The day was gloomy. The sky was made up of different shades of gray which was partnered with a nip in the air that turned noses red.

“Better bring an umbrella, just in case.” Amias’s mother patted his head as she passed. “Where’s Cam?”

Amias shrugged as he ate his breakfast. “I don’t know. He never came out of his room, I don’t think.”

His mother shook her head. “I’ll go wake him up.”

She knocked on the bedroom door once before letting herself in. “Cameron? You’re late, let’s get going.”

Cameron groaned from his spot in his bed. “I don’t feel good.”

“Let me see.” She set a palm on Cameron’s forehead, taking a moment to feel his temperature. “You do feel a bit warm. Looks like you’re not going to school.” She kissed his head and said, “Get some rest.”

Kennedy Devon did her best, but she was a single mother who worked constantly so that her sons could have the best life. She felt guilty she couldn’t give them her full attention when they needed it, but they all needed the money, even if her sons didn’t understand that.

She walked into the kitchen. “Looks like Cameron is sick, you’re gonna have to walk alone, today.” She sighed heavily. “Are you gonna be okay?”

Amias smiled. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

It did feel a bit lonely, though. He had gotten so used to having Cam beside him that it felt wrong not having him right there. He nervously tucked his hands into his pockets, clenching them in and out of fists to calm himself down.

“Amias?”

He turned around, his panic momentarily subsiding. It was the boy that had been with Cameron last week. “Connelly?”

Connelly grinned. “Yeah, that’s me.” He walked up. “What are you doing alone? Doesn’t Cameron walk you to school?”

“Yeah, but he’s sick.” He pursed his lips before looking down at his feet. “I have to go or else I’ll be late.”

“Well, I’ll walk you there. You looked a bit nervous when I saw you.”

Amias couldn’t help but feel relieved that Connelly offered to walk him to school, even if he didn’t know the boy that well. “Thank you,” He smiled up at him.

Connelly was much taller than Amias, probably taller than Cameron, too, and he could see something black poking out from underneath his sleeve. “What’s that?” He asked, pointing to his arm.

“Oh! This is my tattoo. I’ll get more in the future, but for right now I only have the one.” He lifted his sleeve to reveal a tattoo of a sword with wings attached to it.

“What does it mean?”

“It’s kind of like my family’s symbol. All of my siblings have one, too.”

Amias was fascinated. “You all get tattoos?”

“Yeah, me and my siblings’ first tattoo is different than our parents, though. My dad has a cherub and my mother has the sword. Mine is kind of like theirs combined.” He shrugged his shoulder. “It means I’m part of the family.”

Amias stared at it. “Wow…” He whispered.

Three days had passed, and Cam was still sick in bed. Kennedy was forced to take a sick day, so she could stay home and try to nurse her oldest son back into health. He’d been throwing up non stop since the first day, to the point where he had two buckets on each side of his bed.

Amias had gotten used to walking alone-- Connelly hadn’t been there to walk him home or walk him to school the next days, so he had to suck it up. That morning, Amias was sitting on Cam’s bed, telling him all about his school day. The older brother smiled at him, nodding his head as he listened.

“Amias! Time for school!” Kennedy called from the kitchen.

The boy groaned, falling back onto the bed so he was beside Cam. “I don’t want to go.” He pouted.

Cameron couldn’t help but laugh at Amias. “I would trade places with you if I could. I’d give you all of my puking, and I’d go to school.” He patted his head.

Amias scrunched his nose up. “No, thanks.” He jumped off the bed. “I’ll see you after school!” He ran out of the room, kissing his mom on the cheek, and left the house for school.

It was burning-- his leg. He sat in class, trying to listen to Mrs. Krumpen explain how to multiply fractions, but he couldn’t focus. He rubbed at his thigh attempting to snuff away the pain. It didn’t work. Panic made it hard to breath, and he asked to go to the bathroom so he could freak out alone. In the bathroom, he rushed into a stall and pulled his pants off to look at his leg.

There was something appearing on his skin-- it looked like an invisible person was drawing on his skin, puncturing it with a needle that burned. His eyes widened as he watched the image form on his skin, and his hands began to shake as his panic crescendoed.

On his thigh, the image of a cherub had appeared.

The burning on his leg subsided, but when he brushed his fingers over the tattoo, it stung. He sucked in through his teeth and pulled at his hair as he rode through his panic attack. “What the fuck.” He whispered.

When he finally calmed down, he left the bathroom, and, in a daze, made his way back to the classroom where he was sure Mrs. Krumpen would have barely noticed that he took a bit long in the bathroom.

He vaguely thought about going home, but he didn’t want to worry his mom-- she was already too busy with Cameron being sick. He sat down in his seat, the kid who sat next to him watching him with narrowed eyes. He gave the other student a stiff smile and turned his attention down to the blank notebook in front of him.

Walking home was strange. He couldn’t stop rubbing his thigh just so he could feel the sting-- a reminder that the tattoo was still there. He watched his feet as he walked home, not paying enough attention to his surroundings, causing him to bump into a man.

“I’m sorry!” He looked up at the man, meeting his eyes. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

The man’s apathetic expression morphed into something different, a smile curving his lips. “Hey, it’s okay. Why don’t you come with me? You look tired, my apartment is just a block away, you can rest.” He took hold of Amias’s arm.

Amias frowned, fear spiking his heart rate. “No, thanks.” He tried to pull his arm away but the man tightened his grip, nails digging into skin. “Ouch!”

“You don’t have to be scared, just… come with me.”

“No!” Amias struggled as the man started dragging him toward an alley.

Before he could be snatched away, though, someone pulled Amias away with a surprising amount of strength. When he looked up it was Connelly with a terrifyingly angry expression on his face.

“Connelly?” He whispered, relief flooding him.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Connelly yelled at the man. “You’re just gonna snatch up a little boy in broad daylight?!”

The man’s eyes cleared, the strange expression gone. “I… was?” He looked confused, staring at Connelly. “What was I going to do?”

Connelly’s brows furrowed, and he looked down at Amias for a moment before looking back at the man and understanding dawned on his expression. He took Amias’s hand, and they started walking away.

“I’ll walk you home.” He said simply.

Connelly stumbled through the wall, too rushed to even think about being discreet. He couldn’t stop thinking about Amias and that man. He couldn’t believe he was awakening. He was a danger to the mortals if he stayed on the wrong side of the wall. He needed to join the gods.

“Where have you been?”

Connelly was immediately faced with his mother when he walked through the front door. She was a terrifying woman-- all tall with long dark hair that made her look even taller. She was standing with her hands on her hips, her expression set into a frown.

“Hi, Mom.” He smiled, trying to disarm her anger.

She shook her head. “That didn’t answer my question.”

He chuckled nervously. “So… I met someone.”

She raised a brow. “Fourteen is too young to be having sex.”

“No! Not like that! Jeez, Mom.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “I overheard the family meeting the other day-- about Amias.”

Her posture stiffened. “What?”

“I met him. I know he’s part-god. Part-Eros.” He crossed his arms, mirroring his mother’s position.

Her eyes went wide. “What? You crossed the wall? By yourself? Do you realize how dangerous that is?”

Connelly sighed. “Please, yell at me later. I saw him today. His powers are awakening.”

His mother froze, seeming to take a moment to process what he just said, before leaping into action. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!” She turned from Connelly to yell up the staircase. “Eros! It’s time!”

“What are you going to do?” Connelly asked, following his mother through the house as she awoke his siblings.

“We’re going to bring Amias to our side.”