15 CHAPTER 15

"Gah!" I sat up from my bed and looked around me. It was dark and cold.

I noticed a body beside me and found Diane, Kaval and Apollo sleeping peacefully. Something wet slid down my eyes and I realized I was crying. I looked around immediately to look for someone, but he wasn't there. We weren't there.

I wasn't there. I looked at the bed that I saw in my dream and it was empty. It felt so real, the pain felt real, everything felt real. I stood up and walked towards the balcony, I opened the door and the view of a starry night immediately embraced my vison.

"It was only a dream." I said to myself. But something inside me felt sad. I felt sad. Did I feel sad that it was only a dream?

I do not know. That meant all of it was in my head. Hade being nice wasn't real. Hade being kind wasn't real. Hade being warm wasn't real. Hade being vulnerable wasn't real.

The Hade that laid on his pillow on my lap wasn't real. The Hade that held me tight wasn't real. The Hade that claimed me as his wasn't real. The Hade that kissed me wasn't real.

None of it was real. I forced my mind to think that it's okay but my it did not. I was not okay. I was fooled by a dream that was orchestrated by my head. And I was a fool to believe it.

"Can't sleep?" I jolted when I heard a voice behind me. It was Apollo in his usual form. I smiled warmly at him thanking the gods that at least, he's not a dream.

"Had a bad dream." I replied shortly and looked up to the stars. I felt a fabric wrap my body and I turned to see Apollo wrapping himself and me in a blanket. We sat on the terrace with our feet dangling over the edge.

"They say dreams are a part of your past life." I looked at him immediately.

"The gods has a way of reconnecting people that are meant to be, and they say dreams is a form of that connection."

I looked back to my view and sighed. I don't plan on getting my hopes up on something that never happened. I touched my lips and his traces were still there.

"Alex, what did you dream about?" I looked at him with saddened eyes and smiled.

"Something that felt so real." He motioned me to lay my head on his shoulder and I gladly complied. He was warm but not as warm as him in my dreams.

He smelt sweet yet not as sweet as him in my dreams. I closed my eyes and tried to forget and forced myself to erase whatever it is that I dreamt. I shouldn't be swayed by what was falsely constructed.

It felt real yes but it was too good and unrealistic to be true. Apollo swung his arms around me and held me tight.

"Whatever it may be Alex, just know that we are here for you. I am here for you." I nuzzled my head on Apollo to seek comfort.

I feel bad as I felt like I was using him to forget what was unreal to begin with. A moment of silence passed us until a bolt of lightning strike the tree on the field. It immediately caught fire and it burned so bright that I could feel the warmth coming from it. I was so startled yet so confused as to why there was a lightning when the night was clear from any form of storm.

"Let's get inside." Apollo helped me get off the terrace and brought me inside. There were already staffs outside trying to pry the fire off, but it was unwavering.

I was about to close the door when I felt someone staring at me. I shivered and brushed the feeling of and went inside.

My ears rang due to the loud clap of thunder that followed after the lightning. Kaval and Diane sat up obviously startled.

"It's fine. Just a little lightning. We should go back to sleep." Apollo reassured the two who immediately plopped back onto the bed.

We were in a single bed, Apollo was beside Diane, and then I came next to her and then Apollo.

"Apollo?"

"Hmmm?"

"Did we play the game of truths and dare?"

"Ah yes, but you fell asleep when Kaval when Kaval was taking too long to eat the broccoli." Apollo chuckled as he said that. I'm forcing to believe that what he said was true, but my instinct was chaotic but posed one message and that is something did happened. But why would they lie to me? I sighed and brushed off the feeling and laid down.

"We can cuddle if you want." I nodded and sank deeper into Apollos' embrace as he hugged me.

He was humming a certain tune that lulled me to sleep. If the embrace in my dream wasn't real, at least Apollo's warmth was.

"Wake up lovebirds! We have classes to attend to!" Diane was shouting her throat off while vigorously shaking us.

I groaned and snuggled back into Apollo but when Diane opened the curtains the light was too bright to keep me from sleeping thus I groaned and slowly sat up.

"Well how was the cuddle?" Diane said making me blush. I looked at Apollo and let me say something, he never looks ugly.

Heck he looks really good despite just waking up while I feel like a total decaying potato. He ruffled my hair and helped me to stand up.

"Kaval get your ass up!" Kaval threw the pillow at Diane who caught it. Kaval looked really pissed but he looked fine as well. Am I the only ugly person here!?

"I say that we go back to our separate rooms to get ready. Let's meet each other at the dining hall. Now get out!" Diane said and pushed the three of us out.

Kaval cursed her out loud, but Diane did not even listen.

"I'll see you later." I smiled and nodded at Apollo.

"You look really cute!" He added.

I blushed at his compliment and practically ran to my room. I was about to open my door when the door on the opposite room opened and I was met with a grumpy Hade. I sighed mentally and said,

'It really was a dream.' He spared me a glance and it was the same thing as the previous days. It was deadly and cold. I entered my room and close the door. Soon enough the door opened, and Nate came in along with Philip.

"Eyour emajesty." Philip said and bowed down. Nate rolled his eyes while I laughed at his stupidity.

"Good morning to you too Philip, you too Nate."

"Let me skim through your wardrobe Alex, go and take a shower. Diane's' aid told me that we should be on time to avoid being late. I mumbled a quick thank you to Nate.

"Elet me bathe you Alex." Nate and I glared at him and he immediately raised his hands up in defense.

"Why are you together this early?"

"I and the other aids also had a sleep over. And apparently Philip is the aid of Apollo, Prince of the Aerial Kingdom." Philip nodded in agreement.

So, Apollo is from the Aerial Kingdom. I might ask him more later, but I turned back to look at Philip with skeptical eyes.

"Why aren't you assisting Apollo?"

"Oh, he insist doing things on his own." I nodded and went into the shower.

Warm water ran through my bare body as I closed my eyes trying to relax for a few minutes before starting my day. I sighed and went through my routine as fragments of my dream kept flashing back.

I wrapped a towel around my waist and decided to come out of the shower. When Nate noticed my presence, he immediately rushed to Philip and harshly turned him around, pushing him out of the room.

"H-Hey! What did I do!?"

"Alex is going to change. Seeing his bare figure is forbidden, unless you want your head rolling on this very floor then you are very much welcome to get back in." Nate flashed a wicked smile at Philip who immediately got out of the room on his own accord.

"I see that you have already made some new friends." Nate passed me my clothes as I was looking at myself in the mirror.

"I do not think of them as my friends per say. I see them as my fellow aid and we might share some commonalities, that does not mean that I would befriend them." I smiled and nodded.

I always admired Nate for being so practical when it comes to things. He knows the things he need and the things to dispose.

"So, you and Philip are not friends?" He just looked at me with a stare that said it all but I decided to push him a little.

"Ah, yes of course you are not friends with him." He sighed and closed his eyes before muttering a thank you.

"You two are lovers." I said like a love-sick person who whenever love is the topic, they close their eyes and hold their hands and flash a smile which they think is cute. Not.

"Alex a-are you-"

"I'm joking Nate, loosen up."