Seolhyun choked on the water.

Wheezing, she clutched her stomach with one hand and waved the other in front of her face.

“Seolhyun, are you okay?” Heechul set the cup down and glanced over his shoulder at Hyejeong, who was already beside the bed. “Go get one of the doctors.”

“No, no.” Eyes watering, Seolhyun dragged in air. “I’m fine. Water just went down the wrong pipe.”

“Are you sure?” Hyejeong asked.

Seolhyun nodded. “Yeah, that just surprised me. I mean, whoa. Are you guys sure? Apollo?”

Heechul watched her carefully. “Yes. He’s definitely Apollo.”

“Oookay…” There weren’t enough words in the world to do that justice. “Did he explain anything?”

“No.” Heechul tucked the loose blanket back around Seolhyun. “After he brought you back, he said he needed to leave and that he’d be back.”

“He kind of popped out of the room.” Hyejeong rubbed her eyes. “We haven’t seen him since.”

“And that was yesterday,” Heechul added.

“Wait. I’ve been sleeping for an entire day?” Seolhyun’s gaze darted between the two. “Have either of you slept this entire time?”

Hyejeong looked away, but Heechul was the one who answered. “A lot has been going on, Seolhyun.”

“So you guys–”

“Don’t worry about us,” Heechul interrupted. “We’ll be fine.”

Not worrying about them was easier said than done. Both of them looked terrible. “So… Seunghyub is dead.”

“Yes,” Heechul said. “He was working with this Order.”

Seolhyun glanced at Hyejeong, now remembering that sickening crunch she’d heard. The look on her face said she’d do it again. “What about Hongki?”

“He never landed in Seoul. Right now, we have no idea where he is. Instructor Jonghoon has also disappeared.” Heechul dropped his hands into his lap again. “I’ve made some calls and I have a few trusted Linuses looking for Hongki right now.”

“Trusted like Seunghyub?” As soon as those words came out of , Seolhyun wished she hadn’t said them. “I’m… sorry. That wasn’t right. You didn’t know.”

Heechul’s green eyes flashed. “You are right, I didn’t know. There were a lot of things I wasn’t aware of. Like the real reason you left Seoul and the fact that you’ve already been receiving the Elpis marks.”

Seolhyun nodded secretly.

“It wasn’t until a few nights ago that I was even aware that Thanatos could be involved,” Heechul continued, his shoulders stiffening. “If I had known the truth, this could’ve been prevented.”

Seolhyun squirmed as much as she could. “I know, but if we’d involved you in what happened in Seoul, then you’d be at risk.”

“That doesn’t matter. I need to know when these kinds of things happen. I’m your uncle, Seolhyun, and when you kill a Genuine–”

“She did it out of self defense,” Hyejeong said.

“And you compelled two Genuines to protect her.” Heechul shot a glare over his shoulder at her. “I get that, but that doesn’t change the fact that I needed to know. All of this created a perfect storm for something like this to happen.”

“You’re not… mad at Hyejeong? You aren’t going to turn her in?”

“Sometimes I doubt her critical thinking abilities, but I understand why she did it.” Heechul sighed. “The law requires that I do, Seolhyun. It even requires that I turn you in, and by not doing so, I’ll face charges of treason. Just as Hyejeong will face charges of treason if anyone discovers what she did.”

Treason equaled death for them.

“I’m… sorry. I’m sorry I dragged all of you into this.”

Hyejeong softened. “Hey, don’t apologize. This isn’t your fault.”

“It’s not. You can’t help… what you are. And all of this is because of what you are.” Heechul’s lips curved into a half smile. “I don’t agree with a lot of the decisions you’ve made or the fact that both of you have kept very important things from me, but I cannot blame Hyejeong for doing what I would’ve done in the same situation. I’m your uncle and I will be tough on you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care for you.”

Stunned into silence, she stared at him. Could she have totally misinterpreted everything about this man? Had it just been his version of… tough love? Blinking back tears, Seolhyun suddenly wanted to hug him.

The look on Heechul’s face told her he probably wouldn’t be comfortable with that. They definitely weren’t on hugging terms yet, but this… this was good.

Seolhyun cleared . “Okay so… wow. Yonghwa is Apollo.”

Hyejeong grinned.

