Drifting back to consciousness, Thea struggled to remember where she was or who she was. Lissandre's memories floated through her mind as she tried to remember what had happened. Nyx had flicked her head, knocking her out in the middle of the ocean.

Her eyes felt like cotton and she battled to open them. After a few failed attempts, she managed to pry them open and she took in her surroundings. She was back in her bedroom, lying in bed. The lights were dimmed and she guessed it was the middle of the night. She rubbed her eyes and the movement felt odd; her body felt strange, as if she was remembering how to use it again.

Lissandre had been a curve ball. She never would have guessed Lissandre's true reasoning for her cold behaviour. In many ways, they had once been alike but because of circumstance, Lissandre had built a wall between herself and the Gods. It scared Thea to think if things had been different, her life might have turned into Lissandre's. Turning her head to loosen a kink, she stilled.

Hermes sat in the chair beside her bed, head tilted back and eyes closed. His hair looked wild and he appeared worried. His mouth was a thin line and she could see the tension in his shoulders. Sitting up, she reached over and tapped his leg.

"Hermes?"

His eyes flew open and she jumped as he shot forward. His eyes focused on her and he grabbed her arm before she could move away. "Thea, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine -" She was cut off as he pulled her into a spine crushing hug. She felt the air leave her lungs and she tapped his shoulder. "Can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry." He let her go and leaned back. "Just relieved you're finally awake."

"Why? How long have I been out?"

"Four days."

"Holy crap, four days? Nyx only flicked my forehead!"

His eyes darkened. "I should have known Nyx would pull something like this. When Poseidon returned and Jaxon was carrying your unconscious body -"

He broke off and turned away. Thea could feel the anger emanating off him and she tried to reassure him. "It's all right, Hermes. I'm fine."

"But you weren't fine! It's my job to protect you and I let you go out there alone. It was stupid of me to think Poseidon would protect you. I should have gone with you."

Leaning over, she touched his hand. "It's fine, really - and anyway, you can't breathe underwater, remember? Nyx was just helping me recall Lissandre's life."

She saw the wall go back up at the mention of Lissandre. "Did you remember anything?"

"I saw flashes of her life. It helped put a lot of things into perspective."

"What things?"

“I guess, it helped me to understand how Lissandre became the woman she was. She had her reasons for being awful and though I don't agree with the way she went about everything, I can certainly understand why she did what she did."

Hermes growled and she put a hand over his mouth before he could retort. "Shut up and let me explain before you chuck a wobbly."

His eyes widened but he nodded and she continued. "As I said, I understood. I didn't say I would do the same thing, though. Lissandre's life was different to mine. The Gods and her powers were a part of her life for as long as she could remember. She did what she felt was necessary to survive and not what she wanted to do herself. If she had followed her heart, things would have turned out much different, I think."

She could see he didn't believe her and moved her hand away. "I know I can't change your opinion of her and I'm not going to try. I'm just saying that I know why you hate her so much, but I will never be like that. Do you believe me?"

He fell silent and she felt her heart splinter at the answer his silence gave. She turned to move away from him, but then she felt him grab her arm. "I believe you, Thea."

Her head snapped back. "You do?"

"Yes." He ran a hand through his hair. "I've been a bastard since we got here. I keep expecting you to turn into her and everyday you keep proving to me and everyone else that you aren't her. I just kept denying it out of my own petty fear. I was wrong to say you were jealous of Giselle too - I wanted revenge but I was taking it out on the wrong girl."

Thea sighed. Since they were being honest: "You weren't far off the mark with that one. I was jealous of Giselle originally. But not for the reasons I know are going through your head right now!"

He grinned and she gave him a wry smile. "I was jealous because of the way you treated her. You looked at her with a fondness I'd never seen you show before. You always look at me teasingly or like I'm about to turn into some manipulative cow. It was one reason why I liked hanging around with Jaxon when we arrived. He'd never met Lissandre so he didn't treat me like I was her. He saw me and no one else, which was a nice change of pace."

