Samson decided he must be hallucinating; maybe the shrooms he and his band took last night were still in his system. It was the only logical explanation for everything that had transpired in the past hour.

His and Lena’s shredded graduation gowns were the single remnant of evidence that something out of the ordinary had occurred. Aside from the shredded sleeve, his arm showed no indication of injury, and Lena’s back was the same. Now, this stranger was telling them that this chimera-thing had been after them.

Samson shook his head in confusion. “I’m sorry, what?”

The stranger–Lena had called him Major–crossed his arms again and shifted on his feet, his brow furrowed. “The chimera wanted you two.”

To Samson’s left, Lena was uncharacteristically quiet.

“Why?” Samson asked in a small voice.

Major bit his lip like he wasn’t exactly sure how to explain this situation better. “Because you’re demigods.” He gestured towards Lena’s clenched left hand resting in her lap. “Marked demigods, to be exact.”

Lena ran a hand through her hair and let out a breath. “Demigods? Like children of gods?”

Major nodded.

Samson’s attention shifted to his sister. Her eyes narrowed into slits, lost in thought, her gaze fixed on the now silent flashing lights illuminating the red shadows on her face. He remained quiet.

“And that thing—chimera,” she corrected herself. “Was after us because we are children of a god?”

Major nodded again.

Lena’s eyes snapped toward Major’s face; anger in her own. “And what insane asylum did you escape from today?”

“I am not insane.” Major snarled at her. “You—you both are the children of Apollo.”

“The Greek god of the sun?” Lena scoffed. “We also won the lottery the other night and are now multi-millionaires.” She flicked her arms up in emphasis on the craziness of the implication.

“Our father is Aaron King.” Samson stated.

Major kept his eyes on Lena’s, and she his, but he spoke to Samson. “He may have raised you and helped hide you, but Apollo is the one who sired you.”

Samson rolled his eyes. Major was delusional.

Memories of his father buying him his first guitar flashed through his mind’s eye. Samson had been fascinated with all types of musical instruments for as long as he could remember. He always bugged his parents to let him take guitar lessons—or any sort of musical lessons at all, Samson just wanted to get his hands on anything that could make music. His mother always put a halt to it, claimed that they were already too busy.

That was until his father decided on his tenth birthday it was time to get Samson what he wanted. Aaron took him to a music store, and let Samson touch and test every single instrument in the shop. Nothing held a stronger pull on Samson like the guitars. There was just something about strumming the strings that resonated with Samson, like that was what he was meant to be doing. Strumming strings.

His father’s eyes never shone with pride as much as it did that day with Samson.

Now this stranger claimed that Aaron King wasn’t his father, but some god was...

Samson didn’t care if he was right about the monster being the chimera from Greek mythology and was in fact real, like he said. Major was not right about this.

“That’s a bunch of bullshit.” Lena spat.

Major shrugged. “Only demigods can see past the glamour that surrounds the monsters—you two, and myself, obviously, saw the Chimera.” He pointed at Samson’s shredded sleeve. “It also attacked you. Meaning you’re Marked.”

Samson’s brow rose in question.

Sure, he heard of demigods and the myths surrounding them; they’re children of gods or goddesses and humans, making them half-god and half-human in at least some stories, but none of them mentioned being Marked. Or maybe they had? The only story he knew somewhat well was The Odyssey, and that’s because his literature class had studied it.

“What does that mean?” Samson asked.

Major took his eyes off Lena and looked at Samson. “A demigod does not acquire their godly parents’ powers; yes, they gain some supernatural-like abilities from their parents; most notable are those who are special in a certain ability,” Samson noted that Major nervously flicked his hand around while he talked. “Like Amelia Earhart was the daughter of Zeus, Marilyn Monroe was Aphrodite’s daughter, and George Washington was the son of Ares.”

Samson at least recognized the names of the Greek gods Major spoke of.

“Though if they knew of their natural lineage or not,” Major shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s doubtful.” Major shifted his weight between his feet nervously on the next part. “Marked demigods, however, receive all of their patron’s powers.”

“And you somehow believe Samson and I are like them?” Lena rolled her eyes. “Aaron King is our father.”

Major held out his arm, his palm facing toward them, and made a circular motion with his hand. “Obviously not.”

Samson heeded the mark on the pad of Major’s thumb, the exact spot where his and Lena’s birthmarks lay.

A lightning bolt. Lena must’ve noticed it, too, because she looked at Samson, eyes concerned.

“Where are Mom and Dad?” she asked.

Samson looked up. He went to find them after he dropped Lena off with the paramedics by the ambulance, but the paramedics insisted on looking at him, even though he kept explaining he was alright. And lo-and-behold, he was right. There was nothing wrong with him at all, even with one of his classmates, Olivia Benson, who had walked by frantically informing the paramedics that he was the one on the stage during the explosion.

“I haven’t seen them,” Samson told her.

Lena jumped to her feet, all thoughts of Major and his information eddied out of her mind. Samson flung out his arm, attempting to steady her from the fast movement, but even Lena acted like she healed from the blow to her head.

“We need to find them.”

