Maddox winces, his eyes faltering, as I instinctively push him away and untangle my hand from his. My shoes squeak against the crystallizing ice before losing traction. I grab the cave wall quickly, fingers burning against the frigid stone, and catch myself before stumbling closer to the darkness behind me, making it a point not to break eye contact.

He rises to his feet, keeping a firm hand on the wall. "Wait, before you assume—"

"How long have you known?" I demand. He tries to speak, but I cut him off, unable to stop myself. "Why didn't you say anything before?" I spit harshly. His timing is calculative. He knows I can't abandon him, no matter how angry I am, if I want to avoid what lurks in the darkness. He steps forward, offering me a hand and a pleading look that I ignore. "The mortals on the island hate Van Blakes—I've heard them talk. And you lead them, Maddox!"

"Calypso—"

I flinch at the sound of my name and shrug out of his reach, retreating further into the darkness. "What game have you been playing? What do you want?" I hiss. "Money? Power?" 

An eery growl, deep from within the cave doesn't go unnoticed, but I don't move an inch. Maddox is no longer an anchor of safety for me.

Nowhere is safe.

"Nothing," he breathes, taking a step back. I throw him a doubtful look and he hangs his head in defeat, averting his eyes. "I want... your trust."

I laugh without humor, ignoring how my voice raises an octave when another shiver wracks my joints. "Are you joking?" I retort, crossing my arms.

Pain flickers in his eyes. "Love, did you really think I wouldn't find out? If I hadn't already known, Atlas would've given you away."

Maddox has proven he knows almost everything and that he is willing to go above and beyond to discover anything that he doesn't. And not just with magic.

His curiosity truly knows no bounds, so I'm not surprised that he figured it out, but his secrecy is what's making me want to rush out into the dancing snowstorm behind him. Why would he bite his tongue for so long? What else is he hiding from me?

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask shakily. 

My eyes dart between him and the narrow cave opening. I could run for it—find a different shelter. Anywhere has to be better than here.

Another chill grips my body, and I shake those thoughts away, scolding myself silently. No, this cave, with Maddox, is the safest place. I can't let fear cloud my judgment now. 

He frowns. "Your name may be lesser known, but Atlas's is not so foreign."

So this is about revenge? Atlas and my father killed many in battle—no doubt someone close to Maddox could've become collateral damage in the chaos. Perhaps that's why he leads and defends the mortals on the island. He must understand their loss.

"Stop doing that," Maddox commands coldly. His gaze dissects me, making my neck tingle into my spine. "If you want to run, then go. I won't stop you, Love, but everything you're thinking about me right now is false—I can promise you that."

I push away from the wall, taking a careful step forward. "And what am I thinking?" I challenge.

"You think I want to hurt you," he says, aghast. "I mean you and your family no harm, Calypso." His voice softens considerably when he says my name. And the way it rolls off his tongue... I don't know if I should feel tense or at ease.

My voice grates against the frosted air, making my throat tighten. "Then why didn't you tell me before? You just went along with it, pretended I'm like anybody else."

He shrugs. "Aren't you?" I shake my head, glaring at him as if to tell him, No, obviously not. He sighs, lowering his head. "Why does it matter so much?"

I shrink into my coat, pulling it tighter around me. "You know why," I mumble irritably. "It's my fault the Starborns are pissed. We're all on this island because of Moonborns, but more so because of us Van Blakes—at least that's how your mortals see it." 

"How is it your fault that we're here?" he questions, raising his chin.

My anger surges. Is he trying to play dumb or just insult me? "You know why! My father killed thousands—"

"Your father," he cuts me off. "Your father's actions are why we're here. Not yours."

I bite back my words, feeling my ire thaw. "Maybe... But what about Atlas?" I press, watching him closely.

He purses his lips. "We're not talking about Atlas."

My stomach aches at his avoidance. "If you hurt my brother—"

"I mean you and your family no harm, Calypso," he repeats, his expression one of determination. The sincerity in his tone calms me enough to sit back down, my back against the cold wall.

Another snarl wrapped within the shadows rattles around us, but it doesn't sound like the beast is coming any closer. Perhaps it's gotten too cold.

Warily, Maddox sinks to the ground with me, but neither of us dares to move closer to the other. Temptation pokes at me when the wind howls into the cave, making the goosebumps on my arms bite my skin, but I resist it, forcing my hands into my pockets.

I bite my lips, annoyed with how chapped they are. "But if you see me as just anybody else, you wouldn't have walked on eggshells around me this whole time," I say slowly, gauging his reaction.

A thoughtful look crosses his face. "You misunderstand me, Love." I blink at him and his expression softens. "You're not just anybody—that much is certain. But being a Van Blake has nothing to do with it."

I fiddle with the compass in my pocket again, tapping the silver trinket nervously. "That's not what I'm getting at. You act as if my being a Van Blake is unimportant to you, but if that were true, you wouldn't have felt the need to hide that you knew."

