Chapter Five

 Mateo walked out of the Main Office. He walked towards a window and looked towards the sky. How can he do this? How can he leave everyone?

"Matty?" Elanar leaned against the wall next to the window. "Is this what you want? Because if it is not we can figure something else out." 

"There is no other option." Mateo turned around, looking forward watching the hall's daily activity.

"What do you mean? No other option? Teo there is always another option. You just have to look for it." 

Mateo jumped up onto the window seal, "Elara, I love you. But please believe me when I say there is no other option. I am going through with the ritual. I am going to go through with the ascension."

Rue stood at the end of the hall. It was obvious she heard the entire conversation. "Teo?" He looked at her to see her sad eyes. "Your going to go through with it?"

"Yes, I am." 

"And there is no changing your mind."

"No, Elara just tried."

Rue nodded, a bitter smile on her face, "Then I guess this is goodbye, then."

 Mateo nodded, "I guess it is then, huh?"

 Rue nodded, tears starting to fall down her face. "I love you, I always will, you were my first love, my first kiss, but you were also my first goodbye."

 Mateo nodded, a grief filled smile on his face, "And you were my first crush, my first love, my first kiss, and my first goodbye." Mateo looked down. He looked up when he felt a hand on his arm, as he looked up he saw Rue with tears falling down her face.

 "You have to promise to keep me updated on him." She said looking straight ahead into the window.

 "I will, I promise." Apollo told her, making eye contact with Mateo.

 Rue nodded, moving her focus back to the boy in front of her. "You, Mateo, have to promise me you will be happy. You will find another love, hell if you want to, have a couple kids. Just don't be a dick dad, you know?" Mateo let out a sob nodding. "Promise me?" She held out her pinky.

"I promise." He linked pinkies with Rue, a sad smile on both of their faces.

"Ready?" Apollo asked him.

"As ready as I can be." Mateo said, wiping tears from his face.

 Apollo stopped by his son's room and he knocked on the door, "Mat, I am going to pack up your cabin, stay with Helio okay?" Mateo nodded.

 "Mat?" Helio asked as he opened the door.

 "Can I stay here until your Dad returns?" Helio nodded letting him in.

 "We hope not to see a kid of yours for at least a hundred years." Helio told him jokingly, Mateo nodded and let out a wet laugh that quickly turned into a sob. "Come here." Helio said, holding his arms open, Mateo accepted the offer and hugged him. Once in Helio's arms the tears just came, he couldn't stop them if he wanted to. Mateo didn't know what was happening to him lately, it was like he couldn't keep his emotions in check at all. Every time he received a hug he cried or cried harder than he wanted people to see him do, no matter who it was from anymore.

"It's okay to feel Mateo. You're losing your mortality and are having to say goodbye to everyone you grew up with. It's normal to grieve, so let yourself grieve." 

Mateo cried harder than he had done in years, at that moment. He didn't know how much pain one could feel until he broke. In this moment, in Helio's arms, Mateo broke. All of the emotions and thoughts he tried to keep at bay for months just came rushing through.

 Apollo returned to his son's room to find Mateo asleep in Helio's arms. The tear marks on his face and puffy eyes were enough to make the sun god want to hide him away forever. "What happened?"

 "He finally let himself start grieving his mortal life. He fell asleep soon after he started crying. Guess he wore himself out." Apollo nodded, picking Mateo up from his son's arms. Mateo curled up against Apollo, snuggling against his neck. Apollo shook his head, trying to get his blush underhand before flashing to the Throne Room, where he was met with most of the Olympians looking at him.

 "Apollo?" Poseidon asked, looking at his son in Apollo's arms.

 "He fell asleep while hugging my son, didn't want to wake him yet?" Mateo stirred, slowly waking up. He looked around, last he knew he was in Helio's room, crying. Now he was in the throne room, surrounded by gods and goddesses. 

 "Dad?" He asked, looking up meeting his fathers eyes.

 "Mat?" Apollo asked as he helped him stand.

 "We came up with a time schedule, and in two days everything will start." His father told him, a grim smile on his face.

 "So in two days?" He asked, looking down, not looking forward to everything.

 "Yeah in two days." Apollo smiled warily, "Well at least saying your goodbyes wasn't the most painful part of it all."

 Hermes and Artemis shot him a look, "Apollo!" 

 "Sorry..."

Mateo shook his head, Apollo wasn't wrong. By the sounds of it the ritual is going to be the most painful part of it all. "Am I free to go, or am I needed here?" 

"You are free to go. Poseidon show him where he will be staying for now." Zeus said.

"Come on son, let's go to your quarters."

"My quarters?" Mateo asked, confused, why couldn't he just stay in a room that already exists.

"We can't build you a temple yet, as you aren't fully a god, and very few of the council will allow you to stay in theirs so, you have the choice. My temple or Apollo's temple?"

Mateo felt like he was buffering, he understood why his father would offer him shelter, but Apollo? "Why is Apollo an option? Not that I am not grateful, but I thought with you being my father I would only have the option to stay with you." 

"You are sometimes really naive Mateo." 

"Rude."

Poseidon chuckled, "Apollo is the one who will be taking care of you while you are going through the ascension process. So you have the option to stay with him."

"Oh okay, yeah that makes sense. Would I be able to stay with Apollo when the process starts? Right now I want to stay with you dad. Is that okay?"

Poseidon smiled, "That is perfectly fine. Come on, I'll show you to your room, son."

Mateo followed his father through the town. When they got Poseidon's temple Mateo was awestruck. The way he felt like he belonged there, but could also feel the power radiating off of the walls. 

"It's amazing right?" Poseidon asked, walking up to the door.

"It is. I never thought it would feel like this." Mateo said, touching the wall near him.

"Come, I'm sure you're tired."

Mateo walked into his room, everything didn't seem real to him at the moment. The walls were pearl, and along the wall was a picture that seemed to move. He laid down in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Tomorrow everything starts." With a deep breath he closed his eyes, letting sleep take him to the world of dreams.