The surface of an ornate mirror shimmered like disturbed water.
Aphrodite looked up from her vanity and gently brushed her fingers across the glass.
Moments later, the reflection changed.
A raging ocean replaced it.
Poseidon's face emerged from the water, his expression already dark with frustration.
Elsewhere, in the Underworld, every shadow in Thanatos' chamber slowly stretched across the floor. They climbed the walls before gathering into a single dark silhouette. A pair of pale golden eyes opened within the darkness.
The three rulers were connected.
Poseidon wasted no time.
"Explain yourself."
Aphrodite raised an eyebrow.
"Good morning to you too."
"One of your prisoners escaped."
"My prisoner escaped," she corrected calmly. "There is a difference."
"There is none!" Poseidon roared. The water around his face crashed violently against invisible rocks. "Olympus has become a laughing stock because of your carelessness."
Aphrodite's expression remained unchanged.
"I don't recall asking for your opinion."
"Enough."
Thanatos' voice cut through the argument.
He hadn't raised his voice.
He hadn't needed to.
The room fell silent.
"What happened?"
Aphrodite sighed softly.
"A group infiltrated my domain. They freed Caelum before I could relocate him."
Poseidon clenched his jaw.
"So it was an organized attack."
"It appears so."
"Did you recognize any of them?" Thanatos asked.
A brief silence followed.
Only a heartbeat.
"...No."
The answer came smoothly.
Too smoothly.
Poseidon didn't notice.
Thanatos simply watched.
His expression never changed.
"They're becoming bolder," Poseidon muttered. "First the anomalies. Now rebels."
"They won't get far," Aphrodite replied. "They're children playing at war."
"Children," Thanatos repeated quietly.
"They infiltrated Olympus."
"They escaped a divine prison."
"They're either exceptionally fortunate..."
"...or exceptionally dangerous."
Neither of the other gods argued.
Poseidon finally spoke again.
"If they've rescued one brother..."
"They'll come for the other two."
Thanatos nodded once.
"They'll find only failure."
"My domain has already been secured."
Poseidon folded his arms.
"So has mine."
Aphrodite smiled faintly.
"Then it seems we've learned from today's embarrassment."
Poseidon looked into the water with narrowed eyes.
"Aelion remains with Thanatos."
"Nyxar remains with me."
"They will not escape."
The three gods fell silent.
Far below, in the Underworld...
Aelion sat chained against a stone wall, bruised but glaring defiantly at the guards watching him.
Far beneath the sea...
Nyxar knelt inside a flooded chamber. Water reached his knees as enchanted chains bound his wrists. His scythe rested outside the bars, just beyond his reach.
Neither brother knew what had become of Caelum.
Neither brother had any intention of surrendering.
Thanatos allowed himself the faintest smile.
Poseidon did the same.
Then the shadows dissolved.
The water became still.
The mirror reflected only Aphrodite once more.
The meeting was over.
CAELUM'S POV
The room was strangely lively.
As soon as I stepped through the doorway, every conversation came to a stop.
Nine people stared at me.
"...Well," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "This isn't intimidating at all."
A few of them laughed.
Pothos folded his arms with a grin.
"I told you he'd be funny."
"I cope with trauma through sarcasm," I replied.
"I respect that," a girl answered almost immediately.
She had dark brown braids that reached past her shoulders and wore flowing shades of purple. There was something oddly infectious about her smile. It made the room feel lighter.
"I'm Euphrosyne."
Before I could respond, she gasped dramatically.
"Oh my gods, where are my manners?"
She hurried over and shook my hand enthusiastically.
"I'm so happy you're alive!"
"...Thanks?"
She turned to everyone else.
"I like him already."
"We've known him for twelve seconds," another voice said.
"So?"
Everyone chuckled.
Pothos pinched the bridge of his nose.
"She's always like this."
"I take that as a compliment," she said, with a shimmer in her eyes.
"I wasn't complimenting you."
She beamed anyway.
Pothos cleared his throat.
"Alright."
"Since you're awake...Meet the family."
"The family?" I repeated.
"We don't like the word 'rebels,'" he said.
"It sounds too depressing."
"I suggested 'Olympus' Biggest Headache,'" Euphrosyne added proudly.
"No one voted for that," Axel sighed.
My attention shifted to him.
He was the same boy I'd briefly seen before passing out.
Grey hair.
Grey clothes.
Grey eyes.
He somehow looked both exhausted and amused at the same time.
"I'm Axel."
He offered a small wave.
"Chaos warlock."