"And now?" he asked, his voice sharp. "What do you think of Jaxon now?"

She smiled at the tone in his voice. "I think he could give Apollo a run for his money flirting wise. If Giselle hadn't been around when you were gone, I don't know what would have happened."

She saw the flash of relief in his eyes before he masked it. "I'm glad she was around, then." His hand slid down and curled over her hand. "Sorry for being a prick."

"Sorry for being a bitch."

He smiled, a true smile that reached his eyes, and a bolt of heat shot through her core. Snatching her hand away, she crawled over the bed.

"Where are you going?" he called.

"Four days is a long time to be asleep, Hermes - where do you think I'm going?" She walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Fanning her face, she heard him chuckling softly.

She smiled when she heard him murmur, "Definitely not Lissandre."

*                             *                             *                             *

Thea felt better now that she and Hermes were no longer fighting. A weight had been lifted from her chest and things felt like they were returning to normal between them. For the next two days, Hermes seemed determined to keep her in sight after her blackout at sea. She had a feeling he'd spoken to Giselle, who was working harder to keep Jaxon away from her. She wanted to thank him for helping out at the hole but they were making it impossible.

Poseidon had found her the next morning after she'd woken up and offered an apology. "I had a feeling the crazy harlot was up to something like that. Sorry she forced you relive those memories. Lissandre was worse than Nyx, if I remember, so it must have been bloody awful. Did you at least figure out how to open Tartarus? Would hate to think it was all for nothing."

Thea nodded, not bothering to call him on Lissandre. She knew it would be impossible to change everyone's conception of her, and some things were better left in the past.  

"Oh good,” he smiled in relief. "Well, then you guys can leave soon. Not to be rude, but I've had enough company for one lifetime and the sooner you leave, the happier I'll be."

She was getting used to his snarky comments and let it wash over her. "I'll tell Hermes you're ready for us to leave."

Not answering, he walked off and Thea's smile faded, her thoughts drifting back to Tartarus. Watching the final battle through Lissandre's eyes had been frightening. Cronos had been a powerhouse and after being imprisoned for so long, she could only imagine how furious he was now.

The shackles Lissandre created kept coming back to her mind. She had put her soul into those shackles and it seemed they'd worked; he was stuck in the mortal realm. She didn't recall seeing them on his wrists in her dream but he had been wearing a long sleeve shirt. If he needed to kill her to remove the shackles and take back his throne, so to speak, then she was doomed.

Later that afternoon, she met up with Giselle and had some wine to calm her thoughts. The nymph  was pouring the wine when she asked her, "Giselle, do you think I share the same soul as Lissandre?"

"Oh dear." She pushed a glass towards her. "I thought you and Hermes had sorted this all out by now?"

"No, it's not that. We have and everything is fine. I was just wondering if I had the same soul as her or if it's different."

"Hmm, I don't know. You could always ask Hermes to check."

"Why Hermes?"

"Hermes may be the messenger of the Gods but he also carries souls to the Underworld. He should be able to get a feel for your soul and tell if it's the same or not."

Thea squirmed. "I don't know if I like the idea of him feeling up my soul."

Giselle giggled. "You make it sound so wrong! You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Yeah I know, but I can't get that image out of my head now."

Giselle took a sip of wine. "Are you feeling better after being unconscious for four days?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just feel like I've had a really long sleep."

"I was quite concerned for you. You were so pale when Jaxon carried you in, I thought you were dead at first. I've never seen Hermes look so angry before. He took you from Jaxon and refused to let anyone near you. He didn't leave your room for all four days."

"He was just worried," Thea took a sip of wine.

"It was more than worry, Thea. He's quite taken with you."

Thea snorted and the wine flew up her nose. Coughing, she tried to get the wine out of her nose as it burned, and she gagged as Giselle got up and patted her back in a futile attempt to help.

