Lying there, waiting for Hyejeong to return, Seolhyun told herself again that they were actually planning to release a Titan. Obviously, she’d never met a Titan, and a part of her was excited by the prospect of coming face-to-face with such a legendary being.

A freaking Titan.

She gave a sleepy snort.

Footsteps neared the dorm and her head snapped up, looking at the person. “Heechul?”

He was still dressed like he’d been at the Dean’s office, jeans and a tailored flannel shirt (a sure sign he hadn’t gone out to patrol yet). “You can’t sleep?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

“I’m tired but excited at the same time.” Seolhyun laughed.

“You were dragging all morning. I figured you’d sleep another day away.” Heechul hesitated in the doorway and then strode forward, sure and strong. Seolhyun watched him wearily as he sat beside her, taking as if the same spot Yuna had when they’d spoken. He placed his hands in his lap and sighed. “Shall we talk?”

Seolhyun didn’t say anything for a long moment.

“For starters… You are my sister’s daughter. And you are so much like her…” He exhaled through the nose, his jaw locking. “You were so much like her that when you came back to the Ephensy, and even now, I have a hard time looking at you without seeing my sister.”

Something… something came unhinged in Seolhyun’s chest. Never had Heechul been this open with her. And it’d seemed more likely for her to waltz around the dorm with a Demon before Heechul would talk to her about her mother, but here he was.

The breath Seolhyun inhaled was a bit raspy. “You loved Mom a lot.”

“Helena was my little sister and I… I loved her dearly.” His eyes closed. “She was full of life, vibrant. We were opposites. She drew people to her in droves, and I pretty much repelled them.”

Seolhyun’s lips quirked at the corners.

“She was probably the only person who could get me to relax.” He sat up suddenly, dropping his hands on his knees. “When you were really little, she used to bring you over to my home, and if you behaved, which wasn’t always likely, she’d take you for ice cream afterward.” A pensive smile formed. “You were such a tiny thing then, but my Gods, I knew immediately you would look just like her. Everything except the eyes…”

Searching her memories, Seolhyun could recall nothing of his uncle from when she’d been a little girl, only the few visits when she was older, and they had been cold and impersonal. Heechul had been like every other Genuine.

“She always claimed that your father was a Mortal, but that one Linus was always with her, always following her… and you.”

“What?” Seolhyun’s head snapped up.

Heechul focused on something Seolhyun couldn’t see. “You were too young, to remember your father.”

Hearing Heechul mention her father stopped the world.

“You were just a baby. Your mother couldn’t so much as walk outside without Nicholas not too far behind her, especially if she had you with her. Looking back, it seemed obvious, but Linuses and Guards were always around. And they’d attended the Ephensy together, two years behind me. I just thought they were friends. But I think I always knew, deep down, and I couldn’t see past that. Every time I looked at you, I saw my sister’s downfall.”

Seolhyun’s eyes widened. “Ouch.”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Sounds terrible, but you of all people know what happens to Myxs and Genuines that breed. I was so angry with my sister for putting herself into that position and for bringing a child into it.” Heechul paused, lost in thought. “I took it out on you. It was wrong.”

Instead of jumping around and pointing out what her uncle just admitted and acting like a general douche about it, Seolhyun focused on something else. “Did… did you know my father personally?”

His lips thinned. “I trained with your father before I decided to go a more political route. He was a damn good Linus. Like you.”

Seolhyun stared. Once upon a time, hearing something like that would’ve have filled her with pleasure, but now it wasn’t the compliment that had drawn her in; it was hearing that her father had been a damn good Linus that did.

“I think your mother hoped she wouldn’t be paired. I wasn’t. Neither was Yuna– Athena. But when your mother was paired with Jonghyun, Nicholas… you just knew, if you knew the man behind the uniform.”

Again, Seolhyun had no idea what to say.

“There was nothing he could do but stand back and let the woman he loved marry someone else. And he had to live with that someone else raising his child.” Heechul cleared his throat. “And I’m sure Nicholas knew that Jonghyun wasn’t kind to you, but there was nothing he could do. Coming forward would have put both your mother and you in danger. He was helpless.”

Seolhyun’s muscles were tensing and relaxing at the same time. “What happened? How did he end up a servant?”

Heechul faced her. “When you were three years old, he disappeared. It wasn’t uncommon. We were told he’d been killed by a Demon.”

Seolhyun shook her head, brows furrowing. “How did you not know where he was? He was in the Ephensy, under Hongki’s thumb.”

“I didn’t see him there until about a year prior to your return.” The sincerity in his words rocked her. “I’d believed that he was dead, and I didn’t know that a male Myx and a female Genuine made an Elpis. Even when Helena came to me before she took you away, I didn’t suspect what that truly meant. Not until I saw Nicholas there, and then what could I do?”

“You could’ve helped him!”

“How? How was I to do that? What do you think would’ve happened if everyone realized that your father was a Myx? Myxs and Genuines have been caught before. Those children were not allowed to live.”

