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“Olivia,” she breathes. She reaches for me, her hand hesitating a moment, but she pushes through the uncertainty and smooths a hand over my hair. The gesture is comforting yet confusing. I try to reconcile the loving touch with Octavia, my mother, but also the woman who’s nearly a stranger to me. “Of course, I can help you. You already have such an impressive control of your powers, so please don’t worry.”
“Thank you,” I say, unsure what else to say. “I wasn’t sure if you knew.”
“I had a feeling, especially since you gained all of your father’s powers, it would make sense that you gained mine too, but I wasn’t sure, since neither Titus nor Kallen developed more than shadows,” Octavia explains, resting her hand on my shoulder. I nearly jump at the touch, the expression of comfort strange coming from her, yet, as I sit with it, it feels ... right? “I just didn’t want to frighten you with it, especially with being in the infernal realm.”
Silence stretches between us as I remember the fear and anger that had coursed through me when Titus first swept me away from my life. Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t have taken being told I have death powers very well if she’d blurted it out then.
“I’m not sure that we should train for that specific power here though. I’m sure my presence is already worrisome to some,” Octavia murmurs, glancing out at the throng of students, demigods, and gods below. Sure enough, I catch more than a few of them looking up at us. They quickly avert their gazes as I make eye contact with them, but I don’t miss the hint of fear.
“I want you to know that the fates did not bless you with this power lightly,” Octavia says. “There was a reason your brothers and Romulus didn’t receive the power, despite their positions and their blood.”
“I know.” I smile softly back at her. Her words remind me of what Mateo told me yesterday when I revealed that the weight of this new power frightened me. “It will just take some getting used to and some practice.”
“Exactly.” Octavia pulls her hands back and stands from her seat, looking out at the field with a renewed sense of excitement. “Do you know if there’s a place where we can practice?”
“I think I know just the place.” The image of the small cottage just outside the arena pops into my mind. It had seemed like a meeting place, but if Kyros isn’t using it for something, I’m sure we could go there away from the prying eyes of the people around us.
I take the lead and stride down the steps, with Octavia following behind. A mix of nerves and excitement swirl around in my gut as I imagine how exactly Octavia will teach me how to use the power without ... well, killing anyone.
“Hey, can we talk?” Titus says, coming out from seemingly nowhere. I clasp my chest, my heart jackhammering at his sudden appearance. I nearly stumble as I take the last step onto the grass, barely righting myself before I faceplant.
“Really?” I huff incredulously. “You need to wear a bell or something.”
“Sorry,” Titus says, but I don’t miss the choked laughter and barely disguised smirk.
He is so not sorry.
“I’ll let you two have a moment,” Octavia smiles, gliding past us. Her black dress sweeps out behind her as she turns and strides away to where my father stands in the distance, a group of students already surrounding him.
“What do you want?” I sigh, crossing my arms over my chest as I pin him with a look of disdain ... mostly for scaring me.
“You— Ugh, why do you have to make this so difficult?” he groans, scrubbing a hand over his face in exasperation.
“Me?” I nearly shout, my eyes narrowing in disbelief. “You’re the one who wanted to talk to me so badly.”
“And I’m regretting it already,” he says under his breath but still loud enough so I can hear.
I grit my teeth, about to go off of him, but he cuts me off.
“I wanted to apologize for everything I put you through. You know all the demons and trials and nonsense.” He waves it off like it was nothing, as though he’s trivializing the hell I went through because of him, but I see the tinge of pain in his light brown eyes as he rakes a hand back through his hair.
“Oh, like, trying to abduct me, sending demons after me, and putting me through weeks of hell preparing for the trials only for them to just be an excuse to finally capture me, is something so easily forgiven,” I scoff, half-jokingly.
“Okay, okay,” he says, bringing his hands up in front of him as though he’s trying to appease a wild animal. “I just—I rationalized everything, you know? I told myself I wasn’t actually the bad guy because I was doing everything for the greater good. But seeing the building earlier and how you all reacted to it ... it made me realize how much my actions affected all of you. I’m truly sorry.”
Silence stretches between us and my brows furrow as I look back at Titus—my brother, seeing the true contrition creasing his features. I can tell he’s been struggling with this—both feeling like an outsider because of what he’s done, and knowing that his endgame was for the greater good.
“I know, Titus. It hasn’t been easy to see that shift. Hell, I needed Seraphina to confirm it for me before I was actually convinced that you were on our side, but I know that now.” A weight seems to lift off my shoulders as the words leave my lips, like I’m letting go of the past, ready and willing to see where the future will take us.
“It might have been for the right reasons, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult,” he says, looking back at where the stone building used to stand. “I had a part to play, one you were never supposed to see through. Because of that, I had to do some things I’m not proud of. On the plus side though, if you hadn’t gone through the trials you wouldn’t have been able to face Romulus head-on like you did.”
“I know,” I breathe, some of the tension easing at his apology. “I’m trying to see past it though, now that I know there was a reason for it all. It would help, though, if you weren’t such an ass.”
I lightly shove his shoulder, giving him a smug smirk.
“Only if you stop being such an annoying little brat.” He smirks back at me, playfully shoving me in return.
“Where the hell you been, bitch?” a female voice screeches as a blur of pink flashes in front of me, followed by a crash of limbs as she collides with me. Her chest smashes against mine and she nearly knocks me over as her arms band tightly around me. I pull in a strangled breath, trying desperately to fill my lungs in her vise-like grip, when realization comes crashing into me.
