Vulcan snorted. “Fates, he really is drunk.”
“Wasted,” Nya’s father said, rubbing at his temple as Morgen started to monologue about how useless the garden was.
Her mother glanced at Anabeth, her expression wary and a little cold. “Do you know anything about this? You spent time with him after you abandoned Cion.”
Anabeth pressed her lips together. She no longer wore the robes of a priestess, instead donning a blue wrap dress. She looked younger, standing next to all the others, and Nya almost felt bad for her when she replied in a quiet voice, “I told you, I did not abandon her. She practically begged me to investigate when rumors of Morgen started to float over the border. You know I never wanted to come back here, same as you.”
“That’s not what she asked you,” Nya’s father said, his tone flat. “Have you ever seen this happen before?”
Anabeth frowned at him, some unspoken hurt in her eyes as he glared at her. Anabeth had hinted during the marriage ceremony that she had been friends with her parents, who weren’t necessarily being hostile now, but who weren’t acting as her friends. Nya assumed it had to do with Anabeth assisting Morgen, though her motherhadreferenced that she’d ‘left Cion.’ Could she really mean Aren’s elderly queen? Had she and Anabeth been friends, or even lovers?
The questions promptly left her mind when Anabeth said, “It might be best if you keep your distance right now, Nya. You’re both weakened, and he has no way to defend himself if you?—”
“No, no, no.” Morgen cut the demi-god off, laughing. “No…Youare not giving me advice anymore, cryptic lady. You told me to do this.” He slid his fingers over the scar at Nya’s throat, and she had to bite back an entirely inappropriate noise for thecurrent situation. “Bad, bad advice, even if I liked it. Now all our colors are even brighter, and when she’s gone for too long, it hurts my head.”
Anabeth sighed, evidently understanding exactly what his ranting referred to. “I did not explicitly tell you to do anything. It was merely a suggestion, and I warned you it would likely make your preexisting connection to Nya even more elevated.”
“What do you mean by that?” Carus asked, brow furrowed. “What preexisting connection?”
“Their soul,” Anabeth said, as casually as if she were talking about the weather. “They share it. It’s why Varax claimed them both as riders.”
Nya froze, and it took her only a few short moments to realize everyone besides her and Carus were already aware of what Anabeth had just revealed. She found her mother’s gaze, hardly able to speak, half-mouthing, half-speaking to her down the pathway, “How do you all know?”
“Anabeth told us when you were sleeping,” her mother said gently. “None of us knew before that, Nya. I swear it.”
With his head still buried in her shoulder, Morgen snorted softly and mumbled, “Bad Morgen, I know. Probably should have mentioned it before, but please don’t be mad.”
Suddenly, everything Morgen had been saying mere minutes ago by the waterfall made complete sense.
Many things made sense now.
Their immediate connection when they had first met, his ability to reach her in her dreams, Varax, even the discomfort she used to feel in her chest when they went too long between meetings… It was because a part of them had been and always would be the same.
“I can explain it, if you wish,” Anabeth said, as if she were merely offering to tell Nya why the seasons changed or what made the trees green.
“No,” she said, her arms tightening around Morgen. “Not now. He needs to sleep this off.”
Carus glanced at her when Juno nodded but said firmly, “Away from you.”
“Good luck with that one,” Carus muttered at the same moment her father chuckled and said, “I’d like to see you try to make that happen.”
Nya saw them look at each other for a brief handful of seconds, Carus offering him a wry smirk. She let herself feel the fleeting burst of joy, watching her father’s eyes light up at the interaction, before she said, “They’re right. I’m not leaving him when he’s like this.”
“Nya, you don’t understand—” Nyx began, but then Thanatos cut in, surprising Nya, and apparently everyone else too.
“She understands the risk more than any of us can. Just get the poor boy to a bed before he crushes more of the roses.”
Juno looked like she was about to argue, but then Morgen slurred, “Any of youassholestry to put your hands on my wife…” He shook his head, grinning at Carus. “No more spines.”
Carus nodded, offering him a hand. “That’s right, no more spines. Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Nope,” Morgen sighed, letting Carus help her drag him to his feet. “Carus, there issomuch magic in my head. More than the last time, right?”
“Does this happen often?” her mother asked, obviously fighting a smile.
Carus shook his head and muttered to Nya, “Try to get him to lean most of his weight on me, sweetheart. It’ll make this easier. You’re far too short to carry the big bastard.”
She didn’t argue. Her head was beginning to spin with the overwhelm of the last three days. Still, just before she and Carus dragged Morgen into the house, she glanced back and made herself ask, “Do we need to worry about Sol?”
