You haven't seen the last of me

Author's Note: Well, I've been really busy with exams. It's taken me forever to write this, what with writer's block and revising. I hope you enjoy! PLEASE REVIEW!

The dracaenae were in a fighting stance with their weapons drawn, awaiting orders to attack. Behind Rhea, I heard deep growling. Two ferocious golden lions entered, their golden eyes showed they meant business.

"No. Stand down." Kronos ordered. The dracaenae obeyed. "Rhea. It's been quite some time." He said bluntly. But his eyes gave him away. I could see the raw hurt and anguish in them. It seemed that Rhea could too, and she looked away and instead gazed at me for a moment.

"Ah, so this is the infamous Stephanie Martin."

"What business have you here, Rhea?"

"I wish to speak to you about this foolish war you wish to begin." Kronos' jaw clenched at that.

"Leave us" He commanded. The dracaenae left the throne room in single file lines through doors I had not seen earlier. Prometheus was next to follow after a polite nod. Hecate lingered on her throne, calculating whether it would be wise to stay, yet knowing she didn't take orders like some dog from its master. "Hecate, darling, please let us to talk in private."

At this, she arose in her long flowing dress. She slowly walked up to my father and grabbing his shirt, leaned in for a deep kiss. I, myself gaped at this sight but Rhea seemed impassive. It was as if Hecate was reminding Kronos that he was hers and warning Rhea to back off. But if memory served, Kronos was married to Rhea. I wondered if they had divorced after the first Great War. Could Titans and gods even divorce? After one more tantalising peck, Hecate left. You have no idea how much I wanted to hurt her in that moment. She had driven my mother out and even now, as Kronos' rightful wife stood here, she had the nerve to kiss him. She made me sick. Kronos looked as stone-faced as ever now. His eyes gave nothing away anymore. He didn't even look at me as he politely asked me to also leave.

I was relieved to be dismissed and headed for the closest door.

"No, she may stay."

"You have no say here, Rhea. The girl leaves." The girl? This so called girl, happened to be his daughter!. And she had a name. I stood there, holding down the horrible remark I had prepared.

"Why don't we ask her what she prefers?" Oh great, I was being put on the spot. I weighed out my options. If I stayed, I'd anger Kronos and get to hear what they were discussing. If I left, I'd probably annoy Rhea because it was clear that she wanted me to stay.

"I'll stay thanks."

"Fine!" Kronos growled. "What do you wish to discuss?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"You and I have a lot of history. I still care about you, whether I actively show it or not. You are still my husband and I am still your wife and as such, I feel it is my responsibility to tell you that I do not think it is wise to go to war again."

"You made your choice Rhea. You betrayed me and you led me to my demise. I will never forgive you."

"And how do you think I felt?" Rhea raised her voice. "Every child I bore, you swallowed whole! All I wanted was to have a semi-normal family but you were so consumed in your vision to have all the power, you were willing to ignore my feelings."

"Gods, here we go again." Kronos rolled his eyes, turned around and sunk his head into his hand.

"Look at me when I am talking to you." Goodness, they sounded like an old married couple. Or right, they were. They had been married for two, maybe three thousand years! Why couldn't they at least attempt to get along? "Those thousands of years ago before and during the first Great War, you put your own feelings before those of everyone else. You promised me an eternity of happiness. You promised to shower me with love. You not only broke your promise, thereby breaking my heart, but you later sought to destroy the lives of many demi-gods. Now you wish to manipulate these innocent demi-titans."

"No. I seek to help them, just as I tried to help those unappreciated demi-gods."

"Don't give me that nonsense, Kronos. You and I both know that you only told them that to get them on your side, thereby making you stronger. Without those demi-gods, you would not have come that close to winning." It was then that Kronos turned to face her once more. He looked at me for a moment, and then returned his attention to his wife. "So this is your plan. You seek to demonise me by listing my wrongdoings in front of my daughter. I see." He nodded. "Tell me Stephanie, what do you think of me right now?"

I was taken completely by surprise. I had got used to watching them, despite how awkward it still felt. What was I to say?