"Are you insane?" she gasped when she could finally speak again. "We just forgave each other and you're already trying to play matchmaker?"

"I'm not playing matchmaker. I'm simply stating what I’ve observed.”

"Right," she muttered, wiping her mouth. "I think your observations are a bit off kilter."

She smiled and patted Thea's back a final time before sitting down again. "Trust me, dear. I've known Hermes for many years and I know when he likes a girl or not."

"Can we talk about something else?"

Giselle giggled. "If we must. Why don't you explain those bars again where you sing the music? They sound like so much fun!"

That night, she stood outside Hermes’ door, trying to figure out how to ask him to check her soul. She desperately wanted to believe that they had different souls. If they were different, then Cronos couldn't kill her to get back into Olympus. Raising her fist to knock, she paused. Should she ask Hermes to compare them or see if he could sense if part of her soul was missing?

The door opened and Hermes looked at her in amusement as she stood there, staring into space with her fist raised. "Did you want something, Peaches? Or are you having one of your kinky dreams about hurting me again?"

Lowering her fist, she glared at him. "No! I want to talk to you about something - it's important."

"Well then, come in." He stood aside and waited for her to walk past him. When she didn't move, he grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. "Can't talk in the doorway, Peaches. What do you want to ask?"

Taking her hand back, she clasped them together. "Well, I was talking with Giselle today and she mentioned that you carry souls to the underworld. Is that true?"

He nodded. “Only for the few who earn such a privilege."

She rolled her eyes, her nerves eased by his oversized ego. "Could you tell me about my soul?"

His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

She got flustered as words failed her. "I meant, can you sense if it's all there or if it used to belong to anyone else -"

He stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders. "I thought we settled this Lissandre problem?"

"We did, I just want to clarify something. Can you do it or not?"

"I can, but what do I get out of this deal?"

She tried to shove him away but he wouldn't budge. "Annoying jerk, what do you want?"

"A promise - that you won't change your shampoo again."

"Are you serious?" She stared at him in disbelief.

"Deadly serious. The shampoo never changes or no deal."

"Fine," she sighed. "I promise to never change my shampoo."

He nodded, satisfied.

"Right." She looked up at him. "How does this soul scanning work?"

"Close your eyes and you'll find out."

"Do I really have to -"

"Do you want me to check or not?"

"Fine!" Closing her eyes, she braced herself, wondering how painful this was going to be.

She was not expecting Hermes to kiss her.

His lips pressed against hers and she gasped at the sudden contact. He took the opportunity to slip his tongue past her lips and her heart beat loudly. She tried to move away but he pressed closer, trapping her.

Her head told her to fight it but the sound of her heart drowned out any form of reason and her body relaxed, curling into him, her hands moving around his waist. His hands moved from her shoulders, down her back and pressing their hips together. The faint trace of sea salt lingered on his skin, she could taste it on his lips, and she brushed her tongue hesitantly along his bottom lip.

She felt a low growl sound in his throat and she moved her hand to the nape of his neck. He tensed as her fingers curled into his hair and pulled away. Breathing heavily, she opened her eyes.

He looked at her strangely, confusion mixing with desire. "What's wrong?"

"Your soul," he murmured, distracted. "There's something strange about it."

Her body stilled. "What do you mean?"

His fingers dug into her waist and her skin tingled. "There seems to be part of it missing."

All good feelings vanished. She tried to push away but he refused to let go.

"You seem to know what that means," he guessed, his fingers digging in deeper.

"I have a feeling but I can't be sure," she lied. "If you've finished assessing my soul, please let go."

He didn't listen. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were enjoying my assessment of your soul. I can always check it again, just to make sure -"

Embarrassed, Thea used the water from the window to squirt him in the head. Spluttering, he let go and she quickly ran to the door. "The only one who enjoyed it was you. Now you can enjoy cooling down. Good night."

She rushed back to her room and slammed the door shut, cursing herself. He'd just been looking at her soul; the kiss meant nothing. Stupid woman! Why did she keep making the wrong decisions when it came to him? He probably thought she was an idiot.

