As soon as they entered Cece’s office, the first thing they noticed, and the most striking since it was everywhere, were the animals moving in every corner; whether inside cages or free atop branches placed there specifically for them.

  What filled most of the room were guinea pigs, spread across several cages around the room, watching the two newcomers closely. As if they had too much intelligence.

  Or at least that was what Percy could sense in their eyes.

  His own gaze shifted slightly over the small heads of those animals, frowning faintly as he noticed something only he could see.

  Before turning his attention to Cece, the beautiful woman seated there, waiting for them.

  “Ohh, as always Hila has excellent taste when dressing the guests. You both look wonderful. Though there are a few things that could be improved to make it perfect,” she said the moment she saw them, offering a gentle smile as she dismissed Hila with an elegant wave of her hand.

  Hila nodded respectfully, bowing her head slightly before closing the door behind Percy and Annabeth, who remained standing there, processing Cece’s words.

  “Well then, let’s begin,” Cece said as she moved her hand softly. A book flew straight toward her, and a pencil floated obediently into her other hand.

  “Nice trick,” Percy said calmly, watching her.

  “It’s magic,” Annabeth replied immediately. “Circe is known as one of the most powerful sorceresses, alongside Calypso and Medea,” she added confidently.

  “I prefer sorceress over witch,” Cece answered in a lightly amused tone, without losing her smile.

  “Mmm. Like in the story where you turned Odysseus’ men into pigs,” Percy commented with a small sideways smile.

  “Oh… you’re never going to let that go, are you?” Cece sighed faintly, shaking her head. “The pig incident was the old me. I’ve worked on that. I’ve grown. Now I prefer helping others leave their past behind,” she added calmly.

  “Oh, really? Behind, huh?” Percy said in a quiet voice as his gaze traveled across the room full of animals. Above their heads he could see those indistinguishable threads only he was capable of perceiving in humans.

  Cece seemed not to notice the sarcasm as she turned toward what appeared to be a large mirror covered with a cloth.

  “I have other heroes to help, so beginning would be the most prudent course,” she said as she pulled the fabric away.

  And yes, it was a completely clean mirror, its frame carved with perfect branches and flowers. Truly a beautiful mirror.

  “This will help reveal your true reflections. As I like to call it, your fatal flaw. And this mirror will allow us to see it so we can work on it. If you wish to pass the Sirens, you will have to face it. So then, who would like to go first?” she asked, looking at both of them.

  Annabeth glanced at Percy, filled with doubt. Percy, on the other hand, stared at the mirror before giving Annabeth a reassuring look.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Then he stepped forward confidently, his eyes settling on his own reflection.

  Annabeth, standing behind him, watched carefully. She saw no change in the mirror. Something Percy clearly did, because after only a few seconds his breathing began to grow heavier.

  And as if he could not bear it any longer, he stepped back. He looked genuinely shaken by whatever he had seen.

  Cece took a step closer, the book still in her hand, as if she were reading from it.

  “Truly peculiar,” she said softly. “And dangerous,” she added in a more serious tone. “You always put your friends first, don’t you?” she asked.

  “And that’s a bad thing?” Percy asked, irritated.

  “To save a friend, you would be forced to commit a great evil. Even if it meant sacrificing a mission, your soul… or the world,” she said, while Percy’s gaze sharpened more and more.

  The glasses of water and flower vases around the room suddenly exploded, sending water splashing in every direction.

  Percy turned and walked out of the office quickly, leaving Cece slightly surprised.

  “Well… that’s a bit of progress, perhaps,” she murmured, casting a thoughtful look at his retreating back.

  Annabeth followed him immediately.

  Once they were far enough away, while Annabeth tried to catch up, Percy stopped. She approached quickly.

  “Alright. You can stop pretending now,” she said, looking at him seriously.

  Percy turned and looked at her with complete clarity. As if the outburst from before had never been real. As if everything had been an act.

  But something in his eyes made the next words Annabeth had ready fail to come out.

  There was clarity… but for a moment, something else had moved beneath it.

  “What is it?” Annabeth asked when she noticed Percy was not removing the tiara.

  “It wasn’t a good idea to use the tiara, Annabeth,” Percy said in a serious tone. “Because now I know that without it, what that woman said is true. In every thought. Every strategy. Every movement or pattern. I know that, without hesitation… if I ever had to choose between saving you and saving Olympus… Annabeth, I would burn it all.”

  There was not a single false word leaving his mouth.

  “It’s the tiara, Percy. It only makes your thoughts colder. And if you’re talking about the prophecy, there are still three years before—”

  “It’s not the tiara. You know perfectly well how it works. My master gave it to you for a reason. It reduces emotional interference and allows you to analyze things with clarity. I…”

  Percy fell silent for a moment before letting out a truth he had never told Annabeth before.

  “The prophecies no longer affect me. Destiny no longer does… and it never will again,” he said in a firm voice.

  As he spoke, he could see the threads stretching above every head around them. Everyone had one. Some golden. Others faintly gray. Annabeth’s was a mixture of gold with a slightly dim glow, a sign of the danger that still surrounded them.

  Everyone had one.

  Except him.

  Above his head, there was absolutely nothing.

  “I’m no longer tied to destiny. That’s why Zeus wants to do the impossible to defeat my master. And, as a consequence, destroy my soul the moment I obtain it if I lose that competition. Because my existence is a mistake. I can accelerate destiny… or break it for others. And I accepted that to gain the power to protect the people I care about. So that what happened to my mother never happens again. That’s why I understand better than anyone that I can give everything I have to save them. Do you understand?” Percy said, his voice steady.

  For the first time, he was revealing many of his secrets, trusting completely the girl standing in front of him.

  “And if I’ve already given up what ties me to this world, to this universe… who says I wouldn’t watch it burn just to save the people I care about?” he added in a cold tone.

  Annabeth opened and closed her mouth, unable to find the words. Her gray eyes met Percy’s green ones, which at that moment, beneath his calm and controlled expression, seemed to hide a storming sea.

  “I’ll borrow your tiara a little longer. I need to sort out my thoughts,” Percy said before turning away, with no intention of continuing the conversation.

  He began to walk off, leaving Annabeth standing there. She lifted her hand for a moment, as if to stop him, but lowered it again.

  As if she understood the weight he had been carrying all along.

  And that only proved even more how strong Percy truly was. A strength many would probably never have. Not because he had a powerful master. Not because he was a genius. But because he earned every step by giving everything of himself. Because more than anyone, he knew how much he demanded from himself. And because stopping halfway meant losing something along the way.

  A path that has had no way back since the first day he learned who he was.