I was having the best dream.
Something about not being chased by dragons. Or prophecies. Or angry immortal warriors.
Just... peace. Quiet. And Peace.
Then—
SPLASH.
ICE COLD WATER.
Everywhere.
I shot upright, gasping, soaked, flailing like a drowning cat.
"WHAT THE—"
Phoebe stood at the entrance of my tent, holding an empty bucket, wearing the most satisfied smile I'd ever seen.
Like she'd just won the lottery. Or murdered her worst enemy. Or both.
"Good morning, guest-friend," she said sweetly. Too sweetly. The kind of sweet that came with hidden knives.
I sputtered, wiping water from my face. "Was that—did you just—"
"Lady Artemis said we must work together," Phoebe continued, still smiling that gleeful smile. "She didn't say we had to be nice about waking you."
She turned and walked away, humming.
Oh.
She hates me.
She absolutely, completely hates me.
And Artemis's command is the only thing stopping her from doing worse than a bucket of water.
I sat there. Dripping. Cold. Miserable.
This is going to be a LONG day.
The Camp (And Why Everything Is Still Awkward)
I emerged from my tent looking like a drowned rat.
The Hunter camp was exactly as it had been last night—tents arranged in a precise circle, supplies organized with military efficiency, morning fire crackling in the center.
Most of the Hunters were gone now. Just four remained.
Zoe stood near the fire, checking her bow. When she glanced up, I still felt that same jolt.
How is someone this beautiful even real?
Not the first time I'd thought it. Probably wouldn't be the last.
She was GORGEOUS. The kind of beautiful that belonged in marble statues. Tall, graceful, with dark hair and eyes that saw everything.
"You are wet," she observed neutrally.
"Phoebe's morning greeting," I managed.
Zoe's lips twitched. Almost a smile. "She can be... enthusiastic."
Phoebe, sitting on the other side of the fire, was very obviously not looking at me while radiating satisfaction.
Atalanta was nearby, maintaining her weapons with cold precision. She didn't acknowledge me. Didn't even glance in my direction.
Still treating me like I didn't exist.
And then there was Naomi.
She practically bounced over. Again. Like yesterday hadn't been mortifying enough.
"Morning! Did you sleep okay? Any interesting dreams? Because I've heard that demigods with fire powers sometimes have really vivid dreams when they're going through hormonal changes, and I was wondering—do you ever wake up and things are, you know, warmer than usual? Like the blankets or—"
"Naomi," Zoe said firmly.
"What?! It's a legitimate question about thermoregulation during REM sleep!"
"It is not."
"Fine, fine!" Naomi sat down. For exactly three seconds. "But seriously though—that armor you can summon? Does it hurt when it appears? Because I'm trying to figure out if matter materialization causes nerve stimulation, and if THAT causes any kind of physical response that might be interpreted as pleasurable, or—"
My face was BURNING. "I—it's just—it doesn't—"
"Because some demigods report that using their powers feels really good, like almost too good, and I was wondering if that's universal or if it depends on the power type, and whether fire powers specifically have any connection to other kinds of heat and arousal responses in—"
"NAOMI," Zoe said sharply, her own ears slightly pink.
"I'm asking for SCIENCE!"
Phoebe was smirking now. Actually smirking. Enjoying my suffering.
Atalanta continued ignoring the entire conversation with impressive dedication.
"Also," Naomi continued, undeterred, "your powers aren't Greek, right? So do different powers have different... I don't know, side effects?
"Can we PLEASE talk about literally anything else?" I begged.
"Sure!" Naomi brightened. "Did you have morning wood today? Because I've been tracking the correlation between divine blood concentration and—"
"NAOMI!" All three other Hunters yelled in unison.
I wanted to sink into the earth and die.
Zoe physically grabbed Naomi by the shoulder and dragged her away.
Naomi kept calling back: "What?! It's basic biology! Everyone experiences it! I just want to know if divine heritage affects the frequency or—"
They disappeared around a tent.
I sat there, face probably glowing red enough to start fires.
Phoebe was definitely smirking now.
This is my life.
This is actually my life.
Breakfast and More Mortification
Breakfast was somehow worse.
The four Hunters sat together. I sat about eight feet away.
Zoe ate with efficient grace, occasionally glancing at me with that watchful curiosity.
Atalanta ate in complete silence, never once looking my way.
Phoebe ate while very obviously enjoying my discomfort.
