Chapter 23

"Helios, I want to know who had snake venom and how it got in my back! It won't heal!" I shouted to him in my head as Adam replaced the bandages.

"I'm looking right now. More then likely it was probably Medusa's venom."

"Wasn't she slayed a while ago? She's only a head and besides, it's not like anyone can use her...eyes here."

"Technically, using her wouldn't cause anyone harm. It would just turn them to stone."

"Aren't there any gods who know how to heal a god?" Adam asked tossing the blood soaked bandages in the metal bin to burn.

"I'll be right over. I should be able to heal it." Helios said before it went silent.

"How would Medusa even be here? She's not even alive and last I knew Perseus had her head.." Then the realization his me. "POSEIDON!" I screamed with anger making the house shake. After the shaking stopped all I could hear was the children crying.

"What's the matter? You almost broke my eardrums." Adam held his hands over his ears.

"Are you guys okay in here?" Eros walked in rubbing one ear.

"I will... kill Poseidon if my hunch is correct." I huffed.

"Don't worry! I got the screaming babies!" My dad called.

"Can you bring them in here please?" I grabbed my shirt and lifted it over my head before Adam grabbed my arms.

"Leave it off till Helios gets here. That way that's one less shirt we have to burn."

"Why do you have to burn it?" Jefferson walked into the room eating an ice cream cone.

"Because, there's venom on it and a lot of vampires that want blood. If any vampire drinks her blood right now they'd die instantly."

"Wouldn't that send her to Hades then? Considering she'd be breaking her own rules." Jefferson laughed at me.

"It wouldn't work that way, it'd be up to Helios if I broke a rule what my punishment and vice versa if he broke a rule."

"Damn. I was thinking I'd get to meet Hades and become fast friends."

"You don't wish to meet Hades. He can be kind but he never shows mercy to mortal souls. You may be a vampire but you have a mortal soul. don't forget that." Helios snatched Jeffersons ice cream cone out of his hand and started eating it.

"I'd say get your own but I feel like that'd be a bad idea."

"You'd be right. This is mine now. Thanks, strawberry is my favorite. Here hold this." He handed the cone to Adam and sat on the bed behind me. "Hold still. This will burn like hell."

"Haha, hell. I get it." Jefferson laughed giving the room an awkward aura.

"I wasn't joking. You vampires may want to leave if you don't want to get burned." Just like that the room was emptied and the door closed. "Take a breath and count to five."

"One." Just as I said that first number heat filled my body. It felt similar to fire filling my veins as I counted. By each number the heat just built up more. I clenched my teeth as I could feel my sweat instantly drying as soon as it lifted to my skin. Finally as I whispered the number five, the heat dissipated and I felt cold. I felt my cores temperature drop from well over one hundred degrees fahrenheit to freezing.

"You're going to be a little cold for a while but I burned out all the venom. Your heart's not beating but the serum you took keeps your blood flowing so as soon as that venom was in you, it spread like a wild fire." He sighed as he sat on the bed. I could feel the heat coming off of him and couldn't resist getting closer since I felt so cold.

"M-May I?" I shivered pulling on my shirt and grabbing a blanket.

"Go ahead." He lifted his arm and kept his head low.

"A-are you o-okay?" I kept shivering even tho his heat was slowly warming me up.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I may not be able to see y-your eyes but I can feel what your feeling when you t-touch me. Helios, please don't lie." He looked at me shocked in response. "I know this was a lot to ask of you. I'm sorry if it ruined anything for you."

"It didn't ruin anything for me. It gave me a purpose and I'm extremely grateful for it. Everyday all day long, I was only allowed to ride my chariot from the east to the west, but now I can switch it up and do other things but I still feel empty. It has nothing to do with you." He sighed as he began rubbing my back.

"Then why do I have the feeling that I'm being used. I know that's not my emotion."

"Well, because I do. Not because of you honestly, but because no one has ever come to visit me for just that. A visit. There's always someone who wants something, needs something, can't survive with or without someone or something. When I do help.. maybe it's just the fact that I've been around you too much but.. I never get a thank you. The kind of thank you that's genuine. I just think all my actions are unappreciated."

"Helios, there is no way that's true. You've always been a good friend to me, even before I met Eros for the first time. I may not thank you as often as I should but you have no idea how much I appreciate you." I sat up leaving the blanket on the bed. He dropped his arm from my back and just sat there staring into space.

