“We get this…panoramic awareness,” Zara said, gesturing slowly with her hands. “Like a supernatural 3D map of the space around us.”
“It’s not just knowing someone’s magical,” Elian added, “We see how they’re magical. What type, what intensity. Their emotional signature, their intentions, their, like, spiritual fingerprints.”
“And their connections,” Zara said. “Bloodline, ancestry, divine influences. And in this case, if they’re tied to Zeus.”
“Those threads show up like glowing lines,” Elian said, excitement creeping into his voice. “Sometimes runes or symbols float around them. If the blood is strong, like god-levelstrong, we can see echoes of their ancestors, too. Almost like holograms.”
Hektor stared at them for a long beat.
Medusa looked pleased.
Perseus looked impressed despite himself.
Zara felt her pulse skip, just a little, with pride.
Liora crossed her arms and arched a brow at Hektor. “Well, we’ve shown you ours. Won’t you show us yours?”
Hektor let out a low grunt, somewhere between annoyance and resignation.
Before he could shut the question down entirely, Medusa stepped in smoothly. “Hektor’s an enforcer in the Drakkon stronghold,” she explained. “He’s spent years navigating Vale Crossing’s territories. He knows the politics, the leaders, the trouble spots…all the things you three don’t.”
Perseus nodded, leaning back in his chair. “Think of him as our fixer. If we need access to a community, he’s the one who gets us in. No closed doors, no hostile borders.”
Hektor finally uncrossed his arms, gaze steady and unreadable. “And I keep people in line,” he added flatly. “If things go bad, I handle it.”
Zara tried to ignore the tiny spark that shot through her, probably curiosity. Probably.
“Great,” Liora said brightly. “So, you’re our muscle.”
Hektor grunted again.
Which, honestly, sounded like a yes.
Zara barely had time to process Medusa’s, “We’ll be right back,” before the gorgon slipped out the door, Perseus close behind her.
The moment the door shut, Liora snagged Zara by the elbow and yanked her a few feet away from the table.
“You’re into Hektor,” Liora hissed.
Zara choked on nothing. “What—no—I—what?!”
“He was a total asshole.” Liora jabbed a finger at her. “And you just took it. Smiling. Being all patient. That’s your tell, Zara.”
“What,” she said again, but this time it came out weaker, more like a squeak than a protest.
“What’s going on?” Elian walked up to them, already grinning.
Zara groaned. She knew exactly what was coming next, and she knew exactly how loud her siblings could be.
“Could you guys keep it quiet?” she whispered through clenched teeth. “Seriously.”
Elian leaned in, whispering dramatically, “Ooh, this has to be good.”
“No, it’s not,” Zara hissed back, heat crawling up her neck.
From across the room, Hektor glanced over, brow furrowing like he was trying to decide whether they were plotting something or just naturally chaotic.
Which, unfortunately, was both true.
