepped it and pressed closer. "True, it is your hair and your body, but a word of warning: I don't like it when things I like change. If you keep changing it, I'll be forced to step in and wash your hair myself, understand?"

"Back off," she snapped.

He pushed against her hand. "Tell me you understand, Thea."

"No, I don't understand. I don't understand why you're doing this and why you haven't apologised yet!"

His expression became glacial and he leaned closer, causing her elbow to bend. "Tell me you won't change, Thea and I will."

She knew they weren't talking about the shampoo anymore. “I shouldn't have to tell you, Hermes," she whispered. "You should be able to see it for yourself."

He flinched and she took the opportunity to slip past him and escape back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. There was no lock and she pressed against the door, listening to make sure he was going to leave.

When she heard her bedroom door open and shut, she counted to twenty before stepping back out. Her room was empty and she sat on the edge of her bed, burying her face in her hands.

If he couldn't see that she wasn't Lissandre, then he was an idiot. Until he realised and apologised, she wasn't going to back down and forgive him. If he wanted to be petty about this then so could she. If he was going to pretend he'd done nothing wrong then she'd just pretend he didn't exist.

___________________________________________________

A/N: Sorry I'm a little late today, I've been sorting through some personal matters but I will still update as prmoised ^_^ the next chapter will be up next Friday once again. Have a good weekend all! <3

This chapter's song is called Sly by The Cat Empire, I felt it was about Hermes thinking about Thea ^_^