And Naomi—
"So I was thinking," Naomi started the moment I took a bite of bread, "about your training. You've only been at camp like three weeks, right? That's not very long. How much actual combat experience do you have? And I don't mean training—I mean real fighting. Because there's this theory that adrenaline in life-or-death situations can trigger certain... physical responses. Increased blood flow, heightened sensitivity, that sort of thing. Have you noticed anything like that when you fight? Any unusual... sensations?"
"Eat," Zoe commanded. "In silence."
"But—"
"SILENCE."
Naomi deflated. For about thirty seconds.
Then, quieter: "I bet he has. The divine blood probably makes everything more intense. I read that some demigods can't even spar without getting—"
"NAOMI."
I tried to disappear into my breakfast. Failed.
Phoebe's smirk was getting wider.
After breakfast, I tried to help clean up.
"I can carry—"
Phoebe stepped between me and the supplies. "We don't need your help."
No smile now. Just flat hostility.
Message received.
Atalanta walked past me like I was furniture.
Naomi started to ask another question but Zoe intercepted her with a look that could kill.
"You should practice," Zoe told me. "Stay sharp."
"Right. Yeah."
I found a clear space and started running through forms. Just movement. No blade.
From across the camp, I could feel Zoe watching.
Phoebe pointedly looking anywhere else.
Atalanta not acknowledging I existed.
And Naomi being physically restrained from asking more horrifying questions.
Just another normal day.
The Quiet
About an hour into practice, Zoe approached.
I stopped, trying not to stare. Still failing.
She studied me for a moment. "You have been training for three weeks?"
"About that, yeah."
"At Camp Half-Blood?"
"Yeah. With Luke mostly. Some others."
She nodded slowly. "You move like someone who has trained longer."
"I... had some experience before. Back home. Martial arts. Nothing like this, but..." I shrugged. "Some of it transfers."
"I see." She circled me once. Observing. "Keep practicing. Stay ready. Sybaris will return."
"Without a weapon?"
"Muscle memory matters. And we will find you something temporary." She paused. "Our lady commanded we work together. I follow her commands."
Not friendship. Just duty.
But not hostility either.
She walked away.
I tried not to watch her go.
Failed completely.
Focus, Aditya. On not dying. Not on the gorgeous immortal warrior.
The Ground Shakes
Afternoon came hot and tense.
I was sitting in the shade, trying to manifest fire into different shapes (failing), when—
RUMBLE.
The ground shook.
Everyone froze.
"What was—" Naomi started.
Then we heard it.
The ROAR.
Deep. Furious. Hateful.
All four Hunters were on their feet instantly, bows drawn.
I stood, feeling very, very exposed.
Should I summon something? Bow? Armor?
Can I even maintain both at once?
I felt my energy reserves. Okay. Not great.
But if I summoned both...
No. Not enough power.
I have to choose. Weapon or defense.
The trees at the edge of camp didn't just break.
They EXPLODED.
Wood splintering. Earth tearing.
And through the destruction—
SLITHERING.
THUNDERING.
Forty feet of scales and rage and hatred moving like a living avalanche.
Sybaris.
My greatsword still jutting from its right eye socket. Golden ichor crusted black around the wound. The left eye bloodshot and locked on ME with absolute fury.
It was BIGGER. Angrier. More monstrous.
It saw me.
And SMILED.
You hurt me, that smile said.
Now I end you.
"SCATTER!" Zoe commanded.
We scattered.
First Blood (It's Not Going Well)
The dragon didn't wait.
It LUNGED straight at me.
I dove left. Its jaws snapped where I'd been. Teeth like swords.
Phoebe fired three arrows. They hit the dragon's flank.
PING PING PING
Bounced off scales. Completely ineffective.
"WEAK POINTS!" Zoe yelled. "EYES AND JOINTS!"
Naomi aimed for the wounded eye. The arrow hit near my greatsword, making the dragon SHRIEK.
It whipped around, furious, and breathed—
Green mist poured out.
POISON.
"MOVE!" I screamed.
The poison breath swept across the clearing. Where it touched, grass died. Trees blackened. The very air turned toxic.
I held my breath, backed away.
The Hunters scattered to higher ground—nimble, fast, finding positions in trees and on rocks.
The dragon tracked them with its one good eye.
"Keep it distracted!" Zoe commanded. "Aditya—"
"I KNOW! BEING BAIT!"
