SECRET OF FATE

TAMAR SLOAN
 CONTENTS

Prologue
1. Micah
2. Micah
3. Kadence
4. Micah
5. Micah
6. Kadence
7. Micah
8. Micah
9. Kadence
10. Micah
11. Micah
12. Kadence
13. Micah
14. Micah
15. Kadence
16. Micah
17. Micah
18. Kadence
19. Micah
20. Kadence
21. Micah
22. Micah
23. Kadence
24. Kadence
Epilogue
Son of Poseidon
Blood of Medusa
Want to stay in touch?
About the Author
Also by Tamar Sloan
 PROLOGUE

N o amount of sunlight streaming through the window could

hide the darkness growing in the Loom.
Moira steps around the massive, wooden machine.
Despite the immortal years she’s spent with it, she still takes her time
to appreciate the way the ancient pieces of timber interconnect. The
Loom is symmetrical and square, a labyrinth of threads creating
regimented lines. It’s intricate yet simple, logical yet unpredictable.
Just like the Fates, it spins and weaves.
But her peace doesn’t last long. Usually, the threads of humans it
connects are testament to the balance of light and dark. The
luminescent, shimmering threads that draw the eye are there,
alongside the threads of those who struggle to shake off the
darkness. Adding sharp contrast, are the midnight threads of those
who’ve embraced the dark. Just like the Loom itself, the fabric it
weaves is beautiful, abstract, unpredictable…but somehow in
complete harmony.
Usually, the rhythmic tick, tick, ticking, is enough to soothe her. It
has become instinctive to step in time with it. It reminds her that
destinies are like time—inevitable. Underestimated. Always moving
forward.
Except, today, it’s silent.
Perhaps it’s a good thing it’s stopped.
Moira shakes her head. Rarely has the Loom ever stopped. And,
the few times over the past millennia that it has, it was either
because gods or their demigod children had interfered.
 Sometimes, it helped.
Sometimes, it didn’t.
Moira pauses, pulling her white lab coat a little closer around her.
So far, she’s the only one who’s noticed the new differences.
Changes in the Loom have always happened, the balance has
always cycled.
But this, she’s never seen before.
A sound outside grabs her attention, and when the goddess of
fate sees Kronos walking up the path, she’s not surprised. Alarmed.
But not surprised.
Moira greets him at the door, her smile gracious. “Hello, Kronos.”
He nods, eyes grave in his youthful face. “We need to talk,
Moira.”
With a sweep of her arm, Moira invites him in, her eyes searching
the gardens behind him. As always, Elysium is beautiful. With its
forever sunlight, its expanses of greens and kaleidoscopes of color, it
looks exactly as it should—somewhere that pays homage to the final
resting place of good and beautiful souls.
But that’s not what Moira is checking. When she confirms there’s
no one there, she closes the door, hoping it stays that way.
Kronos is already in the room housing the Loom, standing over it
with a ferocious frown. “It’s like the Wheels of Time. It’s not meant to
be still. Or silent.”
Moira nods. “Your daughter did this, didn’t she?”
Kronos’ shoulders tighten. “Yes.”
“It also happened recently, but she restarted it.”
Moira doesn’t need to point out that, this time, it’s different. The
Loom isn’t moving because time is still frozen.
“I need some answers first.”
Moira gazes at Kronos calmly. “If it has to do with what will
happen when it restarts, then neither of us can provide anything
definite.”
Kronos’ hands fist at his sides. “We never do, Moira. But we have
a responsibility to shape this in the right direction.”
Moira takes a step closer, her regal face tense as she studies
him. “Are you doing this for all of humanity, Kronos? Or are you
doing this for your daughter?”
 All Kronos does is blink. It’s the only sign her words registered.
But it’s enough for Moira. She’s a primordial god, after all. She
knows the Titans. She’s watched them longer than their
descendants, the Olympians.
Jaw clenched, Kronos spins to stare at the Loom again.
Moira allows herself to relax, calling upon the tranquility that has
helped her oversee wars and famine and countless deaths. You
have to believe humanity is, at its core, good.
She knows. She’s experienced it firsthand.
Kronos steps around the silent, frozen Loom. He pauses, then
peers closely. He waves his arm across the fabric. “What does this
mean, then?”
Moira freezes. “Yes, the dark areas are growing again. I cannot
dispute that.”
Kronos leans closer, honing in on one of the shadowed patches.
Fine, shining, gossamer threads spread through the dark blotches
like roots, but the gray—the color of death—is unmistakable. “Why is
it spreading, Moira?”
With a sigh, Moira steps away. “I’m unsure. As people die, their
souls are removed from the Loom. It allows space for good to be
found, to grow. But these…”
Kronos waits.
Moira angles her chin, her blue eyes steady. “They aren’t
following how it has happened before.”
“You’re saying their impact is remaining in the fabric?”
“I’m not saying anything. Fate is far too complicated for any of us,
even the Greek gods, to understand.” She glares at Kronos. “To
predict.”
Kronos throws out his arms. “So, we just sit back and watch?
Wait?”
Moira shrugs, her white lab coat shifting with the movement. “I
have faith, Kronos. It takes very little good to outweigh the bad.
Darkness is not fated to win.”
“It’s our duty to address this.”
Moira shakes her head. “It could be nothing but a new angle on
the same old cycle. You know this, Kronos. A war. A nuclear bomb.
An outbreak of disease. The light will return, just like it always does.”
 “Or, it could be the start of something big.”
“That you could make worse,” she snaps. Pulling herself up,
Moira takes a breath, moderating her tone. “So, you’ll send this
daughter of yours, who has stopped time and walked away, to what,
fix it?”
Kronos narrows his eyes. “You don’t have a demigod child, Moira.
Between being a primordial god, and your choice to remain
separate, you wouldn’t understand. We are not watchers of this
realm. We are keepers. Our demigod children allow us to ensure the
balance is maintained.”
Moira remains still, chin high and proud. “Your demigod children
can upset the balance.”
Kronos turns away with a frown. “Talking with you always ties me
up in knots, woman.” He heads toward the door. “But it doesn’t
matter. You’ve confirmed what I suspected.”
Moira doesn’t speak. To do so, would influence this even more.
Her role is to observe.
Not to interfere.
Kronos pauses on his way to the door, turning back to seize her
with his mercury gaze. He raises his hand, his young-old face almost
challenging.
A click of his fingers is all it takes.
Behind her, the Loom starts up again. Tick, tick, ticking fills the
room, calming Moira’s breathing. Below, on Earth, humans will begin
moving again—hearts will beat, emotions will rise and fall, lives will
continue like they never stopped.
Balance will be found.
Moira nods, but doesn’t speak. There’s still a chance Kronos will
leave this alone, allow it to run its course. He’ll realize this daughter
of his has already complicated things.
Kronos turns to the door, only to pause when it bursts open.
Moira’s hand flies to her chest when she sees who’s standing
there.
A boy. Dark haired, a smile wiping from his face. He halts when
he sees there are more people than he was expecting. He pales,
then swallows. “S-sorry. I’ll come back later.”
Within the space of a breath, he’s gone.
 Although Moira knows, just as Kronos would, that even a second
can be more than long enough.
Kronos is rubbing his salt-and-pepper beard as he stares at the
door. “Who was that, Moira?”
Moira drops her hand to her side, straightening. “One of the
residents.”
Kronos shakes his head, turning to face her. “But he has your
eyes.”
Moira takes a steadying breath. She could lie, but Kronos is
already doubting her advice as it is. She can’t afford to lose face if he
catches on. Moira slicks back her perfect hair. “That was my son,
Micah.”
“Your demigod son.”
Moira nods, her throat too tight to respond.
Tick, tick, tick. The Loom counts out the seconds, physical proof
that destinies are being woven as the silence stretches between
them.
Kronos shakes his head, his eyes unfocused as he mutters,
almost to himself, “The son of a primordial god. This is why she
moved to Elysium.” He finally looks up. “I could never figure out why
you, Moira, the goddess of fate, wanted to live in a house. You even
moved the Loom here.”
Moira feels as if her spine has turned to lead. “No one knows he
exists. He barely leaves Elysium. I’ve kept him separate from the
fabric of life.”
“The next generation of non-interferers, huh?”
“Yes, Kronos.” Moira’s eyes narrow. “He knows the impact one
choice can make.”
“Like the choice to have a child, goddess of fate?”
Moira pulls herself up. “Exactly my point, Kronos. Gods are just
as susceptible to the whim of emotion. The difference is, I’m not
willing to let that fleeting moment affect others and their future.”
Doesn’t he realize that’s what makes systems so unstable? Fate
can never be predicted because emotions can never be predicted.
Kronos nods, turning to the door once again. “I see.”
Moira winds her hands together tightly. Does he? Has he finally
seen reason?
 A few steps, and he opens it, just like Micah did a moment ago.
Elysium is on the other side, drawing the eye with its unapologetic
magnificence.
Kronos steps through, turning to look at Moira. His face is
pensive, eyes full of storm clouds as he regards her. “Tell me, Moira
—how bad does it have to get before you do something about it?”

Kronos closes the door behind him before she has time to answer.
Moira suspects he knew she wouldn’t respond.
She turns back to the Loom, trying to shake the uneasiness.
Maybe he assumed it was a rhetorical question.
 MICAH

I went back.
I promised I wouldn’t. I was told of the consequences.
And yet, I went back.
All because I refused to believe.
Sitting on the bench I threw myself on after my mad dash, I drop
my head into my hands.
And now Kadence believes I’m dead.
Pain knifes through my heart, spreading like wildfire through my
veins. Since the moment I realized the building was collapsing, this
is how it’s been. A piercing stab. Rupture. Agony detonating,
spreading from cell to cell, until each and every one of them is
throbbing with it.
Just like the butterfly effect. One flutter of its wings, a sonic boom
throughout my body.
I hear the door open from the slice of garden I escaped to, hear
the man leave. I don’t lift my head.
Another consequence.
Another mistake.
Whoever it was, he was a god. His presence felt too large for the
room, his face ageless but wise. Then there were those piercing
eyes that missed nothing.
Shoving my fingers into my temples, I grit my teeth, not bothering
to wish the pain would abate. I don’t know what’s going on, but I
know it’s my fault.
 Waiting a few minutes for the man to leave, even though he’s
already seen me, I finally rise to my feet. It feels like my bones have
become porous, corroded by the holocaust happening in my body.
I walk through Elysium—calling it Sweet Dreams feels like a
mockery now—barely seeing, hardly hearing. I think someone calls
out, but I don’t turn. I need to face my mother.
The door to our house is open, like an invite. She’s waiting.
She’s in the lounge room. The door to the Loom is closed, but I
can hear it. It’s a relief to register the rhythmic ticking. It stopped
again recently, and Mom explained it’s unusual, but not unheard of.
Kronos, the god of time, has had to do it a handful of occasions
before, generally when the other gods have interfered and needed to
be sent back.
But twice in such a short space of time?
I pause, taking in the sharp angle of my mother’s shoulders,
realizing something. “The man who was here, it was Kronos, wasn’t
it?”
She nods, and the implications cement me to the floor. I don’t
know how I know, but I know stopping time had something to do with
me. His visit here had something to do with me.
I never would’ve been discovered if I’d listened.
Mom turns, her white lab coat swishing around her knees. I think
I’m the only one who’s ever seen her without it. Today though, it’s
obvious the nexus of goddess of fate and mother of Micah aren’t an
easy crossroad to carry. Her blue eyes scan and study me, but I look
away.
There’s only so much disappointment I can take.
I swallow, staring at the wall across the room. “I’m…sorry.”
“For what, Micah?”
My gaze snaps to hers. “For everything. I should’ve listened.”
Mom shakes her head, her intricate, glossy hair catching the
light. “But you didn’t. Why?”
I swallow again, never seeming to have enough moisture in my
mouth. “I fell for a girl. Her name’s Kadence.”
Mom seems to blink, but she turns her face away. “And you…
love her?”
 My eyes slam shut. I never knew those words could hurt so
much. “I do.” I shake my head. “I did. I don’t exist down there
anymore.”
“Feelings don’t die after our earthly bodies do, Micah.”
I wince, knowing what she’s saying is true. It’s thrumming through
every beat of my heart.
“She believes you’re dead now. I know it hurts, but you need to
leave it that way.”
I try to nod, I really do. She’s right. So far, the choice to interfere
has done nothing but damage. My mind knows this.
Every other shred of my being rejects it.
Mom must see something on my face, because she glances over
her shoulder at the closed door, the Loom behind it. “Someone else
died in that building.”
I gasp. “What?”
“A soul was trapped in there when it was demolished. They woul
would be at a Crossroads by now.”
The place where souls move onto the suffering of Tartarus or the
beauty just outside this cottage. Unfortunately, so many of them from
Pontiac Point go to Tartarus, unable to rise above the challenges
they were born into.
Which is what Kadence was seeing every day…
A thought has my spine turning to ice. “Was it my fault?”
Mom’s lips thin as they press together. She does that when she’s
thinking, when something is weighing heavily on her mind. “Micah…”
I hold my hand up. “I need to know, Mom. Was it because I was
there?”
She looks away. “The moment you became part of their world,
you made an impact.”
It’s not a straight answer, but it tells me everything I need to
know.
Turning away, I stumble out the door, blindly seeking solitude.
Whoever that soul is, their days ended on Earth because I
couldn’t stay away. It’s all the proof I needed to show me I can’t go
back.
I haven’t gotten far, when I’m reminded solitude isn’t easily found
in Elysium. The souls here are free of hurt and anger—they have no
defenses. It means they happily seek each other out. The joy of
connecting isn’t tainted by anything here.
Thomas is wheeling toward me, so I take a sharp right, veering
off the path and diving into the greenery. His choice to remain in his
wheelchair tells me he still hasn’t accepted being at Elysium. People
still take their earthly forms here, but an earthly form that’s healed.
That no longer hurts or hinders.
The fact the wheelchair is still there tells me he’s holding on to
the belief he doesn’t belong. I’ve explained enough times that only
the true and righteous can enter Elysium. He couldn’t be here if his
soul wasn’t good, even though he’s only a few years older than I am.
Walking further into the garden, my lungs fill with the sweet scent
of earth and foliage. I walk for a long time, knowing the gardens
never end. Their beauty morphs and stretches forever.
And yet, I could turn around and head back, and be home in
minutes.
Not that I plan on doing that anytime soon.
As the trees and shrubs slowly peter out, my feet leave soil and
find sand. Trudging, head down and my mind deep in thought, I’m
too lost in pain to notice I’ve reached a desert. Slopes of untouched
sand, golden and glowing and rippled, undulate for miles. It’s barren
and arid, but beautiful in a way the lush gardens of Elysium could
never be.
I’ve never walked this far—never had to, never wanted to. But,
I’m glad I found it.
The isolation, the space stretching out from horizon to horizon is
what I need right now. I never thought I’d find Elysium
claustrophobic…
The sun is beginning to set on the horizon, a shimmering ball of
fire throwing out arms of gold over the sand. Above, the sky is
finding night, and, below, the dunes are alive with the last rays of
daylight.
I stop on the top of a rise, sitting down on the soft sand. Sinking
my fingers into the countless grains found in just this one spot, I
watch as they sift through my fingers.
Mom’s right.
 I was so naïve. There’s no way I could go back and not influence
outcomes, and not only Kadence’s. You move one grain of sand,
others move, too. They’re all interlinked.
I’m lucky, really. At some stage, moving just one grain of sand,
that final granule, will be a tipping point for an avalanche.
I’m not meant to be one of these grains of sand. Just like this
desert I never knew existed, I don’t belong.
I shake my head. Even after everything that’s happened, a flicker
of hope, the smallest of embers had been alive in my heart. Maybe
something was possible.
Maybe I could go back and make this all right.
Maybe I wouldn’t be the one to make Kadence lose hope.
Now I know why the desert was the right place to come to.
There’s nowhere else that could’ve contained the pain of accepting
this decision. I’m not even sure the forever distance between
horizons is going to do it.
My head sinks between my knees. A single drop of saltwater
bleeds down my cheek and hits the sand.
I can’t create any more hurt.
I can’t be responsible for death.
I can’t go back.
 MICAH

F or a long time, watching the Loom had been enough.

Watching the fabric of life weave and lengthen,
marveling at the play of light on dark, would keep me
fascinated for hours.
Then, I discovered you could zoom in.
Without even touching it, a wave of my hand would expand the
area where I was looking. Suddenly, rather than staring at the
enormity of every life on Earth, I could discover continents, countries,
cities.
On a large scale, it’s easy to forget each thread is a single life.
The fabric is so large, so complicated, so much bigger than any one
thread. It’s like watching an ant colony, forgetting that each ant is a
life in itself. But when you zoom in on the fibers, faces appear. Lives
begin to play out.
That’s how I followed my father.
That’s how I found Kadence.
Damien Black had been to Detroit, as I found out later, to buy the
apartment block he demolished. The one I’m supposed to have died
in.
But I saw another thread, woven a little looser than the others. I’d
looked closer, seeing it was barely hanging on. For some reason I
was curious. I zoomed in a little more.
Her face had filled the Loom. Kadence, not that I knew her name
back then. Sitting up on the ledge, the wind streaking through her
shiny, blonde hair, her shoulders hunched and defensive. Her cherry-
pink mouth looking like it had forgotten how to smile.
It was her eyes that had drawn me in like a magnet. Shifting
shades of gray, the light slowly dying in them.
“This one is sad.”
My mother had entered the room just as I said it. I’d waved my
hand, the image disappearing back into the complexity of the fabric,
not sure why. Keeping tabs on Dad was obviously necessary to hide
but seeing a girl on a rooftop wasn’t.
“Many of them are,” Mom had said with her usual acceptance.
“Just like many have found joy.”
With a swallow, I’d nodded. “I hope she sees the light.”
Mom had patted my arm. “You’ve seen it with the souls here at
Elysium, Micah. Darkness is where light comes from.”
I’d nodded and turned away, mumbling something about going to
find Blake. But that’s when it had started. When I was alone at home,
with Mom doing the rounds either at Elysium or Tartarus, I’d checked
in.
Usually, Kadence was on the rooftop. Slowly, inevitably,
unweaving herself from the fabric of life…disentangling herself from
the blotches of sadness and anger and hate surrounding her.
All I wanted was for her to see the veins of light that were wound
just as tightly.
It’s early morning as I head through the gardens. I’d fallen asleep
in the desert of Elysium, curled up in the sand, along with my tears.
Once I’d woken, I knew I needed to go back.
But as I shuffle down the path, I wonder where I’m going.
Going home involves seeing my mother and feeling the weight of
her disappointment, only adding to the heaviness in my chest.
Staying in the gardens will mean running into someone at some
stage and having to bear witness to their peaceful joy. That’s so far
removed from how I’m feeling, the contrast will only amplify it.
And I can’t leave.
As I look around the shades of green sparkling softly in the
morning light, I realize there’s nowhere else to go. Going home is my
only option.
 Entering the cottage, I find Mom waiting in the lounge room, her
hand tightly gripping a chair. “You didn’t come home last night.”
There have been other nights I haven’t been home, but she
obviously hasn’t checked before. Nights I fell asleep on the rooftop,
happy just being near Kadence.
Then there was the night we both fell asleep. Kadence showing
me patterns in the stars far above, warm and soft in my arms…
I shake my head, trying to banish the images. They’re just too
painful. “I found a desert.”
Mom nods. “Ah, the outer reaches of the gardens. I haven’t
visited them in a long time.”
“I must’ve fallen asleep there.”
Mom takes a step forward, then stops. “Micah…”
I turn toward the kitchen. “This is going to take some time, Mom.”
Her sigh is soft, but I hear it nonetheless. “Breakfast is in the
fridge. Maybe try and get some sleep.”
This will be the rhythm I return to. Sleeping, eating, spending time
with the souls in the gardens. Never before has the prospect felt so
hollow.
“Thanks.” I try to smile, I really do. She needs reassurance.
But the muscles in my face don’t comply. They’ve atrophied, worn
down by pain. “You’d better get going. I’ve made you late enough as
it is.”
Another consequence of my actions.
Mom steps toward the door. “I do need to go.”
I nod. That’s what I was hoping. “I know. You’ve got
responsibilities.”
Unlike me.
She hesitates. “Stay away from the Loom. It’ll only cause more
pain.”
My eyes shut at the sound of the door closing.
Maybe she’s right. Maybe I should try to sleep. I move away from
the kitchen, knowing I won’t be eating anytime soon.
Except, as I move through, the closed door on the other side of
the room catches my attention. The rectangle of brown timber seems
to grow, filling my vision.
The reasons I should walk away count out the steps till I reach it.
 Doing this is what started it in the first place.
Step.
I was never supposed to be part of any of it.
Step.
It will do nothing but hurt.
Step.
I need to let go.
And I’m there. Pushing it open, I’m enveloped by the golden glow
and tick, tick, ticking.
My heart is beating like a drum as I take in the Loom. So
complicated and intricate. One second, one click forward.
Destinies being woven by choices.
Since I’ve been visiting Pontiac Point, I haven’t looked closely. I
didn’t want to know.
I pause, hand hovering. What am I doing? Why am I here?
I lean closer, frowning. The darkness has grown.
I intuitively know where Detroit is. I’ve explored it too often. It
means I see the difference instantly. I zoom in a little closer, and it’s
unmistakable. Like a cancer, the raven-colored clouds are spreading.
I’m not sure what that means. Surely, Mom is aware this isn’t
right. It seems to be moving too fast…
Instinctively, my muscles having played this routine too many
times before, I wave my hand above it again. It zooms in closer,
Pontiac Point in all its gray glory filling up the fabric.
A sharp breath stabs my lungs. There’s my thread, appearing
and disappearing, each time weaving tighter and tighter with
Kadence’s.
It constricts my chest until it feels like my heart is being strangled.
There’s such beauty in two souls becoming so close, sometimes
they almost become one thread.
But then my thread is gone. Severed.
And Kadence’s continues.
After that, there’s no more. The threads disappear, yet to be
woven. Destinies waiting to be chosen.
This is what Mom was talking about. Kadence now has a future
ahead of her, one where I don’t exist.
Which is the way it should’ve been all along.
 There’s another thread beside Kadence’s. Just like mine, it ends
suddenly. That must be the soul who died in the building.
I look away, struggling to catch my breath in my choked chest.
I was wrong. Coming here was wrong.
Stumbling out, I close the door behind me, wondering where in
the world I’m supposed to go while I’m carrying these feelings that
don’t belong in Elysium.
I head to the massive tree I’ve always been drawn to, hoping to
be alone. The trunks of the ficus, gnarled and interwoven, are a
testament to how old it is. Like pillars that have been molded and
twisted, they writhe around each other before spearing into the soil.
It’s why I’ve always loved this tree. It’s so…grounded.
Being early morning, there’s no one around, which is a relief. I
press my forehead against the rough bark, welcoming the sting.
Surely, time will take care of this pain. Downgrade it. Dull it.
Surely, it can’t keep feeling like this forever…
“Ah, hello.”
I spin around, knowing time alone was unlikely, already
formulating a goodbye so I can leave. But it’s no one I know.
It’s a new face, a young face. A girl, probably about my age,
dark-blonde hair wisping around her face. She’s looking around with
the same wonder all the recently arrived residents always do.
I step away from the tree, stretching out my hand. This is about
the only purpose I have in Elysium. Greeting the newcomers and
helping with their transition. “Welcome to Elysium.”
Her gaze is still scanning the too-blue sky, the abundant
vegetation, the carpet-like thick grass. “Right. So, I’m dead?”
I nod, watching her closely. People take that news in a variety of
ways. “Yes. Your soul has come here, the final resting place of the
good and honorable.”
Her wide eyes settle on me. “I’m good and honorable?”
Her voice is so full of disbelief and wonder, that I come the
closest to smiling since the building dropped out from beneath my
feet. “You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.”
She plants her hands on her hips as she does a slow turn. “So
this is some sort of heaven, huh?” She slants a glance at me.
“You’ve died, too?”
 I sidestep the question. She’ll find out soon enough I’m not the
usual person you find here. “You’ve had the tour?”
She nods. “Yeah, some guy in a robe.”
Probably Victor. He likes to look the part. Which also means Mom
was too busy to do this transition, which isn’t unusual, but for some
reason, causes unease to trickle down my spine.
“Great. Now, you settle in and enjoy this next stage. You deserve
it.”
It’s nice to see another young person here. This girl must’ve been
someone special to gain entry despite her age.
She does another slow spin, muttering under her breath, “Good
and honorable. If only Dad could see this…” She strokes her hands
down her blue dress, runs her fingers through her hair. “This is what
shampooed hair feels like.” She throws me a wry glance. “I usually
washed my hair with soap…when we had it.”
Another voice reaches us from down the path. “Micah, we need
to talk. Or are you gonna run again?”
Gritting my teeth, I turn around. The guy in the wheelchair
barreling toward me isn’t what I need right now. I was going to make
sure this girl was coming to terms with her transition—which she
seems to be doing quite well—then maybe head out to the desert
again. Coming to the ficus was a mistake.
The girl beside me gasps. “Thomas?”
Thomas stops, his wheelchair gliding a few more inches before it
comes to a standstill. “Tanisha?”
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “You two know each other?”
Thomas is looking as gobsmacked as I feel. “We grew up in the
same neighborhood.”
Tanisha nods. “He’s the older brother of one of my friends.”
I collect myself. This isn’t terribly unusual. Sometimes, entire
families end up in Elysium.
Thomas swallows as he moves forward another inch. “How is
he?”
Tanisha opens her mouth before slamming it shut. She turns to
me, eyes narrowed. “I thought you said this place was for good
people only.”
Something in me feels like frowning. “It is.”
 “Then what’s he doing here?” She points her finger at Thomas
accusingly.
I glance down at Thomas. Is it because of the wheelchair? “Ah,
Thomas arrived here a while ago.”
Tanisha closes in on Thomas, her face suddenly full of fury. “You
stole your mother’s car so you could skip town.”
Thomas opens his mouth, but Tanisha hasn’t finished. He wheels
back as her anger continues to batter him. “Then you sold it and
nobody saw a cent! While Tyler was stealing whatever he could so
he and his mom—your mom—could eat, you were off living the good
life.”
Thomas’ gaze slides away. “I was coming back.”
“Not freaking good enough, Thomas, because you didn’t come
back. You left Tyler to deal with all that crap. Alone!”
Thomas’ face snaps to the side, shame staining his cheeks.
I’m just as rooted to the ground as the ficus behind me.
Arguments don’t happen in Elysium. There’s nothing to argue about.
Thomas angles his wheelchair toward me, eyes dark and hot as
he glares at me. “It’s all true. I’ve been trying to tell him.”
I almost respond. Almost.
But if I did, it would prove I’ve learned nothing.
I step back, bringing my hands up like there’s a loaded gun
pointed at me. “Sorry, guys, I can’t get involved in this stuff.”
“More like, he won’t,” Thomas mutters.
I’ve already spun around and headed down the path. I tell myself
their words don’t touch me.
That they don’t add an extra layer to the suffocating pain.
But as I stride through the acres of garden, unconsciously
breaking into a run, I realize I can’t escape it.
I’ve never been very good at lying.
 KADENCE

I wasn’t there when my father restarted time. As I walked

away, I knew all I was creating was a brief reprieve. All
the gods took their responsibilities seriously—Kronos
would make sure the Wheels of Time would start moving again.
At least I didn’t have to see the remaining building crumble,
crushing everything from the outside in. I heard it from my room. The
mighty sound of gravity honoring the laws of physics and taking
everything with it. I even smelled the dust, creeping through the
cracks around my bedroom door.
Crushing everyone.
Hope.
My heart.
Micah.
I’d crawled into bed, pulled the covers over my head, and wished
I was so much further away. I hadn’t cried. I hadn’t felt anything. My
chest was nothing but a hollow cavern.
Aunt Jo had asked questions, brought food, invited me to watch
the Nakey News. But I’d turned away from all of it. I didn’t have any
answers about what was going on. I wasn’t hungry. And I couldn’t
see myself ever watching that show again.
I think Aunt Jo had gotten some sort of idea when she came in to
tell me they found a body in the rubble—one they hadn’t been able
to identify. It would’ve been too broken to be recognizable. Not to
mention, no one had ever really seen Micah.
 But the following morning, I find I’m drawn to the rubble. It’s like
the physical manifestation of what remains of me—broken, jagged
pieces no one will be able to put back together.
What was once seven stories, is now a tangled mess of metal
and concrete. Heavy machinery has been brought in for the cleanup.
Another day or two, and it’ll be like none of this ever existed.
Like Micah never existed.
The hollow sensation grows, and I shy away from the thought. It
feels like if I feed it too much, it’ll engulf me.
The metal barricades are still there, dotted with “Do Not Enter”
signs, which I ignore. Climbing through, I pause when my sneakers
crunch on the gravel.
Rounded pieces of gravel litter the outer edge of the pile like lace.
Fractured and fragile, the crunching sound as I step on them has me
wincing. Circling the rubble, I survey it. Where would they have
found Micah’s body? Was it beneath one of the monstrous slabs in
the center, or wrapped around one of the twisted shafts of steel?
Slamming my eyes shut, I try to curb the wave of nothingness as
it crashes through me. I told myself I wouldn’t go there…
Except I keep going.
On the other side is the first time I see it. Uneven and ugly, graffiti
has been scrawled across some of the pieces of concrete. The
words have me gasping.
Screw you.
Screw tomorrow.
Screw life.
Over and over, in the same black, bleeding paint. Whoever wrote
it has climbed all over the rubble, finding any piece of concrete large
enough to hold the words.
Wrapping my arms around my middle, I feel my eyes sting, but I
grit my teeth. I’ll choose hollowness any day over the alternative.
Whoever wrote this is obviously angry.
Somewhere in my mind, the words echo: Screw you. Screw
tomorrow. Screw life. If I could feel anything right now, that would be
a pretty good summary.
The sound of crunching behind me has me spinning around to
find Nevaeh climbing through the barricade. I haven’t seen her since
she walked away before the demolition, unable to watch her dreams
come down like a fragile deck of cards.
She comes to stand beside me, arms crossed, too. “It was Tyler. I
caught him last night.”
Oh, no. “Not Tyler…”
“Yeah, it’s hit him hard. He’s not taking it so well.”
I didn’t think it was possible, but my arms tighten around me even
more. “He had a long way to fall.”
I keep staring at the destruction before us. I can’t look at Nevaeh.
I know what she’s thinking: Tyler is like this because of us.
Nev shifts her weight, the gravel grinding beneath her shoes.
“You should probably talk to him.”
I freeze. “Me?”
“Yeah.” Nev frowns. “He wouldn’t listen to me. Said he was going
to do whatever the hell he wanted.”
“We shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up.”
Nev finally turns to me. “He’s on a good-behavior bond, Kay. If he
gets caught, he’ll end up in jail.”
Alongside his brother.
I take my time facing her, my arms straining as they grip my
sides. Nev’s disappointment is going to be hard to add to everything
else clamoring to be acknowledged.
Except, as my eyes reach the caramel depths of hers, she
smiles. Of all the expressions I’d braced myself for, the gentle upturn
of her lips wasn’t one of them.
It has my arms slackening in shock. They fall to my sides. “How
can you be smiling?”
She shrugs as she tucks her hands into her pockets. “I think
you’d be a good person for him to talk to, that’s all.”
I shake my head as I turn away. “I’m the last person he should
talk to.”
“Why?”
My hands bunch into fists. “Because I agree with him.”
Nev pauses, and her voice is soft as she asks the next question:
“Why has this hit you so hard?”
As I stand there, it feels like every muscle is as hard and
fractured as the concrete I’m staring at. “Someone died here, Nev.”
 Nev’s hand reaches out to grasp mine. “We can’t take
responsibility for other people’s choices, Kay.”
I pull away. “But we can take it for the sign it is. Our choices have
consequences, Nev.”
“Oh, I see.”
I wait, but Nev doesn’t continue. I almost don’t ask. A part of me
knows I’m not going to like the answer. “You see what?”
My best friend steps away, shaking her head. “You’re going to
use this as another excuse, aren’t you?”
“I beg your pardon?”
Nev clamps her mouth shut, her dark brows cramped down in a
deep furrow. She turns away, heading for the barricade.
I frown, too, my arms once more crisscrossing against my chest.
I’m not stupid enough to ask a second time.
As she reaches them, though, Nev spins around. “You’re going to
do what you always do, Kay.” She takes a step forward but stops.
“You’ll use what happened to justify not trying.”
With a shake of her head, Nev climbs over the barricade and
strides away, stiff-legged and straight-backed.
I blink a couple of times, before spinning around and finding my
frown again. Nev doesn’t understand. She wouldn’t know it was
Micah that they carried out in a black body bag.
The crappy part is, it doesn’t really matter if she knows or not. In
the end, all I’m left with is the shards around and inside me.
Feet shuffling like my body is riddled with age, I keep walking
around. Hunching my shoulders, I concentrate on picking up the
pace. My sluggish body, weighed down by black nothingness, barely
lifts my feet any higher.
Scrunching up my face, I hunker down like I’m trying to walk
through a sandstorm. I shouldn’t have come.
I want to go home. To bed. To not think.
I’ve just rounded the final corner and our apartment block is in
sight, when I almost trip. Glancing down, expecting to see a large
chunk of concrete or a length of pipe, I stop when I see it’s neither.
Clinging to my shoelace by a single thorn, is the rose bush Tyler
brought to the garden. I squat down, cradling its dusty, crippled
branches.
 More collateral damage.
Lifting it up, I discover the roots are still largely intact. There are
even a couple of buds under all that pulverized concrete. Then I
realize what I’m doing.
I’m inspecting it. Checking for signs of viability to see if this poor
plant can survive.
I swing it behind my head with the intention of throwing it back
where it belongs—with the broken cement, shattered glass and
twisted metal. Using the most energy I have since any of this
happened, I fling my arm up hard and high.
Except my hand doesn’t release it. The rose bush arcs through
the air, slices down, and comes to rest by my leg, like some spidery
extension of my arm.
As if that one motion just sapped all my energy, I sag. I can’t
even throw away a stupid, broken rose bush.
Not bothering to think too hard about what that means, I head to
the barricades and slip through. As I reach the corner of our
apartment block, I duck into the alleyway beside it. Everything is still
there: a couple of old plastic pots, a small pile of soil.
Quickly and gently, I repot the rose, once again encasing its roots
in soil. Then, using the tap on the side of the building, I water it.
Sitting back on my knees, I watch the dirt sink as it turns dark and
moist.
Maybe it’ll survive. Maybe it won’t. I’m not even sure why I went
to the effort, considering neither outcome sparks anything within me.
I’m not bringing it inside. Aunt Jo will smell the moist soil and
comment I’ve brought another one of my lost souls home. She’s
always joked she’s much happier that I collect homeless plants than
stray kittens.
Tucking it against the wall where it’ll be cool and shaded, I head
into our apartment. It’s a relief to find Aunt Jo isn’t home. Probably
off buying more potatoes from Terry. They’ve become her first food
group.
In my room, I sit on the bed, tucking my legs up to my chin.
Benjamina sits on my desk, glossy leaves catching the limited
sunlight streaming through the window. I gaze at her impassively. I
know what she’s trying to tell me, that it’s only a matter of time before
he’s here, but I don’t care.
My back is to my window, which is how I prefer it. It means I can’t
see outside, can’t register the new world on the other side. There’s
no longer an apartment building across the road. There’s no rooftop
to climb up to, to lift myself away from this existence.
There’s no Micah waiting for me.
My arms tighten, pulling my legs closer. I’ve spent most of my life
living in a world without Micah. It doesn’t make sense that this has
hollowed me out so completely.
But it has.
Every moment with Micah was building something that was
amazing and unforgettable and heart-soaring. Just like the
apartment block where we met—the higher we went, the further
there was to crash.
And in a short space of time, we were reaching for the stars.
Blinking, I bury my face, trying to shrink inside a little more. I’m
desperately trying to hold myself together. To stop the aching
hollowness from taking over.
To pretend that if there’s no Micah, there’s no world beyond my
room.

