They headed to the kitchen, where a stack of bags sat on the table. Sadie practically leaped forward, starting to open everything without ceremony.
"Ah, finally! I was days away from starving to death," she declared dramatically, pulling out a package of falafel.
"Literally an hour," Walt corrected.
Sadie ignored him. "Ikki, can you grab the plates?"
Ikki arched an eyebrow. "Sure, let's pretend you're not perfectly capable of getting them yourself."
"Yes, let's," Sadie said, already biting into a falafel.
Carter grabbed a bottle of juice and looked around. "Okay, so… what did we order?"
"A bit of everything, apparently," Walt replied, grabbing a plate for himself. "But I recommend you grab some quickly, because Sadie has a habit of monopolizing the food if we let her."
Sadie swallowed hard and glared at him. "Lies! I just… eat fast."
"Uh-huh," Zia murmured, taking a piece of pita bread. "And how do you explain the time you almost devoured half the dessert before anyone else could get a piece?"
Sadie crossed her arms. "Technique. If you're not prepared for a surprise attack, it's not my fault."
Ikki laughed, serving himself calmly. Zia and Sadie seemed to be back to normal, but he wasn't letting his guard down anytime soon.
Carter took some rice with meat and sighed. "Well, at least this is better than the official Brooklyn House dinners. I never want to see another plate of sweet beans in my life."
"Agreed," said Ikki, tasting what he'd taken. "And look, I'm good with food, but that…"
"—is an abomination," Sadie finished. "Worthy of being cursed by all the Egyptian gods at once."
Everyone nodded, sharing a silent moment of pure gastronomic trauma.
Walt, ever practical, decided to change the subject. "So, what were you guys doing before we got here? Seemed intense."
Ikki noticed Sadie and Zia suddenly become very occupied with their plates.
"Oh, just playing," he replied casually. "Nothing much."
Carter frowned. "Playing? With Sadie? And nobody exploded anything?"
Sadie rolled her eyes. "Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, Carter."
"It wasn't an explosion," Zia corrected. "It was… a small, controlled fire."
Ikki coughed at the suggestive tone.
Walt looked at the lit fireplace in the corner of the room, where some embers still glowed. Then he looked back at them, clearly doubting.
"Okay," he said, taking more bread. "Just let me know next time you're 'playing,' so I can be at a safe distance."
Ikki just smiled.
The dinner conversation followed the natural flow of chaos.
First, they argued about what was the best Egyptian dish. Sadie insisted on koshari, while Carter argued in favor of anything that wasn't koshari. Walt said he preferred something sweeter, and Zia shook her head at all of them, saying nothing beat a good lentil soup. Ikki just watched, enjoying the food and the show.
Then, the conversation shifted to the latest Brooklyn House disaster.
"So it's true that Philip of Macedon escaped?" Ikki asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sadie snorted. "Yes. And guess what? He decided to stroll through New York like he was an excited tourist. We had to run all over the city after a giant hippopotamus."
"It wasn't that bad," Carter retorted.
"You say that because you weren't attacked by a swarm of enraged rats when I tried to use magic to distract him!"
"Sadie, you were the one who threw cheese at the rats," Walt reminded her, smiling faintly.
"I was under pressure!"
Laughter echoed through the kitchen, and for a moment, Ikki managed to forget the tension he was holding in his chest. But it didn't last long.
He'd been thinking about it for days. Ever since he'd cast that colossal spell, since he'd made his friends live an entire year in a single day, the guilt had haunted him. He had deprived them of something essential: choice.
And they didn't even know it.
Ikki put down his cutlery and took a deep breath. The laughter subsided around the table. Everyone noticed the change in the air.
He was silent for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts. When he finally spoke, his voice came out heavier than he intended.
"There's something I need to tell you."
Everyone stared at him. Zia tilted her head, as if trying to decipher him. Sadie chewed slowly, her blue eyes narrowing in suspicion. Walt and Carter exchanged glances, clearly realizing this wasn't a normal conversation.
Ikki ran a hand through his hair, as if trying to brush away the hesitation.
"I lied to you."
No one moved. The silence was sharp.
Ikki continued, his voice serious:
"I'm not a magician. Or, at least, not like you. I was never an initiate in the House of Life. I never learned spells the way you did." He swallowed hard. "I'm a demigod."
