We were lined up at the edge of the training field, the grass trampled and damp from the morning’s drills. Thalos stood in the center, arms crossed as he barked out instructions. Today wasn’t about blades—it was about powers.

  “Pair up!” he called. “Use what you have, learn what you don’t.”

  Xandor, eleven and already comfortable with his wind manipulation, was paired with Nix. She was only nine, quiet and unsure. Her dark eyes flicked toward him, anxious and wide.

  I watched her fidget as they moved into position. Her hands trembled slightly, and she didn’t lift her eyes from the ground. Xandor noticed too.

  “You okay?” he asked gently.

  She shrugged, her voice barely a whisper. “I don’t want to summon anything.”

  “You don’t have to,” he replied, giving her a reassuring smile. “We’re just practicing control. I’ll keep things light.”

  Thalos nodded at them, and Xandor summoned a gust of wind that kicked up the dirt between them. It was meant to be playful, but Nix flinched, taking a step back.

  I started forward from the sideline, heart aching for her. “You don’t have to be afraid,” I said softly. “We all have something. Yours just looks different.”

  But it was Peter who really reached her.

  He stepped out from his pairing and walked toward her, calm and composed as always. “Nix,” he said. “You’re not calling on death. You’re calling on protection. On memory. There’s nothing evil in that. It’s only a weapon if you let it be.”

  She looked up at him, eyes glassy.

  “Try something small,” he encouraged. “Just focus on someone peaceful. Someone kind. Just… see what comes.”

  She nodded slowly, breathing in deep. Her hands lifted—and the air around her shifted.

  A soft rumble rolled through the ground at her feet. The earth split slightly, dry soil cracking open. Bones clawed their way up—huge, pale, and ancient. Within moments, a full skeleton emerged, tall and massive. A bear.

  Its ribcage rose and fell as if it still breathed, empty eye sockets fixed ahead like it awaited a command. It wasn’t frightening. It was powerful. And protective.

  Nix gasped, startled by the strength of what she had summoned—but there was no fear in her face this time. Just awe.

  Peter knelt beside her. “You did that. You chose it.” He glanced at the skeletal bear and then over at Xandor, who was watching with a mix of curiosity and excitement. “If you want to throw Xandor off, wait until he lifts into the air. The wind gives him control, but it also makes him predictable. Use your summon to block his line of sight, keep the pressure on the ground. He can’t dodge what he can’t see coming.”

  A small smile tugged at her lips.

  The next moment happened fast—too fast for most of us to catch clearly. As Xandor kicked off the ground and caught the wind, Nix’s bear moved. Massive, silent, and swift. With one upward swipe of its bony paw, it clipped Xandor midair, sending him tumbling to the ground in a spectacular face-plant.

  There was a heartbeat of silence.

  Then Xandor groaned and rolled onto his back, dirt stuck to his cheek, and looked up at us with a lopsided grin. “Okay… that was awesome.”

  Nix burst into a fit of giggles. I couldn’t help it—I joined her, both of us laughing until our sides hurt, the skeletal bear looming quietly behind us like a loyal guardian.

  Helena and I sat slumped in our bus seats, the vibrations of the road humming softly beneath us. The stale scent of fast food mingled with the faint tang of gasoline. The windows buzzed with the low whine of tires on pavement, and outside, the pine forests of Minnesota blurred past in hues of green and gray.

  My eyelids fluttered, heavy with exhaustion, but I couldn’t rest yet—not until I talked to Xandor. My fingers curled loosely in my lap, my breathing shallow. I closed my eyes and reached inward, stretching out my thoughts the way I’d learned to, like fingers reaching for something just out of sight.

  The world shifted. The air changed.

  I stood in a clearing.

  The earthy scent of disturbed soil hit me first, mixed with the metallic sting of blood and the sharp tang of ozone. The sky above was a dull steel, muted clouds hanging low. In front of me stood Xandor—black hair tousled and damp with sweat, his chest heaving from the fight.

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  A monster’s massive body lay at his feet, already beginning to dissolve into dust. It hissed as it disintegrated, smoke curling into the air. Xandor yanked his sword from its chest, and as the dust swirled upward, I stepped into his mind—into the moment.

  He looked up. His sword immediately raised, the blade pointing directly at me. For a heartbeat, he looked ready to strike, instincts primed from battle. Then his eyes widened further, recognition washing over his features.

  “Holy—!” he swore, stumbling back, his eyes wide.

  I couldn’t help it—I laughed. The sound broke from me unexpectedly, light and tired.

  Peter, who had been just a few steps away, turned in alarm. “What is it?”

  Xandor’s gaze never left mine. “It’s Zoe,” he said, breathless. “She just… appeared in my head.”

  Peter frowned. “I don’t see anything.”

  Xandor shook his head slowly. “You wouldn’t. It’s… she’s like a ghost. But real.”

  I gave Xandor a weak, tired smile. “Sorry for the scare.”

  He wiped his sword on his sleeve and raised a brow. “You’ve got great timing. First the shower, now this? You really know how to make an entrance.”

  Despite the heaviness in my limbs, I laughed again. “I’ll try not to give you a heart attack next time.”