I sense when my father arrives, although I thought it wouldn’t be till

tonight. He must’ve seen that Aunt Jo’s out and decided not to wait.
His presence doesn’t spark the usual lightness in my chest. I’m not
sure anything ever will.
Although, maybe it’s because of the conversation we’re about to
have…
He pauses as he enters my room, seeing me tucked up on the
bed. “Kadence.”
The bed sags as he sits beside me, pulling me in and tucking me
into his side. I let my father pull me close, although him being here
only makes me feel worse.
He holds me for long moments, maybe waiting to see if I have
anything to say, but I have no intention of talking. There are no
words to capture what’s happened, or why.
 He pulls back and I begrudgingly raise my face. His speckled
brows are pulled low in concern as he studies me. “Kadence. What
happened? Why did you stop time?”
I look away, staring at Benjamina. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Although I don’t turn back, I can hear
the frown in his voice.
I fell in love.
I fell in love with someone who had me believing and hoping.
And he’s gone.
I shrug. “I’m not sure that time is something we need anymore.”
The intake of breath beside me would normally make me wince,
but today, I’m nothing but a husk.
I blink, recognizing the truth in my words. “You said so yourself,
Dad. The world is going nowhere but down. Why draw out the
inevitable? If we stop time, then we end the pain.”
I feel Dad shake his head, but I keep staring ahead. “Kadence.”
When I don’t answer, his arm slips from my shoulders. Its
absence leaves a cool patch I wish I didn’t feel.
He sighs. “We need to find out if Hades is up to something.”
Shaking my head, I stand up, crossing my arms as I step away.
“Someone else will have to do it. I’m not the right person.”
He needs someone who believes this can end, anywhere but with
the grief I’m already feeling.
When I finally glance at my father, his face looks as if gravity was
too much for his shoulders. He stands, too. “Very well, daughter.”
I tighten my jaw as he walks to the door. There’s a world out
there I refuse to accept. A world I wasn’t sure is worth saving before
any of this happened.
It’s a world without Micah.
He pauses, his hand on the doorknob. “Has it worked, Kadence?”
“Has what worked?”
“All this.” He waves his arm in my direction. “Even if I hadn’t
restarted time, would it have stopped the pain?”
He closes the door gently behind him, nothing but a soft click
echoing in the space he leaves behind.
It’s a small sound. A gentle sound that follows his softly spoken
question.
 But it spears through me like an arrow. An arrow powered by
truth.
All of a sudden, Nev’s words, Dad’s disappointment, the loss of
Micah—it fills every hollow, aching hole inside me. I go from
excavated and empty, to crowded and brimming.
Except this is worse.
I didn’t think it was possible, but it is.
It’s worse because it’s real in a way I wasn’t willing to admit.
It’s worse because I have to decide what to do with it.
 MICAH

“O h, no, you don’t.”

I’m stopped in my tracks as Thomas halts his
wheelchair straight in front of me.
I glance to the left at the path he’d just sprung out from. A bush
had been obscuring him. “Were you waiting for me?”
“Damn straight, I was. I don’t know where you’ve been going all
day, so I figured this was the only way to catch you.”
The sun is barely peeking over the top of the trees as I stand with
my hands fisted, glaring at him. “You’re at Elysium now, you don’t
have to be up so early.”
Thomas angles his chin as he doesn’t back down. “I get to wake
up whenever I want, actually. And today, I wanted to talk to you.”
I take a step to the right. “I can’t. I’m—”
Thomas deftly blocks me. “Too busy trying to avoid me.”
I grit my teeth. It’s true. He’s been trying to talk to me since I got
back, but that one time with Tanisha was enough.
Another step to the left, and Thomas is there with me. The guy
has some impressive reflexes.
I frown, trying to show him this isn’t some kind of joke. “I can’t
help you, Thomas.”
“Unfortunately for you, I’ve been spending time with Edward and
Victor. What you’re saying is, you choose not to help me.”
My teeth feel like they’re about to splinter, they’re jammed down
so hard. “I. Can’t. Once you’re here, Thomas, that’s it. There’s no
going back.”
 “Let me tell you a story, Micah. A week before”— he waves his
arms at his wheelchair—“this, I realized something. I realized I was
the drop-kick Tanisha said I was. Everything she said I did is true. I
treated my family terribly.”
I open my mouth, but Thomas raises his hand to stop me.
“That wasn’t the punchline,” he growls.
I finally see how important this is to him, so I consciously ease
my muscles. Although it won’t make a difference, giving Thomas the
time to listen to his story is something I can do.
He must see the change in me, because his shoulders relax. He
wheels back a little, squinting up at my face. “My best friend
overdosed. I watched the paramedics try to revive him. He never
woke up—but I did. I woke up to the waste of space I’d become.” His
gaze slides away, focusing on the greenery around him. “Worse, to
the harm I was causing.”
I don’t offer any platitudes, instinctively knowing that’s not what
Thomas is looking for. He’s not here for absolution. He’s here to be
heard.
“So, I made a decision. I bought that parking lot, having no idea
what I was going to do with it, but figuring it could be something
special. Something I could do to give back. Then I saw the
apartment block was for sale, and it was just as cheap. I started the
paperwork. I was going to refurbish it. Give my mom and anyone
else the chance to live somewhere that wasn’t a glorified crap-hole.”
Exactly. Which proves why he’s here. I open my mouth to say just
that. “Which is—”
But Thomas’ hand is back up silencing me. “Still not the
punchline, Micah. I was flying out to sign all the paperwork, in a rush
to get there before the office closed, to finally be someone my family
could be proud of. Heck, someone I didn’t hate. I got a phone call,
saying an earlier flight had opened up. It felt like a stroke of luck. A
sign I was finally getting it right.”
Thomas pauses, his gaze losing focus, but I don’t speak. A sense
of foreboding tells me we’re coming to the punchline.
“The flight wasn’t a long one, but it turned out to be a whole lot
shorter. Some sort of engine failure. I didn’t die right away. I couldn’t
feel my legs, but the pain everywhere else couldn’t be ignored. It
wasn’t long before the end came, but certainly enough time for me to
know everything I was meant to do would never happen.”
And Damien Black went on to buy those apartments instead.
“Do you see it now, Micah? I wasn’t meant to be on that flight.
What’s more, I’m not supposed to be here. I haven’t done any good.”
My stomach clenches. There wasn’t just one punchline, there
were two.
This is why Thomas remains in his wheelchair.
Except, that’s not how Fate works. Everything happens for a
reason, whether we understand it or not. “There are lots of people
here, Thomas, who have a history of poor choices. Not everyone is
like Victor or Edward.”
I get the sense that quiet, introspective Blake could have a story
he’s not too proud of.
Thomas opens his mouth, but it’s my turn now. “Tanisha is
probably a great example. She didn’t have long on Earth before she
arrived. How much good do you think she had a chance of doing
before dying? You don’t think she’s made some choices that fill her
with shame?”
My face flames as I say the words. We all have.
I take a step back, deciding that if I’m not going to make it to the
desert today, home is better than being here. I brace myself, having
already learned that the hard part about the truth is, it can hurt. “This
was meant to be.”
“No!” Thomas’ fist slams down on the arm of his wheelchair. “No,
it wasn’t, Micah. I don’t know why you refuse to see that!”
Another step back, and I’m a little closer to the protection of my
home. “It’s not me who’s refusing to see this, Thomas.”
Thomas’ hands grip the wheels of his chair, looking like he’s
determined to follow me. “I know I can’t go back. It’s too late for me
now.”
I blink, not sure where this is heading. “Exactly. This is where
you’re meant to be.”
Thomas sighs. “Maybe eventually. But I didn’t get a chance to do
the good that needs to be done. That’s why I need you to go back.”
I reel back, my lungs filling with shock. “What?”
 “I need you to check on Tyler. He’s the one who’s been hurt the
most. I’ve seen it. He needs help.”
I’m shaking my head so hard, I don’t know how my neck doesn’t
snap. “That’s not possible, Thomas.” I tried helping, and look how
that turned out. “You don’t mess with Fate.”
“I’m pretty sure someone is.”
That has me freezing, frown deeply gouged into my brow. “What
are you talking about? No one can change Fate, unless it’s my
mother.”
And she would never interfere. It’s her golden rule. It’s what’s
allowed her to bear witness to the pain, alongside the joy.
Thomas’ hands tense around his wheelchair again, but this time,
he wheels himself backward a few inches. “You don’t want to see it.”
His voice is so full of disappointment, I almost flinch. Quickly
collecting myself, I straighten. I’m not the one doing the wrong thing
here. “I see it, I watch it every day.” And now I have the knowledge of
Kadence’s pain to add to it. “And it’s not easy, Thomas. I get that.”
“Oh, I see it all right.” He glares at me. “Unlike me, you have the
ability to leave. Except you won’t.”
I try one last time. “You have to believe it’s going to work out.”
Spinning on my heel, I turn around. This conversation is over.
Thomas’ final words are said quietly, but loud enough to reach
me as I stride away. This time I do flinch. They hit me with the power
only words can.
They echo the insidious doubt I haven’t been able to shake since
I returned…
“But what if it doesn’t work out, Micah?”
 MICAH

A ny of the residents can check to see what’s happening back

on Earth whenever they want. All they need to do is find a
body of water and focus, then the images will appear. Some
do it obsessively, others let go of whatever’s happening below and
allow what’s to be, to be.
I’m not surprised the following morning when I find Tanisha
kneeling beside the lake. It’s early, even earlier than yesterday after
the run-in with Thomas, but there she is.
She looks young and fragile, a lone body leaning over as if trying
to study her reflection. But I know she’s not. She’d be watching those
she left behind, wondering how the world is faring now that she’s
gone.
I’m about to turn around, but I stop. This must be a hard thing for
Tanisha to do. It’s humbling for some to see how the world continues
on regardless, whether they’re there or not. Accepting our
insignificance can be as hard as taking responsibility for the
monumental impact our existence has.
She must hear me approaching, because she looks up. I pause,
gauging whether she needs some time alone. When she registers
it’s me, a smile spreads across her face.
She indicates for me to come closer, her face full of wonder.
“Micah. You need to come and see this.”
I walk over, even though I already know what will be glistening
across the lake’s surface. “Hey, Tanisha.”
 She points at the lake. “I can see it all here. Everything they’re
doing.”
I smile and nod. “Yes, it can be a real blessing for some.”
She looks back. “I bet it can.” She motions for me to take a closer
look. “You need to check this out.”
Unsure if this is a good idea, I sit beside her, acknowledging I
can’t say no. Tanisha’s still adjusting to all this. She needs to know
she’s not alone.
Rippling on the water’s surface is the image of a stairwell. A
woman, hair long and blonde like Tanisha’s, but darker and limper, is
dragging an old suitcase down the stairs. Her face is puffed with
exertion.
“That’s my mom,” Tanisha whispers in awe. “She’s leaving him.”
“This is a good thing?” I ask, even though I can tell by her happy
expression that it is.
“Hell, yeah.” She slaps her hand across her mouth. “Can I use
that sort of language here?”
My smile grows. “You can speak however you like.”
Tanisha nods, but still glances around, as if to check no one
overheard her. Returning her focus to the water’s surface, her face
softens. “Losing me was the catalyst.”
I look a little closer. The woman’s clothes sag around her lean
frame, and she has the roughened skin of someone who’s led a
tough life. “For leaving him?”
Just as I ask the question, a man storms down the stairs behind
her. There’s no sound—a choice Tanisha must’ve made when she
went searching—but he’s obviously shouting. His bearded face is
dark with fury as he waves his arm at the woman, who’s doing her
best to pretend he’s not there.
“He’s quite the bastard, Ned is.” Tanisha glances over her
shoulder again, but seeing no one, returns to the movie playing out if
front of us. “Drunk and abusive, not always in that order.”
“I’m so sorry, Tanisha.”
She shrugs. “It sucked when I was there, that’s for sure.”
Her mother reaches the ground floor. Ned stands several steps
above, face contorted with the words he’s throwing at her. He spits,
the globule shooting out and smearing across the wall beside her
head. She winces but doesn’t back down.
“That’s it, Mom. You can do this.”
Ned storms back up the stairs, and Tanisha’s mother doesn’t
move. She looks like she’s wavering, watching her husband stomp
up the stairs, then glancing at the door.
I find myself leaning forward along with Tanisha, hoping she
makes the decision that will alter her trajectory. The ones where you
choose your fate are never easy.
When she squares her shoulders and walks out the door, Tanisha
whoops and punches the air. “You’ve got this, Mom!”
Out on the pavement, the woman maintains her momentum,
walking toward a car parked at the curb. She pops open the trunk,
then drags the suitcase closer. Her face stony with determination,
she tries to lift it in.
Except it rises a few inches off the ground before falling back
down sharply. Tanisha’s mother frowns, braces her shoulders as she
tries again. The suitcase doesn’t come anywhere near the back of
the trunk.
Two more tries, and the woman realizes it’s too heavy. Shoving
her limp hair out of her face, she lets out a breath. It seems to drag
everything down, along with her shoulders.
Tanisha leans forward, her face tight with worry. Has she watched
her mother come this far, just to give up?
Another person walks toward her. It’s a young man, cap pulled
low over his brow, hands shoved in his pockets.
Tanisha draws in a sharp breath. “That’s Tyler.”
My eyebrows shoot up. Thomas’ younger brother. The
resemblance is there in the dark-blond hair and stance full of
attitude.
He sees the woman sitting dejectedly on her suitcase and walks
over. They chat, faces long with grief, before Tyler indicates toward
the suitcase. The woman nods. They grasp it from each side, and lift.
It wobbles and slips a couple of times, but they get it inside the trunk.
The woman turns to thank Tyler, but he’s already walking away.
Without looking, he waves over his shoulder and disappears around
the corner.
 The woman lets out a breath as she turns to take in the
apartment building. She holds there for long seconds, gazing up. My
chest tightens as tears begin to trickle down her weathered cheeks.
“Oh, Mom. It’s okay. It’s not too late.”
With a shuddering sigh, Tanisha’s mother climbs into the car and
drives away, leaving behind a cloud of blue smoke.
Tanisha sags back onto her haunches, her smile small and
bittersweet. “I’m glad she finally got away.”
Tanisha’s right. The loss of her daughter was what had her
getting in the car.
I squeeze Tanisha’s shoulder. “Things can be different for her
now.”
Her smile relaxes as she looks at me. “Yeah, that’s true. I’m
happy for her, I really am.”
My hand falls to my side, and I’m about to stand up, when Tyler
strides back into the image. This time, his walk is different. His
shoulders are raised, his hat pulled low as he slinks along the
building. I glance at Tanisha. I don’t think Tyler’s up to anything
good.
She’s totally focused on the image as she pulls a strand of hair to
her mouth. “Don’t do it, Tyler.”
But unlike her mother, who seemed to want a guardian angel
whispering in her ear, Tyler makes his way to the door. Once there,
he jams his hand in his pocket, and pulls out a spray can.
“Tyler!” Tanisha scolds as if he can actually hear her.
Tyler shakes the can, then begins to spray the building with large
sweeping strokes.
Tanisha shakes her head. “Although I never told him what was
going on, Tyler hated Ned. I’m pretty sure he’s not leaving him a love
note.”
Tyler freezes suddenly, spinning around to look over his shoulder.
His eyes widen and he breaks into a run. In a flash, he’s
disappeared down an alley.
Tanisha waves her hand over the surface of the water, and the
image disappears.
Thomas’ words echo through my mind: I need you to check on
Tyler. He’s the one who’s been hurt the most.
 I can see why this is causing Thomas so much heartache.
Watching his little brother make those choices wouldn’t be easy.
But it doesn’t mean that’s not how it’s supposed to be. Glancing
at Tanisha, I remember what I told him. I said she was evidence you
didn’t have to do a lot of good to be here. You just have to be good
at heart.
Her shoulders sag as she peers into the lake, nothing but her
reflection looking back at her. “It was his rose I was trying to get
when I died.”
I frown. “His rose?”
Her cheeks turn pink as she glances away. “We kinda…you
know…had a thing going. That rose was in the garden we built—it
was his mom’s.”
Kadence’s garden.
The garden that was destroyed along with the apartment building.
All the more proof what I’m saying is right. I intervened, more like
interfered, and broke her heart when she needed it the least.
“I snuck out the night before. Ned had exhausted himself after
using Mom as a punching bag and was drunk snoring on the couch. I
needed to get out, you know?”
I nod. The need to escape pain is universal.
“I went to the apartment block. It was cordoned off, so I knew I’d
be left alone. I got the rose from the rooftop—someone had already
destroyed the gardens—and decided to rest inside the stairwell. It
was so silent there, so peaceful.” She shrugs. “I must’ve fallen
asleep.”
I close my eyes for a long moment. Hearing stories like hers is
always hard. I clasp her hand in mine and squeeze. Words can’t do
this moment justice. She squeezes back. “It’s all worked out okay,
though. I’m here, at peace at last, and Mom finally made the choice
to leave him.”
I nod. “It all balanced out in the end.”
More proof I’m making the right choice. I expect some level of
calmness to come with that knowledge. I wait, but instead the edgy
restlessness only grows. I frown somewhere deep inside. It seems
the more I try to convince myself, the further away from calm I get.
 Tanisha releases my hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You know, back on Earth, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to talk
to someone like you.”
I look at her in surprise. “Someone like me?”
“Yeah, just the good looks would’ve had me running. But you’re
also smart and nice, the sort of smart and nice you can see just by
looking at you. I would’ve decided you were way out of my league.”
“Which isn’t true, Tanisha.”
She pulls in a breath, taking in the beauty around her. “I guess
not, or I wouldn’t be here, huh?”
I smile, glad she’s finally realizing there’s a reason why she’s
here. “Exactly.”
“I guess it’s because I protected her.”
I almost don’t want to hear what’s coming next, but I look at her
questioningly, anyway. This is important for Tanisha to share.
“When Ned went into his rages, I’d get in his face, take the
beatings for her when I could.”
“You’re very brave,.”
She blushes and looks away. “I didn’t feel like it at the time.”
“Which is what makes what you did all the more courageous.”
Looking back at me, a slow smile spreads across her face.
“Thanks, Micah.”
I stand, dusting off my jeans. “Just pointing out the truth. You
belong here, Tanisha.”
She nods as her smile grows. Crossing her legs, she turns back
to the lake, but this time, she stares out at the expanse of it all,
content to enjoy the view.
Retreating the way I’d come, I rub my brow. You belong here,
Tanisha. My words are running on a loop through my mind as I head
back down the path. And each time they do, Thomas’ assertions that
he doesn’t belong, echo like a counterpoint.
Before I realize it, I find myself back at our cottage. Without giving
myself time to think, I head to the Loom. There are too many
questions. Am I having trouble letting this go because I don’t want
to? Because my heart yearns for Kadence?
Or is it because something is actually going on?
 Thomas’ words burn through my consciousness when I told him,
“you don’t mess with fate.” However, I think someone is.
The Loom whirrs and clicks like it always does. It’s a sound I’ve
grown up with, a sound I’ve always found reassuring. I breathe in the
scent of timber and time. It’s fascinating to think fate is being woven
as I stand here and watch.
I just never realized I wanted to be part of it.
Not knowing what to do with that, I step forward, deciding to
focus on what I’m here for—answers.
Waving my hand over the Loom, just like Tanisha did earlier over
the lake, I zoom in where I want to look. I see it almost immediately
—the darkness has grown again.
Like black ink stains slowly spreading over the continent. I frown,
knowing Mom’s said this has happened before.
But this quickly? And so soon?
I zoom in again, finding Pontiac Point. A few steps to the right,
and I scan the fabric as I move back in time, finding a day when
Thomas was still alive. A person’s true colors don’t appear until after
their death. It honors the fact that right up until the end, choices can
be made, fates changed. Afterward, they take on the bright shine of
light, the shadows of a life wasted, or any of the shades of gray in
between.
I find it, only to check again. It can’t be… But it is. Woven with
Tyler’s, linked to all the generations that have come before him, it’s
definitely Thomas’ thread.
Except it’s gray. Not a silvery, shiny gray, but a drab, mix of
shadows.
Tanisha’s is close by, the bright gold you’d expect of anyone
who’s entered Elysium.
But not Thomas’.
I follow it along, only to gasp at the next surprise. There’s a hole
where it ends. I lean in closer. I’ve never seen a hole before, like a
missed stitch. How is that even possible?
When a person dies and their thread ends, the fibers around
them converge, souls weaving closer together as they mourn. But
Thomas’ death is different. It’s literally left a hole in the lives of those
around him.
 The tick, tick, ticking continues, as if nothing’s wrong. I stand
rooted to the spot, trying to understand what this means. When
Thomas first arrived, Mom had seemed surprised. She’d even
commented he was early.
Could it be true? Did Thomas die before his time?
And if so, how?
My eyes scan the fabric as my mind works, but all I manage to do
is raise more questions without finding any answers. As I do, another
thread catches my eye. A thread I promised myself I’d leave alone.
Kadence.
My eyes, my heart, are drawn to it.
Just like the days when I was first fascinated by it—the fragile
fiber is easily identified because it’s almost solitary. The fabric
around it is there, but separate. Dislocated. Kadence has distanced
herself again.
Just like I did with Thomas’, I trace it back, finding the time she
immersed herself with the garden and those building it, and see
Tanisha’s and Tyler’s threads. I keep going, heading further back in
time, unsure why, but suddenly curious. I find the moment her
mother died, the place where she withdrew from those around her.
Even further back, and I see how close she was with her. Their
threads are tightly woven.
I remember her mentioning her father. I assumed he lived
elsewhere, but I can’t see his thread connecting with hers. I go
further back and still find nothing. I have to go back two more steps,
back seventeen years, to the moment Kadence was born to find him.
Only to discover another impossibility.
Her father’s there, a thread yet to discover its color, meaning he’s
still alive. Except it connects with her mother’s…and disappears. I
lean in as close as I can without touching the sacred fabric, but the
sever is there. He appears to conceive Kadence, and then he’s
gone.
Only the gods can do—
“Micah, what are you doing here?”
I spin around, heart jumping in my throat like I just got caught
doing something wrong. My mother stands in the doorway, hair its
usual intricate mass on her head, her white coat immaculate.
 “Mom. I didn’t hear you come in.”
She glances at the Loom. “You were pretty focused. You were
very close, Micah…”
“You know I wouldn’t touch it.” One of the first rules I ever learned
is, “don’t touch the Loom.”
She seems to relax a little. “I know. You were raised knowing how
important all of this is.”
She goes to turn away, expecting me to follow, but I don’t move
from beside the Loom. I came here for answers. “What’s going on,
Mom?”
She turns slowly, her gaze sweeping around the room before
connecting with mine. “What do you mean?”
I wave my arm at the machine next to me. “The darkness. The”—
I pull in a breath, watching my mother closely—“Is Thomas
supposed to be here?”
“He wouldn’t be at Elysium if he wasn’t destined to be.”
I narrow my eyes. “Is he supposed to be here now?”
Her shoulders sag as I ask a direct question. “No. He arrived
ahead of his time.”
Her words have me reeling, and I bring my hand to my forehead
as if to steady the whirlwind inside. “But…that’s not supposed to
happen.”
“It has happened before.”
“How?”
Mom’s jaw tightens. “When one of the gods interferes.”
I glance back at the Loom. This must be linked to the growing
darkness. “Someone needs to do something about this.”
“Kronos is.”
The man who was here, the god who restarted time.
Mom’s hands clench. “Despite my advice not to interfere, he has
his demigod child investigating it.”
The world seems to slow, although the click, click, clicking says
otherwise. I watch in slow motion as pieces begin to come together
to create a whole I hadn’t realized existed.
Kadence not having a father in the Loom. Kadence telling me she
had a job to do for her dad…
 Time stopping after she realized I was on the rooftop of the
apartment block.
Kronos investigating…
I go to take a step back only to stop myself before I crash into the
Loom. “Kadence is Kronos’ daughter.” I whisper the words, my voice
hoarse with shock.

Mom doesn’t answer, she doesn’t move. But her silence is all the
confirmation I need.
I gasp as the next revelation slams through me. “She’s the one
who stopped time.”
Because she thought I died when the building collapsed.
Mom straightens her spine, her chin angling in a way that tells me
everything I’m saying is true.
Betrayal spears through me. “You knew, and you didn’t tell me?”
She blinks, her façade finally cracking. She takes a step forward,
her hand reaching out. “Because I knew you’d decide to go back.”
I step to the side, wanting to touch her as much as I want to
touch the Loom. “Damn straight, I am.”
Mom sucks in a sharp breath, and I’m not sure whether it’s my
words, or the fierceness that powered them.
Or the decision I just made.
A decision that has my heart roaring with agreement.
I turn back to the Loom, looking at it with new eyes. Eyes that
know without a doubt something is wrong.
The blotches of black. There’s a pattern.
My eyes widen. I know every one of those locations. I’ve studied
each one at some stage. Each stain begins at one of the health
centers my father has built and spreads outward like a cancer.
“Micah. You can’t do this.”
I turn back to my mother, suddenly angry. “You’ve kept all this
from me. The changes. The centers. Kadence being a demigod.
Why?”
Mom comes to stand beside me, her eyes looking like blue steel.
“You need to stop, Micah. This is exactly what I was afraid would
happen. Your human blood is driven by emotion. Despite everything
I’ve taught you, you’re considering going back.”
I shake my head. “I’m not considering anything, Mom. I’ve
already decided.”
Mom gasps as she steps back. “You don’t know what that could
mean, Micah.”
I head to the door, only turning around when I grasp the
doorknob. “No one does. Not even you.”
Mom flinches and remorse clenches at my chest. I relax the
death grip I have on the door handle. “I’ll be fine, Mom. I’ll stay
hidden. My demigod power is the ability to teleport.” Something
every Greek god can do. “It means I can go to these centers, try to
figure out what’s going on, and be out before anyone knows I’m
there.”
It would be so much quicker than having to fly around the
continent. I can get some answers.
Then they can stop whatever’s happening.
Mom’s already shaking her head. “This is so much bigger than
any of this, Micah. You can’t mitigate the risk your involvement could
mean. You tried to do that and look what happened.”
I hurt Kadence more deeply than I ever thought possible.
I pause, the pain of that knowledge slicing through me. By going
back, I could make whatever this is worse. It would mean, I was
meant to stay separate like I’ve always been told.
Maybe it’s fate, but it feels like this decision has already been set
in motion.
“I know it’s risky, Mom. I’ve spent my life watching the
consequences of choices play out.” I release the door, feeling like I’m
letting go of something much bigger. “But the alternative is to do
nothing, and that’s not a choice I can live with.”
When Mom looks away, the corners of her mouth dragging down
by disappointment, something tears inside my chest, but I don’t let it
stop me.
I walk out of the room, then out of the house. I head down the
path that will lead me out of Elysium.
With each step, my heart beats harder and faster and lighter. It
knows. It’s counting down the seconds.
Until I see Kadence again.
 KADENCE

T he sound of curtains drawing open grates across my

ears. “Right, time to get out of bed.” Aunt Jo doesn’t
bother to keep her voice quiet, even though I wince.
I roll over, shying away from the sun like a vampire. “Maybe
later.”
“Or now.”
She whisks the covers off me, and I curl into a ball. “Hey, I was
using those.”
“You don’t need them right now.”
I crack open an eye to find Aunt Jo standing akimbo, hands on
her hips. Her opaque eyes are lasered at me. “Get. Up.”
Flopping onto my back, I stare at the ceiling. “What for?”
The bed sags as Aunt Jo sits beside me. “Oh, Kadence. There’s
so much to get up for. But you need to be out there to see it.”
Except there’s no Micah.
I refuse to be part of a world that doesn’t have Micah in it.
But Aunt Jo isn’t going to take no for an answer. Her
stubbornness is what’s made her so self-sufficient despite her
challenges.
Pushing up onto my elbows, I frown at her, even though she can’t
see it. “Fine, then. But if I break a leg, it’s your fault.”
She pats my leg as she stands again. “That’s my girl. And wipe
that frown off your face. You’ll never pull off Oscar the Grouch.
You’re too pretty.”
 She leaves me to get dressed, and I find a sandwich sitting on
the kitchen table when I come out. I glare at it. “If that’s a potato
sandwich…”
Aunt Jo’s laughter tinkles from the kitchen. “I’ll tell Terry you said
that.” She comes out, wiping her hands on a tea towel. “I think you
should come with me.”
I’m already shaking my head. “Sorry, Aunt Jo. I’m, ah…”
I scramble for a reason to not have to be around two people
falling in love. It’s the last thing I need right now.
“You’re off to see Nevaeh?”
“Yea—” I snap my mouth shut when I realize Aunt Jo just did a
number on me. She knew I wouldn’t want to go to the markets.
With a smile the Cheshire cat would be proud of, she heads back
into the kitchen. “You’ll thank me one day, Kadence.”
As I chomp into the sandwich, I glare at the empty doorway. I’ll go
out, but the moment she leaves, I’m climbing back into bed.
It’s the only place where time can pass, and I barely notice.
I take as long as I can to eat the sandwich my mind doesn’t want,
but my stomach rejoices over, hoping Aunt Jo will leave before me.
Except, despite never having children herself, she must know exactly
what I’m up to. She moves around the apartment, humming as she
dusts the dust she can’t see.
With a sigh of defeat, I shove my chair back. “I’m heading out.”
“What a wonderful idea! Tell the others I said hello.”
If the universe doesn’t totally hate me, I won’t run into anyone
else.
Outside, the sun feels too bright and the air feels too hot. Its
suffocating and overwhelming all at once. Tucking my head into my
shoulders and my hands into my pockets, I step onto the pavement.
A walk around the block and I’m done.
Except I can’t help myself. A few steps, and I look up and across.
What’s left of the apartment building is still there, although a large
truck and some big machinery are parked nearby, “Dan’s Demolition”
stamped on the sides. It seems the cleanup will be starting soon.
All that’ll be left behind is bare soil. I turn my face away. It’ll look
like a graveyard.
 Which reminds me, I was going to investigate Damien Black’s
involvement with Hades, if there was any. It also reminds me of what
I told my father when he visited.
Hunkering down like I’m walking in a snowstorm, I focus on the
pavement in front of me. I should’ve fought harder to stay home.
There’s nothing for me out here.
“Kadence!”
Turning, I find Nev waving her arm, standing beside the metal
barricades. She’s smiling in the sun, like it’s any other day and we’re
about to hang out.
I pause, letting out a defeated breath.
The universe hates me. Of course it does. I don’t know why I
expected anything different.
I barely like myself.
Muttering that Aunt Jo probably lined this up, I head over.
Nev engulfs me in a hug. “Hey, it’s good to see you out and
about.”
Pulling back, I shrug. “Aunt Jo looked like she was about to get
her cranky pants on.”
“Probs because I told her I had something to show you.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Ganging up on me like that isn’t nice,
you know.”
Nev laughs. “Jo said you’d thank her one day.”
“Last time I checked, she wasn’t psychic.”
Nev giggles, but then sobers. “I do think it would be good for you
to see this.”
Every muscle tenses. I can’t think of anything that would be good
for me to see right now.
Apart from the one thing, or rather person I long to see—Micah.
Nev grabs my hand and pulls me around to the left, circling the
giant pile of rubble. We move away from the trucks to the end of the
street where Nev and I stood and watched the building as it was
demolished.
We round a particularly large slab of concrete and Nev stops.
“Check this out.”
On the other side of the slab is graffiti, but not the graffiti that’s
splashed sporadically all over the pile—the graffiti that speaks of
anger and hate.
This graffiti is simple and sweet. The letters “RIP” are stark and
black, but the broad, white angel wings spreading out behind it are a
powerful contrast. Light and dark. Despair and hope.
I reach out but stop myself. It feels too fragile to touch. “What is
it?”
“I think it’s Tyler’s version of a memorial. I thought you might like
to see it.”
I frown. Tyler knew Micah? “It’s amazing.” Whoever painted this
has talent.
“Yeah. This has really hit him hard.”
I open my mouth to ask what she means, but the sound of
squealing tires has us both turning. A few steps backward, and the
road comes into view.
A car’s swerving down the street, blue-and-white smoke trailing
behind it, no doubt leaving stains of black on the asphalt. Jordan’s
hanging out the window, hollering and punching the air. Juan’s sitting
on the rolled-down window of the back seat, the upper half of his
body hanging out, thumping the roof of the car.
Nev is shaking her head. “I’d bet all the money I don’t have that’s
not their car.”
I take a couple steps forward, surprised at how angry I’m feeling,
but not sure at who. At these kids for flirting with the possibility of
trouble, or myself for being someone who helped them learn there’s
no point in hoping for anything different?
With each rev of the angry engine and each mark of tire tracks
left on the road, my frown deepens. With a gasp, it dissolves as I
notice the other person in the car.
Tyler’s at the wheel.
For a brief second, our eyes meet. The grin that was stamped on
his face collapses and he looks away. With a roar of the engine and
squeal of tires, the car zooms away.
As calm settles again, I shake my head. Not only is Tyler
throwing his own future away, he’s looking for passengers to join him
in his downward spiral.
Nev sighs. “You need to talk to him.”
Micah would want to help them. Just like he wanted to help me.
 I glance back at the graffiti. Despair and hope. Why do the two
have to be so inexplicably interwoven?
“I just don’t get why the loss hit him so hard.” Maybe Micah had
spoken to Tyler, too?
“He and Tanisha must’ve gotten pretty close, pretty fast.”
I spin around. “Tanisha?”
Nev’s brow crinkles in confusion. “Yeah. When she died in the
demolition. Tyler’s taken it just as hard as you have.”
“Tanisha died?”
“You weren’t there when they brought out the body bag. Tyler got
in her stepfather’s face, shouting it was all his fault.”
Tanisha died in the demolition.
Sweet, quiet Tanisha. No wonder Tyler’s so angry. That’s another
loss in his short life.
He’s probably starting to think he’s cursed.
I freeze.
Just like I do.
I turn to Nev. “I’ll talk to him.”
Nev squeals and wraps me in a hug. “I knew you would. I knew
you wouldn’t give up on him.”
“Hey, I didn’t say it’s going to make a difference.”
She squeezes my arms then releases me. “Of course it’s going to
make a difference. Tyler’s always looked up to you.”
She skips back a step, her smile looking like I just told her I’m
Santa. “I’ve gotta get going. But I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Oh, sure.” I’m getting the sense Nev has gotten what she was
looking for. “See you around.”
With a jaunty wave and glittering smile, Nev’s gone, leaving me
feeling a little like I just got caught up in a twister. I even pat my hair
to make sure it’s not sticking up all over the place.
But the quiet after the storm quickly settles around me. I glance
at the memorial Tyler’s painted.
Tanisha died in the demolition. I take a moment to honor the
sweet, quiet girl who was looking forward to harvesting from the
garden we created.
Then the next inevitable thought follows. If Tanisha died…what
happened to Micah?
 I saw him on the rooftop. I saw his panic as he ran.
The pile of rubble is beside me, a monolith of broken parts. Is his
body still in there?
I’m already shaking my head. Is this why it’s been so hard to
accept? Because maybe Micah’s still alive? Would I feel it if he was
gone?
Or am I just wishing…
Deflating, only then realizing that hope has already started
infiltrating and expanding, I take in the painting, the “RIP” in bold,
black letters. I’m not sure it matters. Micah hasn’t been back since
the demolition, after saying he couldn’t come back for who knows
how long.
He’s still gone from my life. For now.
Maybe forever. Another body could still be dragged from the
rubble I’m staring at.
And I have to decide what to do with that.
Crouching, I brush my fingers over the angry letters. I could
assume he’s gone.
Then I brush the white wings spread wide. Or I could hope that
he’s somewhere, gracing the world with his light. My heart trips out a
fragile new beat. That maybe I’ll see him again someday.
Straightening my shoulders, I realize I can honor Micah’s
moments in my life with grief and loss, or I can honor it with hope.
My chest expands on a breath, feeling like I haven’t inhaled this
deeply in days. The pain is still there, but it doesn’t cramp my chest
like it has. It’s no longer the only thing in there.
I’ve just turned around, determined to find Tyler and tell him
exactly what he’s throwing away, when I stop.
No, I freeze.
I freeze so hard, I’m not sure I’ll ever move again. That I’ll ever
want to move again.
Because if I’m dreaming, if I’ve finally lost touch with reality, I
don’t want to wake up. I’m happy to be crazy.
Micah’s walking toward me.
He’s not smiling like he always does, and he seems to lack the
usual graceful confidence in his stride.
But it’s definitely Micah.
 Tall and lean. Dark and handsome. Breathtaking and heart-
wrenching.
He keeps walking, coming closer. My pulse is galloping through
my veins.
My lip quivers. “Micah?”
I only whisper the word, forcing it past lips that have forgotten
how to function. But he hears it.
He hears it and smiles, and it’s like the sun has returned to my
world.
He stops, only feet between us. “Kadence. I’m so sorry.”
I reach out, press my hand against his chest. I don’t want
apologies. I want assurances I haven’t dreamed him up.
The heat beneath my palm is undeniable. The thrumming
heartbeat finally has joy unfurling within me like a butterfly.
I relax, my hand sinking into the truth that is the boy standing
before me. “The first time I saw you, I thought I dreamed you up.”
Micah’s eyes are the softest, warmest blue I’ve ever seen. “The
first time I saw you, all I wanted was to be part of your reality.”
“Oh, Micah.”
We move simultaneously, coming together like we’ve been apart
for a lifetime.
When we kiss, it’s like he never left.
Lips find each other, seeking, reaffirming. I grip him, pull him
closer, feel him do the same. Just like mine, Micah’s hands are
restless. They’re cupping my face, spearing into my hair.
Holding me like he never wants to let go.
I touch him anywhere I can reach. His strong jaw, his soft hair, his
muscled shoulders, his warm skin beneath the edge of his T-shirt.
When we pull apart, we’re both gasping. Our hands, still refusing
to believe we’re both here, keep moving. Micah seems determined to
pull me in so close that our hearts will fuse, his hands pressing every
inch of me against him, while my hands keep seeking more skin to
touch. There’s no part of Micah I don’t want to feel.
“I thought you were…” I glance at the memorial graffiti to our left,
quickly looking away.
Micah’s hands cup my face. “I’m so sorry, Kadence. I hated that
you believed that.”
 “I’m not sure I really did, to be honest.” I smile. “I think I refused
to believe there could be a world without you, Micah.”
Micah’s eyes close, his face almost pained. When he opens
them, they’re so full of emotion it takes my breath away. “You never
stop amazing me, Kadence.”
The pain of the past few days echoes through my chest.
Questions start to cram in. “How did you survive? Why are you
back?” My pulse trips. “When are you leaving again?”
Micah steps back, and I almost frown. He must notice, because
he rubs the back of his head. “We have a lot to talk about, and I don’t
think I can hold you and think right now.”
The tension melts away under the brightness of Micah’s honesty.
How I missed this…
He lets out a breath, and despite the tension he seems to be
holding, his lips twitch. “I think it’s time we were completely honest.
We’ve both been keeping secrets from each other.”
I cross my arms. “I’m going to put it out there that you’ve kept far
more than I have.”
Micah grins, his Mediterranean eyes twinkling. “Although you
kept quite a big one.”
I blink. How is Micah here? Grinning? Teasing me?
“I just found out your father is Kronos, the god of time.”
My arms flop to my side as my mouth pops open. “How—”
He steps in closer. “My mother is Moira, goddess of fate.”
This time, Micah is there to catch me as my knees turn to jelly.
He grips my arms, studying me, any trace of a smile, gone.
Micah is a demigod, just like me.
Suddenly, everything makes sense…
And yet, nothing makes sense.
“Wha— What’s your power?”
“Not nearly as impressive as yours. I can teleport between
Crossroads.”
Which is how he survived the demolition.
I glance down at the ground beneath us. “This is a Crossroads?”
“Yes. One of many.”
Micah waits, giving me time to process everything he said. I
finally look up at him, knowing there’s one question that supersedes
them all. “Why did you come back?”
It’s a question that has the potential to tell me so much—why he
had to leave, why he’s back…how long he’s going to stay…
Micah looks like he can’t decide between smiling and frowning.
“Two main reasons. I think your father’s right. There’s something
wrong. Somehow, darkness is spreading.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “You do?”
“It has something to do with the Crossroads, and something to do
with Damien Black. I think we need to figure it out before it’s too
late.”
I shake my head. “All you’re doing is raising more questions,
Micah.”
His face relaxes into a smile. “I know. And I’ll answer each and
every one of them.”
I bite my lip; my head’s starting to feel too full. “And the second
reason?”
Micah stills. “I thought staying away was the right thing to do. It’s
what I’ve been taught all my life. But then I saw you, and I couldn’t
stay away, and then staying away was hurting both of us more than
being here.” He sucks in his bottom lip, face suddenly looking young
and vulnerable. “I think we’re fated, Kadence.”
Micah, the demigod son of fate, is standing before me, saying
words that make my heart sing. Telling me I’m his destiny, and he’s
mine.
Nothing has ever felt more right in my life.
Feeling a hint of mischievousness sparking in my smile, I step
closer so we’re flush against each other. “Well, as the demigod child
of Kronos, I know there’s no other way I want to spend my time than
with you, Micah.”
Micah’s breath whooshes out and a beautiful smile blooms
across his handsome face. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
How can a guy be so confident and vulnerable all at once? So
many contrasts, so many puzzles.
And I love every part of it.
This next kiss is one of pure joy and promise. It’s a kiss you want
to savor but find it hard to stay still. I wish it would never end, except
Micah spoke of the darkness…
 I pull back, cupping his face. “When do we start?”
Micah’s grin turns mischievous as he steps back, taking my
hands in his. “Are you doing anything now?”
“No, but—”
Suddenly, my stomach is flip-flopping as the ground disappears
beneath my feet. Air is whooshing past me, although my clothes and
hair remain still. I grip Micah’s hand with all my strength, as I’m hit by
the sensation of everything changing and shifting, although we’ve
barely moved a muscle.
It’s black as midnight for the briefest of seconds.
And then there’s bright sunlight, and new sounds and strange
smells.
Micah looks around, eyes bright with interest. “It’s been a long
time since I’ve been to New York.”
 MICAH

W e’re in an empty alleyway, walls on either side of us.