The stares intensified. Carter froze, as if trying to process the information. Zia furrowed her brows, and Sadie dropped the chopsticks she was holding, making them clatter on the table.
"Wait a minute," Sadie said, pointing a finger at him. "Is this serious? Because if it's some kind of joke, Ikki, I'm going to beat you up."
He didn't smile.
Sadie's eyes widened. "Oh. It's not a joke."
"A demigod," Walt repeated slowly. "Like… those Greek and Roman ones?"
"Yes," Ikki confirmed. "I'm a son of Zeus."
This time, the reaction was more explosive.
"ZEUS?!" Sadie exclaimed. "The lightning guy? The all-powerful Lord of Olympus? That Zeus?!"
"How many other Zeuses do you know?" Ikki retorted.
Sadie opened her mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again. She looked like a goldfish trying to decide whether to attack or hide.
"Okay," she said slowly, pointing at Ikki again. "You mean to tell me that, this whole time, you were a son of Zeus?"
The House of Life, the oldest organization of magicians in the world, had always existed as the guardian of knowledge and order within the Egyptian pantheon. Their records, vast and ancient, mentioned hints of other divine forces beyond their own, but they never delved into these accounts. There was a tacit agreement between the gods, a silent pact that kept cultures separate, ensuring that each civilization followed its own path without outside interference. Thus, although the magicians of the House of Life knew of the existence of other pantheons, this knowledge was fragmented and kept as a distant curiosity, with no practical application in the world they protected.
So, most of them had vaguely heard about other gods existing, well, throughout the false year created by Ikki's magic, they had greater contact with this information, so it was just the shock of their friend and pharaoh of the House of Life being a demigod, in fact, it was the first they had heard of, since they thought that only those in legends existed...
Silence prevailed for a few good moments.
Carter was the first to react. He leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his face.
"Okay. Okay. I… need a minute."
Sadie crossed her arms. "A minute? I need a new brain! What am I supposed to do with this information?"
"Oh, I don't know, accept it?" Ikki shrugged. "It's not like it changes anything."
"It doesn't change anything?!" Sadie exclaimed. "Ikki, you're a son of Zeus! That means all your magic, everything you did, wasn't even remotely like ours!"
"I kind of already knew," Zia murmured.
Everyone looked at her.
She shrugged, but her eyes were fixed on Ikki with intensity. "I always suspected you weren't a magician like us. Your way of using magic is… different. I never needed spells. You just… did it."
Ikki held her gaze for a moment before nodding. "I always tried not to draw attention, but I guess I was never very good at it."
Sadie threw her hands up. "You think?!"
Walt, who had been silent until then, finally spoke. "This explains a lot. Your power, your knowledge… but it doesn't explain why you hid this from us."
Ikki sighed, inventing a lie: "At the time I met you, the House of Life was never a fan of demigods and Gods in general, you know that. I wanted to avoid complications."
Carter finally seemed to regain his voice. "Wait, you think the House of Life would have kicked you out?"
Or worse."
The silence returned, but this time it was different. It was no longer shock, but understanding.
Sadie suddenly stood up and pointed at him.
"Okay. Fine. You lied to us, tricked us good, and made me question all my life decisions. But…" She took a deep breath, then dropped her arms to her sides, relaxing slightly. "You're still you. And, to be honest, I've gotten used to your weirdness."
Ikki raised an eyebrow. "Was that a compliment?"
"Don't push it."
Carter shook his head, a half-smile appearing on his face. "To be honest, after everything we've been through, a demigod in the House of Life isn't even the strangest thing that's happened to me this week."
Walt smiled. "Demigod, magician, or whatever… You're still our friend."
Ikki looked at Zia. She still hadn't said anything.
Finally, she sighed.
"I should be mad at you. But, somehow, I just feel…" She paused, choosing her words. "…relieved."
Ikki blinked. "Relieved?"
"Because now it makes sense." She looked at him, her expression softening. "And because you finally trusted us enough to tell us."
Ikki felt something tighten in his chest. As much as he'd prepared himself for all possible reactions, he hadn't expected this one.
Sadie slapped the table, going back to serving herself food. "Alright! Now that we're done with this bombshell revelation, can someone pass me more falafel? Finding out Ikki's a demigod made me hungry."
