Back at their apartment, Val and Tavras rushed to get their things in order so that they could flee the Summit.

Tavras leaned over the kitchen counter, his cheek upturned as he watched the goldfish swim around. “I just knew that getting fish would turn into a bad idea.”

“I’m sorry that I convinced you to get them,” Val murmured.

His eyes followed the fins of the goldfish around and around. “No, I appreciated the encouragement. They do make me happy. They would have kept me good company if only we stayed here as planned.” One finger waggled close to the glass so that he could invite the goldfish to follow his hand.

“Um, do you know anyone who you could ask to take care of them or arrange them to get new homes while we’re gone?”

Tavras shrugged. “I’ll make the pet store take them back.”

“I’m pretty sure that stores don’t take returns like that.”

A devious light flashed to his eyes. “I am a god with a vengeful streak, you know. It is likely that they will make an exception, or I will convince them at any rate.” He laughed merrily—rather diabolically for such a minor, nefarious thing.

While Tavras used his powers to lift the fish from its bowl, Val crept back towards her bedroom. They had gone overboard and gotten many more fish that he would have to scoop out and carry back, leaving Val with some good minutes to herself.

“While you take care of the fish, can I call my mom? I’m assuming that we’ll be going into an Internet dead zone for a while again.”

“Mhm,” Tavras said. “Don’t talk about anything that could give you and your mother’s identity away though. If there’s a way to monitor all of that technological shit, Suvier definitely spies on everyone digitally like he does with his walls physically. I wouldn’t trust it, anyway.”

Used to firewalls and digital surveillance, Val had already assumed that. Marivanch had always been a surveillance state under Suvier’s reign, and those restrictions should only tighten on the Summit’s network.

At any rate, it was funny receiving some technological tips from Tavras. “I know,” Val said. “Thanks.”

Alone in her room, she fiddled with her phone.

Already, she had some texts awaiting her from someone with whom she did not want to converse.

Arius: I think that there might have been some ineffective communication between us. You will better understand what I mean next time, hopefully.

A shudder ran up her spine at that ominous text message—certainly not an excited shudder. Val would be glad that they would be out of here before ‘next time’.

Some more text messages taunted her.

Arius: The second order of business is your Mind Shield.

Do remember that you have to associate with me for that reason whether you like it or not.

Would you like to begin over lunch tomorrow?

“Of course not,” Val sneered. It was too much, too soon.

That lunatic, she thought, abhorred by the offer. Was he trying to ask her on a date after that little display?

She exited the text thread with Arius without responding. Instead, she focused on someone who should actually matter in her life: her mother.

Val: I might be without Internet or cell service again for a while.

Can we call?

It might be good a idea for us to talk before I leave.

She had learned her lesson from last time. No matter how mad she felt with her mother, Val ought to call her before going into a dead zone. It was impossible to tell when a time might be the last opportunity to talk to her in a while.

The display for an incoming call dominated the screen.

Val picked up the call but did not even know how to regard her supposed mortal mother, the Demiweaver. “H-Hi, Mom,” she managed.

“Why Hello, Val!”

At face value, her mother sounded excited to hear her voice. Val knew better than to take anything at face value regarding her mother ever again. Happiness could denote pleasure with the current trajectory of fate—a good sign of Val making the right choices.

Her mother announced, “I am so happy that you’ve called. May I ask why your situation has taken the sudden change?”

“Tavras doesn’t like it here on the Summit—on land, I mean.”

“Is the Sea Itself like a fish out of water over there?”

A wry smile forced its way to Val’s lips. “I guess you could say that. We’re going to continue my training at sea for the time being.”

“That sounds like a good idea, but what do I know?” Her mother’s chortling laugh came over the phone.

The Demiweaver knew a great deal.

“It will be too bad that we will lose contact again,” her mother continued in a muse. “I was just looking forward to us being able to keep in touch again. You left on such a bad foot, and for that, I’m really sorry, Val. I’m concerned about your journey as a demigoddess, but I really do have your best interests at heart! You’re my daughter, and I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom.” Those string of words came out robotically. It would be more accurate to say that she felt manipulated and played by her mother.

Every word, Val hung onto in the same way that she always tried to discern double meanings from Ross’s speech. Notably, her mother had never once mentioned Ross since her arrival on the Summit, so clearly she knew not to disperse compromising information via technology.

“I was actually wondering if we could chat about some things.” Val settled herself onto her bed, folding one arm over her ribs. When she had limited information to decide between Tavras and Arius, her mother’s foresight should allow her to make the right decision.

In asking her questions, Val just needed to maintain her mother’s front as an inconspicuous mortal woman.

“Now that I am around gods all the time,” Val began, “I feel like I wish I knew your beliefs on them better. Could you tell me what you think about a few gods?”

“Of course! I don’t know how accurate mortal stories are about the gods, but I would be happy to provide any motherly insight that I can.”

