⸻

There were things Maya had never told Raine. Hundreds, technically. She had never told him about the horns. The hooves. The glamour. Soteria Hall. The gods. Monsters. Divine Alloy. The Oracle. Any of it.

Not because she didn't trust him. Because none of those things belonged to the life she'd chosen with him.

Maya's family lived between worlds. Her mother worked at Soteria Hall. Her father worked here. At Raine and Maya's completely ordinary public high school.

Mr. Marlowe taught world history to students who routinely complained that knowing anything about Ancient Greece was useless.

Maya found this hilarious. Her father did not. Especially when textbooks got things wrong. He had once spent forty minutes complaining at dinner because a workbook referred to Hestia as "a minor domestic goddess."

"Minor," he'd repeated.

"She tends the fucking sacred flame of Olympus."

Maya's mother had calmly eaten her pasta.

"You need hobbies."

"I have hobbies."

"Correcting teenagers' worksheets isn't a hobby."

"It should be."

That was the Marlowe household. Greek mythology before dessert. Human television afterward. Maya's father preferred living among mortals. Her mother preferred Soteria. Neither considered the other's choice strange. Their family had always moved between both.

And Maya chose humanity. Not because she disliked being a satyr. She didn't. She loved forests. Loved plants. Loved Soteria's enormous old library. Loved visiting her mother there. Loved that nobody cared about her horns.

But Maya also loved bookstores with overpriced coffee. Homecoming. Mall trips. Concerts. Reality television. Stupid school gossip. Prom dresses. Sleepovers. Mortal novels about extremely attractive men with deeply solvable communication problems.

She wanted to graduate from a human high school. Go to a human college. Maybe spend a few years pretending monsters didn't exist. Normal. Maya liked normal. Normal was underrated.

That was why her father worked at the school. Partly. There was another reason. Mortal schools sometimes produced demigods. Not literally. That would have been an HR nightmare.

But children of gods often remained hidden in ordinary schools until their divine blood woke strongly enough to attract attention. Monsters usually noticed first. Families like Maya's sometimes helped bridge the gap.

Her father kept watch. Quietly. Never interfering unless necessary. Someone started manifesting strange abilities? He called Soteria. Something supernatural appeared around campus? He handled the mortal cover story until help arrived.

Maya knew all of that. Which was why Noah Santiago bothered her. He smelled wrong. Not literally. Mostly. There was a warmth around him that reminded Maya of Soteria's archery fields during summer. Sunlight baked into stone. Laurel. Metal. Divine.

She hadn't recognized it at first. Then yesterday, she'd glimpsed something beneath his shirt. A weapon. Not steel. Not ordinary bronze. Divine Alloy. Maya knew that gleam. She'd grown up around it. And now Noah Santiago— mysterious transfer student— was arriving at school with Raine.

Maya's stomach tightened. No. Coincidence. Probably. Maybe. She hated maybe.

⸻

"Marlowe."

Maya looked up. Her father stood in the doorway. To everybody else, he was Mr. Marlowe. World History. Thirty-nine. Brown hair beginning to gray near his temples. Glasses he did not actually need but claimed made students take him more seriously.

To Maya, he was the man who had once burned spaghetti and insisted the smoke alarm was "dramatic." She narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"Hallway."

Raine looked delighted.

"Ooh."

Maya packed her book away.

"Shut up."

"You're in trouble."

"I'll tell him you copied the music-room key."

Raine immediately straightened.

"Have a productive conversation with your father."

"Thought so."

She stepped into the hallway. Her father closed the door behind her. His expression changed. Teacher disappeared. Dad remained. And something else. Something mythological. Maya's stomach tightened.

"What?"

"Your mother called."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine."

Relief. Immediate.

"Then what?"

"Something happened at Soteria."

Maya's eyebrows drew together.

"What?"

Her father glanced down the hallway. Empty. Still, he lowered his voice.

"The bells rang."

Maya stared.

"What bells?"

His face answered. No. Her stomach dropped.

"No."

"All of them."

Maya forgot the romance novel in her bag. Forgot Noah. Forgot everything for approximately three seconds. Every child who grew up connected to Soteria knew the bells. They weren't used for class. They weren't used for emergencies like fires or storms.

They were older than the modern school. Older than several buildings. Warnings. Divine warnings. Most people never heard them. Maya's mother had never heard them. Her grandmother hadn't. The last time all of them rang...

Maya swallowed.

"The Three?"

Her father nodded once. Fuck.

"When?"

"Two nights ago."

"What happened?"

"Your mother wasn't permitted to tell me everything."

"You're married."

"Apparently classified divine catastrophes outrank marriage."

"That feels discriminatory."

