Page 31 of Poltergeists & Change of Life

I nodded, feeling a knot of dread form in my stomach. Or maybe that was just indigestion. It was getting hard to tell these days.

"Well," Aidon continued, "we found them. These two might have told you they call themselves the Covenant of Eternal Night. Which, if you ask me, sounds like a goth band that never made it out of their garage phase. Anyway, they have deep roots in the Underworld, and they're after something big."

"Let me guess," I said, "they want to rewrite the fundamental laws of existence? Perhaps with some tasteful void accents and demonic horror throw pillows?"

Melinoë snorted into her drink. "Close, actually. They're trying to unmake reality itself. It's like they looked at existence and said, 'Nah, let's start over from scratch. But this time, with more tentacles and existential dread!'"

A stunned silence fell over the table. It was broken only by the sound of Mom's latest experimental potion gurglingominously in its cauldron. "Well, shit," I eloquently summed up our situation. "And here I thought the worst thing I had to worry about was stretch marks and cankles. Apparently, I should've been more concerned about stretch marks in the fabric of reality."

"So, what exactly does 'unmaking reality' entail?" Mythia asked. Her tiny wings fluttered faster than a hummingbird’s as she listened to the conversation. "Are we talking about a complete reset? Or more of a cosmic remodel? Because if it's the latter, I have some suggestions for improving the laws of thermodynamics."

Stella leaned forward. Her eyes were shining with that look she gets when she's about to drop some serious magical theory. "From what we've gathered, it's more like... unraveling. They want to undo the very fabric of existence, returning everything to a primordial state of pure potential. In theory, they could then reshape reality according to their own desires."

"Because that's not terrifying at all," Selene muttered, absently sharpening a knife that definitely hadn't been on the dinner table a moment ago. "And here I thought my ex wanting to 'find himself' was bad news. At least he only wanted to destroy my faith in men, not reality itself."

Nana leaned forward. She had a look in her eyes that she got when she was about to ask a question that would either lead to brilliant insights or embarrassing family stories. "Speaking of bad news, what about that wife of Lyra's. Zaleria, wasn't it? Is she still enjoying Hades's... special hospitality? Last he shared, he was trying out some new material on her. Something about a mace and an elixir?"

Melinoë snorted as she set her fork down. "Oh yes. Dad's keeping her under lock and key. Turns out, trying to poison a god and steal the power to elevate your status is frowned upon, even in the Underworld. Who would've thought? Andlet me tell you, Dad's torture techniques have reached new lows. He's moved on from physical torment to verbal anguish. His latest routine involves weaponized wordplay. Think 'death by a thousand puns’. He's got a whole bit about 'piercing' observations and 'cutting' remarks. The other day, he asked a group of shades why the skeleton couldn't go to the dance. The punchline? He had no body to go with. I swear, even the Furies are begging for mercy."

I choked out a laugh and nearly inhaled a bite of shrimp. Sobering, I asked, "Lyra hasn't managed to break her out?" I worried about Zaleria more than Lyra most days because she was the one who had managed to poison and nearly kill Aidon. Something no mortal should have been able to do.

"Not for lack of trying," Aidon said. "But Dad’s security is top-notch. Plus, I think he's enjoying having a captive audience for his stand-up comedy routine. Last I heard, he was working on a bit about why Persephone only spends half the year with him. Something about her being his 'better half-year'."

I shuddered at the thought. "Now that's true punishment. I didn't think your dad was into cruel and unusual torture."

"Oh, you have no idea," Melinoë said, her voice a mix of admiration and horror. "The groans of the damned have taken on a whole new meaning. I'm pretty sure some of the shades are begging to be reincarnated as dung beetles just to escape the dad jokes."

"Remind me never to get on Hades' bad side," Murtagh mumbled as he draped an arm over the back of Tseki’s chair.

"What's our next move?" Nina asked, changing the subject. "How do we stop Lyra and this group? Is there a hideout we can hit?"

