Hanna examined herself in the mirror and patted down the flyaways in her hair. She met her own gaze and frowned.

“Why would she want to meet with me? Did I do something wrong?”

“Our contracts are coming to an end,” Virgo said. She, too, examined herself in the mirror, flipping back the loose ends of her dark hair. She pulled a tube of lipstick out of her bag and leaned forward to touch up her lips. “Maybe she wants to offer you a full-time position.”

Hanna turned to her friend. “What about you?”

Virgo shrugged. “I’m not good at my job.”

Hanna grinned. “Maybe if you weren’t on your phone all day.”

“I’m a busy woman,” Virgo said. “A temp job isn’t a big deal to me.”

“You can’t leave,” Hanna whined playfully. “You’re the only friend I’ve got in this stuffy office.”

Virgo pressed her lips together, capped the lipstick, returned it to her purse, and met Hanna’s gaze with a warm, red smile. “We’ll keep in touch.”

Hanna sighed and leaned against the bathroom counter. “We better. I can’t believe it’s only been six months. It feels like we’ve been working here forever.”

“Maybe it’s my name,” Virgo said with a grin, and Hanna giggled.

“I told you you should change it.”

“Tell me how it goes,” Virgo said with a wink before leaving Hanna alone in the bathroom.

Hanna turned to look herself over one last time. Her meeting was in just a few minutes. She brushed at her clothing, then left the bathroom, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor. She strode towards the lobby. The woman behind the desk looked up and smiled.

“Hello, Hanna. She’s waiting for you.”

Hanna offered a smile and a quiet ‘good morning’ before moving past the desk and down the hall of offices until she arrived at her destination.

To her surprise, she found Virgo inside the office, standing beside Demeter, and Hanna frowned.

“I should tell you why you’re here,” Demeter said. She leaned to sit on the edge of the large, mahogany desk. “I’ve got a very important task for you. One that I’m afraid will be very dangerous. That’s why Virgo is here to assist you.”

“Excuse me?” Hanna started, hesitant. She looked between Virgo and Demeter. “What’s going on?”

“I assure you, you are in no danger,” Demeter said. “I am the Goddess Demeter herself.” She gestured to Virgo. “Virgo was brought to life by my power to assist you.”

“Brought to…” Her voice trailed off and she met Virgo’s gaze. “What is she talking about?”

Demeter continued. “Olympia, and in turn, the entire universe, has been threatened by the return of the Gigante. You, along with eleven other mortals, have been chosen to unite and stop the Gigante from destroying all life as we know it.”

Hanna stared at both women. “What?”

“I normally would not involve myself so directly in these matters,” Demeter said. “But it is imperative that only the strongest mortals are chosen for this task. I chose you because I believe you are the best embodiment of myself, and therefore, you have been granted a unique ability that will help you against the Gigantes. As long as Virgo is with you, you will be able to access this power. Virgo will act as your connection to me. She will be your guide and your protector through this war.”

“War? What war?”

“The war against the Gigantes.”

Hanna’s mouth opened slightly as she looked between the two women. “Am I dreaming?” she said softly.

“Afraid not,” Virgo said with a gentle smile. “But there’s no need to worry, I will help you through it. The other eleven are all over the world. But there are two others nearby we should meet with. The sooner you can all come together, the easier this task will be.”

“If this is some idea of a prank, it’s not a very good one,” Hanna said. She put her hand on the handle of the door, pausing only when Virgo spoke.

“I know this is hard to understand,” she started. “But as your Ouranos, I will do whatever I have to do to help you and keep you safe.”

“Ouranos?”

“We are bonded,” Virgo explained. “And it is because of that bond that you will be able to access a power that will help you against the Gigante.”

Hanna blinked at her. “Power?”

Virgo smiled. “Would you give me that book?”

Hanna looked to the table beside her where Virgo gestured. A single book lay on the table. It appeared to be very old, and she was certain it would fall apart the moment she picked it up. She kept one hand on the door and with the other, she reached toward the book. But as her hand neared, the book slid across the table, just out of her reach.

Hanna froze. Her brows furrowed. She looked to the book, to Virgo, then back to the book. She reached forward again, and again, the book slid away from her and onto the floor with a light thump.

“I’m so sorry,” Hanna said quickly, and in a desperate attempt to retrieve the book without running it - and potentially pissing off the two crazy women who stood before her - she shot her hand forward to grab it. In the process, however, the book flew through the air towards Virgo with unexpected speed.

Virgo reached a hand forward casually, grasping the book that hurdled toward her, and she smiled. 

“All twelve mortals have varying abilities that will aid in the war against the Gigantes,” Demeter said. “Much like what you made happen just now. Anything you can see can be used however you see fit, whether you wish to hurl a book at your Ouranos - at Virgo - or fight and defend against the Gigantes.”

“This isn’t happening,” Hanna muttered.

“This is a lot to take in,” Virgo said. “Please take some time to think about it.”

“But know that the fate of the universe is in your hands.”