Sickened, Seolhyun swallowed. “That’s so wrong.”

“I don’t disagree.” He reached over, running his fingers over a nearby nightstand. “Your father didn’t seem to recognize me. Only recently did I learn from Athena, that that must’ve been an act.”

Then it hit her, smacked her right upside her ever-loving head. The conversation that she’d overheard between him and Hongki resurfaced. Heechul had been furious with Hongki. “Hongki wanted you to hand me over, didn’t he? He even offered you a seat on the Council.”

Heechul looked at her sharply.

Seolhyun grinned. “I overheard you guys.”

Staring at her a moment, he shook his head. “He did.”

“And you refused.”

“Yes.” His look said ‘how could I do anything else?’

Wow. Things made sense now, after all this time. Seolhyun reminded him of her Mom and he missed her, which probably made him uncomfortable around her. And Heechul wasn’t really a people person, anyway. He hadn’t known about her father until it was too late. She believed that. And he hadn’t handed his niece over to Hongki. Seolhyun remembered how he’d picked her up and carried her after Jimin had attacked the Council and she’d been sick.

How, like Hyejeong, he hadn’t given up on her.

Heechul… he cared about her. And that meant a lot. Beside her father, who was out of reach to her, Heechul was the last of her family… her blood.

“Thank you,” she said. And then, impulsively, even though he wasn’t a hugging man, she sprang forward before he knew what was coming and hugged him. It was quick, though, she didn’t want to freak the man out.

She settled back in her spot as Heechul stared at her, eyes wide. Guess she still had freaked him out.

“Why are you thanking me?” he asked slowly.

Seolhyun shrugged.

“You are weird.”

Laughing, Seolhyun leaned back against the cushions on the window seat. “I bet Mom was a weird too.”

“That she was.”

“Will you tell me what you know about my Dad? I mean, if you’re not tired or anything?”

“There are some stories I could tell you,” he started to stand, “and I’m not complaining. Not at all.” His smile was tentative, but real, and Seolhyun couldn’t think of any other time that he had smiled like that. “But you need to get some rest first. Okay?”

“That would be really nice.” Her lips responded in kind, before pressing into a thin line. “Anyway… do you think Athena was responsible for the potion? We know Gods cannot be compelled.”

Heechul stared at his niece for a moment, reaching for the doorknob. “What do you mean?”

“Do you think she did that on purpose? For some godly reason?”

“Well, we’ll never know,” he promised, “but the Gods are always on our side.”

***

Seolhyun’s eyelids grew heavier as the minutes ticked by. She didn’t want to fall asleep, because there was so much she needed to talk with Hyejeong about, but she was sinking through the bed. After Deimos and Phobos had been yanked out of her, the emotional storm that had followed had been a cleansing of sorts, but it had also tuckered her out.

She realized then that she hadn’t thanked Jimin.

That was the last thing she remembered thinking before she felt something warm and slightly rough graze her cheek. Stirring restlessly, she forced her eyes open.

“Hyejeong,” she whispered.

A slight smile appeared on her full lips. Her hand stilled on Seolhyun’s cheek. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was waiting for you.”

“You need to sleep, but I…” Her thumb smoothed on Seolhyun’s cheek again. “I couldn’t stop myself from touching you.”

A wealth of warmth blossomed in Seolhyun’s chest at those words, and then spread when she realized that Hyejeong was under the covers and she was shirtless. Maybe even pants-less. “I’m not complaining.”

“How are you feeling?”

Wiggling closer, Seolhyun bit back a sigh as Hyejeong’s hand slid around the nape of her neck. “I feel… I feel good. I mean, hurling up those Gods changed things. That was crazy, right?”

The intensity in her gaze was consuming. “It isn’t something you see every day.”

Seolhyun’s lips tipped up at the corners. “It’s a relief to know that a lot of what I was feeling wasn’t coming from me.”

“I have to agree.” Hyejeong’s knee rose under the covers, and soft flannel brushed Seolhyun’s bare legs. Damn. She did have pants on. “Want to talk?”

“I think there will still be moments when it… well, when it , but I don’t want to die. I’m glad I didn’t.” Seolhyun laughed, a little embarrassed. “I don’t feel that way anymore from Ares.”

“Good.” Hyejeong inched her head over and kissed Seolhyun’s so softly, like she was being cautious, and then pulled back.

“I’m okay now.” Seolhyun turned her hand over and threaded her fingers through hers. “But I’m still scared.”

“That’s normal.”

“I know. And I know it’s okay to be scared.”

She squeezed her hand. “Damn. I should record that statement.”

Seolhyun laughed, and it was a real sound. It was good. “I never thanked Jimin, and I need to, Hyejeong. She helped me calm down. She didn’t try to manipulate me. If it hadn’t been for her, I would’ve brought that building down.”

