Athena left, and the others stayed looking at one another, while Tania tried to stand up—even though her wound still hurt.

  She looked down at her abdomen and saw a terrible X-shaped scar carved across her stomach. The goddess simply sighed and covered herself with her gown again.

  “Well… I swear this won’t happen again,” Tania said.

  “No. With Athena here, I feel safer,” Ana replied immediately.

  Rodrigo looked at both of them lying in their beds. He swallowed hard and stared.

  “You… you’re not going to kill me, right?” he asked nervously.

  “In other circumstances, I absolutely would have,” Tania said bluntly. “But for now, no. However, I want you to know I don’t trust you. Your actions will decide whether you earn that trust back.”

  Rodrigo swallowed again.

  “I’m sorry, Rui. Give me time to process all of this,” Ana said nervously.

  “I do trust you… but I’m scared that your blood might turn against us.”

  Rodrigo’s heart sank.

  “Are you kidding me, Ana? This man admires you. No matter what he is or how he was born! Didn’t you say he changed your life and gave you purpose?!” Epona shouted.

  “Stay out of it!” Tania screamed at the horse goddess.

  “What? You’re going to judge him and look down on him because of his blood? What kind of people are you?” Epona shouted back.

  “Shut your mouth, Epona. You’re not a warrior goddess—you’re a damn horse-feeder,” Tania snarled.

  “What would you know about how dangerous the tannin are?”

  Epona’s face went red with fury, while Rodrigo slowly stepped back. He didn’t want to be there anymore.

  “Come shut my mouth yourself, you child-eating bitch,” Epona spat.

  “Both of you shut up!” Ana yelled as she sat up in bed.

  “SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTHS, BOTH OF YOU!”

  “Rodrigo isn’t our enemy, Tania. I know my master will help him control his power,” Ana growled, glaring at the Punic goddess.

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  “And you, Epona—if you ever call Tania that again, I swear I’ll rip your damn head off. Understood?” Ana threatened, eyes full of rage.

  The air thickened instantly—an oppressive, ugly tension filling the room.

  Epona grabbed Rodrigo by the hand and pulled him toward the door.

  “If you can’t trust an ally, then we’re not comrades. As far as I’m concerned, both of you can go to hell,” the horse goddess snapped.

  “Come on, Rodrigo!” she shouted, dragging the boy, who didn’t resist much.

  Both of them exited the room. Ana buried her face in her hands and began to sob in frustration. Tania simply stared at the blank white ceiling.

  “Am I… am I a monster who deserves to die?” Rodrigo asked Epona as she dragged him down the hallway.

  “No, damn it. You’re Rodrigo—my friend,” Epona answered, still furious, her face flushed red.

  “But they…” Rodrigo muttered.

  “You’re going to listen to a pair of stupid racists? Their whole lives they’ve been told stories about how evil your people are, and they still believe them. They’re acting like brainwashed puppets of Lel and can’t see the situation they’re in now,” the horse goddess said.

  Rodrigo didn’t know what to say.

  “We should be happy—Anpiel is alive, Athena will help us. Hell, it’s like someone solved a problem we couldn’t. But no, those idiots only care about your blood,” Epona continued, irritated.

  The Celtic goddess then looked straight at Rodrigo with her beautiful green eyes—eyes full of determination.

  “Rodrigo, you’re a good person. You saved me and fought even knowing you’d lose. I trust you, and I will always trust you,” Epona said.

  Rodrigo stayed silent, embarrassed.

  “I… sorry for calling Ana a racist. I didn’t mean it that way,” Epona said, now embarrassed herself.

  “Since I was a kid, I’ve always been insulted or mocked for being different. When I met Ana and Tania, I finally felt part of a group—they were kind to me. I guess this is, again, my fault for being what I am,” Rodrigo replied.

  Epona stopped walking.

  “Don’t you ever say that again, Rodrigo. Ever. Do you hear me?” she said, furious.

  “My own brothers tried to kill me, Rodrigo. I understand how you feel, but you can’t stop. I’ll support you no matter what you are, alright?” she added.

  Rodrigo nodded.

  At the end of the hallway, two angels greeted them. They wore red breastplates and white tunics. Their white wings were folded at rest. They stood in front of an open door leading to the outside of the hospital. A reddish, eerie light spilled from it.

  “You two are Lady Athena’s guests, correct?” one of them asked. Epona nodded.

  “There are two more, but they stayed in the room,” she said.

  “Oh, I see. Well then, I’ll take you to your quarters. Follow me,” said the angel on the left. His hair was blond and his eyes almost golden.

  The angel took flight, and Epona did as well—but she quickly realized Rodrigo didn’t know how. So she grabbed him by the arm to carry him.

  Both of them then flew out of the hospital. Rodrigo glanced at the building—it really was a rectangular structure embedded into the ground. From a more objective angle, the hospital was located beneath a massive cavern.

  But he couldn’t look at it for long. Epona’s flying speed was far too fast, and in moments, the cavern vanished behind them.