Grinning back at her, Seolhyun suddenly felt panicked and it took her a second to realize why. “Oh, my Gods.” She started to sit up, but Heechul stopped her. “I need to call Jimin. If she suspects anything, she’ll go crazy. You don’t even know.”

Hyejeong’s grin faded. “If she’d felt it through your bond, then she’d have already gone crazy.”

Hyejeong had a point, but Seolhyun still needed to talk to Jimin.

“We think it’s the best that she doesn’t know, not until she is here with you,” Heechul agreed. “Right now, we cannot afford for her to lose it. And she did call for you last night. Hyejeong told her you were sleeping.”

Hyejeong rolled her eyes. “After she complained about me answering the phone that she gave you, she hung up.”

Still sounds like a Jimin. Relieved, Seolhyun settled back down. “Can someone grab my phone, though? If she doesn’t hear from me, she’ll suspect something and blow someone up.”

“I’ll get it,” Hyejeong said, sighing.

“While you go get it, why don’t you take a shower and get some rest? You haven’t slept since yesterday morning,” Heechul stood. “The Guards are outside the door. No one will get past them.”

“You haven’t left this room, have you?” Seolhyun asked.

Making sure if Heechul had left, Hyejeong came to her bedside. Instead of answering, she bent and placed her lips against Seolhyun’s forehead. “I’ll be back shortly,” she promised. “Just try to get some rest and don’t get out of the bed until someone is with you.”

“All right.”

Hyejeong moved away from the bed and stopped at the door. Looking back at Seolhyun, she smiled. “Good night.”

***

Seolhyun slept longer than she’d expected. When she awoke, the room was empty and her phone had been placed on the bedside table. Pushing into a sitting position, she winced as the movement pulled at the skin around the stitches.

Curious, she inspected the scar again. Myxs were notoriously fast healers and Ephensy blades were designed to cut cleanly, but it had to have done some internal damage. Had Apollo somehow patched her up more? Because she doubted that the doctors could’ve reversed that kind of damage.

Shrugging, Seolhyun reached over and snatched up the phone. There was only one missed call from Cuddle Buddy. Scooting down, she called her back.

Jimin answered on the second ring. “So, you’re alive?”

Seolhyun’s heart flipped over heavily. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, I haven’t spoken to you in about two days.” She paused. “What have you been doing?”

“I’ve been sleeping, not doing much.”

“Sleeping for two straight days?”

Seolhyun poked at her scar and winced. “Yeah, that’s about all.”

“Interesting…” There was a muffled sound, like something had been pulled over the phone. “You’ve been sleeping but Jaejeong had your phone?”

“She’s been babysitting me. I don’t know why she answered the phone when you called.” There was another muffled sound, and then Jimin grunted. “What are you doing?”

“Pulling on my pants and it’s hard when you’re holding a phone.”

“Um, do you want me to call you back? Like when you’re not ?”

Jimin laughed. “I’m not now. Anyway, I’ve been exhausted for about two days, but feel fine now.”

So she had felt something. Seolhyun chewed on her lip. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeps.”

“You said that when I Awaken, I’ll know what the past Elpises knew, right?”

There was a pause. “Yes, I said that.”

Unease twisted her insides. “Then how did you not know that a Myx and Genuine made an Elpis? None of the Elpises in the past had ever figured that out?”

“Why are you asking about this–” A distinctive, very feminine giggle cut off her words.

Seolhyun sat up, in air sharply as her stomach screamed in protest. “Who are you with, Jimin?”

“Why? You jealous?”

“Jimin.”

“Hold on a second,” she replied, and then there was a sound of a door shutting. “I think you just might be jealous.”

Was she jealous that Jimin was so obviously with a girl and she’d been ? But Seolhyun wasn’t jealous, more like annoyed. Annoyed because she’d been getting stabbed and dying while Jimin was screwing around.

“I’m not doing anything wrong,” Jimin said after a stretch of silence.

“I didn’t say you were. Wait. You’re with Yeri, aren’t you? Or Joy?”

“Do you really want to know, Seolhyun?”

Seolhyun’s mouth dropped open.

“Look, it doesn’t matter. I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you later.” Then Jimin hung up on her.

The door opened then, and Hyejeong walked through. Setting the phone aside, Seolhyun was happy to see that the girl looked a lot more refreshed. The shadows under her eyes had lessened.

“Hey, you’re awake.” Hyejeong sat beside her and the bed shifted them closer together. “How are you feeling?”

