The Sun's Kisses

6- I've Got My Eye On You

I felt tickles all over my face.
I opened my eyes and saw gold glitter all around me and in the air. I smiled and laughed a little.
I'm alive.
Holy shit.
I'm alive.
Thank the gods.
Campers rushed through the border to collect me. I was put beside Allen as they fixed my arm. He would need a cast but he'd be okay.
It was a blur after that.
Sleeping, awake, people coming by me and congratulating me.
So on so forth.
I woke up in the middle of the night once. The other patients were asleep, and nobody was there but us injured campers.
I lie awake staring into the darkness as I wait for sleep to come back.
"I'm so happy you're alive." I turned in the direction of the voice. There was Apollo, in his golden glory. I smiled.
"I'm happy you're not hurt." I say, he smiles and sits beside me.
"You know you'll have to repay us somehow." He says, a sad smile on his face.
"Who all helped me?" I ask.
"Athena, Aphrodite, and I. We won't ask of much. Athena is grateful her son is alive, Aphrodite is happy to have her current most powerful daughter alive, and I . . ." he looked into my eyes and smiled. "I'm glad my friend is alive. Though I'm sure Hestia is making her rounds so the debt won't be so high." He says, a blush crept to my cheeks. He looked to the side, sighed, then looked back at me.
"I have to go now but," he leaned close over me, kissed my cheek and stood. "Don't be a stranger Stella." He said with a grin, I smiled and watched as his glow darkened until he was gone.

A year later . . .
"Mom will be so happy to see you!" Allen was going on about, I decided to visit during my spring break.
"Same room?" I asked as we walked inside the house.
"Yep!"
"How is eleven going for you?"
"Pretty good, I love coding!"
"I bet you do, kiddo."
"But there's a problem with that so I really can only do it on paper. Oh! I'm in seventh grade now!" He says, a big smile spreads on my face.
"I'm so proud!" I say, Mary comes around the corner smiling and arms open wide for a hug.
"Stella!" She says. She's long since known my first name, she thinks it's just as beautiful as my middle name.
"Mary!" I hug her, she pulls back and holds me at arms length. She looks me up and down, thinking.
"Something is different . . . what's changed?" She asks.
"I've lost some weight, I don't know if that makes a difference." I say, her face lights up.
"That's what it is! You've slimmed down a bit! That's great dear, I'm so proud!" She says smiling.
That's how my night goes, catching up and talking about the school year. Any clubs or sports I'm interested in. Any boys I'm interested in.
Then it's late at night and I'm laying in bed. I turn over and look at the framed picture of Dad, Allen, Mary and I.
"I love that photo of you." I hear a voice say, I turn on my other side and come face to face with Apollo.
"Long time, no see stranger." I grin, he chuckles softly.
"I'd come sooner but god timing is different from mortal timing." He says.
"Then I suggest an alarm, my friend."
"Ha-ha, very funny Stella." He says, rolling his eyes.
"I've got a question." I say.
"I've got an answer." He responds, I shake my head.
"How'd you figure out my name?" I ask him, he smiles softly and I could swear that I saw a blush come to his cheeks.
"I already knew it to be honest." He says, I sit up.
"What? Then why would you stay if you already knew it? Why? And-"
"I only knew your name was Stella because I heard Allen say it one time." He interrupts. I thought back, wondering when Allen had said it.
"But I never heard him say it around you." I say puzzled.
"You both were asleep, he whispered 'thank you Stella for staying alive' and I assume its because your third person died on that quest. And I stayed because I wanted to be your friend. If I were you, I'd be selfish enough to leave the kid behind and make him find his way home. But you," he looks into my eyes, smiling softly, "you stayed. You helped. You put yourself between a monster and him. And even hurt yourself more to save him in the end. I think that's brave. I think," he lowers his voice to a whisper, "I think it's beautiful." He says. We sit in comfortable silence for a few moments.
"I learned to care for you in those few days." I say. "You became someone else I wanted to keep safe. I almost stopped for you when I thought you were hurt. But knowing Allen needed to get back to his mom at the end of summer . . . it made me keep going." I say.
"I came to care for you too. But you should really get to sleep now." He made to go.
"Wait." I say, he pauses and looks at me. "Can you stay? At least until I'm asleep?" I ask, he smiles gently and nods. He settles under the blanket and I lay on his chest.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey." He sang the lullaby, lulling me to sleep.
And when I woke, he had gone.
The only thing left was a note on a piece of paper beside the framed picture.