She went to go past Major, but he gripped her arm. Samson shot to his feet at that movement, jaw clenched. Heat tingled his hands.

“Let go,” Lena said slowly through gritted teeth.

Samson knew that tone had been on the receiving end of that tone, and his body flinched out of pure instinct.

“I still need to talk to you both,” Major insisted, pulling on her elbow leading her back to the ambulance.

“Let. Go.“ Lena said icily.

Samson smiled; if Major did not let her go, he was about to learn the hard way what Lena could do when someone got in her way. Samson had seen her take down men twice her size without her being provoked; he could only imagine what would be in store for Major.

Major sensed this as well and pulled his hand away, and if Samson couldn’t tell any better, it almost looked like he winced in pain. Samson followed his sister, passing Major and shooting a glare at the other boy.

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They searched the area for what felt like twenty minutes, with no sign of their parents. An ambulance pulled out of the parking lot, revealing his sister staring down at her phone.

“Do you think he’s right?” Lena asked, hearing Samson approach.

Samson ran a hand through his hair. “I- uh, don’t know.” He glanced over to the now lesser flame of the school. “I feel like if Dad wasn’t our actual dad, then they would’ve told us, you know?” Samson shrugged. “But I also know that the last hour has felt like a scene straight out of a fantasy movie.”

Lena glanced up from her phone, her silver eyes glazed. “I did catch a few of our classmates talking about the explosion and the randomness. The favored conclusion was there was some sort of electrical mishap. No one mentioned the monster straight from mythology.”

“But if what Major said about the chimera was right, only demigods could see it, and it was after us...”

“Then it’d mean he’s right.” Lena glanced down at her palm. “That we’re not just demigods, we’re Marked, and we have powers—whatever that’s supposed to mean.”

Samson raised up his once shredded, now fully healed arm, “I’m inclined to agree with him.” He nodded his head toward the direction of her back.

Lena sighed and began walking back to the way they left Major.

“First things first, we need to find Mom and Dad to make sure they’re okay,” Lena said.

Samson hummed in agreement.

“Then we figure out this whole demigod thing and see if there’s any truth to it.”

Samson hummed once more.

Major approached the twins, and Lena halted abruptly, causing Samson to nearly run her over. His sister put her right hand on her hip and pointed with her left finger.

“You.” She said. “Are coming with us.”

Major raised his brow in question at her, whether to inquire “where to” or that she had the audacity to address him with that tone.

“You’re the only one with a pointy metal thing, and we might need it if what you say is true.”

***

Well...that didn’t go the way Major had wanted it to.

He didn’t mean to blow up on Selena, but something in her tone eradicated his self-control and had him snapping at her. Her voice had a sneer and her gaze burrowed into him. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it all just got under his skin. His fingers still felt the strange frostbite sensation of grabbing onto her arm to stop her from leaving and to hear him out. Selena then demanded Major come with them back to their house to see if their parents had made their way back there. He silently agreed.

Whatever he needed to do to convince them that their father wasn’t actually their father, and to come back with him to Olympus, he’d do that. And starting at their house to exploit the answers seemed like a logical reason.

Selena took the seat next to Samson, and Major slid into the back of the car. He saw them communicate silently together, only picking up on a hint of a word here and there, but not much to get the context.

“What the hell?” Samson mumbled, pulling into a driveway.

Major turned his attention from the passenger window to the windshield in front of them. The house whose driveway they pulled into looked pedestrian, except for the door off its hinges. Both twins swiftly exited the car, barely waiting until they parked. When Major stepped out, he scrunched up his nose. The house reeked of the lemon-lime stench of magic.

Major looked at the door now on the ground covered in claw marks. Samson swore. Major followed the twins, who slowly went into their house. Inside did not look much better.

Stuffing from the couch filled the living room. Absolutely everything that could be broken was. Major walked over to the wall with claw marks on it. His fingers traced the indents on the wall and his finger tips touched something wet.

Major touched the pads of his fingers together. It had a thicker consistency than water. He pulled his fingers apart, and it was stickier. Blood. He stared at the burgundy colored walls, several splotches of blood were hidden in the color. Major doubted either twin would notice without closely examining it.

“Harpies.” He muttered wiping the blood coating his fingers on his jeans.

Samson and Selena both looked at him from the entryway, where they still stood, eyes bulging.

“Harpies were here.” Major explained.

They were hunting for something or someone. He started walking around the house. Glass, broken wood, and furniture stuffing covered every spot on the floor. Until he got to the back of the house. A single closed door stood perfectly intact. Major sniffed and almost gagged. The magic must have been performed in this room.

He walked to the door to open it, but the handle wouldn’t move. Major jiggled the handle again, this time a bit harder. He pushed against it, and it still wouldn’t move. He kicked at the door, letting out a growl, but it stayed shut.

“Samson! Selena!” He called for the twins.

It took them a while to make their way to him. Their grim faces reflected the weight of the damage to their home, like they were absorbing everything.

“It won’t open.” He jiggled the door handle again.

The twins looked at each other.

“That’s dad’s office,” Samson said.

