After Rhapso told me everything she knew about what happened to me, I sat in silence for a while as she held my arm happily, swinging her legs back and forth.

Although she said it was just speculation, because Thanatos was as powerful as he was at this moment in time, just my few movements in his domain had brought me close to death. As such, death energy was clinging to me for a while like It wanted my lifeforce.

It wasn’t malicious in any way, just nature. Death claims life and life emerges from death.

Her explanation did put me at ease, although Artemis said I was safe, she didn’t know the full truth, so having Rhapso explain made me truly at ease.

After a couple more minutes allowing my new clingy Nymph some time to let out her excitement, I suddenly remembered something.

"Oh! Onyx has been pestering me to ask you about something, but I kept on forgetting as we haven’t been solo for a while. Where is my seed? Ugh that sounds dirtier than I meant. What I meant was where is the... No even that way it will sound dirty."

Thankfully Rhapso came to my verbal rescue, by removing her helmet, biting her lip and increasing the lewdity. "Do you mean where is the insane amount of cum Ness and I drained from you in order to stop you from turning into a woad?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah. That."

"We left it with Phoebe. She would have gone through the process of removing the seed from your seed already. I’m not sure if its off planet yet though. That depends on how my replacement arrived. Why what’s up?" She asked.

"Oh, not much. Onyx wants it. She said my teacher would want it a great deal as well so I was wondering if you would be able to get it? With you being my sneaky Nymph on the inside."

Rhapso giggled for a moment at my words before shaking her head. "Sorry Apollo. Our leader has taken an interest in the seed. It’s been too long since we had something like that. So while if you still ordered me to retrieve it back, I would in a heartbeat. Just know that they would find out it was me that took it and that would create questions."

I patted Rhapso’s thigh again and smirked. "It’s fine. I can at least tell her to stop bringing up trees now. All I’ve been hearing for a couple of weeks is. ’Apollo ask about the tree.’ She’s cute, but it was starting to push my buttons a little bit."

"Does Onyx know what you are, Apollo? Does anyone else aside from me? Does your teacher? The rest of the scourge?" Rhapso asked, prompting me to frown.

"I don’t think Jewel does, but she is powerful, so she might? I think Onyx might know now, she has been alluding to it recently due to all our chats about it. But she hasn’t asked me outright. Sol knows, but that’s because she is beyond powerful when not connected to me."

I wanted to tell them of course. If anyone deserved to know my true origin, it was my buggy beauties, but I couldn’t. I only managed to tell Nerissa and Rhapso through a loophole. They thought I was a reincarnation of one of their gods, not reincarnated from another universe. I still couldn’t say the words out loud and it prompted me to sigh, which in turn made Rhapso apologise to me.

"Sorry Apollo. I won’t speak of it further... It’s just. It feels nice being one of few that know your deepest secret. Knowing who you truly are. What you are to me. What you-Mmhhh! mmmhhh~"

I pressed my lips against hers and she began to devour them with fervour. She was aggressive, yet timid. Hungry for more, yet scared to push my wishes.

I kissed her for a few moments, enjoying the milder sappy flavour of her saliva compared to Nerissa’s more intense and prominent flavour.

’I wonder if it’s an age thing? Like Spirits? The older the Nymph the more intense the taste? Curious.’ I thought to myself after pulling away and looking at her lips.

Rhapso’s eyes were fluttering as they lingered on my lips. It was a dangerous look for certain, but we couldn’t linger here for too long and I wasn’t planning on anything more with Sol waiting patiently.

Getting up, I reached down and gave Rhapso my hand. "Come on, we better get back before they get curious and find you without your helmet on."

Rhapso seemed stunned for a moment before smiling warmly at me. She then put her helmet back on before taking my hand. "Yes. Of course Sentinel. A wise course of action." She declared with a playful salute after standing back up before we made our way back.

...

After making it back, I had taken my armour off to appear less conspicuous as I just wanted to relax for a few hours amongst my allies, but I heard yelling as I approached them and I just groaned. ’What now?’

"I will not ask again. You will tell me and you will tell me now. I care not if you are Psionic mercenaries. Those are Xeno weapons. Hand them over or be prepared to face capital punishment."

"Lochagos are you on char? We have a Praetorian right here and you are threatening us?" Rhea asked, genuinely baffled by what was occurring.

"The Praetorian has the classification to use those weapons. They don’t have authority to give you those weapons however. So yes. I am threatening you. Hand over your weapons or else."

Nerissa then made her move and took steps between the group and the Lochagos. "Lochagos. Leave."

The man shook his head, tapping his helmet in disbelief. "I am a Lochagos of Xeno purgation. I have been personally ordained by King Sigismund himself in these matters. So no, I will not leave. Praetorian, I suggest you encourage these Ne’er-do-wells to hand over those weapons before I have you detained for-"

Grabbing the man from behind, I picked him up by the collarbone and shoved him into a metal beam left behind by the Drakoshi. The man still looked like he was about to yell and his guard of a few dozen Phalanx behind him trained their weapons on me, at which point every Psionic individual present brandished their weapons and powers against them.

"Get your fucking hands off me you- Aaggghh!" I cut off the man and removed the helmet he was wearing by literally ripping it off his face, breaking it in the process.

"Nuh uh. See you don’t want to speak or make any noise without permission right now. You can feel it. I can see it from your cold sweats. I have your nice and feeble collarbone right here. Just one squeeze from my hands and I will turn it to dust. Now calmly and without any vulgar language or threats, explain what you are doing here and threatening your allies?"

Looking at the red haired man, he seemed to need some encouragement so I began to squeeze. He just took a deep breath while looking at me with malice as he spoke.

"Lochagos Carmine. Head of local Xenos purgation. During inspection, mere minutes after my arrival, I find these mercenaries using unidentified Xeno rifles. So I am commanding you. Put me down, hand over those weapons and be prepared for detainment."

I looked the man square in the eyes for a few minutes. He was sweating buckets, but his eyes had a determination in them. He would die on this hill if he had to.

"Skaja. Go get Serena." I commanded, not turning away from the man.

As Skaja flew away, Carmine spoke to me. "You are directly interfering with King Sigismund’s orders. I comply to only three entities. The king. My Order and my family. You are not any so just know, if you do, you know, turn my collarbone to dust. It will be the last thing you do as a free man."

"Is that so?" I raised an eyebrow amused.

"Yes. It is." Lochagos Carmine replied.

The stalemate between the forces continued uneasily for a few moments before Skaja descended from the sky with a woman in her hands. "Fucking by me a drink first if you are going to touch me like that, you skank!" Serena spat at Skaja after escaping her grasp before walking over.

The moment she noticed me and the person I was holding, her eyes went wide. "Apollo, put him down, please."

I dropped the man at her request and the man landed on his feet and began nursing his shoulder as he continued to look at me, but after a few seconds he turned towards Serena and I noticed the blood drain from his face.

Serena approached at a heavy pace before punching out, connecting with Carmine’s temple.

"Carmine? Are you out of your fucking mind picking a fight with a Sentinel!?! I should send you back to your mother in a body bag you stupid fuck! Better yet, how are you here without me knowing? Speak now!"