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“We are going home.” I roughly wiped my eyes. “First, we’ve got to find my friends, then I’m going to sneak behind Maximos Damien and kick him in right when they start destroying this place. Can’t wait to watch him burn to a crisp.”
Mom laughed. “Don’t know who this Damien guy is, but I’m not so cool a mom that I’ll let you commit homicide. If he’s done something to hurt you... I’ll do the kicking.”
I laughed too—my first real, free, and genuine laugh in longer than I could remember.
“Come on.” She linked my arm through hers. “I’ve been through this jungle before. I know the way to the door.”
I clung to her—so happy to see her again, my face was aching from the hit and my beaming smile.
“Tell me everything I’ve missed,” she said, helping me over a fallen tree. “Have you gotten a tattoo? Have you gotten drunk at a party? Have you lost your virginity yet?”
My face lit up. “Mom! People used to say we were too close. I get what they mean now.”
She gave me a knowing look. “We’re close enough that I know when you’re dodging a question. What’s his name?”
I gave her a look right back. “Hername is Hera, and Athena, and Persephone. Also, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.”
“Wow. You’ve been busy.”
“Mom,” I groaned, shoving her shoulder. It was like no time had passed at all. “You know what I’m saying. What you’ve missed is me finding out on my own that there’s a whole world of gods and demigods, and Dad is from it.”
She winced. “I’m sorry, love. Your dad and I talked about it over and over and over. Was it the right thing to tell you about a world you couldn’t be a part of? If he brought you to Olympia, you both wouldn’t have been allowed to leave, and I wasn’t allowed to come. It’d be the end of our family.
“When you were born with the gods in your eyes, that settled it. Of course we were going to tell you everything, including why your home had to be New York, but then... we lost D-Daddy.” She stuttered, voice thick. All these years, she still couldn’t think of him without crying. I didn’t understand that kind of love. Until Alex. “Year after year went on without you showing any signs of power, which just gave me an excuse to delay.
“If you’d set fire to the coffee table, it would’ve been an easy conversation-starter. But you didn’t realize you were anything other than an average human, and I didn’t know how to prove you weren’t without your dad,” she said, guiding me through a tangle of brush. “I was afraid you’d think I was crazy. Imean, come on, who wouldn’t? You can’t just go around ranting about six-headed monsters, invisible barriers, and people with powers.”
I couldn’t argue with her there.
“All the same, I’m sorry, Aella.” Stopping short, she faced me, grasping my shoulders. “You deserved to know the truth from the very beginning, and it was my job to be the one to tell you. I’ve let you down, baby. I’ve had two years to think about just how much.”
“Mom, stop.” I clapped my hands on her shoulders too. “You didn’t let me down. Honestly, I get it. How do you explain all of this without proof? I’ve lived in Olympia for months and it still doesn’t seem real to me. It’s a lot for any person to handle, and you just wanted me to have a normal life.
“It’s not your fault that life was taken from us. It’s Selene’s.”
Her lips twisted. “Selene.” Mom spat the name. “What a sweet, peaceful, pretty name for a vicious beast.” Shaking herself, she set off again, tugging me behind. “I don’t want to talk about her. Tell me about the guy you’re not telling me about.”
I blew out a breath, accepting my fate. “His name is Alex. He’s amazing, Mom. Sweet, kind, strong, smart. He makes me feel like I’m the most important person in the world. I can see myself spending the rest of my life with him.
“So of course, I blew it.”
I frowned, looking around. A sound competed with the chirp of cicadas. I couldn’t quite make it out. It sounded like—
“What do you mean?” Mom asked.
I turned back. There was a break in the trees up ahead. Peering over sweeping palm fronds, I made out something too chiseled and crafted to be jungle.
The door.
“I did something terrible to him.” My eyes squeezed shut. “Unforgivable. I didn’t know who I was doing it to at the time, but I knew it was wrong.
“He’s done with me,” I whispered, lips trembling. “After everything we’ve gone through to be together, and it’s over with one stupid mistake.”
“Oh, baby.” She drew me in, hugging me tight. “If it’s real, it’s not over. Not without a fight, and my little warrior never backs down from a fight.”
“I—”
“...la...”