"Speak your mind, girl." Rhea prompted.

"I...I don't like what I'm hearing. A father is meant to be a good role model. He is meant to lead a good example. Quite frankly, Kronos, you're not. You've done a lot of horrible things." Kronos looked unfazed. He seemed to take it on the chin and simply shrugged.

"I do what I must."

"You're selfish. You don't seem to care who you hurt, be it my mother or your own wife. But..." At this, they both looked interested. "You're my father nonetheless. You look out for me even when I don't want you around. You care about me and I'm almost certain that I might just be more than a tool to get the upper hand of the demi-gods.

"Well, I'm glad that you are not a complete bastard." Rhea remarked. Kronos and I were both shocked at this.

"What did you call me?"

"A bastard"

"So much for the Rhea who didn't like to be mouthy." She simply shrugged.

"Times have changed. Kronos, this is your last chance. Stand down and dismantle your army or face the wrath of the gods.

"I do not fear my children. I will not yield!"

"Then so be it; your fate is sealed. And so is hers." Rhea looked upset to say the least. One of her lions picked up on this and tried to comfort her. She stroked it lovingly. "Goodbye" And with that, she was gone. When she and her lions had left, Kronos was merely a shadow of his former self. He looked like a broken man. He slowly walked to his throne and sat there with a vacant expression. His face was a mask, the single thing that hid his true emotions. Even his eyes did not glow as brightly. I walked up to him carefully, afraid to make any sudden movements.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He simply shook his head. "Look I know you don't want to but perhaps-"

"I do not wish to talk about it!" He boomed. Silence. I slowly exhaled, realising for the first time that I had been holding my breath.

"I'm only trying to help you! I'm the only person in this entire gothic castle that gives a crap about you and you're pushing me away. Do you know how that makes me feel? Do you even care?" I'm annoyed to say, I began crying. I just about managed to see Kronos' mask disappear. He looked genuinely worried and remorseful. He quickly walked up to me and held me in his embrace.

"No! Get off me!" I began punching him.

"It seems that the apple does not fall too far from the tree. You are doing just as you accused me of doing." He pulled me tighter and I soon gave up and let him hug me. This was the most dysfunctional family ever. I mean, he ate his kids for goodness sake. And Kronos had been the one to send his father, Ouranos, running off after he'd cut off his...private area. I really don't like that word. I can go on about how strange it is for me to be in my position, but the truth is, nobody will ever truly understand. I was sobbing there for quite a while before three unexpected words came from his lips. "I love you". I shook my head in disbelief. It was just so strange to hear. Was he being truthful or was he only saying it because he thought it was something I wanted to hear? He cupped my face in his hands. "I love you Stephanie. I'm sorry I've hurt you. I'm sorry I reeled out at you like that."

"It's okay dad."

"No it's not, Stephanie. I shouldn't treat you like that. I'm a terrible father. Rhea is certainly right about that much."

"Dad. I'm going to be honest. You're selfish. You're a murderer and a destroyer. But best of all, you would tear anyone who didn't treat me right to shreds. And maybe, just maybe, you would save me even if it meant you couldn't save yourself."

"I don't know, Steph. I really like the idea of ruling the world. And maybe I can get you out of the Underworld."

"DAD!"

"I'm just kidding. You know I wouldn't. I would always choose you first." And the thing is, there was sincerity in this promise.

"You told me you loved me. Tell me again."

"I love you" He smiled. So it was true. He loved me. My. Dad. Loved. Me.

I left that room feeling genuinely happy. I hadn't felt this whole in a long time. Don't get me wrong, being with Morpheus made me feel happy but even when I was in his palace the other day, there was a small hole. It just might be healing now.

After leaving the building, I saw my cousins by a big fire.

"Hey, Steph!" Mark called out. "Want a marshmallow?"

"I'm okay, thanks. I'm going to bed now. It was a long drive." He nodded in understanding.

"See you in the morning." After walking for a while, I realised I had no idea where I was going. I walked into a random room and found a library.

