Page 5 of Marked By the minotaur

“How do you know him?” Then her eyes widened. “Oh!” she gasped. “Through Hecate?”

Ria chuckled. “You’re a smart one, aren’t you?”

“I try,” Korinnae puffed out her chest proudly.

“I’ve met quite a few gods because of Hecate,” Ria admitted. “When you work for someone who’s been around since before the Olympians were born, you end up crossing paths with all sorts of interesting beings.”

“Were you scared?”

“The first time?” She smiled at the memory. “Terrified.”

“But not anymore?”

“Oh, I still get nervous. They’re gods. They have a way of reminding you exactly how small you are.”

Korinnae nodded solemnly, as though that made perfect sense. Then, just as quickly, her attention returned to the screen. “They dance really fast.”

“They do.”

“Can you dance like that?”

“Not even a little,” she laughed.

To Ria’s surprise, Korinnae didn’t just watch. She copied. The girl studied the screen before attempting one of the simpler hand movements. Her timing was off, and her tiny horns nearly knocked into Ria’s shoulder when she turned the wrong way, but there was unmistakable enthusiasm behind every motion.

“That’s it!” Ria laughed. “Try this part.”

She replayed the clip and demonstrated the movement herself while seated. Korinnae mirrored her: left hand out, right hand across, a quick turn. Halfway through, she stumbled and burst into laughter before trying again.

“You’re getting it!”

“I am?”

“You absolutely are.”

The calf beamed, then launched into another attempt, this time managing two whole counts before losing her balance. She caught herself, giggling so hard she nearly tipped over again, and Ria couldn’t help laughing with her.

For a few precious minutes, the worries surrounding the little girl seemed to disappear. She wasn’t the frightened child at the center of divine concern or minotaur politics. She was simply a kid learning a dance from a tiny glowing screen.