Killian wasn’t expecting to wake up to his phone buzzing nonstop.

  At first, he ignored it, rolling onto his side, trying to bury himself back into sleep. But the persistent ping of notifications finally got to him. With a groan, he reached for his phone and squinted at the screen.

  Dozens of Instagram alerts. Tags. Comments. Messages.

  His jaw tightened as he scrolled through them.

  And then he saw it.

  A post from Ethan’s photography account had gone viral.

  The caption was simple:

  "Power and Fate. Hades and Persephone, reimagined."

  But it wasn’t the caption that had people talking.

  It was the photo.

  The shot was cinematic—dramatic lighting casting soft shadows over their faces, Killian’s figure looming over Anastasia’s as she clutched the pomegranate, her gaze averted. The contrast between them was striking: dark and commanding versus quiet and untouchable.

  And the comments were exploding.

  @tribbie.rose: Who are they?? The tension in this pic is unreal.

  @march_third: Okay but why do they look like they belong in a movie?

  @its_me_yuan: The way she won’t look at him… PERSEPHONE ENERGY FR.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  @caelus_art: Killian Lancaster as Hades is perfect but WHO is the girl? She’s gorgeous.

  Killian’s eyes flicked to the number of likes. Thousands. Overnight.

  He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.

  Ethan and Leah were going to lose their minds over this.

  —

  And they did.

  By the time he got to class, Ethan was practically bouncing in his seat. "Dude, have you seen the numbers?" He shoved his phone toward Killian’s face. "People are obsessed. They want to see more. We have to keep going with the project!"

  Leah grinned, sliding into her seat beside them. "Honestly, this is the best thing that could’ve happened. The engagement is insane. We could actually turn this into something bigger than just a school project."

  Killian smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Told you it was a good idea."

  Ethan turned to Leah. "We need to get started on the next scenes. The abduction, the Underworld, the transformation—"

  Leah nodded excitedly. "Yes! We need to show the shift, the moment Persephone chooses to stay. The dynamic has to evolve."

  Killian listened, amused. But something else lingered in the back of his mind.

  Anastasia.

  Did she even know about this?

  She barely touched social media, rarely interacted with their circles.

  And yet, without even realizing it, she was starting to gain attention.

  Attention she probably wouldn’t want.

  Killian’s gaze flickered across the room, searching for her. And when he found her, sitting in her usual spot—head down, completely unaware of the chaos happening online—he felt something unexpected.

  Something almost like satisfaction.

  She had spent so much time avoiding him. Ignoring him. Acting like he didn’t exist.

  But now?

  Now, the world was watching her.

  And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.