I woke up gasping. I was lying down on the rough floor of the cavern, a layer of sand spread over it. Jake and Cress were kneeling beside me, their eyes full of worry, shaking me as if I had been asleep. I scrambled away from them, my left hand going to the dagger on my right hip.

“Evie!” said Jake, his voice frantic. “What happened? Are you alright? You just suddenly collapsed, and Phobos and Deimos disappeared, and…” He trailed off.

“Evie?” asked Cress, reaching her hand out. I flinched away, and she drew it back. “What did they do? What did they show you?” There was a tone of urgency in her voice.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “My greatest fear, I guess,” I answered. “I…. Let’s not talk about it, okay? Let’s just keep going.” I stood up, ignoring Jake’s outstretched hand, and set off down the tunnel that had appeared on the left. Jake and Cress exchanged worried looks before following me.

Nothing else eventful happened during the rest of that day, and that I was thankful for. By the time we reached a small cavern, however, I was stumbling over my own feet, and Jake suggested that we stay there for the night. I didn’t object, and crossed out Aphrodite’s name off the list before going to bed.

But no matter how tired I was, I couldn’t fall asleep. I was terrified of what would happen if I closed my eyes. Would I go back to that void, where my parents and friends would turn against me? I couldn’t do it.

As I lay awake with my eyes closed, I heard Jake quietly get out of his sleeping bag and walk over to Cress, who was on watch. There was a faint murmuring, and I shifted in my sleeping bag to be able to hear what they were saying.