Offloading my last few days of crazy left me feeling like I could breathe again. Penny sat back casually in the booth, swirling the red wine around in the glass before taking a sip. It was put on the table with a nod of satisfaction before she gathered her mass of red hair and dropped it over one shoulder. Twirling the ends, I wasn't sure what she was thinking or if she had even been listening.

"I warned you." She finally said.

"About what?" Pretty sure our last chat never included blue jerks, a temperamental Artemis or a sneaky dark fae up to no good.

"Mercury Retrograde! It fucks shit up Elise, but you were all, blah blah nonsense, blah blah I know everything, your astrology is crap. Blah blah!" Penny whined. "Consider all of this your lesson!"

"Seriously?" I frown. Did she actually have a point? "Well, if that's so, what do I do to unretro things?"

"If I tell you to get some crystals, sage and-"

"Is there a quick fix?"

"Can I finish? Gosh, you're such an Aquarius sometimes!" She scolds.

"I know. I'm very loyal, smart and-" I smirk only she cuts me off.

"Stubborn, aloof, unpredictable. You are literally a living example of the negative side of an Aquarius. I can already tell you, any relationship issues you and sunny boy have are predominantly caused by you and your unwillingness to actually let someone in completely."

I stare at her, unsure how she could think that. I've let him in, ultimately, twice even, and even as I think it, I refuse to admit that she may actually be right. I look down at the gold band and know she isn't. Not this time at least. In the past, probably.

"Don't give me that look, Elise. You know, deep down I'm right. Look, I've got some sage we can burn to give you a bit of cleansing and here," She took off one her black beaded bracelets. "Black Tourmaline. It's all about protection. I think you need a lot more than that, but it's a start."

"Enough about me, what's going on with you?" I eagerly change the subject, and her eyes light up.

"Oh, nothing much." She takes another sip of her wine.

"Penny."

"Well, I quit my position at the Academy. I loved the library, at least I thought I did but turned out, I was loving having Zane around, and with him preoccupied with work stuff lately, I realised I hated it. It reminded me of post-graduation, being stuck with my Dad and his books, while he went on and on about how great our family was."

My mouth opens, but I'm not sure what to say. Thankfully she is happy to keep talking.

"After our, talk, a few weeks ago, I did a lot of soul searching. Real deep stuff. I got into meditation and connected with my guides. I've been trying to work out who I am, you know? I mean, look at our past, then my life, up until I got dragged into your drama and all of this for reals." She waves her hand towards the bar, currently busy with a small pack of werewolves that had a thirst for gin and two demons that spent more time glaring at them than anything else. "But that was your drama. That job was a side effect of that. Nothing I have ever really done is just me or mine. It's Dad's money I spend. It's your friend people know me as. Who am I? What do I want or like or am I even good at? Who is Penny Grimm?"

"What did your guides tell you?" I ask, taking her seriously as I knew the struggle she had faced the last couple of years. I understood the need she had to understand, to know, to feel what her purpose here actually was.

She hesitated, her eyes narrowing as she studied my face for a brief moment before continuing.

"Nothing. I'm fucking terrible at all that deep meditation stuff." She laughed, and I smiled. "But, I did go deep into myself. I thought over every defining moment I'd ever had. Good and bad memories. I read like, every self-help and development book I could find. I spoke to my Dad and tried to work out some of those issues, but he wasn't feeling as open as me, so we're semi-talking again, but still fucked up by most father-daughter standards."

"Is there anything I can do, to help you?" I offer, seeing the hurt flash across her face.

"No. This is all I need." She reached over and squeezed my hand. "I'm glad things happened how they did. I'm glad we're actually the friends we once pretended to be. Who knows what we'd be doing if nothing had ever happened?"

"Something might be happening again. I don't know what, but I wonder who we will be at the end of it this time?" I finish my drink and pour another, opting for something stronger than her wine. "Everything is different now."

"Is it?"

"You're the one who said it. We know the gods are real, that out of all the mythical creatures we see every day learn and read about, those ancient tales are true. What chance do we all have, does anyone on this planet actually have if they come here for a war? I've seen what they are capable of, this world doesn't stand a chance of survival. We better just hope they all like McDonald's as much as Gonzo to keep us around."

"Everything is different this time Elise. So are we. So are you." Penny shrugs. "It's like that blue bastard said. Whose side you stand on, will win so unless you're going to jump ship and desert us, no pressure."

