Home.

Nothing had changed, I don't know why I had expected it to. Clearly not having the same uneasy feelings at returning, Alfie shot forward and the door banged closed behind him. I could Mum and Dad talking from the kitchen, their voices a soft echo down the corridor, which changed as Alfie barged on in. With a sigh, I opened the door for Annipe and the pair of us went in too.

Dad's hands were wet and bubbles stuck to his wrists, before he quickly wiped them on the tea towel. Mum was hugging Alfie and Annipe moved to angle between them, pushing her way in.

"Elise, you're back?" Dad asked hesitantly.

"I am." Abandoning the snakes, Mum practically tackled me in a hug. "Hello to you too."

"I've been so worried!" She sobbed.

"You have?"

She stepped back and left her hands on my shoulders, looking me over from head to toe. "Something is different, but I can't tell what it is."

"It's been a few days since you saw me, that's all." I smiled, hoping it didn't look creepy.

"No, that's not it." She let me go and glanced over at Dad who simply shrugged. "Where's Logan?"

I stopped smiling. "He's ah, well, we, he's gone."

"Gone? You mean he's-"

"No. No Mum. He's fine, alive and well. We just won't be seeing him around here anymore."

"You broke up?" She asked, like it was really that hard to understand.

"It's better this way. He wasn't who I thought he was and this, trip, showed me that."

Dad came over and pulled me in for another hug. "We're not stupid Elise. We know something else is going on and when you're ready, you can tell us all about it. We're just glad to have you home safe. Cup of tea?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak just yet.

"Hungry love?" Mum asked, moving to the fridge. I nodded again and she pulled out a plate of leftover pizza. "Jordan missed dinner tonight. His loss is your gain."

Sitting at the dining table, I let them fuss. As it got later, Alfie and Anni took off to the river just as Jordan and Chris came home and all I got was a wave, a quick hello and my hair ruffled by Jordan as he passed. The pair settled in front of the TV and as our parents went to bed, I joined the guys; climbing into the middle of the sofa.

"You seem, different." Chris pointed out a few minutes later.

"Yeah. And you're being rather quiet." Jordan agreed, poking my arm. "Logan okay?"

"He's fine. We broke up."

"Oh." They say in unison.

"It's fine."

We watched the TV in a comfortable silence, occasionally pointing out the ridiculousness of the badly choreographed fight scenes, and the low point of eighties fashion until one by one we fell asleep. Unfortunately it didn't last and leaving them alone, I got up and went outside. It was cold; a light frost covered the grass and glancing up the sky, the stars had vanished. Dawn wasn't too far away, so with the intention of finding Alfie and Annipe, I started to walk in the direction of the river, and then just kept going. The sun was starting to appear on the horizon when I finally stopped at a road. Acres of forest and academy lands were behind me and going to the middle of the road, I started to run. There were no cars; most people wouldn't be up at this hour and the chances of someone coming along here was highly unlikely. Each step was a realization, and the tears I'd been avoiding finally took hold.

No one was trying to kill me anymore.

I wasn't been spied on, plotted against or being used for someones personal gain.

My friends and family no longer had targets painted on their backs.

It was really over.

Birds sang sweet little songs from the bushes that lined the road. Rabbits lingered on the sides, and in the fields; feeding before they would disappear for the day. My breath floated in the air in vanishing clouds, and I started to walk once more, only now in the middle of the road. I looked up at the sky, and watched the rising sun feeling so small in such a huge world. The birds went quiet as I neared, and the eerie silence that followed left me feeling alone in a way I never had before.

Is this what eternity was going to feel like?

Falling to my knees I broke down. Breathless from running, my body shook with each sob and I screamed until my throat was raw. I stayed there until face dried, my breathing evened out and looking around, a rabbit simply sat just ahead of me, chewing on a some grass with wide, watchful eyes. It had witnessed everything and yet, just sat there; chewing.

"My snakes will eat you." I snapped at it.

The creature froze as I stood up and dusting off my pants, I frowned at the mud and crap that covered my boots. The rabbit bolted and feeling, better, I didn't have to worry about the walk back and took myself straight to my bedroom. Happy chatter and the odd laugh came from the direction of the kitchen an opening my bedroom door, coffee and bacon greeted me like an old, delicious friend.

"Is that you Ellie? Breakfast is nearly ready!" Mum called as my door creaked loudly.

"Okay. I'm just going to shower!"

Just like that, everything was back to normal. Walking into the dining room, I avoided the empty space Logan would have filled and helped myself to some coffee. Jordan and Chris were talking about meeting up with Zane, and Mum was trying to organise some time off for us to take a very overdue family trip.

