"A Trident?" Klaus chanted, his tone laced with shock.

The people in the dining room giggled at Klaus' astonishment, the sound echoing warmly through the Walker residence. Even Trent, the subject of Klaus' bewildered question, chuckled heartily. Klaus remained frozen in his seat, his surprise evident as the others, both the Walkers and the Atlas', continued to giggle at his reaction.

Dinner had been Shade’s idea, a chance for the two families, the ones publicly known as families with demigods, to bond. The Atlas' had eagerly accepted the invitation, and now the group sat together, sharing a meal and deep in conversation.

"But seriously," Klaus asked after a moment, his gaze narrowing at Trent. "Are you okay?"

Trent smiled, his demeanor as steady and calm as ever. "I'm fine, friend," he replied. "It doesn’t change who I am."

Trent’s reassurance put Klaus somewhat at ease, though the idea of someone being a divine Trident wielded by Torrent still felt surreal. He resolved to set the thought aside for now, unwilling to dwell on it too deeply.

In the living room, Natalie and Jade Atlas, Quinn and Link's mother, were lost in conversation, their voices blending with the hum of the evening. Meanwhile, the demigods; Klaus, Shade, Link, Quinn, and Trent; remained at the dining table, deep in their own lively discussions.

Klaus, though less enthusiastic than the others, was still engaged. He ate sparingly and spoke even less, but he was still firmly present in the conversation. "So it was Link who ensured the other demigods’ identities stayed hidden?" he eventually asked.

"Yeah," Shade confirmed. "And it’s made things a lot easier for them. They don’t have to deal with what we’re facing from the public."

Link leaned back theatrically, the digitalized smile on his mask growing wider. "Well, you know me," he began. "Just your typical, capeless savior. Always one step ahead."

"Right," Klaus said, raising an unimpressed brow. "Except when you got outplayed and lost to Tyler in the Divine Tournament."

The table erupted into soft laughter, all eyes turning to Link, who visibly bristled at the jab.

"Okay, dude," Link said, his mask displaying an exaggerated look of annoyance. "I won't hear it from the guy who thought the gods weren’t real while literally having superpowers."

Shade and Quinn chuckled quietly, their mirth adding fuel to Link’s mock frustration. The digital face on his mask shifted to an exaggeratedly irritated emoji, displaying his current emotion.

The evening stretched on, filled with stories, banter, and shared memories. Nearly a week had passed since Klaus had met Avalon’s parents, and though he didn’t openly admit it, he felt lighter, less burdened. Shade had noticed the shift in him too, observing how he seemed more present, even if only slightly.

Once dinner was over, the demigods lingered at the table, their conversation shifting to the changes they’d faced and the weight of being revealed to the world. Klaus participated, but after a while, he excused himself and rose from his seat, heading upstairs.

After he climbed the stairs, his steps slowed, and instead of retreating to his room, he turned his gaze to the attic door. Moments later, he found himself on the roof, the cool night air brushing against his skin. He lay back, his eyes fixed on the endless expanse of stars above, lost in thought.

"You know," a voice said suddenly, breaking the quiet, "staring at them won’t bring the stars any closer."

Klaus turned his head to see Quinn stepping onto the roof, her silhouette framed by the soft light spilling out from the attic’s entrance. She approached and settled beside him.

"You wouldn’t know until you tried," Klaus replied, his gaze shifting back to the sky.

They lay there in silence, the world around them falling away as the stars glittered above.

"I can tell you’re feeling better," Quinn said softly after a while.

Klaus remained silent briefly, his eyes never leaving the skies. "Can we not talk about that right now?" he muttered.

"Sure," Quinn said, her voice light and understanding. "But I’m still glad you’re okay."

Klaus let out a soft sigh before choosing to respond. "I guess," they both suddenly murmured in unison.

Klaus turned to look at Quinn, catching the playful grin spreading across her face.

"I figured you’d say that," Quinn teased, her tone laced with gentle humor.

Klaus returned his gaze to the stars, the stillness stretching between them. After a while, he broke the silence. "Link seems to be on good terms with your mom now," he remarked casually.

Quinn turned her head toward him, her eyebrows rising in surprise before a teasing smile spread across her face. "So you do care," she said, her tone playful.

"Not exactly," Klaus replied, keeping his expression neutral. "Just an observation."

"If you say so," Quinn said, her smile unwavering, clearly not buying his deflection. "But yeah, since the crisis, he’s been stopping by the main house more often. They’ve been talking; a bit more than they used to, at least."

"They hadn’t talked for years," Klaus added. "Any amount of conversation now would automatically qualify as 'a bit more,' don’t you think?"