"You've always thanked me. Even when I did nothing. I was talking more about other gods. I've done everything Zeus has asked of me but he couldn't spare my son? I've done everything for Kronos too and even though he appreciated me more then Zeus, I was still never really thanked or fully appreciated. I think that's why everyone likes you, because even when you have no reason to be kind or loving, that's all you strive to be. If any other god was in your situation they wouldn't even be able to survive.. It makes me think all gods and goddesses should be forced to live a life as a human. To experience pain and emotions properly. Not take advantage of anything, have to start from nothing and build up. That's what I think needs to happen."

"If that happened, life as we know it wouldn't be the same. I don't even know what humans are really like since I've only ever known them as cursed. Life might get easier for them, it might get harder since I know there are some evil people in the world. Living as a god requires having little to no emotions tho because you're not going to be able to help every pour soul. We may have the powers but there is no possible way to save everyone from everything cruel. That does remind me tho. I need to speak to Chaos about the whole universe, take what you give thing." I sighed and felt the temperature in my body finally go back to normal. Since I felt better I scooted away keeping the blanket on my lap.

"Chaos might be able to help with that but let me know when you leave to go see him since I'll be by myself here." He stood up leaving my feelings confused.

"Helios. I don't know how much this means, if it means anything at all, but I'm extremely grateful you're here. I know I couldn't have done it without you." I stood up and followed him out of the room.

"It does mean something. Thank you Elea- sorry, Rae."

"Don't thank me. I don't deserve it." I walked past him grabbing the door handle.

"But you do. Don't forget to give yourself some credit. You're really amazing, don't ever forget that." He leaned over and kissed my cheek before I opened the door.

"Helios?" I froze where I stood. That kiss was filled with love and a lot of broken emotion.

"Don't worry about it. I see you as my little sister. It was just my thanks." He smiled still looking hurt and confused emotionally.

"Well then.." I turned around and gave him a hug. His arms wrapped around me and I could feel his heart beating strongly. He was warm to the touch but he had a hint of coldness in the center of his chest. "Thank you." I pulled back and smiled.

"You two okay in there?" I heard Eros voice on the other side of the door.

"Yeah. Did you want to stay and visit a little? I was going to talk to Adam about moving back into our own home today. Along with going to the restaurants and showing the witches some faster creation spells." I opened the door and let Helios walk out first.

"Sure, there was some stuff I wanted to talk to you about with some of the friends the witches wanted to bring. They want to bring pets and random animals but I'm afraid they'd use them for practicing magic on or the whole sacrifice thing some of their spell books require." He walked into the dining room and sat at the table.

"The protection spell would work on them too but I don't think it's a good idea to bring them over. I'd rather not risk the fact that animals have the hunting instinct and we'd be bringing that back when we're trying to modernize all mythological creatures. Maybe later after everything settles and everything is going well, we can reintroduce everyone to animals but for now I don't think it's a good idea." I sat at the table and looked into the living room to see Adam sitting on the couch holding the melting ice cream away from Owen.

"Did you still want that or can I have it back?" Jefferson sat down and pointed to the ice cream.

"I'm not really hungry so it's all yours." Helios sighed. Jefferson jumped up, extremely happy and ran to steal back his ice cream.

"Hey Adam?" He picked up his head and looked at me.

"Hey Renae?" He mocked me.

"Come over here please." I smiled and pulled out the chair next to me. He stood up and walked over with Owen in his arms.

"What is it love?" He sat down and let Owen crawl into my lap.

"I was wondering if and when we can go back to our own home?"

"You want to leave?" My dad shot up from laying on the floor with Eve.

"It's not that I want to leave it's just.. there's not a lot of space here. This is only a three bedroom and there's five rooms at our house with a guest house with another three rooms. It'd be a lot more comfortable there too since all of my stuff is there."

"Rae, can I talk to you for a minute?" Adam stood up and walked back to our room.

"Can you hold Owen please?" I asked Helios. He nervously nodded his head as he took him from me.

"What's wrong?" I asked Adam as I closed the door behind me.

"I don't want to go back there." He stood by the window and refused to look at me.

"Why? It's not like anything bad will happen-"

"I'll let myself get comfortable and happy then it'll all disappear again. I can't go back there."

"Adam.. I thought we already went over this. I'm not going to let anything take away your happiness."

"You can't promise that! Don't make empty promises." He threw his hands to his sides and walked to the other side of the bed.

"Excuse me? I understand you went through hell, but I will not stand here and let you talk to me like that. If I make a promise then I made the promise already. I made the promise that you claim to be empty last night. I get your hurting and still sorting your feelings but don't you dare say my promises are empty." I crossed my arms and took a breath trying not to get angry.