X

"Why?" Selena asked after a couple of moments of silence.

"Why, what?"

"Why did Artemis mark me if Apollo is my father?"

Major ran a hand through his hair.

Ah, yes, this explanation. Major had never been a wordsmith, and that fact had never kicked him harder in the ass as it had earlier today. He needed this to make sense in layman's terms. He didn't know their depth of knowledge of the Greek religion.

"Artemis is a maiden goddess." Major fumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Selena's eyes narrowed at him. "I know, I'm not dumb."

"I didn't," mumbled Sam next to her.

"Well..." Selena said, smiling coyly.

Major stopped himself from gaping at her. Everything that happened today hadn't deterred her. She kept this feisty and sassy attitude, and it warmed something inside of him.

Something he couldn't exactly pinpoint, so he chose to ignore it.

"So, when Zeus ordered that each Olympian Mark a demigod—"

"Why?" Samson cut Major off. "Why did Zeus order Marked demigods? Weren't there Marked demigods already?"

Selena nodded. "I'd assume if the Marked are as powerful as you say."

Major rubbed his chin in contemplation, thinking how best to answer her question. 

The waitress appeared with their food, sashaying a bit more than Major thought was necessary, especially since she was balancing a tray. Putting his order in front of him, she fluttered her eyes lashes and wetted her lips with her tongue. Major gave her a small smile in thanks. Giving Selena her plate, she shot the waitress an icy dagger stare in return. Noticing the other girl's cold demeanor, the waitress chose not to loiter around the table, and left after giving Samson his plate.

"We are." Major toyed with his chicken mac and cheese in front of him. "But a law passed out from Olympus eons ago about not marking demigods."

Selena furrowed her brow, "Why?"

"Because they would abuse their power, they would go off to foreign lands and become worshipped as gods themselves." Major took a bite of his food and pointed his fork at the twins. "You two are familiar with the Norse god, Thor?" The twins nodded their heads. "He was one of my father's Marked."

"So they made a law that the Olympians shouldn't mark demigods because it takes the focus off them?" Selena asked.

"Talk about fragile egos." Samson mused.

"Yes," Major nodded. "But not just the Olympians, the minor gods and goddesses too. They didn't trust demigods enough not to abuse the blessings of the Marks."

Selena opened her left hand and stared at her Mark, her right forefinger tracing it. "So...then why do we have these?"

Major put down his fork and finished chewing his bite. He could explain why it made them special until he's blue in the face on Markings. But this...this was a critical moment. He had to ensure that they fully grasped the significance of their existence and comprehend why he had been tasked with bringing them back. He bit the inside of his cheek. They should've sent fucking Kendall for this.

"About nineteen years ago, the Oracle of Delphi revealed a prophecy. The prophecy foretold the destruction of Olympus by the hands of the giants and some other Deity the Oracle couldn't see." Major folded his hands. "Thus, the Marked. Extra protection for the gods."

Selena cocked her head. Her black hair curtained to the side. With that silvery gaze of hers, she looked like the moon personified.

"But it's a telling of the future. The gods will be destroyed, and Olympus will fall. Why even bother with this whole Marked business?" she asked.

"It was just a prophecy. The future isn't set in stone; it changes based on decisions. At that point, no demigods were Marked. The prophecy was only accurate if things continued the way they were—stagnant."

"So now, with there being Marked, is the prophecy changed?"

"We hope."

"What do you mean, you hope?" Samson asked, nose wrinkling.

"The Oracle can only see certain prophecies when they come to her. She doesn't get to choose which ones."

Selena played with the fries on her plate with her fingers. "So there's no way of knowing if having Marked demigods will change the outcome?"

Major shook his head.

No, there wasn't a way. He had heard Apollo even went to Delphi to see if he saw the change. But even the god of divination couldn't conjure the damning prophecy.

"Just gotta roll with the punches." Major smiled wryly.

Neither twin returned his sentiment. He wanted to discuss it further, but the table had become so taut with silence that he let it stay that way until one of them wanted to know more.

"How many Marked are there?" Samson eventually asked, dipping one of his fries in ketchup. "I mean, if they're needed to save Olympus, then there's got to be hundreds of us, thousands even!"

Selena nodded along with what her brother said. "Yeah, don't they just have to do some god magic mumbo jumbo and put the mark on a demigod?"

Major's jaw tightened, but he refrained himself from pinching the bridge of his nose. No, that's not how it worked.

They expected to walk into an army full of Marked demigods, which made him a little queasy. He couldn't imagine the tension of that room. The others were already at each other's throats every other day, and there were only a few.

"Not hundreds, and definitely not thousands. There are ten of us at Olympus, myself included, and then the two of you."

