APOLLO
Apollo. No, Andrew. Andrew was so nervous. Beyond nervous. Why? Because. He hadn't seen Amelia in years. And while they weren't estranged, they didn't have the closest of relationships. He rarely went back to London, she rarely came over to NYC. They both had their own lives, so things were just like that. So, when Amelia told him she was going to come over and see him? Well, he freaked out a little. What was wrong? Their mother had fought a hard battle with breast cancer and lost. Was she coming to tell him she was sick? Erato had heard ALL of his fears and concerns. He was just worried. So worried. It didn't help when she told him to NOT pick her up. She'd rent a car and drive over. UGH. If he could just see her, he'd know whether things were ok or not. She'd just told him she was on her way and he was pacing his apartment. Everything was in order and ready for her. But, his nerves were insane. He stopped in front of the door when he felt a pull on the other side. Erato wasn't scheduled to be home until later. But, this was NOT Erato. Or Euterpe. Or anyone else he'd met since awakening. But, he knew exactly who was on the other side of the door. But, that wasn't possible. Was it? He didn't even wait for the knock to come. Instead he just reached for the knob with a shaking hand before flinging the door open. "Artemis?!" Of course, that was when he saw Amelia..
ARTEMIS
Even before the Diasaster Headache of New Years when Artemis had come back into her own, she'd been planning a move to NY. It'd been too long since she'd lived in the same place as her brother and, really, he was her only family. The Zoo system in NY was fantastic as well and it'd allow her to get her Ph.D. within a few years. However, things were different, now. Now she wasn't just Amelia. She was Artemis, too. And it was time she told her brother, no matter how he took it. She wouldn't keep something like this a secret for any longer. Still, though, her hands were sweating as she knocked on the door. What if he threw her out? They'd never been religious, so she didn't worry too much about him turning her over to the Kronosians, but what if he'd changed? Her mind was running a thousand miles an hour to everywhere and no where when she felt a tug in her stomach that she hadn't often before. Was... what was going on...? She heard her name, her real name, before she saw Andrew. But then it all hit her with a bang. Andrew was there, but she could see beyond Andrew to Apollo. Standing there, Artemis just... kept standing there. "A... Apollo...? Andrew?"
APOLLO
"Amelia?" He was so confused. Because right there was his sister. But then there was also his sister, Artemis. His twin. His other half. The person closer to him than anyone, not even his muses. Not even Erato, and they were closer than they'd ever been in their past lives. He stood there for a few moments before he just launched forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her so close. "This. You. Me. I. But. What? Really?" He pulled back again, his hands going to her face and he just held it, looking at her. "It's really you."
ARTEMIS
He was saying words and she thought maybe she should listen to the words to make sense of them, but she couldn't. It wasn't until she felt him wrap her up in a hug that she came back to the here and now. "Oh!" Wrapping her arms back around him, she pressed her face against his neck for a moment and tried to calm herself down. This was too much. Too big. She didn't know how to process any of this. Leaning away just a bit, she pressed her cheek into his hand and smiled, tears in her eyes. "It's really me. Your older sister twice over." Her heart was racing in her chest, but she was beginning to feel calm. Things were beginning to make sense, slowly. Well, as much sense as this entire stupid world ever made. "Are you going to let me in or are you going to make me stand out here for my entire trip?"
APOLLO
He was crying, but not hitching crying. Just tears down his face as he looked at her. His sister, times two!, was there. And he just couldn't believe it. He hugged her again until she said that. "I. OH! Yes. I mean no! No. You come in. Now please." He stepped back, blushing bright and gesturing her into his apartment. "Did you bring more than that?" He gestured to her luggage before moving and taking it, pulling it inside for her. "I have a room made up for you. You can stay here as long as you want." Because, well, he didn't want to let her go.
ARTEMIS
She hugged him back just as many times as he needed to. She was overwhelmed, but just... a little calmer about things. "Thank you. And no. This is all I have. The rest of my things are being shipped into storage until I find a place of my own. And I'll stay here only as long as I need to, but... I'm moving here. To New York. So you aren't really going to have to say goodbye again." Inside, she looked around and then turned back to face him. "Why didn't you tell me? I've known since January first. Did you know then? How long have you known?" Of course he didn't tell her. Amelia and Andrew hadn't been close. But still.