The dragon turned back to me.
Oh good. Everyone's favorite job.
"HEY!" I shouted. "REMEMBER ME?! I'M THE ONE WHO STABBED YOU!"
It remembered.
It charged.
I ran.
Not gracefully.Not heroically. Just survival.
The dragon's claws gouged the earth. Missed me by inches.
I rolled, came up running.
Need a weapon. Need SOMETHING.
I manifested fire in my hands. Shaped it quickly into crude daggers.
Threw one.
Missed.
Threw another.
Hit the dragon's leg. Barely scratched it.
"STANDARD FIRE WON'T WORK!" Atalanta yelled from a tree branch. "THE SCALES ARE TOO—"
The dragon's tail whipped around.
WHAM.
Caught Atalanta mid-sentence.
She FLEW backward. Hit a tree trunk with a sickening CRACK.
Dropped.
Didn't move.
"ATALANTA!" Naomi screamed.
The dragon smiled wider.
One down.
Everything Goes Wrong
Arrows rained down. Phoebe and Naomi firing in synchronized rhythm. Aiming for joints, for the eye wound, for any vulnerable spot.
Most bounced off.
A few stuck. Made the dragon roar.
But it kept coming.
Zoe fired from her perch in a large oak. Silver arrows blessed by Artemis herself.
One hit the dragon's jaw joint. It screamed. Turned toward her.
"ZOE, MOVE!" I yelled.
She was already moving. Fast. But the dragon was faster.
Its tail whipped through the air—
Not toward Zoe.
Toward Phoebe.
"PHOEBE!" Zoe screamed.
Phoebe saw it. Tried to jump.
Too slow.
CRUNCH.
The tail caught her legs.
I heard bones SHATTER.
Multiple bones.
She hit the ground HARD. Screaming. Her legs twisted at impossible angles. Blood pooling.
"NO!" Naomi abandoned her position, running toward her.
"STAY BACK!" Zoe commanded.
But Naomi was already there, dragging Phoebe behind cover.
Two down.
This is going very, very badly.
The Weapon Choice
The dragon was breathing hard now. Wounded. Angry. Yet winning.
And still capable of killing us all.
Bow or armor. I have to choose.
If I summon the bow, I can attack from range. But one hit and I'm dead.
If I summon armor, I can survive hits. But I have no real weapon.
I looked at the dragon. At its size. Its speed. Its fury.
If I can't even SURVIVE its attacks, what good is a weapon?
Armor. Has to be armor.
I focused. Drew on my power.
The Kavach materialized. Golden armor covering my torso.
The Kundala earrings appeared, glowing.
But I didn't stop.
Need MORE.
Helmet. Greaves. Vambraces. Pauldrons. Everything.
FULL divine armor.
Golden light blazed as each piece snapped into place.
I felt my energy reserves DROP. Hard.
This is taking almost ALL my power.
Minutes. Maybe ten minutes. Then I'm out.
The Hunters stared.
"What in—" Phoebe gasped from behind the boulder, pain in her voice.
The dragon stared too.
Then charged anyway.
I manifested more fire daggers. Started throwing.
Most missed.
One hit its shoulder. No effect.
Another hit its leg. Nothing.
The dragon opened its mouth—
To breathe poison.
I threw another fire dagger desperately.
This one went STRAIGHT into its open mouth.
Hit the poison breath building in its throat.
FWOOOM.
The poison IGNITED.
Small explosion. Right in the dragon's mouth.
It SHRIEKED. Shook its head violently. Smoke pouring out.
I stared.
Wait.
The poison is FLAMMABLE.
"ZOE!" I yelled. "THE POISON! IT BURNS!"
She looked at me. Understanding flashed in her eyes.
But before either of us could plan—
The dragon recovered. Furious now. Murderous.
It LUNGED.
Zoe Falls
Zoe fired three arrows in rapid succession.
Perfect shots. All three hit—jaw, chest, shoulder.
The dragon turned.
Away from me.
Toward HER.
Artemis's lieutenant. Her most trusted. Three thousand years of skill and experience.
The dragon's massive claw came down at her tree.
Zoe JUMPED. Perfect form. Graceful. Fast.
But the dragon was learning.
Its tail swept in from the side.
A feint.
Zoe saw it too late. Mid-air. No way to dodge.