Her father didn't smile. Bad. Maya's humor disappeared.

"Dad."

"The Oracle spoke."

Maya's skin prickled.

"What did they say?"

He hesitated. Then:

"Death has fathered mortal blood."

Maya stared. Death. Hades. A child. A Big Three child. After almost a century.

"Who?"

"No one knows."

"How do you not know?"

"Prophecy doesn't usually include home addresses."

"Not the time."

"I know."

Her father sighed.

"Soteria had already detected unusual monster activity in this area."

Maya went still.

"This area?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Maya—"

"They sent somebody."

Her father said nothing. Maya's mind began moving. Monster activity. Soteria. Transfer student. Divine Alloy. Noah.

"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me."

Her father frowned.

"What?"

"Noah Santiago."

The tiniest change crossed his face. Enough. Maya saw it.

"You know him."

"Maya."

"You know Noah."

"Keep your voice down."

"He's from Soteria."

Silence. Confirmation. Maya's pulse increased.

"Why?"

"I cannot discuss somebody else's assignment."

"Assignment."

Fuck.

"Is he looking for the demigod?"

Her father stared at her.

"Dad."

"Go back to class."

"No."

"Maya."

"Is Noah here because of the monster activity?"

He sighed.

"You know enough to understand that I cannot answer that."

"So yes."

"I didn't say yes."

"You didn't say no."

"That's not how questions work."

"It is when you're terrible at lying."

"Maya."

She looked through the small window in the classroom door. Raine was doodling. Probably lyrics. Oblivious. Her stomach twisted. No. Raine was mortal. Her sarcastic, chronically sleep-deprived, five-foot-two best friend was mortal.

She'd known him for years. Surely she would've noticed. Wouldn't she? Her father followed her gaze. Maya looked at him. His expression changed. Barely. Oh. No.

"Does this involve Raine?"

"We don't know."

"That means yes."

"No, it means we don't know."

"You looked at him."

"I looked where you looked."

"Dad."

His voice softened.

"Maya."

Something about his tone scared her.

"Your mother and I let you live here because you wanted a mortal life."

Maya swallowed.

"I know."

"We respected that."

"I know."

"But those worlds don't always remain separate just because we want them to."

Maya stared through the glass again. At Raine.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying pay attention."

"To what?"

Her father looked at her.

"Everything."

⸻

Maya couldn't stop watching Raine after that. It was irritating. He noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You've looked at me seventeen times."

"You counted?"

"Yes."

"That's weird."

"You're weird."

"True."

He continued writing. Maya looked down at the floor. Shadow. Normal. Obviously. She felt ridiculous. Then it moved. Maya froze. Raine hadn't.

His pencil continued scratching across the page. The fluorescent lights were steady. Nobody walked past. And yet his shadow stretched. Slowly. Just a few inches. Toward the empty desk beside him. Maya's heart stopped. No.

She stared. The shadow stopped. Then shifted again. Like it was searching. Raine yawned. His eyes closed. He had absolutely no idea.

Maya's skin went cold. The bell rang. Raine jerked awake. His shadow snapped into place. Maya did not move.

"Fuck," Raine muttered.

He rubbed his face. Then noticed her staring.

"What?"

She swallowed.

"Nothing."

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Maybe I have."

"That's ominous."

He stood. Maya kept looking at the floor. Normal shadow. Completely. Painfully. Normal.

"Maya?"

She looked up. Raine was waiting.

"Coming?"

Her best friend. Maybe a demigod. Maybe the demigod. No. No. She wasn't jumping that far. Not yet. Maya grabbed her satchel.

"Yeah."

She followed him. Of course she did.

⸻

Maya's mother was home when she arrived. That almost never happened during the week. Maya stepped through the front door. Her father's car was already outside.

"Mom?"

"Kitchen."

Maya walked in. Her mother sat at the table still wearing Soteria gray.

A bronze crest was pinned at her collar. Shield. Flame. Protection. Maya had seen the symbol thousands of times. Today it felt different. Her father stood near the counter. Maya dropped her bag.

"You both look like somebody died."

Her mother winced.

"Poor choice of words."

Maya stopped.

"Right."

"Sit."

"I prefer standing."

"Maya."

"Fine."

She sat. Her mother studied her.

"You've met Noah Santiago."

Not a question.

"Yes."

"You know who he is?"

Maya hesitated.

"No."

Her mother waited. Maya sighed.

"Demigod."

Her father rubbed his forehead. Her mother looked impressed.

"How?"

"Divine Alloy."

"You saw his weapon?"

"Part of it."

"Anything else?"

"He feels like Apollo."

Silence. Maya frowned.

"What?"

Her mother leaned back.

