He took a breath. Then another. Not now. There was glass everywhere. Monster dust. His mother wanted him home. His entire life had apparently been built beside a world he never knew existed. He could hate Noah later. Plenty of time. Assuming he survived whatever fucking nightmare this was. Maya said gently:

"You need to come to Soteria."

Raine looked at her.

"No."

She frowned.

"Raine."

"I have a home."

"Your house isn't safe."

"My mom is there."

That stopped her. Raine's voice shook.

"I'm not disappearing without telling her."

Maya looked at Noah. Noah's expression tightened.

"She knows something."

Raine looked at him.

"What?"

"You said she called me shining."

"So?"

"That means she knows what I am."

Raine's stomach dropped. Maya whispered:

"She may know about the gods."

"No."

Raine shook his head.

"She would've told me."

The sentence sounded ridiculous the second he said it. All three knew. Raine looked away. Noah said:

"She's been trying to keep you away from me."

Raine's jaw tightened.

"She's been trying to keep me away from everyone."

"Raine."

"What?"

Noah's voice softened.

"If monsters know where you live..."

Raine understood. He hated that he understood. Maya stepped closer.

"You cannot stay there tonight."

Raine closed his eyes. Home. His room. His guitar. His clothes. His mother. Everything. He opened his eyes.

"Fine."

Maya exhaled. Noah's shoulders relaxed.

"But I'm going home first."

"No," Noah said immediately.

Raine looked at him.

"Excuse me?"

"No."

"You don't get a vote."

"Raine."

"My stuff is there."

"We can replace stuff."

"My guitar isn't stuff."

Noah went quiet. Good. He knew. Maya asked:

"How long?"

"Ten minutes."

"No."

Raine looked at her.

"Five?"

She sighed.

"I'm coming inside."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because if my mom sees you with horns—" 

Maya's glamour snapped back into place. Human legs. Loafers. Raine stared.

"That is fucking horrifying."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Noah folded his arms.

"We all go."

Raine glared.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because my mom already thinks you're Satan."

Noah blinked. Maya covered her mouth. Raine pointed.

"Not funny."

"She thinks he's Satan?"

"She's flexible."

Noah sighed.

"Fine."

Raine looked toward the broken doors.

"Five minutes."

Maya said:

"Ten."

He looked at her.

"Why did you increase it?"

"Packing."

Raine frowned. Right. He was leaving. Actually leaving. Maybe not forever. Probably not. Still. Soteria. A secret demigod school. Because apparently that was his life now. His phone buzzed. 

MOM.

Again. Raine stared.

Mom: 'Come home.'

Nothing else. Raine swallowed.

"I need to go."

⸻

Noah drove. Maya sat in the passenger seat. Raine sat in the back. He hated that arrangement. It made him feel like a child being transported after getting suspended. Nobody spoke. The silence was awful. Raine watched houses pass. Normal houses. Normal people. Someone mowing a lawn. A woman walking a dog. Two kids riding bikes. Nobody fighting monsters. Nobody discovering their best friend had hooves. Nobody realizing the guy they kissed had been sent to investigate them. 

Raine wanted to get out. Just open the door. Step onto the sidewalk. Walk into one of those houses. Become someone else. Instead, his phone sat heavy in his hand. His mother had stopped texting. That scared him. They turned onto his street. Raine sat forward. The house appeared. Same as always. Small. Faded siding. Curtains drawn. His mother's car in the driveway. Alive. Good. His brain did it again. Car present. Maybe alive. Movement next. He hated himself. Noah parked. Raine opened the door. Maya turned.

"Ten minutes."

"I know."

"We'll come in if you don't."

"I know."

Noah looked at him through the mirror. Raine avoided his eyes.

"Raine."

"What?"

"If something feels wrong—"

"Everything feels wrong."

Noah went quiet. Raine regretted it. Not enough to apologize. He got out. The air felt too warm. His house looked exactly the same. That felt offensive. He walked to the front door. Unlocked it. Stepped inside.

"Mom?"

Silence. Raine closed the door. The house smelled normal. Dust. Old wood. Whatever candle his mother had been burning yesterday. Something metallic beneath it. Raine stopped. He listened. Nothing.

"Mom?"

No answer. His heartbeat increased. No. Stop. She was probably upstairs. Praying. Sleeping. Ignoring him. All normal possibilities.

Raine set his bag near the couch. He moved quickly. Bedroom first. He grabbed clothes. Jeans. Shirts. Underwear. Socks. Toiletries. Phone charger. Laptop. He shoved everything into an old duffel bag. Normal. Packing. Nothing permanent. He could come back. He would come back. He zipped the bag.

Then looked toward the corner. Guitar. His guitar case rested beside the desk. Raine stopped. For one second, everything else disappeared. He walked toward it. The case was old. Black. Scuffed at the edges. One sticker half-peeled near the bottom. His mother had given him the guitar when he was nine. Not because it had been hers. Not exactly. Because someone had given it to her. Someone she never talked about.

His father. Raine knew that now. Or suspected. Whatever. He crouched. Ran his fingers over the case. Something about taking it felt heavier now. A gift from both parents. Whether either of them had intended that or not.

He picked it up. Heavy. Familiar. The strap went over his shoulder. Done. He could leave. He stepped into the hallway. Then stopped. His mother's bedroom door was open. Raine stared. It was always closed. Always. Even when she wasn't home. Especially lately.