One is a long stretch of pale concrete I already
recognize, the other just drab, brown bricks.
Excitement buzzes through my veins.
I’m here. With Kadence.
Who’s holding my hand in a death grip, reminding me teleporting
is second nature to me, but this is her first time.
I turn to face her. “Are you okay?”
She blinks several times, then glances around us. “We’re really in
New York…”
I nod. “Yep. Really.”
She takes in the black bags of rubbish stacked sporadically along
the brick wall and wrinkles her nose. “Doesn’t smell much different
than Pontiac Point.”
I chuckle. “We had to arrive somewhere deserted.” Grabbing her
hand, I tug her toward the street at the end. “Want to go check it
out?”
But Kadence stays put. “Ah, exactly what are we checking out?”
I motion toward the cream wall beside us. “That’s one of the
health centers. The first one Damien Black built, in fact.”
Her brows shoot up. “It’s on a Crossroads, too?”
I pause. I hadn’t made the link. “Yeah, it is.”
“Are they all like that?”
Frowning, I scan the wall. “I think they are.”
Kadence angles her head. “How do you know?”
 I pause again. “I think we may have some catching up to do.”
Her gray eyes sparkle. “You think?”
Glancing over my shoulder, an idea strikes me. “Can I take you to
lunch?”
Kadence straightens in surprise. “Lunch? Here?”
I grin. “Why not? It’ll be our first date.”
When Kadence’s smile blooms, my breath disintegrates. She’s so
beautiful and amazing…and she’s here with me. I wonder how long
it’ll be before the buzz of that will wear off…
Tightening her hand around mine, she steps in closer. “Great
idea. I’m famished.”
Unable to stop myself, I plant a quick kiss on her sweet, red lips. I
don’t think I’ve ever felt so alive. “Me too.”
The alleyway opens out onto a street, and I instinctively pull up
my hood. As amazing as this is, I can’t forget I’m not meant to exist
here.
Especially so close to one of the centers.
The building beside us dominates the block. A lot of glass and
steel make up the front. I already know what the sign will say.
Matthew’s Center for Health and Wellbeing.
There’s a café across the road, and I head toward it, suddenly
feeling uncomfortable being so close, but Kadence pulls me back.
“Who’s Matthew?”
I shrug. “I have no idea. But Damien Black’s given them all the
same name.”
Kadence peers closer through the massive glass wall. “There’s a
café inside.” She turns back to me. “We could eat in there?”
I swallow. Go inside? “Ah…”
“How else were you going to find out about the centers?”
She has a point. I just hadn’t thought this far ahead. Find
Kadence. Apologize. Hope I hadn’t destroyed the beautiful feeling I’d
found with her.
Learn enough about whatever’s going on so it could be stopped.
I hadn’t planned beyond that.
“Micah? Is everything okay?”
Kadence is right. Standing back and watching is all I’ve done up
until now. Tugging on her hand, I head to the swinging, glass doors.
“I’m with you. Everything is more than okay.”
Inside, I can’t help but pull my hood closer around my face. At
least Damien Black isn’t likely to be here himself.
The café is close to the entry, and I quickly find a booth at the
rear, sitting with my back toward the rest of the place. A waitress
comes over and smiles. “What can I get you two?”
I blink. I’ve never ordered at a café.
I look to Kadence. I don’t know what she drinks. She turns to the
waitress. “Two chocolate milkshakes, thanks.”
I’ve never had a chocolate milkshake, either.
Pulling out my wallet, I’m surprised when Kadence reaches out.
“We pay at the end.”
Flushing, I tuck it back into my pocket. I’m like a clueless
international exchange student…or a child.
But Kadence doesn’t seem to notice. Once the waitress is gone,
she looks around the spacious area. “So, this place is something.”
I glance around briefly. “It really is.”
The foyer is big and modern. Lots of white and open space. The
place is brightly lit. So brightly lit that anyone in the building has
three or four pale shadows overlapping each other, like they can’t
decide where they’re supposed to be. There’s the café, scattered
seats, and a lot of freestanding information boards. A bit further
down is a wall with large sliding doors, this one manned by a woman
in a crisp navy suit. Most of the people entering head toward it.
But my eyes compulsively return to the girl sitting across from
me. She’s still looking at me like I’m a ghost about to disappear at
any second. It has my heart clenching. All I wanted was to give
Kadence hope.
“I really am sorry.”
She waves the apology away. “Explain it to me, Micah.” Her voice
is soft, her eyes gentle but needing answers.
I pull in a deep breath, not knowing where to start. In a low voice,
I go back to the beginning. “Well, my mother, Moira, is a primordial
god.”
Kadence gasps quietly. “They don’t have demigod children.”
I nod, glad Kadence can understand this. “Yes, which means I’m
not supposed to exist.”
 Kadence reaches out and wraps her hand around mine. I hadn’t
realized it was twisted into a fist. “I’m pretty glad you do.”
That has me grinning. “My mother brought me to Elysium and
raised me there.”
“Whoa. You grew up in The Isle of the Blessed?”
The waitress appears with our milkshakes, and we both glance at
each other with a grin.
The smell of sweet chocolate hits me and I dive in with
enthusiasm. Although you can eat whatever you want at Elysium,
every time I was tempted by something like this, my mother would
point out I was different from the residents—they could eat without
consequences such as obesity or heart disease. I couldn’t.
I quickly discover there’s something far more pleasurable than
the sweet, milky goodness—watching Kadence enjoy hers.
Her cherry lips wrap around the straw, her eyes alive with
happiness. Desire clashes with joy, creating a potent mix.
Mesmerized, all I can do is watch, milkshake forgotten.
Kadence glances up, then pauses. The world dissolves as I enter
a new orbit. One that centers around the sweet, strong girl I’ve fallen
for. The one whose smile is almost as big as mine.
Our hands reach across the table like two magnets, coming
together as our fingers interlace.
Kadence angles her head. “So, Elysium, huh?”
Clearing my throat, I nod. “I’ve been very lucky.” I flip my hand
over, watching my thumb stroke her smooth skin. “It’s meant… I’m
supposed to stay hidden there. I’m not meant to leave. I didn’t go out
very often, and never to the same place.” I look up. “Until I saw you.”
“That’s why you could never stay…”
“It’s why I wasn’t supposed to keep coming back.”
Kadence’s hand tightens around mine. “Once again, I’m pretty
glad you did.”
Warmth spreads through my chest. “Me too.”
“Then something changed.”
“When the building was demolished, I figured it was better that
way. For you to think I was…gone.”
Pain flashes across Kadence’s face, and I wince.
 “But sitting back and watching, it felt wrong, Kadence. All I’d done
was hurt you, then I discovered you were a demigod, too, and the
darkness, it’s growing faster—”
“You’re wrong.”
I startle, eyes widening. “Wrong?”
Kadence nods. “About hurting me. Yes, believing you were gone
was pain I never thought could exist. But you gave me so much
more than that, Micah.” Her chin drops and her voice becomes
husky. “You showed me we hold infinity, our own piece of forever,
within us.”
I swallow, feeling like my heart is too big for my chest. She’s
quoting the night on the rooftop. When we were stargazing, and she
fell asleep in my arms.
I never finished the sentence, but the words were alive in my
mind.
Hope, happiness.
And love.
“Kadence.”
She stares at me, her eyes the color of gray doves as the word
hangs between us.
I want to hold her again, kiss her, so it’s probably a good thing
there’s a table between us. Especially when her gaze dips to my lips.
I clear my throat. I’ve almost forgotten where I am. “Your father,
he spoke to you. He’s worried about what’s happening.”
“Yes. He asked me to find Hades’ demigod son for him.” Her
hand tenses in mine. “His name was Heath. I stopped time when I
found him.” She glances away. “Hades took him to the Underworld.”
I scrape my chair forward. “Hey, there’s no way you could know
that was going to happen.”
“I was still part of the chain of events, Micah.”
“We all are in some way.”
She opens her mouth, then shakes her head. “Everything you’ve
said since we met is starting to make so much sense now.”
I shrug, grinning. “I didn’t have a normal childhood.”
Kadence giggles. “Me either.”
Against the odds, I laugh. I think the sound may have been
building up from the moment I saw her again. So much joy can only
be contained for so long. The amazing thing is that Kadence is right
here with me. We laugh together, hands clasped tightly, as we
discover the magic of our connection all over again.
A frazzled-looking woman slides into a nearby booth. Two kids, a
boy and a girl, shout they want chicken nuggets before dashing off.
Hunching my shoulders, I focus back on Kadence, lowering my
voice. “What did Heath do?”
“As far as I can tell, he stopped Damien Black from catching a
flight, one that crashed and killed everyone on board.”
“A flight? One that was leaving Detroit.”
Kadence narrows her eyes at me. “Yeah, why?”
Surely not… “A young man arrived at Elysium recently. He says
he’s not supposed to be there.” No wonder Thomas has been so
angry. “He died on that plane, after being given the opportunity to
catch an earlier flight.”
Kadence flops back in her seat. “Then Heath really did keep
Damien Black alive.”
At the cost of Thomas’ life.
As we begin to process that, we both look around at the building
we’re seated in. This health center. One that’s built on a Crossroads.
My free hand clenches. “Damien Black is helping Hades
somehow.”
Kadence’s lips tighten. “And we need to find out how and why.”
Alongside the tension winding its way around my muscles, my
heart smiles. Kadence’s face is full of determination. It only confirms
what I’d hoped.
No matter what my mother says, this feels too right to be wrong.
Kadence’s gray gaze scans the room behind me when she
suddenly stills. “Hiroko.”
I sink into my hood as I glance around. “Where?”
“Over there.” Kadence indicates toward the entryway with her
chin.” She’s Damien Black’s stepdaughter.”
I nod. There isn’t much I don’t know about my father.
Slowly I turn, glancing from beneath the protection of my hood.
Kadence is right. Hiroko just came through the doors. She scans the
room, a princess in her domain. I look away as her gaze sweeps
toward the café.
 The moment she’s out of sight, we need to get out of here.
Despite the hood, this feels too vulnerable. It goes against
everything I’ve been told I’m supposed to do.
Remain anonymous.
Remain unseen.
Kadence gasps. “Is that…?”
Alarm leaps through my muscles as I scan her face. Please don’t
let that look mean what I think it means…
Surreptitiously, I glance back and my heart sinks.
Damien Black just entered the building.
 MICAH

T he woman in the suit on the other side of the room

must’ve been expecting them, because she rushes
forward, a large smile on her face. They chat, the
woman using a lot of hand movements in her excitement.
Kadence narrows her eyes. “There’s something about Hiroko…”
“Well, she was certainly Damien Black’s good-luck charm. She
comes from money, which I’m pretty sure kickstarted all this.” I
glance around as much as I can without moving my head.
“They’re still talking to that lady. I’m guessing they’ll be going
through the main doors shortly.”
The kids beside us streak past, one squealing and making me
wince. I can’t afford for any attention to come our way.
I tighten my grip on Kadence’s hand, about to tell her we should
go, when she leans forward. “We should follow them.”
Sweet heavens. My chest is starting to feel too tight. I haven’t
thought this through…
Kadence goes to stand up, but I’m frozen to my seat, and our
clasped hands yank her back into hers. “Micah?”
“I can’t.”
She looks from me to the people behind us and back again. “This
is going to be interesting then.”
Another squeal as the two kids run a lap around our table, and I
pull my head down further, feeling more and more like a turtle. “I’m
sorry, Kadence.”
 “If you can’t be seen, then how did you think we’re going to find
anything out?”
I suck my bottom lip in. “I’m not supposed to interfere.”
Kadence arches a brow as her eyes soften. “You didn’t follow that
rule with me.”
She’s right. And I’ve told my mother that was a good thing.
Taking in the girl who’s patiently waiting for me to make a
decision, a smile tugs at my lips. “And although I’ve second-guessed
that decision, I’ve never regretted it.”
Kadence’s responding smile is like a sun in my heart. “Who has
time for regret?”
The kids are somewhere behind us now, the threat suddenly
doesn’t feel like DEFCON-One.
When a wail pierces the air, I automatically turn. One of the
children, the little girl, is sitting on the floor, crying and holding her
knee. Rising from my chair is instinctive, but then I realize I’m not the
only one looking to respond.
Damien Black is already rushing over. He kneels down, smiling
gently. The girl is pointing at her brother, fat tears rolling down her
cheek. Damien Black inspects her knee, then leans back, his smile
growing. Out of his pocket he pulls a plastic-wrapped lollypop. The
little girl’s tears hiccup to a halt.
She takes the sucker, stands up, and streaks away.
“He’s the picture of a caring, new-age guy.” I snort in disgust as I
turn back to Kadence.
“Although Hiroko hasn’t moved a muscle.”
Looking back, I realize she’s right. Hiroko is still standing beside
the doors, now scrolling through her phone. She wasn’t in the least
bit interested in the little girl who’d fallen down.
Damien Black returns to her side. Slipping an arm around her,
they disappear through the sliding doors.
Kadence leans back. “So, what do we do now?”
I take a sip of my forgotten milkshake, but barely taste it. “I’m not
sure.”
“We could just check the place out a bit.”
Except I haven’t told Kadence exactly who Damien Black is… I
open my mouth, determined not to have any more secrets, when
someone stumbles through the front doors. It’s a man. A very drunk
man.
A teenage boy is hot on his heels. “Dad, slow down, will ya?”
He shoves the boy’s hands away as he tries to hold him. “I’m
fine, Dom. I’ve got this.”
He stumbles, rights himself, then almost crashes into one of the
freestanding information boards. Using it to stabilize himself, he
mumbles an apology to it, then heads for the sliding doors in the
back.
Dom, frowning as he ignores the stares of the people around him,
slips under his father’s arm again and walks with him, ignoring any
slurred objections. They reach the uniformed woman, who’s already
ramrod straight and holding her clipboard like a shield, and I feel
sorry for Dom. These health centers are here for referrals, not
treatment, and from the look of clipboard chick who’s now standing
in front of the frosted doors, he’s about to be turned away.
Kadence’s hand tightens around mine. “He reminds me of Tyler.”
I glance at the boy. Probably fifteen or sixteen, he has dark hair
and features that look far more comfortable with a frown than a
smile.
“He’s a kid from Pontiac Point. He’s had it tough, too.”
The woman is shaking her head, and the man puffs out his chest.
“You can’t stop me, lady.”
I’ve just stood up, finding Kadence beside me, when the glass
doors open. Damien Black is stopped short as he goes to stride
through.
Slamming my butt back into my seat, I yank Kadence down.
Seeing as there’s no other seat around, she has no choice but to
plonk in my lap. We glance at each other in surprise, but neither of
us move. Having Kadence so close feels…great.
Almost unconsciously, I wrap my arms around her waist, breath
hitching when she shuffles closer. In the space of a breath, she tucks
herself in. Kadence this close is like holding a dream in your arms.
Her gaze flicks over my face. “We should be okay like this.”
I’m not sure what she means—I feel more than okay like this. It’s
only when I have to glance around her shoulder, that I realize she’s
trying to protect me. With Kadence on my lap, most of me is
obscured.
Something in me tightens, feeling very much like a frown. I don’t
like that she feels the need to hide me.
But then again, it’s too dangerous for me to be seen here, of all
places.
Kadence seems to relax, almost melting into me. “I like being
here.”
My unease dissolves as my chest expands. “Always.”
Kadence blinks, and I realize I’ve spoken without thinking again.
I’ve said too much, too soon. Scaring Kadence away with my
intensity wasn’t part of the plan.
Before she can say anything, the man at the door belches.
Damien Black smiles at him. “Sir, welcome to Matthew’s. How
can we help?”
The man wobbles, and Dom slips his shoulder back under his
arm. “I…ah…came here…to…”
“He needs help.”
Damien turns to look at the teen. “This is your father?”
The man tries to push Dom to the side. “Dom’s my stepson.
Thinks he knows better than me. I don’t need no help.”
Damien hasn’t looked away from the boy. “Dom seems to think
otherwise.”
The woman in the navy suit clears her throat. “I tried to explain
we’re not a rehabilitation service, sir, and they’re welcome to return
another time when…he’s feeling better.”
The kid’s stepdad has puffed up like a rooster again. “And I told
her I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with a couple of drinks here and
there.”
Dom’s shoulders have sunk. He knows he’s about to experience
another disappointment in his life.
Dom’s stepdad must sense something through his drunken haze,
because he shakes the boy’s arms off, almost shoving him when
Dom tries to hold him again. “You all think you’re too good for me,
don’t ya? Just ‘cause I don’t have no fancy clothes doesn’t mean you
get to look down on me.”
Damien Black steps in front of his employee slightly.
 Every muscle locks, and my arm tightens around Kadence. Not
only is Dom about to be disappointed, he’s also about to be
humiliated.
Damien Black reaches out a conciliatory hand. “Sir, maybe you’d
like to come in and have a cup of coffee?”
Did I just hear that right?
The man looks just as shocked as I feel. “A—a coffee?”
Damien’s smile grows. “Of course. We have a lovely sitting area
where you can relax.”
The man grunts. “Well, I am kinda tired.” He glares at Dom,
weaving slightly. “What with getting dragged all over the place, and
all.”
The woman looks the most surprised out of all of us, but she’s
the quickest to recover. She glances at Damien, who nods
surreptitiously, and pushes open the door.
The man stumbles through, leaving Dom standing there, shock
rooting him to the shiny tiled floor.
Damien holds open the door, waiting for Dom with a smile. The
boy seems to straighten and soften all at once, like he’s relaxing and
finding confidence simultaneously.
I can’t help but frown. Damien Black just gave Dom hope, and
that doesn’t sit well with me.
With the spectacle over, movement picks up around us again.
The mother walks past, hurrying her kids. The waitress rushes over
to clear their table.
Kadence and I remain still, the eye of this quiet storm. My
awareness slides back to the fact her lean curves are sitting like a
gift in my lap.
“The coast is clear.” Kadence keeps her voice low, the whisper
sounding a little breathless.
I swallow. I don’t want Kadence to get up, and it has nothing to do
with the need to stay hidden. So much heat is pulsing and building
along the tracts of touching. It’s like discovering fire after spending a
lifetime in the arctic.
Except I’m bringing attention to myself. A girl wrapped up in a
guy’s lap is enough to have people looking twice.
 I clear my throat, leaning back when I hadn’t realized I was
angling forward. “Ah, thanks.”
Kadence smiles. “Always.”
She climbs off and takes the seat across from me. By the time
she’s facing me again, a smile that feels like it could touch the
opposite corners of this massive building has spread across my face.
Surely, I can’t be so lucky that she feels the same way, too…
Kadence meets my gaze squarely, no blush, no looking away. It
has the words climbing up onto my tongue. She’s already told me
how she feels about me. I want to tell her, too—
Kadence leans forward. “And you’re sure Damien Black is the
bad guy here?”
Blinking a little at the change of topic, I nod emphatically. “My
mother’s told me all about him.”
“Why would the goddess of fate be so interested in him?”
I pause. It’s only four words, and I don’t want any more secrets,
but I’m still nervous. What will Kadence think of this next bombshell?
“Because he’s my father.”
Kadence pulls back, curling into the seat like I’ve just shocked the
spine right out of her. “Damien Black is your father?”
I wince at hearing it out loud. “Yes. My mother won’t talk about it.
She visits Earth periodically—they must’ve met during one of those
times.” I shrug. “Maybe she assumed she couldn’t get pregnant.”
She looks from the door, to me, and back again. “The surprises
just keep coming, Micah. Anything else you need to tell me?”
“I believe that’s everything.”
I hold my breath as I wait for her to process it. It feels good to be
free of secrets, but I’m conscious of how much I’ve just lumped
Kadence with.
She nibbles the side of her lip. “And you think he’s up to no good
with the centers?”
I shrug. “He’s built five of these centers, all on Crossroads.
Hades’ demigod son made sure he stayed alive.” Rather than be
sent to the Underworld where he belongs. I wave my arm in the
direction of the frosted doors. “Plus, who knows what happens
behind there?”
 Kadence looks at the frosted double doors thoughtfully. “I
suppose the only way we’re going to find out is to go in there.”
“What?”
Maybe I was hoping it would take her a little longer to adjust to all
this new information. I certainly didn’t expect her to stand up and
start walking over. It takes precious seconds for my legs to
remember how to function, so by the time I’ve already caught up with
her, she’s almost there.
I grasp her hand, pulling her to a halt. “Kadence, I can’t go in.”
“I know. I’m not asking you to.”
I frown, confused.
“You’re right, Micah. It’s too risky for you to go in there, but
there’s no reason I can’t.”
My heart thumps painfully in my chest. She’s the one person who
understands.
She’s also the one person I don’t want to watch go and walk
behind those doors.
I frown. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea…”
Kadence smiles. “What’s going to happen? My shots get up to
date?”
She plants a quick kiss on my lips, then smiles. My heart’s
beating uncomfortably fast and unevenly, but I don’t know what to
say.
She releases my hand and walks up to the woman, who smiles at
her warmly and pushes open the door.
My feet have turned to lead. How can I watch her go in there? I
chafe against the invisible bonds holding me here, hating myself.
I tell myself Kadence is strong. She’s a demigod.
But still, the tight feeling in my chest climbs up my throat.
With a brief glance over her shoulder, Kadence disappears
inside.
 KADENCE

L eaving Micah so soon feels wrong.

I’ve only just found him again.
It’s why I sneak a quick glance over my shoulder before I
disappear through the doors. It’s like taking a photo of a precious
moment you don’t want to lose.
I pause on the other side, the door whooshing closed behind me,
my mind still reeling. Micah is alive. Micah is a demigod.
Micah is the son of Damien Black.
A big part of me wants to turn around and run back into his arms.
There’s still so much to talk about, so much more I want to touch and
taste and discover.
But I know it’s going to have to wait. Right now, there’s nothing I
want more than to make sure there’s a future with Micah, and any
growing darkness is a threat to that.
Taking another step in, I notice the cool color scheme has
continued, but now there’s more furniture. Just like Damien said,
there are multiple armchairs situated around the room. Drunk Dude
is there, head tilted back at an odd angle as he snores. Damien and
the teen are nowhere to be seen.
Another woman in a navy skirt and top approaches me with a
smile. “Welcome, how can I help you?”
Crap. I’m in a health center—people come here for health-related
stuff. I’ve barely had a cold my whole life. I wrack my brain for
something plausible. “Ah…”
 The woman’s smile softens. “I understand. We all have personal
issues from time to time.”
I feel my cheeks heat, not really sure what she’s alluding to, but
not really wanting to know. “Ah, thanks.”
The woman passes me a tablet. “All you need to do is fill out the
questionnaires and we can see how best to meet your needs.”
I take the tablet. “Sure. Thanks.”
“My pleasure.” She waves an arm toward the seats. “Take as
long as you need.”
Feeling like I’ve just been checked in as a VIP, I take a seat
where I can still see the drunk dude. His snoring is so rhythmic, you
get the sense he’s not waking up any time soon.
The place is busy, with people of every age and background
pacing or sitting around. Some have a tablet like me, some are on
their phones as they wait. The room splits off into corridors, all dotted
with doors in the same neutral color scheme. More people, most
wearing the center’s uniform colors in some shape or form, bustle in
and out.
One of the doors open, and an elderly man shuffles out, and the
woman walks up to him. “All finished, sir?”
“Yes, thank you.” His voice is gravelly with age.
“Will you be needing another appointment?”
“No.” He barks out a laugh. “I think I was diagnosed with old age.”
The woman’s smile softens. “We all need peace of mind.”
The man reaches back to pull out his wallet. “Now, where do I—”
“Oh, there’s no charge, sir.”
The man stops. “I know, but I’d like to. I can afford it, you know.”
“We appreciate it. But Matthew’s Center is here for people to
access health services, irrespective of whether they can afford it or
not.”
I focus back on the tablet. A health center that isn’t income-
based? Damien Black is definitely loaded.
Not to mention generous.
Swiping my finger across the screen, I get started, quickly
discovering that when the lady said “questionnaires,” she wasn’t
kidding. There are pages of them. My details. Vocational history.
Health history. Education. There are even questions about how
much I enjoy meeting new people (not so much), and how much I
like helping others. The last question has me pausing. A few weeks
ago, I would’ve chosen “disagree.” The question would’ve triggered
an avalanche of pessimism and statements that said, “helping won’t
make a difference.”
I like the person sitting in this chair who ticks “strongly agree.”
The whole thing takes about thirty minutes, which gives me
plenty of time to keep an eye on the dude snoring, but also enough
time to start feeling edgy. Micah’s going to be wondering where I am.
Plus, I’m not sure I’ve learned anything of value. I haven’t seen
Damien Black or Dom, or snoring guy do anything else apart from
snoring.
I’ve just looked up and stretched my shoulders when the woman
returns, her smile back in place. “All finished?”
I pass her the tablet, suddenly conscious as it now holds a whole
lot of personal information. “Yes, thank you.”
“Wonderful. Now if you’d follow me, I’ll take you to the photo
booth.”
Now standing, I stop before I take a step. “You want to take a
photo?”
“It’s standard procedure. It allows us to create the most
comprehensive and current profile of you we can. It means we can
tailor your health plan as closely as possible.”
Right. I’m not sure why they need my photo for that, but I’m not
here to make a scene.
I follow her down one of the corridors, and we stop at the first
door on the right. Thank goodness Micah didn’t come in. I noticed
the hood coming up the moment we left the alley. He couldn’t have
filled out those forms to begin with, but having his photo taken
would’ve been impossible.
There are two photo booths in the room, and they’re as high-tech
as the rest of this place implies. Big and white, they’re the sort with
curtains drawn across so you’re in your own private photo session.
The hostess, as I’ve come to think of her, indicates with a smile
toward the one whose curtains are open.
I’m about to step forward, thinking this is all a bit weird—you’d
think I’m getting my license or something—when the curtains are
yanked back on the second one.
Dom steps, no stumbles out. He looks around the room, blinking.
Must’ve been one hell of a flash in there…
Without acknowledging either of us, he comes toward us,
lurching hard enough that the hostess has to step out of his way. He
doesn’t bother to apologize, instead frowning at her. And here I
thought he was a nice guy like Tyler.
Dom seems to find his feet as he walks out of the room, leaving
without looking back. I glance at the hostess, but she doesn’t seem
to think anything is amiss. Maybe she’s assumed Dom has helped
himself to his stepfather’s flask.
Curious, but not sure why, I turn to watch. Dom’s already in the
waiting area, and he strides straight past his stepfather to the doors.
The hostess must notice, because she rushes over.
“Ah, sir. Your father.”
Dom stops, the frosted doors sliding open. “He’s not my real
dad.”
“Of course, I understand. But you’ll need to…ah, take him with
you.” She finds her smile like the consummate hostess she is. “I can
help wake him, if you like.”
Dom looks over to the snoring lump in the seat, his lip curling. “I
didn’t see no rules about having to leave with the person you came
with.”
With that, Dom is gone.
The hostess’ smile falls from her face. She glances back at me.
“Ah, the instructions are on the wall of the booth. It’s all
straightforward, but I’ll be there to assist in a moment.”
“Sure, I’ll be able to figure it out.”
Nodding in a way that tells you the person isn’t really listening,
the hostess turns away. Poor woman. Now she has a drunk stepdad
to wake and explain that his son has left without him.
I glance at the photo booth, deciding I didn’t really want my
picture taken, anyway. I wait a minute or two, pretending I’m part of
the selfie generation, and that I just smiled for the camera, then head
back out.
The hostess is looking at the snoring guy, who hasn’t moved from
his position, obviously unsure what to do. A door opens behind her
somewhere, and she turns, an expression on her face that says she
recognizes the direction.
Damien steps through and comes down the hall.
“Mr. Black.” The hostess has raised her hand as she tries to get
his attention, but Damien waves her away, a deep frown darkening
his features. Without looking at anyone, he barely waits for the
frosted doors to slide open before he steps through.
He looked…angry. Not just angry, though. It’s the sad-angry that
had become my constant companion. One borne of disappointment.
Not sure what any of it means, or whether it means anything at
all, I follow him out, glad the hostess is too preoccupied to notice me.
I’m not surprised to find Damien already gone by the time I’m out in
the overinflated foyer. Those angry strides would have him halfway
to Pontiac Point by now.
Micah isn’t in the foyer, which also isn’t a surprise. Micah became
tense in a way I haven’t seen before, the moment we were around
people. It’s something that’s been deeply ingrained in him. I
understand why, but the knowledge clutches at my heart. What sort
of life can Micah lead when he always has to keep himself at arm’s
length?
Taking stock of what I’ve learned while every detail about myself
was just recorded, I pull in a deep breath. What do I have to tell
Micah? That it’s a comprehensive service, and it’s free? That I have
more evidence his father is a nice guy?
The worst I saw was Dom getting over his drunk stepfather, and
Damien being upset, but for all I know, he dropped his bagel, and it
fell, cream-cheese side down.
I’m about to step through the sliding doors, when I stop. One
question’s been refusing to be ignored since Micah told me about
Damien, and everything I’ve seen only seems to support it. How
could Micah come from someone evil? He’s just too…good. And why
would a primordial god like Moira conceive a child with someone
who wasn’t, well, good?
Looking down at the floor, I frown. Except we’re on a Crossroads.
And Damien Black is supposed to be dead.
I find Micah outside, and seeing him is enough to stop me in my
tracks. Not because it hits me all over again that he’s alive.
 Not because he’s sweet and handsome and here with me.
But because he’s shirtless.
All lean lines and ropy muscles, the sun seems to hug his smooth
skin as he straightens. My gaze travels up his biceps, over his
shoulders, down the ridges of his chest…
My pulse sets off at a crazy pace, and I suddenly feel too warm.
Micah grabs his sweatshirt and slips it on, and some semblance of
function returns to my brain.
Why the hell is Micah shirtless?
With his hoodie on, and the expanse of heart-lurching skin
covered, Micah looks up and sees me. The smile that expands over
his face sets me off all over again. This time my pulse slows, as if
the demigod daughter of Kronos is trying to slow time and make this
moment last. Something that very much feels like joy spills through
me.
It’s a feeling that I don’t know whether it starts with Micah’s
expression, or ends in the rapid steps that bring me to his side.
“Hey.”
“Kadence.”
I love the way Micah says my name. There’s a reverence to it,
almost like a prayer.
It was inevitable that I would fall for this guy.
It was fate.
There’s movement behind him, beside a brick wall. A man, dirty
and probably homeless, stands and straightens. Collecting a grimy
bag beside him, he starts to walk away. “Ah, thanks, dude.”
Wondering what’s happened while I was gone, I startle when I
realize I just found Micah’s shirt—this guy is wearing it!
Micah turns to smile at him. “Look after yourself, sir. Safe travels
back to Detroit.”
The guy smiles back, but it doesn’t feel genuine. The moment
he’s out of earshot, I step in close and half-whisper, “You gave a guy
your shirt?”
“Well, yes. He’s from Detroit, too. Came here to see his daughter.
He wanted money—said he needed to pay for her schooling—but I
didn’t have much.”
“So, you gave him your shirt?”
 “I have my hoodie, and more shirts back at home. Plus, I don’t
even know where that one came from, it just appeared in my closet.”
“Did he ask for your shirt?”
Micah pauses. “Well, no. He was insistent he needed money. But
his clothes were filthy and torn, so I asked him if he had something
to change into.”
He wanted money for his drug habit. I think it, but don’t say it. As
if to prove my theory, the man glances over his shoulder before
turning the corner, the glance he throws Micah is one full of disbelief
and…a healthy dose of contempt.
I bite my lip. “You’re very generous, Micah.”
Micah reaches up and brushes a strand of hair away from my
face. “I know there’s a good chance he doesn’t have a daughter,
Kadence. But what he does with the money or shirt, that’s his choice.
Mine was to give.”
Oh.
Micah’s more than generous. He has a heart bigger than anyone
I know.
I angle my head, squinting as the sun hits my eyes. “How many
shirts have you lost like this?”
Micah’s lips twitch. “I told you, I don’t get out much.”
Probably because his mother would’ve started asking questions
about where all his shirts were going.
Pushing up on my toes, I bring my lips to his. The words slip out
before I can stop them, but I don’t care. They need to be said. “I love
you, Micah.”
Not bothering to wait for a response, I kiss him. His mouth opens
hungrily under mine, and I press myself against him as desire
explodes. It’s like we’re both finally allowing ourselves to completely
experience what lives between us.
And it’s so much bigger and stronger and mind-blowing than I
anticipated.
Heat builds and expands, passion kindles and shivers through
us. It’s almost too much…I can’t get enough.
Micah’s groan is one of surrender, and I revel in it. To know Micah
is to love Micah—it’s inevitable. But for Micah to want me with such
intensity, it makes me feel special, grateful…somehow powerful.
 A cat whistle has us separating and remembering where we are.
Flushing a little, I take Micah’s hand and lead him to the alley. I’d
totally forgotten about him keeping a low profile.
Once we’re alone again, I throw him a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”
Micah frowns. “I don’t want you to apologize for something like
that.”
I swipe a cheeky kiss. “I’m not. Just for the timing.”
Micah’s face relaxes. “You’re the daughter of the god of time.
Good timing is in your blood.”
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I settle in close to his still-
heated body. “So, we need to head back.”
Micah pauses. “I suppose so.”
“What’s wrong?”
His grin dances along the edge of his lips. “Well, it’ll be almost
evening back at Pontiac Point.”
“Oh.” It’ll mean we need to say goodbye.
Every cell rebels. I only just got Micah back. I tighten my arms
around his shoulders, locking my hands together. “I say we stay
here.”
Even as I say it, I know it’s not possible. Micah needs to
disappear again for a little while.
Micah’s hands splay across my waist. “I used to sleep on the
rooftop, just to be close to you.”
“You did?”
“If it was still there, I’d do it again.”
“If I knew, I would’ve joined you.”
We smile, the knowledge that this is just as powerful for both of
us, has the two of us relaxing our hold on each other.
“Well, the wonderful thing about time is that it keeps going. Our
separation is as inevitable as our reunion.”
Micah grins. “You’re starting to sound like my mother.”
“Or my father.” Molding myself to him, I sigh. “And when this is all
over, I’m going to introduce you to our evening news routine.”
Micah seems to wait to see if I’m going to explain it, but all I do is
smile to myself. When I don’t answer, I feel Micah tense and I know
we’re about to teleport.
New York disappears, and Detroit is about to replace it.
 Tomorrow, Micah and I begin a future together.
I have no idea what that looks like, and it’s riddled with
unanswered questions, but my heart lifts with joy.
It’s a future with Micah.
 MICAH

