“That’s cute, bird boy, but useless. Come on, what possible interest could I have in her? Just trying to be nice to the mortal, that’s all.” The pirate seemed genuine to Aster, but she wasn’t used to speaking with gods, so she could be completely off base.

“Fine, leave us,” Tyche said to her brother before turning to Dem. “If he messes with you at all, come and find me.”

“Or me,” Angelia said with a wink that Aster thought was a different kind of invitation, before handing Aster her blanket.

“Let’s just get on with it,” Dem said, seeming even more surly than usual.

Autolycus came up and put his hand on both of their shoulders, and the world around them seemed to spin and blur. When she jumped with Dem, everything just got dark for a moment or two before she just seemed to appear in a new place. Jumping with the god was more like running at super speed, but going in circles at the same time. She felt like she was inside a tornado.

When they stopped, she had to turn away to throw up.

It was worse than being on the ride at the fair that just spun in circles as the bottom opened up below. The nausea stayed with her even after her stomach was empty, like it had been looking for an excuse to come back. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she could have sworn she heard the god complaining about how weak mortals were, but at that moment, she didn’t care. Her stomach rolled once more, but the need to vomit had passed. Now it was just the nausea.

“On that note, good luck,” Autolycus said, before shoving the box and blanket to Dem’s chest and jumping out.

“You okay?” Dem said, rubbing small circles on her back and handing the box back to her.

She appreciated the gesture. He knew how important, how life changing this was to her and was willing to accommodate her being slightly neurotic about it.

“Yeah, I think so.” All she wanted to do was lie in bed and block out the world.

“So, this is Chloe’s place.” He clearly wasn’t sure how to handle her right now, but she wasn’t sure how to handle herself, either, so she didn’t hold it against him. Her body was basically rebelling against her.

“Shall we go and knock? Or is that not what you guys do?”

“I think knocking is good.” He nodded, seeming to be just as unsure as she was.

Together they walked toward the home. The building was small, like it was trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. It was domed, but there weren’t any pillars this time. There was a dark wooden door and a few small windows mixed in with the cream stucco. Other than that, the house was plain, no decorations, no flowers, no fountains, nothing that would draw the eye. Aster tried to look past the house to see what was behind it, but she could only see clouds, like the world ended after Chloe’s home.

Dem rapped on the door lightly and was greeted with some muffled words. When the door didn’t open and no more sounds came from inside, he called out, “Chloe?”

“Who is it?” a woman’s voice spoke from the other side of the door.

“My name is Demetrius. I’m a siren, and I was hoping to talk to you about your family. Can you open the door? I don’t have to come in if you don’t want me to.”

“My family?”

“Yes, my lady.”

There was a shuffling sound, and the door, which looked more like it belonged in a barn than on a goddess’s house, cracked open. At first glance, it seemed as though there was no one there, but Aster realized that the woman was standing mostly behind the door, and what the door didn’t cover was back far enough that the darkness from inside the home shrouded her. She hadn’t expected Chloe’s home to be so dark, nor had she expected her potential biological mother to be such a recluse.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m trying to find out who created this blanket.” Dem took the box from Aster’s hands, opening it up to display the blanket. He held it in front of the door with the embroidery clearly visible. A thin, pale hand shot out and snatched at the blanket. Her heart jumped in her chest. Thankfully he didn’t release the whole thing and kept hold of the side of the blanket where he held the box.

“Where did you get this? Are you a thief?” She took a breath, and when Dem didn’t immediately respond, a small, tortured whisper came from her. “Tell me, please!”

Aster stepped forward, pushing past Dem’s hand that was still trying to hold her off to one side.

“It’s mine.” Her heart thumped in her chest, like it wanted to break through her ribs.

The darkly veined hand dropped the blanket, and the door shut in her face, grazing her nose from how close she’d been standing, and with it came a deafening silence.

“Shit,” Aster cursed softly. She shouldn’t have been so bold. It was obvious from the house and what her sisters and brother had said that she didn’t like attention.

“Chloe? We really need to talk to you about this blanket.”

“No.” Her voice came from just the other side of the door. “No, no, no! Go away.”