She bit into a piece of falafel and pointed at Ikki with her other hand.
"But while I'm at it, explain this to me properly. You're a demigod. Son of Zeus. Does that mean there are others like you? I thought there were only those in Greek myths..."
Ikki took a sip of his juice before answering. "Yes. There are many demigods out there. Most aren't as powerful as the children of the Big Three—Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades—but they all have special abilities depending on their divine parent."
Carter leaned forward, interested. "And where do they live? Do you guys have like… a Brooklyn House for demigods?"
Ikki smiled.
"Something like that. There's a place called Camp Half-Blood. It's on Long Island. It's a refuge for Greek demigods, where we train to survive the mythological world and learn to handle our abilities."
Sadie's eyes widened. "You guys have a battle camp?"
"It's more than that," Ikki explained. "There are cabins for each Olympian god, training grounds, a battle arena, activities like capture the flag, and, of course, monsters trying to kill us every now and then. Good fun."
Walt frowned. "Monsters?"
"Oh, yeah." Ikki gestured. "Being a demigod has an annoying side effect. Our essence attracts monsters from Greek mythology. Like a beacon shouting 'Hey, eat me!'. That's why we need a safe place to train and survive."
Carter whistled. "And I thought magicians had problems."
Zia finally spoke. "And the Greek gods? Are they like the ancient Egyptians?"
Ikki hesitated. "Yes and no. They're powerful, immortal, and temperamental like the ancient… Egyptian gods, but they have a different way of acting. They interact more directly with demigods, for example."
Sadie almost choked.
"Wait a minute. You're saying that Zeus—the big boss, the lightning-master—literally comes down from Olympus to talk to his kids?"
Ikki snorted.
"Zeus? Not really. He's not exactly 'father of the year'. But some Greek gods are pretty close to their children."
Carter blinked. "Closer than the Egyptian gods?"
Ikki nodded.
"Much closer. In general, the Olympian gods are more involved in the lives of demigods. Which isn't always a good thing."
Sadie rested her elbow on the table. "Okay, but what about politics? Do the Greek Gods and demigods have any complicated relationship?"
Ikki smiled.
"Let's just say that the relationship between demigods and Greek gods isn't exactly the most peaceful either. They help us, they give us missions, but they also have their own agendas. And when something goes wrong, guess who has to fix it?"
"You guys," Walt concluded.
Ikki pointed at him. "Exactly."
After he said that, the kitchen fell silent. Which, considering Sadie Kane was present, was already a miracle.
Zia crossed her arms, her golden gaze fixed on Ikki with an intensity that would make even an underworld demon reconsider its life choices.
"Four days ago," she said, her voice calm but laced with something difficult to identify. "You said you were leaving in a week. To your 'homeland'. Now that we know you're a demigod, I think the obvious question is: what exactly is happening there?"
The tension in the room became palpable.
Carter stopped mid-motion of bringing a glass of water to his lips. Walt, who until then had been distracted fiddling with the necklace around his neck, became attentive. Sadie dropped the piece of falafel she was about to devour (which was a rare event).
Ikki sighed and rested his elbows on the table.
"A war."
Sadie blinked. "Sorry, a what?"
"A war," he repeated, this time staring at his own plate. "The Greeks—we—are fighting against Kronos."
Carter frowned. "The Titan?"
"Yes." Ikki looked up, his expression grim. "He's trying to rise again, gathering followers, demigods, and monsters who believe the Greek gods have failed. And he's not alone. Luke Castellan, a son of Hermes, is the leader of his army."
Sadie let out a low whistle. "So you weren't just planning to visit your homeland. You were going back to a war."
Ikki nodded.
Zia kept her expression impassive, but Sadie, who knew her well enough, noticed the way her fingers twitched slightly.
"And you're only telling us this now," Zia said, her voice too neutral to be natural.
Ikki sighed. "Yes. I didn't want to involve you in this…"
Walt leaned forward, thoughtful. "And what does this have to do with you, exactly? I feel like there's a 'but' in all of this…"
Ikki hesitated, as if gathering the strength to speak. Then, his voice came out lower.
"Luke and Kronos killed my mother."
Silence.