Seolhyun leaned away from her. “Gross.”

Hyejeong frowned. “Gross?”

“I haven’t brushed my teeth or washed my face in days. Don’t come near me.”

She laughed. “Seolhyun, come on.”

“Seriously, I’m gross.” Seolhyun put her hand over .

Ignoring her protests, Hyejeong leaned over and brushed her stringy hair back. “You’re as beautiful as always.”

Seolhyun stared at her.

Hyejeong arched a brow. “Did you call Jimin?”

Unwilling to lower her hand, she nodded.

“Did she seem suspicious?”

“No,” Seolhyun said from behind her hand. “I need to get out of this bed.”

Hyejeong shook her head. “You really shouldn’t.”

“I really need to.”

She held her stare and then she seemed to get it. “Okay, here, let me help you.”

Hyejeong helped her out of the bed and then insisted on guiding her to the bathroom. Seolhyun half-expected her to follow her inside. But sadly she didn’t.

Closing the door behind her, Seolhyun did her thing and eyed the shower stall longingly. Hyejeong would be grumpy if she turned it on. She glanced at the door, debating whether or not Hyejeong would dare busting in here. She was way too saintly.

And Seolhyun decided to test that theory out.

The second after she turned the water on, Hyejeong yelled. “Seolhyun, what are you doing?”

“Nothing.” She pulled off her clothes, wishing she had something clean to put on.

“Seolhyun.” Frustration colored her tone.

Seolhyun grinned. “I’m taking a quick shower. I’m gross. I need to be clean.”

“You shouldn’t be doing that.” The door handle jingled. It wasn’t locked. “Seolhyun.”

“I’m ,” she warned.

Silence and then, “Is that supposed to make me not want to come in there?”

A warm flush covered Seolhyun’s body as she stared at the door.

There was an audible sigh. “Make it quick, because I will come in there if you are not done in less than five minutes.”

Seolhyun took the quickest shower of her life. Drying off and dressing quickly, she relieved in the feeling of being clean again, but showering had taken whatever energy she’d had left in her. She sat in front of the sink and started brushing her teeth.

“Seolhyun?” Hyejeong knocked on the bathroom door. “Are you okay in there?”

Seolhyun tipped her head toward the closed door. Foamy toothpaste trickled down her chin. “I’m tired.”

The door opened. Hyejeong’s gaze dropped and two brows went up. A slow smile crept over her face, softening the hard look that had been in her eyes since Seolhyun woke up. She laughed.

Something fluttered in Seolhyun’s chest. “Laughing at a dead girl isn’t nice.”

“I told you that you should’ve stayed in bed.” The affection didn’t go out of her eyes as she knelt. She reached over, wiping the toothpaste off Seolhyun’s chin with her thumb. “But you never listen. Hold on.”

Seolhyun watched Hyejeong glance at the sink and then rise. She disappeared back into the room, returning with two small plastic cups and some paper towels a few seconds later.

Prying the toothbrush out of her hands, Hyejeong tossed it in the sink after filling up the cup. “Here you go.”

Cheeks flaming, Seolhyun took the cup and swished the water in .

Hyejeong handed her another empty cup. “Rinse and repeat.”

Seolhyun glared at her, but secretly did a happy dance in her head when Hyejeong laughed again. Once she didn’t have toothpaste falling out of anymore and her hands were empty, Hyejeong bent and carefully slid an arm around her.

“I can stand without help,” she grumbled.

“Sure you can.” Hyejeong’s hair tickled her cheeks. “That’s why you’re sitting on a bathroom floor. Come on, back to bed.”

The door in the main room opened. “What’s going on?” Heechul’s voice carried through the room. “Is Seolhyun okay?”

Rosy colors stained Seolhyun’s entire face.

“She’s fine.” Hyejeong easily hauled her to her feet. The tender skin pulled a little, but Seolhyun kept her expression blank. “She just wore herself out,” she continued, grinning as she let go. “You okay to make it back to the bed?”

Seolhyun nodded. “It’s not my fault. Yonghwa– Apollo, whoever he is, didn’t fix me right.”

“I did fix you, but you were dead. Give me some credit,” a voice said from behind.

Seolhyun jumped, smacking her hand on her chest.

Apollo sat on the edge of the toilet seat, one leg crossed over the other.

Beside her, Hyejeong bowed stiffly. “My master.”