She's joking, but it hits me hard, and I busy myself with my drink to hide it. If she notices, she ignores it, continuing her chatter now as if we hadn't just discussed yet another apocalyptic occurrence on the horizon. We watch some drunken vampires get up on stage and attempt to start an open mic night. One look to me from Paul and I nod, letting the leeches enjoy their night. They had a right too, everyone here did.

Even Ivy as she came to join us.

"Heard so much about you!" Penny greeted, her smile forced and teeth clenched as Ivy helped herself to the bottle of wine. "What are you doing here?"

"Was in the area so thought I'd stop by and see if my favourite Hunter was around. You don't disappoint, Elise." Ivy growls back at Penny in an even more fake, unfriendly tone.

"I try not to," I mumble sarcastically, now paying more attention to the horned creature up on stage as he tries to recite a poem from his phone.

If he wasn't so drunk, or if he didn't have two little tusks at the side of his mouth, the whole event may be easier for him. His friends laugh from a table to the side, while a few of the were's from earlier, talk amongst themselves while pushing one of their own away from the bar and towards the vampire that is now running the whole thing.

"Elise?" Ivy snaps impatiently, and as I turn, she smiles sweetly, the anger in her tone not seen anywhere. "Don't you agree?"

"With what?"

"Penny should come along to one of our parties. She seems to think they're no place for your kind."

I look at Penny who raises her eyebrows expectantly at me. She knows everything about what's been going on with the coven, and I am kind of interested to see where this is going.

"Loosen up Penny, it's just a party."

"See! All work no play even applies to your kind." Ivy purrs now at Penny.

I pay more attention to the table. She's doing a big sell on the coven to my friend. Women's rights, suppression, and power enter the discussion. Penny handles herself well, agreeing that fae's passion for feminism is valid, only it is not about control and having women rule the world. We want equality for all. Ivy isn't as sold on this, yet she plays along, transforming her words to what my friend wants to hear. It was impressive to watch, and sickening to think I had been like Penny, and taken the hook.

Two hours later, Penny refills Ivy's glass on her own. Ivy is talking to Penny like a long lost sister, and when Ivy excuses herself to make a call, I throw an ice cube down her shirt which wakes her up.

"What the hell?" She growls.

"Snap out of it!" I warn.

"What?"

"You asked me how I could have been stupid enough to fall for her tricks, well Pen, how do you feel now?" I ask.

Confusion clouds her eyes before she blinks, looks around and shivers. "Oh, she's good. It's like her voice is like a Sirens. You just get lulled into it, and wow, she really hates men!"

"I think she has a few issues there, and I think we've gone far enough," I warn.

"I don't know what to say. My head hurts." Penny put her hand to her forehead. "What do we do?"

"Nothing. We don't know her game, remember?" I smirk as Ivy returns. "I was just telling Penny she needs to meet the rest of the coven. When are you gathering next?"

Ivy looked thoughtful for a moment. "There's an eclipse we plan on celebrating on the twenty-fifth of April. You girls should totally come!"

Penny shook her head. "I don't really think-"

"We will be there," I assure her. "Even if Penny needs some convincing, she will be my plus one."

"Great!" Ivy stands, reaching over and giving me a hug before whispering in my ear."Sure she's trustworthy enough to bring into the coven?"

I nod, and she lets me go. "See you then, Ivy."

She leaves, and Penny shakes her head. "That was weird."

"She does this. Just turns up, says some stuff, then leaves." I shiver.

"I don't think she buys me coming along to the party."

"Nope, not a chance. She's suspicious of you, and all of that was to see if she could do her control mojo on you. Now I know, no wonder Apollo was so anti Poison Ivy. He could see what I couldn't." I tell her.

"I don't know how you haven't gone all, Elise, on her." Penny sighs, rubbing her eye.

"I gotta know what's going on there, and that means keeping her on side. Once we know her plans, then the bitch is going down. And I need you to go to that party, backup. We'll get Sonia to make you a ring up too." I decide.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Do you not want to?"

"No, I do. I just thought you'd do the whole, it's too dangerous for someone I care about to get involved," Penny stopped, frowning. "That's it, isn't it?"

"No, but I trust you, and I need you to help me with this. Don't worry, the first sign of anything, I'm zapping your butt out of there."

"Zapping her out of where?" Apollo asks, sliding into the booth beside me.

"Elise got me invited to the covens eclipse party and the end of the month." She told him a little too proudly.

"What happened to keep this on the down low?" He frowned. "And what party?"

"I need backup in there, and none of you are invited. Ivy just came by and got all buddy-buddy with Penny."

"I hate how she just turns up. It's like she knows when I'm around," He paused, then shook his head. "I'll get onto Sonia about a ring."

"Well with that sorted, before you two either get in an argument or need a room, can you zap me home Ellie?" Penny yawned.

"Sure!" I smile, a little worried about how flat and tired she was now. Maybe it was the wine or Ivy, but either way, I'd check on her later.

"No need. Good night Penny." Apollo flopped his arm over my shoulders and then Penny was gone.

"How did you, but you didn't go, and-" I stumble, not hiding my surprise.

"I'm a god, babe!" He shrugged, pulling me close and suddenly we were in my room back at my parent's house.

"Show off," I push him down against the pillows and move to straddle him. "Why did you come back here? We could have gone, anywhere."

Leaning in, a kiss him slowly, lightly, my hands resting either side of his head. The knocking at my door had us both groaning, and as Mum calls out, I shake my head.

"Anywhere and you brought us here!" I get off him and open the door. "Hey."

"This was left for you love. Dad and I are going out to see a movie in town so we won't be home for a while!" She grins, and waves at Apollo before leaving us.

I look at the envelope, and my fingers are tingling. I didn't even ask who left it, or where it came from and turning it over, the black paper gives nothing away.

"What's that?" Apollo asks, sitting up.

"Not sure. It's got something in it or over it though." I pass it over as he puts his hand out. "That's pretty heavy magic, right?"

"Yeah," He waves his free hand over it. "I can't really tell what it is though."

"One way to find out!" I snatch it back and open it, wondering if Penny's little bracelet would protect me from whatever was inside. "Oh, that's disappointing."

I hold up the piece of plain white paper and quickly read over the words. Almost instantly the magic disappears and a sense of disappointment hits. Ivy had obviously left it, her signature in large scrolling letters at the end. The message itself was just some stuff about a dark moon, feminine energy, a time for a change, and it may be the last chance the coven had to gather in such a way for some time.

"It's just her usual talk, but she wants me to go there on the tenth," I tell Apollo, who is quick to snatch it back and read over it himself.

"No, not happening. I can't put my finger on it, but I might google dark moon to check." He mumbles.

"Google? What happened to I am a god, babe?" I mock. "And of course I am going!"

"What about the eclipse thing she invited Penny too? When was that?"

"End of the month sometime, why?"

He taps away on his phone, biting his lip in concentration as he does so. "I know this isn't good. There is something I need to remember, but can't. Please, please do as I say on this one and don't go."

"What if this is-"

"Then they either fail if they do need you there for some reason or we can catch them out in whatever they're up to and send them to join their friends in prison!" He shouts now, stress pouring off him. "That magic, it did something. I know why this is bad, I feel it, but the info is gone."

"You're all worked up, do what Ailin always tells me. Stop. Deep breath. Focus." I instruct, making him sit on the edge of the bed. He does as I tell him, but shakes his head after a moment. "Promise me, you won't go."

"I won't go," I promise, and instantly his arms around my waist as he presses his head into my stomach. "You okay?"

"No. I feel, wrong."

"How?"

"Just, wrong." His hold tightens. "I'm tired."

"Hey, look at me," I ask him softly. He doesn't move. "Apollo, look at me."

Slowly, he looks up, and his eyes are bloodshot. His lips have paled, so has his skin. Whatever is affecting him, a god could do who knows what to someone like, Penny. My stomach sinks and I look to the letter on the bed beside us. Without thinking, I take him with me to check on her. She's asleep, still in her clothes, and not under the covers, but in bed. I manage to get Apollo to let me go, and I leave him sitting by the door while I went to Penny.

"Penny, Penny wake up." I rock her gently side to side and turning on the lights, she groaned and covered her eyes. "Hey, Grimm! Your stories suck."

"Do not." She mumbled, lazily opening one eye. "Elise? What are you doing here?"

"You okay?" I ask, looking her over.

"Yeah? I think I'm giving up wine, feels like something died in my mouth. Why did you let me drink it? You know it gives me hangovers." She groaned, kicking off her shoes and wriggling further up the bed.

"You wanted it. But you're okay?"

"I will be." She sat up and saw Apollo. "What's his deal?"

"I don't know. I think, I just, I think Ivy did something to him, and I was worried she did something to you too." I admit, turning to look at him, his head has slumped down now, and his body looks limp in that way you never want to see anyone. I open my mouth, yet a fear I haven't felt before tightens around my throat.

"Oh." Penny laid down, before sitting back up. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know." I croak out, the first tears starting to fall.

"Then take him to the hospital!" She stood, swaying as she did so.

I wasn't sure if they'd be able to help, but it was what I needed to hear. Bending down, I put an arm over my shoulders, and we end up in the lobby of one of our hospitals. The nurse behind the counter looked up, no surprise with our sudden appearance. She gave us each a once over, and then stood.

"What's the problem honey?"

"I don't know. I think he got a spell put on him. He needs help, like all of it." If she hears the hysterical tone in my voice, she does well not to acknowledge it and comes over with a clipboard. After checking his heart rate, shining a light in his eyes, and asking him his name three times, she hit the yellow button near the doors in.

"We'll get him fixed up, don't you worry." She smiles gently, taking her seat. "Is there someone we can call for you?"

The doors open and a small team appear to take him from me. My hands shake, and I want to throw up, the acid of my stomach burning my throat as I follow numbly behind them. I get told to sit outside the room they take him into. Someone asks me what happened and I tell them all I can. People go in and out. I'm frozen in the chair until another nurse tells me I can go in now.

They did some tests. A shaman came by to try and cleanse and remove the spell, only apparently there wasn't one. Apollo began to look worse instead of better. If I weren't so scared to leave him, Ivy would be begging for prison or maybe even death - which she would be as soon as I got my hands on her anyway. Now, in an hour, next week. Her days were numbered.

"Elise?" Portia appeared and opened her arms, breaking into my thoughts and I sunk into her hold. "It'll be alright."

A second later, Hades was there with Artemis, and Portia kept me quiet and still, while they did, something. No one asked me what happened. No one said much of anything until Artemis finally gave a big sigh and looked my way.

"This is payback for the twins." She told me, shaking her head.

"What?"

"The Norse Gods you-"

"I know the twins you're referring to, but what do you mean? It was Ivy." I told her.

"No Elise, this is something no one here could do. We went to your room, there were traces of a gold powder I keep in my arrows, it's why they are so lethal to our kind. It's very rare, and only the Valkyries created it. Now it's a lost art, I didn't think anyone knew-" She stopped, and sighed again. "A dark fae born on this earth, even a high priestess, would not have the access or the knowledge to create and use such things against us."

"I shouldn't have opened the envelope."

"It wouldn't have mattered. All he had to do was touch it, not open it." Hades held up Apollo's hand, and his fingertips were red and blistered. "Who touched it first?"

"Me?" I took it from Mum and then he took it from me. I look at my own hands.

"Don't worry. You're not affected. It wasn't meant for you, they sent it for him." Artemis rested a hand against Apollo's shoulder, closing her eyes as she mumbled something under her breath.

"You thought I wanted war? Guess what, I do now." I tell her, leaving Portia's side.

Whoever did this would pay.

Hades stepped forward, taking me by the shoulders as he looked me in the eyes. "No. No, you do not. Let him rest. He will wake in the morning as though nothing happened. They wanted revenge and did not succeed."

"I did it though, why not me?" I ask him, feeling helpless once again.

"This hurts you more than anything they could do to you."

He hugs me, and I feel myself calming down.

"How did you guys know to come here?" I ask, looking at the three of them.

"They celebrated their victory too soon," Artemis growled, her hands curling into a fist. It's then I see the bruise on her cheek and the stray flecks of red in her short golden hair. "Be assured, I made it clear it was not to happen again."

"And that is why we all sit and wait for the war we know is coming." Hades shrugged. "To think I thought this was all getting a bit, boring."

"Hades!" Artemis snapped, looking furious all over again.

"What? I was joking!" He gave me a tiny smile and vanished.

"Hermes can only keep the portal open for so long. I'll be back in a few days to check on him, but thankfully I still had a small supply of antidote," She paused before leaving. "Elise, I'm sorry for earlier. Things are, tough right now. I merely used you as a way to vent my frustrations."

"No worries. You can thank me for your haircut later." I smile, and despite the look she gives me, I still get a hug before she leaves. "You can go too. We'll be okay now."

"I know. I am happy to stay, just for a little while longer. I'll go tell the doctors he is doing much better." She leaves us, and I go to curl up on the bed beside him.

His fingers twitch in my hand as I hold his, and finally, I feel like I can breathe again. I hear Portia come in, and sometime later her presence is gone, but Apollo's is back and only growing stronger. Maybe Penny was right, and I had some kind of commitment issue, but I also knew I never wanted to be this close to losing him again.