A rriving at Pontiac Point the following morning, I decide

getting here super early was a good thing. The building
site’s been cleared, leaving behind nothing but two large
metal dumpsters full of shattered remains. It means teleporting here
is going to become difficult.
Before, there were walls to hide behind, a large building creating
an alleyway where I could appear. But soon, I’ll be literally appearing
in the middle of a flattened wasteland.
Circling in the pale dawn light, I take in the contrast. Seven
stories hiked into the sky not that long ago. Now, instead of a
concrete monolith, there’s nothing but bleached, hard soil that hasn’t
seen the sun in years.
A shiver slips down my spine, and I pause. I wonder if a soul just
arrived at the Crossroads. Even though I can’t see them, I can’t help
but look around. The soil beneath me may be compacted by tons of
concrete, but below, there’s a forked road for souls ready to cross
over. Is it someone who I’ll meet at Elysium later on? Or will the
choices they made have them facing Hades as he welcomes them to
the Underworld?
Hades.
Having the health centers close, or even above, Crossroads
means Hades has easy access to them. And it seems Hades needs
them enough to want to keep my father alive.
Why? And for what?
 Kadence said nothing exceptional happened in the health center
yesterday. They took her details right down to her eye color, that the
drunk guy didn’t move a muscle, that Dom had had enough of him
and left without him, and that Damien Black stormed off, upset about
something.
Why he was upset is something I’d like to learn more about.
The sound of stumbling steps has me spinning around. The
neighborhood is always silent at this time of the morning.
A teen, maybe a little younger than me, has stopped at the edge
of the clearing, head weaving from side to side in slow motion.
There’s something about him that’s familiar, but I don’t move closer
to see. I’m pretty sure he’s drunk.
In a blink, the teen goes from looking like he was wading through
molasses, to a flurry of movement. He bends down, picks up a rock,
and tosses it at the clearing.
“Bastards!” Again, he leans down, finds a bigger rock, and throws
it with so much violence, it smacks into the soil with a puff of brown
dust.
Now in some sort of frenzy, he digs around for more ammunition,
hurling the rocks and stones in the air the moment he finds them.
“Hey.” I rush over. “Is everything okay?”
The boy barely glances at me. “Get lost.” He steps to the side,
finding another rock, and catapults it at the clearing.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
The boy finally pauses, turning to look at me. “Are you deaf?”
Seeing him head-on, and the light finally strengthening to feel like
day, I realize why he looks familiar. The sandy hair, the stubborn
chin. I take a step back. “You’re Thomas’ younger brother, Tyler.”
Tyler reels back like I just punched him in the jaw, but he quickly
recovers. His lips curl. “How do you know my loser brother?” He
narrows his eyes. “My dead, loser brother.”
That has me pausing. “I think I know a very different Thomas.”
Tyler looks away. He picks up another rock, throwing it with
venom. “All Thomas had were different layers of loser.”
I clench my jaw. Because Thomas was taken before he had a
chance to prove otherwise. Another strike against my father’s name.
“He spoke to me of wanting to change.”
 Tyler snorts. “Sure he did. Plus, even if that’s true, it’s too little,
too late. Story of my life, really.”
It’s then I remember Tanisha, the girl who Tyler had just started a
relationship with. The one who’s now in Elysium, alongside his
brother. “I’m sorry about Tanisha, Tyler. She was a good person.”
Tyler’s hands ball into fists as he turns to me. “How do you know
Tanisha?” He takes a step toward me. “And who the hell are you?”
I pause again. I thought by talking to Tyler I could help. But it
feels like I’m only making things worse. Plus, I can’t explain how I
know Thomas or Tanisha, only that they live on in ways Thomas
hasn’t considered. “My name’s Micah.”
Another voice carries from behind me. “And he’s with me.”
We both turn to find Kadence standing there, hands on her hips.
She walks over and slips her hand into mine. “Hey, Tyler.”
Tyler looks away. “I see you’re setting yourself up for another
disappointment. Quite the sucker for punishment, huh, Kadence?”
Something in me tenses. Those words are just what Kadence
might have said to me not that long ago.
Kadence shrugs one shoulder. “Or willing to take a risk again.”
Tyler ignores her, taking a few steps away to find some more
stones. The sound of them hitting the hard soil is all that punctures
the quiet morning air.
Kadence lifts a hand to her hip. “Are you trying to rebuild the
place, one chunk of gravel at a time?”
“Zip it, Kadence. You’re starting to sound like Nevaeh.”
“‘Cause it won’t bring her back.”
Tyler’s frown deepens. “I said, zip it.”
“Nor will drinking, smoking, driving too fast, or throwing your life
away.”
The next rock is propelled by the most fury I’ve seen so far. It
clangs as it hits the metal dumpsters on the other side of the
clearing. “I don’t need this shit.” He storms past us, only to turn back
a few feet away. “There’s nothing you can say to make this better,
Kay. There’s no point in trying.”
Kadence shakes her head. “No, there’s not. But there is
something I can do, and that’s show you there is a point in trying.”
 Tyler opens his mouth, his face dark with anger, only to slam it
shut again. He throws his arms in the air as he turns away. “Yep,
really don’t need this shit.”
He starts walking, only to find Kadence hasn’t finished.
“You should go home, Tyler. Get some sleep.”
Tyler throws his retort over his shoulder. “I’ll go wherever the hell
I like.”
When Tyler takes a right at the end of the block, I turn to her. “Is
his house down there?”
Kadence’s lips twitch. “His apartment building is only a few yards
down.”
The sound of a door slamming punctures the morning air and we
smile at each other.
I realize Kadence’s few words had far more impact than my offers
of help, and it’s because she has what I don’t—a connection. I keep
my smile in place, although it dims a little inside. A connection is the
one thing I’m not supposed to have down here.
A second later, Kadence’s gaze drops away. “I hope he’s going to
be okay.”
Sighing, I slip my arm around her. “Me too.”
It would break Thomas’ heart to watch Tyler destroy his life.
She angles her head, eyes bright with curiosity. “Aren’t you able
to tell? My dad told me about the Loom and how it records fate.”
“His future, like anyone’s, hasn’t been woven yet. Our fate is
created by the choices we make.”
She frowns. “So, the future is totally unknown?”
I shrug. “Yes, and no. Unpredictability gives rise to predictability.
You just can’t assume predictability.”
“You’re making my head hurt, Micah. It amazes me that you not
only understand this but accept it.”
I shake my head. “My childhood was unusual, Kadence. I was
raised by the wisest of minds and gentlest of souls. Anyone else
growing up under those conditions would be the same.”
She smiles at me. “It doesn’t surprise me you think that.”
I open my mouth to ask what she means, but she grabs my hand,
pulling me toward the dumpsters. “Let’s talk about this later.” She
winks. “In New York.”
 A smile blooms in my heart as I let her lead me. Feeling like I’m
finally contributing something here, I clasp her in my arms.
“Ready?”
Kadence pulls in a deep breath, her hands tightening around my
waist. “Yep.”
She looks like I’m about to take her to the Underworld. It seems
teleporting takes some getting used to…
Tightening my arms around her, I lean down. “Maybe this will
help.”
As the ground disappears from beneath our feet and the universe
swallows us in blackness, I kiss her.

We’re in New York before either of us is ready to stop.

Pulling back, Kadence smiles up at me. “Yep, definitely better.”
I grin. “I’m thinking that’s how I’ll always teleport from now on.”
Kadence giggles, and the sound sings through my veins. “Let’s
hope you don’t teleport with your mother, then.”
I laugh, letting the joy of just being with this girl fill me, conscious
that another emotion springs up along with it. My mother was already
gone when I woke up this morning, even though I was up even
earlier than usual. My aim was to avoid her, but now I’m wondering if
she’s avoiding me.
As I’d stood in the kitchen, the tick, tick, ticking of the Loom had
hung in the air. The constant of my childhood, the sound had always
been comforting. Normally, I’d go in and watch it for a while, just to
marvel at the magic of destiny unfolding before me.
This morning though, I’d turned away and walked out, almost
glad as I’d shut the door and cut off the perpetual sound.
Yanking up my hood, I sigh. I used to like the extra layer of
protection. It felt a little bit safer to shrink into the shadows of the
material around my face. I could maintain my anonymity. Today,
though, it feels hot and confining. It limits my peripheral vision, and
I’m suddenly aware everyone else is wearing a whole lot less.
Things are changing, evolving. I’d always been okay with that.
But before, I was sitting back and watching them unfold. Now, I’m
not only part of it, I’m shaping the change.
 Kadence sobers. “Is everything okay, Micah?”
Focusing my attention on her, here, in my now, the smile starts
somewhere deep in my soul. “Just getting used to everything, I
suppose.” I pull her in. “Being with you tells me it’s right.”
Kadence lifts her hand to stroke it down my cheek, brushing her
fingertips over my lips. “Every second together only proves it.”
Coming from the daughter of Kronos, that’s saying something.
We start to draw together again, heads slowly coming closer, neither
of us needing to rush this. Will I ever tire of being with this girl?
A sound from the end of the alleyway has us both pulling back.
Looking up, though, there’s no one there. Although it turns out to be
nothing, it reminds us why we’re here.
Kadence glances at the wall of the health center beside us. “So,
what are we looking for today?”
Taking her hand, I start walking. “I have no idea.”
Flicking up my hood, we blend into the crowd milling past. “Let’s
find somewhere to talk. We can figure out where to go next from
there.”
Kadence glances around. This part of the street is lined with
office buildings. The café we noticed yesterday has a closed sign on
the front. A hotdog vendor has set up his cart at the end of the block,
but apart from that, there’s nothing. “The only place to do that is
inside the center.”
The thought of going back inside the center so soon doesn’t
sound exactly ideal, and I’m about to suggest we find a bench to sit
on or something, when Kadence tugs my hand.
“I say we have a hot dog for breakfast.”
My stomach lurches. “A hotdog? Aren’t they made of meat
trimmings and fat, held together with a whole lot of salt and
preservatives?”
“You’ve never had one, have you?”
I shake my head. “They’re bad for you.” Not to mention buying
one would mean engaging with someone.
She grins. “Well, you’re in for the unhealthiest treat you’ve ever
experienced.”
Not relishing the thought of eating one, but enjoying the spark of
challenge in her beautiful gray eyes, I let her lead me to the cart.
 Kadence orders the hotdogs, but I jump in when it’s time to pay.
“I’ve got this.”
She looks up, surprised. “I can pay.”
I shake my head emphatically. “I’d like to.”
Kadence rolls her eyes. “You really are old school.” I go to pull my
wallet out, but she’s already passed the money to the vendor. “Well,
too bad, I want to do this.”
The man chuckles as he loads up two hotdog buns. He slides a
glance my way. “No point arguing, my friend. You’re better off just
going with the flow.”
Kadence inclines her head. “See, there are wise men here in
New York, too.”
Shaking my head as I grin, I tuck my wallet back into my pocket.
“Point taken.”
The man passes us each a white paper boat, and I’m surprised at
the weight. The hotdog itself is buried under layers of color—beans,
mustard, some sort of relish, and cheese.
We step aside, finding an alcove against a wall. I take a cautious
sniff. “This thing is one long length of a heart attack waiting to
happen.”
“Micah, this is a choice you won’t regret.” Kadence closes her
eyes as she bites into hers, her shoulders scrunching up as her face
melts with joy. Tucking a dollop of mustard into her mouth, she
smiles. “Trust me.”
It does smell appealing…
Closing my eyes like Kadence just did, I take a bite. The soft
bread, the rubbery hotdog, right away have me on the defensive.
Real food isn’t supposed to have that sort of texture.
But then the flavors hit. I let out a soft groan. Salty, savory, the
tang of the relish, the complement of the cheese.
My eyes fly open in amazement.
Kadence nods in satisfaction. “Told you.”
I look down at the length of deliciousness I’m holding. “I think I
may have had a deprived childhood.”
Kadence bursts into peals of laughter, and I grin at her—before
taking another huge bite. We smile and laugh as we keep eating,
Kadence catching dollops of sauce as I try not to wear more than I
eat, me reveling in the experience.
Beautiful, happy Kadence. Surprising, delicious hotdog.
I finish it much faster than she does. Part of me wants to go over
to the stall vendor and thank him for bringing such joy into my day.
Except Kadence has gone quiet. The bloom of delight dims a little
as I realize she’s no longer smiling, and her hotdog is only half
eaten.
“What’s wrong?”
Kadence moves in a little closer. “Micah, I think we’re being
watched.”
My muscles tense. “Watched?”
Kadence leans in, smiling like she’s chatting intimately, but her
words are tight with tension. “Yeah. Two of them. I noticed them
when we were ordering the hotdogs ‘cause the girl was pointing. I
didn’t think anything of it, but they haven’t left.”
My shoulders hunch in. The thought of someone watching me,
especially pointing out that I’m here, has me wanting to teleport the
heck out of here.
Grabbing Kadence’s hand, I head back to the alleyway.
Kadence pauses to throw the rest of her hotdog in a nearby
trashcan, glancing over her shoulder as she does. She leans in to
whisper in my ear again. “They’re following us.”
My heartbeat is like a drum in my ears, and I pull Kadence in
even closer. Does Damien Black know I’m here? Was coming here a
mistake?
Down the alley, I know we’ve only got seconds to teleport. If
they’re following us, we can’t afford to be seen disappearing into thin
air.
Kadence slips her arms around my waist. “I’m ready. Quick.”
The urgency in her voice has me pausing. Is this how it will
always be? Kadence protecting me from being seen? Paying for my
food? Disappearing when someone looks twice?
Swallowing, knowing I’m taking a risk, I turn around.
Kadence was right. There’s two of them, a guy and a girl,
unsmiling at the mouth of the alleyway.
“Micah,” Kadence whispers urgently.
In a split second, I make the choice.
I smile and step forward. “Hi, can we help you?”
 MICAH

K adence’s gasp is quiet but sharp.

The guy leans down toward the girl. “Are they
usually this friendly?”
She frowns. “I wouldn’t have thought so—they wouldn’t have the
care factor, would they?”
He shrugs, looking nonchalant, but he angles his body so he’s
slightly in front of her. “Unless you want me to think of some
trespassing law to quote, you’re the expert here.”
They’re young, around our age. She’s pretty with dark hair, and
he’s lean and tall. For some reason, they don’t feel like a threat.
I take another step forward. “Is there a reason you’re following
us?”
“Micah,” Kadence hisses under her breath. She’s like a statue
beside me.
“I think they’re okay.”
Frustration flits across her face. “You think everyone’s okay.”
I pause. Am I being naïve? Possibly. But I’d rather be someone
who only sees the worst when they have evidence it’s there.
The girl frowns again, stepping forward to take the guy’s hand.
“They’re not acting like Shells.”
“But they definitely don’t have them?”
She shakes her head. “It doesn’t make sense.”
I sweep out my free hand. “I’ll explain if I can.”
The two glance at each other and must come to a silent
agreement, because they approach us. Kadence is vibrating with
tension beside me as we watch them.
The girl looks at us both. “When’s the last time you were on the
subway?”
Blinking at the odd question, I shrug. “I’ve never been on the
subway.” I just tried a hotdog for the first time in my life.
Kadence narrows her eyes. “We’re not from around here.”
The girl bites her lip. “So, you’ve never been on the subway?”
“No.”
The guy leans down. “You’re really, really sure?”
She glances at us, for some reason focused on our chests, then
throws him a glare. “They don’t have one.”
Now more curious than anything, I angle my head. “Don’t have
what? And what’s a Shell?”
The girl straightens, shock spearing across her face. She turns to
the guy. “Caleb, unless they’re…”
Caleb’s mouth pops open, and he turns to study us. “Technically,
it’s possible. Apart from the twelve Olympians, there are countless
others.”
The mention of Olympians finally has alarm ringing through my
veins. Surely, they can’t be talking about the Greek gods.
Kadence was right. We should’ve left when we had the chance.
Caleb shrugs. “I suppose you could ask them.”
The girl is back to chewing her lip. “Remember how you looked at
me when I started talking about this stuff? And your mom believes in
this stuff.”
Caleb grins. “Got any other ideas?”
The girl must reach a decision, because she turns to us. There’s
an intensity about her that tells you this question is important. “Are
you two demigods?”
I manage to hold still, but everything in me reels back. Did she
just say what I thought she said?
Kadence takes a step forward, her hands fists at her side. “Who
are you? And what do you want?”
Caleb scratches his chin. “She didn’t answer the question.” He
reaches out a hand. “My name’s Caleb. Nice to meet you.”
The girl pulls in a breath. “My name’s Haven. Hectate is my
mother.” She angles her head at Caleb. “Caleb’s my boyfriend. He
knows everything.”
My head is whirling. Even I can acknowledge this conversation is
weird. There are other demigod children out there, I know this. But
what’s the chance of running into them?
Kadence must be thinking the same thing. “Why do you think
we’re demigods?”
Caleb leans down, talking out of the side of his mouth. “She still
hasn’t answered the question. I’m thinking guilty as charged.”
Haven nudges him. “Take your lawyer hat off for one second, will
you?” She turns back to us. “Because, if you’re not demigods, then
you’re Shells. Humans without a soul.”
The spinning in my head picks up as I try to process everything.
How can humans exist without a soul? How does Haven know we’re
demigods?
If we run, we won’t get any answers. “This is Kadence, daughter
of Kronos. I’m Micah, son of—”
“No, Micah.” Kadence grips my arm, her fingers tight with
urgency. She’s reminding me I’m supposed to remain secret.
But Haven is a demigod. It seems Caleb already knows they
exist. And, we need answers.
“I’m Micah, son of Moira.”
Haven’s eyes widen. “Wow. I’ve never met another one…”
But Caleb steps forward, straightening his shoulders. “Prove it.”
I blink. “Prove it?”
“Yeah. We need evidence. Otherwise, you’re Shells, and we
won’t be saying another word.”
Haven nods, sending a small smile toward Caleb. “You’re right.”
She looks back to us. “We need to know you’re not Shells.”
Kadence lifts her hands, about to bring her pointer fingers
together, but I hold up my hand.
“I say we show them my way.”
Kadence makes a show of huffing. “I’m pretty sure my way is
more fun.”
“And will only get us on our parents’ radar.”
Her hands drop to her sides. “Fine, then. We’ll do it your way.”
Haven and Caleb are watching the exchange, looking a little
more nervous by the second. It’s fun to find I have a mischievous
side. “I’ll go on my own,” I offer, knowing Kadence is still adjusting to
teleporting.
She arches a brow. “I’ve found a way to make it manageable.”
My blood warms as I think of how we were entwined around each
other when we arrived. “Not sure it’s all that appropriate right now.”
“Were we like that in the beginning?” Caleb is looking at Haven,
eyes twinkling.
Haven sinks into him. “I’m not sure we’ve stopped yet.”
For some reason, I’m feeling good about this. Gripping Kadence,
I make a split-second decision. Going to Pontiac Point isn’t smart
now that the building has been cleared.
There’s a flash of blackness, a moment of weightlessness, and
then familiar sights and sounds surround me.
I look down at Kadence. Her eyes are tightly squeezed shut, but
once she realizes there’s ground beneath her, she opens them
cautiously. They widen, and as she registers her surroundings, they
widen even more.
“Micah….” She breathes. “It’s beautiful.”
I look around, trying to see this place through new eyes. The path
we’re standing on is bordered by lavender, red roses behind it, too
many shades of green to count their backdrop. Sunlight seems to
stroke everything like it’s coming from a thousand different angles,
softening it, making it brighter somehow.
“These are the gates to Elysium.” I point toward the wrought-iron
gates woven with ivy. They stand open, inviting us in.
Wishing we could stay and wondering whether I’ll ever be able to
bring her here, I wrap my arms tightly around her again.
A whoosh of silent air, and we’re back in the alleyway.
“Whoa.” Caleb’s mouth and eyes widen in shock.
Haven is quick to recover, though. She relaxes into a smile. “I’m
so glad you guys aren’t Shells.”
I relax my arms around Kadence, but don’t release her. “From
what you’ve said, I think we are, too.”
Caleb straightens. “I’m thinking we should talk.”
Except there’s nowhere nearby that offers privacy. The café in the
health center is the last place we should be discussing anything like
this. I look around, spotting something that could work. Further down
the alley, stacked in the shadows against the wall, are some milk
crates.
Grabbing one, I turn it upside down on the ground. “Now all we
need is a table.”
Caleb grins, grabbing a cardboard box from the other side and
turning it over. “You demigods sure know how to live it up.”
Taking a milk crate each, we pair up on either side of the box.
Haven and Caleb tuck in close, and I bet they’re holding hands. The
love between them is apparent.
Kadence slides her makeshift chair in close to mine, and we sit
opposite the other two. Silence fills the alley as we assess each
other.
More demigods. And Haven is the daughter of Hectate…
I lean forward with a start. “Your mother, she’s the goddess of
Crossroads.”
Haven nods. “Yes. She oversees souls as they move to Elysium
or Tartarus.”
“Is that why you’re here? To check up on the one at the health
center?”
Haven and Caleb glance at each other, before Haven turns back
to us. “We started checking them out more often a little while ago. I
was worried there could be more…Shells.”
Unease winds around my chest, feeling like barbed wire.
“Shells?”
Haven’s gaze is serious as she regards us. “I can see souls.
Demigods’ souls are hidden—part of our Greek god ancestry. And
Shells…well, theirs are gone.”
Kadence frowns at the impossibility of the statement. “How can
they be gone?”
Caleb’s lips flatten into a thin line. “They’re taken. By wraiths.”
Now it’s Kadence and I who look at each other. We utter one
word simultaneously. “Hades.”
Wraiths only exist in the Underworld. They’re born of the
blackness and suffering Tartarus represents. Hades is the only one
who has regular contact with them.
Haven splays her hands on the wooden crate. “Yes, he uses
them to collect souls before their time.”
 Dread grips my spine with icy fingers. “How do you know this?”
Haven pauses, and Caleb reaches out to grasp her hand. He
squeezes it, a silent show of support. With a grateful glance his way,
she takes a deep breath. “He was putting humans through a series
of tests, a gauntlet. Those who failed had their souls stolen by a
wraith.”
Kadence has gone very still beside me. “But you stopped him.”
She says the words cautiously, like she’s hoping it’s a statement
rather than a question.
Caleb nods sharply. “She sure did. Haven went through a
gauntlet herself to not only stop him, but to return all the souls as
well.”
Haven blushes. “With some help.” She squeezes his hand.
“Hades agreed he wouldn’t do anything like that again.”
I rub my chin. “But you’ve been keeping an eye on the
Crossroads, just to make sure he keeps his end of the bargain.”
She nods. “We were here yesterday. I saw a boy leave. He was a
Shell.”
Kadence frowns as she leans forward. “What did he look like?”
“Our age, dark hair.”
“Did he look upset?”
Haven nods. “Although once humans become Shells, their ability
to feel positive emotion is stunted, so I would’ve expected him to.”
Kadence turns to me. “I think that was Dom.”
“The boy who came in with his father?”
“Yes. He filled out all the questionnaires, just like I did. Then he
had his picture taken in the photo booth.”
Everyone’s eyes widen at once. Surely not…
Is Hades stealing souls in the health center? No wonder he
needed Damien Black alive…
Haven slaps her hand down on the box. “Dammit. I knew he
wouldn’t keep his word.”
But I hold up my hand. “There’s one thing Hades is, and that’s
fair. Breaking his word is more of a sin to him than stealing souls.”
Caleb arches a brow. “You’re saying you don’t think Hades is
behind this?”
 “No. I’m saying Hades was doing this long before he came up
with his gauntlet. This health center here”—I jerk a thumb over my
shoulder—“was built nine years ago.”
We all fall silent as we absorb the new information—it’s possible
Hades has been stealing souls for years.
Kadence’s spine snaps straight. “How many has he taken?” Her
voice is full of the horror we’re all feeling.
Haven’s milk crate grates across the ground as she pushes back.
“We need to find out, Caleb.”
Caleb shrugs. “It’s summer break. It’s not like I had anything
better to do than check out Crossroads all over New York.”
I look at Kadence, something very close to fear spearing through
my veins. “I think we need to find out why and how.”
Kadence laces her fingers through mine. “You’re right. We do.”
Caleb pulls his cell out of his pocket. “How about we exchange
numbers and keep each other posted?”
I glance at Kadence, aware I don’t have a cell. I’ve never had
anyone to call, or anyone needing to contact me. She pulls out her
own, and they swap details.
Feeling a strange mix of determination and nervousness, I get
ready to stand, only to see Haven startle like lightning just speared
through her.
“Oh, god. There’s another one.” She shoots to her feet, staring at
the end of the alley where it opens onto the street.
Caleb frowns. “Haven?”
But Haven’s already rushed off as a body walks past the mouth of
the alley. We catch up as she freezes at the corner of the building,
white-knuckled hands gripping the brick. “It’s another one, Caleb.”
Standing behind her, we take in the person who just walked past.
“Micah…” Kadence’s voice is full of foreboding.
The person is walking toward the center, pushing open the door.
She takes off her sunglasses, glancing over her shoulder like she
knows she’s being watched.
Simultaneously, we jerk back into the alley.
Haven’s frowning as she studies us. “You know her?”
Kadence arches a brow as she hikes a hand to her hip. “I’ve
spoken to her a couple of times. That was Hiroko, Damien Black’s
stepdaughter.”
 KADENCE

S omething close to anger is simmering through my blood as I

glance back around the corner. Hiroko is gone, now inside
the building.
It doesn’t surprise me that girl’s a Shell. There was always
something off, almost a little cold about her.
I turn to Micah. “I’ll follow her.”
Micah hesitates, that torn look flitting across his face. I know he’s
balancing on a knife’s edge—it must be so hard to stay separate
from a world part of you belongs in.
I grasp his arm. “It’s okay. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
His lips tighten. “No. I’m coming with you.”
“What?”
“I’m not letting you go in there alone. If we hurry, we’ll catch her
before she heads through the next set of doors.”
This time, it’s my turn to hesitate. Micah’s becoming more and
more involved. Rather than running when he discovered we were
being followed, he turned around and confronted our new stalkers.
Of course, then we wouldn’t have learned about Shells. I glance
at Haven. Or met another demigod.
Haven smiles at me, and I return the gesture. It’s nice to know
you’re not alone. Surely this was fate. A thought startles me. Could it
be possible that Micah belongs more than he realizes?
Taking Micah’s hand, I nod. “Okay. But you’re not going into the
actual health center.” All those questionnaires would no longer be
straddling the gray area of staying incognito. Especially considering
his father owns the building.
Caleb looks to Haven. “I think we go see if there are many
others.”
Unease tightens my throat. Caleb didn’t say if there are any
others. They obviously think Hades is up to something, even without
us telling them about the growing darkness.
Haven inclines her head. “You’re right. We need to check out
some other Crossroads.”
She turns back to us. “When one of us knows something, we’ll
contact each other.”
I nod just as Micah does. “We’ll be in touch.”
Caleb takes Haven’s hand as they prepare to leave. They’ll head
to other Crossroads, and we’ll go inside the center.
Pausing, I glance at Haven, wondering if she’s feeling like I do.
Here’s another girl, one who’s like me.
We move at the same time, hugging impulsively. It makes me
realize how alone I’ve felt. How different.
Haven pulls back. “Look after yourself, okay?”
I almost smile. “I was just about to say the same thing.”
I’m glad we both appreciate the threat Hades poses.
With fleeting smiles, Haven and Caleb walk away. Close together,
their shoulders tight with determination, they meld into the crowd.
Micah’s already tugging on my hand. “We’d better go in before
we lose her.”
Well, before Micah loses her. There’s no reason I can’t follow her
into the actual health center, but I understand why Micah isn’t eager
to go through that again. It had been hard not knowing where Micah
was every time he’d left me, and that was before I admitted my
feelings for him.
Inside the building, the bright whiteness hits me all over again.
You almost need sunglasses to be in this place. We’re instantly
scanning as I desperately hope we arrived here in time. There are
quite a few people here today, milling about or heading to the frosted
doors in the back. It has my heart pumping like we just ran ten
blocks to get here. We don’t have time for this.
 It turns out we didn’t need to rush, because Hiroko is sitting in the
café, a cup of coffee and a muffin on the table in front of her. I feel
when Micah sees her, too—his entire body hardens, and he
instinctively moves closer to me.
It makes my heart smile. This boy who lives with one foot in
heaven wants to protect me.
Hiroko scans the room casually as she tucks a sleek black strand
of hair behind her ear. Her gaze finds us, almost like she was looking
for us, then stops. As she openly stares, she smiles.
Yep. I don’t like her.
Closing the distance between us, Micah and I keep our hands
tightly knit. I don’t know what we’re going to say to this girl, but I’m
determined to get some answers.
Hiroko watches us approach with the stillness of a statue, a half-
smile frozen on her face. Just what I’d expect from a Shell. Even
when we stop next to her table, meaning she has to arch her neck
and squint a little in the bright light, her fractured smile doesn’t shift.
She waves her hand at the seats across the table.
Micah and I glance at each other. His face is tight in a way I’ve
never seen before. It sharpens his angles and tightens his lips. Gone
is the sweet boy of Elysium. Now, I’m standing beside an angry
demigod looking for some answers.
Sliding into the chair, pride fills my chest. I’ve already realized
Micah’s far more special than he knows, but it seems there’s still
more to learn about this boy I’ve fallen in love with.
Pushing aside the plates in front of us, I register the froth on the
cappuccino still has its pretty leaf pattern. The muffin remains
untouched. Unease slithers between my ribs. It’s almost like Hiroko
was waiting for us…
She angles her chin, the smile growing in size but not warmth.
“Hello, Kadence. Who’s this?” She eyes Micah, an appreciative
gleam in her dark eyes.
“A friend,” I growl. “A friend who knows exactly what you are.”
Knowing that Caleb, a human, knows of the gods’ existence,
infuses me with confidence. Micah doesn’t have to be a demigod to
know Shells exist. It seems we’re not as relegated to legend as we
thought.
 Hiroko shrugs. “I was wondering how long it would take you to
figure it out. I was hoping it would be sooner.”
Micah’s angling is subtle—I sense it more than see it. His body is
slightly closer, his shoulder tucking in in front of me. “Why is that,
Hiroko?”
As I watch, Hiroko slants her gaze toward him, a question flashes
through my mind: How does Micah feel about this girl? She was
raised by his father. Hiroko’s known Damien Black in a way Micah
never has.
Hiroko sighs, but it seems fake. “I’d say I wish I had time to
explain it, but that would be a lie. Let’s just say being raised by the
man I called ‘Dad'”—she sneers the word—“is something I’ll no
longer have to endure.”
Micah stiffens at the mention of Damien Black. “He took so much
from you.”
Of course Micah could empathize with a Shell…
Hiroko looks at Micah quizzically. “His obsession has invaded
everything he does.”
I feel like I’m being given more pieces of the puzzle, but I’m left
holding them, having no idea where they go. Mentally sorting
through it all, I realize I don’t even have a corner or an edge piece to
get me started. I have no idea where this starts and where it ends.
Something strikes me, and I angle my head as I study the cool
girl across from us. “Of course, it was Hades who made you what
you are.”
There’s no surprise or shock at the use of the god of the
Underworld’s name. In fact, Hiroko leans forward slightly, a challenge
deep in her dark eyes. “Although there’s only one way you can prove
that.”
Suddenly confused, and not liking the feeling, I have to stop my
frown. What’s she talking about? The pieces start spinning in my
head, and I tighten my grip on Micah. Nothing is making sense.
Hiroko straightens as if something just occurred to her. “You
thought I was one of them?” Her laugh is high pitched and cold as
she looks at us like we’re idiots. “Do I have a shadow?”
Instinctively, I glance at the ground. Hiroko has the pale,
multiplied shadows this overly lit space creates.
 Micah’s hand tenses around mine, returning the death grip I have
on his. Shells don’t have shadows…
But that means Hiroko is—
Micah leans forward. “Hades is your father.”
Hiroko flicks her ebony hair. “Of course he is. He knew Heath
wouldn’t cut it.”
Micah shakes his head. “The gods only have one child each
generation.”
He’s right, and I sent Heath to the Underworld. He was Hade’s
demigod child.
Hiroko smirks. “Not unless your father discovers the power of the
Crossroads.”
The pieces start to click. Hiroko starts with an H. And Hiroko isn’t
a Shell, even though Haven couldn’t see her soul.
Which means, I have to stop time.
Falling so I hit the back of the seat, I look to Micah. My heart feels
like it’s jackknifed somewhere into my throat. I swallow, but the lump
doesn’t dislodge.
He shakes his head. “Don’t do it.”
He’s right. I’ve learned too many times the consequences of
stopping time, not once have they been something I want to repeat.
Plus, it’s almost like Hiroko wants me to.
But what if this is Micah’s reticence, his fear of becoming involved
speaking? If I stop time, there’s a good chance Hades will arrive. We
could get the answers we’ve been searching for.
But then Micah would be even more exposed.
Turning back to Hiroko, I fist my hand on the table. “We already
know who you are. I don’t need to prove it.”
Hiroko leans forward over the table, her face jerked up in a sneer.
“If you want answers, then do it.”
My pointer finger twitches, and I tighten my hands even more.
“No. Tell us what Hades wants with human souls.”
With an exaggerated sigh, Hiroko leans back and looks around
the room. People are still milling about, some sitting at the tables
beside us, others walking and talking and going about their business.
When she looks back at me, her eyes are the darkest I’ve ever seen.
Black, but strangely empty.
 Dread sinks sharp, icy talons into my chest. I should never have
brought Micah in here. I grab his hand. “Let’s go.”
Hiroko shakes her head. “You leave, and that girl loses her life.”
She indicates with her chin toward the waitress we saw last time.
She’s sees us looking and must figure we’re ready for the check,
because she smiles and begins to walk over.
Micah shoots to his feet. “You hurt anyone and I’ll…”
Hiroko barely glances at him. “You can’t stop me.” She smiles at
me. “But she can.”
With a swift, smooth motion, Hiroko flips open the leather folder.
Inside, are the brochures she had at the building site, a stack of bills,
and…a gun.
Compact and black, a little like its owner, the pistol’s matte
surface seems to absorb light like a black hole. Without looking
down, Hiroko wraps her hand around it. Her finger slips along the
trigger with practiced ease.
I shoot upright, too. “You can’t.”
Micah spins around, and heads over to the waitress. Oh, crap,
he’s going to try and stop her from coming any closer.
I realize in that moment, Micah will do whatever he can to stop
the loss of a life, especially when he’s here. If this girl dies, he’ll
blame himself. Images of him jumping in front of the waitress are
already firing through my mind.
As he angles himself between the waitress and us, I realize that’s
exactly what he’s willing to do.
Hiroko must see it, too, because she huffs out a laugh. “Does he
think I won’t shoot him, too?”
Turning back, I find the gun is gone and Hiroko’s hands are under
the table. Determination is undeniably stamped across her face.
My throat is too tight to breathe, my chest too rigid for my rapidly
beating heart. I keep hoping she’s bluffing, but everything about the
girl sitting across from me tells me otherwise. Her shoulders rise
slightly as her arms move. There’s no denying she’s lifting the gun.
Her gaze is now locked on the waitress.
No, it’s locked on Micah.
Because he’s now blocking the line of sight to the innocent girl.
 My hands are trembling as I bring them up, my pointer fingers
coming together like two magnets. The sensation of the tips touching
feels like a sonic boom through my body.
Then, just like all the other times, everything stops.
The people turn to living statues, captured in suspended
animation. Noise disappears like it never existed. Even the air is still,
light no longer traveling, everything seems to turn to stone. It’s a
state of suspended animation that feels nothing but wrong. I can’t
believe I thought this was the solution.
Hiroko freezes across from me, a victorious smile solidifying
across her face.
Spinning around in the still room, though, there’s only one person
I want to find.
Micah’s already breaking free of the bonds imposed by time, his
body jerking and pulling like it’s being held by invisible ropes. I rush
toward him, wanting to help, but not knowing how.
He jerks forward, like he’s broken free of the last shackle, and I
half-catch him, half-crash into him.
“Micah.” I run my hands along his chest, arms, hair. “I’m so sorry.
I had to.”
He grasps my face in his warm hands. “I know you did. There
was no other option.” He searches my face. “Are you okay?”
I find myself drowning in his Mediterranean eyes, so full of
concern and understanding. I was the one who just froze him for a
second, and he’s checking to see if I’m okay?
Three slow, sharp claps pierce the air. Hiroko rises from the table
as her hands drop to her sides. As nothing else moves around us, it
confirms what she was saying is true.
She’s a demigod.
The demigod daughter of Hades.
Hiroko shakes her head. “Touching, you two, really touching.”
She narrows her black gaze on me, her face filled with contempt.
“Pretty stupid, though, Kadence. Falling for a guy when you have a
job to do.” Her smile slithers across her face again. “Although I think
it worked in my favor.”
Micah stiffens like he’s just been slapped. Hiroko just gave voice
to his worst fear—that by being present, he’s changing things…but
not in a good way.
Stalking over to her, I have to resist seeing if coffee still spills as I
throw it in her face. “It doesn’t matter if Micah is here. You were
going to hurt that girl, anyway.”
“True. But would you be here if it weren’t for him, I wonder?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “It was my choice to come here. It was
my choice to stop time. And now you’ll be leaving.”
Closing her folder, Hiroko takes a seat again. Crossing her legs,
she glances at her watch before shaking her head as she
remembers it’s pointless. Time stopped the moment my fingers
touched. She smooths her skirt, then does the same to her hair.
I frown. “What are you doing?”
Hiroko looks like she’s suppressing an eye roll. “I’m waiting.”
The realization of exactly what, or who she’s waiting for slams
through me like a wrecking ball.
Hades is coming.
I turn to Micah. “You need to go. Now.”
That torn expression fills his face again. The want to stay. The
need to run.
I grab his arms, desperation causing me to cling tightly. “We’ll
both go.”
Micah glances at Hiroko before looking back at me. He nods,
although I can tell he doesn’t want to. We need answers.
But I don’t care. Micah needs to stay safe more than anything.
Except it’s too late.
A new sound crawls through the silence. A soft, gentle sound.
The sound of a door opening.
Hades just entered the building.
 MICAH

