Page 54 of The Stars

Amy’s hand tightened around his, her breath catching as she looked around the room. Dante felt her tension shift, a sharp intake of air, and he followed her gaze to where Joe and Liz stood. Joe’s arm was protectively around his wife’s waist.

“Joe!” Amy’s voice broke the silence, excitement bubbling up inside her as she darted forward, releasing Dante’s hand. “Liz—oh my god!”

Joe’s eyes widened in shock as Amy ran up to him, practically tackling him into a hug. “What—what just happened?” Joe stammered, bewildered. “You just left, and then⁠—”

Amy laughed, pure joy in her voice, cutting him off. “I’ll explain everything, but first—triplets!” She pulled back and placed her hands on Liz’s large belly as she beamed with excitement. “I know that you and Liz are having triplets!”

Liz, who was standing beside Joe, blinked in surprise. “Wait, what? How do you know⁠—”

Amy clapped her hands together, practically bouncing on her toes. “Long story, I’ll explain later! But I saw them, met them—the triplets! Congratulations!”

Joe looked utterly confused but a smile tugged at his lips as Liz, still processing, placed a hand on her belly. “We haven’t even told anyone, we wanted it to be a surprise.”

Everyone around them watched the exchange and since she’d just spoiled their surprise, everyone gathered around them and congratulated Joe and Liz on the news.

“What’s happened? How did you see them?” Xtina asked.

“Seriously, so much to tell you all!” Amy replied breathlessly, glancing back at Dante, as if to share her excitement.

Dante smiled at her, feeling the warmth radiate from her joy. Her reunion with her family felt like the first peaceful moment they’d had in days. But the weight of everything they’d experienced—the gods, her visions, their new powers, the ancient prophecies—it all still pressed heavily on his mind. And now they had returned to a world that had barely noticed they were gone.

How much would it change now that they were back?

“Dante!” Jacob’s voice cut through his thoughts. He turned to see his boss walk over and shook his outstretched hand. “Welcome back, I guess.” He chuckled. “Nice digs.”

Dante glanced down at his tunic and groaned. “Yeah, I’m desperate for a change of clothes and a cup of coffee.”

Michael jumped in and said, “How about we head back to our place? You can both change and fill us in on what you’ve gone through.”

“Yeah,” Xtina added, her arms crossed over her chest, “and you can tell us why you’re both so tan and practically glowing. What did you do, go on a magical vacation or something?”

Dante chuckled and exchanged a glance with Amy, who was still buzzing. “Something like that,” he replied. “We were… uh, in the past. Like, ancient Greece.”

Jess jumped in as she raised an eyebrow. “You what now?”

Amy finally pulled herself away from Joe and Liz and rushed back over to where Dante was standing.

“It’s a long story,” she said, her voice still filled with excitement, “but we were sent back in time—like, way back. We met Prometheus, met the three Fates, and… and fought off a god, sort of.”

“You saw the Fates?” Mia asked. “Did you understand anything they said? What did they say?” she added quickly.

“Lots,” Amy sighed. “No, not really, but I guess, now we do understand what they told us.” She shrugged.

“You guys are okay though?” Jacob asked as they all started making their way out of the silo.

Dante nodded, still feeling the residual energy from the godlike powers he’d awakened. “Yeah, and we’ve been fighting gods for many lifetimes. Like we said, it’s a lot to take in.”

“Okay, so you time-traveled, met some gods and the three Fates, and now you’re back with suntans and new clothes. That about sum it up?” Mia said as they climbed the stairs in a single line.

Amy laughed, her energy contagious. “Pretty much. And that’s not even the craziest part.”

“We’ve got powers now,” Dante added, glancing down at his hands as if the glow might still be there. “It’s… hard to explain, but we’ve unlocked something,” Amy said.

“Pandora is awake?” Mia asked.

Amy nodded slowly. “I guess so since I can remember all our past lives.”

“What sort of powers?” Mia asked after a moment of silence.