Saying goodbye to her grandfather, Rachel hugged him, whispering, “Thanks for Gran’s necklace; it’s gorgeous.”

“Hmm-hmm. It looks lovely on you; your natural glow appears to make it shine… She would be proud to see the woman you’re becoming.”

“I’ll come visit when I can—heh, I’m sure Mom would love having you come up to Miami, as well… Are you sure you’re okay, Grandpa?”

Nia jumped forward to take her place, making the elderly man chuckle. “Yeah, Gramps; are you okay? Maybe you should come with us!”

“I couldn’t impose on Chan-hee and Gwon, with so many guests already staying at their place it will be crowded enough as it is.” He reached up to press his fingers against the self-inflicted wound on his forehead. “I will not lie and say I was not affected by this Eldritch experience…”

Nora fidgeted with her first front, ears pulling back as she looked away. “Sorry, Mr. Park; I didn’t want to cause trouble when I came here.”

Breaking away from Nia, he held a hand up in protest. “It was not in your control, Nora; we only concern ourselves with things we have the power to change, and I am content to know you are not hurt.”

“We don’t really know what they did to me, though,” she mumbled, eyes downcast.

Fiona floated down onto her sister’s shoulder to rub her neck. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it together!”

“Thanks, Fi…”

Her grandfather turned his soft gaze to Nia and his granddaughter; Rachel wondered what her grandfather thought about the hyperactive girl. “I will redouble my own personal training, and if anything, this experience has shown me I have much work ahead of me. How could I not push forward when I have such wonderful grandchildren as examples?”

Mason grimaced, scratching his shoulder and looking away. “I don’t know why you’d even put me in the same universe as Rach—she’s a freaking monster.”

“Thanks, Cuz!” Rachel snickered, jabbing his side with a grin. “Alright, Grandpa; I’ll see you later.”

Nemesis and Mara sat awkwardly to the side, the mossy-haired Mythickin more than a little embarrassed at her friend’s behavior, trying to keep him silent. The Lion King seemed engrossed by observing Rachel’s culture—as he’d promised—not starting any more conflicts, and Anthony kept a watchful eye on them both.

Their attention shifted to Jessy as she gave a short squeak, almost tripping as she rushed down the stairs with her suitcase; Mason only had a light gym bag with three pairs of clothes, which was typical of her cousin.

“Everyone ready?” Fiona asked, floating down to her sister’s two suitcases. “Sure you got everything, Nora; you tend to leave—”

“I double-checked, Fi; I’m not twelve any—”

“Got your toothbrush?”

“Yes…” A small pout came over her face as she jogged back upstairs, clearly forgetting something.

“It was your toothpaste, huh?” Fiona snickered.

“It’s mostly gone, but whatever…”

The mood lightening, everyone made sure they had everything before Fiona levitated them back up to the hovering Dragon Turtle.

Jaenona was an instant hit among the children as they landed, the girls commenting on her dress and the black roses in her hair. It didn’t take long for them to drag her away to see Maria so they could show her off—Anthony went with them to explain things if she sensed anything off about the disguised Eldritch girl.

Mara, Nemesis, and Vasishtha had been the only ones to sneak down without anyone noticing since everyone else was too busy with their own issues to keep an eye on them, and the Indian Legendkin had grown bored.

Now returned to the ship with a clear direction in mind, Vasishtha guided the two to the living room to show them more about U.S. culture; Rachel figured he had found a way to get on Mara’s good side by distracting Nemesis.

It was hard to know what the man did to get points with women or if he was doing it purely out of the goodness of his heart, which had an appeal to many women, she was sure.

Maria was entirely taken in by the Cuban orphans and—as Anthony expected—she was a bit hesitant about Jaenona; all it took was Rachel vouching for her to abruptly accept the shockingly mature and clueless five-year-old.

The Sunlit Unicorn had become somewhat of a big sister or mother figure for many of the Cuban orphans, seeing as she was the only one here who spoke Spanish fluently—even if they thought her Mexican dialect was funny.

It didn’t take long for her to usher them off to bed, Maria growing tired herself with how split her attention had been between the various age groups vying for her time.