"Fair point," Quinn admitted with a small laugh.

They let the quiet return, the minutes slipping by as they both stared at the night sky. Then Quinn spoke again, her tone light but curious. "So... why did you secretly call me up here?" she asked.

Klaus didn’t react outwardly, but her question didn’t surprise him. She had heard his telepathic call earlier when he left the dining room, and her arrival had been intentional.

After a moment, Klaus answered. "What do you think happens next?" he asked.

"Next for humanity, or for us?" Quinn asked, turning her head to glance at him.

"You already know, don't you?" Klaus said, shifting his eyes toward her.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Quinn sighed, understanding his unspoken meaning. "We tried, you know," she began, referencing Shade’s earlier attempt to address the humans gathered outside their home. "But it’s not that simple."

Klaus returned his glance, his silence speaking volumes. There was something brewing in his mind, something he had been mulling over since he met with Avalon’s parents. He had realized the necessity of giving people the clarity they needed to move on, even if it wasn’t what they wanted to hear.

"I need you to do something for me," Klaus said finally, his voice steady, redrawing Quinn’s attention. "I want you to arrange a meeting for me, with all the broadcasting channels you can get in contact with."

Quinn blinked, caught slightly off guard. "A meeting?" she asked.

Klaus sat up, his eyes locking onto hers. "We owe humanity that much, don't you think?" he said. "If we don’t answer their questions, some of them may never be able to move forward from their grief and confusion."

Quinn stayed quiet, considering his words. She had felt the same way initially, which was why she had suggested that Shade attempt to address the crowd, but the hostile reception had made her doubt that humanity even wanted the truth.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked softly.

"I saw it firsthand," Klaus replied. "Even if the answers aren’t what they want, they need to hear them. Also, if it starts going sideways, I’ll just leave without answering anymore."

Quinn sat up beside him, her brow furrowed as she thought it over. "Do you really want to be the only one speaking, though?" she asked.

"Our presence in abundance might overwhelm them," Klaus explained. "Besides, I have the most knowledge of the situation. I know what to expect and how to respond. I think it’s better this way."

Quinn exhaled slowly, her decision made. "Fine," she surrendered. "I’ll see what I can do. But I’ll make sure it’s a formal setting as well so it can be more civilized."

"That's fair," Klaus said, his gaze softening as it lingered on her. "Also... I asked you specifically because I knew if it wasn’t a good plan, you’d have told me. So I'm glad it is."

Quinn’s smile returned after hearing Klaus' words. "Glad to know I’m your voice of reason, Light Boy," she teased.

"Don’t let it go to your head, nerd," Klaus quipped, a rare smile breaking across his face.

With the plan settled, they returned inside, joining the others. The group talked for a while longer, their conversations a mix of different topics, until the time came for the Atlas family, and Trent, to head home.

Everyone walked outside, accompanying their guests to their limousine parked in front of the house. "You must visit me sometime, Nat," Jade said with a smile.

"I'll try to make it happen whenever I'm off work," Natalie replied, smiling back.

After exchanging farewells, Klaus, Shade, and Natalie headed back inside, unfazed by the humans lingering near their home.

The next morning, Klaus was woken by his phone ringing. Reaching for it, he saw Link’s name on the screen.

"What do you want, Link?" Klaus asked after answering.

"It’s Quinn," came the response from the other end.

"Oh," Klaus replied, slightly puzzled.

"I tried reaching you telepathically, but you were asleep," Quinn explained. "I didn’t have your number, so I borrowed Link’s phone."

"Got it," Klaus said, getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Anyway... just wanted to let you know that I’ve set up the meeting," Quinn informed him. "It’s scheduled for this Friday; three days from now."

"Wow, that was fast," Klaus said, surprised by how quickly Quinn had acted.

"Yeah," she continued. "I also requested they gather as many international journalists as possible to ensure global coverage."

"Sounds good," Klaus replied, his voice slightly muffled as he brushed.

"That’s all for now," Quinn concluded. "It's a Q and A session so I doubt it'll take any of your time. Also, I’ll send the details and location once everything’s finalized."

"Thanks, Quinn," Klaus said.

"Anytime," she replied before ending the call.

The next three days passed quickly, and it was the day of the live broadcast. Klaus prepared alongside Shade, who insisted on accompanying him even if he wouldn’t appear on stage. Natalie, tied up with work, couldn’t join them even though she wanted to. Once ready, Klaus and Shade left for the venue.

"Be careful," Shade advised as they made their way to the venue. "These people can be annoyingly relentless."

