Katya lay on her bed. The soft, cool sheets felt wrong against the ache in her body. She had slept for almost two full days. Lyn had hurt her badly, just like she had hurt the others. Every sharp breath reminded her of the brutal power of the Lightning Demigod. A dull, heavy pain throbbed beneath the bandages on her ribs where Lyn's kick landed. Her emerald gauntlets, usually a comfort, lay tossed aside on a table, scarred and blackened from blocking the lightning strikes.
Theo had been checking on everyone. He moved quickly from room to room, pushing a forced cheerfulness. He brought tea, offered books, or sat by the door, humming quietly. Katya ignored him. She simply stared at the ceiling, her jaw locked tight. A familiar heat began to boil in her stomach. It was the anger that had driven her since that day long ago.
The room was dim, lit by the soft, silver glow of the infirmary's lanterns. The light barely moved the shadows on the white walls. Outside, the sounds of training drifted in: the sharp clang of metal, the quiet thud of fists. Inside, the silence felt heavy, broken only by the shallow hitch in Katya's breathing.
She flexed her bandaged left hand. A white-hot pain shot up her forearm. She squeezed her eyes shut, pulling her lips back from her teeth in a silent snarl.
A Demigod did this. Not a god, just a Demigod. If Mariam is truly stronger, what am I?Sunshine landed the hit that mattered. She cut Lyn. My biggest hit was nothing. I was supposed to be the weapon. Why wasn't I good enough?
The self-criticism hammered in her head until a polite knock interrupted her. The door creaked open. Theo stepped in, his silver hair a mess. He carried a covered plate, and a hint of sweet biscuits drifted across the room.
"Hey... you up?" he asked softly, his usual volume dialed down. Katya did not look at him. She kept her gaze fixed on the ceiling.
"What do you want, Theo?" Katya's voice was dead, flat like a stone dropped into water.
Theo rubbed the back of his neck, his shoulders hunched. He placed the plate on the small bedside table. The clink was too loud. "You've been quiet. Too quiet, even for you. Since the fight, you've completely checked out." He tried to meet her eye. "Everyone's worried. Zak, Meredith... Eleanor even asked."
Katya went completely still. The name 'Eleanor' landed like a blow. She slowly turned her head, her eyes flashing cold.
"I'm angry at myself."
Theo's stiffness left him. He eased his back against the wall. He knew this was the moment to just listen.
"Tell me why," he asked, his voice low and steady.
Katya lifted her hands, dropping them back to the sheets in a frustrated slap. "Because I was useless. Lyn was playing with us, Theo. She called us sparks, and she was right. I hit her with everything I had, and she shrugged it off. But Eleanor, the Sunshine girl, she landed the major blow. She cut through the lightning. She made Lyn bleed." Katya's voice caught, rough with the effort of admitting failure. "I trained to be the one who could break anything."
Theo smiled faintly, a small attempt to lighten the mood.
"Is that what this is? Are you still competing with Eleanor?" he asked. "What's the real problem? She hasn't done anything to you." He looked genuinely confused.
Katya scoffed, a tight, harsh sound. "She acts perfect. Calm, bright, 'heroic.' Like she was built for this. I just want to show her that the world is broken." Her muscles tensed under the sheets, her entire body rigid with contained hatred.
Theo paused. His voice was suddenly serious. "You're wrong about her. Eleanor isn't perfect. She's not stuck-up. She's been through hell, just like us. Maybe worse."
Theo's simple words hit her harder than Lyn's kick. They scraped against a deep, locked memory.
The air in the room seemed to vanish. A sudden, sickening smell of smoke and burnt flesh choked her.
Green hair. A cold, knowing smile. The deafening roar of flames. Screams, so many screams—not strangers, but the voices of her neighbors. Her village, gone in an instant, its warmth put out by a brutal green light.
The Destroyer. The name, the face, the crushing power, twisted her stomach into a knot. She pushed for strength because of that day. She hated anyone who seemed powerful without having paid the price.
"Get out, Theo." The words were a low, grinding sound, forced past her teeth. The pain wasn't in her ribs; it was behind her eyes.
He blinked, confusion replacing his concern. "W-wait, I—"
"Get out!" The word exploded from her, sharp and dangerous. She needed the past locked away, and she needed him gone now.
Theo froze, then nodded slowly, his earlier cheerfulness completely gone.
"...Right. Feel better soon, okay?"
He stepped back and closed the door softly.
Katya stared at the ceiling. The memory of the Destroyer, the Deity who had taken everything, burned like a brand on her mind.
Damn that goddess. I need to be stronger. Strong enough to never feel helpless again.