Dem leaned and whispered, his lips brushing the sensitive skin of her ear. “Let me do the talking.”

She nodded. Clearly, her method had backfired. It wasn’t that she liked taking a back seat, but he knew more about this world, anyway, so it made sense.

“I saw your hand.” His voice was carefully neutral.

Aster shot him a questioning glance.

“We need your help because your daughter has recently developed similar markings.”

Her hand went to her eye, fingers almost unconsciously tracing the black spider-web lines. When they had first appeared, she couldn’t identify them by touch, but now she could sense them, like the skin containing the markings was slightly cooler than the rest. She had thought the marks on Chloe’s hand were just her veins showing through her pale skin, but if she had similar marks, then she might be able to explain where they came from.

The door cracked open again. The moment felt suspended in time, both parties waiting for the other to break the silence.

“Show me,” Chloe said.

Aster pulled the hair away from her lifeless eye, revealing the dark markings and discoloration to the woman she had yet to be able to see clearly.

“I suppose you’d better come in, then,” she said, opening the door and stepping to the side.

Dem walked through first with the blanket, and Aster followed, still clutching her arms around herself. She usually wasn’t so apprehensive, but what if Chloe rejected her, refused to help her? Everything could go horribly wrong and she could be abandoned once again without answers to the myriad of questions that now swam in her brain.

Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim light as Chloe closed the door behind them. Eventually she could make out some details. The first thing she noticed were the bursts of color all around, either in vases or pillows. Even the rug was a bright pattern. She tried to move forward, but Dem stood just in front of her, blocking her view of the woman she was so desperate to see. It wasn’t every day she found out she had a birth mother and got to meet her.

“Come and sit. I will get some drinks.”

“No ambrosia or nectar, please. Our bodies can’t handle it.” His voice was low and polite as they moved forward to sit at the small wooden table just below a window.

Now that she was inside, Aster could see why so many buildings had a domed roof. It made them feel so much bigger. Though the space was small, she didn’t feel cramped. She looked around a little more. There was a loom in the corner of the room, sitting next to a window with the most intricate pattern being created on it. Outside the window, the backyard was a riot of color with a massive variety of flowers popping up everywhere she looked.

As she sat, Chloe brought over some water in a carafe with matching glasses, all of which was made out of an exquisite patterned blue glass. Her spider-webbed hand trembled as she poured the water, betraying the nervousness Aster was sure they were both feeling. Slowly, she allowed herself to look up.

Dressed in a soft gray V-neck sweater and jeans, the goddess was not what she expected. Her hair was still a golden blonde, sparkling in the light as the waves, so similar to Aster’s own hair, danced as she moved. She had darker eyes and thin, delicate eyebrows. The only thing Aster could really see of herself in this woman’s face was her petite rounded nose and the plump lips, complete with a perfect Cupid’s bow.

“So Phobetor has decided to torment you?” Chloe asked, glancing at Aster before her eyes darted away once more.

Dem made a noise in his throat, but she had no idea what it meant. Deciding to ignore it, she responded, “I have no idea, to be honest. I didn’t even know I was adopted until today.”

The last comment brought her birth mother’s head around once more. This time, she made full eye contact, and Aster could tell that their eyes were similar in color. “If you have this blanket, then you must be the baby I left with Juventas.”

“She goes by Julie now, but yeah, apparently.”

Chloe finally sat down next to Aster, clutching her hands. “You have to know that I didn’t want to give you up.”

Looking at her now as the light from the window bathed her skin, Aster could see the spider-web markings extended far past her hands. They covered most of her visible body, getting darker over her chest, especially over her heart. Looking at her mother’s face again, she could see the faint lines and the silver in her hair. She was aging, something a goddess wouldn’t do.

The words suddenly came tumbling out of her mouth. “Can I ask what happened? What caused the marks on your body? Who’s my father? Did you love him?” She took a breath and snapped her mouth shut in shock. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to blurt it all out like that.”