"Does anyone know...?" I was shushed by a group huddled together in a corner. I rolled my eyes, and turned around, bumping into a stranger. "Oh, I'm sorry." I looked up to see a guy with copper hair. His eyes were literally twinkling.

"It's okay. I was told you might need assistance?"

"Oh, yes. I don't know where my room is."

"Follow me." He didn't wait to see whether I was actually following and led the way. He walked briskly with an air of confidence. I did my best to match his strides.

We walked through what seemed to be a maze. I did my best to try to remember where we were going, mentally noting down rooms. We walked outside into the dead of night and I noticed that he seemed to be shimmering.

"Oh my gosh, you look like a glow-worm." He stopped abruptly and slowly turned around. He looked puzzled and I wasn't sure if he was going to laugh out loud or send me to Hades.

"a glow-worm?"

"Yeah, well, it was the first thing that came to mind."

"A glow-worm. Mmm... I am Astraios, titan of dusk and stars, son of Crius."

"Astraios? But I saw you earlier with someone else. Your hair was darker. You're redhead now."

"Your perception is strong. Yes, well that is my natural form." He began walking again and I followed.

"But I thought that if mortals or half-bloods were to see a god's true form, they would die."

"You were always different from most." We walked on to an isolated building. The door had the symbol of a scythe. It looked fairly modern. "This is where I say goodnight, so...goodnight."

"Goodnight" I replied. He gave me a key and I opened the door.

"I'm 'home'!" I mentally used air quotes. I don't know why I bothered declaring my entrance. No one would be here.

I looked around to see what the house was like. I had my own living space, two bedrooms for some strange reason, a kitchen with a fully stocked fridge and a bathroom. I hadn't actually checked out any of the bedrooms, only having to pop my head in to see what room it was. Inevitably, however, I had to sleep. I went into one room and found a suitcase there. I opened it but I noticed that all the clothes weren't my style and were too big. The room was fairly plain and the double bed had black and white patterns that were painful to look at for too long. I went to the other room and again found another suitcase. This one had the clothes that I thought I had abandoned. Floral skirts that I would no longer find use in and dazzling jewellery were the first things I noticed. Those floral patterns had once shown what I thought of all the opportunities I had. But now they were bleak. Needless to say, I wasn't the same girl I used to be.

"Hey there" I quickly went into defence mode, sweeping the person with my legs. "Oow, that was certainly uncalled for." When I realised that the woman had meant no harm, I felt bad for attacking.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay; I shouldn't have sneaked up on you like that." She said, bringing herself up to her feet. She stood a head taller than me. "I am Mnemosyne, Titaness of memory, and also your aunt." My eyebrows rose. It only dawned on me then how many gods I knew and yet how few goddesses and Titaness' I knew.

"Aunt, huh? Cool. May I ask you what you're doing here though?"

"I'm here to keep you company of course. I have my own room and everything."

"In a house with Kronos' symbol? You guys aren't too big on rules I guess."

"We don't squabble as much as the gods. We know that if we don't work together, we fail together."

"Oh"

She took a seat on my bed.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Sure"

"How do you pronounce your name?"

"Mnee-mo-see-nee" I was tempted to just call her Nemo.

"Okay. You have an interesting name."

"Thanks. So what's the deal with you and Morpheus?" I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at this.

"What? But how could you...?"

"I'm the Titaness of memories. I can see him in yours." Talk about invading privacy. "So do you love him?"

"If you can see my memories, than surely you would know the answer to that question."

"I want to hear it from you."

"Alright" I sighed "I do. But it strange you know. I started remembering things about our history but parts of it are foggy."

"Say no more." She held her hand to my cheek and then I started seeing images. I saw memories that had been shoved back in the deep recesses of my mind. Nights spent looking in the stars with Morpheus; Days debating with Thanatos about morality and well, just about everything. It turned out I was closer to him than I thought. I remembered the day he told me why he was always all Mr Doom and gloom. He had once come so close to true love and had it swept away. I'd felt sorry for him and hugged him. There was my tall, strong friend letting me into his inner most secrets. He told me that he wanted things to work out for me, whoever I would fall in love with. But looking back, I think he had always known that I'd end up with Morpheus.

