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I didn’t have words.
“I’m telling you this because monsters prefer to live and fight with their own species, but that doesn’t apply to their mother—”
“—and that echidna could be the mother of any monster we meet.”
He nodded. “If your mom had been taken by a gorgon, then the first place we’d look would be the Argus Mountains. There’s a web of caves underneath it where gorgons nest. But with an echidna, she’ll have allies everywhere. Helping to hide her and cover her tracks.”
“Then what do we do?”
“I’ve been thinking about that all day,” he replied. “As it happens, my eighteenth birthday was three days ago.”
“Really? Wow,” I said, clapping. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.” He said that, but he gently took my hands, ceasing my clapping. “Now that it’s past, there’s somewhere I have to go. There’ll be people there who can help. That can tellme how to track an echidna and maybe even track her down themselves.”
“That’s perfect. I’ll go with y—”
“No.”
I blinked at his tone. “What do you mean no? Why not?”
“Because you can’t hide there, Aella. Walking around Olympia, you’re just another demigod. No one has a reason to look deeper than your eyes. But in that place, they’ll figure out that you know nothing about our world, and they’ll make you tell them why.”
I wondered if he meant to freak me out with that phrasing because it worked.
“Once they discover you were born in the mortal world, it’ll be reported to the council. And that...” He shook his head. “That would be bad, Aella. The last thing we want is the council getting involved.”
“Why?”
He didn’t reply.
“Alex, you can’t just say something like that and not explain why. What would happen if the council got involved?”
Alex looked away, muscle ticcing in his jaw. “Whatever the monsters want from you won’t be good for Olympia. Unfortunately, the council members favor the easiest and simplest solution in the war against the monsters and the simplest way to stop their plot to use you... is to put you to death.”
I shot to my feet. “What did you say!”
“Or imprison you for life,” he added quickly.
“Like that’s any better! Why the fuck would they kill me? That’s insane. Who even are these council people?”
“They rule Olympia.” Alex rose up to face me. “They make and carry out the laws. Their will is absolute.”
“But I didn’t do anything wrong. They can’t lock me away because monsters are trying to use me to get their way. I didn’t even know about any of this before today!”
“Aella, no one is going to lock you away.” Alex grasped my shoulders. “I only told you this so you’d understand why we’ll have to split up for a while. You can’t come with me, but I’ll make sure you’re safe while I’m gone. My mother’s family is from Miliadis. It’s one of the smaller cities, but it’s nice. Safe. Well-guarded,” he said. “I’ll tell them you’re a friend who has to relocate because your town was overrun by monsters.
“You’ll love their estate, I promise. They’ll treat you like family, they won’t ask too many questions, and they’d never turn you in to the council.”
“Okay,” I breathed, shaking my head. “Yeah, that sounds okay. How long will you be gone?”
“A while, but I’ll see you as often as I can. I’ll make the excuse that I’m visiting family when I’m really visiting you.”
I ducked my head, chewing my lip again. “You’re doing so much for me. You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough.” He curled his finger under my chin, gently lifting me up. “My... My mom is gone too, except I can’t get her back. I know what you’re feeling, Aella. The helplessness. Thehopelessness.”
My chin trembled.