The tail—massive, unstoppable, covered in scales like armor—SLAMMED into her.
CRACK.
Her bow—ancient, silvery, a gift from Artemis herself, thousands of years old—SHATTERED.
Splinters exploding in all directions.
Zoe flew backward like a rag doll. Twenty feet. Hit the ground so hard the earth cratered.
She BOUNCED.
Rolled.
Came to a stop.
Blood at the corner of her mouth. Eyes wide. Gasping for air that wouldn't come.
Ribs. Definitely ribs. Maybe more.
She tried to stand. Her legs buckled. Collapsed.
The dragon saw.
Prey. The lieutenant. Wounded. Helpless.
It moved toward her. Slow. Deliberate. Savoring it.
This wasn't just revenge anymore.
This was a statement.
Kill the lieutenant. Break the Hunt.
"NO!" I screamed.
Started running.
The dragon was faster.
Reached Zoe. Reared up.
Both massive claws raised.
Going to crush her. Going to END her.
I wasn't going to make it.
Not fast enough.
NO NO NO—
I THREW myself forward.
Dove.
Landed between Zoe and the dragon.
Arms spread wide.
Full armor blazing.
"YOU WANT SOMEONE?!" I shouted up at it. "COME GET ME!"
The dragon's claws came down.
The Tank
WHAM.
FIRST HIT.
Both claws. Full force. Directly onto me.
The impact drove me THREE INCHES into the earth.
The armor held.
But I felt it.
Pain EXPLODED through my chest. Ribs cracking. Something inside TEARING.
I tasted blood.
Internal bleeding. Definitely internal bleeding.
But I was alive.
And Zoe was behind me.
One.
The dragon reared back. Confused.
Why won't you break?
Behind me, Zoe gasped: "Aditya—move—"
"Can't!" I managed through the pain. "You're behind me!"
The dragon came down again.
WHAM.
SECOND HIT.
My left shoulder CRACKED. Not the armor. The BONE underneath.
I heard it break.
Felt it splinter.
White-hot agony shooting down my arm.
More ribs snapping. Something in my chest SCREAMING.
Blood in my mouth. In my lungs.
But the armor held.
And I was running on pure adrenaline now. Pure desperate NEED to protect her.
Two.
Behind me, I heard Zoe moving. Scrambling. Getting away.
Good. Run. Get to safety.
The dragon reared up a THIRD time.
Higher than before.
Both claws together.
EVERYTHING it had.
WHAM.
THIRD HIT.
The world went WHITE.
My other shoulder shattered. Both arms useless now.
More ribs. Maybe my pelvis. My legs screaming.
I was driven SIX INCHES into the earth. The crater deepening.
Blood everywhere. Inside me. Can't breathe. Can't move.
The armor flickered. Failing. Energy reserves at maybe three percent.
But still there.
Still protecting me.
From DEATH. Not from agony. Not from breaking.
But from death.
The dragon leaned down. Face RIGHT next to mine.
Smiled.
Why won't you DIE?
I smiled back through blood-soaked teeth. Everything broken. Everything screaming.
"Because... fuck you."
The Crazy Plan (That Isn't Really A Plan)
The dragon pulled back.
Opened its mouth.
Building poison breath again.
It's going to melt me. Acid and poison. Finish what the claws started.
I couldn't move. Both arms shattered. Ribs destroyed. Legs barely responding.
Just... waiting for death.
Then—
An idea.
A STUPID idea.
The stupidest idea I've ever had.
The poison is flammable.
If I can get to the SOURCE...
If I can ignite it from INSIDE...
"HEY!" I shouted up at the dragon through broken ribs and blood. "YOU KNOW WHAT?!"
It paused. Looked down at me.
"I BET YOUR INSIDES TASTE TERRIBLE!"
The dragon's smile widened.
You're insane.
"PROBABLY!" I yelled back. "BUT LET'S FIND OUT!"
I started LAUGHING. Hysterical. Broken. Running on adrenaline and no blood and shattered bones.
"COME ON! EAT ME! I DARE YOU!"
The dragon's mouth opened wider.
Not poison breath.
Something else.
It's going to swallow me.
Behind it, I saw Zoe. She'd gotten to cover. Was staring. Horrified.
Realizing what I was doing.
The dragon doesn't want her anymore. Doesn't care about her.
It only wants ME.
All its attention. All its focus. All its RAGE.
On me.