Still, she touched her lips, the imprint of his still lingering. It was nice to pretend it might have been real.

*                             *                             *                             *

After the soul scanning kiss, it was as if the last week hadn't happened. Hermes was back to his teasing self and Thea spent the next day trying not to punch him. He took every opportunity to bring up the kiss and it was getting on her last nerve.

She told Giselle about it as she helped her clean some statues, and she'd never seen the nymph look so delighted.

"How wonderful! I knew I was right."

She rolled her eyes as she scrubbed at the statue’s mossy ankle. "He was only assessing my soul, Giselle. It was nothing big."

"Oh, but it was," Giselle beamed. "You're flushing right now just remembering it, so it meant something to one of you."

"I'm not flushing!" she protested, scrubbing harder. "It's just because I'm scrubbing this dude's leg really hard. How on earth is moss this resistant to a scrubbing brush? Don't you have any cleaning products?"

"No, we have no use for them. It's only because the moss has hardened. Once this place is filled with water it will soften down and be easier to clean."

"Then why clean it now?" she grumbled.

"Because there's nothing else to do. Now stop getting off topic, back to the kiss -"

"No! Not back to the kiss, it was no kiss, it was just Hermes doing a soul scan and that's it!" Thea threw the brush and water burst from the bucket, causing it splinter and break. "Dammit!"

"It's all right, Thea, don't worry about the bucket. We've got plenty more."

"It's not that." She sat down and leaned against the statue. "I'm just so confused. I don't know what to feel about all this."

Giselle sat next to her, folding her legs beneath her. "Instead of wondering what you're meant to be feeling, why don't you just think about how you want to feel?"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because," Thea whispered. "It's too scary to think about how I want to feel."

Giselle's eyes softened. "It's always scary to think about the things we want in life. If you don't think about it, though, it'll never happen. Do you want that?"

Thea thought about Lissandre's life. If she refused to let herself accept her feelings, she would be like her. She didn't want to live alone like Lissandre. She wanted to be happy and fall in love, even if it was -

"What are you ladies talking about?"

Coming out of her daze, she turned to see Hermes sitting next to her and jumped. He grinned and her face flushed automatically, thinking of the night before. She couldn't control it and turned away.

Giselle met her gaze, eyes twinkling on her other side, and Thea groaned internally, feeling trapped. Standing up, she tried to escape but Hermes grabbed her ankle. "Uh uh, no more running, Peaches. You and I need to talk about our next step."

"N-next step?" she stammered. It was just a kiss for God's sake!

Giselle rose and touched Hermes shoulder. "I'll give you two time to talk. I need to get a new bucket anyway."

Hermes stood up and turned her to face him after Giselle left. “Now to business; I think we should organise to try to leave by tomorrow. We'll have to get Poseidon to take us to the surface so I can -"

"Wait, that's what you wanted to talk about?" she blurted.

"Yes." His eyebrow rose. "What did you think I wanted to talk about?"

Cheeks burning, she averted her gaze. "Nothing. So, what were you saying about going to the surface?"

A slow smile started to form on his lips and she stifled a gasp as his hands rested on her waist. "Ah, you were thinking of last night. Am I right?"

She opened her mouth to argue but he moved fast, covering her mouth with his hand. "Don't answer that yet. Be quiet for a moment and let me speak before you chuck a - what did you call it? - a wobbly?"

She glared at him but kept quiet. She motioned for him to continue and he grinned. "Last night, I did as you asked. I don't know why you wanted me to check but I won't pry. I hope in time you'll tell me, though." He braced himself. "Now, don't get angry, but the way I went about it - kissing you -  wasn't the only way I could have done it."

Her shrieking profanities were muffled by his hand, and he struggled to contain both flailing arms with his one free hand. "Just let me explain, woman! The other way would have been more painful. I would have had to reach through your mind to find your soul. I figured you'd had enough of people playing with your head and this way was easier. Also, more enjoyable."

