“Just like you thought Lydia would be an ally?” Daisy murmured.

“I’m not one to ignore my mistakes,” Kieran replied, a note of gruff disapproval in his voice.

“Doesn’t matter,” Mordecai said, his body tense and his hands clasped in his lap. “We have all week as the new kids on the block. We’ll take a beating. The other teams will want a go at us.”

“Today we’ll set up the lodge and take a stroll as a unit.” Kieran checked his watch. “It’s standard protocol. The crew will be with you the whole time. All of them.”

The crew was what we’d taken to calling the Six (minus Jack, who’d stayed home, like Harding) and Bria, plus the new additions who hung around as family. Jerry and Dylan had become part of our unit, eating with us, helping to cook and clean up, and training the kids. Amber hung around, too, but there was a certain awkwardness to her involvement. She kept silent more often than not. At first we’d tried to weave her in more, but everyone had accepted her as a living ghost around the house, there to help Daisy and soak in the community but not quite comfortable enough to blend in. Unbeknownst to her, she was usually close to Jack, who also hung out on the outskirts of the party.

“I’ll take the new people you guys don’t know very well,” Kieran went on, stroking my hand with his thumb. It wasn’t just for my benefit—I could feel the turmoil rolling through him like a brewing storm.

“If you don’t take any of the crew, you’ll look as green as you are,” Daisy said. “The other Demigods might send most of their best people off to challenge the other crews, but you can be sure they keep a few for themselves.”

“I want to alert people to who I think is most important—not me, but my future wife and her children.”

“Significant others don’t usually get that sort of high-level treatment.” Daisy crossed her arms over her chest. “They’ll think she’s the most important because you want to protect your assets. You have what everyone else wants, and you’ve affixed your mark to it. Na-na-na-na-na. That sort of thing.”

Kieran’s eyebrows shot up. “Zorn said you’d soaked up all his and Amber’s teachings like a sponge. He was right.” He sighed. “That is partially true, yes. Only partially because other Demigod’s partners aren’t in danger. They have protection…which Lexi won’t have until the judgment committee approves my mark on her. They could call that meeting tomorrow, or they could wait until the end of the week, I can’t say.

“In the meantime, I intend to keep the best together to combat the assault that is sure to come. Everyone at this Summit knows my name. What I bring to the table, out of the gate, is unprecedented. I have two rare magics on my crew, neither of them from Poseidon’s lineage, which give us representation from the three most powerful gods. I’ve battled and beaten two established Demigods. My team brought the giant down from the mountain, something many others tried and failed to do, and found a Lightning Rod the world had presumed dead. We travel with two magical cats with strange though extremely potent abilities. Most importantly, I found a Soul Stealer off the street and sizzled my mark across her body. I’ve turned heads without officially establishing myself, and everyone will want to see what my staff can do. Mordecai’s right—they will come at you.”

“Finally! The truth.” Daisy threw up her hands. “How long have I been asking questions to get you to admit all that, and you’ve been all ‘Oh, I’m Demigod Kieran the Magnificent, everything will be fine, I’ve got everything covered, want to shake hands with my colossal ego?’”

“Everything will be fine,” he said, a smile wrestling with his lips, “everything is covered, thanks for the new nickname, and don’t bother getting up—my ego can reach you from here.”

Mordecai huffed out a laugh that melted away quickly as he looked out the window. The landscape was changing, from white, sandy beaches pounded by sparkling surf to rocky ground and a few small, shedlike structures.

“This isn’t anything like I thought it’d be,” he said.

“Because they decided to keep the details from Lexi and everyone knows you have a big mouth,” Daisy said with a smirk.

Fair point.

We passed the first large building, a structure similar to a warehouse. Soon we were winding through more of them, some alive with activity—suitcases being emptied from other limos and staff rushing into the large front entrances. “At least if the shit hits the fan, we know where to find a few limos,” I said. “How many people can say they’ve been in a limo chase?”

“I bet Bria has.” Daisy bent over her phone.

“It’ll be okay, Lexi,” Mordecai said, and I could hear the urgency in his voice. “We always come out ahead when we stick together. Always.”

His eyes implored me to see the truth in that statement. To be at ease so he could be at ease. He didn’t have Daisy’s iron resolve, her instinct for individual survival. He worried more about his family—his pack. He felt everyone’s distress as though it were his own, and he worked to make everyone comfortable. He’d be an excellent leader someday, especially if he followed Kieran’s example.

“It’ll be fine,” I mumbled to myself as the limo slowed and turned into a small driveway.