Carter and Walt exchanged glances, but it was Sadie who spoke first. "Wait, you mean those two—"
"Yes." Ikki clenched his jaw. "It was in my first year as a camper. My friends and I had just returned from a quest that prevented a war between my father and Poseidon. Afterwards, I spent some time with my mother. When I returned home one day… I found her severed head in a box. A gift from Luke."
Sadie swallowed hard.
Zia remained still, but her gaze softened slightly.
Ikki continued, his voice colder now.
"I spent the last year hunting Luke's army, trying to find him. But he always escaped. Now, the war is coming, and this may be my only chance."
Walt ran a hand over his face. "So that's the real reason you need to go back. It's not just about the war… it's about Luke."
Ikki nodded slowly.
"He took everything from me. And now, finally, there's nowhere left to run."
Sadie sighed and rested her chin on her hand. "I hate to admit it, but I understand. If someone did that to my family, I wouldn't rest until I got the bastard either."
Carter, however, didn't look convinced. "So you're going back for revenge."
Ikki looked at him. "Partly, yes."
Sadie tilted her head. "And the other part?"
Ikki looked away. "Because there are people there that I love. People who might die if I don't do anything."
Silence again.
This time, it was Zia who spoke first, her voice low but firm. "Do you intend to fight alone?"
Ikki smiled, but didn't answer.
Sadie clicked her tongue. "Great. Another magical life-or-death war. As if we didn't have enough of that."
Walt frowned. "And you were going to leave without telling us anything?"
"If you knew before," Ikki said, shrugging, "you would want to come with me. And I can't let you risk yourselves for something that isn't yours."
Carter stared at him. "But you risked yourself for us so many times."
Ikki let out a soft sigh. "And I would do it again."
Silence fell once more, but now it had a different weight.
The table remained silent. The kind of silence that precedes big revelations, like "I am your father" or "I'm sorry, but we're out of dessert."
Sadie tapped her fingers on the table impatiently. "Right. So, basically, you were going to leave to throw yourself into a war alone, without telling us anything, and now you expect us to sit here with our arms crossed?"
Ikki raised his hands as if to say calm down, I can explain. "I just wanted to keep you out of this."
"Yes, because that always works so well," Sadie scoffed, rolling her eyes.
Carter crossed his arms. "You should know we wouldn't let you go alone. We've done much more irresponsible things together."
"It's not about irresponsibility," Ikki sighed. "It's about the fact that this fight is mine."
Zia stared at him, her golden eyes burning with that intensity that always made Ikki wonder if she could see directly into his soul. "So that's how you see us? As strangers who have nothing to do with you?"
Ikki hesitated.
Sadie rested her chin on her hand, smirking. "Look, sweetie, you may be a super-powerful demigod and all, but if you think you can just leave us behind without a protest, you clearly never met me."
Ikki narrowed his eyes. "Sadie..."
"Shhh," she interrupted, placing a finger on his lips with a mischievous look. "I'm not finished yet."
Carter groaned. "Great, here we go."
Sadie ignored him. "The point is: you matter to us. Or at least to me. And I'm not going to let you run into the middle of a war without me. So just accept it."
Zia's gaze hardened. "And if you really think you can keep us out of this, then you don't know us as well as you think."
Ikki looked from one to the other, assessing their determined expressions. He considered arguing, but... well, he just wanted to tell them all this so they would know a little bit of the truth about him, he never thought it would get to this point. Although he's not worried about it, since with his current power he could make Kronos his puppy... So, in the end, he agreed...
He let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you when things get ugly."
Sadie smiled, looking quite pleased with the answer.
Zia also relaxed a bit, her gaze softening.
Carter, on the other hand, seemed to notice something strange in the air. He looked from Sadie to Zia and then to Ikki, frowning. "Wait a minute..."
Walt just sighed and shook his head. "Leave it, Carter."
Carter opened his mouth to say something, but Sadie was already grabbing a piece of bread and pointing at Ikki. "Now that that's settled, can we eat?"
"Finally," Ikki murmured, picking up his food again.
"I knew you had good taste," Sadie said, winking at him.
Zia also took a piece of bread, giving Sadie a slightly satisfied look.
Carter groaned. "This is going to be a problem."
Walt patted him on the shoulder. "Welcome to our world."