A crooked smile plastered across Val’s face. The way that her mother always talked in the same eclectic way that Ross had adopted, she almost could not believe that she had not seen this sooner.

Her motherly insight would mean a whole lot more than any mortal woman’s opinion. Val had contact with the Demiweaver, a more powerful scryer than her brother Ross who she had lost touch.

“What do you think of Tavras the Sea Itself? You saw that he took me under his wing, but I was wondering what you really think of him.”

“Well, that depends,” her mother laughed. “Is Tavras around you right now?”

“No.” Val chuckled at the joke in return, assuming that it was indeed a joke. “He will not be able to overhear our call.”

Her mother jumped into her serious description. “Tavras is supposed to be an old, selfish god. He cares about his children more than anything in the world—his children being the sea monsters and the lost demigods who he looks after equally. This is a very good thing for you, given how he has chosen to take you under his wing!”

The topic shifted as her mother asked, “Do you remember the story of Tavras and Leviathan?”

Of course, Val knew the story.

Anytime that Leviathan awoke, Tavras always soothed it back to its slumber. The Sea Itself had a special relationship to not only the ocean, but also the most powerful sea monster that could not even dwell on this same plane, save for when it breached to drown the world.

Her mother provided additional detail.

“There’s an old story that Leviathan turned one of Tavras’s own children into a creature of the sea. Some say that it was a sea serpent, others say that his child still lives on as Charybdis—the gateway that allowed Tavras to leave Leviathan’s realm. So, Tavras is supposed to love all sea monsters and lost demigods like his own forgotten child.”

“I think that I had forgotten that part of the legend,” Val admitted. Swallowing hard, she wondered if any of this she could find in the past as Tavras’s missing memories.

“I feel so honored that the Sea Itself has taken it upon himself to look after my daughter! You should stay close to him for as long as you can.”

Though her mother could not see it, Val nodded in agreement. “I think that I will do that.”

“Recently, I met a new god who Tavras obviously does not like,” Val began anew. “What do you think of Arius the Ravager?”

“Ah, the favorite son and right hand to our God Supreme! You should know all of the myths about him by now—much blood spilt by his hand. Arius is popular and has accumulated many legends for his age.”

While mortals liked Arius, especially during wartimes to pray to him, he had legends abound about his personal vendettas with other gods, of which he killed a great number.

“You are familiar with how he conquered the sea, yes?”

Val was all too familiar.

“That is why the Sea Itself is said to despise the Ravager so much. The same thing goes for Arius, not being allowed to kill him. Tavras is one of the few gods who no one can kill, not unless they want Leviathan to sink continents next time it should awake.”

Again, Val was familiar but still listened to see if she could glean anything new. At last, her mother moved on to her assessment of Arius like she had done for Tavras.

“Like the affinity for fire that he has received from his father, Arius also has a knack for destruction. He should have taken on that attribute rather than the secondary attribute of love; it would have been more fitting for him. Destruction follows the Ravager wherever he goes. Those blessed with fire are so cursed to consume everything around them, or so it is said.”

That bit, Val had never heard before. She recalled the way that Arius had lost himself in the brazier earlier today, transfixed in his gaze. It made her wonder all the more about the sorts of things that Arius could hear in the whispers of the flames.

“Naturally, I would worry if you were to become close to a god like the Ravager! Whenever you encounter him, you should give him a wide girth to keep yourself from being consumed in his flames.”

That certainly confirmed things for Val. If her mother, the Demiweaver, warned her away from Arius, then Val had no qualms with running away and leaving his texts without a reply.

“Thanks a lot for your perceptions, Mom. I know that you’re just a mortal woman, but I still value your opinions.”

“Thanks, Val.”

Their conversation had dried up, Val not knowing what to talk about now that she had her answers. While her anger had ceased to rage and ebbed away, she felt more distant from her mother than ever.

A gentle rap sounded at her door. “Val?” Tavras called. “Can I get the fish in your room?”

“Well, Tavras and I need to head out. Thanks again for calling! I will see if I can text again before I leave.”

“Bye, Val. I wish you the best of luck out there! I love you.”

“Love you too. Bye.” With that, Val hung up and got the door for Tavras.

Peering up to him on the other side of the doorway, she said, “I just finished up calling my mom.”

Tavras patted her on the head. “Good.”

A quiet anger flared inside of Val. Even Arius had recognized how oddly diminutive it had been to pat her on the head, but Tavras seemed to think nothing of it.

From across the room, he made the beta fish float out of the bowl. The bubble of water drifted into the bag for the fish, its new place to swim around frantically. “I’m off to the pet store then. Are you coming with me?”

“Sure.” Since Val had convinced him to buy the fish, she ought to help him take them back.

All smiles, Val left with Tavras, Foofy, and a dozen fish between them. She had the confidence of the future in knowing that this would be the right decision, but that did not mean that their escape would be easy.

The threat of Arius in pursuit stayed at the forefront of her mind. For now, she focused on one step after the other towards the pet store.