Ohan was busy talking to Arya, his half-sister, catching up a bit since she’d just gotten off her flight from Atlanta with Ray, Ohan’s childhood best friend, and the leader of this new Atlanta guild he was setting up.

The pair were hailing a cab to take them to their hotel, and were making plans to meet up later with Vasishtha and Luther. Rachel lifted an eyebrow when Maëlle’s name was brought up—the Succubus seemingly somehow being acquainted with Arya; they’d be having dinner that night in South Beach.

Luther, the Hydra Mythickin, was just along for the ride and had no clue about the plan since Selvaria currently babysat him, showing him the various moonbase designs she’d been making over the last few days.

He probably didn’t know much since he wasn’t talking, but Luther seemed to enjoy her company and liked Galatea a lot, petting the baby seal on his lap; the discussion ended when the cosplayer Leviathan got a very important call—her mother—and had to drop everything, leaving Galatea to watch the amused man.

Apparently, her mother would be on a flight to Miami in 24 hours and wanted to know what her plans were; as could be expected, Selvaria was excited to introduce her new friends and the future development of their super-secret lunar and underwater bases.

Fiona broke away with several of the ten-year-old boys, enthralled by Nora since they’d only seen pictures of cheetahs and wanted to race her; Nia naturally got pulled into it, but the girl was running low on steam and had to return to Rachel not long after to have enough energy for home.

Rachel smirked at Tom’s phone call as he tried to assure the National Guard that they weren’t a hostile monster from an alternate dimension—true story. They heard reports from the frantic police, who were playing a game of telephone with panicked Florida City residents.

Their paranoia was more than understandable after the Crystal Break Mist incident two weeks prior, which claimed hundreds of lives. Life was tough in the city right now, and things were just getting back to normal—then suddenly, a monstrous baby Dragon Turtle suddenly appeared over the city.

To not disrupt the population further, Tom assured them they’d be returning to the sea and exit the airspace as soon as possible. Rachel was sure that traveling by sea would still cause panic, but they could more easily be tracked and have the Coast Guard act as intermediaries, contacting local law enforcement to warn them of frightened calls.

Clay would be taking over to direct things in Tom’s place soon and, wanting to inform him before the shift change, she kept Anthony and Scarlet close for when they could intrude on the overworked four-star general. Sighing, she thought of Tom; he never stopped, and before they could get to him, he got a call from his wife, it was clear she was concerned for his health.

Hanging around the outside of the Command Room, Rachel chuckled upon hearing Selvaria finish her call with her mother—who was busy preparing to leave Washington—and leaving Luther with Vasishtha’s group, watching YouTubers interviewing people in California.

Since they were about to enter the sea, she wanted to stretch her fins and further increase her proficiencies while playing with Galatea. Rachel smiled, it seemed the tough monster had a soft heart—something that was already evident—and she liked the kids waving and pointing at her when she was in her Leviathan State. Giggling to herself, Rachel thought about the real reason—one Selvaria likely wouldn’t tell the orphans—it certainly didn’t have to do with her being hungry and wanting a nighttime snack.

Luckily, they were going far enough out to sea that the dark skies helped to obscure their passage along the Florida shore, minimizing panic. Of course, from what Rachel could see from browsing social media with Scarlet, Selvaria was becoming somewhat of a hit, being listed with a ton of other giant Mythickin—she was currently one of the largest on the rankings.

Figuring Tom would be a bit longer with his wife, Rachel motioned for Scarlet and Anthony to follow her out; she wanted to compare Selvaria to some of the other monsters on the list that Scarlet was having a good time browsing through—#RealKaiju

Rachel smirked upon seeing Mason and Jessy sharing a tender moment on the battlement, hiding behind a cannon; of course, there was no escaping her ears, and she could hear their mushy conversation.

Leaving them to their romantic tale, she led her party up the wall steps—the battlements were getting bigger by the day; in fact, the mansion itself would likely become more of a castle soon—and gazed across the sea to spot Selvaria with Galatea.

It wasn’t hard to see that the fashion-loving Leviathan was changing her physical characteristics with her ever-growing size; she was actually becoming a real kaiju after all the experience she’d gained during Cuba.

