Everyone—even Chiron—was stunned. The old centaur had seen a lot in his time, but even he wasn’t prepared for this.

  For her.

  He was the first to recover. “My Lady,” he said cautiously, his hooves shifting. “May I ask what you are doing here?”

  Athena tilted her head, studying us like a particularly frustrating puzzle. Like she already knew the answer but wanted to see if we could figure it out. Her storm-gray eyes gleamed like sharpened steel.

  “Why,” she mused, “I am here to speak with Marcus about the prophecy he heard recently. Or was that a few decades ago?”

  I swallowed. “Apparently, Mother, it isn’t.” My voice was steady, but my pulse wasn’t. “And what about the prophecy? I thought we only lacked a piece of it.”

  Athena’s gaze flickered to Chiron. “I would like privacy with my children.” Her tone wasn’t a request.

  Chiron’s jaw tightened—gods giving direct commands was never a good thing—but he nodded. “Of course, my lady.” He gestured for the others to leave. One by one, the campers filed out. Chiron was the last to go, casting me a final look before closing the doors.

  The air changed.

  Athena turned to us, her expression unreadable. But I knew that look. I’d seen it in the eyes of strategists before they announced a losing battle.

  My thoughts sharpened in her presence, like my mind was suddenly three steps ahead of everyone else. It was disorienting, like standing on the edge of a revelation I wasn’t ready for.

  She spoke to Damien first. “Do not envy your brother,” she said. “Your time will come in its own way. For now, let Mark lead.”

  Damien stiffened beside me, but before he could react, Athena’s focus landed on me.

  Her gaze was a scalpel, peeling back layers of ignorance.

  “You may not understand the importance of a single piece of knowledge now,” she said. “But remember this: that small piece will allow you to solve the riddle. And remember—being in charge does not make you the hero.”

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Her words sat heavy in my chest. Before I could respond, she continued.

  “The spear you believe the prophecy speaks of? That is not it.” Her expression darkened. “And this prophecy… will not come to pass this year. Not until your twenty-first birthday.”

  And just like that—she was gone.

  No flash of light. No dramatic exit. One second she was there, and the next, the room was empty except for me and Damien.

  Silence.

  We looked at each other. We both knew.

  What she’d told Damien? That stayed between us

  We relayed what we could to the others. Chiron frowned as we finished, his fingers steepled.

  “The goddess should not have given us such information,” he said. “It goes against the ancient laws. Unless…”

  He stopped. His eyes flickered to Finn, who had gone deathly pale.

  A look passed between them. A silent exchange.

  Then—

  A conch horn. Dinner.

  (Which, yes, I already knew. But still.)

  Camp Aegis’ dining hall wasn’t a hall at all. It was an open-air colosseum, the tables arranged in a ring under the stars. The place was massive, designed to hold hundreds, but only about fifty demigods were here.

  There were no rules. No assigned seats. No enforced meal times. You ate when you wanted—or you didn’t eat at all.

  It was insane. How could anyone function like this?

  As I grabbed my food, I remembered something I’d been meaning to tell Chiron—before Athena had shown up.

  I found him near the central fire, speaking to a satyr. “Chiron,” I said.

  He turned. “Something on your mind, Mark?” His gaze was piercing, like he already knew the answer.

  I hesitated. “It’s about the Grove…”

  His expression turned thoughtful. “Why do you hesitate? Do you believe it should not be spoken of publicly?”

  I gave a slight nod.

  Chiron took out a scrap of parchment, scribbled something down, and handed it to me.

  A time. A location. A list of names.

  “You are to tell these people to come,” he said. “And you may bring a few of your own”

  That night, I gathered Finn, Chloe, Eli, and Damien.

  (I tried not to notice how Chloe somehow made pajamas look like a fashion statement. Not my concern. Moving on.)

  I gave them the details and sent them off to sleep.

  Curfew was enforced by magic, but Chiron had tweaked the wards to let us through. Convenient.

  At the set time, we met beneath Zeus’ statue.

  The area was dark—no magical borders, no artificial lights. The only glow came from the moon.

  Drakons and dragons patrolled the edges of camp. Hephaestus’ automata kept the perimeter secure. Monsters rarely got in. Mortals? They didn’t even know this place existed.

  Eli crossed his arms. “Alright, Mark, why did you drag us out here?”

  Chiron gave me an expectant look.

  I took a deep breath. “It’s about the Grove of Dodona.”

  The air stilled.

  Chiron’s eyes narrowed. “What of it? You’ve kept me in suspense for too long.”

  I clenched my fists. This was it.

  “The Grove of Dodona,” I said slowly, “might be in the Labyrinth.”