I remembered the night I got a vision from my father. He'd sounded distressed. He'd told me that it was safe to leave the Dreamworld. He told me a Titan named Prometheus was to pick me up the next day and would deliver me to my mother. I hadn't wanted to leave. I spent that night crying. At last, Morpheus had come to comfort me. Nothing physical had happened there and then. It would be the following day that I got my first kiss on the balcony.

I seemed to come back to live town. I realised I wasn't there anymore. They were just memories. My here and now was on Mount Othrys.

"Wow" I said. "Thank you"

"It's my pleasure" Then she hugged me.

"I'm going to go get some sleep now. I'll see you in the morning." She nodded and slowly departed.

That night I dreamt of Morpheus. We were in a garden. All sorts of fruits grew there, some of them unrecognisable. The wind blew softly and the sun shone magnificently. We were sat of the soft green grass, with me in his embrace.

"I've missed you" Morpheus spoke softly into my neck, as he kissed me. "Time moves faster in the Dreamworld."

"Time can also be relevant" I turned around, gently pushed him back so he was lying on the grass and kissed him. For a short time, I was in control. I moved my lips to the corner of his mouth, then to his neck.

"Stephanie"

"Morpheus" He grabbed me and turned the tables. I was beneath him now. I could feel his passion all the way down to the tips of my toes. I pushed his face back gently to breathe. "I...love you" I said between jagged, shallow breaths.

"I love you too" I loved the feeling of his soft, warm lips against mine. "Stephanie, someone needs to have a talk with you." He said, peeling himself from me.

"Later" I replied, pulling him back.

"No. Now" The serious undertone caught my attention.

"Okay"

I was soon sat up, expectant.

"It's time" At that, a flash of light appeared in front of us. A figure stood there. Apollo. I knew those blue eyes anywhere.

"What is the meaning of this?" I demanded.

"Here him out" Morpheus replied.

"No" I stood up, ready to walk away. Morpheus stood too, and held his hand firmly to my waist, pulling me back.

"Please, Stephanie" Apollo pleaded.

"Fine; I clearly see I have no choice. What do you want?"

"I came to explain. The last time we met I..."

"Attacked me"

"I didn't mean to"

"Are you trying to tell me that you just happened to charge at me with your sword? That it was an accident?"

"Yes. I was under the influence of another. I had lost all reason."

"Clearly. Well, I was under the influence of Eros."

"Yes, he told me."

"So you're trying to tell me that the Powerful Phoebus Apollo was manipulated by another, eh? How could that be possible? Who...?"

"Eris"

"Who is that"

"Have you ever heard of the Trojan War?"

"Of course. It was over Helen of Troy."

"And who's fault was it?"

"Paris, I guess. He kidnapped the Helen, the wife of King Menelaus, igniting a war."

"Well, yes, but you forget the other chains of event, leading to that. Eris was not invited to a wedding. The scorned goddess showed up anyway, throwing a golden apple and declared it belonged to the fairest. Aphrodite, Athena and Hera all thought it belonged to them. They asked Prince Paris who he thought was the fairest. Hera promised him all of Minor Asia if he declared her the most beautiful. Athena promised victory in every battle, and Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen. Needless to say, the foolish young Paris chose Aphrodite. The war for her lasted ten years. Ten years! And who was to blame? The love stricken Paris? The beautiful Helen? No, Eris, goddess of Discord and Strife."

It only dawned on me just how powerful this supposedly minor goddess truly was.

"And if she could do that, then it is quite possible that she influenced you." I concluded.

"Precisely" Morpheus agreed.

"So please, forgive me Stephanie." He begged. I took a deep breath.

"I forgive you."

"Thank you" He smiled.

"So you brought him here just so I could forgive him?" I asked.

"Yes"

"You're too nice. Aren't you meant to dislike the ex-boyfriend?"

"Why?" I shrugged; I wasn't sure how to answer.

"I guess I'll see you around then Steph." Apollo said. "You haven't seen the last of me."

Author's Note: I can't promise to update soon but I'll do what I can. Please Review!