"Of course with your father as acting head master, it's going to be impossible to schedule something definite." She babbled.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"Oh, you haven't been here. Ms Huntington declared her retirement while you were away. It was all rather hush hush, but she left soon after you did." Mum frowned, her forehead creasing with concentration before she lightly rubbed her temple.

"You okay?"

"Yes love, it's just, I keep getting these feelings that something isn't right and the more I try to think about it, I just end up giving myself a headache!" She sighed.

"Me too." Dad agreed, sipping his coffee.

"Yeah, I noticed that the other day." Jordan added.

All eyes turned to me. "Weird isn't it. Maybe its the weather?"

"Maybe. So yes, your Dad was nominated to fill in until a more permanent replacement can be found."

"That's great Dad. Congratulations!" I quickly put some more food in my mouth and slowly, everyone moved on from that topic.

When there was a knock on the door, I was the first to get up and seeing a man in a suit, I figured he was here to see Dad. Perks of the job I guess.

"Miss Bunting?" He asked, looking at the piece of paper in his hand.

"Yes?"

"I'm Daniel Watson, estate manager for a Mr. Leonardo Simic. Do you have a moment?"

"Um, sure?" I motioned for him to enter and we went into the front living room. Mum appeared seconds later, giving our visitor a quick once over.

"Everything okay love?"

"This a private matter." Daniel hinted at me.

"Yeah, it's fine Mum." She gave a little nod and went back to the kitchen, the once loud conversation now quiet. Talk about nosey. "Um, I don't know a Leonardo Simic."

"Well, he knows you Miss Bunting." He pulled a folder from his briefcase, and opened it. Quickly looking over the top page, he then passed it over to me. "Mr Simic recently passed, and it was specified his estate was to be left to yourself."

It took a while for the words to sink in and as I looked at the next page, the deeds for the Last Drop caught my attention. "You mean, Leo the bar guy?"

"Ah yes, I believe he was a tavern owner." He pushed his glasses back up his nose, and looked around disinterested. "His requests have gone uncontested. You simply need to sign at the yellow tabs and it's all yours."

"Mine?"

"Yes Miss Bunting." He handed me a pen.

"He gave me the bar?"

"It would appear that way, as well as a few rather impressive assets. If you'd just like to sign..." Daniel pointed at the yellow tabs.

"Okay, um, I can do that."

As soon as I did he gathered the paperwork together and returned it to his briefcase. Extending his hand, I numbly shook it and with a curt smile he headed towards the door. "I'll be in touch once this has been finalized, the copy on the table is yours. Thank you Miss Bunting, all the best."

He left me standing on the front porch completely bewildered and getting into his tiny hire car, Daniel was gone as quickly as he had come. Going back inside, my family stood in the corridor eagerly waiting to be filled in. Finding my copy, I handed it to Dad.

"Please tell me I didn't just stupidly go and sign something bad."

Dad quickly looked over it, his eyebrows rising in surprise as he flicked through the pages. "Seems legit, Ellie. Guess you just got yourself off my credit cards. This is quite a portfolio."

He passed it back and I saw property addresses and share holdings; all of which had just been transferred into my name.

"I can get our adviser to look over it for you?" Dad offered.

"Um, yeah. That would be great."

"I'll arrange it later. Now, I have to go have a meeting and tell my former colleagues I'm now their boss and some things are going to be changing. Wish me luck!" He sighed, and Mum kissed his cheek before he headed out the front.

"Kids, dishes. There is washing that needs to be hung out too. I have to go and listen to my husband, pretend to be my boss and try telling me what to do." She laughed to herself and grabbing us both in an awkward group hug, rushed out the door behind Dad.

"Shot gun dishes!" Jordan shouted, rushing into the kitchen.

"Jerk." Still in shock, I headed into the laundry and seeing the wet pile of clothes in the basket, wondered if any of my powers could help with this situation. Ten minutes of talking to myself and the clothes, as well as working on some hand movements, I gave up and hung it all out by hand.

Stupid powers.

Later that afternoon, I decided day drinking was okay if you owned a bar and to celebrate, champagne was required. Plus, I'd just gathered up all of Logan's crap from around the house and my room; leaving it all in a box in the spare room. He might want it, maybe - I doubt it. I wasn't going to be one of those crazy women who burnt stuff and it just seemed like the right time to do it. No one was around. Jordan was out making arrangements with Chris to join Zane, Mum and Dad hadn't come back from their meeting and with Alfie and Anni not interested in leaving the water any time soon, I had the house to myself. No one around to constantly ask if I was okay - perfect.

"Elise, you in here?" Penny called.

