I managed to pull myself to my hands and knees. Nausea crept up from my abdomen, clawing at my throat as I tried to force down the bile. It was too late. My stomach contracted violently and forced everything up and out. My face felt clammy and pale, and dripped sweat and tears. What was worse was that Vlad knelt beside me, and I must’ve looked disgusting—just after I had lectured him too.

Right when I felt like some kind of black hole was consuming my innards, dizziness came over me and I collapsed again, the world fading to black. I could only hope that I wasn’t dead.

Adrian stood there in a pair of black trousers, a dark cashmere scarf, and a long coat. His white shirt peeked out from his coat. His eyes were trustworthy when he asked me to follow him. We passed many rooms as we made our way downstairs. I tried to analyze where we were to figure out where we might be headed.

We were in the lobby of the Hyped, passing the mural of the Hellenicus, and only then did I notice the silence and vacancy of our surroundings. He led me outside, and I came to a halt before the fully bloomed Whispering Oak of Dodona.

Hadn’t it been buds just a few hours ago? Its beauty was captivating. I strained to hear its whispers; I knew it was trying to tell me something. My feet were rooted to the ground where I stood, until Adrian tugged on my arm.

“Montgomery, there’s no time for that now. You have to get there before it’s too late—before someone ruins everything.”

I followed him to the door of the Royal Quarters. Fear gripped me. “I can’t be here. I’m not Royal. It’s prohibited.”

Without a word, he took my hand in his. Warmth spread all over my body, like a burning fire. I knew I should pull my hand away; instead, I held his hand tighter.

When we passed through the entrance, a deep feeling in my gut me told me this was wrong, but with his hand in mine, I indulged my defiant side—my curiosity. We were the only souls here, our footsteps sounding across the marble floors as we approached two doors: an indigo-blue door on the left, a wine-red one on the right. Without hesitation, he led me to the one on the right.

“Why not the blue one?”

“It’s not for you,” he said simply.

At a security panel beside the door, he entered a long series of digits to unlock it. How did he know that code? I wanted to ask him, but the view ahead stunned me into silence. Three more doors awaited us inside. As we walked through, I could see that each door was engraved with a crest. They were the Pure Royals’ crests representing the Big Three: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.