H ades looks like I would’ve expected. Hair the color of

night, his skin pale and smooth because it rarely sees
the light. Everything he’s wearing is the color of death.
He moves toward us with the grace and confidence of a snake.
Instinctively, I step in front of Kadence. Everything about this man
has cold seeping straight through to my bones. Except Kadence
steps around me, coming to stand by my side. Against the odds,
warmth flickers within me. She’s saying we’ll face this guy as equals.
Hades reaches Hiroko and leans down to brush a kiss on his
daughter’s matching midnight hair. “Thank you, child.”
Hiroko looks up, eyes shining. “Hello, Father.”
“You did good, daughter.”
Hiroko flushes as she looks down. “I’m pleased to hear that.”
Slowly, like he’s greeting visitors, Hades turns to us. “Hello,
Kadence. I see you’ve found another demigod friend.”
My gut’s churning so bad, the taste of bile stings my tongue.
Hades may know I’m a demigod because I can move while the world
is frozen, but not who my parent is. It’s an advantage I need to keep.
So instead, I channel the anger at the injustices this god has
wreaked. Innocent people losing their souls when they come to
access free health care. It doesn’t get much lower than that.
I glare at him. “Why are you taking souls, Hades?”
Hades inclines his head, as if to say he was expecting that
question. He takes a seat on the same chair his daughter just exited.
“Hiroko.” He waves a hand dismissively. “Go and get your affairs in
order.”
Hiroko bows her head, a small smile flitting across her lips. “Yes,
Father.”
Hades turns back to us. “She’s been wanting to join me for a long
time. I’m surprised she didn’t goad you long before now.” He
gestures toward the table in front of him. “Why don’t you take a
seat?”
He’s acting like we’re at lunch, meeting to discuss business. Not
in a building, and entire world, frozen in time.
Kadence stiffens. “We’ll stand.”
“Very well.”
Feeling frustrated with his cool, calm façade, I find my hand
balling into a fist. “Why, Hades?”
Hades sighs. “This would be far more civil if you took a seat.”
He pauses again, but neither of us move.
“Or you could remain standing,” he says with a sardonic twist of
his lips. He looks around the room at the human statues. “As for the
souls, you know I don’t need to explain myself to two half-gods, don’t
you?”
The step forward is instinctive, and Kadence is right there with
me, vibrating with anger. “But my father will probably want an
explanation.”
Kronos. Hades has underestimated which demigod he’s dealing
with.
Hades holds up a hand. “Quite true.” He smiles at Kadence.
“He’s quite forbidding, isn’t he?”
“Get talking then, Hades,” I growl. He’s enjoying stringing us
along.
Hades crosses his legs, smoothing his black slacks. “It’s quite
simple, really. I’ve become tired of waiting for the inevitable.”
I shake my head. “Nothing is inevitable.”
Hades slides a glance at me, and I almost wish I hadn’t spoken. I
can’t afford to give away that my mother is the goddess of fate. “I
disagree, ah…?
He looks at me questioningly, waiting for my name. Nervousness
breaks through the anger. If I avoid his question, it looks suspicious.
If I give him my name, it starts to narrow down the pool of gods who
could be my parent.
Kadence releases my hand and sits down at the table. “Enough
stalling, Hades. What’s inevitable?”
Hades makes a point of holding his assessing gaze on me for
long seconds. It feels like sheets of black ice just wrapped around
my spine.
He turns back to Kadence. “Why, the population of the
Underworld, of course. It’s time others realized it’s destined to be the
greatest dominion of them all.”
“With you as the king.”
Hades smiles slightly, I think trying to look modest. “Yes, I
suppose so.”
Kadence slams her hand down on the table. There’s a dull
thump, like sound struggling to move through water, but the cup and
plates don’t move. “This is all about your ego? To prove you’re
mightier than your brothers, Zeus and Poseidon?”
Hades leans forward, moving the fastest I’ve seen so far. “When
we drew straws and Zeus got the skies, Poseidon the seas, and I
was relegated the Underworld, I knew it was what I was destined for.
I am fair and just. There’s no better person to greet those who chose
a life void of goodness.”
And cold-hearted enough to mete out their punishment.
“But as my halls filled, and the Underworld became a kingdom to
be proud of, I realized something. I was seen as drawing the short
straw.” Hades’ face tightens. “As someone to be pitied.”
As Hades words register, the anger drains and I find myself
sitting beside Kadence, like it took half my strength with it. “But these
are innocent people.”
Hades snorts. “There’s no such thing. Who are you, the son of
Elpis?”
The Greek goddess of hope. I could be called worse. I shrug.
“Maybe.”
Hades stares at me for long seconds again, before turning back
to Kadence. “The selection system we created is robust.” He leans
forward ever so slightly. “Deep down, you know this was inevitable.”
 Kadence tenses as the words hit her. How does Hades know
Kadence used to think like that? I startle. That maybe she still
does…
She shakes her head. “Choices change lives. No one knows
where this is all heading.”
Hades leans back, cool and confident. “We’ll see.”
There are so many questions that need answers, but I can’t seem
to make them gain substance. My fear is getting in the way of my
ability to think clearly.
I realize the choice has already been made—I’m here. I need to
make the most of it. Pulling in a breath, I focus on the smiling snake
across from us. He’s created these health centers somehow, and
he’s using them to steal souls. We need to figure out how to stop
him.
Kadence gasps beside me. “Hiroko paid for these centers, didn’t
she?” She looks to me. “Heath’s power was the ability to create
money.”
Which suggests Hiroko could do the same.
“Her”—Hades inclines his head—“inheritance is certainly what
got Mr. Black started. It turns out he was a savvy investor, because
he quickly established his own wealth.”
The evidence that my father is part of this spears through my
chest, which surprises me. This isn’t anything I didn’t already
suspect.
There’s no time to process that, though, because Hiroko enters
the room. “Everything’s in order, Father.”
Just as she says the words, a gust of icy air seems to slide over
me. Goose bumps rise along my skin as I look around. Time hasn’t
restarted, so nothing should be moving.
Maybe it’s just foreboding…
I lean forward, suddenly realizing why this isn’t making sense.
“Why are you telling us all this?”
Hades’ eyes widen. “Because you asked, of course.”
“So, how are you stealing the souls?”
Hades’ pale lips curl ever so slightly. “And because there’s
nothing you can do to stop it.”
 Another brush of cold, almost blackness, has me turning around.
Kadence glances at me, concerned, telling me she didn’t feel it.
Maybe it’s nothing…
The waitress is not far behind us, face frozen in the mix of a smile
and confusion as I’d tried to make conversation without any idea of
what to say. Around her are the patrons, further to the left are the
frozen bodies of the other humans.
Nothing’s changed. Nothing’s different.
I’m just about to turn back, ready to see if Hades is still in a
talking mood, when something catches my eye.
The waitress. I suck in a startled breath. She has no shadow!
As I watch, eyes wide with horror, the shadow of a man in a
business suit dissolves and disappears. I blink, but it’s undeniable.
It’s gone. Beside him is an elderly woman with a walker, and her
shadow is erased next.
Grabbing Kadence, I yank us both to standing. “You need to
restart time.”
“What? Micah, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not good.” I grab her upper arms, my heart
thudding in my chest. “But hurry.”
I just figured out why Hades was taking things slow. Why he was
so happy to take the time to share.
He shoots to his feet. “There’s no need to rush, my young
demigods. Shouldn’t you try to talk me out of this? Convince me
humanity is worth saving?”
Kadence’s head snaps to face him as she steps closer to me.
“We’re not your demigods.”
Just as she raises her hands, Hiroko starts running. Hades leaps
forward.
In the split second before the Wheels of Time begin turning
again, I wrap my arms around Kadence and teleport us out of there.

Going home is instinctual. It’s the safest place I know, and the one
place Hades can’t follow. But when I open my eyes and take in the
beauty of the gardens, I realize I’ve just made another choice.
I’ve brought Kadence to Elysium again.
 And not only that. I’ve teleported us right outside my house.
Kadence’s fingers slip up to her temples. “It’s worse when there’s
no warning.” I’m about to apologize, when she takes in her
surroundings. Stepping back, she slowly spins on the spot. “This is
your front yard?”
Her eyes are as full of incredulity as her voice. She takes a step
to the side. “Daisies, forget-me-not, morning glory, snowdrops.” She
names each flower as she sees them. “And that’s just the stuff below
the knees, Micah.”
I rub the back of my head. The gardens are beautiful, which is
something I’ve always appreciated. But I don’t think I’ve ever learned
the name of the plants. “Ah, yeah. There’s a lot of them.”
Kadence raises a brow. “It’s like every botanical garden in the
world in one place.”
Suddenly, I get an idea. We have so much to talk about, so much
has just happened. But Elysium is somewhere I’ve never been able
to share. Surely there can’t be any harm with giving her a short
tour… “Want to see something?”
Kadence’s gray eyes light up like a new dawn. “Really?”
I grab her hand. “Truly.”
Having grown up with Elysium as my playground, I know the
myriad of paths weaving in and out with about as much complexity
as the Loom. It means I can take Kadence where I want to go,
hopefully, without running into anyone.
I take two striding steps only to be jerked to a halt. Kadence is
looking around, her lips moving as she looks at each plant
individually, and I realize she’s naming them.
Her wide eyes turn back to me. “This place is…” She steps in
closer. “Almost as amazing as you.”
My breath disappears. Kadence’s words fill my mind, my heart…
they touch my soul.
The gardens around us melt away. They can’t compete with the
beauty of the girl before me. The girl pushing up on her tiptoes, her
lips parting as they press against mine.
The pressure, the softness, the heat, has air flooding my system
as I find the ability to move again. My mind spins in a whirlwind of
passion. Wrapping my arms around her, I deepen the kiss.
 Kadence melts in my arms, her body molding to mine. Her mouth
opens, my body temperature spikes. We both lose ourselves in
something that feels so much bigger than us.
When we pull back, the words are there, waiting to be said. I
haven’t told Kadence how I feel, haven’t let the sound slip past my
lips.
But, as she stares up at me, the love emblazoned across her
face only making her more exquisite, nothing comes. If I say those
words, I tie myself to her. To her world.
A world I’m not destined to be part of.
Kadence steps back, weaving her fingers through mine. “Now,
what did you want to show me?”
Aware we’re too out in the open, I lead her toward one of the
narrower paths, hating the sense of relief. Straddling our two worlds
is raising more challenges than I expected.
As we’re swallowed by foliage, I’m already planning the route. It
shouldn’t take us long to get there, and we can have our discussion
there. But it seems Kadence is in no rush. She pauses often, gasps
occasionally as she reaches out to brush a leaf or a flower. She says
words like orchid, and rare, and get outta here, over and over.
We’ve barely moved when Kadence stops again, jerking me to
her side. “Is that a St. Helena olive?”
I look at the tree beside us. “I have no idea.”
She leans in more closely. “It is. Micah, these are extinct!”
The bright green, slightly furry foliage and small red flowers
suddenly take on a new light. “As in, it doesn’t exist anymore?”
“Not on Earth, and not since early this century. They tried to save
it, but conservation efforts failed.”
“Wow. That’s pretty cool.” Elysium is special in more ways than I
realized.
She strokes one of the large leaves. “That’s very cool.”
Tugging on her hand, I get us moving again. At first, the edginess
that had become so familiar returns. I’m conscious that it’s better if
we don’t run into anyone. But then, Kadence’s wonder becomes
contagious.
As I slow down to match her pace, I discover there’s time for
smiles and touches and kisses. I see the wonder of Elysium through
new eyes. It fills my chest with so much emotion, it feels like it spills
around us, only making the place more wondrous.
I hardly notice when we reach the ficus. I didn’t know a person
could be a place, but, I’m literally in heaven. And I know with a soul-
deep knowledge, that this feeling will follow Kadence wherever she
goes.
She’s craning her head back as she takes in the massive tree,
something on her face making me pause.
Kadence steps forward to rest her hand on the gray trunk. “This
is a ficus.”
I nod, this one I actually know. “Yes, it’s the oldest plant here.”
Kadence walks around the massive trunk, picking her way over
the roots spread like fingers into the soil. “Do you know how old?”
“As old as Elysium, I think. This tree was my childhood climbing
gym.”
Kadence appears around the other side, a broad, soft smile
gracing her face. “My father gave me a bonsai ficus the first time he
visited me.”
I frown. “I’m not sure what that means.”
She rolls her eyes. “And you’re the son of fate.” She steps up,
placing her hands on my chest. “I think we were linked long before
we met, Micah.”
 MICAH

M y eyes widen. “You think it’s the same tree?”

She nods. “I’m pretty sure this is Benjamina
senior.”
A smile tugs somewhere in my chest. “Benjamina?”
“Ficus benjamina, that’s its scientific name. I’ve cared for her
since I was a kid.”
I look at the colossal tree standing patiently beside us. Kadence
has a part of the same tree I saw regularly enough, I considered it a
friend?
The smile leaves my chest and spreads across my face. “Now
that’s cool.”
Kadence wraps her arms around my waist. “It sure is.”
I pull her in, savoring the feeling of her body against mine. She
fits like we were designed to be two halves of a whole.
“Come.” I pull her toward the little alcove in the roots I’ve always
sat in. It never occurred to me that I’d share it one day with
someone.
Tucking myself into the familiar space, I tug Kadence down with
me. She settles between my legs, resting her back against my chest.
Warmth infuses me, a glorious mix of delight and contentment. I
wrap my arms around her, and she takes my hand. Instead of
holding it, though, she clasps it between hers before raising it to her
cheek. “Thank you for bringing me here, Micah.”
I swallow, but the lump in my throat doesn’t dissolve. I know my
voice is going to be hoarse, but I don’t care. “Sharing this with you,
Kadence…”
She sighs. “I know.”
Something tightens in my gut. Kadence is telling me she doesn’t
need me to say it. She’s giving me a free pass. It’s a gracious gift I
wish I didn’t have to accept.
The same question that’s driven me to this point rushes through
me—how could a feeling like this be wrong?
I open my mouth, the words desperate to be freed…
“So, this is where you grew up?”
“Ah, yes.”
Kadence is still looking around. The ficus tree is surrounded by
lush lawn, the paths bordered by low hedges. It should look formal
and manicured, but instead it looks ancient and regal.
“This place is something else, Micah.”
“The residents are even more impressive than the greenery. I’ve
been very blessed.”
“It couldn’t have happened to a better person.”
I have no idea what to say to that. I decide to go with the truth.
“None of this could compare to the pull of a single girl back on
Earth.”
I feel Kadence smile as she tucks herself in a little closer,
pressing more of her against more of me. The sparking heat all most
has me forgetting why we’re here.
Because we just left New York in a rush.
“Why did you have us leaving so quickly?” Kadence’s voice is
quiet and somber. She’s thinking of everything we need to face, too.
The memory of what I saw in the health center is still fresh in my
mind. “The people around us, their shadows were disappearing.”
Kadence strokes my hand as she seems to study it intently.
“Their souls were being taken.”
Her gentle caress has tingles slipping up my arm. The sensation
is such a contrast to the reality of what we’re discussing. “Yes. Stolen
while we spoke.”
She tenses, her body going rigid against mine. “It’s because I
stopped time. For some reason, Hades could harvest a whole lot
more.”
 I tighten my arms around her, hating the sense of responsibility I
hear in her voice. “I think so. It’s why Hiroko went as far as
threatening someone to goad you into doing it.”
“She threatened you,” Kadence whispers, her fingers pausing in
their rhythmic caressing.
My eyes squeeze tightly shut as her words stab through me.
Kadence stopped time because of me.
Again.
Kadence resumes her stroking. “Although I wasn’t going to let her
hurt the waitress, either.”
I don’t say anything. Things are becoming so tangled, I can’t tell
how much was caused because I was there.
None of this would have happened if you weren’t there…
The thought startles me, but I realize it isn’t a new one. The
insidious words have materialized before. I’ve just pretended they
weren’t there.
“I’ve never liked my power.” I can hear the frown on Kadence’s
face, even though I can’t see it. “It’s just so…big.”
“It’s still cooler than teleporting,” I joke, trying to lighten the mood.
Kadence angles her head up to look at me. “Teleporting has its
advantages.”
My gaze flickers to her lips. “It’s certainly become far more
enjoyable recently.”
She smiles, the motion taking my breath away. Adjusting herself,
folding her body so her side is against my chest. I wrap my arms
around her, wishing there was more time to enjoy these feelings.
Ones I never knew existed.
But we’ve learned enough to tell us this is serious. The
consequences of the Underworld being greater and stronger than
the earth it’s below has me shuddering.
But there’s also so much we haven’t figured out yet. Where does
Damien Black fit in this? How to stop Hades…
“I think this is bigger than us, Micah.”
For a second I think she’s talking about the feelings between us,
but then I realize she’s talking about the health centers and the
souls. About Hades’ plan to populate the Underworld.
 She straightens, and cool air slides against my torso. “Olympus
isn’t far from here, is it?”
I nod, unsure of where this is going. “Yes, beyond the gates.”
Kadence turns around, her face full of urgency. “We need to tell
the gods. Tell our parents.”
Kronos and Moira. Time and Fate.
Of course they would have the power to fix this.
But then I’m uncurling, too, as something strikes me. “You want to
see your father?”
“It makes sense, Micah. He wanted me to find out what’s going
on. Now I can tell him.”
She jumps to her feet, reaching her hands out for me to join her.
Clambering up, I take them. “Are you sure?”
She nods emphatically. “I am. We don’t have the power to stop
Hades. If I stop time again, he could go on another one of his soul-
stealing sprees.”
And all I can do is teleport us so we don’t have to see it.
Kadence clasps my face, her palms warm and sure against my
cheeks. “Maybe your mother can do something about it, too.”
Slowly, I nod. Surely, there’s enough evidence now. She wouldn’t
sit back and watch this happen. “Not just a pretty face, huh?”
Against the odds, Kadence grins, her eyes sparkling.
As I lead her away from the tree, there’s almost a sense of relief.
Maybe this was the part I was supposed to play. Now, I can step
back and there’s no longer any risk of me making a wrong move.
The winding paths that take us to the gates slip through more
acres of glorious gardens. I can feel Kadence tug on my hand
occasionally, my guess is wanting to stop and admire, but each time
she keeps going.
Deep down, I hope there’s a day I can show her everything.
We reach the gates, and I allow myself to pause. We came, we
saw, and we didn’t run into anyone. It meant I had the honor of
spending time with Kadence here, something that finally put heaven
in Elysium.
I hadn’t realized how empty living here had been before
Kadence. Not sure what that means, I file the realization away. Right
now, we have some gods to talk to.
 The path widens as it stretches into a veil of mist before us. I
point toward it. “Olympus is that way.”
Kadence pauses. “Have you ever been there?”
I shake my head. “I’m top secret, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.” Kadence slaps her forehead. “Sorry, I forgot.” She
angles her head, her lips soft in a semi-smile. “Must be because I
can’t imagine a world without you.”
I swallow. Her words have my heart soaring, just as fear spears
through me. “Kadence…”
I don’t know what I’m going to say. You are my world? I don’t
know if I can ever be part of yours?
But Kadence is shaking her head. “I know. It’s okay.” She steps in
close. “I don’t think you realize, Micah. Any time with you is a gift.”
How the tables have turned. I’m disarmed by her honesty, exactly
what she said I would do to her up there on the rooftop.
I can’t tell her. But I can show her.
I grasp her face, framing her beauty with my palms. Her gray
eyes smile and soften. Her red lips open and relax. Her body sways
and surrenders.
I cherish her with my mouth. It’s a kiss of tenderness and
yearning and hope.
A kiss overflowing with love.
Kadence sighs, but rather than being a vessel to be filled, she
pushes up. She’s giving as good as she’s taking. She’s telling me
she’s matching these emotions.
When we pull back, we’re silent, trying to catch our breath. It’s
like all the emotion has sucked it clean out of us.
I rest my forehead against hers. “Kadence.”
She smiles. “Micah.”
A sound somewhere near the gates reminds me where we are. I
step back. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
We haven’t spoken much about her father, but I get the sense
demigod children don’t get to do home visits to Olympus.
“Totally sure. It’s the only way we can stop Hades.” She looks
around. “Now, which way am I going?”
I point in the opposite direction of Elysium. “It’s down there
somewhere. I don’t think it’s far.”
 With a quick kiss, she spins around and starts walking away, a
slight sway to her hips. The mist that surrounds Elysium quickly
swallows her.
I shake my head, marveling that she can make me smile right
now. This girl’s brave in a way I wish I could be.
Straightening, I pull in a breath. Now, it’s time to talk to my
mother.
“Who’s the chick?”
I spin around to find Thomas standing on the path just within the
gates, arms crossed. I blink, my surprise morphing to realization.
Thomas is no longer in his wheelchair.
I walk over, passing through the gates and striding past. “No one
you know.”
Thomas quickly catches up. “We haven’t seen you around much.”
Frowning, I glance at him, almost wishing he was back in the
wheelchair he never needed. It would be harder for him to keep up.
“We?”
“Victor’s been wondering where you are.” Thomas pauses. “He
thinks you’ve found your purpose.”
My steps falter. Is that what I’ve discovered?
“Of course, Edward is worried you’re messing up the whole
system. Something about being an unknown variable.”
This time I stop. I don’t want to hear this right now.
“Thomas, it’s great to see you walking. It really is.” It means he’s
accepting his new home. “But I’m kind of busy right now.”
I start walking again, only to find Thomas keeping pace with me.
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing.”
I flex my hands, like I can pump out the excess energy buzzing
through my body. “Is that because I’m doing what you no longer
can?”
Thomas shrugs. “Possibly. All I know, is given the chance, I’d do
what I can to make things right.”
Our cottage isn’t far from the gates—it’s the first place new
residents see. I used to enjoy welcoming them, being part of their
wonder, giving reassurance to those who needed it. I thought that
was my purpose…
Thomas crosses his arms. “She’s not here.”
 “What?”
“Your mother. She’s been gone since you left.”
I frown, having no idea how long that’s been. A day, maybe two?
Teleporting between time zones can have you losing track. “Do you
know where?”
“Ah, the goddess of fate doesn’t keep me posted of her
whereabouts.”
I realize I don’t even know where my mother goes most of the
time. I always assumed she avoided Earth—it’s not like she’s ever
gotten involved. That leaves Olympus or the Underworld.
“Micah.” There’s something in Thomas’ tone that has me tensing.
“I’ve been watching Tyler.”
I sigh. “Maybe it’s time to let go, Thomas.”
Thomas shakes his head. “He’s not doing well. He needs
someone, someone to believe in him. He needs hope, Micah.”
I spin around, frustration exploding through my body. “And what
do you want me to do about it? I’m the son of the goddess of fate.
The balance of fate is one that we don’t disrupt.”
Thomas arches a brow. “That same goddess had you. That
certainly involved some contact with a human.” He angles his head.
“And changing his fate.”
The frustration is gone as quickly as it detonated. I used to be
okay with the contradictions life is based on. I accepted that
uncertainty was certain.
I just hadn’t realized it would be so painful.
Thomas turns away, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Can you
give him a message for me?”
I open my mouth to tell him I can’t do that, but Thomas must be
expecting it, because he doesn’t wait for an answer.
“Tell him I wanted for him to believe.”
Thomas is gone before I can respond, not that I knew what I was
going to say. I’m left standing in our front yard, cultured gardens
around me, everything else a mess inside me.
And lost as to what to do next.
If my mother isn’t here, then I can’t have the conversation we’ve
already hashed over.
We need to do something, Mom.
 We can’t interfere, Micah. The balance is fragile.
But you’ve seen it. Darkness is coming. And now we have proof.
You will change the outcome, Micah. That is certain. It’s not
guaranteed whether it’ll be for the better.
For some reason, I head inside anyway. Maybe it’s because I
have time to spare and I’d rather not run into anyone else. Maybe it’s
because I’m hoping the familiar comfort of home will help the
pressure that’s feeling more and more like a live volcano in my gut.
Everything inside is the same, which makes sense, but feels
strange. So much has changed in such a short space of time. The
sound of the Loom greets me, the tick, tick, ticking filling the air with
its rhythmic whispers.
I realize the Loom has the ability to answer my questions. The
future I’ve created since I decided to return to Kadence has now
been recorded in its intricate threads. The world is either better for
it…or it’s not.
My nerves feel jagged as I approach it. My chest is too tight for a
heart beating too hard. My feet feel like stones as I move toward the
room.
The door is open, welcoming me. I hope it’s a good omen.
The Loom is weaving like it always has and always will, powered
by the destinies it’s weaving. I swallow, discovering my mouth has
gone as dry as the desert beyond Elysium.
My gaze falls to the fabric, scanning the braided threads. I’ll need
to find the section of time and place where my presence has
touched.
I gasp, finding it quicker than I expected.
Stepping back, I blink. Then blink again.
I stare as I desperately wish I wasn’t seeing what’s before me.
The darkness has bloomed, almost exploded across the threads.
New York is the worst, a growing stain of coal. It’s spreading like a
virus, intractable in its momentum. There’s no balance anymore, it’s
only a matter of time before the stains start to join. The shadows are
swallowing the light of humanity.
The ugly black blotches tell me we haven’t made this better.
We’ve made it worse.
 KADENCE