"Yeah!" She came in with Raya and the pair of them looked as sad as if someone had died. "Hey guys."

"You're not looking as bad as I thought you would." Penny blurted, putting the bag in her arms on the table in front of me before sitting down. She put her arm over my shoulder and gave a little squeeze. "We heard you were back."

"And about, L-o-g-a-n." Raya spelled his name out, like saying it would make him appear. She sat on my other side and took my hand. "We're sorry honey"

"I'm fine. Really." I lied.

Penny took the champagne bottle from my hand, frowning. "Not even using a glass?"

"Jord just did all the dishes, didn't want to make any more."

"It's two thirty."

"So? It's after twelve o'clock which makes it perfectly acceptable."

"Did you want to talk about it?" Raya asked, reaching over into the bag to find a box of tissues. She sat them on the table and then proceeded to pull out two boxes of chocolate, a bag of popcorn, some dvd's and a bottle of Jack Daniels.

"That was my idea." Penny boasted as the bourbon came out.

"Obviously. I'm pregnant so it's not like I'm going to be the one encouraging drinking." Raya rolled her eyes.

"You didn't have to do this." And Aphrodites offer of desserts and sugary treats now made me smile.

"So, did he cheat on you?" Penny took a swig of the champagne and handed it back.

"Penny!" Raya scolded.

"Speaking of, that Sam is still lurking around here. Wish she and Van Dickhead would leave already."

Sam was here? "He didn't cheat. We just-"

"If you say it was mutual, we grew apart or something like that, I'm going to slap you. It was sickening to be around you guys, what happened!" She demanded.

"Penny!" Reaching across me, Raya did the slapping, or tried to, but Penny simply tapped her back.

"Um, I need to go and do something real quick." I got up and handed Penny the champagne. "Why don't you put a movie on and I'll be back."

I didn't wait for an answer, and rushing out the front door, focused solely on Sam. Sure enough, I appeared behind her in the library and looking around, no else was here.

"Sam?"

She squealed and spinning around, clutched her chest. "Shit! Elise! Seriously!"

"Sorry."

"It's fine." She mumbled, picking up the book she dropped. "If you're looking for Nigel or Drew, they're still in the infirmary."

"I'm not looking for them, I was hoping to see you."

Her face paled. "Me?"

"I know, everything, now" I paused, hoping she'd catch my drift. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for how I've been towards you in the past and that, it's all over now. I hope you can forgive me."

"I don't understand." She clutched the book against her front like a shield, warily looking at me like I just challenged her to a duel at sunset - not offered peace.

"I've been to your realm. I know the truth about, everything." I waited again and the gasp that left her told me she got it now.

"The Fallen One?" Sam whispered.

"Cain." I corrected. "He defeated Cronus. Zeus is dead. It's going to be a different place now."

"Are you sending me back? Did he tell you I had to go?" She bit her lip as tears began to pool in her eyes. "Please, you know The- you know Cain. Please make him let me stay!"

"No, it isn't like that. You're safe here, you don't have to go back. I just, I want us to start again. Friends?" I extended my hand and after staring at it as if it was poison, she hesitantly shook it.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you the truth. I heard your Mum talking to the girls before, you and Apollo aren't together anymore are you. It wasn't just a cover to explain Logan's disappearance?"

I nodded. "But it's fine, you know. People break up all the time, and Dad kept telling me over breakfast how many more fish are in the sea, plus I'm young and-"

"Immortal." She whispered. "You're like them now. A Power."

"Not quite, but please. Don't tell anyone, I want to tell my parents, but I'm not sure now is the right time."

"I understand. I'm sorry this happened to you Elise." Her eyes widened then. "Did you kill Zeus?"

"I did. Hera is dead too, Artemis got her."

"Good." Something changed in her then and it reminded me of the girl I first met. She had been weak, beaten and after months of being stuck in Selene's dungeon, Sam had managed to hold herself with dignity. Never mind the stylish hospital gown she had to wear or the tubes sticking out of her. At the time I admired her for that, at least until she gave me her sob story and totally screwed with my head.

Really, she was just as much of a fighter as I was.

"Penny and Raya organised some booze and movies if you wanted to come?" I offer.

"Thank you, but we're leaving once Nigel gets the all clear. It's getting messy out there, you came back just in time."

"So I've heard. It'll get better soon, it always does." I left out the part about the treaty being back where it belonged.

"I know. Look after yourself Elise." She passed me the book to put away and walked out.

Well that was one tick off my to do list and as I went to put the book back on the shelf, I hesitated. Opening it up, I turned to Apollo's page instantly furious at not working it out. I'd been pretty annoyed with Cain before, but had gotten over the fact he had hid who he was, so was I being too hard on him for this?

