"It’s fine, Rhapso, really. I just... Don’t think I am ready for that type of power yet. Just give me time, ok?"

Rhapso looked up at me and simply nodded her head. Her face looked beyond relieved that I wasn’t upset.

"Still though, despite it nearly killing me." I began as I approached her slowly. I then wrapped my hand around her waist, pulling her closer. "I did hear what you wanted from me... What kind of god would I be if I didn’t try and make my Nymphs wishes come true?"

I then pulled Rhapso into a swift kiss, her action of melting into me was one I was familiar with at this point and supported her for a moment before breaking it off.

She then gulped audibly after I kissed her and looked up at me. "Apollo... Can I pleasure you again? I really want to."

I hastily pulled away from her as she said that, she looked distraught for a moment before I clarified. "We really shouldn’t linger here for much longer, Rhapso. We still need to get some rest before today’s mission.

"*Sigh~ Understood. A shame though, I really wanted to gulp down that seed of yours this time. The urge to do so last time was so strong~"

It was my turn to gulp and before I could do anything I felt a coolness in my hand and Rhapso instantly darted backwards.

Looking down I smiled and nodded to my oldest friend and protector. "Thanks, Stick. I can always count on you when things are going too far."

I then turned to Rhapso and raised the stick in a point, causing her to suppress a gag. "Seriously, you are one of mine now. That means you are under my laws. When you go too far in your advances, especially when the time isn’t right. You get the stick. Now come on, enough lolligagging, we need to find wherever your armour blew off after those- Tribulations? And get back."

With its purpose fulfilled, the Stick returned to my Mindspace and once it did, Rhapso suddenly gasped in realisation. "Oh right! I forgot I was naked, where is that pesky armour? Oh dear..."

Following Rhapso’s gaze, I spotted her armour, or what was left of it. It was in tatters. All that was left from the looks of things was its frame.

"That... Is less than ideal." I spoke the obvious as Rhapso hurried forward, muttering to herself.

"Did it survive? Did it survive? Did it survive? Did it-Yes! Oh thank my god! I mean... Thank goodness!" Rhapso declared, as I felt another tingle in my heart, before she picked up a green looking core from within the armour.

"Whats that for?" I inquired.

Rhapso began to fiddle with the thing and her armour as she spoke to me. "I recall you asking me why my armour is green compared to Nerissa’s and most other Praetorians. It’s because of this little beauty. A mutated Praedoxite. It absorbs Life and nature Psionics into itself. After a few thousand years, I managed to create my armour using it inside. Now whenever it is given the energy it absorbs it and..."

Rhapso began to expel her Psionics out of her body, I could feel from where I stood the energy being sapped into the spherical core and watched as her armour began to reform itself within a few minutes.

I raised my eyebrow, impressed, not failing to spot the similarities between her armour and my own in that regard, though my armour will devour anything, just like the rest of my bug wife.

Once her armour was restored, Rhapso let out a breath of relief and got back inside it.

"In hindsight, I probably should have removed my armour a bit more off to the side, but I had never actually seen an oath being broken before, so yeah. I didn’t expect such a powerful lightning strike to attempt to smite me. Oh well, not like it’s ever going to happen again. I finally have my purpose. My true purpose."

I went to reply, but off a sudden I could hear crackling and whizzing in the far distance. Firearms had begun to go off and from what I could tell, it was from either direction west and east. Not ideal.

Gesturing to Rhapso I spoke. "Right, come on, you big ego booster, let’s go before we are drawn into a fight. Are you feeling alright to run?"

Rhapso gave me a nod. "Yes Apollo. My energy is returning to me with every second."

"Great. Then let’s get a wiggle on."

...

After making it back to the bunker, we still had ninety minutes to spare. Just enough for a quick powernap, something I was seriously looking forward to. My Nineteenth birthday had been quite an odd one to say the least.

"So, just one more time for my own gratification." I spoke as we approached the entrance.

"Things will proceed as they have been for the last few weeks. Nothing has changed on the surface."

"Good. The last thing we need is suspicion now let’s go inside."

As i shimmied my way into the gap before the bunker doors. I landed and used the biometric scanner to open the doors, the moment I did I was suddenly greeted with a familiar face, or helmet.

"Oh, Apollo. You are back. I went to your room not long ago and couldn’t find you. After looking around for a while, Willow told me you went out with Rhapso? Is everything alright?"

I went to give a sound logical explanation, but Rhapso then dropped down and began speaking.

"Oh yeah, the two of us couldn’t sleep. Apollo was just ranting and raving about our performance earlier and couldn’t take his own advice about getting some rest. So after bumping into him, the two of us went out for a little midnight rendezvous, isn’t that right?"

"..."

"M-Midnight rendezvous?" Nerissa suddenly interjected, thankfully. Or not. "What does a Midnight rendezvous entail?"

I went to speak again, but again, Rhapso spoke.

"Oh you know. Chatting while scouting. Not much. Apollo told me his favourite song of ours and I teased him about wanting to give him a birthday treat. One of a similar nature to the pretty fun gift we gave him in the glade."

...

...

...

A silence lingered between the three of us for a moment before Nerissa turned to me and asked stoically. "And did you receive such a gift? Apollo?"

’Why am I sweating?’

"No?"

"No?" Ness parroted. "Are you telling me or asking me? Apollo what-"

"-And what were you doing looking for Apollo in his room in the middle of the night? After everyone was supposed to be asleep?" Rhapso suddenly cut Nerissa off.

"W-what?" Nerissa suddenly stammered, catching me off guard by the shyness I heard in her voice.

Rhapso also heard the shyness, but she pounced on it like a weakness. Like a predator. "Nerissa~ What were you doing in our dear leader’s room after dark? Were you planning something... Dare I say? Scandalous... My, my."

"I don’t see how that is any of your-"

"Ness?" I cut her off, my intrigue spiked.

She seemed to lose her tongue for a moment before standing up straight and speaking to me incredibly formally.

"Apollo, I went to your room as it is your birthday and even though it is incredibly fast... I was going to see if you wanted to... Cuddle."

My eyes opened wide as I stared at Nerissa, who lost all her nerve and could now not even look at me.

I turned to Rhapso for a moment but she seemed equally stunned.

"Well, that is unbelievably adorable." I admitted before grabbing Nerissa’s hand and pulling her towards me. Hugging her, she seemed frozen for a moment until I spoke.

"Honestly, the performance the two of you put on tonight was already an incredible gift, but if you want to go to my room for the next ninety minutes and just hug like this, but not in your armour, I would be a fool to say no. Is that what you want?"

Nerissa stayed still for a moment before I felt her head nod against me. I then smirked at this ancient warrior being so cute and turned to Rhapso. "We will continue our conversations later, ok?

Rhapso then folded her arms, clearly enjoying what she was seeing. "Of course, you two have fun. Ness? Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, even though you are the elder."

Nerissa then hastily replied back. "I have no idea what you are insinuating, Rhapso. Nothing else is going to happen... I’m not ready for more yet." She muttered under her breath at the end.

...

Once leaving the entrance, Rhapso stood there for a few moments processing everything that just happened as she watched Nerissa leave for Apollo’s room. A feeling suddenly began to pour throughout her body...

Something intense...

Something all encompassing...

Something she couldn’t ignore...

"Bah! I am so Jelly!"