Thalia’s POV
I’d been scrubbing the marble floors beneath the damn portrait for what felt like hours, my knees raw, fingers stinging from the acidic polish Luna Valerie had handed me without so much as a glance. The brush slipped from my hand again, slick with sweat, and I forced it back between my fingers.
I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing me break. Not even a flinch.
She'd already won tonight. The slap. The threat. The blood I was still tasting from biting my tongue. She got it all—and I smiled like it didn’t burn me alive.
But something was wrong.
Deep wrong.
My breath hitched. A violent churn twisted low in my belly. My hands shot to my sides, pressing hard against the ache, but the pain only thickened.
Molly! I screamed inside.
What’s happening?!
No respons
