The stronghold lived in rhythms now. Chloe's laughter in the morning, Leonidas's booming voice drilling the guards at midday, Nyx's quiet footsteps through the halls at dusk, and Medusa humming lullabies at night.
But beneath it all, there was a pulse. A wrongness only Megumi could feel.
⸻
The Hall
He passed Leonidas in the corridor. The old warrior clapped a hand on his shoulder with a smile.
"You should rest. You've done enough training for three lifetimes, boy."
Megumi forced a laugh, thin and unconvincing. "Yeah. Maybe tomorrow."
As he walked away, Leonidas's hand tightened around the broken spear he now used as a walking staff. He watched Megumi's back disappear into the dark, his chest heavy with unspoken worry.
⸻
The Garden
Medusa and Nyx sat together, watching Chloe crawl across the grass.
"She doesn't smile at him the way she does with us," Medusa whispered, biting her lip.
Nyx's gaze hardened. "Children see truth. They feel it before we do."
Medusa hugged her knees, her snakes restless. "Do you think he's slipping away?"
Nyx didn't answer. But the silence was heavier than any reply.
⸻
The Night
Megumi stood on the cliff overlooking the valley, the moonlight painting his figure in silver. His aura flickered faintly—like cracks in glass, glowing, threatening to burst. He clenched his fists, trying to hold it down, to keep it hidden.
If they knew… if Ava knew… she'd look at me like a monster.
He closed his eyes. The whispers in his head were louder tonight. That same presence he'd felt since Olympus—the thing he dared not name.
"You're not enough," it whispered. "You were never the king. Only the shadow of what came before."
Megumi's breath shook. He gritted his teeth, fighting back against the voice.
And then—
"A penny for your thoughts?"
He turned sharply. Ava stood a few feet behind him, the wind tugging gently at her hair, Chloe asleep in her arms. Her eyes were soft, but not naïve. She had been watching. Waiting.
"Something is wrong," Ava said quietly. "I've felt it for weeks. You're shutting me out. Shutting all of us out."
Megumi's throat tightened.
"It's time you told me," she said, stepping closer, her voice firm now. "Whatever it is you're hiding—I deserve to know."
The night air was still. The cliff was silent, save for the waves crashing far below.
Megumi didn't move.
"Okay I'll tell you"