I woke to sun streaming through the windows and the smell of bacon.
For one blissful moment, everything felt normal.
Then the symbol on my belly pulsed. The damn thing sent little ripples of light across my skin like a supernatural alarm clock.
That woke the babies who started wrestling for the better position.
Blinking my eyes open, a smile spread across my face.
Light from the mobile from Hades and Persephone got the babies danced across my ceiling.
"Good morning to you too," I muttered and rubbed my stomach to settle the triplets.
After yesterday's magical labor scare, Clio had insisted on a follow-up appointment at the hospital where she worked. Something about wanting to monitor me with her full array of equipment rather than just the portable ultrasound. Given how we’d been attacked by shapeshifters at her house last time, I was grateful not to be going back there.
Guilt momentarily swamped me. Her house was no longer safe because of me and my babies.
I made a mental note to add to the wards the coven renewed after the attack.
Tarja stretched beside me. "T he energy around you has changed ," she observed. " It's settled a bit more. Now it’s like listening to an old song. "
"Because that's not ominous at all," I replied, struggling to sit up. Being pregnant with triplets made moving difficult. I don't think I was this big at the end of my other pregnancies.
The kitchen was already buzzing with activity after I used the restroom and made my way downstairs.
Mythia fluttered between the stove and counter, orchestrating what looked like enough breakfast to feed a small army.
Which, given my current appetite, might be just enough.
The air sparkled with her familiar pixie magic as she worked.
"There's my favorite human nightlight," Nana called from her spot at the island. She was surrounded by old books, coffee, and a muffin the size of my head. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"I felt like I was tossed into a magical meat grinder," I replied as I eased onto a stool with my back protesting the movement. "But at least nothing's floating today. Yet."
"Don't jinx it," Nina warned as she entered. She was dressed and ready for school. "I’ve got a trig test this morning and can’t help wrangle the coffee maker."
"This will help keep things calm," Mythia interrupted as she placed a plate piled high with bacon, eggs, and pancakes in front of me.
"We added some enchantments to the batter.
Nothing that will make things worse," she added quickly at my alarmed look.
"Just an old recipe with your mom’s twist to help stabilize magical energy.
And before you ask, yes, I did add pickles to the batter. The babies seem to like them."
"You're a goddess," I declared, diving in.
"Don't let Artemis hear you say that," Aidon said as he appeared.
He was unfairly attractive after watching over me the entire night like an overprotective guardian angel.
"She's sensitive about new deities since the attempted assassination.
" He dropped a kiss on my head. "Ready for your appointment? "
"As ready as I'll ever be," I said around a mouthful of pickle-pancakes. The combination should have been disgusting, but it was heaven. "Though I still say we should bring backup in case something weird happens."
"Define weird," Nina quipped as she stole a piece of bacon from my plate. I smacked her hand away. "Because our baseline for weird is pretty high these days."
Nana made a triumphant sound before we started rehashing what had been happening lately.
"Ha! I think I've cracked part of what is going on.
Look at this." She held up a paper covered in her cramped handwriting.
"If you look at an ancient fertility calendar, there are specific ritual dates.
And guess what? The next major date is-"
"My due date," I finished, feeling a chill creep down my spine. "That should not be as surprising as it is. Having divine triplets wasn't exciting enough without adding ancient fertility rituals to the mix. What does it mean?"
"Hold your horses. There's more," she continued. Excitement made her eyes sparkle. She shuffled through her notes, sending several papers floating. "These rituals predate Olympus. They're connected to powers that existed before the Titans, maybe even before Chaos. And before you ask why I think they’re connected, it’s because these symbols match parts of your mark exactly. I didn’t see it at first because I was looking at the whole mark, but then when my eyes got bleary, I saw it. "
"Nope," I declared as I got to my feet. "It's too early for this kind of drama. I need to get through this checkup first. Then we can deal with whatever ancient fertility cult apparently has my due date circled on their calendar. It’s too disturbing to think that Persephone slipping me those pomegranate seeds was orchestrated by powers she was unaware of. "
"But Phoebe," Nana protested, "this could be important. These texts mention something called 'The Great Awakening'. A time when the old powers would return through chosen vessels."
