The celestial world shone with golden light, an ethereal stillness enveloping the air like a promise of eternal order. Aena stood in the center of the throne room, a vast square of pure gold, with twenty-four thrones arranged in two concentric circles on different floors. Fenestrated walls opened onto a timeless sky, golden and still, like the very essence of the gods. In the center of the square, a suspended opaque sphere seemed to hold every mystery of the world below.
The goddess of love, wrapped in her ancient-style white robes, with her face hidden behind a white and golden mask, awaited Emion's arrival. Her amber gaze traversed the space, quiet but alert, like a spring breeze in a forest. After a few minutes of waiting, the king of the gods, Emion, walked through the entrance to the hall, his slender figure was clad in light armor beneath white robes, his storm-blue eyes intensely scanning the center of the hall .
“News about Cragar's children,” he began without a preamble, his deep, commanding voice filling the space like a stormy wind. Aena heard the urgency in her husband's tone, a concern that bordered on obsession.
The goddess responded sweetly and patiently, but without ever taking her eyes off the sphere. “Lyceum and I asked for Marina's help.”
“Who would that be?”
Aena was slightly annoyed by the god's interruption, but she breathed and continued: “The heir of the house of Lupi, daughter of Ien. She was told to monitor their movements. She did a great job with Dalia, so I'm sure she won't disappoint me. She is capable and suited for the task.”
Emion turned to her, his face hidden by his dark metallic mask.
“A daughter of the Lupi?” he repeated with a hint of disapproval. “You entrusted such a crucial task to a mortal?”
Aena tilted her head slightly. “Marina is not a mere mortal. She’s loyal, she wants what's best for the park, and you know that the Lupi are a family you can trust.”
The goddess of love tried to calm her husband's latent fury, knowing that his worry stemmed not only from the need for control, but also from a deeper fear: that of a new threat that Cragar's children could represent.
Exploiting the Lupi family, the house of which he himself had been the founder, he hoped would convince him completely.
Emion, however, was not satisfied. He turned back to the opaque sphere, his eyes bright with frustration.
“I don't like this approach,” he said dryly. “We should act directly, not through overseers. As long as I have news, however, I will not stop your initiative. But be careful, Aena: if Cragar's children move too freely, there could be grave consequences.”
The goddess did not respond immediately. She let the tension dissolve on its own, let the silence of the sacred room speak for her. Emion had always had little patience, but she knew the limits of his words, and deep down, she knew that he respected her judgment.
“Those are words you should address to Cragar, not to me.”
With a wave of her hands, Aena caused the opaque surface to begin to glow, revealing a vague, indistinct image that gradually brought the thirteenth house into focus. A modest black wooden house on whose threshold an unknown figure appeared.
“He is not Cragar's son,” Emion murmured.
The young demigod with black hair and silver eyes walked out the door, his gaze was mischievous, almost mocking. A breeze seemed to accompany his step, as if the wind itself was afraid of getting too close to him. He was wearing a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket, the contrast between his simple attire and his menacing presence was evident.
Aena watched carefully, her lips slightly parted beneath her mask. “No, it's not him,” she said softly.
Emion did not continue his speech, simply staring at the scene with icy eyes.
*******
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Lorenzo Scala walked slowly through the streets of the Lilies Park, with his hands stuck in the pockets of his gray sweatshirt. His thoughts were still fixed on the meeting he had just had with Lyceum, and how he told him about a demigod, the son of Tefine, who represented a serious threat.
Lorenzo sighed, worried. It seemed strange to him that Aena hadn't been there, but he knew she had her own problems for not being there.
With his blue eyes he observed the houses around him, all quite different, but with small details that made them similar. The demigod stopped in front of the thirteenth house, a structure that, more than the others, seemed shrouded in a halo of darkness.
As he walked to continue further, the door of the house opened and an unknown boy came out.
Lorenzo's heart skipped a beat.
Salix's dark hair swayed slightly as he walked, his silver eyes with pink highlights rested on Lorenzo with a smile that exuded malice.
It had to be him. The same demigod they had talked about.
He was the son of Tefine.
