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“Fine,” Liora conceded. “But what about Korinnae? We’re about to leave for another mission. There’s another potential child of Zeus in the Horandic Mountains.”

Asterion frowned. The thought of leaving Korinnae behind made his chest tighten, but he knew Liora was right. He couldn’t drag the little lassie across the Upperworld while hunting down a warlock nor could he ask the triplets to watch her. With the Moonmoss, she didn’t need the daily treatments, but she still couldn’t be left alone.

“What about Hecate?” he asked. “Couldn’t we leave Korinnae with her?”

Liora stared at him. “Are you seriously asking an immortal goddess to babysit a ten-year-old? What’s she supposed to do with Korinnae, play hopscotch?”

Elian snorted. Zara pressed her hand over her mouth. Even Maldenis cracked a grin.

“I don’t see the problem,” Asterion said flatly.

“The problem,” Liora said, “is that Hecate would turn your niece into a potions prodigy by day two and have her summoning things from other dimensions by day three.”

“Fine,” Asterion muttered. “Who else can watch her?”

Ria drummed her fingers on the desk, thinking. Then, her expression shifted. “Actually,” she said, reaching for her phone. “I might have someone. Let me make a phone call.” She stepped out of the room, then came back five minutes later. “It’s settled.”

“What’s settled?” Asterion asked.

“We’re taking Korinnae with us to the Upperworld, but we’re leaving her with my parents.”

“Your…parents?”

“Uh-huh.” She nodded. “They agreed to watch her while we track down this Dorian guy.”

“Are you sure about that?” he asked.

“What do you mean? My parents are perfectly lovely.”

“It’s not that,” he said. “But she’s…Korinnae is…”

“A wonderful and well-behaved kid,” she countered. “Come on, it’ll just be for a few hours. They don’t mind at all. Besides, what choice do we have?”

He let out a huff. She was right. They couldn’t leave his niece alone, unattended here in Alindale. And they’d already taken her to Willowfen, what was one more trip? “Fine. We’ll take her with us to New York.”

Chapter 8

Ria

The first thing Ria noticed was the smell. Warm butter lingered in the air, mingling with garlic, fresh herbs, and the unmistakable rich aroma of something wrapped in phyllo pastry baking in the oven. The comforting scents greeted her, stirring memories that made her chest ache in the best possible way.

Home.

They stepped through the portal and materialized in the hallway inside her parents’ house in Queens, New York. The kitchen was exactly as she remembered it, bright and welcoming, with mismatched mugs hanging beneath the cabinets, herbs growing in pots along the windowsill, and a radio playing old Greek music in the background.

Before she could say a word, her mother looked up. “Ariadne!”

Ismene barely gave her daughter a chance to say hello before pulling her into a tight hug. “My little witch,” she said, squeezing her affectionately. “You’re too skinny. Are they feeding you over there?”

“I’m fine, Mama,” Ria laughed into the embrace.

“You always say that.” Only after releasing her did Ismene notice the two figures standing just inside the door. “Oh!”

Ria stepped aside with a smile. “Mama, this is Asterion…” She gestured toward the towering minotaur. “And this is Korinnae.”

The little calf gave a shy wave.

“And this,” Ria continued, “is my mother, Ismene.”