Chloe laughed. “It’s okay. You have a lot of questions, as do I, but now is not the time for all of them.” Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she sighed, suddenly seeming older. “I fell in love with your father, and he with me. We didn’t think our parents would object. After all, it’s not like we hold any power in the pantheon. Lycus’ father didn’t outwardly have a problem with us, but soon the marks started appearing. I tried to hide them from Lycus, but he found out anyway and was furious that I had tried to keep it from him. Neither of us knew what could be causing them.

“When my nightmares began feeling so real that they scared both of us, Lycus confronted his father. Phobetor wasn’t shy about admitting that he was sending me nightmares. He wanted Lycus to follow in his own nightmare-inducing footsteps, so he issued an ultimatum. Either he gave me up or I would receive nightmares for the rest of my life. For a while, he chose me, wanting to stay true to our relationship, but the dreams and nightmares just got worse, so eventually he went to his father and begged him to stop. The marks were already permanent by that point, though.” Her voice broke as emotions overwhelmed her.

She couldn’t imagine what her mother must have been through. The nightmares and visions she was getting were bad enough, and they had only happened a couple times. If Chloe had them every night, then she must have been on the verge of going crazy.

After a couple deep breaths, her mother continued. “Lycus became his father’s tool, even a weapon sometimes. We didn’t talk again. It was too painful for both of us. So by the time I realized I was pregnant, I figured it was best to just keep it to myself. I’m sorry.” She looked at Aster with guilt blazing in her eyes. “I never meant to keep you from him. I was just trying to do what was best. Besides, whatever Phobetor was doing to me made me begin to age. When I noticed it, I was still pregnant with you. I knew I couldn’t keep you. The marks alone were keeping me away from others, and to add aging to that? A goddess isn’t supposed to age, even one who is as minor as I am. I had my own nightmares, then, ones where I kept you and you watched me deteriorate. I couldn’t put you through that, so after you were born, I reached out to Juventas.”

Aster’s head was reeling with information. She hadn’t expected Chloe to open up like that, to share so much of her private life with someone who was basically a stranger. “I’m so sorry you went through all that.”

“It is nothing for you to worry about. The aging seems to have slowed even further, or possibly stopped, but the marks make me keep to myself. Gods and goddesses are kind of known for being vain. They don’t want to catch whatever marked me, so I stay out of their way and they stay out of mine.” She shrugged.

“May I ask about the blanket, my lady? What or who do the symbols stand for?” Dem asked, offering her the blanket. Dem’s voice was so deep and gravelly compared to Chloe’s that it startled Aster, as did the tone. He almost sounded like a student addressing a teacher, as though Chloe could solve all their problems. Aster wished that were true.

“Oh, of course. The blanket. I made it while I was pregnant. Each symbol is one of your grandparents. I wanted you to know where you came from even if I couldn’t bring myself to tell you who I was. Let’s see. This is Hermes and Carmenta on this side—they are my parents—and the other is Phobetor and Mneme, Lycus’ parents.”

“What are the actual symbols?” Aster asked, pointing to the symbols for her father’s parents.

“This is the gate of horn for Phobetor, and the elephant is for Mneme since she’s the muse of memory.”

“What’s the gate of horn?” Aster asked, fingering the embroidery on the blanket.

“That’s what the gods of dreams and nightmares travel through if your dreams are going to come true. Some called them visions, and some called them prophecy. Either way, it’s all the same. I thought it was better to have that than the gate of ivory on there. I didn’t want to introduce lies to you right off the bat, but then I also expected that you would know you were adopted from the beginning. Nothing in life ever goes to plan, does it?” She laughed at the thought, but it was a dry bark of a laugh that spoke more of pain and regret than actual humor.

“So is there any way to halt the progression of Aster’s marks? Or the nightmares?”

“Not to my knowledge, unless you can persuade Phobetor himself to do so. Obviously that didn’t work so well for me, but you’re not dating anyone related to him. Wait, you’re not, are you?” Her brows pinched together in worry.

“She’s not,” Dem said, speaking for her, not that he had any idea what she’d been up to.

Now was not the time nor place to pick a fight with him, though, even though she wanted to put him in his place. Aster took a sip of her water, and immediately a screaming pain took over in her head. She felt the glass slip from her hand, heard it shatter, but couldn’t see anything as her vision clouded over.