The profanities started again and he moved his hand away from her mouth to try and stop her flying fists.

"-pid jerk! You should have given me options first but no, you do what you want to do as always! I should put you out in the ocean -!"

Hermes stepped closer, their noses touching, and her mouth snapped shut. "If I'd given you options, Peaches, you would've have chosen the boring one and where's the fun in that? Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it."

"I never said -" She shut her mouth again as he tried to move closer..

"You didn't have to say anything. Your body's response was answer enough."

Since talking wasn’t an option, she decided on physical violence. Reaching up to slap his face, Hermes intercepted her and wrapped her arm around his waist, holding it there. Her heart threatened to pound through her chest in a mixture of desire and anger.

"Let me go!" she hissed.

"Not until you admit that you didn't hate it as much as you claim to."

She looked into his eyes but there was no teasing glint. Just calm determination. "It didn't mean anything so I have nothing to admit," she declared.

His breath fanned her face and she saw his gaze move down as she bit her lower lip in panic. His eyes darkened. "Maybe I should do it again, to help you decide."

Her hand, still trapped in his, tightened as his lips brushed against her mouth. A warning bell started going off in her head and she heard a strange noise come from outside. Hermes heard it too and moved back.

"What the Hades was that?"

The doors groaned and she realised the internal alarm bells were telling her something was happening to the water. Before she could figure out what was happening, the doors burst open and a torrent of water crashed towards them. In the chaos, she was ripped from Hermes, and she shouted as he vanished in the foaming water. She tried to concentrate and move with the water rather than fighting it. Once she had control and the water calmed she raced back to the main hall to see what was going on.

A man stood in the front doorway. His eyes were a dark brown, nearing black, and he stared lifelessly around him, wearing nothing but brown pants. She gasped at the sight of the large jagged scar stretching diagonally across his chest. His eyes landed on her and he took a step forward.

"You must be Thea." His voice was cold and emotionless. He shot through the water, appearing before her in an instant. She tried to move him away with the water but his control of the water was greater than hers. She couldn't even sense him; his body felt like a part of the water. She struggled to defend herself as he reached for her throat but a hand yanked her out of the way.

Poseidon stood in front of Thea and she stared at his back. She could feel the power radiating from him and for the first time, she was aware of just how powerful he was.

"What are you doing here, Oceanus? You no longer rule this realm."

Oceanus continued to stare, unnerving Thea. "I may not rule it but it still heeds my call. As do the monsters, forgotten in the darkness."

A roar sounded outside and Thea's insides froze in fear. The sound reverberated in the water and she felt Poseidon stiffen. "It's time you left, little girl."

"Oh, I don't think so." Oceanus' eyes slid over to her. "I can't let her leave."

Thea took a step back and Poseidon moved with her. "Find Hermes." His eyes never left Oceanus. "Once you find him, send me a sign and I'll get you out of here."

"But -"

"I have no time for your moaning, girl! Go!"

Thea turned and ran, but  she stumbled as the front wall of the mansion came crashing down. As the debris and sand settled, a large monster appeared. It looked to be a strange cross between a shark and a cat fish, large teeth glistening as feelers on its face swished through the water. Yellow eyes searched the main hall before landing on her.

Oceanus, who hadn’t moved, said calmly, "Get her."

The creature roared and crashed through the remainder of the wall as Thea sprinted down the corridor, trying to find Hermes. Every room she checked was empty and she felt  her panic build with each empty room. Moving up the back stairs, she nearly cried with relief when she saw Giselle holding onto Hermes, near their rooms.

"Hermes!"

His eyes opened when he heard her voice and she saw relief flash in his eyes. Giselle waved her over. "Thank goodness you're safe. I don't know what's going on, Thea, but I think you two need to get out of here now."

"Agreed."

"Here." Giselle placed her flower necklace in her hand. "This was floating in the water and I grabbed it."