Salix observed him for a moment, and the smile became thinner, almost amused. Then, without saying a word, he turned and walked down the street, leaving Lorenzo paralyzed for a few moments.
Lyceum's words echoed in his mind: “This demigod, son of Tefine… seems dangerous. Don't do anything wrong.”
Lorenzo forced himself to breathe deeply and looked away from the now distant figure of Salix. His first thought went to Shirei, the one who was probably inside the thirteenth house. If Salix had gotten out without a fight, did that mean Shirei might be in danger? However, a strong premonition stopped him from acting on impulse. Cragar's son could not have been defeated in silence, or so it seemed to him.
Tefine's son was uninjured, moreover.
He looked away from the door of the house and remembered what he had to do. There was a girl waiting for him, one with whom he could also mention the meeting he had just had. She had almost been the victim of Tefine's son, and Lorenzo wanted her to sleep peacefully.
He looked up at the Ninth House, where he saw a distant figure waving at him.
He took a step towards her, determined to leave the looming threat behind him momentarily. He quickened his pace, trying to put the worry about Shirei and not having entered the thirteenth house to check out of his mind. Although he was immersed in his thoughts, a smile emerged on his face when he saw the demigoddess waiting for him in front of the Ninth House.
“You've finally arrived!” she said, greeting him with a warm smile. “I thought you were lost.”
Lorenzo returned a smile, trying to mask the worry that still accompanied him. “No, sorry for the delay. I… had a setback.”
“What is it about? Anything important?”
The son of Ien hesitated, trying to choose the right words. “Nothing to worry about,” he lied. “Just a brief encounter with… a demigod. Nothing worth talking about.”
He preferred to omit the truth just a little longer. It was the best thing to do, especially considering past events.
She looked at him for a moment, her expression unreadable, then shrugged. “Good, then! Let's go, the laboratory is waiting for us.”
She motioned for him to follow her and Lorenzo, with a slight sigh of relief, hurried to her side.
They walked together along the paths of the Lilies Park, surrounded by the lush greenery and the houses that lined up neatly on both sides. The laboratory was one of the things that made Lorenzo happy; there he could dedicate himself to the creation of new equipment and inventions, a way to put his creativity and technical skills at the service of the community.
As they proceeded, the thought of Salix kept buzzing in Lorenzo's head. He couldn't ignore the danger that demigod posed. He knew he would have to address this sooner or later, but for now, there was something more important. He had to keep his attention on the work they had to do.
Arriving in front of the laboratory door, the demigoddess stopped and turned towards him.
“I don't want to talk about Tefine's son, but I just wanted to ask you to be careful. I think he's still here.”
Lorenzo made a small face, then nodded, “I will.”
“Well. You've never told me exactly what you're planning lately. Is there some new invention going on?”
Lorenzo smiled, grateful for the change of subject. “I'm working on something that could really improve our ability to fight. A device that could be a firearm for demigods. It might help us avoid unpleasant encounters.”
The girl looked at him with a mixture of admiration and concern. “It seems like something big, but also… dangerous. Aren't you afraid that it will attract unwanted attention?”
Lorenzo shrugged, downplaying it. “It's for everyone's safety. And then, we cannot remain passive, we must prepare for every eventuality.”
The laboratory was approaching.
Lorenzo immediately felt at home, the smell of metal and gears was something that reassured him, a clear contrast with the chaos of the outside world.
As they continued walking he couldn't help but think back to what had happened outside the thirteenth house. Even though he wanted to focus on his inventions, the thought of Salix kept creeping into his thoughts. He couldn't afford to ignore the danger that demigod posed, not to him, not to the girl at his side.
“There would be…” he finally said, interrupting the silence that had arisen between them. “There's one thing you should know. Before coming here, I met someone. A boy whom I believe to be the son of Tefine.”
She stiffened, her hands stopping in mid-air.
“It was outside the Thirteenth House. He didn't do anything, just smile... but I feel something is wrong...”
The two continued to remain silent, the boy's shadow stretched over them like a looming threat.
“Let's not think about it now,” concluded the girl next to him, “I'm sure that Lyceum and the divine Aena will solve everything.”