From Deities by Mary Ting

could turn with speed I had never moved in before, but Mason didn’t have a clue what I had done. Shocked beyond words, thinking it was just my imagination, I brushed it off to ask Mason a question. “Where are you going?”
    “Don’t worry, Echo. Stay right here. I’ll be back before you have a chance to miss me.” He kissed my knuckles and turned.
    I stood in place, not believing what I had just done, while watching Mason get lost in the crowd. Shortly after, my gaze broke when a stranger bumped into me.
    “Excuse me,” he said, almost tripping over me.
    Suddenly, people started scattering when a group of men dashed through to the middle of the dance floor. These men were pushing and shoving people, apparently for no reason at all. I was also pushed and shoved by the people around me. Retreating quickly to avoid being stomped on, I was separated from the rest of the group and ended up on the other side of the crowd.
    Separating from my friends was not generally a big deal, but when I saw the look on Mason’s face, it terrified me. I didn’t even have to guess what he was thinking. I could smell the strong, foul odor enveloping my senses, taking over my mind.
    Before I could move a muscle, someone grabbed me. My gut feeling told me it was one of the vultures. It certainly smelled like one. However, when I had a clear look at him, he was in human form, and he wasn’t the only one. A group of them huddled around me, backing away.
    At first, all I could do was stare in fright as my pulsed skyrocketed. The will to survive kicked in, alerting me to come out of my state of confusion and helplessness. It felt like a jolt of lightning, like the way I felt when Mason accidently shocked me. I didn’t know where this energy and strength came from, but it came in full force.
    I yanked back my arm and pushed the stranger to get a tiny head start, even knowing my strength was no match for his. To my surprise, bolts of light zapped out of my fingertips just as I made contact with his chest. The stranger flew across the open space, knocking down the others standing near him.
    That incident caused confusion and chaos. People scrambled madly, screaming, stumbling, and knocking over tables, chairs, bottles, and glasses. Stunned out of my mind, I stared at my hand as it radiated with warmth. I quickly got into defense mode when more came at me. I was moving with a speed I’d never thought possible, and jetted out electric bolts to those that tried to capture me once again. Not knowing if this power was temporary, I used it to my advantage and fought with every ounce of me. Suddenly, they stopped, creating distance between us.
    “Sky, it’s me. I’ve got your back,” Mason said, slightly pressing his back against mine, flickering his light to warn those around us.
    “Me too,” Nick said, standing beside Mason
    “Me three.” Amanda stood beside me.
    “I’m not counting.” Everett was behind Amanda.
    When I sensed movement, I peered up. Seeing countless liquid droplets hovering above us, like raindrops frozen in place, was a clear indication that Poseidon’s descendants were somewhere in the room. It was a beautiful sight, yet deadly. I knew at any moment they could change their shapes into something sharp and lethal. I became uneasy, especially when they were right above us.
    When I followed the line of the vultures’ vision, I saw liquids of various colors—the colors of whatever drinks had spilled on the floor—slithering toward us. Then they lifted, swirling continuously in a circular motion, and finally forming into a huge sphere.
    “Why are they still in human form?” Nicked shouted, having both of his hands raised, ready to attack. “They’ve already scared all the humans away.”
    “I have no idea,” Mason replied.
    “Where’s Kayla?” I asked frantically. Bewildered by what I was able to do, I had forgotten about my cousin.
    “She’s out. She’s underneath the bar,” Nick explained. “I had no