APOLLO
He showed her back to one of the guest rooms, placing her suitcase in there. "You... don't have to find your own place. This place is for sure big enough for two people." Technically, the top floor was two apartments in one. It'd just been redesigned into one big one. There were two guest rooms, one with an en suite (she'd been given this room - which was really more just like a second master) and an office. So, he could easily have her there. "I mean, just unless you want to. But you don't have to. This has always been your home, too." He wasn't going to kick her out. Ever. "Can I get you anything? I can cook? Or we can order?" But then she asked that. "Early September." He rubbed the back of his head as he remembered. "I was working on a tenants bathroom and smacked my head and it just happened then." Cognitive recalibration.
ARTEMIS
Artemis followed him through the apartment with a smile. It was familiar to her. She'd been there once or twice before, but it'd been her grantparents' then. "I don't need anything. Not right now. Well. Just a glass of water. I'll be hungry later. Right now I'm both wide awake and half asleep. I was never any good with jet lag. Back in the living room, she sat down on the sofa and folded her hands into her lap and tried not to pounce on him for another hug. Artemis had never been rash. Okay. She'd mostly never been rash. "Just sit. Let us talk. Let me look at you through these new and old eyes. It's very confusing." She looked around the room, seeing the things that were the same and the things that were obviously Andrew's. "Where's your girlfriend? I thought I was going to get to meet her. Does she... does she know...?"
APOLLO
He nodded as they made their way back to the living room. He went into the kitchen and got two glasses of water, coming back and handing one to her as he sat down. "Then, for now we can just sit and get caught up." Though he did lean in for another hug. He had to hug her. This wasn't just Amelia. This was Artemis, too! So, it was just all that better. "It is so confusing. It's gotten a little better, but, it's still. Just. I don't know. It's hard to explain? The dichotomy of Apollo and Andrew can be overwhelming at times." But it was getting better. "Oh. Um. Well. About that...." Apollo chuckled a little. "Yeah. My girlfriend knows. Scarlett is.. well.. Scarlett is actually Erato." He rubbed the back of his neck and up to the back of his head. "And Euterpe is also in the building. Her sink was the one that woke me up."
ARTEMIS
She took the glass and held on to it. Hoenstly, she wasn'te ven thirsty, but it seemed like a thing to have and to hold on to. Artemis had to keep reminding herself that even though her divinity was slowly returning, she still had to take care of her mortal body. Turning towards him when he sat with her, she was quiet and listened to what he was explaining to her. She understood the dichotomy of Apollo and Andrew. It was the same with Artemis and Amelia. "Oh. Oh, I see." She wasn't entirely surprised that he'd taken up with a muse or that another one had moved somewhere close to him. "And are you and... Erato... planning on getting married...?" She didn't know! It was a fair question to ask of your brother. Especially when you might have to hunt down a muse and end her if she hurt your brother.
APOLLO
He blinked when she asked about marriage. "I. Marriage?" He looked so confused at that. "Um. No? I.. I don't think so?" Because, well.... "We're. Well. We're kind of open? About our relationship? Like, she's my primary and I'm hers. But, we see other people?" Not that that meant they couldn't get married. And he realized that after he said that. "I mean. If we were going to get married. That'd still be there. But. No. No marriage. Not any time soon. She does live downstairs though?" That was something, right?
ARTEMIS
"You don't have to over explain yourself, little brother. I understand about open relationships." Just because she didn't have one and never had wanted one didn't mean she didn't get how the world worked. "I'm glad you're happy, that's all." She smiled at him and reached out to touch his hand. "I'm glad that you're here. I felt... very alone. For a while I thought I was the only one. Then I met one or two others like us. No one like you. But awakened beings. And I remember so much. Everything came back at once and it was so heavy." She shook her head. "But I did what I could do. And then when the time came, I knew I had to tell you. I was tired of keeping it a secret and I didn't have anyone else I could really turn to. And now I know why I was so keen to tell you, specifically."
