Page 60 of Harbinger

“Don’t do that, Jordan!” the kid’s mother berated in a fierce whisper. “It’s not polite to point your finger at, er,” her expression turned even more glassy as she cast another furtive stare at Loki and Kes, “—people.”

The trio left hurriedly, little Jordan staring over his shoulder and pouting like he’d missed out on the show of his life.

Eden narrowed her eyes at the oblivious imp and Goddess glaring at one another. “Will you two stop it? This is meant to be a secret mission. You’re attracting unnecessary attention!”

They ignored her. The air quivered red around Loki. Kes released a faint aura of shadows.

“I swear to God, I will tell on you to Attie!” Eden threatened.

The pair froze. They retracted their powers before fixing her with hurt stares.

Eden disregarded their aggrieved looks. “Now, how about we do what we came here to do?”

She frowned at the structure before them. It was where the devilwood staff and the Eternity Key had tracked Ladon’s faint energy signature to.

Or, rather, his magic.

It was an hour ago that she’d listened in disbelief to Atropos’s suggestion for how to locate the dragon who could guide them to the Hesperides.

“You want Woody to do what?” she’d asked the Goddess dully in Cassius and Morgan’s living room.

“I want him to eat the Eternity Key,” Atropos had repeated steadily.

“Hell no!” Loki had clutched the artifact protectively against his chest. “The heck you want to do that for?!”

Atropos had sighed. “Because I suspect it can dowse the magic inside the staff and trace Ladon. And it won’t be permanent. As the Keeper, you will be able to eject the Eternity Key from the summoning staff.”

“You’re going to use the key and the staff as a dowsing pendant?” Victor had said skeptically.

Atropos had nodded. “First, we’ll need some maps of this realm.”

Eden had hesitated for a moment, still uncertain about the Goddess’s proposition. “Will a visualization do?”

They’d stared at her, puzzled.

Eden had sighed, focused her soul core and that of her summoning staff, and called forth her bloodcursed magic. The crimson sphere that had flared from her fingers had expanded into a detailed, three-dimensional globe representing the Earth.

“When did you learn how to do that?” Theo had asked, impressed.

“Woody and I were experimenting with our powers one day and he astral-projected my ass over to Atlanta,” she’d muttered. The globe had expanded under her will. “That’s when I realized he could map his environment.”

The pendant had hummed happily, like she’d complimented it.

It had taken Atropos a while longer to convince Loki to let Woody ingest the Eternity Key as per her plan. The imp had watched on with a horrified expression while the summoning staff had swallowed his artifact in a single, giant gulp before shrinking back down to its pendant form.

Atropos had taken the medallion from Eden and held it above the slowly spinning globe. The Goddess’s eyes had flared and filled the room with golden light as she’d invoked her powers.

“Divine the presence of the one who is like you.”

The pendant had trembled briefly at the command before falling silent.

“Maybe it needs our powers too?” Eden had suggested.

Victor had frowned. “I think she’s right.”

Atropos had hesitated before dipping her chin. Eden and Loki had approached the Goddess and laid their fingers upon the pendant. Eden’s heartbeat had quickened when the Moira’s divine energy had brushed against the bloodcursed magic she was pouring into the summoning staff. She’d detected Loki and the Eternity Key’s powers too, and marveled at how different they each were to her own.

“With me,” Atropos had instructed.

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