Your Loyalty to Me

I Got You Back, But Then I Lost You Again

I'm back! Before you start reading, I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all the people that have been waiting for this chapter for AGES. Yeah... Sorry for putting you guys through that long wait.

Now that my exams are over, I have three months of holidays until September so I will be posting often now. Once a week, maybe?

But... Uh... Spoiler alert, we're almost at the end of the book. I reckon there's about five more chapters and then an epilogue (I HIGHLY recommend you read the prologue again before reading the epilogue) and the story of Apollo and Aria will then be finished!

Yeah... I should probably just let you read now... Hope this is worth the wait!

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Apollo's POV (obviously)

I found the black hearse parked outside THE ORACLE SNAKE just where I parked it. The polished black colour of the car gleamed in the sunlight.

You know the way pathetic fallacy is when the weather reflects the mood of the atmosphere? Well, now is a horrible example of that.

How can it be so sunny outside when the worst of things just happened today? How can the world be so calm right now? How is it, that there is no sound but a quiet peace descending on the area?

Feeling Aria's cold skin against me as I gently carried her to the car, I felt like wrestling the three Fates. Every single one of them.

I tried hard to believe that she's just really cold and fell asleep in my arms. But it's not that easy. Not when the temperature is twenty-five degrees Celsius and she's as cold as ice.

I didn't look down at her. I couldn't. I don't think I can without breaking down.

Why?

Why her?

I had stayed there, crying beside her lifeless body in the cave for who knows how long. Then I saw the goddess Styx. She had come to me in all her hatred with a sly smirk.

"Didn't I say that you would be punished for breaking so many promises? I hope you learned your lesson," she hissed and faded back to the Underworld and left me there sobbing even more. Because it was my fault. It was all my fault.

My best friend died because of me. The truest friend I've ever had sacrificed herself for me. And I never got to tell her I loved her. More than a friend.

When I got to the car, I was surprised to find Peaches, Meg's fruity spirit and sometimes available bodygaurd outside, about to run to the cave. He paused when he saw me, squinting his beady black eyes, and then he saw Aria. His eyes widened when he saw her, before eyeing the path behind me for Meg.

Meg. He was too late. Too late to save her.

"Peaches?" He demanded. He had a stern she-better-not-be-dead-because-I-care-for-her-too-much look on his face.

I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes, "She's gone Peaches. Python killed her."

He didn't move for a moment. He let my words sink in before he he threw his head up to the sky and howled. I swear, I'm lucky I told him that Python killed her or else I would be karpoi food by the look on his face and the fire in his eyes.

He didn't look back at me, but ran into the cave, ready to skewer Python's dead body and fetch Meg. I didn't get the chance to tell him she was in a deep pit, I'm sure he'll find her himself.

I gently placed Aria in the back seat and pushed her wavy black hair out of her eyes. Her face was calm and it looked like she was at peace. Every one of her facial muscles was relaxed.