During the first dozen years of my life, nothing had happened. Then I killed the monster that murdered my family and discarded my humanity. Discovering my devil heritage had changed me. Unlocking my Bloodline had changed me. Yet it was the decision to leave behind my home and ventured into the unknown that would prove to be the most transformative.
One look at the alluring daughter of Aphrodite told me that the same held true for her. Isabella’s expression made no secret of her surprise at seeing me. Not even two weeks ago, her face had betrayed not a trace of genuine emotion.
"Where did you put it?" I asked.
My connection to the Marked necklace was muffled, as it had been for the past couple hours.
There was only one reason why that would still be the case. For whatever reason, she had left my gift behind in the Underworld.
"I gave it to our third quest member," Isabella said, staring at me as though trying to peer into my mind.
"Annabeth."
Percy flinched at the mention of the name, his shock at my appearance giving way to a storm of anger and guilt.
"You were forced to leave her behind," I inferred. "Why?"
Without Sally to consider, they should have had enough magical pearls to ensure they all escaped.
"The Ruler of the Underworld demanded one of us stay behind," Isabella explained. "As punishment for intruding on his realm."
A silent plea burned behind her luminous eyes.
"You want me to rescue her?"
"I do."
"Hold on!" Percy called, desperation seeping into his voice.
"What are you doing here? Where’s Mom?" The questions spilled from his lips like a tidal wave. "How is she doing? Is she safe?"
I did not answer immediately. The boy had changed too. In temperament, if not appearance. Eyes as green as the sea, sun-kissed skin and dark hair. The gods did not leave their children a single feature for their mortal parents to recognize themselves in.
"Your mother went home."
The city was a hotbed of monsters. By now, she had almost certainly faced her first battle.
"Whether she’s safe or not, I could not say."
Not anymore.
"How could you let her do that?" Percy’s hands shook. "It’s not safe!"
As if I did not know that already. More than once, I had been forced to kill creatures stalking her apartment. They had been searching for the mother of the Lightning Thief. Her status as the first true dragon in their world would no doubt prove just as enticing.
"It was her decision to leave. What would you have me do? Chain her in my lair like some beast?"
"Chain her?" Percy‘s voice cracked with outrage. "What kind of—"
"Percy," Isabella cut in gently. "I know you’re worried about your mother, but now isn’t the time for this."
His shoulders sank as he gripped the delicate purple bag. It did not look like something he would wear.
"You’re right… Annabeth gave us a task." Percy lifted his head. "Let’s go save the world!"
How dramatic. Perhaps saving Sally from the Minotaur had changed more than I realized.
"Before you do that."
I stared at Isabella.
"Do you truly understand what you’re asking of me?"
The moment my spell activated, Hades would know precisely who to blame. And from what I remembered, the god was already not particularly fond of devils.
"This is what you gave me the necklace for, isn’t it?"
She was being coy. I had heard enough of their argument to piece together what happened. She had messed up, and now she wanted me to bail her out.
"You‘ll owe me for this."
I raised my hand and pulled on the thread connecting me to my most distant Mark.
Relief washed across Isabella’s features as she gave a heavy nod.
"I understand."
Percy frowned, his gaze flicking between us.
"What are you—"
A young girl materialized before him, wreathed in jade light. She looked like a version of Audrey who had chosen the pen over the sword. Still as fit as any demigoddess, but noticeably less martial.
"Annabeth!" Percy exclaimed, staring at her in disbelief. "You’re here!"
"Percy?" The girl turned her head. "How did I—"
The moment our eyes met, she recoiled. A heartbeat later, she stood beside her companions with a bronze dagger in hand
"What is he doing here?"
Daughters of Athena drawing their daggers on me at first sight was becoming a pattern. I wasn’t sure what to think of that.
Realization dawned on Annabeth’s face as her fingers flew to the softy shimmering pendant around her neck. The crimson light was already fading.
"You know him!" she accused, snapping toward Isabella. "How? Since when?"
"I’m glad you’re safe, Annabeth." Isabella smiled, ignoring the girl’s questions
"I can’t believe this!" Annabeth slid the dagger back into its sheath. "You knew this was going to happen all along, yet you acted like you were about to sacrifice yourself. And then you just let me stay behind instead!"
"I hoped!" Isabella retorted. "I wasn’t sure he’d actually do it."
She clearly did not know me yet. Some unrelated demigoddess was a different matter, but Isabella would one day be part of my peerage. And for that, I would have pulled her from Tartarus itself. By hand, if I had to.
"Why didn’t you tell me?" Annabeth asked, her voice trembling faintly. "Do you have any idea how terrifying that was?"
"They were obviously listening in on our conversation. I couldn’t let them know what the necklace is for."
"Then why didn’t you at least—"
"Guys!" A genuine smile curled on Percy’s lips as he interrupted them with familiar ease.
"We’ve got a world to save, remember? Do you really want to fight right now?"
"… I suppose not."