  Peter, still watching Xandor like he’d grown a second head, said nothing. I could tell he wanted to understand, to see what Xandor saw, but he couldn’t. I felt like a whisper in a room full of noise—present, but just out of reach.

  I turned to Xandor, and the smile fell from my lips. “I came to warn you. Helena and I are being hunted. Monsters. They found us.”

  Xandor’s entire body tensed, his casual posture shifting into alert concern.

  “There might be some after you too,” I added quickly, “but… it looks like you already figured that out.”

  He gave a short laugh, brushing dust off his pants. “Yeah, these guys have been tailing us all day. Persistent little creeps.”

  Then his gaze softened again. “Are you and Helena okay?”

  My throat tightened at his concern. “We’re alright,” I said quietly. “Exhausted, but alive.”

  Peter, still nearby, glanced between us, clearly puzzled by the one-sided conversation. He stepped closer. “Were you able to reach the others?”

  I nodded. “Ella and Leander are safe. I contacted Ella last night. They’re in Texas.”

  I could feel the weight pressing down on me—every mile traveled, every battle faced, every friend contacted. My thoughts felt thick, like I was thinking through syrup. I swayed slightly in place.

  “We’re heading to Oregon,” I murmured. “Bay and Phoenix are there.”

  Xandor nodded. “We’re almost to Boston. Few more hours.”

  The fog in my mind deepened, and I knew I couldn’t hold on much longer. My limbs trembled with exhaustion, my breath shallow. The image of Xandor blurred at the edges.

  I met his eyes one last time. “I’ll see you soon,” I whispered, my voice barely a breath.

  Then the world faded to black, and I fell back into the rhythmic hum of the bus and the comforting presence of Helena beside me.

  Zoe stirred, her breathing unsteady as her mind reeled back into her body.

  “Zoe?” Helena’s voice was soft, but alert. “You alright?”

  I nodded, rubbing the heel of my palm against my temple. “Yeah. I found Xandor and Peter. They’re safe—for now.”

  Helena gave me a look. “You were smiling. Right before you came back. Want to talk about that?”

  My mouth opened, then shut. I glanced out the window. “Not right now.”

  She smirked but didn’t press. Instead, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

  “I think you should get some rest,” Helena murmured. “That flight drained you. And who knows if we’ll have to fight again later.”

  I hesitated, but the heaviness was already pulling me down again. I gave her a small nod and leaned my head against the seat.

  Sleep came faster than I expected.

  The world fell away, and I drifted.

  This time, when I opened my eyes, I was no longer on the bus. I was standing somewhere I’d never been—but somehow knew.

  Olympus.

  I couldn’t explain how I knew it, only that I did. The cracked marble beneath my feet hummed with ancient magic. The sky above was endless, golden light filtering through clouds that didn’t move. Massive columns reached skyward, etched with symbols that shimmered like constellations.

  The goddes that I had met once before stood at the far end of the space, her bronze armor catching the light like flame. I’d seen her before in my dream, she was the one who told me to find the others.

  Beside her stood another girl, younger, dressed in a flowing robe of soft white with a golden circlet nestled in her hair. She looked close to my age, but there was something… off. She didn’t glow the way the goddess did. She didn’t carry that same divine weight. But she was here, on Olympus, that would make her a goddess, right?

  I took a step forward and stared at them both.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  The goddess raised a brow. “You already know me.”

  “I know you’re a goddess,” I said slowly, eyes flicking to the other girl. “But her—I don’t understand. Why are you here? What are you?”

  The young woman gave me a small, enigmatic smile. “That’s a question I’ve asked myself many times.”

  She didn’t radiate the overwhelming divine presence like the goddess beside her. There was no crackle of power, no aura that pressed against my skin like a stormfront. But somehow, she was still here—on Olympus. That alone should’ve meant something. And yet… it was more than that.

  I didn’t know who she was, but I felt drawn to her. Like some part of me already knew her.

  “She walks a different path,” the goddess said, voice like distant thunder. “But it’s one that intersects yours.”

  “That doesn’t answer anything.”

  “It’s not time for answers,” The young woman said gently. “Only warnings.”

  I hesitated, my gaze narrowing. “Warnings?”

  The goddess nodded. “Something is coming. Something that seeks to twist what remains of us—and bind you to its will.”

  “You’ll see it soon,” The young woman added, her voice quieter.

  I nodded slowly, chest tightening. “What is it?”

  The goddess didn’t answer directly. “You carry more than you know, Zoe. More than wings and whispers.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked, pulse rising. “Why can’t you just tell me?”

  The young woman’s expression softened. “Because if you don’t uncover it yourself, it won’t be yours.”

  The world around me began to dissolve into mist, the marble floor cracking beneath my feet as everything faded.

  “Wait,” I said, stepping toward them as the marble cracked under my feet. “If something is coming… how can I protect the others from it?”

  The goddess met my eyes, her expression unreadable. “By standing firm when your mind is under siege. By trusting what is real—especially when it feels like everything is not.”

  The young woman took a step forward. “Your strength isn’t just in your power, Zoe. It’s in your heart. Your loyalty. That’s what he’ll try to turn first.”

  “He?” I asked, but the mist was already rising.

  The young woman’s voice followed me as the vision unraveled. “Hold on to who you are. That’s how you protect them. That’s how you protect yourself.”