“You’re wondering how I knew you were here. It’s my aegis,” she said, registering the surprised looks on Aida’s and Yumi’s faces. “I’m connected to you and know where you are. When you came close to the Umbilicus, I assumed you may have news for us.”
“We do. We think we may know where Effie is.”
Sophie looked toward the Forum. After a pause, she held out her hands. Yumi took one, Aida took the other, and with a whoosh, they were standing in front of Vulcan’s golden lions. One of them growled.
“Shush,” Sophie said, ignoring the beast’s warning and touching the door. It opened into the humming forge. Vulcan stood there, hands on hips, looking less than pleased.
“Sophrosyne. It’s been a while.” He looked at Aida and Yumi. “But not for you two. You know something useful?” His voice boomed.
“Y... yes,” Aida began. Sophie’s aegis didn’t seem to work in her immediate presence. She remembered that the goddess had said they didn’t need it around her, but now there was no calm to shield them from the wonder that was the god of the forge. Vulcan was like something out of a superhero movie. Larger than life, stunning in his appearance, and everything about him was otherworldly. It didn’t matter that she had met him before—without the aegis, he was so imposing it practically took her breath away. His hair was almost fire, and he towered over them. She wondered how Yumi had managed to keep any composure at all when they first met him.
Aglaea emerged from a nearby doorway, and she was equally breathtaking. Her platinum tresses fell across her shoulders, and she wore a white dress on her lithe frame. She went to her husband and linked her arm in his.
Sophie seemed to notice the problem, as she snapped her fingers and abruptly the calm returned.
Aida realized she had been gaping in awe. She took a breath. “Thank you.”
“Now then, tell us what you know,” Aggie said, her voice gentle and encouraging.
Aida and Yumi explained everything, relating what had happened with Pandora and Trista’s slipup about the Catacombs of St. Callixtus.
“Interesting,” Vulcan said, raising a hand to stroke his beard. “Those catacombs hold popes now, but they are built on the remains of an ancient hypogeum.”
“Why didn’t I think of that before?” Sophie said, her eyes wide with understanding. “Many centuries ago, there was an altar to Oizys deep within the catacombs.”
“There was an altar there?” Aggie looked skeptical.
“I wouldn’t expect you’d have been aware of it. Our sister always kept to herself. Not to mention, your domains are far removed from the abode of misery and despair. And Oizys, ever secluded in her ways, always shrouds her sanctums in secrecy. A journey into the depths of sorrow to reach her shrine was the ultimate answer for those who sought solace in their pain. Think. How did they unburden themselves of their grief?”
Yumi gasped. “They killed themselves.”
Vulcan crossed his arms. “An altar with so many years of sorrow and grief imbues the place with a power that likely reinforces the magic keeping Euphrosyne from the world. Trapping her in my chair wouldn’t be enough; they’d still need to tamp down the happiness that naturally flows from her. The catacombs... they make sense.”
“Our friend Felix says there is only one door to enter the catacombs,” Yumi began. “I think I might be able to hack in and manage the cameras without too much problem.”
“But we’ll still have to pick the lock and find the room where she’s kept, then—” Aida continued, but Vulcan cut her off.
“Free her. Yes, yes. And you’ll likely have other godlike issues to contend with.”
“Issues like what?” Aida asked, not sure she was going to like the answer.
He looked thoughtful. “The deeper you get, the more the weight of Oizys’s power will discourage you. And if you set off any triggers to warn the gods, they’ll surely throw whatever they can at you. Whether that’s mortals doing their bidding, nightmarish apparitions, physical traps—”
“You mean Indiana Jones–style traps?” Yumi interrupted, then realized she had cut off a god and clapped her hand over her mouth.
Aggie raised an eyebrow but didn’t engage with the comment. “I’m not sure what you mean, but my siblings don’t need elaborate traps—they wouldn’t even imagine a mortal could get close to the throne,” she said coolly. “That kind of arrogance is their real defense.”
Sophie agreed. “She’s right. First, the mere weight of sorrow hanging over Oizys’s sanctuary will be enough to keep all but the most dedicated mortals away—those who already know about the sanctuary. Average humans would be repelled by the misery without understanding it. One would need to be ready to give everything to Oizys to find her shrine. And aside from that, there’s the natural age of the catacombs, which are certainly structurally dangerous in many parts. There’s a reason that the lower levels have been closed off for decades.”
Aida frowned. “But why us? You’d be helping another god—Effie. So why aren’t you handling it yourselves?”
Vulcan let out a short humorless laugh. “You think it’s that simple? Gods can’t just go around stealing other gods’ prisoners without consequences.”
Aggie’s expression was grave. “Yes, MODA took Effie. But under our laws, only the god who was wronged can retaliate. The rest of us can’t interfere—not yet. That’s why the balance hasn’t shattered.”
Sophie added, “The balance among us is delicate, but still intact, because so far MODA hasn’t been challenged. If we movefirst, we aren’t just rescuing Effie—we’re breaking the rules ourselves. And if we do that, every god left on earth has the right to step in. That’s when things spiral.”
Vulcan leaned forward. “Think of it like a scale—MODA’s move tilted it, but not enough to send everything crashing down. If we act now, we turn a violation into an open battle between gods. But if you act first—if mortals free Effie—then the scales shift. MODA is no longer holding her. At that point, her retaliation is justified. And then we have options.”