I flicked through, wondering if there would be a mention of the Fallen One or if Zeus's biography had magically adjusted to included deceased. It didn't, but it didn't mention a battle with someone called the God Killer. Heading over to G this was even better than that time Logan found the carving of me and the snakes going against Sobek-Ra. For one, the sketching was better than the carving and it was even mentioned the God Killer and the mystery person from Egypt could be the same person or an alternate version of her, thanks to the two serpents being present again.

Who writes this stuff?

Apparently the goddess, was known for serving justice to those doing wrong and abusing their power or position of privileged. Since she was one of them, rumored to be the daughter of Themis, an ancient Titan known for governing divine order and law, she had the means to stand up against those doing wrong. Trained by Artemis, things got bad for Elisha the Hunter when she and Apollo, Artemis twin fell in love. Possessive of her sibling, Artemis told Hera lies of Zeus infatuation with her and so was up against the queen's wrath again and again. Upon discovering his sisters betrayal, Apollo demanded his twin reverse her decision and so, Artemis fought Hera and saved Elisha.

"Seriously, who writes this stuff?" I wondered out loud.

I skipped the bulk of the crap written in there, stopping at the end of her tale where she met her match in a battle with Hades, as after Zeus sent her to the Under World, there was no way for her to kill someone who understood everything about death and beyond. Apparently she was forever trapped there, and so her story ends.

"Biggest load of crap, ever." Closing the book, I put it back on the shelf, kind of amused yet pissed off at how wrong it all was. They were right, you can't believe everything you read and returning to Penny and Raya, The Notebook was paused on the TV.

"Finally! Where did you go?" Penny asked as I walked in.

"Doesn't matter. The Notebook, really?" I sigh, taking my position on the lounge.

"How else do you expect to move on, if you don't have the hope of Noah and Allie in your heart?"

Raya laughed. "She has a point."

"Since when do you two get on so well?"

"Since no one else was around to put up with her throwing up every two minutes for a week." Penny offered me the champagne bottle and I took it gladly.

"Thank you, both of you, for this."

We group hugged and stayed that way as the movie began; passing tissues as we needed them and the chocolate. At some point, Mum brought us in some ice cream and later, Penny and I moved onto the bourbon - mourning the what was and could have been of Logan and I, while also thinking about the never will be of me and Apollo. One afternoon with my best friends didn't fix me. Neither did being back at home with my family. No, I was way to screwed up for it to be that easy, but it helped me find a starting point to begin from, again.

A week later, I began to remember how it felt to just smile, and Alfie tried his hardest to make sure I did. Slowly I started to sleep again at night, fighting through nightmares and ordering my Apopythes to keep guard. Despite feeling so free my first day home, it didn't last. I rarely left my room, never left the house and told everyone I was sick and they should stay away. The logical part of brain took a break and despite knowing it scared my parents, the fear I had that it was another trick and it wasn't finished just yet was crippling.

Two weeks on, and slowly the people around me started to become familiar again. I didn't question every possible innuendo or angle to their words. Alfie and Annipe rarely left my side and without them, I wouldn't have found a good enough reason to laugh for the hell of it. Without them, I would have stayed inside the house because no one else knew what to do or say to 'fix' what was happening; to fix me.

Three weeks had me slowly starting to trust again. My guard started to come down and I told my parents, some, of what happened. When Zane returned with my brother and Chris, I told them the truth about why they all thought there was something different about me. It didn't go well, and I couldn't tell them the complete truth, so I put it down to side affects of being made one of the three fates for that short time. It was during these talks, that I also forced them to break through the pain of the spell Cain left behind, allowing them to make sense of everything that didn't while I was away. Yet like all things, shocking news or death, the world kept turning and unable to dwell on it for too long, they moved on. The moon phase tattoo hadn't left me either, becoming just another scar to add to the collection.

A month later, I started to sleep easier, giving Alfie and Annipe a break. The hollow, empty feeling I got when I was on my own weakened - more than that, I could be left alone. Shadows didn't scare me, I was paranoid of someone watching and waiting for me to drop my guard down to attack. I didn't constantly have to remind myself this was real, and not just some stupid illusion.

A month later, the bed stopped feeling too big without Logan in it.

A month later, I accepted it really was over now; not just the danger, but Apollo and I too. He hadn't appeared once, there was no sign he was still around and the regret I was holding onto from leaving, was let go.

A month later, the cracks were still there, but I wasn't broken anymore.

__________

I Believe, Christina Perri

Isn't this song like, Elise's anthem right now?

'this is not the end of me, this is the beginning'

Also... Who do you want to see have the LAST diary entry?