Paragons 1

by Gideon Mills

  “Knocking,” Fleur said, “might draw attention. Not many people just show up to places like this.”

  I knocked anyway. We were here and looking for information. It didn’t matter to me that this was going to be strange and different for these people. Welcome to the real world, not that I had much experience in that. Though I was getting it.

  The door was opened by a young girl. “Fleur?”

  The red-haired woman tilted her head as if trying to place the girl. The girl couldn’t have been more than twelve years old.

  “Do I know you?” Fleur asked.

  “The girl nodded. My dad works for yours. His vice president.”

  Fleur groaned.

  “Can we come in?” I asked.

  She nodded. “You can. Mister Walker and dad are having a meeting in the study.”

  For the first time since I arrived on Earth, I saw Fleur flustered. “Oh. Right. That is great.”

  The young girl smiled. “I can tell them you’re here.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Fleur said. “Is your brother here?”

  It seemed that she’d suddenly realized who sent the email, and took the picture.

  “He’s in the meeting.”

  “Okay,” Fleur said. “We can wait in the living room, Scarlett.”

  The young lady grinned. It appeared she was pleased to be recognized by Fleur. The young lady led us to the living room and had us sit. “Can I get you anything? I can summon Ivan.”

  It didn’t surprise me that a family here would have a butler, or whatever they called them these days. Manservant. I didn’t really care.

  “No, thanks,” Fleur said.

  The rest of us remained quiet. This wasn’t my place, and I wasn’t about to stand out. This place and these people were of a type that I didn’t mingle with.

  Scarlett sat down across from us. The living room was filled with elegant furniture. The couch that I sat on was as soft as anything I sat on back home. Maybe even softer. I didn’t know they had such excellent seating on Earth.

  The room was filled with paintings and fancy statues. I couldn’t believe all the money that was being flaunted in this room. These people had more money that I’d ever had in my other lives. It truly amazed me.

  “How is it being White Angel?” Scarlett asked.

  Fleur smiled. “Can’t complain. I love what I do.”

  “I wish I was a Paragon.” The young girl had a longing in her eyes, envious of the women in front of her and wanting to be like them.

  “Me too,” Lola said.

  “You aren’t?” Scarlett asked with a shocked voice. “I thought all heroes were Paragons.”

  Lola smiled. “Not all of us. I help from the safety of our headquarters.”

  Scarlett stared at Lola wide-eyed. “That is amazing.”

  Her mind had to be racing a hundred miles an hour. Truly wondering if she could be a hero too.

  “If you put your mind to it,” Lola said. “You can do whatever you want.”

  Just then, three men appeared in the living room. All were wearing suits that were tailored to fit perfectly. One had streaks of grey in his hair and looked a little like Fleur. That had to be her father, the second wealthiest man in the world.

  “Don’t go putting things into her head,” Mister Walker said.

  We all stood up and faced the men. Fleur’s eyebrow’s narrowed. “Father.” Her voice sounded thick, contempt-filled. She didn’t like him. “We just were talking about chasing after dreams. I think that is something you know all too well.”

  He smirked. “I do.”

  I had little doubt he did. Yet, he had the same look of disgust on his face for Fleur. The pair had a deep hatred for each other.

  “What are you doing here?” Mister Walker asked.

  “We wanted to talk to Braydon,” Fleur said. “If that’s okay.”

  The two older men eyed the younger man in the trio. “Very well,” Mister Walker said. “Sebastian, I’ll be seeing you at the office tomorrow.”

  “Okay. We’ll figure out the contract then.”

  Both men departed, leaving Sebastian and Scarlett. The older sibling walked over and hugged Fleur. “I haven’t seen you in ages,” he said.

  “Well, dad and I aren’t on good terms.”

  “I know, but still. You could have come here to visit.”

  “I didn’t even know you moved in here,” Fleur said.

  Sebastian smiled, accentuating the bags under his eyes. He had a long, narrow face topped by short black hair. For the most part he was completely average, minus being super rich. “Dad did last year. I have my own place in Soho.”