Noticing that she was able to change her scale color now, Rachel pondered the reason for some of her recent modifications. Selvaria was becoming far more elegant than frightening, opting into more pink, purple, and glittering pearlescent shades, and her tail was growing fluff that could stiffen into hundreds of blades if she wished.

There were a few dragon-themed giants making their presence known around the world, and among the top of her rivals on the forums was the rising Germanic superstar, Eiragosa, the Myth of Lindworm; she seemed a very photogenic draconic woman with a proportionate body, horns, long ears, and a rather suggestive garnet-hued scale placement—apparently, she had a temper.

While Eiragosas ranked six, Selvaria made it into the top five by most contributors, and it was a war to determine who took number one.

Rank five: the Myth of Cipactli; a monstrous crocodile with multiple mouths and tentacles, who appeared to dress rather well in his more human state.

Rank four: Selvaria, having been moved up from rank five after the recent Hydra vs. Leviathan battle flooded the internet—someone in the U.S. army recorded the fight and uploaded it. The video was all over the media with people questioning what the Hades was happening in Cuba; in it, Selvaria casually treated the mythical monster like an all-you-can-eat buffet until he couldn’t regenerate heads.

Rank three: the Myth of Delphyne; there was less information about her other than the colossal draconic serpent form and long-haired female human form she took. Everywhere she went, a Crystal was said to spawn and destruction left in her wake; she appeared to be more of a menace, but nations were giving her a pass due to her closing the gates.

Rank two: the Myth of Bahamut—located in Palestine—the enormous dragon had become a symbol of power and stability as he rose to dominance in the region. Many argued if he was Bahamut at all, considering he should be a fish or whale, but clearly, pop-culture struck again.

The current rank one: the Myth of Jormangandr, the world snake dragon of Norse mythology; he was on shaky grounds with the Nordic countries, unsure if he was on their side or not as he did the same as Delphyne, moving from Crystal to Crystal as if knowing their exact location.

Scarlet was enthralled by the gigantic monsters, reading down the information, yet Rachel focused on that last detail—it was no coincidence that they knew where these gateways were—it wasn’t that far of a stretch to think they had direct help from one of the major players to keep ahead of the curve.

Other huge Kaiju-class Demi included the Myths of Fenrir, Surtr, Roc, Kraken, and there were rumors about Charybdis and Hecatonchires being spotted, yet the search was still new; there were likely many not yet photographed.

Rachel’s ears twitched as Tom finished up his conversation with his wife, but just before turning away from the massive Leviathan, she noticed a bright shimmer in the dark; Galatea was illuminated by twinkling stars.

Squinting a little as Selvaria paused in her motions, Rachel muttered, “Scarlet… What’s happening to—”

“Wow! She’s changing into like—like a little Selvaria—hehe, just with a cute seal face!”

Selvaria spun around her with glee as the floating creature tried to mirror her; it brought a question to Rachel’s mind.

“Is her collar gone?”

“Hmm? Yeah, you’re right!”

“Ah,” Anthony nodded. “Do you think that was the end product of the item Gisele and she had from the Legend’s Quest?”

“Mhm… The one Moon-Moon gave them,” Rachel mumbled; she was now somewhat afraid of what might come of her little Lunar Phoenix.

Considering Moongmor’s personality… What is going to happen to Gisele when she completes her transformation? When Galatea could speak telepathically, she clearly wanted to become like Selvaria, and now she has… What does Gisele want?

The event brought her thoughts back to her own pet; it should be just about time for her to resurrect—then again, maybe she needed to be hit by moonlight for it to trigger.

Motioning for Anthony and Scarlet to follow her, Rachel sent the two to let Tom know she’d be there in a moment and went to revive Gisele.

Returning to the room where she’d left the feather, she paused just outside the door, realizing three more living spaces had been added since her stay; Cahira’s Dragon Turtle was growing faster than she expected.

Fortunately, the kids hadn’t discovered the illuminated item and, taking it to the window, she opened it and hung out to find the right angle to catch the lunar rays.

Her eyes snapped shut with the effulgence that blazed out of the feather, the firm yet gentle grip of Gisele’s talons closing around her wrist, and when she opened her eyes, her puffy bird gave a cheery chirp.

“Welcome back!”