T he mist envelops me almost instantly, as if it was

waiting to absorb me, and the world around me
becomes swirling white. I swipe my hand through it,
noticing there’s no dampness. The pearly mist is warm and glowing.
I can only see a few feet in front of me, so I follow what little path
I can see. It feels like I’m in some strange limbo, time and space are
around me, but indistinguishable. I figure my best option is to keep
going forward, hoping my destination isn’t too far away.
When it parts only a few minutes later, I find my breath picking up
in excitement. Am I there? Am I finally about to see Olympus?
Instead, a woman appears, the fog parting as she steps through.
I know instantly this is Moira, goddess of fate. Maybe it’s the white
lab coat, or her hair piled up high in an intricate weave of braids.
Maybe it’s the way even the mist seems to hold its distance from her.
But I realize, it’s the eyes. She has Micah’s Mediterranean blue
depths.
She doesn’t smile, but she’s not frowning, either.
I stand frozen where I am. I’ve never met another god. Am I
supposed to curtsy? What do I call her?
“Hello, Kadence.”
I startle. She knows who I am. Of course she does. She knows
who everyone is. “Hello. Ah, Micah is back at your, the, ah, house.”
Moira doesn’t move. “My son already knows how I feel about the
choices that are being made.”
 The nervousness evaporates. Micah is torn enough about what’s
happening, he doesn’t need that sort of crap heaped on him. “I don’t
think you realize how serious—”
“I’m the one who is watching this unfold, child. I am well aware of
the seriousness.”
“Well, then—”
Moira takes a step forward, her body stiff and tight. “I’m also the
one who knows the cost of interfering.”
I snap my mouth shut, not sure how to counter that. Maybe I
need to try a different approach. “Micah is special. He’s…” I shrug.
There’s no other way to put it. “Amazing. There’s so much good in
him, and that good is only going to help others.”
“Of course you’d think that, foolish girl. Your human emotions are
clouding your judgment.” Moira stalks toward me, and I brace myself,
but she strides past. “I watched gunpowder as it was created for
medicinal purposes. I’ve watched every soul who has ever started a
war begin as a baby being rejoiced.”
I clench my hands. “Why are you so convinced this is going to
end badly?”
Moira maintains her momentum as she glides past, only looking
over her shoulder once she’s past me. “If you know my son at all,
then you’d see he belongs in Elysium.”
The mist inhales her and she disappears.
In a blink, she’s gone, almost as if the whole conversation never
happened. It reminds me of the first time I met Micah. Appear, talk,
disappear…never realizing the life changing impact their non-
involvement just sparked.
Hearing Moira say those words just cemented my belief that
Micah belongs where his heart is. I wonder if she’s ever asked him
that.
Pausing, I wonder if I should head back. If she’s going to say that
sort of stuff to Micah, maybe I should be there. But something tells
me Moira isn’t heading toward her son. She knew he was here but
had no intention of talking to him.
And I need to talk to a god who’s actually going to do something
about this.
 With a new purpose, I begin walking again. No matter what Moira
says, Micah is part of this. And I refuse to believe that’s not a good
thing.
When the mist abruptly dissolves, the light assaulting me feels
too bright. I shield my eyes as if someone just blasted me with their
headlights. I squint and blink, waiting to adjust, and the world around
me slowly becomes discernible.
I quickly realize why leaving the mist made if feel like I just
stepped out of night—Olympus is blazing with light. It’s like we’re too
close to the sun, although the sky is nothing but brilliant blue. It
refracts and ricochets, highlighting everything, missing nothing. It
has me wondering if this is even something I’m supposed to see.
My father’s hall is in front of me, like the universe knew this is
where I wanted to arrive. It’s colossal in magnitude, as if the gods
themselves are giants, and I suddenly feel like an ant. Long, pale
steps lead up to soaring columns of marble marching around the
square structure, holding up a roof that’s as massive as it is
delicately designed. Everything is pale white, absorbing the
abundant light as if it’s a luminescent being.
I gawk, taking in the bold lines and intricate architecture.
The stairs beckon, and although I feel completely out of place, I
climb them one at a time. I wonder absentmindedly if they feel as
warm as they look, seeing as they’re perpetually heated by the sun.
Inside, it’s a vast expanse of more marble. It should be shadowed
beneath the vast ceiling, but the infinite light even reaches in here.
Despite the magnificence, it’s the center of the room that draws my
attention, captures it, and doesn’t let go.
The Wheels of Time are everything I’d imagined they’d be…and
more.
In a trance of awe, I creep forward. The wheels…there are so
many of them. Floating, none touching, all interconnected, they spin
at different angles and different speeds. There’s a gentle scraping,
grinding sound, although there’s nothing to create friction.
Seconds. Minutes. Days. Years.
I step around, trying to grasp the enormity of it.
Decades. Millenia. Eons.
 And I have the power to stop them all. It intimidates and fills me
with privilege all at the same time.
“Daughter, what are you doing here?”
Spinning around, my heart vaults to my throat. “Dad…”
Dad is looking around, like he expects me to have company.
When he realizes I’m alone, he looks at me incredulously. “How did
you get here?”
Deciding to keep Micah out of this, I keep my answer short.
“Teleported.”
“You learned to teleport?”
His question has me pausing. We can learn to teleport?
My father comes to stand before me, concern etched across his
young features. “Kadence. What are you doing here?”
I pull in a steadying breath. “I’ve discovered what Hades is doing.
He’s stealing souls for the Underworld.”
Dad’s chest fills as he realizes the consequences of this. “How?”
“A human has built health centers, all on Crossroads. The people
are lured in with the promise of free services.”
My father begins to pace as he scratches his beard. “Crossroads
are the only place Hades can access the upper world. But that still
doesn’t explain how he’s harvesting their souls.”
The word “harvesting” has a shudder rolling down my spine. “We
think he’s using photo booths. Something must happen when they
go in to have their picture taken.”
Dad’s still pacing. He nods thoughtfully. “Photographs. For the
briefest second, they preserve time.
I gasp. “They stop time!” I almost feel like face-palming. “How did
I not see it?”
“See what, daughter?”
My gut roils as it hits me. “My guess is when I stop time, it
creates an opportunity for Hades to take a whole bunch of souls.”
Any poor human who was in the health center the moment we
found Hiroko.
Dad pauses in his pacing. “That makes sense. When time is
stopped, the Crossroads would be easily accessible. Hades can
harvest to his heart’s delight.”
There’s that word again…harvest.
 The gut churning intensifies, making me feel a little nauseous.
Hades’ plan has been unfolding for longer than we realized. “That’s
not everything, Dad. He has more than one demigod child.”
Dad was about to start again, but he doesn’t get a chance.
“Twins?”
I shake my head. “One is male, the other female, both born of
different mothers. Heath has a half-sister, Hiroko.”
“Impossible.”
“Hiroko’s been funding the health centers from the beginning.”
Dad stares at the Wheels of Time, but his gaze is unfocused.
“Hades can access the Crossroads. They are the space between
Earth and the Underworld, the place where magic lives.” He muses.
“Maybe he’s found a way to sire more than one child there.”
A question rises in my mind. Could there be more?
I take a step forward, urgency pumping through my limbs. “You
need to stop him, Dad. Innocent souls are in Tartarus, and he’ll
continue to take more if you don’t.”
Dad looks confused. “I need to stop him?”
“Well, yes. Hades is spreading darkness all over the continent.
Those souls need to be returned.”
“We cannot return souls, Kadence.” Dad’s slowly shaking his
head, as if to emphasize the impossibility of it. “The gods do not
have influence over one another’s domain. Just as others cannot
influence time, I cannot influence fate, or the weather, or any other
dominion.”
I stagger back. “Then how do we stop Hades?”
Dad’s face settles into lines I haven’t seen before. He seems to
age right before my eyes. “The only way is to force Hades to return
the souls.”
I don’t like the sound of that, but I know I need to ask the
question. “Force?”
“Yes, daughter. It will mean a war between the gods.”
“But…the last war between the gods went on for ten years.” I
shake my head, unable to accept the solution. The Titan War
changed entire landscapes as the gods used their mighty powers.
“Earth was left devastated.”
 Dad holds his hands out in helplessness. “It is up to you then,
Kadence.”
The shaking of my head intensifies, making me a little dizzy. “No,
no, no. I can’t use my power. Hades has used it each time as an
opportunity to steal more souls. It’s too dangerous.”
Dad doesn’t respond. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a time when
he’s been speechless.
I swallow. “So, our options are a war between the gods, or do
nothing?”
Like he can’t meet my gaze, Dad turns to look at the Wheels of
Time. “Maybe Moira was right. Maybe we shouldn’t have become
involved.”
I reel back. Is Dad saying that because I stopped time? My
breath becomes shallow as a band constricts around my chest. Have
I inadvertently helped Hades harvest the souls?
I waver as uncertainty erodes my confidence. Is he right?
Suddenly, all the reasons why I wanted to escape to Olympus
assail me. The loss. The daily pain. The struggle to hope…
I well and truly fell into that well of despair. For years, this was
where I longed to be. Olympus was going to be my refuge from it all.
And now I know how to get here… With Micah literally my
neighbor.
My heart starts to thump heavily in my chest as the idea
materializes. The two of us, free of all of this. Our love, sweet and
protected. And Micah would remain secret.
Except then Moira would be right. It would mean Micah should
never have “interfered,” as she calls it. That he should never have
visited me. Should never have returned…
No. I can’t accept that Micah’s destined to remain in Elysium,
hiding himself from the rest of the world.
Straightening, it seems Micah’s given me something. He’s
showed me the power of love, but what’s more, he showed me love
can’t exist without faith.
I take a step forward, regaining the ground I just lost. “No.
Without us getting involved, we never would’ve discovered this was
happening. We wouldn’t have an opportunity to stop it.”
 When Dad turns back to me, something’s changed. He seems to
harden, become a little taller. And yet, he’s almost smiling. “Well,
demigod daughter of mine. What do you propose?”
I realize Dad almost looks proud…
I head back to the stairs. I want to see Micah. To talk to him. Over
my shoulder, I tell my father, “I’ll keep you posted.”
Dad, who was standing patiently, allowing me to think this
through, takes a startled step forward. “You are not telling me of your
plan?”
I don’t actually have one yet. “You’re going to have to trust me,
Dad.”
I’m already thinking of heading back to Earth, when something
strikes me. I’m in Olympus, and not long after arriving, I’m already
leaving.
Pausing, I turn at the top of the steps. “Why didn’t you let me
know I could teleport?”
Dad hasn’t moved from beside the Wheels of Time. “All demigods
can teleport, Kadence.”
“But why didn’t you tell me?”
All those years I wanted to visit him. To have a reprieve…
“Would you have stayed, daughter? If you knew you could be
here in the blink of an eye, would you have remained on Earth?”
The answer is instant—no. I would’ve tried to keep coming back,
to show my father that being in Olympus, helping him from here, was
best for everyone.
I would’ve never seen all the selfishness and loss and anger.
I never would’ve met Micah.
Dad sighs as his shoulders drop an inch. “It wasn’t easy,
Kadence. Watching you suffer.”
I blink, surprised to find my eyes stinging with tears.
The fact that I’m walking away from Olympus, the place I craved
to be for so long, tells me a whole lot—as much as it hurts that Dad
kept this from me, maybe he was right.
It also makes me realize this has been harder for Dad than I
appreciated. I rush back, throwing my arms around him. Within an
instant, he’s hugging me back.
“Thanks for believing, Dad,” I mumble against his broad chest.
 “I have always been sure of your destiny.” His hand strokes my
hair. “You were born of great love, Kadence. It’s the strongest
foundation anyone could have.”
Blinking rapidly, I pull back. It’s true—Mom and Dad loved each
other deeply. Dad only visited on the first day of each season, and I
inherited my excitement for those days from my mother. She never
questioned it, explaining this was just the way it was. She always
said she would take love however the universe chose to bless her
with it.
Their deep love was another reason I felt so guilty when I was
unable to save her.
Why the responsibility for her death consumed me…
“She loved you with all her heart, Kadence. She wouldn’t have
left if it wasn’t her time.”
I nod, my face rubbing against the white of his shirt. Micah’s
words slip through my mind: If I could talk to your mother, I know
what she would say. She’d say there’s nothing to forgive.
Stepping back, I smile, the glow starting deep in my soul. Right
now, there’s nothing more I want than to give Micah the same gift
I’ve just been given.
Faith.
I walk away from Olympus with more than I bargained for.
We know how Hades is stealing souls. I’ve learned that we’re the
only ones who can do something about it.
And I’ve discovered that I believe we can do it.
The mist envelops me within moments of leaving the steps. All I
have is a couple of feet of path in front of me and my tightly held
hope. I let it lead me forward, knowing there’s only one place I want
to be.
Micah.
When the warm fog parts, Micah is standing there, hands shoved
deep in his pockets. He’s frowning as he stares at the ground, but
the moment he sees me, he lights up like he’s seeing a new dawn.
Just like he’s my sun, too, I move toward him. Micah is my new
center of gravity.
We kiss and touch, reconnecting and reaffirming. Every time we
touch, it feels like he needs me as much as I need him.
 Wishing I didn’t have to, I pull back. “We need to talk.”
Micah nods. “Yes, we do.”
There’s a weight in Micah’s words that has my gut clenching. “Not
here, though.” Who knows who’s on the other side of the mist?
“Maybe in Pontiac Point?”
Micah nods again. “Good idea.”
A spark lights in my chest as an idea comes to mind. “Can I try
something?”
“Of course.”
Micah’s complete trust has me smiling—he didn’t even pause
before agreeing. I’m looking forward to trying this with him.
It’s then that I realize I have no idea how to do this. “How do you
teleport, Micah?”
He raises his brows in surprise. “I close my eyes and focus on
the place I want to go. My mother taught me.”
I nod. Seems straightforward enough.
I wrap my arms around Micah’s waist and rest my forehead
against his chest. He pauses for a moment, no doubt wondering
what’s going on, before sliding his arms around my back. Closing my
eyes, I breathe in deeply, enjoying filling my lungs with the scent of
Micah. My arms tighten, feeling his warm skin over hard muscles.
Never have I felt so safe. It has me believing that maybe I can
actually do this.
I imagine the lot where the apartment building used to be, now
flat and clear. I picture the dumpster that was there when we left. I
imagine Micah and I have arrived, holding each other like we are
now, him pulling back, his Mediterranean eyes wide with shock.
When the ground disappears, when there’s that brief second of
weightlessness, I realize I’ve done it. I’ve teleported us!
There’s nothing. No sound, no sensation apart from Micah in my
arms.
Then the unmistakable trill of a sparrow, the muted roar of an
engine as a truck rumbles past filters in. A breeze carrying the scent
of summer and asphalt tickles my nose.
I don’t release my pent-up breath until I open my eyes again. It
confirms it—we’re back on the lot. We’re in Pontiac Point!
 Micah’s eyes are just as I imagined they would be, possibly
bigger. “You teleported us?”
My smile feels like it stretches from here to Olympus. “It seems
—”
“I knew it!”
We both spin around to find Nev shaking her head at us with her
hands on her hips. “There was always something about you that was
different, Kay.”
Micah and I stare at each other in horror. Nevaeh must’ve seen
us arrive! Appearing out of thin air!
It’s then that I realize the dumpster is gone. Now, the bare earth
is dotted with wooden stakes. Lengths of tape stretch between
some, and white marks have been outlined between others.
It means we’re out in the open.
Nev strides over, looking more peeved than scared. “What are
you? A witch or something?”
 MICAH

I ’ve lost the ability to move. First, shock roots me to the

ground.
Then, the ramifications of being discovered by Nevaeh
avalanche down on me, making me wonder if I’ll ever be able to
move again.
Nevaeh is human. And my thread just became undeniably tied to
hers.
Nev is looking from Kadence, to me, and back again, her eyes
narrowed. “Well?”
Kadence leaps forward. “Shh!”
An old man is on the other side of the block. He pauses in his
shuffling to wave at us. Nevaeh raises her hand and waves back.
“Hi, Mr. Murphy,” she shouts loudly.
I cringe, feeling like a spotlight was just aimed at me.
“Nev!” Kadence hisses.
“Chill it, you two.” With a wide smile she calls out to Mr. Murphy.
“He’s deaf as a shoe.”
Mr. Murphy smiles then goes back to his half-walk, half-shuffle.
“See? Your secret is safe with me.” She shoves out her hand. “Hi,
Micah. I’m Nevaeh. Kadence has told me as little as possible about
you.”
I shake it, unable to relax. Despite Nevaeh seeming to take all
this in stride, it doesn’t feel right. “It’s lovely to meet you, Nevaeh.”
She eyes me for a second, no doubt wondering how I fit into all of
this. How are we going to explain my magical appearance alongside
Kadence?
Nevaeh turns to her friend. “So, you’re a witch?” She looks
around. “You guys don’t need broomsticks to get around anymore?”
Kadence huffs. “No, I’m not a witch.”
“Then what? A shapeshifter?” She pulls back, eyes wide. “You’re
not, like, a demon or anything, are you?”
Kadence huffs again. “No, I’m not a demon.” She looks around,
spotting a large digger at the edge of the block. Taking my hand, she
heads toward it. “We need a bit of privacy.”
Nevaeh follows us, and I wish I knew what she was thinking.
Being discovered by a human wasn’t something I’d banked on.
Once we’re in the shade of the hulking machine, Kadence takes
another look at our surroundings, confirming there’s no one around.
With just the muted sounds of the city around us, she turns to her
friend.
“I’m a demigod. I just teleported us here.”
Nevaeh’s jaw drops open. “A god?”
“No, a demigod. Kronos, the god of time, is my father. My mother
was human.”
Nevaeh would know this. Kadence told me they met Kadence not
long after her mother died.
“Whoa…” Nevaeh breathes the word, obviously trying to
understand everything. “Bestie, you and I are gonna have to talk.”
Kadence takes a step forward, even though she’s still holding my
hand. “This stays between us, Nev. No one can know.”
“Of course it does.” She rolls her eyes. “Area 51 would flip if they
discovered they need to look closer to home.”
Nevaeh’s gaze turns to me, her eyes calculating and curious.
She’s wondering where I fit into this.
Kadence moves closer to me. “Micah only recently learned who I
am, too.”
Which is technically the truth, just like everything Kadence has
said so far.
Nevaeh nods, but I can still see the questions in her eyes. I don’t
even know if humans can teleport with demigods…
I clear my throat. I’m going to be as honest as I can. “Her secret’s
safe with me. I want nothing more than Kadence’s safety and
happiness.”
Despite the truth in those words, they feel hollow. I’m talking of
protecting Kadence, when all she’s done is protect me.
Nev smiles. “I’m glad to hear that, Micah. “’Cause my BFF has
been put through the wringer enough.”
Although Neveah holds her smile, my gut clenches like her words
were delivered with a punch. Maybe it’s the edge of steel, I swear,
glints in her warm, brown eyes.
“Nev! Micah was the one who had me hoping in the first place.”
“Good. I’ll let him stick around for a while longer.”
Nev bursts into a fit of giggles, and I pull up a smile. It’s a good
thing Kadence has a friend who’s so protective.
Kadence shakes her head, releasing me to give Nev a hug.
“Thanks, Nev. I can’t believe how well you’re taking this.”
Nev squeezes her tightly. “You know you can trust me, Kay.”
When they step back, they’re smiling.
I clear my throat again. “I wish we could stay and explain this a
little more, but we’ve got to go.”
Nevaeh juts out her hip in a way I’m recognizing is characteristic
of her. “Are you guys on some sort of secret mission or something?”
Kadence pauses. Any sense of complacency evaporates. We
haven’t had a chance to talk—Kadence doesn’t know how serious
things are getting.
Nev giggles again. “I was just joking. You two go do whatever it is
demigods and their boyfriends do. I’m off to find Tyler.”
Kadence frowns. “Is everything okay with him?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t seen him for a couple of days…”
Kadence’s frown intensifies. “That’s not good.”
“I’m hoping he’s got a head cold or something.” Nevaeh looks
away. “Rather than being high in a dumpster, or in the back of a cop
car somewhere.”
Kadence’s gray gaze captures mine as she bites her lip. “I’m
hoping, too.”
Thomas’ words climb into my consciousness: He needs someone
to believe in him…
Maybe Nevaeh can be that person for him.
 “Anyway, I’ll keep you posted once I find him.” She plants her
hands on her hips as she turns around. “And give him a patented
Nev talking-to.”
With that, she throws us a smile and strides away.
Somehow, I’m the one left shell-shocked. Nevaeh just discovered
her friend is a demigod, and she’s walking away as if it’s just another
day in Pontiac Point. Surely it can’t be that easy. “You sure we can
trust her?”
Kadence sighs. “She’s always been there when I needed her,
Micah. It doesn’t surprise me she took it all in stride.”
I tell myself to relax. “I’m glad you had that.”
“Nev helped me hope when I couldn’t.”
I consciously unwind the tension from my muscles. I’m starting to
get paranoid. “You never lost hope, Kadence.”
Kadence’s gaze softens as she smiles at me. “You sound like my
father.”
The tightness returns along with the reality of what we’re facing.
“We need to find somewhere to talk.”
Kadence nods, then looks around. “My place isn’t a good idea.
Aunt Jo’s going to ask a gazillion questions.” Her face lights up and
she thumps the metal of the bulldozer beside us. “It’ll be just like
Bertha.”
Against the odds, a lightness fills my heart. “Sitting on the hood of
that car are some of the most special memories I have.”
Kadence’s eyes glow. “Mine, too.”
Climbing up reminds me a little of climbing the ficus back at
Elysium. Once we’re on the square nose, the narrow windshield
behind us, Kadence tucks into my side with a familiarity that warms
my soul.
Long moments pass and neither of us talk. I take the time to
enjoy the sensation of this girl in my arms. When we’re together,
anything seems possible.
Kadence tucks her head a little lower on my chest, her fingers
fiddling with the zipper of my hoodie. “It’s the photo booths, Micah.”
I close my eyes as the words filter through. “How?”
“Photos capture a moment in time—they stop time in a way. The
centers are built on Crossroads…”
 “Allowing wraiths to steal souls.” I finish for her. My arm tightens
around her shoulder. “I saw the Loom. The darkness is growing
faster.”
Kadence looks up, her gray eyes serious. “And the other gods
can’t stop him. They have no dominion over souls and the
Underworld.”
“What? Of course they can do something.” They’re gods, for
Pete’s sake.
Panic starts to grip me with icy threads. My involvement was to
find out what was happening, nothing more.
“The only way they can, is to declare war on Hades.” The hand
on my chest stills, curling around the place that holds my heart.
“We’re going to have to do this, Micah.”
I can’t hold her determined gaze, so I let my head fall back onto
the windshield, almost enjoying the sting when it hits a little too hard.
Things are getting worse. More and more souls are being stolen.
And the gods’ solution is to start a war of Olympic proportions.
“How?” I whisper the word, my throat too tight to do anything
else.
“I haven’t figured that bit out yet,” Kadence says, her voice soft.
The summer sky is as blank as my mind as I stare at it. A clear,
fathomless blue, I almost envy its simplicity. The sky knows what its
purpose is. It’s job is to just be.
Kadence seems to curl into me. “I can’t do this without you,
Micah.”
My eyes flutter closed. How far back does my involvement go? To
the moment I was looking at Detroit in the Loom and first saw
Kadence? To the day I decided to investigate who my father was?
Maybe back even further, to the moment I was born…or even the
day my father met my mother?
My head snaps up. “The centers.”
Kadence props herself up on my chest. “What about them?”
“They’re the key!” I grip her shoulders. “We may not be able to
stop Hades, but we can certainly stop Damien Black.” I sit up a little
straighter, excited this is all starting to make sense. This is why I’m
here. I’m the only one who knows the truth about my father.
“I suppose so…”
 “Don’t you see? If we stop my father, we stop Hades’ ability to
steal souls.”
Kadence sits up, tucking her legs underneath her. “There’s a
chance Damien Black doesn’t know what these health centers are
for, Micah.”
“Then why does he have them, Kadence?” My arms shoot out
wide. “We’re sitting on a block of land where he’s about to build
another.”
She bites her lip. “I don’t know.”
Confused at her reticence, I tip up her chin so I can see her eyes.
“You don’t think he’s bad, do you?”
“Sometimes I wonder, that’s all. Your mother is a wise woman,
Micah. A primordial god. Why would she have a child with someone
if they weren’t a beautiful soul?”
My hand slips down, but Kadence catches it before it can fall
away.
“And then there’s you, Micah. I find it hard to believe you come
from anything but a human with goodness in them.”
“He knows about me, Kadence.” I hate the catch in my voice,
hate that it still hurts, but I keep going, anyway. “My mother told me.
He said he wanted nothing to do with me.”
Kadence’s intake of breath is like a dart to my bruised heart. “I’m
so sorry—”
“I’ve watched these health centers go up, one by one. Damien
Black has been obsessed with building them. He even has a
demigod child of Hades to fund it!”
She reaches out and strokes a hand down my cheek. “I’m sorry. I
think I was blinded by how wonderful you are.”
I shake my head. “I’ve been lucky in where I was raised,
Kadence. Anyone would be the same.” Maybe if I say it enough
times, she’ll realize it’s true.
Kadence presses her lips against mine. “I’m going to cling to my
theory, Micah. Because I don’t believe that for a minute.” She smiles
a little. “And as the demigod daughter of the god of time, I don’t say
that lightly.”
Unable to help myself, I kiss her, too. Pulling back, I arch a brow
at her. “I suppose there’s only one way to find out who’s right.”
 Kadence’s brow crinkles with confusion. “What are you talking
about?”
I take her hand so we can climb down. “We’re going back to New
York. We’re going to get to that photo booth and find a way to
destroy it.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kadence glances over her
shoulder as we stand outside the health center. It’s busier today,
people rushing past on the sidewalk, every few seconds one of them
stepping past us to enter the building. The Matthew’s Health and
Wellbeing Center sign hangs above us.
I haven’t been sure anything’s a good idea recently, but I push
the door open, anyway. “It’s the only way we can stop it.”
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Without the
health centers, Hades can’t collect souls, and it’s my father who built
them. It’s why I’m here, and it’s how I can be part of stopping it.
I make it right, with a minimum number of ripples. And ultimately,
if I have made it worse, I get to undo that.
Kadence comes to an abrupt stop. “Micah.”
She’s staring at the floor as people mill past us. The bright
lighting diffuses it, but it’s unmistakable now that we know Shells
exist.
Several of the people don’t have shadows.
They walk past, some ambling as they focus on their phones,
some rushing as they check their watches. Kadence and I move
closer to each other, as if we’re surrounded by ghosts.
But these people act as if nothing is wrong. They’re clueless to
what’s been taken from them.
A shadowless man stops beside us, frowning as he scrolls
through his cell.
Now more concerned than threatened, I step closer to him.
“Excuse me, sir. Do you have the time?”
The man either doesn’t hear me or ignores me. I step a little
closer.
I clear my throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you have the
time?”
 The man looks up. His gaze seems to take a second to focus on
me, so I smile. There’s something about his eyes that feel…blank.
His frown deepens as he shakes his head. Without responding, he
walks away.
Kadence and I glance at each other. That response isn’t too
unusual. I’ve noticed humans are suspicious of strangers. It might
not be because he’s a Shell. But before we can say anything, his cell
rings. The man stops, glances at the screen, and his frown
quadruples. He stabs the screen with is finger.
“I don’t have time for this right now, Linda.” He pauses, then
sighs. “We’ve done nothing but talk about it. I’ve changed my mind.
That’s all there is to it.” This time the sigh is more of a growl. “The
crying is exactly why I walked out. I’m done with it—the expense, the
emotional rollercoaster. Trying for kids just isn’t worth it.” He pauses,
listening. “Fine, then. Don’t let me stop you.”
The man hangs up with a huff, his movements sharp and angry.
He shakes his head, straightens his shoulders, and walks toward the
café. Within moments, he’s ordering an espresso.
Determination settles in my gut like a rock. We can’t allow this to
continue. I tug Kadence’s hand, planning on heading through the
frosted glass doors, only to find she won’t budge. Turning, I find her
biting her lip.
“If you go in, Micah, they’re going to want you to complete the
questionnaires.”
Which isn’t exactly staying separate…
Except the other option is for Kadence to do this on her own.
As we stand in the center of the brightly lit room, I realize I’m at a
crossroads of my own.
Step back and let Kadence deal with this, acknowledging I’m not
part of this fabric? Or step up, and become far more part of it than I
ever have?
I look down at Kadence. So beautiful. So strong. So much a part
of my heart. Her patience, the knowledge she’ll accept me, coward
or not, is what has me making the decision.
Tightening the grip on her hand, I pull her toward the glass doors.
“This isn’t something I can sit back and watch, Kadence.”
 As the doors whoosh open and we step through, I ignore the
flutter in my chest.
If I choose this, I choose Kadence and her world.
And that can’t be wrong.
 MICAH

A woman approaches us wearing the same uniform this

center is associated with, her smile broad and welcoming.
“Welcome to Matthew’s Health and Wellbeing Center,
how can I help you?”
I open my mouth, only to find my mind is blank. My heart is
freaking out in my ribcage. “I, ah…”
Kadence wraps herself around my arm. “We were hoping to see
a doctor about,” she drops her gaze, “personal stuff.”
The woman’s smile only grows. “Of course.” She passes us the
tablet she’s holding. “Have you seen anyone here before?”
I don’t think seeing my father at a distance counts. Suddenly, the
spacious room starts to shrink. I hadn’t thought that maybe Damien
Black could be here. I wonder if I vomited, whether we’d be rushed
to see a nurse and could skip the questionnaires.
Kadence takes the tablet, smiling back. “No.” She squeezes my
arm. “This is my boyfriend’s first time here.”
The woman nods. “Well, then. All you need to do is fill out the
questionnaires and we’ll get you two young ones sorted.”
“Thank you.” Kadence leads me to a back corner. I follow her, my
feet feeling too heavy as they drag over thick carpet.
Once we sit down, I take the tablet. One swipe and it comes to
life, a bright white screen lined with questions. I stall at the first ones.
Name. Date of birth.
Kadence leans in close. “Are you okay, Micah? We can leave if
you need to.”
 The waiting area is fuller than I expected but isn’t surprising if I
think about it. Free health care is the smartest draw card Hades and
Damien Black could’ve thought of.
Anger sparks like electricity. We leave, and the number of Shells
only grow. We leave, and we’re one step closer to a war of the gods.
Surely even my mother wouldn’t sit back and let that happen.
I shake my head. “I’ll use a different name and a fake address.”
Kadence nods, then suddenly grins. “You were going to use
Elysium?”
My lips twitch. “Turn right at the Crossroads, and you’re on the
highway to heaven.”
A giggle tumbles from Kadence, warming my whole body.
Turning back to the questionnaire, I enter my name using the first
one that comes to my mind—Matthew, then enter my date of birth. I
can almost hear the Loom ticking out the choice as I do it.
Kadence tips my face toward her, her fingers warm and supple
against my cheek. “You’re very brave, you know that?”
I blink. “I’ve never felt less brave in my life.”
“Which is what makes you brave, Micah. I’m hoping one day
you’ll see how much you underestimate yourself.”
She presses her lips to mine, gracing me with a sweet kiss. My
whole world melts, contracting, until it’s nothing but Kadence and our
connection. Although I’m not sure I agree with her, I like the person
she sees when she looks at me.
I’m about to return to the questionnaire when I look up to find the
woman standing beside us, her gentle smile firmly in place. “I have
some brochures I thought you may be interested in.”
“Thank you.” I smile back.
She’s gone before I take a look, but as I soon realize, I’m glad
she is. Heat flushes every inch of my skin.
Kadence glances at it, then grins as she holds up the brochure.
Contraception and You.
My face flames again, then flames even further because I’m
actually blushing about this. Could I be any more innocent and
inexperienced? Especially when the passion I feel for Kadence is
anything but that.
She leans in, whispering, “I think she read my mind.”
 Another wave of heat starts to rise, but then I register the teasing
note in her voice. I brush a kiss over her temple. “Or mine.”
Returning to the questionnaire, I continue to fill it out. As it turns
out, I’m able to answer most of them honestly. I was born in a
hospital here in New York. There’s no medical history to declare
seeing as you don’t get sick in Elysium. Drugs and alcohol are as
nonexistent as germs there.
I click “Submit” only to find another page of questions fills the
screen.
Kadence glances over my shoulder. “There’s plenty more where
that came from.”
She did say this was comprehensive…
A phone rings and the woman in uniform heads to a desk to
answer it. I focus back on the tablet, hoping she doesn’t bring any
more brochures over.
The next questions start asking me about diet and exercise. I go
through, steadily capturing the healthy, active, organic lifestyle my
mother raised me on.
A name is called out, and an elderly man shuffles by.
Absentmindedly, I pull my feet in to allow him to pass.
“Thank you, young man.”
I smile at him, then noticing another two people heading down
one of the halls, meaning the chairs around us are emptying. Of
course this place would be efficient. It means more souls for Hades. I
focus back on the tablet. I need to get this over and done with so we
can go to the photo booths.
Another phone rings, piercing the low murmur of the people
around us, but this time it’s the jingling ringtone of a cell. Kadence
jumps, scrabbling to get it out of her pocket, and I realize someone is
calling her.
Kadence’s brows furrow as she glances at the screen. Answering
it, she huddles in close to me. “Haven? Is everything okay?”
Haven. The demigod who can see souls.
The tablet forgotten, I lean in close, knowing this is important.
“Kaden—” Haven’s voice is faint and crackly. “Are you there?”
“Yes, we’re both here. I don’t think the connection is all that
great.”
 “We’re at a Crossroads at the edge of the city…we’ve visited…”
Kadence glances at me, and we both frown.
I raise my voice a little. “Haven? Can you hear us?”
“Yeah, I’ve got you. We’ve been to five Cross…they’re
everywhere.”
Kadence’s frown intensifies. “What’s everywhere?”
But Haven doesn’t answer.
Kadence presses the phone more closely against her ear, her
voice becoming urgent. “Haven? Are you still there?”
The woman in the navy suit smiles as she indicates to get our
attention, then points to a sign on the wall—a “No Cell Phone” sign.
I nod in acknowledgement. She has no way of knowing how
important this is.
“Kadence.” Haven’s voice is faint but distinguishable. “The Shells.
They’re everywhere.”
There’s a click and the line goes dead.
Kadence’s hand falls to her side. The woman smiles and mouths
the words, “Thank you.”
The Shells. They’re everywhere.
Although I already knew this from looking at the Loom.
I’m vaguely aware of more names being called, of more people
walking past, of the door opening and closing as others leave, but I
focus on the questions.
We’re running out of time.
I click “Submit,” hoping I’m getting close to the end when the
tablet flickers, then goes blank. I wait for a second, wondering if I’ve
done something wrong.
Kadence leans over. “What’s up?”
“I think it just died.”
Kadence takes the tablet and presses some buttons. The screen
remains black. “Well, that’s annoying. Battery must be dead.”
I look up, hoping to get the attention of the receptionist, but she’s
on the phone again. She notices me looking, because she holds up
a finger, indicating she’ll be with me shortly.
It’s then that I notice how much the waiting area has emptied.
Only two other bodies apart from us are in here now. Maybe it’s
getting close to closing time.
 Leaning over to Kadence, I speak in a hushed whisper, “I’m not
going to have to do them all again, am I?”
Kadence sighs. “I hope not. We don’t have time for this crap.”
Which is true.
The woman walks over, and Kadence passes her the tablet. “All
done,” she says brightly.
“Wonderful. Thank you.”
Kadence glances at me from the corner of her eye. She’s going
to see if we can get away without completing the questionnaires.
I hold my breath as the woman tucks it under her arm without
looking at it. “If you’ll wait here a moment, we’ll just prepare the
photo booth.”
Kadence stills. “It’s a photo booth—what do you need to
prepare?”
It’s the first time the woman’s smile falters. It’s barely more than a
brief downturn of her lips, but it’s there, nevertheless.
“Just routine cleaning. Standard procedure in a health center.”
She turns to look at Kadence squarely. “It won’t take long. Would you
like a cup of coffee or tea while you’re waiting?”
She shakes her head. “No, thanks. We’re fine.”
“Are you sure? Once Matthew goes through, you’ll have some
time to spare. Nothing like a lovely hot cup of joe to keep you
company.”
The words have Kadence stiffening. “Really, it’s not necessary. I’ll
be going with him.”
The smile flickers again. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible, my
dear. You’ll need to wait here.”
She walks away before we have a chance to respond, and my
gaze drops to the floor. “Kadence.” I grab her hand, keeping my line
of sight on what I just realized.
She gasps, telling me she sees it, too.
The woman doesn’t have a shadow.
The woman disappears through a door, leaving.
Kadence turns to face me, her beautiful features tense. “Micah,
you can’t go through the photo booth on your own.”
I clench my jaw. Having my photo taken on Earth is dangerous.
“I’ll move at the last second or something.”
 “No. It’s not just that…”
It hits me. I can’t get my photo taken because—as far as we
know—that’s where the wraiths steal people’s souls. “We don’t have
much choice. Besides, I’m a demigod. They can’t steal our souls,
can they?”
Kadence’s frown intensifies. “I’m going to call Haven. Don’t go
anywhere until I’m back.”
Glaring at the “No Cell Phone” sign, which was pointed out to us
earlier, she heads to the frosted doors. Her cell is already on the way
to her ear by the time she steps through them.
With Kadence gone, I’m struck by how empty the room is. Even
the woman in uniform is gone. It was so full not that long ago. The
contrast has my shoulders tightening.
Something feels wrong…
There’s a click behind me, and I spin around, thinking the doors
are about to open. Except, just like the rest of the room, there’s
nothing but empty space between me and the frosted doors
Kadence just went through.
Suddenly, being separated from Kadence feels wrong. Anything
could happen to her, and I’d be even more useless than usual.
I step forward, but the door remains closed. Another step and I’m
flush against the white glass. The doors still remain closed.
Uneasiness is weaving its way through my limbs as I step backward,
then forward as I’ve seen people do.
The doors don’t open.
Maybe there’s a button somewhere, and my inexperience with
this world means I’ve missed it.
But the walls are nothing but smooth cream. I take a step back,
then another, only to see more of the same.
“Micah?” Kadence’s voice reaches through the barrier between
us.
“Kadence! The doors, they’re jammed.”
“I know. I don’t like this.”
Jamming my fingernails into the crack where the metal
doorframes meet, I try to grit my teeth and pull. Pain shoots up my
fingers as the nails feel like they’re about to tear off, but nothing
shifts.
 “I can’t get them to open, Micah.”
The note of desperation in Kadence’s voice matches the
panicked feeling that has me slamming my fist against the glass.
“They’re locked tight.
“Micah!” Kadence’s voice is muffled through the thick glass, but
the urgency is unmistakable. “I spoke to Haven. You can’t go through
the photo booth. We can lose our souls.”
What? “But we’re—”
“Haven was very sure. You can’t go through it.”
Instinctively, I glance down. My gray outline is resting on the
ground, the edges made fuzzy by the thick carpet.
“Just don’t move. I’ll find a way to get these doors open.”
Not liking the feeling of being trapped and liking the idea that I
have to be rescued even less, I press my head against the door.
Anger slowly morphs to foreboding.
I shouldn’t have come.
A choked gasp spears from behind, and I spin around.
The person standing there, mute and still, only reinforces the
knowledge I’ve made the wrong choice.
Damien Black raises his hand. It hovers, outstretched and
trembling, before dropping to his side again. A single tear slips down
his cheek. “Matthew?”
My body feels like a live wire that’s been stretched too tight. I
shake my head once. “My name is Micah.”
He blinks, swallows, then blinks again. “She said she never liked
Matthew.”
I want to move. I want to run. But I’m rooted to the spot.
He’s talking like he knows who I am…
“Micah.” I spin around at the sound of Kadence’s voice on the
other side of the glass doors. “Stand back. I’m going to smash these
damned doors.”
The determination in her voice is unmistakable. I look to my
father. “Are you able to open them? Because she’ll do it.”
Damien’s eyebrows shoot up. From his pocket he removes a
remote. One press of a button and the doors whoosh open behind
me.
Kadence is standing there, a chair held high above her head.
 Dropping it, she rushes into my arms. Her hands flutter over my
arms, chest, then up to my hair. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I grasp her face, holding her as I scan her features.
“You?”
“Of course.”
Tucking her into my side, I deduce to enjoy the relief. “We need
to leave, Kadence. Now.”
Damien steps forward, his face panicked but smiling. “Wait.
Kadence. It would be an honor to meet anyone who would so fiercely
protect my son.”
 KADENCE

