It's hard to act interested in something after twelve hours of doing the same thing over and over again.

Basically, I was done and ready to go home. I was absolutely exhausted from not only having to sign things (my hand had been cramping every ten minutes since 3), but also listening to stories about my mom or words of praise over my book and just being around so many people.

So many people.

And the line didn't seem to ever end.

About the time that the clock hit six-forty-five, the security staff started informing people that I'd be done signing in fifteen minutes and that I likely would only get through a few more.

I somehow made it through the last few people, then let Travis pull me to my feet while Jacob gathered my things.

I don't remember getting to the car, but I woke up when Travis was unbuckling me and then carefully picking me up.

"Shh, just go back to sleep," He murmured.

"Pajamas," I murmured back, sighing.

"Think you'll even be able to stay awake?"

"Have to."

"No, you don't. Just go to sleep. One night wearing jeans won't hurt you."

I hummed disapprovingly but my body was betraying me.

"What did you do to her?" Nico asked accusingly the moment we got to the front door, opening it for us.

"He won't put me down," I answered, trying to wiggle out of his grasp.

"I will drop you on these hard, tile floors," Travis threatened.

I went still, not wanting to be in more pain. My back was sore, my hand was throbbing and spasming, my bad arm was completely numb…I honestly couldn't dress or undress myself if I wanted to.

He adjusted his grip on me, then started up the stairs. "Could you get her a glass of water, Nico?"

"Yeah, I'll be up in a sec."

"Where's Aaron?"

"Um, he's sort of trapped under a very blissful Batman."

"Hit the sweet spot?" I asked, yawning.

"Oh yes. They've been sitting there for about half an hour."

I hummed in amusement and curled a little more into Travis. "It's too early for bed…"

"No, it's not. You're exhausted."

"I don't want to dream."

"Then don't."

"No, I don't want to dream. Anything," I whispered.

He didn't respond until after he had set me on the bed and was sitting lightly next to me. "I get it. I do. We can't control our half-blood dreams, and our…other dreams…I don't know. And the dreams from our new…abilities…" He frowned. "Sometimes I feel like if I dream one more time that I'm in some sort of battle training I might go impale myself. And Connor, he's already had itchy feet but dreaming of treasures and artifacts are making him restless. We're still children of Hermes, we can only take so much temptation."

"And the doors," You said. "The doors to different worlds of our minds creation."

His gaze got distant. "I've been using it to keep up in my classes. It's exhausting but there just isn't enough time in the day. A waste of a gift, probably, but it beats learning a different way to strike opponents."

I blinked up at him. "That night, when we walked into the pool…"

He tilted his head, waiting.

"Your…the matriarch, she called us guardians. One guardian for 'magic and healing, a guardian to train and fight, a guardian to help and to seek, and a guardian of changes' and…you're saying that you have dreams where you're learning to fight better and Connor is having dreams of artifacts and treasures that he wants to look for…"

He shivered. "I don't know what all is going on with us, but I know that together we're stronger and safer."

"I want to understand what's happening to us."

"I want us all to be safe," Travis argued. "We don't know what the future will bring so, please. I know you don't want to dream, but you need to rest."

Nico came in and set the water on the table next to the bed. "Why do you look like hell?"

"Too much people-ing," I answered, holding a hand out to him.

He crawled over you and pulled your numb arm over so he could help rub some of the feeling back into it. "Hate it when that happens."

I curled toward him. "Don't want to sleep."

"I'll visit you in your dreams," He said. "I'll be okay. Even if you have the nightmare, it'll be okay."

I looked up at Travis, seeing the stress clearly in his eyes. "You need sleep more. You have schoolwork, too, I bet."

He hesitated.

"Go, I'll make sure she sleeps. We'll just watch some episodes of Gilligan's Island and she'll conk right out. Right?" Nico teased softly, rolling his eyes.

I poked his side. "Yeah, yeah." Then I remembered the phone call. "I just want to see if my mom has a book in her reference library, okay? I promise I will come right back after I finish looking."

Nico nodded. "I'll allow it. Bring Batman as well."

I nodded and hopped up, patting Travis's shoulder as I passed him and hurrying down the stairs.

"If you're not back upstairs in fifteen minutes, I will carry you back up," Travis warned as I opened the doors to my mom's office.

"Yeah, yeah, go make sure you turned in your paper," I said, rolling my eyes and shutting the doors behind me.

There was some mild swearing from behind the doors and you could hear him heading towards the stairs to the basement.

I took a moment, then pulled out my phone and called the number Sam Winchester had left with me.

"Cassie? Hey, sorry about—"

"Look, something has come up. I'm going to have to meet you somewhere else."

"Oh, okay, uh…we're in Arizona right now—"

"Then let's meet in Indiana. At the Soldiers and Sailors monument."

"Yeah, yeah okay. When?"

"I'm…not sure. I don't know when I'm leaving. It might be tonight, or it might be tomorrow night. I'll text you when I'm on my way to Indy?"

"Yeah, yeah okay. Take care, Cassie."

"You too." I hung up, and took a deep breath, gaze on the bookshelves. "So she did have one. Go figure." I plucked the flower-meanings book off of the shelf. I pulled the list from the bouquet from my pocket and looked up all of the flowers, jotting down their meanings on a scrap piece of paper. Danger, warning, am i forgotten, protection, resurrection, hope, memory, death, warrior energy, Life purpose, Protection, higher purpose, Montana….

Wasn't she a ray of positivity.

"Montana," I whispered to myself. I picked up the cat as she tried to walk across my hands. "Well, Parker, guess I'm going to have to pack and sneak out. You'll watch Nico, right?"

She meowed at me.

"Yeah, I know. He's going to kill me." I cuddled her close and shoved the papers into my pockets, so I could grab the book. If I was going to be dealing with Petunia, I'd need it. And I'd need to get Nico out of my room without giving away that I would be leaving, because he was expecting to dream-walk with me. No. "I'll have to leave tomorrow night," I told her, sighing. "Come on, let's find Batman and get back to Nico."

Petunia's vague message was almost as bad as Rachel's.

Death was pretty clear though.

AN: I know. I know, I'm terrible. I never had any intention of leaving this for as long as I did, but I burnt out just after I updated last time-bad. Really bad. And then it was a matter of out of sight out of mind and finally I picked this back up because of guilt and a need to finish this at least. So, it might still be moving quickly after this part, the parts will probably be slow to be posted, but I'm going to try and finish this even thought i'm not happy with how I handled some of it. So, if you're still reading this...well, thankyou, but also, Sorry.