  It shouldn’t surprise me that a man like him would live there. That was another one of those rich-person places to live. “What can I do for you?” he asked.

  Fleur looked at Lola. “Did you send out an email yesterday?” Lola asked. She walked over to Fleur’s side.

  Sebastian had a look of horror on his face. Even I could tell that he was the one that did it. “No,” he said.

  We all could hear the lie in his voice. See it on his face, and in his body.

  “Why did you do it?” Fleur asked.

  Sebastian breathed in deeply. “I had to. It wasn’t my idea, and I didn’t have a choice.”

  Fleur closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. “Let’s sit down and talk about this.”

  We all took our places in the upscale living room that made me feel like I was severely underdressed. “Scarlett,” Sebastian said. “You should go.”

  “But,” she protested.

  “Go.”

  The young girl stood and left. Once she was gone, Sebastian began his story. “Your brother visited me a few weeks ago. He said you were up to something that was going to bring down Walker Consolidated. That if you weren’t stopped, we’d all be out of work.”

  “I would never,” Fleur said. “You know me better than that.”

  Sebastian hung his head. “I didn’t believe him at first, but he had all this evidence. It was overwhelming.”

  The story continued, and it amazed me. I couldn’t believe the lies her own brother had fabricated against her. Fleur was furious. “Where is the proof?”

  “He has it,” Sebastian said.

  “Great,” Fleur said. “This isn’t helping find Eris.”

  “Your brother mentioned her. Said she was doing some real good in the city.”

  Now I was the one shocked. “Eris? Doing good? She’s batshit,” I said.

  Sebastian looked at me like I spoke out of turn and said something stupid. “I don’t know about batshit, but from what I was told, she’s trying to save the city.”

  “She’s my sister and trust me, Eris is out for herself, and only herself. She likes to cause problems.”

  “If you say so,” Sebastian said. “Look, that is all I got.”

  “Thank you,” Lola said. “You helped a lot.”

  It was true. Now we were going after two of our families. As we left and went down the elevator, Fleur said, “My brother is an issue for tomorrow. I need to sleep, and to get drunk.”

  The first part of the trip back was spent in silence. After meeting Fleur’s father, a million questions raced through my mind. She was nothing like him, and that interested me. Much like I had distanced myself from Zeus, Fleur had done the same.

  White Angel glanced at me as she drove. Her red hair flowed in the wind even though the drive through the congested streets of NYC didn’t allow for a fast speed. “What do you want to know?” she asked.

  “You want nothing to do with your father?”

  “No,” she said. “He put a lot of pressure on me, on Finn. Too much, and after a time I grew distant from him. Branched out.”

  That was true, in many ways. From what I had learned of her, Fleur did things her way, and made sure not to rely on her father. Yet, she was more like him that she would care to admit. I saw the drive to succeed in both her and him; stubbornness was strong in both
as well.

  “I’m sure it was hard to grow up with a man like him,” I said.

  Fleur grinned. “I’m sure you might be able to understand, being the son of Zeus.”

  As always, she was hesitant to accept what I said about myself. “Trust me, I do, but this isn’t about me.”

  Lola leaned forward, poking her head between us, her long brown hair blowing in the wind. “Fleur likes to think she’s not a Walker, but she is. A good one, and one I’m proud to call a friend.”

  Fleur huffed. “Please don’t compare me to my family. I’ve done a lot to remove myself from them. Just going back to that place was painful, and I don’t particularly want to do it again. I hate that life. Those people and all they stand for.”

  I let that ring in the air. Clearly, Fleur didn’t like her past and didn’t want to talk about it. Her past was what drove her, that much I saw. To prove that her family wasn’t all bad, and her mission might have just gotten a lot harder.

  19

  Need a Drink

  “I’m going to Club Weiss,” Fleur said. We were stuck in traffic.

