Ivy blinked.
Did he just dodge her apology like it was a flying slipper?
She slowly turned her head and looked at the others.
Percy. Nico. Benny.
All of them stood there like statues, nodding respectfully but avoiding direct conversation.
To make things worse, their sunglasses made it impossible to read their expressions.
But somehow she could feel it.
That invisible, awkward tension in the air.
Are they… avoiding me? Ivy thought, slightly offended.
Just yesterday, these people were normal.
Now they looked like they had collectively attended a "How to Act Emotionally Traumatized" workshop.
Before she could overthink further, a faint throat-clearing sound came from inside the car.
Ivy snapped out of her thoughts and looked in.
Xander sat inside, glancing at his watch with calm impatience.
"Get in," he said casually. "Leo must be waiting for us."
The moment Leo's name was mentioned—
Everything else instantly faded.
"Oh!" Ivy's eyes lit up.