"You're better at sensing divine signatures than you think."

Maya shrugged.

"I've spent enough summers at Soteria."

"Apparently."

"So he's Apollo's son."

"Yes."

Maya stared. That explained the whole human-sunbeam feeling she got.

"Of course."

Her father raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Her mother continued.

"Noah was sent here because Soteria detected a demigod awakening somewhere in the area."

Maya's stomach twisted.

"Raine."

"We don't know."

"Can everybody stop saying that?"

"Maya."

"I saw his shadow move."

Silence. Both parents went completely still. There. That reaction. Maya hated that reaction. Her mother leaned forward.

"Explain."

"He was sitting beside me."

"Awake?"

"Mostly."

"Maya."

"He was tired."

"What happened?"

"His shadow moved without him moving."

"How?"

"It stretched."

"Toward what?"

Maya thought. The empty desk. Sunlight had been hitting the floor nearby. Noah usually sat there in another class. No. That was ridiculous.

"I don't know."

Her mother stood.

"We need to tell Soteria."

Maya stood too.

"No."

Her mother stopped.

"Maya."

"No."

"If Raine is manifesting—"

"He's not a specimen."

"I didn't say he was."

"You're talking like he is."

Her mother's face softened.

"Maya, if Raine is a demigod, he is in danger."

Maya swallowed.

"I know."

"Then you understand why Soteria needs to know."

"Noah already knows something."

Her father looked away. Interesting. Maya caught it.

"What?"

Neither answered.

"Dad."

"He suspects."

Maya's jaw tightened.

"And Raine?"

Her mother asked, "What about him?"

"Does Raine know Noah suspects?"

Silence. Oh, fuck. Maya laughed. Not because anything was funny.

"So my best friend is being investigated by a Soteria field operative who also apparently made out with him last night, and nobody thought that could maybe become complicated?"

Her parents stared. Maya stopped. Maybe she had overshared. Her father blinked.

"They what?"

Her mother slowly turned toward him. Maya closed her eyes.

"Forget I said that."

"No," her father said. "We're circling back."

"No, we're not."

"Maya."

"Not relevant."

"I strongly disagree."

Her mother rubbed her forehead.

"Focus."

Thank God. Maya pointed toward her.

"Exactly."

Her father looked personally betrayed. Maya continued.

"Raine doesn't know any of this."

"We don't know that for certain."

"I do."

Her mother studied her.

"If Raine knew he was a demigod, he would've told me."

Would he? The question hurt. Maya ignored it. Her mother spoke gently.

"You haven't told him you're a satyr."

Maya went still. Low blow.

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because me having horns doesn't put monsters on his doorstep."

"No."

Her mother paused.

"But secrets are secrets."

Maya looked away. Fuck. She hated when her mother was reasonable. Her father crossed his arms.

"Your mother and I told you there might come a point when keeping the mythological world separate from your mortal life became impossible."

"Yeah, when I was twelve."

"And?"

"I assumed you were being dramatic."

"Understandable," her father said.

Her mother glared. He shrugged. Maya looked down. Her long skirt pooled around her ankles. Human-looking ankles. Human-looking feet. Glamour. A lie. A harmless one. Mostly.

"Raine didn't get to choose," Maya said quietly.

Her mother frowned.

"What?"

"I did."

Maya looked up.

"I knew Soteria existed. I knew humans existed. I got to decide where I wanted to live."

"Yes."

"Raine didn't."

Silence.

"If he's a demigod, everybody else has been deciding what he gets to know his entire life."

Her mother's expression changed. Maya continued.

"Noah knows things."

"Yes."

"You know things."

"Some."

"Dad knows things."

Her father nodded.

"And I know things."

Maya swallowed.

"Raine knows nothing."

Nobody answered. That bothered her more than she expected. Her mother finally said:

"If he is the child the Oracle spoke of, his life is going to change."

"I know."

"Possibly very quickly."

"I know."

"You cannot stop that."

Maya looked at her.

"I'm not trying to."

"What are you trying to do?"

Maya didn't have to think.

"Make sure he isn't alone when it happens."

Her mother stared. Her father looked almost proud. Maya hated that because it made her want to cry. She stood.

"I'm going upstairs."

"Maya."

She stopped. Her mother's voice softened.

"You always said you didn't want Soteria."

Maya looked back.

"I don't."

"Then be careful what you promise."

Maya held her gaze. She understood. Maya wanted prom. Graduation. Bookstores. Human college. Her life.

She wasn't giving those things up because of one moving shadow. Not yet. But if Raine's life went somewhere else— Maya already knew what she would choose. She didn't say it. She didn't need to. Her mother's expression said she understood anyway.