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I opened my magical senses, trying to determine what had happened. The crystals in the kitchen that normally hummed with power lay silent. Even the mark on my belly had gone dark. It was as if everything lost power.

"The babies," Clio answered from beside me. She kept one hand on my arm, though her usual healing warmth had vanished along with all other magic. "Their combined power is so strong it's temporarily nullifying all other magic in the area."

"Oh shit," I gasped as a contraction hit. This one felt real, and without magic to help manage the pain, it took my breath away. "They're trying to protect us, but they don't know how to control it. They're just reacting on instinct."

Demeter stared at her empty hands. Genuine fear crossed her face for the first time. "This... this is what we feared. Power beyond even divine control. If they can negate a goddess's power so easily as unborn infants..."

"They're babies," I snapped through the pain. "They're not trying to control anything. They're responding to threats against their family. If you'd stop attacking us for five minutes, maybe they wouldn't feel the need to shut down all magic in self-defense!"

As if responding to my words, the babies' power began to loosen its hold.

Like water circling a drain, the void started to fill.

Aidon's dark power surged back first, wrapping around him in inky tendrils that practically purred with renewed strength.

Demeter's divine energy blazed to life a heartbeat later.

Her aura crackled with renewed power that made the air thick and electric.

The crystals around the room slowly winked back on like stars emerging after a storm, their familiar hum a welcome melody. The mark on my belly flared with warmth. Through it, the connection to the other mothers snapped back into place with the force of a rubber band.

"You see?" Mom said softly. "Even untrained, their instinct isn't to destroy or dominate.

It's to protect. To defend. To restore balance when things become too volatile.

" She turned pages in the ancient text. "These diagrams show the original flow of power.

Divine and mortal magic interweaving naturally and supporting each other instead of fighting for dominance. "

"The prophecy speaks of restoration, not destruction," Jean-Marc added as he read through notes on his phone.

"Listen to this. 'The thrice-blessed ones will bridge what was sundered. Heal what was broken. Restore what was bound. Through them, the First Song remembers its true purpose - to connect all forms of magic as it was always meant to flow’. "

Nina moved closer to Demeter, studying something in the goddess's aura that only she could see. "You're not really here about divine order at all, are you? This is personal.”

Nana joined Nina in examining the goddess. Instead of using her magic, Nana’s eyes narrowed with centuries of wisdom and sass. "Oh honey, I know that look. Which mortal broke your heart? Or is this about someone choosing their own path instead of following your divine plan?"

The goddess's perfect composure cracked slightly.

A glimpse of ancient grief showed through before she could mask it.

"My own daughter was taken from me. Stolen by the Lord of the Underworld.

And now his son dares to claim children of his own?

To speak of love and protection while our family remains fractured? "

"Mother chose to stay," Aidon said quietly but firmly.

My head spun for a second as I realized Demeter was both his aunt and grandmother.

Talk about a twisted family tree. "Just as I choose to stay with Phoebe and our children," he continued.

“Just as these babies are choosing to protect what matters to them.

Love isn't a weakness, Aunt Demeter. It's not something to be feared or controlled.

It's what gives us the strength to protect what matters most."

"There is nothing to do but embrace the change.

The balance is already restoring itself," Mom observed as she held up a crystal that shimmered with interwoven patterns of light.

"Look at how the energies flow together and support one another instead of fighting for dominance.

This is what the prophecy meant. Not an ending, but a new beginning. "

Demeter was silent for a long moment. Her ancient eyes studied each of us in turn.

The women shifted uncomfortably. Their borrowed power looked shabby and artificial next to the genuine article.

Finally, the goddess spoke. "Perhaps... perhaps we have been too rigid in our understanding of order.

Too fearful of change." She turned to leave, then paused.

"I cannot promise the council will see things this way.

There will be others who share my original concerns. "

"Let them come," Aidon said as his hand found mine. "We'll face them together. All of us." As the goddess vanished, taking her puppet Keepers with her, I sagged against Aidon. The babies had settled, and their power hummed contentedly through me.

"Well," Nina said and began rubbing her temples, "that was intense. It's like... I can see layers of power now. Those women were just wearing a costume of authority, but Demeter's energy? It was this massive tapestry of ancient power that was woven through with grief and divine authority."

She closed her eyes for a second before continuing, "It's weird. Now that I'm paying attention, I can sort of... taste the difference between true power and borrowed magic. It’s a bit like Grammy’s homemade bread versus the factory-made stuff. For the record, Mom. You’re power doesn’t feel borrowed or foreign to you in the least."

I smiled at my daughter, who must have sensed where my mind had gone. “That’s reassuring to know.”

"I think I know why the babies' power has been so erratic," Clio added, changing the subject. "It seems as if they're trying to restore its natural flow of magic, and the nullification effect was a reset button of sorts when things got too chaotic."

"Which means we are going to need to work on helping them control it," Mom said as she headed for the kitchen with Binx right on her heels. The rest of us weren’t far behind.

"Before they accidentally create another magic-free zone in the middle of something important.

Like, say, when they're actually being born? "

"The midwife network can help with that," Sarah's voice came through the forgotten phone speaker, making everyone jump. Since she had knowledge about the mothers’ plights, she’d been part of the discussion while we did research.

"We've been developing techniques to help magical mothers manage sudden power surges.

With your permission, we'd like to start working with Phoebe and the mothers connected to her right away.

That bond is going to place them at risk. "

I nodded, then remembered she couldn't see me. "That would be wonderful. Not only isn’t our house big enough to bring anyone else here, but I would also do anything that helps my babies. Especially if it prevents them from accidentally shutting down all magic every time they feel threatened."

"I'll continue studying Hattie's texts," Jean-Marc offered, carefully tucking away his notes.

"There may be more information about how the First Song was originally meant to flow, which could help us understand what the babies are trying to restore. Between what we’ve gathered and what the splinter group has collected, there's still a lot to uncover.

And now that we know what we're really looking for. .." He smiled.

"A guide for them on how they can overhaul how magical and divine power is supposed to interact?" Stella quipped. "No pressure or anything."

I felt Nina's new awareness pulse as she moved to the window.

"There are no more divine visitors for now," she reported.

"But there's definitely some real Keeper energy at the edge of our wards.

They're watching and waiting. Their auras are like oil on water.

Slick, dark, and definitely up to no good. "

"Let them watch," Aidon said grimly. "Let them see what happens when they threaten our family. Let them learn why even the gods fear a parent's love."