"Status update."

Taryn swept her eyes up and down the street, arms loosely folded across her chest and a bored expression on her face.

"No sign of Kirphis, yet," she said, directing her voice to the large potted plant beside her. "No sign of Cenus or suspicious personnel either."

"Good."

Ele shifted behind the plant. "Status update."

"No sign of Kirphis, yet. No sign of Cenus or suspicious personnel either. The shopkeeper's looking at me weird, though."

"Ryn!" Ele hissed. "That's suspicious personnel! Did they see me?"

Taryn cursed under her breath and moved to cover up Ele's small frame from the shopkeeper's view. She sent them a heinous glare for good measure.

"No swearing!"

"Sorry, not sorry."

The shopkeeper sent her an odd look before returning to the confinement of their store.

Ele ignored Taryn's response and the shopkeeper's look. "Ryn! You told me you would be a good lookout!"

Ele yelling intimidated no one. Taryn, for one, found it entertaining, but her whisper-yelling was on a whole other level of entertainment potential. She wouldn't admit that out loud, though. Then, Ele's face would scrunch up, and she'd whisper-yell more. Taryn didn't think her lungs could take it.

She shook her head. "Sorry, I'll do better next time, Ele."

"There may not be a 'next time'! That shopkeeper will report back to Cenus, and this will all be over!"

"You're right." Taryn cracked her knuckles. "Should I take them out?"

"No!"

"Alright, fine. Jeez."

Ele buried herself back into the shadows of the plant.

A beat of silence.

"Status update."

"Kirphis is in view. Cenus and suspicious personnel aren't."

"Excellent." Ele leaned out from behind the plant and squinted in the sunlight. "Did you tell him I'm coming?"

"Nah, couldn't risk word getting back to your brother, but I'm sure he'll expect it."

Kirphis closed the distance between him and Taryn with a final boost, forehead light with sweat and cheeks tinged pink.

He came to a stop. "Sorry that I'm late."

"You're fifteen minutes late," Taryn said, crossing her arms.

Ele came out from behind the plant and clucked her tongue. "That's not even fashionably."

Kirphis rubbed his neck. His poor posture made Taryn want to tie him to a metal pole. "Sorry again. I got a little held up."

Taryn raised an eyebrow. "By your father?"

He flushed and righted his posture. A pity. There was a respectable art store a few blocks back. It also made wind chimes. "Yes, in fact, it was my father. I couldn't exactly tell him what we're about to do. It's creepy-"

"Not if you have that attitude."

"-and I know he wouldn't approve. I had to bend over backward to sell my story."

Ele perked up and leaned forward. "What was your story? Spill the tea."

"I told him we were hanging out at the library."

Taryn stared across the street. A library stared back. She turned back to Kirphis. "You need more imagination."

"Yeah." Ele placed her hands on her hips. "How else are they going to believe you?"

Kirphis stared at the pair of sixteen-year-old girls glaring at him. He closed his eyes and exhaled.

Ele snickered and offered Taryn her fist. "He just realized what he got himself into."

Taryn returned the fist bump, relishing in the migraine she knew was forming inside Kirphis's head.

"Are you even supposed to be here, Semele?" He asked, pointing at the Taktikós in question.

"Changing the subject, I see?" Her playful expression turned dark. "Tell my brother, and I'll tell him what you wrote to him in that letter."

Kirphis choked. Taryn grinned.

"What did he write in that letter?"

"For legal reasons, I cannot tell you." Ele leaned in to whisper in her ear. "But I think you can guess."

Kirphis turned red, a red that spread across his face and down his neck. A shade of red Taryn could tell was from embarrassment. He had a nice blush, especially after someone mentioned Cenus. It was all too fun to tease him.

"Let's get back on topic, please!"

"Alright, alright." Ele finished snickering. "We're looking for Laothoe, right?"

"Yeah," Taryn said, getting over her own laughter. "She's middle-aged, pale, a blondie and a shortie, blue eyes, visibly strong-" She looked at Kirphis. "In fact, she looks kinda like you! Except for your hair and eyes, of course."

He slapped her hand away from ruffling his hair. "Taryn-"

"Lalala, I can't hear you!" She plugged her ears. "You can't change my mind anyway, Laothoe Junior!"

Taryn skipped to Ele standing a few feet away and tried not to erupt into a fresh set of giggles.

"Good one."

"Thank you."

Kirphis sighed and began his search. It surprised Taryn how surprised he still acted at her and Ele's teasing. To be fair, she shouldn't be surprised he was surprised either.

"Target acquired."

Taryn snapped her head around to where Ele pointed hers.

Laothoe stood there, talking with someone, another Taktikós. She didn't appear any different than the last time Taryn saw her when she was - you guessed it - stalking her. Taryn was bored a lot.

Ele strutted across the street, Taryn and Kirphis following. They stopped a few yards away from the pair, far enough not to be noticed but not far enough not to hear what was said.

"Who are we testing next?"

Taryn frowned. Testing?

"There's a Sóma who lives across town," Laothoe said. "Near the Kýrous." She spoke the location's name with distaste. She must still be angry about the recent firings of the Taktikoí. Taryn couldn't blame her. She was, too.

The Taktikós muttered something about walking and Kardiá being too large for its own good, but Taryn was too busy keeping up her I'm-totally-not-eavesdropping face to bother eavesdropping. See? She wasn't eavesdropping. Not the point.

Taryn knew she wanted the Pure to be doing something. Something to ease her boredom and bring some spice into her life. But this was disturbing. What were their "tests"? What were they going to do to the Sóma across the town?

"Let's go. And stop whining. It's not endearing. Plus, I'm married, and you know it."

