CHAPTER FOURTY NINE
CHAPTER FOURTY NINE
Chapter Forty-Nine
He leaned against the cool metal of his locker, eyes sharp, scanning the sea of faces that rushed past him.
Everyone looked ordinary laughing, complaining about homework, swapping notes but he knew better.
Somewhere among them, hidden behind a careless smile or tired eyes, was the one carrying the amulet. And it was driving him crazy that he still couldn’t tell who it was.
He walked through the crowd with his backpack slung carelessly over one shoulder, but his eyes were sharp, scanning. Always scanning.
He wasn’t looking for friends or trouble. He was looking for her.
The girl with the amulet.
But after days of watching, after hours of pretending to be just another boy in school, he still had nothing.
Nobody stood out. Nobody glowed with magic. Nobody slipped, even accidentally, to reveal a hint of something beyond this world. It was just… lockers, books, exams, gossip, crushes. The same ordinary nonsense that made up teenage life.
Caelum sighed under his breath and rubbed the back of his neck.
Maybe I’m doing this wrong, he thought. Maybe they made a mistake sending me here. What if the amulet isn’t even in this school? What if I’m wasting time while the world I left behind is falling apart?
The guardians had told him again and again: time is running out. But time was all he seemed to be losing.
In math class, he sat at the back, pretending to scribble notes while his eyes darted around the room. The teacher’s voice blurred into background noise. All he noticed were the little things—the way Clara twirled her pen absentmindedly, the way Leo always tapped his sneaker against the leg of his desk, the way Mandy leaned across her desk to whisper to Liz about something that made them both laugh.
Normal. All of them.
Caelum slumped back in his chair.
“Or do they expect me to walk up to random girls and be like, ‘Hey, do you have an amulet? Mind if I steal it and run?’” he muttered under his breath.
The boy sitting two seats ahead glanced back with a puzzled look. Caelum quickly dropped his head and pretended to be writing. His stomach twisted with embarrassment, but also with frustration.
I can’t keep doing this. I’m going insane.
When the bell rang, students poured out into the hallway again. Caelum shoved his books into his bag and followed, weaving through the crowd like a shadow. He passed groups of laughing girls, couples holding hands, boys joking around near the lockers. His eyes flicked from face to face, looking for something—anything—that would hint at the truth.
Year Two. Year Three. Year Four. He had watched them all. He knew their habits, their movements, their personalities more than he cared to admit.
And still… nothing.
The guardians’ words echoed in his head. You must find her, Zeus. The balance depends on it.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to tell them that this was impossible. How could he find one girl in a sea of faces?
And worse, how was he supposed to know what to do once he did find her?
What if she didn’t even know what she was carrying? What if she fought him? What if she was the kind of girl who wouldn’t trust him at all?
Caelum pressed his lips together and shoved his hands into his pockets.
He walked past the cafeteria, where the smell of greasy fries lingered in the air, and past the courtyard where students sat in groups, eating and laughing. He stopped near the window, leaning against the frame, and watched the crowd from a distance.
His eyes moved slowly, patiently, like a hunter scanning the forest for movement. Every girl could be the one. Every glance, every necklace, every small gesture pulled his attention.
But no glow. No sign. No connection.
His heart sank lower with each passing minute.
They called me Zeus, but right now I don’t feel like a god or a chosen one. I just feel lost.
Someone bumped into him from behind, making him stumble slightly.
“Watch where you’re standing, dude,” a boy mumbled before walking off.
Caelum straightened and forced a breath through his nose. He didn’t even bother replying. His chest tightened with irritation, but deeper down, fear was growing.
Because what if the guardians were right? What if time was truly slipping away?
And here he was—just standing in a hallway full of teenagers, not closer to the truth than the day he arrived.
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By afternoon, the sun poured in through the classroom windows, casting golden streaks across the desks. Caelum sat with his arms crossed, staring blankly at the whiteboard. He heard laughter ripple across the room when the teacher made a joke, but it felt distant, like he wasn’t even part of this world.
His gaze slid over to the girls chatting in the corner. Mandy was whispering again, probably spreading some new rumor. Liz leaned in, eyes wide, hungry for drama. Piper sat with them, smiling faintly, but her shoulders were stiff. Chloe wasn’t far, flipping her hair and pretending not to listen even though her ears were sharp.
They were all wrapped in their own little worlds. Secrets, crushes, fights.
And here he was, drowning in his own secret.
What would they think if they knew? If he told them he wasn’t really Caelum, but Zeus—the boy chosen to find an amulet that could save or destroy everything?
They’d laugh. Or worse, they’d call him crazy.
Caelum squeezed his fists against the desk and shut his eyes for a moment.
Get it together. You can’t fall apart now.
When school finally ended, he didn’t rush to leave like everyone else. He lingered, walking slowly through the emptying hallways, his footsteps echoing softly. His mind was a storm, questions spinning with no answers.
Was she here? Was she right under his nose? Or was this all a mistake?
He stopped near the bulletin board by the main entrance, staring at the colorful flyers for clubs and events. None of it mattered to him. None of it connected to the world he came from.
For the first time, Caelum felt a sting of hopelessness so sharp it nearly made his chest ache.
He leaned his forehead briefly against the cool metal of a locker, whispering to himself, “Where do I even start?”
The hallway was quiet, almost empty now. The world outside kept moving—cars passing, voices drifting in through the windows—but Caelum stood frozen, swallowed by doubt.
The gua
rdians had called him Zeus. But right now, he felt like just another boy confused, tired, and running out of time.