Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn Childs

explains. “Even some Olympians would like to see the prophecy fulfilled. Balance restored.”
    “What does that mean?” I ask. “Balance restored?”
    “The two realms—that of man and that of monster—were not meant to be so divided,” he says. I can see a true longing in his eyes, like he’s lost in some distant memory. “Creatures of all kinds were meant to move in and out between the two. That is how the world began.” His eyes clear, and I sense him returning to the present. “That is how the world should be. In balance.”
    That makes sense. Light and dark, yin and yang, man and monster. Those dichotomies are supposed to coexist, not be divided.
    Still, the idea of monsters drifting in and out of our world is not exactly appealing. Monsters might be immortal in this realm, but humans aren’t. And most monsters are more than happy to kill a few of us to get the extra surge of life-force energy.
    “You’re not convinced,” Nick says, guessing my thoughts. “You think the realms should remain divided.”
    “Well, why not?” I ask. “Why should we let monsters free in this world to hunt and cause havoc?
    “I—” He closes his mouth and shakes his head. “I can’t convince you to make the right choice. You and your sisters will have to realize it for yourselves. I have enough faith in fate that you will.”
    I want to roll my eyes at the idea that fate will have anything to do with our decision, but his eyes are so direct and sincere that I can’t make light of his conviction.
    “So if we decide to break the seal, how do we do it?” I ask. “How do we reopen the door?”
    Despite Nick’s belief, I’m not certain that’s what we should do. The world is a very different place from what it was thousands of years ago before the door was sealed. It might not be able to handle the reintegration of monsters into daily life.
    My sisters and I might not be able to take up the guardianship the way our ancient ancestors did.
    But I need to stay open to all possibilities. I have to understand as much about what’s going on as possible. If the opposing sides are those who want the door opened and those who want it sealed permanently, I should understand what each entails. Even if the solution is none of the above.
    “No idea,” Nick says. “The ritual prophecy only stated that the door would be reopened. I doubt the gods wanted it to be easy. No one even knows where the door is anymore. It’s been a very long time.”
    “No one? Great,” I say, spearing another bite of kimchee. “How are we supposed to find out?”
    Nick shrugs, and I want to toss my root beer at him. How can he be so casual about this, when my life, my sisters’ lives, maybe a whole lot of human lives, are at stake? Especially when he was so serious moments ago. The boy drives me nuts.
    “Other than the gods who participated in the sealing ritual,” he says, “only the Gorgons ever saw the door. Only they might know its location.”
    “Then how do we find the Gorgons?” I ask back. “I just saw Sthenno taken into the abyss. You said Ursula might have been taken there too. How can I get in to go after them?”
    “Oh no, no, no,” he says, dropping his chopsticks on the table with a clatter. “That is a bad idea. You have no idea what the abyss is like.”
    His face pales and he looks terrified. Before I can stop myself, I reach across the table and lay my hand over his. He looks down, startled. And then puts his other hand over mine.
    I’m startled too. I’m not used to being comforting. I’m more of a smack-you-on-the-back-and-get-back-in-the-game kind of girl. It’s a weird sensation, and I have to fight the urge to yank my hand away.
    But as much as thoughts of the abyss obviously pain him, that doesn’t change some serious facts. I can’t just let this go.
    “I don’t have a choice,” I explain. “Sthenno is in there. Ursula might be too.” I shake my head. “We need them.”
    He doesn’t meet my gaze as