It had been two weeks.
Not long enough for anything to change, not really. But just long enough for routines to start forming in the hollow spaces where things used to be chaotic.
Hermes had set an alarm, not because he needed it, but because it made the mornings feel more structured. Like they were a family. Like normal people did. The sun would spill lazily through the blinds at 6:30, and by 7:00 he would have coffee brewing,
Aphrodite would still be in his robe, brushing his hair at the sink with a kind of drowsy elegance, and Apple….
Well, Apple would already be sitting upright on the couch, staring at the wall, eyes open like they never closed, even though they did.
He did sleep, sometimes. He just didn't seem to need it the way they did.
The days had rhythm, more or less. Hermes taught. Apple listened. Aphrodite watched.