"Let me guess," I said dryly. "Three vessels?"
"Actually, four," she corrected, adjusting her reading glasses. "Three children and their mother."
The symbol pulsed at her words. It sent a wave of warmth through me that made the triplets punch my bladder. Great. Now I had to pee. I began to waddle toward the bathroom as I pondered Nana’s information. It seemed like the answer, but it didn’t feel quite right to me.
"Later," Aidon interjected. "First, we make sure Phoebe and the babies are healthy. Then we can worry about how the Fates have orchestrated things."
"I agree,” I said as I hurried to the bathroom.
Mythia was waiting for me by the back door with a container. “I know you'll get hungry since you didn’t eat much breakfast. There’s an egg sandwich in with a muffin and some strawberries.”
My eyes widened in appreciation. “Ooh. Thank you.” I beamed at her and then allowed Aidon to help me into the car.
The coastal drive to Pen Bay Medical Center in Camden was uneventful, which immediately made me suspicious.
Nothing in my life had been normal since getting my magic.
It had really gone off the rails when I got pregnant.
The fact that we made it there without a single magical incident felt like the universe was just winding up for something big.
The brick hospital sat nestled among pine trees. Its modern wings stretched out toward the bay. We made our way through the sliding glass doors of the emergency department, where a nurse at the intake desk looked up from her computer.
"Can I help you?" she asked, reaching for a clipboard.
Clio appeared from around the corner. Her white coat was crisp against her dark shirt. "They're here for a follow-up with me, Stephanie," she said smoothly, then turned to us with a warm smile. "Please come back."
I clutched Aidon's hand as we followed her past the nurse's station. My senses tingled as I picked up protection magic. It would be surprising if her office in the emergency department had wards—we kept the magical world hidden from mundies. "I see you brought the whole cavalry."
"Just the essential personnel," I said as Mom, Nana, and Stella filed in behind us. Nina was taking her test, or she would have been there too. "You know, in case shit decides to go haywire."
"After yesterday's excitement, I don't blame you," Clio said as she paused outside an exam room.
It was the source of the magic I felt. Why had she warded the space?
It was awfully risky in a mundie setting.
When we entered the room, I understood. It looked like someone had merged a doctor's office with a witch’s Sanctuary.
There was a circle of crystals that looked like a miniature Stonehenge.
It hummed alongside modern medical equipment.
There was a standard ultrasound machine had runes etched into its casing.
"Your friends have been doing research on ways to combine tech with magic, and I thought I would try it.
Hopefully, it will handle whatever power surges we might encounter thanks to your tattoo. "
“It’s not going to blow up, is it?” I asked as I eyed it warily.
The first thing I had been told was how tech and magic did not mix.
I trusted Fiona and Nylah and the Twisted sisters, whom I knew had been tinkering with the idea, but I had no idea they’d made so much progress. I needed to talk to them more often.
As I settled onto the exam table, movement in the hallway caught my eye.
An elderly woman was passing by. She glanced in, then froze mid-step.
Her eyes went wide as she stared at my belly.
I’d taken off my jacket so the symbol was visible through my shirt.
The mini-Stonehenge began to chime in response to her presence.
"The mark," she breathed as her face went pale.
Her hands trembled as she clutched her handbag.
"It's true. They're coming. The old ones wake.
" Before anyone could react, she turned and fled.
Aidon was up and out the door before I could blink.
It would not look good for a man of his stature to be chasing a woman who looked to be about a hundred years old.
I was still trying to get off the table. Not easy in my current state. "Friend of yours?" I asked Clio, who was frowning at the doorway.
"Mrs. Stavros. She's been my patient for years, but I've never seen her react like that." Clio shook her head as Aidon returned.
Shaking his head, he crossed to me. “I couldn’t find her.”
“She isn’t evil, and I can’t imagine her posing a risk to Phoebe,” Clio informed us as she turned to her equipment. "Let's focus on you for now. I want to get a complete reading of the babies' magical signatures."
Table of Contents
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- Page 13 (Reading here)
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