Was that Athena, come to her bedside to observe the dying? Marcie wondered, distantly, at the appearance of three such notable goddesses by her side. Not many mortals could say they had incurred this sort of protection.
The glint of bronze caught her eye though. She was just a little curious. Maybe, she could have just a peek and then come back-
A golden glow filled her consciousness, suddenly, like a sunbeam breaking through a cloud, and she felt very hot all over, like everything wrong with her was burning off, the turgid cancer in her belly growing smaller and burning away to ash and disappearing in a breathless puff of wind. All the pain drugs in her system went with them too, and she could suddenly feel herself again, her fingers and her toes, hips and shoulders, every part of her belonged to her once more, and she opened her mouth in a gasp as she filled up with light until it all had to burst out of her again, taking the illness with her.
No, she would not take that coin!
Any thought of peacefully drifting towards Elysium sped away as her eyes opened.
Apollo looked down at her- smug, self-righteous, nasty creep-
Before she even thought, she lashed out, her tightly-balled fist smacking into his mouth. "FUCK OFF!"