“He had more centaur kids?” Liora exclaimed.
Igalus nodded. “A few of us know of each other. He visited all of us.”
“Oh my.” Medusa met Perseus’s gaze once more as she placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “We definitely need to have that talk.”
“You may all go,” Corinea said to the herd. “Igalus, come join us in mykezil.”
“We need some privacy,” Medusa whispered to Hektor and the triplets.
Hektor glanced over at Perseus, whose stiff posture belied his otherwise placid expression. “Of course.” He could not imagine what it was like for him, encountering his half-sibling, even if he had been prepared for this moment. “Take all the time you need.”
“Dimeses, perhaps you can show our guests around?” Corinea suggested.
“Of course.” Dimeses motioned for them to follow him. “I’d be happy to show them our pastures. Come.”
Hektor couldn’t help but notice Zara’s pale face as they treaded behind Dimeses. Slowing his pace, he matched his strides to hers. “Are you alright?”
Wide eyes looked up at him. “Using my power just drains me sometimes.”
“You did not seem tired during your last demonstration.”
“That time the only person in the room that we knew was Zeus’s kid was Perseus and we’ve practiced on him lots of times before. He also knows to keep a lid on his emotions when that happens.”
“And today?”
Her mouth twisted. “Well, Igalus didn’t know we were looking for him so his emotions were like a giant beacon. Then when I revealed who he was in front of his herd, he was all over the place. Surprise, fear, sadness?—”
“Sadness?”
“Yes. He was genuinely broken-hearted that Zeus never came back to see him, I guess.”
Hektor held up a hand and both of them halted in their tracks. “You can feel all that?”
“Uh-huh. But, it’s okay, I just need to distract myself, so I can get back to my own emotions.”
He was tempted to ask what those emotions were, but held his tongue. “If you need a moment, we can stop.”
“Nah, I’m good.” She brushed a hand at him, then pointed ahead. “Look, they’re already way ahead of us. Wait up!” she shouted to her siblings and Dimeses as she picked up the pace. Hektor followed along until they reached the others.
“…festival tonight,” the centaur finished.
“A festival?” Zara asked. “What festival?”
“Dimeses says they’re having their annual harvest festival tonight,” Elian explained.
“We will be joined by a few other herds,” Dimeses added. “I will be happy to introduce you.”
“That means we’ll be able to find more children of Zeus without having to chase them all over Orunai,” Hektor said.
“And you must stay for the festival, of course,” the centaur said. “We can find akezilfor you to lay your heads down tonight.” He waggled his eyebrows at them suggestively. “That is, if you even get any sleep. Our festivities tend to go on until morning.”
Hektor spoke up. “I’m afraid?—”
“A party? Sure, we’ll stay,” Liora interrupted, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “I haven’t had any kind of fun since we started searching for geryons and now Zeus’s by-blows.”
“Sounds amazing, I can’t wait,” Elian agreed.
Hektor huffed. They couldn’t possibly think about staying the night out here. “We must return to Alindale as soon as we are done.”
