As soon as I got there I knew he hadn't actually forgiven me. He made a point of using the same waitress as last time but this time at another restaurant. She was shaking the entire time, tears constantly in her eyes she was so scared.
He made no effort to make any conversation and shut down my efforts. I forced myself to sit through the uncomfortable dinner, letting him laugh at me mockingly every time I opened my mouth and brushing his harsh words off.
He was angry at me and he had every right to be but I didn't understand we he insisted on a date while he was still angry.
This was doing no good, only harm.
I left that dinner feeling smaller than I had in a long time. Guilt was swirling through me.
As soon as Fire dismissed me with a wave of his hand I teleported right to my bathroom at the cottage and threw up. I sat down and a couple traitorous tears trailed down my face as I tried to take big breaths.
I never want to be on FIre's bad side ever again. It was beyond horrible. What happened to the sweet guy that threw Jacob across the desert for staring at me? Or the one who was adorably jealous of Zeus, for honestly no reason. The one who let me cheer him up when we thought the search for Aqua was hopeless.
I missed him, the man who was a monster to everyone but me. But now he was a monster to me too and I hated it.
I took a deep breath before pulling myself together and walking out to meet Coeus in the living room. It was time to make a game plan. He said he would start teaching me some more basics as I continued to go on dates.
"So, I've decided to cut your dates down a little to really get this moving. Unless your current dates start going badly I'm going to remove Zeus and Dirt Boy. I can tell that you just see Zeus as a friend and your dates are just plain awkward. I already let Zeus know and while he wasn't happy he understood. You don't know Dirt Boy that well so we'll call him up if Jacob, Ares and Fire's dates are all hopeless. Sound good?"
I nodded.
"Okay, lets start mind training!" He sang happily, bouncing on his chair, which lemme tell you was a weird sight.
"Okay, I'm going to try and get into your head, you need to sense that and you're going to have to fight my mind until it submits to yours and agrees to leave. I don't have my full mind powers so it shouldn't be impossible but it isn't going to be easy. It could take a few hours before you figure it out. Don't try and rush it, okay?"
I nodded and closed my eyes as Coeus dug into my mind.
It took me a solid twenty minutes before I could even detect his presence but as soon as I did I began fighting.
Coeus was right when he said it was going to be hard.
After hours I could feel myself shaking from exhaustion. I hadn't been that tired in decades.
He continued to push until I decided to switch tactics. Instead of forming a wall with my mind and trying to use it to force him out I used my power and my mind. I brought them together and started pushing directly with my mind.
The power helped push me through and soon enough I was forcing him out successfully. Once he was finally out I felt relief wash through my body. It wasn't comfortable to have something pushing through your mind for that long.
I opened my eyes to an excited Coeus but as soon as they opened they were closing again and I was collapsing down onto the couch.
I heard Coeus let out a laugh before his arms wrapped around me.
He felt him bring me to my room before tucking me into bed.
I couldn't help my smile as he left a fatherly kiss to my forehead before softly walking out.
I let my exhausted mind drift off to sleep for the second time in the last 50 years and it felt amazing.
My mind was so relieved to be able to repair itself after all the hard work it took to push Coeus out. Now, he was officially kicked out of my mind. He couldn't re-enter without my permission. I'd have to go through the same process with any other gods who were able to right to enter my mind but once I get them out of my head they're out for good.
If I can master keeping people out then I will have completed the first step to being able to fight whoever has Aqua captive.
I knew I had a lot of exhausting work ahead of me as well as a bunch of bad dates but I felt real hope swirl through me for the first time since Aimoto turned Fire and I away.
I was awoken by someone shaking me lightly by my shoulders.
I groggily opened my eyes to see a panicked Zeus.
"Zeus?" I mumbled tiredly, my mind still too tired to process what was happening.
"Eclipse! You need to wake up! We need help, I don't know what to do, I didn't know who to call and you're my friend and you're the best fighter I know, other than my asshole of a brother Ares. Please you have to help."
I immediately shook my head to try and clear my mind as I jumped up from the bed.
"Where?" I mumbled as I tried to concentrate through my blurry vision.
"I'll teleport you there, hold on." He said, reaching out his hand.
I was still a little confused but he needed my help and he was my friend. I put my hand in his and the world disappeared before reappearing.