Annabeth’s expression settled. She removed the necklace and extended it toward me.
"This belongs to you, doesn’t it?"
I did not respond, simply reaching out to take it from her hand. My voice lowered as I turned to Isabella.
"Next time… you can be sure."
An indecipherable emotion passed behind her eyes. A moment later, her face softened as she accepted the necklace with a nod.
Percy shot me a pinched look before clearing his throat.
"Now that that’s taken care of, how will we—"
"Wait!" Isabella cut in. Radiant blue light ignited in her hands as two identical bags to the one Percy carried wove themselves into existence above her palms. I had seen that spell before. Although in another life. Magi called it Graduation Air. Without a teacher, she should not have been able to learn it.
She slung one over her shoulder and offered the other to Annabeth.
"Take this."
"… Why?"
"I don’t know where we are exactly—"
"San Francisco," Annabeth interjected, pointing toward the massive red structure in the distance. "That’s the Golden Gate Bridge."
They were on a place called Mile Rock Beach, to be exact. The only things the Moirai had deigned to include in their letter were a time and an addres.
They had been off by over an hour.
"But we still need to cross half the country again," Isabella continued easily. "Now that we know exactly what we’ve been carrying, its better to be extra careful."
"I get it!" Percy’s voice brightened. "Its like those decoy cars that follow the president around. They regularly switch positions so nobody knows which one he’s in." A knowing grin spread across lips as he looked at Annabeth. "It’s called the shell game."
"I know what the shell game is," Annabeth deadpanned. "You seaweed brain."
They were messing around. Just minutes ago they had both been beside themselves.
"Very good, Percy. You’re exactly right." Isabella rewarded the boy with a smile. "There’s still a lot of distance we need to cover. Any chance we might loose the Bolt needs to be eliminated at all costs." A troubled look crossed her face. "Yet even so, to tell you the truth… I don’t know if we’ll make it in time. If only we had—"
"If you want me to take you, just say that."
I rolled my eyes. For a natural-born enchantress, she was severely lacking in the manipulation department. It was likely a consequence of relying on her voice and looks all her life.
"You’re rather sharp," Isabella chimed.
"You’re not very subtle."
Flying here had been mind-numbingly boring. Nothing compared to crossing the Pacific Ocean, but still not something I was keen on repeating. Fortunately, New York was well decorated with my Marks.
I held out my hand.
"Ask."
For a breath, she simply stared at me, looking almost surprised.
"… Can you take us?'
"I can."
Isabella wrapped her fingers around mine, and I offered my other arm to her companions.
"Give me your hands."
"Chiron told me not to trust you," Percy grumbled, glancing at my offered limb as though it were a venomous serpent—which wasn’t too far off the truth.
"Chiron is a hypocrite," I replied.
My ancestors had quite literally been the opposite of angels, but the Greeks were hardly any better. A spark of indignation flared within me at the thought of a centaur looking down on me for my heritage. If people had judged him for his race, he would have never been allowed around children.
"I guess its a little to late to worry about trust now," Percy sighed. He touched the back of my arm. A heartbeat later, Annabeth did the same.
"We need to get as close to the Empire State Building as possible," she urged. "It’s the entrance to—"
"Leave the details to me," I cut her off. A sudden bout of hesitation overtook me as I locked onto the most convenient Mark.
The Fates wanted me to come here. That was all they had instructed me to do. The last time I went above and beyond what the mission demanded, it had not worked out for me.
My magic slowly receded. In truth, a civil war between the god-kings of the Olympian faction would be of benefit to me. No general would reject a mercenary willing to work for free. And there would be no end to the enemies I could fight, nor to the riches I could plunder.
Isabella‘s grip on my hand tightened.
"Thank you for helping us, Ladora," she said.
Her smile was captivating.
In the end, a second Titanomachy was far more enticing than an Olympian civil war ever could be.
"Hold on tight," I commanded as I activated my chosen Mark.
A sharp gasp tore from Isabella’s throat as a barbed whip lashed around her neck and ripped her hand from mine.
For a single instant, pure shock flashed across her face. Then my vision drowned in jade light, and she was gone.
Thunder rolled across the lightning-less skies of New York as I fought the urge to kick the bench before me. I tore my arm away from the demigod duo and rapidly sorted through the multitude of threads in search of the necklace.
It wasn’t there.
I could not feel the connection.
"Where‘s Isabella?" Percy’s asked slowly.
"Something attacked her," Annabeth replied. "I saw it! It was—"
I whipped toward her.
"Who was it!"
She leapt backward and drew her dagger. Her hand trembled around the hilt. Percy uncapped his sword and pointed the gleaming blade at me, his expression deadly serious.
"Ah…"
I slowly traced my fingers along the horns that had grown from my head and dismissed my wings. The draconic aura I had unconsciously released ebbed away.
"Let me ask again."
I cleared my throat and forced calm into my voice.
"Who was it?"
