“So, you know that I never knew my mother,” Maddie began. Cleo nodded.

“You told us that.”

“I was raised by my father in a small village east of here. He never really told me about my mother, about why she was gone. He just said that she wasn’t dead, even though that’s what he told people. He said she had to leave but that she loved me. He’d talk a little about when they were together, what she looked like, stuff like that. He never told me that she was a goddess.

“When Gaius said I should go to the temple, to the statue of Brigantia, she spoke to me. She told me she was my mother, that I was special. But then Tereus came to me and told me that he knew about my powers and that I wouldn’t be safe if anyone found out. My mother…my mother told me not to believe him, but I did. He made it sound so scary. He told me that everyone I loved would reject me. That you…you would be scared of me. He said I could be with other people like me and him. People that wouldn't reject me.

“After Corentin…unlocked my powers, I just ran. I was sure that I had just brought down a death sentence on you and my father. So I went back to him. He showed me, well, he showed me lies. You being tortured. My father being tortured.

“He said if I got the key I could use it to get you all back. As a bargaining chip. To save all of us from being killed or put in a dungeon. So I used my magic -- my powers -- to sneak into the castle and steal the key.Then when I got back he took it and told me he’d lied. That all the visions had been fake, illusions. He told me he didn’t need me anymore.

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“Then my mother appeared. She said she’d kill Tereus for what he’d done to me. Then Ares appeared and they fought. My mother made this sword but Ares stabbed her. She told me to take the sword and run.

“Then I ended up here.

Cleo’s brow was furrowed. “You lied to us. When you told us that Tereus threatened you.”

Maddie looked ashamed. “He did, kind of, by telling me that you were being tortured. If you look…” she took a breath.

“Yes. I lied to you. I lied to everyone.”

“You didn’t trust us. You didn’t believe us. Or the Grammaticus, or Professor Corentin. You thought we would hate you, that we would be scared of you, that we would turn you away.” Tears ran down her face. Maddie wilted until she had her face buried in the pillow. Her own tears wet the fabric.

“I didn’t trust you,” she mumbled, “I thought you would hate me. I thought everyone would hate me.

“I thought I would turn into a monster. Something you would have to hate.”

“But,” Cleo continued, “When you thought we were in danger, you did everything you could to save us.”

Maddie lifted her tear-streaked head and nodded.

“Then you’re forgiven,” Cleo announced. She looked over at Gaius. “Right?”

Gaius looked startled. “Uh, yeah, everything’s forgiven. You did your best for us.”

Maddie slumped in relief.

“Now what do we do?” Gaius asked, looking at Cleo.

“Now we hatch a plan to get that key back before Tereus uses it.”