My mouth dropped open. “He just… He just appeared.”
Arthur glanced at me. “This is Caliban.”
“Hi, yes, we keep meeting,” I said faintly.
Caliban’s gaze slid to me, his eyes narrowing. “Oh,” he said. “It’s you.”
“This is Artemis,” Arthur said. “There was an attack. Six of them.”
Caliban’s expression shifted immediately. Focused. Sharp. “Casualties?”
“None on our side,” Arthur said. “One fled. The rest won’t be a problem again.”
Caliban nodded once. “Information breach?”
“Yes,” Arthur said. “Percy Caballero has records relating to the missing period in my genealogy. Someone wanted them erased. And her.”
Caliban’s gaze slid over me. He studied me, but it didn’t feel intrusive. More calculating and sort of protective.
“She’s implicated,” Arthur continued. “Which means she is not safe alone. I’m taking her with me.”
He gave no explanationbeyond that.
Caliban exhaled slowly. “Understood.”
“I need you to go home,” Arthur said. “Pack a bag for me. Bring the travel kit, the map, and the seals.”
Caliban nodded, and I could see him shifting mental gears. “How long?”
“Unsure,” Arthur replied. “Be ready to drive when you return.”
“Drive?” he asked, his forehead creasing
“Yes,” Arthur said. “You’ll take Percy where he needs to go. After that, take the car north and return it home.”
Caliban glanced at Percy, who lifted a hand in a small, apologetic wave.
“I’m taking the Gullwing,” Caliban said flatly.
“Very well.”
Caliban stared at him for a moment. Then he sighed. “I knew today would be expensive.”
Arthur’s mouth curved almost imperceptibly. “Don't scratch it.”
Caliban snorted. “I survived your father’s reign. I can handle a human transportation machine.” Caliban turned to me. “Try not to let him brood too much.”
“I make no promises,” I said.
That earned me a brief look of surprised approval.
Arthur continued. “Please update my mother of my departure at your soonest convenience. And try not to worry her.”
He glanced around the wreckage, then added, as if continuing a previous thought, “Also, for preparedness, there is currently significant human discourse about whether Zendaya and Tom Holland are still together. This may affect crowd behavior at airports.”
Arthur frowned. “Why would that matter?”
“It matters,” Caliban said calmly.
