"Are you excited?" Marius asked, looking down at his daughter with fond eyes.

Thalia nodded. "And nervous," she admitted, looking out the window. Thoughts of her husband brought a smile to the young woman's lips, but she still seemed anxious. "You and Mama have done such a good job of ruling over the kingdom. What if Apollo and I aren't good enough?"

"Darling..." Marisol stood, torn between exasperation and amusement, and walked over to the two of them. "I've already told you, my little one, that you will be a wonderful Queen. You were a stern but loving princess and the people adore you already. With a strong, courageous and wise man like Apollo at your side, I have every belief that the two of you will do things that your father and I could have only dreamed of." She truly believed those words, and that was obvious in her voice. Though she and Marius had started the kingdom, she knew that Queen Thalia and King Apollo would be the rulers who would take it to heights that no one could have imagined.