I looked around in confusion, too tired to summon my fighting clothes on while I took in the empty field of a planet I had never visited before in my oversized t-shirt and tiny shorts.
"What is this Zeus? Where are they? Who needs help?" I mumbled, still foggy from mind training.
"Can Coeus read your mind from here?" He asked and I shook my head, not thinking about my answer.
"No I just learnt how to block him out. Why? What's going on?"
"You can block people out now?" He asked poking worried and I rose my eyebrows.
"What's going on Zeus?" I asked, still looking around the empty filed in confusion.
"I think we're clear!" Zeus suddenly boomed out.
What kind of weird ass dream?
Before I could think a familiar face was appearing in the middle of the field, a few feet away.
I felt the breath knock out of me. Not possible.
"Hello, Ellie. Or is it Eclipse now? I think I like Ellie better."
His voice sent shivers down my back.
I hadn't visited him in my visits to earth because Coeus had said he'd gotten what he deserved, but then what was he doing here? This had to be a dream. A nightmare.
He chuckled coldly, making me take a cautious step back as I looked to Zeus in betrayal.
"Zeus? What's going on? Why is he here? W-where are we?" I stumbled over my words slightly as I looked around in panic. My entire body just wanted to collapse and go back to sleep, my mind was physically throbbing and I was trying to figure out the most confusing situation I'd ever stumbled across.
Suddenly I felt a presence entering my mind and forcing me to my knees.
Zeus just stared, his eyes colder than I'd ever seen them.
"Zeus?" I whispered out again.
"I never wanted to get you involved, Eclipse. I truly did care about you, but its too late. Once Coeus explained that you were going to train to save Aqua I knew I couldn't leave you out anymore. You need to learn to learn your own business Eclipse. Then you rejected me! After everything I did for us to be together, you rejected me. ME!"
I shook my head in confusion. None of this was making sense. Zeus couldn't be working with the person who took Aqua, could he?
He was my mentor, my teacher! He was a shoulder to lean on throughout my break-up with Ares, he was always there for me. Always so light and happy.
Always the opposite of the man who was standing in front of me.
Zeus looked cold and bitter as he stared into my eyes. He looked like a wounded animal. Like an arrogant man with a wounded ego.
I never really saw Zeus as being an arrogant prick but maybe I was wrong.
I never sensed any bad intentions from him but my mother taught me not to read the auras or minds of my friends or the people the I'm supposed to trust. It's just rude.
I would've loved to check his aura now but even that was too exhausting for my throbbing mind.
"Zeus, please tell me this is a dream. This isn't you. You wouldn't help this absolute piece of shit of a person, would you?"
With those words the sky started to light up with lightning, thunder rolling through the skies. I sighed as I thought of Jacob. Our last night together was so simple and so easy. What I would give to be away from here and back on the roof of that cottage in Jacob's arms.
"Thinking about another man while Zeus and I are right here? While I'm in your mind? I'm not sure whether to think you're brave or stupid. I'm leaning towards stupid." Klaus spat out.
Before I could react he was slamming his boot into my face and knocking me to the ground. His hold over my mind was still strong as he forced me to lie there.
A storm started to brew overhead and the winds picked up as the rain started to come down hard.
I noticed all grass and wildlife within a mile radius begin to wither away as I realized that this wasn't a dream. That I was helpless.
Zeus had betrayed me and turned me in to Klaus, my ex-boyfriend who cheated on me and tried to kill me back when I was mortal. The man that took over Fire and his siblings' planet and is keeping Aqua held hostage. The man who had to steal his mind powers from his teacher, Aimoto. The power which belonged to my mentor Coeus.
Pathetic.
That's the one word I would describe them with.
I didn't want to date Zeus so he turned me in to my evil dictator ex-boyfriend. Pathetic.
As I felt myself drift into darkness all I could think was that one word. Pathetic.
I was the most pathetic one of all, for letting them in, letting them take advantage of me at my weakest and letting them outsmart me.
I had been betrayed more times than I could count. How could I still be so trusting?
There was one thing in common with all of those betrayals and that is that I don't know when to shut my damn mouth. I'll let anyone in, even if I convince myself I've done otherwise.
To think I had considered telling Zeus my big secret on multiple occasions. I couldn't even imagine the damage he could do if he knew that now.
I fucked up once again.
Pathetic.