Her eyes latched onto Seolhyun’s. “About Jimin…”

Swallowing heavily, she prepared herself. “I can’t blame the Gods for that. I knew what I was doing when I went to see Jimin. I should’ve woken you and told you where I was going. That was my fault.”

“She was right,” Hyejeong said, as if she hadn’t heard her.

Seolhyun blinked. “What?”

“The little bastard was right.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I was jealous when I found you with her. I was jealous afterward. I am still jealous.”

“I–”

“I heard what you said,” she stated quietly, not looking away. “I heard you say that you loved her.”

“You… you were there?”

Hyejeong nodded.

Seolhyun’s eyes widened and her stomach dropped as a horrible feeling opened up in her chest. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. Awkward didn’t even cover it. “I did say that, but it’s not the same–”

“Same way you feel about me.” Hyejeong’s eyes shut briefly. “I know. I honestly know it’s not, but hearing that…? I wanted to punch her. I still do for various reasons, but mostly because I know that there will always be a part of you that does love her. That you two will have this connection for the rest of our lives, and that’s something I can never compete with.”

An ache opened up in Seolhyun’s chest, and she closed the distance between them, practically crawling onto her. “I’m sorry.”

Hyejeong’s brows rose as she rolled onto her back, wrapping an arm around her waist. “For what, hmm? I should say I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to apologize.”

“But you shouldn’t have to deal with the freaky Elpis connection.” She peered down at her. “What normal couples have to deal with that?”

“We deal with a lot of things normal couples don’t deal with,” she replied dryly.

“I know! That’s why I’m sorry you have to deal with Jimin and me on top of everything else. If it was me, and you were connected to someone, I’d probably stab her in the eyeball every time I saw her.”

Hyejeong’s lips quirked up lazily. “Really?”

“It’s not funny.” Seolhyun smacked her chest lightly. “I would. I wouldn’t be able to deal with it, so I totally get your jealousy. I just don’t want you to feel that way, because I love you. I’m in love with you. Forever and ever, and all the cheesy things I can attach to that.”

Hyejeong chuckled deeply, and the sound brought a smile to Seolhyun’s face. “I know you do. And I have to work on not hating her for this.”

Seolhyun laughed, and Hyejeong rewarded her with another tender kiss that curled her toes. It didn’t go any further than that. She guided Seolhyun’s head down to where her heart beat steadily in her chest. Seolhyun wanted to take that kiss further, but the moment her cheek hit her skin, she found her head too heavy to lift.

Hyejeong told her how the rest of the group had taken the news about releasing Perses, let alone Yuna’s identity was holy Athena. She had disappeared with Apollo after that. She also had explained to them that Apollo had checked Jimin out, and the First could be trusted… as far as anyone could really trust Jimin. Then she explained to them about the evil God twins, and for that Seolhyun was eternally grateful. That was the last thing she wanted to explain all over again.

It didn’t take long for her to drift back off to sleep as Hyejeong talked, not with the rise and fall of her chest luring her off or with her hand playing in her hair. She wasn’t sure how comfortable it was for Hyejeong, considering Seolhyun was sprawled half on top of her, but when she woke in the morning, neither of them had moved. Seolhyun was still on her side, one leg thrown over Hyejeong’s and cheek on the girl’s chest.

Pleasant pressure built inside her. She wanted a million mornings of waking up like this.

She stayed there for a little while, feeling and listening to Hyejeong breathe.

Then Hyejeong’s other arm swung around with startling quickness, and her hand landed just above Seolhyun’s knee. “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked, voice grumpy from sleep.

A flutter started in Seolhyun’s stomach as she raised her head to look down at the girl. Her dark waves were going in every direction. Her eyes were heavy-hooded, and lashes were thick. Only Hyejeong could look so ily sleep-ruffled. “Nowhere?”

“Sounds about right.” One hand curled around the edges of Seolhyun’s hair while the other crept up her thigh, causing her to shiver. “How long have you been awake?”

“Not long.” Seolhyun’s gaze dropped to . Those lips were perfect and kissable. Biteable.

Hyejeong made a deep sound. “What time is it?”

“No clue.” Seolhyun couldn’t tear her gaze away from her lips. “But I think we might’ve slept in.”

“Maybe.” The hand slipped up to Seolhyun’s neck, and she guided to hers. There was a quick flash of concern over brushing her teeth and kicking morning breath, but that worry went out the window the moment their lips touched.

The kiss was slow, lazy, and never-ending. It felt like forever since she’d kissed Seolhyun like that when, in reality, it had really only been a handful of hours, but Seolhyun lost herself in that kiss, in Hyejeong. And kissing her now was nothing like it had been those hours before. She felt the pressure, the intense sweetness, and the love behind every of her tongue and sweep of her lips, to her very soul. The hand in Seolhyun’s hair tightened while the other traveled north, up her thigh, and then over the curve of her hip.

Hyejeong’s hand stilled and then swept back down, causing her to in a sharp breath. She pulled away from hers and opened her eyes. “You’re not wearing anything under this shirt, are yo