  I hadn’t taken to the nightlife in the city, not yet. That was something for later when I found Eris. This club sounded familiar to me, and I couldn’t place it.

  “You said last time that you would never go there again,” Lola said. She had leaned forward, and her head was poking between us. “You must really be annoyed.”

  Fleur didn’t look happy at all. “Fucking brother. Fucking dad. They think they know what’s best for me. What’s best for all of us. If they had their way, the world would be at war. Nothing but men killing each other with the newest and baddest weapon around.”

  There was a time I would have grunted in approval, but that was no more. “War serves a purpose,” I said. “But it must have meaning beyond greed and money.”

  “For the God of War, you sure are light-hearted on the subject.” Fleur gave me a look that included actual caring and appreciation. It was like she was seeing me in a new light, and I was happy for it. Since I met her, I had been trying to be a better man. A better God.

  “War does help free those oppressed,” Fleur said. “That was how my father started. To help those being put down. Now he cares about nothing but getting all the money. All the power.”

  I had met many men like him over the years. A sad state that men like that usually ruled the world and got what they wanted.

  “Don’t think about him,” I said. “Let’s go to this club. Dance, drink. Have a good time. I can pray to my brother Dionysus, and he’ll make sure we have fun.”

  Lola laughed. “Ares, you’re a riot.”

  I hadn’t been trying to be funny, but I would take it. Lola appeared to be ready to go out. So did Fleur.

  “We won’t need your brother,” Fleur said. “We will get drunk. Dancing and fun, not sure about that.”

  Fleur took us back to their hideout. “We have a few hours,” Lola said. “I don’t think they will let Ares in wearing that, or are we going to call you Blake now?”

  “Ares. It's my real name, not Blake.”

  Fleur shrugged. “Blake is a fine name. And if you are really going to be a Paragon here, a hero, you need a codename and a secret identity.”

  She had a lot of sense, but I hadn’t been trying to hide who I was. “Fine, Blake in places like your family or the club, but here Ares.”

  Lola giggled. “Okay. Ares can’t go to the club in that.”

  I checked out my outfit, and she was right. It wasn’t one for clubbing or a night out on the town. I felt bad enough showing up to Fleur’s fancy building in it. At least the other two had clothes that weren’t thrift store.

  “That can be fixed,” Fleur said. She pulled out her phone and made a call. “What size are you?”

  I shrugged. Before I knew it, Lola was measuring me, and giving the info to Fleur. Once Lola was done, Fleur finished her call. “Hate taking advantage of my family name, but let Dad pay for that.”

  I took in the secret lair and wondered if her father paid for it as well. As if reading my mind, Lola said, “Fleur might not want to admit it, but she’s successful too in business. She had an online company; she sold it and spent every dime on this place.”

  “Wow,” I said. “No wonder daddy wants her.”

  Lola grinned. “Yeah. She’s got a much better business mind than Finn.”

  From the sound of it, I didn’t want to meet Finn. Yet, I was going to have to. He was part of this. Part of the big bad threat.

  How our two siblings got entangled was beyond me, but they were. I looked to Lola. “Please tell me you don’t have an evil stepmom or something.”

  Lola bent over laughing. Harder and louder than I had heard her before. Fleur glared at her. “What’s so funny?” Fleur asked.

  Lola couldn’t get the words out, so I explained, “I just asked her if she had an evil stepmom.”

  Fleur chuckled. “Her parents are married. Living back home in small-town Tennessee. Running a bakery. They are about a plain as can be.”

  “Okay. So, brother, sister. Dog.”

  Now Fleur was nearly in tears laughing. “Only child. Her mom was allergic to cats and dogs,” Fleur said. “Just you and I have the crazy evil family members.”

  “That we know of.” I’ve read and seen enough in my life to know that something from Lola’s past was going to rear its ugly head. Though I could be wrong, and I hoped I was. “Maybe a vindictive ex-boyfriend, or girlfriend.”

  Lola smirked. “Maybe that. Maybe.” She winked.