"...Which means?"
"It means when things go wrong..."
"They usually become my problem."
"Or everyone else's," Chroma muttered.
My eyes landed on the boy speaking.
Purple hair.
Blue jacket.
Paint stains covered his sleeves.
He looked up from the sketchbook resting on his lap.
"I'm Chroma."
He tore a page from the book.
With one quick flick...
The painted butterfly on the paper lifted off the page.
It fluttered around the room before dissolving into glowing blue paint.
I blinked.
"...You can do that?"
He shrugged.
"I can...Most of the time."
Something about the way he said it made me think there was more to that story.
Leaning against the far wall was another boy with caramel skin.
He hadn't spoken once.
Silver threads stretched lazily between his fingers.
"I'm Histos."
He gave a small nod.
Then, without warning...
His body rippled.
Eight long spider legs unfolded from his back before disappearing just as quickly.
"...Right," I said.
"I've officially stopped questioning anything."
"Good," Histos replied.
"It saves time."
Someone suddenly appeared beside me.
I nearly jumped.
A girl with completely black eyes laughed.
"You're easy to startle," she said mischievously.
"I almost had a heart attack," I said as I tried to control my breathing.
"That's awkward."
She pointed at herself.
"Calantha. I do darkness."
"...That's the simplest explanation I've ever heard," I said with complete confusion.
"It usually works."
Asterion, standing beside her, sighed.
"It really doesn't."
He wore a long black cloak that almost blended into the shadows around him.
One eye glowed green.
The other gold.
"I'm Asterion."
"And before you ask... No. I'm not as scary as I look."
Calantha burst out laughing.
"That's a lie."
Near one of the windows stood a woman whose long blonde braids shimmered in the sunlight.
Her icy blue eyes almost didn't seem real.
She smiled warmly.
"I'm Pearl."
Her voice was surprisingly soft.
"It's nice to finally meet you."
I nodded politely.
"Nice to meet you too."
Standing beside her was another woman with a beautiful afro tied back neatly.
A small ribbon of water floated around her wrist as though it had a mind of its own.
"I'm Oceania."
She gave me a graceful nod.
"Welcome."
"And finally..."
Pothos placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
"The handsome one."
"Oh, shut up," half the room said in unison.
He laughed.
"You already know me."
"Son of Aphrodite."
"Professional troublemaker."
"Professional liar," Axel corrected.
"I prefer 'creative storyteller.'"
A voice came from behind me.
"Don't forget me."
I turned around.
A caramel-skinned girl wearing crimson and brown leaned casually against the doorway.
She had been eating an apple this whole time.
"When did you get here?" Pothos asked.
"I've been here."
"No, you haven't."
"Exactly."
She smiled mischievously before tossing the apple into the air and catching it again.
"I'm Kiara."
She took another bite.
"I'm usually the last person people notice."
"I can see that."
The room fell comfortably quiet.
I looked around at everyone.
Nine complete strangers.
Yet...
Not one of them had looked at me like I was some kind of monster.
Not one of them feared me.
Not one of them bowed to Olympus.
"So..." I said.
"Let me get this straight."
"You lot broke into Olympus..."
"...rescued someone you'd never met..."
"...and now you're calling yourselves a family?"
There was a brief silence.
Then Pothos smiled.
"No."
He looked around the room.
"We're calling you family."
For a moment...
I didn't know what to say.
After everything that had happened...
After being dragged across Olympus, imprisoned by a goddess, and separated from my brothers...
I hadn't expected to find comfort.
Certainly not here.
But somehow...
It felt like I'd just walked into a place I was always meant to find.
…
The room settled after everyone had introduced themselves.
I looked around once more. It still felt strange.
Just a few hours ago, I had been rotting away in a prison cell.
Now I was standing in what felt like the headquarters of Olympus' biggest headache.
Pothos clapped his hands together.
"Alright. Enough introductions."
His playful grin faded into something more serious.
"I think it's only fair we explain why we risked breaking into Olympus for someone we'd never met."
Everyone in the room nodded.
Pothos folded his arms.
"You've probably figured out by now that we aren't exactly fond of the gods."
"You could say that," I muttered.
"Our parents..." he continued, "...have made mistakes."
Nobody interrupted him.
"Some of us were abandoned."
He looked at Calantha.
"Some were rejected."
His eyes shifted to Chroma.
"Some were hunted."
Histos quietly looked away.
"And some of us simply refused to become what Olympus expected."
The room had gone completely silent.
Pothos smiled faintly.