Which meant—
Zoe started RUNNING.
Not away.
Toward the dragon's head.
Toward my greatsword still jutting from its eye.
The dragon didn't notice. Too focused on me.
On finally ENDING me.
Its jaws came down.
I didn't fight it.
This is insane. This is COMPLETELY insane.
But if it works...
GULP.
And I was falling.
Down the dragon's throat.
Into darkness.
Into The Furnace
I slid down. Fast. Wet. Disgusting.
Hit the stomach. Bounced.
The acid started burning immediately.
Even through the armor i could feel the vicious bite of the poison.
And even my armor wouldn't last long.
Okay. Limited time. Maybe seconds.
Do this fast or die trying.
I reached out with my power. Felt for the poison glands.
Found them.
THOUSANDS of them. Throughout the dragon's entire body.
All filled with poison.
All connected.
This is either going to work or I'm about to become the first demigod to blow up inside a dragon.
I focused every last drop of divine energy I had left.
Called fire into being.
Not outside.
INSIDE the poison glands.
The Sun Inside
WHOOOOOOOOOOOM.
The poison IGNITED.
Every gland. Simultaneously. Throughout the dragon's entire body.
The explosion was—
I can't describe it.
It wasn't just fire.
It was a SUN.
A miniature sun erupting inside the dragon's body.
Heat beyond heat. Light beyond light.
The dragon SHRIEKED.
A sound of pure, absolute, cosmic AGONY.
I was burning. The Kavach was the only thing keeping me from vaporizing instantly.
The temperature kept RISING.
Hotter. HOTTER.
The dragon's insides were turning into an oven. A FORGE.
And I was trapped inside.
Too hot. TOO HOT.
Can't think. Can't breathe. Can't—
Just... survive. Have to survive. Have to—
The world was fire and pain and heat and—
Please. Please let me survive this. Please—
Zoe's Strike
Outside—
Zoe reached the dragon's head.
It was thrashing. Violent. Desperate.
Smoke pouring from its mouth. Its skin BLISTERING. Scales cracking.
It was dying.
Burning from the inside.
She jumped. Grabbed the greatsword hilt as the dragon's head whipped past.
PULLED.
The blade came free.
Golden ichor SPRAYED.
And the dragon—
SHRIEKED.
Not like before. Not pain. Not rage.
AGONY.
Pure. Complete. Total.
Its head reared back. Neck FULLY EXPOSED.
Throat stretched. Vulnerable. All defense gone.
One shot.
Zoe didn't hesitate.
She JUMPED. Higher than should be possible for someone with broken ribs.
The greatsword raised. Three thousand years of skill behind it.
For THIS BOY who'd protected her. Who'd broken himself for her. Who was DYING inside that dragon right now.
She DROVE the blade down.
Through scales weakened by internal fire.
Through flesh cooked from within.
Through muscle and tendons.
Through EVERYTHING.
The greatsword cleaved through the dragon's neck.
Not a cut.
A SEVERANCE.
The head nearly separated. Still attached by a thread of spine.
Golden blood fountained.
The dragon made a horrible gurgling sound.
Took one step.
Another.
Then crashed.
The ground SHOOK.
Still Trapped
Inside the throat, I felt the dragon stop moving.
The thrashing ended.
Everything went still.
Is it... is it dead?
Silence.
Except—
The fire was STILL BURNING.
Still heating. Still active.
I couldn't stop it. The divine energy in my blood wouldn't STOP.
I'm going to cook. I'm literally going to cook to death inside a dead dragon.
This is the DUMBEST—
Everything was heat and darkness and—
Can't... can't...
I couldn't think anymore.
Couldn't move.
Just heat.
Just pain.
Just... fading...
Artemis Returns
Silver light flashed.
Artemis appeared with her Hunt.
They saw:
Dead dragon, head nearly severed -Destroyed camp Zoe standing with a bloody greatsword, barely able to stand with broken ribs ,Phoebe on the ground- legs shattered ,Atalanta unconscious against a tree Naomi exhausted No Aditya
"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Artemis demanded.
Before anyone could answer—
The dragon's body started GLOWING.
Golden-red light. From inside.
Getting BRIGHTER.
"Get back!" Artemis commanded.
Everyone scattered.
Then—
BOOM
The Entrance
I exploded out of the dragon's corpse in a spray of:
Golden ichor Cooked flesh Poison residue Stomach acid Fire Things I will never identify
Hit the ground.
