I hadn’t been thinking, that’s what. Perhaps this girl is a siren. The old stories say they can befuddle men with their music. Such an idea had always been so obtuse to me, but now I understand. My encounter with Daphne had left me more confused than ever.

But sirens were evil creatures of the Oceanrealm, thought to be extinct. Why would the Oracle want me to bring such a dangerous thing back to my world?

No, she isn’t a siren.

But, then, what is she?

She certainly isn’t a mere Boon. Or at least not like any Boon in the Court’s harem. She doesn’t act like one, I think, rubbing my jaw where she had hit me. And she certainly didn’t look like the Boons I’d seen in the Underrealm. Most of the girls who had been brought back by former Champions were waifish and gaunt to begin with, and wasted away quickly. I’d never really seen the appeal of having a Boon before. But this girl is different. My hands tingle with that strange heat, just thinking of her now.

The Oracle had indicated that Daphne is indeed different. Special, somehow. And Dax had suggested that he knew something about it. I shouldn’t have acted without all the information—I should have waited here, as Simon had ordered me to. A soldier should always follow commands.

The thought of Simon finding out what I did fills me with dread. He seems to be in communication with the Underrealm somehow, and I can’t bear the thought of his reporting my blunder back to the Court. What would they say about me then?

I settle on the bed and open the cloth bag the girl left in the grove. She may not be a siren and she may not be an ordinary Boon, but she is definitely a more formidable opponent than I gave her credit for. I am a warrior, and I decide to attack the problem of Daphne the way I have been trained to do with any other adversary. Which means I need to do some reconnaissance. I dump the contents on the bed. There are mostly papers. I play with a tube of sticky red gel that smells vaguely of pomegranates, and almost jump when a rectangular contraption buzzes in the pile. I pick it up and inspect its smooth surfaces. It buzzes again and lights up. A written message appears on the glass front. It must be some sort of communication device. The message reads:

CeCe: Daph, really need to talk. Call me tonight. May not be at this number after tomorrow.

A knock sounds on my door, making me jump. My fingers slip. I’m not sure what I’ve done but the message disappears.

“Haden, you up?” Dax calls through the door.

“Uh, yes. Just one moment.” I panic at the sight of Daphne’s things strewn across the bed. I grab a blanket and throw it over the mess to hide the evidence of my excursion into the world. I dash over to the door and open it halfway, placing my body between the door and the view of the rumpled-looking bed. I stretch and act as though I’ve just woken up.

Dax looks somewhat surprised to see me.

“Enjoying a nap, I see,” Simon says in his overly chipper way. “Very good. Very good. Many Champions ignore the need for proper rest while in the mortal world. This place can be a strain on the body. You were so quiet in here, I was almost afraid you’d run off on some half-baked idea of going to look for this Daphne girl on your own.”

I feel heat flushing into my hands and face. “Just being patient. Like I was told.” I try to give Dax my most earnest look.

“Very well,” Simon says with a huge smile. “All the arrangements for your stay have been made. I’ll leave you boys to it.” He drops the smile, and a sudden dark look creeps over his usually bright face. “I trust I won’t need to clean up any messes while you boys are here. Not like last time?” He turns that dark look on Dax.

“No, Simon. Everything will be fine.”

As quickly as it came, the dark look passes from Simon’s face. He smiles happily. “Very good, then. Keep those noses clean,” he says, tapping his own nose as he leaves.

I brush my nose, wondering if there’s something on my face.

Dax waits until Simon is down the hall and we hear his footsteps on the stairs. Dax shivers, then slips inside my room with a couple of large bags made out of a thin, shiny material. He shuts the door quietly and then turns on me.

“Where the Tartarus were you?” he whispers.

I blink at him. “I—”

“Don’t even think about lying to me, Haden. I came to check on you an hour ago and you were gone. I had no idea what I was going to say to Simon if you hadn’t been here now. What in Hades’s name were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t …”

“Clearly!”

“You were taking forever. How was I supposed to just wait here? I didn’t even know what time it was.”

“There’s a clock right there! You couldn’t be patient for a few hours?”

“Well, nobody bothered to tell me how time works here. That’s why I went back to the gate. I needed to know if it was still active. So I’d know that I hadn’t been waiting for weeks.”

“You went back to the gate? Did anyone see you? Did you talk to anyone?”

I shake my head. “No,” I lie. I don’t want him to know what I did. How Herculeanly I screwed up. “I went right there and came right back. I know I shouldn’t have, but I needed the reassurance.”

Dax drops the bags on the table in the corner of my room. “It’s my fault,” he says. “I haven’t been the best guide so far. I should have known not to leave you alone.…”

His words sting, but I can’t deny their truth.

“Are you going to tell Simon?”

“I should, but I think it’s best we keep this between the two of us. For both our sakes.”

I realize then that my actions have a reflection on Dax. As my guide, he could be punished for my mistakes.

I want nothing more than to ask him again what he knows about the circumstances of my quest, but I cannot bring myself to broach the topic. Any talk of Daphne might cause me to slip. The guilt is eating at me already.

“What’s with all the stuff?” I ask him, trying to turn the topic off my ineptitude.

“Oh yes. I come bearing gifts. Every Champion needs his special tools,” Dax says, pulling several things out of the bags and placing them on the table. There’s more strange clothing, like what I was made to change into before passing through the gate, plus belts and a couple of pairs of shoes.

“New wardrobe makes the man,” Dax says. “These clothes are more up-to-date with current fashion than what you’re wearing. You’ll fit in just right around here. Well, at least in appearance.”