"When word reached us that three anomalies had appeared..."
"...we became interested."
"You mean us?" I asked.
He nodded.
"We started watching."
"And then?"
"Then Hermes visited you."
That caught me off guard.
"You knew about that?"
"We know a lot."
Axel spoke for the first time since the introductions.
"The moment Hermes got involved..."
"...we knew Olympus eventually would too."
"So rescuing you..."
Pothos continued,
"...wasn't just saving one person."
"It was saving the only people who might actually change this world."
I blinked.
"...That's a lot of pressure."
"It is."
AELION'S POV
Silence.
It was amazing how loud silence could be.
I sat against the cold stone wall, staring at the chains wrapped around my wrists.
I'd already tested probability dozens of times.
Nothing.
Not even the smallest shift.
I sighed.
"So much for being lucky."
Heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor.
I looked up.
Thanatos.
He didn't surround himself with attendants.
He walked alone.
His expression revealed nothing.
He stopped outside my cell.
For a while...
Neither of us spoke.
"You've stopped trying."
His voice was calm.
"I got tired."
"You got discouraged."
I smiled.
"Maybe."
Thanatos looked at the broken chains lying on the floor from my previous attempts.
"You've tried thirty-seven times."
"...You counted?"
"I count everything."
"That's... actually a little terrifying."
A faint amusement flickered across his face.
"You're calmer than your brother."
"So you've met Caelum."
"Briefly… But not physically."
I sighed.
"...Sorry about him."
Thanatos actually paused.
"I'm sure he annoyed you."
"He did."
"I apologise on his behalf."
"...You apologise often?"
"Usually after he causes problems."
For the first time...
Thanatos almost smiled.
Huge emphasis on almost.
"You care for them greatly."
"They're my brothers."
"I'd rather be imprisoned with them than free without them."
Thanatos studied him quietly.
Then turned away.
"Interesting."
He began walking toward the exit.
Without looking back he said,
"Sleep while you can."
"The Underworld has long nights."
The massive doors closed.
The silence returned.
Aelion leaned his head back.
"...I hope you're okay."
BACK TO CAELUM
"So, with the info I gave..."
I looked around the room.
"...where exactly are my brothers?"
Pothos walked over to a large table.
He unrolled a map.
Not of Greece.
Of Olympus itself.
Three marks had been circled.
He pointed to the first.
"Aphrodite."
He looked at me.
"That's where we found you."
His finger moved.
"Thanatos."
"Aelion."
Then...
"Poseidon."
"Nyxar."
I stared at the map.
Three different domains.
Three different gods.
Three impossible rescues.
I looked up.
"So..."
"...we rescue them."
Silence.
Nobody answered.
"...What?"
Histos finally spoke.
"It isn't that simple."
"It never is."
"Then we'll make it simple."
I pointed at Thanatos' domain.
"We start here."
Everyone looked toward Calantha.
She hadn't moved.
"No."
The room became quiet.
Pothos frowned.
"Calantha..."
"I said no."
She folded her arms.
"That's my father's domain."
"If he sees me...he'll know exactly who's helping you."
"Then we'll disguise you," I suggested.
"It won't matter."
Her voice was unusually sharp.
"You don't know my father."
Nobody spoke.
"He doesn't miss details."
"He doesn't forget faces."
"And he certainly doesn't ignore betrayal."
I frowned.
"So you're just giving up?"
Her eyes snapped toward mine.
"I've spent my whole life avoiding him."
"You think walking back into his territory is easy?"
The room grew uncomfortable.
Pothos stepped forward.
"Calantha—"
"No."
She turned and walked out.
The door shut behind her.
Nobody followed.
"...Did I say something wrong?"
"You challenged her father," Pearl answered gently.
"That's complicated."
I looked toward the door.
Then back at everyone.
"...I'll talk to her."
Pothos nodded.
"Good."
"Because whether she likes it or not..."
He looked back at the map.
"...we're going to need her."
…
AELION'S POV
The silence had returned.
It was beginning to feel normal.
I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
I rested my head against the cold stone wall and closed my eyes.
My wrists ached from the enchanted chains. Every now and then I'd instinctively try to move them, only to be reminded they weren't coming off anytime soon.
"...I wonder how they're doing."
The words escaped before I realised I'd spoken aloud.
I pictured Caelum.
If he was awake, he'd probably be arguing with whoever had captured him.
That thought made me smile.
Then I thought about Nyxar.
He was probably sitting quietly, trying to figure out a way out before anyone else noticed.
"...Please be okay."