APOLLO
He smiled, taking a hold of her hand and giving it a squeeze. "I am. Both happy and here. I wish I would've reached out. But, I had no clue how Amelia would have handled the news. I figured that maybe she would've tried to have Andrew committed, or something like that." He didn't know. But, yeah. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I should have been. I'm your brother. I should've been there when you needed me. I won't let that happen again, I promise you." And, he'd keep to that promise. "There are so many of us here, Artemis." Calling her that just came naturally. "Father is here. As is Asclepius and his Hygeia." Those were their immediate family, so, that's who mattered most right then. But there were many, many more of them.
ARTEMIS
She returned the squeeze and continued to listen. "Amelia, on her own, would probably just not believed you. But I couldn't have you committed. I live over an ocean and I am not your guardian." She laughed at him and then touched his cheek. "You didn't know I needed you. I didn't know I could lean on you like this. Not at first. And I spent a few days in bed, trying to sort through everything. It took so long for me to sort through who I am versus who I was... many times over. And then I spent a month figuring out who I wanted to be with this new mix. But... oh. Father? And my nephew and his daughter. That is good. I am glad you have not been alone." And she meant it. It wasn't in Artemis - or Amelia - to be jealous of anything.
APOLLO
He chuckled a little and shook his head. "Andrew thought that was for sure an option. You might have tried, as my only surviving relative." Mortal relative, that is. "I understand that. It.. like I said. Sometimes it's still hard. I think once I start to be able to do more, it'll get easier. Or, at least, I hope so." He looked a little sad for a moment. "I know Andrew and Amelia weren't close, but, he would've moved the earth for her if she needed him to. And, you know I will do anything for you." He'd done so before and he would do so again. "And now you're not alone. I know Father will adore having you here." He'd leave the fact that Zeus was a 23 year old as a surprise.
ARTEMIS
"My aim is back. I haven't missed a target since I started. And working with the animals has gotten strangely a lot easier. I know it's just been a month, but I've tried so much. It'll come back to you in time. You just have to be patient with it. And nurse it along. Don't let it atrophy. But don't expect it just to come straight back. That's not how things work. You have to reach for them. To remind the world - and your body - what you can do." She looked down at Bailey the cat who was weaving around her feet. Scooping him up, she pressed a kiss to his head. "I know you'll do anything for me. You always have. And I always will do the same. I'm only sorry that it took this long and this kind of revelation for us to come back together."
APOLLO
"I haven't tried shooting yet. My music is exceptional," but it always had been. Almost as if Apollo was right there the whole time. "But I'll have to keep that in mind. I've been trying to force things. But, I can't do that." It didn't work like that, and he knew it. But, still. He was impatient sometimes. He smiled as Bailey started to purrrrrrrrrrrr. Massive, loud, deep purrs. "And now we don't have to be apart. And that is just.. amazing to me. I want to be selfish and hoard you to myself for like a month, but I know I can't."
ARTEMIS
"No, you can't force it. But you can let it accept you again. It will come back." She leaned down and kissed the cat's temple and then looked back up, smiling at him. "You can hoard me all you want. I don't know anyone here besides you. Amelia, that is. It's not as if I have a lot of friends in the States." Honestly, she hadn't had a ton of friends in the UK, either. She'd always had very exacting standards for friends and was quick to set them aside when they broke her strange code of rules. And everyone was always trying to hook her up with someone. She absolutely did not want to be hooked up with anyone and, after a while, she got tired of that and stopped talking to the offending party.
APOLLO
"Well, Amelia might not. But Artemis does. But, Andrew is going to show Amelia all the sights!" Because, that'd be so much fun, he was sure. "And then we can go see Father and Hera. Maybe we can to to Dionysus' club. I'm sure he'd be happy to see you." Which wasn't a lie. Dionysus didn't really have anything against the twins at all. "But, all of that can wait. Tonight, I'll only make you meet Scarlett. Er. Erato." Because that was the plan anyway, so, you know. They'd just keep to the plan.