The Lunar Phoenix blinked, scanning the floor as Rachel brought her inside.

“Nope. Hayan, Coral, Rose, and Persephone are on cooldown right now. Persephone?” she questioned at the bird’s quizzical, tilted head. “She’s our new Hades Bun; hmm-hmm, I think she’s trouble. Mind helping Rose watch her? Coral is trouble enough for her big sister!”

Getting a happy nod, Rachel transferred the Lunar Phoenix to her shoulder and went to meet Tom; the three were already seated around a table as she entered.

The general gave her an exhausted smile. “I assume this has something to do with Anthony suddenly looking even more of a supermodel than before?”

Anthony chuckled, showing a half-smile. “Partly, yes, but this is less of a formal discussion on the topic and more of a heads-up.”

“Oh?”

Scarlet cleared her throat, drawing their focus as she glanced at Rachel for support. “Umm… There’s something—really big we need to talk about, but…”

Leaning forward to fold her arms across the table, Rachel sent her an encouraging nod; if Scarlet didn’t voice it, she wouldn’t grow herself—enabling her overreliance would only hurt her in the end.

“I’ve been keeping a huge secret, and… and I think I have to let the people I care about know.”

Tom lifted an eyebrow, shifting positions to show he was listening. “I… didn’t think we were that close; sure, I’ve relied on you a lot over the past month, but I wouldn’t say we’re friends, Scarlet—not that I’m trying to antagonize you.”

“No! No! I get it,” she mumbled, hastily waving her hands in protest. “I just… it’s big—world-changing big—and I want your h-help… I’m terrified—something far scarier than the Crystals is out there.”

“Hmm… I see. I assume it’s also quite personal,” he concluded, folding his arms as his vision drifted to Rachel. “I’m sensing there are conditions since this is simply a warning that you’re preparing to reveal these secrets. Correct?”

Scarlet instantly looked at her, making Rachel sigh; it was progress, slight as it was. “Haaa… Basically, we are looking at an ever-ramping conflict that will bleed into conflicts with gods and things even more terrifying than them, and we want your support, but we also can’t have you spilling certain details—this is bigger than the U.S.”

Lips pulling in, Tom sat back, pondering the various paths this may go, and after several seconds, his eyes went to Anthony. “Is your evaluation the same?”

A long stream of air discharged from his mouth. “It’s so insane, I doubt anyone would even really believe you… Even after The Oscillation.”

“Dang.” He rose to his feet, focusing on Scarlet, recognizing it had been her decision to involve him in this discussion. “We recently stopped the end of the universe, caging some outerversal entity, and I’ve had my doubts about how we were even able to accomplish that—we’re talking about the entire universe here—and it couldn’t be a coincidence a Hades Lord was involved…”

Tom’s glare fell to the table, jaw tightening from the thoughts rolling through his head, and Rachel expected his wife’s own safety was taken into consideration. “It’s no coincidence we’ve been brought together… I’d be stupid to believe your file coming across my desk was anything but some grand force’s machinations at this point… Dang it.

“The more I think about this and draw all the connections—even with the limited knowledge I have—I can see myself as a puppet in this scheme to take down Revilla… Fate vs. Destiny.”

Rachel’s ears stood up at the statement, and Anthony shot her a look. “What… do you mean by that?”

“Hmm? What specifically?” Tom asked, searching them for clarification.

“Fate and Destiny,” Anthony hesitantly replied. “Why did those comparisons come up?”

Mind in overdrive, Rachel’s thought shot back to Anthony’s discussion with one of the most powerful entities they could fathom—the Mecroaf; Sagdrag’misdra, Bringer of the Mist—a creature with a scope either equal or greater than Twilight herself, had painted Fate and Destiny above the war and decaying eternities.

Why would Tom bring up that comparison after we just learned about it? Who would he have learned it from?

Tom rolled around his neck, spasming muscles telling Rachel he was agitated, yet she was locked onto every twitch as he answered. “Erm… It was a cryptic question Empress Wu Zetian, the new Chinese ruler, posed to the President regarding her actions… Why?”

Rachel’s breath caught; any Asian worth their salt would know that name—one of China’s most influential historical figures—and the implication was chilling; China had information beyond even Izanami, which meant it was in bed with someone powerful, possibly Twilight herself.