A sudden breeze drifted through the corridor.
I frowned.
That was strange.
There weren't any windows down here.
The breeze carried something with it.
A single white feather.
It floated gently through the bars before landing beside me.
"...A feather?"
I picked it up.
It felt warm.
Almost... comforting.
For just a second...
I thought I heard laughter.
Not mocking laughter.
The kind I'd heard back home.
Caelum complaining about doing chores.
Nyxar laughing at him.
Then...
Nothing.
The feather crumbled into tiny specks of light and disappeared.
"...Guess I'm imagining things."
A voice echoed from further down the corridor.
"Prisoner."
I looked up.
One of Thanatos' guards stood outside my cell.
"The Lord of Death requests your presence."
"...Requests?"
The guard shrugged.
"I thought it was strange too."
The chains around my wrists unlocked by themselves.
I rubbed my sore wrists as the heavy prison door slowly opened.
"Come with me."
I took one last look at the empty cell.
For some reason...
I had a feeling the next time I saw it...
I wouldn't be returning alone.
BACK TO CAELUM
I stepped outside the hideout and found Calantha exactly where I expected.
She sat on a large rock overlooking a cliff, absentmindedly kicking her feet against it.
She didn't even turn around when she heard me approaching.
"I was wondering how long it'd take you."
I sat beside her.
"I figured someone should check on you."
She let out a small laugh.
"Let me guess. Pothos sent you?"
"No."
"...Actually, he did."
She smiled to herself.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
The breeze carried the scent of the ocean from somewhere far below.
"I wasn't trying to insult you back there," I finally said.
"I know."
"But I did anyway."
"...Yeah."
She sighed.
"You don't understand what my father is like."
"Then help me understand."
She stared ahead.
"You've met Aphrodite."
I nodded.
"She's obsessed with beauty."
"Poseidon's obsessed with pride."
Another nod.
"My father..."
Her smile disappeared.
"...He's obsessed with balance."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means every choice has a consequence."
"He doesn't threaten people."
"He doesn't manipulate them."
"He simply... accepts what has to happen."
She hugged her knees.
"When I left...he didn't stop me."
That caught me off guard.
"He just watched me walk away."
Her voice became quieter.
"I kept waiting for him to call my name."
She laughed bitterly.
"He never did."
I didn't know what to say.
So I didn't.
Sometimes silence was enough.
After a while she spoke again.
"You asked if I was giving up."
"I wasn't."
"I'm terrified."
"I know exactly what walking into his domain means."
I looked down at my hands.
"I don't."
"But I know what it's like to be scared."
She looked at me.
"I've got two brothers."
"I've always had them."
"Now..."
"I don't even know if they're okay."
My voice cracked slightly.
"I saw them."
"In that white place."
"They looked exhausted."
"And the only thing I could think was...I wasn't there."
Calantha looked away.
"I've always been able to protect them."
"Or at least try."
"But right now..."
"I can't do anything."
The words hung in the air.
"I hate that feeling."
For the first time since I'd met her...
Calantha's expression softened.
"You really love them."
I laughed quietly.
"They're annoying."
"They never listen."
"They eat my food."
"They make fun of me."
She smiled.
"But?"
"...They're my home."
Silence settled between us again.
Then I stood.
"I'm going to rescue Aelion."
"I'd like your help."
"But if you can't..."
"I'll understand."
I turned to leave.
"Caelum."
I stopped.
She slowly stood from the rock.
"You know..."
"...you're surprisingly convincing for someone who has no plan."
I grinned.
"I have half a plan."
"That's even worse."
She shook her head, laughing under her breath.
"...Fine."
I blinked.
"...Fine?"
"I'm in."
"You've got yourself a guide to the Underworld."
Relief washed over me.
"Seriously?"
She folded her arms.
"Don't make me regret it."
"No promises."
"I figured."
Together, we walked back toward the hideout.
The moment we stepped inside, every conversation stopped.
Pothos looked up first.
"Well?"
Calantha looked around the room.
Then took a deep breath.
"I'm on board."
A wave of relief spread across everyone's faces.
Pothos smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Histos immediately walked over to the large map spread across the table.
Chroma closed his sketchbook and joined him.
Pearl and Oceania pulled their chairs closer.
Axel leaned against the wall with his arms folded.
Asterion quietly extinguished the lanterns nearest the windows.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
This wasn't a casual gathering anymore.
It was a war room.
Pothos placed both hands on the map.
"Alright."
He looked at each of us.
"Let's bring Aelion home."