And that’s when I see it. The missing tile, wedged into the corner of the base of the Perseus and Medusa statue. Because of course that’s where it is. I swear, this statue is my nemesis.
I reach over and pull it out, then squat down and press the tile into the tiny spot on the floor where it belongs.
The moment I do—the moment the mosaic is complete—the sparkles come back. This time they fill the room, spinning and spinning and spinning around until I grow dizzy just watching them.
“What’s happening now?” Kyrian asks, eyes wide.
“Can you see them?”
“The sparkles?” He nods. “Yeah, I can see them this time.”
“We can all see them,” Arjun says as the sparkles explode outward and shower over the floor like confetti, then slowly sink between the tiles.
“What are they doing?” Fifi whispers.
“I don’t know.”
But then the most miraculous thing I’ve ever seen happens—and I’ve seen a lot since coming to Anaximander’s. But this…this is something extraordinary.
The figures in the mosaic start to move.
They start to grow.
They become three-dimensional and then they step right out of the mosaic.
“Oh my gods!” Fifi squeals.
Prometheus is much taller now than he was when I last saw him. He’s gigantic—as big as a Titan should be. AndPandora…Pandora really is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, with a smile so kind it lights up the whole room.
For one second, Prometheus’s eyes meet mine, and burning deep inside them is the fire of the humanity the gods could never take from him.
“Thank you,” he says in a voice so deep and rumbly it shakes the entire hall.
“You’re welcome,” I whisper as Pandora bends down and picks up the baby, cuddling him against her shoulder right before the three of them turn into marble and claim their rightful place in the Hall of Legends.
57.Keep Calm and Carrion
HOW…,” ARJUN STARTS, BUT THENhis voice trails off like he doesn’t even know what to ask.
I don’t blame him, because I don’t have a clue how to answer.
“Well, I certainly never expected that to happen,” Kyrian says as he continues to stare at the newest addition to the Hall of Legends.
“That’s because you’re a hot Hades boy,” Fifi tells him. “There’s not enough magic in the Underworld for you to understand what just happened here.”
“Oh, and there’s enough magic inthisworld?” he shoots back.
Fifi grins and gestures to Prometheus. “Obviously.”
Before he can say anything else, a strange hissing noise fills the air.
“Um, can anyone tell me what that is?” Arjun asks, sounding nervous.
“I don’t—” I break off, because at that exact moment, the vulture in the sky of the mosaic becomes three-dimensional and hops right out of it.
He stares at all four of us for a moment, then lets out a loud caw and flies up to land on Prometheus’s shoulder.
We watch for a few seconds, expecting him to become marble like the others. But instead he just stays a plain old, regular, alive vulture.
