WHO: Hecate, Kaden and Qebhet WHEN: Wednesday, early evening WHERE: The Enodia hotel WHAT: So I made a new puppy friend... WARNINGS: Probably none
The wards in the hidden rooms at the Enodia were powerful, but it was a power that Hecate simply had to have faith in - faith in the strength of the enduring magic of her past self - because even stepping over the threshold with Kaden in her arms, she couldn't feel a thing. Nerves gripped her throat, but Hecuba swung her great head against Hecate's leg, and Hecate smiled faintly and told her that, of course, she was right.
These rooms were spelled to ensure that no one who meant the residents harm could cause it. That no one who meant the residents harm could even find them. When she was at her full strength, Hecate was entirely confident that it would repel any gods of equal or lesser power than herself (she was still darkly curious to see how it fared against Lucifer, as Clio had asked her once, but there was no way of testing that safely, no way at all.)
But Hecate was not at her full strength. She had been running on empty since she woke up in the woods, and upon arriving back in New York she had set herself up in one of the safe rooms... and slept through most of the following days. She dragged herself up to feed and water the dogs (and to feed and water and magic potion herself) and then fell straight back into sleep for a few more solid hours. Day in, day out.
She was glad the room opened onto a small private rooftop garden. She was glad Hecuba knew how to open the doors so she and Kaden could go out whenever they wanted to. But she was very, very nervous whenever she woke and found Hecuba and Kaden out there together, sleeping in the sun. Hecate shielded her eyes with her hand, squinting up at the bright spring sky, and hoped Apollo's attention was elsewhere.
By Wednesday, she was finally starting to beat the bone-deep exhaustion, and feeling that perhaps Morgan's potions (or last night's full moon) were at least repairing her strength, if not any spark of magic yet. She messaged Qebhet to tell her friend she was awake - properly awake - and to let her know what room she could find her in.
Then Hecate went out into the garden, to try and warn Kaden they were about to have a visitor. The sun was finally going down, and the moon, just a little past full, was starting to rise fat and yellow between the skyscrapers in the east.