He sighs. "The only reason I didn't say anything is because I saw how paranoid you were when I pulled you from the water. And when Cyrus and I brought you back to camp, I thought—"

"You knew since then?" I interject, making his eyes widen. "But..."

Maddox admitted once that the compass he found on me when we first met hinted that I was a Moonborn, or so we both thought until my Star magic was discovered, but what gave away that I was a Van Blake? How could he have known just by looking at me? Dolion knew me briefly before the island, perhaps Maddox and I met once before too?

No... I would've remembered. Maddox isn't so easily forgettable.

"I didn't know for certain. I had my suspicions that you were someone important since your clothes were much nicer than others who've turned up on the island. That, and Van Blake's are known for their raven hair, deep olive skin... eyes like sapphire, and..." He stops himself short as if he's said too much. A pink heat rises to his cheeks, and he hesitates a long moment before finally saying, "Anyway, I caught on fairly quickly."

That knowing smirk he threw at me when I first arrived on the island—when I lied to Cyrus, telling him I was a mortal—he was analyzing me even then, trying to solve me like a puzzle.

Maddox's observational skills are impressive. Impressive, but scary.

"The secret was important to you, Calypso. That's why I didn't say anything," he says, pulling me from my clouded thoughts. My name still sounds so foreign on his lips. "You being a Van Blake didn't and still doesn't change anything for me. The reason I'm admitting this to you now is because it's dangerous for other people who ignorantly blame you for nonsense outside of your control to know."

His words do inspire a glimmer of warmth in me. It's honestly refreshing to be given the chance to paint myself in my own light, rather than only be seen in the reflection of someone else's. But my trust in Maddox has still dwindled nonetheless.

The cold nips mercilessly at me again, burning me with ice and forcing me to shove everything eclipsing logic to the side. Tentatively, I shuffle over to Maddox, sitting beside him but keeping my hands in my coat. Hope swims in his amber eyes, and I think I see him shiver, but he doesn't move any closer to me.

"So, what? You plan to keep the secret with me now?" I mutter.

He nods. "Yes. I'd hate for you to be in a position where you don't come to me for help because you're hiding something I couldn't care less about."

I grimace. "Way to spit on my family legacy." I can practically feel my father's cold stare cutting into me from wherever he is. 

He grins. "You know what I mean, Love. I don't care in the way you were assuming I would." 

I frown. Maddox is a Moonborn after all. It makes sense that he'd be more open-minded than others when it comes to a Van Blake turning up on the island, and yet, he still pretends to be a mortal. He chooses to hide his true identity from the people who follow him. Why?

"Besides," Maddox starts in a lighter tone, regaining my attention. "I detest calling you Callie."

I blink at him, scrambling for words. I admit, it's weird for me to be called a family nickname by strangers, but it can't be that bad for him. "Why?" I ask, frowning.

"It's cute," he says with a bored shrug, then smiles. "But too simple for you."

I feel my face burn beneath the icy sting coating my skin. His gaze feels too heavy, so I quickly change the subject. "Well, Dolion knows who I am too, and likely told people out of spite before he teleported over here to try and kill me," I grumble.

Maddox clicks his tongue. "Of course he does."

I take a breath. "Speaking of others back on the island... Why don't you want the mortals to know you're not one of them?" I ask quietly, half-expecting him to dodge the question as he has done before.

"Do you seriously have to ask that?" he counters. "For the same reasons you try to hide who you are from everyone."

My arms tighten around my torso, desperate to keep what little heat is left inside of my coat, and my knees shake. "Well, yeah, but I mean... They trust you. You think they would turn on you?"

His lips curve down. "Not necessarily. Some of them—the more trusted know, but if you want to be a good leader, sometimes you have to be who people need you to be for a time."

"For a time?" I echo.

He nods. "The mortals on the island fear the Moonborns. They fear Dolion and Dolion fears me." His eyes slide over to mine, narrowing a fraction. "It's more powerful in their eyes to believe that a Moonborn fears a mortal. It keeps them motivated... loyal, and buys me time to figure out how to get us all to work together again."

I bite my lip. "Isn't that a bit manipulative?"

"Perhaps," he says with a frown. "But it's the way it has to be. I don't think mortals can escape the Autolycus Cage without Moonborns, and vice-versa. The divide Dolion created has only added another obstacle, and I fear telling everyone the truth about me would only deepen the problem."

So, Maddox wants peace. He doesn't want to permanently be divided by the treaty he and Dolion agreed upon. He isn't only thinking of the mortals who follow him. He truly wants everyone to be saved. But doesn't Dolion want that too? Or at the very least, for himself? To go home? Is his grudge toward Maddox so intense that he'd let a feud get everyone killed?

"You said some mortals know. Vivian? Ares?" I question.

He runs a hand through his blonde locks, fighting back a smile. "They know... and they're not mortals either."

I nearly gasp. "They're like us? Er, you?" 

He nods stiffly. "They lost their magic early on like me, so it makes it easy to blend in."