T he door whooshes shut again behind us with an audible

click.
Micah spins around, keeping himself in front of me.
“We’d like to leave now.”
My heart is thumping as I twist my hand in his T-shirt. I realize
suddenly that Damien Black must’ve had this place cleared out when
he discovered Micah was here. My eyes flicker to the floor, and I’m
almost surprised to see he still has a shadow.
Damien Black isn’t a Shell.
What’s more, he’s staring at Micah like he’s found the golden
fleece. “Micah. I like that name.”
Micah takes a step back, taking me with him. “You can’t keep us
here.”
I should’ve kept the chair. Dammit. I shouldn’t have let Micah
come in here.
Damien takes a step forward, his wide eyes devouring Micah.
“Please. I’ve been looking for you since the moment you
disappeared.”
Micah’s already shaking his head. “I don’t know what you’re
talking about. You have me confused with someone else.”
Damien shakes his head, too, “Your date of birth. Your place of
birth. They match, Matthew—ah, Micah.” He shrugs slightly.
“Apologies, I’ve spent your whole life calling you Matthew.”
Micah swallows and my heart aches. I’m barely processing this—
this must be so much harder for him.
 I’m suddenly struck by their similarities. Micah may have his
mother’s blue eyes, but he has his father’s dark hair and strong jaw.
Standing so close together, it’s undeniable they’re father and son.
Matthew…I suck in a startled breath. Matthew’s Health and
Wellbeing Center. Surely not…
I step around Micah. “You built these centers to find Micah, didn’t
you?”
Damien nods. “When Moira disappeared with our son, I had
every private investigator I could afford trying to track her.” Damien
swallows, the memory obviously painful. “But she, just,
disappeared.”
Because she took Micah to Elysium.
Damien takes another step forward, his gaze never leaving
Micah. “Then I met Jade and her daughter, Hiroko. Jade was so
supportive of my search for Matthew. She helped me build these
centers. Hiroko was so interested in their management.”
I bet she was. I glance around. “Where are Jade and Hiroko
now?”
Damien’s lashes flicker. “They left. Packed up and walked away,
leaving nothing behind but divorce papers.” His jaw clenches. “I
always suspected my obsession would one day kill my marriage.”
Micah’s hands clamp into fists. “You built health centers purely to
collect information about people?”
Damien’s gaze slides away. “I know. It was a desperate act by a
desperate man.” His shoulders drop as he takes in the center we’re
standing in. “I told myself that by helping the thousands of people I
have, that by never using the data for anything but finding you, that I
wasn’t doing anything wrong.”
Thousands…how many of those have had their souls stolen?
“It was wrong,” Micah grinds out.
Damien’s head snaps back, eyes blazing. “Taking my son from
me was wrong.” As quickly as the anger flares, it dies. Damien’s lips
soften, then twitch in a way that’s far too familiar. “In the end, it
worked. I found you.”
Holy crap. Damien built these health centers to find his lost son. I
doubt he has any idea Jade and Hiroko were using them for a
completely different reason.
 I can feel emotions surging through Micah, but I have no idea
which ones. He’s spent his whole life believing Damien Black is evil.
“You’re lying! You never wanted me!” The words explode out of
Micah. He hurls them at his father, his body vibrating with rage and
denial.
“That’s what Moira told you?” Damien’s face is wide open with
horror. “That I didn’t want you? Micah, I fell so hard and fast for your
mother, I proposed the moment I found out she was pregnant.”
My heart aches. Moira could never have stayed with a mortal
man.
“She refused, saying this unplanned child wouldn’t change
anything—she couldn’t stay. She never told me why, no matter how
much I shouted, begged, or bargained. In the end, the only
consolation prize was she was going to leave you with me.”
Micah freezes, the stillness as complete as if I’d stopped time. I
press myself against him, curling around his side. I can’t take the
pain of these words away, but I can let him know he’s not alone.
When he finally moves, it’s a slow shaking of his head. “I don’t
believe you.”
Damien holds out his hands, palms up. “I don’t lie, Micah. It’s the
one rule I’ve built my life around. Honesty is my integrity.”
And that would have to be the final nail in this revelation.
Micah believed it was his mother and Elysium that founded his
honesty. But it seems Moira has lied in ways he could never have
conceived.
“Open the door.” Micah’s voice is hoarse and raw.
Damien shakes his head. “I’ve spent your entire life looking for
you, Micah. I can’t let you go.”
Micah’s eyes close. “I’ll return. I need some time to think.”
“How do I know you’re not going to run?”
Micah’s eyes flutter open to stare at his father. My heart aches as
his shoulders droop. “I don’t lie.”
Tears sting my eyes as my throat aches. So much pain has filled
this room.
Damien pulls in a steadying breath, his own eyes moist. The
connection between these two is deeper than the years that have
kept them apart.
 Out of his pocket he pulls a small remote. His eyes never leaving
Micah, he lifts it and presses the button.
A soft click punctures the weighted air.
Micah looks down at me, and everything tightens by the look in
his eyes.
“Son.” The knowledge that Damien has found the child he’s spent
millions of dollars and countless hours looking for is weighted in that
one word.
Micah doesn’t turn around. “Yes?”
“I’ve always loved you.”
Micah stiffens like he was just shot between the shoulder blades.
Gripping my hand as if he’s worried he might collapse, he strides
forward without turning around. Stiff-legged, he leads us through the
sliding doors, out the building, and down the alleyway.
The moment he stops, I wrap myself around him. I can feel Micah
trembling. I want to tell him I love him, that this means it will all work
out. If Damien isn’t working with Hades, and he’s no longer
searching for his son, then we can convince him to lose the photo
booths. Without them, Hades loses the ability to steal souls.
Before I can speak, though, Micah has the world disappearing
around us. In a blink, we’re standing beside the dozer again.
The sun is blaring down on us, warm and bright. If I pretend hard
enough, it’s like we never left. But the pain on Micah’s face, as if
something is tearing inside him, makes that impossible.
“Micah.” I press my hand over his heart. “I know this hurts. But—”
“You don’t understand, Kadence. This started with me.”
I frown. What’s he talking about? “This started with Hades and
his need for power. And now we’ve found a way to stop it.”
Micah looks away. “I need to talk to my mother.”
Nodding, I let my hand slip away. “I know.”
I almost offer to go with him, but I stop myself. This is something
the goddess of fate put into motion over seventeen years ago.
But instead of pulling away, Micah moves in closer. His hand
comes up to brush my cheek, his touch a sweet graze over my skin.
His eyes, Mediterranean pools so deep I’d willingly drown in, are full
of tenderness.
He leans down, and I arch up, lips parting.
 He stops a hairsbreadth away, nothing but his warmth caressing
me. “I love you, Kadence.”
My heart takes flight, soaring on the joy those three words trigger.
“Micah,” I breathe.
Those words. He said the words. Micah has shown me in every
way so many times, it was something I intuitively knew, but hearing
them…
The touch of our lips seals the words, fuses them with a promise.
I know deep in my soul that this love is as endless as time and as
enduring as destiny. I melt into him, wanting our bodies to fuse as
indelibly as our hearts.
When Micah pulls back, I almost follow him, hating that this isn’t
the time to honor what has made my world complete.
The gravity in his eyes is what reminds me there’s still so much to
be resolved. I brush his lips with my fingertips, amazed at the power
they have. “Micah. You don’t have to tell me.”
I know why he’s held back. It was his way of not binding himself
too tightly to Earth.
He smiles slightly, his Mediterranean eyes soft. “I wanted to.”
With the softest of kisses, he disappears.
I’m left with nothing but summer air holding me, so I collapse
against the dozer. I didn’t admit it to myself, but my heart was
yearning to hear those words.
But now they’ve been said, when their truth has been set free, I
realize something doesn’t feel right.
Why did Micah say them now?
Crossing my arms despite the heat, I try to figure out what has
me rattled. Damien’s revelation would’ve been heart-shattering for
Micah to hear. The talk he’s about to have with his mother is going to
be intense.
So, why? Why did he say them now?
I jump to my feet, heart hammering frantically. And why did they
feel like goodbye?
“Kay? You’re back already?”
Nev comes around the nose of the bulldozer, her smile fading
away when she sees the look on my face. “Is everything okay?”
I thought it was…
 Nev slips in to stand beside me. “Kay?”
I scan the ground, as if the answers I’m looking for can be found
in the dusty, compacted soil. “Nev, something happened, and I don’t
think I understand what it means.”
She frowns, her brow crinkling in concern. “What do you mean?”
I look at my best friend. She now knows I’m a demigod. My guess
is she suspects Micah may be one, too. I open my mouth, then close
it again. I’ve kept all this a secret for so long, I don’t even know
where to start.
Or whether I should…
“You know you can trust me, Kay. I’m the one person who’s been
through everything with you.”
She’s right. From the day after my mother died, Nev has been
there, helping me hope. Telling me to believe.
This time, when I open my mouth, the words come and come and
come. In the end, I tell her everything. I tell her about Kronos and my
ability to stop time. I tell her about finding Micah and almost losing
Micah. I tell her about Hades and Shells and how we thought it was
impossible to stop him.
Throughout it all, Nev is the friend I need her to be. She holds my
hand through the tumble of tears and words, squeezing it when I
hiccup to stop, relaxing when the torrent starts again. Just like the
first time, she takes it all in stride.
When they finally trickle to an end, we sit there in silence. I’m not
sure how much time has passed, but I do know I feel drained.
I think of Micah and wonder if he’s spoken to his mother yet. The
lies she’s told him would be tearing him apart.
Nev lets out a breath. “So what are you going to do now?”
“I have no idea. Wait and see what comes of this talk, I
suppose?”
“Are you sure that’s not the old Kadence talking?”
Her question takes me aback. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve always wanted me to be honest.” Nev smiles, probably
trying to take the sting out of her words. “I think you’re holding back.
You don’t want to totally commit to this in case you get hurt again.”
My jaw slackens. Has Nev been listening to everything I’ve told
her? I already decided to fight this even before Micah returned. I’ve
given this my all—every heartbeat knows this is the most important
thing I’ve ever done.
Except, it’s not just human souls trapped in the Underworld
needing us to succeed.
If Hades wins, I lose Micah.
And this time around, it would destroy me.
Oh, no. Have I spent so long holding back that I didn’t even
realize I was still doing it? My heart screams a denial, but the seed of
doubt has been planted. The thought of losing Micah is one that I
instinctively shy away from…
Nev shrugs. “You could stop time.”
Shock spears down my spine. Maybe I didn’t explain it as clearly
as I thought. “I can’t stop time, Nev. Hades will only harvest more
souls.”
“Maybe those in the health centers. But it’ll give you the time you
need to come up with a solution. With a solution, you can save all
the souls.” She shrugs. “Plus, it’s not like anyone will be living as a
Shell while time has stopped.”
I shake my head. She’s talking about being frozen in time herself.
“No. That’s not a solution.”
I don’t care if I never stop time again.
Nev nods like she thought I’d say that. “You’re right; it’s a stupid
idea.” She angles her hand on her hip. “Then what are you still doing
here?”
“What do you mean?”
“I would’ve thought you’d be going after Micah in a flash.”
I frown. “Micah’s stronger than you realize, Nev. I think he’s spent
his whole life underestimating himself.”
“But you’re worried about him…”
I rub my upper arms. “I am.” Micah’s words of love felt so…final.
“That’s what makes this so hard.”
Nev nods in agreement. “He knows you’re here. He’ll be back
when he’s ready to talk.”
I bite my lip. Am I doing exactly what Nev just said I was? Am I
holding back to protect myself? “Maybe I should wait for him there…”
Nev slaps her thigh. “I knew it, bestie! I knew you weren’t just
going to sit back and let this happen. You’re going to fight for it.”
 Once the decision is made, it feels right. I won’t intrude on what’s
happening up in Elysium, but I’ll be there when it’s done. “I’m going.”
I’m even a little proud that my voice doesn’t tremble.
Nev throws her arms around me. “You’ve got this, Kay. I know it.”
“Okay, give me some space. I’ve only done this once before.”
Nev steps back and I pull in a deep breath. Micah’s strong
enough to face this, and I’ll be the first person to tell him that.
I close my eyes, bringing the image of the gates of Elysium to
mind, my pulse picking up at the thought of arriving there.
But just before the ground falls away, I feel a hand clamp onto my
arm.
My eyes fly open in alarm, but it’s too late.
I’ve arrived at Elysium.
And Nevaeh is with me.
 MICAH

A fter arriving at Elysium, I stay by the gates for longer than I

should. First, it’s to check that Kadence doesn’t follow me.
I’m pretty sure she could sense something was up.
When she doesn’t arrive, I let relief rush through me. I’m glad I
told her I loved her before I left. Learning the truth about my father
has changed everything.
Then, I hang back because my head is still reeling.
Damien Black isn’t the man I was told he was. A kaleidoscope of
memories tumble through my mind, and I press my fingers to my
temples. Kadence saw him the day Damien helped the little girl who
fell over, but I’ve watched him for far longer. I saw him read Hiroko
bedtime stories, wishing it were me. I saw him give food to the
homeless, thinking it was all part of his façade.
I thought it was all lies.
I was told it was all lies.
Anger explodes, propelling me straight past the gates and to our
cottage. It only grows as I storm through the door and stand beside
the Loom, breathing like I just ran all the way from Pontiac Point.
I’m not surprised to find my mother there, nor does she startle
when I barge in. The goddess of fate would know this was inevitable.
I stand there, chest heaving, as the tick, tick, tick of the Loom
weaves around us.
My hands fist, feeling like hot iron. “It’s all true, isn’t it?”
Mom raises her chin. “I did what was necessary, Micah. I couldn’t
let you be raised in the human world.”
 I thought she’d say as much. “By telling me my father was
everything he’s not? That he didn’t want me?”
“You couldn’t be discovered, Micah. Despite everything I’ve said,
that is the truth.”
My fingers are back at my temples. “I don’t understand. You were
going to let me live on Earth.”
Mom looks away. “I thought because you were half human, that it
would be okay. It was wishful thinking. The son of a primordial god
holds far too much power.”
I shake my head, unsure this makes sense.
Mom raises her hand, her eyes pleading. “Nor did I expect to love
the baby I held in my arms as much as I did.”
“Would you have spent your life looking for me?”
Mom’s hand drops like something just tried to bite it, but I ignore
the pang it causes. “Because Damien loved me enough to do exactly
that.”
Admitting it has my eyes burning, but it’s the truth. Losing his son
—me—caused Damien years and years of desperate heartache.
And opened the door for Hades to harvest souls for so much of
that time.
I don’t wait for my mother to respond to a question that has no
answer. There’s no changing what has happened. It’s how we fix the
consequences of my existence that needs to be addressed. “Hades
is stealing souls, and he’s using the health centers Damien built to
do it. We need to stop him.”
Mom’s jaw tenses. “Nothing’s changed, Micah. If I interfere, I turn
my back on my duty as the goddess of fate. On the belief that good
will prevail.”
“You can’t be serious.” I point to the Loom behind her. “Haven’t
you seen what’s happening?”
“Of course I see it,” she snaps. “Overseeing the Loom has been
my responsibility for as long as time has existed. I know the
darkness is growing.”
My arms arc out, frustration pulsing through me. “What’s the point
then, Mom? To just sit back and watch the world implode? For
Hades to make his Underworld great?”
 “You don’t think I haven’t watched the periods of darkness
before? Millions of lives lost? Souls hurting each other, generation
after generation? The only way for it to remain bearable is to believe
that for day to exist, there must be night.”
“Even when it’s happened because of a god?” I counter.
Her shoulders droop. “Gods have interfered before, Micah. Just
as they’ll interfere again. They are as much a part of this fabric as
humans.”
Except for my mother. She’s never interfered.
And except for me. I’m not supposed to be part of the fabric.
“You’re not going to do it, are you? You have the power to end
this, Mom.”
All she has to do is change a thread to two, alter their trajectories.
Maybe stop Hades from ever finding Jade. Maybe stop the humans
from accessing the health centers.
“I will not change destinies, Micah. The consequences could be
far worse than what we’re seeing now.”
I step back, acceptance feeling far heavier than I expected. My
mother was my last hope. “Maybe you shouldn’t have had me, then.”
My mother recoils. “What? No!”
“I’ve been treated like a mistake my entire life. Something that
should be hidden. Something that wasn’t supposed to exist.”
As I say the words, their truth punches me in the gut. Would it be
better if I never existed?
Another blow slams me before I’ve recovered from the first. My
mother did interfere.
She had me.
That’s where all this can be traced back to. The moment I was
born. It’s what she’s been trying to undo from the beginning.
I straighten my shoulders. “Take me out of the Loom.”
My mother recoils. “What are you saying, Micah?”
“You know exactly what I’m saying. I’m nothing but a thread, just
like all the others. Damien wouldn’t have been manipulated by
Hades if I’d never been born.”
All my mother has to do is go back along the fabric and end my
life before it was started. I would be a miscarriage, maybe a stillborn.
Maybe even further back, altering destiny so I was never conceived.
 I would never have existed.
As the thought pierces me, my heart screams for Kadence. What
I felt for her seemed so much stronger than this.
But she won’t experience the pain of my loss if I never appear on
that rooftop.
Mom shakes her head so hard a braid slips free and tumbles to
her shoulder. “No, Micah. I would never do that.”
“You’re a primordial god, Mom!” My too-tight chest has the words
coming out as a shout. “You were never supposed to have me!”
Mom’s eyes are wounds of pain as she stares at me. “I will never
do that, Micah. You’ve been the one to remind me that light exists.”
I walk over to the Loom, taking in the rhythmically moving pieces.
Destiny is being woven even as we stand here, stuck in a stalemate.
I lift my hand, remembering all the times I would sit here and watch it
work. Fascinated, enchanted, longing to be part of it.
Beside me, Mom’s hand jerks. When I look up, her gaze flits
away, as if she wasn’t watching me as intently as I was watching the
Loom.
I still as something strikes me. The warnings to never touch the
fabric. I never questioned them.
Just like I never questioned the stories she told me about my
father.
The son of a primordial god holds far too much power.…
I walk over to the Loom, my steps slow and measured. “All
demigods can teleport.”
And I never questioned when she told me my demigod power
was the ability to teleport.
Mom’s eyes widen with panic. “I’m sorry, Micah. I shouldn’t have
lied to you about that.”
She should never have lied to me about any of it. My hand
hovers over the fabric, closer than I ever have, and it’s then that I
see it.
The threads, they shimmer and shiver, rising ever so slightly. It’s
like my fingers are a magnet they’re undeniably drawn to.
I step back, my whole body feeling like lead. “I can do it, too,
can’t I?”
 Mom’s hand flutters to her throat. Her blue eyes are glistening
with moisture. “No, Micah…”
But it’s too late. I’ve discovered her final lie. “I can change the
threads.”
Her eyes slam shut in denial, but it doesn’t stop what’s
happened. The truth has been spoken.
I have the power to weave destiny. To take a thread and alter its
fate.
To end one.
I swallow as I take a step forward.
To remove one like it never existed.
 KADENCE

A s sweet sunlight bathes me, I glance down at the hand on

my arm. “What are you doing?”
Nev lets her arm slide back to her side. She shrugs
apologetically as she looks around. “I was curious.”
“Curious? What are you talking about? That was one hell of a
dangerous stunt to pull.”
What if humans can’t teleport? Nev could’ve gotten herself killed!
Nev’s arms stretch out as she does a slow spin. “But this is
Elysium, Kay. It was an opportunity I couldn’t allow to slip by.” She
stops as she comes around to face me again. “Plus, I wanted to
make sure you didn’t do this alone.”
Micah.
Hurting and alone as he faces the lies his mother has fed him his
whole life.
The gates are as big and intimidating as I remember. Intricate
wrought iron woven with ivy frame the path that will take me to him.
Or maybe I should wait here…
“Well?” Nev tugs on my arm. “What are you waiting for?”
I frown at the gates, asking myself the same question. Why am I
so hesitant to go in there?
Is it because it’s Elysium? No, even the sacredness of Elysium
wouldn’t keep me away from Micah.
Is it because I’m scared of what I’m going to find, just like Nev
says?
No.
 It’s because I’d be protecting him. From pain. From the truth.
From his destiny.
Just like everyone else in his life has.
Micah’s learning he’s far more a part of this world than he’s been
led to believe. It’s something I’ve instinctively known, wished for with
all my heart. The world that Damien Black painted was one with
Micah in it.
That’s the world I want to live in.
Nev is still tugging on my arm, so I shake her free. “I’m going to
wait here.”
“You’re not serious, are you? Micah’s in there, he needs you!”
I shake my head. “He needs me to believe in him.”
Nev looks like she’s about to pop a vein, and I start to wonder
why she’s so invested in this. Why is it so important to her that I go
to Micah?
Before I can ask, though, she stabs her finger into my chest.
“Well, I’m not just going to sit by and be a coward.”
As I reel back at being called a coward, Nev spins around and
strides through the gates. I watch in shock as she disappears around
the bend.
I sprint after her, part furious, part petrified at what she’s just
done. She’s just entered Elysium, a sacred place for good souls.
What’s more, I’m the one who brought her here.
I find her outside the cottage, still as a statue. I’m about to grab
her arm and drag her back to the gates when shouted words filter
through the open door to us. “Take me out of the Loom.”
I freeze, although my heart just jackknifed into my throat. What is
Micah talking about?
“No, Micah. I would never do that.” Moira’s voice is full of the
same horror I’m feeling.
Relief has me sagging until the next words hit me.
“You’re a primordial god, Mom! You were never supposed to have
me!”
You were never supposed to have me.
Micah’s greatest fear captured in one sentence.
Nev’s nodding, like she knew something like this was going to
happen. I take a step forward, then stop. I wasn’t going to go in
there…
The silence that follows is crowded by the roar of my pulse. How
can Micah think he should never have existed? Surely, he sees the
joy he’s given those who know him.
“I can do it, too, can’t I? I can change the threads.”
Do what? Change what threads? I want to scream the words, fly
into the cottage and grab him, shake him, tell him my love is proof of
the magic he weaves.
Nev’s voice is a harsh whisper. “What’s his power, Kadence?”
Telepor— Except all demigods can teleport. Which means, Micah
has a different ability. As the son of Moira, I can’t believe I didn’t
realize it sooner.
Great gods. The Loom. Micah has the power to change the
Loom! I choke out the words, hating each one as it forms, “He can
make it like he never existed.”
Surely not…
But my heart is like thunder in my chest. Would Micah remove
himself from the Loom?
A part of him would be telling him that’s exactly what he should
do.
Nev grips my arm. “You can’t let this happen, Kay.” This time, her
whisper is an urgent hiss.
The ramifications are slamming through me. A world without
Micah. There’d be no health centers because Damien Black wouldn’t
have a son he’d move heaven and earth to find. Hades wouldn’t
have the opportunity to put his plan into motion. Souls wouldn’t be
taken.
The grip on my arm is so tight, it starts to hurt. “You need to stop
time, Kadence. Hurry.”
Stop time?
“Don’t you see, Kadence? It would freeze the Loom. Micah
wouldn’t be able to change it. He wouldn’t be able to remove
himself.”
I glance down at my hands as they clasp into fists, the pointer
fingers remaining extended.
I could convince Micah this is wrong. That I love him. That I can’t
live without him.
 Except then Micah would live his life in Elysium.
And Hades would have the opportunity to steal even more souls.
Breathing becomes an effort. My whole body feels like it just
turned to stone.
The truth is, my hands are tied.
Micah wouldn’t want me stopping time to do this. He’d only blame
himself more as he lived a half-life he couldn’t remain in.
I realize I can’t take this choice away from him.
All that leaves me with is faith. The one thing Micah has given
me.
Faith that Micah is stronger than this. That he believes he
belongs.
That the love we’ve discovered is stronger than this.
Shaking my head, I take a step back, blinking back tears. “I have
to believe he won’t do it.”
“Then you’re a coward.”
My gaze shoots up to look at Nev in shock. That’s the second
time she’s called me that.
But the sneer on my best friend’s face is unmistakable. “You’ve
always taken the easy road, Kadence.”
“I’m not doing this because I’m scared—”
Making this decision is the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done.
I’m actually choosing the possibility of pain. If Micah believes he
should remove himself from this world…
Nev shoves her face close to mine, hissing her words through
gritted teeth, “You stop time, you save Micah, and possibly
thousands of souls. But no, all you think of is everything that could
go wrong.”
I open my mouth to explain myself again, only to snap it shut.
Nevaeh is working pretty hard for me to stop time.
I take in the anger distorting her features. And she was the one
who turned her back on me just before I stopped it last time.
I gasp as my gaze locks with hers.
A smile slowly spreads across her face.
It’s all the evidence I need to cement the realization.
Nevaeh isn’t who I thought she was.
 MICAH

I lift my hand back over the Loom, not wanting to give

myself too much time to think. What other choice is there?
Mom leaps forward, hands stretched out. “Stop!
You…” She scrambles for a reason to stop me. “You told Damien
you’d be returning!”
So, she was watching. I don’t move my hand. “I lied.”
The moment I learned the myth my life has been was the
moment the truth was no longer necessary.
“You were right. My being here is wrong. You shouldn’t have had
me, Mom.”
My voice cracks on the last word, and I look away. Kadence
deserves better than some half-relationship.
I deserve better than the half-life I’ve led.
“You can’t.” She chokes, blue eyes a pool of tears.
“Why not?”
“Because I loved your father, Micah.”
I pause, a denial already forming on my lips.
“Love was something I’d watched, known it existed on an
intellectual level, something relegated to the world of humans. But it
became real when I met him. It was a love strong enough to have
me forgetting my responsibilities. It was a love that made the
impossible possible.”
Me.
The child of a primordial god.
 She steps forward, reaching out across the distance between us.
“You aren’t a mistake, Micah. You’re a child born of a love that was
destined to be. I’ve just refused to acknowledge that.”
Because then she’d have to admit she interfered. That she’s part
of the fabric just like everyone else is.
Just like I am.
My hand trembles. “If I’m meant to be here, then my destiny is
with Kadence.”
Mom nods, her mouth tipping up despite the trembling of her lips.
“You were right. The darkness needs light to counter it.” Her eyes fill
with certainty. “Your destiny is to be that light in the dark, Micah.”
My hand falls to my side as my breath rushes out. It feels like I’ve
been holding it for half my life.
Tick, tick, tick.
The Loom is recording these moments as they happen. My future
is about to unfold within the complexity of the cloth it weaves.
A future I’m going to be part of.
My entire chest expands, then it feels like all of me is growing,
becoming lighter.
Kadence.
I step away from the Loom. “I need to talk to Kadence.” I need to
see her with the same necessity I need air.
Mom nods. “My guess is she’s outside.”
I spin around. “She’s here?”
“Your threads are so tightly woven, I doubt you would part across
dimensions for very long.”
I glance at the door, heart yearning, body trembling.
There’s still so much to discuss with my mother. There’s
forgiveness to find and loss to acknowledge.
But there will be time for that.
Right now, I need Kadence.
Three steps out of the cottage and I find her.
She’s not alone, but I don’t focus on that. All my attention is on
the girl standing in the center of the path, even the glory of the
gardens can’t compete with her. Without conscious thought, I’m
standing before her.
“Micah,” she breathes. “You’re here…”
 “You heard it?” I indicate over my shoulder, never taking my eyes
off her.
She nods. “Most of it.”
“You…heard what I was going to do?” My throat is tight with
anguish. I was talking of leaving this beautiful, amazing girl who
holds my heart.
She nods again, a glistening tear slipping down her pale cheek. “I
was hoping to heaven and hell and back again that you’d choose to
stay.”
“Why didn’t you stop me?” My heart stutters. Did she think the
same as I did? That maybe I didn’t belong?
“It was your choice to make, Micah.” She brushes away another
tear. “Hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but the alternative was for
you to keep hiding. I want everyone to see your light, Micah. I
realized you needed to choose your own destiny.”
I chose life and love and… “I chose you.”
Two more tears break free of the dam. “You chose us.”
The kiss is as inevitable as fate. It’s a kiss that was woven into
the fiber of our beings the moment our threads were created. It’s a
kiss as inevitable as the tide, as inevitable as dawn, as inevitable as
my next heartbeat.
I lose myself in Kadence and the promise of a future I never let
myself believe could be possible.
When she pushes up and our bodies melt, I get swept away in
the passion we’ve only dipped our toes in. No longer holding back, I
touch her, I taste her, I give her all the love I have to give. Her breath
melds with mine, our pulses are a symphony of desire.
Three harsh claps break through our reverie, and we pull back in
surprise.
“Touching, guys, it truly is.” Nevaeh props her hand on her hip.
“Of course, my father is continuing to harvest souls while you two
make out, but I’m guessing you’ve realized there’s nothing you can
do about that.”
Nevaeh’s features have hardened, twisted into angles and lines I
haven’t seen before.
I frown, confused. “Nevaeh?”
 Kadence spins around to stand beside me. “Nevaeh isn’t her real
name.”
She smiles at Kadence’s statement, angling her head as she
waits for her to finish.
“Obviously Hades thought it would be the ultimate irony to name
his last demigod child Heaven.”
Nevaeh…Heaven. “There were three…” I breathe in disbelief.
Nevaeh shrugs. “Three roads at a Crossroad, three chances to
alter a soul’s destiny. Three women happy to have a second chance
at life in return for bearing a child. My father’s smarter than anyone
has given him credit for.”
Kadence is shaking her head. “You knew from the start. You’ve
been manipulating me from the moment my mother died.”
The first time Kadence stopped time. Hades must’ve realized she
existed and planted his daughter as her friend.
“You made it easy, most days. Desperately wanting someone to
tell you everything was going to be okay. All I had to do was give you
hope.”
“So you could take it away from me,” Kadence whispers.
Nevaeh chuckles. “You needed a reason to stop time.” She looks
to me. “In the beginning, you gave me all the ammo I needed.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “But she didn’t this time.”
Nevaeh’s lips thin. “I noticed.” She glares at Kadence. “But we’ll
find a way.”
Kadence stiffens. Hiroko learned that all she has to do is threaten
an innocent life, or me, and Kadence will have no choice. The death
of another isn’t something she should have to live with.
Determination fills every cell in my body. I grasp Kadence’s hand,
then stalk forward.
Nevaeh steps back, eyes widening. “You wouldn’t hurt me. Not
here.”
I wrap my other hand around her wrist. “You’re right. That’s why
we’re not staying.”
Nevaeh jerks her hand as she opens her mouth, but I hold tight.
She never has a chance to voice her objections before the world of
Elysium disappears.
When reality wraps around us again, we’re in a place I’ve only
imagined.
My mother would tell me stories of the Crossroads. Of souls
floating over the bare earth, of the fork in the road ahead of them,
everything shrouded in mist.
Of a decision that was made before they arrived.
It was a risk to use nothing but the images painted in my mind to
arrive here, but it was necessary.
It’s the only way we can guarantee an audience with Hades.
Releasing Nevaeh, I pull Kadence to my side as I look down at
her. “It’s time to end this.”
She nods, her beautiful face serious, her gray eyes full of the
same determination pulsing through my veins. “It really is.”
Nevaeh’s looking around frantically. “No, no, no! You need to get
us out of here, right now!”
Kadence looks around. “We’re at a Crossroads, aren’t we?” I
nod. “The one below the health center?”
Nevaeh’s pacing, agitation making it impossible for her to stay
still. “There are hundreds of them, but they’re all the same. All
interchangeable.” She glances around like she’s expecting
something big and hairy to jump out. “You visit one Crossroad; you
visit all Crossroads.” She strides toward us, stopping only when her
face is shoved close to mine. “Now get us out of here.”
“I’m sorry, Nevaeh.” I shake my head. “We’re not going
anywhere.”
“What do you want? Money? Fame?” She glares at Kadence. “I
had to live the life of a piss-poor street rat just so I could get in her
head. There’s nothing like a demigod power of wealth and not being
able to use it. I could make you richer than you ever imagined.”
My breath halts. Nevaeh’s offer of wealth has no impact, but the
realization she’s been manipulating Kadence for years in the worst
possible way has me reeling. “You encouraged her to hope.”
Nevaeh’s lips twist into a smile. “The more I raised her up, the
further she had to fall.”
The more likely she was to stop time.
Kadence leans forward, and I don’t know how there aren’t waves
of anger flowing off her. “And it didn’t work.”
 Nevaeh rears back like she’s been slapped.
Kadence is right. Even faced with the most heart-wrenching
decision—losing me—she didn’t lose hope.
Nevaeh’s pacing again, the road looking too narrow to contain
her fevered energy. She throws her arms out wide. “He’s going to
come, you know.”
Which is what I was counting on. But it seems the knowledge
does nothing but agitate Nevaeh. The realization strikes me just as
Kadence voices it.
“And you’ve failed.”
Nevaeh’s hands jam into her hair, her face twisting from anger to
agony. “No, no, no.” Suddenly, she straightens. “Unless this is all part
of the plan.” She takes a step toward us. “Maybe this is exactly how
it’s supposed to happen. Maybe bringing you here was fate.”
A fourth voice interjects, making us all spin around. “Maybe
you’re right, daughter.” Hades materializes from the mist, ambling up
the left fork of the Crossroads. “The irony that the son of Moira
brought you two here is quite delicious, really.”
Before, those words would’ve filled me with uncertainty, but I’m
past that now. I’m meant to be here.
Today, Hades is dressed in the kingly robes you’d expect from
the god of the Underworld. Every layer a shade of midnight, they
look like shadows folding and flowing around him. I suppress a
shudder. It’s like his robes are woven of wraiths.
He comes to stand beside Nevaeh. “I see you’ve finally met
Heaven.”
Kadence coils in anger. “I’ve known her as someone else.”
Hades chuckles. “I know.” He pats his daughter on the arm and
Nevaeh smirks. “And what a fine job she did.” His hand slips down,
then abruptly shoves her away. “Until now.”
Nevaeh stumbles, her smile dying. A flash of fear streaks across
her face.
Stalking forward, Hades studies the two of us. My arm tightens
around Kadence’s shoulder. I know we need to talk to Hades, that,
somehow, we need to stop him…I just don’t know how.
“Lovely to see you two again. Kadence.” He nods in her direction,
then settles his midnight gaze on me. “Micah. Son of Moira.”
 Before, I would’ve winced at discovering Hades knew my
ancestry. Nevaeh must’ve told him. But today—now—it infuses me
with purpose. My heritage is my strength, not my weakness.
Hades waves his arm to encompass the silent road around us.
“Welcome to the Crossroads.”
I narrow my eyes. “This stops today, Hades.”
Hades’ pale lips tip up ever so slightly. “Cute. You think you’re
here to stop me.” He turns to Nevaeh. “Go home. Heath will tell you
where you need to go.”
The color drains from Nevaeh’s face, and her body looks like it
just caved in. “Yes, Father.” Without looking at us, she heads down
the left fork. The mist silently swallows her.
Kadence’s arm tightens around me. This is what happened with
Heath. She exposed him; he was sent to the Underworld. “What are
you going to do to her?”
“Very little, actually.” He angles his head. “Having to live with the
souls she’s failed is punishment enough.”
“Those souls don’t belong in Tartarus,” I grind the words out
through gritted teeth.
“I would say most do—the questionnaires were designed to filter
out those who would be coming here eventually.” Hades flicks his
robes, and they take longer than expected to flutter back around his
legs. “But I’m the only one who seems to be a realist around here.”
Kadence releases me and steps forward, her body vibrating with
anger. “You’re going to start a war of the gods.”
“A part of me doesn’t think so. Some of the gods would prefer to
sit back, hoping it will sort itself out.”
By then it would be too late.
“But what if you do, Hades?” Kadence almost shouts. “What if my
father decides you need to be stopped?”
Hades’ smile finally breaks free. “Then the Underworld will be
filled up even faster.”
Sweet heavens. Hades is so sure the world is crumbling into
darkness, that he’s convinced any mass deaths will end up with him,
anyway.
He’s wrong. And we have to find a way to prove it.
 I join Kadence. “You want this war, Hades, because you’re
greedy for souls.” My hands mold into fists. “We’re not going to let it
happen.”
Hades arches a raven-black brow. “And how do you propose to
do that?” He looks toward Kadence. “By stopping time? It would give
you a little longer to figure out some sort of plan, I suppose.” His
gaze returns to me. “That will fail, anyway.”
“Not going to happen, Hades.” Kadence’s words are hard with
conviction.
“I disagree. In fact, when you stop time, you’ll allow me to
complete my plan.”
Complete his plan? What is he talking about?
“Too bad Nevaeh failed then, isn’t it?” Kadence retorts.
“It is for her. But she’s served her purpose, which is what
demigod children are for. You’re here, and you’re about to stop time
again.”
“Like hell I will.”
Hades chuckles. “Wonderful use of words, Kadence.”
Not liking where this is going, I move in closer to Kadence. I
brought us here to end this. “We know everything, Hades. How
you’re stealing the souls, why, and about your three demigod
children. The photo booths are going. It’s over.”
“That’s one, rather fateful assumption, Micah.”
Kadence and I glance at each other. This feels like it’s slowly,
irrevocably slipping out of control.
Hades waves his hand in dismissal. “Enough talk. Kadence, all I
need is for you to stop time once more. And not even for very long.”
I open my mouth to ask why, but Hades slices his hand through
the air. “You said you know it all. That would mean there are no more
questions to ask.”
We know everything…that was the assumption.
Kadence grabs my hand. “We’re leaving. You won’t be harvesting
any more souls, Hades.”
She’s right. As much as it feels like a hollow victory, we need to
go. We’ll ensure no more souls will be stolen, maybe then try to
figure out if we can free the ones already trapped in Tartarus.
Hades takes two strides forward. “I don’t think so.”
 Kadence and I look at each other. She nods. “You do it.”
I just need to decide where to go. Elysium? New York? Pontiac
Point? They each feel like we’re returning in defeat.
“If you don’t stop time, Kadence, others will pay the price.”
Hades’ voice is low and ominous, the words heavy, like they’re
coated in tar.
We both still.
Kadence slowly turns around, her face pale. “No. You can’t.”
Hades stares at her, impassive. “I’ll admit, it’s not ideal. But I will
do what it takes. There’s too much at stake.”
Anger is like a violent wave crashing through my body, but I’m
motionless as it slams against a wall of helplessness.
“Kronos will discover you’ve forced me. You do that and you start
a war.”
“How do you young ones say it? Bring it on.”
Kadence shakes her head. “I won’t do it.”
The surge of anger turns to queasiness. Hades has just
harnessed Kadence’s power for his own. All he has to do is
blackmail her and she has no choice.
People will die, or others lose their souls.
“I’ll be selective, of course. Death for the sake of death is wrong.”
He shrugs, the shadowy robe around him shifting. “Aunt Jo could
easily succumb to a freak moment, just like your mother did.”
Kadence freezes. “How do you know about my mother?”
“I’ve been interested in you for a very long time, Kadence. I’m
sorry you had to lose her.”
Nausea roils in my gut. Hades is suggesting—
“You bastard. The man who threatened to shoot her, he was a
Shell, wasn’t he?”
Hades doesn’t flinch at the fury thrown at him. “There’s no time to
check for shadows when something like that is going on, is there?”
When the slightest of smiles dances over his lips, I tighten my
grip on Kadence. His next words are going to be dealt as blows.
“It was a pleasant surprise to discover Shells are so easily
manipulated. I suppose it’s not like they have anything to live for.”
Kadence’s hands are clenching and unclenching by her side.
She’s wound so tight, it feels like she might shatter any second.
 Anger and anguish have begun their own war within me. I
shouldn’t have brought her here.
“And if you’re thinking that maybe others living as Shells is better
than the death of a few, I want you to remember”—he slides his
black gaze toward me—“even demigods can die.”
Kadence’s shift closer to me is subtle, almost imperceptible, but
it’s there, nonetheless. When Hades’ eyes take on an obsidian glow,
I realize he saw it, too.
There’s no way Kadence can sit back and watch lives be taken.
There’s no way our love can be the noose around her neck.
It’s a stalemate. A win-win for Hades.
Defeat is devastating. It shatters through every inch of my body. I
can almost hear the sound of hope crumbling.
Hades now has the power of time, and inadvertently, it’s given
him the power to alter people’s fate.
I still, even though something just struck me with the violence of
lightning.
The power to alter people’s fate…
It’s a power I had and never knew. An ability just as powerful as
stopping time.
My chest expands like I’ve just been injected with raw energy. I
take Kadence’s hand. “You do this, Hades, and you will never return
to Earth.”
 MICAH

