Meeting Aggie

34.

Iris escorted me to one of the biggest guest rooms she had and left me alone. I lay on the bed staring blankly at the ceiling. The ceiling had beautiful, intricate designs of fairies scattered across it.

The decor was deep purple and pink. There was also a bell nearby if I needed to alert the servants of any assistance I might need while I was here.

I was overthinking. I tried not to worry myself about Apollo's true intentions, but it ate away at me. Why couldn't he have let Celeste go off on her own to find her man? Why did he think it was okay to prioritize her over me when she was already dead?

Isidore cleared her throat. "I feel myself coming out. Your eyes are red, your skin is turning green, and your temperature is rising. You need to calm down, Aggie."

I groaned. "I don't know why I'm getting so worked up over this. I hate feeling like this."

Remiel hushed me. "You're experiencing jealousy at a high degree, and you need to put it in check. Remember, you can't fully control your emotions until all of us are unlocked. "

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. The door opened and closed, emitting a familiar scent. Apollo joined me on the bed, resting my head on his shoulder. He planted a few gentle kisses on my temple.

"Wow, that was fast. Only ten minutes?" I mumbled under my breath.

He nodded. "Turns out he doesn't live as far away as I thought. He actually resides in the palace, in the commons quarter. I felt a bit embarrassed, to be honest, but at least I know she's in a safe place with him."

"Oh, I see. Well, that's a relief."

"You sound a bit bothered, babe. Did I do something to upset you?"

I shook my head.

"Not necessarily. I guess I'm not entirely used to you doing things for other people. I can see why you got jealous so easily before with Hermes."

He chuckled. "If I had known you would be so upset by that, I wouldn't have offered to do it. I promise you I did it out of guilt and to ensure her safety to train you. I didn't have any other reason for being alone with her."

"It's okay. I understand. I just didn't want you thinking you did anything wrong. It's my fault."

He gave me a small squeeze with his arm. "Before I met you, I was a completely different person. Whenever I'm with you, I realize every day that you changed me for the better, and I owe you for that. Please understand I didn't mean to hurt you, and I won't do it again."

I smiled at him. "I can't make you do that. I admire the person you became, so if I have to fight off my jealousy, so be it. I'll get over it. It really wasn't that deep. I mean, who haven't you slept with?"

He stared at me then blinked owlishly.

"I mean... the one person I genuinely love and care about. Not naming any names but..."

I lightly slapped his arm and rolled my eyes. We laughed together.

"Ha-ha. Very funny. Where did you come up with that joke?"

"You know you did a good thing bringing her back, right? You did it selflessly, knowing you don't have much time left to train for the battle."

"I know. I really thought hard about it. I just wish I had a relationship like theirs. If I had grown up around my siblings, I would've probably felt the same way about them. Celeste was taken away from Iris too soon. They grew so far apart that she didn't even know her sister had been pregnant till she died." I sighed.

"Aggie, you know I love your optimism, but let's be real for a second—you would've still been a witch. The first witch to rule the entire empire after centuries of ruling by angels and fairies. How would your siblings really have reacted toward you? Do you still think of them so highly?"

"I want to believe they would care for me regardless. Maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong, but I'd rather believe they would. I'm their sister, at the end of the day."

He smiled, showing me his beautiful teeth. "Of course. I know you're tired, so let's head to sleep."

I called out to the fireflies who were lighting up the room. They shut off their lights and left out the window. I snuggled up to Apollo and shut my eyes.

A sharp knock woke me before the crack of dawn. Apollo groaned and turned over, letting go of my waist. He shoved his head farther into the pillows and tried to fall back asleep.

I rolled my eyes and crossed the room to the door. Iris stood on the other side of the peephole. I opened the door and let her in.

"Good morning, you two!" she sang out loud.

Apollo made a wailing noise and threw a pillow at her, which she dodged. I gave her an irritated look.

"Morning? It's barely dawn. Why are you here so early?" I grumbled, still half-asleep.

"Dawn is the best time for training! Nature is really active at this time, so it will be easier for me to train you."

"We're running off four hours of sleep, and you think now is the best time for training? How do you know I won't accidentally hurt someone or myself?"

"I have complete trust in you. Not only did you bring my sister back to life, but you also repaired our fractured bond. Your selflessness in doing so is truly remarkable. You didn't have to do that."

I smiled, recognizing that Iris would make a formidable ally in my quest for the throne. Maintaining optimism was my strongest bet moving forward.

"Give us a second to change. We'll be out in a few."

"Sounds good! Meet me in the throne room. It's down the hall, then make two rights."

I shut the door and shook Apollo. He might not want to wake up early, but I needed to start training as soon as possible.