"I know, I know. Intent is everything in magic. But I can't just sit here while some ancient power plays tic-tac-toe on my uterus. These are my babies, and if something's trying to claim them?—"
"We understand," Nana said, cutting me off. She thrust her hands on her hips and stared me down. "But rushing into spellwork when you're emotional is like baking when you'rehungry. You always add too much of something and end up with a mess."
"I'm totally calm and completely grounded," I promised as I headed for the kitchen.
The scent of cinnamon made my stomach grumble. Mythia was pulling something that looked dangerously delicious out of the oven. My stomach growled. I was torn between wanting to eat. Needing to ensure my babies were safe even more, I forced myself to focus. There would be time for whatever heavenly concoction she was making after I'd dealt with this mess.
I made my way to the cupboard where we kept our emergency magical supplies. It had become a godsend in the past week as it saved me from trekking down to the Sanctuary for basic ingredients. My magic thrummed beneath my skin and was amplified by pregnancy hormones and maternal instinct. The symbol pulsed faster as I gathered components for a protection spell. It was either trying to warn me or encourage me—I couldn't tell which.
"At least let me help," Selene offered, already moving towards the cabinet. "We should create a controlled environment to make sure there are no?—"
"No time," I muttered, chalk already in hand. "These babies need protection now."
Nina darted forward to grab sage bundles while Mom and Nana exchanged a look that clearly said, 'she's doing this with or without us’. Stella was lighting candles and arranging them around my half-drawn circle. "If you're going to be stubborn about this," Nana said as she grabbed a piece of chalk, "at least let us reinforce your circle. Six points of power are stronger than one."
Mom nodded, taking her position. "And six witches can handle the energy flow better than one very pregnant witch trying to do everything herself."
I offered them a grateful smile and continued drawing my circle. A second later, everything went sideways. One moment I was focusing on protection, surrounded by my family's steady energy, and the next, my mind was flooded with visions. I saw my unborn children. Not as babies, but as they would be.
Nyssa stood atop Mount Olympus. Her presence made Zeus shift uneasily on his throne. Divine energy crackled around her like lightning, but unlike her grandfather's raw power, hers was focused and controlled. It was also far stronger. The King of Gods himself yielded to her commands.
Thaniel moved through the Underworld as if he'd been born to it. He commanded legions of the dead with more authority than any demigod before him. Even Charon bowed his head in deference. The power of death itself answered to him. Not as a servant but as an equal.
Melaina stood in the heart of Olympus's great hall. Her voice carried the weight of unbreakable law. The Fates themselves paused their weaving to listen when she spoke. Gods who once thought themselves above mortal concerns scrambled to honor her decrees.
But there was more. I saw darkness rising. Ancient powers stirred from a slumber that made the Titans look like newborns. I saw my children standing as guardians. Their combined strength forcing even the oldest gods to fall in line behind them. I saw myself, transformed by the power growing within me. I wielded magic that had no name. I saw Aidon?—
The visions shattered as pain ripped through my abdomen. This was not the normal pregnancy discomfort I'd grown used to. It was sharper. Fear beat urgently through me. It felt like my insides were trying to rearrange themselves.
"Phoebe!" Aidon's voice seemed to come from far away, though his hands gripped my shoulders.
"Something's wrong," I gasped and doubled over as another wave of pain hit. "The babies—they're—the magic is?—"
"It's too early," Mom said, rushing to my side. "Selene, call Clio. Now! Tell her it's an emergency!"
The symbol on my belly was pulsing rapidly now. Its light was almost blinding. Each contraction sent waves of magical energy through the room. "This isn't normal labor," Tarja interjected. Her mental voice was tense as she pressed against my leg. "The magic is reacting to what you saw. It's creating a feedback loop with the symbol."
"What did you see?" Aidon demanded as he supported me while another contraction hit. His power flared in response to my distress, deepening the shadows in the room.
"Everything," I managed through gritted teeth, clutching his arm. "The future—their future. It's too much. Too big. None of it was right—" Another contraction cut me off. "They can't come now. It's too early. We're not ready for what's coming."
The room erupted into chaos as everyone moved at once. Selene was on the phone with Clio while Nina and Mom worked to contain the wild magic now radiating from me in waves. Stella ran for her emergency birth kit—of course, she had one prepared—while Nana started brewing something that smelled like chamomile.
"Stay with me," Aidon murmured. His hand pressed against my belly where the symbol continued its frantic light show. His power flowed from him and into me. It tried to stabilize the magical surge. "Focus on my voice. Remember that whatever you saw isn’t set in stone. We can change things. We'll face whatever happens together. But right now, we need to keep these babies where they are. They aren’t ready to be born."
I nodded, trying to breathe through another contraction as Aidon picked me up and carried me into the living room. The mobile's constellations were spinning faster and fasteroverhead. The future I'd glimpsed pressed against my mind like a weight that I forced back. Right now, the only future that mattered was getting through the next few minutes without having divine triplets twelve weeks early.
"The protection circle," I gasped suddenly. "It's not finished. If we don't close it?—"
"Forget the circle," Mom ordered. "Clio's on her way. Nina, get one of the blankets from Hades. If they responded to the symbol before, maybe one can help now."
The pain peaked again. I couldn't hold back a cry that made the windows rattle, and the mobile's constellations froze mid-spin. "If these babies come early because I tried to do magical yoga," I growled through clenched teeth, "I am never going to live it down."
CHAPTER 5
Everything hurt. My whole body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside as another contraction ripped through me. The babies weren't ready. I wasn't ready. Aidon's power flowed steadily into me as he held me on the couch. But his energy couldn't fully stabilize the chaos of whatever was happening. The visions I'd seen were burned in my mind. The fragments were of a future that seemed too vast and terrible to comprehend.
"Where the hell is Clio?" I gasped between contractions. The symbol on my belly pulsed frantically. Its light was so bright it shone through the blanket Mom had draped over me. My skin felt like it was on fire where the mark blazed.