Selena raised her eyebrows. "That's it? Only twelve?"

"Any more would be redundant."

That response brought him both blank looks from the twins. Yep, they should've sent Kendall to retrieve them versus him; she at least could explain this damning situation a whole lot better than him. Hell, she even looked more trustworthy, and he is a temperamental bastard with unlimited lighting control—so he's told.

Major sighed. "Any more than one Marked child from the same god weakens the power of the Mark." He moved his hands while he spoke, his speech picking up in speed. "Like if you had two Marked children by Zeus, the power I possess would be halved and split into two."

"So you couldn't overpower the god who gave you the Mark," Selena said.

Major raised his eyebrows. A fluttery sensation ran through him. Either he explained this better than he thought, or only Selena understood it. Given Samson's distant gaze, he assumed the latter.

Major picked up his fork. "So Zeus ordered only the Olympians to Mark demigods. But Artemis and Athena are virgin goddesses, and Hera is the goddess of fidelity. Those three chose demigods that weren't their children."

Selena traced the crescent moon Mark on her hand again like it were a tick of hers.

"Naturally," Major took a bite of his food. "Artemis Marked her twin brother's daughter, who also happens to be a girl twin. It's a bit poetic, if you ask me."

Silence crossed the table once more. Were they realizing that going back to Olympus was the more rational plan? Albeit his curiosity, those coordinates left no proof whatsoever that it was a safe house and that was where Aaron and Cathryn King sought refuge.

Did they still want to go after everything they learned? He would escort them to Arizona if they still wanted. He had a feeling they would somehow get themselves killed without him if today's experiences hadn't backed up that theory. 

Most importantly, he needed the twins to trust him. If they were to stop the unknown threat to Olympus, he needed all the Marked to trust him. Perhaps it was a reason his father sent him and no one else to find the twins. For them to form a bond with Major.

"So that's what the snake monster meant by saying we're the children the prophecy spoke about," Samson muttered.

Major furrowed his brow, and his chest tightened. "What are you talking about?"

Selena tilted her head contemplatively, and his heartbeat picked up at the sight.

"The monster you slayed at the hotel. She said that Sam and I are the children of the prophecy. I'm assuming that's why she didn't kill me when she had me in her grip."

Major's blood went cold, and he twitched. He could visualize himself beheading the dracanae again and now wished he skinned it to its bones.

The thought surprised him a bit. He had never once skinned a monster before. It would be fun, he supposed.

"The prophecy that brought the Marked mentioned nothing about children."

The twins looked at each other like they were having some silent conversation.

"I wonder if Mom knew about it?" Selena asked.

Samson turned his eyes toward Major. "You said that you've been looking for us for two years."

Major set his fork down in the now empty bowl. "More than that, actually. You were supposed to be transported to Olympus at thirteen. You two were the only ones who didn't show." Major thrummed his fingers on the table. "Apollo and Artemis have also been gone for almost six years."

The twins' faces paled.

"We moved when we were thirteen," Samson said in a low tone.

This prophecy had to be something Apollo had known about but didn't report to Zeus. Artemis must have known, too. That must be why Cathryn King married the twins' stepfather. They needed his magical abilities to thwart Olympus's attempts at tracking them. Those coordinates had to be related to why they kept the twins hidden. Major was more than certain of it now. Arizona held the answers to all the secrets the Kings kept hidden.

Secrets he really wanted the answers to. Even if it meant going against his father's orders.

"We have to go to Paulden," Major said matter-of-factly.

Selena nodded her head in agreement. "We have to go to Paulden."

"But we're not going to Olympus." Samson narrowed his eyes at Major.

He rolled his eyes at Samson. He acted like Major hadn't been the one to suggest that they go to Arizona.

Whatever, trust needed to be earned. Not like he didn't just save their asses twice today.

But if they wanted him to play the bad guy, Major guessed he would play it until he earned their trust. He folded his arms across his chest and glanced at the TV on the corner of the wall to the right.

"We don't have enough money to buy a car." Samson said.

Selena whipped her head toward her brother. "What do you mean we don't? You raided the safe before we left."

"Not exactly," Samson said, pursing his lips.

"What do you mean not exactly?"

"I mean, the duffel bag full of money was in the Porsche." Samson tapped his backpack. "We only have the few hundred I stuffed in here."

The twins remained oblivious to the TV screens now all flashing a photo of Samson's ID on the news channel.

Fuck. Major knew deciding to set the car on fire to rid of it as evidence would come back to bite them in the ass.

"I don't think you'll purchase anything that requires an ID here soon," Major said, pointing at the TV in the diner's right corner. "You're wanted for arson."