* * *

Cahira sat across from Jack Ward, eyeing him up and down as he did the same; Wilkins sat uncomfortably between them on the table that had been brought, vision darting at every movement they made.

Fingernail tapping the wood, she watched him take the third swig of ale before sliding it across the table for her to snatch, drink the same, and toss it back.

Once the bottle was gone, Cahira snapped, “Another, Wilkins.”

He ran out to fetch it, and when they downed the second, Jack roared, “Another, Wilkins!”

He shot an inquisitive stare at her as a half-grin lifted her bright green eyes, rolling the empty spirits in a small circle. “Ye be orderin’ mi man, Jack; be ye thinkin’ ya be the Captain of this ship?”

“Ah, but ya see, mi cherry lass, a Captain be needin’ a proper drink, and be yer man really yer man when a man not be gettin’ a drink a Cap’n be needin’ when a spirit be gone a yonder before the askin’ be asked? Savvy?”

A sly smirk tilted her lips as she let the empty bottle roll off the edge to sway across the planks. “Aww, ya be tryin’ ta talk me sweet, but we know ya not be here for me undies, Jackie boy. Let’s dispense with the ol’ pleasantries and be gettin’ to the wine and honey.”

“To the sweets then, mi Queenly Fire!” he mused, a paper flashing into his hands from pale green flames to twirl once around his fingers before sliding it to her. “How sound a hunt ta ya; I hear ye got yerself an ol’ beastie that acquirin’ I be seekin’ ta fer a task I be requirin’?”

“Hmm-hmm. Mi crew be filled with many a beasties, Jackie… What adventure of sort be ye tryin’ ta wrap an’ butter a lass of the sea in? Mmh…”

Her eyes narrowed as she caught the cursive L signet in the top left of the map she’d been shown, and the second paper behind it drew her lips in. “Ya be tryin’ ta do a Quest outside yer tier; ya be takin’ me fer a fool? Why ya tryin’ ta get me involved in yer Legend Quest, Jack… Lookin’ fer us ta do yer heavy liftin’ and pine us off ta the ocean floor when ya get yer treasures?”

“Why ya impugnin’ mi character?” he laughed, feigning indignance. “I simply be knowin’ mi limits, and seein’ as ya be among the leadin’ Pirate Legends in these fine seas, I be lookin’ fer some support from your fellow brother!”

Cahira leaned her chair back to pull out a drawer and take out the phone Tom had given her, flipping on the pictures to slide it to him; the general had asked her opinion on a few notable Pirate scuffles and sightings from the U.S. intelligence network, Navy, and satellites. “So… This isn’t what it seems to be?”

A wry smile lifted his cheeks as he swiped through the photos, well past the images meant for him, which she hoped he would. “Ya caught mi with mi pants down, Love—hehe, much like these angles ya found… What a sight ya be. Hmm. Ya seem ta be more stacked than mi sources gave ya credit… And, yer shapely sight beholden, might I add in more ways than one… mmh-hmm!”

“Aye! Mi stern do be rather plump and tight,” she mused, not embarrassed in the least by him admiring the selfies she’d taken; he was trying to throw her off.

Leaning forward with a twinkle in her eyes, Cahira licked her lips, practically tasting the succulent sense of danger the man brought. “Ya be lookin’ fer protection, Jackie? No need ta be shy; all ya needed ta say was, ‘Mi beautiful queen, let this dirty dog jump inta yer sweet embrace, and lass be swooned off her feet.’ Haha!”

He took off his hat to give her a gentlemanly bow. “Mi poor fate be needin’ a lady luck, and a lucky lady be found! Will ya accept the winds at mi back, mi queenly prize?”

“Aww-haha! You’re full of crap, Ward, but ya got mi ear, and I happen ta be a sucker for a pretty face. Ya must tell me, Jack; what was it like stealin’ ol’ Blackbeard’s flagship, hmm? What price ya be tryin’ ta negotiate fer mi to cover that fine bum of yours, ‘cause, hmm…”

A gleam came from her flashing teeth. “...It may be sore when I be done with it. Hehe!”