"Thank you." She held it tightly and grabbed Hermes arm. "Come on, we have to go outside. Poseidon's holding Oceanus off so we can escape."

"Oceanus is here?" Giselle exclaimed. "Goodness, I better make sure Jaxon is giving Poseidon a hand."

"Who is he?" Thea asked.

"A Titan of all oceans and seas. I don't understand why he's here, though. He was never involved in the War. He withdrew from everything, refusing to help Cronos. Why has he changed his mind now?"

"I don't know but I don't want to hang around and find out."

"Of course. Get away while you can - we'll hold him off." She gave Thea a quick hug. "Good luck. Come by for a visit sometime once this madness is over."

"Thanks, Giselle. Stay safe." Hermes couldn't run through the water like her so Thea had to drag him. Not wasting any time going back through the mansion, she jumped out the window and floated down to the ground. She got herself and Hermes as far away as possible before she heard another loud crash. Hermes tugged her arm and pointed at the noise.

"You don't want to know," she muttered. "How the hell do I signal Poseidon?"

The wall behind them crumbled and they watched as the creature went flying through the water, blood pouring from its underbelly. Hermes shoved Thea down and she pulled him with her as the monster went over their heads, landing in front of them in a cloud of sand. Hermes’ grip on her arm tightened and he tried to put her behind him.

Poseidon stepped out of the newly made hole, trident in hand. He seemed larger than before, his body increasing in size and he glanced at them. "Ah good, you're ready."

Thea didn't know how he could be so calm, and she shouted as Oceanus came up behind him. Poseidon swung fast, piercing the Titan with his trident and pinning him to the ground. "Foolish bastard! Did you really think you stood a chance against me? You're going to pay for destroying my home!"

The creature started to stir and Hermes tugged on Thea's arm again. "Poseidon! Any time now would be good!"

"What? he snapped, forgetting they were there. "Oh, right. Off you go."

He flicked his hand and the last thing she saw was Poseidon reaching down and slamming his fist into Oceanus' face, before they were swept up in a large current and sent skyward.

The creature, at the last minute, swam forth and got swept into the current with them. Hermes lost his grip on her and she lost him in the swirl of water. She couldn't see the monster but it's roar shook through her. Her heart beat melded with the water roaring in her ears, and she tried not to panic.

The water started getting lighter and amidst her fear, she felt excited to see the sky again. Breaking the surface, she breathed deeply, fresh air entering her lungs. Instinct kicked in before she could fall back into the water, and she hovered above the ocean.

A few feet away, she saw Hermes doing the same as he coughed up water and tried to swallow as much air as possible. The water started to calm beneath them and she let out a shaky laugh, relief seeping through her. Hermes grinned, shaking the water from his eyes.

Distracted, she heard the water bubble and looked down to see the monster leap from the water, it's jaws open wide as it leapt in her direction. She tried to defend herself, using air to push it away but she panicked and didn't create a gale strong enough.

Hermes reacted, speeding through the air, and he grabbed her, throwing her above him. A small golden stick appeared in his hand and lengthened to the height of his body, wings protruding from the top of it. He stuck it in the creatures mouth, stopping it from closing its jaws. The staff started to bend from the strength of the creature's jaw and Hermes cursed.

The monster surged higher, refusing to sink back beneath the waves, and the staff had started to bend further when Hermes grabbed her waist. "Time to go."

She felt the familiar stomach lurch as they started to disappear. The staff shortened at the last moment and the monster's jaws snapped shut seconds after they vanished.

_______________________________________________________________

Hi all, sorry I was a bit late today but I work night shift and unfortunately I was too exhausted to post this morning when I got home. I hope you enjoy this week's chapter! As always next update will be Friday. The picture today is Cronos, I saw this image of George Clooney and just thought, 'that's Cronos!'

Today's listening choice is The Temper Trap - Resurrection ^_^ Don't forgot to let me know what you think of the chapter!