“Oh, my Gods!” Seolhyun said. “Seriously. Are you trying to kill me again by giving me a heart attack?”

Apollo tipped his head at Hyejeong. “I’ve already told you. You don’t need to do the ‘master’ and bowing business with me.” Little sparks of electricity rimmed those all-white eyes. “Why are you out of bed? Doesn’t getting stabbed deserve some bedtime?” He smiled at Hyejeong, who was now standing. “She really is hard to take care of, isn’t she?”

Hyejeong looked a little pale as she led Seolhyun out of the bathroom.. “Yeah…”

“Well… My mouth’s stinky.”

Apollo disappeared from the bathroom and popped up behind Hyejeong. Heechul took a step back, his eyes wide. He bowed too, and Seolhyun really thought for a moment that Heechul was going to drop to his knees.

Seolhyun stared at the big God in the corner of the room as she climbed back into bed. “Did anyone know about this?”

Apollo glided to the bed. It was strange looking at him and seeing some traces of Yonghwa. The face was basically the same, but more refined, sharper. Hair that looked like gold replaced the short cut Yonghwa had favored, falling just below his broad shoulders. And he seemed taller, if that was even possible.

He was achingly beautiful, but his eyes… they’re freaking creepy. There were no pupils or irises just white orbs that seemed full of electricity.

The Sun God.

Seolhyun was staring at him… and yet, it was like staring at Yonghwa. It was bizarre that a God would even be on Earth, but to be as comfortable as Apollo seemed was unreal.

Apollo arched a brow as he slowly turned his head to Heechul. “I know this is a little… shocking, but what I was doing required that I disguise who I was.”

Heechul blinked, as if he was coming out of a daze. “Are there more like you here?”

Apollo smiled. “We are always around.”

“Why?” Hyejeong asked, dragging her fingers through her hair. She looked a little out of it too.

“Things are complicated,” Apollo answered.

“So, was Yonghwa a real person? Did you like, take over his body or something?” Seolhyun folded her legs under the blanket. “Or have you been Yonghwa this entire time?”

The corners of Apollo’s lips twitched. “We are one in the same.”

Slowly, Seolhyun reached over and poked his arm. It felt like real flesh, warm and hard. Disappointed, she poked him again. She was expecting something amazing by touching him. Instead all she got were weird looks from everyone in the room.

“Please stop touching me,” Apollo said.

Seolhyun jabbed his arm again. “Sorry. It’s just that you’re real. I mean, I just thought you guys weren’t really around here.”

“Seolhyun.” Hyejeong sat on the edge of the bed. “I think you should probably stop touching him.”

“Whatever.” Seolhyun dropped her hand into her lap. She still wanted to touch him, though, which was really weird. She kind of wanted to rub all over him like a cat or something… and that was more than weird, and a little freak.

“Usually we’re not,” Apollo said, frowning at Seolhyun. “When we are on Earth, our powers are limited. Everything about this place drains us. We tend to stay away and if we do visit, it is only for a short while.”

“Long enough to hook up with some Mortal chicks?”

“Seolhyun Kim,” Heechul snapped.

Apollo faced her. “No. We haven’t spawned any Demigods in centuries.”

Seolhyun shuddered when her gaze met his. “Your eyes are really freaking creepy.”

He blinked, and in a nanosecond, his eyes were a brilliant, caramel-colored. “Better?”

Not really. Not when he was staring at Seolhyun like that. “Sure, I’m okay. I’ve just never seen someone do a live Photoshop on himself.”

Heechul cleared his throat. “I’m really at a loss of what to say.”

Apollo waved his hand dismissively. “We’ve worked together for months, Dean. Nothing has changed.”

“We didn’t know you were Apollo.” Hyejeong folded her arms. “That changes things.”

“Why?” Apollo smiled. “I just don’t expect you to be as willing to team up with me now.”

“All of this is just… I mean, how did we not know?”

“Simple. I did not want any of you to know. It made things easier… blending in.”

“I’m sorry,” Seolhyun interrupted. Apollo arched a brow, waiting. “This is just really awkward.”

“Do tell,” he murmured.

“I mean, I’ve like insulted you every which way from Monday to Sunday to your face. Multiple times. Like when I accused you of chasing boys and girls and how they turn themselves into trees to get away–”

“Like I said before, some of those Myths are not true.”

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter