Late the next day, Athena led Eli along a tranquil garden path lined with roses as the suns in the sky started to set. After Ares’ unexpected arrival and departure the ratkin armies fled deeper into the ruined city, allowing them to retreat to the surface with the rescued civilians and soldiers in tow. Tzhexil and his reconnaissance squadron were understandably surprised to see them emerge with so many others, and it took most of the rest of the day to transport them back to the relative safety of the military base. All in all, Eli should have been happy with the mission’s outcome.

  He was not.

  “He sacrificed civilians.” Eli repeated yet again. “I understand that soldiers sometimes have to give their lives to achieve an objective, but…civilians didn’t sign up for that.”

  “I understand your discomfort with Ares’ tactics. I share that discomfort.” Athena assured him. “At the same time, Ares has been fighting this war far longer than you. He has managed to keep us alive for this long, and the battlefield is his domain. Most of us haven’t even seen the front line in decades, if ever.”

  “Ever?” Eli asked, thrown off.

  “It takes more than soldiers to win a war.” Athena reminded him. “It takes farmers, inventors, traders, blacksmiths…each of us are valuable, even if we never step foot on a battlefield.”

  “But strategy is everyone’s domain.” Eli countered. “He is in charge of winning battles, you’re the one in charge of winning the war. You can restrict his tactics, set the rules of engagement for him.”

  “Even if we could – and I’m not saying we can – we wouldn’t. He needs to be unfettered in order to be effective.”

  “If we destroy the Titans by sacrificing our humanity, did we really win?” Eli challenged.

  She stopped mid-step and looked at him for a moment before nodding approvingly. “Good. I’m glad you feel that way. Keep asking yourself that question, and you will make the right decisions more often than not.” She paused for a moment before beginning to walk again. “Regardless, what’s done is done and there are better ways we could be using our time together.”

  “Right. I wanted to talk about the portal I saw.” Eli said instantly, recalling his feelings at the sight of the portal. “I think I’ve seen something like it before – on Earth. It wasn’t exactly the same, but it was a green portal that we never figured out how to track.”

  “And you believe this portal to be the work of the ratkin?” She asked.

  “Yeah, and that worries me.”

  “Understandably so. But did ratkin come pouring out of the portal in overwhelming numbers?”

  “No. It was only one ratkin.”

  “And you’re sure it was a ratkin?” She pressed.

  “Well…no.” Eli finally admitted. “I didn’t really get a good look at them. But they were the right height.”

  “And it was just the one incident, followed by silence? No other attacks?”

  “Nothing else.” Eli confirmed.

  “Then let me assuage your worries somewhat.” Athena said. “The Titans have never sent a single ratkin to do anything. Every single world they’ve fought us on, their opening move has always been to send hundreds of thousands of them in the first attack. That is their only strategy, and it works because their army is effectively unlimited. Moreover, the decision to visit Earth but not do anything for over a week afterwards makes no sense strategically.”

  “Sure, but what if they made an exception for Earth?” Eli retorted. “Maybe they switched up their tactics for our home realm? We could be missing part of their strategy.”

  “It’s not outside the realm of possibility, but highly unlikely.” She admitted after a long pause. “If it will help you focus on your questions about your powers rather than other issues, I promise to return you to Earth as soon as convenient. I will also use what means I have available to me to check on Earth and the wards to ensure they are still intact. Will that suffice?”

  He took a breath and reluctantly let it go for the moment. “Yeah. Fine. I could do with some answers about my powers anyways. I feel like I’ve been stumbling in the dark since they awakened, with new stuff just kinda…emerging every so often.”

  “Ah, yes. I know the feeling.” She smiled, her golden eyes shining. “What would you like to know?”

  “Start with the basics. What powers do Royal Bloods have?”

  “Well, you know about mana absorption and bonding already.” She started. “And I believe you’ve already discovered that you instinctively create a protective shield of mana around your bond mates. I also assume you must have discovered your body’s innate ability to discern which spells are harmful and which ones are hurtful, allowing the former through while absorbing the mana from the latter.”

  “I mean, yeah. But I’ve always wondered how your body knows.”

  “Magic, of course.” She answered.

  Resisting the urge to roll his eyes he continued his line of questioning. “Sure. But there has to be some sort of logic behind it, right? Has anyone ever tested it to try and figure out the limits? Or tried to fool the magic into allowing harmful spells and absorbing helpful ones?”

  She furrowed her brow. “No. Surprisingly, your line of inquiry is a novel one. How would you propose we test it?”

  As he thought about it, a childhood memory slowly bubbled to the surface. “When I was a kid I fractured a bone in my wrist. My parents thought it was a sprain so we didn’t get it checked until months later, when it still bothered me. Turns out the bone had healed by that point, but it’d fused back together incorrectly – so the doctors had to re-break it and set it in a cast again.”

  “I see.” Athena said, nodding.

  “What if someone used healing magic offensively like that? Fusing bones together that shouldn’t be?”

  “It’s a worthy avenue of exploration. I will set up some controlled trials. Would you like to be a test subject?”

  “Shit.” He swore, realizing what he’d opened himself up for. “Alright, fine. Let’s just make sure Lilly is on hand to heal me back up afterwards.”

  “Good. Before we do that though, I will instruct our front line healers to attempt the technique on some ratkin forces, if a safe opportunity presents itself. We should know if such a thing is even possible before we try it on you.” A thoughtful look crossed her face before continuing. “Let us return to a discussion about more conventional magic though. Have you discovered your mana vision yet?”

  “Maybe?” Eli said. “Tell me more?”

  “Can you see the winds of mana at will? Watch their colors emanate from magical races, creatures, or artifacts?”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t realize that was a Royal Blooded power.” Eli said before furring his brow. “I learned it from a servant of an eldritch creature.”

  Athena cocked one eyebrow. “Do you mean Hades? You already knew he was a Royal Blood.”

  “I never learned their name. I don’t even know if it was the same creature – I didn’t interact with them directly. I drank a potion and they gave me an incantation to cast which lets me do what you’re talking about.”

  “Interesting. Sounds like Zeus’ work.” She muttered. “Though the incantation you learned is superfluous. No Royal Blooded magic requires an incantation. You should be able to cast it without. You said you learned it from a servant?”

  “Yeah.” Eli confirmed as he recalled his magical education.

  “That makes sense. The servant likely lacked the proper instincts to cast it without the incantation. As a Royal Blood, you have those instincts within you. Remove this crutch, and you’ll find your mana vision to be something you use more often.” She paused for a moment. “Regardless, that brings me to the next power: spell sharing. In the same way as your bond mates can share their magic with you, you can share your magic with them. It’s quite an advanced skill and requires a great deal of mental focus though – so if you haven’t developed that ability yet, you may not for some time – if ever. I can do it, Zeus could apparently do it, but Ares cannot.”

  “That’s…somehow unsurprising.” Eli muttered.

  “Can you perform astral projection yet?” Athena asked, ignoring the jab at Ares.

  “Yes. I did it once.” Eli confirmed. “I mean, other than the times that you and I spoke.”

  “Good. You’ll be able to do it at greater distances as you practice it – even across realms.” She paused. “How about mental purging?”

  “Come again?”

  “Your magic can purge effects on your mental state, rendering you clear headed. If someone were to try to enthrall you, magically coerce you, or otherwise dominate your mind, your magic will protect you.”

  Eli was about to say no before furrowing his brow as he recalled the most recent battle. “Would that protection extend to biological mind-altering effects too?”

  “Yes. Is there something specific you have in mind?”

  “Normally when I get into a fight in my orcish form, I’m subject to the effects of the orcish blood rage. The enhanced speed and resistance to pain are great, but I become uncontrollably angry – to the point where I can’t cast spells or think about anything except for fighting.” He paused. “Except for last time, when I was fighting the ratkin. Naz let the blood rage take over, and I still felt the speed boost – just without the anger.”

  “So this is a recent development?” She asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Was that the first time you magically purged a mind-altering substance? Or were there others?”

  The lightbulb went off in Eli’s mind. “There was another time, not that long ago. We came across a fleshlumen. It mind controlled a few others, but I resisted it.” He grinned. “That’s when I met Hades. He mentioned something specific about giving me a gift.”

  “Interesting.” Athena nodded. “It appears that while you have only been awakened for a short time, you’ve unlocked far more of your powers than I anticipated due to your interactions with Zeus and Hades.”

  “That’s good though, right?” Eli asked.

  “Yes and no. Access to your powers makes you stronger, which means you will be better equipped to fight the Titans. However, it also means you are more likely to attract them to wherever you are – including Earth, when you return.”

  Eli tilted his head as he looked at her. “Not to digress, but what exactly is our plan for returning to Earth? We can’t stay here forever.”

  “Your bond mates can leave at any time, provided they have the necessary mana capacity and know the relevant spatial magic spell.”

  “Do you have an enchanted portal ring they could use? It took me a lot of mana to open and maintain the portal. A ring would make it a lot easier to hold a stable portal open.”

  She scoffed. “We have no such thing here. No self-respecting Royal Blood would rely on that sort of a crutch.”

  “What if a non-Royal Blood wanted to leave Olympus?”

  “Then they would have to accompany a Royal Blood, or leave through a portal opened by a Royal Blood. It allows us to maintain control over who enters and exits.” She shook her head. “We digress. To answer your original question, Prometheus will visit you soon enough. He will teach you how to bolster Earth’s wards – something you must do the moment you return to Earth. After that a number of options open to us, but most of them fall into the same general themes: rally humanity, strike the Titan’s forces until we lure the Titans themselves out into the open, then drain them using Prometheus’ weapon.”

  “Right. Just ‘rally humanity’. Because humans are famous for their willingness to put aside their differences and rally around a common cause.” He spat sarcastically.

  “Your concern isn’t without merit. There are ways to encourage them though – through guile, coercion, and magic artifacts not unlike the crown you found.” She held up a hand to halt his objections. “We can talk through how to do it without surrendering your morals later. For now though, let’s return to the lessons on your powers.”

  For the second time in only a few minutes, Eli let it go. “Fine. So we’ve got mana absorption, mana shield, astral projection, mental purge, and mana vision.” He counted them out on his fingers. “Oh, and I can throw beams of pure mana, but I try not to do that too often. It only happens when I lose control, and it tends to create too much collateral damage.”

  “Then that should likely be the next power we work on.” She said as they emerged into an open field next to a castle-like structure. “I can help you learn to control that.”

  “Sure, unless there’s another power I need to know about?”

  She pursed her lips before shaking her head. “No.”

  “There was hesitation there.” Eli pointed out.

  “Yes, and for good reason. The 6 powers you have outlined are shared by most Royal Bloods – both current and historical. While some – like Ares – haven’t learned to control all 6, they are the standard.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Every Royal Blood has a 7th power of sorts though.”

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  “What kind of power?”

  “It’s unique to each individual Royal Blood. For me, it’s expressed in my ability to magically scry faraway places. For Ares, it’s expressed as a supreme capability for bloodshed. For Apollo, it’s the ability to touch any mechanical object and understand its inner workings. For Zeus it was control over human minds.”

  “Those all sound very powerful.” Eli said. “And thematically appropriate for your chosen names.”

  “It’s why we chose the names we did, though our predecessors powers expressed themselves differently. I’m told that the previous Athena’s power revolved around creating magically-inspired martial and political strategies, though I never saw it for myself.”

  “So how do I unlock my 7th power?”

  “Nobody can do it for you. Nobody can even really help you. You must find it within yourself.” She responded.

  “Well that’s mysterious and unhelpful.”

  “It is a reflection of your true, inner nature. I cannot tell you what that is – only you can.” She said. “Which is why I suggest we focus on your mana beams, for now.”

  Nodding, Eli strode towards the center of the field. “I guess that’s more immediately applicable anyways. So tell me – what do I do?”

  “Tell me about your magical training. How did you first learn to control your mana?”

  He thought back to Talaedra’s first lessons about magic before responding. “I was told to envision my mana as something flowing in my veins, all around my body. When I need it, I focus my intent using a combination of words and hand gestures which depend on the spell itself. When I don’t need it anymore, I envision the mana solidifying into something – a diamond – in my chest, so that it doesn’t lead to me shooting beams of pure mana everywhere.”

  She made a disapproving noise in her throat before shaking her head. “Elven methods are fine for elves, but…we are different. Our relationship with mana is different.” She paused for a moment. “Your visualization allows you to turn your mana on or off. There is no in-between.”

  Eli nodded. “Like a binary system.”

  She raised one eyebrow. “Yes, exactly. This works for elves and other magical races, because they draw the mana from within them, and it flows outwards. For them, casting spells is about controlling mana.”

  “And for us?”

  “It’s about harmony. Close your eyes.” She said, waiting until he did so. “Now, imagine a constellation of stars. Each of those stars represents one of your bond mates. If it helps, imagine that the color of the stars matches the color of their mana.”

  “Okay.” Eli nodded, eyes still closed.

  “Now imagine yourself at the center of those stars. If you want to cast a spell that corresponds to one of their schools of magic, you reach out towards that star and imagine its light wrapping itself around you. Let the tendrils of light warm your skin proportionate to how much mana you want to expend in that school.”

  Slowing his breathing, Eli did as she asked. He thought of the natural colors of mana associated with each of his bond mates, mentally assigning them to stars in a night sky. Somewhat surprisingly three ‘additional’ colors came to mind – ones associated with Isla, Minerva, and Vespera – the idea of which threw off his concentration.

  That’s an emotional puzzle for a different time. He thought to himself as he refocused, counting the heartbeats between each of his breaths to do so.

  When Athena saw he was ready to proceed, she spoke again. “Our magic is a combination of all magics. It is pure, unfiltered through a school of magic. To create this purity again, you must imagine all the stars shining brightly on you. Take care to ensure the light from each of them is in balance, otherwise this won’t work.”

  A golden light began to glow from behind his eyelids, causing him to snap his eyes open. An aura surrounded his palms – one that wobbled as his eyes went wide with shock. He instinctively held them to his sides, something that caused Athena to cry in surprise.

  “No! Stay focused!”

  Taking another deep breath he thought about pulling light from the constellation of stars once more, then focused on a tree at the far end of the field. His eyes narrowed as the golden aura reappeared, but widened once more when it dimmed and focused in his palms into a ball of golden light. Like a character in a Saturday morning cartoon he thrust his palm in the direction of the tree, focusing his intent into a beam.

  The thin beam of light lanced across the field before impacting the tree, almost instantly cutting a hole through it. Its bark quickly caught fire, along with the leaves above it and the grass below it. Unfortunately for them, the beam continued on – impacting the building behind the tree and causing Eli to aim his palm downwards into the ground beneath them. The action cut a thin trench from the tree to where he stood before beginning to vaporize the ground beneath them, digging a small but deep hole.

  “How do I turn it off?!” Eli shouted.

  “Imagine the light receding from the stars.” Athena replied calmly, as if what was happening was completely normal.

  Eli did as she asked and slowly the light faded. When it disappeared entirely he realized he was breathing heavily, and that his mana reserves were far lower than what they were a moment ago. He collapsed onto the ground, sitting for a moment as he looked up at Athena.

  “Good.” She said, nodding. “Though I wish you hadn’t targeted that tree. I was quite fond of it.”

  He laughed at the ridiculousness of her statement, falling back into the soft grass as he did. As tired as he was, he couldn’t help but feel elated at his progress – he had a brand new weapon at his disposal, one that he knew would be exceptionally effective against the Titan’s armies. When he slowly got to his feet he saw that despite her usual firm demeanour, Athena was smiling too.

  “Come, it’s late and you need rest.” Athena said.

  “Why don’t you come with me?” Eli suggested. “We were planning on having dinner as a family anyways, and we’d be honored to have you as our guest.”

  Her smile grew broader. “It has been a long time since I dined in the company of others. The honor would be mine.”

  Eli gestured towards the mountain and they started their long trek back, with the latter of the two suns dipping just below the horizon behind them. As they walked Eli saw fireflies flicker to life around them, dancing around marble statues of various magical beasts and races that lined the stone path. As they passed through the villages near the base of the mountain Eli could hear music and laughter spilling out of taverns filled with races of every description. As much as he could have transformed into his phoenix form and carried them both, he was grateful for the chance to see how the regular people of Olympus lived.

  “Athena, I have a personal question for you.” Eli said finally, breaking the silence between them.

  “You may ask.”

  “Who are your bond mates? I’ve only ever seen you alone.”

  She smiled sadly at him before shaking her head slowly. “I have no more living bond mates. Centuries of war have taken them from me, one at a time.”

  “Shit.” Eli swore. “I’m sorry I-”

  “An innocuous question, one that I take no offense to.” She replied. “I spent a great deal of time with them on the front line until Ares emerged and found his way to Olympus. It is the fate of all warriors, eventually.” She paused as they reached a stable of white Pegasi. “My purpose now is to find a Royal Blood which Prometheus approves of, and to ensure they get the weapon we need to defeat the Titans altogether.”

  “And after that?” Eli asked.

  She grinned at him as she led him into the stables. “I don’t know. Perhaps I’ll return to Russia – I hear they have statues of me.”

  Eli grinned before another thought occurred to him. “How much of Earth have you seen via scrying since you left?”

  “Some.” She said. “I know that human technology has kept pace with our magical abilities.”

  “I think some human technology would be useful in the fight against the Titans.”

  “Like what?”

  “Machine guns and explosives, for one. Maybe a few tanks thrown in there. I’m not saying they’d take out a Titan or anything, but it’d turn some of your weaker spellcasters into formidable forces on the battlefield.”

  “I see.” She nodded. “I’ve seen some human war machines while scrying Earth. There may be some wisdom in your suggestion.”

  “I’ll make sure you talk to Zee about it tonight. She’s more of an expert than I am, but I’m sure she’s already cooked up a few ideas.”

  The dryad managing the stables came out, interrupting their conversation. After a quick discussion, two Pegasi were quickly saddled and led out to them by several more stable hands. Eli used his magic to commune with the one given to him, and a few moments later they were airborne into the darkening sky – one that was filled with vividly-shining stars. They banked slowly towards the mountain before climbing steeply.

  I don’t even want to imagine life without any of my bond mates. Eli thought to himself as the wind whipped by his ears.

  A few minutes later they landed in front of the castle where they were staying and quickly dismounted. Eli led the way towards the large doors at the front. He placed his palm on the door before pausing and turning back to the older Royal Blood.

  “Athena, I…listen.” He started, gathering his thoughts. “If you ever feel lonely or want to just be around people, know that you’ve got a place with my family. You’ve done a lot for me, and it’s the least I can do in return.”

  She stared at him for a long moment before nodding. “I…am moved, Eli. Thank you. And I will take you up on your offer.”

  Satisfied with her answer, Eli pushed the door open to hear the happy shouts of several women. In moments he was mobbed by each of them in turn, pausing to give them a few moments of affection before redirecting them either to Athena or back to the kitchen. Even though she seemed like she was decidedly not the hugging type, she didn’t push Freya away when the bubbly woman ambushed her with an enormous hug – something that warmed his heart.

  Isla was the last to approach him, kissing him fiercely. “My mate. I have something to tell you, privately.”

  Eli cocked one eyebrow before responding. “Of course.” Eli said before addressing the rest of the group. “You go ahead, get started on dinner! We’ll be there in a moment.”

  The two of them waited until the group moved down the hall towards the dining room, chatting loudly the entire time. He grinned as he watched Zee strike up an animated conversation with Athena about how human warfare had changed since she was last on Earth. The sounds of scraping chairs and silverware on plates echoed as they passed through the doorframe, causing his smile to fall somewhat.

  “My mate?” Isla asked, seeing his face. “Is there something wrong?”

  “No, it’s just…” He paused for a moment, debating how much to share. “Athena. Her and I were talking on the way here and… she lost her bond mates.”

  “Oh.” Isla replied, her shoulders slumping. “I did not know.”

  “Yeah.” Eli nodded, turning to her. “I couldn’t imagine living without any of you. And while I know we haven’t technically bonded yet, I want you to know that I include you in that statement.”

  She blushed furiously before smiling. “Then it is a good thing that I have been approved by the golden hand society this evening.”

  “Really?” Eli asked. “That’s fantastic that the girls approve of you!”

  “Vespera was approved as well. I ask that our first time be just the two of us, and perhaps in a place that is meaningful.” Isla added.

  “You mean you don’t want to have group sex in a loaned-out castle?” Eli teased before smiling. “Of course. We can talk about where and how later, it doesn’t have to be tonight. I want it to be special too.”

  “Thank you. Aria was going to tell you later, but I asked that I be the one to do it because I have other news to share.”

  “What is it?”

  “Athena did not know how my mother died, but she told me where it happened: an aquatic realm filled with volcanic islands. She gave me the location.” She fixed him with an intense look. “I know we are at war with the Titans. I know this is not urgent. But it is important to me. So when the time comes, I would like for you to-”

  “Yes.” Eli blurted out, interrupting her.

  She furrowed her brow at him. “You didn’t even hear what I was going to ask.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Eli said with a smile. “Whatever you’re going to ask me to do, the answer is yes. I trust that you’re not going to ask me to do something that will run against my morals, and if it’s important to you then I’ll see it through – whatever it is.”

  She pulled Eli into another fierce kiss.