I placed a hand on my swollen belly, feeling a surge of protective magic from the babies. Either that, or they were practicing their synchronized swimming routine again. "That'sa good question, honey. Any ideas, team? Preferably something that doesn't involve sacrificing our firstborn or making deals with entities whose names cause spontaneous nosebleeds when pronounced?"

Stella's eyes lit up like a kid on Yule morning who'd just discovered that Santa was real and left a library in their stocking. "We discovered that too. We need to go to the Clockwork Catacombs," she breathed. "There are rumors of an ancient archive beneath Prague that holds secrets of artifacts like the Heart of the Abyss. It's said also to contain the blueprints of reality itself."

I blinked, momentarily distracted from the impending doom by the prospect of travel. "Prague? As in, the city with amazing architecture, rich history, and even better food? Now we're talking. Nothing says 'saving reality' like a side oftrdelníkand a good Pilsner."

"It's not a vacation, Phoebe," Aidon said with a chuckle. Apparently, even gods weren't immune to the allure of good Czech cuisine.

"Maybe not," I countered, "but who says we can't multitask? Save reality and sample some local delicacies. I'm eating for four here, you know. These little godlings have expensive tastes. Besides, I'm pretty sure 'Pregnant Woman Saves Universe While Eating Pastry' would make a killer headline."

"What exactly are we looking for in these Catacombs?" Layla asked, leaning forward with interest. "Besides trouble and potential tetanus, I mean. Because if it's the latter, I'm pretty sure we can find that closer to home. Have you seen the state of the library lately?" That made me wince. Hattie had destroyed it in one of her last fits. Speaking of the poltergeist, I hadn’t seen her since the conversation in the attic. Had we managed to block her from the house?

Melinoë jumped in with enough excitement to level a small country. "We need to find the Archives of Eternity. It's said to contain records of nearly every major magical artifact ever created, including their origins, powers, and weaknesses. Think of it as the universe's own user manual, complete with a troubleshooting section for when reality goes wonky."

"If we can find the information about the Heart of the Abyss," Stella added, "we might be able to figure out how to use it against the Covenant. Or at least prevent them from using it to unmake reality. It'd be like finding the cosmic equivalent of the 'off' switch."

"That seems too easy," I muttered, wondering if it was too late to take up a nice, safe hobby like underwater basket weaving or juggling nitroglycerin. "We're looking for an ancient book in a magical library hidden beneath one of the oldest cities in Europe. All while racing against a group of reality-destroying fanatics. And here I thought this pregnancy was going to be boring."

"Don't forget," Tarja added for the first time since dinner started, "you'll be doing all this while heavily pregnant with triplet demigods. I'm sure that won't complicate things at all. Maybe you can use your belly as a battering ram if you encounter any stubborn ancient doors."

I shot the cat a glare that would have melted ice cream. "Thanks for the reminder, Tarja. I almost forgot about the three magical bowling balls I'm carrying around. Any other helpful observations? Perhaps you'd like to point out that my ankles have officially gone missing in action? Or that my bladder has the capacity of a thimble these days?"

Tarja's tail twitched in amusement. "Well, now that you mention it, your connection to the Heart, combined with your pregnancy... it's unprecedented. Your children might be more deeply connected to this cosmic drama than we realized. Theycould be the ultimate universal remote control, capable of changing the channel of reality itself."

A chill ran down my spine that had nothing to do with the sorbet I'd been craving. "What are you saying, Tarja? That my kids might come out of the womb ready to rearrange constellations and rewrite the laws of physics? Because I've got to tell you, I was really hoping their most impressive feat in the first few months would be sleeping through the night."

The tabby fixed me with a solemn stare that somehow managed to convey both 'this is serious cosmic business' and 'I expect extra treats for this nugget of wisdom’. "I'm saying that your children are likely to have powers beyond anything we've seen before. The kind that could tip the scales in fights like this. Or possibly rewrite the entire concept of scales. Cosmic power is funny that way."

---