Page 56 of The Stars

“Seriously? Harpies?” Jess shook her head. “Do we even know what all of our powers are? I mean, we know most of our abilities, but have we really explored yours? What about Elpis, once she arrives or awakens?”

“Elpis is my sister Hope,” Dante broke in and several people in the room gasped.

“Seriously?” Mia asked, slightly shocked.

“Yes,” Amy agreed. “I’ve seen her and talked to her. Well, Elpis at any rate. She was Hope but… not.” She shook her head.

“Like when I met you as Pandora first and then met Amy.” Mia smiled. “I get it. We’ve been so worried about finding the pair of you, I never figured we’d get lucky that someone here would already know her.”

“How do we get her back in town?” Jacob asked.

Amy nodded. “We need to figure it out—and fast. Dante and I… we’ve been learning things about our abilities. We’re stronger together, but we also need everyone else. All of us will have a part to play. First, however, we need to get Hope back in Hidden Creek and find Prometheus.”

“I’ll handle that,” Dante said quickly. “We’ve seen Prometheus’s physical form, so it will be easy for Amy and me to spot him,” he pointed out.

“Then what?” Lucas asked. “Do you know how hard it was for Mia and me to keep from telling Amy who she was?”

“You can’t tell them who they are,” Amy said. “Just like Mia knew what to do, I’ll know when and what to do to help Elpis and Prometheus take their paths.”

Dante took a deep breath. “Amy’s right. We’ve faced these gods before in our past lives, but this is on another level. Something tells me that this is the end game. These gods, they’re not just going to come at us with brute force. They’ll play with our minds and twist our realities. We need to be ready for anything. And we need to be united.”

“Yeah, but how?” Ethan asked from where he sat, Brea’s hand resting lightly on his arm. “We don’t even know what they’ll throw at us. And how the hell do we fight multiple gods? We pushed Moros and Thanatos back when they attacked individually, but how are we supposed to do it when they come at us united and with an army of…”

“Harpies,” Jess and Amy finished for her.

Amy crossed her arms, her expression fierce. “We fight them the way we’ve fought everything else—together. Our powers, our bond, our connection… that’s what gives us an edge. We just need to train, to prepare.”

Selene, who had been quietly listening, spoke up. “Amy’s right. I can feel it. We’re not just fighting them physically. This will be a battle of wills, of hearts. They’ll come after what we hold most dear.”

Colt jumped in. “We have already started by figuring out exactly what each of us can do. We’ve been training every week. We’ll add Amy and Dante to our sessions. Then we’ll strategize. If we’re stronger together, we need to learn how to combine all of our powers.”

Lucas shifted from where he stood at the window, his arms crossed over his chest. “And we’ll need a plan. Now that we know when they’re attacking, we need to make sure Liz and the babies are safe. Along with the rest of the kids.”

“The silo,” Amy jumped in. “It’s where everyone goes. We need to fill it with food, water, necessities. It’s our stronghold. At least…” She stopped and shook her head.

“For a while,” Dante finished for her.

The room grew quiet. Everyone seemed to understand what he was saying.

“Then we’ll start there,” Jacob said as he stood up.

Dante glanced at Joe, who was frowning, his jaw clenched tight. Liz’s hand was resting on her growing belly, her expression tense but resolute. She met Dante’s eyes and nodded, determination flickering in her gaze.

“We’ll be ready,” Liz said softly. “Whatever happens, we’ll be ready.”

Amy smiled at her sister-in-law, pride and affection in her eyes. “We will. And we’re not alone in this. We have each other, and we have allies. Prometheus said others would stand with us when the time comes.”

“Prometheus,” Xtina said, raising an eyebrow. “Prometheus gave fire to humanity.”

“Yep,” Amy replied, leaning back on the couch, her arms crossed. “He’s our brother and has been guiding us… sort of. Like I said, he and Elpis are…”

“Mated,” Dante finished as he took Amy’s hand in his. “Like the rest of us are.”

Brea shook her head in disbelief. “Okay, so let me get this straight. We have a month to find and wake Elpis and Prometheus, figure out how all of our powers can work together, train, build an underground shelter, and then prepare for an epic god showdown. No pressure.”

Dante chuckled softly, the tension in the room easing a bit as Brea’s sarcasm lightened the mood. “Amy has seen that we’ve faced worse in past lives,” he said with a grin, but deep down, he knew this was going to be unlike anything they’d ever experienced.

As the group began to strategize, discussing training schedules and potential defenses, Dante caught Amy’s eye. Her smile was small, but it was filled with the same fierce determination that had carried them through everything so far.