Vivian and Ares—the half-siblings—are very good liars. On my first day, I had asked them if any Moonborns were in the camp and they gave nothing away. But their distaste toward Alberich Van Blake was no ruse. I saw the resentment in their eyes. I wonder if they still would've defended Juniper and me from Cyrus had they known we were his daughters?

My eyes widen. Cyrus.

"What does your brother know?" I ask suddenly, making his jaw flex. Cold wind tumbles into the cave again and we both tense. "Cyrus tried to kill Juniper when he suspected she was a Moonborn. Clearly, he has strong opinions."

Maddox looks away, sighing. "He sees me as his brother, and that's all that matters to him, but he can't seem to extend that compassion to others, unfortunately. Although Cyrus can be... well, Cyrus, he wouldn't have killed your sister."

I grit my teeth at the memory. The fear in my little sister's eyes when he screamed at her. "You weren't there. You didn't see him," I grind out.

He gives me a tight smile. "Maybe not at that moment, but trust me, I have seen him." He gives me an apologetic look. "He's more bark than he is bite, Love."

"I wonder if he'll still refrain from biting when it comes to Van Blakes," I mutter dryly, earning an uncomfortable look from Maddox. 

Another shiver creeps up my spine and into my bones, making me wriggle uncomfortably. Many more questions are still juggling around in my head, but the drop in temperature is worsening and the cold air continues bursting into the cave, making it impossible to keep ignoring. Even with my hands tucked deep into my pockets, I can't feel my fingers anymore.

Begrudgingly and cautiously, I close the space between Maddox and myself, letting our arms brush briefly before I lean against him again, desperate for a flicker of warmth.

He reciprocates, but instead of simply pressing his side against me like before, he snakes an arm around me, pulling me closer to his body. His coat is open enough for me to tuck it around my arm and push myself against his chest. Heat builds between us and I cling to it shamelessly, burying my fingers into his tunic. The air is still relentlessly frozen, but Maddox's body heat mixed with mine makes it ten times more bearable in a matter of minutes.

"I'm mad at you," I say tightly. "You could've told me sooner—that you knew who I was."

He rests his chin on my head and I feel his body quiver. "Well, you didn't trust me enough to tell me yourself. I didn't want to pry."

The wind changes directions and is now constantly blasting frost into the cave, erasing what little relief we were providing each other. My nails dig into his sleeve and my body shakes. "I-I'm trying to t-t-trust you, Maddox," I stutter breathily.

"I know."

Long minutes stretch between us. It's too cold to talk or think anymore, but the wailing wind keeps the atmosphere anything but serene. 

Maddox is to my left, closer to the entrance of the cave, his frame shielding me from the brunt end of the heavy gusts, but my body finds little comfort. If I'm this cold, I can only imagine how uncomfortable he must be right now. I rest my head on his shoulder, shutting my eyes tightly when the dryness in them becomes unbearable, and focus on the rising and falling of his chest.

The glass of the lantern is completely frosted over now, shielding its contents, but I have no doubt the flame inside has died.

If only I hadn't left that journal at Maddox's place. Sun magic could save us, and there's no way that journal doesn't have something in it that could help us right now. I know my father wouldn't approve, but one tiny fire spell wouldn't scramble my brain, right? The O'helios went insane for using Sun magic constantly... right?

My fists tighten. Even if I did have the journal, I wouldn't know where to start. I know nothing about Sun magic. Or even Star magic. Fire is impossible with Moon magic, but there has to be something useful within my capabilities. Right?

Maddox's shuddering grows more frequent by the minute, but he refuses to trade places with me to give himself a break from the constant wind. Pulling him closer to me is fruitless, but I do it anyway, hoping it might somehow be enough.

It isn't.

Time passes slowly. My entire body is numb, and Maddox doesn't squeeze my hand back like we've been doing for the past hour, leading me to do something I haven't done in a long time.

I can't see the Moon from within the cave, so I stare at the moonlight reflecting off of the frozen puddles nearby and clasp my hands together. I don't even know if She will hear me—seeing as I'm not one of Her Celestials. I never was... but I pray to Her anyway.

"Of the Moon... In her beauty and vigilance, please, protect us." I envision the snowstorm subsiding, the wind weakening its howl. My gaze stays on the moonlight, but my mind imagines the sun rising to melt the ice and slush. I feel it warming our faces as we step out into the daylight. "Please." 

My hope crumbles when a soft rumble shakes the walls. It isn't caused by the monster from within this time though. A downpour batters the cave from outside just as a louder, more hostile thunderclap strikes the earth, making me jump. Rain, snow, and wind rush into the cave, more insistent than before, and torture us with their violent harmony.

My body aches from the cold moisture, and I wrap my arms around Maddox again, shaking him desperately but receive no response.

Just when I'm about to give in to our fate, a sudden flash of light crackles across the sky, bright enough to light up the entire cave for a generous moment. The thunderclap that follows pummels a dangerous, but brilliant idea into my head.

Untangling myself from Maddox, I rise to my feet and readjust my coat. Lightning and thunder continue to clash beyond the cave walls, and the wind resists me, but I push forward anyway, ready to meet the descending elements beneath the night sky.