Outcasts of Olympus: Book 2

Chapter Nine

A couple weeks later, Leo had finally healed enough that we could put my plan into action. He still couldn't use his arm, and he now had to wear an eyepatch, but there was no longer any danger of his chest wounds reopening.

After the talk we'd had on the rooftop, Leo had finally begun to brighten up again. Like a flower that had been nurtured back to health. Stella and I had mostly stayed behind during the day to keep him company, while the others went out on supply runs and stuff. For once, Leo was the one calling the shots for the museum "heist" as he put it.

It was very strange and pretty scary hearing him say these strange, yet useful tools the others needed to get. The one that creeped me out the most was a silent glass cutter and a bunch of industrial strength rope.

But when they'd all come back, sometimes we would watch a movie. Despite the creeping hunger to get my powers back, it always felt good when we were together like that. It felt like we were all one big happy family. Castor and Evadne would fall asleep on the couch, one of them leaning against Leo, and I would catch him smiling before he tried to push them off of him. I was glad to see him smiling again, after everything that had happened.

One night, after Leo had fallen asleep on the couch, Stella and I were up late, catching up on alone time that we didn't really get as much of anymore. I didn't mind staying up late, but Stella was fighting to stay awake. I'd found that she really liked her sleep, and she hadn't woken up in the middle of the night again since the night we first kissed.

The both of us were laying on the bed, just staying quiet for the most part, enjoying the silence. "Is it weird that I kind of don't want this to end?" I asked, my voice strangely loud after the long period of quiet.

Stella jumped slightly, as she was dozing off. She looked over at me, her eyebrows crinkled in confusion. "What do you mean?" she replied. "Do you mean 'us' or...?" She looked almost panicked.

"I mean the whole group," I clarified quickly, giving her a reassuring smile. "But of course I don't want 'us' to end. Why would I ever want that?"

She sighed with relief, blushing slightly. "I don't know...," she said slowly. "I think I just kind of... thought too into it a little."

My smile melted, and I carefully scooted closer to her on the bed. "Why are you so nervous?" I asked quietly. She bit her lip, avoiding my gaze. Her eyes were watery, like she was fighting really hard not to cry. I reached out and gently took her hand. "You can tell me anything, Stella," I whispered. "It's okay."

Stella took a deep, shaky breath. "I've been kind of... worried about what's going to happen after you get your powers back. I mean... When we were goddesses, I thought it would always be impossible to be with you. Now... We're mortals... and we're finally together." She finally looked sadly up at me. "I don't want to lose you when you become a goddess again," she whispered, a tear tracing her cheek.

I was silent for a moment, taken aback by what she was saying. Why would I ever leave her behind like that? It just didn't make sense. She was the best thing that had happened to me in thousands of years.

"Stella, what are you talking about?" I asked gently, before kissing her cheek softly. "I haven't been this happy in millenia. Why would I ever give that up?"

Finally, a tiny, watery smile made its way onto her face, and she leaned in to kiss me. Then, she pulled away and rested her head against my chest, curling up against me. "I'm holding you to it," she said. "You'd better keep that promise."

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close and running my fingers through her beautiful raven black hair. "I promise," I whispered, then kissed the top of her head.