"…It was the god of war," Annabeth answered. "He gave her that bag…" Her tone lowered. "He must’ve thought she was still carrying the original."
Impossible. Ares was not supposed to be there. I had made sure there were only mortals on that beach. For hundreds of yards in every directions.
"Shit," Percy cursed. "Her plan worked."
I still could not feel the necklace. And there was no other Mark in the region. Flying back to San Francisco was out of the question. I should have placed one while I was there.
"You have to bring us back," Percy demanded as he shoved Riptide back into his pocket.
My teeth clenched.
"I can’t."
"Why—"
"If he went after her because he thinks she has the Bolt… what do you think he‘ll do once he realizes that she doesn’t?" I glared at the stupid boy. "You need to finish your Quest. Now."
"He‘s right." Annabeth gripped Percy‘s shoulder. "We need to go. He cannot hurt her as long as she doesn’t challenge him. Besides… you know how she is." She gave a shaky smile. "She‘s going to figure something out. She’ll be fine. I‘m sure of it."
At first, it looked as though Percy would refuse. Then he bit down on his lip and nodded.
"Good." Annabeth sucked in a slow breath. "We need to get to the Empire State—"
"No."
I swept my gaze across the surrounding vegetation.
"Time is of the essence."
A half-hour walk separated Central Park from the Empire State Building. They could reach it in minutes if they tried, but there had to be a faster way. An elevator in a mortal building could not be the only entrance to Olympus.
"Tilia!"
I locked onto a particular tree. It’s leaves were rustling out of step with the wind.
"I need you."
The branches twisted and wove themselves into a familiar figure. Once the transformation finished, the beautiful Dryad stared at us with wide eyes.
"Are those two…"
"The heroes trying to stop your civil war?" I finished. "Yes."
"Wow." Tilia‘s expression was reverent. Although their lives were fleeting in comparison, demigods stood higher on the divine ladder than any nature spirits.
"What can I do for you?… Your lordships."
She stumbled over her words as she offered a clumsy curtsy.
"They‘re needed up in Olympus," I answered impatiently. "Fast. Can you take them?"
The Dryad was under the protection of an Olympian goddess. If anyone knew a shortcut, it had to be her.
"I can!"
Her features firmed with determination.
"There’s a Path right here!"
"Fantastic."
I glanced at Isabella‘s companions.
"Go with her. I‘ll take it from here."
This time, it was the girl who lingered longest. In her fierce glare, I saw her sister reflected back at me for the first time.
"You’d better save her…"
The storm-grey of her eyes darkened to ash.
"Devil."
I did not respond. Perhaps she had recognized my draconic features from some myth or story, but there was no way she could have guessed at my devilhood. Once I had rescued her, Isabella would tell me precisely what happened on their Quest.
I turned away from their retreating backs and sat down on the bench. Then I closed my eyes and spread my senses once more.
The thread was still cut. It did not make sense.
Hades himself had been unable to sever my connection to my Mark. A lesser god like Ares could not have done this.
And yet he did.
Was it some anti-dragon artefact? Holy magic? He should have had access to neither. There were no dragons in the Greek world, much less dragon slayers. And the Christian Church was the enemy of all pagans.
"What are you going to do, Partner?"
The familiar weight of the Boosted Gear settled on my arm.
"You know the answer to that."
Ddraig huffed, the sound striking a strange balance between exasperation and bemusement.
"You’re not thinking straight."
"I am!“
"No." His voice deepened. "You aren’t."
Devil magic was based on imagination and power. As long as I had enough of either, there were few things I could not accomplish. I could not figure out how Ares was blocking my Mark. That meant my imagination was lacking. I would have to compensate for it with power.
"You’re clearly still reeling from that woman rejecting you."
My thoughts ground to a halt. I tore open my eyes, swallowed my initial response and instead glared at the crimson gauntlet.
"What the fuck are talking about? Did you not hear what the girl said?"
Isabella had not challenged Ares, and yet he had struck her.
"That piece of shit committed treason against his own father and plotted a civil war. You think someone like that cares about rules."
My jaw tightened as the image of the whip wrapping around her neck flashed through my mind.
"He is going to kill her!"
"So what?" Ddraig asked curiously. "Are you going to play the knight in shining armour and rescue the fair princess from the evil god?"
There were no words to describe the feelings burning in my chest. They weren’t logical. Far removed from things like common sense and reason.
"I am."
"You’re being foolish," Ddraig sighed. "Did I not tell you what happened to the last Host of mine who challenged the God of War?"
"I don’t care."
What other purpose did my power serve than to protect which was mine?
"Have it your way."
"BOOST."
A torrent of energy flooded into my draconic heart.
AN: If you enjoy my writing and want to support it—there is more on
I’ve also posted some character and scenery images over there under [Collection] for anyone’s who’s interested in that. Creating them cost me little more than a bit of time and a few paragraphs of prompts, so naturally you‘ll get them for free.