"I’ll be fine," Klaus said. "This is a more formal setting compared to your experience. And if things get out of hand, I’ll leave."

At the venue, staff directed Klaus and Shade to a waiting room. The two chatted briefly before Klaus was moved to another area to prepare for the broadcast.

After being prepped, Klaus sat alone, passing time on his phone. He noticed a message from Riley wishing him good luck and responded with a quick thank you. As he scrolled through his contacts, his eyes landed on Avalon's name.

Clicking on it, he saw their last exchange from just days before the crisis:

"Love you."

"Love you too."

A faint smile formed on Klaus’ face as he stared at the screen, warmth spreading through him as memories of their time together filled his thoughts.

As Klaus sat in silence, staring at his phone, a voice broke through the stillness behind him.

“Klaus?”

Klaus turned to see a man he didn’t recognize, a stranger he had never met before.

“Klaus Walker?” the man asked, stepping closer, his face lighting up in awe. “Oh my god, it’s really you.”

“Do I know you?” Klaus asked, his tone neutral but wary.

“Not exactly,” the man admitted, clearly excited. “But I have so many questions I need to ask you.”

Klaus immediately grew cautious. He recognized the man as just another civilian who had likely seen him on the news.

“I saw you on TV before,” the man continued. “A real demigod... That’s incredible! So, you’ve met the gods, right? What do they look like? Are they... are... the...”

Before the man could finish, his words began to slur. His eyes slowly fluttered shut as if he were losing consciousness on the spot. Then, without warning, he collapsed to the floor.

Klaus stared in confusion briefly until a familiar voice called out.

“Hey, you okay?” Quinn asked, stepping into the room and glancing at the unconscious man. “That was pretty weird, wasn’t it?”

“Did you do that?” Klaus asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Yup,” Quinn said, her gaze shifting back to him. “He was bothering you, wasn’t he?”

“How the hell did you manage that?” Klaus asked, his curiosity piqued.

Quinn smirked. “Long story short," she began, "I simply forced his brain to produce a massive amount of melatonin. So it made him fall asleep almost instantly.”

“That’s... kinda scary,” Klaus muttered, though his interest was evident. “Could you do the same to another demigod as well?”

Quinn’s smirk widened. “I don’t know. Maybe,” she teased

Before Klaus could press further, Link and Trent entered the room.

“Hey, friend,” Trent said cheerfully. “We’re supposed to let you know you’re up in five minutes. Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Klaus replied, rising to prepare himself.

Minutes later, Klaus was called to the stage. He informed the others where Shade was so they could regroup after the session. Taking a deep breath, Klaus was directed toward the platform.

“Hopefully, this will help bring everyone some peace,” Trent said, watching Klaus disappear from view.

“Let’s hope so,” Link replied.

After that, the rest of the demigods made their way to the room Shade was in. As they continued onward to meet Shade, Trent accidentally bumped into someone hurrying toward the meeting hall.

“Oh, apologies,” Trent said politely, glancing at the person he’d run into.

The woman, appearing to be in her late twenties with long black hair and a dark blue pantsuit, exuded an air of importance. She had likely been one of the select few granted access to the meeting.

But as her eyes locked with Trent’s, her expression changed. The soft smile she’d worn gave way to shock, her gaze fixed on him as if she were seeing a ghost.

The woman remained silent for a brief moment, her astonishment still present before suddenly, without warning, she leaned forward and embraced Trent, surprising everyone. Tears welled in her eyes as she held him tightly.

Trent, though bewildered, didn’t pull away. Something about her presence felt oddly soothing despite having no memory of who she was.

Moments later, a man quickly approached and gently tapped the woman’s shoulder. “Miss Harrison,” he said softly.

The man's voice was soft, but it seemed to have been his tap that had caught her attention instead. The woman stepped back, retracting from her hug and turning to the man. To the group’s surprise, the man began communicating with her in sign language. After a bit, she nodded in response to the man's signs, her smile returning as she wiped her tears.

After the brief exchange, the woman looked back at Trent, placing a hand on his shoulder. Her smile widened, and she nodded softly before turning away and following the man into the hall where Klaus had already begun speaking.

Trent stood frozen along with the other demigods as they processed the interaction. The woman never spoke throughout the encounter, but her actions were memorable regardless.

“You okay?” Quinn asked, stepping closer.

“Y-Yeah,” Trent replied, though his voice wavered.

“Do you know her?” Link asked, his confusion evident.

"I'm... not sure," Trent replied, his mind swirling with thoughts that didn't feel like his. "But... I think so."