Chapter Three

When Layla and her new crew had all finished their dinner, they sat at the table chatting for what felt like forever. She learned that Javier was the son of Ares and Kinley was a daughter of Aphrodite. It suddenly made sense why Javier looked the way he did and why Kinley was so alluring.

Layla noticed that multiple people were staring at her. They take quick glances and whisper to their friends and people next to them.

Layla leaned towards the middle of the table.

“What's up with everyone looking at me like that?” she whispered to her friends.

Perse examined her with pursed lips.

“Maybe because the candles were you. Maybe because you're new. Who knows. Just ignore it. They'll forget about you in a couple of weeks,” she said.

Javier and Kinley nodded in agreement.

“People just like new shiny things,” Javi poked. Layla laughed and smiled at him shaking her head once again.

She soon found herself yawning though and thought she'd go out and get some fresh air before heading back to her dorm. She said her goodbyes quickly to her newly acquired comrades and her cousin, walking towards the back courtyard outside of the dining room.

The courtyard was lined with statues that seemed to shift when she wasn’t looking. The night air carried a low hum—the same sound she heard on the night of the fire. The air outside the dining hall was cooler, sharp with sea salt and the faint hum of crickets.

Layla slipped through a side door, her shoes whispering over the marble steps until she reached the terrace. Below, Athens glittered in the distance—normal life, so far away it could have been another universe.

She exhaled, letting the noise of the feast fade behind her. Her palms still tingled. That flare of flame in the chandelier—it couldn’t have been her. Could it?

A shape moved at the edge of the courtyard, where torchlight met shadow. For a heartbeat, she thought it was a statue—then golden eyes blinked. The same wolf. Its fur caught the light like molten bronze, and when it stepped forward the torches bent toward it, their flames stretching as if in greeting.

Layla’s breath hitched.

“You again,” she whispered.

The wolf bowed its head, not in threat but in acknowledgment. In greeting. The air rippled around it, heat rising from the stones. In the shimmer, she saw—not fur but fire, the outline of a woman’s face flickering within the wolf’s body. Her own face reflected in those flames.

She took a step forward dreamily.

A voice, soft as smoke, slipped through the air.

“Welcome home, daughter of flame.”

Layla stood there breathing raggedly.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

The wolf approached with no hint of fear. She heard the garden and the night begin to whisper. It was as if all of Athens were whispering to her. Telling her hello and the secrets of the city and school.

The secrets of history. Her history.

She finally reached the wolf and knelt next to it. Reaching out her hand she let it sniff her. But instead of sniffling her as a brave wolf would. It pushed its nose and snout against her wrist.

She felt a searing burn as a silver crescent moon appeared on her wrist.

She hissed as she brought it back to herself and examined it, then looked at the bronzed wolf. It turned on its heels and vanished into the darkness, leaving only the smell of ash and ozone. Layla touched the stone railing; it was warm under her fingers. And her wrist was still throbbing with heat.

She sighed and got up, looking at the spot where the wolf had run to. Turning she ran back up the stairs to enter the dining hall

Back inside, the chandelier lights steadied. She took a deep breath and exhaled. She had the strange, certain feeling that the Academy had just recognized her.