Olympus College

Yes

I slowly wake up, my sleep interrupted by a sharp pain in the center of my back. Rubbing my eyes before I open them, I sit up and look around.

Oh, shit.

I'm still on the mountainside. In Arcadia. I must have fallen asleep! Fuck, why does this keep happening to me? I need to get my sleep schedule in check.

I look behind me where I was sleeping, a Hermes- shaped intent pattered in the grass. A rock sits where my back was, and I groan. Damn it! This was stupid of me.

I look around the mountainside, scanning for any sign of Apollo. I sigh. He probably left last night, I don't blame him. Memories of yesterday flood to my head, me dragging him around the outskirts of Athens, blabbering about Arcadia, us watching the sunset... me falling asleep.

My stomach feels tied up in knots, and nausea distracts me from the picturesque morning. I feel incredibly dumb for dragging Apollo around like this. Hopefully he won't be upset at me when I get back to campus so we can finish our project by tomorrow. We really didn't see much of civilization at all, but I bet Apollo could write a series of books just on the horrors of taxicab rides.

I grunt as I pull myself to my feet, my entire body aching from the rough ground I'd just slept on. I veer towards where Apollo and I had first teleported to, looking for my backpack.

It isn't there. Maybe I just got the wrong spot? No, I decide. This is definitely where I left it. Could someone have taken it?

I hear movement from around a boulder to my left, and I freeze. Hmm, is this the culprit? I position myself on the closest side of the boulder, hiding until the thief came into view.

A few moments later, a figure emerges from the other side of the boulder and I pounce, tackling them without thought.

"Hey! What the hell! Hermes?" Apollo stops struggling to push me off of his chest and looks at me in confusion and slight panic. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

I freeze as well, my cheeks slightly tinged with embarrassment as I realize I'm on top of him, his arms pinned down by mine on either side. Apollo is still here?? "I...didn't know you hadn't left yet," I tell him.

"I wasn't going to leave without you! Plus, I fell asleep too. But for Zeus's sake, that's not the issue! You don't just go tackling people from behind boulders!"

"Yeah, well I thought you were someone who had stolen my bag, so..." I pause and frown, noticing a strap of a backpack wrapped around his shoulder. "Hey! I was right! You did steal my bag!"

Apollo sighs from under me. "As you say, it's not stealing, it's teleporting away with said object to assert dominance."

"That's just stealing," I grumble, grabbing my bag from him.

"Yeah, yeah." He rolls his striking eyes. "Honestly, as the god of thieves I didn't think you'd mind."

"Partaking in thievery doesn't mean I enjoy being on the receiving end."

"Ah, so you're a hypocrite."

"Not a hypocrite," I scowl. "I just wish you wouldn't take my stuff."

"I didn't steal it, I borrowed it, Hermes." He sighs in exasperation, his breath tickling my neck. "Gods, I never thought I'd have to educate the god of theft about stealing."

"I don't believe you," I huff.

"Come on, why would I steal a stupid bag? Much less come back to the scene of the crime afterwards. I'm fairly well versed in these things you know, I'm an expert crime lord." He pushes against my weight, smiling teasingly as he leans to look up at me. "Even you'd be proud."