Taryn scrambled into an alley. Ele slipped behind another plant. Kirphis facepalmed.

Laothoe and her acquaintance didn't notice the trio as they walked away in the opposite direction of Taryn and Ele's genius hiding spots.

"Don't look at us like that, you flinched. If you ask me, that's worse."

"How?"

Taryn ignored Kirphis and followed Laothoe, Ele trailing behind her.

Laothoe wasn't kidding when she said halfway across town. Taryn didn't remember the walk taking that long, even when she had to all but drag Cenus over to the Kýrous to spy on Nikas and Hallie. Maybe she was border then. More bored? Whatever. She wasn't paid to correct grammar.

"By the gods, that was a long walk."

Laothoe snarled, causing Ele to shrink back. "I thought I told you to stop whining?"

Taryn placed a protective arm in front of Ele. She didn't know if Laothoe noticed them yet, or what she would do if she hadn't. She was a wild card, one Taryn would be pleased not to learn more about.

"Right. Sorry," the Taktikós said, stepping backward and eyes blinking away their fear.

Laothoe brushed past them and walked away, hugging the side of the open amphitheater.

"How is she not scared of falling?" Ele whispered.

"Machines like her don't take fall damage."

"Oh okay, that makes sense."

Kirphis groaned, earning him a sharp elbow to the gut courtesy of Taryn. She would walk through Tártaros before letting Kirphis snitch on her. Intentionally or not.

The Kýrous wasn't crowded at that hour, allowing for too few bodies for Taryn, Ele, and Kirphis to mask their presence in. They had to peak out of their alley every few seconds to make sure Laothoe hadn't left.

"Why do amphitheaters have to be so big?" Taryn grumbled. "I know that's the point but-"

"No swearing."

"-my gods is this huge. Laothoe is a speck!"

"She's turning around now, though. Look." Kirphis pointed to Laothoe's point of a body, and she was indeed turning around. Amphitheaters weren't circular; they cut off at the stage.

It didn't take long for Laothoe to become her regular size again. Or for her to turn on her heel and walk the other way around the Kýrous, much to the Taktikós's dismay.

This time, Laothoe got halfway before she stopped, but she didn't turn around. She walked outward. Away from the amphitheater and toward an alley by Kardiá's edge.

Taryn memorized the location of the alleyway and slipped into the city. She weaved in and out of different streets and other alleys, blending in with the shadows and leaving no trace.

Within seconds, she peaked into the alley Laothoe vanished into.

"Tell us before you run off like that."

"Shush, Kirphis."

"Yeah, shush, Kirphis."

A pile of crates laid strewn in the middle of the alley, their positions creating a small hole in their middle. A hole Laothoe was talking to.

"I told you we'd compensate you."

"And I told you I don't need the money!" A Sóma stuck their head out of the hole.

The Taktikós threw their hands up in the air and turned to leave, but Laothoe stopped him. "I never said we were paying you in drachmés."

"I don't need food either. You do realize I'm a Sóma, right?"

Laothoe held out her hand expectantly. The Taktikós stared at it for a while before jumping and placing a small container into her hand.

The Sóma stiffened and leaned out of the hole a little more. "Water?"

Ele's eyes widened. "The anti-starvation laws don't apply to water."

Taryn had to give Laothoe credit. That was clever. She could feel her mouth salivating at the promise of fresh, clean water.

The Sóma snatched the container and drained for the contents. "Thank you," they said and winced. "Spicy. What do these tests entail?"

Laothoe smiled. "Just a few things. Antilochus, here, will do them with you. For comparison."

The Sóma pushed themself up and crawled away from the crates before standing up. "My name's Philolaus. Like the philosopher."

"Whatever. Now follow Antilochus's lead. And use your ability to its fullest."

The two began performing various exercises. Philolaus did way better than Antilochus. They beat the other in everything, but most notably in the short sprint and toe touches.

Ele bent over during the last one but could only make it to her shins. Taryn winced and tried to divert her attention from the Sóma's obvious physical superiority. Ability or not, it hurt seeing Sómata perform supermortal feats Taryn knew she could never achieve.

Throughout the "tests", Philolaus counted everything. The seconds, the repetitions, and the number of push-ups completed. Taryn half-expected Laothoe to snap any minute if her twitching eye was anything to go by.

After each exercise, Laothoe handed Philolaus a chunk of bread. And after each exercise, Philolaus scarfed the thing down as if they were Tántalos. Each time with more vigor.

By the time Laothoe was satisfied with the results of the "tests", almost an hour passed. Antilochus was dying in his sweat and laying on the ground next to the Sóma. And Philolaus - despite being a Sóma - looked awful, too. Their dandruff was showing.

"Thank you for your cooperation," Laothoe said. "Goodbye."

Antilochus picked themself off the floor, groaning with every creak of their muscles, and followed Laothoe with no complaint.

Philolaus didn't get up.

Taryn peaked around the corner and, seeing no sign of Laothoe or Antilochus, stepped further into the alley.

"Why aren't they moving?" Ele asked, prodding the Sóma's body in question with her foot.

Taryn snatched their hand and placed her index and middle finger to the wrist.

Nothing.

She checked again.

"Their heart isn't beating."

Kirphis looked ill. Ele stopped prodding the body. "What?"

"There's no pulse." She looked up, eyes frantic, and froze.

Taryn never realized just how blue Laothoe's eyes were. They were the unnatural blue of an iceberg, waiting for a ship to break and drown. The blue waiting for its next meal.

Laothoe broke eye contact with Taryn and looked from her to Ele to Kirphis to Taryn to Kirphis to Ele to Kirphis. She said nothing. Then she left. For good this time.

She left, leaving the three teenagers with her latest victim.