Bounced.
Rolled.
Lay there.
Completely still.
Both arms shattered. Ribs destroyed. Internal bleeding. Burns everywhere the Kavach hadn't protected.
But alive.
Somehow... alive...
Every Hunter stared.
Artemis stared.
Even Phoebe, through her pain, stared.
Silence.
I raised one hand weakly. Pain shooting through the broken shoulder.
Gave a thumbs up.
"Still... alive..." I croaked. "Mostly... broken... but alive..."
Then flopped back down.
I'm never doing that again.
Never.
The Report
After they'd gotten Phoebe and Atalanta to safety (both alive, both going to recover), Artemis demanded answers.
Zoe stood, swaying slightly, still holding my greatsword.
"Sybaris returned. Wounded. Vengeful."
The Hunters nodded.
"We engaged. It knocked Atalanta unconscious in the first minute. Broke Phoebe's legs shortly after."
Gasps.
"We were being overwhelmed. My bow was destroyed. I was vulnerable."
Zoe's voice cracked slightly. "It was going to kill me."
"Aditya threw himself between us. Took three direct hits. Full force. He was... he was broken. Shattered. And he kept fighting."
She looked at where I lay. "He saved my life."
"He discovered the poison was flammable. And he... he let the dragon swallow him."
"He burned it from inside. The heat was... I've never seen anything like it. Like a sun inside the dragon."
"While he was dying inside it, I retrieved his greatsword and made the killing blow."
She held up the blade. "The kill is mine. But the victory... belongs to him."
The Credit
Artemis looked at me. "Aditya? Do you agree?"
I tried to sit up. Failed. Everything hurt too much.
"Zoe... made the kill," I managed through broken ribs. "Clean. Perfect. One strike."
"But you—"
"I just... distracted it. Kept it busy." I coughed. Blood. "She did the work. She should... get the credit."
Silence.
Because they knew.
Years of male heroes stealing glory.
And this broken, bleeding fourteen-year-old was giving it away.
Artemis nodded slowly. "The kill is Zoe's. Witnessed. Recorded."
Murmurs of agreement.
Phoebe was staring at me. Even through her pain. "You really took three hits for her."
"Yeah."
"Both your arms are broken."
"Yeah."
"That's either really brave or really stupid."
"Probably both."
She almost smiled. "Yeah. It is."
Aftermath
They carried me to the stream.
Basically dunked me.
I screamed. Everything hurt.
But the dragon guts came off.
Eventually.
Artemis was waiting when they pulled me out.
She placed a hand on my chest. Silver light flowed through me—cool, soothing. Bones shifted back into place with sickening cracks. The worst of the internal bleeding stopped. The breaks knitted enough that I could move without screaming.
Not healed. Not even close. But functional.
"You did well," she said.
"I'm... completely broken."
"Yes. But you protected one of mine." She studied me. "You continue to surprise me."
"Didn't mean to."
"I know."
She turned to leave, paused. "Zoe and Naomi will escort you to Alcatraz.
"Thank you."
"Try not to get eaten again."
"I'll try."
Evening
That night, sitting around a small fire—me bandaged, splinted, barely able to move—things felt different.
Naomi sat close. "That was INSANE. You got SWALLOWED. On PURPOSE."
"Wasn't my best idea."
She laughed. Then, inevitably: "But when you were inside, were you scared? Or was the adrenaline so high that you didn't even notice you were, you know, in a life-threatening situation that some people might find paradoxically thrilling in a—"
"Naomi," Zoe said. But gentler this time.
Zoe sat across the fire. My greatsword beside her.
Watching me with something new in her eyes.
"You said warriors fight together where you come from."
"Yeah."
"And share victories."
"It's just... normal."
She was quiet for a long time.
"That must be nice," she said softly.
I looked up. "Zoe?"
"It's nothing." She stood. "I'll take first watch."
And walked away into darkness.
Naomi watched her go. "She never talks about her past."
"Why not?"
"Being a Hunter means leaving it all behind." She looked at me. "But sometimes it doesn't leave you."
I thought about that.
Tomorrow we'd head to Alcatraz.
Tomorrow would bring new dangers.
But tonight, for the first time, I felt like maybe—just maybe—I'd earned some respect.
Progress.
Small, painful, broken-bones progress.
But progress.
END CHAPTER 16