H ades sneers at me. “Be quiet.” He turns back to

Kadence. “Do it. Now.”
But I interject myself between them, pushing my face
close to his. “The moment Kadence stops time, I’ll be able to change
the Loom.”
His eyes widen a fraction, the white growing around the black,
then narrow dangerously. “You wouldn’t touch a human thread. It’s
against everything you’ve been taught.”
“You’re right.” Hades’ eyes flare with victory just like I knew they
would. “But I’d touch yours. I’ll remove your poisonous fiber from the
Loom.”
Each time Hades has Kadence stop time, I’ll have the opportunity
to go through, find Hades’ thread, and remove it.
Just like I was going to with mine.
Hades’ nostrils flare as he sucks in a furious breath. “I’m
immortal. It won’t kill me.”
“But it will send you back to the Underworld. Each and every
time.”
There will be no war of the gods on Earth, because Hades won’t
be here to fight it. He’ll never be able to harvest souls again.
Whatever he planned on using the souls for, will be for nothing.
It’s the first time I’ve seen color flush across Hades’ porcelain,
deathlike skin. It heats to a glittering shade of red. “You wouldn’t—”
“You’ve just threatened the girl I love, and those she loves.
You’ve threatened hundreds of innocent lives. You’ve no doubt taken
even more. I, Micah, son of Moira, the goddess of fate, will do it, over
and over and over again.” I glare at him, unblinking in my
determination to let him know this isn’t a promise, but a pledge.
Kadence steps up beside me. “You did say you loved the
Underworld, Hades. That it was the greatest of all the dominions. It
shouldn’t be a problem, should it?”
Hades is breathing heavily, his robes twitching with agitation.
“What’s more, you’re going to return the souls you’ve stolen.” I
lean forward imperceptibly. “Or I’ll do it myself.”
By going back along the fabric of the Loom and removing Hades
each time he appears.
I wait, hand woven tightly with Kadence’s, for Hades to accept
the truth.
His black eyes slowly, steadily lose their light. It’s like a backdraft,
air sucking in, everything multiplying and building…
The explosion is more violent than I expected. A wave of fury
rolls through Hades, starting low, then flowing up, contracting
muscles, cording tendons, saturating him in rage. He throws his
head back, spewing it to the gray sky.
The sound is thrown into the mist around us, vibrating each
droplet, making me wonder if they can shatter.
When Hades drops his head and returns his gaze to us, I tense.
His eyes are the same black they’ve always been, but now they’re
dead with hate. Lifeless in color, but still moving with the power of a
god, they’re terrifying.
But the fear doesn’t move me. Kadence and I are a united front of
light against the dark.
The child of fate and the child of time have fallen in love.
Even the god of death can’t overcome that.
The knowledge pounds through me, giving me the courage to say
one last thing. There is one last wrong that needs to be made right.
“And send your demigod children to Elysium.”
With a breath that expands his entire body, Hades straightens.
Jaw twitching, he takes a step back. “I won’t need them for what
happens next.”
Kadence tenses just as I do. She’s wondering what in the hell
that means. We release each other’s hand simultaneously, planting
our feet into the hard soil. It’s an unspoken agreement we’re not
backing down.
Hades raises his hands, his arms spreading like a falcon. A gust
of wind slams into us, throwing Kadence’s golden hair against her
like a whip. A soundless roar builds up from the ground beneath us.
I wrap my arms tightly around Kadence, for once not knowing
what’s coming, but secure in the knowledge we did this right. Love
pulses between us, and I hope it’s enough to shield us from Hades’
wrath.
The mist around us begins to dissolve. It’s like a veil is being
lifted. My breath freezes in my lungs. I’m not sure I want to know
what’s on the other side.
But just as the space around us expands, a blast of light
explodes. Light rains down on us, forcing Kadence and I to curl into
each other under the blazing torrent. It’s blinding in its intensity,
almost burning in its ferocity.
But then there’s movement, like currents of wind flashing past. I
blink against the brightness, trying to understand what’s happening.
Kadence is looking up at me, wonder widening her eyes. “Micah.
It’s the souls.”
She’s right.
Pulses of gold like shooting stars come from the Crossroads and
slice around us. I can’t feel anything, and yet I can feel everything.
There’s elation and excitement and an overwhelming sense of
freedom. There’s the purity of hope, the sureness of faith.
And there’s the amazing girl in my arms. We hold onto each other
as soul after soul streaks past, off to find the body they were stolen
from. We’re both smiling, both awestruck.
The tidal wave abates with the same suddenness it began,
leaving behind a new silence. A stillness that holds far more than it
did before.
Kadence and I look around, trying to process what we just
witnessed.
The Crossroads is empty. Hades is gone.
The souls have returned.
Kadence shakes her head in wonder. “You did it.”
I cup her face. “We did it.”
 I lean down until her beautiful features dominate my vision. This
girl is what fills my world, feeds my soul. “It was my destiny to love
you, Kadence.”
Kadence looked full of joy before, but now, she’s flooded with it.
Pushing up on her tiptoes, she brushes her lips against mine. It’s the
lightest of caresses, but like the butterfly effect, it amplifies until it’s a
tsunami soaring through me.
“And I love you, Micah. Forever.”
 KADENCE

A s I amble through the gates of Elysium, I pull in a deep

breath. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the beauty of this
place, but I’m okay with that. It means the same feeling of
delight skips through me each and every time I arrive.
And that’s been quite a lot over the past few weeks.
Learning about the place Micah grew up has been fascinating.
And I’m not just talking about the plants that I’ll never want to stop
discovering. There’s Edward with his sharp intelligence. Victor with
his gentle perceptiveness. Both wise in their own ways. Both so full
of love for Micah.
Micah.
My heart feels like it’s permanently filled with helium. It’s been
days and days of love and fun and more love. Eating hotdogs,
drinking every flavor of milkshake imaginable. Nights full of
stargazing and sweet kisses and hotter touches.
Excitement has me picking up the pace. Tonight, I introduce
Micah to another of Earth’s joys.
My mind is so full of Micah and reaching the cottage, as I round
the bend, I don’t see the woman coming the other way until I crash
straight into her.
I jerk back as two arms reach out to grab me. “I’m so sorry. Are
you okay?”
My mouth is already open to politely thank the woman and keep
going, when I raise my gaze to her face.
And stop.
 Memories assault me, coming at me with the speed of a machine
gun.
“Drop the gun or I’ll shoot!”
Me stopping time. Pushing my mother out of the way.
The shattering sound of a single gunshot.
My mother bleeding out in my arms. Aunt Jo screaming, asking
where her sister was.
“Kadence…” Her voice. I’d forgotten how she sounded.
But her face, it’s just like I remembered. Beautiful. Pale-skinned
and red-lipped. Overflowing with love.
“Mom.”
I choke out the word I never thought I’d say again.
“Oh, sweetheart. I’ve been waiting for this day for a very long
time.”
I don’t feel myself move, but I’m in her arms before I find the
ability to breathe again. I draw in her scent, so familiar despite the
years, as I bury my face in the crook of her neck. My mother. The
woman who loved me more than I could ever love myself.
The woman I tried to save and couldn’t.
Mom holds me tighter than I’ve ever been held. I hold her like I’ve
just found the missing piece of the puzzle I didn’t know I could fix.
Tears flood down my cheeks, wetting the both of us. They seem to
stem from somewhere deep in my chest.
Mom pulls back, her hand stroking my hair as she studies my
face. Her own tears track down her cheeks. “Oh, Kadence. You’re
even more beautiful in the flesh.”
I wipe away the wetness on my face, my hands returning to her
shoulders making sure she’s real. The warmth of her skin, the
strength of her smile are undeniable. My mother is here, in Elysium.
“You’ve been watching me, haven’t you?”
She nods. “Every day. Hurting with you. Laughing with you.” She
strokes my cheek. “Believing in you.”
I blink rapidly, feeling more tears join the ocean I’ve already cried.
“Mom…”
She smiles as we both cherish the power of being able to say
that one word. I’ve just closed a door on something I thought would
forever be open.
 “I was wondering where you were.”
Micah’s warm voice has me turning around, my heart already
soaring. Our gazes meet and the world becomes brighter.
His signature grin greets us. “I see you’ve met Marie.”
We pull away, standing side by side and holding hands, like we’re
not quite ready to let go.
His eyes widen as he looks between the two of us. I inherited my
pale blonde hair from my mom. “Marie is your mother?”
Of course Micah knows my mother. I nod, still feeling the wetness
on my cheeks. “I literally just ran into her.”
Micah shakes his head ruefully. “Of course your mother would be
at Elysium. And of course, she would be the sweet, beautiful Marie.”
“Good choice, daughter.” Mom’s eyes twinkle as she slides a
glance my way.
Letting go of my mother is hard, but it’s made possible by the
knowledge that time is no longer a factor in how long I have to spend
with her. I step away so I can wrap my arm around the guy I love.
“The best I’ve ever made.”
I have to suppress my giggle when I see Micah’s blushing. I didn’t
think I could be any happier until this moment.
He clears his throat. “Did you want to stay here? I’m sure you
have a lot to catch up on.”
So tempting...
There’s so much to discuss. So much to understand and explain
and atone.
I grip Micah’s hand. “I’d really love to but we need to get back to
Pontiac Point.” There’s an appointment we can afford to miss. I
reassure myself that Elysium, and now my mother, are an
undeniable part of my future.
Mom’s face brightens even more. “And now I’m looking forward
to seeing your father.”
I pause, realizing something. Mom’s been here in Elysium the
whole time. Which mean, Mom and Dad could’ve been together
since the moment she died. “You haven’t seen him?”
Mom shakes her head. “I made the decision to remain separate
until you learned I was here. It was so hard, not being able to tell you
I was okay. But my death would’ve been for nothing if Kronos let it
slip that I was here. I’m so sorry, Kadence. Your responsibility was
great, and so was your burden.”
I let her words seep into my consciousness. I lived with the guilt
of my mother’s death for almost half my life.
And now I’ve discovered another secret that was kept from me,
just like Micah did with his mother. Being the children of these gods
has meant a whole lot of pain.
But I never would’ve found Micah.
We wouldn’t have discovered Hades, or stopped him.
And Kronos and Moira have both lived without love in their lives
this whole time, too.
I tip up a smile at my mother. “Then what are you waiting for?
That’s going to be one heck of reunion!”
This time Mom’s hug is gentler. It’s full of sweet happiness and
tender gratitude. “I love you, Kadence.”
A lump forms in my throat. “I love you too, Mom.”
And I get to say words to my mother I never thought I’d be able to
again.
She steps away and down the path. “Oh, and dear? Be careful
with the language.”
With a cheeky smile, she disappears around the bend.
Micah looks at me. “Wow.”
“Yeah,” I breathe. “Didn’t see that coming.”
“Are you okay?”
I take in his blue eyes, so full of compassion, and my soul feels
like it’s glowing with happiness. “I think I’m more than okay.” I grab
his hand, wishing again there was time to revel in this moment.
But I’ve discovered something. Our life isn’t measured in minutes
or hours or days. It’s measured in laughter and and purpose and
love, and I have a whole lot of that to look forward to.
We’ve rounded the bend and are standing beneath the gates
when we stop like we always do. Coming face-to-face, I willingly lose
myself in Mediterranean pools full of love. I’m never sure if this kiss
is a goodbye to Elysium, or a hello to our new life on Earth, but I
decided it doesn’t really matter. It could be both.
It could be neither.
It might just be an excuse to do what we never seem to tire of.
 Our lips touch, brush, caress. Our bodies mold together, like they
were sculpted to be two halves of a whole. Micah groans. I increase
the pressure. We quickly dive headlong into desire.
The cat whistle is what has us separating.
When we pull back, we’re both panting, smiling ruefully.
“You guys are slow learners. Elysium isn’t known for its privacy.”
Thomas is grinning as he stands on the other side of the gates, arms
akimbo on his hips.
Micah grins at him. “Luckily we don’t have anything to hide.”
The joy in Micah’s voice at being able to say those words is
unmistakable. I squeeze his hand, wrapping myself around his arm.
“Damn straight, you don’t.” Thomas grins back.
Tanisha appears by his side. “Thomas! We’ve talked about that
sort of language.”
He nudges her playfully with his shoulder. “What about yesterday,
when Heath—”
Tanisha claps her hand over his mouth. “That was different, and
you know it. That guy would test the patience of Victor. Now, leave
these two alone.”
Resting my head against Micah’s shoulder, I smile as my heart
clenches at their banter as Tanisha drags Thomas away. It was
inevitable these two would become fast friends, possibly more. The
surprise was when they decided to take Hades’ demigod children
under their wings.
Heath has adapted the most easily, although that hasn’t stopped
him from disappearing periodically and sparking day-long searches.
Hiroko has withdrawn, her silence a protective armor. I suspect
seeing the happiness of Elysium and knowing she potentially
deprived souls of accessing it will take time to acknowledge.
Then there’s Nevaeh. Her treachery has been the hardest to
come to terms with. It’s not surprising she’s the one who has resisted
Elysium the most. Hades took the most from her by stopping her
from being able to use her powers, leaving her to live a life of
poverty. She also had to befriend someone knowing her sole aim
was to betray them.
I look up to find Micah gazing down on me, still and concerned.
“Everything okay?”
 Tucking my head in, I hold him tight. Micah was the one who
helped me realize the power of my own gifts.
Time. The power to give it, or the power to take it. Yes, time has
the power to hurt, but it’s the one thing that provides the chance to
heal.
Micah’s discovering this himself as he rebuilds his relationship
with his mother.
“Everything is just the way it’s supposed to be.” I look up. “I have
you.”
He smiles, his eyes soft. “Do you know what’s even better?” He
brushes a kiss over my nose. “I have you.”
Everything in me expands. My smile. My heart. My love for this
sweet, amazing, wise boy. “Ready?”
Micah nods. “It’s your turn?”
I smile. I feel like I can face anything when I’m with Micah. “I do
believe it is.”
 KADENCE

T eleporting is second nature by now. Our lips touch, the

world disappears, only to return a second later. The
sounds, smells, and sights of Pontiac Point become our
new reality.
Micah’s lips twitch. “Some days I wish it took a little longer.”
I giggle. “Maybe we need to find somewhere else to teleport.”
Micah’s eyes heat in a way that’s fast becoming familiar.
“Somewhere private.”
My body temperature climbs as I lean into him. “Yes.”
Clanging, then cursing on the other side of the wall has us both
startling.
The small room we’re standing in is nothing more than a
transportable building. Although the walls offer protection for
teleporting, they’re far from soundproof.
“I’ll find somewhere.” Micah mutters as he turns to take the two
steps to the door.
I suppress a smile. With access to all the Crossroads around the
world, I have no doubt he will.
Micah jerks to a halt as he almost crashes into a desk. We pause
to look around. The square space has been outfitted as an office.
Desk, chair, shelves, even a phone. All in cool, neutral tones.
Micah’s silent and I’m pretty sure “What the…” are two words
echoing through his mind right now.
The memory of Micah asking his father to build something like
this still has my heart clenching. Micah, so awkward. Damien, so
happy to be able to give his son something, anything.
Micah stuttering his thanks. “Thanks…Dad.”
Damien trying to hide his surprise, trying to act like he wasn’t just
given a gift he’d been longing to hear, and being entirely
unsuccessful.
“Sure, son.”
I tug Micah to the door, figuring we may as well take this in stride.
“Damien sure is a man of action,” I chirp brightly.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see even more development since we
left. Damien seems to have fast-tracked this health center even more
than the others. Except this time, it’s not to find his son. It’s to be with
him.
Someone jumps back in surprise as I push the door open,
another curse puncturing the air.
Dan flushes. “Ah, sorry, Kadence.” He dusts off his shirt, taking
extra care over the logo—Dan’s Design and Engineering. It turns out
he does more than demolition.
I roll my eyes. “I’ve heard worse from my neighbors, Dan.”
He glances at Micah. “Sir.”
Micah opens his mouth to object to the title for the hundredth
time, but Dan grins at him. “Gets you every time, Micah.”
Micah shakes his head. Being the son of a multimillionaire like
Damien Black is going to take some adjustment in more ways than
one.
We step outside and I close the door.
Dan steps back, puffing his chest out in pride. “What do you
think?”
Holy heck. Dan was installing a sign on the door of the little cube-
like building. Neat black letters now sit squarely in the center: Office
of Micah Black.
“Office?” Micah says in surprise.
I angle my head. “I think it looks good.”
Dan agrees before ambling off, shouting something across the lot
about needing more concrete.
Micah’s still staring at the sign on the door. He’s shown an
interest in the health centers, which is probably what Damien’s
jumped on. In part, because of the damage they wreaked. Micah’s
sense of responsibility means he wants to ensure something like that
can’t happen again.
Not to mention, no one believes Hades has given up.
But I don’t think Micah’s admitted that something else draws him
to them—the chance to help others.
And the chance to get to know his father.
Micah blinks a few times. “I think it might take some getting used
to.”
I nod. “Talk to him about it.”
Damien’s eagerness would have to be overwhelming. This is
what he’s been looking forward to since discovering he was a father.
Micah, on the other hand, is still learning to be part of this world, let
alone be part of a family he didn’t know was waiting for him with
open arms.
Micah’s lips twitch. “It’s easier to tell people change is inevitable
than it is to live it.”
I nudge him with my shoulder. “I think you might be able to
handle it.”
I mean, he bested the god of the Underworld, for heaven’s sake.
Micah presses his lips to my head. “I can because I have you.”
His words warm me right down to my soul. Micah’s strong
enough to face any of this, and whatever fate has in store for him.
But knowing he needs me as much as I need him is something I’ll
always cherish.
I pull in a steadying breath. “Ready?”
It’s Tyler’s court hearing today. His list of misdemeanors finally
tallied up, resulting in a violation of probation the judge wasn’t willing
to ignore.
This afternoon, he either convinces the judge he’s ready to do
things differently, or he goes to juvenile detention.
I’m just not sure he’s ready to do things differently.
Micah squeezes my shoulders. “Thomas is pretty confident this is
going to work out.”
Which is true. Micah told me after we returned from the
Crossroads, that Thomas had seemed to accept his place in
Elysium. I figured it was because he now had three angry demigods
to lead through his own journey of faith. But he’s been like this, even
though Tyler has been steadily self-sabotaging…
The sidewalk below our feet is bright white under the summer
sun as we make our way to the subway. The agreement was to meet
Tyler at the courthouse. I focus on the feeling of our clasped hands.
No one has taught me the lesson of faith better than Micah.
We’ve just come to the vacant lot when I pause. There’s
someone standing in front of the “For Sale” sign, the one that
changed to Sold not so long ago.
Micah and I frown at each other, but before we can head over, a
yipping ball of fur makes a beeline for our heels.
I gasp. “A puppy!”
The little dog licks my hands enthusiastically. Obviously, a
crossbreed of some sort, he looks like he hasn’t decided on a size—
he’s small, with ears too big for his head, then long in the body, but
with stumpy, shortened legs.
“Tommy!”
We both push up from our squatting position to find Tyler jogging
toward us. The puppy spins around on hearing his voice, launching
himself at Tyler, the yipping starting all over again. Tyler scoops him
up, chuckling as the pup starts licking his chin like he never plans on
stopping.
My eyebrows shoot up. “You got a puppy?”
The little ball of fur starts squirming, so Tyler places him back
down. The pup’s nose spears down as he trots off, stopping to sniff
each crack in the blacktop he finds.
Tyler adjusts his cap. “Not by choice.”
Micah smiles a little. “Everything is a choice.”
Tyler slides a glance at him. The usual low-level hostility doesn’t
seem to be there. In fact, as he turns back to scan the parking lot, he
seems…quiet. “Did you know Thomas bought this?”
Micah doesn’t answer. He can’t.
I pretend to act surprised. “How did you know that?”
“My lawyer told me.”
“You’ve already met with your lawyer? I thought we were doing
that before court.”
 Tyler’s smile becomes sheepish. “Ah, I met with her this morning.
Before seeing the judge.”
I gasp. “You lied to me?”
“I like to think of it as deliberately forgetting the right time for the
appointment.”
I make a point of emphasizing my frown. “Why would you do
that?”
Tyler’s gaze slides back to the sign. “Because I didn’t want you
there.”
I glance away before Tyler can see that his words sting. I’ve been
doing everything I can to show him that it’s not too late.
“I thought it was because I didn’t want your help, but the truth is, I
didn’t want you to see me fail again.”
“Oh, Tyler…”
But he holds up his hand. “I met with the lawyer, and she read me
the riot act. Told me this is going to be my last chance.”
Which is why I wanted to be there. She would’ve got nothing but
attitude.
“I was just about to tell her to go jump, when she said my name
came up in Thomas’ will.” Tyler’s arms expand to encompass the lot
around us. “Thomas left it for me. It’ll be mine when I come of age.”
Micah and I glance at each other, not sure how Tyler would’ve
taken that.
Tyler’s lips twist. “I was pretty pissed. This is what my brother left
me? A parking lot with more cracks than asphalt? I thought it was
one more kick in the teeth.”
My jaw tightens as I imagine the scene. If Tyler wasn’t standing
here, then I’d jump to the conclusion that he failed to attend his
hearing. I pull in a steadying breath. If he’s here, it means there’s
more to this story.
“I left the courthouse, looking for something to punch, when I
heard this clawing in an alleyway. There was this little guy,” Tyler
squats down to scratch the pup behind his ears. “Wrapped up in this
T-shirt.”
He pinches the shirt he’s wearing.
Micah freezes. I gasp. The T-shirt.
It’s Micah’s T-shirt.
 The one he gave away to the homeless man.
“Sly dog.” Micah breathes in astonishment. “Clever, sly dog, but
still…”
Micah glances at me, eyes wide with disbelief, possibly
underscored by a touch of respect. Thomas must’ve planted it in his
closet. Somehow, it made its way back to Pontiac Point, arriving just
at the moment Tyler needed it.
Tyler pushes back up, unaware of what just passed between us.
“Thomas used to wear one just like this. He called it his lucky shirt.”
He turns to us, his eyes wide and a little moist. “I think it was a sign. I
told the judge I wanted another chance.”
Micah grasps his shoulder. “That takes courage, Tyler.”
He nods, before looking at me. “I’d like to start a garden,
Kadence. Just like we did on the rooftop, but bigger.” He tips up a
lopsided grin. “And closer to the ground. Will you help me?”
The last words are tinged with so much vulnerability that
something in my chest spasms. But Tyler doesn’t need more
emotion right now. He needs me to show him. I angle my head. “Can
we grow some rosacea?”
“Ah, sure. Whatever that is.”
I grin. “Wait here.”
The dash to the alleyway beside our apartment doesn’t take long.
It means, I’m back, holding the pot in my hands within a minute or
two.
Tyler’s eyes widen as I extend my gift to him. The buds on his
mother’s rose have started to unfurl, fragile green whorls clinging to
the branches. Just like him, it’s survived adversity, and is waiting to
flourish.
Tyler’s throat works as he takes the pot from me. “Thanks.” His
voice is muted. “For not giving up on me.”
My heart feels like it just doubled in size. “Thomas knew you had
this in you, Tyler. Just like I did.”
Tyler blinks hard. “Yeah, I think he did.”
Micah smiles. “My bet, is he’s watching right now.”
My heart swells as Tyler nods, even though he has no idea the
truth Micah just spoke. Thomas will be looking over Tyler for the rest
of his life.
 A yip snaps through the emotion that just multiplied around us.
The pup part runs, part stumbles on its stumpy legs, toward Tyler,
leaping onto his sneakers like a predator. Growling, it starts chewing
and tugging on his laces.
“Tommy, we’ve been over this.” Tyler leans down to pick him up,
playfully scratching him under the chin. “Laces aren’t the enemy.”
I glance at Micah, mouthing one word, “Tommy.”
Micah grins. Tyler named the pup after his brother. It seems
Tyler’s made sure his brother’s going to be by his side in the only
way he could.
Tyler turns to us. “I need to go talk to Mom. Can we meet back
here tomorrow? I’ve got some ideas for some artwork we could do
on the wall over there.”
“Sure. Can’t wait.”
Tyler gently places the rose at the bottom of the “For Sale” sign
then, with Tommy tucked under his arm, leaves for home.
We’re left standing in the empty parking lot. Images of how this
place will be transformed are already filling my head. Vegetables,
maybe a couple of fruit trees, lots of herbs, even more flowers. Oh,
and roses. Lots of roses.
I turn to Micah. “This is going to be amazing.”
“Of course it is. You’re amazing.”
I grin. “Not as amazing as you.”
Micah chuckles. “We’re not going to start that again, are we?”
“Only if you’re willing to admit defeat,” I counter.
“Never.”
“Never is a very long time, Micah.”
Micah pulls me in, so we’re flush against one another. “Challenge
accepted.”
I grab a quick kiss. “Which is exactly what makes you amazing.”
Micah shakes his head, chuckling. “I’m looking forward to a future
with you, Kadence.”
We’re about to lean in for another kiss when my phone dings,
telling me I just received a message. I’m about to check it when I
realize who it would be.
“Crap, it’s almost six o’clock.”
 Micah glances at his watch. “Yes, it is. Finally, I get to find out
what wonderful thing happens at six o’clock in your house.”
Anticipation bubbles up in my belly as I grin. Micah’s already met
Aunt Jo, who of course, loves him like everyone else does. Taking
his hand, I lead him to our apartment a couple of blocks away, a
mischievous grin planted on my face the whole way.
The apartment is quiet when we enter, which is unusual. It’s like
Aunt Jo isn’t home. It only takes me a minute to double-check our
small apartment. Nope, she’s definitely not home.
I finally check my cell, discovering the text wasn’t a reminder, but
an apology. I turn, wide-eyed, to Micah. “She’s out with Terry.”
Micah’s blue eyes twinkle. “Do you think when he proposes, he’ll
hide the ring in a potato?”
I giggle. “Now that would be cool.”
Pulling Micah down onto the couch, I decide we’re going to honor
this tradition, anyway. He looks at me quizzically when I pick up the
remote, but I don’t say a thing.
A second later, Chip fills the screen, bronze chest and all.
“Welcome to this evening’s edition of the Nakey News. Today, we
have the heart-warming story of a puppy being saved by a young
man, or is it the story of a puppy saving a teen about to throw his life
away?” Chip positions his grin at just the right angle to catch the
light. “I’ll let you decide.”
Micah gapes, then blushes so hard I think I feel the heat rolling
off his skin. I can’t help it—it has me in fits of giggles which quickly
morph to peals of laughter.
“This is what you watch with your blind aunt?” Micah asks
incredulously.
“Yep. Every weeknight at six o’clock. Aunt Jo calls it our daily
dose of optimism.”
Micah looks back to the screen, his mouth still a little slack. “I
can’t wait for Terry to join us.”
I grin, wondering how the heck so much happiness can fit into
one person. I snuggle into his side, wrapping my arms around him,
remembering his words. “I’m looking forward to a future with you,
Micah.”
 Micah’s smile is one that seems to start somewhere deep inside.
“Always.”
My own echoes his. It’s a heartfelt, soul-deep smile filled with a
love that was meant to be. “Forever.”
 EPILOGUE

M ost people assume Hades’ palace is a place of gloom

and darkness.
Being built of sleek black marble and smooth
obsidian, it’s certainly all the shades of midnight. But Hades’
dominion encompasses everything below the surface of Earth, the
place that holds every precious metal and gem known to man. It’s
enabled him to outfit his black palace with everything that glitters and
shines. Gold, silver, diamonds, precious stones of every color.
They’re scattered and placed with such abandon and prevalence, it’s
like the ebony walls and floors are just a background to showcase
them.
Hades is probably the wealthiest man who ever existed.
Although all the money amassed over the millennia of his life
have been unable to give him the one thing he’s always wanted.
Hades steps around the gilt chair lying on its side. It’s not the first
time his rage has left his cavernous bedroom in unholy chaos.
Overturned furniture, smashed glass, gems and stones humans
have sold their souls for, scattered like worthless rocks.
He curls his lip at the symbols of wealth scattered around him.
There’s always someone willing to clean up. Someone wanting to
win his favor. Hoping for a chance at redemption.
There’s one piece in this room that will never feel the brunt of his
rages, though. Hades walks toward it, his footsteps silent on the
cool, glossy floor. Hanging on the wall is a wreath. Woven of golden
stalks of wheat centuries ago, he ensured its immortality when he
dipped it in gold. Now it hangs there, gleaming gently, the only object
gracing the expanse of black wall.
Hades brushes one of the heads of wheat spiraling around the
circle. All he has to do is wish…
The center of the wreath fills with a whirlpool of light, steadily
filling like a pond, becoming a glistening, moving mirror.
The woman who comes into focus is beautiful. Golden hair flows
down her back, her face fragile and pale. She’s smiling as she walks
through a field of yellow, her hands brushing the bountiful crops as
she goes.
But Hades can see the way her shoulders are pulled back a little
too tight, like there’s an ache between her shoulder blades. She’s
hurting.
She’s grieving.
“Persephone,” he whispers.
The legend of their love is well known. Centuries ago, Hades saw
her in a field and fell instantly, irrevocably in love. Whisking her to the
Underworld, he wooed her with words and gifts and patience. His
world changed when she confessed she’d fallen in love, too.
Persephone saw him as no one else had. Persephone loved him
in ways he hadn’t known were possible.
Except Demeter, her mother, wouldn’t believe it. She wanted her
daughter by her side, no matter how much Persephone cried or
begged. Ultimately, Demeter pointed out, victory curling her lip, that
Persephone was the goddess of vegetation. Earth depended on her.
It was Zeus who decided on a compromise.
Persephone would live half the year on Earth, where she would
bring springtime and all its prosperity to the world. Then the
remaining six months, she’d return to the Underworld, leaving behind
fallow fields as the world descended into winter.
With a wave of his hand, the image dissolves, and Hades braces
himself for the piercing pain. Each time he sees her, he can feel life
returning to his body. Each time she disappears, his immortal soul
discovers what death feels like.
Hades turns and strides from his room, new purpose thrumming
through his veins. These young demigods speak of love and
sacrifice. But how far would they go to ensure they remained
together?
“Soon, my love.” Hades vows. “All we need is one more.”

Ready for the next installment in the Descendants of the Gods

series? Check out SON OF POSEIDON!
 SON OF POSEIDON

The Greek gods exist, and she has the evidence to prove it.

Bria knows the gods are far more than legend, and she even has the
science to prove it. After years of research, she believes there is a
portal to Olympus, she just needs to overcome her deep-seated fear
of the cliffs to find it.
Despite the risks, Chrys has been sent to convince her otherwise.
His natural affinity with horses means he can easily assimilate into
Bria’s family ranch. The gods need Bria to believe she’s wrong, and
Chrys knows the danger she’s putting herself in by broadcasting her
theories. It’s just that the son of Poseidon didn’t count on falling for
the sassy, smart, single-minded girl…
Fighting the undeniable attraction, Bria’s determined to uncover
the truth, telling herself the escalating accidents around the ranch
are nothing but chance. When a magnificent winged horse saves her
life, she knows without a doubt she's been right all along. What’s
more, she’s starting to suspect Chrys is connected to all this
somehow.
All she has to do is get him to admit it…

The unforgettable first half of the next Descendants of the Gods

duology,
Son of Poseidon is the beginning of an unforgettable love story
by USA Today Best-Selling Author Tamar Sloan!

*Please note, cannot be read as a standalone.

Blood of Medusa is where this love story finishes.*

Descendants of the Gods

Demigods as you’ve never seen them before.
Duologies that will touch your heart.
Grab your copy HERE!

http://mybook.to/SonofPoseidon
 BLOOD OF MEDUSA

Chrys has done the only thing that could jeopardize the gods he
serves—fall in love with a human who has the ability to expose
them.

Now that Bria knows the truth, all she wants to do is keep Pegasus
and his secret safe, even if it means abandoning the search for the
portal between Earth and Olympus. A life without Chrys isn’t one she
wants to contemplate.
 Except now that Bria knows Pegasus exists, she’s become a
threat.
Chrys is left with an impossible choice. Leaving the girl who holds
his heart would mean abandoning her to the mercy of the gods. But
the harder he works to keep her safe, the more Pegasus appears,
the more the risk of exposure becomes a reality…and the more the
gods are convinced Bria has to die.
When Bria is offered a deal in exchange for her life, they discover
she’s far more important to the gods than they realized.
Because someone wants the portal to Olympus and the
Underworld opened…

The unforgettable second half of a Descendants of the Gods

duology,
Blood of Medusa is the epic conclusion to a love story that will
stay with you long after the last page.

*Please note, cannot be read as a standalone.

Son of Poseidon is where this love story begins.*

Descendants of the Gods

Demigods as you’ve never seen before.
Duologies that will touch your heart.
Grab your copy HERE!

http://mybook.to/BloodofMedusa
 WANT TO STAY IN TOUCH?

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might be biased, but there’s some awesome stories in the pipeline)!
Subscribe to be the first to know and to make the most of any deals I
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There’s also some cool freebies coming your way…
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Tamar : )
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tamar really struggled writing this bio, in part because it’s in third person, but
mostly because she hasn’t decided whether she’s primarily a psychologist who
loves writing, or a writer with a lifelong fascination with psychology.
She must have been someone pretty awesome in a previous life (past life
regression indicated a Care Bear), because she gets to do both. Beginning her
career as a youth worker, then a secondary school teacher, before becoming a
school psychologist, Tamar helps children and teens to live and thrive despite life’s
hurdles like loss, relationship difficulties, mental health issues, and trauma.
As lover of reading, inspired by books that sparked beautiful movies in her
head, Tamar loves to write young adult romance. To be honest, it was probably
inevitable that her knowledge and love of literature would translate into writing
emotion driven stories of finding life and love beyond our comfort zones. You can
find out more about Tamar’s books at www.tamarsloan.com
A lifetime consumer of knowledge, Tamar holds degrees in Applied Science,
Education and Psychology. When not reading, writing or working with teens, Tamar
can be found with her husband and two children enjoying country life on their small
slice of the Australian bush.
The driving force for all of Tamar’s writing is sharing and connecting. In truth,
connecting with others is why she writes. She loves to hear from readers and
fellow writers. Find her on all the usual social media channels or her website.
 ALSO BY TAMAR SLOAN

Child of Crossroads (Descendants of the Gods Prequel)

Daughter of Kronos (Descendants of the Gods 1)
Secret of Fate (Descendants of the Gods 2)
Son of Poseidon (Descendants of the Gods 3)
Blood of Medusa (Descendants of the Gods 4)

Prophecy Awakened (Book 1 Prime Prophecy Series)

Prophecy Accepted (Book 2 Prime Prophecy Series)
Prophecy Fulfilled (Book 3 Prime Prophecy Series)
Legacy Awakened (Book 4 Prime Legacy Series)
Legacy Accepted (Book 5 Prime Legacy Series)
Legacy Fulfilled (Book 6 Prime Legacy Series)

Make it Count (Urban Fantasy Romance)