The Olympians always assumed some sort of sorcery had been used to conceal the twins from Olympus. His father even accused Hecate of helping to hide them from him, but she also helped with the search. A ping of their energy would show up on the map in the council room every now and again, but it would disappear as quickly as it appeared.

The realization struck Major like an arrow.

Aaron King must be a sorcerer who worshiped Hecate. The door remained untouched; the only plausible explanation was that it was protected with magic. If Aaron King could conjure up something like this, it’s no surprise that the twins remained hidden for so long.

Major spit on the ground in frustration. Without the original caster, they had no chance of getting into that room. Unless...

“Open the door,” Major told the twins.

They looked at each other, exchanging in a silent conversation.

“So are you going to open the door or you just going to stand there for the rest of the day looking at each other?” Major snapped.

Selena stepped forward and made her way to the door. She grabbed the handle, her hand trembling.

She pushed the handle down and the door opened.

His guess was right. Aaron King used blood magic on thedoor. That’s why it remained untouched. Even the monsters couldn’t penetrate its defenses. The entire house could burn down, and that room would remain intact. That’s why this house had reeked of magic, Aaron King was an extremely powerful sorcerer.

Selena just stood there dumbstruck, looking at her hand, so Major walked past her and into the room. The room exuded a chill that set it apart from the rest of the house. The cold air nipped at his skin. He shivered.

By his surroundings, Apollo did not leave his children untrained by not bringing them to Olympus. From what he saw with the Chimera, their training still lacked what he and the other Marked–who were back at Olympus,—had undergone, but the twins were not untrained.

On the desk by the computer sat an ornate picture frame. The golden oak embroidered the family picture. Major picked it up, his fingers lazily tracing the lines of the embroidery. The photo looked to be at least ten years old, showing the smiling twins missing their front teeth. Standing next to the little Samson in the photo, must be the twins’ mother—Cathryn King, Zeus had informed him.

She shared her daughter’s same shade of black hair, but where Selena’s was more wavy, Cathryn’s was straight and had pale blue eyes that neither twin inherited, but her face resembled her now grown son’s. Next to her stood her husband, Aaron King. He had his golden hair tied back in a bun, his gold eyes shining in the sunlight of this photo, sharing Samson’s golden features, but his face resembled his step-daughter’s.

Major frowned, it seemed Cathryn King had a type, or Aaron changed his features to prevent paternal questions from the twins. He had only met Apollo a handful of times and could barely remember what he looked like, only that he had the gold colorings Samson acquired. Major hadn’t seen the god since he was twelve years old. Right before all the Marked had to be brought to Olympus, and then he disappeared and hid the twins with him. Neither Apollo nor Artemis had been to Olympus in over six years.

“That was taken when we went to Cedar Point for our ninth birthday.” Selena said from behind him. “Sam was finally tall enough to ride all the rides.”

Major turned around, and saw both twins standing behind him. Examining—no, more reminiscing—of the artifacts displayed in the room. Major did not doubt that Aaron King loved his stepchildren like they were his own flesh and blood, something his own father could learn a thing or two about. A sudden surge of jealousy flashed through him, but it dispersed as quickly as it came. Now was not the time to be resentful of the cards he’d been dealt.

“What’s in here?” Major asked, putting down the picture frame.

“Memorabilia,” Samson said.

Major sighed. “No, I mean more than that.” He turned to face Selena, who was holding a white box the size of a smart phone in her hands. “That door was sealed with blood magic. The strongest protection spell there is. It was sealing in something.”

Both twins remained silent. He groaned in frustration.

Easy. He told himself.

The twins had a right to be in total shock. Absolutely everything they knew about had been blown into smithereens, just to be revealed that their life is a lie and that monsters are real.

Major began going through the desk drawers, rummaging through any piece of paper for clues. The King family harbored a secret that no one but Cathryn and Aaron knew about.

The desk held no clues or information. He slammed the drawer a little too harshly, causing Samson to jump. Samson furrowed his brow at the computer on his dad’s desk. With no need to ask to see if Samson could get on it, he did. Samson plopped himself in the chair and quickly keyed in the code to unlock the monitor.

Major leaned over to see what he was doing. The other boy’s eyes darted across the screen while he read.

“I have something,” Samson said in a low voice.

Selena appeared at Samson’s other side without the box she held moments before. A series of numbers presented on the screen.

“What’s this?” Selena asked.

“His bank information?” Samson replied.

Major studied the numbers, his eyes narrowed. Honestly, he should just let it go. He was sent to bring the twins back to Olympus alive, and he should—he would. Major did not expect to fight a chimera, discover Samson and Selena had next to nothing knowledge of their heritage, find the twins’ house ransacked by monsters searching for something, and that the twins’ stepfather was a powerful enough sorcerer to use blood magic. He had to admit the circumstances did pique his curiosity.

It made him curious enough to find out what that number meant, and then go back to Olympus.

“Google it,” Selena said after some uninterrupted silence.

So Samson did just that.

“They’re coordinates.” She breathed.

Sure enough, a map popped up on the monitor. And right under that little red pin was an address.

110 West Anasazi Trail, Paulden, Arizona.