  It wasn’t long before Fleur’s phone buzzed, and she went to the door and returned with a package. It was a garment bag, and I knew it was for me.

  “Here,” she said. “Put this one. We’ll change too. Then we can head out to club Weiss.”

  The two women disappeared into the hideout and left me there standing alone. I opened the bag, and inside found some of the finest clothes I’d ever seen. I put them on and they fit perfectly. There was an elegant gray shirt with a subtle pattern, made of the softest material I had ever felt. The black pants were form-fitting enough to hint at my musculature, yet not tight. The outfit must have cost a fortune. It reminded me of the old days.

  20

  Club Weiss

  I was the first one done changing. The two women took close to an hour before they reemerged from the rear of the building. Lola was first.

  She stepped out in a tight dress that left little to the imagination. Her long brown hair flowed all around her. She still wore her glasses, and they gave her the “I’m sexy and I’m smart” look. It was fucking hot. Her slim figure was flawless in the tight red mini-dress. One look at her and my cock was hard as a rock. I wanted to fuck her. Take her here and now.

  Lol had put on some makeup, but only enough to enhance, rather than take away from, her natural beauty. “You look amazing,” I said as she neared me.

  Lola smiled widely. “As do you.” Her eyes went down to my crotch. “Really nice.”

  “You know you could see just how nice,” I teased.

  Lola licked her lips. “Maybe later.”

  I couldn’t help but smile and be happy to please her. It had been a while since I had any action. I had been holding out since I had gotten back to Earth. When one was accustomed to Goddesses, mere mortals had trouble comparing. Yet, Lola and Fleur did just that.

  The gorgeous redhead emerged and approached us. Each step was sexier than the previous, she had the sultry walk down pat. Her hair hung loosely around her dazzling face. She had on a little black dress, one that hugged her flawless curves. Her large breasts threatened to explode out of the number.

  “You look ravishing,” I said.

  “She sure does,” Lola added.

  Fleur blushed. “Thank you. I called for a ride.”

  I had been wondering about that. Drinking and driving didn’t sound like a great idea to me. I wasn’t sure if alcohol affected Paragons like regular humans, but it got me drunk. Th
e true elixir of the Gods, if I had any say. I know my dear brother Dionysus thought so. Good chance he was up on Mount Olympus drunk off his ass. Telling stories of his latest conquest that no one wanted to hear about. If they were even true, though it turned out the one about Eris was.

  We exited the building to find a limo waiting for us. This would be my first time in one. Sure, I’d seen many in the movies and TV. Silently I hoped this would have a pole in it, but I knew it wouldn’t. It wasn’t tall enough for that.

  Stepping inside, I saw it was plush and had several seats. The bar was stocked, and that was the first thing that Fleur went to. She pulled out the champagne and poured us all a glass. Without even toasting she took a long deep gulp. It was going to be one of those nights. I’ve seen them.

  I had little doubt Fleur was going to have fun. The nightclub wasn’t far and it took just thirty minutes to arrive. That was a pleasant surprise.

  The driver pulled up to the VIP entrance, and we exited. With the type of money that the Walker family had, I was sure that this was the norm for Fleur. I had done this type of thing in my life. Being a God, getting free passes was typical for me too.

  “Miss Walker,” a burly man at the entrance said. “Wasn’t expecting you tonight.”

  “Yes. I need to blow off some steam.”

  The man nodded. “As you say.”

  He moved to the side and the three of us entered. We weren’t even searched; I had thought that was standard operating procedure these days. Money indeed talks.

  The music blared in the club. Some of the current hits that I didn’t recognize. Not that I had been listening to music since I arrived, but I had been following it up on Mount Olympus. It might not be too much of a surprise, but I’m more of a rock fan. Not even close to what a place like this would play. Not the best for dancing.

  Fleur led the way through the crowd that parted like the red sea for her. She had that air that said “move out of the way.” All three of us did, and the people here knew it. That we weren’t to be messed with unless you wanted to get roughed up.