“She had an affair with the king,” she whispered. Her gaze shot to Casey, standing at her right. Then to Isadora, across the room.
“Callia.” Her father pushed up to his feet. Held his hands out toward her. “I’m still your father. What she did…that doesn’t change anything.”
Didn’t change anything? Um, yeah. It changed everything. Panic pushed its way up Callia’s chest. Panic and a sense that everything was about to crash down around her.
She turned for the door before anyone could stop her. She needed air. She needed a second to herself. She needed…shit…she didn’t know what she needed.
“Callia!”
She wasn’t sure how she made it out of the chamber, but she was sprinting when she hit the corridor. She paused to get her bearings, spotted a sign halfway down the hall and was inside the plush female sitting room before she even realized her feet had moved.
One whole wall was filled with floor-to-ceiling mirrors. She stared at her reflection, then whipped around and lifted her hair, tried to peer over her shoulder at the marking on her neck. The small but unmistakable winged omega.
The door to the bathroom pushed open. In the reflection Callia caught Casey’s gaze fixed on her neck. She dropped her hair and turned.
“Are you okay?”
Was she okay? Yeah. Not likely. “You tell me. I just found out a demigod with a bad case of revenge kidnapped my son because he’s the heir to the throne of Argolea. Would you be okay?”
Casey’s expression softened. Dark hair fell over her shoulders, but her violet eyes were very clear and very familiar. “I know what you’re going through.”
Callia huffed. “Yeah, you know? I don’t think so.” It wasn’t that she didn’t like the half-breed, it was that right now she had a thousand other things to deal with besides getting chummy with her long-lost half-sister.
The bathroom door pushed open again and this time Isadora came inside. Only she didn’t look half as concerned as Casey.
“Lovely,” Callia said as she took in Isadora’s tense face. “We might as well just have a party.” Her headache kicked up and she rubbed at the spot between her eyes.
Casey looked toward the princess. “She’s got the mark. On her neck.”
“Let me see.” Isadora stepped closer.
“Sure, why not?” Callia mumbled as Casey lifted her hair like she was nothing more than a lab rat. “This day can’t get any weirder.”
The two inspected her neck; then Isadora eased back and Casey let Callia’s hair down again. A deep furrow marred the princess’s pale face, and oh, yeah, it was obvious Isadora was not happy about this little bit of news. But what daughter would be? She’d just found out her father had yet another illegitimate child. Gods, the king had taken Zeus’s “go forth and multiply” decree to the extreme.
Isadora finally sighed. Glanced between the two. “The least one of you could have done was be male. Then I wouldn’t still be forced to marry Zander.”
Zander. Skata. Callia clenched her jaw. How had she forgotten all about the fact Zander was set to bind himself to someone else? At what point had that turned into the least of her worries?
“What does the marking mean?” Casey asked Isadora. “I thought you and I were the chosen pieces of the prophecy. But Callia has the mark too.”
Isadora pursed her lips, and from the tense expression on her face, it was clear she knew something and didn’t want to elaborate.
“Isa?” Casey asked.
“I’m not sure,” Isadora finally said. “I’ve been doing some…research, but I haven’t come up with anything concrete yet.” She focused on Callia. “Have you always had it?”
Callia really didn’t have time for this—or care much at this point—but she sensed these two weren’t going to let her leave until they got some answers, so she cooperated because truthfully, she wasn’t quite calm enough to face her father—Simon…Holy shit—again.
“I didn’t even know it was there until today.”
Casey’s gaze jumped to Isadora.
They both stared at Callia, and Callia’s stomach did a slow roll. “So that means…?”
“I don’t think any of us know,” Casey said. “But it means something.”
Callia’s gaze strayed to Isadora, whose jaw was clenched so tight the sharp slash of bone beneath the princess’s pale skin was visible. Isadora knew something. Something she wasn’t telling her or Casey.
Yeah, well, screw that. Callia didn’t really give a flying rip right now.
“Have you…?” Casey asked, not seeing the look on Isadora’s face. “Has your head been bugging you lately? Like when we’re all in the same room. Earlier, when you stepped into the chamber, I felt—”
“A buzzing,” Callia finished. “Yeah, I felt it.”
“Me too,” Isadora said. “I felt it that day in my father’s room as well. When the Argonauts were there and…” Zander volunteered to marry me.
Isadora’s unspoken words hung like a weight between them, reminding Callia once more what else was wrong with this whole fucked-up situation.
Okay, screw this chitchat. Callia moved toward the door. “I need to talk to Zander.”
“He left,” Isadora said.
Callia turned slowly, one hand on the bathroom door. “What do you mean, he left?”
“Left, as in walked out the door. Right after you did.” Isadora studied her nails. “I heard Theron mention something about the colony. Nick has information about recent daemon activity in the area. My guess is they’re going to try to locate Atalanta’s base.”
No way.
A renewed sense of brutal betrayal welled in Callia’s chest. He’d left. Hadn’t said a word to her. Hadn’t kept another of his promises. I won’t cut you out…
She’d just been shuffled off to wait. Again. The Argonauts were doing what they always did, and she was the female who had nothing to offer. The harsh reminder of the way she’d been treated by her father, by Loukas, by every male in her godforsaken life, stabbed deep and twisted hard. “Where is my father?” she asked through clenched teeth.
“Simon’s been put under house arrest by Lucian. I imagine they’re together.”
Callia imagined that as well. Like she even cared what happened to either of them at this point.
Fury filled her thoughts. She wasn’t about to sit back and do nothing. If Zander thought he could push her around…
“You won’t be allowed to cross the portal,” Isadora said when Callia moved for the door again. “The Executive Guard will never let you through. By now Lucian’s already sent word that you’ll be trying to cross. The Argonauts too.”
Callia’s frustration grew to explosive levels. She turned on Isadora. “Damn them. I won’t just sit back and—”
Casey’s hand landed on Callia’s forearm, and warmth spread up her skin at the contact. “No one expects you to.” She glanced at the princess. “There’s always the other way.”
Isadora pursed her lips.
“What other way?” Callia asked.
“The secret portals,” Casey said.
Callia’s gaze jumped from one sister to the other. “You know where they are?”
Isadora didn’t answer. And in the silence, Callia realized the princess wasn’t going to share the information. Callia’s eyes grew wide with disbelief.
That anger intensified to draw every one of her muscles tight and rigid. She and Isadora had never gotten along, and now Callia understood why. Had Isadora known the king was Callia’s father? Was she hoping this would never come out?
“Isadora,” Casey prodded.
Isadora sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know where they are…exactly. But I have a…friend…who does.”